What we did on our holidays - part 2

Our new schooling lane

Of all the work we've done during the 'close season', perhaps the most striking in the opinion of our regulars on the gallops, has been our new schooling lane.

Built on the 'site' of our old chase fences (which we haven't used for 6 years or so), the lane comprises of 5 jumps constructed of a solid wooden pole, threaded through rubber tyres to provide a softer surface should a horse brush the top. With each jump rounded off with racecourse-like white railings, this lane not only provides ideal experience for our young jumpers, but sharpens up even the most experienced of our string prior to a run.

We've used the old open ditch to provide a similar test in this lane, with the jump coming as the 3rd of 5 in the lane.

We felt justified with our efforts in designing and building the lane over recent weeks at the tail end of the summer, as Hartforth was schooled over these jumps in the days leading up to his Hexham reappearance last Saturday. He duly won of course, but it was his excellent jumping that gave the 'lane builders' the most pleasure! 

The ditch - 3rd jump of 5 in the schooling lane