Over The Stable Door: Outrun in my own apple bobbing race, I decide to take a break

We were inundated with children and it made for some highly entertaining events.

They enjoyed every part of the day and have ensured the gymkhana now becomes an annual feature of the day.

The terrier racing proved funny for the wrong reason.

The first heat had no finishers, there was merely a ball of over-excited terriers fighting each other in the middle of the course.

My particular favourite was the adult apple bobbing.

The motley crew who lined up at the start aboard borrowed ponies, included the huntsman, kennelman, two point to point jockeys (one of whom got bucked off the 11hh Shetland she was riding) and the more clued up parents – who beat us all.

I nearly drowned trying to get a strong enough bite of the apple to lift it out.

After floating around in the murky buckets of water since morning the apples had become almost soft enough to make in to apple sauce by late afternoon.

After a hectic few months I took a few days off recently in an attempt to recharge my batteries.

If I don’t remove myself from the farm I never switch off.

It is too easy to do a quick job here or tidy up there and before I know it the school is out and my free afternoon has dwindled away.

A trip to see friends was the answer and my last chance to get away before that depressing clock-changing deed is upon us in a few weeks’ time.

It is lucky the winter holds such fabulous sporting pursuits to enjoy: jump racing, pointing, shooting, hunting and skiing all in one season.

It certainly goes a long way in making the frozen gallops, endless thermal layers and burst pipes bearable on those dark winter mornings.

I unearthed my treasured Christmas present, the Baretta 12 bore, last week.

It hasn’t been out for a time but I kept riding past some myxi-infested rabbits which needed putting out of their misery (they didn’t end up in one of my casseroles, just in case you‘ve been invited round to dinner next week.)

There are very few rabbits I spot at this time of year without the painful disease and it seems increasingly widespread.

It has hit in one of the more sheltered fields for the first time this year.

This was a s site shielded from the disease previously due to residential surroundings.

I put the diseased bunnies out of their misery well enough.

But when I took aim on a few cans in the field afterwards, it took half a box of cartridges before I managed to knock them off the fence

Although I am blaming the wind and my fringe, which seriously handicapped my efforts every time I took aim, I have booked in for some shooting lessons.

Next week is the Pendle Hunt Breakfast, always a sociable affair held at David Coates Craven Country Ride near Gargrave in Skipton.

It is an ideal prep run for my youngsters at this time of year, they get chance to experience some inviting cross country fences as a warm up, followed by a few hours cubbing.

It is then that we riders sit down to enjoy a hearty full English complete with glass of champagne at the Coates’ farm and there’s no better way to round off the morning.

I intend to take a young hunter and a maiden pointer along and can highly recommend it for anyone needing to blow the cobwebs away or get some confidence before the Opening meets are upon us next month.

David has grown some brand new hedges, caringly nurtured by his fair hands which are now ready to be included in his cross country ride.

He has kindly allowed the hunt breakfast crew to christen them next Saturday and is secretly praying more than a few sprigs of hawthorn will be left standing after we have all gone over (through / under / got stuck in) them….

He had better make those prayers extremely gracious ones.