GLAD tidings, comfort and the joys of excessive eating might be coming our way soon but our horses will ensure we remain grounded in everyday reality. As sure as day follows night and night follows day, our equine charges will keep us busy throughout the holiday season. They might not shower us with gifts or greeting cards but few things can equal the soft, early morning whinny of a horse truly pleased to see you.

Christmas at Stellor Sport Horses is one of my favourite times. Freed from the demands and pressures of competition, our daily tasks are peppered with sound bites of poorly-sung Christmas carols and real bites from yet another tin of chocolates (fortunately, the tight and sparkling whites of competition jodhpurs are a mere dot on the horizon for now).

My stables are also ‘choc’-full at present and I have a truly wonderful mix of horses in for schooling and producing. Never before has my yard had so many mares in-situ. Luckily for me, they are all talented and in possession of a most happy outlook on life, so yard life moves smoothly along.

Lest I be accused of breaching any equine equality laws, the gender balance of the yard is being affirmatively restored by the presence of a rather impressive stallion.

Cruising in Clone (stable name Mossy) is, as the name suggests, a Cruising stallion. Anybody seeing him is left in no doubt as to his lineage, as he bears the true stamp of his father. Not only that but he is also a full brother to Electric Cruise. Only six years old, Mossy has already accumulated approximately 60 Showjumping Ireland points and, as a three-year-old, finished second in the RDS Future Event Horse class.

This is the first time for me to have a stallion on site and so I approached the early days with trepidation. However Mossy has proved himself the definition of a gentleman and is fast becoming a favourite here. Securing a place in the 2015 WBFSH world breeding jumping championships for young horses in Lanaken has certainly crossed my mind and this might well be the horse for the job.

A yard of full stables calls for a well-staffed and well-oiled routine. With this in mind, I would like to welcome Lisa Bruton and Hannah Walsh to the Stellor eventing team. Both girls are ensuring the best of care for the horses, while their combined attitude of fun and optimism makes my life that much easier.

December is often regarded as a month of sloth, slobbery and the steady eating of oneself into a sugar-induced coma. However eventers are made of sterner stuff, as was evidenced by my well-attended training clinic earlier this month. Sixteen horse and rider combinations enjoyed a dry and bright winter’s day and hopefully departed with some new tools in their training armory.

The jumping element took place in the morning, with the large number split into four similarly experienced groups. Some tricky gymnastic exercises quickly progressed to a medley of skinnies, corners and combinations, all aimed at replicating the lines met while out cross-country.

A quick stop for lunch in the gazebo and then it was onto the dressage phase, where each rider benefited from some tailored, one-to-one tuition. My training philosophy for both horse and rider is simple; begin each schooling session with a plan and objective and aim to make even one small change by completion. Rome might not have been built in a day, but we can all manage one brick.

I am running another clinic on Saturday, January 3rd, for those riders planning to attack the 2015 eventing calendar with vigour. A good start is half the battle when it comes to the competition season. It will also be a good excuse for participants to loosen the grip on those few remaining Christmas sweets in a bid to get riding fit for the busy months ahead.

The end of the year is an ideal time to reflect on performances past. However this should only be done with a view to improving future endeavours.

Over the course of a season, I accumulate a long list of things I would like to change in my horses and my riding. The past couple of weeks have seen me traversing the motorways of Leinster to take time with my dressage and show jumping coaches, Ian Woodhead and Ian Fearon, respectively. Upon returning to the yard, I immediately put these new teachings into practice to ensure that they become an established part of my training routines. Learn from the past, work in the present and win in the future!

Like most of you, I too will be relaxing with family and friends on Christmas Day. However with the Eventing Ireland dates already set, thoughts of the 2015 season are never far away. Undoubtedly, I will be setting my sights on the young event horse classes with a few greenhorns, eager to make their mark.

My two top level horses, Horse Stellor Rebound (Rocket) and BLM Diamond Delux (Murphy) are back in work and an early start to our international campaign is planned. An attack on The Grantham Cup at April’s Belton International Horse Trials should warm us up nicely. Swiftly following Belton will be a trip with one of the two horses to Badminton in May.

Whereas 2014 was the year of WEG, 2015 will be the year of the European Eventing Championships in Blair Castle. With both horses already meeting the criteria for qualification, I will be hoping for a team place with one of them.

Fond memories of the 2014 season are soon to be replaced with frenzied planning for 2015. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my Christmas dinner and make my very own pact with Santa.

Well done to all who got out and enjoyed their horses and ponies this year. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and here’s to a 2015 full of eventing adventures from me and all at Stellor Sport Horses.