The incontestable worth of preparation is preached far and wide. Failure to plan and prepare with horses rarely results in anything more than mediocrity. I spend many hours throughout the year poring over my diary; deciding who will go jumping where on what day; assessing which horses would benefit more from a hack rather than another schooling session; noting any new pieces of tack or training aids used.

However, even best-laid plans can fall victim to unwelcome upheaval, leaving disappointment and much head-scratching in their wake. No better an example of this was my voluntary withdrawal of Horseware Stellor Rebound (stable name Rocket) from last week’s recent Aachen Eventing Nations’ Cup.

A badly timed run-in between his leg and a hay manger resulted in some bruising on Rocket’s front tendon. While a scan showed the injury to be relatively minor, consultation between my team and vet Marcus Swail led to our precautionary decision to withdraw.

Naturally, my initial reaction was more ‘take a deep breath and count to ten’, than ‘smile bountifully and resort to Zen!’ But further reflection afforded me the time to look at the bigger picture, namely next month’s World Equestrian Games participation. Fortunately, all of my hard work and fitness work throughout the year permitted a week or so of lighter work for Rocket, as we nurse his leg back to optimum form.

Your next question would quite rightly be: “And how does one heal a bruised tendon?”

The answer is in the seas all around you; Mother Nature’s most effective and cost-free hydrotherapy unit. Rocket and I are both enthusiastic members of the Donabate Beach dawn chorus society. Every morning since his injury, I have spent 40 minutes walking him through the shallow seawater.

Anybody who has been in the ocean with even a small cut can attest to the immense healing power of salt water. This, coupled with the water’s coolness, means reduced swelling and faster fibre repair. Ask Rocket and he will just tell you how much he loves being at the beach! (I am only a few days shy of handing him a bucket and spade).

A horse’s injury, while always inconvenient, does not always spell extravagant expenditure. There might just be a natural solution, which can at least play some part in the recovery process. As a top-up to the seawater therapy, Rocket is being treated three times daily with Horseware’s Ice-Vibe Boots and twice daily using a laser pen directly on the injury site. Time-consuming as all of this is, the outcome to date is positive as we have just received the green light to resume normal work.

FOND FAREWELL

While equine arrivals and departures to my yard are nothing out of the ordinary, a very recent farewell deserves a particular mention. Sugar Brown Babe, my stalwart competition partner of several years, has made the move across the Irish Sea, to take pride of place in a very loving new home with the Taylor family.

Much success came from our fortuitous pairing, and I am truly grateful for the part Babe has played in my life. Babe is of a most amicable and easy-going nature, something that struck a chord with me from our very first introduction all those years ago. Her matriarchal position in my yard was quickly established, and further reinforced as she started to cut a swath at events.

Sugar Brown Babe truly became ‘the one to watch’, bringing huge pride to her breeders and owners, Miriam and Jim Cunning. Despite the significant cost associated with running a horse at this level, Miriam and Jim determined to keep their beautiful homebred mare. Not a day goes by without my acknowledging just how lucky I was to be along for the ride.

Babe is quite the fitting ambassador for Ireland’s sport horse industry, and I wish her new owners many years of happiness and success.

Now, from an already shining star to a rising star, my young eventing prospect Stellor Hotshot; a five-year-old gelding by Loughehoe Guy, out of a Nautilus mare. Simply known as Guy around the yard, this horse finished as overall winner of the FEHL five-year-old league, the final leg taking place last week in Tullymurry.

The way in which horses learn rarely ceases to amaze me. While I wish it were simply linear – where a skill I teach one day is absorbed, practiced and quickly established – horses more often than not opt for the road less travelled, with the learning process taking on a more ‘freestyle’ format.

Guy represents perfectly the unique manner in which each horse learns and thus must be taught. How different a horse he is from this time last year. His ability, poise and confidence seem to grow in equal measure and he is a true character, in the most flattering sense of the word. Guy is a firm favourite amongst my staff and is more than willing to soak up the adoring attention lavished upon him.

Last week’s trip to Tullymurry’s FEHL marked the final qualifier of 2014, but more regrettably the finale of this inspired eventing showcase. For me, the FEHL signifies a golden opportunity in my young horses’ education, affording them unmatched exposure to a variety of competition environments around the country. So many world-beating, Irish bred horses have come through the FEHL; their resounding talent and potential unquestionable even as four and five year olds. After all, mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

Sarah Ennis is an international eventrider based in Co Meath where she and her husband Niki run Stellor Sport Horses