I am resisting the temptation to write about the cold weather – which is difficult since it has dominated our lives here in Scotland for almost a month now.

Suffice to say that surviving the elements here has been easier than I would like to admit but only because it has meant a high degree of organisation, particularly during the morning routines involving kettles and boiling water to defrost water pipes.

Dwelling on the positives (one of my New Year resolutions), there has been nothing better than seeing those first trickles of water dribbling from the taps only to be followed by an increasing flow punctuated by coughs and splutters and then the final gush as all the ice has cleared from inside the taps or fitments.

There is also the feel-good factor experienced when the ponies walk with purpose towards you and the food you have just put out for them followed by the quiet contentment on their faces as they munch their way through their leaf of hay which, at this point, even looks appetising to the human.

To top it all, the dead grass and the mud disappeared under a smooth white blanket and the countryside looked wonderful – what joy!

Somewhat worrying have been the fox tracks which appeared each morning in the fresh snow all round our farm buildings. It’s all very well and good to express the season of goodwill and I can understand that foxes have the right to become hungry like the rest of animals, but from a selfish point of view not at the expense of our hens.

Mrs Reynard took advantage of the wayward ways of one my neighbour’s hens just after Christmas. So, I made doubly sure that the Waxwing hens were safely tucked up in their coops at night.

The threat didn’t last too long, I’m glad to say, as the young lads, who keep the fox population under control in this area, shot her a few days into the holiday period – and before the ‘do-gooders’ among you hold up your hands in horror, she wasn’t feeding any cubs.

At a time when young people seem to come under a lot of stick I have to say that I am very impressed with these lads who are town born, but country minded.

Clean cut, tidily dressed, always extremely polite and good for a friendly chat, they have a great understanding of the countryside and how it works.

They have an obvious love for all animals and a great respect for even the fox, which they tell me is in plentiful supply in and around this area as their tracks and scent have easily shown in the snow.

This has never been a hunting area and there is plenty of good cover so this is hardly surprising. With people like this in the area it begs the question why hunting with hounds is necessary although there is an interesting resurgence of interest in fox hunting in England, and the Tories seem intent on bringing it back on to the political agenda as we move, horror of all horrors, to the impending general election.

On the subject of tracks in the snow, have you noticed how white the socks and stockings have become on our horses and ponies during this cold spell?

It goes without saying that there are always plenty of white legs on our Welsh breeds and our stallion, in particular, has white markings ready for the show ring.

It reminds me of how difficult it seems for some people to achieve the same brilliant white effect during the summer months despite all the products on the market and this applies equally to those who compete in disciplines other than showing.

There are no bounds where good turn out is concerned and I’m encouraged to see that many of our performance competitors maintain a high standard.

I hope that working hunter pony exhibitors take note as this year they will need their white legs to be sparkling to mark the allocation of Horse of the Year Show qualification to their section at the Royal Highland Show for the first time.

This recognition of the excellent competition and entries which this section enjoys at the show has been well overdue and one which will be warmly welcomed not only here in Scotland but also in the north of England and Ireland, areas from which a useful entry is drawn.

With news that there will also be an extension to the ridden mountain and moorland qualifying classes, the Royal Highland is steadily building up an enviable portfolio of HOYS qualifiers that looks like growing in the years ahead; directors need to bear this in mind when they consider ring availability in the future.

At this point I have to take you back to my last column and my story about my trip to Ireland when I encountered some successful race goers.

Now, while I am definitely not setting myself up as a tipster, I hope my tale about the successful hurdler, Go Native, inspired you to have a little flutter on him on Boxing Day when he won the big hurdle race at Kempton.

The result brought images to mind of a glowing Thomas Dowd, one of his owners, whose dream of winning the million pounds has come a step closer after this significant win.

It is all down to Cheltenham now when a win won’t just be a case of ‘third time lucky’ but a case of a brilliant horse brilliantly trained and ridden. If he does win, I’ll take great pleasure in writing ‘I told you so’ and if he doesn’t, you’ll never hear another word about it from me.

Talking of good horses, I had an interesting conversation this week with Claris Whiteway, who lives in Shropshire, a very well-known pony judge, who breeds a few horses which have been successful on the track as well as in the show ring.

She told me something about her choice of stallions which had never really occurred to me previously and may technically be a lot of old rubbish, but it did strike a chord with me then and since.

With a serious interest in conformation, she obviously looks for a well made horse and when it comes down to movement, she tells me that she normally prefers the Aga Khan’s Thoroughbreds as they move so easily with a slight hesitation before they put their hooves to the ground.

She attributes the success of her race horses to this seemingly effortless movement, which makes those who don’t make it to the track also suitable for the show ring.

Perhaps it all comes down to economy of effort, although I suspect that this style of movement doesn’t suit the distance horses who have to slog it through the heavy going we have witnessed on our race tracks over weeks prior to the recent abandonment of meetings due to the weather.

Luck was on the side of the organisers of the Hayes Golden Button Challenge, an old fashioned cross country race which literally goes from steeple to steeple in the Ledbury Hunt country in Gloucestershire, which managed to beat the weather when it took place on Hogmanay.

The gruelling three-mile race attracted a huge field of more than 50 riders and many more runners who covered the same distance on foot.

It is a little known fact that Ledbury joint master, David Redvers, who was well placed in both races, spent much of his childhood in Scotland when his parents lived at Upper Largo, in Fife.

Not only is he famous for finding the inspired hurdler, Lady Rebecca, for a knock-down price at Doncaster Sales but he also manages his family’s Tweenhills Stud, near Hartpury, where his grandmother, Mrs Nell Pennell, established her famous Bwlch pony stud more than 50 years ago.

David is ably assisted at the stud by his wife, Laura, who also helped organise the New Year’s Eve Hunt Ball which followed the race. Laura, a daughter of the Montgomery family, from Kinross House, used to be a member of Sarah Lean’s well-known musical ride of Dartmoor ponies which gave displays round our Scottish shows.

Thankfully, the weather has not killed the enthusiasm which inspires organisers to hold events like this during the winter months since most of the time we are able to get out and about without too much distress to ourselves and our animals.

Congratulations, particularly go to those who are literally keeping the show on the road at this time. To them and all The Scottish Farmer readers may I take the opportunity to wish you all a very good New Year.