cabbagepatch88

Hope everyone and all the horses are alright Ramping up for the winter here!! She says, when it's been 18 degrees here today! I am absolutely determined that the little monster won't be making a bid for freedom out of his field and down Into the village this winter. I have umm'ed and ahhh'ed in recent weeks whether I should try and move him to a smallish yard so I can stable him overnight but after much deliberation I decided against it. I'm not sure his hocks could take it and he is really settled where he is now so I'm reluctant to move and potentially make his arthritis any worse for him by shutting him in at night. I'm sure I might change my tune if I get a call at 2am from the local policeman!! Since last year I've improved the fencing and have got an incredibly powerful energiser running off a huge battery which even on it's 'low' setting gives you heart failure if you happen to touch it! I've also ordered him one of those very handy electric fencing rugs with the panels on the front and in the neck so he will get a full zap from the fence even when he's wearing a rug. I've also been trying to find a way to see if I could roll a whole huge bale of hay out into his field so I don't have to panic about whether he's run out or not. I need something that will keep a big 4ft bale off the floor/mud, be safe to have in the field, and potentially have some scope for having a net round it to stop him gobbling it all. Any thoughts let me know ;) Minus that, I'm hoping to get him out over the winter to some indoor SJ and dressage

Wow well done gooster!! That school sounds awful! I'm off to Clare's yard on Sunday for some dressage, I'm doing prelim 1 and prelim 18

Hi all, I do apologise for the lack of update. I sat for about an hour not long after I got back from camp and wrote you a huge report only for my computer to crash about 3 seconds before I pressed send and then I lost the will to live!! So finally a long awaited update! Our first trip out last month was dressage at Windsor. It was a popular gathering with lots of very smartly turned out horses and riders, as you can imagine! Fortunately I had spent all week washing milo with blue shampoo so he was so white he looked like something from a Daz advert!! Anyway we were entered for Intro B and Prelim 12. I was using it as practice for the riding club event the following weekend, which ended up being cancelled L Anyway, he warmed up nicely and we went in for the Intro. As I have nowhere to practice I always find those arenas so tiny when you get in, and this was no different except we were on grass with white boards, and those letters just came up so quickly! We got round it but I didn’t think it was anything amazing. I knew there were about 12 entries and I saw lots of really nice tests so came away thinking id be really happy if I got a place. I came back half an hour later to find that WE HAD WON :O !!!!!! With 68.something%!! We got 8’s for our transitions and changes of rein across the diagonal so really pleased. Feeling positive we went into the Prelim 12. I was a bit worried about this one as it involves cantering across the diagonal, trotting and then picking up canter again in the corner but I needn’t have worried, he didn’t bat an eyelid! Had 2 things go wrong, he tripped on one change of rein and picked up right canter lead when it should’ve been left (I changed it quickly) but other than that it went really well. This was a bigger class of about 17/18. Again I was delighted to find that although we’d just missed out on a place we’d come 7th with 64% and only 5% behind the winner!! So I was absolutely over the moon with him. Bearing in mind we have no dressage lessons or anywhere to practice that’s not bad going SO, onto riding camp! We had a fantastic time. We had 5 lessons over the course of 2 days with a quiz and bbq in the evening. Biggest achievements involved our dressage lesson where he ended up feeling like Valegro!! I really must do more dressage with him, hes really quite amazing. Cross country was fantastic (pics to follow!) and in our jumping lessons he just amazed me. I actually ended the weekend jumping him round this gigantic course (about 3’3” which is enormous for us) but he pinged it like a spring lamb, and best of all he did it in a snaffle without wrenching my arms out of my sockets. So thrilled with him. We also had a go at some TREC obstacles, walking over a tarpaulin, through a maze, walking over some pallets, ducking under a bridge and doing the control of paces. He was impeccably behaved throughout and I was so pleased with him. Hes been an absolute star. Following that, I gave him a week off and we’ve spent the last week doing some nice leisurely hacks. Next outing will be dressage I think! XC Pics

Just dipping in, be prepared for a long update tomorrow on our last two trips out Gooster - agree with Clare! Make it clear now or else she'll think its 'normal'! Clare - so pleased to hear Loki is doing better Hope the gallops and dressage went ok!

Wahoo well done Loki and banner and blue. Well we're all sorted with a new saddle and I can feel the difference already. We've got a busy July, we've got dressage this weekend, am going to do an intro and a prelim as next weekend we are doing a riding club competition and were doing prelim dressage and xc! Then the following weekend we're off on riding club camp for the weekend which I am SO excited about! If all goes to plan I'm actually considering having a bash at an ODE in August...just a little one eek..

Ooh well done Claire! I'm having a saddle dilemma, my current saddle is wonky on milo and driving us both nuts. Rang saddler this morning but as it was bank holiday yesterday he's got a busy week so can't see me until Saturday. I think milo is bulking out a bit more now he's being ridden more and one shoulder seems to be bigger than the other and pushing the saddle back. So last week I noticed I'm twisting when I rise and we feel very wobbly in canter when normally he's balanced so think we'll be en route for a new saddle. My saddler knows me quite well (been coming since Earl days!) and I told him quite frankly I haven't got the funds to spend thousands so he better not bring anything outrageously expensive. Fingers crossed that will get sorted and we can get on our way again...

I need to give myself a goal, I've been so unproductive recently. I've been looking up a few events to get to in an attempt to kick myself into gear! The riding club thingy I was due to compete in was move to the 14th July so need to get out for some dressage and sj practice before then.....what's everyone else gor planned?

Oh dear. Silly blue, glad hes ok though. Makes me feel much better when other people's horses escape, so glad milo is not the only naughty one:D

Not been up to much, since our busy time in the holidays. He felt really reluctant behind last week so I gave him the week off and my physio saw him Friday and as usual did a marvellous job, rode him Sunday and he's back to normal. Most of my weekends are booked up with agility shows (dogs - not horses!) now but hoping to get to a few jumping clinics in the next month or so

Hello everyone, Milo here. Mummy has been very busy recently and I have been very clever so she said I could write to you and tell you all about my achievements! Mummy has been taking me out for lots of rides recently, she has been particularly evil and has made me go up and down lots of hills and it makes me get out of puff she says its good for me! In the school holidays I went out lots, I had several jumpies lessons and even a boring lesson where I went round and round in a circle for ages, not a jump in sight our first proper outing was with auntie dawn and vinnie. Vinnie is big and brown and I'm scared of him because he's big. Mummy said she was proud of me for travelling with vinnie in the trailer and waiting there nicely whilst mummy went to walk the course. The first thing I had to do was showjumping, I was very careful and picked my feet up really high so I didn't knock any of the big sticks. Then mummy went mad and made me jump up a bank out of the arena and then we carried on and did some outdoor jumpies. I went really fast. Mummy tried to slow me down when we got to the scary things like the big drop, the water, a big ditch and a bank, but I am very brave and I told her to stop worrying, I did it all with no problems. Mummy said she was very proud of me because we haven't done outdoor jumpies in ages. She said I got something called a double clear and I earned myself a nice big carrot. Here's me going really speedy...weeeeee! Our next outing was that horrid boring thing when I have to go round and round lots of times. Mummy made me warm up very quickly because mummy's dad forgot the trailer keys so she said we only had half an hour before our time! I was a good boy and came 2nd in the first test. To my horror, instead of going home she made me do it again. This time I got worried because there was a very naughty grey horse in the warm up area who was standing on his back legs a lot. I didn't like it so I snorted like a dragon and kept looking at him to make sure he stopped being silly. Mummy told me I was a silly cob. I calmed down eventually and we went in the arena. We got half way round and again mummy went crazy and asked me to canter! It took my by surprise and I jumped and got my legs in a muddle so we had to start again. The second time though I was ready and did a pretty canter and scored an 8 :O mummy took me home and said I had tried very hard and I got another big carrot for being good. When she came back to give me dinner she told me I had come 4th out of 15 in the canter one so mummy was happy. Here's a picture of me pointing my tootsies: Since then we've been doing more riding and mummy says we're off to a long long ride tomorrow for charity with auntie dawn and vinnie. I think I will like that Speak soon, Milo

Hehe, giggling about wanda the camel Have got dressage on Saturday, doing intro a (5 people in my class, wahoo!) and then I'm going to have a bash at prelim 4. I let him have a couple of days off after his efforts last weekend and he's been quite fiery out hacking this week so not feeling particularly optimistic or prepared! Will let you know how it goes... How's everyone else getting on?

Went out today and I am so proud I could burst My friend told me the event was a eventers challenge. Looked it up on YouTube, watched people do about 10 sj, jump out of the arena and then do about 5 xc jumps to finish. That's fine I thought, all xc stuff straight forward. Arrived this morning to walk the course, only 8 jumps SJ and they'd opened up the entire xc course so we had to do all 20 obstacles :O not only that, there were steps down which were huge which I've never done on him, a water complex and jump out which I've never done, a ditch, and a big roll top up onto a bank for the finish. I went into it being as positive as I could. He went clear SJ and so proceeded to jump out of the arena, and he was off. He was amazing. He did t get strong at all, I had gears - I chose to take it pretty steady obviously as we haven't been xc for such a long time. He popped straight down the huge steps, trotted straight in the water, we cruised round. He really surprised me, he was so cool about the whole thing, so bold...he didn't even prick his ears in curiosity, just got straight on with it. So we ended up with a double clear but too slow for a place, but I was overjoyed with him. Also to mention, he travelled like an angel in my friends trailer with her 17hh tb and didn't hear a peep from him. Overall, a mega proud mummy today

Well I was all geared up for dressage yestetday...cancelled! Argh! I've spent a fortune on.lessons this week so was gutted. As an alternative, we are off out jumping tomorrow with a friend. She very kindly offered me a lift You'll all be very jealous of me this week, I'm house sitting for the family.who own milo's field so for the next week he's literally at the bottom of the garden. Luxury

My competition next weekend has been cancelled :'( My usual dressage place has a comp on next friday so will probably try that, maybe have a bash at a prelim too. Want to try and find some jumping to go to aswell...

I agree, I would be a bit surprised but maybe she didn't know what was expected. I would expect most sharers etc would just at the chance to bring in, groom, tack up before the lesson but depends what she wants I guess How are we all doing in the snow? Fortunately we didn't have much, the weather was horrid though so my lesson was cancelled, am hoping to get one in the week instead to catch up before my competition. Feel really sorry for all those up north who have had several feet of snow