News & Events

With the dry ground we don’t seem to be having much luck with shoes, as little madam managed to pull both her front shoes off within 12 hours the other day! We entered the arena with two shoes on for a schooling session and left it with one missing (took about an hour to find it). Then that afternoon, as I went to put some hoof ointment on, I looked down and had to double take, thinking I was looking at the wrong hoof. But, no, the other shoe was missing too.

Once again I threw Arlo in at the deep end, affiliating him purely for the Arena UK second round show, and once again he pulled it out the bag. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful little horse? We haven’t really competed this year. I don’t really compete over the winter, and also my horsebox was away for repairs up until the beginning of June, so I had no transport even if I’d wanted to.

This show almost passed me by as I was unaware of the show organisation. Luckily, the schedule was posted on one of the Shetland pony Facebook groups that I am a member of. The show was being held at Onley Grounds Equestrian Complex, which is where I should have gone to a show a month or so earlier, but was ill and unable to take Diva (Melland Queen of Scots).

The Midland Counties Show on the first Saturday in June has traditionally been the first show of the season for Diva (Melland Queen of Scots), as it was this year, despite me entering a show the weekend before. Unfortunately, I was poorly and so had to miss that one, and literally until the day I wasn’t sure I would make this one either.

Since the show, Bob’s been enjoying a bit of a rest with a few lunge sessions and being lightly ridden, but I’m gearing him up hopefully for a show either this weekend or next. Wish us luck, and the poor arena pole pickers too, as he does like to send some sailing!

Having endured, and actually continuing to endure, muddy fields this spring, perhaps it is of no surprise that the usual midges that come with the warmer weather seem to have been on steroids! From having very few about, we suddenly have swarms of horrible biting midges attacking the ponies.

I’ve been doing a lot more focusing on Bob recently, with a lesson booked last week, ahead of our first show. A couple of days before the lesson, I decided it was time to step up from canter poles and trial a couple of jumps. He did so well and didn’t once have an issue.

You might remember me saying in my last Arnie blog that I didn’t know if we would get to the point of competing this year, but last weekend I lost the plot and, just before the 21:30pm cut-off, decided to book him in for his first ever dressage test.

Continuing on from the last blog – the Trick Training clinic with Lisa Dixon (Freelance Equine) at Truesdale Equestrian – after a little break we moved on to being taught two tricks which are stepping stones to having your horse or pony work at liberty.