I can say I’ve been able to tick something off my bucket list now: I managed to mount and ride a camel – a brilliant experience. I had great fun grooming my one, named Baxter, and I think the people running it were happy they had people that were used to dealing with big animals and weren’t afraid to get stuck in.
I find this one of the toughest topics in the horse world, as everyone does something different. There are thousands of products on the market – all claiming they can cure everything – and nutritionists are often affiliated with a feed company, making any advice potentially biased.
I am currently lightly backing my three-year-old American Quarter Horse before turning him away for the winter. In my previous post, I explained the setbacks this year, and frustratingly I had to start the process much later in the year than I’d anticipated. But things were going well, too well…
As a long-term owner of ex-racehorses, I am a member of the Retraining of Racehorses association, often known as RoR. To be eligible for RoR status, your horses must have a Wetherby's passport with a registered name. This allows you to compete in dedicated RoR leagues in many disciplines.
As October draws to a close, I do look forward to Halloween and having some fun putting seasonal headgear on Diva (Melland Queen of Scots). Does Diva enjoy it too? I think so.
How has everyone fared with the horrid storm that came in? I hope everyone was okay. My weather app didn’t warn me how much rain we would get, but luckily I erred on the side of caution and kept the trio in. I know we fared a lot better than some and feel awful for all the pics I have seen on Facebook. I do hope the fields recover quickly.
I had been mulling over several topics for my one hundredth blog post, but in the end Storm Babet made the decision for me.
The storm was forecast for several days, so I ensured I had enough bedding in the stable as I planned to bring Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) and Mabel into the stable on the Thursday night.
So, show day rolled around for Bob, and the weather had been very nice to us – it was dry and not windy! Bob behaved well on seeing the horsebox come out and, after a few hesitations, was on board in no time. He was a bit vocal when I left him to jump in the driver’s seat but settled down when he heard me chattering to him. A quick drive up the road and we were there.
Autumn brings the official Shetland Pony Auctions. There are three in total, one in Worcester, one in Aberdeen and one in Lerwick on Shetland. Many ponies are sold through these auctions from the most renowned studs, in particular at the Lerwick and Aberdeen sales.