I am finding it hard to believe we are a quarter of the way through 2023 already, it feels like time has flown by, equally on reflection, I don't even know where to start with the small steps towards big goals!
Django hasn't been off the yard since last year, but this year he has been a bit broken, accepted and saddled and is fully ready to start long reining, in preparation to breaking this year. Since he was six months old, he has been well handled, been taught a lot of groundwork and join up, and has been going to in-hand shows three to four times a year. This solid foundation has meant any new scenarios he has encountered he has taken in his stride. Hopefully a few months of long reining will be the final piece of the puzzle before ridden work starts.
Mister (the new one!) has just been a unicorn of a horse! After a dramatic start to life here with near death colic, he has yet to put a foot wrong and sometimes it is easy to forget he is an ex-racehorse and not a seaside donkey. I have taken him to his first ever cross-country training, show jump training and a few dressage tests. In this time, I haven't had a spook, a refusal, or an ounce of over excitement, just a forward and truly wonderful nature. We even attended our first showing show and I really did think being in an arena with lots of other horses cantering around may awaken the racehorse, but still no. I was able to ride him on the buckle end though!
Ben has had a wonderful 2023. He has qualified for the RoR championships in April, BD associate RoR championships in October and just needs one more test to qualify for the BD Area Festivals, all at Novice level! Not bad for a 19-year-old, who raced 164 times! In fact, I'd say pretty impressive!
If these horses carry on like this, I am going to have to dream bigger with ambitions and goals for all of them! But as we all know, it is horses, so I shall refrain from holding my breath, especially while I also don't owe any vet bills, because if it seems too good to be true. Equally I shall appreciate every moment of having three horses all on fighting fit form and on track with 2023 aims!
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.
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.
After having a long wait and some lunch at the onsite café, it was time to get ready for the Joan Wolfe Overall Supreme Shetland Pony Championship. I got changed out of my usual showing outfit into black trousers and a maroon top with white spots, as you are expected to be a bit more “bling” in the evening.
We were all set to go for our next outing, and were super excited. That was until I heard the dreaded clunk of a loose shoe! I checked it over, praying it wasn’t too loose, but, nope, it was going to need a refit.