I think the mild autumn, has caused a grass sugar rush to the head of Travis and Ben! They are acting like naughty youngsters earning themselves both some time on the naughty step. Do you ever just know before you have even tacked up that you are about to have one of 'those' rides! Well that is these two. I will actually be glad when the grass looses some green!
I took Ben out to unaffiliated jumping and we certainly was not shy of speed or scope, but we definitely lacked .... finesse! We cut a lot of corners and took out a lot of strides, but we had no refusals, which for his 2nd ever full course is great, as there were some scary jumps, fillers and skinny gates to overcome.
Then I took Travis out hunting. Something I was already feeling a little apprehensive about, as the one and only time we had been before, we managed to snap our reins and run backwards at the meet, knocking the Hunt master over! However, 4 years has passed, 4 years of maturing, 4 years of training, surely things would be better, surely it couldn't be worse. Well tell that to the still sore blister on my heel, after walking well over a mile, from abandoning the hunt and making our own way back to the lorry, after being completely out of control for 8km!
Then I come home from work one evening to find, not one but 2 trashed rugs and a completely trashed fence. Thanks Boys!
American Quarter Horse
I still have to pinch myself sometimes, I can't believe I actually have my very own American Quarter Horse. His name is Play N Spark, stable name is Django and I just cannot wait for our future and journey together learning the ropes of Western riding. I have been taking lessons for a little while now and completely fallen in love with the riding, the training, the horses, the style, just everything. It is so exciting to be learning something so new to me, after 25 years of horses, it really is a hobby that never stops giving.
He has such an old head on little shoulders. He travelled here amazing, he has settle in a stable amazing and has enjoyed being out in the field next to his buddies. Next step is the farrier, some more lead training and hopefully being turned out soon with the bigger boys!
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.