Wow definitely starting to notice those dark night’s drawing in, oh how I miss the long warm summer evenings! I’ve been busy prepping the horses stables again ready for them to fully come in or the winter ahead of this new Beast from the East that’s predicted!
I feel a bit mean having clipped Autumn last week now as she will be feeling a bit chillier! Poor Bob still has it to come, hoping to get him done in a the next two weeks, just trying to find a suitable day when I can spend 4-5 hours keeping an eye on him to come round from the sedation. I hoped this year I may not need as much sedation as he has been a bit braver, so I decided to take my trimmers up to the yard as they are quieter and turn them on a few meters from him so he could have a listen. Well that certainly didn’t go to plan at all! He seen the box and was fine, even getting them out he seemed a bit interested (great I thought!) and then I turned round and held them in my hand…….you would have thought I was holding a crazy gremlin about to eat him!!
The horror in his wide eyes, then pulling back on the lead rope and prancing about like on hot coals (I hadn’t even plugged them in). I tried to show him by touching them and putting them on my arm that it wasn’t scary or painful but nope he paid no attention, even his favourite mints didn’t distract him! So yep that’s pretty much confirmed it that he needs the complete full sedation L Hopefully once he is completely zonked he won’t notice the big clippers as they are pretty loud! Otherwise I may have to go clipper shopping L for some quieter ones with no cables!
We had a good night at our Riding Club AGM too, receiving a champion rosette and trophy for our jumping points (mainly accumulated by Autumn – Good girl) and also seeing other members of the club including Equesure’s Katie J. It was nice to hear about updates, how the club teams are doing and what should be going on next year; I’m hoping to get out to more of the team events in 2019 and am definitely set on giving arena eventing a go on Bob! Best get started on planning my calendar for next year J
Aria has been up to mischief yet again this week. I put her and Autumn in their lovely winter paddock with lots of nice grass… she was in there three days before she ripped down the electric fence I had put up to split the field and save some of the grass…three days!! This was not done just once, she did it straight away after I put it back up and the following evening too – arrggghh this horse was sent to test me! The next morning that was it – banished to the summer paddock with less grass for the day to learn a lesson.. Autumn had to go with her and was not impressed. Moved them back in the evening – next morning she had done it again!!! Argh, so off to the summer paddock they went for the day and back in to the winter one in the evening.
The next day however… fence still up and intact, same the next day too! So maybe she has realised (or so I can hope) that if she rips it down she’s off to the minimal grass field which she hates! I’ll have to put a sign up at the yard say X days since fence ripped down at this rate – I predict it will be updated regularly! I’ve managed to squeeze riding in the evening in with just the light on the side of the stables, but this week I’m going to have to get sorted and put the proper lights up, as although you can flat school in the arena with that light I wouldn’t risk jumping!
Autumn’s been good and not spooky at all even when it starts to get dark. I think Bob’s having more issues adjusting but should calm soon, although at the minute he seems to have more issues with random leaves dropping from the trees by the arena – makes our schooling sessions more interesting as he dives out the way of a hostile leaf that’s obviously got it in for him!
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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.