We have some good news… the arena build should begin next week!!! Yippee!!!!!!
I have been climbing the walls the last couple of weeks in anticipation and due to struggling to get much riding in due to the ground conditions.
The lack of riding has been causing me to want to distract myself by rigorously cleaning and planning to redecorate our house and so it can’t come fast enough before I make some dodgy paint or wallpaper decisions on a whim!
We’ve been getting the yard in order ahead of the build, getting rid of the old wooden fencing we had piled up and the wire fencing too.
My poor partners car suffered though taking it to the tip – a car pulled out in front of him without looking so he had to break hard and a bit of wood with 2 protruding nails slid into his windscreen – cue a big crack and replacement needed oops! Don’t think he will offer to take stuff in his car again!
I’ve somehow managed to tweak my back again (am blaming it on loosing strength due minimal riding) so the other half has had to get up the past few mornings to help me muck out, luckily the self-proclaimed yard cat helped keep him happy by purring and meowing round him.
The horses are staring to adjust to her with Bob wanting to sniff her and Autumn trying to nuzzle her (much to kitty’s dismay), and I do have to say its nice to have company on the yard in the mornings (although she’s tripped me over a few times, and as she is black seeing her in the morning is a challenge before I get the lights on!)🐱
Grass management is becoming more important at the moment with the wetter ground, I’ve got half the winter paddock fenced off to keep it from being gobbled, although Bob has had other ideas breaking through the three tiered electric fence most days or leaning over the top of it 🤦♀️ well that was until I realised a wire was faulty on the energiser…now he is petrified of it again – haha I win Bob!
Hopefully this means the grass can last a bit longer and the field not be too boggy with all the rain.
The summer paddock is now being rested ready for spring so hopefully we will have enough grazing for the winter months, its so hard to estimate the first year being in a new place but it will be a learning curve and hopefully we can plan a bit better for next year with the rotations!
I’ve had to break out the head torch in the evenings as well as the mornings now – argh! We just about make it up in the light but poopicking is a challenge.
I’m on count down until the longest day and it starts getting lighter again!
Looking forward to sharing pictures of the before and after arena build with you next time 😊
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.