Pride Comes Before Fall and All That

All I can say is ouch!!! Today I hit the deck. We have had a busy week one way or another.  On Monday Tess came over and we had a hack out on Daisy and Lu. First time I have properly rode Lu, ie on a hack, and I loved her.  She got excited on the way home and was all head tossing, on the spot jogging. We nearly achieved a piaff! Reminded me of my old boy Paddy (see History of PonyGirl).  Tuesday I had a couple of spaniels in tow, so had more than enough to keep track off.  Every 5 minutes I was doing a dog head count. Wednesday I was knackered....the joys of having PH (dodgy lungs and a dicky ticker). I was trying to wear the spaniels out....but they won hands down.  Thursday was hospital appointment, so today I was impatient to get back up on Charlie.
Lovely sunny day (oops sorry, weather report again), Easily caught pony, very laid back whilst being groomed, even though the Shetlands have gone on holiday, and B and Polly were free-range grazing, so he had no company. Plodded around the school in-hand like a riding school pony.  Yup over confident........
On I get.....no reaction.  The plan was one circuit of the school then a photo shoot.  All best plans blah blah.....Off we went, 3 or 4 steps....then, kapow, Charlie shoots forward and spins....I gather up the reins, he spins again, pulling the rope from Jo's hand, giving her a nice rope burn.  A few humps..I momentarily think I can sit it out......then a huge twisting leap, and I am airbourne.  I had time to think 'this is gonna hurt', before I hit the ground back first. Ouch. It definitely hurts more the older you are.  The good things are, as I sat up winded, is a) my dicky ticker can take sudden flights, and b) Charlie didn't leg in, but stood there looking shocked.
Once I had almost regained my composure, and Jo had got some gloves, I had a few minutes of leaning over him......until it hurt too much. Back to basics this week I think, until I stop feeling like a 90 year old.  Sadly there are no pics as we were to busy 'doing'.......so here is a nice random spaniel pic..

And a nice Charlie pic............

Up Up and Away

Yes Saturday was THE day..  The day Charlie was backed.  We started with a lesson for Chanice Who Helps On Saturdays, on Daisy......First off with a saddle, but she still gripped up with her knees.  Jo jumped up to demonstrate relaxed legs, and stopping without reins.  Then we took the saddle off.  Not very BHS I know, but I learnt to ride bareback.  I led Daisy, and Jo side-walked so we had risk assessed our lesson.  It worked.  Chanice had longer legs.  When we got her to fold her arms, she also sat up much straighter.  We even had a little trot.
Then it was my turn......It didn't start well, Charlie didn't want to be caught.  He had the devil in his eyes, as he cantered around me in perfectly balanced circles.  Once tacked up I led him round the 'school'.  He seemed quiet enough, until I went to tighten the girth......Off he went, eyes rolling, and evaded being caught again for, like, 40 seconds.  So I thought, Just get on with it. I even had a hat on!!
At the mounting block, Jo held his head and I leaned right over him.  The saddle was slippery though, so i slowly slid back to the block. It just seemed easier to put a leg over.  He was a star......Stood stock still, amidst lots of praise.  Twice more I got off and on again, the third time i put my feet in the stirrups.  We were going to call it a day, but we had moved slightly, and I couldn't reach the mounting block to get off, so we took our first wobbly steps.  With my added weight to balance, Charlie felt his way forward foot by foot, wobbling like a new-born.  He was so good I forgot to slide off slowly, and jumped off like I would a broken pony, which freaked him a bit.  He then had loads of praise and half a packet of polos.  I am so proud of him.  Next week team chasing....Just kidding.

Jo in Demo Mode

A leg over

Ready, steady...........

https://www.facebook.com/michele.rumsey.7/videos/10209219343066570/

A Lovely Day For It

Woooooo.....I have been moving furniture and cars today (as well as doing the ponies).....and am absolutely knackered.  So the words may be few on this post, as my brain is already in bed asleep. Despite this not being a weather channel I must report it has been bitterly cold this week....North Easterly Winds.  But on Thursday, the wind dropped and it was lovely and sunny.  Time for some fun... Jo and I  had a lovely hack down the lane and up around the lovely sandy tracks that border the farm fields.  I shut Scrumpy in the car this time, so she didn't follow.  Obviously we took Lulu and Daisy, so it was Charlies' first time being left alone.....Although the other ponies are only in the next field the other side of the hedge. Good job I took his rug off.....The hysteria started as soon as we went down the drive.  We could hear him neighing most of the hack, bless him.
Now Daisy is an odd girl on a hack.....Bombproof is the word.  In the 'school', or pottering round our own fields she is on her toes, but as soon as she's out, she turns into a riding school pony.  Lu on the other hand is on her toes.  We passed some bins, Lu stopping, then passing sideways....Daisy went straight over to see if they contained food. Even when a pheasant flew up she only jumped as much as I did!  
So when we got back, I was relieved to see Charlie still galloping up and down....still in the field and not a broken leg in sight!  He had sweated up though, and was foaming well, but it was still warm, so I was able to leave him naked to dry and pop back later.

Sleekeze, Killing Fields, Poplar Park Horse Trials and Pony Rehab

A busy weekend...please excuse me if I fall asleep while writin....zzzzz.  Oh sorry, where was I?  I have to tell you about this amazing product from a company called http://www.sleekez.com/ .  I promise you I am not being paid, nor have any connection with them.  Its just the best tool for removing winter coats on horses. Jo bought one the other day, and we gave it to Chanice, a 13 year old that helps out on saturdays.  We also gave her B to practise on. B, who is not easy to handle.  B who I used to say stood for biatch. B, who fell asleep while being groomed with this simple tool.

All that hair coming out!!!!

And so to our buzzard friend and the killing fields....Squeamish dove lovers look away now!  Our stables/barn/straw store has been home to doves for a long time. Nothing against doves....even the half breeds....we also had a pigeon we called Puff Daddy, who strutted about mating with the doves.  But we did have around 40 of them.  And they shat everywhere. All the straw, stables etc were covered in guano. We have spent so much time scrubbing, pressure washing, sweeping and discussing how to humanely move them on.  Over the last week we started to notice feathers around the barn.  Lots of feathers.  Killing Field feathers.  We also noticed less doves.  Excellent we thought, we have a prolific serial killer fox, who will thin the numbers while we are not looking. Nature innit.  On Saturday I noticed a lack of doves on the Barn roof. Upon investigation I encountered a single blackbird. Hmmm Strange?  Today Jo arrived to no doves, so crept into the Barn, expecting them to be all back and sleeping or something.  Instead she met a Buzzard on his way out.  Thank you Mr Buzzard, for eating or scaring them away.....Jane over the road, who has the 5* hotel for shetland ponies, also has a dove palace for any survivors, and we just may have our stables back.

Back to B the Biatch.  The uptight, solitary little pony, who wouldn't come near us. The pony that needed rugby tackling to be caught. And then tried to kick us. Over the last couple of months the magic of the land has mellowed her.  She voluntarily comes over for a cuddle and head rub. She has relaxed!  She is a completely different pony.  As is Daisy, And Polly, and Charlie....And so I got thinking......We should do pony rehab. We can take one at a time, some messed up, mistreated or plain sick pony, to just chill and relax, be a pony. Its an idea.

Today I took Chanice Who Helps On Saturdays to Poplar Park Horse Trials. Having given her a lesson on saturday, (and been horrified that she had been taught at a riding school to grip up with her knees), I thought it would be good for her to see professionals.  It was cold, but we had a long long course walk, and Scrumpy had a go at dog agility.  And I have decided....I really am not a photographer.......

A Blast From the Past, And Spring has Sprung

Ok Ok its NOT a weather channel.....but i just have to say.....Its been sunny and almost warm for a couple of days now.  We have been de-rugging during the day.....Ourselves and the ponies. 

And so yesterday......My old mukka Tess came for a visit.  We go back to working in Riding School Days. She was my right hand man/woman at the Rda for 10 years, and my partner in crime on the infamous Ridgeway Romp (see www.ridgewayromp.blogspot.co.uk. ).
Tess is in Suffolk sorting out the complete shit-tip her tennant left her house in, and so was in dire need of horse therapy.  So we tacked up all 3 big ponies. Tess rode Daisy, and Jo on Lulu.  While they rode around the 'school' (about 20sq feet of roped off area), I hung about the mounting block....hanging over Charlie. Then we went out for a wander down the lane.  Charlie was a star, splashing through puddles, ignoring sheep and bins.....oh and bin-men....and naughty jack russells (Scrumpy) that tried to follow.  At the turn around (it was a there and back hack) Jo and I swapped.  As I was at that point, springing up in the stirrups as if to mount, I think she thought I was about to back my pony for the first time hatless and out on a hack......I may have been.  I think Charlie thought I might too.
When we got back Tess and I swapped, as Lu is like a Ferrari compared to Daisy, who is like a large ship.  We then posed for pics and did a short ride and lead..... Charlie off Daisy.  I bet he was tired!

Today I thought I would lunge B.  B the unrideable.  B the Biatch.  What a star. She is an absolute pleasure to lunge.  So I slapped a saddle on her, not a flinch. Lent on her....No reaction.  If I was still 7 and a half stone I would have got on. I think she will make a great childs pony now she has relaxed. This pony has become so laid back since she has been here.
Seriously considering doing Rehab for Ponies!

First 'hack'

Ridgeway Rompers back in the saddle

Ponying Charlie

Jo and Bee

This is NOT a Weather Channel.

Although you may be forgiven if you have made that mistake. And so, to the Weather.......March has certainly come in like a lion. Its been wet, its been windy, its been really cold.....and mostly all three. 
And so on the 1st of the month, we moved the bigger ponies into the Three Acre Field.  The grass has been growing there since last August.  It also has a lovely sheltered dip.  This is usually where I strip off to a tee-shirt, only to realise how damn cold the wind is when I come back up the hill.  The little ponies have been given pretty much the whole 4-Acre Field, and are finding grass that the bigger ponies couldn't seem to find.
Charlie certainly seems to have felt a shift to Spring.  He has been very amorous with Daisy and playing gelding games with Lu, who seems up for it. The rest of the time he has been amusing himself with massive twisting corkscrew bucks.  I can only hope he doesn't try that with me on board. Or he may have to be sold to the rodeo.

Yesterday my other half appeared to fix the brakes on the tractor.  Its been a bit hairy in the hilly parts of the field with no brakes.  I was about to try some different bridles on Charlie, as he still has an issue.  Its not the bit, but the bridle going over his head. So Mark wandered up to the field with Jo and myself, holding a selection of leather. He may have been a little horrified to watch Charlie violently overreacting to having just a headpiece and browband popped over his ears. So then I wanted to put his normal bridle on, just to try and calm things down. "Hold this" I said, passing Mark the lead rope.  He kind of anchored himself, as if he was trying to stop the iceberg hitting the titanic. I was about to tell him to give Charlie a little slack, but thought what the hell. The bridle went on so smoothly I was shocked. Not a pull back or rear in sight.  Did Charlie feel the extra strength?  Or have a got a horse whisperer for a partner?

The Horse Whisperer Chatting to Daisy