An RDA Royal Visit

Ok so it has taken me three days to sufficiently come down from this high-point of the year to be able to write about it (even now I may babble a bit!).
As regular followers, and people who know me, will know, RDA is, and has been a huge part of my life.  I was Stable Manager for Hollesley RDA between 1998 and 2008, and would never have given it up. Sadly life and other ambitious individuals got in the way (another story, but not for this blog).

Anyway, as you all know, I returned to teaching an RDA session in September 2016.  At that time the future of Hollesley RDA was in question as we had to vacate the premises at Sutton Hall, where we had been for around 20 years. An extremely generous person allowed us to rent land in Clopton, near Woodbridge, and frantic building work began on an all new purpose built centre.  As we had moved even further away from Hollesley, we got ourselves a new name...
Woodbridge and District RDA.

The new centre still needs a few finishing touches, but the main school, complete with built in Community Room, Office, Stalls, Kitchen etc is done.  We move lock, stock and barrel next week.

So the management team asked HRH Princess Anne to officially open the new building.  To our delight HRH agreed.  She must like us.....This is the fourth visit to Hollesley (Woodbridge) RDA!!

And so the big day was Tuesday.  There was frantic activity from all quarters!!!  As we haven't quite moved, 5 ponies were taken over for a few days to be in the display.  Suzanne our Operations Manager must have been tearing her hair out working out all the logistics.  Not to mention Clare (our Stable Manager), who lives on site, getting up at 4am one morning to clean the kitchen!!  Viv made sure the ponies were smart and the tack was all matching. Liz worked out a routine for a short display.  I thought I would be the one in the background, making sure horses and riders were ready etc.

WRONG!  On Monday I arrived for the run through.  As we were a leader missing, I stepped in, leading Lottie, who is about 30 and was at RDA all the while I ran the yard.  We also used Maddie, a New Forest pony on loan to us, Dolly the driving pony, and Smartie and Inca, our 2 big black mares, who are the mainstay of the adult riding sessions.

After several practises on Monday, leading the ponies, we agreed we (roughly) knew what we were doing and set about cleaning the tack, while the Driving crew polished harness and cart.  I was then told, I had better stay as leader....
Oh and Liz and I would be introducing the Ponies and Riders to HRH.

Panic stations on my behalf.....I have a thick Suffolk accent....and I was worried I might forget names! Swear! Nudge the Princess! Accidentally knock her over?
Suzanne, who would be sitting with HRH throughout, told me NOT to catch her eye, as we seemed to be having one of those inappropriate giggle fits when we looked at each other.  Not sure how I slept, but I did.

So THE morning dawned....Winter Wonderland....Thick Ice. Managed to get up on time (not my strong point).  We had to park at the other end of the mile long drive to The Bays (our new centres name) and catch a Mini Bus to the yard.  Major activity all round, polishing, plaiting and oiling the ponies.  Meanwhile outside people were scattering salt on the icy yard. There was a minor panic when one of our child riders texted in sick.  Luckily we had another child rider, Hope, who was going to present a posy. What a star, she agreed to ride Maddie, who she had never even sat on before. 

I must apologise here to the helpers (errr and everyone), for being bossy.  I somehow forgot I am not Yard Manager anymore!!!  I found myself yelling "Turn off all mobiles", and "Time to tack up", and "Get the ponies in the arena to warm up".  

In no time at all we heard the Helicopter arriving. As HRH made her way through the Community Area and walked across the Arena, I had a moment of sheer nerves, which completely dissipated as we started our display. We went a bit wrong, but recovered well and no-one noticed.  Sarah Hall,and I who were leading the lead ponies, seemed to have a telepathic connection and managed to right the wrong, with just a few nods and grimaces.

At the end of the display, the Princess came to meet the riders....Deep Breathe as someone took charge of Lottie and I joined Liz and Suzanne for the introductions.  HRH Princess Anne was lovely, and I found myself chatting away. We talked about the cold weather, Ian Stark buying horses from auction, and racehorses refusing to run.

Next up was the Long Service Awards.....At this point Shirley Green still hadn't arrived.  Shirley started Hollesley RDA many moons ago, when she ran Poplar Park at Hollesley.  She then moved to Sutton Hall and was my immediate boss, while I was there.  Shirley was County Instructor.  She was also involved in many BHS activities such as Riding and Road Safety Examiner, and Dressage Judge at big events, where i used to be her writer.  We were all getting concerned.....  Apparently Shirley used the worst taxi firm in Suffolk, and had a very long trip touring the villages of Suffolk, before arriving. 

At this point the Long Service Awards were drawing to a close, and I was back in the pony lines, when word came down that Shirley had arrived.  I didn't think, I just ran to meet her, nearly knocking out a security guard while flinging open the door to the Community room.  I thought to just quietly escort her to her seat in the Arena, but her arrival had been announced and Princess Anne came to meet us, as Shirley was met with a standing ovation!!!!

After the official opening HRH left and I seemed to take charge again (SORRY), yelling for the riders to be dismounted, and the ponies to be untacked before the helicopter took off. We were then able to relax (In fact 12 of us buggered off to Valley Farm Riding Centre in nearby Wickham Market for lunch (They have a brilliant cafe), and meet and mingle with clients and helpers.

SO...What a day.  Many thanks to the helpers, horses, and riders for making this one of the best days of my life.....And sorry for getting all bossy and in charge like!! XX

YES!!! It Snowed!!!

Ok it was for one day only.  And it was only a very light sprinkling. But in this part of the UK we haven't had proper snow for four years (Ok this wasn't proper, but it did lay).  I still have a child-like excitement on seeing a snow covering..... Which lasted about 5 minutes! That was about the time it took to realise the water pipes were frozen solid, as were our fingers after we had loaded the trailer with the first lot of hay!

We were also struggling with heavy wet rugs to be changed, picking out ice balls from the shod ponies feet, while contending with a freezing easterly wind that blew snow horizontally. It wasn't even proper big flakes but that very wet stuff, that can barely be described as snow. More like white rain.

Not to mention frozen droppings!

We moved the fence out to reveal longer grass.  The sensible mares, huddled around the Hay, backs to the wind.  Not Charlie....Being 'well ard', he faced the white-out and ate grass!

Yesterday was better.....Still a pretty covering on the ground, but the wind dropped and the sun came out.  Having 'stabled' the hose-pipes overnight we had water. At only 2c it wasn't tropical but the sun was warming and the photo opportunities were good.

Today.....Temperature rose to 6c overnight.....so we are back to rain and mud!!

There's nothing quite like a bright chestnut, a little snow and sunlight for a photo.

Dora looks like the Virgin Mary in her blue neck cover (HAHA)

Life Without The Tractor and Hay

And now for the weather!!!! Funny how us Brits like to talk about the weather. I guess as we have a temperate climate, we tend to talk about any unusual weather conditions.  Even though its normal to have cold weather in December.....we tend to forget!  Anyway it suddenly got COLD (for us). We even had a few flakes of SNOW!!!!!  On Thursday I had leggings under my jeans and a hat!  We even rugged Charlie, Dora and Lulu. The forecast was 0c, 25mph north winds and rain/snow.  OOOh.  Bit of a shock after a mild November.

Naturally the Tractor broke down!!  Why wouldn't it? BTW its not really a tractor, but a ride on lawn mower....But it does the job of a tractor. Daily it pulls our little muck trailer, and helps us deliver hay. It stopped working on Thursday....My mums 80th Birthday. The day I had to leave on time, as I had booked us Spa treatments and lunch at a posh hotel/golf club. So we used Jos' Subaru....Not a 4WD, but an AWD with a tow-bar. 

Friday came, Tractor still would not start....Weather, Sleet, Cold. I was at RDA. The sun came out so I poo-picked with a wheel-barrow....well 4 wheel-barrows, then set about fixing up a paddock on the Winter grazing (Nearer to tack room and full of grass). Spent at least an hour untangling self tangling fence wire as the sun set and the temperature plummeted. Lost the will to live (and all feeling in my lips and fingers).

Saturday...still no tractor.  Once again I was at the RDA, filling in teaching.  By the time we had finished there I was cold and hungry. Jo had texted me saying horses had Hay and Water, Lu and Charlie had broken into the Minis' field and raped and assaulted Dora. I went straight home thinking 'Tomorrow is another day'.

Sunday saw us full of Scarlett O'Haras' grit and determination.  With Megs help we cleared the backlog of poo with the help of the Subaru. Moved the ponies to the Winter paddock and picked up all the fence posts from the 3-Acre.

Monday....I begged Mark The Mechanic to come and fix the Tractor. Which he did.  Meanwhile we untangled and reeled up all the self-tangling fence wire. Today was all calm.  Tractor working, ponies all on Winter grazing, temperatures back up to 8c, rugs off....Woohoo!!!

At the moment we don't have to give Hay.  Maybe only for this week, as we have lots of old grass and the horses are happy and full. BUT....this will not last. There is no goodness in the grass. Once the temperature drops below 5c it will not grow. Once there has been a frost, the goodness is gone from the grass. We are lucky that our ponies have gone into Winter fat. It won't hurt them to drop a bit of weight.  BUT if the grazing is poor, or the horses are old, or at the right weight, Hay MUST be given.  For a start the horse trickle feeds all the time. They need something decent in their guts at all times.  It keeps them warm, and it keeps the guts moving.  Without Hay a horse will get grumpy, drop weight and possibly get colic. Once an elderly pasture kept horse starts to drop weight in Winter, its a very fast slippery slope. Next thing you know, you will take a rug off and see ribs.  

This time of year it is vital to a) Feed plenty of Hay....There should be some left over, and b) Remove rugs daily for a visual check, and weigh tape once a week.

Happy Winter!! x

Warm ponies with lots of Hay.

The container stops it blowing around in the wind.

A Nice Sunset.

Feeling A Little Blindsided!!!

So i was right about Charlie's eyesight.....And how I wish I wasn't!
For a while i have suspected his eyesight was not all it it should be. For those who have been following this blog, we have had a few problems with the backing process.  I hoped I had just lost my touch, that he was a young lad.
Turns out there's nothing wrong with my instinct (sadly).

The vet came out Monday to give little Dora a tetanus, so I got her to check Charlies eyes. She started with the nearside. When I lead him from the nearside he crowds me. When I try and lunge him anti clockwise, he resists. I don't believe in 'problem' ponies.  Not when they are bright and affectionate. If they obviously love and trust you, but still object to something (obvs not windsurfing or walking through a pit filled with lions), then it is nearly always a physical problem. 

A few years ago I had an ex stunt horse. He bucked for England. He would bite me when I tacked him up.  I had been told by several people he was nuts, dangerous, blah blah. Once he learnt to trust me, I would go in his stable when he was laying down. He never got up. I would sit down and he would put his head on my lap for a cuddle and stroke. I decided there was no way a dangerous horse would behave like this.....so I spent a lot of time and money getting to the bottom of his problem.  Turned out he had broken vertebrae in his back.  Eventually as he grew, he couldn't even bear a rug on, and was very lame. So I had him put down. I was gutted.....But even more gutted it had taken me two years to find the problem.  

So back to Charlie. He is so bright and sweet and funny. And willing to please. I knew deep in my guts it was physical. The near side eye was fine. I started to think I had got it wrong.  BUT.......The vet found a cataract on the offside, right in the centre of the retina. This means he can only see light and dark and shadows on that side.  She thinks he was born with it.

I was slightly puzzled, as I thought it the other eye. But the Vet worked it out. When I lead on the nearside, he can see me but not the world, so he huddles in for protection.  When I lead on the off side, he gives me space, because he knows its me and can see everything else. Same with lunging.  He's happy to have his bad eye towards me, as he knows I have his back. 

We can continue as normal, now I am armed with this knowledge. He must trust me, so we can build on that and hopefully we will get to the point where he is less spooky and trusts me when I am on him, not just in front or beside him.

I am sad that this brave and beautiful pony has this problem at such a young age.....but we can do this together.  I can be his right eye and he can be my lungs.

A New Unicorn, Facebook Friends and Clicker Training

First up a warm welcome to Dora (The Explorer), the newest member of Jo's Unicorn team.  What a sweetie....Dora is about 11.2hh Welsh Sec A with a nice Welsh pedigree and an unpronounceable name! We picked her up Sunday, and she has settled into the small herd nicely. Polly was a bit grumpy, but SweetPea soon made friends.  The big herd were transfixed and managed to look like 3 old witches peering through net curtains!!

I now must give a shout out to a (mostly American) Facebook page.  Not one for joining Facebook groups, however I love this one. Its called "Aging Horsewomen" which suits me nicely.  Some of the riders are truly inspiring. There is heaps of advice and its such a friendly group. With 2000 plus members and an average age of 50 plus, there's not much this group as a whole doesn't know.  It's been a fun learning curve on the language front... I wasn't quite so aware of the language difference before.....and we have been having a laugh about "Fanny Packs" and "Riding on the Buckle"......not to mention "thongs"!!

Speaking of language.....Charlie and I have started a new one. Clicker training. As regular readers of this blog know, as much as I love the little fella, he has been a huge challenge to break.  A lot of the problem is my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker.  Back in the day, I would have hung on for grim death and not cared about flying lessons!!  But this is now, so its a careful slow process is needed.  I am having his eyes checked on Monday....just to make sure.  But in the meantime we are trying Clicker Training.  So far so good.  Immediately he figured that a click means a treat.  Today we moved onto a target......a bit of pillow stuffed on the end of a whip!!!  No problem at all. With his curious nature he couldn't wait to examine it.  In no time, the word "Nose" resulted in him touching the target.  So far so good ! :-)

Dora

Nosy neighbours!!

Click!

Fireworks, Farriers, English Rain and Eye Problems?

BLOODY FIREWORKS!!!!!!  Not only have I spent 3 nights cuddling my terrified Jack Russell, but we had idiots firing rockets over the horses field on Saturday night. New people have moved into a Barn about half a mile away. There never bothered to inform us they were having a firework party. Neither did they think to let them off over the 30 acres or so of sugar beet crops behind their house! No they let them off towards the ponies. We know this because, a) a neighbour phoned to tell us, b) the field was completely cut up with galloping hooves and Sweet Pea is lame, and c) the wrappers off the rockets were all over the field...they can only have landed there when the rocket exploded. Bloody Morons!!!!

And having got a thorough soaking of good English rain on Saturday morning I had hoped it would be too wet for rockets!

Any we had the farrier on Wednesday.  Charlie seemed to remember he had to hold his foot up without pawing so that was all good.  However the day before, the lunging was not so good. He is fine going clockwise, but gets really uptight going the other way. I stopped at a good point and took him for a walk in hand down the lane. I have noticed that he leads better from the off-side, on the near side he crowds me.  I am starting to wonder if he has dodgy sight in his near-side eye. Maybe that would explain the refusal to stand at the mounting block and the flying lessons he has given me when I get on?

Any thoughts would be very very gratefully received. 

Charlies Day 3, CHAOS, and A Royal Visit

Charlies Day Three (Again) ..... Good and Bad.  The Bad first....well it happened first.  I was merely picking his feet out (or trying to!!).  When he wants to he will violently paw his foot out of the way (always the front).  This is sooo not acceptable to the Farrier....Or me as it happens.  A growl from me.  Try again, more pawing, I get louder, while trying to hang on. He rears. His eyes are rolling with amusement.  He gets the look of the devil sometimes.  Luckily Jo was at hand to hold his head, so I could get on with it. What I wouldn't give to be able to cross tie him at times.  Or even a solid tie-up rail would do.  As it is we have to make do with a dodgy gate. 

Anyway the work bit was good.  I used a roller, with side reins attached to the head-collar.  Yes we have been here before....more than once. More lunging...He's getting the hang of it now.  Trot round steadily, come in when asked, change direction. All good. This time I will keep doing this until its all perfect. That was yesterday.

Today there was Chaos with a big fat capital C. We were just taking the rugs off Polly and Daisy when Lulu broke down the connecting fence. So for 5 seconds all six ponies were in the same field. I quickly removed Polly as she is too old to be chased by a randy Charlie. Having given Charlie a good kicking, the Shetlands quickly exited under the tattered fencing.  All 3 smaller ponies converged near the tack room. Having blocked off any exits with our cars we went back up to sort out the tangled wire. By now Daisy had swapped fields, and was waiting for us to rescue her. Somehow we got them to rearrange themselves into the right fields.  Funny how easy it is for them to jump broken fencing when THEY want to, but its soo scary when we ask them to jump back. 

About an hour later, we had finally untangled all the self tangling electric wire and had standing fences and clean fields. Time to retrieve the runaways. Someone (Mini is the prime suspect) had been in the tack room. Scattered feed buckets, upturned chairs, and a overturned tub of Chastebury gave it away. Still at least they all had a bit of exercise.

At the RDA we are going to be a bit busy this month.  Not only are we moving to a new yard, we have Royalty coming to the Grand Opening. We will be putting on a display......which can only mean a lot of hard work.  Watch this space for more details.

Escapologists cause chaos

Quick, this way.

Day Two (Again)

A bit of a gap between Day One and Day Two.....Thats how we roll here. I have a genuine excuse....up to Hospital again for drug trial check up.  So back to lunging.  Charlie didn't put a foot wrong today. 
Despite the cold North Wind, he lunged like a pro.  No pulling, bucking etc. Just calmly trotted and cantered. Came in when I asked, swapped rein without  a tantrum. So either a) he does know what i want, and was just trying it on before, or b) he learnt his lesson real quick.  I'm going for option A.

So, a short session, no sweating up, so no hose, a feed and back out. Lesson learned? Day 3 will tell.

Lunging As A Workout For The Handler

Take one young under-worked, not quite broken, still coltish pony, Add one aging, unfit owner with 'dodgy lungs and a dicky ticker.' Attempt to lunge. Result? A great workout for said owner!!!
Yes Charlie has gone a bit feral again. As I have started a drug trial for the above mentioned 'dodgy lungs and dicky ticker', and am up and down to Papworth like a whores....ahem, Charlie has been having a (much needed LOL) break.

Time to start working the boy. When I am poo picking etc, he is as friendly as.. Lots of cuddling, nose blowing, affection, scratching etc (from both of us). However, a day being a jump judge at an Eventer Trial recently, has spurred me on to get the boy ridden.  I have to just say here.....The standard of riding at the 80cm was appalling. Riders shouting at their horses, whipping them, cussing them, when 99% of the time the horse stopped because the rider asked them to, or didn't help. Seriously?  Sort yourselves out before you start blaming the horse!!

Anyway......I had serious rider envy.(Not the BAD riders)  I Soo want to jump x country again. It was always my favourite. So with a new determination, I WILL get himself ridden. 

So back to basics.....Step One.  Lunge until he understands....I make the rules up!  He does as I ask. Today was Day One (again).  He bucked, plunged and reared. He came in at me.  His eyes rolled with mischief. I am sure I used more energy hanging on, and keeping him out on a circle than he did. Eventually we had a few nice circles.  Time to stop and feed him.

With his ever thickening winter coat, he was sweated up.  Mild day. Hose down. Oh Yeah?  More rearing, spinning and charging.  Once I had the hose on his sweaty chest and neck, and flanks, and belly, he stopped and seemed to enjoy it.  Result?  One exhausted, aging, unfit owner!!

How To Catch A Pony No Fuss

To Rug Or Not To Rug?

That is the question.   Its starting to get chilly.  Everywhere I drive I see horses rugged up. We are starting to rug ourselves.....socks, boots, maybe a jacket. Its tempting to start rugging our horses. BUT remember we don't have waterproof fur!  Horses are actually comfortable at between 7c and 14c. Naked. 

At 7c we probably have a thick jacket, so think our horses are cold. But just remember if they are not clipped they have a thick coat which is like us wearing a jacket.  Of course if your horse is clipped, it needs a rug. Also elderly horses need help to keep the heat in.  We have two ponies with EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome), and they are rugged earlier. EMS messes with the metabolism, so they cannot regulate their temperature so well. The others are two Shetlands (who are never rugged), a Haflinger, and a Gypsy Cob. The bigger ponies do have lightweight rugs on wet and windy days, mostly because Jo and I are soft, but also because we are on an exposed hill. Well thats our excuse to ourselves, and we are sticking to it!  But they do not need thick rugs....they have their own natural filling...FUR.

We have noticed that snow (When it actually happens) does not melt off the Shetlands backs.....which shows how well insulated they are. Also when it rains, they do not hide under the trees, they carry on eating in the middle of the field. They may look hunched up, but it is the horses way of keeping their vitals warm.  Look carefully and you will see the hair standing up on end....this is all part of natures way of keeping them warm.  The best way to help your horse keep warm is to feed plenty of hay.  Keep the hind gut working and this will keep the horse warm.  Think about where your horses breed comes from...
Shetlands?  I have been to Shetland....Its a cold, bare, treeless peat covered land. (No offense meant to Shetland).  Haflingers?  They live in snow covered mountains. Any British Native either comes from moorland or hill country.

If you are worried, feel the base of the horses ears or its chest.  This is a good indication of temperature. Of course if the poor thing is huddled up not grazing and shaking like a whippet, then by all means rug it.  Just don't overdo it.  Remember how uncomfortable it is to be hot and not be able to shed a layer.

And I just have to say.......Stabled horses.  Warm and cozy?  Ever spent a cold night in a stable?  Not at all warm and cozy.... Of course it is better for the horse to be outside, grazing, moving, able to run.  But if your horse has to be stabled at night.....Nice thick bed and rugs please. They cannot move around to get warm.

Feed Balls, Join Up and a Sonic Boom!

Its all been a bit 'basic care' just lately.  I am starting a drug trial for the dicky ticker and dodgy lungs so am up and down to Papworth.....the rest just has to be fitted in.
But last weekend, Jo and I managed to get to tack carboot, where Jo bought a couple of feed balls.  Great fun. We tried Lu and Charlie first.  They picked it up straight away, and it was funny watching their techniques. Charlie took to pawing at the ball, and kicking it.....typical boy.  Lu tried to pick it up with her teeth.  The Shetlands just got violent.

On Wednesday we had a strange occurrence over Suffolk.  Two jet fighters were sent to escort a commercial flight to Stanstead. The sonic boom was heard all over Suffolk.  The talk of many small towns! It must have disturbed our sleeping ponies.  Lu ripped a shoe off.... It was twisted beyond belief and can only have been pulled off violently by sudden movement and being trod on by another foot. The farrier (Vince Buckman) came out the same day and said it was the 3rd customer that day with the same twisted shoe. I guess we should bill the RAF

Today we had Chanice Who Helps On Saturdays.  As it was windy (yet another tail end of an american hurricane) I decided to get Chanice and Daisy to join-up.  Now there has been a bit of talk on Face-Ache about Join-Up being out-dated and stressful to the horse.  Well its certainly not as stressful as the old methods used to break horses.  Back in the day (for centuries) the horse was tied to a stake without water for 24 hours.  The next step was to tie up one hind leg to the horses belly and bring it to the ground. With the poor horse tired and frightened it would accept the tack.  Someone would then mount, while the horse was roped from all directions, and hang on if it dared buck. If the horse was a wild one, it would be beaten into submission. 

Then along came Monty Roberts.  He studied Mustangs in the wild and learned the language of the horse. In the wild there is an alpha mare.  If a youngster gets out of line she will send it out of the herd with aggressive body language until the youngster submits (lowering of head, licking, chewing).  The mare will then turn her back, allowing the youngster back into the safety of the herd, and he will follow her as leader.  Horses have a strict herd hierarchy. The Alpha Horse (always a Mare) is the one that moves the other horses feet. 

Monty Roberts tried this out in training horses.  It worked.  It always works. It is the way horses think. The whole premise of riding horses is pressure and release.  Simply asking a horse to walk on? You apply pressure with your legs until the horse walks on, then you sit quietly. Monty Roberts has changed the way people 'break, start, gentle' horses. At the end of the day (and the beginning) we need our horses to respect us. For that to happen, they have to accept we are the Alpha. We have the brains, they have the brawn. The horse has to trust us to think things through, and follow without question.  After all, their instinct is to flee from danger.  We are the ones who can risk assess any danger. They have to accept we know what we are doing. Nuff said.

A Show For SweetPea and Storm Aileen

Yes on Sunday we took the Shetlands to a show at The Suffolk Showground. The jockey was Nancy, Megs little girl.  It was her first show. Megs too. Having studied the schedule, we decided apon Thelwell, Prettiest Mare, and The Pony The Judge would most like to take home.  Our calculations were that these novelty classes wouldn't start before 2pm. How wrong we were!!  It seems the classes in the ring before had very little competitors, and they had finished by the time we got there. 
So a panic ensued as we entered Novice Horse and Rider (not really a lead rein class) and Best Rescue. No time to tell Meg any etiquette!! Still SweetPea behaved impeccably and Nancy was thrilled with a 1st and 3rd rosette. 
Mini who we took for company behaved appallingly.  Standing with Jo by the ringside, she pawed, neighed, stuck her head into the ring! The steward was enchanted, and asked if she could take photos.  At that point we said she could take her home!!  Having given up showing a long time ago, I was thrilled to find a bunch of chatty, helpful horse owners there. May even get back into it myself!

The day before was a challenge!  Meg brought Nancy over to ride SweetPea. Chanice who helps on Saturdays was also there.  I wanted to take Charlie out, so decided we would all go together, with Chanice on Daisy, who hasn't been ridden for a while, and myself on Lu (who hasn't been ridden since May due to her foot problem), ponying Charlie off her. 
SweetPea went in front. Daisy behind, me Lu and Charlie in the middle. Lu and Daisy were both like cats on hot bricks.  Chanice did very well, and Daisy settled once out on the road. Charlie was a star, keeping his head by my knee, ears pricked, enjoying himself. Lu was errrrr, Not so Good. Spooking aside, once she realised I was merely using her as a seat, she decided she would force me to pay her attention, by refusing to be ridden one handed.  She kept veering off onto verges, forcing me to use both hands to steer. Charlie then had to move closer, at which she laid her ears flat back. 
Once back, as Chanice needed help to dismount, I took off Lu and Charlies bridles, leaving them to browse the hedge.  As punishment for my lack of attention, Lu buggered off, still wearing my saddle, and tried several times to fold up to roll, with me sprinting after her yelling NO. Not the best activity with my dicky ticker and dodgy lungs!!

And Storm Aileen?  With threatened winds of 50mph, Jo and I spent yesterday fencing our winter grazing, making large paddocks so the horses could run if frightened.  We turned the Shetlands loose in the 3-Acre (we may never catch them again).  We picked up, and put away anything we thought might blow away......Except the Barn! 
The horses thought they had gone to heaven. What no strip grazing???
Today the wind died down around midday, and we went to check the chaos. Apart from a few branches down, happily all was fine. Time to strip graze tomorrow!

Sadly I have no photos of SweetPeas show, as we were in and out before you could blink, and in the panic to get to the ring I left my phone in the lorry. But here are some happy ponies in their Winter Field!

WARNING - Autumn is Coming!

Yes..... Autumn is coming.  Our field bordering trees are full of Sloes and Blackberries.  Its cool enough at night to tolerate a duvet. For the last few days I have been wearing jeans (one soaking in shorts is enough thank you....took hours to warm up). 
There are Arabs up on the opposite hill. The eldest is wearing a rug. As is Polly, who has dropped some weight, so is having a feed a day. When the Arabs move to their Winter grazing, it will truly be a sign that Autumn is apon us. The swallows will be leaving soon.  Don't get me wrong.... I love Autumn. I love the colours of the leaves, and the cooler dewy mornings. The lack of flies!! It's a great time to ride....Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect. Yes I love Autumn.....I'm just not so keen on Winter!!!

We have been moving fencing around a lot this week....eeking out the last grass on The Hill Field, and leaving some to rest in the hope that a September flush will happen.  The Shetlands...Sorry Unicorn Superstars are grazing the verges like the little lawnmowers they are. Still, our winter grazing is looking good, and the Barn is full of hay.

Now is the time to stock that Hay Barn, and make sure the rugs are cleaned and proofed.  Its also the time to check for bot eggs on the ponies.  They show up as small yellowish flecks on dark coloured legs.  They are also on your greys...you just can't see them. Bot combs are available.....If you have no life, or you can wait till they have been licked off and then worm!

Now a quick mention for Bracken.  If you live on Heath-land/Moors etc you probably have bracken in your field. We normally fence around it, but as it was spreading, we sprayed it in the summer.  Now its a nice brown colour we have been pulling it up. ALERT....It gives nasty paper cuts....Wear Gloves. 
Now having kept horses on Heath-land most of my life without problems I thought, a) some moorland ponies can eat it without a problem, and b) it isn't poisonous when dead!  So I did some research.

Turns out Bracken is poisonous dead or alive.  In fact its more palatable dead. Most horses don't eat it when there is other grazing available (as with ragwort), BUT some horses develop a taste for it. As proved yesterday by Polly! We let her out into the main paddock to eat her breakfast.  Despite lots of grass, once she had finished her meal, she started to eat the dead bracken we had pulled and put into a wheel-barrow!!!

Meanwhile Lu and Charlie have been mugging the trailer for the empty feed bucket......Sadly no feeds for them (due to their rather round bellies).

Maui Waui Festival With Unicorns

We have just spent two very tiring, but enjoyable days at Maui Waui Festival with the Shetlands, sorry I mean Unicorns. I mean, Who takes ponies to a Festival?  Errrr we do!  I have to say, its been amazing being sober for a start!!! (Last year I spent a considerable amount of time drunkenly riding a mechanical Bull!!). Alcohol and Shetlands do not mix so it was squash only this weekend.

Jo is going to be doing childrens pony parties in the future. So as we know the Festival organisers, and its only a few miles up the road, at the last minute we thought this would be a great trial. Jo spent last week emptying the supplies of various pony make up suppliers (Yes they exist). It was way too late to get a licence for the ponies to be ridden.  So we had a petting pen. We supplied the children with glitter, brushes, stencils, glitter gel and various spray/chalk in colours and had a sort of Pimp My Pony Party. Children, ponies and glitter!! A perfect mix!

I should explain..... Maui is a very family orientated Festival. We were in the Childrens Area, away from the Bands and any loud Drum n Bass. We set up Sheep Hurdles to make a round pen on a very lovely clover filled area. The ponies being on restricted grazing at home, thought they were in heaven. They love children, and love being groomed, hugged, petted and pimped. 

They wore their Unicorn Horns and were covered in glitter stencils by the children. They were braided, brushed, sprayed, kissed, hugged and generally loved by all the kids.  Jo and I were also liberally covered with glitter. The coloured hairspray was very popular, a fair few children left with their own hair coloured. Not to mention my hair, which was coloured by an enthusiastic child who also put face paint on me.  Luckily we had baby wipes available......Lots of baby wipes!!

The ponies were amazing.  We had to unload them in the farm yard, and I led them past all the campsites each day. They were absolutely unfazed by all the noise and weird sights. It was a fairly slow walk both days, with both children and adults wanting to say hello, take pictures and even sketch them. They didn't bat a single eyelid at drones, tents, impromptu drum bands, archery or someone dressed as a Phoenix!

In fact this morning, Mini loaded herself onto the lorry.....and this evening Sweet Pea refused to be caught.....in the round pen, to go home. They both jogged along the long trek to the pen this morning....in a hurry to get to there.

All in all, a very successful trial.  So, if anyone wants a pony party, (Unicorn party) please message me.  Or go to East Suffolk Ponies on Facebook and book via messaging.  We should have the licence through very soon, so they can be ridden as well.  But PLEASE.....Give us a few days to recover :-) We will be lying in a dark room for a while!!

Dead Tractors, Taps and a Word About Ragwort

Yes the tractor died!  The starter motor gave up.  While the horses are grazing on the steepest hill in Suffolk!!!!  It is next to impossible to push a wheel barrow full of poo up the hill. So for the last 2 days we have been pulling the trailer with Jo's Subaru.  Which has caused a lot of hilarity. You know when you go to a wildlife park and the chimps remove your windscreen wipers?  No need to do that. Drive round our fields and Charlie will do the job of chimps!
Being a big teenage boy, and obsessed with the tractor, when he saw a car in his field, he was in heaven!  He has licked the bonnet, examined the mirrors, rubbed his big cobby bum all over the car, and tried to remove the windscreen wipers. For the last two days "Charlie....No!" has rung out all over the field. 

Also the tap in the tack room has been broken for a while (we have been using a wrench). Having found a man to replace the tap, we asked the landlord where we turn the water off. Outside underground...Of Course. Lift the cover, what do we see......Nothing but sand and ants.  Biting Ants.  Sadly they had to go. And then we started to dig....and dig....and dig....and dig. Eventually after a major excavation we found the tap.  Seriously we were laying on the ground to reach it. It was at the depth of my arm which is about 3 foot long!!

Happily we now have a working tap thanks to Simon, and a working tractor thanks to my other half, Mark the Mechanic and Horse Whisperer.

A quick word about Ragwort. Its everywhere at the moment.  You will see it swaying around by motorways, in a great ugly yellow swathe. It used to be illegal to allow it to grow, but no-one seems to care anymore.  It is poisonous to horses and cows, and will cause liver damage over time. It tastes bitter, so horses will not eat it.....unless they are starving.  But, thats no excuse not to pull it up.  Once it is dying it is more palatable. And once it is flowering, the seeds spread.  It breeds like rabbits. I have also noticed, it grows in family clumps, and in a straight line (sad I know!). It also has to be pulled up from the root, or it will multiply.  There is an easy answer.  Ragforks can be bought in saddlers and online. They are easy to use, and get the root. Don't wait until it flowers. Learn to spot it early, carry the Ragfork, and pick it up daily while poo-picking.  If it becomes part of a daily routine, its easily managed.
Lecture over!

How deep????

Would you like me to remove this Sir?

Bonnet Wash Sir?

Early stage of the evil yellow weed.

A Big Crack in The Hoof, Family Pony and Papermill Lane Update

Lu had the farrier this week.  She was as good as gold.  Stood like a lamb while the farrier split open the crack in her foot. He then used a dremel to grind the rest back!!  We could see where the black in the laminae ended.  She is now shod on the fronts to hold the hoof together, with no sign of lameness. First time in her life she has been shod, and she didn't bat an eyelid.

All the ponies have taken good pills this week.  Chanice (who helps on Saturdays) had an outstanding lesson with Daisy on Saturday. We are getting to the point where Chanice is no longer a passenger and can control Daisy....with no nose band and a light rein.  They were able to go from trot to halt with ease. So pleased!!
Charlie who has not been worked for a while.....except for being brought in with Lu each day (its all progress), had half hour in the "school" on Sunday. I put his harness on....minus the bridle and crupper and we just had a play. First I led him through/over some obstacles, then set him free......He followed me round, weaving through the tyres, through the road closed gates, and finally over the towel where we stood a while. Family Pony??

Last but not least, I had a quick look at the Papermill Lane ponies tonight. I didn't go far, but i could see a lot of happy free grazing mares. Its not perfect, but, its a huge improvement from the poor little tethered souls I saw in the winter.  Heres hoping for even more improvements.

All cut open.

Family Pony??

A better pic of Papermill Lane

X-Rays and Unicorns

So remember Lu was lame on the day of The Suffolk Show?  Well its been intermittent.  When we took her to the vet she was sound.  So last week she was definitely lame so Jo called the vet out.  After quite a lot of trotting up and down and lunging it finally showed up!  It seems her adrenaline masks the pain....Tough ole gal!  A nerve block proved it was in the foot somewhere so the vet returned for x-rays.
Lu was as good as gold, standing on the blocks.  Charlie was stabled to keep her company, and for his own experience.  The X-ray was really interesting. Lu has a crack in one hoof, and some bug had gone up the crack and was nibbling away at her pedal bone. Not an easy one to diagnose without x-rays!!! 
Anyway she is on iodine (in her feed) and the farrier will be out next week to open up the crack.

It was also the worst day of Sweet Pea's life.  She needed a passport (simple enough), oh and a micro-chip.  Not so good, but the vet managed to get it in before she reared. While Jo and the vet were filling in the paperwork, I decided to lunge her which she hates.  Next up was a grazing muzzle.  As usual after her gigantic rears, as soon as I got my phone out to take pics, she allowed Jo to put the muzzle on!  Typical.....Never work with animals!

Anyway...the reason for the passport?  The minis are going to do unicorn parties for children. Apparently its all 'in' at the moment.  There are actually websites to buy unicorn accessories for your pony! Strap on horns (P'naff P'naff), glittery hoof oil, mane extensions, glitter spray!  Yes there are some dodgy sites if you google unicorns!!!!  As with a lot of horsey equipment there are many double entendres!

Back To Basics and RDA Party

So, after the botched gate mounting I was delighted that Charlie wasn't so traumatised that he wouldn't let Sarah ride him last week.  In fact he was a good boy, and I led him round the 'arena' several times with Sarah on board. After about 10 laps in each direction, I could tell by his eyes that he was bored and wondering what to do next....so we did a bit of mounting and dismounting and ended on a good note.

Since the I have decided to go back to basics for a while and try and establish the standing still bit.  Having been brilliant at just standing....by the block, on a towel etc, for a few days I was surprised at how far back to basics we had to go yesterday!

Sweet Pea was off out with little Nancy, Lu was having a good groom with Jo. But Charlie just didn't want to be caught! I just wanted to re-plait his mane and apply sunblock and fly spray to make him more comfortable, as it is still sooo hot!  So....Waaay back to basics!!! I had to keep sending him away, despite the fact I really didn't want him galloping in that heat.  Eventually he dropped his head and moved towards me.  I sat down and waited until he came right over. He was pretty sweaty at that point, but I had a point to make. With a youngster you just cannot let them get their own way.

Having tied him to the gate (only on baler twine, not the bungee), with Lu on the other side, Jo and I went off to get my grooming kit and a cold drink. When we came back I was fully expecting Charlie to have broken the baler twine. However I was pleased to see him just standing quietly tied where I left him. Lu however had removed her head-collar and was a little way off, with an innocent expression on her face... "Mummy, my head-collar just fell off, but I waited here for you".

So last week was the end of term for the RDA.  Expecting to move to the new premises over the summer holidays we had a "Goodbye Sutton" party. It was a great day, and we presented a book of pictures to Shirley Green, who started the whole thing 30 years ago. Rather preemptive though, as due to planning updates we are not now moving till November-ish.

On my 'last' hack on Friday, I videoed the ride for prosperity. By the time I have edited it, we will probably have moved!!