Those Feckin Birds, Top Barn Challenge Tips and Happy New Year

 So as usual we will start with the Weather!  The Ice finally melted.  Oh the bliss to have running taps!! Now we have typically British weather.....Rain, Mud and Wind!  But at least its a long way above freezing. Its been typically around 5c to 8c during the day.  I can cope with that!  

Of course during the freeze Mini the Shetland got Laminitus!  Its quite common in frozen weather as the the sugar in the grass migrates to the tips. We decided to house her in The Round Pen as it is mostly weeds. With Coco next to her in a pen with proper grass.  Although Coco is also a Shetland, she was starved in a previous life, and we couldn't keep the weight on her.  After some Mastersons from Jade Monahan (the wonder healer), it was discovered her jaw was locked and she was only chewing up and down. Now she can grind side to side and has gained weight. Coco loves her grass, and can be very fussy about eating anything else.  And so they have to have separate pens sometimes.  Mini is not overly happy about this and had a major tantrum today, when Coco's pen was extended.  After a proper broncing fit, I decided to film her.  She had calmed down by then, but its quite clear she is sound again!

Charlie and I managed to film and enter our December classes for Horse Agility. When the ice melted.  Now we are awaiting the final League placings. Of course we only started in June, so we won't be more than halfway up the League Tables. But its been both a blast and a learning curve.  Charlie loves learning the new courses each month.  In our 6 months, we have moved from Starter Level, Through First Level, into Medium Level. We have also completed a Liberty Class each month and have worked through Training Levels 1 and 2.  We are currently halfway through Level 3. Looking at our rosette board for this year we have 5 x 1st, 4 x 2nd, 3 x 3rd, a 4th and a Perfect Score.  Not bad for a half blind, half feral, late cut rescue who was on his way for meat, and a limping 50-odd year old with Dodgy Lungs and Dicky Ticker who was told her time with horses was over!

Even if I do say so myself!!!!

We have started on the January Walk Only Course. As we have moved up the levels we got more trotting. Charlie can trot!  But I can't.  Not even to save my life!  In fact, running may well end it.  So we are now in the Walk Only League. More technical and precise it seems.  If only the Feckin Robins would leave us alone!!!!!

Yes in the video I say sparrows but they are actually Robins.  Yup those cute little birds on the front of Xmas Cards. Now I love them. Up to a point.  The little bastards have me well trained! We have several Robins at The Farm.  But there are 2 of them that have got me wrapped around their little talons!  Muckheap Robin. He lives in the Gate end of 'The School' which is near the Muck Heap. Every day, he sits nearby, glaring and whistling. He demands I dig into the muck to reveal tasty, hot, takeaway worms. Not the best thing to do with Dodgy Lungs and a Dicky Ticker in Winter, but he has me under his spell!  Number 2 is School Robin.  He lives at the other end of 'The School'.  When I feed Charlie, he fluffs about, trying to share the food. Then he follows us around the Obstacle Course, fluttering about and scaring Charlie!  Sometimes the little shit sits on my phone! 

So I bought him some special wild bird peanuts, hoping they would distract him. But its just made him worse. He knows they are for him, so he leaves them and hassles me for more.  Today both Robins clashed.  Now Robins are very territorial and despite their cute Xmas Card looks, are aggressive little bastards. They fought like a couple of drunks at a Football Match. I'll be glad when they go where ever Robins go when it warms up!!!! Or I may start training them!!!!!

So, 4 more sleeps before The Top Barn Challenge 2023 Begins.  Are we all excited?  To be honest Top Barn has changed my perception of Winter. I used to hate Winter. See it as a time of Hibernation.  Get up, care for the horses and then leave to get back indoors. Even when I was competing, January was a chore.  Now I look forward to it.  This is my 5th year with Charlie. Each year we have done Bronze, as although I only have the one pony at the Farm, he is in a herd of 5 ponies.  They live out 24/7, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Hay, Water, Poo Pick, Ragworting, Fencing etc etc. Add in snow and ice and everything takes twice as long.  And we only have limited daylight hours.  

I failed to complete 2020, due to trying to do the Challenge with 2 ponies, and catching Covid in a big way.  I ended up with pneumonia, so quit on the 6th week.

Last year my 85 year old Mother became very ill.  I was driving a 30 mile round trip each day to look after her. I nearly moved Charlie to a Livery Yard, I nearly Quit the Challenge.  I nearly turned to drink. But I clung onto the Challenge like a life raft. It was My Time.  I simply got up earlier to fit it all in.

So this year is looking better (touch wood).  I have pledged Silver Premium with Charlie.  He has been a challenge full stop. But we have progressed a lot in the last year. Despite being 9, he has never been ridden properly.  He is having regular Craniosacral work done (by Jade The Miracle Healer) and has a new Farrier.  We have a lot to work on.  Agility, Muscle Building, Learning to be tied up, Long Reining, Lunging, Clipper Training, Wearing Tack and finally, hopefully, being ridden. So here are my  Challenge Tips....

1/ Do The Maths.  Work out how many hours you can realistically do each week. Bronze = 3 hours per week (per horse).  That = roughly 26 minutes a day each horse....if you work horse every day. 

2/ Don't leave it all till the weekend.  Every minute counts, so try to get the time in early.

3/ Don't use your Rollover and Holiday Weeks too soon. You never know whats ahead.  Remember The Beast From The East?  It didn't turn up till the end of February. Being on The East Coast, we were snowed under. Luckily that year I still had a Rollover and Holiday Week in hand.

4/ Bank Time when you can.  Its better to 'Bank' time early on.  Then if you need to have a Rollover Week, the time is already done.  It's hard to catch that time up. 

5/ Think outside the box.  There is so much you can do with your horse without riding or even moving!  Teach him Tricks......Smile, Hug, Kiss, Say Please, Target, Pick Up. Try something new.

6/ Become a Premium Member.  It's literally only a pound a week. There is so much to be gained. Rhi's randoms are a fantastic inspiration in themselves.  Plus you get to win prizes and join in Q & A time. I also think if you have paid for something, you have more incentive to complete. And the Top Barn Team give so much time and effort into this Challenge.....They deserve a little dollar.

7/ Check out the Mini Challenges, even if you are 'just' doing Bronze and don't have to. Pick a few Challenges for something to work on.  I try and and do as many as possible.

8/ Make it a personal Challenge. Find something you want to achieve for yourself and focus on it. It can be anything, from better connection with your horse to jumping a 4ft X Country course. Everyone is on a different journey and there is no Judgement.

9/ Remember to record what you do and post each week. Fill in your hours and aims in the Diary, in spreadsheets, on the printable pages, or even on a scrap of paper. It helps The Top Barn team check, and more than this it gives you a record so you can look back and see how far you have come.

10/ ENJOY THE CHALLENGE!!!  Remember its just fun and motivation. Its not a Competition. If you cheat ( and I'm sure no-one would) you are just cheating yourself. If you fail, don't beat yourself up.  Just do your best, and ENJOY YOUR HORSE!

So I guess I have to add.....I am nothing to do with Top Barn.  I am just a happy member looking forward to the new Challenge.  

And HAPPY NEW YEAR to my readers x

Winter Has Arrived - To Rug Or Not To Rug, And Its Nearly Time For The Top Barn Challenge

 So Winter has definitely arrived. A lot of the country has already had snow.  Here in the far East of England the snow has kept away (although some is threatened for tonight).  But its been frosty to say the least. Minus temperatures at night and only just above freezing during the day.  The ice has stayed on the ground with more ice added each night.  Taps and fingers have frozen.  And of course, the tractor sprung a major leak at the Weekend and suddenly spewed forth a lot of coloured liquid. Right in the gateway.  I feared it may have been the radiator. Jo and I quickly moved the Hay by hand before we had a riot on our hands, while trying to figure out how to move the stricken tractor.  Luckily for us Rob, Meg and Nancy arrived to help. Rob had a taste of the liquid on the floor and decided it was not anti-freeze. We looked under the bonnet and found a tube off. After some discussion we decided it was a pipe taking diesel to the Filter and so wasn't terminal.  Rob had another glug, but we were not 100% sure, however all the other important fluid levels were still full, so we risked firing it up and moving it out of the way.  Thank you Rob, Meg and Nancy for poo-picking with your car.  Our mechanically minded Horse Landlord confirmed it was just a diesel leak, so its all good!

And so to the main question......To Rug or Not To Rug.  I am a great believer in Not Rugging. Obviously if your horse is elderly, clipped or struggles to keep weight on, then go ahead, rug away. However...... If you have a fit, unclipped healthy horse, it does not need a rug. It takes away a huge amount of stress for you and your horse if you leave him as nature intended. Don't forget, horses survived the Ice Age!

So while as humans we are all freezing and wearing as many layers as we can move in, our horses are not feeling the cold. Apparently a human is comfortable between 25c and 30c.  That means we do not use energy to keep warm at those temperatures.  Although most of us in England would agree we are more than happy around 18c, and 30c is a tad hot!  Its called a Thermoneutral Zone.

Horses have a much larger Thermoneutral Zone. They are comfortable between 0c and 25c.  Horses also have an internal 'fire' which is stoked up by the fermentation of fibre in the hindgut (Ie....Hay Hay Hay).  If the Horse has his natural coat, it is waterproof and provides as much heat to the skin as a 400g rug. Horse hair also stands up when its cold, creating an insulating pocket of air next to the skin.  A rug will press this hair down and eliminate the natural coats ability to retain heat. When checking how warm your horse is, forget the ears.  Horses are designed to leave the extremities cold to direct the heat to the organs. Feel under the armpits!  Also if your horse is covered in snow which is not melting, you can be sure he is well insulated.  If you over rug your horse, not only will he be uncomfortable, he will also be prone to EMS and Laminitus. 

Our ponies are all natives, unclipped, unrugged and live out 24/7.  This is the most natural life we can give them.  They do not have hard feed. They do however have plenty of hay. They are all happy, warm and do not have 'problems' that many pampered horses have.  Yes they will drop weight this winter (hopefully), but that is natural, ensuring that when the spring grass comes around, they will not suffer Laminitus etc.  This includes Daisy (who had EMS) and Coco who the vet diagnosed with Cushings, but who is doing fine this Winter.  And we can sleep at night, knowing they are all fine, no matter what the weather throws at them.  

In the 2nd pic you can see Charlies hairs standing up doing their job.

Anyway enough lecturing! So last months Agility Comps were a little hard. Having moved up a level, Charlie and I had a lot to learn.  There were a few poles to step over, and back up over.  Being a hard nut (partially blind) Coblet, he has the tendency to plough through stuff! Poles? What Poles? Oh Yeah, I'll just kick em out of the way!  We also had a lot of wind, which kept blowing my course over. So I was hugely surprised that we got another 1st in the On-Line Medium Level Comp and 3rd in the Liberty.  We are currently working on The December Xmas Courses. They are fun and involve dressing up which we love. I would like soft ground though for Charlies enthusiastic jump!  There is a lot of running in our level!! I couldn't beat a snail for a seat on a bus with my Dodgy Lungs and Dicky Ticker, so next year we will be swerving sideways and joining the Walk Only Leagues. My November Rosettes arrived today.  I showed them to Charlie, but he was busy eating!

And so its nearly time for the Big Event!  No Not Christmas! Its just a day like any other.  Get up early and see to the horses!  No, I'm talking about The Top Barn 2023 Winter Challenge.  I have already printed off the worksheets and put them in Charlies File.  I know a lot of people have got the diaries.  Others will have computer based spreadsheets. Being old I prefer to write stuff down with a pen!

I have declared Bronze, but will aim for Silver.  Charlie and I have a lot of stuff to work on.  As well as The Agility Stuff, we have also been building up Charlies chest muscles. He is definitely looking more muscular, so its time to try and ride him again! 

Good Luck everyone taking part in the Challenge. 

November Rain. Top Barn Challenge, and The YouTube Shorts Phenomenon

 Yup its the middle of November.....And its raining. Constantly.  I know in the Summer I moaned about the lack of rain (constantly), but enough is enough. I am FED UP of getting wet now. I have even ordered a dry robe/human tent and am starting work on an Ark. Now in theory I don't mind the rain (being British and all), but its come with wind.  The wind knocks over my delicate Agility Course. As I have become addicted to Agility, I want to get on with the November competitions....If the wind could just drop, and stop blowing away my 'Flag Alley' and flattening my 'Curtain'.   Last month being Halloween, I had Witches Hats on my cones, and was constantly chasing after them as the wind took them.  But I did have a couple of calm days, and managed to film my entries.  I am thrilled to announce that Charlie got a First in Liberty with a Perfect Score, and a 2nd in The On-Line Course, which bumped us up a level, so we are now working on Medium Level Tests.  We also worked on The Level 3 Course Blueprint.  An easy set of moves.....but done on the offside.  Still pretty easy.....unless your pony is partially sighted on the Offside....Like Charlie.  It took a lot of work, and a lot of trust from Charlie, who prefers to have his Offside clear.  Working at his shoulder on that side meant I was blocking his view, and he constantly tried to swap sides.  But we did it!

We also had a lovely sunny day on Monday....Meg came over and we took advantage of the weather and hacked the mares out.  Meg rode Daisy and I rode Lulu and we all enjoyed a nice relaxed hack in the Sunshine.

And so we are revving up for the new Top Barn Challenge. It doesn't start till January, but its Sign Up Time, so everyone is hyped up.  Top Barn Online has been running the Winter Challenge for a few years now.  Perhaps Admin could let us know when it started?  I am now on my 5th Challenge. I failed to complete the 2020 Challenge due to catching the dreaded Covid and ending up with pneumonia and 2 cracked ribs from coughing!  But we completed 2019, 2021 and 2022. 

Top Barn is a very special Livery Yard in Gloucestershire, and they came up with a brilliant idea for an Online Community and a Winter Challenge to get people outside and doing stuff with their horses during the deepest darkest winter months. The Online Community has grown and grown, and there are now Summer Challenges and Competitions, aswell as a thriving Online Community.  Members have become friends, and visited each other.  Nobody judges and everyone is welcome no matter if you are just learning to ride, or compete at high levels.  Everyone is there to support each other.

 And so every January the Winter Challenge begins.  Its  NOT a competition.  Everyone pledges a Level Of Commitment.  I.E  Bronze Level....You commit to 3 hours work with your horse a week. 30 mins can be Pamper Time, which includes Hanging Out, Grooming, Carrot Stretches, Hand Grazing etc, with the other 2.5 hours consisting of training, which can include Groundwork, Hacking, Schooling, Lunging, Trick Training etc etc.  The Levels go up with the time committed...Silver is 5 hours and so on.  This goes on for 12 weeks.  During this time you get one Holiday week, and one Rollover Week.  The Holiday week is just that. A Holiday....Yeah put yer feet up, Get the Beers in.  The Rollover week is a week you may need to take due to sickness, 6ft snowdrifts etc, but the time needs to be made up before the end of the Challenge.  My advice is to get your Rollover hours 'banked' early so that week is in reserve.  It is based on honesty.  You should record as much as possible by Phone, Pivo or Partner-willing-to-film.  Or record your activities on an app such as Equilab.  Then upload your progress weekly. As I said, Its not a Competition, so if you cheat, you are only cheating yourself.

I strongly advise everyone to go 'Premium' .  I think it costs £12 this year.  Thats literally £1 a week.  Lets face it, you'd be lucky to buy a loaf of bread or pint of milk for a quid!  For the £12 you get many extras, such as Rhi's Randoms.  Each week Rhi sets a task.  If you Complete, Video and Submit the task in the week you go into a draw to win a prize from a sponsor. At the end of the 12 weeks, everyone who submitted all 12 mini challenges get a Rhis Randoms Rosette.  There is also access to Question Time ( with Rhi, not Rishi Johnson or whoever is PM), Rider Yoga, a fantastic time sheet to fill in, and the girls at Top Barn deserve your support. They work really hard, making up challenges and checking submissions.

I would like to add here that I am nothing to do with Top Barn.  Although this sounds like an advert, I promise you I am not being paid to promote this in anyway.  I am just a member of the Top Barn community who has enjoyed 5 years of friendship with fellow horse-owners and love the Winter Challenge. Its something to look forward to and a kick up the butt to keep working throughout the Winter, when it would be all too easy to see to the horses, then go home to hibernate.  I don't even have a link to join, just look-up Top Barn on Faceache.

If I wanted to promote something (and maybe I do) I would steer you towards Charlies YouTube Channel...... @Charliethetrickpony ..... I think. I have discovered YouTube Shorts!  Videos of 15 seconds or less.  For some bizarre reason Charlies YouTube shorts have attracted up to 25k watches and doubled our pitiful Subscribers. We now have  86 Subscribers.  Only another 914 to go and Charlie can pay for his own hay!!!  We are currently uploading 'band names' once a week. So go on, subscribe to our channel.  It doesn't cost anything and you can imagine me struggling to come up with a band name we can re-enact each week😀.  Example..... Wham.  https://youtube.com/shorts/osBy23XULxw?feature=share

So... Sign up for Top Barn, watch Charlies YouTube Channel, try something new with your horse, make a promise to yourself that you will achieve just one thing over the Winter, just embrace the wild weather......But Don't Hibernate!!  I will touch base once more before the dreaded C word x

Is The Art of Horsemanship Lost? Strapping And The Old Days

 So if you have been keeping up, Charlie needs to gain some muscle.  Of course I turned to an expert, the wonderful Jade Monahan, who is an expert at Bodywork,  and who is coming back later this week to do some more Craniosacral work with Charlie.  I would never dream of trying to do any bodywork myself as it could cause more harm than good.  However I showed Jade my feeble carrot stretches and she said it was ok to carry on.  She also showed me a little back massage and front leg stretches that I could do without breaking the pony.  I naturally bought a book on massage and skipped through the bones of it, as a guide.  Somewhere in the back of my head I remembered Pony Club camp and massage pads.  They were leather pads that you banged the horse with.  Not entirely convinced that Charlie would enjoy being banged with a leather pad, I bought a spiky brush with some massage balls the other side. 

I have been doing all of the above daily, and while brushing him off I had a moment of clarity.  In our time short lives, we just do not groom properly!  Hands up who just brushes the parts the tack will touch?  I do believe we are all guilty. There are so many types of brushes available now, that just one tool will remove the mud and we have a quick flick over. 5 minutes later we are ready to ride, with not a speck of sweat on our brows. Of course, if like our ponies, who live out 24/7, the reason for a quick flick is that we do not want to remove the grease from the coats that will keep them warm in the cold wet winter.  

So I consulted the Bible of Horse Management 'The Manual of Horsemanship'.  My version was updated in 1983, but still mentions 'Strapping'.  Yup the art of grooming, which takes at least 45 minutes, and will require the groom to remove his/her coat to avoid over-heating.  'Strapping' is a basic horse massage which should be done after excersise with either a pad, stable rubber or wisp. The Wisp is made of hay, and should be dampened and used 'vigorously by bringing it down in a bang in the direction of the lay of the coat' paying special attention to hard flat muscles such as the sides of the neck, quarters and thighs.

So now my mind was in a whirl........Back in the old days, horses worked for a living.  They were given Sunday afternoons off, to play in a field.  This avoided the dreaded Azoturia in horses. Also called 'The Monday Morning Disease' or 'Tying Up'. This is where the horse has painful muscle cramps, when rested in a stable after strenuous excercise, while given the same feed as normal.  But this didn't happen in the old days, because the horses were turned out and not fed the usual ration of Oats, but maybe a Bran Mash.

And that led me down a rabbit hole of feeding.  Horses in the old days had oats to give them slow releasing energy. So they could work all day pulling coal wagons etc!  Now people tend to feed Mixes complete with all the vitamins etc, supposedly needed. Most of them are full of sugar, which gives an energy spike.....and you wonder why your stabled horse, on 2 feeds a day, doing an hour work a day is nuts?

All this thinking has not only hurt my brain, but has brought me to the conclusion that 'convenience' for the time short leisure rider has resulted in a severe lack of Horsemanship and knowledge from the old days. After all, most people 200 years ago only had one horse. It worked for them, and was their transport and livelihood and therefore had to be looked after properly. 

I am 56, and still remember when there was only one turnout rug.  A heavy canvas New Zealand which slipped to the side.  A stable rug was made of Jute and fastened with a surcingle.  If it was cold a woolen blanket was secured underneath.  If the horse was sweaty, we had string vests which could be thatched with straw. Feed was chaff, oats and sugar beet pulp, with a Bran Mash once a week, or freshly boiled linseed.  I fear old knowledge is now being lost.

What do you all think??

Ragwort - The Struggle Is Real And Halloween Agility.

 As usual I have to mention the weather!!!  We are back to normal,  with normal rainfall and our fields are coming back nicely, which is some sort of miracle after looking like dustbowls all summer.  The mega dry spell encouraged the Ragwort and it got away from us. We spent hours with pickaxes digging the bloody stuff out of concrete hard ground. In the meantime it seeded........

Then it rained.  The baby Ragwort plants have sprung into life. Thousands of them. Like Cane Toads they multiply faster than we can clear them.  At least now the ground is soft they are easier to get out. So we have made it into a game.  We do 10 minutes a day.  As they form into family groups, or cities in our case, we pick a spot and uproot as much as we can in the time allowed.  We can do a 100 plants in 10 minutes!!! Jo generally uses a RagFork which gets the roots, but I find the bending over to pick up the plants hurts my lungs, so I just use the poo picker. This is OK on soft ground, but i have to watch I get the roots rather than cut through them.  I've noticed the roots spread out and they all join each other like buttercups. We are determined to have a better summer next year, and not put ourselves through hell uprooting tall seeding plants!

And so onto the Halloween Agility Course!!   Its been fun.  I love Halloween and have several decorations and costumes!!!!  The course is easier than last months where Charlie and i had to learn Sidepass and Send Away.  We managed a First Place in the Online Pony Class, and a 3rd Place in the Liberty Class, so not too shabby.  I thought I could get this filmed quickly. Hmmmm.  First the wind carried off my Witches Hats!!! Then Charlie took a sudden dislike to weaving through the cones!!!!  I thought he had got out of bed the wrong side, then I realised the sun was glinting off my fake blood covered plastic knife, and shining into his partially sighted eye.  Not being able to work out the source of this spooky light, he chose to hide behind Mummy!!  

Third day of filming (and me wandering about like The Grim Reaper), The Pivo went on strike.  It needed a charge.  Day 4, Charlie brought the Curtain down on his back.  To give him his due, he didn't bat an eyelash, but I don't think demolishing the course constitutes as 'Passing through the Curtain safely'. Day 5 he took a dislike to the Halloween curtain.  To be fair, it was quite straggly at this point and he'd already stood on it and wrapped it round his face.  He stopped dead, backed up, looked at me on the other side, and calmly walked around the scary corner to reach me.  The Thinking Pony, solving a problem.  I was pretty impressed!!

After all that I have given Charlie a couple of days off, and took Lulu out for a hack with my friend Viv on Daisy.  The weather was kind (warm sun) and we found another route avoiding the busy village of Snape at Child-Kicking-Out time from the local school. We had a chilled ride, with Lu only going into Arab mode once when she saw some people picking Lollo Rosso in a field (scary I know).

In other news, Charlie had a Craniosacral session with Jade Monahan the miracle Holistic Healer.  Turns out he has a lot of tight muscles to go with his non existent chest.  He was also very stubborn about letting go, and very vocal about where she could put her hands.  He backed up, barged forward, side-passed, reared! But he would not admit to any pain, and just let it out!  We got some releases, but it was a very physically and mentally tiring session for all 3 of us.  Luckily Jade is still willing to come back in a couple of weeks for another session!

https://www.facebook.com/jademonahan.esmt

Whoa! Its Nearly October. A Visitor and Revelations!!

 Wow Its nearly October!! How did that happen???? So much happened in September my head is spinning!!!!!  So first we will start with the weather like a good Brit should.  It rained.  Off course it did!  I mean its Britain.  It always rains, except for June, July and August.  But finally it happened....and has been happening.  The temperatures have dropped severely and having got used to the high 20s / 30s we are now freezing at 13c today.  But the grass greened very quickly and although its growing again, we are still feeding hay.

The other major happening was Amanda Cowsill came to visit.  She brought the rain from oop North.  Literally in a glass jar, which we are keeping for the next drought.  But she also dragged the clouds with her.  And brought a massive insight about Charlie. On day one of her visit, she and her daughter Debbie came together.  Debbie and I bombed around on Lu and Daisy, while Amanda got to know Charlie.  They got on really well and he connected with her immediately, which is a really big deal, as for many years he wouldn't go near anyone else!!!!  Whats more Amanda addressed the problem I was having getting Charlie to sidepass.  All while Debbie and I were riding around at random on Lu and Daisy in a homemade 'school' measuring 15 x30. Ish.  Next I got on Charlie and we tried to move off.  At this point Amanda had an Eureka moment.  She sussed out why Charlie is OK with me mounting, but not OK with walking. She noticed he has non existent chest muscles and concluded with the extra weight on, he was frightened of falling over!!  Oh how did I not see this?? Its been apparent for a while that me sitting on him was cool, but moving off caused a problem.  I put it down to him being unsure as I wasn't in front of him. What with his poor eyesight and all.  I never noticed his weak chest.  He has great Topline and a big arse and muscled quarters, but thats no excuse to not notice that you could barely get a fag paper between his front legs!!!!   I feel terrible.  Especially as I have been here before with Harry, my ex stunt horse.

When i bought Harry he was only 5 years old, but had been a stunt horse. He had a reputation for being mean and dangerous.  I was sure it was a problem I could fix.  But Harry did not have a bad bone in his body.  He was so sweet and affectionate.  I would go into his stable while he was laying down and sit in the straw with him, and he'd lay his head on my lap.  But he could buck for England, big huge 'Get Off' bucks.  Or throw himself on the floor when he couldn't dislodge me ( I could ride in those days!!!!).  It got worse as he got older and I began to realise it was pain, not a mean temperament.  So the investigations began as he deteriorated to the point where he was lame and would pin me to the wall if i tried to rug him.  We discovered he had a broken vertebra that was sticking up, and so at 7 years old I had him PTS as there was nothing that could be done and he was in pain.   

So imagine how guilty I feel for not seeing that Charlie has a physical problem. Again I thought it was a mental problem.  I should have asked myself Why? But there we go. No point beating myself up even more.  Amanda has shown me some exercises to build up his chest muscles.  We have changed Farrier (not going into that, but they all needed a lot of work) and I have the fantastic Jade Monahan coming on Friday to do the Masterson Technique.

And so back to Amanda's visit.  On the Saturday, with Debbie working all weekend I went to Norwich and kidnapped Amanda.  Having put her to work poo-picking, I then took her to The Suffolk Punch Trust.  Amanda loves Suffolks, and being in Suffolk, we unsurprisingly have the biggest stud just down the road. We watched a demo in the indoor school.  Then the heavens opened. It poured. Tropically.  No-one could leave the school for at least half an hour! Including the demo horse and groom.  Who were at our mercy as we asked a million questions.  Did you know its about double cost to shoe a Suffolk!

When we were able to leave I took Amanda to Shingle Street, the weirdest beach ever, because it changes weekly due to the North Shore Drift.  Now I knew Amanda doesn't like the sea, whereas I love it and have a hobby/business beachcombing.  But she was keen.  Yup too keen. We scooped up a few hagstones, some seaglass (not usually found here, but just as I said that, Amanda pointed a piece out - which she possibly planted -) and made our way back to the car, where she tipped her 'finds' into my hands.  This included a 'Gold' chocolate coin!!!! Obvs this made me laugh.  Even more when I told Mark the Mechanic and Part Time Horse Whisperer that we had found gold on the beach and for half a split second he believed us!!

Amanda's visit went downhill from that moment!  We cannot have anyone stay at the house because our crazy Belgian Malinois likes to kill and eat visitors.  But we have a camper van.  The plan was to stay in the van somewhere nice.  But Mark was in the middle of welding it.  So lovely Leiston was the destination.  Leiston is not that bad, but I warned Amanda if anyone knocked on the door in the night to say she wasn't buying or selling.  We went into town and had fish n chips and by about 9pm I was knackered from having dodgy lungs and a dicky ticker and left Amanda to it.  

On Sunday things went downhill even further!!!! Yeah so we had breakfast at the Beach and the sun was shining. Great for a beach bum like me, but we already know beaches are not Amandas thing!!  Then it was off to work, picking up poo etc.  We had a short session with Charlie and then set off to a local nature reserve to check out the wild herd of Konig Ponies.  During the Summer they graze Aldeburgh Marshes and are easy to find.  But in Winter they are driven further up the coast to Minsmere Bird Reserve.  Which is massive!!!!   

We walked into the Visitor Centre to be greeted by several long lens cameras!!  Yes I thought as we shimmied down the steps.  Either they know we are here.....or they are excited over a rare feathered bird instead of The Lesser Spotted Great Northern Explorer !!!  They were looking at Finches or something equally common.  I inquired as to where the ponies were and we were pointed in a vague direction.  We walked about 5 miles (well it felt like that) checking out some bird hides along the way.  They were inhabited mostly by Great Bearded Tits getting excited over Ducks!!!!  While looking for the ponies we saw an Egret (although I have no idea if its rare here) and a Heron took off over our heads (definitely not rare here).   When we reached the gate to the Konigs ten square mile 'paddock', I looked through my phone camera at 30x.  I thought I saw something moving in the distance.  I also thought I saw a mountain lion (or maybe a Lemur).  So we walked alongside their perimeter another mile or so.....and found hay bales.   At this point I had walked way too far, and the walk back was slow to crawling.  We considered stealing someones off road mobility scooter, but they were still using it.  Another thought was Amanda dragging a bench with me laying on it.  But in true Brit Grit fashion I put one foot in front of the other and we made it back.  I bet Amanda was glad to get back to Norwich!!

So gluttons for punishment, Debbie and Amanda came back on Tuesday.  We were after visiting a Tack Shop.  But first we went for lunch at a local Riding Centre, which has a great cafe, and you can eat lunch while watching their Camel grazing with the ponies.  So we rocked up in the Cafe.  We ordered food.  "So wheres the Camel?" I asked.  "He died" whispered the waitress.  Oh No!!!! 2nd Fail!!!  Still we found a tack shop via Debbie's highly intelligent talking car.  And hopefully we had a laugh.....even if a few things didn't go to plan!!!

So since Amanda has left I have been working on Charlies's chest with excercises and lateral work. Co-incidentally the LHS task on Top Barn Level 3 was turn on the Haunches and Turn On the Forehand. We had a go. Charlie has never been good at Turn on The Haunches and left a leg behind, as well as doing more of a 'Turn on The Belly', but its been a good excercise.  In better news we did real good in The International Horse Agility August competitions, getting a First in the On-Line First Level, a 2nd in Liberty and a 2nd and a 4th in The Summer Of Sports competitions.  We have been working on the September Competitions.....and Daisy is sound so we have been on a short hack!

October promises to be an exciting month, so tune in next month!

And The Heat Goes On, And So Does Agility And So Does The Zombie Ragwort

 And so the Hot Weather has continued.  On and ON AND ON!!! Every day has been between 27c and 32c.   August has remained dry, apart from 15 minutes the other day, when we got highly excited. It came to nothing. We didn't even get wet. While other parts of Suffolk had downpours and even flooding, here on the East Coast it skirted round us. The fields are like The Sahara. We still have standing hay, but we have already moved onto The Winter Grazing. To eke out this poor sparse dried grass we are already feeding a hay supplement. And just to prove the weather hates us, the other day we had a freak whirlwind, which lifted up the hay and carried it off in great swirling tufts!! 

Summer is supposed to be an easy time for horse care.  This year is tough.  Not only are we having to put hay out, we are also feeding the Shetlands.  Yes WE ARE FEEDING THE SHETLANDS. We have a Track System crossed with Strip Grazing for the big ponies.  This means moving the Electric Fencing back every day.  The ground is like concrete.  Our most treasured tool is the mallet.  Jo and I are gaining large arm muscles.......so if anyone wants expert tent peg hammer inners.......

And then there is still the Ragwort problem.  The damn stuff is still growing!  So we are daily pulling new rosettes as well as uprooting the dead stuff.  And like a Zombie, its not really dead. Oh No!  It may look dead, all brown and wrinkled, BUT the dead leaves are still toxic.  As is the brown dead stalks. AND they still have little fluffy seeds drifting off at the slightest movement, to infest the entire country.  So every day, two crippled old ladies are sweating in the burning sun, hammering in posts, fighting with Zombie Ragwort and lugging hay around. Not to mention the daily poo-picking etc.  No wonder we both sleep every afternoon!!!

So we really need some help. Jo is awaiting a hip operation and everyone knows i have the Lung Capacity of a 90yr old. The panting and groaning sounds like a Sex Tape!  We are looking for the impossible......A fit person to help us 2 or 3 mornings a week. For no payment whatsoever!! Just fresh air and excercise, with a coffee thrown in!  I would offer riding lessons, but these may be few and far between as the two riding ponies have been lame due to the hard ground.  Of course Charlie is sound......if anyone wants to take their chances???

All this heat and flies have not stopped my Agility Obsession though. Having got a 3rd in the Liberty Competition and 1st in last months Starter Competition,  has only upped my competitive spirit.  Charlie is still super keen.  This month we have been working on The Summer Sports Competitions, and The monthly Liberty and On Line Competitions. We have also gained our Level 2 trainers certificate and will start Level 3 next month. I have even got the dog involved, although we are not ready to compete yet.

Next month we are also doing The Top Barn Last Horseman Standing Challenge. Next month I am hoping for some rain!  And cooler temperatures, Next month I would also like to get back to riding more. Check back next month to see if any of this happens!

Summer Is Here, Agility. Lameness. And Ragwort

 So Summer is definitely here.  Despite NOT being a weather channel I am British, so I will bang on about the weather. Its been HOT.  I mean REALLY HOT. Like 'Broken All Records' Hot. Suffolk recorded 38c last Monday. Tuesday was slightly cooler at 37c.  Since then the temperature has dropped to between 23c and 31c. The ponies have coped surprisingly well, despite being Natives and more used to rain and cool.  They don't seem at all bothered in fact. We have coped as well, getting used to the heat and shivering slightly as the temperatures dropped to 20c. What isn't coping so well is our fields which are standing hay (burnt grass) and dust. Perfect for the ponies!! Unfortunately the Ragwort is taking over. Being on sandy soil and dry it is having a party. Every single day we dig the stuff up even in the Winter.  But this year it's got beyond our control, so its a case of digging it up when we move the fence back. I swear when the world ends and the planet is burning, the Ragwort will survive (as will the flies).  We have barely had a drop of rain for the whole of July (0.6 mm according to the local news) , so please send some asap.

Charlie and I have been ploughing on with our Agility. We have almost completed the Level 2 training. And we entered our first ever competition.  And came 2nd.  I am so pleased with him.  He is loving it, to the point when he sees me altering the course he is leaving his field-mates to the grass and waiting at the gate. A far cry from the pony that once took 2 weeks to catch!!!  We are fired up with the competing and have just entered the Liberty Trophy class.

https://youtu.be/CX6lt5SECIY

Having neglected his riding training, last week I had him in the school with Debbie and Lu.  While they were titivating Lu, I tacked him up. No adverse response. Parked him at the Mounting Block. Cool as Cucumber. Got up on Block. Still cool. Leaned over him.....no response.  Got on him, still laid back as a recliner.  At this point Debbie came to his head,  and we went for a wander around the school including weaving through the cones.  Of course the Pivo decided to go on strike at this point! 

But Charlie needs to step up as my riding pony.  If I can stop doing Agility for a day!!!  Having had Daisy shod last month we managed 2 hacks before she went lame. That was due to the wet June and the green grass (At this point I have forgotten the meaning of wet and grass). So that worked out at £26 a ride! 

Sound and shod again, we managed 2 hacks.  Catching her in for hack number 3, I was excited to bring my costs down.  Alas she trotted in lame. Only on one foreleg and more un-level than lame. I checked her feet for stones, the heat ( or lack of) in her hooves,  any swellings or hot spots in her leg. Nada.  No clue as to what is wrong, so can only put it down to the hard ground, a tweak somewhere. So please send us RAIN.  Our ponies need it!!!

 

Meeting TopBarners and More Agility

 It seems like ages since I last updated all 30 odd of you.  So Sorry. I seem to have been buzzing like a bee. 

Anyways going back to June. I may have mentioned Summer was a late starter.  It rained.... A Lot!  As a result our grass was green.  Inevitably just as I was starting the Top Barn 100 mile Stage of The Summer Challenge (Which involved me clocking up the miles on Daisy while leading Charlie), Daisy went lame. Nothing major, but as she has EMS she has a problem processing sugar. Green Grass = Sugar = Daisy gets a touch of Laminitus!  We immediately cut back the daily allowance of new grass along the track system.  Daisy was booted (and buted) and we had to feed hay to fill up their bellies, instead of grass.  Oh how we moaned and groaned....feeding Hay in June blah blah.

So short of some sort of miracle, where Charlie was happy to be ridden for more than 5 seconds, or my lungs were suddenly restored to that of a 60 year old,  The 100 Mile Challenge was no longer. Still I was happy that we had completed 3 stages of the Challenge, and set about the Agility.

Having passed the Stage One Agility, I joined the Club and enrolled on Stage 2. Where we have been stuck for an Eternity, or so it seems. The Blueprint goes like this.....Walk forward with Horse on a Loose rope, Horse must take first step. Halt on command with a loose rope...yeah yeah no worries.  Move to end of rope and count to 3. Horse must not move!  Well that's just way too far away as far as Charlie is concerned. After some 700 million attempts, he will now just about wait 3 Seconds.  So on to backing up.  A gap in our training has appeared. If I look at Charlie, point a finger and say "Back up" he will. For as long as I want.  BUT.  I have to be beside him and we move back together. After another 700 million tries we have nearly got it.  We are both bored now!

And so we will set this aside, and play with the Obstacle course which is far more fun. And I have neglected the saddling and mounting, so its back to that next week.  Daisy is sound again, so we can continue getting out and about with Charlie in tow. Anyone fancy a hack?  

So with the Top Barn Summer Challenge done as far as I could, and all the other stresses building up (mostly my Nurse Ratchett approach to looking after my Mother), I decided on a road trip.  I have known Amanda before Top Barn.  We 'met' on The Horse Tricks Club site 4 years ago. Both being Brits and both having 'difficult' ponies we clicked. I invited her to join Top Barn a couple of years ago.  Throughout all my stays in hospital Amanda has been my rock, checking in with me daily.  As I live in East Suffolk and Amanda is in Co. Durham it was a bit of a trek.  But as I had a day trip to Papworth Hospital booked in, I decided as it was 1.5 hours nearer, it was the ideal springboard for a visit.

After all the usual prodding and poking, I headed North up the A1.  Having stopped at the familiar Ferrybridge services (near Leeds) I thought I must be nearly there.  I put the Sat Nav on at that point and was gobsmacked when it informed me to stay on the A1M for the next 57 miles!!  Eventually i arrived in Co. Durham and found Amanda and her husband Colin at their small-holding.  I met Shadow (he is Enormous) and some rather scary bullocks! Amanda stayed with me the night at the Small-holding and we did a little Wild Camping. Coffee brewing on the Twig Burner and home cooked treats from Amanda. Bear Gryllls  eat your heart out!!  Next day we went back to Amanda's house and chewed the cud some more.  I really didn't want to leave. But I had to be home that night ready for Nurse Ratchett duties the next day. And so with a brief stop at Seaham for some sea-glass hunting (But that's my other life), I drove and drove.

I staggered back into reality like a Zombie.  By the end of the week, just as I was feeling nearly normal a shout out went out on Top Barn from Paula Gough.  Did anyone live near Lowestoft as she was on holiday. Well Yep we were on her way home, so Paula came to visit the ponies.  I think this should become a thing. Any Top Barner on holiday should shout out where they are and visit another Top Barner.  We could become a group of Top Barnarners!!

BTW If anyone is interested.....I still have a lump on my eyebrow!!

Top Barn Summer Challenge Continues and An Addiction To Agility

The Top Barn Summer Challenge Continues. Charlie and I have completed 3 stages. The 10,000 steps a day for 14 days - Done. Not without some sweat, but no tears. The 1000 minutes training over 21 days - Done.  It went to the wire, but we got there.  The 10 Challenges in a week was no problem, although I had to change what I had planned due to the Weather.  One of the Challenges was Bath Horse.  That's long overdue, but it just wasn't warm enough! When exactly is Summer starting this year????  I don't mean to be so British and continually bang on about the weather...But Really?  Its June, and I don't consider rain and wind and still wearing a Winter Fleece as 'Summer'.  I did manage the 'Sit in The Field with The Horses and Do Nothing'.  Harder than it sounds, but very interesting, just watching them graze.  The Alpha Mare, having initially stood near me, while falling asleep, then wouldn't let the others near. After about 40 very relaxing minutes it started to rain!

And so I am onto the 4th and Final Stage.....100 miles in 30 days! You have to laugh. I mean on a bad day I struggle to walk for a 100 inches without running out of breath!  I have bagged a couple of willing riders for Lulu, so I can ride Daisy and lead Charlie. He's been a star.  Due to the Holiday traffic I daren't go up the main road, so we have been going down the lane and through a busy campsite. It's been surprisingly uneventful, despite barking tents, flapping awnings, flags and banners everywhere, children playing on whirly-gigs, helpful neighbours on ride-on lawn mowers, people chain-sawing trees, loose dogs and some very surprising electric gates opening!  Charlie has taken it all in his stride.

Daisy had a Masterson Massage from the very talented Jade Monahan. She has been a different pony!  She was always quite strung out and prone to the odd trip. Now she is 'underneath herself', head up and has found power in her back end. She is picking up her feet, springing along and has found reverse gear, including up. Never spooky, she took a dislike to an overgrown Bridleway. She slams the brakes on. I say "Walk On", Charlie obliges, while Daisy goes into reverse, leaving my arms somewhat stretched. "Whoa" I say, Charlie halts. We reorganize ourselves. "Walk On" I say, with a couple of pony club kicks thrown in for good measure.  Charlie obliges, Daisy backs up, then gives a very balanced half rear. In the end I had to get off and lead them both in tandem!  Luckily Lu ridden by Debbie, quickly learned how to undo the gate. Next time out was smoother, mostly because the Bridleway is now a little trampled by us.

Anyhoo, despite this I have still only done about 7 miles so far!!!! The weather has conspired against us, and trying to find times when we are all free to go out is not easy.  So anyone else willing to join in my Challenge??? All you have to do is sit on a pretty palomino pony and lead the way, while I wrestle the other two into some sort of formation. 

And then there's the Agility Club!!!!  I was persuaded by my friend Amanda to join a Horse Agility Club. I'm hooked. We are working our way through Course Modules.  Having built the course, I have submitted a couple of videos and passed 3 sections. Charlie and i are loving it.  Its in-hand on a loose rope at the moment. At this rate I'll never be riding him! My last score for a 10 Obstacle Course was 99/100.  I only have one more Section to complete before I finish Module One. There is also world wide competitions if you become a Club Member.  So of course my competitive nature has sprung into action.....and I've joined the Club and am now looking at entering a competition!!!!

https://youtu.be/VsKf-dKuJQ4

That may or may not be the Link to our entry if you are interested. Even if your not interested, I would appreciate it if you could subscribe to Charlies YouTube Channel......after all, we only need another 3961 subscribers before we can earn his treats!!!!!

BTW - If anyone is interested........I still have a lump on my eyebrow! Nearly a month after the head-butting incident!!

Catch up soon x

Top Barn Summer Challenge, A Black Eye And A Goodbye

Top Barn Summer Challenge has been underway for nearly 3 weeks now. Charlie and I have been working our socks off. I have completed the Steps Challenge, walking 10K steps a day, every day for 2 weeks. I'm not gonna lie. Some days were hard. I normally do between 8k and 10k daily, but with my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker sometimes its a lot less. One of the days, after having done the horses, I was still 4k steps off. So I went out for a walk with the OH and Doggo. We went to an Open Access Area of a Re-wilding scheme on the edge of town. As per they went off at military pace.  Puffing and panting up the hills, we completed a circuit. "More?" inquired OH. I consulted my Fitbit. Yes More. Off we went on a different circuit. Finally half a mile from where we had parked the Fitbit buzzed 10k.  I sat down. Thats it! I'm done, just leave me here!! I also had a couple of days pacing round the garden which is the size of a pocket handkerchief, but I got there. I'm relieved to not have to be a step nerd any longer.

At the same time I have been doing the 1000 Minutes Challenge with Charlie. Thats 1000 minutes training time in 21 days. So far we are on 817 minutes with 3 days to go. Thats 183 minutes to do in 3 days! 61 minutes a day. I have to run my unwell mother around. Tomorrow we are off to Hospital. At least the nights are light. We can do this, although its going to the wire. Its not that easy to have long sessions in hand, with a pony that has the attention span of a Goldfish. But there is no way I'm starting again!  So its 3 days of hard work!!

As Charlie gets bored very easily, I have been mixing up the serious work of getting him ridden, with some agility, walk outs, tricks, and liberty. We have come on leaps and bounds with the Mounting!! I think he is pretty au fait with the Mounting Block Park and me getting on now. The saddle is no longer scarier than The Grudge Movies. My hat no longer scares me. Although maybe a Full Face Crash Helmet would be more appropriate.

So why would i need a full face crash helmet??  Well apparently learning new tricks are dangerous!  So there we were, learning to pick up mini cones.  I had been lunging Charlie previous to this and for some unknown reason, left the 12ft rope trailing off him. We were both bending over a cone, Charlie stepped forward and stood on his rope. Startling himself he threw his head up.....and wham....he caught me with his head right on my eyebrow! I saw stars! I staggered around with drunken knees, like a boxer caught with a right hook. I sat on my knees for a bit, Charlie came to see what was up. Obviously he hadn't hurt his head. I staggered to the tack room for a wet towel, and a sit down, until the room stopped spinning like a fairground ride. Charlie started calling for me. I asked myself what day it was and came up with the correct answer. I held up 2 fingers and again got the correct answer. I decided i wasn't concussed. So I pulled myself together and took Charlie out to the Grazing. I managed to lock up, drive home and convince my OH I wasn't concussed and was able to go out for Sunday lunch as planned. 

The shiner spread to both eyes and cheekbones. I had a four day headache and I still have bruising and a lump on my inner brow, 10 days on. The moral of this story is....Never leave a trailing rope. Something i should know after 50 odd years with horses!!!!

Today we said goodbye to Lily (WHW Liv). But not in a bad way. Jo got Lily (Liv) from WHW around 4 years ago.  She had been rescued from a roundabout in Cardiff, owned by the infamous "Gypsy King". She was incredibly head shy and nervous.  With us she has blossomed into a confident, sweet and affectionate pony.  She has been backed, and ridden by children and adults. But she had no rider, and was bored and eating a lot of grass! With Jo and I both unable to work because of health issues, and struggling financially, we had to thin out the herd. Sadly Lily was the only one able to be leave.  So today she went back to WHW who will have no trouble re-homing her. We will miss her heaps, but having started her, she will go on to have a happy and useful life elsewhere.