And so the 2023 International Agility Club year ended. Where would we end up in the League Tables? I waited, chewed my nails, waited a little more, gnawed up to my knuckles. When the results came out i couldn't look.....literally. The site crashed!! So I am absolutely humbled to announce that Charlie and I became European Champions and Reserve World Champions in the Walk Only Liberty League. It was my very joking pledge at the beginning of the year......But I never thought we could pull it off! I am full of pride for my boy, who started life badly and found himself on a meat truck at 5 months old. Luckily he was rescued by the fantastic Sara Higgins. Having spent 3 and a half years running with other colts, he was pretty feral, and coltish, and very opinionated. He is also partially sighted in his offside eye, seeing only light, dark and shadows. But after only taking up Agility in June 2022, he has pulled this off. Whatever next???
So as we continue at the moment with the Liberty Agility, I am also prepping for Equagility (The ridden version). I would also like to do this with Daisy. My main aim for Charlie this year is to get him out hacking.
So I have entered both ponies into the Top Barn Winter Challenge. Charlie is doing Bronze Premium ( 3hrs a week plus some extra challenges) and Daisy Copper (1.5hrs a week). The Weather has been a Bitch. We have had Rain, Flooding, Storms, Hurricane force winds, a biting, finger numbing North wind straight off the North Sea (only about 4 miles away), Snow (which went as quickly as it came) and now a dry frozen week (currently -3c). But at least its dry!!
The ponies live out 24/7. There are no stables, barn or inside to work in out of the weather. We have no School or Arena. Just an area I call my Playpen where I do my Agility. Its just a small grassy area, fenced off with electric fencing and completely exposed to the North East (handy that). However a wise person once said "There is no bad weather, just the wrong clothes". This year in all my years of working with horses I have had cold hands. Actually they have been numb in the wind. So I have bought a pair of gloves. Lightweight neoprene. Brilliant.
I don't advertise or promote anything normally, but I also got some waterproof, fleece lined over-trousers from a company called Cuddlr. You may have seen their adverts on Facebook. I also never buy anything from ads on Facebook, but thought this was worth a gamble. It was! They have been a lifesaver. I pop them over fleece lined leggings. My feet are encased in Nordic wool socks, and oh so attractive fur lined muck boots. My top half is covered in t-shirt, sweatshirt, fleece and my brilliant Yak wool jacket that I got a few years ago from Tibet. With a fur lined wool snood covering my face and a silly wool/fleece hat, the weather can throw its worst at me. I might look like the Michelin man in all this....but I'm warm!
The Winter Challenge is a Challenge because of the Weather. It wouldn't be much of a challenge if it were in the Summer months. So buckle up guys, smother yourselves in many clothes and waddle through the next couple of months. Its surprising how many things there are to do with your horse without actually leaving the stable (if you have one). With this in mind I am posting a weekly Challenge (Charlies Challenges) to compliment the Mini Challenges. I am posting on Friday nights/Saturday mornings.
Most of Charlies Challenges will be Trick related. So we are re-visiting all the Tricks we learned over the years (Check out Horse Tricks Club). So Top Barn Challengers......Keep it up.. The nights are pulling out, at a rate of 1 minute a day. Before you know it, Spring will be here. Achievements are achieved by sheer hard work. No-one ever got their horse out of a field after months off and went and won the Puissance. It takes hard work and perseverance through whatever life or the weather throws at you. So keep it up, YOU GOT THIS. X
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