So first off let me introduce you to our new addition. Coco the Miniature Shetland.
Coco was rescued a year ago by some friends. She had been starved! A year on she is looking sooo much better, but was living with big horses and had a Shetlands habit of escaping. We have always felt Mini would love to have a friend her own size (since losing Sweet Pea) so she has come to stay. Mini is thrilled and they have bonded already. To facilitate this, we have kept them together, away from the others, in various pens, all over the yard, where they are acting as lawn mowers!!
That leaves us with 7 ponies again.. And so Dora is now for sale. We love Dora and she is a character, but she is wasted here.
If anyone is interested.....Dora is an 11.2hh Welsh Sec A mare. She is about 12/13 years old (haven't checked passport!!) and a fully registered and passported Sec A. Again I do not have her papers in front of me, but she comes from a very respected stud in North Wales. She has cracking paces, and a huge jump. She is good to box, clip, trim etc and is good with the Farrier. She has clearly been shown in the past, as is fine when being bathed, having her mane pulled and plaited etc.
We used her for children's lessons (which we no longer do) and she was fine as a lead rein pony (although does not like being held on a tight lead), and brilliant with older kids who can ride. She can be nappy, so not really first ridden, but would definitely excel as a Pony Club Pony with a confident rider. She is up to a little weight......I have ridden her with no protest, and I am nearly 9 stone with clothes on!! I would ride her more often as she is great fun, but my long legs nearly reach the ground!
Dora currently lives out all year round, is barefoot and not rugged. She lives on fresh air and gets fat just looking at grass, but has never had laminitus. In fact she has never needed the Vet for anything other than her jabs. (Frantically touching wood).
We have also used her for pony parties, and she loves being fussed over and painted, and makes a great unicorn. She is bright and has learned a few tricks, such as saying please for a polo and smiling. Dora would love to be owned by a little girl, who would love her, fuss her and do exciting things with her. Price is negotiable as Jo would rather she went to the right home.
Today Daisy had a massage from Jade Monahan, an Equine Massage Therapist. Daisy has always been crooked, and strung out. I spent a whole summer schooling her to round up a little and push from behind, instead of dragging herself along from the front. Although her way of going became better, she was never going to be a dressage pony!! But she has always enjoyed hacking, so that's what we do. Daisy has had a hard time with her EMS as well, and has been lame more than she has been sound. But with Jo's extensive knowledge of EMS, and the excellent foot care from Vince Buckman, plus our track system, we have managed to keep Daisy sound this Summer. So we felt she deserved a massage.
Jade immediately noticed her uneven muscle build up, and the weird lumps in her neck. She thinks Daisy may have had a accident in the past which wrenched her neck. That tallies with soooo many things about Daisy. A few years ago we were having lessons off a guy, who thought Daisy may have been pulled over at the mounting block. Daisy has always been nervous when mounted at the Block, and takes off immediately your foot is in the stirrup. She also plunges into canter, will not jump, and prefers to wander along with her head down. For a long time now i have ridden her on a loose rein. Any pressure on her mouth results in her tensing and pulling against the bit. So everything Jade discovered makes sense.
Jade worked with Daisy for a long time, in a quiet, calm manner, and heard Daisy when she said "Ouch". Daisy was enchanted with her new friend, and totally relaxed. Her bottom lip drooped, her eyes closed and when Jade released the tension she was holding in her muscles, she yawned profusely.
Jade has just started her business in Equine Massage. I thoroughly recommend her and we will be using her again.
Jade has a Facebook Page.....Jade Monahan Equine Massage Therapist, and her phone number is 07464 948381.
So Jo and Lulu are still in the Top Barn Challenge, and week 7 is now finishing. Jo has used the last week as her rollover week, and so from Monday we buckle down to finishing the last 5 weeks. This week has been a non-starter. Jo has had home stuff to tackle, I am still next to useless (Chest Infection gone, but low on energy, breath and ribs still painful), and no sooner had Storm Ciara gone, then Storm Dennis rolled in.
Storm Dennis seems never-ending. He must have a very whippy tail, as the wind has not dropped below 20 mph, generally being around the 30mph mark, and according to my weather app, there is no end in sight. Despite being naked and on top of the only hill in Suffolk, the ponies are doing well. They are all like polar bears! Its at this point Winter seems to drag. Now the nights are drawing out, and the blossom and daffs are beginning to bloom, I get impatient for the T-shirt days to begin.
Last weekend it was so wet and cold that we brought Mini into the Tack-room so Nancy could dry her off before a quick ride. That child is hardcore!!! Mini amused us by showing how good she is at saying Please!
Speaking of Minis.....We are looking for another Shetland. Preferably a Standard Mare. Older rather than younger, but unbroken to ride is ok. Our Mini has spent the best part of her life with Sweet Pea (another Shetland who passed away 18 months ago) and just seems a little lost still. She would like a friend her size. We would be happy to do a loan swap with Dora The Explorer, a Welsh Sec A who is wasted with us at the moment. Dora would make a great 2nd pony, is fully papered and has great paces. She is just not really a lead rein pony.
So as I am still crook, and unable to do anything too strenuous with Charlie Bear, I brought him in for a breakfast date. I set us up a table and chair, and he had brekkie from the table, while I had my morning coffee. Was a great date.
While this may seem a little strange, you can't beat just bonding with your pony.
As Humans, we are always in a hurry. We often put pressure on ourselves to hurry hurry hurry, to 'achieve' something. Every moment with our horses must be spent doing what we feel is important (schooling, jumping etc). Horses live life at a much slower pace. They don't get the need to get on and learn something every time they see you. They don't go back into the field satisfied that they have learnt shoulder-in. If you work your Horse every time you see him, he is not going to look forward to you appearing in the field with a head-collar. If you really want to create a bond with your horse, just spend time together. Hang out with no agenda. Bring him in for a Breakfast Date. Spend time just scratching him. Give him a pamper session. Go for a walk together.
To learn some tricks check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLYQBYhWqo_WPVdz9MFkCtA/videos?view_as=subscriber
Or follow us at https://www.facebook.com/charliehorseandfriends/
Its been quite a week........
Poor little Mini has been missing her friend Sweet Pea badly...as are we. So we have borrowed a Shetland friend for her. Piggy, a little boy who is even smaller than Mini. He is besotted by her. Not sure she feels the same, but it has perked her up anyway. I think she may be feeling irritation rather than sadness at the moment, as he follows her about constantly. Not to mention Dora who has decided Mini was HER bff and is constantly trying to come between them. Polly is ignoring everybody.
And so on Tuesday we had a Pony Day...with 10 girls and errr 1 boy. The boy most definitely did NOT want to be there, but had no choice as his mum Eli was teaching. He spent a fair bit of time in the tack-room on his I-Pod ....Sensible boy!! The temperature naturally was about 28c (Nothing natural about that for England, but after 2 months of hot dry weather it has become the norm).
Elis' daughters (Grace and Georgie) rode their ponies (Twix and Sammie) over to help out. Jo bought the entire glitter supply for Europe, spare crisps and squash, and by 9.30am we were ready for the arrival of clients at 10.30am. We even made a make shift toilet in a stable with tyres and paper!!
Upon arrival, the girls had the safety talk, and learned where to go in the event of a fire. Then it was catch in, groom and tack up time. The girls were split into two groups......Group A having a lesson, while Group B helped with poo picking, including a ride in the trailer, then we swapped.
Lunchtime saw the girls turning out the ponies for a welcome rest, and drink, before we all returned to the relative shade of the tack-room for a picnic lunch and a super-fun session running, cartwheeling and jumping through the sprinkler until everyone was thoroughly wet. When I say cartwheeling...that didn't apply to the adults!!!
Then it was off to get Polly and Mini back in for Glittering. Freddie the only boy, having enjoyed the sprinkler, (and having his character on his game killed off), joined in and found he was actually having fun!! The ponies being suitably decorated were then used for gymkhana games (in walk and trot only as the ground is so hard). We used Sammie and Polly for Gymkhana, while Mini was de-glittered. Sammie and Polly are both old hands and you could see them raring to go as were some of the riders.....but we kept it calm!
Very quickly 3pm came around and parents appeared to pick up children. Those that were left helped me bath and turn out Polly. (I don't mean they were left indefinitely!!) We all had a really fun, if hot, day. There were NO TEARS which has to be good. Only squeals and laughter. We are already planning the next one......Maybe on a cooler day!!
And as the heat wave continues and gets hotter Mark The Mechanic (and part-time horse whisperer) and Jo spent yesterday creating shade for the small ponies with the lorry and some tarpaulin. The bigger ponies had their field extended to include the shady dip. Were they grateful??? Were they ****.
This morning saw them all out of their paddocks, having trashed the minis paddock!! Luckily the paddocks are enclosed in the 3 Acre Field which is surrounded by stock fencing and thick hedges of trees and gated and padlocked. And so Jo and I spent all morning repairing the damage. Thankfully Charlie didn't take the lorry to pieces, which is a miracle as he loves vehicles!!!
