Finally the weather perked up and we had our Easter Party. (More eggs were boiled!) Sadly some children had already gone back to school, but it may have actually been calmer with less girls!!
Eli brought over her elderly but amazing Twix, and a new loan pony called Abby, who is a tall and very stunning Welsh Sec B. I have to confess, she looked way too tall and leggy to me, for a Sec B, but she has a passport and we measured her. She was just under 13.2hh. We also measured Lily the other day, who came up at 12.3hh. As Daisy and Lu who are both only 14.2hh seem quite big to me, I can only conclude that I am shrinking with age!!
So we had a great day. The girls had a short hack, followed by a lesson. Then they learnt to lunge, rugging, and points of the pony before lunch.
After lunch we had 'Field Maintenance, Ok.... Poo Picking! It has to done blah blah. Its all part of owning a pony. The girls seemed happy!!!
Better than being indoors on The Play Station huh? When I was a child (after I had finished my breakfast of road gravel, and polished the road with my tongue) I was taught to always look after my animals first! No matter how wet, cold, tired I was, make sure the dogs/cats/ponies/goldfish were seen to first!
After all that hard work we had gymkhana games. Always a laugh. Its the one thing that makes me sad about being an (aging) adult....No more Gymkhana games. And Bills, Wrinkles, and a stiff non bouncy body.....But mostly not being able to do Gymkhana.
The eggs got battered, everyone had fun. Gymkana has a purpose! The kids are so busy trying to win, they forget fear, or to hold on with their hands etc. Its a great way of installing confidence.
And so to more serious stuff.. Charlie. If you have been following, you will know Charlie has been special. My normal attitude with horses throughout my life has been Gung-Ho to say the least. Get on, hope for the best, don't fall off. Its half wild? Never mild, just ride it. take it to the shops, jump it, hunt it.....Its nervous? What the hell, take it on a 120mile ride. Two young just cut geldings? Pony them around the village on a mare. It bucks, rears, bolts? Sit it out and laugh. But with my dodgy lungs etc, and Charlies history (ie being taken off his mother and on his way to become a Tesco meal), not to mention his half sighted eye and riggy tendencies i have tried to slow up.
Having tried to back Charlie as a 3 year old, and learning that flying lessons hurt at my age with my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker, i backed off. I have spent the last 3 years gaining his trust. I have now sat on him, and rode him briefly in the School. But, despite our good relationship, the basic building blocks are missing.....and this time round, I need a pony that will die for me. I need and want a two way relationship.
And so, I called in Bridget Colston for help. Bridget books horses for Monty Roberts, and is fully trained in Intelligent Horsemanship. We can all read the books and watch videos. But as I have said before, Horsemanship can't be taught, it is in you... or not. I watched a Monty Roberts demo in my twenties, and have studied horse language ever since. I think i have a pretty good handle on how horses think and can read most horses. But, with your own you can sometimes get lost. Not read all the signs.
And so I got Bridget in to help with the missing bits..... Yes Charlie will lunge, and long rein....but only if I get after him. If he doesn't want to do something, he will get bolshy. Is he just being naughty? Or is he scared? I am too close to see the answer. Bridget heard him immediately. Yes he is worried. She slowed things right down. Today I feel humbled. You are never too old to learn! And so, with a few more tools, Charlie and I will start again, and get it right before we move on.
So Xmas got very sociable!!!! First up we had a Mini Pony Party. About 12 girls played gymkhana games and pony glittered. Lu was brought in for gymkhana which may have been a little beneath her Eliteness!!
But Mini enjoyed it....
On Xmas Eve Rob and Meg brought a 'Picnic' up......which was actually an oven to make wood fired pizza which was yummy.....Good job the O'conners turned up to help us eat it all!!
Xmas day itself I wasn't doing anything special so volunteered for the poo picking. It was a beautiful sunny day and I took a lot of selfies and general pics. The Ponies looked like they had been to the pub the night before. There was a lot of dozing going on. Mini was happy to do the 'Xmas Pose'
Boxing day!!!! Maybe least said the better Lol. Please stop reading right now if you are anyway BHS or Health and Safety conscious!! I went on a Boxing Day Alcohol Hunt with Sarah. I truely meant not to drink much.........
I borrowed a horse off Georgie who shares grazing with Sarah. Monty, a lovely big black cob, who hasn't been out for ages. (Poor Monty). With Sarah on her lovely William, we started with a glass of port. And off we set. The idea is to ride around Aldeburgh blagging drinks!!! I have to say....we DID have fluorescent sheets on the horses (Aldeburgh being full of tourists at xmas). The first two stops we received very pokey sloe gin. By the time we got into the High Street to stop at the White Hart, we threw caution to the wind and opted for Zambuka Shots!!
More Zambuka at Dps Bar. By this time we were hugely photographed, while grinning like loons and waving like the Queen. We went home via the beach, somehow avoiding the hoards of walkers, calling in for a final glass of Champagne at the last house. It seemed wrong not to attempt to finish the bottle of Port when we got back!!
As if all this wasn't enough Jo turned 60 during the week so on Saturday she had Tackroom Cocktails... Or as I kept saying Cockroom Tactails!! The Cocktails in question were Champagne Cocktails, made with Champagne, Brandy, Angostura Bitters and a Sugar Lump. The Tackroom was packed and people were very merry!!!! BTW - The horses were looked after first!!!
On New Years Eve we had a very eventful ride. And that was before any alcohol was imbibed!!!! It all started out innocently enough. Meg was all set to take Nancy for a plod on Mini. As Daisy was looking sound, we were talking about taking her for a walk. So I suggested Nancy ride her, led by Meg, while Jo and I accompanied with Lu and Molly. Molly was like a cat on hot bricks!!! She just wanted to go. Which was not possible with a 5 year old on Daisy. The more I held her back the worse she became, gathering her body up and cantering sideways. So we turned back. Not the best idea!! Molly revved up more, and then Daisy (who was very sound), thought a jog would do no harm. She jogs a lot with me, I find it quite comfortable as I am used to it, but actually its quite bouncy. Too bouncy for a 5 year old!
Molly was completely sideways at this point, so I saw poor little Nancy fall. Quite a long way down off a 14.2hh when you are 5. After years working at an Equestrian Centre and the RDA my instinct when a rider is down is to jump off to assist. So thats what I did.. As I started back up the track with Molly, it dawned on me that it would be nearly impossible to grab Daisy without Molly kicking her, as they haven't really made friends!
Thankfully Nancy was fine, although didn't want to get back on, which left her walking while Meg led Daisy, after helping me back up, which wasn't easy as Molly wouldn't stand still. I rode back with one stirrup 4 holes longer than the other, while Molly still pranced!
When we got back Nancy agreed to ride Lu in the school and had a lovely time. I never forget being told by my Dad that you have to get straight back up. (I think that was when I was 6, after I had concussion from my hatless head being knocked against a road as the pony I was on bolted while I was being dragged as my plimsoled foot had gone through the stirrup)
And so as Jo and I have a New Years Resolution to ride more for fun, and try to find more of a work/fun balance, we took Lu and Daisy out for a nice long hack on Wednesday. We went down the lanes of Snape, across the common to the Burger Van, where I was tempted by an eat now pay later burger. Lu was bored by the time it was cooked and black clouds were coming over, so we legged it down the road that takes us back to the Farm tracks, while I was still eating. Yes awfully BHS to be trotting down the road, scoffing a burger (I did lose a few onions!).
It has turned a bit colder today.....But we still haven't rugged. They are all furry and not at all cold. Its easy to think of the horse being as cold as we are...BUT they survived the Ice Age. They have thick skin and coats. We don't!. We are feeding plenty of Hay and they still have grass. Plenty of forage equals an internal central heating system.
Meanwhile as cold humans we have a lovely wood burner on the go in the tack room.
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!!!
