The End Of The Top Barn Challenge and Big Changes!

 Wow!  It's the end of Week 11 of The Top Barn Winter Challenge.  How fast has that gone? A lot of us have technically finished already, having not used our Rollover Weeks or our Holidays.  Charlie, having banked a full weeks hours, finished at the end of Week 10, and Daisy had just half an hour to do this week to make it a Rollover week.  They are both on Top Barn Holiday next week.  Although of course both will still be working.  So huge Well Done to everyone who has already finished, or will finish next week.  And Well done to those who tried, but had hitches with lameness etc.  The weather hasn't been a great help this year, with all of us in Britain having had enough rain to fill the Atlantic......not to mention the wind!!!! Oh how I hate the wind.  The Ponies don't mind it, after all they live out in it, but my Dodgy Lungs are even dodgier against a head wind.

But enough doom and gloom about the Weather!! Spring is officially here. We are very nearly at the Equinox. We are getting 12 whole hours of daylight now. The birds are singing, the Daffs are blooming and the trees are blossoming (Ah Choo).  It's actually been warm (13c) and occasionally sunny. The Ponies are shedding like mad.  Every time I groom Daisy, I end up wearing half a Highland Pony.  Charlie being younger isn't so bad. Today Jo and I took the poo rakes to Mini the Shetland and literally removed her top coat!  So only another 3 layers to go.  And as for the dog!!  Every time she moves, she leaves half a dog behind. So its out with Henry The Hoover every 10 minutes.  Top Tip.....Belgian Malinois are massive shedders! 

With the mild temperatures and the rain, our grass is growing like mad. Daisy can't have too much grass in one go having EMS (or whatever they call it now), so I have already started the track in the Spring Field.  They are having 2 or 3 hours out on it every day. Then coming back into the Winter Track which is bare, and has various hay stations. Once the new Spring track is long enough, they can go out on it full time with restricted access to lush grass.  Even this small amount of Green Goodness is causing Spring Fever.  Daisy is particularly prone to behaving like a teenager on Crystal Meth at this time of year.  Despite being 24, she fancied she was running at the Cheltenham Festival yesterday!  And to think I've been taking it easy with her, fearing that I would break her!!

And so we have had a massive change.  Lulu has gone out on loan. Jo is waiting for a new hip, so has been unable to ride Lu for a long time. She's a bright mare, and didn't enjoy being a field ornament. She has only gone up the road, to a Livery Yard run by my old friend Marie (we kept our horses together for years). If I was a horse I would want to live with Marie.  As the Boss mare, we did wonder how the dynamics would alter in our little herd.  Lu has been in charge for ever!!

In the first 45 minutes after Lu left, Charlie happily scoffed his face at the Hay Box, (having not been allowed to before, hence extra hay nets hanging in trees). The Shetlands didn't appear to notice and just carried on as normal.  Daisy, galloped around yelling her head off.  Eventually Charlie got fed up with the noise from Daisy, and went to her.  Nose to nose they seemed to have a conversation. After a few minutes, Charlie sauntered back to the Hay Box, followed by Daisy.  It's been very peaceful ever since.  Not sure who is in charge now.  Probably no-one. The remaining ponies are all very laid back. None of them would care if an alien spaceship landed in their field, as long as they had enough to eat. Lu was always on guard, alerting the others to a scary sheep, or plastic bag. Then she would wind herself up when they dismissed her fears.  Now with no pony bothering to do the Meercat thing, they are all completely laid back.  A bunch of Stoners!  As a Bonus, the electric fencing remains in place, the poo load is reduced, and I can get any pony in, without a major fight at the gate.  Sorry Lu!!

See you all next month.  P.S  I still need to get Charlie out hacking, so if anyone is willing to ride Daisy on some short hacks with me and Charlie in tow, please contact me.

Whoa! We're Halfway There, Blackthorn Blossom and Over-Rugging.

 Wow this year is moving fast....or is it my age?  We are over halfway through the Top Barn Winter Challenge.  In fact we are just finishing Week 7. We have had no rollover or Holiday weeks, so I'm aiming to finish with Charlie on Week 10, and maybe even Daisy if I can bank some more time with her.  Both are working on Agility.  Charlie got 2 x 2nd places last month and Daisy was un-placed in our attempt at Equigility.  In fact we were last with a poor score of 90/100.  But, trying to teach a 24 year old that is used to trying to lean on the bit and pulling, to respond on a loose rein off a headcollar is certainly a work in progress!!

Spring is still springing. Although it's rained a lot, the temperatures have gone up. The wind is still cold, but you can't stop Mother Nature. The bloody Ragwort has started to pop its ugly heads up.  But the snowdrops are well and truly out, along with some daffodils. And the Blackthorn trees are starting to blossom. Hello Hayfever season!  

And this brings me on to the subject of over-rugging.  As you all know our herd of Natives live out 24/7 naked and as fluffy as they should be naturally.  With the nights getting lighter, they are shedding their winter coats.  All as nature intended. They have not been cold this Winter (wet yes).  We don't have to rush around taking rugs on and off the minute a cloud comes over.  They are shiny and muddy and healthy. It's been 13c. Horses are comfortable at much lower temperatures.  They survived the Ice Age.  Their coats are designed to stand up and trap the heat in.  The act of eating roughage causes an internal heating system.  Over-rugging a horse not only messes up its coat, but causes untold metabolic issues, leaving the horse unable to regulate its body temperature. 

So one of the Shetlands has grown a really really really thick coat. She looks like a cross between a lion and a siberian hamster.  Poor thing was getting sweaty in 13c, so I have given her a beard, neck and belly clip. It was a real test for my Liveryman Harmony Plus Clippers, as they really only look like trimmers, and are as quiet.  But as they have worked really well on Charlies thick feathers, I gave it a try.  I am so impressed with them!  Although I think the blades may need a sharpen now!

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?_encoding=UTF8&tag=horsea-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=978fb1db85776dc88d13c7158bdad0f0&camp=1634&creative=6738&node=471521031">Liveryman Harmony Clippers</a>

A False Spring, Tricks Galore, and The Top Barn Challenge is Galloping By

 OMG Its February already!!!! Where did that long long month of January go? And whats with the English spelling of these early months (all this uary endings is stressing my spell check)?  So after a nasty January weatherwise, I'm now being lulled by this false spring and thinking of removing some layers.  Its been a calm, mostly sunny few days with the temperatures hitting double figures in the East. The nights are pulling out, the birds are singing and the snowdrops are out.  In fact on Tuesday I was so lulled by this False Spring that I did indeed shed some layers. Oh what a mistake.  The wind was bitter and out in the fields on the tractor I froze. Must remember that some of our worst snow-outs have been in February/March! But still, Spring is coming.......

I know a lot of people doing the Top Barn Challenge are having much worse weather than us, so Charlie and I are setting Charlies Challenges every week for a bit of fun, and ideas for things to do with your horse without moving from the field or stable. A long long time ago I joined Horse Tricks Club (find it on Facebook). We learned a lot of tricks, and so most of Charlies Challenges are trick related.  We have been going over some old tricks and its amazing that he remembers them all.  I have been working on a Maths Trick with him, but I'm not showing it here, because it will be a Charlies Challenge (Spoiler Alert).  I have to say I am crap at Maths and my OH (Mark the Mechanic and Part Time Horse Whisperer) laughed his head off when I said I had been teaching Charlie Maths! Next up Card Tricks!!

And as fast as the month has galloped by, so is The Top Barn Winter Challenge. We have already completed a Third of it. You may want to check this fact as I have already admitted my crap maths!  So far me and the ponies have kept up with our hours.  Charlie has banked one and a half hours, done all the Rhi's Randoms and 8 Mini Challenges.  Daisy is bang on target and has completed 7 Mini Challenges. I'm taking it very easy with her, due to her age and the length of time she had been retired. But she is totally enjoying the attention.

Both ponies have managed Agility entries this month. Charlie with his WO Liberty and OLHA and Daisy has tried Equagility!!!!  Having been only a brood mare and a Happy Hacker (being ridden in a Dutch Gag) she has never had any formal schooling and is only just learning Clicker Training.  She pulls like a steam train and isn't the sharpest tool in the box, but she is the sweetest Mare ever.  And we have to start somewhere.  Also she sucks her water!!!!!!

And so as a very special person used to say "Onwards and Upwards" and "To Infinity and Beyond".   Keep it up Top Barners.  And Good Luck to all the Agility entrants for the January Competitions.  

Oh and by the way......I have just entered the shady world of Tik Tok.  Charlie now has an account called er....er...Charlie The Trick Pony???? I think.  I'm doing the Tik Tok on my phone and the Blog on my Laptop, and I'm way too old to share any links.  We also have a YouTube channel (Charlie The Trick Pony) and Instagram (also Charlie The Trick Pony) and a Facebook page (also Charlie The Trick Pony) .  While I am plugging Social Media, I have 2 books available on Kindle. "The Ridgeway Romp" and "Tails From The Rda".  Sorry I can't share any links.......Thats Old Age!  

See you in Spring x

Cause For Celebration and The Top Barn Challenge Begins

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

The End of The Year Blog ( Track Systems, Sandy Soil and 2024)

Well its nearly the end of 2023 (How did that happen?)  Charlie and I have had a great 2023.  He has done really well in Horse Agility, we have progressed to about 8 steps ridden before the panic starts, and I can nearly get the clippers on his legs!! 

What always amazes me (still) is the fact he comes running when I call him, or if he has spotted me in the Playpen (new name for the 'school' as it really isn't), he is waiting at the Gate. It shows how far we have come from the pony that once took 2 weeks to catch!!!!  This is all down to Clicker Training and Trick Training.  This year I joined Connection Training and I have learnt sooooo much about how the horses mind works.  Our relationship has blossomed and its a real 2 way communication now.  Between Horse Tricks 101 Club, The International Horse Agility Club and Connection Training we now have a proper solid relationship and the ability to have actual conversations. I am now exploring the concept of his consent, and giving him a voice that I listen to. More on that next year.

As well as the Horse Agility and slowly slowly ridden work, during the Year, Charlie and I took part in 2 Top Barn Treasure Hunts.  I love a good Treasure Hunt. Its a brilliant concept ......To get out and seek 'treasures' such as Churches, Pubs, Water, Cows.....you get it. Not only was it great fun, we ventured out of our comfort zones in the pursuit of 'treasures' and spent a lot of time hanging out waiting for them to pass by. 

We have just finished our last Agility Competition of the Year. Having won the WO Liberty Silver in November with Charlie, I was raring to start on the final competition of the year.  However Covid struck!  I went to London (yes a Yokel like me, in the Big Smoke).  I went to see the Lionesses play The Netherlands at Wembley.  One sardines in a tin packed Tube Train later and I was struck down. I felt wretched for nearly 10 days. My Horse Landlord is vulnerable so I kept away, only visiting Charlie when the coast was clear. Poor Jo had to shoulder all the work, while I lay in bed watching crap daytime TV.  So I have only had 12 days to pull off a Competition entry, while the weather has raged with rain and wind. We also managed to film a few Xmas Shorts for our You Tube Channel.  Check them out https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLYQBYhWqo_WPVdz9MFkCtA/about.  If that doesn't work just type Charlie The Trick Pony into the search.  I'm crap with links etc.

Meanwhile Daisy, who retired aged 23 last spring, has been hooning around like a spring chicken.  She has EMS, but living on a track system has given her a new lease of life.  She is a great nanny pony, being fairly bombproof, so Jo and I decided she may as well do something. Like helping Charlie get out hacking.  Having done nothing for most of the Year, and never having done any Agility, I brought her in and took her round the OLHA WO Starter Course in November.  I had filmed it, and it looked Ok.  So I registered her with the International Horse Agility Club, and entered.  To my utter surprise, she came 1st. So Daisy has a new career!!  I have since had front shoes put on, ready for the New Year Challenge.

And that Challenge is of course, The Top Barn 2024 Winter Challenge.  I have entered both ponies.  Charlie at Bronze Premium Level and Daisy at Copper Level which is new for this year. My aim is to get them both fit and ready to try Equigility (Ridden Horse Agility).  I also want to Clicker train Daisy, and will be doing a series of videos on YouTube of our progress. 

And so onto that miracle Track System.  Our Winter Field for the larger ponies is 2 acres. We have always strip grazed it, but having used the Track System in the Summer with success, I thought it was worth trying it on the Winter Grazing. Using electric fence posts we have gradually increased the Track around the outside of the paddock, so now it runs all the way round. Then small strips are made into the middle. They are having very small amounts of hay to supplement the grass, and here we are, nearly at the end of the year, with a load of grass left.  They are using the whole track.  I would like to attach some sort of tracker to Charlie, to see how far they are actually moving. 

Now we are lucky to be on sandy soil.  With all the rain we have had so far this Winter, I know a lot of people are having problems with their tracks becoming bogs.  Ours is standing up well.  No one can chose their soil, but here in The Suffolk Sandlings, I have always had my horses on sandy soil. Yes it brings its own problems.  When the grass is cropped the horses pull it up from the roots which can cause sand colic.  We feed pysillium regularly to combat this.  In a dry hot Summer (Oh I wish) the grass turns to dust and we have to feed hay. Ragwort loves sandy soil, so its a constant battle to pull it up. But on the whole I would much rather have sand than mud. 

So it just remains to Wish You All a Happy Xmas.  See you all in2024.  x

Build an Ark, Halloween Agility and the Top Barn Challenge Looms

 Oh what rain we have all been having. We need to build an ark!!!  2 weeks ago we had Storm Babette who threw down a months worth of rain in a day. There was massive flooding in Sunny Suffolk. Cars under water up to their roofs. Lots of people and their horses flooded out. Our ponies were ok as we are on top of the Only Hill in Suffolk.  But poor Jo had her house flooded as did a few other friends. Then last Thursday we had Storm Ciaran (?).  More flooding and near Hurricane force winds. Since then its been raining!  During high winds many people ponder weather to bring their horses in. My view is they are better left out. Horses are herd animals and are born to run away in danger.  Left out they can huddle with the Herd, or run for it, if a tree comes down.  Shut in a cage (sorry Stable), they can hear Armeggedon going on around them, but cannot run away.  The stress must be immense.  Our Ponies don't have Stables so have to stay out. And after a night of weather chaos we arrived to find them happily grazing, without a care in the world. Personally I am fed up of the Wet stuff now and would appreciate some dry days.

Horse Agility has been great fun this/last month.  I mean its always fun, but October had a Halloween theme. I love Halloween, so used Pumpkins, Witches hats etc to decorate my course.  Charlie and I had a hard time with the Pumpkin Weave which had to be done with me at his right shoulder. As he cannot see much from his right eye, he does not like me at his right shoulder which blocks his limited vision.. We have just had the results through and I'm pleased that we had a 1st in WO Silver Liberty and 3rd in WO OLHA.  When we had finished filming we smashed up the Pumpkins....

https://youtube.com/shorts/7eXjFHO2GrE?si=VH9npUoQOv1VNUKB

So with Winter approaching fast whats next?  Well a lot of hard work!!!  Jo and I are girding our loins.  Jo is waiting for a hip replacement and my Dodgy Lungs And Dicky Ticker are getting worse. Papworth have fitted me with a tracker so they can keep an eye on me remotely.  The good news is its a Garmin Venu 2 smart watch and I love it.  Every cloud and all that!  Between us we nearly make a whole person, but it is hard going looking after 5 ponies in Winter, so if anyone wants some exercise/tuition/rides/fresh air/numb fingers/wet clothes/kisses from a Shetland pony please let us know. 

Obviously I will continue Horse Agility with Charlie throughout the Winter and Daisy, who is ancient but doing really well will be coming back into work. Charlie is coming on with his ridden work, and needs to start hacking with Daisy as a nanny pony. And then the Top Barn Challenge is looming.  I have just signed up Charlie for Bronze.  This is our 6th Challenge.  I have been told to slow down, hence the Bronze only, but this year there is a Copper Challenge, so maybe I will do that with Daisy.  Its a great motivation to keep going during the Winter. 

Autumn is Here, Winter Boots, Track Systems, and Black Nightshade

 Well that's it.  Summer is over. The Indian Summer that is. October has been, well HOT here on the East Coast of England.  Way up in the 20's.  Which has been great for us Humans, but not so great for our Native ponies who have been sweating in their fluffy Native coats.  My Dog hasn't been too happy either.  A Belgian Malinois with a thick coat (and black to boot), has been laying outside in the dark to cool off. Today she jumped into a stagnant pond, and at this moment is green and smelly.  Actually that might not be anything to do with the heat.  It was actually bloody freezing today! In comparison.  So on Tuesday I had shorts and t-shirt on. Then it rained, it blew a hoolie for 2 days.  Still not cold though, but the weather man said we had all of Octobers rain in 48 hours. I actually had to sit and wait for a bunch of bathing pheasants yesterday, who had mistaken a road for a river.  Today dawned sunny and calm......and cold.  We only got up to 10c. Bit of a shock from 23c! 

So my thoughts have been turning to winter boots. I hate having wet and cold feet.  When I worked at Poplar Park many moons ago, my boots leaked like the Titantic and I had chilblains.  Someone bought me some Hunter Wellies for a Xmas present and from then on my feet were dry.....but still cold. Even woolie Fishermans socks didn't seem to keep the cold out.  Now we have much more technical boots.  For the last few years I have gone for long 'country' boots. You know the type. Cheaper Dubarrys.  Oh yes they look good. Easy to wear in the Pub as well as the Yard. But do they really do the job?  Well they do when they are new.  My first pair were Harry Halls. On the cheaper end of the market, they were great and remained waterproof for around 4 years.  Then the dog (then a puppy Maligator) ate them.  My OH replaced them the following Xmas with a more expensive pair.  As comfy as an old pair of slippers, they have sprung a leak after 3 years. Last winter I tried water-proofing them.  Didn't last. They leak between the upper and the sole. So I just got a snazzy pair of Joules Goucho boots.  Oh they are beautiful. But they leaked in the same place.  Basically they are more fashion boots and can now be found for sale on Ebay! I started to think of all the years I worked for the RDA and which were the best Winter Boots.  Yup they were neoprene Muck Boots.  Not as pretty. But they do keep your feet dry and warm.  So a pair have been ordered.  What are your best Winter Boots and Why?

As you all know, we have a bunch of Native ponies.  They live out naked 24/7 all year round.  They are tough, cold blooded and designed for the wet, cold, windy British Isles. We like to keep them as close as nature intended for their mental well being. It is quite a task in England where we are land poor. Oh to have 30 acres of natural land so they can graze, move, browse, live in a big herd as nature intended.  That's what makes a happy horse. But we rent around 10 acres.  We have the 3 Acre Field, the 4 Acre Field and the Hill Field (approx 3 Acres). These are rotated. The Herd is split into 2.  We have 3 bigger ponies, a Highland (Daisy), a Haflinger (Lu) and Charlie (Gypsy Cob), plus 2 small ponies, Mini and Coco who are miniature Shetlands. Charlie is the only boy. It would be nice to have them all as one herd. But Lu seems to hate the Minis and Charlie will always follow her lead.  We had an incident a while ago when Coco (who really is tiny) got in with them and they nearly killed her. Lu has been Charlies surrogate mum since I first got him aged 3.5yrs old. He never had a Mum, so she resource guards him. While this isn't ideal, it is what it is. Coco was starved when she was rescued and although has put on weight is still only 120kg, whereas Lu and Charlie are both around 440kg. Its just not worth risking her life.  So although they are all in the same field, it is split.  Daisy (the Highland) mostly lives with Lu and Charlie, but has EMS and prone to Laminitus, so moved in with the Shetlands in the Spring. 

So how to make the best of this small space?  We have a track System in place.  Long narrow corridors that go round the outside of the fields, and do U turns back up on themselves. The corridors are strip grazed so a small amount is opened up daily.  When we reach the end, we close that corridor, and open a new one.  This system is not only making the grazing last longer, it is also making the horses walk much further for the water.  When they move to the 4 Acre Field for the Winter and finally run out of grass, I plan to have different corridors that lead to hay and licks and anything else I can think of to enrich their lives.  Horse Tricks Club on Facebook have a special Section this month on this subject.

This system has been working well, and despite the wet summer and the mad  grass growth, all the ponies have remained sound. Well actually its only Mini and Daisy we have to worry about regards Laminitus. But they have been sound for months (frantically touching wood here).  No I am not touching wood. I believe in the System.  Why didn't anyone think of Track Systems years ago?  They make sooo much sense!!  Wild horses travel at least 20 miles a day, grazing all sorts of stuff (not just lush grass) and all go off miles for water. Funnily enough they do not get Laminitus, long hooves, colic, stomach ulcers.  They do not crib bite or weave. They lose weight in Winter and gain in Summer. They do not have some human come and worm them, so presumably their worm count remains low, due to the constant moving around and not grazing ground full of droppings.  It just makes sense to me to try and keep our horses in as natural environment as we possibly can. 

So the Hill Field where the ponies currently are had not been grazed for a while. We went in, in the summer and uprooted all the flowering Ragwort we could find. We do have a patch of Bracken, but not much and every year it gets eaten without any problem.  Ponies that live on sandy heathland seem to eat it as part of their staple diet. Generally horses know whats good for them and what isn't. They spit out the bad stuff.  Problems only occur when they are starving and literally have nothing else to eat.  Ours will eat right round any Ragwort rosettes which makes them easier to see, however it is a daily job, spotting any baby plants. But last week, having moved a fence back I saw a bush that I didn't like the look of.  Two in fact. They were shrubby plants, with white flowers and green berries.  The leaves looked very potato like.  As we all know potatoes are part of the Nightshade genre of plants, as are tomatoes and tobacco.  We all know tomatoes are fine to eat, and potatoes which are actually the bulb of the plant are fine when cooked.  We have also all heard of Deadly Nightshade which is a rather pretty plant, also called Bella Donna.  In the old days, ladies would take a little as it made the pupils of their eyes bigger, making them prettier. This shrub reminded me of a Nightshade plant, but not one I recognised.  So I uprooted them both.  Lu came over to inspect what I was stealing from her grazing, and turned her nose up which made me even more sure they were not good plants.  Back in the Tackroom, I photographed them and used the Plant-Net app (its brilliant) to identify them as Black Nightshade. Turns out they are poisonous to all mammals, including humans, dogs and horses.  Particularly the berries when they are green.

And so we are heading into yet another Winter.  Charlie will continue his ridden work as well as Horse Agility.  We are looking forward to the next Top Barn Winter Challenge.  And we will continue to work on our trick training. I would love someone (Meg) to take on Daisy who has shown she is not ready to retire, racing about in the field like a youngster. Charlie and i could really do with a Winter of hacking out with Daisy as a nanny..........