Spring is Here!

A bit of a slow start to this year but hopefully once all the blips are ironed out we can just enjoy summer.  Mulligan's knee injury came right and then he went lame behind in anything but walk.  Physio came and did some sessions and it is suspected that the problem is in the stifle.  He is still on box rest and my vet is coming out tomorrow to see how he is doing.  The problem with Muls is that his body may be 19 but his brain is 3!  I decided to take him for a walk up the road - he walked up past the horses ok and then they all came galloping over to say 'hi' to him which made him feel very important and so we came home race horse mode prancing and dancing about 17 hands high.  I eventually had to wrap the lead rope around his nose as I cant keep turning him in small circles.  Ok, so that was a bad idea, next time decided to walk around the new cross country section - oh dear - Mr Mulls decided to lock onto one of the logs and I had to dig my heels into the ground and was dragged a few meters before he decided it wasnt much fun dragging my dead weight along!  So now we just walk around the school and yard, poor chap.   I feel awful that he is in so much now especially as soon all the others will go out 24/7 but to be honest he really doesnt seem bothered.

Dainty also managed to sustain a nasty knee injury but unlike Mulligan she just doesnt do box rest and so Sadie and Dainty ended up in little paddock on their own.  It is fine now and there are new cross country logs and jumps going up in preparation for a show cross show to be held at our yard coming up in April so Lyn and I had a little play yesterday 

Dainty spotted the camera man !



Dainty & Lyn



Dainty over the log


Sadie, as mentioned in previous posts, is now on the Regumate which has made a huge difference in her overall wellbeing.  She is actually chilled and lovely at the moment.  She still did not seem 100%  and on having her back checked discovered her pelvis was out.  So she has had a couple of physio sessions and is having her saddles checked this week.  Physio has said I can start working her again and I couldnt resist popping a couple of the little logs.  Will be better when my GP has been correctly fitted as I do find it rather difficult jumping in a dressage saddle.

Sadie - not sure about my arms over this one !



Sadie loves jumping the little logs :)





Sadie

Just for the record we dont usually jump in hi-viz - we had been for a walk down the road first :)

A round up of 2011

I know its the first day of 2012 and I meant to do this yesterday but I wanted to diarise a quick round up of 2011.

It was definitely a mixture of ups and downs.

Jan 2011 started snowy cold and unable to ride or in fact do anything with the horses.  Luckily we managed to use the tractor to make a path to the field and so they still got out for a few hours each day.

Enjoying some hay in the snow

April 2011 - Spring and the sun came up but the ground was so hard and rutted and we still couldnt ride but the horses looked like they had survived winter pretty well :

Mulligan and Sadie having a cuddle

May - we made the decision not to rent any more and move back to civilisation and we put the horses back into livery and bought a house.  The new yard is about 7 mins from where we live.  We decided to move the horses the week before we moved house and the weekend we moved house the girls went down with strangles so it was a bit manic having to see to them and clear out the farm.

Sadies story is elsewhere on the blog so I wont go into that.  Bottom line - we survived it and finally got some riding done in the Summer.  Sadie still seemed a bit under the weather and got breathless really quickly and I struggled with girthing issues as her skin kept breaking open.   But Mulls stepped into the gap and I did my first working hunter class, my first combined training and a few veteran classes on him.  We even went cross country a couple of times.

August 2011 - horses were all settled and content and we had the opportunity to buy Merlin, a beautiful 6 year old coloured gelding who would step into Muls shoes once he went back to his owner.



The day I first rode Merlin



Sadly it was not meant to be and he passed away late August - I had got so attached to him and still feel very sad by the whole thing but he is free from pain now and running free with all the other beautiful horses of the past.

Showing his inquisitive nature

October - then autumn came and luckily no snow and I managed to get Sadie out to a showing competition - not quite our thing but it was fun getting dressed up - she was really chilled in warm up and then a great big horse came up her backside in the show ring and overtook us and that was it - all went a bit hectic lol.

All dressed up

November - we dressed up and did our part for Childreen in Need - was much fun and I think our yard raised £250 which was really good - the kids did good.

Jordan on Dainty - Me on Sadie

December - at least not a repeat of the previous 2 years and no snow!  There is something very rewarding though in getting up early mucking out - turning out horses in all their rugs and preparing the stables and hay for the evening.  I know by Christmas we are exhausted but a week off from work helps a lot.

Mr Mulligan decided to end the year with a nice kick to his knee so has been on box rest for a few weeks now.  The vet came on Thursday and scraped off all old tissue and he has been allowed to go out in the school for a bit of turn out and a few rolls which he absolutely loves!

On one of the vet visits I spoke to the vet about Sadie - I have had ongoing issues with her 'mareness' and every year I try another supplement or therapy.  I have spent a fortune on lotions, potions and treatments.  I normally write summer off and then do a bit of indoor winter dressage but this winter she has been really mardy and extra sensitive so whilst vet was at the yard with her scanner we had her ovaries scanned.  Poor girl has one enlarged and is very sensitive.  I dont really understand it all but something about follicles on one are just starting and just ending on the other.  Even when vet touched them she was wincing.  She was very good though - anyway it shows that she is constantly in season and so we are putting her on Regumate which will control the hormones and make her more comfortable.  I really hope that this will help the poor girl as I can feel she is not happy in her work. 

Yesterday though I could feel she was having a slightly better day than usual so pushed her a little for a bit of work and she was up to a bit of a play around :

Lengthening



Collecting





So in all a mix of up and downs but I am hoping that 2012 will be a good year and we can move on and get some serious riding and competing done!  My one wish is please no vet bills other than the routine stuff.  I also hope that Gonda - my lovely vet of ten years has a speedy recovery after a very nasty car accident where a reckless driver swiped her off the road and she is still currently in hospital having numerous operations to her feet.  Get better soon Gonda! x

Sponsored ride for Children in Need 2011

During winter months I dont really do very much so there will be a slow down of stories but on Saturday 19th November 2011 our yard did a sponsored ride - in fancy dress - to raise money for Children in Need.  I am not sure yet of the final total we raised but we had a lot of fun and it was a lovely sunny day.   Everyone dressed up in whatever they wanted to and Lewis was our traffic leader - dressed as Zorro and stopped and slowed down any oncoming traffic.  We had a few people on foot to also help and marshall and a couple of doggies joined us too :)   Billy the shetland did a small lap with Liam and headed back to the yard.  We all had fun and the kids were really well behaved and we had great fun shouting 'car coming' and passing it back up the line!  We had a half way pit stop and Tracy very kindly brought us a drink, biscuits and sausage rolls and I got off for a bit but I have to say I did 'feel' it on Sunday after being in the saddle for nearly 3 hours even with a fluffy on my saddle :)

Anyway I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking :

Zorro - our leader

Jordan on Dainty and me on Sadie

Paula on Blue, Zoey on Rosie, Jill on Remy, Rachael on Billy

Zorro in the shadows, Dainty, Sadie, Jess on Solo

And for something competely different ....

to the usual horsey story ...

Our yard is quite close to a small airfield and we have often ridden past with the planes taking off or landing.   To be honest I do try and take note and keep clear if I can see one taking off but landing is always quite difficult as they drop down over some trees.   I have joked once or twice about what would happen if one crashed.   Well on Saturday one did!  Thank goodness we were no where near the crash site.  I think an error occurred on take off and he hit the hedges and then landed in the field on the other side of the road to which we normally ride along!  

I have heard today that this pilot has crashed before (poor chap) and is unhurt.  Unfortunately the plane is a write off!

Sadie & Willow go showing

The last showing competition of this year to be held by the 'In the Spotlight' and I decided to dress Sadie up and get her out just to finish off the year with some nice pics of her.  Jordan took Willow (Tracy's youngster) from our yard for the in hand classes and very kindly plaited my girl for me.  When I asked him why I was getting this special treatment the answer was I couldnt look like a slob next to him and Willow !   He has spent all week preening and prepping her.  She was a little star and just took it all in her stride.  She got a first and a third - well done Jord and Willow.



I did a ridden showing class and as most of you know Sadie either decides to play or not - there is no halfway with her.   Unfortunately a rather large chestnut came cantering past us in the ring and that was it - TURBO button on!  I think the audience outside watching the in hand classes could hear the teeth grinding and huffing and puffing.  Then the neck got tense and her tongue kept coming out lol.  To add to it all we were first to do our individual test so she didnt have time to cool off a bit and then judge said she would give the test which was straight into canter and a gallop up the long side.   Well we went  - we tried and we came home lol.  Got loads of pics - when this year started we wondered if we would get anything done this year and then she was really ill and luckily Muls stepped in and I have done loads on him so just wanted one outing with my girl :) x



Just arrived - surveying the competitors

 



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Words with the judge











Making our way over to the indoor arena



Showing on a Sunday

Sunday 2nd October we tootled off to Milton Equestrian for 'In the Spotlight' Showing Comptetition.  The organisation was not too hot and some of the classes really big so after getting there for 10:30 and my class supposedly at 12 - we eventually hit the ring at three!

First up Ridden Gelding - I think this was part of the problem there were soo many classes and at first the ring was split in two and then it all become one and they alternated between in hand and ridden classes. 

Anyway .... Lining up for the judge to have a close up inspection of us : 

You then have to do a little ridden test which was ok - he was a bit onward bound again but did a nice test - apart from us almost running judge over in the change of rein (oops) : 

and then you come back to the judge and halt and salute : 

 

We came fourth in the class.  Then we had to wait and wait and wait - so lots of posing and piccies took : 

 

Then it was the Blue Chip Veteran class and we had to do it all again.  We came third and got 2 rosettes - one for the class and one from Blue Chip as well as a £10 feed voucher and a cap :) 

Posing with the frillys : 

 

and then I had the idea of a photo of both of them on one side lol - Muls was NOT impressed : 

Anyway Muls is now going to have a little holiday over winter with a bit of hacking and lots of good food and rest time.

Sunny September ?

Who would have thought we were thinking of Winter last week.  This week the temps have soared and the horses are moulting like crazy.   In fact I am thinking of clipping them!   Mulligan is going showing on Sunday to the do the Ridden Horse and Veteran Class and I am pleased to say that he is back to his old self.  On Tuesday I went to fetch him in and he came GALLOPING accross the field like a 3 year old skidding on brakes and then towed me up to the yard which was far more energy than I had.

I think perhaps I had just messed up his sleep pattern last week and now he is permanently in at nights and seems very content.   Sadie is due to come in on the weekend and hopefully Dainty will be ok out with the other girls a bit longer.   Its great being able to phase them in like this and set up my routine gradually :)

There is another showing competition later in October which I may take Sadie along to as well as Muls to get her out and about again - she seems to be back to her old self be it a good thing or a bad thing!   Then there is a bit of  a break until Feb so they will just keep quietly ticking over until then.   I think I might get into this showing malarky but will let you know again on Sunday evening.  Its very finicky but I am trying to learn what it is all about.