Easter Saturday Ride

Mum gave me the morning off, as her friend helped cook a big breakfast (really Mum was too full to ride!).  However Lynne took her posh lorry home at lunchtime, which meant I had run out of excuses, so she tacked me up for a ride and we went for a straight forward ride around the forestry hill (read mountain).

Zippy got a super big groom, she shed soooo much fur she literally filled a wheelbarrow with fluff - can you imagine.  That's a lot of happy birdies in Wales whose little chicks are going to wake up in a snug white Zippy fluff bed when they pop their heads out of their shells!

I got told off for herding Zippy around the big pen, so I was move into my own stable (much better accommodation) with the real horses - rather than with the cows!!!!

We all got hay and tea.  It was nice to catch up with Katy who Sarah had been looking after. Mum decided to take her for a quick ride around the arena.  Delia suggested that as she hadn't been ridden for several months and was previously freshly backed, maybe she should lunge her first, but oh no, Mum knew best!!!!

Three circuits of the arena in various cantering/bucking formations and impressively Mum still on top Katy came to a halt.  I'm sure I head Delia mutter 'should have lunged her'.  Katy was now de-stressed and exhausted and behaved impeccably around the arena walking and trotting on command!

All in all a good day, glad Katy tested out Mum's staying power - saves me the job!

Holiday time starts...Good Friday

Finally life has got interesting! Surprisingly it's thanks to pony Dave. Mum has decided he had served his purpose, keeping me company all winter and that it was time to take him home. This has caused some dilemma as the box on wheels only has space for two ponies but we are a field of three. 

After much debate somehow Zippy managed to bag a ride in a deluxe little lorry all on her own - though she was charged with the care of 10 bales of hay, some hope of those still being there by the time we arrive!  Meanwhile Dave and I had to slum it in the tin on wheels - great! Still we also had copious amounts of hay and I did my best to eat it all without letting Dave have any. 

After a long journey, thanks Mum says to some incompetent road workers badly managing the traffic lights around the road works we finally made it back to Dave's home (my ex home) The Akehurst Stud (www.akehurst-ponies.co.uk) in Wales.  Dave got unceremoniously turned out with his old field mates Vince & Brian, bye then Dave, thanks for keeping me company!  While Zippy & I decided to share their old pen, which had a lovely deep bed of straw - this is good news for Zippy's old creaky bones (but don't tell her I said so, otherwise she might think I cared!)

The pen has a concrete base, so my excited pacing could be heard around the farm, evidently my clip clopping while herding Zippy around the pen that afternoon and evening - I can't help it, it's very exciting being on holiday, caused human stress, and ok possibly wore Zippy out, so I was upgraded to my own stable, while Zippy kept the pen.  Ponies this is a top tip, if you want your space be annoying, like humans quite often you can get promoted up the ranks, while actually just being an annoying pain, rather than because you have done something good and actually deserve the promotion!

Looking forward to exploring.......