Dave, why did I bother?

I don't know, I spent three long months teaching Dave how to be the perfect pony companion.  How to share my field, be nice to retired veterans like Zippy.  He learnt how to stand tied up while Mum spent hours turning us into girls and I am horrified that after all my training he got turned down at interview for the most perfect job - companion pony to Kaiser a lovely (big) horse.  He didn't have to travel far, just to the next farm, I have seen those fields - HUGE!  More grass than any pony could hope to eat and he was only going to share it with one horse.

I have no idea how he failed his interview, obviously my training went in one ear and straight out the other.  Even more embarrassing Baby Brian who is a whole year younger and has no idea about being a grown up pony companion got the job.  Boy that Dave has a lot to learn!

And then to top it all off I yesterday I get a distressed hoof mail from him asking to come back!  I mean he didn't listen to a word I said last time, so I have no idea how I can help and I am not sure I even want to!  It sounds like he is resisting growing up.  I think his strategy is a bit backwards.  Basically he is now being told by his Mum he has to grow up and wear a bridle with a bit and learn to be a proper riding pony.  He is not happy about this, I think because he lost the best job ever next door to Baby Brian, he thinks if he acts like a baby maybe they will change their mind!  Oh Dave you have so much to learn about humans.

Dave, if you are reading this I can send my Mum to help but I promise you she will only do more of the same as your Mum is currently doing.  GROW UP!  Being a riding pony is fabulous, just look at all the adventures I get to go on.  Open your mouth accept the bit and have fun.  No kicking humans - always a bad move, never bite the hand that feeds you either - because you will go very hungry!

So my advice is HORSE UP!  I'll send Mum, and I'll try and catch a lift too and show you how it is all done properly later this month.

Youngsters, honestly they have no idea!

Buried alive in mud!

I think Mum is loosing the plot having abandoned me for a week, while she went off to look at Zippy's homeland - supposedly Zippy is an Irish cob, not that it says anything such thing in her passport!  Mum says it was for work, but I have had a look through her phone, now do these pictures look like she was working????

OK, maybe this one does, but it still looks far too much like fun and not hard work at all!

Anyway I digress, back to Mum's craziness.  Now she says its adventurous to go on our expeditions and its exciting, personally I think she is starting to take me on suicide missions.  I haven't told you about the cow episode (mental note will tell you another time) but today fresh from not being ridden for a week it was decided we would do a fittening ride up the road along the track and back.  OK I was up for that.  I set off at a smart pace, happily trotted long sections of the road until we got to the top. Then it all started to go very wrong!

Mr sheep man and his dogs were moving the nosiest set of sheep I have ever heard and annoyingly he was taking them towards the track Mum and I wanted to go along.  OK, so we quickly reformulated a new plan, go up the hill instead.  So up we went through the gate like usual, now the next section is steep and muddy, so Mum in her wisdom (not) decided the ground to the left with bright green grass looked better than the muddy slope we normally climb - how wrong could she be!

It's only about a 10m stretch from the bottom to the top of this section and I found myself all too quickly knee high in mud, then thigh high, and then tummy deep.  Errrr Mum I don't think this is the right route to take.  I did not panic, we took a moment to assess the situation, Mum considered getting off (but hey Mum we don't want to get your boots and chaps dirty do we!) and then stayed on.  I thought about turning around, Mum thought about that too and in the end we decided to push on. It's one of the few times I have wished I had longer legs, but we made it out of the depths and to the top of the bank - phew, definitely time to catch my breath!

You can see from the picture below the mud tide-line on me, I was seriously that deep in mud.  Mum so was proud of me to get us both out safely and I didn't even loose a shoe!

And still there was more drama, well nearly, so once on top of the bank Mum decided a little canter around the bottom field would be better than going up the steep track - just in case the crazy cows were around - ohhh Mum how wrong AGAIN!  The cows were in the bottom field, this required some serious stamping and snorting (from me) and slowly and quietly Mum and me turned around and crept away - neither of us could cope with the drama of being chased again - not this morning anyway.

After that I decided to take control we headed left over the hills to avoid having to go down the muddy track and had a nice canter there and back before carefully walking down the hill back to the road and trotting most of the road home to get some very well deserved tea and all before 8am!

Definitely time for a nap and a snack.

It's time for new shoes

Actually I was well overdue for new shoes, Mum has been very lax in paying attention to my feet and the calendar.  I'm embarrassed to say its been 9 1/2 weeks since my lovely farrier came out to see me, can you believe it, Mum that's NEGLECT!

Though only a super clever Dales pony like me can keep rotten old shoes on for that long without loosing one - even in the super sticky mud Mum has been making me wade through this weekend.  I've hacked into her computer and made sure she has six weeks marked in her diary for next time.

Last time was the first time in a few months I had been shod because I was wintering out, so I was a little bit fidgety.  This time however I stood like a rock as even though it was such a long time ago (9 1/2 weeks Mum!!!!), I remembered that Shane likes me to stand still, even when my feet are smoking!

Needless to say in that time I had grown a lot of hoof, I've been focusing on my back feet in particular and they had an impressive amount of growth on them, but Shane did a lovely job of trimming my feet up - now they look like well cared for beautiful hooves, rather than the over long neglected hooves they were before he arrived, thank goodness for having such a lovely farrier.

Zippy finds it quiet hard to pick her feet up but Shane understands that she is old and is very patient with her as she slowly managed to lift her leg sort of into the right position, well just about high enough for Shane to give them a quick trim.  Fortunately these days her hooves don't grow as quickly as mine.

See you in six weeks Shane - otherwise I'm calling animal rescue for a new home!

Family outing

When Mum arrived this afternoon Zippy and I were snoozing in the field shelter a million miles away dreaming of grass. Mum caught Zippy but let me through the gate too, I went from sleepy waddle to galloping bronco in all of two seconds, which woke Zippy up who decided to canter after me. She might be 28 but when she puts her mind to it Mum still can't hold her, the lead rope went flying as did our hooves and Mum just looked on in astonishment.  Several minutes later Zippy finally ran out of puff and let Mum catch her I continued for a few more minutes before galloping onto the yard, and scaring Benji as I came to a screeching halt. 

Mum decided Zippy needed a treat so after a good groom, which meant all Zippy's white fluff had blown all over me, all four of us set out up the road. Yes all four! Mum riding me and leading Benji & Zippy. Mum did her usual trick of threading Zippy's lead rope through Benji's lead. So Benji pulled Zippy along and Mum didn't get stretched in two. 

It was a slow pace but we skilfully manoeuvred into a single file everytime a car went past, which was only a couple of times, thank goodness for quiet roads. Zippy doesn't like to do a lot of road work and it took us 25 minutes to do a mile round trip, basically up to the dairy farm and back. Boring!

Mum must of sensed my boredom, and I don't think Benji was overly impressed so we dropped Zippy off home and went for a good canter around the farm fields, yipheeee, much more fun. Benji found a deer and decided to chase it so Mum and I used that as an excuse for an extra canter as we chased after him.  Benji & I managed 3 miles in less time than it took us to do one with Zippy!

It wasn't long before we were back home for some more yummy tea. Mum had repaired my favourite ghost rug, so she put that on me and led Zippy and I back out to the field at a much more sedate pace than we came in with!  Head down for some serious eating to replace all those calories we burnt off, yummy!

My first jumping lesson

Wow nobody told me how much fun jumping would be!

Mum turned up this morning and I was loaded up into the can on wheels and taken to a new place called Charlton Park. Nice place, a horse trotted over in the field next to the arena to say hello and some sheep with curly horns drifted over too. 

It was hard work to start with, Mums instructor was a lovely lady called Polly Williamson, she's very experienced and has played Badminton with her horses in the past, but now she teaches lots of people, from fluffy pony owners (I don't need lessons!) to humans of huge stupid goofy thoroughbreds - sorry guys but you do come with a reputation!

So to start Polly had to teach Mum to bend me in the direction I'm going and from trot pop me over a corner pole into canter. I know this is an important lesson so everytime Mum didn't bend me properly I cantered on the wrong leg to help reinforce Pollys teaching - I think Mum was getting it towards the end of our canter session. 

Then it got more exciting and we started with poles before working up to a small jump. There was a discussion on whether we should teach Mum from trot or canter, my vote was for canter but Polly thought trot was better. I was loving this, let me at those poles. Mum says it's the first time she has ever had to approach poles and jumps in trot and being told to think walk!!!!!  Hey ponies this was fun but Mum thinking walk made me slow down to a sensible trot but hey I loved cantering after the jump and even got to join up two jumps together - so cool. 

Polly hasn't met me before so doesn't know how brave I am and how a good a team Mum and I make. So she decided to test me by putting what she thought was scary white blocks in front of the jump - was she impressed when I didn't even bat an eyelid we just popped over the jump like they weren't there. Need to try harder next time Polly!

I so loved my lesson I love jumping, it's so much fun.  I hope I can do some more soon. Also need to say a big thank you to Polly, she totally gets me and knows how to teach my Mum to do things properly so we get it right first time. I'll keep testing her Polly don't you worry but I bet we are doing wicked canter transitions by the time you see us next.

Loaded up and home for some of my yummy new tea. Mum has decided I'm growing again and not putting enough weight on, so she is giving me this very yummy build up mix. Thinks it's working I have much more energy, and Mums pleased because I'm not silly on it either - honestly Mum don't you know me yet, us Dales ponies are the ultimate in sensible breeding. 

Sorry no photos this time fans, rain stopped technical camera play, hopefully next time, by which time I will have perfected my parabolic curve - hey listen to me knowing all the lingo - watch out Hickstead here I come!

My first ever fun ride

Well Mum was up early this morning (well Sunday - I had a few technical problems uploading this blog) bringing with her the box on wheels. Zippy & I got our breakfast like usual but Zippy headed straight back out to the field as soon as she finished. I however couldn't follow as Mum had tied me up, I didn't mind it was a sunny morning and I was feeling chilled.

I got a lovely brush and had my ghost rug removed. Then we headed to the box on wheels. I took a little persuading to go in. But once in I settled and off we went to meet a new pony friend called Wilf.  He's an ex Welsh Section D stallion (took early retirement a about 5 years old and became a gelding!) but looks a bit girlie as he is a palomino with long blonde hair.

It turned out our Mum's had entered us for the Wiltshire Bridleways Pleasure Ride around Savernake Forest. I got on well with Wilf, he's a good chap, and we both enjoyed carrying our Mums around the lovely forest. We saw big deer, bluebells and I even managed a crafty snack or two on the low hanging branches!!!!

Mum got lost a couple of times so the short 7 mile ride turned into a slightly longer 8.12 miles, Mum had her clever machine tracking our progress, and helped her get unlost as well - phew, we could have been walking forever otherwise!

We couldn't have asked for better weather or better company. I hope I can go out with Wilf again soon. We both got a lovely rosette, Mum took mine home to look after, the first rosette of the year.

Wonder what Mum had planned for next weekend???? 

Holiday snaps

I was riffling through the new iPad (mum broke the last one!) and found some holiday snaps from our recent trip to Wales.  You may not be interested as they don't involve pictures of me but Katy has begged me to put some of the pictures of her on my blog. So finally I have submitted. 

This is Suzie, June and Katy.  The humans are Delia (boss lady), Nondus (very helpful lady) and Mum (traitor for riding Katy). This was Katy's first ride in the company of both June and Suzie, I had warned her about June (see nasty face pulling), but Katy was trying her cute, innocent look on June, not sure if it worked or not.  Katy has quiet a portfolio of cute looks, gets the humans every time!

This was the day all three went for a ride around the forest and mountain, it's a great ride with amazing views, but I find it quiet boring. Because I am so much more advanced than Katy I get to go on exciting exploring rides up small tracks, but Katy is still working on learning the mountain basics. 

As you can see there are some amazing views. Below is Suzie's ears waiting to Katy and June to catch up. Suzie is chief photographer, she doesn't always get it right, she has a tendency to move her head just as Delia (boss lady) is taking the photo, doesn't go down well!

Because Katy was doing so well, Mum (the traitor) and Nondus swapped rides half way around.  June did not like this, you can see she is pulling faces again!  Mum likes her horses to go nicely and be all on the bit - it's in our mouths how can we not be on the bit!  This means June can't slope along with her head on the ground and she is made to work into an outline, it's hard work, but she does look great when she does walk like this.

June and Katy stopping for a quick chat while the humans admire the view and pose for photos.

I think everyone enjoyed the ride, it was certainly good weather and hopefully this blog will stop Katy nagging me - you have had a whole blog to yourself, stop moaning!