A testing day

Well I have had a very busy and productive day today.  I was allowed a lie in this morning and took best advantage of that.  Well why stand when you can lie down?

Mum disappeared off early and came back with a super large pile of pallets, I'm sure when she left she was saying it was for hay.  More worrying by the time she came back she said some were so strong they could be made into a trec bridge - hmmmmm!

However along with all the pallets she brought lots of yummy food, so I'll ignore the trec bridge comment in the hope she will need all of them for the hay.  The only problem is while we are at the house I have to share my food with the chickens - yes seriously I have to share with chickens!

But back to my testing day.  Mum loaded me up into the box on wheels and we headed off to Greenlands Farm in Great Cheverell to compete in the KVRC Mufti dressage competition.  It was hot and they were running late when we arrived so Mum and Jo got me ready in slow time and spent a lot of time chatting rather than warming me up.  This was fine by me, it was far too hot to be doing too much running around.

My first test was Prelim 13, which we have done quiet a bit recently.  We started well and with it being so hot meant I was more than happy to have a stretch when we did the free walk on a long rein, which got me a 9 - Mum was thrilled.  However Mum then rediscovered the ghost of right hand canter lead, I always think its good to keep her on her toes and its important she learns to correct my mistakes - which she didn't!  However I did such a good job in helping her out that even on the wrong canter lead we got a 5.5 - well I was very balanced and I got a 6.5 for my transition to trot.  Overall we got 72.1% and came 2nd.  1st was one collective mark higher than us - Mum you threw that win away.

No rest for the wicked we returned to the warm up arena for some medium trot practice ready for Novice 24.  I did one good medium trot in the warm up, Mum should have saved it for the test!  They are hard to do, especially in very hot weather.  I got 6.5 for my medium trot and canter in the tests, which I know Mum was happy with (for the moment!)  However Mum did not learn from the errors of our first test and did not correct my wrong canter lead so we only got a 3 and 4 - come on Mum, really!  If we are competing at this level you really should have this sussed by now.  This was my second ever Novice test so 65.8% is not too bad and we came 7th (which was also last - but as we got a rosette, it's 7th in my book!).

Normally we only do two dressage tests but today Mum wanted me to do three - errrr its hot, is this really the day to be doing three tests?  The reason why, Mum read both Novice tests and didn't like either of them, so we had to do both - I have no idea where that logic comes from?  So back to the warm up arena for some walk canter transitions and then straight back in to the competition school.

The judge thought I had some lovely walk paces giving me an 8.  I also got an 8 for my half 10m circles from E to X and X to B.  Third time lucky, when I gave Mum the wrong canter transition she finally recognised this and got me to change my lead - hurrah!  Novice 30 is tricky having to change your canter lead across the diagonal.  Mum was well impressed with my last transition which got me a 7.  Ironically we got a higher mark for the harder test, scoring 66.9% which got me a 5th rosette.

It was a hot day and doing three tests needs lots of concentration but as this was my second and third Novice tests ever, I thought we did OK.  Hopefully Mum will pay attention to the canter leads I give her now and will be brave enough to correct them if she thinks I've got them wrong.  That's your homework Mum.

I have to say a big thank you to Eric's rider, Jo, for coming out and grooming me and more importantly reading the tests for Mum so she knew where to go - Jo she couldn't have done it without you, thank you xxx

I'm off to share my tea with those greedy chickens!

To jump or not to jump?

I've finally managed to get my ipad off of my little brother who seems to be hogging it all the time lately. I caught him googling circus pony job adverts - honestly I have no idea why?

Mum and I have been disagreeing on how to teach me to jump, we both have different ideas of how this should be achieved, so in the end I had to put my foot down and make it very clear how I want to learn.

I've been doing quite a few lessons with Polly, and we have jumps at home, and I have been out on fun rides which have jumps too, so I'm starting to get quite a bit of practice in.  My cousin, Eric, and I went on a fun ride with Avon Vale Hunt in May.  I seriously wonder about our humans sometimes, we might have set out in lovely sunshine but we soon got stuck in a thunder and lightening storm.  Being sensible ponies we wanted to turn our back to the rain and standstill and wait for the storm to pass, but oh no the stupid humans kicked us on and made us walk and trot into the rain - not happy.  

So I don't know why Mum was surprised that I wasn't that keen to jump the jumps on the ride, it was hardly the weather.  I jumped a couple but decided I wasn't jumping anymore, which Mum wasn't too happy about, but as we were soaking wet and she was wearing buckets for boots, we agreed a truce and headed home.

Our next disagreement was at a private cross country lesson with Polly, my favourite instructor - well she was.  Mum had explained about me stopping on the fun ride, so when I stopped at the first jump in the lesson, i got told off, but came around and thought I had better jump it the second time around.  At the next jump I decided I didn't want to be hit for stopping so executed a fabulous napping manoeuvre left while Mum tugged my head right. Ohhhh she was not happy and when she finally pulled me up I got a very sore bum - ouch!  After that I decided I had better do what I was told and she whizzed me up so much we charged around the rest of the cross country course, jumping, water, ditches, steps, logs etc.  I went home tired but with a very happy Mum, so that was all good, but I was dwelling on my beating.

Our next outing was gridwork with Polly at our usual venue in Hankerton.  The lesson was being shared with some other KVRC members.  It started OK but I got a bit confused because Mum couldn't decide on whether she wanted me to canter, gallop or trot.  She was asking me to canter and then gallop down the longside of the arena and then asking me to trot into the jumps - can't you just decide on one pace please?  Eventually I had enough and just stopped, Mum asked me to go forward but I didn't want to go, this wasn't fun and I was just getting confused and then I was getting hit.  Mum realised her mistake and burst into floods of tears. Polly kindly put all the poles on the floor and I reluctantly agreed to go over as a truce.

Mum went away scratching her head and after a good nights sleep worked out she needed to make jumping fun for me.  So we went to a combined training competition and Mum made sure she didn't put any pressure on me, so I enjoyed having a jump around the course, I did stop a few times, but did get all the way around.  My friend Emma did a video of me jumping which you can see here https://youtu.be/JRmG2AyuH64.

Next came an outing to another new venue, Trow Lane, where Mum entered me into their clear round showjumping.  We started small and then it got a little bigger each time, Mum was so proud of me, as I got three clear rounds.  I didn't stop once or knock down a single fence.  I wonder whether I will be going next?

Will I jump or not..........

Growing my fan base

Hello to all my new friends at Sparsholt College, I loved meeting you all.  I was very happy to stand and chat to all my new friends and posed for selfies too!

It was a great trip.  I didn't realise when Mum took me home to Wales I would be making lots of new friends and showing everyone how fantastic us Dales ponies are.

Mum spent a couple of days helping D clean everybody up so we were all sparkling shiny.  June was chosen to be the confirmation pony, so she got all dressed up in her white show halter and pretty pink ribbons, she looked beautiful.  Though Katy did try and steal the limelight.  D had brought June out and was surrounded by 20 odd students, and she was being all serious telling the students all about our fabulous confirmation, while Katy stood at the back pulling faces and distracting the students by demanding rubs and trying to eat their handbags if they did not oblige.  Naughty Katy.

My new friends then went on a tour of the stud and got to visit both my Dad and my friend Eric's Dad, Laddie.  He's pictured below having cuddles with the students too!

Before the students had arrived I had been turned out into the big caravan field, so I thought I had better put in some practice of doing a REAL dales trot, rather than Mum's fancy posing dressage trots.  My secret practice got caught on camera, well not too bad I think.

My first job was to show my new friends how good Dales ponies can be at dressage.  So Mum asked me to do one of my Prelim dressage tests.  I can do that.  Mum and I warmed up while the students finished their tour of the stud.  They then stood at the bottom of the arena and it was time for me to strut my stuff.  So I headed of down the centre line in trot - errrr emergency stop required - Mum there are twenty faces peering over the end of the arena - that's quite scary, normally there is just a random car, not loads of people.  Ok Mum says move on, so I did, around the arena on the right rein - wait Mum, another emergency stop required, they are still there and they are ALL watching ME.  Nerves were starting to kick in and I was getting a bit anxious so when Mum asked for canter, I kind of over reacted and put in a big buck, which made the students giggle.  I'm sure Mum didn't do the test right because I seemed to be doing a lot of circles down by all my new friends.

Then Katy and Nondus came to join me and Mum and we were allowed into the big field, yiphee. I started by showing off my jumping skills while Katy practiced her Dales trot - shes good at that.

Katy and I were then allowed to do a trotting race and then to the amusement of the students we showed them how fast we could gallop across the fields too.  We loved that, its not often we are allowed to charge around.  It took Katy a little while to calm down after racing around, but we both enjoyed the cuddles of the students and stood very still while they all took selfies.

I'm hoping some of my new friends might send me some more photos to add to my blog.  Loved meeting you all, thank you for taking the time out to meet us.  I wonder whether I can become a professional demo horse, telling the world about how amazing us Dales ponies are?

New tricks

Woody here!

Having mastered showjumping I thought I should turn my hooves to something new. So I decided to help my big brother Cyril out. He has to wear a big ugly fly sheet and neck cover (which he hates) it's to keep his mane all flowing and long - well that's what Mum says anyway. Cyril thinks it's because she's too lazy to brush all the mud off. Though to be fair to Mum Cyril does get brushed every time he's ridden even if he is wearing his rug, so I'm not too sure he's right about that. Plus I get brushed loads too and I don't have a rug and Mum won't ride me yet, wish she would so I could go on all the exciting adventures Cyril gets to go on. 

Anyway I have discovered not only am I good at jumping but I can also help Cyril get undressed. It turns out if I use my teeth, I can grab the sticky stuff Mum uses to keep Cyril's neck cover on and if I pull it makes a funny sound and then comes undone. It's great fun. 

I am now in an ongoing battle to help Cyril undress each day. Everyday Mum does his neck cover up and everyday I have to try to undo it, I normally manage to get it completely undone and you should see Mums face, I'm sure half the time she questions whether she even did it up in the first place, I'm doing such a good job of undoing it. 

Hmmmm think Mum may have just foiled my efforts.  She's brought Cyril a new rug thing that goes all over his head and neck but it does not have any sticky stuff to pull off.  She has to pull it over his head.

Cyril is super embarrassed about his new look and is threatening to run away and join the circus.  Well he does look a little like a clown horse, so I'm sure he could get a job.  

Maybe I could go too and get a job as a trick pony, what with all my jumping skills and undressing Cyril.  Wonder what Zippy could do?  Now that we are a gang we have to stay together, perhaps Cyril and I could earn enough money for the three of us to feast on carrots everyday.

Mum when is the circus coming to town?

How to win over a grumpy old mare.....

It's Woody again!  I said I would charm my grumpy old field companion into liking me, and I've managed it with some help.

I'd been chatting to my big bro, Cyril about how to win over Zippy, but he was out of ideas, thanks bro for nothing.  Benji dog didn't have any ideas either, in fact the only thing he does is shout at me if I go into the feed store, it's not like I'm stealing his food!

So I got chatting to some birds and bees and they came up with a great strategy.  So after some discussions we decided the best way to win Zippy over was to behave like a stallion.  Mum arrived at the field to hear Zippy squealing, while I was jumping all over her.  It's hard work so after a while I had to have a rest but it had worked Zippy was making loving chewing faces at me.  Phew!

We are now best mates, especially as Cyril keeps disappearing off on his own adventures and leaves us behind.  Mum says Zippy has come into season now because she likes me so much, so we will be expecting our first baby soon, then we can have a little me, well that's what the birds and the bees says.

I also let her share my food, I find that really helps get brownie points with her too.  Mind you I don't get that much, just a handful of nuts and vitamins.  It's not fair because Cyril gets LOADS.  Zippy doesn't get much either but I'm not allowed to eat her food because she has her old horse medicine in it.   

So the three of us are a real gang now.  Cyril is still 'God', because he is very clever and gets to do lots of fun things.  I'm hoping Mum will take me out with him soon, so I can do some show jumping with him.  Please Mum, you know I can jump.....

Can I be a showjumper please

This is Woody here. I've had a long wait to get my hooves on the iPad there is a pecking order and Mum has had it for ages for lots of boring work and then My big bro had some urgent news he had to dispatch, until finally it's my turn. 

I have been here over a month now and I like my new home. I've mastered walking up and down the road and sometimes I go with Cyril and sometimes I go with grumpy Zippy, she's ok really. This is me being led down the road, while Mum is riding Cyril. I don't mind who leads me or how, I just trot along enjoying the adventure. Nothing phases me, I've seen big artic lorries and trains go underneath my tummy when we are on the bridge, that's all ok. 

Me following Cyril up the road. I let anyone lead me, they don't have to be experienced. I know what I have to do and that's follow quietly, I don't pull and I don't need pulling either, I'm working on being the perfect pony to lead. 

Now I know my big brother, Cyril, is quiet a dressage diva and I've been putting a lot of thought into what I would like to be when I grow up, and I think I want to be a showjumper. Mum seems to agree as I have been doing my best to demonstrate my skills to her. Obviously I started this when I first arrived by jumping in to join Cyril and then Zippy in their fields. Since then I have been adding to these events. 

First came the jump over the water trough. Well Cyril had just arrived back and was tied to the other side of the gate and I wanted to say hello, and decided it was the perfect moment to show Mum my skills, so from a standstill and with some encouragement from Zippy (she was just about to take a chunk out of my bum and I had nowhere else to go) I leapt the water trough from a standstill. 

I'm quite small so seeing over my stable door can be a bit of a challenge. However the other day Cyril was showjumping in the back garden and Mum had left the gate open. Zippy and I had been put in our stables so we could watch Cyril working out from the comfort of our bedrooms. I could see him whizzing around the field and it looked fun, so I decided to join him. Ok it did mean leaping over my 4ft stable door, but I managed that ok, even with Mum looking!  I raced through the gate and then promptly followed Cyril cantering around the field and even jumped some of the jumps with him too. I think Mum was so be used she didn't know what to do, so let me canter after Cyril. I think I put up a good show and left Mum in know doubt that I want to be a showjumper. I wonder when my training can start?

When I'm not practicing my jumping I love hanging out with my big brother - he's God in my eyes. This is me and my big bro checking out whether we had intruders on the farm, but it was ok, it was cousin Eric from down the road. 

Zippy came along to see too, I still need to give her a bit of space at the moment, but when Cyril goes away she lets me look after her and we have a nice chat. 

I wonder what I can jump next, I think my sister Mel will be impressed, she has only learnt to climb into the hay feeder.  See if you can beat that big sis. Off to eat lots of yummy grass and work out what else I can jump. 

Bye for now Woody xxx

Please don't sell me

I think my success at Addington may have backfired on me.  As my followers know I have been going to have play days with my friend Lara. I had thought these were just what they said, play days, time to have fun and the humans entertained each other by swapping ponies. I'm now thinking I was mistaken and in fact a much more sinister plot was in the making. 

Why do I think this?  Well Mum got me ready for a dressage competition one morning, nothing unusual, she decided to put a running plait in my mane, well she's done that before. I was brushed and scrubbed to make me look my handsome self and loaded up onto the box on wheels. Mum had taken extra help, maybe I should have been suspicious at this point, Pops came along as usual and Jo, who rides my dales friend Eric, came along too???

Well we got to the competition, Mum tacked me up like usual and then disappeared! The next thing I know she is in all her competition gear on Lara, errrr Mum you are on the wrong horse?  Then to add insult to injury she walked off to the warm up arena without me. Trish, Lara's human, then turned up and got on me.  Ok I'm slightly confused but I know this human so maybe it's ok. We went off to join Mum in the warm up arena and Trish spent the time helping Mum to ride Lara, why?  Could this still be a play day? It felt a bit serious. 

Then Mum and Lara went into the long 60m x 20m arena and competed at Prelim 18, I then had to follow with Trish riding ME.  This isn't right at all. I tried my best to understand  what was required but it's not easy and didn't quiet make the halt at X. If that wasn't bad enough after a short break the whole experience was repeated but this time doing a Novice 22 test. Errrrrr Mum we have never done a Novice test, why am I doing it with someone else, now I'm worried. I don't understand why Mum is not riding me and even more worrying when she did her Novice test on Lara she had a huge grin on her face. Maybe she doesn't love me anymore. 

Even worse maybe the play days weren't play days, maybe they were trying us ponies out and are going to swap horses. Maybe Mum prefers the big fancy Lara dressage horse rather than a cute hard working dales pony?  But Mum I tried so hard at Addington, I did my best, we did come 2nd in the national dressage championships for ponies. Maybe that's it, maybe I did too good and now I am so valuable Mum is going to sell me to Trish. But Mum I don't want to be sold. 

All of this was going around in my head while I was loaded back into the box on wheels.  I am now usually quite good at just standing in my box on wheels but I started to panic and jump up and down. I don't think Mum could hear me so I double barrelled the inside of the trailer, because she had to hear that. The I saw her come back with a 2nd and 3rd rosette and they weren't mine, that's it I'm being sold. No Mum please don't sell me, I do like living with you and grumpy Zippy. 

OMG maybe that's why she got Woody. Woody is going to replace me and is going to be Zippys new friend and I'm being sold. I'm in full panic mode as the box on wheels finally moves, where am I going, where's Mum. I want Mum now, I managed to break one of the ties and turn around, maybe I could see Mum from out the back of the trailer. 

Then the box stopped and Mum climbed in through the little door to see what all the commotion was about. She turned me round and tied me back up and gave me lots of calming pats and hugs. Then she said she loved me and I was her forever pony and she didn't understand why I was making such a fuss. Well I wish she had told me this before, I started to calm down, it's all going to be ok, Mum hasn't sold me and she still loves me. She whispered in my ear that while it was fun to ride Lara, riding me was far better and she would never swap me for all the other ponies in the world. Phew. 

After that I calmed down and travelled quietly home, pleased to see Grumpy Zippy, but I think I had better keep an eye on that young Woody and make sure he doesn't become too cute and clever like me, just in case Mum changes her mind.