Saturday 28 July 2012

Olympics

Our breakfasts were late today because She stayed up late watching the Olympics Opening ceremony and insisted on telling us about it. 

Apparently one of my relatives had a starring role at the beginning, pretending to plough a field in a 'Rural England' tableau.  Two more of my relatives were seen pulling a cart in a most spirited fashion whilst being chased by a number of men.  They were taken off to their stables after that, for a well earned rest no doubt.  Then all the pyrotechnics started.  She said it was all jolly good, if a bit eccentric.  Her favourite bit was the performance by the Arctic Monkeys, although the accompanying cyclists with wings weren't easy to explain.

There was a parade of athletes wearing exotic costumes, some from countries none of us have heard of.  Good luck then to Aruba, Kiribati, Nauru and Palau!
The Team GB costumes were covered in gold, which She felt was tempting fate.

The grand finale was the cauldron being lit from lots of little flames and that heart stopping pause while She wondered whether it would either fail to ignite, or explode.  It did neither and everyone was very excited that it had all been a Great Success.

Friday 20 July 2012

Tilly tubbing


Tilly has developed a foot abscess and is pictured wearing that special 'extra pathos' look reserved for members of the veterinary profession, although I don't know why since she is already having some time off to rest her ligament. 

She says it is because the ground is so wet and Tilly's shoes were taken off while she rests.  I have a touch of mud fever because of the wet, but it wasn't deemed bad enough for me to get a sick note from the vet.  All I get are sprays and ointment.

Monday 16 July 2012

Now I am six

Today I am six years old.  She promised me a birthday cake with carrot candles, but all I got was this.

It seemed a lame excuse for a cake and the carrots were very small, but She said that there is a recession on.  Sadly, my party was a bit of a washout too, since the heavy rain put a bit of a damper on things.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Dressage Lesson

She has decided that now I am nearly six, it is time that my remonte phase ended and I am to start doing dressage proper.  She enlisted the aid of Mandy who I have met before.  I was hoping that they would spend all the time yakking so that I could have a well earned snooze, but alas I had to run around in circles.  She seemed to be taking a firmer hold on the outside rein than usual and I found that I had to put my back into my work.  She is very pleased and wants more lessons.  I fear that my life has taken a turn for the worse.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Busy

I have been working hard lately - ever since She read that a horse who likes to conserve his energy, like me, needs more work than other horses.

On Saturday I went to the dressage and performed a respectable, if undistinguished, test.  Apparently I am not meant to stop halfway through the test to watch the start of the Freestyles in a neighbouring arena.  I had to stand and watch them outside in the rain instead.  She said that She took comfort from the fact that the ploddy horses seemed to do a better performance to music than the prancey, dancey horses who were so busy spooking and shying at the flower baskets that it was hard to tell what they were doing.

On Sunday it was a hash harriers ride which I had been looking forward to.  Alas, heavy rain  had washed away the flour trail and She had to run round with a bag of flour relaying parts of it.  Worse, due to an administrative mix up, there were no treats laid out for me to find.  I was reduced to licking up the flour trail.  What a poor show. 

There was no respite on Monday as I was sent off to test whether the jumping field for the riding club's combined training competition was OK to ride.  I found it rather slippery, but knew straight away that I was meant to be jumping jumps and charged about soaring over the obstacles, although She made me walk in between in case I hurt myself.  Since the rain is forecast to continue indefinitely, it looks as though the competition will be cancelled, and I shall have a reprieve.

By Tuesday you'd think that I should be having a day off, but no, bizarrely, She decided that there was nothing for it but to go for a long hack because it was raining again.
I have been given a new raincoat and it's just as well.