Monday 31 December 2012

Review of 2012

2012 has been a year of highs and lows.

Lowlights
  • Me developing arthritis in my hock - although She is more dismayed than I am that my dressage career is over already
  • Posy's saddle fitting problems - She regrets leaving it so long that Posy got sore, when all that was needed was a crupper
  • Tilly leaving us and going to Celestial Pastures
  • Rain, rain and more rain
Highlights
  • My outstanding cross country performance - She says it is the first time that I have shown any enthusiasm for exercise
  • Posy's great progress in her bravery training - from not daring to venture past the end of the drive, to hacking up to Duchy College on her own
  • Hanuman turning out to be exceptionally trainable - She is thrilled at his prospects
  • The Olympics

Thursday 27 December 2012

Social Ride

I was chosen to go out on a 'social ride' with the local riding club.  Three quarters of the way round we had a rest stop which turned out to be an excuse for them all to drink mulled wine and eat snacks.  Here She is pictured quaffing wine and doing a dance on a bank.
It was embarrassing, I had to take Her home after that.

Saturday 22 December 2012

Water, Water Everywhere

It is still raining here, but She insists that I must keep fit on the basis that, eventually, it will stop long enough for me to go charging across country.  So, it was on with the mac and out we went.
This car was parked

I am surprised to see all the water

I investigate a deep bit


I take advantage of the water to wash my legs thoroughly

One motorist stopped to tell her that the River Inny had burst it banks, and another stopped to congratulate Her on Her choice of transport, since my engine was unlikely to cut out in the water.  Just as well because we had to hurry back so that She could watch Olympia on TV.


Friday 21 December 2012

Posy practises a dressage test

She still harbours dressage ambitions, so was wondering whether to enter Posy for her first dressage competition next month.  She decided to try a run through of Introductory A.  This is a walk and trot test, only no-one told Posy who cantered briskly through it, finishing in record time.  She has had to take Posy to one side and explain that dressage is not against the clock.
She is now puffing her cheeks and having second thoughts about Her dressage plans for January.

Saturday 15 December 2012

Hanuman tackles the fly curtain

Hanuman's agility training hasn't got very far due to incessant rain, but She has managed to borrow a fly curtain to try.  On the first day, She let him investigate it by himself, in the next two days She persuaded him to walk through it.  Alas, it all went wrong when She then tried to get him to go through at liberty.  Hanuman tackled the obstacle as any yearling would - tugging at the plastic strips until the whole thing collapsed. 

I hope Her friend wasn't too attached to the fly curtain obstacle.

Friday 14 December 2012

Photo shock - jumps were very small

She has just seen the photos from Sunday's show and is aghast to see how small the jumps looked.  She couldn't understand how a professional photographer could take the first fence, which is always small, and then not lie on the ground to take the photos, which always makes the fences look more impressive, as any fule kno. 

She was pleased at my close-up though, as She thought I looked suitably enthusiastic and spirited. 
In spite of my handsomeness and fine style, She is too mean to actually buy any of the photos.
The bad news is that thanks to the foregoing, She has decided that I need to jump bigger jumps and is planning to sneak them up bit by bit.



I am regretting my bravado in the warm up arena and am praying that the height of the jumps will be quickly limited by Her fear of falling off.

Sunday 9 December 2012

My new career

Today I trekked to a jumping competition.  There was a lot of space in the warm up arena so I filled it by galloping about, plunging up and down and making huge leaps over the warm up fences, leaving Her clinging on for dear life and the other competitors scattered into the four corners - tee hee! 
 
My bravado did rather desert me when it was my turn to go into the indoor school, where there was not much space and lots of jumps crammed into it.  I thought it best to creep cautiously up to each one and then pop over.  I left them all standing, so had to do the jump off when I managed to go faster and came third out of six clears.  I have been here before, so I lined up very neatly for my rosette and tried to look more spirited than last time.  Someone said "I love Braveheart, he is such a dude", I think they were impressed.  Anyway, She was very pleased indeed and I got peppermints as well as a carrot.

Sunday 2 December 2012

Posy wins Bravery Award

Posy has just earned a large carrot as a reward for her bravery in hacking all the way to Duchy College by herself, through Stoke Climsland village, past the Post Office, Christmas lights and landslide and, then, courageously wandering around the small indoor school.

A year ago, I remember watching with amusement as Posy was led out, with Freddie the cob in front, only to return two minutes later.  She would only go a few hundred yards down the road before she was trembling with fear and had to be led back home again.  It has been slow, but Posy has gradually grown in confidence, and this video shows the culmination of a year's worth of bravery training. 


She is delighted with Posy's progress, and I have to admit that I was not so brave at indoor schools, in fact, I distinctly remember trying to escape from them on several occasions.  In this video our chum Ariel is looking pretty unenthusiastic; I don't think he is buying into the rope waggling business.

Nowadays I am quite brave of course, and, not to be left out, I was taken to a Christmas show jumping event the following day.  The jumps seemed slightly bigger than I remembered and the last fence looked particularly dangerous, so I ballooned it and threw Her up in the air (tee hee).  Happily, She landed back in the saddle and not on the floor, so I got a carrot and She got a ribbon, and is very happy with the weekend's work.