Solar Eclipse

We were told that an event of cosmic importance was happening this morning - a solar eclipse would occur at breakfast time.  We were warned not to look directly at the sun since She had failed to buy us special glasses.  As it happened, we couldn't even see the sun.

View from the yard this morning

Solar eclipse at maximum

Apparently, birds were meant to have stopped singing during the eclipse, but we heard a number of rebel tweets.  The only thing we noticed was that it had turned a bit cold, but otherwise there was nothing remarkable to interrupt our breakfasts for.

Disco Disappointment

The motorised cabin arrived today, but before we set off, Hanuman was loaded next to me.  He was making a fuss and trying to destroy his cubicle - until we started moving and then he had to have all his feet on the ground - he he!
When we arrived it became apparent that it was a riding club musical event.  She had hoped that I would do my dance, but my feet were giving me gyp and I was reluctant to trot much and even more reluctant to canter.  She was disappointed because She had given me more medication than was good for me in the hope that I would be alright.  It was a shame because I didn't feel able to trot about with my new friend Binx either.
Hanuman was there for the experience and didn't do much other than stand on his hindlegs a few times, but was generally thought to be quite well behaved considering.
At the end She had organised a little Horse Disco.  She had compiled a CD of suitable trot/walk/canter music for people to try out.  The others did not appear to share Her vision of a horse disco and completely failed to be in the right pace most of the time.  One of them was trying to do reining patterns to the music and others were chatting in the car park.  This made Her very grumpy.

Winter Break

We have been having a lot of weather in the last month or two.  It has been freezing cold, or very windy or hailing, sleeting or any combination of these.  The cold weather makes my feet hurt especially going down hills, and there are a lot of hills around here, so I have been taking it easy of late. 
Young Hanuman hasn't done much either as She says that She needs calm weather to be able to get any sense out of him as he is such an excitable fellow.  She did try an Introduction to Trotting Poles session with him, he thought it was so much fun that She felt the need to keep a firm grip on him.


We gather that She is waiting for the wind speed to drop before She continues his trot lessons.
Meanwhile, Posy just ambles about getting fatter and fatter, and, inexplicably, is being given more food, not less.
We have eaten all the grass there is and are praying that spring will come soon.

Another day, another contest

Yesterday, I knew something was up when She called us in for breakfast when it was still dark and then shampooed my legs.  No motorised cabin arrived though, I had to carry Her up to Duchy College for, what turned out to be a Trec competition.

I quickly assess the situation; obstacle 2 looks ripe for demolition

First of all I was confronted by an array of pallets and since I was not confident that these would bear my weight, I skilfully manoeuvred around them for 'null points'.  The other obstacles I tackled with gusto - bending round poles at canter (mostly), prancing though the 'squeeze', standing patiently with my feet in a hula hoop for 8 of the required 10 seconds.  I cantered down a 'corridor' in exemplary fashion and then soared over a jump and slammed on the brakes as next I was confronted by a rustic filler the like of which I have never seen before (another 'null points').  A small amount of destruction occurred in the S bend but otherwise it was agreed that I had acquitted myself well and earned my carrot.

I attracted a number of new fans, but was very nearly upstaged by the arrival of a Clydesdale in full feather but with a sporty body clip.  He spends his summers carrying tourists around Dartmoor and his winters on loan doing all sorts, including dressage ("he has points" they said in awed tones).  Furthermore, he goes racing - he came second in this race and can be seen on the nearside...

She was very impressed at his versatility, but, to my quiet satisfaction, the final scores showed that I am better at Trec contests than he is. Hah!

Hanuman is brave

Hanuman's progress has been slow and gentle.  Although he goes round very nicely for a while, he regularly reacts to noises on the road.  His very powerful hindquarters enable him to go from 0-60 mph in very short order and without warning, which She has found a bit disconcerting.
She was very pleased with him yesterday when he coped really well with traffic noise and only stopped to watch the rattling trailer, instead of charging off.  She is hoping that he has now learned that none of these things are going to burst into the arena and eat him.

We think he may be allowed to trot soon.

Happy New Year!

We could start with a review of 2014, which turned out to be pretty uneventful.  She can't think of any lasting lowlights, although highlights included:

• My hock joint fusing and giving me a new lease of life
• My Achievement in qualifying for the Regionals
• Her subscription to clipmyhorse, which I gather has given her many happy hours of entertainment in lieu of television

It seems that I am not to have any targets this year, other than setting a good example to the others.  (I have been excused because of my arthritis.)

Hanuman's target for 2015 is to get to a level of proficiency such that he could perform a Preliminary test if needed.

Posy's target for 2015 is to qualify for the Regionals.  She says that if I can do it then Posy can.  Looking at Posy's ever-expanding waistline I think that this may be over ambitious.

I win Horse of the Year accolade!

Yes, She has awarded me the Horse of the Year accolade!  I have exceeded my 2014 targets and have ridden Achievements this year, in spite of my physical disabilities.

I look forward to receiving a handsome reward

It has to be said that the opposition for the Horse of the Year title has fallen by the wayside.  Hanuman has proved rather erratic in the arena as yet, so She has decided to take things slowly and wait until he can walk quietly round for more than two minutes before progressing to trot and canter work.

Posy hasn't done anything lately at all and is just ambling about getting fatter and fatter.
So I am the clear winner, and a most deserving one!