Fantastic pole work session!

Absolutely over the moon with Carlos today!  It was super windy so I decided to take him in the arena rather than hack and to make it a little different I popped up a square of poles to get him used to something different.

He's such a wimp, he found them scary in every direction we came in but once he's been over them once he just got on with the job.  I only planned to walk and trot over them but he was so good I gave him a canter over them too!

What's even better is he didn't really put a hoof out of place today, usually he finds different parts of the arena scary but he went past all his scary parts with a rub on his neck the first time and took it all in his stride after that.   That feels like absolutely massive progress and not a progress I expected to feel so quickly.  Although I'm not holding my breath as I will imagine it will change depending on his mood but I'm just over the moon with the progress we've made already. 

I've bookes our first training clinic with our rising club which is grid work with Will Murray. I'm looking forward to it and hope we do actually get over the fences.

he sttod waiting patiently for me as I put the poles away.  Such a sweetheart. 

Drains are scary!

Eventually got some daylight time in the saddle now its fitted so I got Carlos out on his first hack around the yard.  We didn't get far as the sun was setting but he was happy to be out. 

His little ears were pricked forwards the whole way along the road and back.  He was well bahaved and not half as spooky as I thought he would be, but he did find the drains and potholes terrifying.  The first drain we came to he didn't see until the last minute and gave himself an even bigger fright as he slipped a lttle as he spooked at it. 

I just gave his neck a rub and put my leg on passing every drain and pothole after that and he was walking past them with only a little bit fear on the way back down. 

He still struggles with the drain at our wash area. I make a point of taking him in there everytime we pass it and he gets a rewarded once stood.  Today he went in after a about a minute which is the fastest time yet.  However once in there I turned him a different way to normal when bringing him back out which resulted in me nearly being flatted by him!  He's really stupid as he really would just run me over and he was spooking at the hosepipe because it was laid on the floor rather than hooked around the tap like it normally is.  I relly need to get him to respect my space and stop running me down when something worries him. 

It fits!!

I got to ride my new horse!

The saddle fitter was out today and made some huge adjustments to my saddle to suit Carlos.  Over teh moon that I can now just get cracking on with him. 

He was really good to school tonight,  very spooky but he definitely gets better and better the more I give a soothing approach to the scary bits rather than just forcing him into it.  We I rode him bareback last week I worked on getting him to drop his head and take the rein forwards and down to get some stretch over the back.  While I made progress with it, I also felt like we had a step backwards due to the snatching at the bit he was doing but today when I gave him the rein he freely took it forwards and down and he didn't snatch straight away so I'm definitely feeling positive about getting a good result eventually.

One thing I do really enjky when riding Carlos is his canter transition.  After having three off the track thoroughbreds who struggled with their canter work it's absolutely heavan.  

I also finished his clip today, but I will do another post on that. 

Competitions

I have our first competition together planned very soon - watch this space.

Reviews

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Sterling Silver

Full Name - Sterling Silver
Stable Name - Carlos
Born - 2010
Height - 15.1HH
Colour - Grey
Breed - Arab X Frisian
Joined the family - October 2019.

I've him since he was born and I knew his parents well.  His dad had an amazing temperament for a breeding stallion and his mum had done very little but her lovely kind nature shone through.

I owned his half brother Sinbad (Silver Sun) from 3years old to 6 years old where I ended up briefly giving horses up due to lack of time but he was such a lovely boy with lots of untapped potential.

I briefly loaned Carlos over the winter of 2018, where his owner at the time kindly let me ride him when Silk was out of action.  I fell for him straight away but knew he needed a lot of work, so when his owner knew she wouldn't sell him and wasn't sure how long I could loan him for I decided to buy something else.

Little did I know things would change for his owner and be such perfect timing for me as I'd loaned two with a view to buying over the rest of the time which hadn't worked out.  Bella had just gone back and I saw his advert.  Though he was over my budget, it was worth paying extra when I knew him and what he could be with the work.  But I didn't jump straight into it and his owner kindly let me have him on a couple weeks loan so I could get another feel for him and make sure he was still the same horse after having been out on loan over the summer.  But first, sit back on him I knew it was meant to be!

We arranged for a vetting, just for peace of mind after things going wrong with the first horse I had this year (2019) and paying more money than originally planned to pay for my new horse.

After an anxious wait for the vetting, he sailed through his vetting and came to live with me a few days later.

I'm starting from scratch with his work, including groundwork so our journey is only just begun but I know I'm definitely going to enjoy having this boy! Even if he's grey and part Arab which were two things I said I'd never get again haha.

Riding Club!

For the first time in my 20 plus years of riding, I have joined a riding club! After searching long and hard for the right one within my area I went with the Bedlington, Blyth and district Riding Club due to there extensive list of training available over the winter! I can't wait to get started!

Alfie

Name - Alfie
Born - 2016
Height - 12.2hh
Colour - Piebald
Breed - Cob
Joined the family - October 2018

Alfie is a rescue who I just can't seem to let go from the minute I met him.  He's a very cheeky chap who absolutely adores attention, seems to be good to do in every way and lives off fresh air. 

I've tried to sell Alfie a couple of times but I may have been a little too strict as to who he goes to, so, for now, he's staying with us.  He's three soon, so we may end up breaking him in to ride and maybe drive...

Lunaskye

Full Name - Lunaskye
Stable Name - Luna
Born - 2017
Height - 14.3hh (still growing)
Colour - Bay
Breed - Trotter
Part of the family - Jul 19 - Nov 19

Luna was bought slightly on a whim, as I originally wanted a foal to bring on from the very beginning and then event.  But then Lady went funny and I decided a two-year-old would give me less 'waiting' time but still gave me a lot of time to put my own stamp on the youngster.  On searching for youngsters this young girl popped up and I fell in love straight away.  She had very little handling and needed a fair bit of confidence given in people.  Once she got to know me she followed me around like a dog.  She was brave, curious and a total pleasure to be around.  I sadly had to make the decision to sell her after such a short time with her when Bella didn't work out and I decided to just have a horse to enjoy rather than keep going through the stress of trying to find something to event.  Although Luna would have made a perfect horse for me once she matured I wanted something I could get going with straight away didn't feel the need of having two riding horses for myself.  

Luna has gone to a lovely home locally and will stay in touch. 

A week with the new boy

The first week with my new boy has been a slow one.  At the start of the week, I gave him a well-needed makeover, saying goodbye to his long Arab mane and said hello to a lovely short one which made such a difference.

The weather has been awful and I'm feeling rather impatient waiting for his saddle to be fitted!  So much so that I got on him bareback, which I spent most of the session working on getting him to stand confidently next to the mounting block or the corner next to the gate (he is the biggest wimp!).  Anyways lots of rewards and 'good boys' he was pretty confident to stand in these areas by the end but sadly having Evie with me I didn't quite get the time I needed to get him totally confident coming into the gate area from the left rein which has scary jump poles on the outside of the arena.

This also reminded me of how sticky I needed to be with a spooky quick ponylike horse again as he spun around on a sixpence at one point when he clocked them.  If it wasn't for my trusty neckstrap I most likely would have been on the floor.  Roll on Wednesday when his saddle will be fitted and there will be no holding us back!

Check out his before and after -

SODOI

Full Name - SODOI
Stable Name - Bella
Born - 2013
Height - 16.2hh
Colour - Bay
Breed - Thoroughbred (Ex Racer)
Part of the Family - Summer 2019

story to come

IAMNOLADY

Full Name - IAMNOLADY
Stable Name - Lady
Born - 2013
Height - 15.1hh
Colour - Bay
Breed - Thoroughbred (Ex Racer)
Part of the family -  Jan 19 - Jul 19

story to come 

Beautiful Storm

Full Name - Beautiful Storm
Stable Name - Silk
Born - 2011
Height - 15.2hh
Colour - Bay
Breed - Thoroughbred (Ex Racer)
Part of the family - Aug 17 - RIP - March 2019

When I fell pregnant with my daughter I was unable to carry on with the little shop I had at the time due to awful nausea.  When I was stuck at home all day I realised how much I missed horses so I told my husband once I'd had the baby I was getting another horse, I started watching ex-racer sales adverts.  When I was 8 months pregnant a local race yard advertised a few horses for sale.  One of these fitted the description of exactly what I wanted so I decided to go see if it was the horse for me!

Silk wasn't the horse I went to view at the racing yard, but she's the one I came home with.  I fell in love with her nature but she had a tendon injury, although healed she needed to be brought into work slowly etc.  

to be continued 

Silver Sun

Full Name - Silver Sun
Stable Name - Sinbad 
Born - 2010
Height - 16.2hh
Colour - Grey
Breed - Arab X Frisian & Trakehner 
Part of the family - Nov 12 - Oct 16

Sinbad was that horse I said I didn't want. In fact, actually wanted Sinbad as a foal but told myself I didn't want another grey or another gelding.  When I was riding Spirit and having fun I realised I wanted to get out and didn't feel like I could do it on her so I popped up a post on Facebook to put the feelers out to see if I could find my new horse. 

I was asking for something along the lines of a 15.2hh mare, 7/8 years old so done a little bit here and there.  

When Sinbad's owner seen this she messaged me letting me know she was debating on selling Sinbad and wanted me to buy him.  I hummed and hared but figured maybe it was meant to be.  I took him on loan, to begin with, but fell in love straight away.  

He was rising three when I got him, he was so easy to break in I literally did it all myself in a field and after two rides I hacked him for a few months before turning him away.  After 6 months off I popped on him and plodded out on a hack without any issues. 

Once he turned four I began some jumping with him, he was very spooky and jumped them huge but he took it all on board and improved a lot when doing it regularly.  I took him XC schooling and then competed in a hunter trail with him, it was so much fun.  

We did some dressage and small showjumping classes and I thought maybe the next year I could actually get him out eventing.  However, I moved to a different area and the yard I was on didn't have the places close by to hack to for competitions as my last yard had and I seemed to lose all motivation as I was working long hours trying to run my own business and working part-time.  I had the chance to take on a small unit to go full time with my business and needed a bit of money so decided since he was just waste doing nothing, I would sell Sinbad. 

Sinbad sold to the absolute perfect home and he has a home for life with them.  I always see how he's doing and he's loving his new life! 

I, however, had quit horses altogether for the first time since I started riding I was without a horse.  But I didn't really notice for a while as I was so busy with work.  

Free Spirit

Full Name - Free Spirit
Stable Name - Spirit
Born - 
Height - 14.2hh
Colour - Bay
Breed - Thoroughbred X
Part of the family - Nov 12 -Nov 13

Spirit was in a field at my friends livery yard and I was asked if I would take her on and do something with her.  I had Milo retired at the time (even though he didn't settle into retirement at this point and came back into work) and was missing riding so thought why not.

Spirit was even more stubborn than Harriett was when I first got her, she tried every trick in the book and was very good at napping.  She, however, didn't realise that I had my own book of tricks and managed to get by all the little tricks she threw my way.

Once I got Spirit going and started jumping her I realised I wanted to be out and about with a horse doing stuff again.  But on Spirit, felt I was too big and going to topple off the top of her when going over a jump.  So I popped a little post on Facebook to see if any friends had anything suitable and that's where Sinbad came in....but he's a whole other story of his own!

Spirit was ridden by a few friends for me, she had great fun jumping.  Sadly Spirit was PTS after she fractured her pedal bone and was unhappy on box rest fracturing it again.  (kicked the wall)

Little Zorina

Full Name - Little Zorina
Stable Name - Meg
Born - 2003
Height - 15.2hh
Colour - Chestnut
Breed - Thoroughbred 
Part of the family - Mar 11 - May 12

Meg was a horse bought to breed from at first, she also wasn't technically owned by me she was owned by my ex.  When we went to see Meg she was absolute skin and bone and I literally couldn't leave her.  I was told that Meg was cold backed and although I did ride her for a little while it was obvious she just didn't enjoy so we retired her to breeding like originally planned.  

Meg sadly contracted strangles in her final month of pregnancy with her first foal for me (my ex was out the picture at this point) and little 'Maverick' was born very weak and just didn't make it.  Due to my personal situation after she was put back into foal I had to sell her,  she was however sold to the lady who bred Harriett & Sapphire and I kept in touch.  She sadly she slipped her next pregnancy but was covered again and went on to have a beautiful colt.  

Dancing Power

Full Name - Dancing Power
Stable Name - Sapphire
Born - 2004
Height - 15.2hh
Colour - Bay
Breed - British Warmblood
Part of the family - Aug 07 - March 11

Sapphire was bred by the same person who bred Harriett, I was working on the yard over the winter and fell in love with Sapphire.  I told the owner I would buy her and went down to catch her from the field and it took me two days to catch her.  She was very head shy and although she wanted to come in and see me she freaked out every time I went near her head.  She went back out with a string hanging from her headcollar to help with the catching situation after that.  A few weeks later she eventually went out without a headcollar again.  

I broke Sapphire in slowly and had a little fun with her before turning her away.  I was going to breed a foal from her but changed my mind, bringing her back into work and took her to her first show.  It was obvious she had a talent when it came to showjumping and one day when Milo came out of his box with a fat leg we loaded up Sapphire and she competed for BSJA in his place.  Everything was so much easier with Sapphire, she made the strides unlike Milo so I tended to opt for taking her out rather than Milo.   But one day I decided it was Milo who my dream began with to compete BSJA so I should do it on him and due to losing my transport I broke my own heart and decided to sell her.  She sold to an amazing home who wanted to event her and it was the best home I could ever ask for her.  I missed her dearly and always regretted selling her.  She was such a sweet mare with a heart of gold.  

Sapphire was sadly PTS a few years ago after being retired for many years from kissing spine.  

Meet The New Boy!

Yes, I said boy!  So after a disaster of a year having numerous horses on loan with a view to buy not work out I was over the moon when I saw this boy come up for sale.  Although my heart said yes, my head definitely said no as I knew that was affiliated eventing out of the question.  I organised to have him on loan for a couple of weeks to make sure he was still the horse I loaned last year (when his owner wouldn't sell him), after a couple rides I knew he was the one and sorted out his vetting.

He arrived with me last weekend after passing his vetting and it almost feels like he was never away, strangely as I didn't even have him kept at my current yard when I last had him.  So far he's settled with no issues,  been wormed and had his front shoes taken off and all four feet trimmed all in less than 24 hours and not been fazed at all.

Once he had been in for 24 hours he was allowed to go out into the field which I got some lovely photos of him having a prance around.  The photos also show the lovely colour he turned after rolling in the muddiest part of the field.  Never mind, he's happy - I'm happy. 

Magic Moments

Full Name - Magic Moments
Stable Name - Magic
Born - 2000?
Height - 16hh
Colour - Black
Breed - Irish Sports Horse
Part of the family - Feb 06 - 07

I remember the day Magic arrived at the dealers I was working on, she was a nervous wreck and wouldn't even catch in her stable.  The first time my boss asked me to get on her I got the lunge out first as I wasn't sure she'd even had any handling let alone was broken to ride.  The second I saw her trot out on the lunge I told my boss there and then to state his price and a deal was made.  

Due to her nervous nature, it took quite a while to get Magic going, sadly once she was just getting out and about jumping she injured her leg when colliding with a wire fence in the field and she had a fair bit of time out from that.  Once her leg was healed I was just starting again with her jumping when I decided to move back home.  Once back home for a few months, I needed a new car and I needed to sell her so I sent her back up to Scotland to my friend who bought her from me.  Produced her in BSJA for a while then sold her on.  She thankfully found a lovely home and they still have her to this day.  

Colourful Prospect

Full Name - Colourful Prospect
Stable Name - Harriett
Born - 2001
Height - 15.2hh
Colour - Bay (with white flecks & black spots later on)
Breed - Thoroughbred X Cob (Respect X European Muskwash)
Part of the family - Aug 04 - Feb 06

I randomly spotted Harriett for sale online one day when I was at college, she was local to me and at the time I was constantly having college peers asking me if I was going to get a bigger horse so I was very aware of my size on Milo (not that I should have listened as I was absolutely fine on him!) so I went along with my mum to view her.  A week later she was in my field and the lessons began.  

Harriett was three years old and as stubborn as a mule.  Everything was one step forward and ten steps back at the beginning with her.  Eventually, I gained her trust and got her broken in and had a bit of fun together. 

When I moved up to Scotland for a job I started to show jump more and decided I wanted something that could maybe go up the heights more but looking back I think I just wanted a little bit more of a flashy horse like the ones I was riding at work as Harriett had plenty scope to BSJA.  She was sold however to a lovely family in early 2006.  

Starlight Eskimilo

Full Name - Starlight Eskimilo
Stable Name - Milo
Born - 1998
Height - 15hh
Colour - Grey
Breed -  3/4 Thoroughbred 1/4 welsh
Part of the family - Aug 01 - RIP March 16

Milo was the horse that really taught me the way with horses.  I spotted him as a rising three-year-old and I fell in love with him instantly.  I was over the moon to find he was up for sale but when I introduce him to my mum and he decided to rear over the stable door and her words were 'you're not getting that monster'.  However the following week he was in my stable, which I spent all my time sitting on the stable door which kept him calm and really helped us begin a bond.  

I owned Milo for 15 years until I sadly lost him due to melanomas.  In those 15 years, I wanted to sell him many times but deep down I wouldn't even sell him for a million.  He followed me around like a dog, we had an amazing bond and although he was super quirky and not at all the easiest of rides we had a lot of fun over the years.  He had thrown pretty much everything at me, his party tricks where bunny hops, leaping off his back legs to knock me off balance and gallop off at fences.  He was very spooky and I had to sit many speedy spins around when he was really full of it.   

I wanted to event but Milo was a wimp at cross country fences until he was older, by then I was very into my show jumping and he took me around my first affiliated BSJA.  He had to slow down in his early teens due to arthritis in his hocks.  After that, we just hacked and enjoyed a slower life with him.  He was fully retired for a year before I had to say goodbye. 

Horse of a lifetime. 

Cyderwyth Bilbo Baggins

Full Name - Cyderwyth Bilbo Baggins
Stable Name - Bow
Born - 1999
Height - 11.2hh
Colour - Grey
Breed - Welsh A 
Part of the family - Nov 00 - Summer 02

Bow was my first pony and he taught me that not all horses were as straight forward as the riding school ponies I had learnt how to ride on.  He was a 2-year-old Welsh A that had been allowed to walk all over his previous owner.  The first week I had him he pinned me in the corner of his stable and tried to double-barrel me as he was protective over his feed!  However, me being stubborn I worked hard and eventually got him happy with me sitting next to him as he ate.   He still had coltish tendencies which also included him nipping at me and rearing as I would bring him in from the field.  Being on the yard he had previously been on I found being young everyone tried interfering and I wasn't getting anywhere with him.  Moving yard was the best thing I did with him, I brought him on to be a lovely little riding pony who went out on loan and eventually sold to a nine-year-old novice.