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.  

Review - Betta Life - PharmaTRAC Total Digestive Support

I was lucky enough to win this tub of BETTA Life PharmaTRAC Total Digestive Support, now usually I'm in a rush to try anything that will help digestion for Silk but with her living out she's not at all stressy and not having any issues so it's been sitting waiting to get use. Having tried a million and one supplements for her I was beginning to think nothing would every do the trick...

However Lady arrived a month ago having lived out for months and naturally finding a whole new person & environment stressful I figured it wouldn't hurt to give this a try when her droppings where super loose. Within a couple of days her droppings were back to normal consistency. I also noticed that when I changed her from hay to haylege that there was no change in her droppings which usually I find horses always get loose with this change - so that was a bonus! I kept her on the supplement as I found her coat was horrendous and figured it may help get her skin sorted from the inside out and a month on there's a massive difference!

I'm over the moon with the results of this supplement, I've tried so many in the past and found they've not given me any noticeable results so a strong 10/10 given here. I'm very keen to try out their joint support for her now as she's super clicky.

*Big thumbs up!*

Review - Le Mieux Snug Boots

I have a long, long list of which 'breathable' boots that won't overheat the legs yet offer a good amount of support/protection. Finding something that fit's Silk's tiny thin Thoroughbred legs was also proving difficult.

I spotted these in my local tack shop a good few months ago and bought them as an impulse buy - expecting them to be another added to the list of disappointment!

How could I be so wrong! For the first surprise they actually fit Silk, not just a fit we get away with but actually fit so 'snug' as the name puts it. I took her out on a hack and was surprised to find her legs weren't warm at all when we got back.

Now those that have been following us a while will know Silk has a previous tendon injury from her racing days, so I'm super paranoid about her legs and I know them better than the back of my hand - but I still figured this must just be a fluke.

They have a flexible and breathable outer which also has a harder outer over the tendon giving excellent protection in the areas that matter most. They also have a fantastic quick release fasten which is super secure too.

The next time I tried these out I schooled Silk, naturally there was some warmth in her legs from working harder/faster but still nothing like they've been in any other boots.

I've since used these boots on Carlos when I had him, both in the school & hacking. And Lady has been lunged and schooled in them. Neither of them have ever had hot legs after taking them off (even with how thick Lady's coat is). They actually fit them both like a glove-like on Silk too! I have to say I'm absolutely over the moon.

These boots come in black and in white, they're super easy to keep clean but they also wash & dry well for those times they do get minging.

I'm tempted to buy some of these now for Lady in white for warming up in dressage competitions.

View Le Mieux Snug Boots online on the Horse Health.co.uk website - https://www.horsehealth.co.uk/horsewear/lemieux-boots/lemieux-snug-boot