Just one mistake...

Sometimes people make big mistakes. Mum made one of those mistakes today by letting my sister ride Nell. To her credit, Mum honestly thought Sian would be careful on a horse she didn't know. I guess she was wrong.

Mum, Sian and Marion on Quids went for a ride today. It was mostly lots of roadwork as Quids is an old lad - the same age as Tralee - and also suffers quite badly with ringbone. Sian, being the defiant and contrary twat she is had a tantrum because they were only doing roadwork due to Quids being a bit lame. She threw a hissy fit and decided that she had had enough and was going home.

The stupid cow turned Nell around at Lucy's lane and made her canter off. Quids was spinning, Tralee was being arsey about being left behind and Sian was running Nell right towards Lucy. Great. So Mum hurriedly apologised to Marion that she had to get Sian before she got to the road and went after her. Thanfully Marion was fine and continued on her way, but Quids can be a funny character and is not 100% bombproof as our horses are.

Mum had called after Sian who had pulled Nell up right in front of Lucy who started screaming to Nell, and Nell back to Lucy. Then she booted her and made her canter the rest of the lane. Mum was absolutely shaking with both fear and anger when she caught hold of Nell at the end of the lane. She took poor old Nells reins and led Sian back to the vicarage where she immediately told her to get off the horse and that she was never riding any of our horses again.

Nell had only been doing what was asked of her and unfortunately it had been a stupid, selfish and dangerous act on behalf of a rider who knew better. That is why I refused to let her friend use Nell. That is why I worry about other people riding her. It's because I know no-one else will ride her the same way I do. I don't think I have ever hated Sian more than at this moment in time and it's going to take a bit of time for Nell to forget Lucy all over again thanks to her.

My sister will not be going near my horse again. I have made that quite clear, as has Mum, who I think has lost a lot of confidence in her. Marion as well was rather angry and ticked her off for doing what she had done.

Tomorrow I plan to do some quiet schooling and in hand work with her, getting her neck reining, stops and I might work on the rein back or turn on forehand. After today I think she just needs some time to chill out a little.

Wet weather blues

The glorious summer is once more being clouded by the forecast for another spell of rain. Riding is, unfortunately, not on the top of my to do list and I'm in a bit of a slump at the moment.

On the positive side, I schooled Nell bareback last week. We practised neck reining which she did fantastically well in. Serpentines, circles, diagonally across the school; she did it like a pro. I woder if she was ridden western at some point in her life or whether she's just learnt from how I ride her. We did a little bit of free jumping as well. She jumped about 1 ft but wasn't overly excited about doing so. She prefers being ridden really and kept running out. We ended on a good note by making her do a small jump so that the last one she'd remember doing would not be getting away with a run out. I jumped up again and did a bit more turning and stopping then finished for the day. I'm hoping to do it again this week and possibly do some jumping in the sandschool.

Summer is here!

Summer is here and boy does it feel like it. The weather is ecceptionally warm and its just too nice to be stuck in college all day. So tonight Emma and I are riding down to the beach after college.

I'm not totally into riding again, especially when its so hot you come back sticky with sweat, but I'm certainly going to make the most of it in case we end up with a crappy summer holiday like last year.

I should also be taking Lisa and Jade out again this week or next, so keep an eye out for photos.

Show time!

Today was a beautiful day for a show although we very nearly missed our first class. There was some confusion as to whether the horses were meant to be ridden or in hand but as it turned out it could be either. ?:S

The same judge as last year was judging our ring. Typical. Just like last year, if you were standing in front in the row, you got placed first. If you were the last one in the row... you guessed it. Unfortunately Emma and I were at the back so Nell got 5th and Rocky got 6th. Rather unfair considering all the other competitors were riding their veterans.

The fancy dress was so much fun! Rocky and Emma as you can see were pirates, and I was a highwayman on my masked steed. I'm not sure what the judges problem was but I cam 4th out of 4 for that. I suspect she doesn't like haflingers, or if rumours are correct, chestnuts. She placed a little grey pony, who was an absolute mess in the family pony class higher than the palomino who was brilliant and went off on pefect leads. Rocky claimed a 2nd prize in the fancy dress though, so at least one of ours now has a ribbon in the top three.

The other two competitors was a "native american" and a little grey pony with such a jumble of stuff, I didn't know what it was meant to be... I personally thought Nell looked stunning and her behaviour was such an improvement from last year.

We did have a little trouble in the fancy dress ring when she was moved away from Rocky but backing up is certainly not the worst she could do. On the way out of the show grounds she decided Rocky should walk in front. I asked her nicely to walk on and as she continued to refuse after being nice to her, I gave her a good boot in the sides. She complained. With a large number of people and horses watching us, she threw a fit; her front feet coming up a short way then down, followed by a nice buck and then the front feet again. Broncing doesn't work on me anymore though. I know her too well, read the signs and know exactly how to ride them out. I asked her to walk forward again and reluctantly realised that going in front was far easier than having a tantrum.

Overall I have enjoyed myself today. Nell's behaviour was far more satisfying than any rossette and in my eyes she was the best horse in that ring. Rocky comes close, but I guess you're biased when they're your own. ;)

First show of the year

Despite saying I was going to do more shows with Nell this year, I have currently found myself attending my first show... in May. The year is almost halfway through and finally, tomorrow, Emma and I are entering the horses in the pony club show down at Tregurtha. Both Rocky and Nell are going in the Veteran and Fancy dress classes so its going to be good fun. Emma and Rocky are going as cornish pirates and I am the highwayman on my masked horse!

I promise to get some pictures tomorrow as the horses (and us) are going to look so funny!

Not enough of the warm stuff

So the sun has been hiding this week. Its been on and off showers and today we had 50mph winds! woop de doo! So no riding again today. I did go and de-rug the mares and chuck them some food though so not feeling quite so bad as if I don't go up there. Dad took me up there on the new bike. VERY comfy, you hardly feel any bumps. On the way back however it pissed it down and the winds suddenly picked up. For a brief moment it felt like the wind would knock the bike sideways and even on the back I could feel it pushing the bike across the road. Thankfully when you are riding pillion, you can hide behind the rider and only get partially soaked :)

Another thing I am missing is jumping. Real jumping. Not just popping a log in the woods, I want to get over some poles. The other night I had a fantastic dream that Nell and I were hunting. as we got to the first 4ft jump (yeah I can really imagine Nell jumping that high), I was scared but Nell sailed over it and after that I jumped every one feeling confident. Liz and Emma were in it as well strangely.

When I woke up I felt like I could have jumped the moon. Now though that awesome feeling of dream immortality is fading an me thinks I need to re-assess the goal of 3ft I set myself at the start of the year. Perhaps just going to a competition this year would be a start. ;) If I get that far, I'll have a go at the 2ft. Then if I'm happy with that then I may try the slightly bigger jumps. We'll see. As it is, the next R.E.C event is on 21st June - the same day as the college open day which I MUST attend.

The one after is on the 12th July. Thats a possibilty. Before that however we are taking the horses to tregurtha show for the in hand veteran and a fancy dress comp. hee hee.
I have a few ideas cooking but I shant let you know until the day!

A new Trail

Mum finally showed me the ride to Marazion beach today. It was quite chilly and very windy when we got there though. That and the fact Tralee was looking as though he was about to explode into a bucking fit meant we stayed to a trot at the fastest. Helen, Rocky's old owner also enjoyed herself so all in all a very nice ride.

Although we didn't get to have a good gallop, I now know how to get there and I'm sure Emma will love to get down there at some point this summer. :)

Finally some photos! :) but none of the ride :3

Emma and I took Nell and the Rockstar for a beach ride yesterday and as you can see from the top photo, Nell and Tralee's friendship is blossoming!

It was the nicest day we had had for a while and although Mum couldn't come along it was still a nice ride. I had planned to get some photos but like last time, didn't check the tide times.

When we got there, there was only a small stretch of beach and it was already quite crowded with people. The tide was heading out but we decided that it was best we just spend a short time there and let the pedestrians have the beach.

The first canter resulted in a bucking fit from Nell. I think she was probably protesting about how hard I had kicked her. Rocky came along behind, doing something between a trot and a canter.

The second canter, Rocky was starting to feel excited and overtook Nell and I. There was a hair-raising moment where he almost didn't stop, but Emma pulled him into the sea.

We didn't stay long, as it was not in our interest to annoy the people sitting on the rocks and staying away from the horses. A few canters, a few trots and that was us done for the day.

On the way back, after the beach farm is the two fields I have mentioned in a previous post. The grass was much longer this time but the field is certainly not being used, so once again we used it as a canter spot.

This was only the second time we had used the field, but Rocky knew where we were. One minute Nell was cantering steadily in front, and the next Rocky had flown straight past us at the gallop. I had never seen that horse move so fast!

Emma and I were both surprised at how fast and fit the Rockstar had become over the past few weeks. By the time we got back he only had a bit of sweat under his saddle, girth and mane.

We didn't get any photos on the beach but I got a few nice ones of Nell to add to my album. Oh and look! Lucy isn't a yak anymore!

Makeover Time!

Well, the day started sunny at least... but slowly got greyer and wetter. So Mum and I decided that the beach ride we had planned could wait, and istead we spent the morning prettying Nell and Lucy up. Tails, manes, legs and bottoms were all given a thorough clean and Lucy - after a good brushing - is actually looking half decent for a change. Nell allowed me to clean her udder; something she was very sensitive about not long back. It looks like its been a long time since it was last washed, if ever. She had sudocreme put on the area to get rid of the dry sore skin and her legs were washed with hibiscrub as she seems to be getting the same reaction she did last year where hair falls out and forms a few scabs. I am now certain it is something in the chicken field as that is where they were when it happened last year.

Overall, things have been quiet lately. Rocky is paid for now and officially ours, Tralee is his usual grumpy self, Lucy will hopefully be going home in June and Nell is doing what Nell does best. Eat, poop and occasionaly run around like a mad ass.

Cranky opposition

Some people don't like horses. Some people are just rude. Sometimes there are people who happen to be both.

Emma and I came across one of those the other day. We were meant to be going to the beach for an evening ride but the overcast sky dictated that we stay close to home. So we headed down the woods.

We have always ridden in that woods. Everyone does. It's often the only place for the poorer horse owner to go jumping such as myself. I can't afford to buy jumps and even if I could the sand school at Kestal is only 20ft long. It's not a big enough space to practice without crashing into the fence. I would like to just jump real fences rather than logs but hey, you get what you need not what you want.

So we had had a few good jumps already, I'd taken Nell down a drop bank to do some exploring, and Emma and I were on our way back. I normally have a favourite jumping log of mine halfway through the woods. Its small with good firm run-up and a lack of trees to run in to.

So we were minding our own business and Nell was jumping just the right way when some nosy woman with THREE snapping, barking minature snauzers comes up to us. We had pulled the horses up to avoid aggravating the dogs any further but the woman was obviously on the war path now. We were in the woods. where she was walking her dogs. And it was a "footpath". Shock.

So she asks us if we knew it was a footpath. My response... No. I didn't know. Despite the fact there is a sign outside which says footpath. I'd never noticed it and as we'd always jumped in the woods I had never paid attention much.

Anyway, she goes on to say that we shouldn't be in the woods as it was a footpath and that we should leave NOW.

Normally I apologise; explain I didn't know, then head home. After all we could come back on another day... But this woman had such a rude tone and the fact she had the cheek to say "I can't hear you" when her own dogs were making the noise, raised my hackles. I told her that we were going to finish jumping first, and then we would leave. She asked which yard we were based at. I told her that we were from Kestal and that our yard manager was also the grounds keeper for the woods. I turned away from the rude lady, and continued as though she wasn't there. Obnoxious people only deserve the same back.

She continued to complain that she had to put her dogs on the lead because of the horses. Well what do you know? If you actually trained your dogs properly they wouldn't have to go on the lead. My dog walks alongside the horses when we ride, as do many of my friends dogs. And you don't have to have a horse to teach them that barking and running at horses is unacceptable behaviour.

So after ignoring her she storms off saying that she is going to report us and so on. Well good luck to her. Not only did she have the WHOLE DAMN WOODS to walk in, we were off the main footpath so what is she going to report us for? Jumping a 1ft log in a secluded part of the woods at 6:00 evening on a wet day?

Surely there are better things to be doing with your time. How about getting those nasty dogs of yours trained? At 6:00 in the evening you don't expect to see people walking in the woods. Especially when the grey clouds roll in and it looks like its about to piss it down.

We horse riders truly are sorry that we have to use the footpaths, and roads, and beaches and woods and wherever else you don't want us to be. However, I don't see any of you doing something about it. I don't see you building bridlepaths or offering to re-turf old ones. I don't see you volunteering to trim back overgrown lanes or opposing building new roads on our bridlepaths. So perhaps before you start complaining you have a look at a map yourself. Instead of telling me to look at a map and see I'm on a footpath, you look at a map and tell me where there's a bridlepath that DOESN'T cross a footpath or road.

Edited to add: The rough speed of a horse WALKING is 3mph. Trotting is about 10mph, canter is between 17 and 28, and gallop is between 29 and 40mph depending on the horse. In other words, a horse can cover 3 miles in 1 hours ride at its slowest pace. Our rides are roughly two to three hours long equalling between 6 and 9 miles covered if we were just to walk. You try and find a cornish bridlepath that long.

Duracell pony

I think Nell has a couple of duracell batteries stuck up her ass... she is that fit at the moment. We went on an intense ride with LOTS of trotting. The first trot was exhausting... for me anyway. She was somewhat lethargic to begin with after stuffing herself all night with grass so I had to sqeeze everytime I sat. Driving her up that hill was painfully hard.

Halfway around the ride she started to perk up and the trotting was steady rather than *rise... Squeeze! rise... Squeeze!* Nor was it at the other extreme of having to stand because her trot's too fast to sit then rise to.

We had a couple of nice canters with good clear aids, resulting in a canter straight off the leg instead of the awful extension. Both canters were steady and controlled.

Overall it was an enjoyable ride but all that trotting really tired me out and I sweated buckets. As for Nell? No sweat. literally. Not under the girth, saddle or the elbows. She was as clean as when I took her out.

The weather is set for rain tomorrow but on the off chance that it is clear in the evening, Emma and I are heading down to the beach. I'll work her hard then and see - after the climb up the cliffs - if she actually sweats.

Oh and update on Rocky: He's absolutely fine. Just a pulled muscle as we suspected although after his fall he had a couple of small nosebleeds. They havn't come back since though so he's almost back to normal.

Not quite the way we planned it...

Lisa, Emma and I all got out for a ride today. Unfortunately, it doesn't always go to plan.
It wasn't the nicest of days to start with - a bit hazy and grey - but the air was warm and it wasn't raining for the moment.

When we got down to the boys field they were all sleeping, with the exception of Quids, and Rocky who was standing some distance from the rest of the herd. When Emma went to catch him it was pretty obvious he was lame. Suspecting nothing more than a pulled muscle, we decided to go ahead with the ride and it did - to some extent - loosen up.

He was happy to try overtaking Tralee, so we made the decision to press on and do Rocky Road. Trotting on the lanes was fine but the road seemed to be a bit of a struggle for the old boy so we stayed to the walk until reaching the top of Rocky road where we always start the canter.

Nell was being an ass, refusing to step up a gear into the canter, and instead extended her trot. Still; it was fast enough for the boys to get a canter behind me. As I slowed her down however, to try and stop the extension and get the canter, I heard Lisa shout my name.

I pulled Nell up to find Emma clambering to her feet. The wet ground combined with a pulled muscle has caused Rocky to slip sideways and fall. It was a bit of luck that he chucked Emma out of the stirrups as she fell and no-one was badly hurt. I felt bad in some ways that Emma had fallen off but in others relieved because she got back on and we had another canter, so her confidence is not totally in shreds. ;)
This was only her second fall in all the time she has been riding. The first time she fell was the first time she ever sat on a horse - which dumped her quite badly. To be fair she has gotten away with it so far. I normally average about one fall per year, while she has taken 4 years to fall off once. Either she is lucky, is a better rider than she thinks or she has some special magnets in her jeans...

All I can say is I'm just thankful I didn't take Jade today.
We got back in time as a wave of rain hit us. It wasn't particularly heavy but it was consistant. I was pleasantly surprised to find not a speck of sweat on Nell. She really is thriving at the moment. She is behaving wonderfully well, and seems to be establishing a relationship of sorts with Tralee. It could just be her getting broody and fruity but I would like to think they'd become friends...

Rocky was fine, although he may be a bit sore tomorrow. The poor lad hasn't had a very good day, poor bugger. Mum left him in the stable tonight with plenty of haylage as he seemed quite reluctant to go out into the rain - which I don't blame him for. We'll give him a few days off riding and see how he goes. He was never worked hard before we got him so a lack of fitness makes him more suseptable to pulled muscles. Of course we always worry about laminitis but a lack of heat in the hooves and the fact he is not overweight doesn't really scream it. We will keep an eye on it and keep you all posted on how he's doing.

Blech.

The weather has been up and down all week. One minute sunny then the next, grey and cold. Today is a grey, wet and chilly day. Certainly not riding weather.

Hopefully though, this week will be dry enough to take Jade and Lisa for a ride down to the beach. I should be riding with Liz as well and possibly do some jumping with Emma.

Peter, down at Tregurtha has leant us a homemade rope halter to try on Nell. If it works then I'll have a go at making one of my own, just thinner. She hasn't been quite so bad now that she's settled in, but the longer I leave her in the field, the harder it will be the next time I want to get her out.

The horses are back out on the fields again. It has been a long and difficult month, but now Tralee and Rocky are back in the summer field, Nell and Lucy have the whole chicken field to themselves and we have two young women who are interested in part loaning the Rockstar. Just Tralee to go, and some of our financial worries will be sorted.

To top it all off, we may have found somewhere cheaper and closer to home for Nell and Lucy to go. I can't say anything much though in case someone snaps it up before us. Everything is up for grabs at the moment and all it takes is a slip of the tongue and you've lost a field...

Salami!

I swear, I'm going to make salami out of Nell! The damn mare has now learnt that if she canters off while I'm leading her I'll let go of the rope and she can run back to the field. I was so angry with her. The sooner we give Lucy back the better it will be for both me physically, and Nell mentally.

It didn't help Lucy crawled under both electric fences then came galloping towards us. Mum took Lucy and walked her back up to the paddock, fixed the fence, hooked it up to the mains then came to look for me. By the time that was done, Nell had shoved her shoulder into me, pushed me into a field half way down the lane, took off in the canter then buggered off back in the direction of Lucy.

And people think Haflingers are all sunshine and butterflies! Huh! I would like to let anyone considering buying one know that THEY DO NOT POOP RAINBOWS! In other words, they are not all well behaved little ponies who will be perfect show ponies for your little darlings.
In fact some are just hell raisers. I can't fault Nell when I ride, in fact I had a very nice ride that same day, but every horse has their bad side. Nell's happens to be her bad ground manners.

We got from Kestal, round the lakes and back in record time - just over 1 hour. Nell was sweaty and a bit tired but not enough to lead quietly back to the field. The safest option was to lead her through the fields as I knew she would have to get through 3 gates before getting to Lucy wheras it would have been too easy for her to get back to the field if I had led her down the lane.

At the first field we got half way up before she tanked and left me standing alone. She got to the gate and unable to go through, ran around the field screaming. There was nowhere to go - neither towards Lucy or back to the stables - so I walked calmly over to the gate, pretending I was going to open it. Smart as Nell is, she fell for it and I took her rope, led her back down the field towards the barn, then turned and walked her to the next gate.

As soon as we got through the gate she surged forward. The same process as above followed for two or three times before she walked the length of the field.

At the next gate she didn't even wait for me to get through before shoving her shoulder into me and galloping to the next gate. I repeated the process. Catch, take back to previous gate, lead. By the third attempt I was getting tired of being pulled through the gateway so I tied to to it.

As I opened it, she tried again to shove past me but found herself stuck. I gave her a good whack with the end of the lead rope to let her know it was not acceptable behaviour. Eventually after much pulling and sidestepping she stood waiting, so I undid the rope and she walked on to the last gate. I tied her again, opened it up then retrieved her.

We did eventually get back to the field - both in one piece - but it took a whole hour to do it. Yesterday I practiced leading her away from Lucy, which worked fairly well with a bridle on. I have decided to get a pressure halter instead though, as I know leading her in a bit will only make her hard mouthed. The halter I want is quite thin so she should quickly get the idea that trying to pull away = discomfort. I'll be getting it as soon as possible so watch this space to see how that goes!

Spring fever!

the long dark of winter is over and I have spring fever! I can't wait to be out riding all easter and don't worry - there will be lots of photos this time!

I'm finally getting somewhere with regards to finding out Nell's real identity: I got an e-mail from the westphalian horse registry. They may have found her. The downside is it will cost me 250.00 euro - roughly £116 uk pounds at the moment. I am considering it as it will include a full investigation, dna testing and whatever else they can give me. I may wait for a while though - I have livery bills to pay over summer and I'm not in a hurry for it.

With the days warmer and drier, I will be doing some competing. There's a fun showjumping show locally coming up that I might attend and an agricultural show where I want to enter some art, photography and the dog into.

Here's a piece of my artwork that will definitely be going:

Lisa and Jade are going to be riding again this easter. I WILL HAVE PICS THIS TIME! so keep watching this space. ;)

Sitting on the fence...

Extremism is everywhere. There are always people who refuse to believe any other way is better that theirs and there are those who are utterly opposed. Sometimes it becomes a war. I realised this when I stumbled across an anti-fuglyhorseoftheday blog. And it surprised me.
I am certainly not a loyal and devout follower, although I do enjoy reading the blog, but neither am I for calling her a complete hypocrite either. The anti-fuglies bash on her mainly for her hypocritical view on her own average, nothing fancy stallion, who they think should be gelded - something Fugly has always preached. No-one there likes how her followers prey on anyone who opposes her views. For the most part both sides are well spoken, educated voices so there is no divide between their ability to dish dirt.
However someone mentioned there something about which side of the fence you choose. So which side do I stand on?
Neither. I sit on the fence.
I believe that in every walk of life, every aspect of a situation needs to be addressed. Not everything is black and white, wrong or right. If you do not tread carefully you can end up in the firing line. Saying something wrong to the wrong person at the wrong time and in the wrong place could easily leave you humiliated. If you choose a side, stay with them. Do not seek out the opposite end of the spectrum just for the bravado because you will be burned. Otherwise, if you don't want problems from either party, stay out of the way. Keep comments light if you must share your oppinion and never agree completely with either side.

In other news, Nell and Lucy were moved down to Kestel on thursday so they are all in one place now. Hip Horray!

Beaches and Banners

Spring really is here now. The daffodils are blooming, the sun is bright and the horses are losing their winter coats. Oh and up there ^ is our new banner. Lovely is it not?

So today was another beautiful day that makes living in Cornwall absolutely magical. Every colour was rich and vibrant, each green leaf sunkissed and beautiful to behold. Today I noticed everything in all it's beauty for finally the long, barren, colourless winter is over. Look through the eyes of an artist, a poet, a writer; and you will know exactly what I talk about.

A ride to the beach was in order. I normally go down once a week to school anyway but I haven't really had the energy to ride all the way down there for a while so it felt good to be down by the sea again. We had very little beach left by the time we got their but we made the most of what we had. I now have my dad's old camera which is by no means old. As you can see it takes stunning photos. Rocky quite liked the water and must have enjoyed the taste as he found a salty rock and started licking it. Nell got her feet wet but backed up the beach very quickly when the waves "chased" her. She didn't spin but it was an odd sensation having her run backwards.

We finished with a couple of nice canters although it was difficult to do with so many people on such a small amount of beach.

Keen to get home as ever, Nell charged up the slipway nearly breaking a canter to get up the steep slope. At the top of the coast and beyond the Skewers's farmTwo large fields with an opening in the hedge between them offered a fantastic spot to canter. At first Nell did her long extended trot, refusing to move up a gear but when Rocky was put in front to canter she didn't want him leading. The result was an explosive haflinger. She went from a standstill to an extended canter, surging past Rocky. They were next to one another as we passed through the narrow hedge opening - a little too close for comfort, then Nell carried on past Rocky; obviously making sure she was still boss.

I just can't get enough sunshine at the moment! We're going Rocky Road tomorrow as long as something doesn't go wrong again. Last time Nell threw up lame so I really am looking forward to going there.

Shovelling Shite

Nell is pretty much back to normal now and is charging around the field at her usual pace. Went for a ride yesterday with Emma on Lucy and she was looking great. My thighs are a bit sore - we rode bareback but still managed to poo-pick the field today with Emma's help. Everything is ready for the girls to move back to Kestel now and the paddock was completely clear of steaming mounds of dung until Nell christened it as we walked out the gate. >:(

Hopefully we will get down on to the beach tomorrow. I will take my camera and fingers crossed - remember to get some photos for an update tomorrow.

Quick update

Nell is now about 90% sound. It seems she just pulled a muscle after all and every day looks better. There was a little bit of lameness when she was chasing me up and down the fenceline this evening but by my rekoning she should be fine by next week.

Rocky made the integration into the bully boys herd yesterday evening. Rodney, Tralee, Quids and Puzzle all seem to be ignoring him for the moment although there was a small amount of fighting between Rodney(herd leader) and Rocky when Puzz was first turned out. Rocky gave Rodney a good warning with his back legs and all now seems quiet.

Nell and Lucy move down to Kestel in 2 weeks. There is still 3 weeks before the all horses are allowed back on the fields although chicken field is being used for the bully boys. Everyone else was too lazy to walk up there so we have the field to ourselves. Their loss. I know Tralee is relieved to be out of the stable.

Spring is right around the corner and the weather has been absolutely like summer. The heat is amazing and here's hoping it will stay that way until Autumn.

Lame

Went for a ride with Emma today. Nell seemed to be a little off but it wasn't until I got her trotting I realised something wasn't right. The more I watched the quicker I realised she was lame on the near fore.

We were meant to have gone for a long ride, as Tralee is in the stable with only 3 hours turnout a day, for a whole month to re-seed the fields. However half way round we turned off to Croft Gothal instead of Rocky road. I didn't want to push her.

I will give her a week of just light riding and if no improvement we will have to call out Otty to have a look at her.

On the plus side, I got some good pictures to send to the Westphalian horse association. I hope they can ID her or at least e-mail me back if they can't. I hate it when people never reply.