Nell's action photos

I ♥ my new camera...

Project pony wanted!

The Joe Moyle's Sale is an annual event to pick up bargain basement ponies and horses. Most are youngstock, hairy cobs or trotter types, some with issues, others pregnant, others with foals at foot. Colts there are often ungelded and a few are truly wild. But we went to the sale because of the garuantee of a cheap deal.

Peter from Tregurtha was taking the lorry and I was allowed to come along on the condition that I shut my mouth and listened to him if he said a horse wasn't worth it. That's peter all over. He was there to sell a kitten, chickens and various bits and bobs that accumulate around livery yards like old bikes and hutches.

There were a couple of high quality horses there; in specific a huge leopard appaloosa stallion and a fresian stallion as well, both of which were just being advertised rathter than sold. Then their was the dun gelding in the barn who was also very nice. He was a real dun with a dorsal stripe and a lovely honest face. The other horses were not so correct conformationally but a few still worthy of catching my eye. The first was a 3 yr old pinto but on closer inspection it appeared to have a cataract and the girl selling it put me off completely when she bulldozed through the crowd shouting and waving her arms around at it for no reason. There was a small haffie mare with a foal a crossbred foal at foot and possibly pregnant again. another possibly pregnant 2yr old coloured cob caught my eye but we didn't really want anything that may or may not surprise us with a foal. There was a black 2yr old filly cob who although hairy and a bit ugly would have been ideal if it weren't for the price tag of £850. As it was I only took £300 with me. There was a pretty clydesdale bay sabino mare of 13yrs but she was too old for what I wanted. We nearly bought a 3yr old coloured filly to make 14hh but Peter said £275 was too much for such a small horse so we left her.

So we are still searching. We heard a rumour that Penhalwyn are selling youngstock off very cheaply so we might go have a look there. Stay tuned, I may be back soon with my first youngster!

Financially Stable?

Well, things have been quiet lately. The horses are all going out on part loan to help pay for the supplies we need before winter get here again. Tralee has already got someone to loan him who is a good rider but has lost confidence. She has been riding without fail in all weather so we are hoping she will be an all-year loaner. Considering she was paying nearly £30 for a private lesson and travel costs per week she has saved herself a considerable amount of money as we are only asking £10 per week which should cover his shoes at the end of 6 weeks + a bit of hay money.
There are lots of things to be done and I seem not to find the time to ride much lately so it is just as well that even Nell will be put on part loan so that she is still getting the exercise. I am reluctant to let anyone else ride her but struggling financially is not an option and Mum and I have already decided that we would rather shoot the horses than sell them to someone who may not treat them properly. Grim discussion aside, the weather has been mild albeit dull and overcast and thanks to the school which my mum cleans chucking out an old goal post, I have some new jump poles. Strangely the interlocked poles are the perfect size for jumping and I have enough for the 5 pairs of jump wings that my Uncle is making for me soon, depending of course on how much he's going to charge me.
Nell is still suffering with her skin - her legs are still itchy and she now has sweetitch on her mane where she has been badly bitten. She had little bite absesses all the way up her central parting which we burst, applied sporal-D and TCP and have lagged her mane in aloe vera and aqueous BP to condition the roots and sooth the itching. The injection of ivermectin for feather mites has had no effect on her itchy legs and cost us an arm and a leg but at least they are all completely parasite free!
I'm hoping to update the banner as well a bit so expect some new pictures up there.

Patience is a virtue

We have been waiting for a long time now for a cheaper field to come up close to home. Although Kestal has excellent facilities and everyone there is great, as soon as Jane asked if we wanted to swap places with her we jumped at the chance. As long as Tess; her daughter, likes Kestal we should be moving Nell, Rocky and Tralee down to Gears Lane. Its a 5 minute walk to get there and it should save us around £100 a month or more. We will have 2 large fields that we are fencing into 5 for grazing and a small one that will be used for schooling and jumping, or as a spill over field when the grass gets too long in there. Hopefully Tralee will accept Nell in with him and Rocky, but if not we will just fence off a piece for her. There is no hot water or electrical outlet but you can't have everything and still pay so little.

There are a few things that need to be done though:

• Tralee and Nell's stables need a door put on. They only have a chain across currently to stop them getting into the tie-up area which Tralee and Nell would both figure out how to get through/under etc.
• We might get a small solar powered generator/battery to power a kettle, lighting or other small electric items.
• Electic fencing temporarily around one of the sides of the schooling field due to barb wire. Eventually would like to replace the wire with a proper fence when we have enough money.
• Someone wrote their horses names in pen all over the wood doors. That needs to be scrubbed or sanded off so that we can put some real name plates up.
• Move everything. Our boxes, tack, rugs, fence posts, tape, trolley, feed bins and of course the horses all need to be moved down there in october.

In other news, Nell seems to be looking well again although her fitness has taken quite a knock. She was very lazy today on the ride so will consider adding oats to her feed this winter. She was happy enough to trot all the way up to her field and across it with me bareback today and ran over to the gate to flirt with Justin. She seems to be back to her usual self but has definitely lost stamina since being rested.

Rocky has developed a swelling above his pastern. The girls rekon it is probably just a windgall that won't go away with exercise as he isn't lame with it. Emma and I changed his bit last week to a straight bar half-twist snaffle. It adds a bit more pressure for when he decides to tank off but is milder for him - no more nutcracker action! He is much happier in it - mouthing less, lowering his neck and head and not hollowing out when the reins are pulled - all signs that a bit change was just what he needs to start building a better outline.

Tralee is, as usual, grumpy. He was fairly mellow today though and is happy to be on longer grass. Moving will be more traumatic for him than the other two though. Nell will settle as long as there are horses she knows, food and her humans. Rocky is so chilled anyway he won't be worried at all. He might become a bit withdrawn for a few days until he settles down but he'll be fine with the other two and as long as we give him plenty of cuddles. Tralee is a worry though as he was in the same home for 14 years then for the past 2 has never lived anywhere else but Kestal. We hope that he should be ok with Nell, Rocky and us there but there is always a chance he will try and go back to Kestal.

Fingers crossed Tess likes Kestal and we do get the field. If we do, hopefully moving will go as smooth as possible.

Why do I end up working harder than the horse?

Mum took my uncle's ex riding today. Beverly has said for a while now that she wants to get back into riding so give's us £10 when she uses Rocky. She's still very novicy and hasn't rode in about 14 years so has very little balance, therefore mum rides out with her. I didn't go with them but took Nell around the lakes in the hopes of burning some fat off her due to her putting on some unwanted weight. We whizzed round the lakes in about 15 mins, trotting flat out pretty much all the way but it took about an hour to do the full ride. I'm careful about trotting on the roads for too long as it doesn't do Nell's hooves or legs any good and I wouldn't dare go faster than a slow walk down halammaning hill so it takes at least 20 mins to actually get down to the lakes. After Croft Gothal we'd still only been out for half an hour so I extended the ride a bit. By the time we got home, Nell was warm, tired and breathing quite heavily but she didn't even work up a sweat. There was a small patch under her thick saddle pad where the saddle sits but otherwise I had sweated more than she had. On the plus side I wasn't as hot, tired or sweaty as usual so I must be getting somewhat fitter.

Sarah said she would accompany me to the show jumping on the 9th August with Gully. We went to the beach last week and he was so well behaved for a 4 year old. I think thats Cobs all over though - you can't beat Cobs for temperment and amiability. We got some action shots and are hoping to go down again to get some more - possibly closer this time.

Rocky's nose, which was badly sunburned, is now looking lovely again and is smooth as a baby's bottom. He is developing some muscle tone now and seems to be more eager to go out these days. Tralee on the other hand is feeling rather grumpy and we may need to up his No Bute. His ringbone is getting bigger and seems to be more painful as the heat in his hoof today was much more than the other three. We knew when we got him that the ringbone would probably be the one thing to put him out of work but the riding does seem to ease it more so than just standing in a field.

Well, I'll try to get the photos up here soon but if not then you'll just have to be patient.

Holidays

Well, the summer hols are here and I am already starting to feel a little bored. I have been riding between the rain showers but haven't felt as enthusiastic as normal. I am however, very excited about the upcoming show! Lisa said she was probably going to be busy that day as she's just got a job so it depends on whether Emma is off her legs. Damn surgeons had a poke around but didn't actually bother taking the cyst out from behind her knee... I'll phone her tonight and if she can't come I may have to ask Liz. Even if I don't make it this time around, there are plenty more shows this year.

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.

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.

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.

Jumping problems? solved!

Emma and I finally went for a ride yesterday after many weeks. She bought along her camcorder in the hopes of getting some video of us jumping.

It was a beautiful day and the sun was out. We warmed the horses up by riding around three gates, where we had a lovely canter along the grassy stretch. Nell's canter was rolling and steady so I made the decision to work on turning at speed and kept her going around the corner. Normally she stops at the end of the stretch or breaks down into the trot, but yesterday she was feeling well and cornered with an elegance that would make a dressage horse jealous.

When we got to the woods I tried teaching her to stand to open the gate. It took a while to get close enough but eventually she got the idea that I wanted her to stand next to the fence while I reached across to the bolt. We got most of the way and decided to let Emma finish the job. After all, I could try opening it on the way out.

The big pond in Rocky's field drains off into a river which runs through the woods. The river had flooded leaving many of the trees at the bottom half of the woods standing in water - including the jumps. We walked the horses through the deep water - another one of Nell's dislikes then headed off in search of dry land.

We found a couple of nice easy jumps with a run up that wasn't too boggy and started jumping. Nell was wonderful and I finally figured why our jumping had sucked. I had been restricting her by becoming tense and keeping my reins short and in turn she was cat-leaping because she was struggling to get her head. So I relaxed and allowed her to do the work.

And we flew. No more cat leaping. No more falling behind the movement. My confidence has gone up and I am ready for next time.

Tralee was a poppet but not quite as bothered to be jumping as usual. He took it all in his stride and jumped every one but it may have been too easy for him. After all - a 15.2 Hunter who was used to 6ft hedges need not put much effort into 1ft logs.

On the way out Nell stood close to the gate and for the first time since we bought her; I opened it without getting off.

Two problems were solved yesterday and here's hoping my jumping goal might just become a reality!

From white to brown

Well, the snow dissapeared by Wednesday and as we all know snow is just frozen water. So now we are wading through its remains in the form of knee deep mud and puddles. Thankfully the top field is still dry and most mornings the girls are up there.

In other news, Rocky's fieldmate, Dubai, has been sold so he was meant to have the mares move in with him. Unfortunately most of the mares owners did not like the field having a pond in it - referring to it as a marsh - despite the fact that it was dry and had GRASS. Oh well, their loss. Now Rocky has to eat all that grass to himself. He has company in opposite fields and isn't worried about being on his own anyway so its not our loss.

Tralee is fine. No real news to report on him other than all the boys are very very hungry. He is being bought in during the day and turned out at night while Rocky is in by night and out by day.

Overall their is not much to report as the weather is far too wet and cold to ride in. Perhaps we will get a break in the weather in the next few weeks but I don't hold out much luck.

Groundwork

Nell is an especially bargy mare. She is incredibly hard to turn away from you as she walks ahead of you. If you speed up to put her inside the circle she gets quicker as well. I don't know if it is a dominance issue or whether thats just what her past owners let her get away with but I need to get it under control at some point. I did a few basics like walking a straight line (very difficult when Nell is trying to pull you back to the gate), turning my back to her and changing direction when she walked ahead of me and trotting poles in hand which she was not very keen on at all. It's going to take alot of work this year and their are lots of bad habits that need breaking. We did manage a few jumps in hand though. I did have to turn the leadrope into an extra noseband to stop her shoving me around but once she did a couple of jumps she seemed to start enjoying herself and I didn't need to encourage her much after that. At the end of the seesion when Lucy came back from her ride I attempted a free jump. We have a gate that opens to the top field that consists of two wood planks that slot into metal resters(?) which can be simply slid out of the resters to open the gate or a piece of metal attached to the resters can be pushed down into grooves in the planks to lock it. I simply placed the lowest plank so it was sitting half on the rester and half on the ground. I then tempted Nell to follow me with an apple.
I ran towards the gate and she followed. I jumped over but at the last minute Nell ran out and decided it was safer in the top field than to jump that scary 1.5ft plank of wood! Not worth an apple! The second time she realised that she would have to jump it or stay up their so we tried again. I ran. she followed. I jumped and lo and behold! She followed! She ignored me and cantered straight down to Lucy, looking rather pleased with herself. I did give her the apple though. ;)

My mum has agreed to bring a fellow boarder at Kestel's horse in for her on days she can't. In return we asked if she could teach me to lunge. Its strange that in all the time I've seen people lunging down their I've never thought to ask about it. Its one of those skills that you should know but have never needed. If I can get Nell to follow me over jumps then I will but if not the lunging would be helpful. Especially as I don't think I can even get over 3 ft jumps anymore, I'm so unfit! As that is my goal for this year (ride Nell over 3ft jumps) I might just need to know how to lunge. I don't even know if Nell knows how to so that should be fun!

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Last week Nell broke into the mouldy haylage on the dung pile. Now the bloody mare has a cough. Its her own fault- we taped it off, electrified the fence, fed her in the evening and she still thought it neccesary to break in.

So now we've called the vet and he should be out to take a look tomorrow if all goes well. Lovely, another big bill to pay no doubt. Worst case scenario is mold spores in the lungs and possible irreparable damage. Best case scenario is that whatever it is can be cleared up with no further problems.

I'll let you all know tomorrow as soon as I hear.

Oh, and mum took Tralee hunting this year again. ;) He was good as gold and mum had a great time.

Numbers...

Useful things, numbers. We now know most of Nell's german registration number in fact. I haven't got a reply from the english letter I sent the westphalian registry so I'll have a go in german. This should be good; I haven't done german since yr 9 secondary school - thats 5 years ago!

I know enough to get the message across though and a german neighbour of mine can proof read. So far her registration number would be as follows.

either 41???9992 or 42???9992

The first two numbers represent the westphalian area. The next three numbers are her german registration number(currently unknown), the two numbers after that are her brand number and the last two is her (suspected) birth year.

Thanks to Kerstin Dreborg for the info! We are getting closer!

Have you hugged an old horse today?

It is well known that unlike antiques horses do not get more expensive with age. Many are simply put down when they can no longer cope with the things their owner wants them to do or are simply sold on. There is rarely a market for old horses, even here in the UK and it's a sad fact that many will never find that lifetime home.

Our horses will NEVER suffer that fate. Dear old Tralee turns 20 this year and is one of the few horses to pass through only a couple of homes. He was bought over from Ireland as a 4yr old and lived with the same owner for the next 14 yrs of his life. June will mark his 2nd year with us and we have no intention of ever selling him.

Although we lack much history from Nell, we suspect she has never really had a home for long. Born in Germany, she is a long way from her roots. She is a lifer though. Never again will she be hungry or unloved. Nell has many, many years of riding left in her and I intend to make the most of her lively and spirited nature for however long I have her for.

Lucy is my sister's loan pony. Being a Welsh c she is long lived and this year will turn 28. She is still ridden and although we only have her for one more year, we will miss her. Thankfully Lucy will never be far away and we will always be allowed to visit her.

We could never think of selling our older horses. They have given us so much, isn't it fair we give them a permanent home in return?

When the time comes that they are too sore to do their jobs, we will do the right thing and send them over rainbow bridge. As much as we would all like to hold onto them, it is only for our own selfishness. Once they are gone they do not hurt. Until that time we make their lives comfortable. We rug them when it's cold, give them supplements, feed them warm mashes in the winter and keep their bellies full. We stable them when the rain is too hard, and take them on walks in hand during the long summer days if they are no longer rideable.

But what in return? Friendship, trust, a safe and reliable mount. Older horses have a lot to give. They inspire confidence in us. When we take a fall, our elderlies are always there, waiting to help us feel safe again. They have funny moments like spooking at umbrella's or mobility scooters but never let us down on a busy motorway or when a massive truck rushes by. Not all veterans show their age either. Nell is 17 this year(as far as we know) and still loves to gallop and jump. If you are considering buying a horse this year, there are a lot of older horses out there, just waiting to give you their love and experience.

What did you get for christmas?

Well I got everything I wanted minus the breyer. ;) a bridle that is absolutely gorgeous on Nell, a middleweight turnout rug, tote bag for all my brushes, tack box cover and saddlepad. All in purple of course! I'm most pleased with the rug and bridle. The rug seems slightly lighter weight than her turqouise one but she looked comfy under it.

The most amazing thing happened today... The sun came out! The wind was chilling but it was actually dry for a change so I took Nell out in all her purple gear. Saddlepad, bridle, reins, my jumper, chaps and boots; all purple. It took me about an hour though just to sort the bridle due to Nell's strange head shape. Lengthening the noseband made the bit drop in her mouth, then the throat strap was too small so I took the halter conversion strap off and finally by the time it was sorted she barged me out the door and I had to do a flying mount off the block as she trotted off!

Other than that it was a good ride. It was rather on the quick side but enjoyable nonetheless. I will get some piccies of her all tacked up in her purple stuff for my next entry.