A couple of years ago, my chum, Claire and I "broke" Smokey to drive. I put the word "broke" in inverted commas because I don't like the work and I certainly hope he wasn't "broken". To cut a long story short, all was going swimmingly until we had a freak accident and our respective confidences took a bit of a knock. Shortly after the accident, I was contacted by a chap called Simon Mulholland, who designs, builds and drives (with Henry) the Saddle Chariot www.naturaldriving.co.uk. At the time, we were going off on holiday (July 2007), and I kind of put it on the back burner. Anyway, I had another look at the website a couple of days ago and emailed Simon. He called today and we had a bit of a chat on the phone. I'm hoping we'll eb able to meet up soon.
Unfortunately, Simon seems...
When we came back from holiday, Smokey had developed a mild case of laminitis. While we were away, the weather had been mild and sunny resulting in a flush of grass - so sair feet for the boy. Laminitis isn't uncommon in slightly overweight ponies who aren't doing much work but it can be very serious if the inflammation is bad.
Lucky for us, it wasn't but it's put an end to Smokey's outdoor 24/7 lifestyle. He's now boxed at night and out for part of the day in a field with his chums but with very little grass. To be honest, he's quite content being in - I thought he might fret, but no. A fellow owner feeds him in the morning, gives him a fresh haynet and tops up his water. I go up at lunchtime and longrein him in the arena before turning him out; I do his box and fill his haynets...
I was back in the saddle yesterday for the first time in a long time (apart from two very brief and demoralising events over the summer). And it felt good! It was in the arena and we didn't do anything except walk and trot, backup and turns on the forehand but there was no spooking at the trailers, or the jumps, or the digger parked outside the arena fence. Smokey did have a good, long look at himself in the digger's window, but he IS a handsome boy.
I did plan to ride today but just had so many other things to do, I ended up just walking Smokey out in hand for 15 minutes (for his feet). However, the walk gave me a chance to play some games with him, to keep him listening and respectful. The plan is to do this every weekday and ride at the weekend. Give us both the chance to get a...
Well, I had my riding lesson and it was fine. In a group with three under tens,it wasn't hard to shine - at least I could keep my horse on the track! We walked, trotted, had a little canter, managed to stay on for a couple of little bucks. So I'm feeling a bit better emotionally - physically, I can hardly walk. I'm going for another lesson on Saturday, then I think it will be time to get on my own horse.
And no cameras!
I'll keep you posted!...
I'm going for a riding lesson tomorrow. I haven't ridden for ages, initially because of a medical problem then latterly because I've lost my confidence. Over the last few weeks, I've started to feel like I want to ride again. I'm going to have a lesson on a school horse for a couple of reasons - firstly, it will know what it is doing and secondly, there is no "emotional baggage" as there is with Smokey and me.
In preparation, I bought a pair of Musto "Snugs". Dan nearly had a heart attack when I told him how much they were - and telling him they were a bargain via the internet didn't seem to help! But, boy, are they wonderful. I haven't seen myself in a mirror (and nor do I want to) but they look fine looking down. And they are soooo comfy - they're like fleecy leggings but you...
I wasn't too keen to play in the wee ( 5 starters) HORSE poker game organised by the RTR crew, as I've only ever played Holdem and a little 5 card draw, and I'm totally clueless about Omaha,Stud,razz etc.In the end my lack of knowledge just added to the fun and I had plenty of helpful advice and nudges in the right direction from Matty ,Mair,Hammer and dD.I enjoyed watching two players turn up their cards and trying to work out who had won and why.I've still no idea how I actually won the game in the end but I did and maybe,just maybe I'll play some HORSE ( Holdem,Omaha,Razz,Stud)again sometime...We played a couple of $16 nl,18 player turbos afterwards and I managed to run KK into AK ( rivered a straight) in one and couldn't get 1010 to hold v KQ in the other but dD managed 2nd in one for...
It's a lovely day here so we've been working outside. At thsi time of year, it seems that tidying and cleaning are the order of the day - and that suits me fine. While Dan was painting the window frames, I spent a happy hour scrubbing the rubber mats out of Smokey's stable.
Since we moved him home in February, the mats have been stacked behind the wood store - for seven months, I've been going to clean them since February but today turned out to be the day. It was so warm, working in the sun - it never seems so much like work, though.
It's funny how certain smells bring back memories. I was using Jeyes fluid to clean the mats - and it took me right back to when I worked on a farm in Northumberland. We used Jeyes fluid to clean calf buckets and equipment.
I'm glad I kept the...
As you know, Smokey shares a field with three (or sometimes four) other horses. You may also have read my rant about ragwort and other injurious weeds. Well, I decided I should learn a bit about managing grass for horses. I have, therefore, bought a book called "Managing Grass for Horses" by Elizabeth O'Beirne-Ranelagh. Over the course of the next few weeks, I intend to amaze you with interesting facts.
Today's interesting fact: horses create latrine areas in their field. They will go to these areas to wee and poo. However, horses won't graze near poo (can't blame them for that, can you?) so the latrine areas become full of long grass and weeds. You will have seen this in horse fields - areas of long, rank grass (the ungrazed latrines) interspersed with areas of very short grass,...
Smokey's just had a wee bath. It wasn't a big bath - he was kind of topped and tailed, so he's white at both ends with a dull brown bit in the middle. He's awful itchy. I had hoped the immunotherapy had worked, and early in the season it looked like it had, but he's awful itchy now. His mane is thin in one place and the top of his tail is rubbed. He's also rubbed his face.
So tonight he had his face, mane and tail washed with insect repellant shampoo, and loads of soothing lotion applied. I don't know whether to put a fly mask on him - I suspect it's too late and sometimes the seams cause more rubbing than they prevent.
The midges were torture this morning - I was getting eaten alive when I was feeding the horses.
After his bath, he got his favourite treat - wholemeal bread...
As if we didn't have enough "driving trials" of our own - we went to watch some yesterday at Hopetoun House. Horse driving trials are the driving equivalent of a three day event. Yesterday was the marathon - the cross country part. We didn't stay long - partly bacause I wasn't dressed for the cold and partly because we had so much to do here.
However, we did do a spot of Royal watching! We knew HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was one of the judges but when we spotted him on his Easy Rider moped, we had to do a double take. He's good value for 80+ - but he should really get a moped with an electric start - the kick start seemed a bit hard!
Dan took some nice photos - the tandem diving looks scary. I didn't realise how the front horse moved away from the vehicle until I saw...
Now that Smokey is at home (or as near as makes no difference), I have taken it upon myself to keep the field clear of poo. The first few times I collected it, it went on some of the vegetable beds. Then I made a big pile for autumn application. Then...
my friend Carol took a trailer load and there's another trailer load ready to go.
And a half full wheelbarrow waiting to be emptied into the next empty trailer.
And just as I finished tonight, in the rain, Smokey lifted his tail and deposited another pile, and looked at me as if to say "Don't worry, Mum, I'll not let it run out".
I think I'll advertise it at work......
I've just ordered a copy of "The ByerleyTurk" by Jeremy James. It's the true story of one of the three foundations stallions of the English Thoroughbred breed of horse. The other two were the Darnley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian, I think.
Anyway, this got me reminiscing about books I read as a child (lots of horsey books, mainly).I can remember reading a novel about the Godolphin Arabian but I can't remember the name of the book or the author. I can remember that the horse has a wheatsheaf mark on him and he has a wee, short name. I'd love to read it again so I'm relying on you folk out there to know the name of the book and to let me know.
Over to you and thanks in anticipation....
As you will know, Smokey and I have been learning to drive over the winter and into spring. It's all been going very well and he has been an absolute star.
Last Wednesday, however, we had a bit of a setback. For various reasons that I won't bore you with, there was a bit of a carry-on in the field, so Smokey was a bit hyped up. I wanted to take Smokey driving (a pal of Dan's was going to backstep for me), so I caught him, harnessed him up and started to lead him along the track to the road, where I usually get on. I'm not really sure what happened, but Smokey got more distressed and bolted. I simply couldn't hold him. He went along the track, on to the road, round a 90 drgree bend, then tipped the buggy at the next 90 degree bend.
By the time we caught up, the buggy was on its...
Last weekend, Chris smoothed a track round the field for training his trotting horses on. On Monday, he took Coalford Legend round the track in the exercise cart. Smokey (and Johnny) went wild! Obviously, PULLING a cart is not the same as seeing a cart BEING PULLED by another horse! This was quite interesting, since I plan to use the circuit as well for driving. Smokey's reaction indicated to me that harnessing him to the buggy and taking him out with Coaly was NOT a good idea.
By Wednesday night, Smokey and Johnny were grazing quietly while Coaly did his laps.
So, on Thursday night, I dressed Smokey in his long reins and roller and waited for Chris and Coaly to appear. I am SO GLAD I was on the ground - Smokey was up on his back legs, spinning, backing up - twice, I was down to...
I picked the winner of eth Grand National today. I studied the form, the weights, the jockeys and picked Silver Birch because I like grey horses and a horse called SILVER Birch had to be grey. Of course, Silver Birch wasn't grey but he still won!
What will I spend my winnings on......
Since Smokey lives out all year without a rug, he develops a pretty heavy coat. So when it gets to thsi time of year, he has a lot of hair to shed. There are white patches all ovet the filed, where he's rolled and huge clumps, where I've brushed him or simply pulled out handfuls of hair.
Today, I noticed a flock of starlings collecting huge beakfuls if this hair - presumably to line their nests. Combined with their diet of fat cakes and "gourmet robin food", I expect a bumper crop of young starlings later in the year....
I've had such a nice weekend (and it's not over yet!). Claire and I took Smokey driving yesterday. It was quite hard work for him - uphill in trot with the gig and two (lightweight) passengers - but he rose to the task. He CAN move when he wants (see him in the field!) but I think his preferred working gait is trot. When he settles into a rhythm, he feels like he could go forever with very little effort.
Claire took some video from the backstep. Note the modern handheld camera techniques - Oscar next year.
I just wish some motorists would have a bit more patience and pass us a BIT wider. A few yesterday couldn't have been more than 6" from the hubs. I was considering strapping a large carving knife to the hub - a la Boudiccea - to see if that deterred them!! Alternatively, I...
Dan has finally decided to take the plunge and resign from his job at the Council and go freelance. But that's not what this diary entry is about.
Partly because Dan will be working away a bit, we decided to approach our neighbour and ask if we could graze Smokey with his horses. A trial period has been agreed so weekend before last (is it that long since we posted anything?), I long reined Smokey from Blackfaulds home. Claire came with me for moral support.
There are three other horses across the road - one retired trotter called Johnny's Decision (Johnny); one trotter called Coalford Legend (Coaly) and a two year old soon-to-be trotter called Winning Hand (Andy). Smokey was turned out with Johnny and Andy and we waited to see what would happen. In an ideal world, we would have...
Now that I've got Smokey at home (or near enough), we had to bring his gig down. We could have put it in a horse trailer, but we, ie Claire and I, decided to drive him home. Now, this was a kind of openended decision because we'd never had him on the road before, so we'd never dealt with sloping surfaces. So for the first time, Smokey would be expected to provide the brakes for the gig on downhill slopes, by taking the weight on the breeching strap of the harness, which runs round his thighs.
For safety's sake, we decided make the journey early Sunday morning. I took Smokey up on Saturday and left him in his box overnight. On Sunday morning, again for safety, we decided to lead him down the sloping road from the stables, to see how he would go. He was brilliant! After about 1/4...
Smokey and I are lucky enough to be going on a three day foundation course with US horseman, Bruce Logan. Bruce was a Parelli 3* instructor before going off run his own Foundation Station in Texas. He's worked with some of the greatest horsemen of our times including Ronnie Willis and Buck Brannaman (the "Horse Whisperer" of Robert Redford's film).
Bruce is coming to the UK for the first time in February to do the three day Foundation Course for eighteen horses and riders, including our good selves, and a ten day colt start at the new Scottish National Equestrian Centre at Oatridge, West Lothian. Spectators are welcome at the Foundation Course - £25 for one day, £45 for two and £65 for three. For advance tickets and info, email infobruceloganuk@yahoo.co.uk
There is also a...
I spent a few (!) minutes surfing the web tonight and found two sites that I thought were interesting, so tought I'd list them here.
The first is www.daleslogger.com which is the website of the Working Dales Pony Centre in North Cumbria. I'm planning a visit already.
The second is www.suffolkpunchtrust.org, which is the website set up by the Trust to publicise its work in protecting and promoting the Suffolk Punch horse. If any of you have read Paul Heiney's books, you'll remember that it was Suffolk Punch horses that he worked with. The Suffolk Punch is in the RBST Critical category so could use our support!!
Enjoy....
Yippee! Smokey and I had our first drive on Tuesday.
Claire and I got him set up then she drove him first, being much more experienced than me. Then I had a turn. It wasn't what I expected - it was much bumpier for one thing although that might be due in part to the surface. Smokey was so good. We stayed in walk and in the arena, but he was so cool. The surface is quite deep and wet, so I think it must be quite hard to pull.
After we finished, Smokey took the gig back to the shed, along the road and it was obviously much easier for him.
Since Smokey didn't look like he was going to explode, Claire had time to take a short video of the big event!...
Yesterday was big day for us. Smokey took a big step forward in his driving career and was "put to" the gig for the first time. Last weekend, he saw the gig for the first time, sniffed it, touched it and followed it around. Yesterday, we built on that, again letting him sniff and touch it, then leading and longreining him around it.
He was quite calm about all this, so he was asked to stand while Claire brought the gig behind him and lowered the shafts down. He had a wee look behind but never moved a foot. So we hitched him up to the gig and led him around the arena, in walk, with lots of stops (and a few polo mints) to let him think about what was happening.
The only time he lifted his head was when I asked him to turn a wee bit tight and obviously he couldn't bend his body...
Here's the first photo of my Bennington. I suppose, strictly speaking, it's Smokey's Bennington.
He saw it for the first time today and was interested but not hugely impressed. He followed it round the arena - my chum, Fiona, was pulling it - and didn't seem too concerned. We also dragged a tyre up the road - Smokey wasn't bothered by the tyre but the other horses spooking in the fields, spooked him.
When we tried tyre dragging in the arena, Fiona sat on the tyre. Smokey's face was a study as he had to drag something heavy (no disrespect intended, Fiona) for the first time. I'm sure it was heavier than the gig. What a marvellous invention the wheel is!
And here's two photos of Smokey. In the second, he is examning someone's grooming kit and probably trying to remember what...
Despite the horrible weather. our carriage driving has taken a significant step forward. Today, Dan's Dad and I braved the storm and headed off to Gleneagles Hotel to pick up our carriage!
It's a Bennington two wheeled gig (I think - I need to get to grips with the types of carriages). It's not new, but it will do us through the winter and next summer. Next winter, we'll put it off the road for six weeks or so for a full strip down and renovation. Dan's Dad is really good at these kind of projects and was working his way round it today, muttering things like "hmm, we'll need stainless steel bolts here" and "definitely brass buckles there" and " a nice bit of coachlining will make all the difference".
It wasn't a day for photography, but if it's decent next weekend, I'll get a...
Well, all is not going quite as planned.
The first set of harness I bought for Smokey was cheap rubbish and went straight back to the supplier. The second set was really nice but too big in the breast collar, although it was OK in the breeching. The third set (same make as the second but a different size) fitted in the collar but was way, way too small in the breeching. So, we 're buying custom made. It's from a company called Libbys, which makes a range of synthetic tack and equipment for horses and dogs. It can take up to three weeks to come but hopefully it will be sooner than that.
So we're still longreining and hacking out. We're also trying to source a vehicle so if anyone out there knows of an exercise cart for sale, suitable for a 15.1hh Highland, let me know.
It's been...
Well, Smokey got to try on his new harness tonight.
First, he had to have a wash because he was absolutely filthy and I didn't want the harness to get mucky in case it had to go back. I didn't shampoo him, just rinsed him off.
He was very patient while I worked out which bit went where and attached to which other bit. I think the front parts - the breast collar and saddle are fine but the back bit - the crupper and breeching seem a bit big, although the breeching might be better when it has shafts in it. I didn't use the new bridle with the blinkers because I'd like him to be comfortable with the basics without blinkers.
Once I got him harnessed, I played some games with him so I knew he was physically and emotionally comfortable in the harness. A friend who keeps a horse at...
Smokey's new harness arrived today. Our living room looks like a "house of bondage". I think I know what's what and how it goes together, but we'll find out on Wednesday. I'm a wee bit worried that it might be too big, but Smokey's working hard to fill it. I can't believe how much grass there is - all the horses are pooing pure grass - it's like springtime!!
Anyway, so he doesn't outgrow his new clothes, I've looked out his grazing muzzle. I bought it ages ago and have never used it. We'll see how it goes.
I can't wait to try the harness. It's synthetic so can go in the washing machine when it gets dirty - by the colour of Smokey, that will be about two minutes after I put it on. You wouldn't think that he'd been clean this time last week.
I'll try and get some photos of him in...
Dan and I were down in the Lake District this weekend. While there, we took the opportunity to watch some horse driving trials at Holker Hall, near Cartmel, organised by the Scottish Carriage Driving Association. I've had a hankering to learn to drive and teach Smokey to drive and am now sort of progressing that, so I thought it would be good to see some folk in action.
Horse driving trials have three phases - like eventing. There's dressage, cones (the equivalent of show-jumping) and the marathon (the equivalent of the cross country phase). We watched the dressage and the cones on Saturday, but didn't have time to go on the Sunday.
Most of the entries were ponies. Naturally, I was looking out for any Highland ponies. I thought I spotted one! Dan said "it's a bl**dy big Highland....
Now, I'm not one who baths her horse regularly. In fact, I don't bath Smokey much at all, which is why he's probably the dirtiest horse on the yard. That and his sweet itch, which makes him roll - I think the mud must be soothing. I also don't bath him because he winters out without a rug, so he needs the oil in his coat for protection. I DO wash his mane and tail with a soothing insecticidal shampoo during the summer, again for the sweet itch.
However, it was a really nice day today; sunny, warm with a wee breeze and I decided it was time for Smokey's annual bath. He was really mucky and it seemed like a jolly good idea. I think he enjoyed it - he had a good scrub with shampoo and a rubber curry comb, which really worked out the dirt, then a rinse with the hose, a scrape down...
