Mrs P.

This is Mrs P. She has just come to us having had little attention for some years. She lived behind the goat farm until the fire last year and since then has been with a bunch of other ponies on a nearby farm. She has not been broken, has not been stabled and is not used to being tied up. She came with an eye infection and with matted mane and tail. She has very little muscle tone and her coat is dull. The good thing is she has a lovely nature and is friendly and trusting. I'm hoping she will respond to regular handling and that we'll be out riding her very soon. Here we are starting to put various bits of tack on her - it's early days but she has not objected to anything so far. 

As for breaking her in - I am quietly optimistic that we will be successful. I've never single-handedly broken a horse but have helped out over the years.
As a child I rode a lot of horses for older owners so that their horses/ponies could compete at junior level. At some shows I'd just wait in the collecting ring and my mounts would just arrive ready to compete! The first pony I rode was Lion a lovely chestnut gelding - probably about 12.2hh. He was great!


Since then there have been dozens more including the irrepressible Flashadina, seen here after a 'sack race' at Bransgore show. He was quite a character - he taught me a lot!
"Flash' had a hogged main which was very spikey and I was forever bashing my chin on it if he stopped at a jump.

Then this splendid fellow - Mr Soapy Sponge. He was a great horse - too big, too strong and too spirited for the 8 year old me - but great fun. He was fast so as long as I hung on and steered accurately we won everything! I remember a whirlwind jumping round at Stapehill Show - I just aimed him at the jumps and hoped for the best. I had to be 'caught' on the way out because I couldn't stop him.



Then there was Charley (AKA Knightwood Sparrow Hawk) - he was my very first pony. Dad bought him for me and he was a super New Forest pony (a posh one - not dragged off the forest). About 14.2hh and dapple grey, he had a lovely nature (mostly) and was an ideal pony for me.

We grew up together in many ways. He was 4 when I got him and had not been worked much due to (we found out later) having had laminitus. He was a bit too big for me to start with and I struggled for a while, but with the support of horsey friends and lot's of patience we became quite a team. He was a good jumper and we did pretty well at local shows, he wasn't too speedy but we did go for lovely long hacks in the forest - and through town!
My Dad used to like riding, though he never had his own horse, sometimes we'd hire horses and go out in the New Forest for the day. Dad was always up for a gallop and loved racing.
Ours was not a horsey family and my first encounters with horses came after we moved to Castle Gate Close (I was 5).  Nearby there were lanes where Dad and I would go walking and fields full of ponies that we got to know like neighbours. I remember lovely palominos 'Kingcup' and 'Top O'the Morning', then there was 'Pride', 'Shandy', 'Tickety Boo' to name but a few. Towards the river was Four Winds Farm where there lived proper showjumping horses - I remember 'Indianapolis' a great skewbald horse who had suffered a car accident and become very nervous. 'Lady Jane' was a graceful mare who regularly competed at national level. Mum and Dad were very supportive of my hobby and most weekends we'd be up at the crack of dawn polishing and steaming kit ready for the days gymkhana or show.
I found this old photo of my grandfather - he was an Irish cavalry man.

Sunshine After the Rain

Who'd have guessed today would be such a fine sunny day (so far any way). We had a terrific storm last night - really heavy rain bursting the river yet again and flooding the meadows in the valley. The animals are all enjoying the sunshine despite the sodden ground and the stables are all ready for tonight.

Blue sky and a light breeze mean it's a good drying day too!







It's a good day for getting outside jobs done and enjoying watching the hens scratch about contentedly.

The hens have already found new places to lay their eggs in the new barn. It is sometimes a nuisance to have to hunt for the eggs but generally I enjoy the fact that they have the freedom to lay where they please.It reminds me of old times when I was learning to ride at Brown's Riding School in Longham. It was a proper old fashioned yard run by Jimmy and Joan and I had great times there. The yard was always full of mixed poultry which made secret nests tucked in stables and barns all around the yard. As general helpers, we kids were given the task of hunting for the eggs and we loved it! I would spend whole days there and come home exhausted!

 The barn may be new but it's already getting 'barney' baler string adorns the oak posts and, horror of horrors, there are cobwebs appearing in Mr P.'s stable (I'll have to dust)!
A temporary tack room is evolving too!

Dodging storms

Changeable weather has meant limited opportunities to ride.
On this day we went out in sunshine but were lucky to get home before the rain came. I did cross the river as the floods had subsided somewhat - a very odd experience riding through water that high but Mr P. takes it all in his stride.