22/02/2012 by shaun.

..is the name of the day. We are nearing the end of February which also means we are nearing the end of stabling our horses. We usually start keeping the horses and ponies out 24 hours a day from 1 April (as a April Fools trick on the horses). With the mild weather that we are having it looks like we will do that this year. So essentially we only have about 5 weeks of mucking out to go. And now the light is coming back in the morning we are able to turn the horses and ponies out a little bit sooner. By this time next week we will be getting the horses and ponies out into the fields at 6.30 and then mucking out in the hour and a half before the school madness. This will leave me longer to ride Remy, Jasmine, Willow and soon tobe joined by Reba (more of her later).

So today it was still a bit dark at 6.30 but we got half the mucking out done before the school run.

And tonight we had two after school lessons which were pretty good and I have promised everybody that from next week we will run unmounted Polocrosse practice from 6.30 until 8pm on Weds. It will be unmounted so we can all get our eyes in again and also to hopefully get some new starts up to speed with the catching and throwing. Call if you are interested.

And we also are finalising the Scottish Polocrosse Ball in Kinross. The date is 28th April. If you are 16 or over then you can book a ticket to this awareness raiser for this fantastic horse sport.

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21/02/2012 by shaun.

..of Africa on his forehead. Look..

Madagasca has grown and slipped south though.

But I better be careful what I write. The horses clearly read this blog and Jasmine did not like being called a Disney character. I went to ride her today and when I picked out her feet she clobbered me. I know have a very sore leg from her kick. I knew I shouldn’t have got those shoes on her! Ouch.

So I also rode Remy today as well. Pam is one ride up on me because she sat on Kit for 8 to 10 seconds this afternoon before the physio arrived.

Anyway, we had Mounted Games league tonight at Pony Club and set up three lanes of games equipment. We had loads of horses in the arena tonight. I took a photo but sadly the phone didn’t take a great photo and its all blurred. Tomorrow we are planning to rise early and get all the mucking out done before breakfast and then off to the gym before returning to ride the horses (and teach lessons of course). I’ll let you know how well it goes tomorrow.

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20/02/2012 by shaun.

..yesterday. Rachel had her sister (Rebecca) and four friends over and played mounted games for an hour. At the end her little brother got to ride Tisky for five minutes. Last time he rode Tisky he slid off his neck and fractured his arm so it was great to see him wanting to get back on and successfully staying on. Rachel and Rebeccas team drew at the end and everybody had a great party time.

Lessons tonight were great with the first two lessons practicing canter and then we played mounted games. I even had them having to dismount if they dropped equipment and fix it. Usually I run around and pick equipment up for them. Jennifer has been very nervous of cantering and we have been boosting her confidence by keeping her on Harry but tonight I put her on Big Misty for a change. Misty was a star and Jennifer cantered around the arena. She now wants to ride Misty again and has promised to let go of the pommel next time. Yippee, success.

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19/02/2012 by shaun.

..character. Because apart from being a princess she disnae canter on the left rein. Boom boom.

This week we have been very busy, with half term activities being full to the brim. On Wednesday we had a play day where we played games on horseback. This is not PC Mounted games but things like Fox and Hound and Handkerchief Snatch. We even played some waterloo All of it was for fun and no competition bit to it. It was great fun. Then on Thursday we had an Accumulator day. In this we started with showjumping in the morning, followed by mounted games and then waterloo and polocrosse. All the competitors got points for there placing in each activity, 6 points for first, five for second etc. At the end of the day rosettes were awarded for the total points. Finally, on Friday we had a jumping extravaganza, with showjumping and then a scurry, a pairs round and a horse and rider round (jump half the course on a horse then dismount and jump the other half carrying a toy pony). Finally we did a chase-me-charlie for fun.

Anthony took video of the chase-me-charlie, so I am hoping that we can get that on U-tube soon. In the meantime I have got some photos of the days.

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13/02/2012 by shaun.

..weight on and has a walk around the arena for ten minutes with Katie on her back. She showed no signs of unsteadyness or lameness so we are hoping that her break is completely healed. Great news if it is. Holli seemed to really enjoy having a rider on her back.

The horses and ponies went out really happily today and were really keen to get out and roll around in the mud. I think that their winter coats are coming out and they are using the mud to help lift the hair off them. Kit had to stay in the pony pens though because of her bruised sole. And Pam can’t ride her at the moment.

In lessons today Merlyn was great, cantering around with Andy and really getting into it. His transitions were fabulous and he really seemed to like it. We gave Willow the night off, Garry rode her on Sunday and she was a bit naughty with him. We think she is coming into her first season and its a bit sore on her sides. It’ll pass and she’ll be back to normal again. And Jasmine continues to refuse to transition into canter on the correct lead on the left rein, so we are getting her into canter and then asking for (and getting) a flying change onto the correct lead. Then cantering around on the correct lead should help her to build up her balance and strength.

And Hannah and I drew the riding competition last week, so I think that is 1 win and 2 draws to Hannah, 1 win and a draw to me, 1 draw to Pam, and no wins to Hamish. Robyn is talking about entering the riding competition next week and the week after.

And finally, we have some purple crocuses up in the garden. I couldn’t take a photo of them because my camera battery went flat and I haven’t been able to charge it up all day. I’ll get them photographed tomorrow.

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11/02/2012 by shaun.

..fall of 2012. Yipee! That’s 13% of my annual target. Willow bucked me off finally after many attempts. Mollie was teaching the 2.45 lesson and I joined in on Remy. Mollie was giving us a jumping lesson. Remy was OK, but just seemed like he couldn’t be bothered to lift is front legs off the ground. But Willow was really naughty with Rowan and wouldn’t canter and then when Rowan asked her she put her little bucks in. The bucks got a little bigger and so I offered to ride Willow over the jumps to get her behaving. Having sat Scotties bucks I thought I was immune. SHe was naughty with me, kept fallling out of canter, then turning away from the jumps and napping and then when I used my legs and the stick she started bucking. So first few attempts were usual and easy and then she almost got me off her back over the gate. She was starting to keep cantering and jumping. So we went for a final jump and she fell out of canter again so I gave her a slap with the stick and she went for it with a huge buck and off I came. First one of the year. I got back on and got her over the jump and then she was great on the other rein. Unfortunately no one video’d it.

So I think I was the only person to fall off today, but it was great fun.

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09/02/2012 by shaun.

..I have an hours break from 5.30 to 6.30 and then out for a couple of adult lessons. It’s dark and cold but the horses and ponies are in eating hay and generally enjoying themselves. Kimmie is now back out in the field with the other horses after her sore foot was keeping her on her toes (as it where). Lucy is also now back out with the ponies and has grown really attached to Corrie. Which is nice for Corrie to have a friend.

Tara had her MOT today and got a clean bill of health from the Vets at Loch Leven Equine. She even was a good weight for this time of year.

And we have three events planned for the half term.

Wednesday 15th Feb Play Day – 10am to 4pm

Following on from the fantastic success of our last play days, back by popular demand is Play Day 3. The same as play day 1 and 2 but further faster and higher, with more games and attitude. Totally suitable for everyone who loves Play Day and those willing to learn the delights of Fox and Hound, Ribbon Snatch, Paper Chase and Smugglers and Excise Men.

Thursday 16th Feb Fun Day Accumulator 10 to 4pm

Games, jumping, waterloo and polocrosse sections. Win points through the day in each section and compete for rosettes and glory. Suitable for everyone.

Friday 17th Feb Festival of Jumping – 10am to 4pm

A Gymkhana without the Gym. This final event consists of a ridiculously huge number of Showjumping Classes of all shapes sorts and sizes. If the title involves the word jump we will do it. Competitors enter individual show jumping rounds as well as Pairs Showjumping, Showjumping Scurry, Pony and Rider jumping and a Chase-Me-Charlie. With rosettes available to sixth place.

Call us if you want to book a space.

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08/02/2012 by shaun.

..but so little time.

Last night was Pony Club (Tuesday) and we were running Waterloo league. I had six junior teams and five senior teams. Every junior team got to play against all the other teams, as did the senior teams. It was very fast and furious. I would say that there were some near misses, but they were less of the miss and more of the near, if you know what I mean. Nobody got seriously hurt, which was a wonder really as Jennifer got head butted by Jasmine but managed to double hand tig Bash whilst he was worried he had hurt her and Danni completely body slammed someone (Charlotte possibly) also getting the double handed tig. And for anyone who hasn’t seen or played Waterloo, I will try to video it next time and get the rules written down.

Today the ponies were allowed out after I had finished re-fencing their field. The shetlands were straight at the new posts and trying to pull them out of the ground. But they held and the ponies gave in.

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06/02/2012 by shaun.

..today because we needed to sort out the pony field fence. After having a lovely bath yesterday, she then bounced around in the mud today while Katie and I whacked fence posts into the ground surrounded by snow drops. As well as that we also mucked out the boxes, Mollie giving Tisky so much hay that he is going to turn it into a bed. Katie isn’t looking forward to mucking him out tomorrow.

We have put Lucy back in the front pens now and Benjie is now in her box in Bethlehem. He is looking awfully skinny and will benefit from the feeding regimen. He is in the stable now making a racket.

Now last week I won the weekly yard riding competition after riding every day except Saturday. This week Hamish has joined in the competition in Ruby, and rode her in the 4.30 lesson. Hannah rode before lessons started and Pam and I didn’t get to ride at all.

Jasmine was used in the adult evening lesson tonight and was lovely. Light in the forehand with the nicest smoothest canter ever.

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04/02/2012 by shaun.

..cometh. As the temperature has got so low that the ice in the water troughs in the fields has frozen and Hannah and Emily were out there today smashing the ice. Here’s what they brought back…

And riding today was full on with lots of cantering practice. Even the 1.45 lesson gave it a go.

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