much more settled...

much more concentration on tea tonight than on activity in the yard, and i was able to brush her off without taking a chance on being run over!

late there due to late meeting with new client, and had to go sort out moving the rest of the hay with gaynor...

she says charlie is very happy back where he came from so good result all round...

we just have to jetwash the stables we've left, think that's a job for the coming weekend...

well i never, we did something!

went out for a walk in hand .. there are tracks laid out round and between all the fields, quite good going (for a horse, i nearly turned my ankle!) and she was good as gold; met friend on her horse and molly didn't turn a hair, so very pleased with that.

on the way back, went into the arena, so she knows what it looks like and where it is... she was somewhat unsettled, as fellow mare calling from field... it was on it's own (not totally as there was a gelding over the fence, but clearly that was insufficient!) but we did 5 minutes both reins and she did listen to me, more or less. rushing and unbalanced, but that to be expected in the circs...

in the stable - thought she'd settle fine, quite calm (even let me take the haybar out past her, it's not screwed to the wall yet and i didn't want it knocked over..) put feed in ... then pony tied up next door was taken away and put in wagon to go to pony club .. cue much rushing back and forwards, took ages to calm even vaguely - she thought she was on her own, as she couldn't see the other ponies in stables either side, LOL!

by the end of this week she'll certainly need a bath! i reckon i'm doing the right thing giving her the week, save for a bit potter here and there ... really need her to settle in stable

haybar and mirror being put up tomorrow night...

what was that i said?

it rained, of course. started as i got to the yard.

having said that, i introduced molly to her new stable, and whilst she was pretty good, i think i will need the full week i promised myself ... i want her settled enough to stand still, not bounce round the box!

in the meantime, home grown strawberries .. on another planet to the bought ones!

newts

in our pond, excellent - self populating itself, people said it would.. and FOUR lily flowers showing today.

hot hot hot.....

molly still happy bunny

brought her in today - had to worm, and need to get back into routines... i had thought i'd give her the full week to settle, but think i might start lunging tomorrow as she seems quite happy ....

she had a bit of a shout, but really nothing to write home about, as it was all new to her...

got most everything put away, now need stuff fixing to the walls ... YO says there's a chap'll do all that for me, which is good, as i can't find my drill and always struggle drilling into stone

happy molly

moved....

well, molly is anyway!

gaynor decided to ride charlie from the field to HH and i would lead molly the other way back to the stables we were leaving.

that almost went seriously pear shaped at the start, as gaynor got bucked off. but she got back on again (with benefit of a leg up .. she told me later that charlie doesn't like being mounted from the ground and is at a loss to explain to herself why shd tried it). she's in a bit of pain but just bad bruising.

molly and i had to let them out of the field as they were going other way from us, and hence, of course, molly spent some time circling round me insted of walking, and trying to get after charlie!

power walked with intermittent shouting all the way back along the track and to the stables... when i got her in, she stood and shouted (between mouthfuls of feed...)

wagone arrived and we got the hay in; i wasn't sure how molly would load, but she did, and travelled well - only a couple of miles ... and came off quite calm.

turned her out in field with three other mares - a yearling shetland, a palomino and a black, none larger than her .. a bit of a run round and they all seem quite happy. so that's good.

unloaded the hay, cleaned the wagon out, went back to see gaynor and decided not to do any more tonight..

tomorrow, finish off sorting rugs, moving all the stuff that'll fit in the car, refilling cupboards et.c.

both gaynor and I have lost our respective drills, so taking stuff off walls will be interesting if nothing can be found...

then at some point we have to jet wash the stables...

but i decided i'd done enough for the week! it is friday after all...

it's amazing

what you can fit in the back of a Peugeot 206 with teh seats down. one long tall cupboard (with front seat down also); ditto large trunk thing; loads of boxes full of stuff.

i'm binning things.

that's the first time the trunk has been emptied for some years; can someone tell me why i might have had a duvet in the bottom? i imagine i wanted it for some particularly cold horse ona cold night, but i really can't remember... reckon that'll go the journey.

selection of girths that i shan't use again.

hey ho.

loads more to go - rugs, feed dishes, etc and more stuff... that one collects over years....

less water

but not by much... roll on the weekend.

looks like it'll be friday night move, not saturday

moving stuff in the car ahead (or rather, in gaynor's car...)

must find and charge drill .....

worked hard - drank hard

now that's a title to get you all going...

i worked hard work wise.

i worked hard clearing stuff up at the stables.

molly & charlie drank hard... Gaynor;s OH went along early afternoon as it was hot, and filled the water. when gaynor went along after her work, she had to fill them again ...

then molly having been covered in fly spray rolled ... and knocked all the water over. doh.

it is hot.

pictures....

molly's bed is all moved and charlie's is lifted....more work to do tomorrow night.

in the meantime, thought you'd like some recent pics.

molly & charlie last week (molly had finished, at which point charlie realised there was a feed dish .. don't normally feed her in the field, i hasten to add!)

scenes from the garden in which we saw much ado about nothing last thursday

the local restaurant/pub tonight (the cow added today)

rough ...

gaynor after a late night out last night....

actually, she wasn't that bad, but somewhat tired...

we COULD have ridden ... but didn't; instead, we moved and laid my rubber mats in the new stable, decided what's happening with Charlie, and made an executive decision that the horses can just stay in the field for the week until they move next weekend...

YM insists I'll be back before the winter...

but hopefully by the end of next weekend i'll be in a better position to start regular work with molly again....

all i need to know is whether transport is saturday or sunday..

it blew, and it rained, and it blew

and the horses wanted to be out again so badly that charlie trashed stuff in his box, that normally he never touches (including a brand new bottle of fly repellent so there'll be no flies in his stable for a bit)

we rather concluded we needn't have bothered getting them in last night, and turn them out again.

partner and I then went on a lengthy (and successful!) sofa hunt (we haven't had one for years..) and by the time we'd finished the rain had desisted, it was a lot warmer, but still blowing hard....and too late in the day even if gaynor were able to come out & ride, which she wasn't by that time ....and anyway, i do HATE a gale...

edited to add link to sofa - we're getting it in brown, manual recliner, and a chair ditto (given that we CAN have a recliner)....

two in hand...

had to get them both in on my own tonight - horses were good, but wrestling through the vegetation and the furrows caused by winter tractors was a bit of a nightmare - i ended up in the middle where the long vegation was, after i'd dodged the giant hogweed, whilst the horses tried to avoid walking in ditches either side of me... until it widened up and the vegetation died off - then much better - and for a change, charlie kept up (he's usually horribly slow when led, to the extent of often needing to be hauled....not easy!)

hoping the weather stays dry for tomorrow...

much ado about nothing

performed by "The Pantaloons" at Crook Hall Gardens, Durham.

Excellently done.

Gaynor sorted molly out; she says, they're fed up again and we'll have to bring them in overnight tomorrow!

yesterday's post!

was composed in my head - but it ws't until i'd switched off pc and was nearly into bed i realised i hadn't actually typed it!

So, to yesterday...

Gaynor rang early afternoon to say she had a child free 2 hours from about 4.30 ... so we went and got the horses in to give them time to digest their grass before then!

managed to get out for a hack ... went up to harbour house through the park, which was full of shorn sheep (very disconcerting for molly, who didn't quite see that they were exactly the same as the sheep she'd seen yesterday unshorn!) and followed by a lost car! which we had to put right, he was well off where he shoudl have been!

got to HH, thought we'd have gone through the yard for a 10 minute play in that arena - but yard fenced off, more sheep shearing.

horses VERY good despite the noises off (baa ing sheep, and shearing!) that they could hear but not see.

so along back drive and round 20 acre.

bear in mind that most of the way i was carrying Gaynor's whip (mislaid my short one, molly all over, and head tossing) and all way round 20 acre more head tossing... calmed down as we got to the gate at the end and then .... drum roll .... stayed put and let ME open the gate. immediately set her jaw to rush through it, but hey, at least it was me opened it!

then carried on straight along the riverside (a shade slippy) to their field, where we left them...and carried our tack home

so why the head tossing etc? who knows. i put the drop myler in, rather than the combi, i suppose that might have been relevant, but who knows! not the same horse that marched happily out last saturday! but at least we managed to ride midweek! Unlikely to be able to do so again until Sunday, i think... not totally sure but think that's the case..

will it dry up?

for tomorrow?

we hope so we're going to try and see if we can get them in for the afternoon and do something in the evening...

rained all day again

so that put paid to any plans - TBF, the forecast did SAY it would rain, but we can live in hope, can't we?

we chose a dry moment to go along to see them - didn't take the fly repellent as thought they'd be too wet and wouldn't be any flies - wrong! they'd been under the trees, so were relatively dry ... ah well. i said, for future, we take the FR whatever the weather! (2 weeks to go...)

oh, and i shall have a better stable at the new yard than had originally been planned. originally was going to be put in one of a set of 4 - mini barn type arrangement - when i viewed, 2 horses on shavings, 2 empty boxes.

went back yesterday - one empty box filled with straw for another new arrival's horse .. molly can't hack straw, she'll get COPD ..(as we discovered first time she was in a barn, when i first moved to Harbour House a few years ago..) YO was there ... discussed this problem - so instead of that stable, i get one larger, with a huge overhang in front under which to store my hay/stuff - not in a mini or any other type barn! result.

chuffed...

The trot is sorted out, it seems - i pushed her on and she came right, fast, but ok, after attempting to bunnyhop... resistance was by trying to put me on the wrong diagonal, easy sorted, and circles were not a problem - avoiding gaynor was! oops. wearing specs means i tend to concentrate on what's in front of me to the exclusion of too much else!

and we cantered! first time since before I left blackdene last year - not for long, but i was particularly chuffed as i was able to steady it up with my seat and i could feel her back rounding under me.. took that too far and ended up back in trot, but hey...edited to add - this is the first time in my riding life that i've done that. not quite sure what i did, but clearly it was right and will have to try and replicate it....

then we went round the huge field we did last week, in walk (they'd done 15 minutes hard work in the arena and they ain't particularly fit, of course!) and no way was molly letting charlie in front (once he'd led the way IN to the field, LOL) that got to extreme as we came back up to the road, charlie trotted on to catch us up and molly deliberately (and before i twigged what she was doing as i hadn't realised he was there) cut him up.... oops. and was NOT going to let him out onto the road in front (apologies to the chap who had to let us out, molly was refusing to be stopped, i was really struggling and chap in car let us out - which meant he had to follow us)

So very pleased with all that.

before we got them in, i'd lifted my rubber matting.

after we turned them out, i jet washed it....

oh, and I am still moving!

trimmed and lunged

and then turned out again. 24 hours in is as much as the horses are prepared to put up with at the moment!

turned into a lovely day, hope it stays good for the weekend.

trimmer pleased with her feet - some minor bruising at the toes of the hind feet, but we think that's because they grow a bit fast and i haven't been able to get the work into her that i normally would in the summer...

in the stable

for tonight, and hopefully tomorrow night...

we'd both like to get something done! and molly's getting her feet trimmed after work tomorrow ...

i can just see it though - all week they've been wanting to come in, now they're in, they'll want to be out...

supposed to improve for the weekend

i hope so. heating is back on and it's teeming down...

this is boring..

not working my horse...

but they're happy....in the field, eating grass

the plan i mentioned the other day can probably happen.... which may mean i should stay.... mmmmmm

and I've just listened to a real weepy on the radio -The Archers - they killed one of the characters off by way of heart attack, whilst away in Oz, totally out of the blue - and SO well acted....

nettle rash? fly bites?

our money is on nettle rash or something of that nature, down molly's neck... very odd... we walked all round the field to see if we could see where they've been lying...

raining again

waiting to hear whether gaynor's plan will be allowed...

late visit

and 2nd post of the day - we went down after dinner, partner & I, to walk out to the field, check the horses over, feed molly her tea & supplement etc..

gaynor couldn't come out as her OH had gone out at lunchtime and not back...

Charlie was spooked by my partner climbing back up the hill with full water bucket - goodness knows what that was about, as he doesn't bother about gaynor or i doing the same! that spooked molly as well, happily she had eaten most of her tea by then! had to put her back in the field and let her go...

then of course they both settled back down, wondering what that was about, LOL

giant hogweed:

just outside the field gate, we're going to have to be very careful...

from blazing to raining

i know i said if it rained it would save me taking the hosepipe to the vegetable plot but that didn't mean i wanted it to rain most of the day!

ah well, mary lou did warn me...

if it dries up later i'll go then and at least give molly her feed/supplement...

and we might have a plan on the stable/grazing front ....

bunnyhopping again! drat

so i reckon i need to up the dosage on her supplement .. hadn't had her on full dose, but i need to .. this is what she was doing last year before she was nerve blocked, regular readers will recall...

so, you'll gather we did get a ride!

actually RODE over the bridge to the arena, which is unusual in itself! 10 minutes in there, molly bunny hopping when trot was tried (the walk came ok) and charlie needed a bit of a canter, but it was a bit hot...

so we went for a long walk round a really really large field - well, several fields, probably - along the bank of the river and back - sounds nothing, but it's about 40 minutes so shows you the size.

Molly led ALL the way - only two minor glitches, firstly when we set off for the ride out she thought she was heading home and i had to work hard to turn her, but i'm learning about ensuring my seat forces the turn in that situation....

then most of the way back, you go past the back of a field some geldings are grazing - they weren't bothered (too hot) but as we came down the slight incline towards them molly did stop and stare .. but didn't set her jaw or anything, and then carried on in the lead all the way home (which includes back along the road over the bridge and turn right).

mind, i was pleased someone was coming out of our turn to tell us if someone was coming down the hill, as i wasn't sure the brakes were 100% given the direction, and you can't see round the bend!

then we hosed off their saddle areas and turned them out again....

then i came home and mowed the lawns and did some hoeing round the vegetables.. hoping it doesn't rain tonight, which will help the weeds die off that i've hoed, then i'll give it all a good soaking tomorrow, the ground is very dry.

saturday

we might be able to get it together to get the horses in and do something with them.

mind, when we go to the field, they are there waiting for us now.. guess they now know the routine of when we do come, and the novelty of the grass has worn off a bit. they don't look quite so huge, either...

partner has returned from the mainland from St Kilda - says she saw a whale, amongst other things, so looking forward to seeing the pics; be home tomorrow....

cold to hot

hot tonight! wouldn't think it was the same week as yesterday...

but gaynor had to take her mother, and mother's cat, to the vet - cat didn't return.

and if we were going to do anything, we should have had them in around lunchtime...

so i went out on my own, with molly's painkiller in a small amount of feed - interesting, she loves this stuff (pure horse feeds pure easy) .. even if she's in , and no way interested in her hay, she loves this.

they both came trotting over as soon as they heard my voice (are they sick of the grass? LOL) so molly was taken out of the field to have her tea with supplement, and they both got fly sprayed, and then i filled water buckets - that's a strain, up a steepish hill from the river.

anyway, some pics.

this is a cone growing - we're so used to seeing them brown and dry, not common to spot them fresh and young - and an interesting shade of pinky red..

this you can see the clouds of midges over the river

and a reflection in the river ... molly was immediately behind me eating!

what did i say about naff weather?

rained all day, with few breaks.

Gaynor went and checked the horses.....they were fine (it wasn't cold!)

i decided, therefore, to come home and do some more work...