Harry horse & Charlie adventures! Horse chat & much more! Everyone welcome!

[ShrekDawg]

Ask, and ye shall receive!
There was a wide variety at the stable. The guide was good at matching temperament and size for our group.
It had rained the night before. Glad it wasn't too muddy.

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My son rode Billy Bob, also known as the moving sofa.
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Little "wild" pony roaming around too!
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Sophie, who I now think of as Moaning Myrtle!
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Beautiful horses

 

[rebrascora]

Kim, chalk me up for another

today. That's 3 this week.... Monday, Thurs and Fri ..... I'm on a roll!!

 

[rebrascora]

Well 2 weeks have gone by and I'm back for another flag waving session.... Lauren and I rode out today on Rebel and MeMe and had a lovely ride with several canters and they were both very well behaved. Got new shoes on Reb and Rasc yesterday, so I am trying to put some wear on them..... My aim is to shock/impress my farriers with tin plates when they come in November, instead of them being able to say..... "Do you want these put back on?" which is the usual situation. Lauren is going to have a private riding lesson tomorrow morning to try to improve her seat, technique and confidence and then we are taking Rascal and MeMe out tomorrow afternoon. MeMe is still managing barefoot. I gave her a trim up before we went out today and her feet are looking good.
We got two 4th places at Wolsingham show and a 2nd and 3rd at Stanhope with Zak so quite happy with that. He was good as gold. Had a quick look around the trade stands and found a very smart grey cape coat for £30 which I treated myself to and a jar of Turkish Delight flavoured Curd which is rather special. I'm not overly keen on Lemon Curd, but they had loads of other flavours which you could sample and the TD definitely got my taste buds singing! I have to say both shows were a real credit to the folks of Weardale and the artisan food and crafts tents were fantastic and better than much bigger shows I have been to and mostly local produce..... I spent a fortune on food at Wolsingham... pies, preserves, black pudding, fudge, bread and cheese. I was very temped to order half a lamb from a local farmer but I just don't have freezer space at the moment..... I love lamb!
How is Keeper doing? Hope his eye is fully healed now. Have you had Harry out recently? Hope you are not working too hard.
X

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Hi Barbara! On your flag waving! Sounds like you had a lovely time with Lauren. How did her lesson go today? All ok I hope and that she is feeling more confident.
Maybe she needs a pair of those sticky bum jodhpurs? I can certainly recommend some HKM ones that have like plastic stick on writing in the seat. They keep you in the saddle! They do adults in them (my favourite pair at the mo) but here is a kid version where you can see the sticky seat on the inside of the legs ~ https://randrcountry.co.uk/collections/hkm/products/hkm-kids-denim-performance-full-seat-breeches
Maybe lessons with no stirrups & reins? I always found those kind made you keep your backside in the seat and keep your eyes up! I’m sure she will get there in the end and a few bumps in the road are to be expected as always with horses!

Your Turkish delight sounds delicious! I too love it in any form but then again I love lemon curd too! Sounds like you cleared Walsingham out! Can’t beat good food though!

I’m afraid no flag flying for me I’m trying to get into a new routine with Charlie at college as his bus pick up point is 20 minutes drive away. It passes the farm where Harry is though so it’s a bonus in that sense but maybe not in winter when I need fetch in after lunch so it will be 3 trips per day then. Thank goodness Charlie has settled at college ok and seems to be enjoy his course. He’s there Monday - Thursday and does work placement on a Friday at Carlton Towers where he’s been helping the keeper for the last couple of years. Business is busy at the moment so it’s all hands on deck for now but I do wish some of our clients would pay up quicker! Also still decorating and we are putting new interior doors and casing’s on in the house. Turning out to be a bigger job than first thought!! Mess mess dust dust all over the place which is driving me batty!
Got 4/7 done so only 3 more to go! Harry is good though and not missing the riding at all which is to be expected but I do need kick myself up the backside! Him and Bran are still turned out but I ave started feeding some Alfa haylage which they are loving! Hoping to keep them out as long as possible especially with the price of straw/feed etc. He has managed to give himself a graze on the hock today and I’m not sure how as it’s right in the centre so I’m thinking he’s rolled and caught it on something in the ground. Gave it a good clean and whacked some Sudocream on for now and will see what it’s like in the morning.

Keeper is good thanks. Eyes all cleared up but he had a serious bout of throwing up last Friday Never known a dog throw so much and he couldn’t even keep water down. Turns out he had a eaten a raw potato he’d dug up along with snails he’d found in the garden so no wonder his guts were upset! He has to pick everything up and give it a chew. I’m sure he’s a kleptomaniac!! Quiet over last weekend but ok now and back to being defiant today! Bad lad today out in the field and would not listen! He is going to be castrated tomorrow so he will have his rubber ring back on to stop him licking. He will regret being naughty today when he’s on that table tomorrow!

Birds are dropping off on the egg laying now the nights are drawing in and a couple of them have started to drop a few feathers. Not Dolly, Jean & Twinkle though my super £1 birds! They are turned great birds and it’s amazing how new feathers make them look like real chickens rather than scraggly commercial birds.

Think that’s it’s for now but I’m sure I will think of something else!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Nearly forgot, we got some new kittens at the farm!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Very cute!!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Kim

Good to hear Keeper is OK now but he is clearly going to be a worrisome dog Just as well he is so handsome and cute to make up for it! It won't be long before Charlie is driving and you will be relieved of the bus run job, but it is awkward getting into a new routine. Harry's hock looks quite nasty. I hope it heals quickly. I'm enjoying mine being out but I am supplementing with a bag of haylage between them each day and they are being treated to a few wind fall apples....of which there are thousands, so I am rationing them.
Lauren does actually have sticky bum jodhs although she didn't know that was what they were and they are not posh ones like those in your link.... just the normal pimple surface like Magigloves. Yes she enjoyed her lesson and you are right, the instructor made her do lots of trotting without stirrups to improve her seat and strengthen her core. She will be sore today I think after that lesson and then riding MeMe, although she was very well behaved....Oh... nearly forgot my

for yesterday. Rascal was pretty well behaved too and I only gave me one large buck and we had quite a few canters, so that was really good for him. Unfortunately he was struggling with his breathing each time we had cantered and was putting his head down (never a good situation with Rasc as head down means bum up!) and coughing after 100yards or so. I was starting to get rather concerned so we steadied right up to a relaxing loose rein walk as he really felt a bit flat and then when we came to a section of the ride where we used to canter, he suddenly surged forward and nearly left me behind. It gave us both a giggle and it was nice to know that even though he wasn't feeling on top form, he was still up for a bit of fun. I have been deliberately not cantering at that spot for over a year because they had got into too much of a habit but clearly old habits die hard. It was just funny how he went from "dope on a rope" to "racehorse leaving the start gate" in a matter of a stride.
We also got Ian's horses out for a tandem drive last night although we struggled to get back before dark.... nights are drawing in quickly! We need to get Arthur out for a short ride before the winter is upon us and he is fully turned away as he has done nothing since we got him and it would be best to have a short reminder of work at this stage, as he has put on a bit of muscle and looks much stronger than when we got him and the stronger they get the more bolshy they can become.
Think that is all my news. Hope to hear that you have been out on Harry soon.
Try to put your feet up a bit this weekend. The winter slog is just around the corner, so this autumn time is precious. X

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Try to put your feet up a bit this weekend.

I’ve gone and done it! Literally! Went over on my ankle this morning heading down the field. So after hours sitting waiting for it to be looked at and an X-ray they told me I’ve chipped a bit of bone off the end of my lateral malleolus and pulled the ligament’s. Apparently it will heal with out a cast so at least that’s a bonus. Got to rest it, use crutches and take pain killers. I’m hoping this isn’t going to take long to fix. I can’t weight bare on it at the moment but I’m trying as soon as poss. I’m not one for not doing and hate being a burden on others who are now having to do my jobs I’m in the well peed off bracket of life today!!

 

[rebrascora]

Oh no Kim! Can't believe the run of bad luck you have had this summer. I didn't mean to wish on you some compulsory "feet up" time! I'm so sorry! No flag waving for you for quite a while then! At least it has happened now and not in the depths of winter, so Harry is still out and there is not a huge amount of work to do yet, but so sad that you will miss out on lovely autumnal riding.
I know you will feel uncomfortable about others having to help with your work but try to think of all the times you have helped them and don't feel too bad. As my sister says to me some times..... remember how much pleasure you get from helping other people and don't resent them having the opportunity to feel the same way. Hope you are not in too much pain and it heals quickly, but heed the doctors' advice and don't be trying to do stuff before you should. Better to heal slow and steady than rush it and then have a set back like Keeper did. I imagine that we (your friends here at BYC) may benefit a little from your incapacitation as chatting to us will be one of the things that you can still do.... XX

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hey Barbara you didn’t wish it upon me it was just so ironic

Yes a blessing in a way that it is now and not in the middle of winter. I’m hoping just a couple of weeks and I will be back to something like. It’s feeling like being trapped already! Charlie has done the kitchen/dishwasher for me today and it was sight to behold! He’s also done the chickens & quail for me. I think both him and his dad might just realise now how much they don’t do around the house!
Everyone at the farm has been so kind and I’ve had lots of offers of help so I know H & Bran won’t starve to death! Still it won’t be the same as doing it myself but I’ve already told Scott he will have to take me down even just for a look. I’m lucky too that someone was there when I did it and they managed to get my boot off for me before it started swelling. No way were those Ariat boots going to be cut off! Tracey tried to do it gently at first but it wasn’t coming over my ankle so she was quite firm with “I’m going to pull it now!” Hurt like a bleeper but it came off with a good tug! Def don’t want any set backs like Keeper so I’m going to try really hard to behave myself

Talking off Keeper, as of Friday he lost his man parts Not impressed with the situation at all (being a whimp) and he has a cone of shame on! Whacking in to everything with it!