The wet weather seems to be a fixture at the moment and so, as mentioned last time, Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) and Mabel have been moved up to the winter field. This means I am saving on feeding hay again as when I requested my next delivery, the weather had been fine and the grass was still growing.
No sooner had I written about hoping for a dry period up to Christmas then the heavens opened! Cue copious amounts of mud and a champion Shetland pony looking like she had never seen a brush let alone a show ring.
Since we got the green light for Bob, I’ve been bringing him back into ridden work. He was only off for a few weeks, but I wanted to get him back into it and get used to the bridle with his missing tooth at a slower pace. We did flat work to start then a bit more pole work and have had a couple of cheeky jumps!
In my last blog I quote myself: “Lord Ben and I managed to qualify for ROR Novice Dressage Championships at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, and I am not sure if someone thought it would be hilarious to have two days of retrained racehorse on grass arenas.
So, Bob’s had a couple more check-ups since his tooth extraction, the first being a routine quick check to refill the hole that went well, and on this one, I was given the go-ahead to start lunging in a head collar which I was pleased about, as he needed to get back to some work.
After a long, hot and dry summer, I think most of us with equines feared a wet autumn, yet – touch wood – the weather has continued to be fine with just enough rain to keep the grass growing for a little longer.
The Shetland Pony Stud-Book Society holds its annual breed show in a different venue each year. Last year we travelled down to Devon and this year we packed up the horsebox, ponies, and Flora the dog and headed to the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells, Powys.
So, the time came around for Bob’s tooth removal, and the days leading up to it, I was a bag of nerves for him. I made sure I squeezed in every ride I could, knowing he will be out of work for two to three or even four weeks. To my surprise, the morning of the operation it was very dark as we were leaving early for the journey, but Bob had no hesitation on loading into the horsebox. As it was so dark, I kept the light on to help reassure him and allowed for us to see him on the camera. He travelled brilliantly and we arrived earlier than expected and to my amazement, he happily stood on the box with me sitting in the back with him.
Bob visited the dentist for a dental examination and an x-ray last week and sadly it was the news I was dreading; the poor boy needs to go in to have his tooth removed! He has an appointment next week, and the vets have been brilliant as they are letting me bring him in early to avoid all the rush hour traffic and stress for him (and me!). I went to their open evening last week by chance, as I had spotted it advertised and thought it a perfect opportunity to look round where he will have the operation, plus, there were treats and an informative talk on lameness on offer too.