I am not going to lie, a good part of me by November last year and after the second locking was wishing the year away, I think we were all mumbling "roll on 2021!" yet here we are, and who thought for one minute we would be in lockdown number 3, with the strictest restrictions for equestrians this time, with no permitted travel and no permitted arena hire, I have had no choice but to turn the boys way - Again! I have ridden Travis once since the last weekend in October, and annoyingly he was awesome, and I rode Ben after November lockdown, spent a whole month hacking, jumping and really getting him back in shape, just for January lockdown to hit and be forced to turn him away again. Just to add to the irritation we got completely flooded, to the point the side of the house was entirely underwater (thankfully not inside!) and the fields fit for a boat, literally! The water is now down to a sensible level, but not fully recovered, meaning no lunging and limited turnout. I have definitely had enough rope burn to last me all year and we aren't even out of January yet, there must be light at the end of the tunnel soon, or just an option to get some energy out of these poor horses!
On the plus side, it has given me the opportunity to finish matting the stables, and change them over to straw pellets from straw. With them being in so much, this product has been an absolute game changer, taking minutes to muck out with no waste or smell! With 3 horses to muck out twice a day moral was getting pretty low, and this is a product I wish I knew about 20 years ago!
The boys are still looking good, when I decide to have a peak under all the rugs (which are essential as I ridiculously clipped them in December, thinking we were over lockdowns) and with the recent frosts hardening the ground the have been able to enjoy a few days of frolicking!
I am still holding onto some plans which is to qualify for the BD Draught Champs on Travis and enter a BE late in the year on Ben. I am not holding my breath, but clutching onto old dreams meant for 2021!
It’s safe to say the horses’ are feeling their teeth are back to normal as all are eating happily (phew as I always worry and did spend a good few days and nights going greyer), so good in fact Aria decided to try her knashers out on me!
Across the UK, there is a growing problem of people feeding food to horses that’s making them unwell. If your horse has fallen sick because of this, horse insurance can help you cover the cost of treatment.
Read our Equesure guide to some of the most common scams both buyers and sellers need to watch out for. And how to protect yourself from becoming yet another victim of these criminals.
There are few better ways to get your equine fix during the summer months than heading to a polo match. Watching a few chukkas while sipping a glass of Pimm’s or chilled Champagne, you’ll soon feel like you are part of your very own Jilly Cooper novel!