Who else has felt the pain of this winter? It's hard to believe we are coming into spring, and yet the last of lockdown is still keeping those winter blues in place! Unfortunately due to the weather here, and the ridiculous hot headed nature of my horses, combined with no travel or arena hire allowed I haven't been able to take the boys out anywhere or ride.
On the plus side, it has meant we have been able to get other yard jobs done. The stables now have brick work around them, and are starting to take shape in what feels like a forever process - although we did have a few silly moments the first few days with all the horses, who apparently didn't approve of the workmanship and were too scared to go in!
I also managed to get the inside of my lorry repainted, and new rubber matting laid. This has been a huge project, as I didn't have the budget to buy a decent 7.5t and lost a lot of money when Travis broke my trailer, but I do have a newer cab, with lots of mod cons and what was an empty aluminium shell is now starting to look like a horse box, all thanks to my partner who loves nothing more than spending his weekends on a project that has been problem after problem with electrics, flooring, leaking roof ...... (watching the pounds float away)!
Anyway, all the important stuff is now done, so now I can actually start making it look pretty, with the inside horse area finished, paint ordered for the outside, decals all designed and waiting to go on once painted and windows quoted. It's been 3 years in the making and I would love to get some living put in next year. The lorry and the yard have been a nice distraction from the lack of riding and have helped me not lose all my marbles!
We are also really close to having all the new fencing finished, although now the ground has started to dry I am going to need shoulders of Arnold Schwarzenegger to get finished - atleast it will make up for the gyms being closed!
With things getting off to a rocky start – I think I read this is the worst rainfall in over 50 years! – what better pick-me-up than the “Fred & Rowena Cook: A Life After Racing” rehoming service contacting me about the most precious four-year-old gelding, who was looking for a new home straight from the British Racing School (BRS)?
The trio have been keeping me busy these past few weeks: Freya has had a saddle fitting, Bob’s had a lesson and Autumn’s been out with a new friend exploring lanes not too far from our yard.
Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) usually gets her summer coat quite early compared to other horses and ponies, but this year she has been holding onto hers for a lot longer.
Is it spring yet? It’s been teasing us the last few days, going from a few dry days when I could walk across most of the field and it felt like spring, to heavy downpours, including hail, which reverted the field back to a quagmire. I didn’t let it put me off too much, though, and I’ve now managed to get all three horses back into work! Eek!