A certain little lady recently had a birthday. No birthday cake, but a few carrots were enjoyed that’s for sure.
Diva was 3 years old on the 13th of July and has begun to appear more mature – that or all the grass! Joking apart, with most of our wonderful native breeds, we need to be careful of their weight.
I’m delighted with how Diva is turning into a lovely young pony, and I am determined to keep the spectre of laminitis at bay. One good way to do that is for her to have plenty of exercise, so in addition to going for walks in hand, I have also put her on the horse walker and done some work with her in the lunge ring.
She is a very happy and energetic pony and for some reason absolutely loves going on the horse walker despite the sides being too high for her to see out!
Over the lockdown period, competitions were cancelled and suddenly virtual shows were popping up all over social media, with some big organisations, such as Royal Windsor, holding virtual versions of their shows. It’s been a great way for people to have fun with their horses and ponies.
I entered Diva into a Shetland pony virtual show whose profits go to a Shetland Pony Charity. I will tell you how she got on next time.
Some shows are now being held under strict social distancing rules, and it is lovely that people are able to get out and about again.
Check out Julius Caesar, the mini-Budweiser Horse’s Facebook page. He’s a young traditional cob who is embarking on his ridden career and got it off to a great start by winning his first-ever ridden class and being Ridden Champion. He is produced by my sister, Michelle, and lives with Diva’s relative and showing companion, Melland Jackson Jive.
It would be great to see your photos of either virtual or real competitions. See you next time!
Equine insurance specialist now able to offer live prices and immediate cover. Equesure Insurance has launched a new insurance product for horse trailers valued up to £15,000.
The annual trip to Your Horse Live was completed and even my partner enjoyed a bit of it! Okay, he mainly enjoyed the cake stalls (and they were amazing – we took three bags of cake home with us), but also liked the rescue village and heavy horse yard. We got to go into the stable with two donkeys for pats and cuddles and we both loved it.
Five years ago, I had the absolute dream of having my own acreage, but this has honestly been the biggest learning curve, relearning so much about how to better look after our horses and what the land requires. Hopefully, I can give some insight into things I have learnt, mostly by trial and error and lots of mistakes.
After five or six years away from the British showjumping circuit, I’ve rejoined, and this time with my little Connemara standing just about 15HH – and he’s been amazing!