I haven’t been walking Diva out around the lanes since lockdown commenced, as it just didn’t seem right without my friend Jill accompanying us.
This weekend, with things relaxing a little, Jill was able to come over to the yard and we enjoyed a lovely socially distanced walk in the sun.
I thought Diva might be a little excited and perhaps a bit naughty since we haven’t been out since March. But as ever, my lovely Shetland pony showed perfect manners and strolled along without pulling or looking for trouble.
The fine weather meant we encountered all sorts of things such as several cyclists and a ride-on mower going at full pelt just on the other side of a hedgerow. I am hopeful that she’ll become a cracking driving pony when she is old enough, as she just takes everything in her stride.
One thing we had never before come across was a horse and carriage. I stood Diva to the side of the road on the verge and thought she might be frightened by this unusual sight. She stood rock solid as the handsome coloured horse approached in his four-wheeled carriage.
We had a chat to the ladies and received permission to use a photograph for the blog but I totally forgot to get their names! Perhaps in a couple of years’ time Diva and I will be trotting along behind them in convoy.
Diva is looking very shiny as her summer coat has now come through, and several people in their gardens commented on it as we passed. So far, our plan of having a drink in the garden of a pub has not been possible due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but hopefully we’ll be able to do this before the end of the summer.
As Diva is living out 24/7 at the moment, I thought she might have been a little tired after our walk. I needn’t have worried. When I turned her back out in the field, she galloped flat out, bucking and kicking, down to the other horses. I love seeing her have a play.
Stay safe everyone and see you next time.
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.
Yassss! Yesss! Horaaah! Finally! I am back on a horse - horses - all of them have been off the yard! It actually feels like an eternity but the minute Boris announced the "road out of lockdown", I sat with the calendar and got filling, admittedly we had a slight hiccup as the lorry despite it's fancy repaint, apparently didn't appreciate being sat still for 4 months and my steering broke, but after many, many pestering phone calls to my mechanic daily (oops) we were back on the road within a week!
So what should you be aware of before immunising your horse? What vaccinations are available, and when should they be administered? And what do you need to know about protecting your animal’s health through insurance for horses?
Ex-racers who have already been away from the track for some retraining can be suitable for a whole range of equine disciplines. However, if you’re looking to buy a horse fresh from a racing career, then you’ll need to do some careful research into retraining. To get you started we’ve put together some guidance on how to retrain one of these sensitive and spirited animals.