The Not-So-Secret Diary of Diva the Shetland Pony - Floof!
18/04/2024Diva (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.
The next day, Wednesday, was the day before the show and we donned our hi-vis again when in the showground. The ponies were mucked out and had their hay and waters replenished and next on the list, was a walk around the showground to get our bearings as the classes were early the next day.
Despite its proximity to the airport, the showground is lovely and it was fantastic that the classes for in-hand Shetland ponies (both standard and miniature), Highland ponies and Clydesdales took part in the main ring. Scotland’s native breeds were really showcased and we were very excited to be a part of it.
We picked up the show catalogue and I could not believe it when I saw that 27 were entered in Diva’s (Melland Queen of Scots) Yeld Mare 4 years and over class. I don’t think I have been in a class that size since I was doing Royal International Qualifiers with my ridden coloured cob, Mabel, back in the day. Jackson (Melland Jackson Jive) had 11 in his Gelding class.
All prize winners in the Shetland, Highland and Clydesdale classes were required to take part in the grand parade on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. We both hoped that the ponies would do well enough to qualify for the parade, but with the numbers in Diva’s class, we would have our work cut out - so fingers crossed.
We took the ponies out for some exercise that evening and made our way to the main ring. The entrance is over a grass-covered bridge which made it feel very special and unlike anything I had seen before.
The ponies were put to bed, Flora had a lovely long walk and then it was just one more sleep until we were competing at the Royal Highland Show!
