Category: Horses

Dressage

The Winter Dressage series has proved to be very popular. We have run one a month since September except for January which we lost to the snow. Today was the last in the points series, a bit of a shame this one fell on Easter Sunday as it was quieter but I can’t say I minded after the busy week we had last week and another very busy week to come. Jimbob did his second test, not great but better than last time at least he didn’t mind the flowers so much. Class 1 under twelves walk and trot was very close with Ellie McVay on her pony Midi winning the series by one point. Ellie Dix won the over 12′s, Ellie has been very consistent throughout on her pony Moss. Kate Owen won Class 2 prelim under 16′s by two points riding Ty Ysgubor Hannah. We bought Hannah with her half sister Heather approx 6 years ago unbroken. Emma Davies who taught here at that time broke them both in and both were in the riding school for several years. Martha was very successful jumping on Heather and eventually she was bought by Emily Groves and is still doing very well. Kate bought Hannah and its lovely to see her doing so well at the Dressage and the Show Jumping. Elaine Burt won Class 2 prelim open and also class 3 prelim on her lovely grey Silver Codie. Unfortunately Meryl Hanmer couldn’t be here today but had picked up some very good points throughout the series and  was the winner of Class 4 the Novice Test. Pictures can be found on the Gallery The next dressage series will start in October. We haven’t organised any for the next few months but some people have asked us to run them as they are qualifiers for Cricklands. Keep an eye on the website and if we can fit any in we will. Which just leaves me to say a big thank you to all that took part, all the judges for their time and patience and everybody else who has helped out. Team jumping Wednesday.

Horses and BHS Exam results

There’s been a few changes since we got back and whilst we were away. Storm disappeared whilst we were away. I had asked her owners to look for a new home for her as she has not settled to riding lessons very well and is also difficult to turn out here as she fights with Phoebe and didn’t get on too well with the ponies. I gave them approx 6 weeks notice to look for a new home but when they took her we got an hours notice and she was in a lesson that night. Treat others as you would like to be treated I was always taught and I wonder what their reaction would’ve been if I’d given them an hours notice to move her. Murphy’s owners did a similar thing and whereas I thought it was time he left many clients were very fond of him and upset at not having the opportunity to say goodbye. Fortunately it doesn’t happen very often and most people are happy to leave on a good note and then of course they are always welcome back, ‘don’t burn your bridges’ was another saying I was taught and ‘you never know when you might need someone… I could go on for ever. We were straight into work on Sunday with a jumping competition which I was going to jump Jimbob in but as he had spent the week in the field I decided not to but I did jump him in the clear round on Wed, 2ft and fillers, thats the biggest he has jumped so far and he got his first clear round rosette. We have also made good progress hacking this week and he is now going out on his own with no napping. A new horse arrived by chance on Wed. It was brought down to jump around the clear round and the owner mentioned it was for sale. So straight into Storms old stable it went and has stayed for a few days trial. It is a 4yr old welsh cob approx 14hh called Foley. It’s been in several lessons and although a little green seems to be ok. Splash will also be going home soon but not sure when yet. We had some students take exams whilst I was away and their results came through this week. Jennifer Rogers and Medi Warburton passed their Riding and Road Safety, Kim Evans Adele phillips Carys Morgan and Amy Bartholomew passed their BHS Stage 1 and Gareth Evans passed his NVQ 1 Riding, Well done all!!!

Jimbob

Jimbob is a 15.2hh old Palamino Gelding rising 5. He came on trial for a couple of weeks from Carmarthen. Can’t say I like the name but I think he is going to be stuck with it. We bought him this week and I am going to take him on myself for a while at least until he is better schooled and jumping. I took him into the indoor school after the jumping competition a couple of weeks ago, the course was still up at the time and Jimbob was really alarmed, we put the fences down to poles on the floor and spent ages leading him over them working up to riding him in trot over small cross poles. They’ve got a little bit bigger over the last couple of weeks although still small enough for him to realise he must go over them now he is jumping about 1ft 9 with fillers underneath. Hopefully he can go in his first class on Sunday. Last week he did his first dressage test. We did the walk trot test and he was 5th – out of 5 so there’s room for improvement, the flowers scared him, and he was not very straight but at least he behaved as we normally have an issue with the bottom end of the school. We’ve had quite a few issues napping when hacking out but I’m winning and he is getting better. We went out on the road yesterday for the first time and again tonight with a sensible horse for company and he was very well behaved – building up to riding over the Motorway next. I have to say RCT as a council are so not horse friendly, there is no where to ride at all without going over motorways or dicing with death with quarry lorry’s. Jimbob can have a few days in the field this week as I am away on holiday. Steve was away on Sunday so I drove the lorry to Pencoed College for Amelia to jump Destiny and Leo. Its been awhile since I’ve driven it as Steve normally drives so many apologies if you happened to be stuck in the tail back behind. Amelia won the class on Destiny and was 3rd on Leo. Angharad Davies took Sid to her first competition away from Talygarn at Sunnybank on Sunday and did tremendously well, being placed 4th and 6th. Well done Angharad.

Splash

It is 6.55am and I am on the train to Sheffield Uni with Martha. So I thought I would take this opportunity to write a blog as I haven’t had much time lately. On the New horse front Abbi went home – too nappy and bucking. Billy came and went – bucking and Jimbob will be staying. The 15hh horse that was supposed to be arriving didn’t but there is the possibility of another 15hh horse coming soon. I had a message off splash’s owner yesterday which I found quite amusing. She said she hasn’t seen Splash for nearly two years but she has seen pictures of him on our website doing show jumping and dressage so she figured he must be worth a bob or two now and she wants to sell him and do we want to buy him. The answer to that is NO definitely not. Splash is an 8/9yr old 16hh shire cross. Yes he does do the dressage competitions here even winning his class last Sunday. BUT it was a walk trot class as he is not controllable in canter and there was only 5 adults in the class.  He had no warm up beforehand otherwise he gets too worked up. Show Jumping competitions – well as some of you have already witnessed are horrendous. It amounts to a wall of death for the very brave or very stupid. Lessons are manageble for fairly strong riders, he is never ridden by novices. For some reason that is beyond me or Amelia the people that ride him really like him. I think this is because he has no malice in him and they think he genuinely trys to do as asked. I found out some history about him the other day that explains a lot. Apparently before we had him he was ridden and jumped by a young girl who is brave but inexperienced in the schooling of horses and therefore was probably ridden like a big pony. Splash is a horse that trys to please and therefore would’ve tried to jump whatever was asked of him but he would’ve been scared and she wouldn’t have noticed probably jumping him higher than he was confident to do and making the mistake of thinking he was loving it cause he goes like a bat out of hell and hurls himself over. The outcome of this inexperienced schooling of young horses Is typically Splash, a horse that is tense and scared and does things fast out of fear and unfortunately will probably carry that baggage with him for the rest of his life. It is such a shame because his type is the sort that with calm, kind and sensible handling he should have been a calm and steady horse. I was thinking more on the lines of giving him the summer to see if we can make any further progress with him or sending him back.  Martha was impressed with the course on offer for Journalism and Sheffield is now looking like the favourite. I have been enjoying these jaunts around the country viewing prospective Universities. Although the train journey today was less than impressive. Why is it dearer to travel at peak times when there is less chance of getting a seat, surely it should be cheaper. I must admit to being somewhat peeved at paying £153 for two return tickets  from Cardiff to Sheffield only to find that we had to sit on the floor between Bristol and Cheltenham Spa. Having arrived back in Cardiff at 8.30 with 40 minutes to wait for the connection to Pontyclun we decided to get something to eat We found a Take away on Mary Street called Wok and Walk, Stir fry in a box How cool is that

Snow

I’ve always liked the snow especially when is newly fallen and carpets everything in a lovely white blanket. It looks so nice in Austria and that’s where it should stay and if I want to see it I’ll go there on holiday. Here it is such an inconvenience. On Tuesday it wasn’t too bad but I knew they had forcasted snow so we double rugs 28 horses which are normally in and put them out leaving 4 in, Amelia’s two, Storm cause she fights and Michigan cause he jumps field fences and runs away and I’m so glad we did. Wednesday we couldn’t get anything in or anything out but not to worry 2 days of snow then it rains washes it all away and we’re back to normal, well thats what normally happens obviously not this time. We have had to cancel all evening lessons this week as once the temperature drops in the evening and everything freezes it is difficult to drive up the lane. We have only one tap working so Steve has spent all his time transporting water and hay around the fields. Staff and students can’t get in so there’s not much help either, although Jess, Caroline and Gareth have all managed one day. We did manage some lessons in the day today but the dressage has been cancelled tomorrow. Jennifer was supposed to fly home from Portugal Thurday but her flight was cancelled, having arrived at the airport severely hung over from the goodbye party the night before she then had to return to her apartment. Having packed to leave she had given away or thrown out all her food, shampoo, soap, etc and returned the radiator she had borrowed. Fortunately her agent got her on a plane to London yesterday and she gets home tomorrow. Steve goes into hospital Monday for surgery. So that means me and Amelia and the Quad if this snow keeps up. It will probably be worse for me  if it starts to thaw though, I imagine we will have a lot of burst pipes and my plumbing skills are not that good. I’m not sure Unibond and sellotape will work. The horses don’t seem any worse for their unexpected holiday. I think they are far happier out as long as they are warm and have plenty of food and water. Colic is a worry after the incident with Fred and therefore we need to make sure they are drinking enough. I am very impressed with my garden pond/waterfall which has frozen up considerably but is still pumping the water

If these Artic weather conditions keep up Please check the Website for updates on lessons and competitions http://www.talygarnec.co.uk/