Foal warts

Well it should be yearling warts. Jerry decided to have foal warts for 6 months and when I thought it was over Elsie decided it was a good way to get out of shows for the summer! It's strange as Jerry was in with Elsie for a couple of months with warts and she never got them until his went. Everything online just tells you that they disappear over night not that you have to tolerate them for 6 months in between. Elsie have started going after 4 months but certainly aren't disappearing overnight. She even had a wart above each eyelid which have just gone.

Im bad at updating thing

A lot of change pony wise in the last year. Last year was dps centenary and we made a lot of amazing memories including riding in a group of over 70 dales ponies through the center of Barnard castle. Evie has done an inhand show n I've sat on her. Pait is in foal to highclose Maverick and due next week. Duke is becoming a grown up pony and is in work and Rory is skiving off creating sick notes as per usual though I have just started long reining him again.

The season starts

Well first show of the season and I'm sans pony lol. Rory is out of action due to a very rotten tooth removal- amazing to watch as they cut a 1cm gash in his cheek to put a drill bit through and also had a camera in his mouth so got to watch all angles! Hence poor boy is on hiatus until at least the end of april and then I'll try and do some long reining etc before getting back on. Duke is a hairy yak that I haven't got back on yet as we decided to turn him awa for the end of winter as he was starting to look gangly (again!) so Pait is the only currently ridden dales and she was stolen by Em a long time ago lol.
Decided to take her out to a little local show and some of the other ponies behaviour was interesting to say the least but she warmed up amazing and went in her class and held it together even with one pony going to vertical I was amazed it didn't go over and 2 others overtaking so close they nearly put her in the wall. She was placed second but to be honest it's more how well she came out for her first show of the season. 

Well what a lovely first day to the bank hol pity the rest is already forcast to be a wash out! Decided as it seemed like spring I'd completely gut the banks in pait's stable and lift and disinfect the matting. I always forget what a knackering job this is, luckily Pait is clean and most of the floor still had the stalosan on from begining of winter so it wasnt a bad job. Pait and Becky were stood at the gate swishing looking quite narked at the flies (both are unrugged) so caught and fly sprayed the both of them and let Pait have a little hay whilst I did a few more job as there is nothing in the field.
Down to the other field to give the outside ones their feeds, hay and to bail more water out of the dyke into the trough (I will never take mains water for granted again). Rory is currently charging at Evie again as shes got her ug off so is obviously a new pony so the lot of them were doing mad hoolie round the field.

Urgh- late again

Hello Mr Hyde how not nice to see you again! Dressage at Mill Lane last sunday did not go to plan! Rory had stayed cleanish from the sun before and a later start meant I was able to take him to the yard first to scrub him before setting off. Again he hadn't been ridden all week and to say I wasn't feeling well was an understatement bug + asthma = very ill Lu. Warmed him up, tightened the girth and he decided to have a strop so stopped and saddle off and regirth then try to warm back up. First test was prelim, got in to the arena (which he has been in a few times) and he went brilliantly, felt amazing and was pulling out the best test he has ever done. This point are about midway through the test at which point Rory caught sight of himself in the mirror, freaked and threatened to rear, spin (this point I just threw the reins at him) got going forward again and past the mirror at which point he decided the pony must be chasing him so tried to bolt.
Our sheet at the end started off as 7/8s and promptly went to 4/5s :-p.
Second test was novice 24 as I vetoed 30 on the grounds of a halt, walk to canter mid test which can fire him up on a good day. Well 24 was messy to say the least as the horrible doppleganger pony was still lurking (he had sniffed both mirrors on walk round but still wasnt happy) so we did the test at warp speed with an impressive half spin/ leg yielded canter in the middle.

I do question why I like this pony at times! I kept going and was nicely informed afterwards I was turning different colours of green and majority bets were on me not riding. Sensible- moi?
Hey ho another day. Think it's back to manor grange next sun.

Dressage

Well first outing of 2016! Up until now I've mainly been riding and having lessons on Pait as the  getting Rory out of the field involves scenes like "it came from the bog lagoon!" She has really been trying her heart out and has been doing a bit more hacking after she was naughty when I took her out at xmas break. That behaviour got her a hack every day I was off lol.
Today had entered nps qualifiers at manor grange. Rory I could have cried at the mud on him luckily Em helped scrub him and I thanked the electric tapes gods his tail was paited up.
Rory first up 2 good but very tense tests. In both on right rein canter he locked and disunited so I had to break to trot to rebalance before he put in a buck. Just over 60% in each test and a 6th placing in prelim.
Pait next in with Em, she went a bit green in the prelim but was still going forwards which she wouldnt have done 6 months ago, then straight onto the novice and she tried her little socks off. 59% unplaced in prelim but 64% and first in her first ever novice. So proud of her.

Can't believe how close we are to the end of the year doesnt seem like 2 minutes has past since last christmas. We've done a lot with the ponies this year though probably not as much showing as previous years especially with Rory who has been a bit of a jekyll and hyde charactor to ride this year. Had an absolutely fab lesson on Pait who tried her heart out for me (good job as she was a little bugger to hack at the weekend) and sat chatting to my insttructor L who told me to just think back to how much she has improved this year. Can't wait to get her out in 2016 though I need to start putting the fitness work in now. Rory is booked for a tooth filling in Jan so don't know yet how much work he will do Jan/Feb so may be a bit later to get him show ready (saying that he's naturally a lot fitter than Pait as hes such a stress-head) Duke is just doing little bits of hacking to keep the ridden lark fresh in his mind and will wait til the summer to get stuck into him.