More Meg

Today I went into town and helped set up for the dressage tomorrow by raking the all weather arena edge and bashing in some of the arena markers for the grass arenas. Phew! Knackered!! I stopped in at the feed store and grabbed a couple of bags of feed for the ponies before coming home and starting to get organised for tomorrow. I was going to ride this morning but it started to rain so I settled for bringing Meg into the shed and giving her a good brush. As I (STUPIDLY) managed to drain the stock water tank over night by leaving the tap filling Brennan's trough on all night, there was no water to wash Meg's tail and legs which I had hoped to do before tomorrow so she will just have to go with mucky legs and a bit of a dirty tail. The rain didn't really turn into anything but by the time I had spent an hour brushing her, I was running out of time anyway. I had every intention of riding her when I got home this afternoon but ended up doing farm chores instead. Now I am pooped!

When I was buying feed I also grabbed a new dressage whip so I can start riding Meg with that to help me reinforce my leg so hopefully I will soon look less like a pc kid on a Thelwell pony (picture small child, fat pony, legs out at all angles to get maximum kick action!) and more like a proper rider on a horse - dreams are free of course! I also bought a stable fork - My very first proper stable fork for what is going to be my very first proper stable! Can you tell I am excited??!!

Meg got the wind up her this afternoon when I was shifting the feed bins so I ran inside and got my camera and took a few action shots. She's really quite magnificent when she gets going. Unfortunately I missed all the bucking shots - Now THOSE were really impressive!!!!

MEGnificent girl!

Goin' up!

Carriage horse

Power house

Reckons I have food (coz clearly she is starving!)

Megalicious Megababe

Well the countdown is on and Sunday is the big day. We are doing 0.1 at 10:18am and 0.3 at 3:08pm. Eeeek!

Today's ride was all about enjoying ourselves so we went out the back and practiced our forward xc canter. Meg thought that was most excellent fun and when we finished off by popping over a cross pole in the jumps paddock I think she thought it was Christmas - just a shame about the rider! Check out my facials - I swear I thought we were about to go into orbit (I had been expecting her to just trot over it!). Nick was super sweet and came out and took some photos of us playing which I am always grateful for but, as always, they just highlighted the many problems I have with my riding so whilst I am really happy after having such a fun ride, I am also kinda depressed about how I look in the saddle. Oh well, as a friend said to me earlier, none of us are perfect, and this is very true. At least I have lots to work on aye.

Here are a selection of photos from today:

Um, you were sposed to just trot over it Megan!

Lovin' it!

Paddock trot

Cornering

Going fassssssst!

Where are the xc jumps??

Aint she just the best? Love you Meg!

PS Dear 'Anonymous', if you want me to publish your comments then I am afraid you will have to sign your real name to them. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog so regularly :o)

Wednesday

I gave Meg the day off today and Mr Grey Stone and I became re-acquainted in Brennan's paddock for an hour and the poo mountains are no more! Mwah! Ah, the satisfaction of sucking up a tonne of poo, nothing quite like it!!!

Nick has been a busy beaver and has made some real progress on my stable. It's starting to take shape and I am very excited as it seems I will, for the first time in my life, have a safe/proper stable to keep horses in as and when I need to. I probably won't use it a lot but it WILL BE THERE and that is just brilliant!

I shifted Hamish and Libby through into a new paddock today. They may be fat as butter but I felt very sorry for them stuck in a manky pooey paddock and couldn't bear to leave them there any more so they've got grass again. Hamish is well overdue for a hoof trim but whilst Nick is working so hard on the stable, I don't feel I can ask so he will just have to wait a little longer. He's got great feet and they will tidy up nicely - I will just have to try hard not to look at them too closely for a week or so.

Today's photos are of stable progress and Hamish:

Equinetrader PHOTO OF THE YEAR!

Last year I had a photo of Amy and Hamish in the finals of this competition. We came so very close to winning but in the end had to settle for second place to a photo of an apaloosa drinking from a coke can. This year Nick and I both have photos in the finals and I want that bridle so bad, I can almost taste it!!! At the moment Nick's photo is leading and I must admit, I gave my vote to his photo too as it is one that always makes me smile and people do seem to love it.

I would be so appreciative if those of you who read and enjoy my blog and my photos would take the time to visit the website, join if you need to (you can elect not to receive emails from ET) and vote for your fav pic. Obviously you should vote for the pic you like best (I just hope that is one of ours!). The two other photos entered are of Robbie and Rory. Robbie is doing ok but no-one has voted for Rory yet. Poor Rorror.

The first prize is a Stubben bridle valued at $500. I have never had a top quality new bridle so it would be a HUGE treat to win it and it would be so treasured!

So, get voting folks!!

Tuesday

**WARNING** This is going to a pretty boring update but I have received complaints about the slow down in my blogging so ... you asked for it! *pokes out tongue*

This morning was a lovely misty morning and if I had been more organised and less asleep I would have gone out and taken some photos of spiderwebs and dew drops and mist on the hills. Instead I went out in my dressing gown and gumboots and took a couple of less than perfect shots of Portia and Maxi in the front paddock and then went back inside for my brekky.

After Amy headed off to school I got dressed and went outside and took Brennan's cover off and popped his bridle on. He is in the process of being mouthed which has been a complete non event but I like to slip it on him every day just for a wee while so it's no big deal. I am really hoping to get a call or email soon to let me know that there is a space for him at Gavin & Nicole's because the young man really needs to be doing something I feel. I took some photos of him as the light was nice and he had a few minutes of plastic bag desensitising, although I think the bag was more scared of being eaten by him than he was of being eaten by it!

Then I had a lovely ride over the farm on Meg. I opened up two of the back paddocks so we could ride there and she had to go down the race next to Squeaky Squeakerson (Brennan's nickname) and did a very good impression of a evil mare with her neck arched, ears pinned and tail swishing whilst he squeaked and pranced alongside her. He thinks she is the bees knees, she is not quite so sure about him!

Nick went into town and bought the first of the new stable supplies so the Goldpine account now has another $225 on it. Ouch! The things we do for our horses!!! I will take photos of the stable build and share them on here.

Here are a selection of photos taken this morning:

Mmmm nosebag??

Looking at Meg - He luffs her

Approaching the baggy

I can C U

Look I am wearing a bridle - I'm so cleffer

Looking for Shrek?

Maxi poser much?

Got the wind up him!

Donkey dance

Bezzy mates

Flying Welshie

Donkey on the edge!

Meg's first outing in a year...

Meg, all ready to go this morning

Today I took Meg down to the Solway Dressage group's rally. We have our first competition next Sunday and today was an opportunity for me to ride Meg with other horses and in an arena. She loaded into the float like she had been doing it her whole life and off we toddled. It was a good exercise for me too as it was the first time I have loaded a young horse up and taken it out completely on my own.

Once there I let her have a wee look around and then tied her to the float and gave her a good groom. She was very settled, just looking around when other floats and horses arrived but generally focussed on her hay net.

Once I had found a suitable mounting block (these days I cannot get on unless lowered from a great height - very sad) I was on board and we tootled about. She was fabulous! Not at all bothered by the other horses and listening nicely to me. Two of the dressage group ladies very kindly came over and asked if they could help in any way so we did some work on 20m circles/arena craft and I rode through my tests for next weekend and even managed to get both canters, correct lead and sustained first time! THAT was a great confidence boost, probably for both of us! I had some lovely comments about Meg and I think she surprised a few people. I am sure we won't be setting the dressage world alight any time soon but she is going to be a great ambassador for the breed, demonstrating that purebred Clydesdales can do more than pull carts and plough fields.

I now have a very tired but very clever clompety settled back into her paddock filling her face and a warm glow about my person - I am really looking forward to our debut next weekend.

We also had 12t of lime delivered on Friday and so I have attached a photo of how the shed is looking with its lovely new lime base. Hopefully my stable will be being built in it very soon!!!