The waiting game!

Well is she, isn't she?  Everyone keeps asking is she pregnant or not? "I don't know" She is certainly calmer and a little sweeter in the week of her cycle when she should be tearing my head off.. Darcie is certainly what you would call a hormonal mare! She did try and take the arm off my new jacket though the other day so perhaps not!

Anyway the next stage is to have her scanned, thats booked at Bishopton with our vet Richard next Monday 27th, so all being well we will find out then. Richard did leave us with the statement "There is no reason why she shouldn't get pregnant". Hopefully Kate Fallaize might be able to take us down in her lunch hour, especially if I offer a nice sandwich.

Darcie is really struggling without her back shoes on, she has really soft soles and can feel every atom (yes I do mean atom, well it feels like that anyway). I have to say though that she feels lighter behind and has a greater step under than she did with shoes on, maybe there is something to this barefoot lark. Think when she goes into her confinement we may persevere and not have her back shoes put on. However it would be really good to do some shows and maybe a little dressage this summer whilst she still can and we certainly can't get any work into her at the moment. So if the scan is positive we shall be calling Andrew Cox our Farrier, maybe he could put lighter shoes on the back. We can only ask.

On the plus side had a really good ride on Saturday with our good friend Kate and her horse Devon, although Darcie would not canter (sore feet you understand) we did some exploring and have found a brilliant ride with a stream to cross, great flat roadwork, plenty of gates (we like gates its one of the few things that Darcie excels at) and lots of canter fields (although filled with ewes and their new born lambs, so just trot fields at moment) Cant wait to get shoes on, then its body protector, neck strap and go, go, go.....

Explosive times!

Well she looks like innocence personified, doesn't she?
Since my last post (a long. long time ago) we have really been through some rough times.

When I bought Darc she had a hoof problem which meant she had to stay in her box with just short periods of turnout. This drove her mad, you can imagine! The farrier never thought she would come right, but thanks to him she did! However when we started to hack out she went mental, throwing herself around like a bucking bronko till she got me off!!!! This happened every time I hacked out ( I am surprised my friend Val still rides out with me, more about Val and Madison next posting). I really nearly decided to sell her. Anyway in desperation I asked my riding instructor at (Bogs hall Stables) for help and started lessons every week. (I wont go into the ins and outs of what we did here as it was a long time ago now- if you want to know message me or add a comment here and I will get back to you). Well things got slightly better although I became a very nervous rider ( I still did everything but was very scared whilst doing it).

Next thing that happened was disastrous! My friend Ruth was training for her BHS teaching certificate and Darc and I were her guinea pigs. She was giving me a lunge lesson in the new indoor school (lovely soft deep bark flooring, you can see where I am going with this cant you?) we were working without stirrups and reins in walk and trot. Ruth asked if I wanted to try canter, "yes" said I, always up for a challenge, "but on her good lead". ....Well how surprised was I, it was great... "Shall we try on her other lead" I said , "are you sure" said Ruth, doubtfully, "Yeh, it'll be fine" Off we go then.... Buck, off I fell, what a lovely surface to fall off on. Then I moved.... I had broken my arm, quite a serious break and have had two operations and It all took 2 years to mend and I have been left with nerve damage in my hand, which affects things such as tightening girths and altering stirrups when I am on board. Well that's having horses for you, they tell me its a high risk sport.

Anyway I have loads more to fill in those years about how far we have come and what we have been up to. Watch out for the next installment.