Recent content by Arabelle

I am a country person and I certainly wouldn't drive into anyone - don't lump us all into your lawless yokel stereotype. If you are happy with fracking, fair enough. If you don't want your countryside spoilt, then you need to protest.

My daughter is 10 and does the reins in loops thing. It is partly my fault as I encouraged her to ride on a loose contact when she had an unbalanced seat to protect the ponies mouth. What helped was when she went to camp they had a lesson and a dressage competition - just a Prelim test. The...

Thank you for all the replies - lots to think about. The general consensus seems to be that the odd show as a 2 year old is not worth getting worked up about - it it only worth going if I want to, my youngster won't suffer if I take the easy option. Good news for me :) Suechoccy, I found...

I would welcome experienced views on this. I have entered my 2 year old into a show at the weekend, but now it gets nearer I don't know if I can be bothered, to be honest. I have had a busy week, and it is all the faff of bathing and plaiting for the sake of a few minutes in the ring that puts...

A connie x arab sounds like my dream pony *wistful*

Connies are wonderful. My daughter's pony is a connemara (a Sydserff, for those that know their connie breeding) and she is a truly wonderful pony. Forward going but sensible, great little jump, sweet nature, ridiculously good doer - she really has it all.

Good endurance riders ride in a very light contact, with the horse working efficiently from behind, but not pulled in at the front to create a dressage style 'roundness' It is more of long and lean silhouette, but working from behind, or the horse won't have a long career in endurance.

I would like a lovely, chunky (not in-hand show type) 14.2 ish Arab mare - about 8 years old. Lovely. Or a Connemara - same size, age, gender. Love my Arabs & Connie mares.

I have money in Premium Bonds, which are my horses insurance. That way, there is a chance I will get big payout and I am not putting money into the insurance companies pocket. Vets do ask if you are insured and treat accordingly. I prefer to take a conservative, pragmatic approach to...

I sympathise - my daughter's new pony has turned out to be a 'good doer' and has ballooned in the short time we have had her. I have never had a fat pony, so she has surprised me by quickly becoming a lard bucket on a field that my other ponies stay slim on - some ponies must be able to make...

My vet and my farrier are usually (if fact, just about always) punctual. Therefore, I do not understand how other vet and farriers can use 'its the nature of the job' as an excuse for repeated lateness. They do the same job as the people I use, who manage to be on time, so it is obviously...

My vet advised me not to go more than a hand bigger for a maiden mare. This was a very special mare to me, so I did not want to take any risks and followed that advice. My baby is actually quite wee, but I think that is down to my maiden mare as the stallion can throw big foals...

I keep all mine because I am utterly wet that way - hence I have a menagerie of geriatrics. Having said that, I wouldn't necessarily knock someone for selling on an older horse - I have just bought a 20year old second pony for my daughter and she is perfect for us in every way. However I...

My little ArabxWelsh mare. I have had her for 12 years. She has taken me to a far higher level competitively than I ever aspired to, bred me a beautiful filly and granted me the privilege of being there at the birth and helped me to cope with the most traumatic bereavement. And she is still...

I had heard youngsters were most at risk. The mare that died was 4, but my girl was only 2 at the time (this was before I owned her). So it is a mystery why one got it and the other didn't. Scary, scary, especially as my mare now has a baby, who is 2.