An update from me.

LauraWheeler

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Hello, hello i'm back.
As some know I had to leave the place I was living in rather a rush :( It ended up with me staying at a friends holiday home and my boys at two seperate yards. After alot of searching and stress I finaly found a wonderful place we could all be together. ( A big Thankyou to everyone on here who put the word out and gave me numbers of people to call while I was looking for a place.) To begin with Merryn came to the new place and Herbs stayed where he was. I had alot of work on and was hardly at home. Herbs was staying at one of the yards I worked at so it made sence for him to stay there. That way I could still ride him everyday. Although the yard he was at had no secure place to leave tack and had been broken into several times so it ment two months of riding Herbie bareback all the time. I got some funny looks while out on the forest.
Merryn settled into the new place streight away. In good old Merryn style it was asif he had always been there. He was best buds with my ladladys horse N, which was good because 3 days after we arrived the other horse, N's mum had to be PTS. :( N is 15 and has never been appart from his mum but Merryn realy helped him cope and never left his side for the following few days.
Herbs and I went show jumping twice. The first time we got 5th. My OH couldn't come so I didn't get it videod. But the next time we came 3rd.

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Both jumps we had down were my fault compleatly :o

Then came the time to move Herbie to our new home. He found it all very upsetting. It took him a few weeks to calm down bless him. Everything was a battle and afew of his old habits came back. Even hacking turned into abit of a nightmare again. But luckly now he seems very happy here. The most settled he's ever been. Moving home used to mean a new owner for him but hopefuly now he's realising whereever he moves to i'll always be with him. He's stuck with me forever. ;)

One he had settled I took him showjumping again. But now we lived along way from the venue. We hacked for two hours on the Sat afternoon and he stayed at a yard I work at over night. Then we had an hour hack to the venue in the morning.

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We got 3rd again :D

Then afew weeks later we did it all again.

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Again the fence down was my fault. Don't know what I was thinking bringing him in on that angle :o But dispite me Herbs got 5th place :cool:

Next we had our first go at a ridden show class. It was a fairly big show for our first try but they split the foresters at hight so we would be up against other shortarse foresters ;) We did the novice ridden new forest pony under 13.2hh. We hacked to the show and I hadn't realised how far it was. It took us 2 hours to get there with the last hour mainly trotting. :eek: Anyway we arrived intime and Herbs had a little rest before we went in. He walked and trotted round realy sweetly but sadly our canter round was spoilt by two adult competitors feeling the need to ride up his backside despite his red ribbon :(. But seeing as they looked at eachother and laughed after they did it I assume it was on perpous :mad: maybe I should be flattered that they thought I was competition and needed to do it. I do wish I'd let him kick them though. We were both upset by it. we were pulled in in any order and naturaly Herbs and I came in last :rolleyes: I was dreading are indervidule show. Herbs can be a nappy git when he wants to be and I just knew he was going to switch off while stood in the lineup. Eventualy our turn came. I stood him up for the judge. She asked me to walk away, trot back then do a short show. I asked Herbs to walk on and he just grunted and started going backwards. "O god" I thought "He's going to be a git" He took afew steps back and stopped. I growled at him and he walked on. We turned and trotted back then to my surprise he did a realy sweet show. He trotted and cantered when I asked him and didn't even think about napping to the lineup :D I was so proud. we got 6th place. The judge realy liked him but said he "looked tired" I laughed and told her how far we had hacked to get there. She said she wasn't surprised he was tired and that he was lovely and I should show him more but maybe not hack him so far beforehand.
Sadly my OH didn't get much of the class on Vid and he didn't get any of our indervidule show :(

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I couldn't resist the song :o It's how I feel about him. Some people I know are quite rude about him but I don't care he's a superstar to me.

The next weekend we went to another show (only 1 1/2 hour hack this time ;) ). we did the 2ft jumping class. I bottled it, it was our first time at a new venue and I had 2 refusels :( Herbs didn't bat an eyelid and once I pulled myself together and re presented him at each of the jumps he just popped over realy sweetly :) Then we did the inhand coloured horse/pony. Again he was realy well behaved and he only went and won the class :D I was so proud and he deserved a red ribbon esp after I messed up the jumping for him.

So thats it all caught up.
Now i'm hoping to hire a trailer afew times over the winter and do some more dressage and also take him hunting when the meets are within hacking distance. I'm so proud of my little man he's come such along way from when I first got him and he's done so well this year getting a ribbon at every show we've been to (depite my awful riding).
I hope you enjoyed my update and the videos.
(By the way i'm fully aware of my crapness, it's due to nervs, (I think my riding has improved the more I go, I hope those who follow Herbs and I can see it to) I know by posting vids on a public forum I open myself up to crit constructive or otherwise. Rude comments WILL be ignored. I'm not hurting Herbs in anyway If I was I would be on the floor Trust me. If Herbs is uncomfortable in anyway he lets you know in no uncertain terms lol)
Anyway thanks for reading and watching the vids. Hope everyone is ok. xxxxxxx
 
Aw great update Laura! Just loved the SJ vid - absolutely what I aspire to. How lovely to see a pony so calm and laid back around jumps - especially after the videos of some manic jumping on another post about a horse for sale! I am very envious of your secure lower leg position and also think its brilliant how much you enjoy what you do together. Good for you! :)
 
Loved this update,and congrats on doing so well at the shows.
This is what horses are all about, pleasure and fun, and you do epitomise that. Think Herbie has come on such a long,long way from his "horrid" days, it is hard to believe he is the same pony. Well done, your perseverance has paid off, and he is a great credit to you.
 
Lovely update Laura!!! Well done on all your ribbons, he must be a fit pony to do all that hacking and competing!!!

Keep it up girl!!! Xxx
 
Thanks guys. we've had so much fun this summer it's unreal. Esp after all the upset at the start.

tobiano Luckly Herbs loves his jumping. Not shore many other horses would jump for i'm i'm more than a little terrified. ;P

spottyappy at one of the jumping shows the organiser came up to me and said how much they loved seeing me at there shows because no matter what happened I always had such a big smile on my face and looked like I was having fun. But who wouldn't have fun riding a small pink pony LOL.

redmone our neighbers recon Herbs was 17.2hh when he was sold to me. LOL
 
Lovely to see an update from you laura. Your updates always make me think of the pony books I read as a teenager, it is like you and Herbs rode straight out of one of them!
 
I love this combo ..and he looked so handsome in the showing vid !! I agree with the judge he did look tired ;) but after the hack there can't blame him .. As for the jumping ..I can see an improvement in each video .. The first was lacking energy and confidence .. But by the last video he was a little more forward and the pair of you looked more confident !! Really lovely to see !!
 
Lovely to see an update from you laura. Your updates always make me think of the pony books I read as a teenager, it is like you and Herbs rode straight out of one of them!

That's exactly what I was thinking, and I was thinking, good for you!! you may get 'the needle' like Noel in the the Radley Riding Club at the shows but you persevere and you are more concerned with having fun and the welfare of your pony than being snooty and up yourself.

Long may you and Herbie And Merryn Reign!
 
So lovely to see an update from you Laura, and wow, what a summer you and Herbs have had.

I really admire you, well for many things, but to make the effort to hack to your events shows real commitment, and then to get placed .... you put a lot of others to shame.
Looks like you both enjoy your jumping, and although as the judge said, Herbs looked a little tired at the big show, I thought he looked wonderful, a real credit to you.

So, CONGRATULATIONS for everything you have achieved this summer, and I am sure you will have fun with hunting and dressage this winter.

Hope to see you soon. xx
 
Thanks everyone.

Emilie Should I start saying things like Geewizz ;P

Lambkins thankyou glad you can see an improvment. We've still got a way to go (I can't describe how nervous I am) But it's heading in the right direction. I don't actualy feel sick at the thought of going showjumping anymore :) and for our next ridden showing show I'm going to hire a trailer. I honestly didn't think it was that far away. I only took him to see how he behaved anyway and he was a star. :)

lachlanandmarcus we do get alot of stick but I just think they are jelous. I own the best pink pony in the world (although it's nearly winter so soon he'll just be bay again :( ) At one of the jumping shows a girl jumped the clear round at about 3ft 3in then came into the 2ft class. Very unsporting I thought. But she was beatern by a kid on a little pony :) When she came out the ring her dad said "It's no good coming 2nd" I did wonder what he must have thought of me. Cheering when my name was anounced in 5th place and then giving Herbs the biggest pat in there. But to me it is about having fun. Thats why we have horses isn't it? To have fun?

Jill Crewe Sorry I live in the amazing new forest. Don't think i'll be leaving anytime soon ;P Maybe you could move here :) lol

Shysmum thankyou it's good to be back. :)

Sprout Thankyou I don't have transport so if I want to compeat I have to hack, and as I want to live in the middle of nowhere I have to hack miles to get anywhere lol
 
Absolutely loved this thread! :) so happy to hear you are happy and settled now, fab results at the shows too! :D I'm another one who really admires you and the patience and dedication you have shown to herbie is just remarkable - I definitely think he should be renamed handsome herbie, not horrid herbie!
 
Charem :( I can't imagen ever leaving the forest. We were considering it when we couldn't find anywhere to live and it broke my heart. Luckly in the nick of time we heard about the place we are at now :) and thankyou.

BlairandAzria thankyou. He can still be horrid when he wants to. But thats what makes him him and to be honest I wouldn't want him any other way. He's no where near as bad as he used to be. Alot of it's just cheekyness now. :)
 
Thankyou babymare I'm super proud of my little chap :D Now I have internet again I can keep you all updated on how he's doing again. If the plans I have for him come true you'll soon all be bord of us. LOL ;P
 
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