An Update.

tigers_eye

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7 February 2006
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Hoeilaart, Belgium
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During the last week we have had much the same weather as you guys. I am trying not to rely on the indoor school, I think it's so easy to get lazy and then you end up at a competition in a horizontal gale and funnily enough the horses don't behave!

I am currently trying to sort out my competitors licence, keep forgetting bits though, so it will be tomorrow at the earliest that I can send it off, which means I'm going to have to try and enter my first event using my english registration numbers.

Horses are being worked hard at the moment in an effort to get them properly fit, Liberty is doing well, although did a really long bit of canter work a couple of days ago, then trotted for a good mile when we stopped cantering and he very nearly fell flat on his face when he tripped up a small rut and was using my hands as a fifth leg! William seems to have turned over a bit of a new leaf on the flat, he is really trying, and I've a feeling it might be because the surfaces seem a good bit deeper than we had before so he actually picks his toes up. However he seems to be finding his jumping hard work atm. His jump is fine, but after a certain amount of work he just seems to run out of steam a bit. His canter fitness seems fine, so I guess I just have to keep doing little and often to et those jumping muscles back up to scratch.

They both seem to have adjusted to their stables now, they have very low ceilings and they are both missing some chunks out of their faces at the moment! Although William has bars on his door he has a small window which he can stick his head out of and survey the courtyard from which he thoroughley enjoys. He is not impressed by electric fencing and has broken out twice. The first time the electricity wasn't on, but yesterday it was! Naughty pony. Their field is next to the school and apparently he has taken to lurking by the edge when other people are having a lesson, then he stands up and waves just as they go past!

Lovely though the stables are I am on the hunt for a yard of my own, or one that I could share. The problem with all places local to our house is a lack of fields. There are plenty of stables, but very little turnout. However I have driven past a place I used to go to for lessons a couple of times and it looks like the yard is no longer in use, although the house is definately lived in. The yard has an indoor school on sight, and it used to have fields and a huge outdoor school a little way up the road. I'm on a mission to find out more about it this week. The size of it is a little daunting, there must be around 25 stables, but it's the only possibility I've found so far.

At the weekend we popped along to one of the riding clubs in our town (when I said there were loads I meant it, think population must be 5000, and there are 5 big equestrian centres and several smaller establishments)! I need to be a member of a recognised club to get my licence so I picked one that was close by. S and I walked into the bar (no centre runs without a bar and restaurant), straight away saw someone I recognised from years back - his kids used to ride, we were all in ponies together. So caught up with him, then made it to the bar, paid for my membership, bought a beer, went to sit down and promptly saw someone else I knew having lunch with a friend! Turned out the friend used to work with my Dad at the Commission over 8 years ago now! Very very small world......
 
Wow all sounds like its goin well. The membership and all your forms sound confusin to me!!! and its nice to meet people u know in the strangest af places!!! Love williams behaviour!!!! bet hes very proud of himself!!!
 
Great to have met old friends already, and local contacts are bound to be your best bet looking for a new yard.

FIngers crossed a lovely one turns up for you soon.

FIona
 
It would be nice. Missed out on buying a well-bred 3yo mare (Parco x Lys de Darmen, and at a very reasonable price) as I have nowhere to put an extra horse at the moment! Still, there'll be others......
 
It sounds like I should be moving to Belgium.
Glad to hear its all going well and boys are settled.
OH would def come to every show knowing theres a bar/restuarant there lol
 
All sounds so good, fingers crossed for finding yard, the big one with 25 boxes would be fab, think of all the lovely horses you could have fun buying to fill them with
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Have only been to Belgium 2 or 3 times but do love the horsey scene out there and the people are great. Agree with BB's about moving there, sadly cannot see OH agreeing to commute.
 
The problem with so many boxes is I'd really need at least 1 full-time and 1 part-time staff, if not 2 fulltime. And I would need to fill most of it with liveries at least to start with, which sounds REALLY daunting!

BBs - even the most lowly RC event has a full size marquee with a bar running down most of one long-side! And beer for 1.50 euro...... I get the feeling S will be a bit more enthusiatic too!
 
You have a point, forgot they would all need looking after - oops! Filling 20 odd boxes with liveries and employing staff does start to sound quite scary I agree.

Do all the bars at events run the same way i.e. you purchase tokens that are then exchanged for alcohol/food? Makes it cheaper to drink beer than coffee
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I'd give my right arm for an indoor school today. Was supposed to be taking the Malingerer to Nigel Taylor's for xc today but daren't get the lorry out in these gales.
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Taking on such a big yard sounds scary to me; can't you just rent part of it, or rent all of it and sub-let the rest? Are all the riding clubs based at a yard like in Germany?

Good to hear the boys are settled in; lol at William waving, little treasure!
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It depends what you define as good
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. It's an excellent party circuit as they don't "do" one day events - it's usually two or three! It's fine for horses nearer the bottom end, but a bit harder to find enough good competitions for the top end, although we're so close to everything most Belgian team riders just pop off to Holland/France/Germany to run in CICs.

Fancy coming and being my 2nd rider when I've got enough horses?!

BBs - COME ON OVER! Saw a PA job advertised last week, 38hrs pw, english only, 2300 euros a month (after tax).... Don't know if you speak any other languages but the more you do the more you earn!
 
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