Elf On A Shelf
...
That's me done showing for the year! We started in April and finished last weekend at the same venue and what a year it has been!
Way back in April on Sunday the 9th (this date is very important!) The Wee Coloured Job scooted along to Howe for his first outing as an adult pony. He duly won his Small Breed M&M in-hand class and stood section Champion. We did not stay for any further classes or championships as I had a very important party to attend! The reason the 9th is important? It's the day after the 8th! And on the 8th of April One For Arthur only went and won the ruddy Grand National! So many, many parties ensued!
Rolling onto May and my mums Welsh Cob, Gerry, went out to play for the first time in a while at Howe and won his 2 classes qualifying him for the Caledonian Championships - which we will get to later. The Wee Coloured Job went to the Central Groups Shetland Show where he won his class over 3 other prolific winning stallions! That was a happy day! He then went to Fife Show and stood 3rd in the pouring rain in the coloured class - I have never been so pleased to be out of the championship places so I could just load up and go home!
June found The Wee Coloured Job standing 2nd at West Fife Show to the eventual Champion and me deciding that he doesn't like being shown in June as there are too many mares around in season! June also has the Highland Show. Gerry was there and wasn't the judges cup of tea but we knew that long before we went. My old faithful Dartmoor, Freebie, also went to play and again not in the places but he enjoyed his spin out!
There's not many shows in July and it was a last minute decision that took us up to Kirriemuir with the Wee Coloured Job who not only won his class (In the pouring rain! Yes! This is Scotland! This is normal!) He took the overall Shetland Championship which qualified him for the NPS Finals at Blair.
You can see the rain!
August was a busy month! 3 ponies at our local show and 3 blacks which makes a change! Rains stood 2nd in his M&M ridden class, 1st and reserve champion in his Shetland ridden class. RQ's won his M&M class and stood reserve champion on his first outing for a few years!
RQ's
SOS stood 3rd to him in the M&M's and 8th in a rather large Shetland Yeld Mare class. Yes she is far too fat, she is known as Lardass at home but she is gradually losing the weight! Roll on Winter!
SOS
Then there was the Shetland Breed Show where we took 4! Rain's stood 5th in most of his classes, the 2 mares - Lucy & Lunar Fire were 8th & 10th respectively in their HUGE yeld mare class. And the Wee Coloured Job stood 3rd in his stallion class behind 2 of England's biggest winners! He also won the trophy for the Best Broken Coloured Pony in the show.
We will get to Blair shortly ...
So we skip ahead to the Caledonian Championships where I just took Gerry for the Adult Handler Class and stood 4th. I couldn't catch RQ's so he stayed muddy in the field the wee toad! This was the last show of the year for me as it is now all racing, work, racing, work, work, work lol! No more weekends off!
Gerry
And we save the best til last! The Wee Coloured job had qualified for Blair and when I told him he was going to the International Horse Trials he thought he had better get a bit of practice in with the water jumps and got himself stuck in the ditch ... An hour and a half in cold water later he is out without so much as a scratch! So onward bound we go! The class he had qualified for was in the afternoon so I spent the morning twiddling my thumbs! In the class itself the wee toad kept cantering on his trot round but the ring was horrible and full of ups and downs which just gave him an excuse to canter! So we were pulled 4th to start with. I would have been more than happy to stay there! Over the moon in fact! But stay there we did not! The Wee Coloured Job only went and got pulled up to WIN! I have never cried in the ring in my life but there was a wee glimmer that day! He only went and ruddy well did it! Nothing in the championship but I didn't care! Every single pony in that ring had stood Champion at some stage in the year to qualify and he beat them all! Proud does not even come close!
Everyone is now out, scruffy, muddy and hairy! I'll clip them in a month or so ready for next year but they have all earned their holidays and so have I from scrubbing!
Roll on 2018!
Way back in April on Sunday the 9th (this date is very important!) The Wee Coloured Job scooted along to Howe for his first outing as an adult pony. He duly won his Small Breed M&M in-hand class and stood section Champion. We did not stay for any further classes or championships as I had a very important party to attend! The reason the 9th is important? It's the day after the 8th! And on the 8th of April One For Arthur only went and won the ruddy Grand National! So many, many parties ensued!
Rolling onto May and my mums Welsh Cob, Gerry, went out to play for the first time in a while at Howe and won his 2 classes qualifying him for the Caledonian Championships - which we will get to later. The Wee Coloured Job went to the Central Groups Shetland Show where he won his class over 3 other prolific winning stallions! That was a happy day! He then went to Fife Show and stood 3rd in the pouring rain in the coloured class - I have never been so pleased to be out of the championship places so I could just load up and go home!
June found The Wee Coloured Job standing 2nd at West Fife Show to the eventual Champion and me deciding that he doesn't like being shown in June as there are too many mares around in season! June also has the Highland Show. Gerry was there and wasn't the judges cup of tea but we knew that long before we went. My old faithful Dartmoor, Freebie, also went to play and again not in the places but he enjoyed his spin out!
There's not many shows in July and it was a last minute decision that took us up to Kirriemuir with the Wee Coloured Job who not only won his class (In the pouring rain! Yes! This is Scotland! This is normal!) He took the overall Shetland Championship which qualified him for the NPS Finals at Blair.
You can see the rain!
August was a busy month! 3 ponies at our local show and 3 blacks which makes a change! Rains stood 2nd in his M&M ridden class, 1st and reserve champion in his Shetland ridden class. RQ's won his M&M class and stood reserve champion on his first outing for a few years!
RQ's
SOS stood 3rd to him in the M&M's and 8th in a rather large Shetland Yeld Mare class. Yes she is far too fat, she is known as Lardass at home but she is gradually losing the weight! Roll on Winter!
SOS
Then there was the Shetland Breed Show where we took 4! Rain's stood 5th in most of his classes, the 2 mares - Lucy & Lunar Fire were 8th & 10th respectively in their HUGE yeld mare class. And the Wee Coloured Job stood 3rd in his stallion class behind 2 of England's biggest winners! He also won the trophy for the Best Broken Coloured Pony in the show.
We will get to Blair shortly ...
So we skip ahead to the Caledonian Championships where I just took Gerry for the Adult Handler Class and stood 4th. I couldn't catch RQ's so he stayed muddy in the field the wee toad! This was the last show of the year for me as it is now all racing, work, racing, work, work, work lol! No more weekends off!
Gerry
And we save the best til last! The Wee Coloured job had qualified for Blair and when I told him he was going to the International Horse Trials he thought he had better get a bit of practice in with the water jumps and got himself stuck in the ditch ... An hour and a half in cold water later he is out without so much as a scratch! So onward bound we go! The class he had qualified for was in the afternoon so I spent the morning twiddling my thumbs! In the class itself the wee toad kept cantering on his trot round but the ring was horrible and full of ups and downs which just gave him an excuse to canter! So we were pulled 4th to start with. I would have been more than happy to stay there! Over the moon in fact! But stay there we did not! The Wee Coloured Job only went and got pulled up to WIN! I have never cried in the ring in my life but there was a wee glimmer that day! He only went and ruddy well did it! Nothing in the championship but I didn't care! Every single pony in that ring had stood Champion at some stage in the year to qualify and he beat them all! Proud does not even come close!
Everyone is now out, scruffy, muddy and hairy! I'll clip them in a month or so ready for next year but they have all earned their holidays and so have I from scrubbing!
Roll on 2018!
not know of anywhere do an adult handler class before 
that's my point that is a very fit, very round, black shetland leader! And lets face it there aren't many shetlands doing full national trials - I've never seen any others. So I decided I best not judge after that day as it was tough going too.. I think that was the last obstacle and they were still going for it!
It's hard keeping that critter that clean you know!
, ridden career next? HOYS worker? 