Elf On A Shelf
...
What a great weekend up at the Black Isle for the Shetland Pony Breed Show! The 2 boys and I headed up on Saturday afternoon ready for showing on Sunday. Despite getting stuck in traffic for a good 40mins going past Blair we made it up at a decent hour. The boys liked their new digs for night! Especially Dum Dum who had girls in the 3 connecting boxes to him 
When we got there Dempsey refused to get off the trailer so I left him there and took DumDum off instead. Popped him in his stable and went back to tempt Demps off with some carrots. He finally decided to come off of the ramp and as I lead him to his stable he suddenly slammed the brakes on and refused to move
when I plant's he plants in typical Shetland fashion! And the reason for not moving? He didn't quite understand why the grass stopped and there was something solid and grey to step onto. So a lot of persuasion, some shoving up the bum and the threat of being picked up and chucked onto the tarmac by the 2 army guys he finally relented and realised going onto tarmac wasn't so bad after all!
Sunday morning and as per usual Dempsey has used his poo for a pillow it's a good job he is chestnut so it just blends in
Frustratingly they ran each of the same type of classes at the same time in each ring which meant the Coloured ring stood empty for long periods of time waiting for the other 2 inhand rings to finish their class before moving onto the next. This then meant that the 2 boys classes would clash as Dum Dum was in the Black 2&3yo Colt class and Dempsey was in the Coloured 2&3yo Colt class. Paul very kindly stepped in to show Dempsey for us. He shows most of the Dryfesdale ponies for Eileen now so it was not really much of a change for him I am ever grateful for him for picking up the lead rein for me to allow both boys to do their classes.
Dum Dum won his Black 2&3yo Colt class. This lad has really come into his own this year and hasn't been out of the top 2 in shetland and mixed M&M company. But winning at the Breed show where the best of the best congregate means just that little bit more!
Dempsey was 2nd in his Coloured 2&3yo Colt class to a lovely big skewbald Colt down from Shetland who went on to stand Reserve Overall Coloured Champion.
Then the fun started as I was packing and loading to go home I realised I had lost my car keys 
I raided my car, checked back through the stables, asked in the office if they had been handed in. Nope. So a 2nd decant of everything in the car and 45mins later I find them in a grooming bag they must have fallen out of my pocket but luckily landed in there I have never been so panicked in all my life and I am not one to get stressed or panicky about life keys found, ponies loaded and home we went.
It's been a great weekend full of showing and catching up with so many people and cheering on their successes! But it has made me realise that we are incredibly spoiled in racing we rock up, make a mess and go home again when we stay overnight we get a proper bed for the night so packing bedding and mucking out kit was weird. Gutting my stables and leaving them spotless is weird sleeping in my car - lessons learned there
Until the next time!
When we got there Dempsey refused to get off the trailer so I left him there and took DumDum off instead. Popped him in his stable and went back to tempt Demps off with some carrots. He finally decided to come off of the ramp and as I lead him to his stable he suddenly slammed the brakes on and refused to move
when I plant's he plants in typical Shetland fashion! And the reason for not moving? He didn't quite understand why the grass stopped and there was something solid and grey to step onto. So a lot of persuasion, some shoving up the bum and the threat of being picked up and chucked onto the tarmac by the 2 army guys he finally relented and realised going onto tarmac wasn't so bad after all! Sunday morning and as per usual Dempsey has used his poo for a pillow
it's a good job he is chestnut so it just blends in Frustratingly they ran each of the same type of classes at the same time in each ring which meant the Coloured ring stood empty for long periods of time waiting for the other 2 inhand rings to finish their class before moving onto the next. This then meant that the 2 boys classes would clash as Dum Dum was in the Black 2&3yo Colt class and Dempsey was in the Coloured 2&3yo Colt class. Paul very kindly stepped in to show Dempsey for us. He shows most of the Dryfesdale ponies for Eileen now so it was not really much of a change for him
I am ever grateful for him for picking up the lead rein for me to allow both boys to do their classes. Dum Dum won his Black 2&3yo Colt class. This lad has really come into his own this year and hasn't been out of the top 2 in shetland and mixed M&M company. But winning at the Breed show where the best of the best congregate means just that little bit more!
Dempsey was 2nd in his Coloured 2&3yo Colt class to a lovely big skewbald Colt down from Shetland who went on to stand Reserve Overall Coloured Champion.
Then the fun started
as I was packing and loading to go home I realised I had lost my car keys I raided my car, checked back through the stables, asked in the office if they had been handed in. Nope. So a 2nd decant of everything in the car and 45mins later I find them in a grooming bag they must have fallen out of my pocket but luckily landed in there I have never been so panicked in all my life and I am not one to get stressed or panicky about life keys found, ponies loaded and home we went. It's been a great weekend full of showing and catching up with so many people and cheering on their successes! But it has made me realise that we are incredibly spoiled in racing
we rock up, make a mess and go home again when we stay overnight we get a proper bed for the night so packing bedding and mucking out kit was weird. Gutting my stables and leaving them spotless is weird sleeping in my car - lessons learned there Until the next time!
