My next equine project horse

[AdorableAlice]

Ted the Twit might be back. Three lots of specialist shoeing with the next scheduled for next week, around 65kg gone (according to a weigh tape), his personal vet finally uttering 'he looks good', we both nearly fainted at that statement. Me with relief and Ted thinking he might get a square meal soon.

Everything is crossed for the morning finding him sound. He did some cantering on decent ground today and jumped some logs. I have never seen a horse look so happy to be out and about. He was just bouncing along. Of course he considers he is starved to oblivion and I have to agree with the poor soul. How such a massive horse can thrive on a patch of dust for weeks on end with just a tiny haynet and a bowl of damp chaff is beyond me.

His rider thinks I am the cruellest owner and has to be frisked for clandestine food parcels on every visit. Adorable Alice snitched on Ted when he tried to parachute a bag of barley, via drone into his field. It failed anyway because Dim Tim was tasked with coordinating the landing and the words 'Tim' and 'coordination' simply do not go together.

A few more ounces could go if I took the scissors to his ridiculous mane. I have to wait for no one to be looking though as I am apparently dangerous with scissors around the horses. A rib can be felt, well if you you poke hard enough !, and his shoulder bone can be seen. It seems a mature Ted is going to be tricky to keep slim.

 

[redapple]

He's looking fab!

 

[Regandal]

The second pic looks like an ad for L'Oreal! You can just see him thinking, 'Yes, I am gorgeous'! He looks great.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Wow. I suspect that mane may be too thick and luxurious for scissors. You might need the hedge trimmers

He is looking amazing and very happy.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Gorgeous animal, love the mane

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I would kill for a horse like him...bluddy gorgeous!!

 

[JJS]

He looks great! I know exactly what you mean about horses that can thrive on a dust patch though - I've got three, and one of them is a bleeding blood horse. Said ISH hasn't left his starvation paddock since spring, and after last year's lami episode, he's staying in there until winter rolls around again.

 

[LadySam]

He's looking absolutely stunning.

 

[OldNag]

Wow. I suspect that mane may be too thick and luxurious for scissors. You might need the hedge trimmers

He is looking amazing and very happy.

.... hedge trimmers and a step ladder

 

[ycbm]

adorable alice snitched on ted when he tried to parachute a bag of barley, via drone into his field.

 

[anguscat]

I adore this thread and love your horses and story.
Just to say coming out of last summer I had a youngster that clearly had enjoyed too many cream teas. I decided to let winter 'take it's toll'. She was turned out 24/7 in her birthday suit despite having a low neck and belly clip ( she was in light hacking work). I felt cruel and was very thankful to have them at home away from any potential mollycoddling tut tutters putting doubt in my mind! She and her companion could get out of the worst of the weather (big field with free access to barn in a sheltered farm yard). In driving rain when extremely cold she got a waterproof low fill rug on temporarily. When wavering by my warm stove I kept telling myself she was bred to live on the Irish west coast.
She came out of the winter much the better for it despite having access to grazing, meadow hay in the barn and a small chaff feed to show her I still loved her.
It's the hardest thing in the world trying to 'feed' a horse to give it nothing, whilst pretending to it you are!
All the best for going forward (lightly!) with the truly splendid Ted!

 

[Sven]

It's taken an age to find this thread again, so this is just to bump it up and subtlety ask for an updat 😁

 

[AdorableAlice]

Test

 

[AdorableAlice]

I keep getting Opps - error, refresh page. No idea if I can post or not ?

 

[splashgirl45]

dont say you cant post AA, we need ted updates please......he looks fab in the last pic...

 

[ycbm]

Test

Worked. Now POST !! We need to know how Ted is doing.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Looks like I can. Won't do a picture though.

So, Ted is utterly fed up with being left in the wake of Dim Tim who seems to be able to do no wrong at the moment, and Adorable Alice who has been taught to jump recently and much to everyone's amazement is actually rather scopy.

In desperation he took to the WonderWebb and advertised on a dating site for a new lady to have fun with, or a indeed a new man. Ted is not fussy. His advert was very cleverly worded giving little away and mentioned weight carrying hunkiness, an awesome sense of humour, impeccable manners and a need for adventure. We avoided slim, athletic, sporty or intelligent. ( Read that as a special rider needed to take a bonkers cart horse hacking with his equally deranged owners and a possibility of riding alone if we think they are safe and good enough). Given some of Teds moments the rider will need an awesome sense of humour, an ability to ignore bad manners and a head for heights.)

How his Ipad coped with the avalanche of replies is beyond me. He hit 40 within 24 hours of advertising. Thankfully he had the sense to ask me to sort through his offers and pick out suitable dates.

I purposely did not put 'cob', 'shire' or anything suggesting novice ride, yet I was inundated with people wanting to learn to ride. I included the need to be 'confident rider' and that the horse was forward going and sensitive. I lost count of the number of offers to take him off my hands and give him a better home via loan, a couple of buy him in installments and a rather optimistic chap who could send his lorry immediately and give me £200.

We are so grateful to one lovely lady who matched all of Teds needs and he got snogged on his first date ! plus being called a handsome boy. His new lady friend used to have horses of her own but now with a young family doesn't have time. Ted is nicely relaxed with her and is really enjoying his hacking. We will glaze over the small incident when he decided he was petrified of tethered ponies and cleared off with her. I am really hoping he behaves himself and they have lots of fun together.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Cleared off WITH her is certainly better than clearing off without her. Ernie keeps reminding me of that critical distinction.

 

[Tarragon]

I am newly joined but have been a long-time lurker and have been following Ted's progress since the beginning. Now I have my chance to say how much I have loved reading all your inspirational and entertaining posts - thank you

 

[Tiddlypom]

Ted, please be on your best behaviour so your lovely new rider doesn't get second thoughts! It sounds like a great arrangement. Did someone really offer you £200 for Ted?! We need to know about Tim and Alice's exploits, too.

Ted's feet look great in the pic. You mentioned that he's had to have some rounds of specialist shoeing, can I ask what for? (This isn't in a shod vs barefoot debate, as my own are in and out of shoes as their needs dictate, but I've recently had to have some major rebalancing done on one of mine. It's all a learning curve.)

Re pics, I am still able to post them using imgur as before, don't know if that helps.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Major rebalance for Ted too. My farrier of 40 years retired and put Ted with a young and forward thinking farrier, but sadly it didn't work out and I ended up with a lame Ted. i do thinking shoeing heavy horses is a specialism.

Another farrier took him on via my vets and thankfully, the horse is sound again.

 

[OldNag]

Glad to see Ted & Co are all doing well. We do need pics of Alice jumping!

 

[ycbm]

i do thinking shoeing heavy horses is a specialism.
.

Definitely. They have odd, triangular feet very often that simply can't be balanced like a sports horse. Glad Ted found someone who understand his (very special) needs.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Ted is in need of a cardigan donation or a large sack to hide in. His esteemed male rider decided he wanted to have a go at clipping so he bought himself some sparkly new clippers and deemed Ted to be his practise horse before tackling his own, rather posh, horse. I hate clipping so was quietly pleased, thought fill your boots and by the way there are another 4 you can practise on.

It is only early October yet Ted resembles a yak and 20 minutes in the novelty of trying clipping had worn off. Despite wearing very impressive overalls that looked like something a murder would be investigated in, the moaning soon started of itching, hair on glasses and backache. I took over and the brand new sparkly clipper blades promptly ran blunt leaving Ted looking like a hedgehog. I pointed out to Ted that no one can see both sides of him at once so why worry ! I tend to be full of useless comments apparently.

With Alice refusing to share her Heinigers, she is fussy about sharing things and after all his fuzz will blunt the blades and then how is she going to get that silky smooth leg and bikini shave ?, poor Ted is to be left with furry patches. He plans to contact the retailer of the new clippers in the morning.

 

[splashgirl45]

just love the way you write AA, we need pics of the hedgehog please and of alice jumping please

 

[Nayumi1]

I'm new to reading this and I've spent a good while catching up to now but what a wonderful thread! Have enjoyed reading this and I admire your strength through the challenging times.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Update on the now not so furry fool (my poor heinigers are in shock after attempting to clip him), is preened, plucked, shaved, scrubbed and polished. I am absolutely knackered at the mammoth effort. I took the hedge cutter to his mane and an entire bottle of show shine to give him a slinky oiled look. If his saddle goes west tomorrow you are all sworn to silence. His ears remain out of bounds, so he is now completely bald apart from two great big fluffy ears.............never mind he has always been unique I suppose. Plus look on the bright side, he let me clip him, even his head with mini clippers and his back legs. There was time I was using a padded hand on stick to touch his back legs.

He is entered for two tests in the morning and it has been seventeen months, much care from his personal super human vet, we will glaze over the bills, a new farrier and we will glaze over those bills too, plus a serious diet and a new lady in his life to help get him fit, since he last competed.

He knows something exciting is a foot, that was clarified by the rate he went over the field at this evening with my husband clutching the end of the lead rope screaming whoa and returning looking rather red in the face.

I shall of course, report back but I foresee the word 'hurried' making a bucket load of appearances on the test sheet. I hope his fellow competitors stay well out of the way of the bald Shire horse tomorrow. He is going to be on a mission - a quick one !

 

[millikins]

Good luck, I shall be eagerly anticipating the pictures

 

[chaps89]

Ooh, good luck today.
What fabulous progress though that you can clip him all over (well minus the ears) Once upon a time I think we would have all said that was impossible.
If it helps, Ted is not the only one with furry ears. My clippers gave up the ghost when I had half of madams head and her ears to do. I got enough out of them to finish her head and an ear, but not the other. I've told her it's extra insulation for the cold weather we are supposed to be getting...

 

[View]

Does he realise just how lucky he is to have you?

Good luck and we can only hope that "hurried" and "rushed" are not the most common words on the test sheet. I look forward to your report!