SSM
Well-Known Member
Thursday
Left work early and dragged the Donks out of her field, lumps no better I had bought Pirton ready as per advice here, but as they were dreadful and her coat also looked really awful I called vet. When he arrived every woman on both yards were hanging around drooling! As I have known him since he was at school and hubby flys with his father some of his charm is lost on me!!! He is a good vet though. We managed to get a needle into her vein no easy task as she is needle phobic then gave her a good dose of steroids. Within 20 minutes you could see a marked difference, so bathed her in warm water and a very diluted hypo allergenic baby wash and tucked her up in her super donkey suit for a good nights sleep
Friday
6am Donks lumps still there, but not as bad and the coat looked much more glossy again phew! So we loaded up all our steroid filled livestock and off we went the 30 minute journey to Arena UK. Once there I despatched hubby to get my number while I plaited up. Hubby came back with the comment they couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery!!! Stables were renamed as prison by Donkey as she could not look out and supervise everything.
First class was the Rare Breeds inhand went in knowing that the judge was normally a judge of coloureds and arabs, but how you judge a class with every type of breed around the world is beyond me in our class there was a Friesian stallion, an Anduslsion stallion, a couple of painted horses, one from Wyoming with a very strange tail along with a couple of miniature horses that looked like they had walked out the pages of history. We were pulled in 7th, which was fair as Donkey could not be bothered, even sandwiched between two stallions!! I went up for our confirmation and the judge stood back and said Dont tell me, let me guess shes a Clydesdale well I think you can all imagine my face so he corrected himself Is she a Cleveland Belle? Narggggggghhhhhhhhhh Her confirmation trot up was dire I had to drag her along! So we moved down a place. The horse that won? A very elegant paint horse with a dished face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My placing however was deserved as she was so lack lustre!
Ridden rare breeds class we did not fare much better as Donkey was her usual self and we came away with 5th out of 6 at least we were in the ribbons!
We tried to put our tent up and with a friend holding one corner, hubby the other and me trying frantically to tie it together it ripped!!!!!!!!! So the rain tent is no more, luckily we happened to have a spare tent in the car (as you do)
Being a skin flint I had in return for some show fees being paid offered to steward, changed into a jacket I had not worn for at least 6 years when I was a lot bigger it now hangs off me!!!! So I went off to steward the cobs with Peter Gunn what a good judge and he made those cob classes so much fun I have a new appreciation of cobs!!
Evening performance, my first ever!! With Donks all scrubbed, shimmered etc I was doing the Concours de thingy as we call it in we went and finally the Turbo kicked in and Donkey was striding out and when the spot light attacked her boy did we move sideways!!!!!!!! Did not get placed in this, but it was great fun! I then paired up with friend Julie and in the warm-up arena we had a quick trot around for the pairs (this is the first time we had ridden together) I dont think I have ever had so much fun in a class went in expecting to come last so I had nothing to lose. Pulled in no order and as we watched a the first two pairs give their shows we planned ours!!!!!! We were on, I could not stop grinning or stop singing the song they were playing we kept our show very short but Donkey actually managed to gallop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can imagine my surprise and delight we were pulled in second I am so proud of my Donkey!!!
Saturday
And we were lump free!!!!!!! I turned Donkey over to a friend for the day and went off to steward the hunters (think I will make my stewarding another post as it was a real eye opener at times!!!!!) I had told the organisers and Peter that I had a horse in the Lightweights so probably should not steward no one was bothered so I was stewarding my own horse!!!!! Not that it mattered, even under the much better riding skills of H she was pulled in down the line. After the show it was good to get some feedback, she has fantastic confirmation, however due to her laid back nature (even Peter struggled to get a gallop out of her) she would be best suited to motherhood!
A friend then arrived with her little girl to take Bumble Dog into the lorry dog class guess what, class running late! Bumble Dog was walking around, until they came to a vast lake of horse pee and refused to go any further for her. So I had to make a mad dash across the arena to rescue them and they were unplaced.
Sunday
With our friends packing up and going home it was sad our little camp was being torn down. I still had three classes so replaited Donkey and at 2 it was show time again, rare breeds non-native I had her pinging amazing what a stick in the ribs can do!! This judge knew what breed she was phew would hate to deck a judge! There were 18 in the class and we were pulled in 6th queue big grin from me! She moved the top 4 around a lot after conformation, but we stayed 6th I am so pleased with this result in such a big class.
Ridden European Breeds there were 6 of us I was up against the big Irish Drafts that had been winning in the hunters (including one rider who seemed to refuse to wear her number in any class) Pulled in 5th and stayed there but she did give a gallop!
Everything was packed and ready to go so that as soon as the Concourse de thingy was over we could go, hubby went and picked up the outlaws as they live in the next village, I then spent what seemed like hours trying to explain the championships to them and why all the children were on lead reins etc (why are they doing the show if they cant ride yet cue a long deep breath before explaining!) The evening show was running two hours late, we had to go and wait in the warm up arena where the walls where made of plastic and flapping and banging Donkey did not like this and started to panic throwing herself around so we had to go outside and wait in the wind. When we eventually got in there it was a quick trot around (Donks still wound up charged around) pulled in last but hey ho we got a glittery special rosette!
Donkey was still wired when we went to load and in the howling wind and loading by spotlight I did not think she would go in, but went in first attempt I dropped outlaws off and we arrived at the yard at midnight 1am by the time we got home. I was so shattered yesterday that I took the day off!
Heres a pic of Chester and Donks in the pairs, will post more when I can wrestle them from hubby (I bought a fab new camera and have not been allowed to touch it yet!)
Met Stinkbomb and had a cuddle of Inky - he is lovely!! (as is Stinkbomb!)
Left work early and dragged the Donks out of her field, lumps no better I had bought Pirton ready as per advice here, but as they were dreadful and her coat also looked really awful I called vet. When he arrived every woman on both yards were hanging around drooling! As I have known him since he was at school and hubby flys with his father some of his charm is lost on me!!! He is a good vet though. We managed to get a needle into her vein no easy task as she is needle phobic then gave her a good dose of steroids. Within 20 minutes you could see a marked difference, so bathed her in warm water and a very diluted hypo allergenic baby wash and tucked her up in her super donkey suit for a good nights sleep
Friday
6am Donks lumps still there, but not as bad and the coat looked much more glossy again phew! So we loaded up all our steroid filled livestock and off we went the 30 minute journey to Arena UK. Once there I despatched hubby to get my number while I plaited up. Hubby came back with the comment they couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery!!! Stables were renamed as prison by Donkey as she could not look out and supervise everything.
First class was the Rare Breeds inhand went in knowing that the judge was normally a judge of coloureds and arabs, but how you judge a class with every type of breed around the world is beyond me in our class there was a Friesian stallion, an Anduslsion stallion, a couple of painted horses, one from Wyoming with a very strange tail along with a couple of miniature horses that looked like they had walked out the pages of history. We were pulled in 7th, which was fair as Donkey could not be bothered, even sandwiched between two stallions!! I went up for our confirmation and the judge stood back and said Dont tell me, let me guess shes a Clydesdale well I think you can all imagine my face so he corrected himself Is she a Cleveland Belle? Narggggggghhhhhhhhhh Her confirmation trot up was dire I had to drag her along! So we moved down a place. The horse that won? A very elegant paint horse with a dished face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My placing however was deserved as she was so lack lustre!
Ridden rare breeds class we did not fare much better as Donkey was her usual self and we came away with 5th out of 6 at least we were in the ribbons!
We tried to put our tent up and with a friend holding one corner, hubby the other and me trying frantically to tie it together it ripped!!!!!!!!! So the rain tent is no more, luckily we happened to have a spare tent in the car (as you do)
Being a skin flint I had in return for some show fees being paid offered to steward, changed into a jacket I had not worn for at least 6 years when I was a lot bigger it now hangs off me!!!! So I went off to steward the cobs with Peter Gunn what a good judge and he made those cob classes so much fun I have a new appreciation of cobs!!
Evening performance, my first ever!! With Donks all scrubbed, shimmered etc I was doing the Concours de thingy as we call it in we went and finally the Turbo kicked in and Donkey was striding out and when the spot light attacked her boy did we move sideways!!!!!!!! Did not get placed in this, but it was great fun! I then paired up with friend Julie and in the warm-up arena we had a quick trot around for the pairs (this is the first time we had ridden together) I dont think I have ever had so much fun in a class went in expecting to come last so I had nothing to lose. Pulled in no order and as we watched a the first two pairs give their shows we planned ours!!!!!! We were on, I could not stop grinning or stop singing the song they were playing we kept our show very short but Donkey actually managed to gallop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can imagine my surprise and delight we were pulled in second I am so proud of my Donkey!!!
Saturday
And we were lump free!!!!!!! I turned Donkey over to a friend for the day and went off to steward the hunters (think I will make my stewarding another post as it was a real eye opener at times!!!!!) I had told the organisers and Peter that I had a horse in the Lightweights so probably should not steward no one was bothered so I was stewarding my own horse!!!!! Not that it mattered, even under the much better riding skills of H she was pulled in down the line. After the show it was good to get some feedback, she has fantastic confirmation, however due to her laid back nature (even Peter struggled to get a gallop out of her) she would be best suited to motherhood!
A friend then arrived with her little girl to take Bumble Dog into the lorry dog class guess what, class running late! Bumble Dog was walking around, until they came to a vast lake of horse pee and refused to go any further for her. So I had to make a mad dash across the arena to rescue them and they were unplaced.
Sunday
With our friends packing up and going home it was sad our little camp was being torn down. I still had three classes so replaited Donkey and at 2 it was show time again, rare breeds non-native I had her pinging amazing what a stick in the ribs can do!! This judge knew what breed she was phew would hate to deck a judge! There were 18 in the class and we were pulled in 6th queue big grin from me! She moved the top 4 around a lot after conformation, but we stayed 6th I am so pleased with this result in such a big class.
Ridden European Breeds there were 6 of us I was up against the big Irish Drafts that had been winning in the hunters (including one rider who seemed to refuse to wear her number in any class) Pulled in 5th and stayed there but she did give a gallop!
Everything was packed and ready to go so that as soon as the Concourse de thingy was over we could go, hubby went and picked up the outlaws as they live in the next village, I then spent what seemed like hours trying to explain the championships to them and why all the children were on lead reins etc (why are they doing the show if they cant ride yet cue a long deep breath before explaining!) The evening show was running two hours late, we had to go and wait in the warm up arena where the walls where made of plastic and flapping and banging Donkey did not like this and started to panic throwing herself around so we had to go outside and wait in the wind. When we eventually got in there it was a quick trot around (Donks still wound up charged around) pulled in last but hey ho we got a glittery special rosette!
Donkey was still wired when we went to load and in the howling wind and loading by spotlight I did not think she would go in, but went in first attempt I dropped outlaws off and we arrived at the yard at midnight 1am by the time we got home. I was so shattered yesterday that I took the day off!
Heres a pic of Chester and Donks in the pairs, will post more when I can wrestle them from hubby (I bought a fab new camera and have not been allowed to touch it yet!)
Met Stinkbomb and had a cuddle of Inky - he is lovely!! (as is Stinkbomb!)
