Grrrr! Sometimes I really hate computers - I spent an hour and a half writing my blog last night and then I tried to upload some photos, which it wouldn't accept - I then found that all my pearls of wisdom had disappeared, so no photos and no text. I was so exasperated I gave up.
I have just tried again today and the same thing happened - So I'm sorry but no photos for now until I have found a five year old who can help me get it fixed.
So a quick recap for now and more tomorrow when I am not so cross....
The horses are flying at the moment - Jake, Jess, Whisper, Dancer and Definite Dawn are the five big guns that we are hoping to run before Christmas. We are really pleased with where they are fitness wise, They have just started to go up the all weather gallop and are eating the hill. Jess is a different horse this season, she is so much stronger and has grown a hand, Whisper is also impressing us with her strength and Jake is as happy as he has ever been. Dancer is a proper tough mare and DD will give Christopher one hell of a spin - He is a serious Ferrari compared to dear old Cyril.
The four year olds, Goody, Dolly and Eeyore are progressing exactly as hoped - Dolly and Goody have started to be more competitive and get quite upset if they can't see the front - Eeyore is just raw strength but hasn't quite learnt how to gallop yet, when he does he will be serious. They are mainly doing flat canter work but have just started on the hill. It is very important with youngsters that they're not over faced and we are lucky with our owners that they are happy for them not to be rushed.
Flash, the mare from Ireland, was a bit flat and didn't seem very competitive so we put Jay on her in the big grass field today and was pleasantly surprised to see her broncing with her head between her knees and then galloping past everyone. I probably should be more of a worried mother but Jay seems totally oblivious and she does seem to have the knack (unwittingly) of getting a horse to think that he is in control - just what they need to sweeten them up.
Paddy is another one of Jay's mounts and he also did exactly the same second lot today. Aitch, who has the same owner is being retrained to go and do another job and has adapted incredibly well. He will be going back to Emma's soon as he has someone who wants to event him. He is a lovely horse and we will miss him but we just don't want to risk his legs for another season. When he has gone we will be bringing Cloud and Patsy in (the other Irish 4 yr old mare) They are both good ground horses so will be running towards the end of the season so there's no rush with them.
Ben and Button, the two five year old geldings owned by the Macphails have been on a very steep learning curve as they have been in the field doing nothing for the last two years, They were broken in as three year olds and then turned away. Ben has had intensive riding by Jo Spencer who is very good at flat work - He was resisting the bit and throwing his head about but after three sessions with her he is a different horse. Button has been going really well and although not really strong enough to tackle the hill yet is going around the flat field very nicely in a great outline. They are related to Whisper and it is interesting to see their similarities in that Whisper last season had the attention span of a gnat and just wouldn't concentrate for more than two strides before looking over her shoulder or forgetting to put one leg in front of the other, so when Ben and Button do the same it doesn't concern us at all as if they are half as good as her then they will be great fun horses.
The weather is set to get cold this week-end which will dry the ground out nicely. We have been really short staffed recently and I have been riding out three lots every morning which I have thoroughly enjoyed but tomorrow we have a full team in so I may get demoted to 'mucker outer'. Its not even worth taking photos at the moment if this darn computer won't accept them, GRRRR, how can the blog accept the photos one minute and not the next when nothing has changed? At the risk of sounding like Victor Meldrew I will say goodnight now!
I have just tried again today and the same thing happened - So I'm sorry but no photos for now until I have found a five year old who can help me get it fixed.
So a quick recap for now and more tomorrow when I am not so cross....
The horses are flying at the moment - Jake, Jess, Whisper, Dancer and Definite Dawn are the five big guns that we are hoping to run before Christmas. We are really pleased with where they are fitness wise, They have just started to go up the all weather gallop and are eating the hill. Jess is a different horse this season, she is so much stronger and has grown a hand, Whisper is also impressing us with her strength and Jake is as happy as he has ever been. Dancer is a proper tough mare and DD will give Christopher one hell of a spin - He is a serious Ferrari compared to dear old Cyril.
The four year olds, Goody, Dolly and Eeyore are progressing exactly as hoped - Dolly and Goody have started to be more competitive and get quite upset if they can't see the front - Eeyore is just raw strength but hasn't quite learnt how to gallop yet, when he does he will be serious. They are mainly doing flat canter work but have just started on the hill. It is very important with youngsters that they're not over faced and we are lucky with our owners that they are happy for them not to be rushed.
Flash, the mare from Ireland, was a bit flat and didn't seem very competitive so we put Jay on her in the big grass field today and was pleasantly surprised to see her broncing with her head between her knees and then galloping past everyone. I probably should be more of a worried mother but Jay seems totally oblivious and she does seem to have the knack (unwittingly) of getting a horse to think that he is in control - just what they need to sweeten them up.
Paddy is another one of Jay's mounts and he also did exactly the same second lot today. Aitch, who has the same owner is being retrained to go and do another job and has adapted incredibly well. He will be going back to Emma's soon as he has someone who wants to event him. He is a lovely horse and we will miss him but we just don't want to risk his legs for another season. When he has gone we will be bringing Cloud and Patsy in (the other Irish 4 yr old mare) They are both good ground horses so will be running towards the end of the season so there's no rush with them.
Ben and Button, the two five year old geldings owned by the Macphails have been on a very steep learning curve as they have been in the field doing nothing for the last two years, They were broken in as three year olds and then turned away. Ben has had intensive riding by Jo Spencer who is very good at flat work - He was resisting the bit and throwing his head about but after three sessions with her he is a different horse. Button has been going really well and although not really strong enough to tackle the hill yet is going around the flat field very nicely in a great outline. They are related to Whisper and it is interesting to see their similarities in that Whisper last season had the attention span of a gnat and just wouldn't concentrate for more than two strides before looking over her shoulder or forgetting to put one leg in front of the other, so when Ben and Button do the same it doesn't concern us at all as if they are half as good as her then they will be great fun horses.
The weather is set to get cold this week-end which will dry the ground out nicely. We have been really short staffed recently and I have been riding out three lots every morning which I have thoroughly enjoyed but tomorrow we have a full team in so I may get demoted to 'mucker outer'. Its not even worth taking photos at the moment if this darn computer won't accept them, GRRRR, how can the blog accept the photos one minute and not the next when nothing has changed? At the risk of sounding like Victor Meldrew I will say goodnight now!
