As Abigail keeps on track with Todd, Eleanor has been busy with Pony Club competitions
The weather has now started to take its toll, with many of the early season events either postponing or cancelling all together. We had entered for Tweseldown, one of the only ' all weather' events we have due to the really sandy going, thinking we were guaranteed a run, but even they had to succumb to the completely saturated ground conditions.
We popped in a late entry to Munstead a few weeks later, but I think we are on a wing and a prayer to get in as I would think with the cancellation of Tweseldown, the world and his wife will want to enter and they are bound to ballot.
Plan B was to keep hunting - hunting to Todd is like an equine 'Gin & Tonic' - he loves it!, but with the weather and some very sick animals ( Abi is a vet nurse, and on her weekend to work, usually only a few hours on a Sunday, there was a dog who had been in an RTA and 3 ewe caesareans, which meant she never made it to the hunting field) this too has gone by the wayside.
We did however manage a dressage lesson with Gemma, (see photo below) who really makes both Abi and Todd work, and she is much more effective at making Abi think like a dressage rider than I am!
So lots to keep working on, as long as our school dries out!
We also tried building cross country fences in the school, I thought we were very innovative and managed a trakhener, a corner and a skinny!
Todd and our 'makeshift' skinny
We have also got old of an old tractor tyre - what on earth for you may ask - well (pardon the pun) Badminton Grassroots has two 'Wells' ( the ones you get water from) on a related distance, and neither Todd nor Abi have jumped one of those before. So we needed something large and round to form the base of our homemade 'well'. Once we have finished making it we will see if Todd will go anywhere near it! Photos to follow.
On the first sunny day for weeks, we hitched up and headed back to Steven Mercers for another show jumping lesson, I have to say Todd was on fire, and Abi managed to sit still and they were jumping a good 1.10 course - so I think we have the show jumpng sorted.
Todd, Abi and Steven on a rare sunny morning
The weather has not dampened the pony clubs efforts to get some shows up and running indoors - we have managed both show jumping and dressage. The weather was foul and we didn’t have such good results - but there was a really good food wagon, and a yummy hot chocolate can lift the lowest of young spirits!
Eleanor's friend Jenna, enjoying the yummy hot chocolate!!
I have to say that at least we are all in warm dry houses, and our horses still have dry stables, so we are very thankful for that.
Hopefully next time we write we will have had a days hunting and our first event under our belt - fingers crossed!
Eleanor brought out a Christmas present she got from Australia and plaited her pony with some Aussie bling!
