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http://thebestworstlittlehorse.blogspot.co.uk/

Hello 2016!

So it's officially 2016! I am so very glad 2015 is finally over, it was one long ass year and I am very much hoping that 2016 is much more positive. This is the part of the year where I'd usually do a little review of my goals from last year but I'm going to scrap that and start afresh in 2016 as my head was far too muddled and I had absolutely no motivation to do the ponies justice in terms of goals last year. Touch wood, I really want to get everything back on track again this year and get the ponies back up and running as well as we were in 2014! So here are some goals for 2016; if these don't happen it's not the end of the world I'll just roll them over into 2017.

*Compete at least once a month; it's crazy that two years ago I was competing pretty much every weekend whereas last year I hardly went out! I'd love to go back to doing as much as I did a few years ago but money and time is likely to be a bit tighter this year so I just want to try and do as much as I can. I really want to finally get Jack out as much as he deserves this year and get him jumping round the size tracks he should be jumping round but this all depends on whether he decides to make friends with the trailer again. 

*Go for a hack at least once a month; again something I definitely didn't do enough of last year! There is nothing more therapeutic than a nice long hack through the countryside and I think it helps to keep everyone a bit more sane and stress levels under control so this is definitely something I need to do more of. Evening hacks as the sun sets are a must for this year. I'd also like to fit in a few full team hacks with all the ponies and at least one trip to go play hacking ponies on the chase. 

 *Pairs hunter trials; now I will be very upset if I don't complete this goal this year! Sparkie and Star, aka Team Rhubarb & Custard make quite the XC team in my opinion and I think they'd love to do a pairs hunter trial together. 

*Improve Jacks groundwork (worming, farrier, vet, clippers etc) 

*Improve both of their flatwork; we all know I hate schooling and flatwork so this is always an ongoing goal for me! Anyone want come school my ponies instead? 

*Have a lesson/ride more ponies; for some reason this year I really want to go back to a riding school and have a couple of lessons here and there because I think you never stop learning and after owning horses and riding your own horses for so long you get too comfortable in your habits and the way you ride so I want to push myself to have a few 

 lessons and ride a few different horses for a change. 

*Do a working hunter class 

*Do a chase me charlie 

December updates!

Again I apologise for a whole month between blogs but it's been a quiet couple of months with not a lot to write about. Ponies have been very well, they've pretty much lived in since the middle of November and they've been loving leading such a spoilt life. Jack has been on his calmer for 5 weeks now and honesty he is like a completely different horse (on the ground at least!). It's so nice to be able to go up the yard and not worry about him trying to jump out the stable or box walking and to be able to leave him in the field or stable by himself and him not stress and get anxious because he can't see Sparkie. We've yet to try the more daunting issues such as the clippers or the trailer but just day to day he is a million times better; he actually hates going out his stable now and prefers to be in! He seems a lot happier in himself as well, he's really playful and alert all the time and really friendly towards everyone and all the other horses, it's very nice to see him so relaxed all the time :) I even managed to take him out on a hack the other day by himself; yes we did have a few strops along the way and I did have to get off at one point but it was still a massive improvement from past attempts. Whereas in the past he would decide he didn't want to know anymore or he missed his friends to much (even with another horse leading) he'd just completely throw his dummy out, start rearing and I'd have to either turn round after fighting with him for twenty minutes or have someone on the ground to lead him past. This time, his strops were a lot more manageable, apart from the one time his feet never actually left the ground, all he did was stop, turn around to go home and then I'd turn him back round and he'd just carry on strolling down the lane no problem; anyone who knows what he's like to hack will know that he would not usually give up that easily! We did have one moment where he didn't just carry on afterwards and I did have to get off but this was five minutes from home and I think because he was so tired he'd just had enough and his head wasn't switched on properly anymore but he let me jump straight back on afterwards. We saw tractors, cars, dogs, a building site, all which were given a little bit of a look but went past no problem! Oh and this was also his first ride in 2 months and his second ride since moving yards so talk about throwing him at the deep end! 
 As for Sparks, he's his usual fabulous and grumpy self :) 

New beginnings...

Well. So I know I've never been the best at blogging or the most consistent but a whole 5 months without a blog is probably a new record, oops! Obviously 5 months is way too long to catch up on in one blog post, so you will just have to fill in the blanks yourself I am afraid and I shall start a fresh as of today; hopefully next year I will do better! The last few months have been fairly quite pony-wise anyway as it seems I've been working every hour under the bloody sun and have had no time to get anything done or the motivation to do so either really, but last Sunday the ponies moved to a new yard and I dropped some hours at work so hopefully now I can get back on track fingers crossed! Sparkie is being his usual chilled self and has taken everything in his stride, rode him a few days after he arrived and he was super duper. Jack on the other hand is not so keen and turned into a bit of a devil horse for the first few days, quite a few kicks have been aimed at my head in the last week and he's had a few choice names other than Jack. He's currently trialing Equifeast C, C & C for five weeks to see how he gets on which seems to have made a difference as the last 2 or 3 days he's been a star, he's even stayed in all day two days on a trot; a miracle considering this time last week he was trying to jump the door and throwing himself on the floor! Even had a couple of people on the yard comment on how quiet and well mannered he is and ask if I'm sure it's the same horse they saw at the start of the week so clearly something is going into that little brain of his. He is looking so, so well at the moment, honestly I've never seen his coat so shiny and soft, just wish I could get him all clipped out and looking super smart but that's an  adventure for another day (or another year more likely haha!). He did have a bit of a tidy up today though and actually fell asleep when I was pulling his mane, he didn't even fidget when I sprayed his forelock. Sparkie's turn tomorrow for a fresh hair cut and to finally trim his tail so he no longer represents a bedraggled rapunzel! 
 Again I apologise for the lack of blogging, hopefully I shall remember to keep on track. Have some pretty pictures of some of the things that have happened since my last blog...

First ODE of 2015!

So on Bank Holiday we ventured to Ashwood for our first ODE of 2015 (and third ODE ever!). It still seems a bit surreal that we're off doing that kind of thing because when I first got Sparkie I was adamant that eventing was not for me, nu uh and then the last couple of years when it started to appeal to me it seemed mad that I'd ever be brave enough to give it a go! His dressage left a little to be desired, he was really tense and rushing quite a lot but hey ho he'll never be a dressage pony I'm happy to admit this. Watching it back it didn't look quite as bad as it felt and somehow we managed to get 31.5, our best dressage test; judges must have been feeling generous as personally felt its the worst test we've done but I'll take it! Showjumping and xc he was an absolute star, double clear all the way!! Super impressed with how much his confidence show jumping seems to have come on recently as he can be quite a spooky pony with fillers sometimes and there were quite a few fillers under the show jumps and he didn't really look at anything and jumped round lovely. He tripped at one point coming into the last fence but apparently nothing was phasing him that day as he just picked himself back up and popped it. He was an absolute machine xc, he gave me the best feel round it, pretty gutted I didn't do the 80cm with him because he found it way too easy, at no point did I have to woah him or encourage him I basically just steered and had a fabulous time. Found out the next day we came 6th finishing our dressage score and were one of only four double clears; supper chuffed with that! He's the coolest pony :) Oh and tomorrow marks the day that I have been riding him for a whole 7 years... madness!

Running out of witty and amusing titles

I am so tired writing this so if it does not make sense I can only apologise. Lots of things have happened since my last blog but I can't exactly remember in what order and when and where; Sunny went to a show and had a play at in hand and behaved delightfully, maybe we can make a show pony of him yet, Ron had a birthday, Star had a birthday, I sat on Ron, who was super cool about it, Ron got a very pretty new saddle (with tan piping, crys because Jack doesn't have that), I jumped Sunny which was an interesting experience and just lots of things happened I guess. 
  Jack went out XC at Eland Lodge on Wednesday- can we start off by saying he loaded first time both ways, what a star! They'd had the BE event there the week before so the smallest fences out were the BE90 fences and a couple of 70s here and there so I was pretty nervous to start with and didn't really want to jump anything because I felt like I was throwing him at the deep end but then I told myself to man up a little and ride him properly and we just had to get on with it and jump the bigger fences! He only had a few little moments at the slightly 'scarier' jumps as he seems to believe such as the ditch and the water which we got a little bit upset about but once he realised that actually he did know how to do those and they weren't the worst thing in the world he did them no problem! Jumped some of the BE100 fences and a few Novice fences (may have closed my eyes a little bit, brave little horse!) He had the best time as he always does and we finished off by doing the full BE90 course and he literally made it feel like nothing, I just had to sit back and let him take me round it, he was absolutely bloody awesome. He is not always the easiest horse to be around but when he gives me a ride like that it makes me sit back and think just how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to produce such a cool little horse; he has so, so much more to give and I cannot wait. 

Despicable Three; minions on horseback!

Team jumping time on Sunday! I took Sparks and Emma and Lottie both rode Star for his first competitive outing since he joined the team. The morning got off to quite a stressful start which meant we were running half an hour late so hats off to the ponies for being very cooperative and warming up in only 5 minutes, they coped with it very well! Star was a very good boy considering he hasn't competed over show jumps in a very, very long time, well done guys, he can only improve surely! Sparkie was a little whiz kid, I was a little hesitant and didn't know what to expect as when he went team jumping last time he wasn't on his best behaviour but he knew mother was on board this time and flew round clear, no problems! He's such a super star, Mr Reliable! 😊 The photographer got some lovely pictures but I can't afford to buy them at the moment which is super annoying, but hopefully I shall purchase these soon! (Oh and did I forgot to mention we did all this dressed as minions?).