Returning to the Dressage Arena!

Although I have been riding for longer than I like to remember, it has been a fair few years since I was riding competitively.  I used to absolutely love competing and throughout my teenage years you couldn’t keep me away from the dressage arena.  For one reason or another it has been quite some time since I was “judged” on my riding and I am feeling more than a little nervous about returning to that environment. However with my new young horse making good progress, and our confidence growing it was in the back of my mind that a return to the competitive world might be our next step forward.

At the weekend a local livery yard was running and quiet dressage show and a couple of my friends were competing.  Therefore I thought I would go along to give them a bit of support and see what the day was like.  Luckily, it was a nice sunny morning so I headed over to the yard to see meet my friends and their beautifully polished ponies!  After spending the morning there I was thrilled to find that the atmosphere was really friendly and supportive.  It really didn’t matter how well you did, everyone was so encouraging and if it went a little wrong there was someone there to have a little giggle with and keep it all in perspective.  The horses and riders all looked lovely, but there was no pressure to perform or look absolutely pristine. The day was just about getting some experience, having some fun and keeping a smile on your face whatever happened.

Needless to say going along for the day really gave me the bug to get back to the dressage arena.  Let’s just hope Skip and I can hold our nerve to actually make it there!  Before buying Skip he had mainly been used for hunting so I imagine a day at the dressage is going to be a little different for him.  It looks like I am going to have to invest a little more time and money in some further Skippy schooling and treat myself to a new dressage outfit (what a shame!).  I am off to do some research on the rules so if anyone has any good tips or articles that will refresh the basics then please let me know.

If like me you are thinking of taking your horse out and about then why not pop down to a local show and watch like I did? It really gave me the encouragement to go along and give it a try and it gives you something to work towards.  Plus it will make you feel more prepared when the day itself arrives as you will know what to expect and this can only be a good thing to help combat those nerves (that and a bit of rescue remedy).  Why not visit a few local shows and see which one you think may better suit your horse?  Or you can even volunteer on the day to get some experience at shows and really soak in the atmosphere.  Fun and friendly local shows are often advertised on horsey Facebook groups or have a look at The Riding Diary to see what’s on in your area. 

Happy riding x  

It’s the Dentist All Round!!

As every horse owner will know it’s important to have your horse’s teeth done at least once a year, or more regularly if advised by your equine dentist or if you spot any odd behaviour.  So often pain can be the source of so much supposed “bad behaviour” so it is best to rule out any pain sources as  quickly as possible rather than trying to mask symptoms that can lead to long term behavioural problems. 

This week it was time for Skip’s annual jabs and having had his teeth checked when I purchased him 6 months ago, with no problems identified, I decided to schedule in his annual dentistry with his vaccinations.  However little did I know it would fall the day after I would have to have my own dentistry work!  I have to say mine was a tad more traumatic than Skip’s and I was feeling rather delicate whilst waiting for Skip’s teeth to be done.  At least (I thought) that I wouldn’t need to listen to a drilling sound that had rattled round my head for an hour the previous day. 

The vet soon turned up for Skip and gave him his vaccination for the year.  He then gave Skip a little sedation as he told me about the new method they used to do teeth now.  Gone are the metal rasps that I was previously used to seeing (whilst usually hanging on the end of a lead rope trying to keep my old horse still by backing him into the stable corner!) and instead he used an electronic machine which was much more intricate.  However I couldn’t believe it when he turned it on and it sounded like the dreaded drill from my tooth rebuild the day before- I am sure the colour instantly drained from my cheeks!!

The saving grace was the fact that the sedation went straight to Skip’s head, causing quite a giggle.  He only had a little sedation and given that he is such a huge horse I wasn’t sure how much it would really affect him.  After only a few minutes he was swaying and we had to lift his heavy head to rest on the headrest.  He barely moved throughout the treatment, only to occasionally pull his head away from the headrest as if to say “please let me sleep”.  The whole process was much less traumatic for everyone involved and instead of hanging on for dear life I was laughing away at Skips sedated state.  As you can see we took advantage of his sleepiness by taken a few comedy photos… (I am sure he will get me back for that when I ride later!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the dental work was finished I left him in his stable to have a quiet snooze and after 20 minutes when I went in with a haynet he started eating again so I knew he was ready to go back out for some more grazing in the sunshine- it was a beautiful day here yesterday.

I am happy to say that Skip has seemed absolutely fine ever since and I am also feeling a bit brighter this morning…hopefully it will be more than mash potato and gravy for me for dinner tonight! I hope everyone is off out enjoying the sunshine.  I love the warmer weather and enjoyed a hard but fabulous dressage lesson last weekend- the first one when I didn’t have to wear a coat.  This weekend I am off to watch some friends at a local dressage show whilst I continue to train Skip to get him ready for his grand debut!      

Have fun with your horses x

 

Spring Sensations!

Well spring seems to finally be with us (or should that be summer?!) and it didn’t come a day too soon.  The horses are enjoying some “naked” time in the fields at the moment but I still don’t feel brave enough to turn Skip out daily without rugs!

To celebrate the sunshine we have of course been out riding our lovely horses even more than normal and have also had some shopping fun expanding ranges at The Horse Diva.  Of course buying products is a serious business but it does come with the benefit of trying out new items to make sure they are top quality for our customers J.  Here are a few of my personal favourite new goodies:

Love me Love my Horse Door Hanger

This door hanger is great for the horsey home and makes a lovely gift for a horse owner who’s other half doesn’t really appreciate their four legged friend!  We also have a matching key ring available. 

Clean calm and Collected Childs Farm Bubble Bath

With all this extra horse riding I am more than a little achy at the end of the day so I love to go home and soak in a hot bath and this bubble bath from Childs Farm smells just beautiful.  It is kind enough for pony mad adults and children, full of organic tangerine oil which leaves your bathroom smelling lush. 

Horsey Design Wellington Boots

With the fields a little drier I have abandoned my normal hefty wellington boots for a summery horsey alternative and I am not sporting these rather cute horsey wellies.  They are a great price and are lightweight to take to an event with you or I even sometimes use them for dog walking. 

With the ordering of new gifts ongoing here in the office I am currently awaiting the arrival of a delivery.  These include some funky grooming brushes and children’s horse grooming kits.  I am finding I need to spend even more time grooming Skip at the moment due to him rolling as soon as his rug is off and the constant moulting with his new coat coming through.  These brushes should arrive any day now but here is a sneak preview of some of the items we are expecting.  Be sure to keep an eye on the NEW Horsey Products section of the website for their imminent arrival. 

 

Skip’s Boot Camp!!

Spring has sprung (kind of!) and to kick start my own horsey summer I have ventured into boot camp with my lovely 5 year old Irish Sports Horse Skip.  Since purchasing him back in October our progress together has been rather stop start with interruptions due to two changes of yard and the ever depressing weather conditions of snow, ice, freezing temperatures and torrential rain!  He has coped remarkably well with his changes of routine but after 6 months together I really wanted to start making some more consistent progress.  Having considered him going away for intense schooling and further education I decided that I would prefer for us to progress together and for him not to be unsettled again with another change of location.  After a chat with my brilliant riding instructor we set up a plan to help progress his flatwork which I was really looking forward to beginning.  I had a quiet word with Skip and informed him of our plans and a couple of weeks ago all the hard work started.  My instructor Natalie has been coming to do some schooling sessions with him when I am stuck in the office working and is doing a fabulous job.  Combined with my practise sessions in between as well as a variety of lessons he is making no end of progress.  It is really lovely to see how his lateral work has improved from when I first bought him home - it’s like things are starting to really fall into place for him and he is becoming physically stronger to be able to complete the lateral work with more ease. He is a big growing horse and we are careful to ensure he is not physically or mentally pushed too far and of course the main aim is to keep all this work fun for everyone involved!  Natalie has a fantastic way of teaching and training horses combining classical seat training and biomechanical techniques to encourage Skip and me to work together to get the best out of one another.  Natalie has retrained me to use my whole body and mind to ride Skip instead of just using my legs and hand.  Skip and I are both growing in strength (and muscles!) and it’s great to have Natalie’s help to consolidate our learning and take us on to the next step.  Natalie teaches across the Herts, Beds and Bucks area and you can find out more about her work through her website.

I am afraid that photography is not my forte but I have included a couple of snaps I have taken of Natalie working with Skip during the last week.  I will continue to take photos to track his progress over the upcoming weeks and months.  Fingers crossed that we will both continue to make big improvements over the next 6 months (and many more years!) together.  People keep asking me about my plans for him and of course I would like to get out competing but we have all the time in the world and I do not want to put pressure on him until he is comfortably ready.  I would much rather do everything properly and although I might feel occasionally frustrated I am not out there competing every weekend like many other people, I know that is it better to train the right way for long term success and fun together.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on our progress and if you are working on something with your horse, be it flatwork, jumping or even groundwork, remember to keep it fun and take away the pressure to perform.  Be assured that whatever pace you are going is the right speed for you and your horse.  Remember sometimes it can be just as rewarding giving your horse a groom as competing at a show.  Whatever disciplines or activities you choose to pursue, my only advice is to make sure you enjoy them!         

Royal Mail Rage!

Every now and again something occurs that I feel compelled to write about and this has been one of those occasions.  At The Horse Diva we send out orders daily, using a courier and Royal Mail, and we have to say that throughout the year they both provide an excellent service at what has been a fairly reasonable price.  However, this week we have been shocked by the increase in prices at Royal Mail.  We did have some warning from our lovely local branch of post office that some changes would occur but we hadn’t realised the true impact of these alterations. The changes are vast and complicated but to summarise the price of sending parcels represent between an 11% and over 100% increase in charges from 2012 prices.  Small packets can now only be a maximum depth of 8cm otherwise you face a significant increase in postage charges.  We did have a bit of a laugh in the stock room today going around measuring some items to see if we can get them in an 8cm deep box!  Can you imagine us at the next trade buying show, getting the tape measure out to see if we can affordably post new products?  We do like a laugh but we don’t want this to be a deciding factor for the collections we provide- they will be less fabulous and far more flat!     

To get back to my original point… not only have these prices suddenly increased, but business owners have not been clearly informed and unless I am missing something the changes have not been actively advertised.  At The Horse Diva we are lucky enough to have picked up on these changes almost immediately, but larger companies who’s decision makers are not involved in the day to day running may not have been quite so quick to react, loosing valuable money and profits to their business.

Of course I understand that Royal Mail costs need to be covered but to me these sudden and dramatic changes seem to only result in one outcome…  We are forever reading media articles about the diminishing high street, are we now facing the fall of the online shopping market as well?  These prices are too high for small, quality businesses to swallow, yet unrealistic for shoppers to pay, especially during these difficult economic times.  Will businesses all now turn to couriers to distribute their parcels, leaving Royal Mail extinct in the long run? I am no top notch business guru but that doesn’t sound like the best business strategy to me.     

Here at The Horse Diva we are working hard to find the best compromise on our postage charges to ensure that our customers are fairly charged and we are able to sustain a viable business.  However we would urge everyone to sign this petition I came across today (thank you to a very lovely twitter follower) and help us in campaigning against these changes.                 

Perfect Ponies for Pony Mad Princesses

 I don’t know about you but when I was a child I was absolutely pony mad.  Nobody in my family was interested in an equestrian lifestyle so I am not sure where it came from but there was certainly no denying it.  When we came across some old photos recently, the signs for my love of horses arrived at an early age.  Barely walking, there I am peering in a random field at some ponies, or begging for 5 rides on the donkeys at the beach or pony rides at the local farm.  At the back of our childhood house there was a field with horses grazing and my mum wondered why I spent so long on the swing each day.  This was just so I could get high enough to see over the fence at what the horses were doing!  I loved going out of the back gate and walking along the pathway to see if I could get the horses to come over to say hello.  I still remember to this day when I was collected from school and mum told me the local farm was turning into a riding school.  I was there for my lesson every single week without fail and that dedication to horses have never changed.  I longed for a pony and every Birthday and Christmas it was at the top of my list.  But it wasn’t until I saved enough money and learnt to drive that I was finally able to fulfil my dream of having my own horse. 

As a child, if I wasn’t riding or doing chores at the local riding school, I was drawing ponies or playing with some kind of equestrian toy.  So when we decided at The Horse Diva to put together a selection of child’s toys I wanted to look in to seeing if we would be able to stock my childhood favourites- Julip Horses.  When I contacted the lovely ladies at Julip Horses I was thrilled to find out they would be happy to supply The Horse Diva with the beautiful horse and rider gift sets and their accessories.  I then set about the difficult decision of choosing my favourite designs and I am thrilled to now stock a lovely collection of Julip Horses including Isabelle and Icicle and Rosie and Rocket!

Julip Horses was established in 1945 by a lady called Lavender Gander Dower.  Originally the horses were made of latex but they are now made of a special plastic that is solid yet pliable.  The entire range of horses is made on a 1/12^th scale.  The horse and rider sets come with their own accessories which are detailed on the product descriptions but include items such as a saddle and bridle, rugs, leg and tail bandages etc.  The horses, riders and their accessories are beautifully made with great attention to detail.  I have to admit when I opened our delivery of stock I was probably just as excited as when I open up my very own Julip horse a good few years ago.  These sets are a lovely present for any pony mad princess and I have to admit I have kept my own entire collection well over 20 years now!   

Happy shopping and happy horse riding J