Any MNers with horses out there?

[Longlegs1972]

and how do you cope?

I'm getting really down cos I never get the time to spend with mine....

DD came 2nd (of 5) in her Lead Rein M and M class yesterday. Lovely day for it and we were beaten fairly by a well known pony that has qualified for all the big pony shows like PUK and BSPS. The other little girl was 8 and knew her job but DD (4) rode beautifully and fully justified her blue rosette - even though she was cheesed off it wasn't pink!

MOCL - you won't breed a palamino from a bay mare unless she has two chestnut parents. You are likely to get a buckskin, a dun or another bay.

To guarantee success of breeding a palamino you need to cross a cherry coloured chestnut to a cremello.

You really need to study the colours of the whole family for a couple of generations to work out chances of future colours.

Pixel, hard luck in your search. We looked for a couple of months before finding our dun. They grey dartmoor just came along at the right time. However we were looking on HorseQuest and other websites at least once everyday which is the only way to do it seriously. Good ones tend to go in week so we always tried to keep on day in the weekend free in case a suitable pony came up for sale.

Oh well you live and learn don't you!

Well done to Butkin's dd. What a good start to the season! .

I think we may have found our pony!!!!!

I'm going to try him out again a couple of times during the week to be 'sensible' (ha ha) but I think the decision is made really because we've all fallen in love with him. I phoned up this morning on the off chance thinking he would have already gone and I was the first caller so that was good. The daft thing is we've been scouring the ads and we spent half the day yesterday driving round the countryside to look at that mad mare and this one turns out to be literally 5 mins walk from my house. I've seen him when I've been out on my bike! Anyway, I've ridden him out on the roads today and he went out very sweetly even though he hasn't been ridden for ages, he didn't know us at all and he was going out without any other horses. He had a good test because we (mum and sis were walking) went past a bus and the air-brakes went just as we passed and we saw all sorts of scary cement bags and barking dogs etc and all he did was look and then carry on. He's very green, 5 years old but just a baby really and has lots of filling out and muscle building to do but he has just the temperament we want, a real sweetheart. We are going to take him up on the Downs in the week (I'll have to be brave and canter in a big open space eek!) but unless he does something terrible I guess he'll be ours. Will have to go to the Post Office and find out how to cash in my premium bonds!

Sorry to waffle on but I'm so excited!!!!!
Btw he's a piebald cob, 13.3hh at the mo but I reckon he'll grow a little bit more. He's the same age as my old boy was when I got him and he grew another 2 inches before he was done.

Anyway, I'm only 5'2" and my mum is 5'3" so it doesn't really matter if he doesn't get any taller.

Pixel thats excellent news!!! He sounds like a wonderful pony!! I think its good to be a shorty cos ponies are closer to the ground than big horses!
Madoldcatlady - how's your dd coping without her pony now? Is she ok about it?

She's never batted an eye lid! As long as she's got pocket money to buy lip gloss and go to the pictures she's happy!

I guess she just doesn't have the passion that some of us have. She's still having an hours lesson every week and that's as much as she wants.

I think that pony sounds like an angel Pixel. If I were you I'd be making a decision asap before someone snaps him up.

My girlie is back in work! The physio signed her off. I'm riding in her old saddle (not the one that hurt her) and she seems fine. A bit on the lively side but happy to be back in business.

I'm inveasting in a sheepskin half pad to prevent any further problems and our new saddle should be here in a month or so. Any suggestions as to which is the best make of pad? Mattes, Stephens,Bartle??

God knows. I'm so out of touch I've never heard of any of them! Glad your girl is better though.

The pony's owners have promised we have first refusal. I think we can trust them because we are taking him out tomorrow evening and they have trusted us to help ourselves to him and left us his tack and everything. They only met us yesterday!

We've also arranged to take him out thursday but to be honest I think before then we will be round their house with the cheque book!

inveasting?? Must not watch TV and type at the same time!!
INVESTING

It's ok deary, I knew what you meant

Unbelievable! I'd have given ANYTHING to have a pony at her age!! I certainly didn't give a monkey's chuff about lip gloss!!!
I've just been to the Turkish Baths in Harrogate followed by cakes at Betty's! Heaven!

False alarm .
We took the pony up on to the Downs and Dr Jekyll turned into Mr Hyde. He was shying a bit which I didn't hold against him because there was a lot going on with people walking dogs and mountain biking and stuff but then he started to buck. Just little ones at first but then getting more determined and shaking his head about as well. After a particularly violent effort I got off to lead him for a bit (giving in I know but not my job to school him) and he reared and tried to get away from me. That was it really, I knew I would never be able to put ds on his back so I led him home. Luckily I'm used to strong nappy ponies otherwise I'm sure I would have lost him. The little horror fought me all the way home and kept trying to barge me over. I can't believe the difference from Sunday!

I've been so excited because I was convinced he would be perfect for us. I'm just glad we took him out again!

Oh no Pixel I wonder why he was so different? How disappointing I tried to post a congrats post yesterday but laptop went into bloody hibernation just as I went to post [grrr!]
Glad to hear your mare is better Madold! Dhorse2 has just had a week off after pulling something in his fetlock, nothing serious, just a touch of swelling and a bit of heat. He was very excited to be back out yesterday the bugger!
We have a lovely cremello on our yard, gelded though - sorry! He'd probably try to give it a go though!
Butkin well done to you and your dd on your show!
Hi manuka Oooooh cake! Come on, what kind of cakes?! We need fine details!

It was Betty's finest chocolate tort AND chocolate mouse with icecream and chocolate sauce hahahahahahaaaa!!!!!!! Just what you need after a good 3 hours at the Turkish Baths!
I'd rather have a horse though
How much do you all spend on an average month on your equines??
Pixel thats such bad news about the pony! I wonder why it turned so crazy? How about looking for a Dales? Aren't they meant to be jolly sensible??

OOh Dales are lovely, so are fells. We looked at a few for DD but none were quite right and the one that was was way over priced.

Sorry the pony didn't work out. You were very wise not to have made a snap decision about him. (I don't have the sense to do the second try out thing, tend to just fall in love and hand over the £££s!)

I spend £25 a week on livery.
About £30 a month on insurance.
£45 every 6 weeks for shoes.
About £5 a week on feed in winter.
£13ish every couple of months on wormers.

Vets bills, about £130 a year on routine stuff like teeth and jabs. Then there's usually one or 2 incidents that need the vet but aren't worth claiming for due to the £120 excess on the insurance, so call that £200 a year.

I've spent £170 on the physio just now and will be shelling out £1000 on a new saddle in a couple of weeks when it's made.

All in all they're very blooming expensive I'd say!

And that's before I count what I spend on clothing for me! I have a bad ebay habit and buy sneaky jods and stuff on there.

Oh and I once drunkenly flashed my boobs at all the lovely ladies having afternoon tea in Bettys!

Ooh really want some chocolate mousse now!MOCL, you madam!
Manuka, dhorses aren't mine but I know owner pays £60 for full set of shoes each every 6ish weeks (and dhorse2 is always pulling his off in the field, the sod) £100 per month each livery, extra £25 month for hay during winter, not sure about her insurance but horses compete at x-country and team chasing, not sure about feed either as it magically appears in the feed room to me
Pixel hope you are ok after your disappointing other day
Anyones winter coat gone yet? Dhorse2 (dear horse number 2 ) has lost his just about but dhorse1 is hanging onto hers! And after months of complaining about the mud, the ground is so hard now dhorse1 is really feeling her feet when we're out and about so she's not too keen at the mo, poor girl. Anyway, I have 2 bridles and martingales to clean tonight so better go, they get so filthy at the moment!

He He Devonshire. I was with K who lived in Harrogate and her estranged FIL was playing the piano to entertain the nice ladies. I was very drunk.

You are a very lucky lady to have horses at your disposal and all the bills paid for Rodeo! I'm very

I hope DH never checks on my posts here. He is blissfully unaware how much the horses cost him!

It's certainly cheaper for shoes in your part of the country. I had to see to the farrier this morning for sis's pony and the shetland because she was busy. For one set of shoes and a trim (for the shetland) I handed over £94. It was an expensive day as the vet came for annual jabs and teeth rasping as well.

Yes, shame about pony. We were so impressed by his behaviour on sunday that my mum had taken her cheque book yesterday so that we could leave a deposit. I can only think that he wasn't really used to going up on the Downs on his own although the path is literally just opposite his field so I would imagine he knew the route. We were told that he hadn't had much formal schooling because of a lack of facilities but that he was used to going out so I don't know. Perhaps he was just having a bad day . I don't think my mum would have stayed on him though and as she's paying for half it's only fair to get one she will be able to ride!

I would love a fell btw, or a dales or new forest or connemara. I'm not fussy! Except that I've always had a real soft spot for exmoors. There's just something about them that appeals to me.

My farrier seems to be stuck in a timewarp! I've had him for 6 years now and he's never put his prices up. All the others on our yard pay betwwen £50-£70 a set but They all use different farriers.

He only charges £5 for a trim if unshod,
£30 to trim and replace same shoes and £45 for a new set!

.

I hope you are really nice to him! We used to take bacon sandwiches and coffee for our lovely farrier that we had for 25 years. Unfortunately he had to come a long way and he did give me fair warning that he was only doing it to see my boy out and once he'd gone we'd have to find someone else. He was so good, reliable and went out of his way to help people. He was also a good laugh and we used to look forward to his visits. The new lot seem to be really 'up themselves' (as my sister puts it!) and have so many rules and regulations about what they will and won't do that they could write a book! They also have sense of humour failure which is a shame because farrier visits are now just another chore. Ho hum, showing my age here! I should sign off 'Grumpy old git of Brighton'

My guy is very much off the old school. He knows his job inside out and upside down. He gets very annoyed when people try and tell him his job and he seethes when people go on about barefoot trimmers!

On the odd time I've been late getting to the yard he's gone and caught the horses, filled them a haynet and got on with the job!

He is superb at dealing with horses, particularly youngsters. My horses have never lost a shoe in the 6 years I've had him. I know I'm very lucky to have him. He gets a coffee and a slice of cake!

I love having a gossip with him. He knows every thing about everyone and loves to dish the dirt!

Your farrier is a lot different to ours Madold! Ours hardly speaks! I find him little scary TBH, think the horses do too as even the fidgety-est ones stand completely stock still for him. Completely knows his stuff, found an v. arkward absess in my friend's horse last month, farrier was up for a different horse and friend had the vet up who cut away to no avail and gave up scratching his head, farrier found it in a few minutes (without speaking!). We poulticed it and she's right as rain now