It's March, the weather is improving, days are getting longer. What are our equestrian plans this summer?

[Callisto]

DD is already planning her showing campaign and has somehow talked me into keeping her sheltie x (her old lead rein pony - meant to be going out on loan) to compete with too . He is fab at jumping and should be good at gymkhana, her section A is a good little showing pony (very low level though).

Our first outing is next week - a 1ft jumping competition.

So come on everyone. Winter is nearly over, Spring is almost here. I just know you're all getting excited about the coming season.

Atm just looking wistfully at events I can't do cos I'm having a baby soon!
But later in the year I really want to do the Badminton ride, just have to sort out the travel logistics.
Also like to get fit enough for a ODE but last time I looked the entry fee was £45 is that how much they usually are?

Wow, that sounds really expensive. But then I am used to paying a maximum of about £8 per class and we just do local and PC shows.

45 pounds seems cheap for affiliated eventing. Usually around 70 pound mark for a low level ODE!

Good day today. Took our DD's new 7yo 12.2 show pony to her first show (with us). She went really well and came 2nd in the mixed height PUK qualifer. Hopefully she'll be ready to do some RI qualifers in about a months time when her coat improves and DD gets more experience of riding her. She is like driving a Ferrari compared to her M&Ms! There is a pic on my profile of her taken today.

It wasn't affiliated, think it was a P.C one. I guess it's a lot to organise and judge.
That's fab Butkin, bet your DD was thrilled!

Gorgeous pony Butkin!

We had a lovely hack today as everything is drying up nicely now. However, I have had a bit of a break from running with dpony lately, and the long trots out are hard work! Ds has plans for long hacks up into the hills with his saddlebags full of food, which may test my endurance

I'm still looking for a share where the horse isn't mad, or the owner wants all the weekday jobs done and lots of money

Brandy is continuing to do well,so we are thinking of taking him to a PC rally in a few weeks.He has never been to PC,or ever been in an indoor school,but does seem to take new things in his stride.He has previously shown in the main ring at Burghley with no issues,so a PC rally should hopefully be OK.

DD1 is having a lot of fun on dpony,and we are hoping to do some working hunter on her this year.

Forgot to say,lovely pony Butkin.How many do you have now? Do you still have the roan?

Gorgeous pony Butkin - and I saw no sign of woolyness! Was she clipped out or did you keep her in and rugged well? DD's ponies are revoltingly scruffy and hairy. I gave them both a belly and bib clip but they are getting quite hot when exercised so I regret not clipping a bit higher now. They live out 24/7 though so I can't win either way.

Poor DD had two spectacular falls in a row while jumping sheltie x (aka devil pony) yesterday. There were tears but she got straight back on each time and carried on. Good girl, I'm so proud of her.

Mirage - DD has 4 and DW still has Palomino Connemara (there is vague talk of endurance rides...).

DD still has 11.1 Roan Sec A which hasn't been ridden for a year. Looks very hairy! Plan is to sell him this year to teach a little person to ride (very good on lead and hacking off but not keen on jumping more than X poles). Currently been nannying the new SP in the field.

Then the 3 that have pics on my profile. Grey is for sale. No calls at 2,000 pounds which astonishes us because he is a HOYS pony. May take him to a show this weekend to get his Summer Champs ticket in case this creates interest in him. DD still OK on him but you can see that she from her legs that she needs the bigger 12.2 already.

Palomino Sec B and new SP are here for the year. SP is furry but no we've not clipped her. She has been going out from 7am to 4pm every days since we bought her in January. Blood ponies don't get the coats that M&Ms do. She looked good yesterday until we worked her in when she sweated. I hope her coat will be much improved for our area show in first week of April.

Palomino on the other hand has a bib clip and won't be going to a show until April because he is a teddy bear and not moulting yet!

Sorry to hear of your DD's spills yesterday Callisto. Hope everything works out and glad she got back on - definitely the best way. We're not keen on Shetlands!

DD is starting to get back into things after poor dpony was out of action for a while. She seems to have picked up some bizarre (bad) habits as a result of not riding for a while though . We went round a local xc course yesterday which made a change and may go and play handy pony and gymkhana games next Sunday. Poor dpony is unlikely to be fit to be seen in public for a while so DD's plans of early qualifiers have been knocked on the head.

Butkin- nothing is selling at the moment. I have friends with 2 HOYS ponies for sale, both placed there several times in the last few years and not a bite, even at £3k mark. Another has a WHP which has already got its RI ticket, no interest there either.

Jumping, XC and more jumping! We don't show - ours are all built for performance not beauty!

DS's season starts at the end of the month, we are then away, with pony, on average two weekends a month till end of September.
Puts a bit of a downer on anything I might want to do , managed about four endurance rides last season grr! Still it keeps him off the Xbox and I can do my thing when he is off at uni (if I not to old to get on a blasted horse at that point!)

DH and I are off to visit our old horse this May! Her new owner has invited us to come and see how she is doing A teeny weeny part of me wants to tell them to put us down for first refusal if they ever decide to sell her themselves, as she ended up in a dodgy spot for a while between being sold by us and later bought by them Doubt that they intend to ever sell though!

Aside from that, I hope to be cantering and maybe even jumping by August. And perhaps horse shopping too...we will see how things go.

Well... we got new loan pony in Feb on a trial and said "Yes please!" to keeping him on full loan last weekend.

Thus far I have been hacking and schooling and DS is doing the same, managing to ride about 3/4 times per week between homework and afterschool clubs etc. He took him to PC in the holidays. Firstly a scavenger hunt (which sent Dpony a bit nuts despite everyone else walking no whizzing... ) We then took him to a local RC to do a private course hire. He had grown about 2 hands when we got him off the box!! He was a bit snorty and spooky but settled ok. Then a few days later, they went to DS's first ever rally. It went so so well... until about ten min before the end pony had a lightbulb moment and remembered he was a super whizz at jump offs... Ds exited the front window.. :(

So... the plan is to carry on taking both of them out and about to get DS used to it and Dpony back into the routine of going out again. So we have a few showing shows planned as well as PC rallies and lessons for the next 2 or 3 months. I hope that by mid summer they will be out competing at low level local shows. I think they can crack it, if Ds doesn't get too nervous and then creep forward out of his seat rather than sitting on his bum and tells Dpony "No!" and means it... Fingers crossed.

I would like to take Dpony to a few veteran classes maybe and maybe some clinics etc. I had my first jumping lesson since I was a young teenager last week. He was a super good boy and really helped me out. It just seems to be when we go out that the jumping sends him a bit doolally.

Bloody weather strikes again. The show was rained off - flooded warm up area. DD has worked so hard and been so gutsy and determined with both ponies for the last two weeks, and when I had to tell her on the day that we wouldn't be going she was nearly in tears.

Please, please let us not have another summer of endless rain and no bloody shows because everything is bottomless mud.

Still, I am so proud of her, she has got little devil sheltie going so well and they are starting to form a real bond (he is no lover of children, but he is getting quite affectionate with DD) and the section A is going so much better with her than when we got him this time last year.

Glad to hear that everyone else is getting into the swing of things, it's so nice to have the whole gamut here - from the ultra professional (Butkin) to the absolute beginners. Lets all hope for sun and a successful season for all.

New three year old highland arriving! Inhand for her . Trad out to do some ridden and two highlands hacking as mine has been off since last July with hock injury!

eventing for me this summer, mix of unaff showcross, some BE90s and hopefully move up to do some BE100s despite advanced age of jockey

I've made a colour-coded spreadsheet of competitions within 100 mile radius between now and end June (cut off date for dressage summer regional qualifiers).

Very pleased to see at-a-glance that we could possibly achieve all our objectives in April if we just get out and do it.

Callisto - that was such a disappointment for your DD. You'll have to find some other options for the coming weekends (especially whilst there are still some indoor shows around).

The overnight snow on Sunday morning cost DD a hockey tournament, riding lesson and trip to our local point to point - all on Sunday. Brought the horsebox home to give it a bath instead - the neighbours thought we were crazy when it started snowing again but we wanted to do something horsey!

Just made our first County show entries - winced at the price and didn't enter more than one class at any of them!

We are showing the pony at the nearby spring showing show something qualifier in a week or two, that should be fun!

Well I'll take your 'march' and 'longer days', but not the improving weather as under snow here and bloody cold! And my only aim this year is to lose enough pod to get back on. We do a bit of lunging now and again, but think i need to step it up a bit and find some tack etc.

Keep us informed Mitchy - don't think we'll see you unless you're going to Trinity Park.

Well I definitely spoke too soon about the weather improving didn't I?

It is hard to find things DD can do with the ponies at this time of year as she isn't that confident jumping and I really want her to jump a really small course a couple of times before moving on to 1'6" courses. But I will keep looking.

Which show have you entered Butkin?