Francesca and Georgie's Little Kingdom - A day of firsts and seconds

Phew, just got in from a super busy day out in Long Melford for the Lavenham and District Riding Club show at the gorgeous Melford Hall.
What a magnificent setting! 

B was having a weekend off from showing so Georgie and I had a swap of roles with me riding him and Georgie with the lead rein. I must say he tested me a couple of times with a few excited bucks but I sat them rather well and we didn't part company. I'll probably have sore legs in the morning though!

Any way, while we waited outside the ring Georgie and Francesca got ready for their first class which was the lead rein riders who are under 10 years of age and it seemed this was going to be a rather competitive class, as when the announcement was made to enter the ring 5 sets of riders made their way in, Francesca and Millie included.
This is Francesca second show so we're making it all fun and enjoyable and if you win then that's an added bonus! It's the taking part that counts right? 

With lot's of sprucing Millie looked super, if we do say so ourselves! Good old Smart Grooming products making her sparkle and gleam!

After a couple of minutes watching the horses make their way around the ring Georgie, Francesca and Millie were pulled into second place! There was some stiff competition so how nice to be pulled in high up!
Francesca rode Millie beautifully and without putting a foot wrong, did their presentation in front of the judge and went and did their little show.
After all 5 riders had completed their show for the judges we all watched on anxiously to see where they'd be placed and were so pleased to see they'd held onto their second spot!
The judge had commented on how well behaved Millie was and what a good lead rein pony we had! She's not always like that, honest. They don't call them Shitlands for nothing ha!

Georgie and Francesca had a brief break and a bite to eat before the small Mountain and Moreland class was called in to the ring and with this being an even bigger class, we wondered how they'd both fare.
Again after a beautiful presentation and show for the judge we watched each persons show individually and waited to see how we'd do again!
Francesca, Millie and Georgie has been pulled in to second place once again and was the highest placed lead rein rider, having been beaten to the top spot only by a teenage rider on her lovely Welsh Section C.

Now the 'serious' showing was out of the way we could have a giggle getting Millie dressed up for the fancy dress class.
Not going to lie, we were pretty darn good at fancy dress back when Georgie and I were children so we had big shoes to fill with coming up with ideas for Francesca.

Anyone remember Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men? Well I frickin' do! Those pots were seriously uncomfortable but we were a winning machine!

So if you're 'down with the little kids' you'll know of a TV programme called Ben and Hollie's Little Kingdom and it happens to be one of Francescas favourite shows,so with a few ideas flouting around we spent Friday night making an outfit for Millie as she was going to be Gaston the Lady Bird, Georgie was to be Ben the Elf and Francesca was of course the fairy Princess Hollie!
I think it's rather good, don't you?

The judges must have also liked it as they won the fancy dress class. Still got it!

With it now really quite late and everyone absolutely shattered, horses included, we had one more fun class to finish off the day, which was 'best decorated mane' so with a surprise find of some LED lights in one of Georgie's 'junk' draws,flowers from the garden and some ribbon I plaited Millie's mane and attached everything in. 
Looked rather cute, right?

With a really nice end to the day Francesca and Georgie won that too! So our final total was 2 firsts and 2 seconds. Not bad for a mid week decision to go and everything hand made!

It was lovely to have a day of fun showing and watching the children and amateurs have a nice day out. 
Now, just to have a think of what other fancy dress outfits we can make for next time. Anyone got any suggestions?

Show Ring Essentials - What I Have In My Basket

After reading showing mad mum Julia Gaukrogers post this week "What's in your basket? Baby wipes and gin" in Horse & Hound I thought I'd do a little blog post of my own about what show ring essentials I take into the ring with me in my basket when grooming for Georgie.

1) All my Smart Grooming products, obviously! -

As their brand ambassador and avid user of their products, of course my basket is going to contain these things! They're absolute life savers and however much prep you do leading up to them entering the ring, there will always be last minute smudges or brush over.

I'll use all of these in the run up. Coat shine to make him sleek, soft and shiny, leg and body whitener on his white socks, mane and tail detangler, perfect plaits - you name it!

2) Water -

A big essential item is water and lots of it. In summer showing its going to be sunny and hot (well, we hope!) so keeping the rider and yourself nice and hydrated is really important.You both sweat a hell of a lot in the ring so replenishing that with some nice cold water is a must. Don't want people feeling faint during their class now do we?

3) Brushes -

It wouldn't be a proper grooming kit without brushes. Both to wick dirt and dusty off but also to do quarter marks etc.

Make sure to give them a good washing after each use to stop them getting grubby and holding onto the dirt, oil and dust, otherwise you're just putting them back into the horses coat.

4) Hoof oil - 

Whether on grass or in an arena you always have to hoof oil your horse or pony. Things will stick to it and it will rub off a little but you must make sure you always do them before going into the ring. Shiny nice hooves make a final touch.

5) Baby products - 

I take in both baby oil and shampoo. You know the situation where you're just about to go into the ring and your horses gets a mark on its leg. You can't just leave it there so a quick dab of shampoo on a damp cloth and you can rub that mark off in no time at all. 

As well as highlighter I like to also have some baby oil to hand to just put a little on their noses before they go into the ring.

6) Cloths -

I do take more than 1, usually older tea towels for rubbing (a slightly damp) over the body with a little bit of super shine on to really make the coat gleam. As well as a dry towel for getting rid of Beanies slobbery saliva off his lips and chin, it's all about finishing touches.

7) Hair brush and hair wax. 

Usually to seal in stray hairs after plaiting we use styling wax, just helps get them looking neater.

Hair brush to run through a soft sleek tail to get rid of any tangles.

8) Plaiting equipment - 

Plaiting would obviously of been done long before entering the ring but it's always good to take to the ring side with you. You'd hate to be a bit stuck sprinting back to lorry to get your plaiting stuff cause you've got an unravelled plait 10 minutes before your about to go in! 

Honourable mentions are polos or treats to give your pony after they've been in the ring, no matter how they did. They've worked hard and should be rewarded.

Another mention is perhaps a sponge and saddle soap, you never know when you might need to rub it over your tack.

Everyone has different things they like to take with them but these are my essentials, what types of things do you use? Maybe I might pick up a new amazing product I didn't know about!

Hope to see some of you at Hickstead this weekend,

Sophie x

Smart Grooming Review - Black Show Make up

As I am sure you're aware by now, I swear by Smart Grooming for show prep and Georgie and I will be using them from now on.

After the lovely ladies at Smart Grooming sent me a little care package a few weeks ago i've been trying out all the lovely products. I've been a very busy bee lately but a couple of weeks ago I tried black showing make up on a friends retrained racehorse, now polo pony, called Aggy (Annia Galeria)

She's a light bay and very dark legs. Unfortunately she also has some scars and white fur on her from old injuries from racing, but this also meant she was a perfect test pony!

To start we brushed off all dirt, dust and any dry sweat etc from her legs so they were nice and clean. Then, using a small clean piece of cloth (wrapping the end over the index fingertip) and dipping it into the pot. Making sure to get a decent amount of black make up on the tip. I should note that we had a good few white fur marks to cover up so did use a good covering on the cloth but if it's a small blemish then sparingly if it's just a small blemish as does go a long way (As previously mentioned in older blog posts, all Smart Grooming products go a long way). Depending on the type of blemish, you can also use a small sponge if you'd prefer - This will be better for dabbing on and using more on larger areas. We wanted to cover the white dots so choice a more sweeping motion of going with direction of the fur. The pot is only about an inch and a half wide so it would have to be a small sponge to fit.

Going with the motion of with the hairs direction we made sure to cover all the white hair underneath too, rather than just cover the top layer of fur as with work this may rub off more easily.

Test one was Aggys white marks on her knee, cannon bone and back of her tendon are.

This is before applying the make up - 

Rather a lot of white spots from old nicks and cuts..

After - 

Completely covered up! Can you find where they were?

Now that is impressive. They were pretty prominent white marks on her legs and now they're completely hidden. Covered really well, and from a foot or so away you couldn't tell she had white fur scars at all!

We also had a bigger scar to cover- Before Aggy was a polo pony she used to race, and must have had an incident racing or while in training as when my friends Steph and Francis bought her she already had this scar just below the knee. It doesn't bother her or affect her performance but it's pretty noticeable as it doesn't have any fur coverage..(As you can see)

Doing the same as above with the white marks, we got the cloth over the index finger and dipped it into the pot to cover it generously.

Then in a more circular motion set to covering the scar.

Me and Steph were impressed by the coverage of the white marks so were keen to see how it would cover something this large and prominent. Well here's how it turned out - 

Yup, I can hardly see it either! It's covered the skin of the scar and blended it into the black fur making it pretty darn difficult to see! I am seriously impressed.

As my background is showing I am aware that this kind of scar would be no doubt be seen by the conformation judge and held against the horse in a show setting such as ROR competition (Although it would be ignored if it were under TARRA rules) but if you were wanting to hide a scar or knock such as this, then this makeup would do the job spot on! I'd even go so far to say that if it were a small enough blemish that this makeup would camouflage it sufficiently for it not to be seen

(Note - use to cover blemishes in showing at your own discretion)

I am absolutely amazed at just how well it worked.

The above pictures were taken on a Saturday, Aggy was left out overnight in a field, rolled and got rained on and it still stayed on all day Sunday without needing to be reapplied.

A week later after multiple rides and a couple of wash off's after polo it still stayed on (yes we checked)

It had faded a little, but it did stay on which really is a credit to it's staying power. 

Another time i'll try the brown one on the chestnuts and see how well that covers on them. 

It can also be used as make up around the eyes and muzzle of a bays and black horses to accentuate those areas.  Once the black make up has dried highlight then using enhancing gloss 

Overall I'd highly recommend Smart Grooming make up! I've never used make up on a horse before so went into this review with no idea how it would work or if it would work at all. But from the photos you can see it really does work! 

I'd highly recommend it. They're only £8.95 and will last for ages! 

I know some people use boot polish and such would I wouldn't recommend. They're made for polishing boots and could highly agitate the skin and could a reaction.

Smart Grooming products have been specially made for horses to avoid such things happening 

Aggy will be appearing in this weekends Mansfield Advisors/Tattersalls Flaming June Tournament at Suffolk Polo Club so I can't wait to use my Smart Geooming products to make her and Boo look amazing and fingers crossed they win best playing pony! 

Smart Grooming Review - Perfect Plaits (Including how to video by Show Producer, Robert Walker)

As followers of this blog will know, for the last few weeks i've been working with Smart Grooming to try out and thus review their show prep products, and am now a Brand Ambassador, which I am incredibly excited about. They've been really successful (even featuring in Horse & Hound) so I've been very kindly given a few more products to try out, as I am totally sold on just how good these products work! 

Manes - 

We had Suffolk County Show last week so up at 4am to start prep and plaiting! Luckily the sun is up that early in the morning.
I'd washed Beanie's body, tail and mane the day before to get rid of flakey dry dandruff in the mane and also remove dust, dry and oil.
Now by shampooing it meant the mane was now lovely, shiny and clean but now also slippery. That's where Perfect Plaits comes into play. Previously we've used VO5 hair wax for this, which is great at keeping the hair together but by using that, it makes the hair have a matte appearance and very sticky, rather than shiny.

First, we sprayed the Perfect Plaits all over the mane; so it was well covered and all wisps of hair were combed down, then split the mane hair into sections which were the length of the comb, which is about 3 inches long.

Perfect plaits make the hair slightly oily and tacky which keeps all the fine hairs stuck into the main plait, so no fly away bits!

Then, making sure the base of the plait was high enough, we plaited the hair fairly tightly all the way to the bottom and put a band round it (Like the end of the neck plaits below)

 We did this until all of the sections were plated in length.

Once that was finished, we went back up to the first plait, nearest the pole, and threaded the very end of the plait. Then took the needle under and thread it through the base of the plait and rolled the end under so it was now at the base of the plait length (to make a loop) 

Then folding the length of the plait in half again until it creates a ball. 

With the needle and thread we sewed the plate in securely making sure it was not too tight as that it will damage the hair follicle; which would cause the hair to fall out.
We did this for the entirety of neck until all of the mane was rolled up plaited.
(Note - It's recommended to sow in plaits as with bands it's harder to get the desired round ball shape that you want)

To finish off we then sprayed all of the plaits again with Perfect Plaits to help seal in any escaped wispy hairs and seal the overall plait. 
Here is the finished product -

I also watched this very helpful video from Horse and Country TV a couple of weeks ago, which is with show producer Robert Walker on plaiting your horse to add top line, which is really helpful in explaining why you do this, why you thread in plaits and how it looks better. 
Hope it helps -

 
I think he explained it very well, don't you?

We vary B's work a lot so he doesn't get bored. We lunge him regularly in a pessoa to build top line and he is fed on Equi-Jewel to keep him nice and covered (but not fat!) but unlike some racehorses who were cut later (thus meaning they have a more cresty neck from being entire for longer) we do do as Robert suggests and plait to add top line. 
Unfortunately there is only so much neck work you can do (without having your horse stood in his stable in draw reins. Yes some show riders do this) and a horse will get to it's maximum neck muscle mass, so using the different plaiting techniques to your advantage is perfectly fine. For example if you had a pony with a spring grass cresty neck then people will plait down flat, with smaller plaits and more of them, to not accentuate that crest. All show riders we know plait this way using the illusion effects to give a better overall picture.

Tails - 

We shave Beanies tail for showing thus meaning we're unable to plait it, so I was very kindly allowed to try out Perfect Plaits on various friends Polo Ponies a couple of weekends ago for a polo tournament!

It was a little bit of an experiment to see how well it would work. Tails were first brushed through with no product on (to make sure multiple products we're mixed together), then once tangles were removed we sprayed through the hair from about 10cm away so to get even coverage.

Left to work in slightly for a minute or so before I commenced plaiting. The product is a little oily but makes the hair slightly tacky to stick in stray hairs, as mentioned above.

After slowly but surely adding a little extra hair into the plait each time, until finally all the tail was fully plaited all the way to the end, ready to be taped up.

Perfect Plaits leaves the tail seriously shiny and looking very impressive. Here it is on a black tail of polo pony Thunder.  Very shiny, neat and very few hairs escaping.

We came back the next day to plait the ponies tails up for day two of the tournament and Perfect Plaits was still in the tail, they were very shiny still and very easy to plait back up.

This product works really well - although be warned it does go a long way so make sure to not use too much (all of Smart Groomings products only need a little) as it will make the hair too slippery. Also something I found is make sure to fully press the lever on the bottle down quickly to make a mist, as if pressed too slow it comes out in a stream and isn't evenly covering the hair, leaving an oily patch, which you don't want) 

Now that's a beautiful tail on Boo!  

I hope you find it helpful too in keeping your horse or ponies plaits sleek, shiny and none fly away!
A little goes a long way, remember that! 

Sophie x

Photo Compilation - Accents of Horse & Rider

Accent - Noun A distinctive feature or quality, such as a feature that accentuates, contrasts with, or complements a decorative style.


Recently I got some inspiration and I thought while I was out and about I'd capture the small little accents of larger picture to create a more close up, draw your eye picture. They're of both showing, riding and polo.. 

I like the idea of highlighting the subtle things that make an riding outfit or horses tack from standard or boring to effortlessly cool

Suffolk Show - A Dream Finally Comes True

Well what a lovely week I picked to have off work, it's been (mainly) nice weather, and i've spent it waking up late, riding horses and of course going to Suffolk Show on Thursday.

So where to start.. 4am on Thursday should do it. Mum and Georgie woke me up at 4am, while i'm sound asleep on the sofa bed at my parents house. I stayed over at theirs rather than driving blurry eyed from mine in Newmarket.

At that time in the morning it was unusually mild, so after putting on jeans and a sweater I made my way outside. Admittedly I was a little sluggish at getting up so Mum and Georgie already had B in with his breakfast and had started plaiting. With that I decided I'd take up the very important job of packing up the car! Important as if I forgot to pack anything, it would be on my head! And like a tetris master I packed that car with 2 saddles, 2 bridles, a girth, all of Georgie's show gear - jackets, shirts, jodhpurs, ties, Georgie's riding hat, my beagler and show ring grooms clothes, boots (that I expertly polished if I do say so myself) and the most important thing... food! 

Then I got to packing up the grooming kit with everything I could ever need. Especially my Smart Grooming products!

At around 5.45am after B had been plaited and polished we loaded him in the trailer and set off towards Ipswich to the Trinity Park showground.

It was a lovely morning, sun out but ever so slightly brisk when the sun hid behind the clouds.

We were parked out the way in a beautiful spot near some shady trees and parked just a row from Tim Stockdale and John Whitaker by the looks of their enormous lorries.  We made our way off to get Georgie's number and see what was going on. We'd never actually been to a show this big before and had always dreamed of winning at County level. We've done Great Gransden show in Cambridgeshire, and Wayland Show in Norfolk which are quite large, but compared to Suffolk County Show they're about 1/3 of the size. 

B was quite on his toes so we tacked him up and took him for a walk to take in the busy bustling surroundings and chill out.  After about 15 minutes of schooling with G, Beanie soon realised he needed to behave and calmed down. He got back to the box thinking he was done for the day! 

Mum, Georgie and I had time for a quick cup of tea and some food before it was all hands on deck.

We first studded B's back shoes as, although the ground wasn't too hard, there was a lot of slippery grass coverage so to make sure we had no slipping in the ring, it was the best thing to do.

A little bit of sprucing and his quarter marks done - which shone beautifully in the sun, Georgie got herself ready, I tacked up Beanie in his lovely showing saddle and double bridle and he was all set.

Ready to go I legged G up and off we went to find our ring and take it all in.

The walk was a little way but we got a good look at the Working Hunter ring where Georgie would be doing her ROR Challenge class later in the day and arrived at the warm up arena - It was packed with show horses and in the other half some of the best show jumpers in the UK by the height of the warm up fences. They were enormous!

With the show running like clockwork the stewards ushered everyone into the Trinity Ring (The second main ring) for the Retraining of Racehorses & Tattersalls Show Series class. There were approximately 15 horses in the class, and nearly all of them were very excited and on their toes.

Now, I know I am biased but to Beanie's credit he was a superstar in the ring. The vast majority of horses were jogging, mini rearing, going sideways or otherwise not doing what they were told to. There were also horses everywhere - overtaking, cutting people up or trying to get in front of the judge but to Georgie's credit she used her corners, didn't cut anyone up and just kept out the way on her own and it obviously paid off. One small hiccup of B lunging forward when asked to canter coincided with a chainsaw demonstration starting, but a split second after he was back cantering fluidly.

It came time for the judges to call people into the lineup. Georgie was pulled into 4th and I made my way into the ring to help.

I did a little faffing removing B's slobber, getting a bit of sweat off and lengthened stirrups ready for the ride judge.

We all stood patiently watching as the first 3 horses were ridden. Then came the moment of truth and the ride Judge got on. With our hearts in our mouth we watched..

I don't know who was more nervous Georgie or me as we stood internally wishing B to be a good lad we know he is and not let the atmosphere get too much, but to his credit he was a sweetheart. He did everything asked of him, transitioned smoothly and came back foot perfect. 

I then quickly stripped him of his saddle and he was presented to the conformation judge. He stood quietly and square, then Georgie walked him away a generous length to allow for a nice long trot back the judge. He trotted impeccably and back around into the lineup. 

Now we just had to wait and hope for the best.. We had some spaces to move up if we were to win, three in fact so we just hoped we'd done enough.

After much deliberation while the horses stood up (well, some did, not the fidgeting horse doing it's best to reverse into Beanie) we were utterly gobsmacked to see Georgie had been pulled in first! 

She'd only gone and won it! Our first ever county level show and she'd won it!!

I don't think anyone could have wiped the beaming smile off my face for anything! All of us put some much time and love into Beanie it's so rewarding for it to pay off when it really matters!

We don't have our own school, or a big fancy lorry.. we're just humble amateurs who try really hard!

I am so proud of how far Georgie has come since last season! And now they're a county show winning pair! Hooray!

We walked back to the trailer to mainly smiles and hugs! We untacked B and let him eat. He didn't look like a show pony stood plated at the trailer, more like a pony club pony eating his way round the grass as far as his rope would reach. He's a funny little character that boy!

Georgie even bumped into John Whitaker and had a brief chat with him about her win and what he was doing for the day. He was a childhood legend so to meet him was very cool!

Our day wasn't over yet as Georgie still had the Challenge class to come. So after a brief lunch, a change of saddle and bridle we headed to the Working Hunter ring to walk the course and rewarm up. 

The jumps we're quite generous but not too big. Georgie headed into the ring to try and jump clear. Alas it was not to be and she had an unlucky pole, but the round as a whole was smooth and not rushed. 

My friend Michael from Lens & Hound Photography  popped over to see us and captures some lovely pictures - 

All the horses popped back into the ring for the show and conformation trot up. Georgie's show was a little too long and with a driven buggy zooming past it did just catch B and made him spook slightly but after earlier we weren't too unhappy. 

He was pulled into 4th place, but he was a good boy throughout. It was only our second Challenge class ever, so we definitely will be doing more and working on them going forward

Our whole experience of the Suffolk County show was a positive one. Everyone we encountered was friendly and kind. The stewards, the judges, even other competitors (which isn't always the case) so we drove home happy and smiling. We will absolutely be going again next year. So now just one month until the ROR final at Hickstead Derby Day, can we repeat Thursday's win and get another dream ticked off?

We shall see....

Until next time..

Sophie x