Winners All Round

We drill into youngsters from a young age 'It's not about winning, it's the taking part that counts' which without a doubt is absolutely true! We want our children to grow up modest after all. Luckily for Francesca and for Millie they had a rather good weekend of showing at the Cambridge and District Riding Club show which is very kindly hosted at Cottenham point to point racecourse.

I'm sure followers of this website and blog will know that Georgie and I are quite into our showing, and very luckily seem to be rather good at it so when Georgie had Francesca and she subsequently turned out to be pony mad (just as we figured she probably would be after coming to equestrian events with us from a very young age) we kind of decided that we as a family we're going to make Francesca go showing, we were going to wait til she asked us to take her. Any show attendee will have seen it at some point or another seeing a showing mad Mum drag her less than enthusiastic child round the ring on a pony while they'd rather be doing anything but showing!

We attended this show this time last year and had a wonderful day which was also very successful day so again this year we asked Francesca would she liked to go again this year, to which a very enthusiastic yes was the answer. So on Friday afternoon in the sunshine we went outside and bathed Millie. All is going well until a black cloud descended and it starts to get rather chilly; I tell Georgie we should kick on and get finished as the clouds were going rather dark. Just on my way back from getting a nice warm bucket of water that I felt a very cold blob on the back of my neck. I look up to see a hail/snow shower decend from the heavens. Poor Millie is standing their shivering so we slosh the bucket of water over her soapy neck and trot her inside to the warmth of the barn. Luckily we managed to sweat scrape her quickly but then disaster.. what rug can we put on her, she doesn't have a fleece? Well fear not Millie cause we're going to make a 6'3" fleece of Beanie's fit you! As you can see I am a master of horse rug fitting and she promptly warmed up and dried nicely.

Does she look cute? 

On Sunday well hands were on deck to load up the car, hitch up and take bothBeanie and Millie to the show. Luckily the weather Gods were being kind to us and the sun was shining and it was actually warm! What a welcome relief from the cold weather, snow storms and rain from the days previously!We arrived at the show in good time so after unloading and settling the horses Georgie went off to get their numbers and I took to grooming Millie to perfection! Out came the Smart Grooming Leg and Body Whitener to make Millies little white socks and white as possible! We even had a competitor ask us how we got them so white. I also used coat sheen to make Millies black coat as soft and shiney as possible (avoiding the saddle patch obviously)! Once Millie was all tacked up and spruced and Georgie and Frankie were dressed they were ready to go.

I know i'm bias but they go make a pretty well turned out team don't you think?

Their first class was the Lead Rein class and with 4 other competitors it was going to be strongly contested class. Luckily Millie is happiest around her little person and loves making her happy so both Frankie and Millie had a lovely time. She didn't put a foot wrong, did a wonderful trot along the long side and when asked to do her show for the judge did beautiful transitions and trotting! While I 'babysat' Beanie outside the ring I watched on nervously to see how they'd get on. To our delight they were pulled in first! Francesca politely spoke to the judge and graciously accepted her rosette and prize; a wonderful purple grooming kit! it's safe to say Francesca couldn't get back to the trailer quick enough to pat her pony and show her all the lovely brushes she'd won. She'll never have to use our adult grooming kit again!!

While the other two classes went on we had a quick bite to eat, gave Millie some grass and got ready for the next class; the Mountain and Moorland! This net class was going to be a challenge as not only were there lot's of competitors but it also wasn't lead rein only! But with Millie still on good form they were back in the ring for another perfect show and again we were delighted for Francesca to be pulled in first and win the class! Like I say, against older children that weren't on the lead rein! It really does show what a well behaved little pony Millie is and she also happens to have good confirmation too! Not bad for a shetland we bought as a companion for Beanie before Georgie even got pregnant.

Again they'd won a wonderful rosette and a prize, this time a lovely bag of treats from Lik It! 

So with two wins under a belt Millie and Frankie were asked to come back in for the Championship! With very strong competition from all the ridden competitors from all the other classes it was going to be a touch choice. Unbelievably Francesca and Millie were pulled in as reserve champions! For a little 4 year old pony mad girl is was a big deal for her and to wipe the grin off her face would have been near impossible!

I must take a moment to say how generous it is for this show to provide prizes for showing! It really doesn't happen a lot anymore and it really does top it off for youngsters winning a prize they can take home and use again and again - we still have the bucket and the magic brush Francesca won here last year! So thank you very much to Cambridge & District Riding Club for their great show! Wonderful judges, stewards and secretaries!

With a very happy girlie we headed back to the trailer again for lunch and to hear all about how Francesca rode and to enjoy the sunshine! Beanie was by this point thoroughly bored and wondered when he was going to get a turn, so Georgie and I got him ready and made our way over to the jumping rings to take part in the Eventer Trial challenge. The upside of having a bit of rain this week is that the ground was absolutely perfect for jumping as it had a nice bit of give in the ground so it wasn't too hard and with a good grass coverage you couldn't have asked for better conditions. 

To say B was a little fresh would be an understatement! He was positively brimming with energy and was flying over the practice jumps with absolute exuberance! Plus with gymkhanas going on in the adjacent field with lot's of shouting, whooping and hollering only made B bounce around even more. It was like looking after a 3 year old colt again while Georgie went and walked the course, it probably didn't help Millie was neighing so loud i'm sure Cottenham village could hear her! But after a quick  course walk and assessment of the fences Beanie was in the ring and ready to go. The eventer challenge means that you firstly go up to the judge for a turn out and assessment of your horse, then after being given permission to start you go through the starting timer to jump your course of both cross country style fences (Barrels, a tiger trap, a large upright gate, a water tray, a style and a corner) as well as coloured show jumping fences. B absolutely flew round and we were both to see he'd finished on a nice clear round!

Shortly after everyone had finished there round and with a few getting caught out by some tricky fences such as the corner we had our day topped off by Georgie being called as the winner! 

Overall yesterday really was one of the good days! It makes it so worth it went the sun is out, its dry, everyone is talkative and friendly and there was so rushing to get to our classes! 

Millie was thoroughly tired out and fell asleep at the trailer, Francesca couldn't wait to use her brushes and Beanie had a really fun afternoon zooming over fences! 

Horseheath Spring Hunter Trail

Now that I’m writing again I wanted to write a bit out this weekends horsey activities. At my new job, after working in a racing office in the morning until mid-afternoon, I get changed and go out into the yard to groom and put the horses to bed for evening stables. I absolutely love it and love my horses and have been so busy looking after 4 to 5 horses has meant I’ve been rather busy. So with that in mind, I decided to have a really lazy day on Saturday!Obviously it was the Grand National day so I took full advantage of watching the Aintree Festival and I did Tweet quite a lot about it, so if you want to see those and follow me then have a look here @sophiexjane

Obviously it was really nice to see an outsider beat all those firm favourites and Rule The World did it in extremely impressive circumstances! Talking of racehorses and jumping, I brushed off my grooming clothes and went with Georgie and Mum to Horseheath for the Newmarket and Thurlow Spring Hunter Trial. It’s always touch and go with the ground and Horseheath as being clay soil it’s either got a nice bit of give in the ground or it’s rock solid! But with the good amount of rain we’ve had this week we couldn’t have asked for nicer ground conditions.

Beanie unloaded from the trailer full of beans (believe me that this is an accidental pun) and looked very well in himself! As with a lot of smaller run competitions there was little indication of when the classes would start and how many competitors would be in them, so we did have a bit of waiting to do as the class before was delayed for a while while a fence was fixed having been previously broken (ouch). But It gave B time to cool his jets and chill out for a while as he really was keen when we first arrived. I was left ‘babysitting’ while Georgie went off and had her hat and back protector checked, as well as a brief look at the course, seeing as she didn’t actually walk it! 

After a small wait we finally decided to tack Beanie up and get ready. It’s been a little while since Georgie has done cross country, but it was lovely to see her in all her equipment. 

Even after chilling out B was well aware of why he was there and what his job is, so while Georgie warmed up and settled B in, Mum and I took off to the collecting ring to watch a few competitors already on the course to see how it was jumping. It seemed from watching that this was to be a strong competitive class with a lot of people in it and the course seemed to be jumping and flowing well.

A few tests, such as the carrot trough (the flower pit) and steps combination and the beer barrels to a drop quickly followed by another large set of beer barrels seemed to be catching a few people out but other than it’s a very well-constructed and flowing course that I’d highly recommend. And saying that it’s now becoming a British Eventing venue and they’re hosting their inaugural event on the 13th and 14th of August. Follow them on twitter @horseheath_ht

It wasn’t long before Georgie’s number was called and Beanie whose previously cooled jets were ignited again and the countdown was called and Georgie and B set off; He didn’t need telling twice and practically sprang out of the starting box. The first fence is only a few strides from starting so they get a question very quickly after starting, but B being absolutely in the zone popped it and zoomed away into the woods to tackle some tires, a conifer brush, a fallen log and spring back out over a set of post and rails. That is then very quickly followed by a very large hedge (which we’ve got Georgie jumping on one of her ponies when she was a teenager, I’ll have to find it) which is the first real question on the course and where the jumps seem to up a gear in terms of difficulty. But from watching and speaking to Georgie afterwards B was absolutely rocketing yesterday and just popped every jump like it were no trouble at all! They made there way over the fields and various questions to the steps and carrot trough, so I watched on anxiously to see how they’d get on. Unsurprisingly Beanie popped over them and had locked onto the second big hedge. We have a photo from last year and this year (below) and evidentially B loved it because boy has he got jets for legs!

 2015

2016

Straight on then to the arrow head on a slightly awkward angle, that often caught people out (but after Tetworth a couple of weeks before, where B absolutely motored over a big arrow head which was the second fence (!) this one didn’t faze him at all either!) The partnership were both nearing the end of the course and approached the second last fence,which is a brush fence, which disguises the water that follows it until the last second (and has caused many to stop in the past) then into the aforementioned water splash and onto another big brush out. Well B being an eager beaver decided that he was going to take a stride out and ‘put in a big one’ as they say. From my photo series you can see he really did! Check out the take off from all the other horses and then were B took off! Impressive I think but then again I am bias!

The final fence being on a 90 degree angle means slowing up and turning quite sharply to get straight then kick on to get some impulsion to fly the last fence which is a tiger trap! As I’m sure you’ll see from the GoPro footage of Georgies round below, it looked like he could do it all over again. All credit to Georgie but he is so fit he stopped puffing and was back to normal again in about 15 minutes which is really quite impressive!

  

Georgie came back all smiles and said what a wonderful time she’d had; it really is so nice to see her so happy! I can’t wait for more events to start now, not just show season! 

Until next weekend, where we're at Ely Eventing Centre in Little Downham for an Eventer Trail, adios!

Product Review - Muddy Marvelous! Nettex Seven Day Mud Away

Muddy Marvelous! Nettex Seven Day Mud Away

So, since It hasn't stopped raining meaning lots of muddy fields everywhere, I'm going to share with you my secret weapon against the mud!

I have been using this product for 3 winters now and I wouldn't be without it. It is going to save you time, make your horse cleaner, and make grooming a more pleasant experience for the horse, which for me is a winner! It comes in the form of Nettex Seven Day Mud Away; It really does do what it says on the tin.

Spray the product onto areas where you horse tends to get muddy, and I don't know about you but my thoroughbred loves to really rub his neck and face into the mud - Think mud dreadlocks in his mane like this!

He also Manages to get loads of mud at the top of his neck from when the neck cover on the rug rolls down amidst the rolling frenzy. Well, with the Nettex Seven Day Mud Away it really reduces the amount of mud he manages to get stuck into his mane and coat. A few brushes with a stiff bistled brush and the mud falls out easily. When you have a sensitive Thoroughbred who flinches away when you start rubbing the mud off, this product helps no end. With just a few stokes of the brush the mud falls off the mud caked area quickly, leaving a soft shiny coat underneath and a happy horse from not having to be strubbed raw to get the mud off! Win win!

After - No mud dreadlocks and a nice thick mane from not having it pulled out with the mud!

Another couple of places I find Seven Day Mud Away particularly good is on knees, elbows and hocks were the mud really tends to collect from when the horses get up and down from rolling. Seven Day Mud Away not only stops it sticking to the hairs to begin with but if your horse is determined to get the mud to really stick on, then what does stick falls off again easily when run over with a brush.

From using the product for so long you will find when you initially spray it on it looks quite wet, and a little goes a long way (!) but don't panic it won't stay like this! After the horse has been turned out and rolled, the wet look will not be present any longer as the Mud Away on the surface of the fur will have just come off when stopping the mud sticking when rolling. From what I've found from extensive use is that if you are not washing the horse (only brushing) it will last for days before you need to reapply, but if you wash the horse off after exercise for example then you will need to reapply.  When you come to grooming your pride and joy the first time you have used it, you are going to be pleasantly surprised and wonder how you managed without it in you life before! 

Above - Just after being sprayed on the neck and mane, it will look wet but won't stay like that so don't panic!

I will continue to use Nettex Seven Day Mud Away as it really does do as advertised and makes less of a chore and more a nice easier task that you wont have to slave over and your horse would thank you for, as it makes it a lot less painful!

And when you've got mud hippos like our Shetland Millie here, you need all the help you can get!

Nettex Seven Day Mud Away is generally widely availalble, but I found a great deal from Totally Tack where its £4.99 for a 250 ml bottle, or £8.99 for a 500ml bottle! Bargain! 

Product Review - Childs Farm; Looking After Skin and Charity

Childs Farm; Looking After Skin and Charity

As equestrians we are constantly worrying about our 4 legged companion in the stable or field and about their welfare and well being and in doing so we tend to forget about ourselves and our well being. 

We are on the look out for the newest equipment, lotions and creams to keep our horses and ponies happy and healthy and once we've left the yard I think it's safe to say many of us forget our own bodies and skin.

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I am definitely one of those people! Despite having oily skin I also forget or don't think I need to moisturise and wonder why my skin feels gross. As many a follower will know, Georgie has two girls and the youngest of which is Fenella who is just over a year old. Nel as we call her has also got dry skin and eczema patches and very very itchy indeed so part of her nighttime routine is to cover those dry patches in Childs Farm baby moisturiser, which is how I heard about Childs Farm, from Georgie! Not only does it smell incredible but it also works wonders on skin, so much so it's even been in mainstream media, touted as the miracle cream that is better than medicated and steroid creams!

As I've used this on Nel and see how well it works I've also bought myself my own bottle and use it to moisturise my often chapped and dry skin. In these blistering summer months it's so important to wear sun cream but also to moisturise your skin after being outside in the sun. I've also found this cream works wonders on my poor sun beaten and wind swept face. I especially love it because the moisturiser also soaks in really quickly, therefore not leaving a shiny oily complexion which I absolutely love. My face makes itself shiny by itself, it doesn't need any help in doing so by other moisturisers that sit on the skin and don't soak in.

Also a huge plus for me is that Childs Farm support Riding For the Disabled Association (RDA). As an equestrian this is something I absolutely love and when reading the bottle at home once i'd bought it I just grinned! Charities really struggle to get funds and income to keep them afloat so the fact that a wonderful natural company such as Childs Farm donate a whopping 10% of all profits to the RDA, and fund raise and volunteer on their behalf to is just wonderful. As a charity volunteer myself this made me extremely happy.

Equine charities are definitely struggle to get traction and mass help from the general population as it's somewhat of a 'niche' hobby and a discipline which is very 'marmite' in the general public; some definitely support horse riders and others think we're a crazy nuisance that shouldn't be on the road. And that is despite horses and horse riding being proven to be extremely beneficial forms of therapy for many people. The Riding for Disabled Association does exactly that, they use horses as a type of therapy for adults and children with a disability to help them cope in every day life and learn new skills. For me this is a wonderful thing and they are a charity that thoroughly deserves as much support as possible!

As horse riders and equestrians Georgie and I both just want to say a massive thank you to Childs Farm for supporting an equine charity and giving something back!

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Childs Farm is readily available via their website,  Boots and Tesco !

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