Winter

[Molly]

So...Do you carry on riding your ponies through the winter or do they have it off? mooching around in the field munching

The ones who have been going all seasons have a rest but novice's are being worked on.

[guest684]

Winter dark nights aren't a good time for working ponies how many people have their own places and land to turn away for the winter? Its really hard if you're on a livery yard and expensive too! How many people show from a livery yard and what are the problems and costs ?

[trev]

I just do what suits the horse, one is being backed, one is being worked as I want to take him on a beginners hunt (it's me with no bottle not him) as although he only does flat classes, I think doing something different keeps them fresh. He only did 2 shows this year though
Others are roaming are turned out and brought in if they want, but I am lucky enough to have them at home and have got jobs that work around them (ie night shifts) so I can work them at some point during the day, and do all the jobs.

[julie]

We have just joined Fledglings dressage group so are doing that 3 times a month, plus have the odd flat lesson then try to fit in PC rallies and compete, mainly dressage now till next spring. I'm really finding the dressage a great help in improving daughter's overall riding and understanding of aids, as well as helping to keep young Dartmoor going and the Old Bat supple (well, as much as she can be!) The sheets are the best bit as Georgie can study them with her instructor, as well as see where she can improve.

I remember always getting worked up about dressage and I have deliberately pushed her in this direction through the winter to build her confidence. I know a lot of people don't rate dressage but from my point of view it has brought her on no end and I am really pleased we are doing it. We started off last year doing the walk trot level 1, then progressed to level 2, then the low prelims. Now we have started doing low Novices and she and the ponies really seem to enjoy it. They spend about 5-6 hrs a day out so working for 20 - 40 mins 2/3 times a week isnt much and it stops me doing housework (LOL)

We also dont have any facilities at home so its away of keeping them ticking over! (By the way the Old Bat is the Elderly WHP, not me, although I am an Old Bat with Dry Skin)

[paddywack]

well mine are at DIY livery, its not cheap so they have to justify their keep and are ridden over the winter. They do have a few weeks off after the last show. No winter showing shows but do some dressage and showjumping to keep them ticking over. Yard has floodlit school so no problem riding at night unless its absaloutely chucking it down.

[Work Lurker]

Our WHP has had a few days hunting and is now on holiday until after new year (think he has only ever had a couple of weeks off!!) and our other pony has been off since October. Nice opportunity to catch up with all the jobs we have ignored since last spring...and se our non horsey friends!!! We usually carry on with PC / dressage / showjumping through the winter but have decided on a proper break for us all! ....I keep looking at ads for novices though.........

[julie]

Work Lurker

I think its great - from all your previous posts your whp's seem to do a variety of work - true to what the type should be. Do you wrap them up for hunting? I wish I could send my daughter out but as you can see from my previous post I think it would be a little dangerous... we did once ask the old owners if they had hunted her and they said no one had been brave enough!!!

[fellowworklurker]

Well I one of many of us who work full time to keep the ponies and I shattered already is anyone else really struggling .....yawn!!

I have 7 in at night and the other 2 youngsters out 24/7 - we have our own albeit leased placed so it is slightly easier . All if the 7 we have in are in work - we have a very small indoor school which has been a godsend as our land is now soaking and some nights I wonder why I do it when I could be tucked up in front of the tv instead of riding and mucking out .............Cant wait for Xmas as its a week off work!!! We will start showing in January with some naughty novices

We hunt ours and they just wear brushing boots which I tape over the straps just to keep them secure.

[Work Lurker]

Julie, when hunting we use exactly the same tack as we do in the ring except we use woof double velcro boots allround and only use front boots as a rule when doing whp classes. Have found these stay put very well and offer good protection. Daughter checks these are in place whenever possible and when she passes anywhere near me (I'm on foot - or in the car!!) I do a quick boot check. I never tape the boots as I would prefer them to come off completely in the event of them getting caught on anything. We don't use over reach boots in case he steps on these and stumbles or falls.

We are fortunate that he is extremely mannerly generally and is also well behaved out hunting. Keen, and likes to be near the front, but not silly. As he doesn't kick or stop no one complains. Also he is very good at standing still (sounds a daft thing, but a horse or pony that will not stand still whilst hounds are being checked or cast is an absolute pain - I mean how can you use your hip flask or eat your chocolate?).

Thanks for the nice comment but it is easy to give an easy pony a varied life isn't it???

[julie]

You are so right about being able to "park" when out hunting - I've had both types and when you're tired nothing is worse than one that is an idiot while hanging around. I wish we had something she could try it on as there is nothing better than when hounds are in full cry over good country. My last ever hunt was on a high day on a brilliant jumper, we stopped once for about 20 mins, jumped over 40 fences nothing really below 3ft - magic.

Obviously you must have a lovely pony!

[julie]

My day, as most of this year, has started badly - business non existent and people wanting paying... but good old Overbent has made me laugh again!

Thank you!

[Work lurker]

Me to!! Hilarious!!

[not logged in]

Overbent you are a star! I'm sat here with tears rolling down my face! How i wish i had been there to witness it! ;D ;D

[julie]

Isn't cold? I'm freezing and it must be bad as the one pony who is difficult to catch came straight up to me to come in! Now have to pick up child, come back, load up and then watch her school two ponies in the near dark for an hour - but what I want to do is have a hot bath and go to bed with a book!! Its always about now I could cheerfully give horses up......

[skint]

Overbent you make me laugh so much, years ago I took a four year old hunting with the Blankney - No jumping I thought. She was very well manmered at home with a very light mouth - so brain of britain here took her in a snaffle. All went well for the first hour then she got stronger and stronger - I never realised that they had huge ditches in Lincolnshire and on one occasion she really took hold and I ended up jumping the biggest bloody ditch you have ever seen to stop her. I look like a monkey on a stick as I ended up around her ears bery undignified. she had never jumped even a pole in her life and after that she seemed to settle a bit better.

After a couple of hours my cousin and I said that we would take them away from the rest of the fied as I am a big believer that anything can gallop behind everything else but young horses need to be able to stop come away from the fied and calm down. So we had a hack around the lanes than stopped and had a ciggie and a few drinks or two from the hip flask, after half and hour or so we thought we would make our way back to the boxes so we skirted a huge quarry and set off into a trot - well thats what I wnated to do, the mare suddently set off at a flat out gallop the pin came out of her brain and she was going, she went for about 3 miles on one side of me was a really busy road and on the other a fifty foot drop into the quarry. I tried everything two hands on one rein to turn her, letting her go, kicking her one anything to get her to stop in the end I just sat there and cried (Well screamed) my cousin was a speck in the distance and I was seriously considering bailing out I was just worried that the track I was hurtling up ended up coming out on the road and if so I would be dead. I came over the brow of the hill a hundred miles an hour and the whole field was stood there I just ploughed into everyone there were horses scattered everywhere, she went past the field master and into the hounds and skidded to a halt looking a though butter wouldnt melt in her mouth. I was a gibbering wreck and in agony cos every onesstirrup irons has hit me on the shins as I hurtled past them. The Master asked me if I was ok and between sobs I said I was - sold the bloody thing the next week - never again

[hairy scruffy pony]

That is soooo funny overbent ...! we go and support the hunts but usually from the pub with the mulled wine !!!
winter is a break time for me ;D...i work full time so is pitch black wen i get the yard ...no school lights so ponies have till xmas off . Then at xmas break from work i start hacking them out , clip and start one or two schooling sessions indoor somewhere every two weeks or so and hack out at weekend ...early shows usually start march and then they are ready for April/ May ! Got a very hairy scruffy ( at the moment )fab novice for next year ...am dying to start again with him and get him in and smart and clipped !!!

[julie]

Dressage people are a bit odd - and you're right, they don't appreciate us turning up on little hairy beasties, discreet brown numnahs, leather gloves, Ponies On Parade tweed jacket, unplaited manes. We scatter their big, white numnahed, white plaited horsies to the four winds, then rub it in by winning tests on 71.5%.

We went earlier this week in artic weather, did two of the more challenging tests so daughter was only child and one of the competitors actually made the comment that daughter would need the day off school the following day as she'd be worn out (two ponies, three tests total) I think she was being nice but it did occur to me she might be making a barbed point that daughter should be at home doing homework!!

(This is a bit tongue in cheek as I do enjoy the challenge of dressage and have met some really nice people too)