Hi everyone!

Welcome to our new blog area where you can find out what it's really like at H+P!

You can get to meet Sarah (H+P's Editor and Tippy's slave!), Jennie (H+P's sub/writer) and Laura (H+P's secretary).

Hope you like it!

Bye
Sarah

Hi everyone!
Laura here

New arrivals everybody! My two pet piggies, Jennifer and Clarissa (named after the 2 fat ladies!) have had little piglets! OMG they are SOOOOOOOO cute, there are 21 in total, running around the barn and causing trouble it’s really funny!

The horses (in their stables next door) think that aliens have landed and keep staring over the wall at the new arrivals. War Horse hates it when they squeal - it disturbs him whilst he’s munching away on his hay!

I guess that you’ve all been out and about enjoying the spring feeling in the air but watch out a it’s supposed to get chilly again:(

See ya peeps!

Laura

P.S. Pharaoh’s well on his way to recovery and just needs another week in the stables before he’s allowed to go out in the day, which will cheer him up no end. He hates being in!

Jennie here

I have the best boss in the world! Sarah rocks. I’m sure you all already thought this but let me just explain why she’s extra spesh this week.

We’ve all been working extra hard because we have a very short space of time to get the next mag written and printed before it hits the shops. I turned the ripe old age of 23 on Wednesday though (Happy Birthday to me) so I stole a sneaky day’s holiday to go shopping to London with my Mum and Dad.

I had a lovely time and to round off a perfect day I got invited by an air hostess friend of mine to go to San Francisco in California, USA, next Friday for a long weekend. Only problem is that’s when we send the mag to press. I had to beg Sarah to let me go and after she sweet-talked a few of our colleagues into helping out on the mag that day she agreed!

I’m soooooo excited, and very grateful. So there won’t be a blog entry from me next weekend but I promise to update you with a full list of items I bought and sights I saw in a couple of weeks.

In other news, I had my regular lesson on Shylock but Jane instructed me this week as Bev was at college. It was a bit of a disastrous lesson, really. At walk all was fine and Shylock went really well and I got him doing the movements around the school perfectly but at trot it all went wrong! I missed the markers and we just turned as and when Shylock felt like it. I got very frustrated with myself because I just couldn’t understand what I was doing differently.

We did run through a mock dressage test which I tried to follow while Jane shouted instructions to me. I just about managed to follow it although I found downward transitions from canter to trot quite difficult as there’s not much time between B and F and E and H on a big horse! I at least understood what was being asked of me, even if I couldn’t actually do it and it definitely helped me learn where all the letters are.

Hopefully, my brain will be back in gear next week. Speak soon x

Hi everyone!

Sarah (and Tippy here!)

I’ve got a v. busy month ahead as I’ve officially got two nags to look after. Gizmo’s owner has had an op on one of her eyes and isn’t allowed near the stables in case she gets dust in her eye and it gets infected - so I’m in charge of Gizmo as well as Tippy.

Gizzy is really easy to do, I just have to make sure he doesn’t eat too much spring grass! I’m going to be riding him at least three times a week, which should help him stay slim and trim. He’s stabled at night, like Tippy, but he’s bedded on straw so I’ll have to get used to mucking out straw again rather than shavings! Gizmo has a medium sized haynet at night and gets a tiny feed morning and night; so he doesn’t get jealous of Tippy munching away.

Apart from being taller and wider than Tippy, Gizzy is v different to ride. His stride is much longer and more rolling than Tippy’s. He’s also a big baby and spooks at everything! So fingers crossed I don’t bounce off!

Better go - as you know both Laura and Jennie are off at the mo!
Bye
Sarah

Hey everyone

Sarah (and Tippy here!)

Tippy is very happy again as Nick and Lauren (the farriers) paid her a visit this week, so she has new shoes to kick her heels up in! She charged around the field when she was turned out after she’d been shod!

She’s still not very happy on the Gizmo front though. She pulls a horrible face at him when I tack him up to go for a ride. He’s actually been quite well behaved. He can be a spooky wimp and jump around at every little thing – which is sooo annoying. Although, when we last rode he only spooked once - at a cat in a hedge.

So, I’ve got a v. busy weekend ahead. Extra mucking out to do (and the fields!), a week’s worth of haynets to fill, two nags to exercise… I’d better get going.

Bye
Sarah

Hey there everyone!

Laura here

It’s been a bit of a busy week for me. BOTH! Sisters are on their hols this week, Sarah’s in France, learning to speak French, (or so she says) and Louise is in Austria skiing, or trying to, anyway (from what I’ve heard she’s not getting to too well!) so poor old me has been left with three horses to keep fit instead of just the one!

STRESS, it’s all about the riding and leading at the moment which Thomas is not happy about as he likes to be special and go out on his own rather than with the others! So he’s a grumpy old man at the moment :(

Thomas has also developed a real taste for licks of late! He found Pharaoh’s in his stable the other day and went nuts. I didn’t realise he had such a long tongue! He’s trotting around the field now with the lick plastered half way up his face. The messy boy!

We’ve got a team chase coming next week, on April Fool’s day. Is it just me or do you think that it is a bad omen?! Hey ho never mind, it will be a laugh. I’m sure the ground is really soft anyway because off all the rain we’ve been having - so I should bounce well!

Jennie here

I have just returned from a fabulous mini-break in California! My friend and I did a lot of shopping, squeezed in some sight-seeing plus, some amazing ‘all American’ meals! We certainly made the most of our two days in San Francisco and I was shattered getting home but it was totally worth it. I bought Laura and Sarah some lovely hand stuff for them to use at the stables cos they always say how dry their hands get. Designer Shaun has been playing with my piccies too and made some of them look really cool using different effects!

Anyway, back to work…
Before I left I had a busy day with eventing couple Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks. It was absolutely crazy – their yard is possibly the busiest one I have ever visited. Of course, there will be more gossip on them in up-coming issues of H+P but I just have to tell you about Barley.

He is Clayton and Lucinda’s daughter’s Shetland pony. Ellie is only four but seems to be following in her mum and dad’s footsteps and loves to ride. Barley doesn’t have his own stable – he just wanders about the yard and basically does what ever he wants!

While Clayton and Lucinda were riding their massive horses, little Barley was feeling a bit left out and went and stood right in the middle of the school so they had to ride around him. The horses seemed to be used to it though and Lucinda explained that he’s actually a good de-sensitisation tool – their horses don’t really spook at anything cos they’re so used to Barley randomly appearing!

I haven’t had a lesson on Shylock for a couple of weeks, not that I was too worried this week cos the weather has been awful. I am a bit of a fair weather rider and didn’t fancy riding in the freezing cold, snow and rain that we’ve had. When I spoke to Bev she was getting a bit worried that I’m slacking and getting behind in my lessons but I’ll be back in the saddle next Tuesday. I promised her that I’d put in loads and loads of effort.

I’ll let you know how I get on. Have a good weekend, everyone. x

How much fun can two boys have with a tub?

1. Harry has the tub

2. Ron steals the tub

3. And then tries to scare Harry with it

4. But they decide to share the tub!

Hiya,

Sarah (and Tippy) here

It's great that the grass is growing but boy am I having to keep an eye on Gizmo! I've watched him while he's grazing and he just seems to hoover the grass up.

I promised Stella I would keep a close eye on his weight and he is definitely getting plumper. So I've put his grazing muzzle on every day this week (which he hates and Tippy is scared of) and reduced his hard feed and the amount of hay he gets at night. It's tricky though because he gets to spend a long time turned out as I'm in the office all day - I now know exactly how tricky it is to manage a laminitis-prone horse or pony.

Gizmo looks hungry in his stable!

Tippy seems so much easier to care for. I've been watching her graze and she doesn't just pig out, she actually lifts her head up and moves around the paddock - occasionally.

I've also had a bad back this week! I do have problems with my back (fallen off too many times!) but I was riding Gizmo last week when it went. I think it's because he's so podgy that it went but it's been painful mucking out, carrying water buckets, grooming etc so I haven't even been able to ride to help Gizmo stay slim. It feels much better now and I'm going to be back in the saddle this weekend.

Bye for now
Sarah

PS Forgot to say last week - Tippy has road nails in her back shoes! The farrier says it will help grip more easily.

Hey again,

Laura here

Not much has happened in the last week really. I’ve been doing some last minute prep for the team chase on Sunday, plenty of steady canter work uphill and downhill ready for bombing about when the weekend comes.

The little ponies that we rescued are now all being worked again after having the winter to grow on some more. My sis Sarah sat on Merry at the weekend, although I think Merry was a bit shocked at the extra weight she had to carry around! Pippin came in last night, I tacked her up and led her round with her tack on, she’s still nervous of the saddle on her back so we’re really having to take our time with her, letting her get used to how it feels to be tacked up and walked around with it on before we get on her and Willow - well I think he’s a last cause! Doing any real work is obviously not in his life plan, any attempt so far to get him into the stable and away from his bestest buddy, George have been a complete disaster! Oh well we’ll keep trying!

Laura

Hey all,

Jennie here

Well, Laura and I have had quite an adventure this afternoon – we went to give blood. Laura hadn’t done it before and was a bit nervous, but needn’t have been as she was finished really quickly. I on the other hand, having had no problems donating before, didn’t make a full donation. My vein collapsed and that was that – no more blood. I was very annoyed! Anyway, at least I tried.

Had a lesson with Shylock on Tuesday. It was a lovely day and he was chilling in the field when I arrived so I had to go and catch him. He was such a good boy and came over when I called him, not like Breeze who used to just stand at the other side of the field and make me walk miles to get her!

Anyway, once he was all tacked up we were ready to ride. We worked on 20m circles first of all in walk and then in trot. I struggled to hit some of the markers which was really frustrating but we did get better as the lesson went on.

At the end I had a go at serpentines (again) and although I managed to guide Shylock perfectly in walk, his stride is so big that I simply ran out of time to give my aids in trot and it all went a bit pear-shaped. (I seem to be noticing a pattern here, I’m sure I’ve written all of this before!)

Jane assures me it will come, but I’m getting very cross with myself. Bev said it was good that I realised it was my fault and not Shylock’s. Thanks, Bev! I think
I need to get back into the habit of regular lessons. Hee hee :) x