Hi everyone

Sarah (and Tippy) here:

I've asked Tippy new bestest friend, Claire to blog on what it's like spending time with cheeky mare.

Claire says:

Tippy is a pretty good pony to ride. Once, when we were out riding, there was a tractor parked on the other side of the road. I thought she might spook at it, but she took one look at it and walked straight past. I was pleased and it gave me more confidence. She doesn’t seem to be scared of much when I ride her.

She’s also good to be groomed. She lets you pick out her hooves and stands still when she’s tied up. She even picks her feet up herself sometimes, but that’s usually when she wants a treat!

Tippy hardly moves at all when you groom her, although she does stand with her back legs close together, which can make it difficult to brush them. She’s easy to tack up too and doesn’t try to bite you when you do her girth up (well, not always).

Tippy looks after me when I ride her. When I’m trotting she makes sure I’m okay and if I get something wrong, or she doesn’t understand she just stops. As I’m just learning to ride, Sarah took us to the school the other day, to help me get my trot sorted. I rode on a lunge line and Tippy too good care of me, especially while I was doing rising trot.

She can be funny though. When you tie Tippy up, she sometimes lifts one of her front legs up. This means she wants a treat or she’s waiting for her breakfast or dinner. Then, whilst I’ve gone to mix her feed, she does a poo. Sarah says this is because she’s excited as she knows we’re getting her dinner ready!

Tippy & Claire are good mates.