Hello peeps!

Laura and Thomas here:

Did anyone hear the story about Peggy the horse who used to go into the bar of her local pub for a drink with her owner ? She actually used to go inside the pub with her owner for a drink at the bar. Her fave tipple is said to be a pint of John Smith's beer with a nibble on a packet of crisps!

Now me and Thomas enjoy the occasional pub ride and there’s nothing like stopping for a lunchtime coke at our local. Thomas is happy outside in the beer garden, tied up. I’m almost certain he wouldn’t like to come inside - apart from anything else I don’t think he’d fit! Thomas is a fussy eater too so I don’t think he’d fancy crisps either!

But poor old Peggy has now been barred. The pub landlord has put new carpets in and doesn't want Peggy hoofprints all over them, which is fair enough – it’s not like she can wipe her hooves on the doormat as she goes in is it? She now has a tie up point outside the pub so she can still go along for a swift half.

There’s a video on the BBC site which shows her inside the pub - click on the link below and have a look!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7642665.stm

Hi folks!

Sarah and Tippy here:

Well, I've done it! I completed my first half marathon last Sunday. The Run to the Beat half marathon, from the O2 in London, was a very, very soggy affair. Me and 8,000 odd other runners, arrived in the rain, ran in the rain and finished in the rain.

It reminded me of my first cross country comp with Tippy! The raindrops dripping off the peak of my running cap were exactly the same as the rain flying off my hat silk as I careered around the course on Tippy. I felt as stiff the following day too - except the running hurt my legs and Tippy pulled my arms out of their sockets!

I finished the 13.1 miles in a respectable 1hr 57secs exactly. I've just got another 13.1 miles this coming Sunday in the Parks Foundation half marathon.

I felt very honoured to be wearing the NSPCC bib and will be doing so again this coming Sunday... that is if my legs have been put back together in time! I ran with a little calf strain in my right leg and it now feels like my legs have turned to solid wood. I guess this is how a horse with azoturia feels. It's not nice but hopefully the sports physio can sort my strains in time. Keep your fingers and hooves crossed!

Hi, Hannah here!

I’m new to Horse + Pony having just joined the team last week! My first days have been great fun, and hard work too – I've been to interview the North Cheshire PC branch Prince Philip Cup team at HOYS…!

So, a bit about me (yawn), well I’ve always ridden and owned horses and ponies so I guess you could say I’m kind of addicted. I’ve competed in lots of different disciplines and had great fun doing all the big shows. My last pony Gambler, a gorgeous Welsh Section C, who I had to sell before my final year of Uni, is my all time fave pony so I thought I’d give him a mention. We did lots of comps together and he has a huge fan club! I think that’s about if for now, until next week…!

Hi, Hannah here!

Well it’s been all go this week in the office putting together some mega features for the coming months, but even the H+P team had time to laugh at the antics of one famous drunken pony…

Mr. Greedy, a.k.a. a small pony called Fat Boy, bit off more than he could chew when he broke into someone’s garden at midnight, munched his way through loads of fermented apples, got drunk and fell into a swimming pool!

The poor lady who found him thought she had the beast of Bodmin in her pool until she realised what it really was! After calling the fire brigade Fat Boy was rescued using a harness and was totally unharmed his moonlight dip.

Now that’s a story to make him hang his hooves in shame!

Check out the full story at...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7672691.stm

Hello peeps!

Laura and Thomas here:

Well what a week we’ve had!!! You may have seen on the TV (if you live in the East Midlands area) that the Princess Royal opened a new RDA centre in Somerby, near Melton Mowbray.

Well, the centre was opened at my aunt's stable, Somerby Equestrian Centre and my mum got to go to the opening ceremony. It was shown on local TV that night and my uncle was in the back of the shot with my aunt, grandma and mum. I’m famous! (Yes, I know I’m not really but you know it’s close enough for me!)

Possibly more exciting is that we’ve also got some new calves at the stables - six in total - four girls and two boys all of which are very cute indeed. At the moment they‘re inhabiting a couple of the stables until we have time to make them a pen in the barn. At the moment Thomas is eating is brekkie next to them which I think he actually quite likes – perhaps he’ll adopt them?!

I’ll try to get snaps of them so watch this space!!

Hi folks

Sarah and Tippy here:

Well I've done it... two half marathons and just seven days between them! The second one was totally painful but I did it in 2hrs and 8min. I'm now lame and have to visit the doc's this week to get my leg checked out. I think it's a shin splint.

Tippy had a visit from the vet a fortnight ago. Don't panic, it's nothing serious. As she has to take a painkiller for her arthritis, and has been taking the painkiller for some time, she has to get checked out once a year by the vet to make sure she's not showing any side effects. Apart from being naughty every day, the vet said she was in great shape for her age.

Anyway, check out some of the piccies from my runs:

Back in the O2 after completing a wet Run to the Beat

My new Royal Parks Foundation half marathon running buddies - Amy & Di (photo by Amy's mum)

Probably the most scenic half marathon ever... Big Ben

The London Eye

Nelson's column

Westminster

Hey!

As I was sprinting to work this morning, I had a thought - if only I was a horse I’d get there much quicker. Then, it crossed my mind - who would win in a man versus horse race? And guess what? It turns out there is such a race… an annual 22 miler, where runners compete against riders on horseback.

The race takes place in a Welsh town and started in 1980 when a local landlord overheard a discussion between two men in his pub. One man suggested that over a significant distance across country, man was equal to any horse. The landlord decided the challenge should be tested in full public view! Since the year 2000 a horse has won the race seven times to man’s twice. This year’s horsey winner was Dukes Touch of Fun who galloped to victory in 2 hours and 18 minutes. Well it seems I’d be better off as a horse after all!

Hey guys

I’m afraid that for a while it will just be me blogging.

Thomas had a heart attack on Tuesday while we were out hacking and died – I’m heart broken.

We were just walking along the road when he went all steady, I jumped off and called to my sister to go home for the trailer as I knew there was something up. But before she’d even got to the end of the road he sat down and was gone.

It’s weird because we’d cantered up the field before and he’d be playing up, cantering sideways, doing little rears and all the silly little things he did that would make me laugh. He was feeling so well that it was even more of a shock when it happened, but at least I know that until it did he had been feeling as well as ever.

I’m not going to pick my fave thing about him – he was just perfect! It’s just not going to be the same without him.

Laura xx

Hi peeps

Sarah and Tippy here:

I hope you are all enjoying your half term break and managing to get plenty of horsey stuff done. Tippy was paid a visit by the equine dental technician a couple of days ago. The good news is she has a very healthy set of nashers for her age. Dee, the dentist, says she's doing well to still have all her teeth - we've just got to start cleaning between her front incisors with an old toothbrush! As Tippy is getting a bit long in the tooth, there are little gaps between them where food gathers - yuk!

On another note - one of Tippy's old field mates won the 138cm Charles Owen Pony Racing Final at Aintree Racecourse last Saturday. Tippy used to live with Goldborough Moonlight Mist (Moonlight for short) when Moonlight first left her mum as a foal. I guess it's Tippy who first taught her to gallop! Tippy was pretty fast when she was younger. So, a big well done to Hector Worsley and Moonlight for winning the championship!