Tis the season to be clipping!
It’s that wonderful time of year again when all the leaves start to fall and the mornings are crisp before the sun makes her way out of bed to reveal a beautiful day … Who am I kidding?! Starting at 5.30 in the morning we are donning beanies, gloves and two pairs of socks to fight off frostbite and around five layers of clothing. That is until around 9am when everyone slowly peels off layer after layer and the nearest hedge becomes the perfect clothes-horse. All the horses seem to grow a winter coat overnight and it always seems to be the week before a competition although in our case we are competing most weekends so I guess there isn’t really much time in between!
If you were to ask me if there was something I particularly didn’t like about working with horses, at the top of the list would be clipping. I would much prefer to muck out boxes or clean water-troughs in the rain than get covered in hair. But unfortunately someone has to do it and the horses seem to be lining up around the corner! There are a few things that I wont clip without.Firstly, I have to have my ipod. Listening to music is much better than the droning sound of clippers. Secondly I always wear a waterproof jacket and pants. They are the only clothes I have found to keep the majority of hair away from the skin and making you itchy. Thirdly I always carry a twitch. Most of the horses are reasonably cooperative about having their hair shaved off but for those who do put up a fight I find the twitch is much more reliable than sedation. They tend to fight sedation a little and of course it can wear off. You also run the risk of giving them too much and they could fall over but on the other hand if you give them too little it doesn’t make a difference. The twitch gives them something else to think about other than the vibration and noise going on around them. With everything you do with horses though its always slow and steady wins the race and don’t put yourself in a situation where you can get kicked!
Capone had his first shave on the weekend. When I first put the clippers to his shoulder I could feel his heart beating through the vibrations but like most things once he realised it wasn’t going to hurt and it wasn’t that scary he stood like a perfect gentleman. Very proud of the little man, he’s growing up so fast!
Capone was well behaved for his very first shave
Sydney
Sydney 3 day event went by in a blur. It felt like no sooner had we moved into the stables at SIEC then we were emptying our boxes and packing up to head home again. True to form Shane had decided to take five horses to ride, just to keep him busy (he says) although I’m sure it’s to keep me on my toes! We had Virgil in the CCI3*, his first one, Darci and Nugget in the CCI2* star and Casper and Rupee in the CIC* star.
All five boys were on their best behaviour all weekend and started the competition with strong dressage tests. I kind of think of them as my children and I’m so proud of them when they behave themselves and I can see how far they have come. It’s also a thrill when I check the scores at the end of the day and see them at the top of the leader board.
The only time I’m really thankful for Shane riding so many horses at these events is that it keeps me busy on cross country day so that I don’t have time to get nervous. It’s always a dreaded wait in the finish box, straining to hear any results over the loud speakers which are always just a little too far away to be heard clearly. I’m sure I stress more than Shane does and he’s doing all the work!
Shane has turned 40 and says he has slowed down and as this photo shows he looks to now need the occasional cat nap too!
But my boys didn’t let me down, they all came home with no jumping penalties and Virgil was the only one to come home a few seconds over the time. Shane of course joked that turning 40 and having a baby had made him slow! Most importantly they all came home sound and happy which made for an easy night for me. For a change they were all wrapped up and in bed and I was out of the stables by 10pm!
Shane and I on our way to the trot up at Sydney
After a quick parade in front of the ground jury it was onto the final phase of show jumping. Once again the boys didn’t let me down, with Casper the only one to drop a rail in a small lapse in concentration. Final results were Casper winning and Rupee fifth. Darci put right what should have been at Adelaide with a win in the 2 star and our little home bred Nugget finishing fourth. Virgil proved that despite a less than perfect lead up to a major event, he still has plenty of talent to burn with a third place against some seasoned campaigners. Its so exciting to see what he will come up with next!
Darci (CP Qualified) wins the CCI2*
Equestriad at Camden
The team is off to Camden this weekend with 12 horses going! Shane is riding six including Arvey who is having his second start for the year and Darci who is stepping up to 3*. Niki has her two lovely young horses who won both the five and six year old young event horse classes at Sydney going. Jess is riding her own horse and a little thoroughbred for Shane in the pre novice and I have Capone in the pre novice and another of our homebred horses in the preliminary. It promises to be a great, if nothing but a little busy weekend and we hope to see you there!
Niki enjoyed great success with her young horses at Sydney and will now head to Camden
