The Domestic Horsewife - December 2012

Merry Christmas everyone!

This month's recipe is perhaps not really a recipe, but more of a serving suggestion. 

Ever been stuck on an idea for a quick platter to take along to an end of year function? 

Here's one that's oh so easy and very popular!

The Haybale's Easy Fruit with Dipping Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 220g jar of Nutella spread 

1 bowl of cherries (or indeed, any other of your favourite fruit). I personally love cherries and they have been very good this year

Method:

Arrange cherries in a platter or basket. 

Put contents of Nutella into a small serving dish. 

Serve. Ta-da! :)

Delicious!

At Home With Henry

Hi Everyone, it's Henry here again.

Mum said it was about time I wrote about what I have been up to, but I think she was being sarcastic. The truth is, for the past two months I have not done much at all. So, all I can write about is "missing out". Let me explain.

Mum has been really busy with other things (or so she says), and therefore she hasn't taken me anywhere. I was entered for Kyneton Horse Trials a couple of weeks ago, but we didn't end up going. I was so looking forward to showing everyone my awesome moves....but, the lazy two-legged didn't bother getting up early and taking me, so I missed out. My ol' paddock buddy and travelling companion Snip and his new two-legged got to go and they even came second! Very cranky now I wasn't there. *insert angry tail swish here*

That same weekend there was an awesome three day clinic with eventer, Paul Tapner. I got to go last year, when it rained, and rained and rained! Last time, we got to do a cross country round with our two-leggeds wearing a camera on their head. This was the end result. Pretty cool, huh?

So that's two things I have missed out on. *sob* It's not easy being orange...

Then there was Equitana. Now I don't know much about Equitana, but I was under the impression it was an opportunity for the humans to buy us horses LOTS of stuff. Well my lazy two-legged didn't go to that either! She claims she had to work. The injustice of it all!

The last straw though, is finding out she won't be making the trek to Lakes and Craters country for the Three Day Event in December. I have never been down there and really would like to go (the grass is better in the Western District!). Looks like I will have to wait 'til next year. Both Bones and Snippy have gone before, I want my turn!

On the bright side, I have been having a nice time at home. We have been spending some time in The Rectangle, going on rides down the road and the other day we did something really strange. Mum put three barrels out in a triangle (with no jump rails attached!) and asked me to canter around them. How odd! It was quite fun though, so she told me I could do this with other horses one day. Sounds like a new adventure!

Other than that, I have been monitoring Bones' and Alex's wounds (healing nicely), playing in the paddock and bemoaning the fact the grass is nearly all dried up here for the year. Time to stand with my head over the gate at all times with my cute "Polly wants a cracker" face so either she (or he) sees me and sends some hay my way....

Memory Lane

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Upon going through the collection of my old horsey memorabilia, I stumbled upon this ripper of a photo.

Going, going....almost gone!

There's quite a story behind this particular moment snapped some time ago. It was at the Charlton Show and it was my first time riding in the under 16 jumping class (I had actually won the under 14 class on the rather recalcitrant Charles the previous year, but that is perhaps a story for another time!).

I had owned Grey Mercy (aka "Jack") for about 4 months at this stage. I was lucky enough to get Jack on my 14th birthday and felt very grown up and important, going from a 14 hand pony to an almost 16hh thoroughbred. It had also seen me rapidly elevated from Grade Four Pony Club competitions to Grade three, which in my youthful ignorance, made me think I had really "made it" as a rider! It would be fair to say that (in the beginning at least) Jack got us around events by virtue of his sheer good nature - not by any talent or skill on my part.

That Charlton Show day was the first knock to my invincibility and a steep learning curve for me as a rider. I was very excited to be entered in the bigger of the two junior jumping contests - and even more excited to have jumped clear and made it into the jump off! I think at that stage of my riding career, I'd only managed to make it into a jump off a handful of times before....and never at anything over about 60cm!

I remember cantering into the arena with a vague notion of going really fast...desperately wanting to win that broad blue sash. I had no knowledge or experience of jumping a horse on slippery grass, of how to plan to ride lines in a jump off...or even the concept of keeping a horse balanced when picking up the tempo!

The first few jumps I think were ok; however, the further we went along, the faster and flatter Jack started jumping and we had a few rails down. With the clock ticking, I then became preoccupied with the idea of going faster, not realising that any chance of placing had already been lost. I vaguely remember turning too sharp into the pictured fence. We approached it crooked and going too fast.....Jack slipped on take off - and the photographer from the local paper happened to be sitting there and snapped the above delightful shot (which Mum later presented to me at Christmas!).

To this day, I am not sure how Jack did not land on me, but we both hit the deck and I was luckily thrown clear. My lingering memory from this incident is that as I stood up, Jack got to his feet....cantered on, cleared the last fence and left the arena without me!

Despite this particular sticky moment, Jack was an absolutely fantastic teenager's mount and he is responsible for developing my love of eventing. It is fair to say I learned a lot from this point on! He took me from being a nervous jumping rider through to my first Pony Club State Horse Trials, as well as numerous, shows, gymkhanas, flat rides and even games! He was quiet, always tried his hardest and was one of the most generous horses I have had the pleasure of owning. To horses like this, we owe everything. xx

At Home With Henry

Hi Everyone!

My human mum's just given me the go ahead to write my own stuff on here...well she mentioned something about a hay bale -  it sounds right up my alley!

So what can I tell you about myself? I'm a Welsh Cob x Thoroughbred gelding, turning eight next year. I have been with my current family since I was just a little furry seven month old baby. One day I went on a trip in a metal box on wheels and found myself at a new home. Since that day, my paddock mate Bones has been the boss of me. Even now, when I go back into the paddock with him, I have to bow down to the master and mouth at him to show my respect. Sigh! I get tired of this little ritual, but it makes Bones feel important, so I keep doing it. 

When the two-leggeds first bought me, I know I was the topic of some derision. One of my mum's family members saw a photo of me and asked her "what did you buy THAT for?". 

When I was little

Hmmpf! I haven't forgotten that, so each time this person tries to have a ride on me, I make sure I give them curry! What did you buy *that* for, indeed! Truth be told, my mum bought me because she was unable to get her TB mare in foal to a Welsh Cob stallion like she had planned. I feel very lucky she picked me, as otherwise who else would feed me all the time...and put up with my so-called 'misbehaviour'? I am lucky she has a very good sense of humour. 

Apparently, between the ages of two to four I was classed as "difficult" and "naughty"....oh those times in my life were tough! Before I could be ridden, I had to spend ages in the torture chamber (a.k.a the roundyard) and then moved onto The Rectangle (what the two leggeds call an arena. Bones informs me that Sand Rectangles are invented as an advanced form of torture to horses!). Fortunately for me, Mum discovered early into my education that I was not really trying to be bad, but I had nasty sharp little teeth that needed to come out and a flat back that needed the right saddle. Since those discoveries, we get along really well. I know my mum has a soft spot for me. 

So, what are my favourite things?

I've made a bit of a list. 

1. Food. I think anyone with Cob heritage puts this right up on their list of important things. I get hungry all the time! Carrots are one of my favourites. If I see anyone waving carrots, I have to canter up and beat all the other horses to them! To look as good as I do, you have to keep eating! Besides, I am orange, carrots are orange - so we're a match made in heaven! 

This is my "Polly want a cracker" face. It always yields food!

2. Scratches. Gee I get itchy! I love my ears, wither and derriere being scratched. I don't mean to frighten visitors, but I like to reverse towards them for a buttock scratch (try scratching your own butt when you have hooves!!). Mum tells me this is very rude and that she is going to install a reversing beeper on me so people have warning when my bum is heading their way. 

3. Keeping watch at the gate! You just never know when something interesting might happen! I always keep an eye on the two leggeds, as they might be a source of #1



 4. Ponies! I LOVE ponies. They are so damn cute. One day I am going to have my own herd of them. I always say hello to ponies wherever I go and try to encourage them to talk to me. I have heard that you can collect My Little Ponies, although Mum did explain to me they are toys, not real ponies. 

5. Jumping. When I am being ridden, this is what I like to do. Although sometimes I don't jump, because of item #6 

6. Shying. I love to have a bit of a spook every now and then! Oh, I always spook at the letter "C" in The Rectangle. And sometimes they put stupid things underneath jumps that are worth a bit of a look.The best variety of shies are those that the rider doesn't see coming. I can move from one side of the arena to the other in less than 0.03 of a second! Jump judges out on the cross country that lurk behind trees are another favourite. I have to be on guard!

Anyway, thanks for reading, I look forward to sharing more with you next time! 

Horsey Happenings…

It’s mid October already and I am really not sure how that happened! A lot has gone on since I wrote in my previous blog and competed at the Melbourne Three Day event.

And just because I can, let’s see that footage again!

After Melbourne, it was time to work out what to do next. Henry had been spelling for longer than I had intended, due to a colic episode back in May. I then decided to give Snip a short break and then prep him for the M3DE Fundraiser HT (back at Werribee) in July.