KJB Pony Adventures

So that was January! Where did it go? The days have all rolled into one and not in a groundhog day sort of way but just with the speed at which they came and went. I worked so much this month which I loved. I spent everyday with Boston and despite his tummy issues and saddle problems I loved. I saw J canter on Boston for the first time. I saw J jump straight pole (or upright pole) where the jump pole goes straight across from one jump wing to the other. He did this in trot but was ecstatic with Boston's performance. Now that it was riding is all about. However it's not all been fun. J has had several struggles and next month we are having some interventional help from childrens psychologists in schools to help him with his learning difficulties. I am so fortunate that everyone understands his needs and supports him at the yard, school and within the family. He is trying so hard and making such great progress yet little things he finds so terribly difficul...

Boston is so lucky he doesn't have to wear shoes. I remember running around as a child without shoes and my mum yelling at me as I ran up the street barefoot, dodging stones and twigs. They were the best days ever. I had so many adventures where my barefeet carried me to far off lands and floated me through streams of imagination. Thankfully I didn't need to trim my feet to help keep my feet healthy and balanced. Boston however needs regular trims so this week I called a different farrier whom I knew from the stables I used to work at. He praised B on how well he was standing, especially as a 6 year old - and I warned him he can be fussy with his feet. I asked how his feet looked and that I was concerned about thrush and crumbling sole due to the wet mud etc. Like any proud mumma I was chuffed to hear that B has super strong feet and that he shouldn't ever need to be shod. Before - hooves slightly splayed After All my mucky hard work has clearly p...

Finally a week we have been waiting for. The vet told us the great news that there were no abnormalities in Bostons blood test results. Yipee! However his symptoms have still been raising their ugly head. Sigh! My very knowledgeable friend (aka the guru) at the yard suggested that B could be eating the kernels in his straw bedding which would be difficult to digest and therefore causing him to purge - hence the watery and consistent diarrhoea. We decided to test this theory (luckily before the vet called) and low and behold B shoved his schnoz into that straw and was totally high and loving life as he munched his way through it. I asked the vet if this could be a cause for the reaction and he agreed it may be likely but not necessarily linked. I asked about changing his bedding to shavings - which I have ever wanted to do for several reasons. 1 - the expense, 2 - I've not had much experience mucking out shavings and the ones I have been like sawdust which I disliked, ...

I'm fuming, I'm frustrated. I'm literally so f****ed off that nothing seems to be going well right now with B that I am eating my body weight in chorizo and drinking copious amounts of red wine - well what's left over from Christmas. Feel free to send in extra supplies! As you may have read in previous posts that B has had issues with his saddle. I have been well and truly stiffed I tell you. Firstly he come with the wrong saddle when I purchased him - as in completely different to the saddle I tried him in with different girth and totally different oversized stirrups. Which I told the vendor and nothing was done about it. Since I openly suffer from anxiety I am not one to confront others unless it's a desperate time. I shy away from conflict unless It's something I truly believe in. My CBT therapist has suggested I try to be more assertive and that it is ok to say "No" and "this is not ok with me". Well I wish I knew that bef...

Happy 2 month horseiversary Boston. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. You're cute, funny, quirky and bolshy and we love you for it. You have come on a long way and we have too. We are more resilient, more determined and becoming more assertive every day. We have made new friends and deepened relationships with old friends. We have spent a fortune and are excited to save for the future. Can horses eat cake? KJB xxx A few of my favourite recent photos of Boston Blue:

Being a single parent can be difficult at times. Especially when being a single parent to a child with additional needs. It can be tiring  frustrating, hilarious, comforting, loving, emotional and that's all before 10am! I've been single now for 8 years and only had one serious relationship in the time which lasted for 2 years. I know my very own cowboy is out there somewhere - if you know him please pass on my details ;-) J is still in contact with his father and on the occasisions he goes to stay with him I get to spend some quality time alone recharging my batteries. This weekend I did just that. I spent most of my time at the stables tidying  the shed, helping a friend move into her new shed next door to mine, and most importantly spending time with B. Boston seemed excited to see me and even put his ears forward when I asked his permission to ride him. I know, daft right? It's my personal believe that we as humans are privileged to be able to ride t...

Let's get this straight; The bitching stops now!!! Bitching abut one another or others children is Bullying. Plain and simple. I am devastated to learn that the equestrian world is no different and has bully's within it. Nothing specific has really happened to myself and J apart from the odd comment so this is a generalised observation post. The nasty comments and actions directed at us have been about B not going to make anything special. Or that we don't know what we are doing with B. Also that B has a sore back which is why he has played up! I mentioned in a previous post about there not being many boys at yards which has also been questioned. Well I know Im a teacher but it's not really rocket science to see. J is one of a few boys under the the age of 16 at our current yard. I've also commented on the lack of boys attire for everyday wear in that I have to purchase girls riding jodhpurs and t-shirts for him as I've noticed a lack of boys clot...

Today was a strange day! Today I got asked for ID to prove I was over 25years and today we moved stable sheds. It is as simple and strange as it sounds. So much so that I thought I would take some photos and make a video of it, enjoy: Several hours after making that video, and thinking that the Sainsbury's checkout lady should have gone to Specsavers , I managed to accomplish this: Using my new electric (battery charge) drill f rom Aldi  to dismantle my shelves and hooks. Building my new free standing shelves. View from the doorway. There are two doors the left however is a little stiff. J would have been devastated if I didn't hang his pictures somewhere in the new shed. This is not ideal but I think it adds a persona touch. Using large S hooks purchased from amazon (seller id: Hoakey ) The metal is too thin to drill through. Again using the large S hooks I have displayed our saddle pads from Aldi A wonderful frie...

Today was a ground-breaking day on so many levels. My beautiful and brave little pony who has been stubborn and sometimes mean allowed me, no he trusted me, to pick all 4 feet and let me pick out his feet. Huzzah!!! We have lift off. I cannot believe that after all this time B has only just let me do this without a fuss. He didn't try to bite my bottom (like usual), he didn't try to kick me (like usual), he didn't weave (like usual). He stood still. He munched his hay as he stood still. I reassured him. I rewarded him. I was overwhelmed I nearly cried. I nearly cried when I noticed warmth in B's hoof. I also noticed that B had a little white flaking around his frog  on the same foot- a sign of many things. A sign that we haven't cleaned his feet well enough and often enough (which we will from now on). A sign that the frog of his foot is too moist from the mud in the field and the dark damp conditions which could be an indication of thrush....

I have decided that B has most definitely got Bipolar. Now having anxiety which I know is a mental health illness I do not use the term lightly - disclaimer; I do not intend to offend anyone this is a light hearted post! Not only is B a moody madam but he is also a scaredy cat. Yesterday B decided to tank off from the sand paddock where I turn him out while I muck him out. I had hold of the lead rope but I was mortified since an instructor I knew was teaching in the rubber arena. B doesn't usually tank anywhere being overweight and lazy! Well I wasn't having any of mardy moodiness. I told him there and then to stop and that I was walking first. I checked him by giving a quick sharp, but not painful, tug of the leadrope. Give him his due he stopped and listened and then followed as I walked first. Anyway while hand-grazing him (see this blog post)  as I often do these days I was telling our next door stable mate what a scaredy cat B was in that he ca...