Goodbye Humphries

Humphries first meal in Dromiskin Humphries last meal (apple) in Dromiskin

Goodbye Humphries!

The Final Countdown

Today is Humphries final day in Dromiskin. His five months are up and he has to go back tomorrow. He has a winter of carriage driving to look forward to. I went over to say goodbye to him, the first time I have seen him in ages. He is looking really well. His winter coat is growing through, but he isn't too woolly and he is really soft. His mane has grown a lot and is beginning to look nice. Despite neglect (from me) he isn't that fat and looks great.
Michele hid apples in her pockets and let me give them to Humphries, so he was very glad to see me, as were the other animals who clustered around. Every time he finished an apple, Humphries went after Michele because he is clever enough to know she was the provider of the feast, and not me. I suppose he is much more used to seeing Michele than me anyway.

Humphries is a really lovely horse, very gentle and accommodating to people, and he has shown me that I can do things with horses - like leading and grooming and tacking up - and that they aren't evil. However, I felt really sad today saying goodbye to him. Goodbye's are always sad, but I keep on thinking about my plans for the summer and for doing things with him and comparing those plans to how things really turned out. I suppose that makes me feel sad and also very foolish.

I hope Humphries will have a good winter and remember fondly his time in Dromiskin. I know Chiana will greatly miss her friend - I would say he was her best friend. She won't like going back into the field with the other horses. I think Humphries gave her a lot of security as well as companionship. I think she will be the hardest hit by his leaving. I'm sure Harvey, Nellie and the goats will miss him too, as they seemed to get on well. He fitted in with everyone so calmly and even though he was nervous of the goats when he arrived, he is totally OK with them now. I hope he enjoyed his summer with his friends in Dromiskin, which is a lovely place for animals and I think they find it very relaxing and comfortable.

Horse Racing in Dundalk

I am very fortunate that I know someone who is not only a VIP in terms of Dundalk Racing, but is also kind enough to invite me along to share her table with her on the opening of the new all weather horse racing track. I've been in Dundalk Stadium before on several occasions to watch the greyhound racing and I always looked forward to the time when the horse racing would be reinstated, and it was very exciting to be present on this long anticipated day.

We arrived early and made our way to the stadium. Another perk of travelling with a VIP is that we got free parking just outside the venue. There was a band playing just outside the stadium door. As we arrived they were playing the battle theme from Gladiator (one of my favourites). They were very good and it was nice to hear the theme being played in real life rather than being recorded. After playing such haunting dramatic music they launched into a rousing rendition of The Bare Necessities, which I found a jarring contrast.

The first ever race on the new track

We collected our tickets and made our way to the table. We had some of the best seats in the stadium, with our table right at the window on the first row, overlooking the finishing posts and a brilliant view of the track. We were also near a door which provided easy access to the stands. There were glass commemorative menus at each place, as well as embossed napkins, beautiful flowers, and balloons on every second table. We were given free commemorative badges and every table got two bottles of wine. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and introduced themselves to us as we sat down.

Because we were early, we left our tables and wandered around the grounds looking at the track (the all weather arena seemed to be a mixture of sand and rubber, just like what Cori and J.B are used to), the parade ground and the stands. There were plenty of chip vans and ice cream stalls for the ordinary folk, as well as bouncy castles for the kids. The Dundalk FM mobile broadcasting unit was also there. There were loads of entertainers juggling fire and walking on stilts, dressed as Queen Meave and other characters from legend. There was an enormous black horse puppet being controlled by three men (one holding up the head and the other two holding the body with their ankles tied to the legs so it looked like it was walking. Very clever) and later on an Irish Wolf Hound puppet, which must have been at least 20 feet high, and was controlled by about 6 people, moved through the crowd biting people (or licking them, as I prefer to think) with its massive jaws. It was an amazing sight, and somewhat frightening, as the shaggy dog put in mind of dragons and other monsters I've read about.

The second race on the new track

The ceremony was officially opened with speeches and then the serious business of eating, and betting on the racing, began. The first race was at 2.30 and we placed bets on all eight races. We had a couple of wins but, as always happens with gambling (in my experience anyway) we left with lighter pockets than we had entered. We had a terrific view of the track and it was very exciting watching the horses streaking past the finishing posts. There were some very close finishes.

Keep off the grass!

The meal was delicious and I especially liked the touch of serving monogrammed chocolates with our coffee. There was a party and a band in the evening (I gather) but we left after the last race at about 6.30. We anticipated a long queue leaving the car park, but the traffic flow was well organised and we got out in no time.

Some momentos of the day

The last time I was at the races I was very young and I was terrified by someone dressed up as Pluto. I came away from today with far happier memories. It was a really fantastic day.

Riding Lessons

It turned out dry today, although chilly, which was a surprise. Michele, Pamela and me went over to see the horses in the early evening. The ground in the main paddock has reached maximum saturation and has turned into a small marsh. All the horses were huddled near the second gate and wouldn't come into the first field apart from Cori, who braved muck up to his fetlocks to be fed carrots at the gate. He looked great, despite an enormous belly, being covered in mud and having what looked suspiciously like the beginnings of his winter coat growing through. Days of clipping are not that far off. I don't like to think about that. Humphries and all his equine and goatish companions were in the garden when we went into the yard, so it was easy enough to smuggle Humphries out and leave the others locked in the garden. Michele was able to put the head collar on Humphries and lead him, which was a marvelous feat considering her dislocated shoulder. Pamela acted as decoy to lure Shianna away with carrots, but the canny skewbald was not fooled and followed her friend to the door, where I crouched waving my arms in the air. Michele led Humphries to the stable where we had to tie him up to groom him. He was a bit stroppy, but not bad, and only misbehaved slightly because it has been so long since he has received this sort of treatment. Pamela brushed the body while I brushed his face. When we were finished, I helped Pamela tack him up. Then I led him out to the arena, where he gave a great big whinny to Shianna in the garden.

Pamela mounted beautifully from the mounting block and the lesson began. Because Pamela is a beginner, I led Humphries to help her get a feel for the movement of the horse. First I led him by just walking around the arena and he followed, while Michele helped Pamela with her position and got her to do exercises with her legs and arms. Then Pamela tried to make Humphries go around the arena without being led, but he made things difficult, so I clipped on the lead rope and led him again and Michele encouraged Pamela to ride standing in her stirrups. When Michele thought she was ready, she talked Pamela through the motions of rising trot and took over the leading. Together we got Humphries to trot nicely forward and I took over with teaching Pamela in the trot. I wasn't teaching exactly, I am not fit enough to trot a horse for very long so Michele had to do that and she couldn't run and watch Pamela at the same time, so I had to do that. Pamela picked up the rhythm of the rising trot really quickly and improved with each trot. When the trotting was finished, she tried riding him without being led again and it went much better. She even attempted a couple of trots on her own. Her lesson finished, Pamela dismounted and Michele hopped on for a few minutes. She rode Humphries in a lovely outline and got him more responsive to the aids in mere minutes. It was lovely to watch. She led him back to the stable where Pamela and I untacked him and gave him carrots for being a good boy. Then I opened the door to the garden and let all the others out. I was really pleased because Harvey came right up to me and let me rub him on his face and I didn't even have any food for him. We said goodbye to the horses and went home.

Dublin Horse Show - The Puissance

I was really tired on Saturday morning after my two exciting days at the horse show, so I took things easy. I made lunch for me and Michele, then enjoyed a long leisurely breakfast and got dressed. It was close to twelve before we left for Dublin. There was a lot of Northern traffic on the road, so we phoned our trusty GAA scout (Valerie) and discovered that Armagh and Derry were both playing in Croke Park. We took the port tunnel and, even though it was quite expensive, it was well worth it because we reached Ballsbridge in no time.

Parking was just as bad as the last two days. We asked a passing policeman and he directed us to a place called Nutley Lane (I expected to find Rupert the Bear and friends on it), where we didn't find parking, but on the next road we did. It was a twenty minute walk to the RDS, but the weather was fine and warm and we ate one of our sandwiches in the car to fortify us, so it wasn't that bad.

We had seen most of the stalls yesterday, so we decided to look for the art exhibition instead. The RDS holds competitions for arts and crafts every year and has an exhibition for the winning entries. This year my sister Patricia won first prize with a rug, so Michele and I were looking forward to seeing it. We had looked for it before but couldn't find the exhibition hall, but we found it today, hidden behind a restaurant. Patricia's rug was fantastic and a well deserved winner. It was nice looking at the other winning entries too. Some were beautiful, others were beautifully executed and some were a puzzle as to why they were placed.

After looking at the art, we headed down to the main arena and took up our seats. By this stage they were beginning to feel like home. We ate our lunch and watched the end of the Dublin Stakes, and then watched the arena being prepared for the Puissance. Are seats weren't in a great position for viewing the wall to begin with, as there were two large jumps between it and us, but they thankfully removed them and our view improved a lot. There were a lot less people in the stands than yesterday and a lot more families with young children than on Thursday. I think the children got bored waiting for the jumping to begin. One young lad behind us certainly did, but he found his own entertainment kicking and punching the seats instead.

As you know, the Puissance is a test of nerves and skill as the gutsy riders jump their horses over a wall that increases in height every round. In the first round they have to jump a course of jumps before the wall, but in the subsequent rounds they only have to jump a practice fence before the wall. The wall starts at around 6ft, goes to 6ft 4in in the second round, 7ft 1in in the third round and finishes up at 7ft 4in. Often it doesn't go to the four rounds as all the riders knock or withdraw from the contest before it reaches its maximum height. Apparently a lot of countries have withdrawn the Puissance from their shows, possibly for safety reasons. Originally the wall was made from solid stone, but nowadays it is constructed with blocks that won't damage the horse if it is knocked. The Puissance takes a special kind of horse to jump it. Because of the height, the horse must have great collection and lift, as well as being very brave and trusting his rider. Likewise, it requires immense courage - or insanity - in the rider to tackle such an obstacle. As a result it is predominantly young men who jump the Puissance.

As I have said before, I have never seen the Puissance in the flesh, I have only watched it on TV and I have always found it very exciting. However, really being there it is much more nerve wracking. The wall is so big to begin with and, as it increases, the tension really mounts as to who will get over it. You can see the look of determination on the riders faces as they go for the jump and I really admire those who take it on because they must really be fearless. The majority of competitors were from England and Ireland so I was sure Ireland would get a win but, unfortunately, in the last round Cian O'Connor's horse put on the brakes and Shane Breen knocked, so Robert Whiteker romped home to victory as the only one to clear 7ft 4in. I was thrilled for him though, because he rode so well and so fearless and he had such a hard time at the Nation's Cup yesterday with eliminations in both rounds because of his horse spooking, so I was really pleased that he won the Puissance.

I'm sorry that I'm not going up again tomorrow. The Grand Prix is always great and I would love to see the Hunt Chase afterwards. The only time I went on a Sunday before we had to leave straight after the Grand Prix, so I didn't get a chance to see the Hunt Chase and I would love to see it, but I am already so tired from the three days that I don't think I will be up to it. Maybe things would be different if Michele had been able to share the driving with me, but when we booked the tickets neither of us could have imagined that her arm would be out of action. I thought I would be riding three times a week by this stage, maybe even riding Cori as well, and that I would be on the look out for lots of goodies like jodphurs and flexi stirrups, but that didn't happen so you never can tell how things are going to pan out when you plan them in advance.

Dublin Horse Show - Nations Cup

You need more than one day to truly appreciate the Dublin Horse Show. There is so much to see and do, and every day has its own exciting international competition that can't be missed. Friday is perhaps the most famous day, with the Nation's Cup taking place in the afternoon. It is a good excuse to dress up in fancy clothes and soak up the atmosphere as entertainers and street performers move through the crowds and not one but two bands parade in the main arena. The Nation's Cup, for those who don't know, is a tough competition where eight nations battle it out against one another to be the victor. Each country has four members to a team and each member must jump the same set of jumps in two rounds. The best three scores are counted from each round and the team with the lowest number of penalties are the winners. All the major shows around the world have their own nation cups and Samsung have sponsored them in what is known as the Samsung Super League. This means that every country competing in the various different nation cups get points depending on how well they do in the competition. Every year the country with the lowest number of points is kicked out and the country who has done best at the lower levels gets promoted. Ireland did very badly last year and was knocked off the Super League, but we still got to compete in the RDS because we were the host nation, thus there were nine countries competing this year. We had to do well in the first round or we wouldn't have made it through to the second round.

Because Friday is the most popular day at the Horse Show, Michele and I made an effort to arrive extra early at the RDS. Despite getting there before 11am, we still couldn't get parking. We were fortunate that a resident allowed us to park in their driveway, otherwise we would have been looking at on street parking and a long walk to the venue.The RDS was packed when we finally got into the show grounds. We decided to do a bit of shopping and looked through the stalls in both Simmonscourt and the Main Hall. My German Shepherd, Janna, has recently developed arthritis, so I was on the lookout for something that might help her, and stopped at the Bioflow stand. These are magnates that work on the principle of increasing circulation, thereby flushing toxins more easily out of the system and reducing inflammation. The woman selling them certainly sang their praises, so we bought a collar for Janna and a wristband for my mum. We also stopped at a stand selling delicious homemade preserves and coulis and, after sampling some of the produce, bought some as it was so tasty. It has become a horse show tradition that fudge is purchased, so we had a stop at the confectionery stand. We found this stall with the most beautiful wildlife photographs I have ever seen. I was amazed to discover that the actual photographer was manning the stand. He was very pleasant and willing to talk about the different photographs, where they were taken and how he got to the locations. I'd say he had some interesting stories to tell and it would have been wonderful to stay and chat, but we had to press on and meet up with Madeline, who was joining us for the Nation's Cup. At this stage we were feeling tired from making our way through the crowds, and it was so hot I was beginning to feel quite dehydrated. Once we had met up with Madeline, we headed out to our seats in the grand stand. What a difference from yesterday! The stands were nearly at full capacity and there were people thronged around the main arena. I felt quite grumpy because of there being so many people and it wasn't until I had a rest, some water and my lunch that I got into better form for the jumping. Pamela was also supposed to join us for the Nations Cup but unfortunately she couldn't get away from work.

As always, the Nations Cup was very exciting. Ireland had a good first round and went into the second round in second position after Germany. Germany was on top form and would have had to mess up terribly in the second round for Ireland to win, but if Ireland had kept on form in the second round they would have given Germany a run for their money. Unfortunately, Ireland lost it a bit in the second round and the USA crept ahead to steal second position, while Ireland fell back to third. While it is always nice to see Ireland come first, I couldn't grudge the Germans their win as they looked so happy on their lap of honour with the Aga Khan Trophy. The jumping was made all the more exciting by the fact that the course was one of the most difficult I have seen in years and the heavy ground, made worse by more rain in the afternoon, resulted in a lot of skids, refusals and two falls. There was also a dressage demonstration during the break between the first and second rounds, which was interesting to watch.

Dublin Horse Show

Ah! Horse show week, the most exciting week in the Irish equestrians calendar. All year hopeful competitors have been practising and accumulating points so that they could qualify to show, ride and jump at the RDS in Ballsbridge. Over the last few years I have enjoyed the excitement of the opening day, Wednesday, with the freshness of the stalls and the welcome stakes. I have partaken of the speediness of the speed stakes on the Thursday and bathed in the glamour of ladies day. I have revelled in the nail biting, edge of your seat competition of Friday's Nation Cup and I have been amazed by the skill of the Grand Prix on the final day, Sunday. This year I decided to buy a season ticket so I could enjoy all these days again, plus get a chance to go on the Saturday to see the Puissance, which I have never seen in the flesh, so to speak. Due to an unfortunate concatenation of events, I wasn't able to make it on Wednesday, but I popped down to Dublin on Thursday and spent the afternoon at the RDS with Madeline. We arrived around 1pm and it was impossible to get parking anyway near Ballsbridge. I have never seen the Horse Show so crowded, especially on Thursday, which is usually a quiet day.

After a long walk we made it to the RDS and browsed the stalls of the main hall. There were loads of finely dressed ladies teetering about in high heels, tiny hats perched on their coiffured heads. I admired them immensely - I take my hat off to anyone who puts their feet through the agony of walking around in really high heeled fashion shoes all day. Of course, there was the possibility of a €10,000 prize for the lucky lady who won, so perhaps the bunions were worth it.

After browsing the stalls for a while, we headed out to our seats in the grand stand to watch some show jumping. We were fortunate that the weather was really warm and sunny and there was a cheerful atmosphere because of it. There has been so much rain recently though that despite two dry days the ground in the main arena was still very heavy and wet. I was really impressed by the grounds men working in the main arena. After every round they scuttled out to put down sawdust, stamp in the divots and aerate the ground with pitch forks.

Because I have been to the Horse Show before (dare I say I am a seasoned attendee?), I came prepared with a packed lunch for both Madeline and myself, which we devoured while watching the Power and Speed competition. Unfortunately we were too late to catch any of the speed stakes, although we did see the winners performing their lap of honour. The power and speed competition consisted of a set of jumps that had to be jumped clear in order to jump a second set of jumps against the clock. It was a hard course and, because of the heavy ground, there was a lot of slipping and sliding going on. We took a break from the jumping to wander around the stalls once more and to purchase some 99 ice creams at a van parked near the Angelsea Stand. They were delicious. Then back to the grand stand to watch a relay race where international riders teamed up with children on their 128cm ponies (I don't know why they don't use hands as a form of measurement anymore) over a course of jumps against the clock. It was great fun to watch and I was very impressed by the young riders getting their tiny ponies to fly so fast over the jumps.

Poll Results

Looks like dogs are your favourite animals, readers, with horses not that popular at all, only beating out poor cats. Pigs and ducks have come out as being surprisingly favoured (were you voting Harvey and Webster?)

Riding Lessons

Humphries gave another riding lesson today, this time to a complete beginner. I wasn't there to see it, but I believe it went very well.

Riding Humphries

Ha!Ha! Fooled you! Bet you thought the title of this post meant that I was riding Humphries, but no, I have not clambered upon the death train that is known as the horse. Madeline did though. She rode Humphries this afternoon and got a great lesson from Michele. He has lovely paces but is very slow (lazy or unfit, I'm not sure which) so Madeline had to work hard to keep him going, which is hard when you are riding a horse you are unused to and especially when you are riding one that is so wide!

Teacher and student

trotting standing up - tough work!

Michele put Madeline - and Humphries - through their paces. At the end of the lesson, Madeline tried some canter. As Humphries was so difficult to get into canter on the lunge, Michele and I were on hand to give her a hand with the transition. We stood at one corner of the arena and Madeline rode in walk towards us on the outside track. We were all ready to encourage Humphries into canter, but it was like he already knew what was expected of him. I don't know if he is a keen observer of body language, incredibly sensitive to the rider's aids, or can understand English, but when he came to that corner he went straight into canter. He only kept it up for a couple of strides, but the next time round Madeline kept him going for the long side of the arena and she left it at that. The whole incident reminded me of a time when I was learning to ride. I was on Humphries in a group lesson. All the other riders were either more advanced or more confident than me because we were doing walk to canter transitions. I didn't like canter very much and the thought of going into it from walk did not appeal to me, so as I waited in line for my turn to come, I let Humphries know that I was against the whole idea by clamping my body tight around his back. When my turn came, I told the instructor I didn't want to canter. I don't think he even wanted me to try a walk to canter transition, I was allowed trot, but I still didn't want to canter. He tried to persuade me to reconsider, so I reluctantly agreed and relaxed my position. Immediately Humphries went into canter, and I was the first person in the lesson to complete a walk to canter transition. I think Humphries had been watching the proceedings and knew what was expected of him, so he was just waiting for me to give him the word. He is a very intelligent horse.

J.B and Cori are glad to see Michele Don't they look lovely!

After the riding lesson Michele went out to the horses in the field and fed Cori and J.B some treats. They were glad to see her. They must think it is odd she hasn't been out to see them in a quite awhile.

Bad News

Michele had a bad accident today while riding J.B in a lesson. They had just completed a jump when J.B humped his back and took off at top speed. Before Michele could regain control, he swerved sharply and she came off, hitting the fence at speed. In an effort to save her head, she twisted and hit the fence with her shoulder and back. She dislocated her shoulder and bruised her back badly. I am very shocked. Thank God her injuries are not worse, but it was still a bad accident. I can't get over J.B. It is so unlike him. I can't help but think that this justifies my belief that horses are dangerous unpredictable animals.

Monday 16th July

I shouldn't have gone over to the horses this evening. I was tired and cross and in a foul temper. I didn't want to have anything to do with Humphries or the other animals. I feel so inadequate that I'm not riding or lunging or doing anything useful and productive. I watched Michele riding J.B. She was jumping him and some of the jumps were really beautiful - harmony, grace and balance. J.B has such scope.

Relaxing Evening

Saw the horses this evening. It rained this morning but it dried up in the evening and turned out nice. I was tired and didn't want to groom or lunge. Michele locked Cheyanna in the garden so Rags wouldn't chase her and then took J.B in, tacked him up and started riding. I chilled out with Humphries, the donkeys and the goats in the barn. I sat down on an old log and they all clustered around me looking for treats. Oscar and Rags came over periodically to say hi. On one occasion Harvey moved away from Rags quite fearfully, so she started barking at him. I got up calmly and picked up an old piece of wood. I walked towards Rags and waved it at her. She got the message and stopped barking at Harvey and a few minutes later came running up looking for attention. However, Humphries was a bit shocked by this behaviour (even though I didn't feel cross or wave the stick at him) and he ran out of the barn. He walked back into the barn very slowly, his ears pricked and body tense for flight. I felt bad because he has never been nervous of me before. I waited and Humphries came back into the barn and the donkeys and goats came back too. Rags ran in to say hello and sat at my feet licking the equines' noses, which they didn't like very much. Harvey rolled in the barn and I could see that Rags really wanted to bark at him, but she didn't.

Then I went into the arena to see how Michele was doing. She had just finished doing some lovely canter work when I went in. She started doing some jumping. J.B went over the first couple of jumps a little lazily and then he started to focus and jumped beautifully, finishing up really nicely with a double.

When Michele was finished riding she untacked J.B and fed him in the field. I said hello to Cori and then we headed home.

No Show

It was raining this evening, but it wasn't raining hard and it was warm, so I headed over to the horses with Michele and Rags. When we arrived, Fiona told us that a friend was coming to use her arena. Humphries and Cheyanna had been locked in the garden so that they wouldn't spook the new horse when it arrived. I didn't feel comfortable working in the yard with the strangers and I couldn't lunge with the arena in use, and Michele couldn't ride, so we just said hello to the horses and went home. Harvey, Nellie and the goats got lots of carrots. The entrance to the garden was really muddy and I didn't want to wade through it, so I waved at Humphries from afar while Michele and Rags braved the mud and gave him and Cheyanna some carrots. Then I walked Rags up and down the avenue while Michele braved the mud in the field to say hello to Cori and J.B. It was a disappointing evening.

On another note, Michele read an article in a horse magazine about a woman called Helen Spence. She is a horse behaviourist and riding instructor. She seemed to have a very sensible approach in training both horse and rider. I wonder if she could help with my mounting problem/riding phobia.

Lunge lessons

...are what I need! In the sunny, dry spell between showers today, Michele, Rags and I headed over to the horses. Michele locked Cheyanna in the garden to remove temptation from Rags, and then took in J.B and tacked him up. The poor horses in the field were plagued with horse flies (or Cleggs, as the country folk call them). They were all standing in a line under the trees, tail to nose, sheltering from the sun and helping each other out against the flies with their tails. Humphries was getting his fair share of grief from the cleggs, but he didn't let them get in the way of his pursuit of food.

Michele closing the door to the garden

I had a couple of carrots with me when I arrived. Harvey and Nellie and the goats came over to say hello to me first, so Harvey got some carrot, and then Humphries wandered over, so he got some too. He followed me into the stable (it was nice and cool in there, so he liked being in it for a change) and Harvey hung around outside peeping in, hopeful for more carrot. It was nice to see him getting so brave, even if it is for food. I decided to lunge Humphries today so, while Michele tacked up J.B in the next stable, I put the bridle onto Humphries. He was really good and lowered his head to help me get the bridle on. He was much better than the last time I tacked him, which made it a lot easier for me. I got the lunge line and lunge whip and went to lead him out of the stable into the arena. He was a little hesitant and Michele had to give me a hand and likewise at the gate to the arena Michele needed to provide some gentle prodding, but once in the arena he followed me around very well.

Gerry has a good scratch

Michele did a little leading with J.B and then got on board and started to warm up. I led Humphries into the corner of the arena and started to lunge. In lunging, the horse is supposed to walk, trot or canter in a circle around you, while you keep the horse between your hand holding the lunge line and your hand holding the lunge whip. That is how it is supposed to go. I tried my best to keep the correct position but Humphries ambled in an irregular circle around me and, slowly, we moved laterally across the arena. When I asked for trot, nothing happened and then a pitiful jogging walk was produced. I know I was at fault, my signals weren't clear (I was tired and my body was all over the place) and Humphries was hot and bothered by flies, but I knew I could get him to trot, so I tried harder and he trotted around me (finally in a circle). With difficulty I changed rein (he kept on coming in to me and nuzzling my hands for treats) and trotted him on the other side and I left it at that because I thought it was better to quit while I was ahead. After lunging, I thought I would long rein him around the arena and, if that went well, I would walk him up and down the avenue. Long reining did not work, however. I gathered up the lunge line, held the whip in my hand and moved to his hind quarters, which would have been perfect, except Humphries moved to keep with me and it ended up with both of us running around in circles and neither of us getting anywhere! Leaving the long reining, I led him around the arena instead and, apart from getting the lunge line wrapped around his legs a couple of times and standing on the whip (all of which was my fault) he went well. Things weren't going well enough to tempt fate and lead him up and down the avenue flanked by long luscious grass, though, so I took him back into the yard and led him around there. He was confused by that, being used to walking free, but he went ok and then I led him back into the stable and took off the bridle.

Humphries waiting to be groomed

He stood happily in the stable (with open door, no breast bar and not being tied up) while I groomed him and brushed his face. He was very intrigued by the smell of the face brush. He wandered out to the barn to peer through the door at Cheyanna while I was combing his mane, so I followed after him with mane comb and hoof pick and finished off grooming him there. He followed me back to the stable, so I cleaned out his eyes, nostril and dock with a couple of damp sponges. I took some photos, but it was hard because he kept on following me and coming right up to me (which doesn't make for great photography). I was about to take some pictures of Michele on J.B when my battery died, so I put away my camera and went into the arena to watch Michele jumping without it. J.B was spooky and tense, so Michele was working on relaxing him and getting him working. She popped him over a few jumps. They were low to boost his confidence. His jumping was nice and he really relaxed and got into it after a few jumps.

Humphries just loves the camera!

When Michele was finished riding, she fed J.B. While he was busy eating, and Michele and I were standing outside the stable chatting, Humphries, Harvey, Nellie and the two goats came over to us and surrounded us looking for food. While Harvey nibbled at Michele, I put my arm over Nellie (who stood between me and Harvey) and scratched Harvey's face and neck. He didn't move away or seem to mind, which is the first time I have ever been able to do that. Humphries was on my other side looking for carrot (which was all gone). When J.B was finished, Michele led him back to the field (leading Rags too) and I opened the door to the garden to let Humphries back in with his field. I thought Cheyanna might rush out to see him, as she had been calling for him the whole time (without reply), but she stayed in the garden and Humphries stood at the door peering out. He had tried to muscle his way out of the yard after J.B when Michele was leading J.B out and he looked very disappointed that he wasn't going out to the field with 'the big horses'. I said my goodbyes to him and Harvey and went out the front where Michele and Rags were waiting by the jeep and we headed home.

Hungry Humphries

It rained all day today but cleared up this evening so Michele and I were able to go over to the horses. It actually turned out quite nice - warmish, sunny and dry. Who could ask for anything more? (I feel a song coming on). Humphries and Cheyanna were waiting in the yard when we arrived. Michele took J.B in, put him in the stable, groomed him, tacked him up and took him into the arena to ride. I got a handful of nuts from the feed room. Humphries, Cheyanna, Harvey, Nellie, Tom and Gerry all gathered around for some food. Humphries got some nuts, which he ate greedily - unlike his usual gentle self - and Harvey got some too, because he came up really close to me and he usually doesn't do that. Humphries followed me around the yard, all the time nudging me for treats and being quite bossy about it. Now, I know I give him food, but not enough to encourage this sort of behaviour. Harvey came up to me again and I gave him some nuts and Humphries put his ears back and drove him away, which is very unlike him. All of this led me to believe that Humphries was VERY hungry. However, it wasn't until I was sitting on the oil barrels, the goats nibbling me, Humphries demanding food and Cheyanna sniffing my boots that I realised the door into the garden was shut. No wonder Humphries was so hungry! I had forgotten to secure it open on Tuesday, and the wind probably blew it closed, so they had all been locked out of their grazing for almost two days. The poor things. I opened the door and Cheyanna and the donkeys hurried happily in. Humphries stayed inside with me. He followed me around the yard and into the stable, where he licked up the crumbs from J.B's apple. I got him some hay, but he wasn't interested, and eventually he wandered off into the garden. I sat on the barrels again for a while with Oscar and Bilbo (a hairier, chubbier, friendlier version of Rocky) giving them some attention. Oscar jumped up and smeared me with his big muddy paws. He is such a big heavy dog. He made Janna look tiny and delicate when I got home. They are lovely dogs though. Then I went into the garden to see what the horses were up to. Oscar and Bilbo came with me and started to play with Rocky, who was hiding in the garden. Tommy and Gerry, who had been in the barn, followed me into the garden as well. The next thing I heard thundering hooves and Humphries, Harvey and Cheyanna were racing towards me. A few minutes later, Nelly joined the gang. I went for a walk around the garden, and Humphries followed me for a while and then started grazing again. As I made my way back to the door, Humphries walked over to meet me and then Cheyanna and the goats. I said goodbye to them and went over to Harvey. I didn't want Humphries to chase Harvey away while I gave him some treats, so I had to wait til Humphries wasn't following me. Harvey is usually so nervous, but today he was being really friendly and confident (I don't think it was just because of the food either). I gave him some nuts and made my way to the door. I realised someone was following me and I turned around (thinking it was Humphries) and it was Harvey! So he got my last few nuts (which had been saved for Cori) and I got an extra nuzzle from his lovely velvety nose. I looked back at them in the doorway out of the garden and Humphries started to walk towards me, but I left the garden and went into the arena to watch Michele riding J.B. She was almost finished riding. Today was flat work. J.B had mouthed up nicely and he seemed more accepting of the bit. I watched Michele finish up, then she took J.B back to the stable and untacked him. She led him out to the field and gave him something to eat, and I grabbed a few nuts for Cori, so he got his treat from me in the end. Then we went home.

Putting the romance back into riding

I have loved horses all my life. To me, they have always represented freedom, beauty, power and grace. They are beauty embodied and reflect it with every movement. Riding, for me, has never been about adrenaline or sport, but about communication and being able to share in God's wonderful gift of creation that is the horse. Over the past seven years, through a variety of reasons, that 'romantic' view has been destroyed and horses have become unpredictable, frightening, cruel, vicious animals in my eyes. I wanted to get back riding this year because I didn't want to give up without doing it one more time and I wanted to do it for the sport and to lose weight - in other words, for all the wrong reasons. I wanted Humphries to help me get back riding because he is smaller than Cori and Cori frightens me at the moment. I thought it would be simple, not realising that without my love of horses and a desire to communicate with them, there was no way I could get past my fear.

And now Humphries has come along and is working his hardest to restore my faith and love in horses - yes, my romantic view. He could very well be the perfect horse. He is better than any horse depicted in a book.

I went out to the stables this afternoon to see Humphries. I haven't seen him in ages and I was looking forward to seeing him, but I was still nervous when I arrived. Humphries and Cheyanna are now in the walled in garden just off the stable yard and have full access to the yard with the goats and the donkeys. They have been there awhile but I haven't been over since they were moved out of the field. Michele kept me up to date with tales of Humphries and Cheyanna sneaking into the stables and being generally curious and mischievous. I didn't bring my camera with me, so no pictures for this post, sorry. I went out to the garden to say hello to Humphries. I was armed with a handful of horse nuts. Humphries was grazing with Cheyanna and they both looked up and came over to say hello. I was nervous at how Cheyanna would be when she came over, but I didn't say anything to her because she is good friends with Humphries and if she is his friend, then that is good enough for me. Rags decided it would be a great game to chase Cheyanna around the field and started barking at her. Humphries ignored this entirely, and Cheyanna was really good at ignoring it as well, but then I twitched a bit when Cheyanna got a bit twitchy and Cheyanna took off and raced into the yard. Humphries stayed chatting to me, happy to calmly eat his horse nuts, but when I went to see what was going on, he went into the yard after Cheyanna and trotted around. The next thing, J.B exploded into the garden doing the most impressive trot, followed by Rags. I imagined a terrible scenario with Michele battered by frightened horses and a bad case of rope burn, but she appeared a minute later in one piece, let J.B out of the garden and caught Rags. Apparently Cheyanna had barrelled into the stable with J.B, seeking solace, and broke the chain across the stable door, thus releasing J.B. Anyway, with Rags safely in the jeep after exercising the horses, Michele tacked up J.B and took him into the arena to ride. Humphries came back out of the garden to see me (after trotting off to make sure J.B wasn't stealing Cheyanna) and he followed me around and was very sweet. I went into the stable and got my grooming kit. Humphries stood quietly in the stable, but I decided to groom him outside. Humphries stood perfectly still while I groomed him, despite not being tied up and with Cheyanna peering at me over his back. After I had brushed his body and legs and face and picked out his hooves, I went up to the water trough to wet his face and dock sponges. He followed me up to the water and stood perfectly while I washed his eyes, nostrils and dock. Then I went back to the stable to leave my grooming kit back. He came back with me and I chatted with him for a while and then he wandered back into the garden with Cheyanna. He was so gentle and sweet, he knew exactly how to set me at my ease. He is the perfect horse.

I brushed out the stable and went into the arena to watch Michele. She was jumping J.B and he was going really well. He looked really compact and forward going. He knocked one of the jumps and it annoyed him so much, he reached down into the bit with a perfect outline and moved forward and upwards with power and energy. It looked fantastic. His jumps were really good.

After Michele had ridden him, she gave him some food and left him back into the stable. Then we went home. I am so glad I went over to see Humphries today. I know I'm not riding at the moment, but seeing him today has made a much bigger stride towards me riding again than an hour standing on the mounting block.

Day 27

It was a lovely sunny day today. Michele and I went over to the horses in the afternoon. I was feeling really stressed and that translated into fear when I arrived at the yard. J.B was in the yard and he whickered hello when we went in. Michele offered to put him in the arena, but I said he was fine. I got the head collar and went out to the field. Cori, Megan and Sky were all grazing in the lower field and Cheyanna and Humphries were in the upper field on the furthest side from the gate. Humphries walked a little towards us when I called, and then stood watching us, so we had to troop into the field to get him, but he led out well after that.

Leading Humphries in from the field

I led Humphries into the stable and he didn't try to rush out or anything, and behaved very well. Michele took J.B into the arena to lunge and ride, so I let Humphries out of the stable to wander about the yard.

Even though free to wander, Humphries goes back into the stable!

I watched Humphries nosing around the yard, poking his head into everything and sniffing around the goats and dogs. He kept on coming back to me to nuzzle my pockets for treats, and then he would use the gate into the arena as a scratching post, while watching Michele ride. I wandered around with him and he followed me for a while. He was so sweet, it was hard to be afraid of him. Especially when all the animals came and crowded around me and followed me around, with the sun shining and the swallows flying, it was so peaceful.

Humphries and Tom

I did some filming of Humphries in the yard and then I put away the camera and stood leaning against him. He stood perfectly still, just sharing the moment with me. He is so good. After that I went into the arena to see how Michele and J.B were getting on.

J.B trotting

Michele was warming up J.B on the flat. Things were going well. J.B was behaving well but not going forward with a lot of impulsion. He twists his head to the side, evading the bit, which makes riding him really hard work. Michele gets energy from him, and then it fizzles out because he is blocking the rein.

Taking a breather

After she had warmed up on the flat and put him through his paces, she did some jumping. J.B is still quite new to jumping and only beginning to enjoy it, but he has oodles of ability.

Then on to canter work
And popping over some jumps

The jumping went well, but I didn't get to see it all as Humphries started to kick the wheelbarrow at the gate into the arena to get some attention. I went back into the yard and decided to groom him. I didn't tie him up or put him back into the stable, but tried to groom him outside. He behaved really well, standing still while I brushed him and picked out his hooves. He even followed me up to the water trough when I wet the sponges for his face and dock. I cleaned around his right nostril and he tilted his head so that I could clean around his right. By the time I had finished grooming him, Michele had finished riding, so I led Humphries into the arena while Michele looked after J.B. Humphries walked really happily into the arena and then stopped just short of the gate and wouldn't walk all the way in. He stood on the threshold sniffing the air for a while and then pottered into the arena. I walked around the arena for a bit and Humphries followed me. It was nice. Then I decided to lead him back into the field. I didn't have a lead rope or anything, but Humphries was being so good I didn't think I would need one. However, as soon as we left the arena, Sky and Cori cantered up to the gate, followed by Megan and Cheyanna, and Humphries walked briskly off into the bull field. It was a tricky situation, but I felt I had to do something to resolve it rather than running for help, or lose control of Humphries completely. Using my trusty buff head covering, I ran along the fence chasing Cori and the other horses away from the gate. Then I waded into the bull field and took hold of Humphries head collar. He was quite happy grazing there, so pulling on the headcollar wasn't enough to get him moving (but it did pull off the headcollar). Once again employing my buff, I used it as a rudimentary lead rope and led Humphries back to the gate and into the field. Feeling pleased that I had managed to do this, and also discovered two new uses for my buff, I rejoined Michele in the yard and helped her fix up the stable before we left for home.

Day 25

Me and Humphries on Monday

Went over to Dromiskin to see Humphries yesterday afternoon. Things looked very peaceful in the field as I drove up. Megan, Cheyanna and Cori were walking quietly down to the lower field and Sky was walking over to Humphries. He seemed a little wary of her, but she was very affectionate towards him. Michele was riding J.B in the arena, so I popped in to say hello to her and watch her riding. J.B was very fresh from all the box rest, but he looked really smart in his lovely new black saddle and black bridle. He was giving Michele a lot of trouble, pulling on the rein and holding his head crooked. Humphries came up to the gate and looked over at the arena, so I went into the field and said hello to him and gave him some carrots. Harry was over in the yard as well. Eithne had left her over for her lesson, but she didn't have a riding lesson this morning and she hadn't collected her. I put up some cross poles for Michele and she got J.B going beautifully over the jumps. Then I helped her fix up the stable for J.B and held him while she saw to his cuts and then we went home. Ruffles, the peacock, was displaying to the goats in the yard and it was beautiful to see his magnificent tail in full display, and to hear the rustling sound that his feathers make when he vibrates them. It is a pity he doesn't have a peahen to see all the display. I forgot to take my camera over today, which was a shame. After the horses, Michele and I went into Horseware and she bought me a lovely bag for my grooming kit and a really cool buff scarf, which is very versatile, as well as a cool green rain jacket for herself and some nifty leather cleaning goodies.

New Shoes

Me and Humphries

Humphries was shod today. It was a while since his last set of shoes (probably March) and his hooves were quite overgrown. Michele said he was hesitant to lift his feet for the farrier, so that is something more to add on our list of possible rough treatment -

1. Rough farrier

2. Hardly exercised

3. Treated badly in the stable

4. Left for ages on his own in the horse box

Michele also lunged him, which was wonderful of her. He went ok. Three days in a row being lunged is probably more work than he has done in months! She also lunged J.B and rode Cori. Cori was challenging but went very well. He is in full stallion mode at the moment and showing off his flashy paces as a result.

The newcomer - Toffee

I couldn't go over to see Humphries today because I was helping Madeline collect her new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Toffee. The funny thing is, her breeder lives just beside the place we collected Humphries from! When I told Michele about it, she said I could have picked up Humphries' saddle while I was there! I wish I had thought of it when I was there.

Day 20

Went out to the horses this evening. It was a lovely evening. Poor J.B is still on box rest and is really getting fed up (as is Michele). We headed out to the field to get Humphries and Rags came with us. Humphries and Cheyanna were in the upper field having a drink when we went out. He started to come towards us, but Cori was looking and as he doesn't trust us to look after him yet, he headed out of Cori's way down to the lower field. Michele, Rags and I tramped down to the lower field to get Humphries. Once more he came towards us, but Sky, Cori and Megan headed down to the lower field and Humphries and Cheyanna headed off in the opposite direction. Michele went to bravely get rid of the other horses, but Humphries was still slowly walking away. I didn't see the point in going after him as long as Cori was hanging around to intimidate him, so I went to help Michele drive the horses back up to the upper field. As soon as we started to drive the horses up, Rags gave us a hand and started to chase and bark at them (although she left Humphries and Cheyanna alone). Cori didn't like getting a taste of his own medicine, but they ran back up to the upper field. Cheyanna and Humphries came back to us once the other horses went away. I put the head collar on Humphries and asked Michele to lead him up the avenue. Cheyanna kept pace on the other side of the field as we went back to the yard. Humphries didn't want to walk past Cori, even though the fence separated us and he wasn't even that near to the fence. Michele tried to shoo Cori away and immediately Rags ran into the field and started to bark at Cori. He turned in tiny circles, kicking out at Rags with both his hind and fore legs. It was amazing to watch, because he was so supple, but also really frightening because I was sure Rags would get injured. Avoiding harm, she followed us into the yard. Michele led Humphries into the stable. I groomed him and he was really good, the best yet. I bought sponges for him last Wednesday to clean his eyes, nose and dock and I forgot to bring them over again today! After I had groomed him I put on the bride and lunge rope, grabbed the lunge whip and headed into the arena.

I try my hand at lunging...

... in trot...
... and then a walk around the arena

Michele helped me with the gates and was on hand with advice. I was really nervous lunging him. I had never lunged before, but I had memories of Cori bucking and taking off on the lunge and I was afraid Humphries would do the same. He was very good though, and I soon relaxed and enjoyed doing it. He didn't move very well, but he was watching me the whole time and was relaxed and communicating. Towards the end of the session I imagined driving him forward and he went a lot better, but Michele said it was more like long reining than lunging but that it worked. Then we walked him around the arena (driving him from behind) and took him back into the stable to put on the head collar. I didn't want to lead him back straight from the field because he might get into the habit of going straight back after work. He was perfect in the stable after lunging and he didn't try to get out the door once, he stood nice and quietly while I took off the bridle and put on the head collar. Then we led him down to the lower field, and I managed to lead him back. Cheyanna came over to say hi and he got some pony nuts for being so good. When we got back to the yard, Sky and Cori headed down to the lower field and drove them on, but it was quite gentle. Then Michele got J.B settled for the night and we went home.

Day 19

I couldn't get out to the horses any day this week so, even though I was really tired today, I made sure that I went over this afternoon to say hello to Humphries. J.B is still on box rest because of his hurt foot (he is allowed out into the yard during the day) so, when we arrived at the yard, he came over to the gate whickering softly. I think he is very bored, so he followed us around, nosing in our pockets and generally seeing what we were up to. It was a lovely warm afternoon and Tom and Gerry were stretched out against the stables, chewing the cud. They looked so cute. We collected the head collar and lead rope and headed out to the field to get Humphries. Things are tense in the field now that J.B is no longer there to keep the herd together. Cori, Sky and Megan were grazing in the upper field while Humphries and Cheyanna were grazing in the lower field. It was more than Humphries life was worth to walk up to the top gate, so Michele and I headed down to the bottom gate. He was watching us as we walked, but by the time we got to the gate, he was lying down! I don't know if this was to encourage me to hop on his back or an evasion tactic to prevent from being taken in, but he seemed totally relaxed and at home lying down in the field grazing. I put on his head collar and and gave him a carrot and he just lay there placidly. Then Sky came down from the top field to investigate, so we got Humphries up and led him out of the field. I got a bit spooked because of the tension in the herd and asked Michele to lead him for me. Cori and Megan trotted along the other side of the fence, intimidating poor Humphries. Michele put J.B into the arena when we got to the yard and I held Humphries at the gate, waiting for her. He was tense and I was afraid he would try to get away from me to run back to the field with his pal Cheyanna, but I think it was my nervousness that was unnerving him. Michele led him into the stable for me. I gave him a thorough groom and he was OK, although he barged a bit towards the door. Michele lunged J.B in the arena while I groomed. My nerves settled a bit while I worked with Humphries. When I had finished grooming him, I started to wash his tail. It was the first time I've washed a horse's tail, so it was quite exciting.

My very first tail washing!

Rags finds tail washing boring

Humphries fidgets while his tail is washed

His tail wasn't too bad, because Michele washed it last week, but it was still quite dirty. When Michele was finished with J.B she came back into the stable and gave me a hand. She was invaluable with advice and refilled the buckets of water for me. Humphries stood very well until Fiona and a hoard of kids and dogs came into the yard and then he started to fidget and stepped back, almost upsetting the bucket. After washing his tail, Michele took him into the arena and lunged him for about 12 minutes.

Michele lunging Humphries...
...in trot...
...and halt...
...then canter...

...and then changes rein

He was good, and worked nicely, but he is very unfit and found it hard to canter. It also took him a few minutes to tune into Michele, but he was eager to work. After lunging, Michele hopped on his back and rode him around for a few minutes.

Some bareback riding......trotting...
... around the arena

We left him back into the field at the top gate. Keeping a wide berth of Cori, Sky and Megan, he walked slowly to collect his pal Cheyanna.

Humphries went to collect Cheyanna

Cori keeps a close eye on Cheyanna, while Harvey rolls

Cori waited until he was in the corner of the field and then he went tearing off after Humphries. Humphries, loosened up from his lunging, galloped away with Cori barely cantering behind him, his teeth locked onto Humphries' haunches. Once he had chased him out of the upper field, Cori gave up and went back grazing, but Humphries sneaked back and Cori chased him down to the lower field.

The chase begins...

... and continues...

... and continues

Determined to get Cheyanna, Humprhies trotted back up to the upper field, collected his friend and the two of them walked down to the lower field without further hassle. It was very sweet.

The young lovers reunited

After that, Michele washed J.B's tail. He wasn't as good as normal and fidgeted a lot.

Michele wets J.B's tail...

... goes to get the shampoo...

... and then rinses

I think it was because there were a lot of flies annoying him and he is bored. Then we brushed out the stable, gave hay to J.B and some feed, settled him down for the night and went home.