Yorkshire Training Weekend and Sherbourne Castle Country Fair

Well we had an absolute monster of a weekend at the end of May - I feel exhausted just writing about it!  It started on the Friday afternoon when Becca and I set off with all four of the horses up to North Yorkshire.  We were on our way to spend the weekend with Hannah Dawson, who I met back in September when she came down for a vaulting lesson with me and Tinker.  Hannah is a very established clicker trainer and Becca and I were keen to learn more about this method of training - as we've always gone for the 'make it up as you go along' approach!  However, setting off on the journey we had forgotten it was a Bank Holiday afternoon and consequently spent a looooonng time sitting in triffic traffic.  Boring!  I spend a lot of my time driving backwards and forwards to North Yorkshire as this is where Ben (my boyfriend) lives, so I sort of knew where we were heading which always makes a journey easier - not so for Becca who got quite irate with the whole thing!  We finally made it up there and having settled the horses were treated to a very lovely meal cooked by Hannah and her boyfriend Dexter, all very civilised!

In the morning it was down to serious business.  We started off talking through the theory of clicker training and how it could help each one of our horses, who are all very different, and what it was we wanted to achieve with each one.  It was fascinating talking about all the different training methods and experiences we'd all had with our various horses - I'm more than sure we could have talked all day!  But it was soon time to put it all into practise and see what the boys made of it all.  

We started of with Casper.  I wanted to work on him to be able to concentrate more and not be so easily distracted by everything going on around him.  He does his tricks beautifully at home but as we discovered back in November if I take him out of his comfort zone away from other horses he gets very bad separation anxiety and cannot calm himself down enough to concentrate on what it is I'm asking of him.  So, out of the paddock away from Tinker and into the barn with him!  And he was not happy!!  He ran around like a total mad brain and wouldn't settle at all.  Tinker didn't help either by being an idiot and whinnying back at him - not conducive to calmness!  After a little while he settled enough to start doing some basic work, and he picked everything up really quickly!  We worked with him for a little while before putting him back out with Tink to think about what he'd just done.  

Then it was Navvy's turn.  At home Navvy is quite bargy and pushy, so Becca was wanting to work on manners with him and also how to progress with his tricks.  Hannah recommended starting with the barrier (just a couple of rails) in between them to try and deflect the pushiness.  However, Navvy totally surprised us by being very wary of the barrier, almost as if he couldn't believe we'd done such a thing to him!  He was very quiet and a totally different horse from what we were expecting.  Becca then did the work without the barrier and Navvy was very responsive - and the politest he's ever been!

We swapped backwards and forwards between Casper and Navvy for most of the day - and couldn't believe the change in them!  Casper became more responsive and picked new things up ever so quickly, and Navvy also really concentrated and was polite for the whole day - result!!  Although we both know our horses really well the work we did throughout the day seemed to amplify their personalities.  Along with Hannah's insights we picked up aspects of their characteristics far stronger than either of us ever have before.  By the evening all five of us were really tired - and then it was Tinker and Ronan's turn!

We bought them into Hannah's arena where we set up the 'Pony Playground'.  This consisted of a lot of 'toys' to try and engage the boys a bit more.  The problem we've been finding with both of them is that they lack enthusiasm (they've both been doing it a long time now!), so we were trying to encourage them to play and just enjoy themselves.  The toys included a pedestal (Tinker's personal favourite - he kept just wandering off to go and stand on it!), a rug, a giant gym ball (football size for horses!), an umbrella, some tarpaulin and a little jump - all good fun for horses!  Ronan thought the whole thing was wonderful and played with as much as he possibly could, chasing Becca around and generally having a whale of a time!  Tinker is much more reserved and as a result I sometimes wonder if he's only doing what I ask him because he feels he has too rather than because he wants to, and that he really couldn't care less about the whole thing!  However, Hannah had a different take on him and made me realise that he does engage totally with me, just in a very quiet understated way.  I must be more considerate towards him!  We had great fun playing with them with all the toys, and adding their tricks in as and when.  Because they were enjoying themselves they really worked hard at their tricks - for the first time in a long time!  Both Becca and I certainly have a lot of work to do to maintain their new found enthusiasm!!

By now it was really quite late, but Hannah bought out her pony Toby to show us what clicker training can achieve and what he can do.  Coming down the yard he really didn't look very impressive - he's a twenty-one year old small cob, and looked like a little old man!  However, as soon as he started working the transformation was amazing!  Hannah was working him at liberty and before long she had him trotting around her on a circle, performing shoulder in, with a beautiful collected outline and really working up through his back - no more little old man!!  All this was done with nothing but voice and body language, and was just beautiful to watch.

By now it really was very late, and as we hadn't let up all day we were all exhausted!  It was pizza and chips before bedding down in the lorry again - tomorrow was a full vaulting day!  We were due to have two three hour sessions, with six people in each class.  First up were the more mature group - a bunch of lovely ladies who mostly wanted to work on their confidence and feeling more relaxed on the horse.  We did lots of barrel and walk work with them all - and then came the canter work!  Despite some of them saying they wouldn't be cantering (Hannah's mum Rachel included!), by the end of the session all of them had!  The looks on their faces as they were cantering around on Ronan was brilliant - some of the grins were just huge!  They all did fantastically well, and I gather that they are all keen for another go!  After lunch we had the more confident group so we were able to push them a bit.  Given that Hannah had already had a lesson we really pushed her and by the end of the session she was mounting and standing in canter on Tinker - no mean feat I can tell you!  I also have to mention Elaine, who having tried a flank off on the barrel just went for it and did one off Tinker at canter - I hope I'm that active at 63!!  We had a lovely day again and met some brilliant people, in fact the whole weekend was really interesting and we were hosted amazingly by Hannah and her parents - we will definitely be back!!  (One slight issue though...  The Yorkshire wind was really strong all day, and on the way back both our faces were just glowing red - we'd both got really bad wind burn!  We both spent the next couple of days looking really embarrassed - which in itself was embarrassing!!).


No rest for the wicked though.  No sooner had we finished the afternoon session than we were on the road home (along with a delicious packed lunch from Rachel - thank you!).  The idea was to truck on home, hopefully arriving at about 11.30pm, then unload the horses.  Ronan and Tinker to stay in the stables with Navvy and Casper going back out in the field.  Unload the lorry, reload the lorry with all the show kit, snatch a few hours sleep before getting up again at 4.30am to load up and set off for Sherbourne Castle down in Dorset - phew!  And that's exactly how it happened!  Tim arrived at Becca's shortly after we did, and with his and Bryn (Becca's boyfriend's) help we soon had the lorry sorted.  I slept really well although when my alarm went off again at 4.30am it felt like I'd only been asleep for a few minutes!


We arrived at Sherbourne to friendly faces but a very grey sky.  Luckily the rain held off until we'd got the awning up and were able to get the horses under cover.  I think they were just as tired as us and were quite happy to just stand munching away on their haynets.  Then the rain set in.  It was that horrible persistent drizzly rain that just seems to soak you right through and chill you to the bone - so much for a sunny May Bank Holiday!  Nevertheless the show must go on - and on we went!  Despite the horrible weather the show went through really well.  We were quite concerned about the roman riding as not only was it raining but also the arena is on quite a slope - cantering down hill standing up on two horses in the rain is not much fun!  We needn't have worried though, Tinker and Ronan looked after us so well, they just went beautifully steadily and the whole thing went without a hitch - they really are fantastic horses!  We put into practice what we'd learnt over the weekend with trying to engage them before their dances - and the results were two very good performances from them!  Happy days!


Unfortunately, for the first time ever, Ronan was unable to do the second show.  A combination of the extremely hard ground we've had recently, a lot of different work and lots of travel had all combined to make him really stiff and slightly lame, so there was no way Becca could risk him by doing a show.  So it was Tinker and me on our own!  We hastily cobbled together a solo show with the available costume and music, added in the skipping, and hey presto a new show was born!  The arena was quite large so I had to make everything even larger than usual, and in trying to make the strip fill the long duo track all on my own I got so carried away I actually ran out of music!!  The arena was really slippery, I was skidding about all over the place, especially on my mounts and dismount-remounts, but good old Tink caught me on every one and I managed not to fall over!  Same can't be said for Tim, who's body went one way and feet another doing a spectacular fall whilst carrying the pom-poms early on in the show - he looked like some sort of crazy pom-pom explosion as he went down!  Despite the horrible weather the crowd were amazing during both our shows, cheering away from under their umbrellas, and it really does make all the difference.  Thank you Sherbourne for keeping our spirits up!


It was finally time for a very bedraggled and tired Jive Pony team to head home.  Having eventually arrived back we all fell out of the lorry, sorted the horses out, before heading back to our respective homes and, finally, beds.  It really was monster of a weekend, but  a thoroughly enjoyable one!  As we were so busy we hardly managed to get any photos, but please click here to see the ones Hannah took.  (I'll add ours when we find the camera card!).


We've got another busy one next week as we're off to Bolesworth Castle up in Cheshire for a four day duo at the Bolesworth Show Jumping Classic and Country Fair.  This is organised by the same team behind the Champion's Tour we did over the winter with Geoff Billington and Ollie Townend, so we're looking forward to catching up with a lot of familiar faces.  I'll let you know how we get on soon!


Lots of love,


Rosie xx

Essex Young Farmers Annual Country Show

A couple of Saturdays ago we all set off in the lorry for the Essex Young Farmers Annual Country Show.  Having wiggled our way through a lot of very small lanes we finally arrived on site, and Amy was there to meet us again.  We then spent the next ten minutes following various different young farmers around on their quad bikes before finally finding our pitch and being able to set up.  We were right next to the main arena - which was absolutely HUGE!!  Turns out is was 120 by 60 metres, which is far bigger than we usually work in - we were convinced we'd get totally lost in there and nobody would be able to see anything we were doing!  However, having marked it all out later it didn't look too bad, still just massive!  As Tinker has a history of picking up speed if he's got a lot of space to do so, I was feeling slightly apprehensive to say the least!  The arena was also on a slight slope, with lots of little ruts all over it, and as the weather had been so dry the whole thing was as hard as concrete - not ideal!  

Our first show was scheduled for 10.30am, so it was going to be an early one.  It takes Becca and I about two hours to get ready for a show as we have to brush the horses, warm ourselves up, do our hair and make up (make up especially takes quite a while...), tack up the horses, warm up the horses, get changed into costume, then finally last minute adjustments - and away!  It was during the getting changed into costume part that we realised a horrible error had been made...  To set the scene: My long black boots are on their fourth season now and had been understandably looking a bit tired.  So I'd spray painted them black to give them another lease of life.  As I pulled the boots out of the boot bag I said to Becca 'Wow, since I sprayed these boots they look really new - almost as good as Amy's!' (Amy has a brand new pair).  Then the realisation dawned.  They were Amy's boots.  Amy is a size four.  I am a size six.  Oh dear.  I managed to squeeze one of the boots on and took a tentative step in it.  Ouch.  Becca then tried to put the other boot on to see if she could wear them instead, but couldn't get her foot past the ankle, so it was back to me.  I got it on and then we all burst out laughing - I looked like one of those old fashioned Chinese ladies with bound feet, they looked far too small for my body!  I could just about walk OK, but as for vaulting and roman riding - who knew?  We'd just have to find out!!


Good old show adrenaline - I never noticed the boots once!  The whole show went through quite well considering everything we had to contend with.  Aside from the boots there was the hard ground (which turned out to be slippery too - Tink skidded a couple of times!), the wind, which was quite strong and nearly had me off during the shoulderstand in roman riding, and the fact that throughout the entire show we only had one microphone between the two of us.  This was by far the biggest problem as the whole show is scripted for the commentary to bounce backwards and forwards between Becca and I - which we couldn't do!  It was the start of the show that was the worst - I went to open it with the usual 'Good morning ladies and gentlemen', only to realise to my horror that nobody could hear a word I was saying!  Becca then had to do the introduction, but as I always do it she doesn't really know the lines and if you're not expecting to have to do it you get completely thrown!  Anyway, we managed throughout with just the one mic - but it wasn't easy and I think we were both quite glad when the show was over!  As we exited the area I jumped of Tinker, only to realise with a massive jolt that my feet had just spent a very active thirty minutes in boots two sizes to small for them - they hurt!!  Good job Alex is a farrier - I needed him to pull the buggers off me before spending the next half hour walking around in bare feet to try and get some life back into my toes!


Time for the second show soon came around, and Amy was going to be doing the show on Ronan.  The wind had picked up and was literally blowing a gale through the arena - should be fun with the pom-poms!  Although the pom-poms were difficult, they were nothing compared to our long skirts.  The wind just picked the skirts up and made it virtually impossible to do the strip.  Having finally got rid of the long skirts (which practically blew into the next county causing Tim and Alex to do much running and fetching!) the wind then spent the entire show doing a very concerted and highly successful attempt at keeping our skirts up around our ears, with our frilly knickers on view almost permanently!  There was a large contingent of the audience who found this hilarious - and what could Amy and I do other than grin and bear it?!  Thankfully we both had working microphones, but that was about the only thing that went right!  

During the first section of vaulting I was in shoulderstand when a combination of a gust of wind, me momentarily losing my balance causing Tinker to loose his, and the skiddy ground caused me to fall out of the shoulderstand.  There was a moment when I thought (as I was halfway down to the ground) I could get it back and throw in a dismount-remount (tricky on the outside of the horse but possible).  Then my feet hit the ground and I lost it!  I hit the deck with my knees and hands, skidded a bit, before looking up to see Tinker disappearing off into the distance without me.  The crowd gasped, I jumped up and shouted 'well that's not in the script!' before running round to meet Tink who had stopped on the opposite side of the arena.  I jumped on and carried on vaulting, but it's just so embarrassing - I hate falling off!  It's the first time I've done it spectacularly in a show since the Cheshire Game Fair, way back in 2009, which was another show where everything seemed to go wrong!  This show didn't get any better either!  Towards the end of the roman riding Amy lost her balance (again, the wind was ridiculously strong) and fell down in between the horses as I was getting on.  I don't know how she managed it but she fought it and fought it and somehow managed to scramble back up onto Tink.  By this point we were way behind on the music so we had to miss out the final switch and finish on the opposite horse to usual.  This meant Amy was up on Tinker instead of Ronan, but she coped really well and we finished in style!  I think we were both really glad when that bit was over!!  The rest of the show went through without incident and we both breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over!


We weren't the only ones affected by the wind.  The Bolddog Motocross team, who had performed some amazing jumps and stunts in their earlier show, were unable to do anything in the afternoon as it was simply too dangerous for them to perform their jumps with the wind blowing as strongly as it was.  This was a huge shame, but it made Amy and I feel justified for finding our show such a struggle!  It was definitely one of the more difficult days - but at least it didn't rain which is always a massive bonus!  After the show we were approached by Marie, who we'd met last summer up at the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre, where we spent a very hot day teaching!  Marie was lovely and took a few photos of the shows which I've put up here, as we hardly managed to take any ourselves!  


Next weekend we've got a bit of a monster.  We're off up to North Yorkshire on Friday with all four of our horses for a clicker training day on Saturday with Hannah Dawson, which we're both really looking forward to.  Then on the Sunday we've got a full day of teaching before heading home in the evening.  Then we'll unpack the lorry, repack it with show kit, get a few hours sleep, before heading off down to Dorset and the Sherbourne Castle Country Fair on Monday.  Phew!  I'll let you know how we get on!


Lots of love,


Rosie xx

Yateley and District Lions Club May Fayre

Our first outdoor show of the season is done!!  On Sunday 1st May Rebecca, Tim, Alex, Tinker, Ronan and myself set off for Yateley for the Lions Club May Fayre to be held on the Monday, with Amy due to meet us there.  After an easy journey down we arrived to find we couldn't get the lorry on to the site as our way was blocked by a big red Volvo.  Enter the organiser who walked around the playing fields shouting 'anyone own the red Volvo?' and hey presto within five minutes we were in!

Having found our spot (sorry to the family we displaced) we then set up with no problems - we all remembered what to do with various poles, stakes and stable walls after all!  We then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening running through scripts (quite a few changes), practising new sections (mostly Tim and Alex who have quite a bit more to do now), and generally knobbing about!  Becca and I also took Ronan and Tinker for a lovely ride all through the woods, even managing to squeeze through a very un-horse shape gap at one point!  Have a look at the video below to see the boys practising in the pantomime horse - can you guess who is which end...?

Come the morning the weather was glorious, so at least we didn't have to worry about rain!  We were however all quite worried about the shows.  Becca and I were going to be doing the first show and we'd changed things around quite a bit.  Not only had we changed the roman ride music (to Wipeout - bad omen??) and not had a chance to practise it through on the horses, but we'd also introduced some new sections for Tim and Alex, including a pantomime horse and some unicorns for Thunderhoof.  On top of this we had a whole new section of the show involving a real volunteer from the audience - and who knows how a member of the public would respond to being dragged out of the crowd, put on Ronan and be told to vault?!  Amy was worried about the second show as she and I were going to be doing it - her first time doing a duo show and first time roman riding on grass!  Both her and I were concerned about the new pom-poms, which although look fantastic are really difficult to hold and extremely noisy.  Ronan actually has a fifth gear we found out when practising, frightening pom-pom gear - he even over took Tinker!!  So all in all it's fair to say we were all quite nervous!

Thankfully the first show went really well.  The roman riding to Wipeout worked and we managed not to be wiped out.  The boys did their pantomime horse section brilliantly and the crowd loved it.  The unicorns and Thunderhoof behaved.  The volunteer (Simon) loved having a sit on Ronan, and bearing in mind it was the first time he had ever been on a horse he did fantastically by managing to let go with both hands - the grin on his face when he did so was huge!  All in all it went very smoothly and Becca and I were both really pleased when we came out.

The second show went through well too.  The only issues were with me and my props!  At the start I was trying to stop Tinker, get my microphone out to do the introduction, and wave my pom-poms and I just didn't have enough hands!  I dropped one of my pom-poms but luckily only about ten feet away from where I stopped so it was quickly recovered for me by Tim!  And then at the end I went to pull my ribbon stick out, only to hear RRIIIPP, and then realise I was simply waving a stick in the air - no ribbons!  Luckily the ribbons were hanging out of the top of the pocket so I managed to grab them and wave them after all - just with a slight delay!  Aside from those problems everything went really smoothly.  Amy really impressed Becca and I as she knew her script inside out and didn't falter with any of the quick changes at all.  The roman riding which she was especially concerned about was no problem, neither was the vaulting, dancing or Thunderhoof section - so a big gold star for Amy!!   Becca was doing the music for us, and I think she was as nervous about that as we were for the show, but no need as that all went well too.  At the end of the second show we were all so relieved to have got both shows out of the way - onwards and upwards to the next one!

We're off to Essex on Saturday for a one day duo on the Sunday at Essex Young Farmers Club Annual County Show - fingers crossed it goes as well as Yateley did!  You can see some photos of the day by clicking here, including things I haven't mentioned above such as Tim and Alex helping out Mighty Smith the Strong Man and Tim's bed roll man, to name a couple!  Enjoy!

Love Rosie

xx

East of England Equine Fair

A day of firsts!  Rebecca, Ronan, Alex, Casper and myself set off for Peterborough and the East of England Equine Fair.  And Amy met us there!  We were there to do our solo shows - Casper and I were planning to do the first show with Becca commentating, and Amy and Ronan were going to be performing the second show with me doing the commentary.

Having settled the horses in we went off and found the arena, which was thankfully an indoor one!  It was a perfect size for the solo shows, round, at one end of the hall with the many trade stands taking up the rest of the space.  The surface was Martin Collins, which is just perfect for vaulting on so all in all it looked like we'd have a good day!  We spent the evening running through the script for the second show.  It was all going to be rather odd as Becca wasn't going to be in the show at all - yet another first!!

The following morning I was up early to take Casper for a practise before the show opened.  He was very on his toes as there was a lot going on around us, but he did settle well and performed his dance beautifully, even with all the distractions!  Becca then came up and lunged him so I could have a vaulting practise too, which didn't go quite so well!  He was very fast which I was expecting, so I used all my 'Super fast Tinker safe moves' and managed all of them ok.  I was very nervous about the whole thing, but sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and go for it!

Show time came around quickly, and it felt very strange riding up to the arena on Casper instead of Tinker.  I've always (and still do) think of him as my baby horse, but he's actually older than Tinker was when he did his first show - I just haven't had the same sense of urgency with Casper so have taken things much slower.  I have done a lot of work with him at home though, and when he concentrates his dance is much better than Tinker's as he is more attentive.  I've also been doing a lot of vaulting on him and there isn't a single move that I do on Tink that I can't do on him.  However, being at a show is a whole different matter...

Things didn't get off to a very good start when he shuffled around a bit too much during the strip causing me to topple off from stand at a very inopportune moment - oops!  I jumped straight back on and continued - albeit with a red face.  Things didn't improve as we went into the vaulting, he was far too busy looking outside at the other horses and nearly ran through the ring rope to join them.  We decided to put him on the lunge to carry on, and although it was a bit tricky for Becca to commentate and lunge at the same time, he did behave himself and I managed to do some freestyle.  Not the most stylish of freestyles but freestyle nonetheless!  Have a look at this little video to see our dicey start!!

Then it was onto the dancing and this was where I was hoping Casper would shine as he really can dance beautifully when he puts his mind to it.  Unfortunately he was once again far too preoccupied with the whereabouts of the other horses outside the hall to concentrate on me, and although he did a lot of tricks (including a lovely Spanish walk and bow) he really didn't perform to the best of his ability at all.

Next came Thunderhoof.  And Casper was perfect!!  He was off the lunge and didn't put a hoof wrong throughout the whole section (good job too as all he really had to do was walk around and around the ring!).  He does however walk quite quickly and I think there were a few times when Alex was struggling to keep on the opposite side of the circle to us - he had to keep trotting so Casper and I wouldn't catch him up!

Then it was the final section of the show and back onto the lunge for some canter work.  Although he was quite fast I was pleased with him in the end and managed to get through my second freestyle - again, with more 'free' than 'style', but hey ho!  I have to say I was very relieved when it was over.  I felt disappointed in Casper as I felt he had let himself down, especially with the dancing, which in turn meant I felt like I'd let Jive Pony down by doing a half rate show.  However, the amount of positive comments we got afterwards was unbelievable!  People said how lovely it was to see a young horse performing something so different, and thought he'd done really well.  I was gobsmacked!  I think I had unrealistically high expectations of him (partly because Tinker was so good at his first show), but I STILL think he could have and should have done a bit better.  Never mind, I shall be taking him to the Devil's Horsemen pantomime over Christmas so he can do some dancing then!  He WILL perform eventually, whether he likes it or not!!  Just click here to see a few photos of his debut show.

Having got one difficult show out of the way it was time for another one.  This time it wasn't a new horse, but a new performer!  Amy has a background in competitive vaulting, a circus skills degree, and is a performing aerial artist - so a Jive Pony show should be a breeze!  She's been up for a few rehearsals with Rebecca and Ronan, but now it was time to put it all to the test! 

The entrance and strip both went well, as did the safety announcement.  And then we got into the first long section of vaulting.  Although Amy did really well with all her moves she struggled to keep Ronan going as well as vault at the same time.  Keeping Ronan cantering is no mean feat, and Rebecca (continuously) and I (when commentating) have to put in huge amounts of energy to encourage him throughout.  As Amy was lacking here I had to double all my efforts and I spent the entire section cantering around the circle slightly behind Ronan, encouraging him with the lunge whip, to ensure he didn't break canter - not easy when you're commentating too!  I think by the end I was more out of breath than either Ronan or Amy!!

Next was the dance which again was a bit steady and lacking in energy.  It must have been very difficult for Amy though.  Not only was she doing something completely new to her, but also trying to elicit tricks and movements from a horse who has only ever worked and performed with the person he's been trained by (Becca), whilst that person looks on, and all in front of a large crowd - no pressure then!!  (As an aside - it was also very difficult for Rebecca to look on and see someone else trying to perform with Ronan.  He is very much a one person horse and the two of them have an incredible bond, so I think she was struggling on the side lines as much as we were in the arena!).

Next comes the volunteer section.  This went through really well which we were all very thankful for!  Alex is a funny old thing up on the horse, I do genuinely have to try very hard not to laugh at him!  We finished as usual with me vaulting freestyle on Ronan - and ensuring he cantered throughout!  It was finally all over and we could breathe a huge sigh of relief.  Again, the feedback was far better than we expected as we all thought the show had been a bit lacklustre, which was another massive relief!  Phew!

After both the shows we all felt relaxed enough to have a wander around all the stalls.  I managed to bump into Sean from Cyclo-Ssage, who had been on tour with us the previous week, and who very kindly gave me a go on one of the massage beds - definitely relaxed now!!  I also bought Tinker a nice thick winter rug to keep him all toasty, and Becca bought some new travelling boots for Ronan - no more ridiculously small 'Cuddly Ponies' boots for him!

Having said goodbye to Amy we set off on the journey home, and did nothing but dissect both shows for the entire duration!  Although neither show went as well as we had hoped, both have given us an awful lot of food for thought.  Not only does working Casper make me appreciate Tinker all the more, it also brings home the fact that I haven't given him the same level of preparation I gave Tinker.  And although he performs well at home he needs much more support when out in unknown situations.  These are all things I can and will address though - so look out 2011, Casper's coming!!  As for the second show with Amy, it just goes to show that what Rebecca and I do is not easy.  People often tell us we make it look too easy and, without trying to be big headed, I'm starting to agree with them!  Vaulting on a horse which is effectively loose, as well as performing intricate dances and smooth transitions between the sections of the show, whilst simultaneously engaging with an audience and commentating in a clear and easily understandable manner is downright hard!  Becca and I have had many years practise now (and hopefully many more to come), but for Amy it's a lot to ask in one go.  But, like Casper, she WILL do it!!

We have A LOT of rehearsal to do before we are really ready to bring out all our newbies again (not forgetting Navvy who is also waiting in the wings - that'll be another nerve wracking show!), but we'll get there - watch this space!!  

Love Rosie xx 

Champions Tour - Week One

Phew - what an exhausting week that was!  I now feel recovered enough to tackle the blog, good job too as we're off again tomorrow afternoon for another show!

Days One and Two: Todenham to Gleneagles. 370 miles.

Rebecca, Ronan, Tinker and myself set off early on Sunday morning for the 370 mile journey up to Gleneagles.  Although the journey was long we just trucked on with no problems and arrived on site in the early evening.  Having settled the horses into their enormous stables we tried to hook ourselves up to the electric, and that's when the fun began!  First we plugged into an extension which turned out not to be plugged into the wall socket.  Then we turned the lorry around so our extension cable would reach said wall socket.  It then turned out that the wall socket didn't work anyway.  We then had to move the lorry again, before using all three of our extension cables (30m + 18m + 5m) to reach a wall socket at the far end of the school.  It was almost like 'if you get lost children, just follow the cable until you reach home'!  By this time it was about 7.30pm and we were both so exhausted we went to bed!!

The following day we had a bit of a nightmare as it turned out that Becca (for the first time EVER) had forgotten some of our costume - eeek!  We were missing a leotard and a waistcoat, and whilst we could easily manage without the waistcoat we desperately needed a leotard!  So we went on the hunt up to the hotel's health club to see if we could buy a black swimming costume.  We weren't exactly dressed for perusing Gleneagles boutiques (both in muddy boots, horsey clothes and woolly bobble hats) but we persisted none the less!  The place is amazing and we found all sorts of incredibly expensive wares - my favourites being the pair of tights for £180 and the bottle of whiskey for £11,000.  Yes, £11,000, for a bottle of whiskey. 

Luckily, Geoff's girlfriend Sarah managed to buy us a more reasonably priced black body suit, so Becca did the first show in a lovely lacy number - very stylish!  Unfortunately, the show didn't go too well for us.  Tinker spent the whole time charging about at top speed, we managed to fall off in the roman riding, and then at the very end when I was standing up on Tink waving my ribbon stick he shied at a jump wing and dumped me on the floor.  Not our best show!  Never mind - on to the next venue!

Day Three: Gleneagles to Stainsby Grange. 221 miles.

We arrived at Stainsby Grange in the late afternoon, and got the horses settled in straight away.  Our lovely new apprentice Amy arrived as she was going to be spending the next couple of days with us.  It was such a coincidence, but it turned out that Amy's sister Thea was working with the official photographer, so was travelling around on the tour too! 

Another welcome arrival was a package of costume from Bryn - we had the missing leotard and waistcoat!  And some other vital necessities... Sweets!!  Love foam bananas and fizzy cola bottles!

We managed a slight improvement on our previous night's performance (it couldn't have gone much worse to be fair!), although we did still have some issues!  The spotlights were really low so as we were coming up the long side we were totally blinded!  I couldn't see where to turn Tinker, he couldn't see where to turn himself, and Becca and Ronan were having exactly the same problems behind us!  At one point Tink nearly ran straight into Alan sitting at his production table at the top of the arena - that really would have been a disaster!  We managed to make it through without any major mishaps, although I think the most daring move I managed was prince sit!

Day Four: Stainsby Grange to Bishop Burton College.  77 miles.

It was a nice straightforward drive down to Bishop Burton on Wednesday, but I have to confess I slept most of the way!  Seeing as we had plenty of time in the afternoon Becca had a bit of a training session with Amy on Ronan in the arena.  She did really well and is so flexible she really puts Becca and I to shame!

The temperature really dropped in the evening and by the time we had to warm up it was absolutely freezing!  For our second part in the show we weren't on until about 10.15pm, and as we were warming up (the only venue where we had to do this outside!) the sand in the arena was crunching with frost!  Very brrr!

I was a happy girl for the evening as Ben had driven down to see us.  Unfortunately he could only stay for a little while but he did bring us lots of treats - maltesers, yop and carrots for the horses!  Both the performances went well, although I did have a few wobbles as Tink dodged various different jump wings!

Day Five: Bishop Burton College to Arena UK.  96 miles.

The fun started at the beginning of the journey when we were merrily driving down the dual carriageway only to have a phone call from Alan saying did we know where we were going as he'd just seen us on the wrong side of the road going in the opposite direction.  Ooops - about turn!

Arena UK seems to be our nemesis venue.  It was here, back in 2008 at the Miniature Horse of the Year Show, that I had the most mortifyingly humiliating experience of my life to date, so I was really hoping to put that behind me and perform with aplomb!  However, from the moment we arrived things didn't go to plan.  Having managed to park the lorry so that the jockey door steps were right next to an enormous dog poo, we unloaded the horses and took them around to the stables.  Leading them through the yard there was a funny crunching noise, at which point we realised the floor was covered in broken glass - not the best of starts!  Having settled the horses (and moved the lorry slightly!), we waved Amy off on her way back down to London before sneaking into the main kitchens and did all our weeks worth of accumulated washing up - very domesticated!

It was soon time for the first section of the show and disaster struck once again - but thankfully only in the warm up this time.  Becca was working Ronan when all of a sudden she jumped off, and started looking at the soles of her boots.  Unfortunately she'd managed to step in yet another dog turd, then stood on her pad, then sat back down.  It was everywhere!  We were due in imminently so I grabbed Ronan and Becca rushed off to the loos to clean herself up as best she could - I suppose we should just be grateful she hadn't done a shoulderstand!  Thankfully from then on everything went well.  The layout of the arena was far more suitable and both the boys performed brilliantly.  I also had a surprise visit from Ben who'd been working nearby so I was a happy girl all round!

Everyday we'd been giving Ollie a vaulting lesson (whist wearing a purple tutu - brilliant!), and to be fair he was actually very good.  Today we'd decided to get him flanking off Tinker at canter.  So he'd done his warm up and a little bit of vaulting, then flank!  He went flying through the air, landed on his feet before falling forwards, turning it into a somersault and ending up on his knees in a bow to the audience - very amusing!  Our second section went smoothly, and we finally started to think we were all getting the hang of it!

Day Six:  Arena UK to South View Equestrian Centre. 100 miles.

My turn to drive and typically it was the wigglyest wooyest journey imaginable!  However, our drive was easy in comparison to some...  The big blue articulated lorry carrying all the chairs, stages, lights etc etc had set off from Arena UK about half an hour before us, so we assumed they'd be well into their journey by the time we left.  However, we'd gone about five miles or so when the road we needed to take had a low bridge sign at the turn off.  So we checked - yes, we would fit under by a foot.  Off we went down the narrow road only to come across the two boys and the big blue lorry attempting a very long, very awkward reverse.  They'd totally missed the signs and couldn't get under the bridge!  There was nothing we could do for them unfortunately so we just squeezed past and carried on - our turn for awkward reversing manoeuvres was yet to come...

We finally arrived at South View (about an hour and a half before the big blue lorry!) and settled the horses into their stables.  One of the trade stands on the tour was a company called Cyclo-Ssage, who specialise in massage rugs for horses.  Sean had very kindly offered for our boys to have a treatment each - which they loved.  Tink looked a bit like a jelly when he was finished, and I'm not sure he was too keen on doing much work afterwards!

Unfortunately, the first section of the show didn't go very well (again!).  The music messed up for the strip and when it finished Becca was still on Ronan with her trousers still on!  Very hasty strip and dismount!  We then set off for the vaulting.  We both mounted to shoulderhang but unfortunately Tinker cut across the top of the arena making a beeline for Ronan, before cutting him right up.  Ronan had to practically stop dead, nearly causing Becca to fall off - luckily she didn't!  She was understandably quite upset when we came out but thankfully Thea had filmed the entire incident so I could prove I was also upsidedown at the time of collision so couldn't have steered out of it either!  The other funny thing was that at one point I was flying round at warp speed, looked over to Ronan, and saw that he was trotting!  Our two horses really do need morphing into one - the result would be perfect!!

Everything else went smoothly, apart from one tiny detail.  Following Ollie's lesson Becca had to introduce Dave Clough (the singer) whist we did a quick costume change.  She took a deep breath... 'Ladies and Gentlemen, I leave you with the amazing DAAAAVVE QUIGLEEEY!!!'  Ooops.  Dave Quigley is the guy who owns the yard where we'd been for rehearsal the previous week - who just happened to be in the audience!  Becca was mortified but managed to cover it up well, and I don't think either Daves even noticed!

For the dances in the second half I was trying a new trick with Tinker - the catch.  I've been very sporadic with his training on this one, and he's never been overly fond of holding things in his mouth, but I'd been practising more and more with him and had decided it was about time we gave it a go in public.  When the time came I got him concentrating, threw the sash, and he caught it!  Before dropping it so immediately it looked like he hadn't caught it in the first place.  I had time with the music for one more attempt - and he caught again!  This time he gave it a bit of a shake before dropping it so I was really happy with him and the crowd loved it!  Then it was our final section of vaulting, which we managed with no further collisions - phew!

Day Seven.  South View Equestrian Centre to Osbaldeston Riding Centre.  62 miles.

Although this was one of the easier journeys (initially!), it involved getting back on the M6 and heading North - away from home!!  We stopped at the truck services on the way up for a shower and ended up going in the men's, as there were far more cubicles and they were cleaner!  The token allows you eight minutes so the race was on to wash, shampoo, condition and rinse all in the allotted time span.  We both just about managed but I have to say I usually take a lot longer than that in the shower at home!

We carried on trucking up to the final venue and managed to get within 400 yards before going wrong.  We should have gone straight over but the silly Irish TomTom said left, so left we went.  We managed a few yards before I stopped and looked at the verge.  It looked like something very big had recently made a very big mess reversing - I had my suspicions as to who it may have been!  Becca was adamant that we carried on so we did.  And the road got narrower, and narrower, and narrower.  I stopped again by a very narrow gateway and decided to reverse instead of attempting to turn around, at which point Becca insisted it would be easier to turn around and that she'd do it - big mistake!  Having got the lorry wedged, then freed, then stuck in the soft grass inside the gateway we decided to get the horses off and call for help.  Lee arrived to help but to her credit Becca managed to rock the lorry back out of the mud and onto hard standing.  I watched them get the lorry wedged again before walking down to the venue with the horses - Jive Pony like to arrive in style!  Becca arrived a short while after having had to reverse all the way back down the lane, but she managed and we were there with no harm done - at least to the lorry, I can't say the same about the verges!

The stables the horses were in were just lovely, they were really light and airy and tucked away looking straight into the woods - there was even a giant  oak tree right outside their doors!  Our final performances both went seamlessly - no crashes, good vaulting, smooth roman riding and Tinker caught again, so we were finally pleased with ourselves!  Ollie did really well in his lesson too, he managed mount, full flare, free stand and a flank off - all in canter on Tinker which is no mean feat!  At the end of the evening Becca and I were only too keen to fall into bed - made even cosier by lovely hot water bottles!

Day Eight:  Osbaldeston Riding Centre to Todenham.  160 miles.

Our final leg was the journey home, which went without a hitch.  We arrived back home at about 2pm, and turned the boys out straight away.  I had thought Tinker tired, but within two minutes of being out in the field he was charging around like an absolute mad brain, bucking and farting, skidding to stops before turning around and charging off again!  This perfomance carried on for a good ten minutes and all the other horses just stood and watched - sometimes it's all you can do with him!

All in all we had an interesting week.  The whole concept of vaulting without guide ropes, in the dark with spot lights on us was far far harder than we had anticipated.  However, we managed!  If you'd like to have a look at some photos, click here to see a whole raft of them by the tour's official photographer Dave Thompson.  Otherwise, click here to see a very small collection that Becca and I managed to take throughout the week.

Tinker's got a weekend off now - because it's Casper's turn!!  We're off to the East of England Equine Fair, for a one day solo show.  It's going to be a day of firsts - Casper's going to be doing the first show, and then Amy's going to be doing the second show.  Keep your fingers crossed for us - I'll let you know how we all get on!

Lots of love

Rosie xx

Champions Tour Rehearsal

We had an interesting couple of days last week as we went up to Shropshire for rehearsal for the upcoming Champions Tour with Geoff Billington and Ollie Townend.  Becca, Ronan, Tinker and myself set off for Dave Quigley's yard, and finally got there after our Irish sat nav took us right around the houses!  On arrival we were immediately faced with lots of beautiful smart horseboxes, so we promptly drove around the back and hid with the tractors!

Having settled the horses we waited in the lorry to be called up for rehearsal - only to have a series of clothing malfunctions.  Becca put on some lycra leggings for vaulting in only to realise that not only were they full of holes, but also indecently see through!  So she put some more leggings on underneath and set about sewing up the lycra.  I then went to start the generator and managed to catch my jogging bottoms on the door tearing a big hole across the bottom - good job Becca still had the needle and thread out!  Add in the fact that it was so cold we were both wearing as many layers as is humanly possible, and you can imagine what we looked like by the time we went up for rehearsal!  Ever tried vaulting in a bobble hat and scarf...?

We were a bit apprehensive about rehearsal as we were going to be asking a lot from the horses.  Considering they're used to working in an empty arena within roped off areas and no other obstacles it was quite a change to ask them to canter around an indoor school littered with show jumps, fillers, stages, wires, speakers and people, all of their own accord whilst we vaulted on them - but they were brilliant!  Once they'd got the hang of it they both cantered around beautifully.  The only slight issue we had was that whichever one of them was at the back would try and catch the one in front up, sometimes cutting across the arena to do so!  Not very helpful when you're upside down in shoulderstand!

The last thing we had to do that night was introduce the horses to the spotlights.  Although we'd been working with the lights earlier it hadn't been totally dark, so we brought them back into the arena to see what they thought of them.  It's quite difficult for horses to work in darkness with just spotlights, as you're effectively asking them to go where they can't see.  Add to that the fact that as we have no reins we can't guide our boys at all, and there were plenty of obstacles for them to negotiate, and it's quite a big ask!  Both Tinker and Ronan were a little bit wary of the bright spotlights to start with and weren't too keen on walking in the light pool, but once we'd got off and shown them that there was noting to worry about they were fine, and didn't let a little bit of light get in their way!

Having tucked the horses up for the night Becca and I retired to the lorry.  Luckily we had electricity plug-in, which meant we could have our little oil radiator on the go.  This was a real godsend, as we would have absolutely frozen without it!  (Sorry to Bryn who had to work in his little office with no heat for a couple of days...!)  We still went to bed dressed like arctic explorers - although not before warming our bed socks up on the radiator.  And I have to confess to leaving my knickers on the radiator overnight so they were toasty toasty warm in the morning - lovely!!

The following morning we were due to rehearse again, but unfortunately Tinker had suffered an allergic reaction and all four of his legs were the size of elephant's!  I spent a lot of the morning walking him up and down the surrounding lanes, and thankfully he quickly improved (and is now back on tip top form!)  However, we still had Ronan so we ran through the teaching section we're going to be doing with Ollie.  We didn't want to give him too much practice, as the whole point is to prove that you can't just jump on a horse and vault straight away, but he was really good!  We had him doing all sorts of moves - and then out came the purple tutu!  Yes, we actually had Ollie Townend vaulting on Ronan in a purple tutu.  Brilliant.  You can see the photos for yourself by clicking here.

It was a fun couple of days and we must say thank you to everyone for looking after us so well, and we can't wait to get cracking on the tour itself!  We're starting off at Gleneagles in Scotland, which will bring back many memories as both Rebecca and I competed here a number of times back in the day.  We're just not looking forward to the drive - four hundred miles in one go, eeek!

I'm hoping we'll have wifi at some of the venues, so I can do updates on our facebook page, but I'll definitely be doing a monster blog on our return!

Wish us luck....

Rosie xx

Southwell Ploughing Match and Team Photoshoot

Our 2010 season is over!  The outdoor shows at least...  We spent the last Saturday in September at Southwell Ploughing Match, Nottinghamshire, for a one day duo show.  It was a full wagon that set off on Friday afternoon with Rebecca, Ronan, Bryn, Tim, Alex, Tinker and myself on board.  We'd left rather late in the afternoon due to the boys' work and college commitments, and that coupled with a road diversion meant by the time we arrived at Southwell it was dark.  Not to worry, we donned our head torches and started the set up.  Unfortunately Tim decided to go to the toilet without a head torch, and whilst he was trying to get his phone out of his pocket to give himself some light he managed to pull his camera out by mistake - which then promptly fell down the toilet - eeek!  Now, although show toilets are never the nicest of places these ones weren't too bad (partly due to the fact that the show hadn't yet started!), so operation retrieve camera commenced.  Tim armed himself with a head torch, plastic gloves, and the grabber (a prop used in the second solo show), and before we knew it he had returned with a very smelly camera!  Having left us to finish setting up Bryn cooked a delicious meal of pasta, green beans and mushrooms with creme freche and pesto -yummy yummy yummy!  I do love a big bowl of pasta...


The following morning we woke to realise the lorry and tent had been completely surrounded by cars.  We were parked around the back of the produce tent and it appeared that every single resident of Nottinghamshire had turned up to exhibit their vegetables, cakes, chutney or preserves, and we were right slap bang in the middle of their car park!  We had to make some hasty barricades up using a combination of bungee cords, dustbins and plastic tape, but even this didn't deter the more tenacious ones!


It was soon show time, although the first show wasn't flawless.  During the first section of vaulting I was in the middle of my helicopter dismount remount when for some reason Tinker went right through the ring rope.  I don't know whether he lost his balance due to my movement or tripped or what happened, but it's never happened before and I think he was as surprised as I was!  We only stopped momentary though, and then it was back into canter to finish the section vaulting around no-mans-land!  Because Tink was then using the outer rope as a guide to his right, and Ronan was working around the outer track using the rope as a guide on his left, Becca and I were virtually vaulting on top of each other!  Thankfully the second show went much better with no impromptu ring exits!


The rest of the show was lovely.  There were lots of beautiful heavy horses doing the ploughing, as well as a pair of coloured asses!  There were also lots of tractors, including some very strange siamese twin type ones - the likes of which none of us had ever seen before!  There were giant vegetables galore, lots of horses, sheep and cattle, and everyone was very friendly, so we had a fantastic day.  Have a look at the photos here.


There was one slight issue which unfortunately we encounter quite regularly at shows; that of riding hats.  All too frequently whilst we are warming Tinker and Ronan up we are asked by show stewards (or told by some of the more officious ones!) that we dismount from our horses because we are not wearing a hat.  Becca was even told to leave the showground by one steward earlier this year - imagine explaining her absence to the organisers!  I've recently been told that I'm setting a bad example to children by riding without a hat, how am I supposed to reply to that?  The fact of the matter is that a) it is not a legal requirement for anyone over the age of fourteen (which unfortunately both Rebecca and I have been for quite some time!) to wear a riding hat, and even then children must only legally do so when riding on the road.  b) we are vaulting, not riding, and as such a riding hat is actually a danger, as it can not only affect your balance and position within certain moves (such as shoulderstand) but can also get caught in the roller, side reins, mane etc.  And c) we have already done our hair and don't want to ruin it by wearing a hat.


The other weekend I was tempted to return to warm Tinker up in the afternoon wearing my top hat, as whilst I was being berated by an angry parent I noticed a lady riding around in full side saddle regalia.  She and her horse looked absolutely beautiful, and was receiving many admiring looks and comments.  However, the hat she was wearing was only a top hat.  No chin strap, no safety standards, no protection if she fell.  So why the double standards?  This is a difficult issue to address, as many people have very strong opinions about it.  I agree that riding hats should be worn, but surely there are exceptions.  Who hasn't jumped on their horse in the field in just a headcollar and cantered back up to the yard?  Horses are there to be enjoyed, and sometimes health and safety can kill that joy.  At a week long event once our stable block was shared by a group of ponies and their young riders.  These children were not allowed to handle their ponies at all (leading, tying up, brushing etc) unless they were wearing a hat, gloves and boots.  Before they were allowed to mount they had to put on a body protector.  I can appreciate the need for safety, but surely all this equipment to even lead a pony is overkill?  In my opinion it is simply teaching the child that horses ARE dangerous and that they WILL hurt you, so you'd better prepare yourself.  Now, I have fallen off and hit my head before (might explain a few things!), I have had my finger bitten, and I have had my foot trodden on more than once (take a bow Casper!), but I have survived, and more importantly I've learnt from mistakes that are usually mine and not that of the horse in question (with the exception of Casper who has the agility of a dancer with his feet!).  Finally, some of the most enjoyable rides I've ever had have been bareback without a hat, glove or boot in sight.  There is no feeling in the world that beats cantering your horse, bareback, up a stubble field with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair, and if I ever have children I will make absolutely sure that it isn't an experience they'll miss out on.  Rant over.  Thank you.


As it was the official end of our season, on our return home we all went out for a meal at the village pub.  This is just across the fields from the yard so we all jumped in the old jeep - Becca driving, me in the passenger seat, and the three boys standing up in the back, and bumped our way across the ridge and furrow - nearly dislodging Tim in the process!  We had a really jolly evening, and although the food was delicious, it wasn't any better than Bryn's cuisine of the previous night!


The following morning we had decided to do a photo shoot to try and get some new team pictures for the posters and keyrings.  Bryn was doing the photography, so him, Alex and Tim loaded up the clown bus with all sorts of lights, cameras and props and set off up the road for Mount Sorrell Farm, where Marilyn and Graham had very kindly said we could use their school.  Becca and I followed behind with Tinker, Casper, Ronan and Navvy - so it really was a full compliment of Jive Ponies!  Having spent ages trying to get the horses to all stand in a line with their ears pricked (a seemingly impossible task!) we did as many static shots as possible before we all froze to death.  Then action shots to warm up!  Whilst Becca and I were warming up the horses ready to vault Bryn was busy taking photos of Tim and Alex.  They were doing lots of different poses, jumping around and generally being silly for the camera when RRRIIIIIIIPP!!  In the middle of a very exuberant leapfrog Tim's trousers gave way!  Amongst the ensuing hilarity Bryn carried on snapping away so needless to say we also have lots of  photos of the unfortunate costume malfunction - it's just a very good job it didn't happen in a show!


Having done some action shots we decided to give Tim a go at roman riding (possible new angle to the show maybe...?), and he was absolutely fantastic!  Tim is an ex-vaulter himself, so is quite au fait with standing on the back of a cantering horse, but he'd never done two before!  Ronan and Tinker were really kind to him  as well, they matched their strides absolutely perfectly for him, and he managed quite a few circuits of the school before doing a spring dismount off Tink - three cheers for Tim!  Bryn got some fantastic photos of everything, just click here to see a selection.  It was finally time to pack up and head home, but not before wrapping ourselves back up in as many layers as possible - why we didn't do a shoot in July...!


We're going to have to get used to the cold though, as we've been booked to appear alongside Geoff Billington and Ollie Townend in their Champions Tour this winter.  This is very very exciting and we're off for rehearsal next week - I'll tell you more very soon!


Lots of love
Rosie xx