Word from a new blogger!

There is more to blog about than I can possibly fit in though I will try to pack in a lot over the next week...Still, today's blog had to go to Bryan, who arrived here last February and has made many appearances on this blog since then. He has been back home for a long time now and has been showjumping and hunting barefoot ever since.

Bryan and his stable mate, Wendy Raptor, are old hands with new technology and thanks to owner Charlotte are also all over Facebook, but clearly Bryan and Ellie are turning into a real team :-)

"It looks like my 14 year old god-daughter Ellie is following in my footsteps in more than one way - and here is an excellent blog she has written on yesterday's activities. 

What an amazing day!! Big barefoot one eyed Bryan (one of Charlotte's horses) hunted for the first time this season only ever with Charlotte. This horse is extremly lucky to have an owner like Charlotte. Bryan went very lame just over a year ago and every vet she had out to look at him said 'the only thing you can do for him is to put him to sleep' but no, this horse was too special for her to just loose. Therefore Charlotte found a place in Exmoor called Rockley (Nic Barker) where lame horses are taken to go 'barefoot' (no shoes). After a while at Rockley Bryan was sound and ready to be slowly introduced into work again. When Charlotte first bought Bryan he was a very ordinary Showjumper with a normal stride, flat work, jump etc. but, after being at Rockley he has changed literally from one horse to another. In a big field today Bryan and I got slightly left behind from the rest of the field and in order to catch up we trotted, however this was no "ordinary" trot this was an extended trot, but some how not an average extended trot. Charlotte told me that he had never done a trot like that before he had to have his shoes off. This horse felt like he had been reborn.

What a laugh today was!! Terry (whip) and Arnold (his trusty steed!) were telling endless funny stories and jokes (well not so much Arnold, he was more happy listening). Even Rupert(AVH chairman) and Piran (his horse) cracked up a rude joke!! (which won't be repeated!!)

Before today Bryan and i haven't really had much time to get to know each other. But, after a 6 hour day covering just over 18 miles jumping ditches, tiger traps, rails into woods hedges onto roads (more info on the hedge later) and something else which I'm not too sure was!! we soon trusted each other a good sight more than we ever have done before. I can even say i know how to stop him from running off with me!! Result!!!

The Hedge.
We were in a field near a road, Oli (whip) was trying to walk through a hedge and down an extreme bank onto a road. Charlotte (now field mastering by this point!) said to the field "let's go down to the gate" so we went down to the gate at the bottom of the field and we find the gate is locked, fortunately just back up towards the huntsman there was like a very low gap in the hedge so Charlotte says "right lets go through here instead". Wendy (her horse) won't go through the gap, so another member of the field tries but his horse wont go either. Just as the others were turning around to find another way, I walked Bryan up to the gap (by the way when Bryan is worried or confused he tends to move to his blind side which is on his right, and the bigger part of the hedge is on our right). By this time he was very confused so instead of just walking through the gap he went right to the bigger side of the hedge and leapt into the air and popped over the hedge onto the road where we were meant to be. Charlotte turned around to see where we had got to and soon turned back to go through the gap, just not in the same style as Bryan had done!

Thank you Ashford Valley Hunt for such a good day can't wait untill next season!!