Back online!

Wow! Am at my neighbours house, revelling in wireless broadband - its FANTASTIC!!

Off to Winkleigh tomorrow, with Felix and Conto, to do some XC - 2ft6 with Con, as a confidence builder, and open (3ft-3ft 6) with Felix. Its an affiliated course, so its always beautifully built and up to height :-)

Kelly and Dexter are going too - Dex went home last week and has apparently been going brilliantly, so it will be great to catch up with them again.

Hope to have some fun pics tomorrow!

EEK!

After ongoing connection problems, I have finally fallen out with o2 so have very very limited internet access at the moment - so if I am not updating the blog, thats why!

The good news (well amazing news really for us!) is that apparently Broadband is coming to Exmoor - at least it is going to be reaching the part other Broadband can't reach, and allegedly within the next 2-3 months...

Don't hold your breath, but if it actually happens it will revolutionise our lives :-)

Updates

I've updated the main website, mostly housekeeping but I've added some fun (I think!) pics of Dexter's feet as they were in Feb and as they are now. Actually they are even better now, as the June photos were taken a couple of weeks ago, but you get the picture ;-)

You'll find them at www.rockleyfarm.co.uk - just click on "Horses at Rockley" and then Dex's page.

Let me know what you think - isn't he a clever boy? :-)

Exmoor article

Exmoor magazine has just published their summer edition with a lovely article about Rockley, with lots of pics of the ponies hunting and generally larking about :-)

Have a look at it if you get the chance ;-)

Nic

Latest video...

...is on Youtube and can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/NicBarkerRockleyFarm

Its Dex again, at Treborough, which I couldn't upload before because of my sad PC cable...Enjoy :-)

Road trip!

Kelly, Dexter, Felix and I got back from our epic road trip to Sussex late last night.

We travelled up to Liphook Equine Veterinary Hospital and took Felix as it was a rather long journey for Dex on his own, which also invloved an overnight stay in Liphook's very busy yard.

Luckily for us we took our saddles and bridles, as there is lovely hacking round Liphook, and we managd to ride out on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning without meeting another soul!

Felix and Dex met many exciting new things, including the fast trains to London which zoom past every few minutes (they were bombproof!), lots of long narrow bridges on the bridleways (by the 6th bridge they were going over them like complete pros) and a large flock of Canada geese on the lawn of Champneys spa (we resisted the temptation to gallop across it!).

The boys could not have behaved better - they travelled perfectly, behaved beautifully in a very strange environment, and flew the flag for barefoot horses to the manner born.

All the staff there were very friendly and put up most patiently with our little entourage, and our giant builder's sack of haylage which we brought with us all the way from Exmoor :-)

Huge thanks especially to Ross Eager, one of Liphook's farriers, and Liz Rabinowitz, who does their behavioural assessments, and who both allowed me to spend large parts of the day watching them work.

Rock-crunching

...and here is Bailey's pic, showing a truly rock-crunching landing, and Felix in guided missile mode :-)