No Boundaries Daily Blog

17th July 2008

2008-07-17T16:28:00.003+01:00

Well, dear bloggers, it has once again been a very busy time. Good news, bad news, happy news, sad news. We survived the winter and early spring. I went away for a few days and came back to half the crop fields flooded. Not a great start to the new planting season! Soon got back on track thanks to the excellent drainage we had installed after the last floods. (Imagine a big smug smile on my face) The winter weather did nothing to deter the horses. While some do refuse to set foot outside, others find it invigorating and it is all we can do to keep them under control. Mostly we gave up and let them run free whenever we could. We have had a few new foals that are causing havoc as only foals can! Both cats are still with us and venturing out now that spring is in full swing. The lazy things point blank refused to go further than the bushes surrounding the back patio and actually spent most of the time finding the warmest spot in the warmest stable!

I have some very sad news and the main reason I have not written for a while. Sugar Confection died recently. Although I didn't breed her myself, she was with me long enough to find a place in my heart. I know all those who knew her would feel the same. I will miss her generous spirit and wonderfully gentle nature. A truer lady I could not wish to have. Her friendly greeting from the paddock nearest the gate always signalled the start of another fabulous day. It has only been 2 weeks and I still turn expecting to see her coming towards the fence with a friendly whinny, ears forward ready for a love. I can still feel the warmth and weight of her head as she rests it on my shoulder while searching my shirt pockets for a treat. One day I will not expect her to greet me at the beginning of the day, or nuzzle me at the end of it. One day I am sure I will get used to her spot under the oak being taken by another, but not today or even tomorrow. I know you will all join me in silent tribute to a wonderful old gal. Goodbye my dearest and thank you.

2008-06-28T09:12:00.007+01:00

The beginning of the comps. The great thing about our indoor arena, is that there is so much light it brightens up the whole event. I dont want to dwell on how much sand we moved and raked and added and raked and moved and added.... you get the idea! Here is King of the Seas, showing us how it is done. Sugar Confection had a go too, who says and old gal cant make the grade! She gave King a run for his money although I think King was holding back a little. (Always one for the ladies!).

And here is Showdown, patiently waiting his turn to show off in the arena. He is amazing to watch. Trouble is, he clears the jumps so well, and so high, that he loses time! He doesn't seem to mind though as he enjoys the change, once in a while, from dressage I think.

Of course, it wasnt all confined to the indoor school. We made the most of the weather and had our own little gymkhana outside. The best way yo describe it would be "Oganised Chaos". Whether anyone remembered the rules or not I have no idea, but they did seem to be made up as the riders went along. There were loads of allowances made as many competitors were young and we wanted to create a fun atmosphere and a bit of day out feel. I think it worked.

The "Display Team" This lot had me on the floor with laughter. They were brilliant at barrel racing and they did it all in sync with each other. Then they would throw in a move that looked like they had made a mistake which threw the others in to disaray, only to recover with amazing skill and finesse. It was all an act of course, and we all thought it brilliant. Not bad for amatuers practicing at weekends!

We put the boards up to protect the sides of the arena and to create a preparation area for before the events. This obstacle course was huge fun. the riders had to jump smaller bars and fences, while carrying a teapot (plastic) full of water (cold) we added food colouring to the water so it was easy to tell if any was spilt. We had to limit the participants as even the 'posh' horses and their riders were clamouring to have a go. It was fun to watch hanno's, usually seen sailing regally over huge fences, manouvering over smaller bars with ears and eyes swivelling to see what was being done with a bright red teapot! The dignity aspect had totally disappeared!

It was a fabulous day, enjoyed by all. If I have the energy, I may even organise another one!

27th June 2008

2008-06-27T13:42:00.005+01:00

Hello once again. We are almost ready for the comps and fun set to start tomorrow. Sometimes I truly believe there are not enough hours in the day to do all we need to do! I cant stop long today as I have final preparations to make. Just wanted to let you all know that there will be a wonderful party atmosphere here at No Boundaries tomorrow and an oen house to all. The breeding side will be out of bounds to visitors, obviously, as the noise and bustle might disturb our younger ones or the mares in gestation. We have had wonderful weather these past couple of days lets hope it keeps up for the fun and games! See you all tomorrow. Bring a picnic (and possibly and umbrella, you never know) and put your party head on and come join the fun!

Saturday 21st June 2008

2008-06-21T22:47:00.007+01:00

Hello! Wow, we have had a busy week! We have had our usual lessons and competitions this week but we have also had a few new arrivals and our new stable block completed! It is so wonderful and I am so very excited. it is designed for the best in comfort and is specially for our broodmares and their foals. It even has it's own paddock so the foals can exercise in safety and get used to the big wide world but still feel secure. The old broodmare block will become the new sickbay, for all those injuries and strains suffered as a consequence of competitions or just plain, silly accidents. Hopefully it will never be too full! It will also be used as a temporary area for those rescue ponies that may need a little extra peace and quiet while trying to adjust to their new circumstances.

Big thanks to all the staff, owners and horses for bearing with us throughout the winter and into spring as it was a pretty noisy and mucky time of it. I do believe it has been worth it.

Take a look at the news page for photo's of the stable block and also a list of our most recent arrivals.

We are almost ready for our competitions to celebrate the opening of our indoor arena. It's a little late but we thought everyone would enjoy it anyway. It's scheduled for next weekend so tune in for an account of how it all went. I did catch a shot of a staff member and owner testing their paces in the back paddock!

We shall have to see how they do in the comps!

Others decided to chill out and take it easy!

(Tall Star and Sugar Confection enjoying a warm spring day)

We managed to harvest the carrots despite all the rain we've been having. Also have plenty of flax for the boxes. Will be harvesting turnips before long as well so a very busy time ahead (when is it not busy though?)

Clarence is settling in well. Bit of a loner still but has soon learnt that riding lessons are a good time to put in an appearance. It's amazing what a cute act he can put on when there is a tit bit from the girls on offer. I am sure the horses share is rapidly dwindling into the gaping maw of the ginger fiend!

More soon, gotta dash and do last check around stables. The horses (and ponies of course) get restless if I am too late with their cookie and milk. nite all

Monday 16th June 2008

2008-06-16T23:29:00.005+01:00

Hello again my avid blog readers! Sorry to have neglected you, but yesterday was a very busy day. Had to get out there and plant some crops as the weather has finally turned and spring is here!! What with crop planting new arrivals and some departures, it has been a very busy couple of days.

Sadly, today we said goodbye to Silver Stream. She is off to another home to fulfill her true potential. As you can probably guess the new owners were vetted when they first took an interest and were vetted again before the paperwork was signed. I also went along to their breeding and training centre to see the lie of the land and I am quite happy she will settle well.

We do have a couple of new arrivals, boarders and my own. Take a look at the boarders page to see a couple of beautiful hannovarians that have joined us and I have rescued (again) another chincoteague pony. Her name is Blackberry, she has had a rather tough time of it so we must go quietly and steady with her until she finds her feet. I am not sure what her personality is like as she is far too nervous of everyone at the moment for it to shine forth, but I am confident that before long we will have a happy and well balanced pony.

Some fabulous news. Wildgal has had her foal and believe it or not, it is not a cherry bay! Crazy Babe is a lovely chestnut filly and looks to have all the character of her mum and more. I think she is one babe we will be hearing alot from.

Ok the name that has been decided on by the children for our new cat is Clarence. I thought they would have gone for Garfield (he seems to have the same sort of appetite) but no, Clarence it is. Keep and eye out for his hiding place as I haven't spotted it yet. He has an uncanny knack of disappearing whenever he is needed. i.e. worming time, fleaing time, but funnily enough, not feeding time! If the children feed him anymore of their snacks he is going to resemble a ginger beach ball!

Saturday 14th June 2008

2008-06-15T07:49:00.002+01:00

Well, what can I say? Yesterday was a blur. The indoor arena was a huge hit with everyone. The weather was wet and rainy so it was an ideal opportunity to test it out. Nothing leaked, which is obviously a good thing! A couple of ponies were a little hesitant at first as the ceilings are so high. This gives a wonderful feeling of space, but I think it confused them a little. they soon settled down though. It will be great to watch Wildgal over the jumps once she has had her foal as she has won a fair few comps and is very impressive.

Dark Envy was put through her paces once the jumping was over. She moves so smoothly and her action is really something. Infact, sometimes as you watch her it seems as if she feels the ground is too dirty to keep her hooves on. She lifts them up as high and as daintily as she can. When Showdown is as accomplished, we will have a very handsome pair of Friesians indeed.

Ok, here are some names the children have thought of for the cat that sems to have adopted us.

Clarence
Goldenpaw
Cinderpaw
Garfield

Haven't decided which one it will be yet, or if it will be something completely different! Misty was seen chatting to him yesterday during a lesson break. Not sure what he thinks of our setup here, but he seems to be settling in. I haven't worked out where he spends the night yet, he slinkoff somewhere fairly late and turns up again just after morning stables. Softpaw is avoiding him at the moment. I don't think he is happy that the title of Stable Cat isn't exclusively his anymore!

Misty introducing herself

Friday 13th June 2008 - 2nd Edition

2008-06-14T00:04:00.004+01:00

Well, what a day! I am absolutely whacked! We all worked really hard so that the indoor arena would be up and running for tomorrow, and I have to say, it looks fab!

Sparkle is back with us after a spell away. She is in foal at the moment so is on the breeding side of the centre along with Phantom and the others. I will keep you updated as to her progress. It's great to have her back, she really is a character and she knows it! Take a look at this little photo and tell me she does not have bags of charm.

Off to give the wee beasties a final look over, make sure they are snug and have had their cocoa and cookies (joking!) Gotta round up the cats too, I hate them being out at night in the winter. Brrr far too cold. I say cats because we have managed to adopt a second cat. Shadowpaw isn't too struck with our newcomer but hopefully he will come round! Not sure where this tabby came from, just turned up during the busy-ness surrounding the arena. Misty seems to like him so I think he will be staying. Haven't got a name for him yet, will ask the children in tomorrows riding lesson. nite for now.

Friday 13th June 2008

2008-06-13T16:12:00.003+01:00

Fridays are all about getting ready for the busy weekends. I have nipped into the office to update you all on this mornings activities as I know you are all waiting for each installment! Hopefully I will get back later on to update some more. I don't have much time for chatting, though, because The Indoor Arena Is Ready!! I am so excited, there is a photo on the News page of it already. Those that can be spared are setting up some jumps so we can pop a few horses over later on. Must dash. I promise I will be back to let you know how the horses and ponies took to this new addition. TTFN (ta ta for now).

Thursday 12th June 2008

2008-06-12T14:28:00.009+01:00

Okay, I have been very technical and put a countdown widget on the news page of the website. This is for the new stable block. I am very excited. It isn't going to be huge, but will add some much needed extra space.

There will be more horses arriving soon, will keep you posted (excuse the pun).

Weather at the moment is pretty grot. But, i guess that's what you get in the middle of winter, roll on spring I say! A couple more days and spring will be here. I have managed to survive the winter with only one major storm that I know affected everyone in the area. Cut my crop yield down a little but not too disasterous thankfully. The apple orchard is doing really well and wont it be lovely to have a lovely fresh supply of apples to hand for our beautiful beauties?

So today it's wet, pretty wet actually. In fact a couple of the horses point blank refused to set foot outside. I wouldn't mind, but I spent a fortune on decent drainage so that the meadows were always great for pasture. This didnt wash (what's with the puns eh?!) with our high born beauties, so we left them to it and let out all the others who were quite willing to kick their heels and disappear into the distance. The wet weather gave us the opportunity to catch up with the paperwork (yuck) and have a staff meeting with just about all the staff present (excuse for coffee and cakes - yum)

This is the office block. It's actually tucked away behind the small breeding padoock. We all manage to spend as little time as possible here. We tend to prefer the common room (catch up on the gossip from the owners) with its setees and pool table! But today in a spirit of self sacrifice (and the need of a space with no distractions) we settled here to iron out a few details that I wont bore you with. Two hours later and with slightly glazed expressions (too much concentration not good for you) we staggered out and got on with the chores.

It's about the only time we look forward to mucking out. No more thinking needed for a while.

Tomorrows weather is an improvement. It will be -1*C but fairly bright. So we are off for a bit of a trek. Pack a flask of something warm (non-alchoholic) and a couple of sandwiches (sarnies). Must remember to keep King away from any streams as I certainly don't fancy wading in to get him! Will be good to make the most of dry weather as after that it is set to rain for a couple more days. Just in time for the weekend, of course, our busiest time! I am really hoping that the indoor arena will be done by then. It should be but i'm not counting my chickens just yet.

Wednesday 11th June 2008

2008-06-11T23:37:00.006+01:00

The builders were around today to work out an estimate for the new stable block, which will include the long awaited common room. Lots of coming and going, much to the horses interest. Hopefully work should start in a couple of weeks. The disruption to the horses routine should be minimal as the builders have promised to start work once the horses are either out in the paddocks or transfered to the breeding side of the centre.

Hopefully the weather will be decent enough to keep the horses out for the best part of the days the work is being done. I will be organising a few day trips away, just to give the residents a break from the noise and bustle. Will post activities on the news page of the website. Feel free to sign up to any or all of whats on offer.

Here is our new indoor stable block. It's really for those mares who are pregnant or have just had foal and need a little peace and quiet.

This is the view from the back of the stable block. It's sheltered and quiet but not cut off from the activities going on at the centre. A perfect place for the very young (or occasionally very old) to kick back and relax.

A fairly quiet day today. A couple of classes this afternoon, a beginners and an advanced jumping class. Both Firestar and Wish Upon Flames took part in the jumping class. They acquited themselves well and will soon be ready for some comps a little further afield. It was wonderful to watch the ease with which they dealt with the jumps. They do love it.

Showdown met our cat Shadowpaw for the first time today. It didn't go too well! Showdown to exception to the cat arriving in his box unannounced, and Shadowpaw took exception to his tail being stomped on! Hopefully, we can introduce them properly, but I think I may leave it until tomorrow as the last time I saw Shadowpaw he was vaulting the box door and flying down the passage towards the pastures. Oh well!

Monday 9th June 2008

2008-06-11T16:46:00.002+01:00

Morning stables went well. Most of the horses had been down during the night so were well rested. We let all but Sugar Confection out to pasture for a couple of hours. Sugar wasn't eating this morning so we kept her in until our vet had called.
Apparently she has a very slight allergy to the brand of food we use and it has made her feel slightly unwell and she has a slightly raised temperature. Nothing too much to worry about though.
We let her out in the 3 acre paddock with Misty for company. As this paddock is closest to the stables, she enjoyed watching visitors coming and going and had plenty of shade under the old oak.

Sugar having a good look around
She should be back on top form by the morning.

Here are Esspresso (back), King (just disappearing!) and Sanuye (front) stretching their legs before the heat of the day sets in.

Sanuye and King gently steaming after their gallop.

The children's riding lesson was something not to be missed today! Misty, Miracle and Flower were the horses. We had 3 young children in the class, beginners.
As they were beginners we were only walking and explaining correct hand and foot positions. Really just a taster session.
Well, one of the children - Millie, I think - had, without us realising, left her rucksack by the gate. Well we all know how much Flower likes bread! Everytime we walked past the gate, Flower's head turned towards it even though she kept walking on. It was amusing to watch, although we didn't realise why the gate held so much fascination.
On the 3rd pass, she had had enough temptation and without breaking her stride, snatched up the bag and 'strutted' (there really is no other word for it) around the school head held high!
Needless to say, Millie and the other girls thought it very amusing and the lesson descended into chaos. Millie insisted that we all stop and have a picnic - ponies too - so that is what we did (the customer, of course, is always right)! We did remember to find a couple of apples for the other ponies so no one was left out.
Of course, Flower was one of the ponies in the afternoon class and nothing we did could convince her that another rucksack hadn't 'grown' out of the ground by the gate!

Flower behaving oh so well. For now!

Tuesday 10th June 2008.

2008-06-11T04:00:00.000+01:00

Okay, today has been a busy day, we decided that as it was cold but very bright, we would have a picnic. All those who fancied a gentle mosey on down to the lower pastures met up by the back lane with their picnic baskets and woolly jumpers. (well, not quite baskets, but definately woolly jumspers).

Back Lane (enticing isn't it)
The lower pastures are fabulous as there is a stream running through which the horses love. There were no lessons booked until later on in the afternoon so we set off just after coffee and pancakes. Of course, not all the horses could come so it was a fraught time trying to decide who to take and who to disappoint.
In the end, we took King (because he demanded it), Misty, Cookie, Biscuit and Miracle. Well, I say 'we', but I meant 'they'. Someone had to stay behind to care for the new arrivals *sigh*. It's a tough life being the boss.

Seems I missed a great trip out, with King up to his usual tricks. Apparently he decided that despite it being a pretty cold day, the water would be far more refreshing than pasture grazing.
All had enjoyed their food (and the four legged had more than their fair share also) and were preparing to lie back and do a bit of skiving (sorry, apparently it's not skiving, it's relaxing!).
Bella looked up to check on King who was being far to docile, only to find him well over his knees in the stream. All had a chuckle and Bella called him to come out. She called him again.. nothing. There was nothing for it but to wade in and haul him out. He's not called a champion jumper in the making for nothing. He led poor ole Bella a merry dance in the water, much to the amusement of the others. Then popped back up the bank and waited patiently for Bella to climb back up!

King decides it's still warm enough to go for a swim (trust me it wasn't!)
The rest of the picnic passed in peace and all returned as the sun was setting, just in time for evening stables.