TCJpart54 Stateside New Equipment Review

NEW EQUIPMENT FROM THE USA:

No shopping trip to the States would be complete without a quick look at all the new developments stateside, so I try to get to a saddlery when I go.

Here are a few things I have bought that have been very useful.

Firstly, I was in New York, so naturally I visited the Manhattan Saddlery.  My impressions about saddlery's/tack shops over there is their primary focus is for the rider, and there's usually very little for the horse, other than the odd thing we already have.  A  high-end experience with everything a dressage star might need, but very little for the ordinary horse-keeper.  

The Horse Cookies:



Although I did buy Tom & Henry horse 'cookies' from Mrs Pastures, which they loved:


BUT, there's a few things we don't get that are brilliant, and I found something fantastic for me too:

The Irideon Jodhpurs:

A fleece lined warm and snugly pull-on jodhpurs like a legging.  With gripping knee overlays and comfy elasticated ankle cuffs.  On a cold morning these are brilliant they keep you wonderfully warm.  They go in the wash and are so much more comfortable than regular jodhpurs.  You can buy them on-line only - try e-bay.

The Halter as modelled by Tom:

Not new to us since Parelli, but nonetheless the tack shops there sell lots of these.  John bought me this one and I use it when I take the boys for a walk.  It has a very long rope and is light and easy to wear on their heads.  Great for training and playing you can even walk/trot lunge with it over small logs for fun!

The Rubber Curry's:

These are very useful, I use one in each hand, and it makes getting mud off, and old hair out very quick and easy.  There are 2 different sizes, and they work very well together.  Since buying these a few years ago, I have seen them in my local saddlery.  I recommend you give them a try.

Then we went to Hawaii, and in the Waimea Hill Country & Tack shop I bought this 'quirt' rope.

The Quirt by Mustang:

I have no idea what it's used for, but according to the swing tag, the end leather part is called a 'popper'.  I think the cowboys use it under the noseband of their bridles when they're riding so they can grab the horse once dismounted. 

Western tack is deliberately designed to facilitate jobs the rider has to do, with his horse, but not on it.  So they're much better at the leading/tying, out-riding and dismounted type of equipment than we are, because we assume we never have to get off out hacking, so our tack has developed just for riding.  Maybe there's something we can learn about that?

The Americans have some great ideas that we can use in every day circumstances:  this quirt I have used to bring Tom in from the field, I don't need and leverage so it's brilliant for that.  And it's attached to the underneath noseband of his leather head collar, so when Steve the farrier came, that's all we needed.  No messing about with leadropes, because the thing I needed was already attached and ready to use.  PLUS, it's short enough to stay out of Tom's way whilst he's eating hay and wandering about the yard etc. Plus, if he gets away from me when I catch him in a mad moment of play, he wont be galloping around his field with a long rope attached to his head and cause an injury.

I wonder what's it's really for, because the part I have used to attach to Tom's noseband could be a wrist loop, and it might be some kind of soft, noise-making forward aid? like a rope whip?

Anyway, I have made good use of it and bought Jenny one too, I wonder what she's done with hers, I'll find out xx

CITRONELLA NAFOFF TAGS: closer to home (Amazon.com).

I will endeavour to continue to review new and interesting products from home and away when I can, I have just bought some Nafoff Tags to keep the flies off Tom & Henry's heads during the hot days.  I will attach them to their field-safe fly fringes, and of course let you know my review.  I like to source handy things for my 2 and myself, so hopefully I'll do the ground work so you don't have to.

TCJpart53 Diet Update

MY BODY IS A TEMPLE.....
...well, obviously mine isn't but the boys are!

In a very unscientific way, I have attempted to document the progress of Tom & Henry's mission (or rather mine), to loose a few pounds.  

...and how's it all going diet-wise?  brilliantly.  The boys are well on their way to their target 'beach bodies'.

I had been weightaping them since Dodson & Horrell sent me a tape back in October 2009, in no specific time frame and shockingly few times too.

Then I was taking a long hard look at them both one day and I remembered a time when they (and I), were skinnier.  So I taped them and was mildly alarmed by the results...hence the diets.

I have weighed them every Sunday since and their progress to slimdom has been fully documented using the chart D&H sent with the tape.  The chart is attached to their fridge door with magnets so it's quick and easy to maintain a system. I give them half an apple each after the taping, so it's not all boring and diets for them.

I call it unscientific, because I'm not entirely certain I'm doing it right BUT, I lay the tape in the same place, I do it at the same time of day (just after they've had dinner), and meet the ends at the same pressure every time, so it may be wrong, but it's consistent.

I have been very pleased with what I have learned.  And shocked that some local haylage I bought when we couldn't get Horse Hage, that the boys LOVED, made their waistlines start to creep up again...I had no idea they could be so different.

They are roughly 100kg's less that when I began at the beginning of January this year, and that's a lot.  I'm not going to need to buy any new girths!!! They look slimmer, healthier and can move very fast too.

So while we order a delivery pizza tonight, clearly playing fast and loose with our own waistlines, Tom & Henry are on the way to being even more gorgeous than they already are....that can't be possible!

TCJpart52 An Unnoficial OBITUARY

FAMILIES part2: A very sad loss of a very great horse.

HOLME GROVE SOLOMON. 26 year old champion stallion, and father of Tom, died very suddenly of a heart attack in his field 26th April this year.  He had been watching his mares, he will be sorely missed by all those who knew or met him and of course by the Trakehner community. Solomon was Holme Grove's first foal.

RIP Solomon, love xx

I went out this morning, slung my arms around Tom's neck and told him the news.  He looked at me thoughtfully and rubbed his head on me.  Having recently lost my own Dad, I think my body language and attitude conveyed a message not possible vocaly, we had a quiet moment together.

Not quite as handsome as Solomon, my Dad was no less remarkable.  I miss him too. Here's a big  cosmic hug to all those untangible Dads xxx

Tom's Blood Line

Holme Grove Constable (Tom) (Bay Colt) Born: 14 April 2002 at 03:50 Family Tree
Sire Holme Grove Solomon (Chestnut)	Fernando (Chestnut)	Flugwind (Dark Bay)
		Freude II (Grey)
	H.G. Schlobitten (Bay)	Malachit (Chestnut)
		Schoene Schwalbe (Bay)
Dam Holme Grove Copelia (Bay)	Bartholdy (Bay)	Mahagoni (Dark Bay)
		Balaika II (Chestnut)
	SPS H.G. Cordula IV (Bay)	Schiwago
		Coretta

TCJpart51 Family Edition

FAMILIES:   And Tom & Henry's are incredibly talented and beautiful.

Holme Grove Prokofiev - Henry's Father

HOLME GROVE PROKOFIEV: a 17year old Graded Trakehner stallion, and Henry's Dad, has just become the new 'face' of Lloyd's Bank.  Congratulations all at Holme Trakehners, you must be very proud.

The Lloyd's Bank black horse has never been a thoroughbred, instead they chose the Trakehner, for obvious reasons not least beauty.  And now the banks newest star is Henry's Father.

You can clearly see where Henry gets his stunning looks from.

The LLoyd's photo above was taken by George Brooks, London based renowned animal photographer amongst other things including fashion and food.

Stephen Charlton photographed Prokofiev during the shoot.

A stunning Stallion, and an amazing photograph by Stephen.

Henry's Blood Line

Holme Grove Gwygion (Henry) (Bay Colt) Born: 16 March 2001 at 19:30 Family Tree
Sire Holme Grove Prokofiev (Black)	Begg xx (Bay)	Gelikon xx (Chestnut)
		Baschma xx (Bay)
	Pilar III (Black-Brown)	Goldino (Black)
		Primadonna III (Black)
Dam Holme Grove Genevieve (Bay)	Holme Grove Istanbul (Bay)	Flaneur (Bay)
		Idyll (Chestnut)
	Holme Grove Gotschna (Black)	Schwalbenfreund (Black)
		Gerdsen (Black)

TCJp50 Special Wedding Edition

WEDDINGS & HORSES:

Today, Jenny (Tom & Henry's 'Auntie' Jenny), married Mr Lee Hughes, at the Golf Club in our little village. An old beamed building set in lovely grounds.  We could hear the peacocks, the popping corks from the champagne and the horses hooves of Jenny's carriage.

Congratulations to them both, and I hope she doesn't get hay all over her dress when she does her horses later, it has a very long train!

 Congratulations Mr&Mrs Hughes.

..and Jenny, you look beautiful.

Clearly this really is a horse-related post since Jenny had horses at her wedding today, a pair of very handsome greys with plumed headpieces.

...I wonder whether we'll ever see Lee in a suit again?

TCJpart49 Thundery Skies

MUD:

We sometimes complain about bad weather, the rain for example.  But these skies are often a wonderful kaleidoscope of watercolours.  And the light gives a moody effect to photos of horses.  And of course, if you can imagine lovely bays underneath, photos of the horses are actually quite beautiful.

The skies above our village are swirling and churning with weather, clouds of vapour rolling and changing colours from dove white to dark gunmetal.  Thundering in a palette too interesting to leave unnoticed.  The consequence of extreme weathers in particular lots of rain as we have had recently is mud, and of course horses like few things better than rolling about in it.

I use a rubber tipped hairbrush to remove the worst, and a secession of gradually softening bristles of a variety of brushes to get them sparkling again...or, more likely, to make a clean spot to be filled with a more recent application of the wet stuff - I expect it's good for the skin.

I almost had a bit of a tail-trimming disaster too. Stupidly I began a job in the raging wind I was unable to satisfactorily complete in one go since they wandered off in mid-chop...yes, both of them!!  Their tails looked hacked and uneven, and pure-bred Trakehners can only have perfectly Vidal'd tails in my book.  Getting them perfect took a second attempt, and their tails are a little shorter than I usually trim them, but at least they look like dressage stars now, not rocking horses!!

Now, no photo diary of Tom & Henry would be complete without lots of shots of their amazing bums!!  Tom's  bum is all dapples at the moment as you can see, and Henry's, well of course you must recognise it... so rounded and perfect...even covered in mud!!

They love this weather, they both roll a lot.  They pick a perfect spot and take it in turns to smother themselves in earth.

In the opposite camp, the cats stay indoors when it's raining, they have us light the fire, put their snugly blanket out and they curl up with Fergal, their sharky!!

And left here is Fergal, Mum bought him back from her holiday in South Africa.   They love it!

TCJpart48 Cowboys of Hawaii

COWBOYS: ORIGINATING FROM MEXICO, THE COWBOYS OF HAWAII

We decided to go for a 'horseback ride', we mustn't call it a trek, because they think that's disrespecting their craft of riding and herding. We chose the first ride of the day since it was less likely to be too hot, and actually it was lovely, sunny and clear and windy too, but unlike Tom & Henry, these horses didn't mind the wind, I guess they are used to it.

The Parker Ranch is the oldest ranch in the USA, 198,000acres of grazing on the Big Island called Hawai'i.  A working ranch with Black Angus beef cattle and real cowboys to look after them. They breed thier own horses too.

So, we arrived in the hills of the Big Island, signed many wavers and disclaimers before our group met our steeds.  Ponies mostly, Quarter horses, bred for rodeos and trialling.  Small and agile, strong legs and small feet - all fully shod because of the lava rock on the ground.

Mine was a 14hh chestnut called Missy , and John had a 15hh bay called Freckles .  You can see from the shots that we stowed our phones in a saddle bag which hooked over the tall pommel at the front of the saddle, and the horses were so calm it seemed safe to hook the rein over the pommel and take photos with our phones.  We would definitely not try this at home!

Our 2 horses were the ones who hated each other, so we were not going to  be riding side by side on this adventure.  I had never ridden western before, the seat position is very different, and if you don't partake you could be forgiven for sitting rather than riding. Neck reining with a one piece plaited string rein was a new experience, I begun to feel a bit like a pedestrian rather than a participant.

We were soon out onto open planes with volcanic mountains in the scenery. A unique view of this incredible landscape form the back of a horse.  We were out for 2 hours, we had some uphill spurts of trotting and Missy wanted to be in-front, so I had the best uninterrupted vista of all.

Sure footed, those little ponies, navigated all the rough lava rock strewn about everywhere, but the 'between the ear'  photos speak for themselves, I strongly recommend getting out when your on holiday.  You might even see a cactus in the shape of a tuning fork like the old western movies.

I was of course, totally prepared to turn around and not ride were I not completely satisfied with the health, fitness and happiness of any of our mounts, but they all appeared to be well and stress-free. So I was happy to participate.

We had a wonderful time.  But it made me miss Tom & Henry.  I began to be glad we were nearing the end of our holiday, I couldn't wait to sling my arms around my own horses necks and give them big hugs.

We went straight to the only tack shop on the Island Wimea Country & Tack, and bought a halter for Jenny, and a strange short rope device all the cowboys use, I will attach it to Tom's headcollar to use to lead him in when I need to, instead of a leadrope, that way if he ever pulls away he wont have a long rope dragging around his legs as he gallops away, which of course he never does...

On horseback might be the only way to get some scenery in, and certainly beats driving about in a car!