We won!..............

On saturday, William and I went off again to our second competition at Patchetts. The weather wasn't to bad in the morning but we were doing the last class so we didn't have to leave until 12, the wind had picked up but nothing to extreme. By the time we hit the M1 it was horrendous with driving rain and very strong gusts of wind. It was a moment of 'why am I doing this?' but we got there safe and sound with enough time to relax and have a cuppa before walking the course.
It walked ok, it was a two phase course, up to height, but it wasn't a course I thought would suit Will very well with lots of related distances at the beginning that I thought he would have lots of chances to get strong and away from me but I was liking the jump off fences with some good turns and lots of chances for me to be able to bring him back.
Well I obviously don't know what i'm talking about as it was completely the opposite as he went in and jumped like a star, all the related distances were no problem and the major hiccup was in the jump off when I turned to fence 11 and he completly locked onto the fence next to it. With a bit if a 'DON'T YOU DARE' I only just about managed to switch him off and get him to realise that wasn't the actual fence we were after.
The class was a lot more technical to jump than I first realised but there were 35 in the class and we won with the ONLY clear round so I was hugely impressed with him.
Earlier in the day I had made a comment and said " if I get placed and have to go in a line up, I have to come first as he freaks if they all canter off without him". It was only a joke but I might have to use that one again as it worked (and they let me sneak off before they did the lap of honour, safer for everyone I think.lol)
So big pats and polos for William this week and an owner with a big smile on her face. :)

Time has flown.........

I have been extra extra busy for the last couple of weeks. We have now finally launched the new Chillton Rug Range, ranging from 1200d light weight turnouts to heavy weight combos.

William had the honour of posing for the photos and I think he made a grand job. I had to keep him in for 3 days to keep him clean!

We are offering 10% off these rugs at the moment and they are all in the winter range so you really can bag yourself a bit if a bargain.

Along side launching the rugs we also have had in a new range of SSG Gloves. Now I don't know if you have used these before but they really are a fantastic long wearing riding glove and I am particularly loving the 'Glove for Hope' gloves at the moment which support breast cancer. I feel not only do I have smart hands, I am supporting a worth while cause as well!

Then we have our new Hi-Viz range from Rambo. The excellent Hi-Viz exercise sheet plus a Hi-Viz Horseware Vest and we are throwing in a FREE Horseware Baseball Cap that has 5 LED lights on the front. Fun but highly practical for walking in the dark and missing the rabbit holes.

We also have the Harry Hall Yale Country Boots, again very practical and stylish for the yard and some lovely Caldene breeches and one of them has a bit of added Bling Bling.

AND before I forget, the Rambo Fleece Lined Chaps with are just so comfortable for yard or riding and are waterproof, windproof, breathable and have a reflective strip down the outside leg for added safety. You get these with a FREE pair of Horseware socks as well.

Well thank goodness it's Friday as after doing all this lot, I need a nice rest over the weekend, spending some quality time with my horse. Oh... I have a lesson tomorrow at 8am, what was that I said about needing a rest?

And here is some pictures of Will that didn't make it to the website :)

I did it, I did it at last............

Saturday saw me having an absolutely fantastic day out at Patchetts with William.

I went for a day trip with my friend Nicki who is at the same yard as myself, and thought it would be a good chance to give him a ride round in a show environment again without actually competing.

So much for me thinking he would be an idiot. He was such a good boy and was totally unfazed about being at a show again.The good thing about Patchetts is there is room, lots of it and we were able to have a beautiful schooling session outside with no-one else around and he was so good I decided to have a jump... well, why not!

I was so organised :) I had no white or beige breeches and no jacket so cue me trying my hardest to squeeze into my friends breeches (she is a few sizes smaller than me with legs twice as long), but I succeeded. I couldn't breathe but I was in, and Patchetts very kindly let me go in without the correct jacket but I did smile nicely.

Well, the bell went and we exploded!!!! 14 fences, as it was 2phase, was a lot to take in but it was to late now, we were off. The first 5-6 fences were interesting and we bounced and lept about on every approach but jumped the fences 3ft higher than they actually were, however, after the 6th we really settled down into a forward rhythm and completed the course in a slightly better manner than when we started. He loved it, I loved it and I am now on the look out for the next outing. I have the bug back!

At Cybercheckout, I have been very busy getting in lots of new stock and promotional ideas. We are all stocked up on our medium and heavy weight rugs from Horseware. A new delivery has arrived today of SSG gloves (which I have to admit are rather lovely), Fleece lined waterproof chaps and Hi-Viz gear, which this time of year we cannot live without, especially if you meet drivers like I met out hacking yesterday (yes you, Mr Silver Range Rover man!)

We also now have a new line of Caldene breeches which look fab and one style even has a little bling on the pocket for you, but they are very flattering even for my stump legs and stretch nicely. If you go to the website, in the clothing section there is a lovely Caldene Badminton Jacket. I love it and I have already put one aside for myself, just waiting for Pay day, but if you can, I would, they are lovely!

And we are off...............

Well, I never did make it to the competition on Sunday, I am beg, stealing and borrowing lifts at the moment, due to no transport and my lift didn't happen. Not to worry, I am off to Patchetts on Saturday and it has given me more time to put some work into the jumping.

I have worked on the ground poles, I have also done a tiny little cross pole (but it felt great), so we have now progressed onto grid work. I set out a bounce grid running down the long side of the arena. Pole, Cross, Pole, Cross, Pole, Cross. This really made William come back to me and think about what he was doing. I kept it simple, trot in, bounce through and canter away, trot, halt. Very impressive for Will. Took it all in his stride, nice and relaxed and felt smashing. The best I have jumped him in years actually.

The thing with Will is that I don't need to worry about the height of the fences, I know, he knows he can do it, he is more than capable so our aim at home, is keeping it small and simple but above all controlled and relaxed and do the fun stuff at the competitions. So far so good.

Saturday, I made the most of the daylight and the sunshine and went for a lovely hack on my own for a good hour and a half. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was nice to spend some time not on a time limit and rushing around to get home etc. Yesterday we went in the field for a school around..........we will just brush that one aside......less said about that the better I think........our leg yielding is fantastic though! :)

Desperately trying to find time to get another clip in as this first clip really hasn't lasted that long and he gets terribly hot, the trouble is, I have a few clips booked in for other people for the next few weekends so I can see me trying to battle it out in artificial light at 8pm in the evening. I'll let you know how it looks the next morning!! Oh, I do loathe the winter nights.

It's all a bit scary...........

Before I begin waffling on about myself and what I have been up to I want to say a HHUUUGGGEEE congratulations to Team GB at the Europeans but my major well dones are saved for Piggy French and Some Day Soon (Edward) who got Individual Silver. Edward is owned by a very good friend of mine and I have followed his progress from the beginning when he was first being ridden at Nick Turners yard by Lucy Kempley. Lucy and Nick have done a fantastic job on a highly talented but highly quirky horse and I just adored being able to shout at the telly cheering on a horse I actually knew. Well done to everybody involved from the owners to the grooms, you deserve it all.

So apart from wanting to pin a poster of Edward to Will's stable wall to give him some inspiration, we have been busy working on lots of pole work and lunge jumping.

I tried the double bridle out but it didn't all go to plan, the bridle was a bit big and just didn't sit right making the bits not seem in the correct place in his mouth. It certainly wasn't atrocious so I gave it a go but even though Will didn't do anything wrong, he didn't feel right so 15Min's in, I got off and popped his pelham on. He immediately felt a lot more relaxed so I am not saying the Double isn't right for him but I think that bridle was wrong for him, sensitive sole he is.

I used the Pelham to do all of his pole work and it has been fine so far so I think I shall leave it at that for now. As Will hasn't jumped for so long I decided the best thing for both of us was to lunge jump a few times at first, he is a lot calmer on the lunge without me trying to interfere(!) and it will give his muscles a chance to get used to it again. He was good as gold and looks to be thouroughly enjoying himself. I have done all the pole work and Wednesday saw me attempting to try canter poles. This has never been our best exercise but it has to be done (I decided that) and I was pleasantly surprised. Very good and only a couple of blips which I can live with.

Sunday see's me going out to a competition with a friend of mine. I am just taking Will for the ride out really and not planning to compete. The aim is to just ride him around in a show atmosphere again, keeping him chilled, no stress ready for a few weeks time when we get out to a proper competition. However, I know what i'm like so i'm taking my clothes with me just incase he is going very nicely and I decide just to go for it. You never know!!!!!

Work is hectic! All these rugs you keep buying :):):) We have just had a fresh delivery of stock in and it is flying out the door. Absolutely fantastic. I should also have my new range of rugs in at the end of this month, this is exciting but very scary. I have so much work to do for this but I am very proud of them and I haven't had a negative comment as yet from the people who have been testing them for me. I am sure you will all support me on this long road and I welcome ALL feedback on these. Not long to go *chews nails nervously* but hang on in there.........

We have progress......

William has been a little star lately. As I mentioned previously, I changed his bit over because of all the 'issues' we were having with life in general. He is now being schooled in a rubber pelham with double reins. Well what a change in pony, he is loving this bit and has completly changed his attitude to work. I dont even have to touch the second rein, he is light and responsive and making my life just a little bit easier.

Before I owned Will, he was on a show jumping yard and ridden in a double bridle. When I bought him, we went back to basics and we found a happy medium on the flat with a Myler Comfort Snaffle and a Myler Combination for jumping. Obviously we have progressed through the years and I now feel ready to try him again in the double. His attitude and abilty have progressed so this week I have begged, stealed and borrowed a double bridle from a friend of mine and I shall be trying this out and I will update as we go along.





Friday saw us doing our first bit of pole work, only trotting poles but this is William we are talking about, however he didnt even flick an ear and happily mooched over them without a care in the world. This is great for me as I have an event planned for mid October and was wondering how long I would need to spend in orbit before we could get on with some decent pole work and jumps. The weekend saw me doing some happy hacking and this week, apart from the bridle change, sees me doing some lunge jumping and more ground work.


I clipped him yesterday so I had all of about 12 hours of a gorgeously clean grey. This morning, I was greated with a lovely poo stain all down his neck and rubbed nicely in his mane. Oh the joys.................

New range of Tottie clothing now in!

And I love it. We have Polo Shirts , Hoodies , Gilets and various other items of clothing in now. I am into Grey and Pink at the moment. These are my 'in' colours for the season so I am loving the Charcoal colour that is out in Tottie at the moment. I think it is exceptionally smart with your Jodhpurs (and having a grey, the hair blends in nicely) and also teamed up with jeans, they look great around the town as well.

As you can imagine my pay packet doesn't last long working here, by the time I have bought all my rugs that I dont need, and then bought all the new clothing it doesn't leave a lot for the important things like bills. Thank god for husbands! But as we say, you can never have enough Jods and fleeces..........or is that just me?................

I'm exhausted...........

Wow, what a busy bee I have been. I have been working my flying grey that goes by the name of William quite hard to get some extra buzz out of him. I am having a breakthrough! After my last post, his erractic behaviour continued and my patience was slowly wearing thin, but with a bit of hard work (and a bit change, which was desperately needed by the end) we have started to come through to the other side. Saturday saw some of the nicest canter work I have had out of him in a long time, so light and controlled, it was gorgeous and sunday morning I took him for an early morning hack which was nice and the sun was out and not to many people about and again he was a very good boy........ so I love him again now.

Saturday saw all of the family take a road trip to Burghley Horse Trials. My son Oliver, who is 4, enjoyed it the most, cheering on the riders and racing up and down the hills, I dont know where he gets the energy from, but this is the first time he has really showed an interest in the horses. Bikes and cars take preference to the horses with the males in my household so I took great enjoyment at the look of horror on the husbands face as his son proudly said how much fun the horses were....priceless.
Shoved down in the footwell of the car was Ashka, who just adores these days out, and we met so many other Weinaramers who all had a little play together and got on superb. I never thought they were so common but there really were a good few there at the weekend. If you ever want to look at different breeds of dogs, go to a horse trial as they are everywhere, in every breed, in every colour, and I have to say, hand on heart, I did not meet one that was not on a lead or not in control, although to the man who let his dog poop in front of us and then promptly walk away leaving it there for people to tred in....you have pockets, stick a bag in them and pick it up!!!
As I have read a lot of articles about people wanting dogs banned from horse trials recently, For me personally, my horse and my dog go together, I keep her on the lead when I need to and I have her under control. If you cant control your dog, do not take it to these events, if you dont have recall, do not let it off the lead and I am all up for these events to give a fine for people that do not have control over there animals but don't let everyone lose out on the enjoyment of a great day that can be shared with their dogs in the countryside with great exercise. Rant over......

Scream if you want to go faster

So for the last couple of weeks, William and I have been concentrating on our flatwork, all be it, at times, at breakneck speed.

I am very lucky and Will has naturally very nice paces but producing the good work and not tipping him over the edge is proving to be hard.

I am getting some fantastic work out of him, and I am really pleased he is feeling so well but I am at the stage where one minute we are floating across the arena to the next flying sideways, forwards, backwards and any which way across the other side of the arena. I havent quite worked out where that line is...you know, the fine line between lovely and crazy.

On Tuesday of this week, myself and another girl off the yard, decided to hire a lovely arena 10 minutes away to give the horses some schooling at a different enviroment ready for when William gets out and about. He worked so nicely in places, I had strangers saying how lovely he was but the conversation went a bit like this...

"oh, he is lovely isn't he, he looks so well"

Forward 5 minutes to ....

"oh, are you ok over there?"

My achy arms and jelly legs are getting quite a work out at the moment, but we will get there, it will just take a bit of time and hard work I think. Just wish me luck for when the poles come out!!!!!!!!!

Winter sale ends Friday!!!!

Get in there quick as on Friday evening I am ending the sale on the winter rugs and they will be going back up to full price and the summer sale will start. As we are heading towards Autumn very soon I would strongly recommend having a look now as you can have massive savings on the winter lines.

Treat yourself online and then sit back with a cuppa and wait for the goods to arrive, with our next day delivery you won't be waiting for long.

Some new photos of William

Well, bless his little mud coloured socks, Will has been on his best behaviour and we have had a lovely couple of weeks doing quite a bit of hacking. Now, by now you will have got the idea that my horse doesn't really 'do' hacking very well but I have been brave and got on with it, just keeping in walk, taking all the pressure and excitement off and going on our merry way, body protector and all. By keeping in walk and taking it bit by bit, I think he is starting to enjoy himself! I have had one session where we went through the woods with lots of ducking and diving through the low hanging branches, he REALLY didnt like that so needless to say we did some fantastic Passage, Rein Back and 1 time Tempi Changes that would fit in beautifully in a top class dressage competion, however, boring old mother was only looking for a nice walk so I wasnt as impressed as I would have been all plaited up and ready to go!

I am now in the process of booking a lesson in a couple of weeks time so I better get my socks on and get schooling.

Here are a few photos from last week, taken courtesy of my sister in law, some slighty blurry but its the thought that counts.

Fantastic new offers on Horse rugs for August

http://cybercheckout.eu/cybercheckoutlz/lz.aspx?p1=T051S5167&p=0

A poem that I am sure you can relate to...

Oh Lord Wont You Buy Me...

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a horsey that bends.
My friends all ride warmbloods, I must make amends.
I practice my leg yields, each evenin 'til ten.
So, oh Lord, won't you buy me a horsey that bends.

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse that won't buck
I'm tired of trying to land standing up.
I spend all my time, brushing dirt off my butt.
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse that won't buck.

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse that won't bite.
I count all my fingers and toes every night.
I feel like a carrot, when I'm in his sight.
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse that won't bite.

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse with a brain.
Mine is scared of his own shadow, it's driving me insane.
I ask him to do things, but he forgets his own name
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse with a brain.

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse that stays clean.
I brush him, I groom him, I've considered chlorine.
His color's too chestnut for a horse with grey genes.
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a horse that stays clean

Oh Lord, won't you give hime some hindquarter drive.
This horse is so lazy, I'm not sure he's alive.
We bend and we circle, 'til way, way past five.
So oh Lord, won't you give him some hindquarter drive.

I went all la de da at the weekend.....

For the first time in my life, I went to watch Polo. Now I dont know about the rest of you but I have been into horses pretty much from day dot, but I have never had an interest in Polo (apart from the Argentinian polo groom that rides past the yard now and again) I havent even seen bits on the telly so it was a new experience for me.

We were invited to go to the VEUVE CLICQUOT GOLD CUP FINAL at Cowdray Park in West Sussex by our courier friends GFS who look after all our dispatch between ourselves and DHL.

There was myself,who works in the equestrian marketing section and also deals with Amazon, Alison, who is our ebay guru and deals with all our UK and Europe sites and is a bit 'horsey' herself and Andrew, our director/spiritual guide (as he likes to call himself), who has no interest in anything remotely equestrian, apart from how many rugs I am selling, but wanted to taste the free champagne, and very nice it was too!

We arrived at the venue to a few glasses of Veuve Clicquot Champagne followed by a delicious three course meal followed by more champagne, then a drive down to the pitch in the golf clubs 4x4's.

I know there were a few famous faces there, Prince Harry, Jennifer Aniston to name but a few but the only one I spotted was Jenny Faulkner of GMTV fame (didnt she do some celebrity show jumping?)........hmmmmm, oh well.

I had an absolutely fantastic time, and to anyone who hasnt been to watch polo before, you have to try it. I cant believe how fast and furious the game is, and all of the Polo Ponies looked amazing and knew their job inside out. None of this hauling around which is what I fully expected and if you just go and drive down to watch, I think it is only around £10 to get in so I dont think thats to bad at all. The link to Cowdray Park is http://www.cowdraypolo.co.uk/index.asp

Few things to remember -

1) Wear a jacket - it was bloomin freezing and I had goose bumps on goose bumps

2) Dont wear hot pink stilettos to push the divets in on the pitch aka -Pretty Woman - you end up sinking in the grass and walking back across the pitch bare footed and 5" shorter.

3)Know where the toilets are, Verve Clicquot champagne goes straight through you in the cold

4) Do not try and find something nice and appropriate to wear the day before you go, you get very stressed and try on far to many dresses that are not suitable and end up buying the first one you tried on.

But do try it and have fun x

What a refreshing change...........

So much to say, so little time. We are very busy here at the moment at Cybercheckout so I have been meaning to update my blog for a few days now but keep running out of time so today I am writing this from home, but my C button doesn't always work so I do apologise in advance if there happens to be a few letters missing here and there. This could be a problem when you work for a company called Cyberchekout but we shall see how we get on.

After the long stay of my inlaws from South Africa for a month and an unexpeted visit from my sister in law, where I have to say I was completly spoilt and had so much time to ride and do all those extra jobs that I tend to leave (de-cobwebbing my stable for one) that I feel abit lost now everyone has gone home. Actually, change that to rushed, I am back to my 6:30am rides, on the dot, to be back in time to turn into Superwoman and get myself and my son ready for 8:30am, pack him off to school or the childminder and get to my desk trying not to smell to much like a barn and picking bits of shavings out of my hair by 9am.
This works a treat unless like this morning, you arrive at the yard and your horse is still flat out fast asleep. Once you have stood there a minute checking they are actually breathing (as it's very rare for William to be caught having a nap), you get the one eyed very sleepy horse look that says "no, not today mum thanks". Quick kick of the food bucket to wake him up thinking he might be getting fed (i'm such a cruel mum), you find that apart from half a bed of shavings in their tail, you then have a big poo stain down the side of the face where they have made themselves a comfy warm cushion that is now slightly smeared down their neck as well. Now heres the dilema, do you leave bedding and poo and ride them out anyway as you are on a time limit and just hope you dont see anybody who knows you OR change your plan and ride in the field so you can hide behind the hedge? I am afraid to say I am a bit stubborn and didnt want to change my riding plan and decided it was to early for any normal people to be driving so I would risk going out, poo and all. Well, who ever knew there were so many early birds.............you lot need to lie in more often so my poo stained, bed headed horse and I can sneak out without being spotted.

Last week was an interesting one where I had a neighbour banging on the door complaining of my dog making to much noise when I went out, It was a really hot day so I had left the back doors open, not realising Ashka wanted to practise her singing voice at top volume. After knocking on next door to see if the dog was being mistreated (apparently she sounded like she was being strangled) and being told "no, shes just a bit gobby!" the lady said she would 'return later to see me'. Well I was very much looking forward to introducing her to my mistreated dog but unfortunately she never returned. Anyway, after a few threats of no more sausages or cheese, Ash has decided to Shhhhhh. I suppose thats why they call them 'Weiny-ramers !!!!!!

Interesting.....................

Well it's been a bit quiet on the work front as we have been having a stock take so everything was off sale throughout that but we are all back up and running just in time for this heat wave. It's a bit to hot for me to be honest, it's ok if I have a pool beside me and someone serving me the odd glass of vino but sitting in a hot office and my horse surrounded by flies and you are both hot and sweaty even after a short trip round the village is my idea of hell.
We sell a range of pools here at Cybercheckout so maybe I could get one of those up in the garden and pursuade my husband to hand me drinks and feed me grapes, hmmm......................no, never going to happen.

Last year I bought Will a Rambo Protector and to be honest it has been great, very smart and does it's job extremly well and when Horseware Ireland bought out the Rambo Flybuster, which is basically the same but built in fly repellant, I sort of sniffed at it and thought no thanks, I will stick with the fly spray but is it me or do the flies seem worse this year? When I get Will in from the field, there are flies, in the barn, flies, hacking, millions of flies and big bloomin horse flies as well. It's driving him and me crazy. Today I actually went to the yard on my lunch hour to go and give him another spray but it just got me thinking that maybe by the time I account for petrol money and the amount I spend on fly spray, I should have invested in the Flybuster, I think in the long run I would have saved pennies. Have a look for yourself and see what you think but today I feel I invested in the wrong fly rug.

http://www.cybercheckout.co.uk/c-16-fly-rugs.aspx

Sunshine on a rainy day

Phew, well it's been a busy couple of weeks. Will has been going very nicely and yesterday...........da,da,daaaaaaa, I trotted!!!! I was like an excited little girl in a sweet shop but he felt amazing and still very doingy. Yes, he went sideways, yes, we went on the spot and yes, we threw ourselves around a little but a few transitions back to halt and we were fine. If I go in the flying field, I have been doing around 6 laps (50 mins) so I am doing 1 lap walk, 1 lap trot etc, early days but fingers crossed and we all survive.

Bath time on Sunday and he was sparkling by the time I had finished. Come monday morning, the majority of him was clean apart from the long poo stain across his face where he obviously made himself a pillow. Why did I ever buy a grey?

Fantastic news, We are going to have our own rugs come out in time for winter this year and I have been a very lucky girl and was given the opportunity to help design these. Being a horse owner and talking to different people about their likes and dislikes I was able to talk to the factories who make the 'well known brands about weather and then beat them' (did you get that?) and give my ideas on what I wanted. I have never looked so in depth at buckles, length of tail flaps, material etc. It was really hard work actually and a little scary as if it's incorrect it's me who will be getting the death stares from across the office, but we have had the samples in and the first lot arrived and I took them to the yard, tried one on and instantly said No. Back to the factory with all the changes and last week the new samples arrived. They fit so well and look lovely. I tried them on 3 different horses, all different shapes and they were fab and the feedback I got from the other girls was very encouraging ( this means a lot as you know what us horsey lot are like). I left the light weight turnout to be tested by Williams friend Jack as we had a few days rain so that was perfect and Will has been testing the stable rug. I am pleased to say both have passed the tests with flying colours and I am soooo looking forward to moving on with this now. The plan is to have these rugs in by the end of August. These will be a light, medium and heavy weight turnout and a medium and heavy weight stable rug. So that leaves colours, names and quantities to deal with so wish me luck!........................

A brand new mailout with some amazing prices

http://trc1.emv2.com/HM?a=A9X7Cq18Xeyc8XUod6w5LS_iZw

Hey, we made it into Horse & Hound!!!

Ok, only on the Dodson & Horrell 'Feed to Win' campain but that is my claim to fame this week! Take a look if you have it. Page 14 - it's me and Will!!!!!!!!!

He is coming on very well at the moment and I was very brave and hacked him out all over the bank holiday with only one blip of throwing ourselves across the lane after the invisable hedge monsters decided to bite. In fairness he did come out of this after only a couple of minutes and you could pysically feel him do a deep breath and relax. We only scared one gardener and a child so not to bad all in all. The rest of the days have been spent with a mixture of a decent walk on the walker and walking in the big field. I am now starting to get him working and really stretching down and using himself rather than a leisurely stroll looking at the countryside. He doesnt appreciate this but there is no reason he cant start to work a bit now even if it is in walk and he needs his brain occupied.

Will has also changed out of the 'suicide' paddock into a nice paddock with some more grass next to a lady friend of his. Once he has finished 'checking her out' he is getting a good 8-9 hours eating decent grass so is looking very well and his bottom is starting to round off a little more (a bit like mine)

And the best news of all for me.................I dont ache anymore, everything has settled down at last so a happy horse and a happy rider. What more could you want?

We got there! I have ridden my pony!!!!!!

At last I have eventually ridden Will. I had the physio out last Tuesday to give him a check up and some of the others on the yard at the same time. She was very pleased with him, said he was looking very well apart from just a bit of extra muscle needed which we all knew but was to be expected after time off and box rest but no problems there, maybe a little stiffer on the right but not an issue. This is my worst side as well so it's all connected. She gave me one of these to do some massage work with him and get him lifting his spine and flexing his muscles. I think it's called a zoom groom. He really enjoys his pampering sessions and actually it is fab at getting the last of the winter coat out at the same time but I might just end up with arms like Rocky at the end of it.

I was going to ride on the wednesday but as my horse likes to test my stress levels at the moment, he decided to come in with mild colic! My horse has never had colic in his life, there isn't anything to gorge on in his paddock (which has been named the 'suicide field' due to any horse that has been ill or lame always ends up in there for a while) and his feed etc hasn't changed. The only thing we thought is that the paddock next to him had been sprayed and knowing Will, the grass is always greener so probably had a quick munch over the fence and it gave him belly ache. I just had to give him a couple of syringes down the throat and a 20 minute walk on the walker and he seemed alot more settled and didn't try to lie down again. He didnt want his dinner and I left the yard about 8pm but the Yard Owner did a 10pm check on him and he had started to pick at his hay and I did a midnight check and he had finished so he was fine. I did find out however, that my dog is scared of the dark! Going down the yard, in the middle of nowhere at midnight and trying to find your way to the stables by the light of your mobile phone with a dog that jumped at every shadow which in turn made me jump which then made my imagination run wild so I kept thinking someone was going to jump out on me or a big fat rat would be sat there waiting for me to get near enough for them to run across my foot is not something I want to do again any time soon.

He kept going on the walker and I eventually rode on Saturday. Now for anyone that knows my horse will know he is not the best to hack out and has been called 'horrendous' I believe, by one event rider, but it has to be done so I popped him on the walker for 20minutes first before I ventured out for a quick hack to the pub and back, roughly about another 20 minutes. Blow me down, they were shooting that day but nothing was stopping me from getting out so off I went on a rather spooky horse. I think he was rather shocked at being ridden and obviously felt they were shooting at him. I told him, it had been considered but as long as he was a good boy, he was safe.

I managed to get most of the way round until it did sound like they were about to blow my head off so I went for the safer option and headed home. He was a little star and apart from being on his toes, he did nothing wrong.

On the sunday they decided to have a cycle race round the village so I decided to risk him round the big field rather than kill a cyclist or two. He was very relaxed in there, and actually it takes about 10 minutes or so to walk a lap of the field so a few times round on each rein, job done, and I have decided I might do this more often. The only problem with the field is I have to walk him by foot to get in. Whats the problem I hear you say. The problem is, is that I cant get on from the ground. I am about as agile as the old pensioner before his new hip. I am going to hide a milk crate in the corner I think just for me.

How unfit have I become? How my calfs can grow so much in a short space of time I will never know. My half chaps were tight and I struggled to zip them up. Maybe they got wet the last time I wore them? Yes, that will be it, they have shrunk. *Cough Cough*

My ankles ache, my back aches and my bum bones ached when I got in the saddle on Sunday and Monday. I dont mind feeling my bum bones actually, I dont get to feel many bones nowaways, I still have my winter insulation hanging around.

My name is Lisa Wray. I am 32 and I feel like 62. My head tells me I am fit. My body says it is not.

Can you be the next Dressage Diva?

Here is a link for the latest mailout we have done for the top 10 tips on Dressage attire.

Enjoy!

http://trc1.emv2.com/HM?a=A9X7Cq8tJheK8XQcI6wce4_kXg

Our Pet Range

For all those pet lovers out there...

We all know and love our pets. To the proud owners, pets are like children. They all come with their own personality, their own traits, and their own mischievous tricks. They can make you laugh, they can make you cry - and they can make you scream and holler - but we wouldn't have them any other way.

We love our pets!Which is why we now offer a fantastic pet range. We have everything from Dog Beds and Kennels, Water Bowls and Feeders, Training Aids - and Clothing for all those `wannabe stylish pooches` out there. But one of my favourite products is the `Pet Hair Magnet Remover`. I mean come on! How handy is this little gadget?http://www.cybercheckout.co.uk/Items/910000018-x-parent?sck=67223218&caSKU=910000018-x-parent&caTitle=Pet%20Hair%20Magnet%20Hair%20Remover%20**%20FREE%20P%26P%20

**If you have a pet, you'd understand that they leave fur everywhere, and if you have a cat like mine, I'm not just talking the odd strand here and there. I'm talking about tufts of it - imagine tumbleweed. This little gadget easily removes unwanted pet hair from carpets, sofas, curtains, car seats - anything. It's great. A colleague even has one. Her husky tends to refurbish the back seat of her car every time he goes for a ride, and she swears by it.I even went as far as coming up with a new advert:
It really does work!
A picture of my cat before
.... And after....

But for some unknown reason they didn't think this advert would sell it, and my cat wasn't too impressed either.I can't think why . . .

D. Ilott

Cybercheckout Ltd

Badminton Horse Trials

Well, a lovely time was had by all. Fantastic people, horses and an electric atmosphere.
In the group we had Estelle (the practical one with 2 cocker spaniels), Alison ( the organised one with a retriever) and myself ( the one who was eying up the bottles of Rose and trying to find my Weimerarmer who had gone to sniff out someone elses tent for food to pinch). Mother was around in the daytime but had the sensible idea of staying in a warm house with a friend. She is allowed to do this because she doesn't have a dog!

We arrived there on Thursday afternoon, after wanting to leave at 10:30am we eventually set off at 12:30. Well a girl has the right to be late , correct?
When we arrived it rained, trying to put up the awning on a caravan in the rain is not a thing I wish to do again in a hurry. Thankyou to my husband and his friends who colour coded the poles for us, it only took us an hour to do when I suppose we could have been going well into the night.
Before settling down and trying to light a bbq in the wet weather, holding an umbrella over the top of it, we took the dogs for a run (I think it was well needed by then after a long slow journey down) and then back to the caravan to wring ourselves out. That was the first set of clothing wet through, good job I packed enough for a fortnight!

The friday was a little wet in the morning for the 2nd half of the dressage but more than anything it was windy. The horses were fresh and kept us entertained with the airs above the ground when actually I believe it was meant to be halt and rein back.
We stayed to watch on the big screen as the dogs are not allowed in the grandstand but it is next to the beer tent and the strawberries and cream stand so not all that bad after all.
When we arrived back a little like we had been dragged through a hedge backwards due to the wind, we found the awning had blown down. My god, I loathe camping sometimes , no electric for my hair straightners and no bath for a long soak, I am such a girl.So off we went again, arms in the air trying to link colour coded poles together.

Saturday was lovely weather to be walking the cross country. Not to hot but nice and dry. We saw some fantastic jumping over the course and it was a good chance to wear the dogs out for once. Mother allowed us a few breaks to rest our aching legs at some good fences, it was a race between me and the dog as to who could lie down the quickest when we stopped.
When all was over on the XC we decided to take the dogs to the lake for a swim. Out of the 4 dogs, not one of them could swim! You had one cocker lying on the side watching the others trying to drown themselves, one cocker who only had to go in 2" deep before getting the bottom of her ears wet, the retriever who didnt want to retrive unless the ball was thrown over in the direction of something smelly on the grass in the distance she so deperately wanted to get to and my dog who has legs like a giraffe but didnt want to get deeper than about a foot. As she stood there watching the ball float away I decided to draw in the help of a random labrador and a springer to fetch it for her. I think I managed to just about get the "fetch" out before having to duck out of the way as a flying black thing that I think resembled a dog, flew over me and belly flopped into the lake, swimming merrily away to go and get the ball that my dog was still standing on the side whining about.
Next year, arm bands and a belly ring and she is going in!!!!
We decided to try out the communial showers, as long as you dont mind luke warm water and random hair in the drain holes, it wasn't that bad but anything would do at that point! I believe Estelle might have had a shower with her trainers on?!

Sunday was lovely, we walked over to the big screen early in the morning to watch the trot up, we really couldnt be bothered to fight through the crowds at Badminton House but you still got the commentary over the Badminton Radio.
Some lovely outfits on show by the riders this year but top marks go to Matt Ryan and his England flag t-shirt, as he is wanting to change nationality to be able to ride for our country, and Dee Kennedy for being able to run in those amazing high heel boots! Pleased to say all the horses looked fab for having been around the course the day before.
A spot of shopping and then back to the caravan to pop the dogs away for a sleep so we could go to the grandstand to watch the last 20 riders.
The atmosphere was excellent and a nail biting finish but huge congratulations must go to Oliver Townend and Flint Curtis who derserved the big win.
Every year I enjoy the Beaufort hounds and they didnt disappoint so it was eventually another year over and a walk back to get the dogs for another swim, which still didnt happen and I am sure I saw the belly flopping dog still doing laps around the lake.

Arrived back on Monday to have a well deserved warm shower, scrub, sleep and to count the bruises (Alison has around 5 or 6 from not being able to clamber on a jump in an elegant manner ) and prepare me for work on Tuesday and catch up on all I had missed over the 5 days.

No rest for the wicked , the dog is still nice and calm and I am sure I still have badminton dirt ingrained in my hands!

William,Badminton HT and fantastic offers

My lovely little horse William has been going on the walker since Saturday. He is doing very well and I cant wait to get back on now. He looks and feels great so it's all coming together at last.

Is everyone ready for Badminton???? I am so looking forward to going now. Just got to finish the day in the office and then go and run to the yard to finish Will, then I can start putting all my gear in the caravan ready for the off in the morning. The weather seems to be saying showers so I do hope they are showers and not full on downpours. I have bought myself the waterproof dog bed and the Le Bistro from work to take with me for the dogs.

I think these will an excellent addition alongside my throw away bbqs and plastic wine glasses!

And here is Ashka, my crazy dog who will get the benefit of them

We have just sent out the latest e-mail for our equestrian stock

http://trc1.emv2.com/HM?a=A9X7Cq18Xeyc8XJNdaxXYi3iJA

There really are some fab deals on the last of the winter stock and the latest summer stock is going very well. All free postage as well so you cant go wrong.

I hope you all have a great rest of the week and weekend and I will post all the news when I return from my road trip.

Lisa

The woes of trying to get a horse to put his ears forward

Some people will do anything for a trip out of the office.




Among our list of a million and one products here at Cybercheckout Ltd, sits a suave and sophisticated Equestrian range. Newly included in this range are Harry Hall Jodhpurs, Caldene Breeches, Sleeveless Shirts, Show Shirts, and Show Jackets. These are some very smart items, I have to say. And because they are new here they all needed images for the website.

So, off trundled Lisa, Marie and Alison equipped with a camera and these goods. (Lisa owns a little ol' horsey who, after a while and a little persuasion, seemed willing enough to be photographed) The images really speak for themselves. It was a lovely day, which worked in their favour, and they took some really good pictures. A job well done to the team.

http://www.cybercheckout.co.uk/Equestrian%20Products/Clothing

- (The Darling Bud of May herself)

But we also have photographic evidence of their dark deeds and plotting Greek Trojan Horse tactics.

For those who are not familiar with this ancient story, a brief lesson in History: The Greeks gave the Trojans a large wooden horse. Thinking it a gift, the Trojans brought it into the battalion, and during the night, the Greeks jumped from inside it and destroyed the city. Lesson over.

The Evidence:

Here, we have the team (the CyberGreeks) recruiting for their secret army.

Here, we have them trying their hardest to blend in and look inconspicuous.

Here, we have them planning where they should leave their trap.

And here, we have them trying to conceal themselves, the final part of their surprise.

And here's a picture of the enemy (the CyberTrojan) they were planning on invading.

( - AKA the Spiritual Guide)

I wonder if he survived the night....