June.... A Fortnight in pictures

Hello hello!!! June has gone by at brake neck speed. Here are a few snaps of what I got up to the last two weeks! The weather lately is playing havoc, flash heatwaves to flash floods....it needs to get back to normal!! 

Pam treated us to some R&R from our equine massuse Eva

Eva working on our farrier Claude

An old friend, who was here 4 years ago when I first arrived... Siranno visiting for a tune up

Local icecream!

Griff all dressed for the cold spell

Sometimes all you have time for....

Drug time for this poor dude

Shavings delivery

New resident 'Obie' getting settled

Lake house season has arrived!

Ziggy investigating the anti kicking the door device!

CLEARLY doesn't work!

Norman and I on our morning ride

Shadow selfie :)

Norman

Entering the maze

Myself and herself at the BEACH!!

White on white..will it ever end!

Myself and herself topping up our pale pale tan!

Back to work on Aldegonda

Siranno the GIANT

Ginger having a tough life!

 More to come and an exciting trip to another country which ye will here all about in the next post!

Until next time!

PEACE, LOVE AND HOOFOIL

End of April to May

 As I promised I have gotten back on track with the blogging again! When I left ye last I was still cleaning the barn and getting it ready to house all the horses and humans after the winter. New horses and clients arrived and with that comes figuring out the new horses. I cannot thank Pam enough for firstly, letting me ride these horses everyday but secondly she has thought me how to assess a horse from a riding point of view - more bend, less bend? More leg, less leg? Hot and spicy, or dull and needing some jazzing up so you aren't doing all the work all the time? I would  MAYBE have eventually figured it out by myself before I arrived here but Pam has trained me now to be as adaptable as possible that I have the confidence to assess or diagnose a horse myself - which is an AMAZING feeling when you can approach your trainer and meet her head on with what needs to be fixed. As I said in my last post the turnover of how much I learn on a DAILY basis is nothing short of unbelievable. Although I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be back at home - this is where I am supposed to be for the foreseeable future. I know that all I have and will learn is going to benefit not only me but hopefully others when I return home! 

Misha acting as a hot water bottle

In my last post, I shared a picture of the newest horse here at Foster Meadows - Norman. (Their have been a few name changes!) He arrived in Florida and made the trip back North with us. All I can say is I am in LOVE!! Which is weird for me, because anyone that knows me understands that I never get too attached tot the horses, obviously I love them all and if I had an unlimited bank balance they'd all be mine, but part of my job I think is to be content in that you have done the best you can for the horse so that the horse can give the best it can to its owner or regular rider. With that said I am so happy I get to ride this guy - he is here to be trained and eventually sold, and while he is here he is teaching me a bucket load, and great for my hand as he is ridden in the double bridle at certain points in the week. Riding in the snaffle and even when I have to juggle draw reins is becoming a piece of cake but I am still a little anxious when it comes to the double bridle - mainly because I can't really feel anything and all of a sudden the curb rein is nearly dangling on the floor! So getting to ride in it a few times a week is great for me!. Norman isn't always the easiest, and has an opinion about some things, however that is just where he is at in his training. He is also blessed with the classic male attitude that if its too hard I ain't doing it at all!! :)

The office....

Bonding! 

Levi out and about

Athletes diet....blueberry pie

Misha the gurad cat

Can't get up..its Monday

Norman and myself in the field

The most comical 5 year old I know..Ziggy

Spring is here!

A rare relaxing evening

Peanut faceplanting the grass

Alde having a rest

Norman on strike

 That is it for another week! I will put up a post of 'My fortnight in pictures' and then a full June post. I should have alot more to tell since the barn is full, staff is now full and the days are flying by.
 I cannot believe it is June already and another year as come that I am missing my beloved Galway County Show and Corrandulla Show back at home - to all that are going...BEST OF LUCK!!

Until next time..... PEACE, LOVE AND HOOFOIL

Testing, testing, 1,2,3

Hello hello hello!!! I am so sorry for the absence here lately. Work has taken over my life!!! Alot of new changes have happened since I blogged last - but I am finding my feet slowly!

It is great being back in New Hampshire - being here is where the core of the training gets done, while the bulk of the competitions get done in Florida - where the show ring is more concentrated with riders from all over the world not just the States.

I am going to try and condense April and May into one and try and keep this as more of a 'just checking in' post. To let ye all know I am still alive! Hand/Arm is doing great and work is going unbelievable. Once again the turnover in how much I am learning day by day - not even by week is just immense. 

A jet lag period occured after the trip back from Florida. While the horses recovered, the humans had to get the barn back in shape after being idle all winter. Which means ALOT of sneezing, cleaning, dusting and killing insects that survived the winter!!!

Here are a few snaps from when we got back - to now. You can see what myself and the sheep have been up to!! 

Flat out after the trip up north

SNOW!

No sun

Alde resting

Rocky investigating what snow is

Our driveway

Sun???

Warming up - animals and humans!

Arriving back in New Hampshire this year was GREAT! I got the most warm welcome back from everybody. Especially my second family at Windswept Farm, about 15 mins away from me at Foster Medows.

My great welcome back from Hannah and Audra

No snow or sun just RAIN! 

The fridge of fame ;)

Herself doing shots!! 

JUST like home ;)

Being back in NH means being reunited with friends!

Group shot of taking shots!!

Hanging in the hayloft with Misha

Alde and I wrapped up

Birthday package from home!!!! 

Bring me back to WEF.....

First day back in New Hampshire

The latest addition to the farm.....and my new obsession....

Norman - more on him in the next post ;)

Cheesecake Factory Birthday dinner! 

Chilling with Alde ! 

Finally seeing some green

Pam and Bernie with some fans ;)

Misha proving a point - that she can sit ANYWHERE

Spring has sprung!!! 

The beloved tractor that has been missed all winter

Now that there is order in the world and I have a schedule my blogging will get better and you'll have a April/May post in the next week. Until then for all you in Ireland enjoy the exam weather heatwave!

PEACE, LOVE AND HOOFOIL