Plaits

Today we decided to have a crack at this month's Interdressage in hand class. Sadly we hadn't managed to ditch the Small Naughty One, but she was sent to stand in the corner when we did the video and I will take the soundtrack off so you can't hear the crying.......

Skyfaxa hadn't quite managed to get all the dirt back on that we washed off the other day but still needed water strategically applying, I really shouldn't have so many white horses.........She was very good about it, and then was also extremely good whilst I attempted to wrestle her copious amounts of mane and tail into some semblance of a plait.

Not sure if you're supposrd to do running plaits, but I can't be bothered to mess about with those little individual plait thingies and she's got far too much mane for those really. She didn't care, all she wanted to do was eat!

And no, she isn't as white as this any more.......

Poor Kinna........

Well the DDSV vet and my vet both came this morning to take blood from the girls. Sky as usual was no trouble at all, she didn't even flinch. I had taken the precaution of getting Kinna another sedative from the vet so I gave her that half an hour before they arrived - she reared as soon as she felt the needle but I'm getting good at doing it in one quick move......

She appeared totally zonked when we went in, but again as soon as she felt the needle she put up a helluva fight, in the end I had the twitch on her and the DDSV guy was holding her leg up and we'd backed her into a corner so my vet could get her 4 tubes of blood.

She's still out of it now, she looks so sad:

Bath time!

As the sun has finally put in a reappearance, we decided to try bathing Skyfaxa this afternoon. Here's what she looked like before:

Ali and her friend Kepler (who was actually daft enough to volunteer for cleaning duties!) got the shampoo out and got busy:

Her spots are a lot bigger when she's wet!

She wasn't so keen on the being rinsed off with the hose bit, but let us get on with it, and didn't mind having her tail dunked in a bucket either.

So here is the end result, tail and hocks still a bit yellowish, must try some of that whitening shampoo:

Cats and dogs......

Well, two of the kittens have gone to their new homes so that just leaves Velcro.

He can't decide whether to play with Poppy or be frightened of her!

 It's OK until Poppy gets excited and barks........

then he's off to hide behind Lali who will attack poor Poppy (and any  cat foolish enough to venture into the house)

Gandalf's new job......

Poor old Gandalf, as if having to do his first 'proper' dressage test today wasn't enough, which is here by the way,  Ali decided she'd like to do some jumping too....

I have no idea if he's ever jumped before (although when we're out in the woods he'll happily jump a puddle rather than get his poor ickle feet wet ) and at first he didn't seem too keen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpK7h957emo

Then she got a bit more speed up and he decided it was pointless making an effort when there's all that space to avoid it.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJQw9u3vCvQ

After a few more goes, he made a bit more of an effort:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtprhBaXBxM

And eventually got the idea!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rR5EIPmoDA

All very good for his weight loss programme

Still, won't sign him up for an international showjumping career just yet......

One less kitty.....

The kittens are 8 weeks old today and one of them has already gone to his new home:

the little grey and white boy. He's gone to live with a friend of my neighbour, they are calling him Réglisse (liquorice in French). Éowyn didn't want them to take him, she kept saying "it's my mum's cat!" I am taking his grey & white sister to her new home on Thursday, she's been christened Betty, she's going to an English family up near Ribérac. So then it will just be Velcro left......

More new stuff

Today there was a big outdoor meal in the village across the road from here, so I thought I'd take Skyfaxa out and about away from Kinna and see what she did.

She neighed a couple of times.....

Then got down to the serious business of eating.....

in spite of all the people around her, some of whom were shooting arrows! Good girl.......