Our new exercise blog

We've had quite a positive weekend and I feel like today has made a big difference to both of our confidence.  So I decided to experiment with using our blog as a little exercise diary. 

Yesterday, we went out for a hack with Merlin and Abbey.  We managed to go up into the woods via the estate and although we followed Merlin for most of the way, we had a bit of an experiment with going in front which was good.  This is when Abbey asked if we would like to join her and her cousin in their lesson the following day.  As I'm usually a complete wuss, I do prefer a private lesson where I can humiliate us both in peace.  However, for some reason, perhaps it was the positive ride, I said it would be fun.

The lesson time came this morning and I was already feeling sick and dizzy.  That was even before I realised that we were about to be hit by a storm as well.  However, I practised a bit of deep breathing and we were ready to go.  I warned the instructor that I was quite nervous and he said having been around me (in the same barn) and Kennedy, he'd already realised this and that it wouldn't stop him pushing us but that it meant I needed to let him know if I'd reached my limit. 

However, after about 10 minutes of riding, Ian decided it would be best for him to get a feel for Kennedy by riding him himself.  He showed me how I could use the crop to make a noise on my leg and his numnah that would speed him up and soon, with a couple of dissatisfied bucks, he had him going quite nicely and even doing circles in canter.  He confirmed what I think we all knew - he's stubborn but has it in him and said he'd quite like to school him for me to get his confidence up in the school and he felt this might have a positive impact on mine when riding him in there.  Once he'd finished riding, I hopped back on and led a ride with Kennedy and Izzy (who can be a little nervous).

This afternoon, Kennedy had an appointment with a physio.  She felt, also, that perhaps he is looking too much to me for confidence as he likes to walk behind me to the field and around the yard.  I also mentioned that he comes to me when feeling worried for example when he was being lunged by someone else.  She felt this had some positives but that he was expecting all the confidence to come from me (which it isn't) and that he should also show some confidence and that we needed to work more in harmony so that we could give each other the confidence we need and feed off this. 

Kennedy: The last couple of weeks...

Good eveneigh Kennedy fans,

Tonight, I have set time aside to update the blog after a pretty busy fortnight!  Must try harder!  

Since Sian has been severely slacking in the blogging area, I've decided to summarise some of the main events of the past fortnight or she will never catch up.  Including; a visit from Jackie, mummy Caroline's visit and a hack out alone.

A visit from Jackie

Sian had been away for a couple of days so I'd been enjoying a few days rest.  Debbie had been looking after me and, under Sian's instruction, had put my sun screen on and given me a bit of hay on a night - as I'm getting nice and toned up these days!  But, on the Friday morning she appeared back pretty early in the morning.  The next thing I knew, here was her mum and a very lovely friend who I will never ever forget because she brought me.......a carrot!!!!  She said she'd had to steal it from her horse Chancer.  Sian obviously hadn't told her that I'm not really supposed to eat carrots so I got away with just the one (I just put on my best 'I'm such a lovely boy' face).  

Jackie clearly loved me.  She said I had a very similar nature to her horse, Chancer.  Jackie got Chancer a while a go and has learnt to ride on him.  They do shows together and Sian said Jackie is the nice sort of horse person who doesn't judge anyone because she hasn't been doing it very long herself either.  She took lots of pictures of me to show her friends that have cobs and her husband.  She said I'm a pretty good poser!  And we even took a selfie together!

After that, Jackie and Sian's mum walked with us to the woods.  We had a really funny moment where Sian and I stayed back so we could have a little canter.  Except I wasn't feeling too much in the mood so I decided that we ought to just do a really fast trot.  Sian was giggling like mad and telling Jackie that we do sometimes have a canter up this particular bit of grass.  So, we turned round and had a second go.  By this time, Jackie was in the distance with Sian's mum chatting away.  And so Sian felt the need to indicate the lovely canter we were having by shouting 'woohoo'.  Only, she hadn't realised that, at the other side of the bushes, there was a woman riding her bike.  Who, firstly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Sian and then, as the bushes cleared, had a good stare as it looked like we were totally on our own.  Sian said 'what's wrong with having a good time?' but I could almost feel her blushing!!

Mummy Caroline Visits

What a surprise!  On bank holiday Monday, Sian appeared with Debbie.  She seemed to be waiting for someone as she kept looking at the entrance to the farm a lot.  Anyway, you'll never believe who turned up - mummy Caroline!  She came in to see me in the field (Syd tried to get a bit of attention from her but I knew she only really wanted to see me).  She told Sian I looked really well and like I'd lost some weight (later on, when she saw all my hill climbing exercises, she realised why I think).  

For once, Sian had to walk around the woods - which she usually makes other people do so it serves her right.  It was a lovely hot sunny day so we decided to give mummy Caroline a tour of the woods then we went looking at all the houses for sale on the estate because mummy Caroline and Sian are both nosy house watchers who like to nose about what's for sale!  Sian, being a right nosy parker, knew everything in the area so we went round loads of them!  I didn't mind too much as I'm pretty happy on the roads now and even didn't mind it when we passed the drain of doom!

After, mummy Caroline gave me a big pat and put me out in the field.  Then I heard her and Sian talking about ice cream and then they disappeared for a quite a while and came back... What is this ice cream?  And do they make it for horses because I'd quite like to try some?  

A hack out alone!

Debbie has hurt her back so her and Rocky haven't been able to come out too much just lately.  Sian's friend has braved offering to ride Syd at some point so I'll get to take my little friend on a hack with us which will be soooo fun!  But we need to wait for Debbie to feel better first.  

Anyhow, the other day, Sian was hanging around the stables like a bad smell (as usual - when will that girl go back to work?!).  And, Debbie suggested that we go out on our own.  She told Sian she'd be emergency contact if she panicked (why would she?) and wait at the stables.  So Debbie helped us get out onto the road and then we headed off into the estate.  Because Sian was worrying I decided to take it nice and slowly...some would say painfully slowly but I didn't want her to feel like she was going to fall off so I was very gentle.  We had a good wander on our normal route which I know like the back of my hoof these days...  EXCEPT, we were headed down our normal road when someone decided to have a funeral!  Knowing Sian, she was probably weighing up the pros and cons of walking straight past the hearse...but she decided it best that we turned round.  We walked up a different road.  Now, we were in unknown territory!  Sandmoor Road - we've never been there before!  Well, we had a little look around and then rejoined our normal route further along.  Debbie said we'd done really well and Sian told me when she posted the picture on Facebook that mummy Caroline said we'd been really brave too!  I must admit, Sian does seem to be getting braver these days so I must be doing my job well!

Finally...

In other news, Sian appeared today with a 'present' for me.  She's been having me wearing this grey fluffy headcollar.  It was pretty neat because I could eat lots of grass while I'm wearing it - mind Sian's getting better at working out how to stop that.  Anyhow, she'd been moaning that it belonged to 'that naughty horse' - whoever that is - and that she thought I deserved a nice one of my own.  Now, I'm not being funny here but my idea of a present is, at the very least, a turnip, perhaps a carrot or, even a bit of broccoli would do, so I'm not going to lie when I say I was a tad disappointed when she produced this...   However, I think I do look quite a handsome devil in it...

Damien says "Le Mieux" is funny because it means "The bestest" in French and doesn't make any sense!

Now....did you say you had some food for me?

 ...I'd be quite interested in that....

Kennedy: Catch up

Good eveneigh,

Apologies for the gaps, my ghost writer is being a bit rubbish at the moment keeping up with blogging about our adventures.  Despite this, I've decided that she's alright enough that when she comes to see me, I race Syd to the gate...  The other day he won on his nippy little legs so I had to chase him around a bit.  

I've got another new friend too, Prince (my next door field buddy).  He's been popping his head bravely over the electric fence to say 'hi' and I've been giving him a little groom just to be friendly back - he's not too bad after all - even for a young one!

Sian and I have been on a lovely woodland ride over the past few days as well as having a little wander around the estate again with Zara walking alongside.  I'm finding my way about now and I know which way to go on different rides.  Sian says sometimes she thinks if she fell asleep, I'd get us safely around the ride and back again.  Thanks...I think?  

Damien is still enjoying coming up to see me on an evening and I like seeing him too as he usually gives me a fuss and sometimes one of my treats!  

Today I've had a bit of a bath as I was feeling pretty itchy in the heat.  Sian went out and bought some tea tree shampoo and gave me a good wash and a groom.  I quite enjoyed it and stood really still while she cleaned my feathers and paid special attention to the itchy bit at the top of my tail and on my mane.  She said she might have to have a go at hogging my mane again when she comes back as it's looking a little toilet brushy just like mummy Caroline said it would when it started to grow - I think I'm rocking a bit of a mohawk but apparently Sian doesn't agree.  Oh well...

Here's some pictures of me before my bath.  Sian said I looked very handsome!

Then, tonight, Sian's friend Leah visited.  She did lots of talking to me and helped Sian while she put my Silverfoot hoof balm on.  Sian said it was much easier with Leah passing her the stuff she needed one at a time!  

Kennedy: A new adventure and a new friend...

Good Morneigh,
It's been fairly sunny here at the moment and I've really enjoyed being out in the sunshine with all my friends - I'm one popular neddy among the other horses (and I'm pretty sure the humans too).  Sian has been a little bit obsessive about brushing my feathers recently.  It's fine (I suppose) but she's getting a little irritating brushing them with various brushes all the time.  And making noises like "hmmm..." "grrrr..." "argh..." and "aha!"  Of course, I've been using it as a good excuse to stand and have a nose about at what's going on in the yard.  I'm afraid to say that one of my doggy friends, Tess, has taken very ill.  She spends most of her time lying near the stables at the moment.  Everyone who walks past gives her a little pat or a cuddle but she doesn't move much - poor old girl.

Yesterday was quite a fun day.  First of all, don't worry this isn't the fun part, Sian brought me in on the morning and we spent lots of time just the two of us.  She brushed my tail and my legs and, guess what, my feathers (would you believe)!  She sprayed on some fly spray, then we stood and talked for a bit and she let Betsy (my other doggy friend) out of her kennel to have a little run about.

After a while, she suddenly made a 'hmmm...' noise and then went and grabbed my saddle.  "This is odd..." I thought as she still tends to like to have someone around if she's riding (don't ask me why) and there was no one at the farm at all.  Anyway, she popped my saddle and bridle on and after a little struggle negotiating the mounting block (it's a lot wobbly), she managed to jump on and we set off into the farm.  We just stayed on the car park tarmac and did some circles and walk and halt for about 2 minutes and then I heard the sound of hooves.  I looked round to see my old friend Rocky walking down the road towards me and with him a beautiful grey mare with stawberry roan flecks in her coat being led by Holly.

This mare is Jess.  She's 19 and is owned by Holly's boyfriend who Sian said hasn't ridden before but it looks like he wants to spend more time with Holly so he got a horse.  He was riding her - Debbie said he'd done "nothing but sit there and enjoy the ride!" all the way back from the vets but he seemed to be smiling so I guess Jess is well behaved too.

Sian says 'look at the beautiful feathers!'  Honestly
woman, get a grip!

After that, Debbie suggested that we walked Jess, Holly and Jordan back to their farm which is just down the road from us.  Handily, Sian had walked this way the night before looking for new places to ride so she knew what was down here.  Jess likes to be in front so we wandered along behind - well actually it was more of a power walk as Jess and Holly don't do 'wandering' as such.  When we got back to the farm, Debbie said she would like a coffee before we went back as it was quite sunny and she'd already walked to the vets and back and then to the farm.  Holly suggested we had a little go in the riding school if it was empty so we wandered round (my pace this time) and went in.  Sian said it was a little embarrassing as there were benches down the side where everyone sat and had a watch.  We had some walks and trots and even managed a few strides of canter - though Sian said the school was a bit small to expect much more than that from me.  I actually had quite good fun as there were some bits on the floor that we pracrised walking round.  But what impressed everyone the most, they said, was how calm and cool I was...particularly as someone had started a fire in the next field that was crackling a bit.  One funny moment was when I had my back to it and it did a crack and I thought it was a whip cracking so did an excellent unexpected transition from trot to canter.  Sian must be really starting to trust me as, instead of freaking out, she just laughed a lot and told me to keep it going.

We rode back with Debbie and I took it easy after the excitement of meeting Jess and having a go in the school.  It was warm and we were pretty tired (Sian had to drink Holly's coke before we set back off and spilled it all down her front - how embarrassing!)  When we got back up onto the road, we had a little trot and I decided to power on back towards the farm.  We left Debbie in the dust (sorry Debbie).  When we got back, Sian gave me a nice cool spongebath as it was warm, she said.  Then she told me she wished someone would give her a cold spongebath.  "Not me!" I said.

After that, I got one of my treats for being a 'good boy'.  Aren't I always?  And had a wander around the courtyard to cool off.  Sian popped me back out with Syd where I could watch the farmer filling his barn with hay and straw.  Sian said it was pretty funny when he came on his tractor with lots of bales of hay...  Rocky, Prince and Syd went wild and ran off and apparently, I just started walking, wide-eyed towards the gate as if all of my Christmases had come at once.  How rude - I was only being curious.  You'd think she'd be happy that I wasn't spooked by the tractor.  In fact, I was so unspooked by it, I didn't even flinch when yesterday, as Sian was bringing me out of the paddock, I reversed into the parked trailer whilst trying to get at some particularly scrumptious looking grass - well a boy's got to eat you know!

Anyhow, love and sloppy kisses to all my friends and neigh-bours.
xxx

Kennedy: A visit from Aunty Lynne

I haven't seen that much of Aunty Lynne just recently so it was nice when I heard her voice on Monday morning.  Debbie has been ill so Rocky was busy teaching Holly to ride on the drive.  I quite wanted to join in as I'm pretty close with Rocky now so I wasn't too keen on having my feet picked out in the courtyard too much.  Anyway, I endured it and then I got a surprise when Rocky popped round to see me!  Apparently, Holly's boyfriend (who isn't a rider) had hopped on to Rocky to have a little go and Rocky had decided to take him on a visit to the stables to see me in the courtyard.  I gave him a little whinny of approval - "Well done Rocky!" I could hear Debbie's voice saying "just bring him back this way" from the drive.  Then, I heard another voice; Aunty Lynne!  She gave Rocky and I a big fuss and helped put my fly veil on.  She says it looks a bit silly and 'not very country' with it's little diamantes.  Sian agreed that she hadn't realised that it had these until it arrived in the post...  Hang on a minute everyone, what happened to "he looks really handsome in his matching fly veil and saddle cloth"?  Have you been riding me round looking like a fool?!  Sian agreed that something should be done and said that she was looking into getting me a matching 'Le Mieux' set except that Damien can't cope with them because he says it translates to rubbish in French, the best he could do to translate was 'The Bestest'.

Anyhow, despite agreeing that diamantes weren't really my style, the fly veil went on anyway.  And Sian said I'd be happier about it when it kept the flies off my ears.  I suppose she's right but do you think I could have something a little more manly?  Like a skull and cross bones?

So up to the woods we went again today.  We had a 'rest' the day before and just did the estate opposite the farm.  Except it wasn't really a rest because Sian decided to do transitions between lamposts and kept making me trot and walk and trot and stop.  Honestly, I didn't know if I was coming or going!  She did say I was a very good lad though and that I listened very carefully so I even gave me one of my special treats when I got back.

Back to the woods though.  So we had a nice quiet walk through there today.  I'm still not too keen on the footpath but OK if I walk on the mud down the side though Sian keeps worrying it's slippy!  So far I've managed to negotiate it if a little awkwardly because I keep having to cross the path for better mud patches.  On the way back, we met some nice people with a labrador that said I was a very sweet boy and liked watching me walking out of the forest as I have to step over a wooden pole.  I'm very good at it now!

Honestly, Sian had been busy telling Aunty Lynne how she had decided to give me her undivided attention at all times when riding so that we could 'focus' and 'work as a team' - I think she's been reading again (this is dangerous).  Anyway, I needn't have worried because she ended up looking at houses for sale the whole way back - there was one point where I feered she might walk me onto the drive to peer through the window (it's OK though - she didn't).  She has decided, having ridden round it quite a lot, that I live in a nicer place than she does and is all for moving (she found a nice 3 bed detatched for £150,000 - even I know that's a bargain and I'm a horse!)  Anyway, she says she wishes she hadn't looked because now she wants all the houses!  Meanwhile, I'm just being a sensible boy and walking us home the way I know to go.  I'm getting the hang of the route back from the woods now.  It's quite easy once you know...  And now I know where all the drains are so I can practise drain avoidance wherever possible.


When we got back to the farm I was kind of hoping that might be it but then Aunty Lynne decided to have a little ride up and down the drive.  Sian had to tell her about the stony part as the first thing she did was steer me onto the stones and then I stopped because I don't like walking on them too much!  At least it made a good photo opportunity before Sian redirected Aunty Lynne onto the concrete.  In the meantime the lady who lives at the farm turned up with a lawnmower and frowned at me.  Sian said I was fine if she wanted to mow the grass down the side of the drive and that it would take more than that to frighten me - she's right.  This made the lady smile.  I've heard she isn't very sure about horses and she does tend to keep her distance.





After she'd finished mowing, she said 'he's very mild mannered isn't he?' I assumed she meant me as I was the only boy there at the time.  Let's say we can be sure she wasn't talking about Syd who was in the field behind me...  Sian agreed and told her I was very calm.  She smiled and went off in the direction of the house.  When I got back to the courtyard with Aunty Lynne still on board, the lady and man who own the farm were sitting on a bench and watched me come past.  The man said "Woah - calm down a little bit there.  He's a bit excitable isn't he!" which I think must have been his idea of a joke because the lady said "if you could get me near a horse, I'd want to go on one like that!' So it looks like I'm starting to win them over!  I was even more sure when Jean (the lady who lives at the farm) turned up with some apples from her orchard and said I could have one.  Sian, the meanie, said that was very kind but unfortunately I wasn't allowed apples but that she would put them aside for Rocky and Prince if they were allowed them.  That is so mean!  Anyway, she did go and get me one of my special treats.  She must have felt bad about me missing out on the apples - so she should!  I must remind myself of that rhyme...."An apple a day...."  I'm sure I can convince her somehow...

Happy Tuesneigh everyone!
I'll write soon.
Mr K



Ps.  Syd says "Hi!" - being my new bestest mate, I promised him a spot on my blog...

As you can see, he shares my fondness of food...

Kennedy: It's already Saturneigh!!

Good eveneigh everyone,
This blog post comes with an apology on Sian's behalf for being too busy having fun with me in the woods to right a blog post.  I've had a stern neigh and a snort at her and she's agreed to apologise!

Anyway, I must say we have been going on some much more interesting rides these last few days and getting out for over an hour at a time!  The first day, Damien came with us.  I shouldn't really say this but Sian and him spent a lot of time having stern words with each other and I heard Sian saying it was because she was feeling a little worried.  Goodness me, how hard do I have to try to prove to her she has nothing to worry about!  First of all, she was worried about crossing a busy junction to get to the bridle path, no problem for me, I just stood there and nibbled on her foot to reassure her I wasn't even looking forward so I wouldn't go without her telling me.  Damien came up next to me just in case (as if!) I went anywhere.  Then we got to the bridle path and Sian had forgotten that it was next to some fields of horses.  So then she decided Damien (who I heard her tell to walk behind) should walk along beside us (I don't think Damien was very pleased because he kept doing big sighs like I do when I'm feeling a bit fed up...)  Anyway, I wasn't even bothered about the horses (I'm a one man band and all that - I don't have the time for getting stressed about these things).  You'd think wouldn't you, that this would reassure her?  Well, it did, temporarily...   Because it was at this point she decided to try something new: a canter!!  Well, we did a few strides and then she let me slow down again as we had ran out of nice soft ground and gone onto some harder mud and, I'm not going to lie, I was heading to some grass that may or may not have thorny bushes next to it...  The point is though, we did it.  She seemed that excited about it that when we got to the next bit she was off again wanting a canter - 'my goodness woman, calm yourself down!' I said but there was no stopping her.  Even poor Damien was jogging to keep up at this point.

So, she was all happy and smiley and singing my praises and so forth until she saw these horses coming down the hill.  I heard her saying to Damien to come up alongside again (which you can imagine he was thrilled about) and then to 'be ready' in case I tried to follow them...  Seriously?  If horses could roll their eyes...  Down the rather narrow path came a man with a rather bouncy looking bay horse, followed by a woman on another.  He said something about my fly veil being a good idea and Sian sort of squeaked in reply... 'Get a grip Sian!' I said, but I don't think she could hear as she was doing her breathing "In 1,2,3....out 1,2,3...." she thinks I don't know she's doing it...

Well, I turned around and belted down the bridle path after the horses and threw a few bucks in for good measure...

Only joking - I was just checking you were still awake!  In fact, I did a half ditch attempt to turn my head to look at them going past and Sian straightened me up again and talked jibberish to me for a while and then they were miles in the distance and we were wandering along all happy again.

In the woods, there were some interesting noises, I guess someone was having a party because there were lots of echoing laughs and squeals...not that I was bothered and by this point, even Sian was chilling out a bit.  I heard Damien say he was feeling a bit stressed by it all but I'm pretty sure that was to do with Sian making demands of him to "go behind," "get alongside," "go in front!" at various points (she did say she was sorry when we got into the woods and that it was "Kennedy's first time on his own up here" - that's right Sian, blame the horse for you being a baby).  The woods were fab, we just walked as the floor is quite stony so Sian likes to let me pick my own path a bit.  I find this quite fun as sometimes I like to take her on a walk through a tree...sometimes a little leg through a hedge....sometimes a few nettles.... whatever tickles my fancy really.  Meanwhile, Sian's sat on board telling Damien that I'm such the nicest horse in the world and so gentle and so kind and calm (I'm quite enjoying this!) and that any other horse having seen those other horses would have gone after them or at least done something and good old Kennedy...  I am though aren't I?

So next, the ultimate test.  First, a dog who was quite excited to see me (luckily on a lead).  That was fine.  Then...wait for it....a group of men (I'll repeat MEN) on BMX bikes flying uncontrollably down the side of a hill towards us and then skidding sideways onto a path about 3 metres ahead of wear I was standing now stock still waiting for them to get control.  A couple added in a bit of a 'whoop!' just for extra good scaring measure.  Damien looked at me and I looked at Damien and for a moment I think a thought passed between us.  A bit of an 'pfffffffffff....' moment.  These plonkers then stopped on the path right in front of us for a good few minutes congratulating each other on managing to make said dangerous, ridiculous drop onto unseen forest path and make it down in one piece...Don't mind us, will you?  Then, they all skidded round on their bikes and disappeared down another dirt track as quickly as they came.  Sian was somewhere between fuming and glowing - one mintue she was slating these 'clowns' and another she was singing my praises again.  I didn't bat an eyelid (of course) and even Damien has now begun acknowledging what a 'good boy' I am.  I do try you know...

Sian jumped off and led me down the steep bit at the end again, which she was quite glad of because I tried to eat a bush at one point and tripped over my own foot - well I can't always be perfect you know...  When she got to the bottom, I stood on Damien's toe a bit (his fault) which went down like a lead balloon.  And then Sian jumped back on.  We then contended with a very loud sit on lawnmower behind a hedge right next to us.  By this point, I could feel Sian relaxing.  I know what she was thinking.  "You ride your sit on lawnmower right next to Kennedy if you want - he's unshakable!" else she was thinking "I'd rather you didn't but I'm getting pretty confident Kenners won't do anything..."  I can't quite decide at the moment...

We walked back through the estate and round to the farm without further drama (well with the exception of a few drains - I just like to watch them in case anything jumps out and chases me up the road - so far nothing*).  Sian was absolutely beaming when we got back.  She was telling Damien 'sorry for stressing him out' and that 'we did amazing' (we did) and that she felt 'great!'  I felt great when she put me a little hay net up!

The next evening, she turned up with a girl called 'Zara' and a 'present'.  By the way, someone needs to tell her what a 'present' is because I'd say that a new smaller girth is not my idea of a 'present'.  She said I was on '6 and 6' now, more or less on my current girth and that it was getting hard to put up from where she was sitting up there.  So she tried the other girth mummy Caroline had given her to try but it was still a bit on the short side (she said 48 inches compared to my current 54 inch girth) so she popped out to the shop and bought me a 52 inch one which was exactly the same as my 54 inch one just 2 inches smaller.  She says, in hindsight, that maybe we could have got a 50 inch because this one has already gone up quite far.  It must be all these walks in the woods and this lesser grass field.  So, feeling a bit sorry for me, she popped a little hay out in my field after our second long woodland walk.  I was munching away happily with 2 pairs of greedy eyes looking over the fence at me!  Oops, Sian had to go and get them a handful each while I ate mine!

Zara hasn't really had anything to do with horses before but she loves to walk so I think Sian had coerced her into walking with us into the woods.  She was pretty good company (except she kept complaining about the hills) and she gave me a great big fuss when we got back to the farm - she says she likes stroking my soft nose.  Sian said she thinks I liked it because I followed her around the courtyard but actually, I thought she might have some food!

Anyway, I've probably given you enough to read about tonight.  I'll be back with more adventures!

For now, I will say good eveneigh to you all and hope you have a good weekend.




*On a side note, is this place actually made of drains?  We must pass at least 20 on our estate hacks!  It's like aversion therapy!  I'm actually beginning to trust some of them now so I think it's working...well except for the noisy one of Carnoustie Road...I'm never going to befriend that gluggy thing!

Kennedy: Wednesneigh fun

Good Wednesneigh Eveneigh to my lovely blog readers...

I quite enjoyed my wet and windy night in last night with my neigh-bour Rocky!  We had a lads night in - and got to know each other better over a hay net.  Then, this morning, Sian and Debbie turned up and a new person - Holly!  Holly is Debbie's daughter and she sometimes comes to ride Prince.  Sian said she thought she would like riding with her as Holly isn't too confident either so we could all take it nice and steady.


I do have a bit of a complaint to make today I'm afraid.  You see, when I was told about coming to live with Sian, I thought 'aha - this is alright this because she's a bit dozy and sometimes I can grab a little bit to munch while she's not thinking properly.'  And, to be fair, I managed once...or twice - the woods were quite good for sudden things to grab.  Anyway....today we were going quite steady - even Rocky was taking it east with Holly.  So I decided to have a go at having a little munch on the pavement grass (you know those random little bits that aren't attached to the garden and are sort of on the pavement).  Well, she was obviously on her A-Game today because she managed to stop me right in my tracks.  What followed was a bit of a struggle in which I decided to pretend to be a dressage horse and drop my head into a beautiful outline.  Sian says she's pretty sure I was just trying to look at the pavement grass but Debbie said I looked very handsome so she took some photos!  In all this we had got a bit left behind Rocky so we decided to have a little trot to catch up.  I kept my head in and Sian said we could pretend to be Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro trotting down the road in New Marske.  I don't know why but everyone found this very funny until I did a really beautiful trot and Debbie said I looked amazing!



I spent the rest of the day in my field.  Syd went in a little while after I got out because everyone had decided to let the field dry out a bit today.  I stayed out until just after 4 and then Rocky and I came back in for another lads night in.   The people who own the farm came back today too.  I heard them asking Sian how I'd settled in.  She told them I'd been just fine and I was quite pleased to hear her telling them what a lovely boy I'd been too.  The sun was really shining tonight so it was a shame we came in really, Sian said but I don't mind, I'm pretty content with my stable.  I absolutely love playing with my treat ball - even though Sian has taught Damien to be stingy and break the treats into loads of pieces.  Even so, I get all excited when she appears with it!

Anyhow, I must get back to my night in with Rocky.  Have a good night everyone!