A lazy Sunday afternoon

Well that was what we thought the unaffiliated show jumping might be yesterday , how wrong we were ! By the end of the day the rough estimate was that there has been some 120 enteries. What else does one do on a damp Sunday afternoon in November ?
Hogan and I picked up a clear round rosette as did Michelle on Charade , not sure about everyone else but did see Helen Freeman wearing a 4th place rosette won with Casper.
Many thanks to car park stewards ( ably assisted by Hudson ) and all others who found themsleves roped in to help . Be warned it the junior version next Sunday so you may want to have something else planned .
Note to all - advance enteries are a good idea.

Clara and Brighty go to Tweseldown!

On Saturday, Clara and Brighty took a trip to Tweseldown. We had a great time, and Clara found it all very exciting!

Brian and Claude's hunter trial start

Sorry Brian, but I had to return the favour.

I believe that the rest of the round was so much better. Congratulations, but you should have sent the video crew further round the course!

The Andalusian and the Llama

Geoffrey and Lindo paid a long overdue visit to Berkshire Riding Centre for more dressage clinics. For Lindo this means taking his lovely paces to the next level. For Geoffrey this means loads of fuss from his favourite person in the whole world, Martin Kattenbusch, and a polite invitation to relax and get his head out of llama position.

Hollie and Munchkin are back!!!

Not sure if we are still allowed to post on here as we are no longer Wellington liveries, but we thought we would let you know that Hollie is back in the saddle!!!! We went to the hospital today for another checkup and the Doctor was happy enough with Hollie's progress that he said she could ride - great excitement! However, no jumping for the foreseeable future. Here are some photos of Hollie and Munchkin on their first ride together for 2 months! So, we will be back at Wellington for lessons very soon!

Who?

Hi, Just a quick note, we have had to change our name from Bambers family to Mickey C's.

Bamber has now gone on to pastures new, and has settled in really well, and will have a life of riley now. In her place we have a new addition to the family in guise of Mickey C. Im sure there will be pictures to follow at sometime.

We'll keep you posted on how Mickey gets on overtime.

Your money or your life!

I couldn't resist making a special video in honour of Hugo and Princess Bea of their cross country session back in May.

Bye, bye Munchkin!

Today we moved Munchkin to her new home in Silchester. She has two other horses for company and after the initial excitement when we arrived she seems to have settled in well.





We will be bringing Munchkin back for lessons when the Doctor gives Hollie the go-ahead for riding again - hopefully in August/September. We have had a good time on full livery at Wellington, but are looking forward to 'going it alone'!

Clara and Maggie at Tweseldown

Last Sunday, Nadia and Maggie kindly let us share their box to go to Tweseldown for a sponsored ride. We had great fun, and Clara really loved the water complex!

Pony portraits!

Some very good friends kindly bought us vouchers to get portraits drawn of our boys. The end results are really amazing! Sandra, the artist, has captured them perfectly. Good idea for birthdays and Christmas pressies. ;-)


http://www.finepetportraits.co.uk/WelshCob2.html
http://www.finepetportraits.co.uk/HolsteinerHorse.html

Jumping our socks off!

Well the Chappell-Simms family have been busy. There's been the livery ODE (3rd and 4th place), saddle club show jumping (that'll be a 2nd place for moi), unaffiliated show jumping summer series (4th and 5th for Claudie including qualifying for the Swallowfield Show).

And here's a video of our progress... Important note to self: if all else fails, LEG, LEG and MORE LEG!

Gavin and Bea's flying visit

As well as Hugo, we also brought my new horse, Bea, to visit Wellington last weekend with these results. I think coming down the bank just blew her young little mind, she'll be back!

Little did we know that the air ambulance was about to get scrambled for Hollie. Hope you are doing better and that your be back on-board soon. After our issues coming back down the bank, Bea also found the coffin almost as challanging as Minchkin, she knew it would be daft to attempt to jump David's nasty horse trap!

Ooops!

Here is a photo story showing the events of last Sunday (18th May) when Hollie and Munchkin parted company quite spectacularly!



Thanks to Yasmine for some of the photos and also to David who kept everyone calm!

Hugo's Return

There could be no mistaking the return of George and Hugo for the afternoon......

Thanks to Wokingham Riding Club we returned for a X-country schooling session to celebrate the new jumps and the clan bill of health. Nice to be back.

Click here for more

May Day Event

Well done to all who took part in yesterday's mini one day event. Congratulations to Pip on Blaze who won the adult section and Yasmine on Clara who won the junior section. Honorary livery horse Boris and I had a great time up until the last jump in the XC section . For those who didn't see it he decided he wasn't jumping those tyres for me at any cost and Mandy had to step in at which point he decided they were no longer likely to eat horses and he sailed over them .
Thanks to Mandy and David for organising the event and their helpers Tracy and Sue (SJ arena party) , Kirsty (writer) and Felicity (XC arena scorer).
Good luck to all those off to do the real thing once the travel embargo is lifted .

Geoffrey votes with his head!

Who says it's difficult to choose music for a freestyle dressage test? Pah! Grab a Schoie, a camera, some random tracks and hurtle around the IA for a bit! (Warning: song with a naughty word included.)

Watch for Ciara bopping in the background!

And there's more

Lucinda and Lindo wowed us with their freestyle dressage to music test and came home with a 1st place rosette! Well done you!

Dressage to music

Saddle Club dressage took a slightly different turn last night with a few of us having a go at Novice Freestyle to Music (apart from Miss Diane who showed us how to do a fab Advanced Medium test). Geoffrey pranced around to the music quite nicely and earnt us a very respectable (and unexpected) 2nd place. But the best is to come...(watch this space).

Day out at Tweseldown

Amy and Caitlin spent the morning having fun going round the XC at tweseldown, ponys and girls had great fun, getting a little wet going through the water. The girls found plenty of suitable jumps to try out and lots of hills to cater up.
Heres a couple of pictures of girls and ponys getting wet !

Horse personality

SLCA - The Solo Artist (Maggie Mae)
This horse needs a job, but not just any job, certainly not one that you chose for her, but a job that she wants to do. She is not easily motivated, so forcing her to do the job of your choice is going to be a long and arduous task. Although not overly enthused, this horse is still a quiet, good mount for most riders. If you can find the job she likes, it will get done with enthusiasm and efficiency.

I guess lack o fMaggie's enthusiasm in show jumping - proves the point!

Lexie and Caitlan went to Hoplands on Sunday as part of the Garth South mini team.  It was a cold, cold morning with a very early start (we left the house at 6.30am to an outside temp of

-7.5oC). There were many mini-teams attending however the girls successfully picked up a 4th rosette!!!!  Well done girls....

Nervously they entered the pairs jumping watching previous pairs speeding around the course. After a little practice (under Wolfe's watchful eye) the crop change went well and they just missed out on being placed

Jo.

I'm a show jumper, get me out of here

Here we have it - the video you've all been waiting for. John and Louise's pairs dressage demo! Herman and Fly did a stunning job, particularly with all the heckling from the straw bales.

Cara - Summer in the country

Some of you may have notice Cara is no where to be seen at Wellington, unfortunately she is still trying to recover from an injured leg. So she has decided to spend the summer in the country with some friends. Caras friend Tara (who is currently visiting with us at Wellington) has invited Cara to stay with her for the summer.

Cara is enjoying her new summer home, we will keep you updated on her progress.

Clara

SLAA - The Lone Wolf
Low key, low energy, low expectations, are what you need to work successfully with this type of horse. The Lone Wolf is not bursting out of his stall to try to fit into your program and to please you. He is easily content and can do a good job for you as long as it is not demanding physically or emotionally. He likes his world predictable and safe. He would rather be a little bored than stressed. If repeatedly put into pressure situations he can react seemingly unpredictably. If you can find a quiet solid job for him, he will perform it repeatedly and safely.

Munchkin - The Rock Star

After taking the Personality Test, here are the results for Munchkin!

The Rock Star is confident and charismatic. She is expressive and strong minded. She loves to show you what she knows but is hard to get to focus on the small details of the task.

Cara - The Goddess

The Goddess is loved by most of the other horses and most people. They are expressive and sensitive and emotional. You will know how they feel. They try very hard to please and will worry and be anxious if you are not happy with them. In the negative they can have scattered energy that is hard to get focused. This personality can be loved on as much as you want.

Your horse's personality!

Do the quick quiz here to find out what your horse's personality is!

Geoffrey
SEAF - The People Pleaser

Soft, sensitive, and very sweet describes this horse that will try and try to please you. They like to be told exactly what you want and then have you help them perform it. This is not your go-it-alone type of horse. They need you for support and can get very rattled if expectations are too high. This horse is in your life for the relationship.

Claude and Charlie - A Night on the Tiles

Well, Claude and Charlie set out with good intentions and succeeded by having a really good time, as did their riders. Congratulations to all those who took part, it was a challenging but entertaining evening and lots of fun. Next year let's hope for less face-pulling at their partners by certain horses! Can Charlie get his ears any further back?

Lindo and Geoffrey make the grade!

Well all that practice paid off for the Pairs Dressage last night - we gained a very respectable 3rd place! It was a fantastic evening - there was glitter, piaffe, half pass and halt to canter in some tests. But spirits were high and everyone had fun. I can't remember all the placings, so I'll let Jane do that in her official capacity as Saddle Club Chair (ooh and there's more video of Jane and Brian to follow).

On sunday, me and Clara got our first rosette for showjumping! We came third in the 2'3, and just missed out of getting placed in the 2'6, though we did get a faster time than in the 2'3!

Corri rules

Corriander has just become an honorary livery horse - we had a great lesson with Geoff Billington today. Corri was clipped especially for the occasion and provided with a white numnah and it appeared he realised something special was afoot. We arrived in the Duke'sHall and his eyes were out on stalks and we were flying .
At one point Geoff's mobile went and he handed it to me to answer - I found myself talking to John Whitaker and when I gave the phone back to Geoff was introduced as his secretary.
Alison and I had the last lesson of the day and were assured that Wellington had left the best until last and who are we to disagree !

Claudius and BSJA!

Proud Dad, Bri, made it up to Wellie this morning to see Claudius in his first BSJA event, ridden by Mandy.

What a fab job they did too - just look at that lovely canter. I haven't got the original video, so you'll have to make do with a link to Youtube for now.

Lindo shows us how it's done

Lindo's best bits from last weekend! (Apologies for the dodgy 'latin' music.)

From llama to pony...

Here's a short clip of Geoffrey's sessions with Martin Kattenbusch. (Lindo and Fella to follow very soon.)

Lad's day out

Last weekend saw Lindo , Fella and Geoffrey off on a trip to Berkshire Riding Centre for dressage lessons with Martin Kattenbusch who hails from Germany. We had rather a long wait on Saturday due to his flight being delayed and my thanks to Brian who drove me back to Welly in tume for a lesson at 3pm ( he also provided lunch both days ) . Everyone had a great time and all learned lots and on Sunday we all agreed both Fella and Geoffrey looked their best in a long time . Lindo had a minor strop but Lucinda sat tight and he knuckled down.
All three loaded with no fuss - far better than a very posh dressage horse we met on Saturday ! Sadly there wasn't room on our lorry to fit in the 2012 Olympic prospect who had a lesson after the guys on Sunday .
Here's to the next day out.

Hogan

As I'm sure most of you know the big guy has been off work for some time now and enjoying a life of leisure being fed , turned out, back in for supper and a warm bed then repeat with the odd change of field and field companions.
He was reviewed by Simon today and declared functional ( not technically 100% sound ) but he can now start to do light work - walking and straight lines only but a step in the right direction ( please forgive the dreadful pun there ) .
Show jumping and cross country are a long way off and our dressage is going to be limited to basic stuff as that too can put strain on the damaged tendon . But I'm back as a livery owner complete with horse to ride at last.

Sherfield Equestrian Team

Hi, as I didn't have everyones email, and being that Sherfield Equestrian Team is based at Wellington, and team coaches are John and Louise. This seems an appropriate place to share the events of today.

With the team attending the schools competition at Sparsholt and up against very stiff competition gave a very good account of themselves. Riders today, (though this is not the full team), were, Amy, Alex, Hayley, Benjamin, and Caitlan. Though not getting placed in the 2'3", here is a picture of the team receiving 1st Place trophy and rosettes for the 2'6".

Well done team, a good result, and a good team day out.