The pocket rocket flies!

I had to add these photos just for a bit of Friday fun - they were taken last Saturday when we all went up to Treborough to have a blast at the Chipstable Hunter Trials.

I've already blogged about Lainey and Bailey, who looked great and had lots of fun, but I didn't have any photos of Felix and me till later in the week. I've got an order in with the photographer which hasn't arrived yet so in the meantime these screenshots are thanks to Jayphotos :-)

You've got to love the pocket rocket - he hasn't jumped at all  - not even a stick - since September last year and he goes out and flies clear, loving every minute of it. He's so genuine that even on corners and skinnies all you need to do is line him up and he does the rest - he locks on like a guided missile - awesome!

As you can see, this is one committed pony! Its hard to find the time to go out competing but I am going to try and do a bit more this summer because it is seriously good fun... :-)

Dom strides out

Domino has - amazingly - been here 12 weeks.  He'll be going home soon and it won't seem the same without him. Everyone who has met him remembers him - I'm not sure whether its the moustache, the fuzzy-felt facial hair, the blue eyes or the amazing contrast between his apparently lazy appearance in the barn and his Energizer bunny mentality when he is out and about, but he is certainly unique!

When he arrived, Dom was already landing heel first (just!) but its interesting to chart his progress. The full clip is below but here are a couple of stills

There is a big contrast between when he arrived, at the end of February in his Natural Balance shoes...

..by comparison with today - a more definite landing, better extension in the swing phase of the stride and evidently more comfortable and better able to shock absorb. Although his heels look lower out of shoes, they are actually stronger.

Quick update on Eva the Diva

A quick update as my computer is being rather sickly today and felt horribly on the verge of crashing and losing everything, which it did this time last year, to my horror. Supposedly everything is now backed up but it still worries me...Just time however for comparison photos of Eva, which I promised Amy I would post.

Last time I put up shots of her RF, which is her worst foot, so for a change I thought I would show you the progress on her better foot - LF - today. 

Isn't it interesting how overall balance changes out of shoes? Draw an imaginary line round the hoof capsule (including the shoe) in the top photo then do the same on her hoof as she is today.  It makes it easier to visualise how much shorter the toe is and how much less boxy the foot is overall.  Eva is making relatively slow progress but - as we know from her MRI - she had a severe DDFT tear so that perhaps isn't surprising.  However, its good to see the better angle of the new hoof capsule which is always an encouraging sign. 

Here is the progress of the same foot from the solar view - from remedial shoes...

...recently out of shoes...

and today. 

Its taking her a while, but she certainly seems to be getting the hang of it :-)

Keep going, Eva - you'll get there!

Abbey arrives from France...

These feet belong to new boy Abbey.  He is a properly multinational horse - born in Ireland (he is a registered Connemara) owned by a Scot, living in France and now here on Exmoor for rehab.

Here he is once his shoes came off, meeting Felix and Charlie for the first time. Luckily he has arrived in wonderful weather, making the transition from France less of a shock!

Here are his feet before his shoes came off. He has been diagnosed with sidebone by his French vet (who to my relief is perfectly fluent in English and -more importantly - supportive of Abbey coming here).

Abbey was shod in remedial shoes in France, with pads and "onion" shoes.

As always, there will be more shots of his feet in the next few weeks. 

Busy weekend!

Its just started to feel as if summer might be arriving, and its been a busy weekend, and not just at Rockley. New boy Abbey arrived last night, all the way from France and I will have a post about him and updates on the other rehabs over the next few days.  

Meanwhile, over the weekend some of the former rehabs have been out and about developing new skills or brushing up on techniques which they've not used for years...

Patsy, who went home last year was best mates with Ginger while she was here. Perhaps he emailed her about his showing success last weekend, because Hannah sent me this clip from the weekend - jumping again for the first time!

Another pair who were out adventuring on Saturday were Lainey and Bailey W, who followed up their xc training at camp last week with at day out at Treborough, our nearest BE course.

Despite never having jumped a full course of xc jumps, Bailey really enjoyed himself and got so much more confident that he went clear!

Laminitis app for Android

Just a quick post to let you know that the Laminitis app which I blogged about back in March is now available not just for iPhone but for Android too.

Of course, its not the only way to tell when you grass is at high risk and it can only form part of a whole management plan but it is a very useful tool, particularly if you need to demonstrate to a yard owner or sceptical friends that actually being turned out in a lovely green field at 8am isn't the best option for your horse(!).

There is more detailed info available here, along with details of where to find the app: http://www.laminitis-risk.com/

Remember these little squeakers?

Those of you who have been reading the blog for the last year or more might remember these little charmers...                                            

Fiver, 

and Farmer, the youngest ones, and...

Nettle...

 Nelson...

 and Nutmeg, our hound puppies from last year. 

 Nelson definitely had the most soulful eyes ever seen...

 and he and his sisters spent their first few days here under the watchful eye of Samuel.

 This was of course back in 2011, when the sun briefly shone...

 They were so cute!

Of course they grew very fast and were soon a bit more investigative...

And then they got so big we had a joint meet with Homer and Hopeful, who were walked at Kipscombe - and we decided the huntsman had given us magic beans instead of hound puppies... 

Fast forward a year (jeez, where has the time gone?) and we went to see them again - they are HUGE and just as cuddley, its just that now you need to be standing against a wall when they jump up...

Nelson, auditioning for Strictly with the master...

"Pick meeeeeee"...

"I'm in!"

"Tell you what - I'll practice my ear spinning..."

No-one can beat him - he's clearly top dog :-)

Fiver thinks maybe he should just stick close to those in the know and make sure his name is on the list!  He's turned into such a handsome chap, after all though it will be hard to tell him and his brothers apart out on the moor.

At least Farmer stands out - and Andy has forgiven him for being so feisty that he had to be carried home on his last scamper round Rockley because he wouldn't come back on his own...  

Here come the girls - gigantic and gorgeous - Nettle (on the left), Nutmeg (jumping up on the right) and their very smart sisters, Nectar and Napkin.

Roll on the next season, 2012-2013!