I have been working 6 days a week full time on the yard with our apprentice and although we have had many empty stables we have still had ca. 18 horses stabled & 4 living out full time. It’s been hard work & I have loved (nearly) every second of it. It feels like its been quite a long time since I have been at this end of the business & I felt that the yard had slipped a little out of my control; but its all back to how I like it & the ship has been righted. I think the hardest thing about this period is keeping the hope & belief that things would turn around – at one point it felt like everyday someone was handing in their notice or leaving. All for very good reasons, eg. injured horses, travel time between home & the yard, just taking their horse home as they have stables in the back garden; but it doesn’t make things any easier & I am not good at goodbyes!

But over the last 14 days we have filled back up to the point where I think Zie Zie & another are going to have to winter in the old stables – the change around has been dramatic! Technically here we have 3 barns, split into an older barn with 9 stables, a newer barn with 17 & overflow old stables with 2 usable when we need or have colts in. The older barn is now booked up for the winter with DIY horses & the newer barn has a mixture of training liveries, full liveries & part liveries. It has made a huge difference to our work having the older barn completely DIY; it means that we have gone from a 28 stable yard to just 19 – it means we can be full for the winter without having to increase our workload and costs dramatically – the ideal situation.

So once again the buzz is starting to come back to the stables! We have 3 horses booked in for full time training this winter by us & my 2 I think I’m going to have fun.

Tommy & Hero have sold too. Tommy is off tomorrow to his new home & Hero gets to stay with us longer while we break him in & train him for the family that have bought him – its so exciting & I’m so glad he gets to stay.

The plans are still in progress but we are looking at running unaffiliated dressage here throughout the winter – not only shows but run a club with evening talks, quizzes, bbq’s, trips out & lots more!

Training wise with Gio & Hubert K they have been having a very quite few weeks while I have been sorting everything out. Lots of hacking for Hubert & Gio has had a mixture of lunges & school work but nothing intense. So they are both very happy campers at the moment. Certainly no shows at the moment while things are so up & down with the yard – I feel like we need to get things right at home before I can concentrate on competing again (but I can’t wait I miss it soooooo much)

Finally we have decided to look for another apprentice to work 4 days/36 hours a week – we can’t offer accommodation at the moment but can offer lots of riding this winter & great education from Broadlands.

I promise not to leave it so long next time!

Anna-Lisa x

NB. I can’t find any photos to attach on the laptop but there’s loads on Instagram!

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There has been lots of reminders about family over the last week with celebrating Swedish Midsummer on Friday, my wedding anniversary on Saturday, Fathers Day on Sunday and my Mums birthday on Monday so I have collated a few photos below.

Our 3 year old Hero, by Maestro & is for sale, was gelded on Wednesday morning by Hannah from Wood Farm Vets in Wymondham. Hero is coping well, the dripping blood had stopped by Thursday morning but his bed did look like a blood bath! He was quite a large boy so he’s been on bute for a few days to help with the pain. The wounds are looking really good and there is no swelling at all. He’s being hand walked and going on the walker 4 or 5 times a day and then in another week we’ll turn him out, but there are too many flies around at the moment so the wounds just need to close up a bit more first so that infection can’t get in.

I mentioned it briefly then but the horse flies have suddenly come out in force (along with the pollen), so most of the livery horses are now in fly rugs and masks and resemble anything other than a horse! Gio is now living out 20 hours a day and has been given back the fly rug with lots of holes in – seeing as he was the one that put them in the rug in the first place it only seemed fair. Hubert is still rugless but with lots of fly spray on, the only fly spray that I have found in this country that works again horse flies is the Effol Horse Fly Blocker +, it smells like creosote but really works. I sometimes wonder when I ride whether to get Hubert a nose net, it just seems there is a lot of small flies around this year and he seems to snort quite a lot when ridden when they are about – maybe worth giving it a go? Has anyone else used nose nets?

I have been busy on planning more camps and some teaching clinics, more geared towards certain groups – so a young horse camp and a clinic specifically to help with confidence. These ideas are all in the planning stages still so keep an eye out for more information!

After the success of the camp a couple of weeks ago now we have arranged a clinic at Norfolk Equine & Pet Care in Swafield in between Norwich and Cromer for Sunday 12th July – it’s £35 lesson fee plus £10 arena hire. Please let me know if you would like to book a lesson

I am on my own today with Nikolay so I better stop typing and get out of the office and make the feeds ready for this evening – I could carry on all night otherwise!

Enjoy your weekends and the sun and good luck to anyone competing!

Anna-Lisa x

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But there never seems to be much time to dwell on the negatives and I certainly had to put everything to one side of my brain to make room for the camp that took place last weekend. With 2 people due on Friday night it was all hands to the deck on Friday during the day to make sure that the yard looked its best and we were fully prepared for our guests (stables cobwebbed, everywhere swept & tidy etc)

I admit I was a little nervous before people started to arrive as a flicker of self doubt ran through my mind. I have been studying a lot about controlling your thoughts and how much we get worked up about the “imagined truth”, where we try to predict what is going to happen/what people think and therefore get anxious about it, even though it hasn’t (& probably never will) happen. So although the doubt appeared in my mind I was able to rationalise it and carry on preparing confidentially knowing that what ever was thrown at me I would be able to handle it with experience and calm and with buckets full of confidence!

It turned out I was right not to worry, on Friday night Charlotte & Gemma arrived with their horses and with weather warnings out for thunderstorms and torrential rain, they had ditched the idea of a tent and decided to sleep in their trailer instead – that I don’t blame them for! Friday night I was teaching so I couldn’t join them, but they walked down to the village pub and had a good meal before settling down for their night camping. The horses, Ninky & Daisy had settled in really well.

Saturday morning the rain started, but that didn’t change anything really, Ninky & Daisy went out in the fields for a few hours and Heather & Nero arrived along with Jane (who this time was horseless) and a small dog (who became Ben’s best friend) Toby. We started on time with Giovanni’s lunge & long reining, which gave us some good talking points and actually I thought went really well. Gio has been full of high jinx lately and when EquiNutritive asked if I would product try their calmer, No More Nerves Blend, I thought why not give it a go with Gio (& Hero), at this point I wasn’t convinced it was doing anything but he did behave himself with a small group of people sat in the corner of the indoor school, so maybe it is starting to have an effect.

Just as we finished with Gio our last camper Pam pulled up with Meyrick in the pouring rain. Although Pam had the shortest distance, just as she was about to load at home the heavens had opened which just delayed them a bit.

It didn’t matter too much and I rode Hubert K, we enjoyed lunch and started on individual lessons for the afternoon. It was so nice as everyone was supportive of each other and everyone improved in just the one lesson – I couldn’t of asked for a better group of horses and riders!

Amazingly relaxing leg stretch

Yoga was a great icebreaker and we all enjoyed it thanks to Rosie from Yoga with Rosie, the relaxation at the end with a lavender eye pillow was enjoyed by all!

After a time for everyone to recover and check on the horses we met up in our club room for home-made lasagne, garlic bread and salad (plus lots of cake after!) We put the dressage on the telly but mostly just talked a lot having a good time. It was really nice to relax and discuss all sorts in such a great atmosphere.

The weather was a little better on Sunday, and we started off with individual lessons and I challenged Pam to go first and after Meyrick had escaped from his stable earlier he was on his toes and by the end of the lesson Pam was relaxed and so was Mayrick and they did a fabulous job – I was so proud of Pam and so was everyone else!

The rest of the lessons went well with Nero concentrating for more than a minute at a time, Ninky starting to work straight and canter at a more “normal” speed and Daisy learning that her new mum was going to ignore her antics and stick to plan A of just sending her forwards. Great morning – followed by another great lunch, chat about the “imagined truth” and I even managed to squeeze another ride on Hubert; but unfortunately he was running on empty from pretty much the word go – I had been challenged to ride a 6 loop serpentine in our 30m indoor school so we had a great laugh trying to squeeze it in and we just managed it! And on that happy note we finished and wrapped up camp for this time just as the sun came out.

The rest of the week has just consisted of everyday yard work as most of my grooms seem to have their summer holiday booked in the next couple of weeks it means lots of extra work for us – but I LOVE IT!

Until next week /Anna-Lisa x

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One of my liveries sold one of her show jumpers, who left this morning, another livery has decided to give her lame horse a year on grass livery to see if he comes sound. I fully understand why horses come and go but it doesn’t always make it easy, due to horses selling, retiring or their owners looking to save money by going DIY or grass livery we have quite a few empty stables at the moment that we are looking to fill back up. I had a lovely livery enquiry late last night that hopefully will be the start of the turning point. In the meantime I have had to slim my workforce down which regrettably means our fantastic Swedish groom is going home on Friday and our yard man, who has worked so hard for us, is now also leaving at the end of the month. I think this has possibly been the hardest decisions I have had to make since coming here in 2011. From the 1st July me, Ben & Hattie will be doing a lot more on the yard with the support of a good team working with us and looking at new business ideas that we can build on.

The sun and Hattie has made us laugh though; Hattie has spent most of the week in the yard and playground being a stunt girl – apparently standing on things and letting go are better than anything in the world, she also looks so grown up sitting at the table now instead of her high chair

Tommy & Hero (they are on the For Sale page) are doing well, Ellinore & Becky have been working them while me & Ben have been deciding on the next direction of the business. They are easy colts that we are hoping to find new homes for very soon as they are both top quality sports horses that deserve to start their careers now.

After an intense few weeks for Hubert K he has been having an easier time with lots of stretching sessions and a lesson from Paul Fielder on Saturday morning, where both me & Hubert were reminded on riding forward and he had his spring back in his step which felt great!

Now I am sat back in the office putting the finer details to camp this weekend – I am so looking forward to meeting new horses and people and of course, showing off Giovanni W and Hubert K to everyone!!

I hope you all have a wonderfully sunny week and that it warms up soon (cold today!)

Anna-Lisa x

(Ps. First time I have tried to put a video on and it turns out not to be the best quality!)

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Saturday it was blowing a gale at Sheepgate, not so bad in the morning and I schooled Hubert K in the indoor and my word I got him forward and reacting off my leg! The power he has when he puts his mind to it is just mind blowing! Happy with the way he worked after Fridays performances I took him in the competition arena and just cooled him down. I was really really pleased with him.

My first test wasn’t until 16:35 so I had plenty of time during the day to pamper Hubert K and watch the dressage, there wasn’t a lot of people watching so it lacked a little bit of atmosphere and it was so cold with the wind. Slowly throughout the day the wind got worse, I had forgotten what its like trying to plait in the wind and cold when you can’t feel your fingers – not easy to say the least! By the time I got on Hubert K the winds had reached their peak and after an iffy warm up we went in arena 1 and started our test. I had a friend reading for me and because of the wind I could hardly hear her. You know that type of wind that knocks you backwards when you ride into it – that’s the kind of wind we turned up the centre line in – now I thought he wasn’t very forward thinking on Friday – this time I could bearly keep him in trot, we went for our canter and no response, so tried again and go a rocking horse canter, on our first circle I touched (like a feather) him with the whip and he stopped, spun, bucked, at one point I thought I was going to stay on as I clung around his neck but this seemed to make him panic even more, bucked again and off I fell – needless to say he was very forward thinking around the orchard and football pitches behind the competition arenas! I don’t know his name but about 10 of us were trying to catch him and eventually this guy got hold of a rein. Well it had been a pretty standard dressage show until then so we gave everyone some entertainment!!

We proceeded to ride in the indoor and he was a good as gold, but with the weather getting worse I decided today was not the day to take him back into the competition arena.

Saturday night was windy but quite warm so I sat with Hubert K in his stable until I got too cold and then went back to my relatively comfortable tent.

Sunday was Hubert K’s training day, so I enjoyed a lay in until 7:30 am (can’t remember the last time I did that!) and hand walked him in the morning in the rain and sat back and watched the others competing in heavy rain feeling rather smug! By late afternoon the sun was out but Hubert K was starting to get a little wound up in his stable. I rode him and that settled him a little but all evening he wasn’t happy – not himself at all.

Monday Ben and Hattie got to us at 9:20am just before the arena free time. By the time they got there I had already plaited, but felt there was something seriously wrong with Hubert K. With his history of colic surgery I was worried about him being stressed. His bed was a mess from him trying to dig his way out over night I couldn’t tell if he had pooed recently or not, so I decided to hand walk him for the arena rather than my planned ride. To my relief when we got back to the stable he had a poo (the things us horsey people are pleased about, others just wouldn’t understand!) but he was still really really stressed out. In the shop they had some Magic calmer tubes, so to avoid him getting himself wound up too much I tried one – it had no effect at all. I decided that I was going to warm up for my first test and see how he felt. But after riding for 20 minutes I knew that it wasn’t going to happen and he was just “not right” and withdrew him from both tests.

Packing up was a lot easier than packing to go away! We tried our best to clean out his stable but Sheepgate had not emptied any of their muck boxes so they were all overflowing before we even started.

Hubert K has never been a problem travelling but he was so wound up that for the first hour on the way home he kicked the grooms door constantly. He got home and very happily unloaded and had a big bran mash that he wolfed down.

Today he has had the day off and tonight he has gone very happily back to his night field with his friend Zie Zie.

So Sheepgate turned out not to be the show we had hoped for but it was a big learning curve for me and Hubert K and we are just deciding whether to go to Houghton Hall or Fenning Farm on the 21st May. Just shows after such a calm and collected show at Ferry Farm anything can happen!

Now time to concentrate on the youngsters at home for a couple of weeks.

Anna-Lisa x

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So I am going to type this quickly before my fingers get too cold to type!

We ended up setting off a day earlier than planned for Sheepgate so yesterday was a mad rush – including stopping on the way with Hubert K at Argos to buy a new sleeping bag after I couldn’t find mine! It felt so good yesterday though planning and packing the trailer and car for a show.

We arrived about 4pm and first thing after unloading Hubert K was to try and put up the tent. The tent was from Lidl and the instructions were minimal – I actually don’t think I have ever put up a tent before. It took a while but between me, Ben and Hattie we got it pitched. Quick change for Hattie and Ben and her set off back to the yard leaving me and Hubert K here until Monday.

Last night I took full advantage of the lovely indoor school with mirrors here at Sheepgate and rode Hubert K. He was super last night – didn’t put a foot wrong and the best I have felt/seen him away from home – I got off him with such a positive feeling towards today!

Hubert K has settled into the temporary stables no problem, he enjoyed eating the grass in his stable first before his bed went down. He has hit his head a couple of times looking out over the door – the perils of being a big boy. After settling Hubert K in for the night I started to settle myself into the tent, the only thing was that it was bloody freezing! By the time I’d checked on Hubert K and given him his super at 10pm I could no longer feel my fingers. I got into my sleeping bag with a set of pyjamas, tracksuit trousers, jumper, 2 pairs of socks and my woolly hat on – at 4.30am I was still freezing and put on my coat and went back to sleep. When I got out of the tent this morning there was a frost covering the outside of the tent – I hope it’s a bit warmer tonight!

I had office work to do first thing with it being the first of the month, cleaned my tack, realised I had forgotten my number at home, filled out a bio sheet for myself (always filled it out for other people before – it felt good to be doing it for myself), hand grazed Hubert K and plaited before the arena free time at 10am.

He was really good in the arena walk, a little hesitant but I was happy with everything so after 10 minutes we went back to the stables, untacked and he enjoyed some hay while I dashed to the shop to buy a new number. Quick change, Hubert K in his whites and we were back in the warm up for 11.10.

I could tell Hubert K was in one of his cheeky moods, a little threatening and backing off, so I rode my best in a busy warm up to get him forwards and it seemed to work. We walked over to the arena, which was completely on its own but you can see the warm up in the distance. Before we even went in the arena he had one of his “humping” episodes so as we entered we crabbed down the centre line sideways – great start! The rest of the test was much the same, backing off my leg, spinning, humping, breaking in the canter – quite the spectacle! But we rode through it and finished our test with an unimpressive 49% and second place. The judge was very diplomatic commenting on how nice a horse he is but a pity he didn’t go forwards today.

Another break for Hubert K, long enough to and tack back up again, and it was round two. I was a lot harder on him in the warm up this time when he backed off my leg and threatened. It seemed to help as we only had one stop and spin, but again got told off for not riding forwards enough (I was just happy I could control the spinning and napping!) but improved our score by 10% and ended on 59%.

The rest of the day has been spent watching the dressage, enjoying the coffee, looking after the main man and keeping warm! Here are loads of pictures for you to enjoy and hopefully my laptop battery will last until tomorrow evening when I plan on reporting better more forward rides!!

Enjoy! Anna-Lisa x

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