Busy Busy
Hellooo So sorry I have been slack in keeping you up to date, we are so busy our feet don't seem to touch the ground at the moment. I have had staff off on holidays, me on my holidays (Menorca and it was amazing, over too quickly) and nearly all the horses back in work. Trace and I are riding 6 lots each and will be back up to 7 by the end of next week, we still have 3 weeks of staff holidays to go, so no respite in the madness!
I did write a facebook post about all the horses before I went away, however in true Jo fashion, I decided to save it and then take a load of pics to go with it, I lost the post and ran out of time, so here we go again! (these pics are 10 days out of date and the horses look even better now, they are also taken at lunchtime and everyone of them wanted to come and chat, so im afraid they are either asleep or on the move, you get the idea!)
These are just the ones that are doing more interesting work.
Cronin's Hill (Irish Dave) is going beautifully and has settled in really well, we are aiming to run him on or around the 25th of September in a novice hurdle at Warwick over 2 and a half miles, I love this horse and so far he is straightforwards and genuine with a really good engine, we shall school him in the next couple of weeks over hurdles.
Gallic Destiny (Garlic) is still walking and recovering well from a Sesamoid fracture, he is such a goon who delights in being an idiot both in the stable and out, he really doesn't help his cause but the leg looks great and he will be put out in the paddock soon for some much needed head time.
The Big Yin (Jack) is getting bigger everyday, he is so special (in more ways than one) I am so excited by him, we are taking our time with him as he wants a good bit of cut in the ground, but this year he looks a really classy horse. The stride on him is unbelievable and the power he has is breathtaking (as long as it doesn't involve him thinking he's a lipizzaner....) I really cannot wait for him to run.
Mr Fitzroy (MrF or Faff) is still behaving like a 3 year old, do you remember pinball machines? Riding him up the gallop is a bit like that, we duck and dive all the way, with him seeing dead people/fairies/trolls at the sides of the gallop. I'm not really sure how he has stayed on his feet, there have been moments where I have questioned my life choices....Needless to say he's banned from leading the babies. He will run as soon as the ground is easy enough for him, or before if he carries on trying to give me a breakdown...
Into the Mist (Patsy) has come in like Vicky Pollard, she knows it all and we have had a few discussions about her "whatever" attitude, to be fair she looks and feels amazing but I do think she is very sensitive to the feed she has and last year we trained her on ERS pellets of Dodson and Horrell and she was a much easier tilly to deal with. This year I have just had her on Easy cubes until now (she let her summer bod go a bit and had too many pies) but her temperament is not pleasant and we will change her back to the ERS this week. We are aiming for a mares novice hurdle in September, she is a really nice prospect to look forwards to.
John Biscuit is pretty much retired but Patricia would like us to keep him in work as he loves it, actually I am using him to lead the babies and he is being a star.
Saggezza (brave Dave, in the most ironic sense of the word) still continues to show us he may be something special (again in more than one way...) he finds everything so easy and actually really enjoys his work. We just have to remember he is very fragile mentally and with that in mind all his training is at his pace, although so far we have never asked him a question and he still thinks he is just having fun. I am aiming for him to be ready by the end of September and he will run in a bumper somewhere.
Marmont has been a labour of love this summer, he seems to go from one niggle to another but he is worth it, he owes me nothing and I know that when the soft ground comes, he will be flying. We will aim for a handicap hurdle over a bit further as soon as the rain appears properly.
Miniature Daffodil (Daffy) had been going really well until he pulled a shoe off 2 weeks ago, he had the shoe back on and then had to have it off again, as kept going very lame and had a raging pulse going into the foot. Whilst I was away I got a phone call to say Ben was worried it was more than the foot. I replied he had been fine before the lost shoe, get the foot dug out and police it to draw any poison out that was in there. They did that and he was back into work 100% sound today. He is a little fresh...so we will be upping his work next week and starting to go a stride quicker on him with a view to running him around the middle end of September, this break has been the best thing that has happened to him, he looks amazing and is built like a tank now! Ladies I shall be sending you an email with regards to the next ladies morning!
Oscars Leader has had a dreadful sarcoid on his girth which has taken ages to remove and heal, luckily we have been lunging him for the past 5 weeks so he can start cantering straight away, he looks great and hopefully will have his ground this season. He will go for a handicap hurlde in October. I adore this horse and can't wait for him to finally show what he can do.
Touchy Subject (Ted) looks like a different horse, his leg scanned great and although he thinks he should be going quicker, Trevor was very insistent that we are really careful over the next month or so, as this is the time the fibres in the tendon organise themselves. So much to Ted and Trace's disgust, they are still going a first canter pace, however they will be doing two by next week. Ted will be aimed at novice handicap chases at the end of September or beginning of October, he is now the horse I thought he should have been last year.
Eddie (unnamed Epaulette) is a beautiful 3 year old who we have taken ages to break and get going as she was so immature. Frightening that with her breeding and pedigree she would have run on the flat as a two year old for another owner. Patricia is a brilliant owner who wants the best for her horses and giving Eddie this time hopefully will enable us to keep her sounder for longer, unlike the rest of the family... Eddie will run when she is ready in a bumper, probably wait until after Christmas as she is growing everyday.
Its For Alan (Alan) has had his back injected again just to help me get him to build some more muscle around his sacroiliac, he was getting there but he is such a sharp horse that as soon as he has pain again, he becomes tricky and anxious and reverts back to his original flight tendencies. He is now going a good swinging canter again and will run back over hurdles at the beginning of September, the program is so bad that we are struggling for races for him, however there are ok options at Uttoxeter and Southwell, I'm not sure the owners will be too happy with those choices but the race I had found for him at Fontwell seems to have changed conditions...
Ken's Well (Kenny) Has been suffering with a complaint called headshaking, it came on very suddenly and we have tried everything to get him right. He has had a bone scan, ct scan, head xrays, antihistamines, dentistry work, steroids, painkillers, antibiotics, different bedding, nose net, hood, pacifiers...nothing has worked, however he seems to be improving at the moment. I'm not sure if it may be the change in weather (although he has been the same in sun, wind, rain, light, dark, hot or cold...) or the harvest that is helping, or we are changing the bedding again (long story) and maybe clearing the barn out again is helping him. He has just started lunging again and maybe we will start to ride him in a couple of weeks.
Gemima (unnamed 3 year old by Passing Glance) has gone back out for a couple more weeks, she will not stop growing and we figured she obviously needs the time so why rush her? She is the most genuine, willing mare I have ever had to train and she has surprised us with the length of stride and ability she has shown even at her slower paces. I never ever expected that, I still haven't sold her but maybe it's meant to be, maybe she will win a mares bumper for us and I can breed from her. Passing Glance is running at a 43% strike rate, very nice thank you.
I was going to have an open day in September but we are really so busy, I would struggle to organise it, maybe next year. We are going to have a #TheseGirlsCan morning in September so ladies get your diaries out!
In other news, the small one and her pony Ollie have been doing so well, I am the proudest mum and so happy she is enjoying the riding as much as she is. At pony club she got the most improved in her group and she did her first round of 60cm (massive step forwards) where she had a double clear and finished 4th in two classes out of 30 plus in each.
Roll on our first runners!