The 12 days of Christmas...2014 memories. The 5th day of Christmas

When thinking of what I could do for this years "12 days of Christmas" theme on my blog, Mark and I came up with several ideas for what you guys as readers would enjoy reading and what would seem dull.

In previous years I've focused on products that I would recommend using on your equine and canine friends, and the posts have always been well received. However, this year it's safe to say my blog has taken a very different approach. Ceaser's fan base has gotten considerably larger in comparison to previous years, and with the new addition, Ziggy, people seem to be coming to me to find out just how that loveable grey is getting on. Add this to the surprise Mark and I have coming up for you on the 13th December and we decided why not do a post every other day where I pick a favourite photo that means something to me and reflect on the memories I gained from it.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Falling in love all over again! 

March 30th. The moment I allowed myself to love again. Ziggy. 

It's not necessarily this photo that brings back memories for me, because memories with Ziggy are still being created as we haven't been together that long, but it's the day the photo was taken. Ziggy had arrived a few days previously; the same day but just a year later that I had my Dougie put to sleep. 

I honestly thought I'd never get another pony so soon. I told myself I was going to throw all my time into Ceaser and Sara, whom were both already very spoilt, but I wanted to spoil them more. Then, whilst sat at work one day having a flick through Facebook I found an advert for Ziggy and on the spur of the moment I messaged the seller saying I'd transfer the money into his account, when could he deliver. 

The road from there wasn't an easy one. Ziggy wasn't easy and practically unrideable. But, if this photo reminds me of anything its perseverance.  Ziggy taught me that sometimes in life you have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture rather than what's right in front of you at that moment. 

I've got so caught up in trying to make Ziggy perfect too quickly instead of enjoying the here and now with him. I wanted him to be this dressage superstar straight away, when in reality he needed time and I needed it too. I didn't realise in the beginning how poignant Ziggy would be in my life, but he entered it with a bang and the date he arrived meant so much to me. I never thought I could love another pony other than my gang, so soon after Dougie being put to sleep, and I especially didn't want a dapple grey anymore if Granddad wasn't here to share it with me. His favourite colour had always been dapple grey. But, Ziggy came and he's taught me so much in just a short space of time. 

Tonight when you're feeling angry, mad or upset at something then just take a deep breath, take a step back and look at what you've got in life to be grateful for. I'm sure that will be much more significant than what you're upset about.

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The 12 days of Christmas...2014 memories. The 4th day of Christmas

When thinking of what I could do for this years "12 days of Christmas" theme on my blog, Mark and I came up with several ideas for what you guys as readers would enjoy reading and what would seem dull.

In previous years I've focused on products that I would recommend using on your equine and canine friends, and the posts have always been well received. However, this year it's safe to say my blog has taken a very different approach. Ceaser's fan base has gotten considerably larger in comparison to previous years, and with the new addition, Ziggy, people seem to be coming to me to find out just how that loveable grey is getting on. Add this to the surprise Mark and I have coming up for you on the 13th December and we decided why not do a post every other day where I pick a favourite photo that means something to me and reflect on the memories I gained from it.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Saying good-bye. 

Originally 2013 - Dougie. 

I posted this photo at the beginning of 2014 after finding it on my computer and broke down instantly. It's hard to think that Dougie looked so happy, so content and so...well, yet it was a mere few days later I found him collapsed in the snow unable to get up and breathing heavy. As soon as I walked outside and found him in the snow I knew that very moment signalled the end and it was the beginning of a very long few days. 

I'll always wish I'd done more, I'll always regret some decisions I made and I'll always wish I'd done the inevitable sooner so that it didn't have to end like that, but I believe life takes us on certain journeys on purpose and I believe I was taken along that certain road to pave the way for something else. 

March will always be a hard month for me. It's the month I had to say good-bye to my Dougie after so many months of him being poorly, fighting to make him better, only for him to then get poorly again. I knew that day when I found him on the floor I wasn't going to ask him to get better again for me, it wasn't fair. I looked in his eyes and I knew he wanted to go, he was ready. I'll always be so grateful to Mark for sitting with me for 48 hours solid whilst we sat with Dougie, fed him carrots, stroked his gorgeous head and brushed him so he looked every inch of perfect. But most of all I'll always be grateful to him for allowing me to say good-bye and then allowing me to walk outside, whilst he held Dougie as he took his last breath. It sounds selfish but I couldn't stay, I wanted to remember him breathing and there. 

This photo signals so many happy memories for me. I was off work and I hadn't gone to university because the snow was so bad. I'd decided to take my camera to the yard and turn the horses out so I could capture them playing in the snow. I got so many pretty photos that day, of all the horses. It was the last set of photos I took of Dougie where he looked 'there', and looked like he was enjoying life. I remember him running around so much that day and flicking the snow up as he did. 

Cherish those that you love, because you never know what day will be your last. Kiss those that mean the most to you, hug that special someone or special pet for just that bit longer today. Cherish every moment that makes you smile and capture it all with a camera. Love life. 

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The 12 days of Christmas...2014 memories. The 3rd day of Christmas

When thinking of what I could do for this years "12 days of Christmas" theme on my blog, Mark and I came up with several ideas for what you guys as readers would enjoy reading and what would seem dull.

In previous years I've focused on products that I would recommend using on your equine and canine friends, and the posts have always been well received. However, this year it's safe to say my blog has taken a very different approach. Ceaser's fan base has gotten considerably larger in comparison to previous years, and with the new addition, Ziggy, people seem to be coming to me to find out just how that loveable grey is getting on. Add this to the surprise Mark and I have coming up for you on the 13th December and we decided why not do a post every other day where I pick a favourite photo that means something to me and reflect on the memories I gained from it.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Quitting your job! 

Spring - Celebrating with my main boy!

These photos go hand-in-hand. Celebrating here with the 2nd boy! Sometimes in life you've just got grasp what's out there and take chances. 

Let me explain. I've never been adventurous. Well, hang on, let me rephrase that - I'm adventurous when I'm on a horse and I want to try a new jump, or go down a bridle path I've never been down before, but when it comes to real life I quite like routine. That means taking chances is a new thing for me. I hate change. 

So, when I walked in a meeting one day with a job and walked out without one you can imagine my heart was beating ten to the dozen and part of me thought what the hell have you just done. (My Mum was fuming by the way...!)

I'd been in a job I really disliked for 6 months. I was fed up and wanted a change, I wanted to embrace new beginnings and after endless talks with people I realised my job wasn't going to take me anywhere. You see, I have this plan. In a few years time I want my own house, the cockapoo (or spoodle) dog, I want a bigger horse lorry, I don't just want to be 'another person', I want to be successful, I want to be someone people look up to for advice, I want to leave a stamp on this earth, whether it be through getting some books published, or simply by motivating people to follow their heart. 

Anyway, the moment I realised I wasn't going to get anywhere where I was and I'd had enough, I went into a meeting with a job and came out about to work my months notice. 

I didn't want this blog feature just to be about the ponies, because whilst they're such a huge part of my life, I do enjoy working and I get joy from seeing a project completed. The top photo is a very poignant photo for me as it was my last day in the job. I don't think I'd been that happy in weeks, possibly months. My friend met me at the yard with some champagne and we sat there for hours talking about our plans for life and enjoying listening to the horses munch their hay. It's the day I vowed I wasn't going to sit on my bum anymore and allow opportunities to come to me, I was going to go out there, find opportunities for myself and embrace any fantastic offers that came my way. I was going to make use of my mantra "Dream, Believe, Achieve" and be as successful as I'd always wanted to be. It was almost like that photo signalled the start of the rest of my life. 

The second photo is a mere month later; Mark and I are in Prezzo's celebrating the news that I'd just been offered a new job! From that photo onwards I've freelanced for Horse & Hound, I now blog for Carr, Day & Martin, I've had numerous wins with Ceaser, I've got more time for him than I had in my previous job and I've been involved in workshops on behalf of BD....but most of all, I love my job and I love waking up in the morning. 

So you see, sometimes it's good to take chances in life. 

(Disclaimer: I'm not telling everyone to quit their job. For the record I woke up the day after the top photo was taken not just with a sore head but wondering what the hell I had been thinking and whether it'd be possible to beg for my job back. hehe)

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Dressage to Music - a whopping score!

When this year started I set myself a couple of goals in my head. I didn't want to share them because ultimately I was too scared to, too embarrassed at what people might think and I honestly thought they would be laughed at. I kept them in my head and I told a very select few people throughout the year. A few times I lost sight of the dreams and just when I thought they were possibly getting closer they then seemed as far out of reach as they could ever be. But, as long as I had the dreams no one could take them away from me and one day I just got out of bed and told myself I'd reach them - whether it was alone or with the support of others, so I began to share them more and confided in others I never had before.



My goals included:

- Compete at the regionals at Prelim level
- Compete at the Area Festival at Novice level
- Compete in the Northern Region teams
- Qualify for the Freestyle to Music Novice regionals
- Get in Horse & Hound with Ceaser

Honestly? I thought of that list a few months back and couldn't believe how far out of reach they seemed, but then everything seemed to start going my way.

More on that another time.

*

I decided to take last Friday off work as a local venue were having a 3-day affiliated BD competition and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try and get the Freestyle to Music regional qualification I had wanted for so long. The last time we had tried to get it the judge told me our music didn't suit Ceaser and our floor plan wasn't the best. However I wasn't prepared to change my music because it means so much to me, so I worked on everything else in our lessons and getting Ceaser working in a better frame and more uphill.

I was slightly apprehensive about whether I had done the right thing by booking in for two novice classes as I was away with work Tuesday-Thursday so it would mean Ceaser would have a couple of days off and then have to go straight out competing. The day before the competition whilst on my last day away with work I found out I had passed my Masters in Sports Journalism so needless to say by the Friday I was walking round on cloud 9 and nothing was going to ruin my good mood!

Ceaser initially warmed up well and looking back on it I think I was very fortunate my music class was first. The warm up was busy with the bigger horses because it was a weekday show, but I tried to keep a focus on what we were there to do and ensure we utilised all of our 40-minute warm up time.

I tried to remember and put into practice what my instructor had said about collecting Ceaser up, doing lots of transitions and circles, changes of reins and mixing things up to keep him focused. Once he's warmed up, then tapping behind my leg a few time to ask hind legs to engage to help create the impulsion. It worked well and he felt great.

I had a slight meltdown before my test, couldn't remember if I was supposed to salute in the first halt so asked a fellow competitor I really didn't want to have to. Then Ceaser wanted the toilet as my music started so I had to push him on! Anyway, managed to catch up quickly and slow myself down, which I found difficult as that then made me behind my music by a few strides, which was odd - we've always been in front by quite a bit! 

Everything felt much better for being slower and I was pleased, but mad with myself that we had ended up behind my music and was adamant we would be penalised for it!

The test felt nice, we finally had some power in the medium trots and I focused a lot on getting my halts perfect, without Ceaser stepping back. We had been working a lot on getting a little more bounce and activity in the canter in lessons, so I concentrated on imagining I was trying to get his knees up more whilst keeping everything together, ensuring the hind was engaged and active. Ultimately it felt like an 'ok' test, but I'm always critical and I'm constantly finding things I could do or could have done better.

I took Ceaser to cool off and was in a bit of a down mood that my music really needed changing and I had allowed the hectic warm up to get to me a little. I put Ceaser away, walked off to get my score and didn't expect too much.

As I was approaching the board I saw someone had won with 72.50% - blimey I thought, we would be very far behind that.....until I followed our name and saw IT WAS US!!! I could not believe it, I had to stand and stare at the sheet for a good few minutes AND find our sheet until I was convinced I hadn't made a mistake and we had WON with 72.50%. I'm slightly embarrassed to say I ran back to the horse lorry to Mark, whom just stared at my sheet and then swore a little. I won't repeat what he said, but put it this way, we were both extremely shocked! I couldn't believe it...!

We had achieved ANOTHER of our goals; we were going to the Novice Freestyle to Music Regionals.......and then Horse & Hound phoned..............

Dreams can come true - if you want them to <3 

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Help Ziggy win a set of goodys for Christmas from Neue Schule!

This is Ziggy's first Christmas in a loving home where he'll be adored and loved to every inch of his life.

Currently Neue Schule are running a competition called "Second Chance Horses" where the public have been urged to nominate a pony they think deserves to win the goodys because of their past.

If you haven't read Ziggy's tale of turning from a duckling to a beautiful swan then head over to my blog post by clicking this link.

Once you have then please head over to the Neue Schule Facebook page and "like" his photo, then share and ask your friends to do the same!

Ziggy said: "Thank you for voting everyone!"

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The 12 days of Christmas....2014 memories. The 2nd day of Christmas

When thinking of what I could do for this years "12 days of Christmas" theme on my blog, Mark and I came up with several ideas for what you guys as readers would enjoy reading and what would seem dull.

In previous years I've focused on products that I would recommend using on your equine and canine friends, and the posts have always been well received. However, this year it's safe to say my blog has taken a very different approach. Ceaser's fan base has gotten considerably larger in comparison to previous years, and with the new addition, Ziggy, people seem to be coming to me to find out just how that loveable grey is getting on. Add this to the surprise Mark and I have coming up for you on the 13th December and we decided why not do a post every other day where I pick a favourite photo that means something to me and reflect on the memories I gained from it.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Going to the beach! 

April 14th - Sara and I on Theddlethorpe beach, Lincolnshire.

This photo has been one of my favourite photos from 2014 since the moment I saw it. It was an absolute freezing cold day (despite it looking warm), but the day couldn't have been any more perfect if we had tried to make it. Mark and I hadn't had our lorry long and I had been wanting to take Sara to the beach for a while. On our first day off together in a long time we decided what better way to spend it than galloping up the beach whilst Mark takes photos.

Sara loves the beach and is a big fan of going through the water. It's not often she gets away from the yard as I'm too big to compete her now, so she loves nothing more than going off to the local beach and having a good leg stretch. If you could see how mad she goes once there you would never believe she's 19. I love nothing more than going for a good gallop with my best childhood friend and forgetting all the trouble of that day. 

Personally I think Mark captured this photo perfectly. It couldn't have been better. It'll be a photo I cherish for many years to come and makes me realise how lucky I am to have Sara, and have been able to share all these years with her. 

We're so lucky to live in Lincolnshire, where we're blessed with miles and miles of sandy beaches which offer fantastic galloping surfaces for when we're with our equine friends. It's so peaceful and you can go for miles without meeting any other people. I urge anyone wanting to take their equines to the beach to have a look at those on offer in Lincolnshire, you won't be disappointed.

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