Resne Winter Fun Show 2023

With Wynnie's bill and Thunder still at boarding school, the budget for showing is not exactly in full force this winter. As a result, when the yard down the road announced that they were having a fun show last weekend, I was all for it.

indeed there are tiny yellow butterflies in his mane

I used to run this yard - it's where Lancey was born - and the new manager, S, is a kind, friendly coach who also believes in a bit more than winning rosettes, so we've always seen eye to eye. She runs low-key, super-fun local shows with a variety of classes to enter. They're chill and informal, usually well-attended enough to be enjoyable, and have a friendly, relaxed vibe that makes them perfect for kiddos' first show or to help them decompress after the hard work and pressure of the SANESA season. What's more, the entry fees are really inexpensive, which made this one accessible for me and also generally means less pressure for the kids.

Thus it was that at 7:30 on Saturday morning, with the whole world glittering white with frost and the sun barely up, I rode out of the farm with Lancey and five kiddos in tow. Three were competent teens and tweens, but I had one tiny tot and one nervous one, who was on Flashy and being ponied. Tiny tot was on Spirit, who was, as usual, totally in command of the situation.

I sent the two teens up ahead on Sahara and Midas so that I didn't have to deal with any hesitance from Lancey while ponying, and we set off cheerfully with DH leading the way in the car to prevent any psychos from driving into us. It's a quiet farm road, but you never know. Spirit followed Lancey, and K and Arwen brought up the rear.

Of course, we had picked the same weekend to go to a fun show that our other neighbours had picked to hold a shooting competition, so DH went ahead to ask the shooters to stop while the ponies went past. They graciously allowed us ten minutes to get by, so, ignoring the protests of the poor nervous child (backed up by a rather rotund Flashy), I shoved us all into a trot and hurried on past. None of the horses put a single foot wrong. Lancey got mildly excited at one point but not so much that I couldn't bring him back to a trot with one hand.

Once we left the road and set off across our host's hayfields, Lancey got a little spicy. Nothing silly, but he jogged which I hated, so I pulled, so he pulled. Flash and his kid compounded the situation by trailing miles behind despite my instructions and doing their best to wrench my free arm from its socket while the other wrestled with Lancey. We were a little frustrated with one another, but after a while I, the dressage rider, realized that my seat existed and used that to slow him down at which point he begrudgingly accepted a nice quiet walk on a loose rein. Amazing how that works.

We got to Resne nicely warmed up and hacked up the hill with more than enough time to unsaddle everybody and turn most of them out in the paddock we'd booked for the day. For most of the morning, I helped kiddos with their jumping rounds. Regrettably, I, too, had a jumping round to contend with. Spirit's kiddo had entered the team jumping only for her teammate to pull out at the last second, and I, unable to bear kiddo's disappointment, volunteered to stand in.

his mane is perfection (and yes he had poo stains)

I was beginning to regret my life choices as kiddo and I dressed our ponies in matching outfits and covered their manes with yellow butterflies. (For clarity, there was nothing whatsoever regrettable about the outfits or the butterflies - they were amazing and deeply satisfactory to my inner child). The team jumping consisted of one round per rider. The clock started when the first rider went through the start and stopped when the second rider went through the finish. Now kiddo is a perfectionist and a little competitive so I felt that Auntie Firn couldn't go trit-trotting around the course the way I so desperately would have liked to, even though the jumps were literally cavaletti-sized.

Thus, when it was my turn to go, I put on my big girl pants, grabbed the neck strap and let Lancey at it and the little dude remembered his showjumper days, threw his tail in the air and proceeded to run away with me for the first four fences. At this point, the course got twisty and my nerve failed me, so I reeled him back in with whimpers of protest and we completed the teeny jumps in a collected canter. At least this meant that we could make voltes from one jump to the next so I cantered over the finish like yelling at kiddo to go and feeling like I had not let her down.

kiddo in the background learning bad habits from Auntie Firn's exceedingly rusty jumping skills

Kiddo cantered through the first two fences with her reins as long as washing lines, failed to communicate which way they were going, and promptly fell off Spirit when pony went one way and kiddo went the other. The judge kindly stopped the clock while I scooped her up, dusted her off, checked her over for major injuries and threw her back on the pony. The clock promptly restarted and kiddo proceeded to pop around neatly, albeit a little tearfully, although her smile returned by the end. We got a first place ribbon and some bruises to show off at school.

photo credit to riding school mom, unnamed for privacy

The other kiddos thoroughly enjoyed their team jumping, except for poor old K, who found Arwen a bit overwhelmed by the fences and had several stops. In Arwen's defence, she's very much in a dressage bod right now. She redeemed herself in the barrel racing, where my adult rider won the class and the respect of her two daughters (also riders). Arwen and K were a close second, so close that K indignantly enquired if it had been hand timed. We then proceeded to the pleasure horse classes.

Flashy and his kid won the younger class in fine style. Lancey and I competed against Flashy and his unfortunate older kid, who came second to Lancey, who was a superstar. I still had his martingale on from the hacking and jumping, which only seemed to make him more fussy, but we trotted around and had a good time anyway.

The final class of the day was the most fun of them all. It's termed strictly come showing, but it's more free than that - more a costumed ride to music. Flashy's kid dressed up as Zorro, compete with cape and cloak; Arwen and K were flowers, and Lancey and I were angels. Our tune was "Through Heaven's Eyes" and we had an utter blast. I thought we had it in the bag, but then Midas' kid had a freestyle that involved flat-out galloping bareback with no hands (which was not in the sedate routine I had planned for her, but I couldn't even be mad because she was wearing a helmet), so she won.

that's some of the cloth we used to avoid our guests getting scratchy butts from the straw bales we used for seating at the wedding, in case you were wondering

At after 4pm, we headed back with six thoroughly tired ponies and equally tired riders. Despite the many drivers hustling home from the shooting competition (of which most were courteous and those who tried to be uncourteous were forced to slow down by hubby), our horses all plodded home quietly on a loose rein. Even when one driver hooted several times just a few metres away from us in greeting, only Arwen dragonleaped; the rest didn't even raise their heads.

ever-faithful hubby in the background, taking video

It was a long, exhausting, silly and perfect day.

God is good.

September photos

September is supposed to be spring, but even though the frost is over, it always feels like the last month of winter to me - dry and windy and gross, with alternating days of a weird, tired sort of heat or bitter cold. We didn't get any rain this September, unusually, but we did enjoy plenty of riding on the nicer days.

Ladybug with a kiddo on board. She gave me a few good rides this month, too, with especially nice canter work. Her canter is natural and easy.

Anke (EM's Friesian) and a little kiddo who begged to be allowed to cool her off after her lunge session. Anke is super kind and this kiddo is our newest - and just as cute as a button.

Sahara starting to look a bit fitter now that she has a boy to gallop around with.

Enjoying our letterboard to the full. It featured in the engagement shoot, of which I'll post pictures when I get the USB with all of them. Tanneth from Fine Photography bent over backwards to get us the first few photos for our save-the-dates that very afternoon, and suffice it to say they were worth every cent. Precious memories perfectly immortalized - she is brilliant.

My two hunks 💜 Thunder still looked so dull and skinny here. Spoiler alert: the change to Equifeeds Racehorse Meal worked like a charm.

This adorable calf was born with lots of chrome! They're all beautiful, but normally they're just cute little brown babies. This one has three socks and a star and a white tail.

Getting the garden started. It's taken the back burner now as wedding planning intensifies (five weeks to go! eek!) but always brings us joy.

I help this kiddo who lives on a farm with her pony just down the road. She rides him five days a week (and rides Midas the days that she's not riding her pony). Luka is only five but he's a fabulous little guy and she puts so much into him. He may not get the best care (which I'm working to rectify) but continues to impress with his sturdy native capabilities - this guy has never seen a farrier and his feet are like this. Natives are the best. He's some sort of Boerperd/Nooitie pavement special.

This one didn't do very much in August/September except for staying fit with some lungeing, the odd schooling session, and plenty of outrides. Nothing of note to report, but many many moments of amazing joy. He's the best boy.

Old charger Skye has a new thing where she pushes past Thunder when I lead him out of the arena in the mornings and then gallops around stiffly in the cows' night camp, for whatever reason. She reliably comes straight to me if I offer bribery in the form of carrots but will evade being haltered with great gusto. It's safe to say she's come through the winter well, if a little thinner than I'd like. At her age, we take what we can get.

The sweetest eye of the goodest little Lancey 💜

We got the garden started! Few things are more fun than putting on some worship music and playing in the soil.

Wynnie was weaned, most uneventfully, in mid-August and Arwen came back into work in mid-September. She was pretty chill at first, but when a little fitness began to creep in, this changed lol. She's more supple than before but still so, so stiff compared to the boys.

Thunder and I continued to jump once a week or so. He did the Wheel of Death like a proper dressage pony - perfectly. At little crosses for his mother's sake, of course.

So much weight put on in a matter of weeks. As an aside, EM bought me possibly one of my favourite gifts ever - a Waldhausen shedding tool. Wow. It is AMAZING. Thunder's coat SHONE through his entire shed, and he shed out faster and with less effort than ever before in his whole life. What's more, he loves the feeling of the tool, so that's a win-win.

I took my unfit sixteen-year-old broodmare for a nice gentle walk to stretch out her legs as we started to put her back to work. The joke was on me. I returned on a rearing, plunging fire-snorting dragon. Excuse me, madam, even if you appear to have aged backwards, I have not.

Lancey took my sister and her bestie out for a nice ride with Flash and Sahara, who were both perfect, obviously.

Did I mention that half of the farm burned down in August? Most of the horse fields were spared, but the woods and cows' grazing all burned down. God has been so gracious. The cow fields needed a burn anyway, and everyone was safe and OK. I just need to replace some fences. No biggie. This tree fell down like a week later, having been smouldering on the inside for days.

The Lord entrusted us with this special soul, Xena, for a few short weeks. We did everything we could, but she eventually went septic and passed on. She was a fireball and purred more in her few weeks of life than most kittens ever purr. I loved her fiercely and I miss her so much.

Rene approaching her third trimester with another foal by Dakota. We're hoping for a bay colt for her lessor this time.

Lancey working his lil butt. I say that he hasn't been working hard, but he's certainly looking the best he's ever had, muscle-wise. He's a chunky Arab now!

Another day, another outride for Sahara. She's turned into such a solid little schoolie.

More soft pony eyes 💜 Thunder has been working steadily since we got home from holiday in July. No lessons of late, but plenty of strength and suppleness being built. I'm working hard on on his tendency to lock his underneck when things get a little more difficult for him (possibly linked to my tendency to just pull the reins when things get difficult for me, right?).

He is just the handsomest 💜

Red! I would have liked a few more kilos on him, but he's as fat as I can feed him without getting his child launched into the stratosphere, and his coat looks incredible for the first time since he came. He's turning into a very, very nice young man.

Thunder had a nice bath and was not amused about it. I can't remember when last I had time to bath my own horse with my own hands and it feels good.

Every kid wants to ride the fancy new Friesian, and EM is very generous with rides on her glorious steed. This little kiddo was a bit nervous but all smiles on board Anke.

The fiance (squee!) got started on making some wedding things. We're not DIY'ing too much of it, but since the ceremony is on the farm, there are a few things we need to do.

My favourite goofball.

Second favourite goofball.

This kid needed to feel what a dressage horse feels like so I put her on Thunder, who bucked her off for whatever reason. This horse has never bucked anyone off in his life, and he then tore around the arena continuing to buck madly for like five minutes afterwards, causing utter pandemonium in the middle of a busy lesson afternoon. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile. He chilled out after a few minutes and carried on as usual once I put her back on again. I did find a bump on his neck the next day so I'm almost certain a bee or a wasp or something must have stung him because he's never tried anything like that before or since.

More wedding things being done.

Muscly he may be, but it seems the Arab neck is here to stay.

The broodmare bod still very much in evidence here, not helped by her magnificent pose.

SANESA Nationals was in the end of September, and while I failed to grab any photos of Bullet and his kid that don't show kiddo's face, they were fabulous. Isaiah and I grabbed an ice coffee afterwards to round off our September.

We had a fun show in the first week of October that deserves its own post, and I'll put some of the engagement pics up when I have a minute.

God is good!