Tuesday 8 March 2011

Percy is ready to bring on

Percy is now fully broken in. He has galloped several times and does it well. He settles in nicely and is pretty straight for a youngster. We have popped over small logs in the woods and he does that without fuss. He has hacked all winter, mostly alone but more recently I have taken him out in different company. He behaved very well. He has a fantastic attitude, very bold and forward going. He is biddable and has to date only once point blank refused to do as I ask (go through a big muddy ditch). He will hack alone and is very trusting.

I have done no schooling with him other than to break him in. He is now ready to start his education properly, having built up a good trust in the human on his back! Sadly my circumstances have changed (due to a conman builder) and I think I will have to find a new home for him. I am so so gutted as he has turned in to a lovely horse and I think he will do really well with the right person. He really is a trooper. I might treat myself to a few lessons though as it would be beneficial to school him a bit before a potential loan home/buyer sees him. It will also prevent any bad habits developing!

I must get some video of him in the school......

Thursday 7 October 2010

Percy is backed

Percy is backed! He is now doing light hacks, currently only in walk (having only been out 4 times). He has taken to it all pretty well so fingers crossed that continues! He dropped weight when he first started working but is now in at night and getting hard feed so improving. He is currently on 2 scoops pasture mix and 2 scoops chaff with speedibeet and adlib hay. Might need to bump that up with the winter coming...

Thursday 15 April 2010

Percy is in a new home

Percy has moved from Edmunds Farm to Yew Tree Farm in Balcombe. He repeatedly got out of the field at Edmunds due to poor fencing. Since moving he has settled well and remained in the field where i left him which is quite a relief! I am looking to back him in July time and all being well will start this then. For the time being Percy is out at grass and enjoying the range of a huge field with an abundance of grass which will do him well up to July.

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Percy preparing for South of England Show

Percy is doing well

Percy is now 2 1/2 years and doing well. He is about 15.2 now, though I have not measured him so a rough guess! He is looking good and his feet are really looking healthy so the Farriers Formula has paid off. He has been good for the farrier on the last three occasions so I hope he keeps it up. I have my friend Kirsty helping me with him next visit as I am heavily pregnant, so I do hope he is good for her!

We haven't had any outings this summer as Bev's lorry has been off the road and I have been pregnant. So at the grand age of three he will have only been off the farm to go to the vets. This will make life interesting...

I hope to break him in this summer and do some light hacking and some lessons with him. I don't want to do too much in his third year as he still has some growing to do. I will see how he gets on. Fortunately he has a fantastic temperament and despite being pretty much left in the field this summer he still has good manners and leads/trots up well. He is unfazed by all manner of farming equipment and will walk happily away from his friends and down the road, allowing traffic to pass him. This I am very pleased with as there are plenty of adult horses out there who don't behave as well! He has definitely inherited his dams good temperament. Thank you Lady P...

Penny (Percy's dam) is sadly for sale at Llangaller Farm. Over the summer she won several Broodmare Classes in the west country and did herself proud. Here is a bit about her performance:


Devon Show 2009: "A new member of the team is the broodmare Colombecille Penny. Purchased in the spring of'08, she is by Paris Lights and has Evented at Intermediate level. Not bought top be a show horse she has blossomed into the most beautiful Riding Horse Broodmare. She was 2nd as was her filly foal by Catherston Dazzler." Charles Upham

Royal Cornwall Show 2009: "Penny excelled herself by winning the Riding Horse Broodmare class and the Overall Riding Horse Breeding Championship. Her foal duly won her class too." Charles Upham

Dunster 2009: "Penny {Columbecille Penny} donned her coloured browband again and won her Riding Horse mare class" Charles Upham

Okehampton 2009: "The day after Exford is Okehampton. This time Colombecille Penny changed her browband to become a hunter mare. She is a very difficult mare to place in a show class because she is a quality hunter mare but at 16hh looks tiny in an open class but she does have enough quality to be a Riding Horse, she was Riding Horse Champion at Royal Cornwall. Anyway she won her class. She is such a pleasure to show as her schooling as an Eventer {she is Intermediate} makes her so balanced although she was taught to stand four square in her dressage and she can't quite get her head around standing with her hind leg slightly back. Bless.

To my absolute delight Penny was pulled Supreme. I just love this mare. She has bloomed into the most beautiful horse. I love her breeding, by Paris Lights, I love her way of going, I love her performance record. Her flaw is she's female, ginger and so not the most patient but hey! A County Champion and now a Supreme." Charles Upham - Llangaller Farm, Devon.

It is such a shame that Penny is being sold, she had a fantastic home at Llangaller. I managed to visit her and Charles showed me around the place. He has a lovely manner with the horses and Penny was evidently very happy. She had a beautiful filly at foot, which my friend Angela seriously considered buying. The practicalities of having a foal and no horse to ride in the meanwhile meant that she reluctantly decided not to. Charles also took me to see the stallions where I met an old acquaintance, Prince of Darkness, who I knew during my time at Louella Stud. He was considerably more chilled out than I remember him, though it is fair to say that several years have passed since then (like 12!). He once again had a good relationship with Charles and looked fantastic.

I do hope that somebody buying Penny from Charles would be a serious person who would look after her well. Her price tag suggests that it would be a purchase for somebody discerning. If we could keep tabs on how she is that would also be good. Meanwhile I will buy a lottery ticket on Saturday, I would just love to have the lovely girl back!!!

To the right is a recent picture of Percy out in the paddock.

Tuesday 21 April 2009

Penny has had a filly

Penny had a filly foal by Catherston Dazzler on March 10th. Apparently she is a lovely filly. I am hoping to see them both on a trip to Devon later this month.

Percy was an idiot for the farrier for the second time in a row. They had a row and the farrier won so hopefully he will start to get the idea that standing still and being sensible is a far better option.

Apart from that Percy is doing well. He is doing some in-hand work in the school ready for his appearance at the South of England show this year. This has all been going pretty well, he walks and trots nicely in hand and stands up fairly well. I now need to work on him picking his feet up while standing up. We also need to have another go at loading which he hasn't done since last year.

Percy is now about 15hh, he is growing in to his neck and shoulders though still looks pretty immature behind. I am pleased with how he is doing. Apart from his hang up with the farrier he is behaving and doing really well!

Sunday 21 December 2008

Percy has got the all clear!

Percy finally has the all clear from strangles, five months after being diagnosed with it. He is looking really well despite the prolonged cold weather. He has been wearing a medium weight rug which I'm sure helps.

I hope to bring him in after Christmas. I have to wait for Paris and Pippin to be given the all clear I think, I'm not sure. I am very keen to get Percy in now though, it will do him a lot of good to get back in to the discipline of coming in and going out each day. It will also be good in terms of him keeping warm and dry, he needs to do well through the winter having had such a poor summer.

I need to buy him a turnip for Christmas.