Hello All

Welcome to Life With a Chestnut Mare.

This my blog where I will post things like, how the horses are going, how my ride went that day, what competitions are comming up, how we went at the competition and any other horse related happenings.

First of all I think I should should talk about my horses and whats happened so far.
There is Iceman, he is a 28yo Flea-bitten grey Arab X.
He was my first ever horse, I got him 4 years ago for free.
He was a great first horse for me, even though he hadnt been ridden for 7 years when I got him, he was quite a willing, you could tell he wanted to be ridden again. He enjoyed himself emensly with everything we did. We kept him at a friends place untill our property was ready for horses, then we brought Iceman and my friends horse Neddy too our place for them to graze untill I got a companion for Iceman, he didnt want to be on his own again after being left in a field alone for 7 years. Then we got Midnight, she was a black/brown elderly TB mare, she was free with all the gear, summer and winter rugs, bridle, halter, lead, saddle etc. She was grumpy at times, but was a great mare none the less and she kept Iceman company. Neddy then went back to his owners place and he got used to Midnight being his friend, she was grumpy towards him at first and made some odd dinosaur sounding noises, but soon they were great friends. Because I didnt have a saddle that fitted Iceman I had to ride him bareback, which let me tell you wasnt at all comfortable. But as he gained muscle I decided to try Midnights saddle on him and what do you know? It fits him brilliantly. Now we can do so real riding, he is fit now so we can do some jumping and stuff like that. Yes he is old but he loves his jumping and wanted to do it. Then we decided to go to pony club, this is about a year after I got him. He was seriously a hand full at the first rally he was jig-jogging and totally excited to see so many horses. But we worked around that and he settled down and started working nicely. Then at the end of the season there where too shows scheduled, The Thames Valley Pony Club Ribbon Day and the Waihi PC Ribbon Day. We took part in both and he did brilliantly. Picking up a fair few firsts too and beating the younger horses and the riders with their trainers and flash gear. Then it was winter, I brought him a new winter rug it is a green saxon 600 combo it is his sleeping bag he loves it. Then winter was over and the season was about to start again, mum and dad decided that we should start looking for our own float as we had been borrowing a friends to get too and from rallies. We found one it was a Single 3/4 roof but it was cheep and we fixed it up, it is a great wee float. We regularly went to the rallies. The Waihi A&P show was comming up and we decided to enter, we went in the Novice ring and picked up three 2nds and two 3rds, he was brilliant though I wasnt able to use a running martingale which is almost compulsory if you are going to ride Iceman any faster than a walk, he had been an endurance horse and a stock horse before and hadnt been taught to work in an outline. But anyway we kept going to Pony Club rallies and then it was time for the Thames Valley and Waihi PC ribbon days again, we did even better this year and he had a great time. It was then decided that I needed a new horse, Iceman was getting old and I wasnt able to jump the heights I wanted to on him, so first we were recommended a Bay TB gelding called Wally, we didnt click and he also had injured a tendon racing when he was younger so we decided it was best not to risk it, we sent him back. We also found out that after trying to graze 3 horses on our property that it wasnt going to work, we didnt have enough grass and I didnt have enough time to look after them all, so we had to find a new home for Midnight, this we did and she went to her new home and was a great begginers horse for her new owner, saddly around a year later, she dropped condition and had to be put down. Once Midnight was in her new home I started to seriously look for a new horse, we had a pony called Smurf with us for half a year, but he didnt work out either, so we sent him back, he was only on lease. Then I started looking again, we looked at a Bay TB gelding called Charli, we didnt click, but we had room so we grazed him at our place for a bit, then my friend came over and fell in love with him, now she owns him. Then I went to look at a Grey TB mare called Calico, I liked her but unfortunatly after a series of complicated events the owners backed out and I was on the search again, the same day I went to look at Calico, we went over to see a Chestnut TB mare called Cessna. I went and saw her again and decided to bring her home for a weeks trial, a week later I took her to a Paeroa PC rally, the waihi one had closed down, and she was brilliant, a little nervous but that was too be expected, she had had to cope with a change of grazing, a new rider and new companions all within a week. The day of the Rally was my 15th b-day. I decided she was the one and we rung Cessna's owner and told her we would take her, then next day, her owner came over with the rest of her rugs and we handed over the money. Cessna was now mine.
We then started to go to Paeroa PC rallies regularly, then it was time for the Thames Valley Ribbon Day again, we went and did quite well, placing in every class, even getting first in Best Pony Club Mount. Then we had more rallies and then it was Time for the Paeroa Ribbon Day we did well at that too, winning Best Pony Club Mount again. Then winter arrived. Everyone else turned out their horses for the winter, we kept riding and then at the first rally of the season it showed, she was nice and calm and behaved, while everyone elses horses were fresh and frisky. I was told about that Te Aroha Hack and Hunters where having an ORD soon, we went to that and did quite well, winning the walking race. Then there were a few more rallies. Then it was time for the Waihi A&P show again, we had tried last year on Smurf but he let me down big time, bucking and mis-behaving in general, it was that that decided she should send him home. The day went great with us winning multiple firsts and even a Trophy. The day after the Waihi A&P was the Waihi A&P Show jumper and Show Hunter day, we entered classes and placed in two of them. That was a few weeks ago and just two days ago we went on a 3 hour trek up into the hills it was fun, though Cessna shied at something on the trail and ran back to the back of the group, one of the horses Angel didnt like Cessna coming so close to her and kicked her, causes Cessie to get a we cut on her leg, she is fine now, she wasnt even lame.

So that is what had happend scince I first got Iceman till now.