Archive

Archive for May, 2011

Pony owner tries to get on the train with his pony

May 19th, 2011

Pony on platform

A man who is probably extremely fond of his pony seem to have discarded the convention of using horse box and horse traillers to move horses and ponies about when he was seen trying to buy a ticket at Wrexam train station with his grey pony in tow. Picture of the man and his pony captured by CCTV was released by the train station.

Shocked staff watched as the man tried to get on the train at Wrexham General station with the grey pony in tow. Apparently a train conductor refused to let him board the train with his pony, he then return to the ticket booth where he tried to buy two tickets – one for himself and one for his pony.

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) said horses were not permitted on safety grounds. The RSPCA said it was concerned and was viewing the CCTV tapes.

The man tried to travel on Saturday’s 1902 BST service to Holyhead on Anglesey with his four-legged companion.

The ATW spokeswoman said: “Arriva Trains Wales allows dogs and small animals to travel on board trains.

“All animals, except dogs, must be conveyed within a fully enclosed basket or pet carrier with dimensions not exceeding 85 x 60 x 60cm.

The man has also been reported to have been seen with the pony at accident and emergency of a hospital and at a pub.

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Queen Visits Irish Horsebreeding

May 19th, 2011

Horse Lover Queen Elizabeth
The Queen has been shown around the Irish National Stud horsebreeding centre on the third day of her historic visit to the Republic of Ireland.

In a speech at Dublin Castle on Wednesday, she offered her “sincere thoughts and deep sympathy” to victims of Ireland and the UK’s troubled past.

She went on to praise the “lasting rapport” now between the countries.

An apology had not been expected, the BBC’s Nicholas Witchell said, but the Queen came “pretty close”.

BBC Ireland correspondent Mark Simpson said that having reached “half-time” in the Queen’s four-day trip, there was now “no more politics – just horses and showbiz today”.

The Queen is due to attend a variety show at Dublin’s National Convention Centre on Thursday evening.

source/full story: bbc

Countryside Blog , , ,

Simple Cross Country Training

May 7th, 2011

cross country horse
If you are planning to go cross country, but don’t have access to a course, bear in mind that you don’t actually need to go to a proper course, you can practice at home out hacking.

You can practice cross country schooling over logs, rather than avoiding the logs as you usually would, step over them and count going round them as refusals and run outs.
Water jumps are one of the most important aspects of a cross country course. Most courses have one, some have multiple water jumps. You can practice for water jumps by stepping your horse through puddles, on a suitable surface you can canter through.Going from light to dark should also be practiced as it can be scary for the horses as their eyes take a while to adjust. Going from dark to light can be equally scary, as this scenario can have a temporary blinding effect.

During the duration of a cross country competition you should never gallop flat out. Doing this strains the horses tendons and ligaments and tires him out , while also straining his heart and lungs. For these reasons you should take the course at a strong (but not fast pace) that is both steady and controlled. When you reach a point where there are no jumps, you can make up time by lengthening the pace, or easing into a totally controlled gallop.
For your horse to be fit enough to gallop parts of the course you need to practice. You can canter over fields and through the woods. You must first make sure the ground is safe, it must be soft, but firm. It must not be muddy or slippy, nor hard and dry. The area must be of fairly soft grass or good soil.

Before you compete, you should apply a fairly generous amount of event grease, to ensure that if you horse does hit a jump, he will slip and slide over it.
Once you have finished your round, and again at the end of the day, run your hand down your horse,s legs and check for cuts, scrapes and swellings.

Happy schooling and competing!!!

Good Luck!!!
Eniola Odurinde

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Three-legged border collie is NFU farm dog of the year

May 5th, 2011

A sheepdog who is still working despite losing a leg has rounded up an award as farm dog of the year.

Jack lost his rear right leg in an accident last year but still pulls his weight on Ian and Ruth Rees’s Powys farm.

They entered him in the canine competition run by the National Farmers Union (NFU).

NFU Cymru president Ed Bailey said the judges were impressed by Jack’s tenacity and battle against adversity.

The Rees family sent in a photo of Jack and explained in 150 words why Jack should be named top dog in the competition.

They told how Jack has suffered a serious leg injury last year resulting in the amputation but had recovered well enough to carry on working.

source/full story: bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13287982

Country Sports

British Driving Society Spring Show – Hampton Court Herefordshire

May 1st, 2011

Bess pulling a carriage and two riders
The annual British Driving Society Spring Show will take place at Hampton Court in Herefordshire on Sunday, the 8th of May 2011.
This is an event not to be missed; lovers of horses and carriage driving will be entertained by a great variety of imaculate turn-outs who compete against each other in various classes. There will be stalls with equestrian products to purchase and stalls selling food and drink.

The venue is beautiful, set in glorious countryside in the grounds of Hampton Court, near Leomister an old castle with expansive gardens worth meandering in.  Weather permitting it will be a great day out for all the family.

You can find out more information about Herefordshire and Distric Driving Group by visiting their website. A full schedue of events at the spring show can be viewed here.

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