Dave
There are times, when this game, specifically the horse training element of it, just seems too hard. When things are going well, everything seems wonderful, but the effort, time, money and luck involved in having things go well, is really a lot more complicated than one might realise. The biggest problem I face, is the […]
Time to come clean.
I was a bit cocky. When I purchased Monty and Luna, I thought I would have them working and pulling a carriage within 6 months. I thought I’d just go through the training steps, give them some exposure, put a cart on them and voila, the world would be a happy place. I was wrong. […]
Forward is not always the answer
Forward is not always the answer…. There I said it, and I’m feeling the wrath of many horse trainers who are reading that opening statement. Years and years of playing with horses, many lessons, clinics and reading books, and the most common piece of training advice I hear is, add more leg, make it go […]
Working through the fog.
I’ve been a bit absent in the blog writing department of late, I apologise. But the truth is, I’ve been struggling. In many aspects. Life very rarely goes as dreamily as planned, and events of this year haven’t been an exception. As a family we had our ‘bucket list’ 6 week UK holiday adventure. It […]
Welcoming the new team members
I’ve said it many times before, this small business journey is a rather tough gig more often than not. It seems the easiest way to move forward would be to consult a crystal ball. Trying to find the balance between comfortable family life, financially stable and developing ones business offering is really hard. Compounded by […]
A week to forget (and maybe even throw in the towel)
Having horses as wonderful as Henry and Angus, it is very easy to take for granted that everything will go smoothly at a job. Having a range of different carriages , each with different ways of attaching the traces, it is important to be aware of specifics when packing for certain jobs. The hardest part […]
The one that got away
Stanley was a spunky little dude, who I kind of feel got a bit of a raw deal from me. He was an inquisitive, bold, in your face type guy, who was a delight to have around, if you like that sort of thing. Keen to learn, a very quick thinker, but with an attention […]
Where to from here??
It’s only just dawned on me, but by the end of last year, I was close to burnout. This carriage business has been my main focus for over a decade, and while finally starting to thrive, the pressure was starting to intensify also. Pressure that I had put on myself trying to train unsuitable horses, […]
Giving up on the Fairytale
In the words of the great Kenny Rogers, ‘you have to know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em’. Unfortunately Boris has been a problem child for a while. He is such a magnificent fellow, however his work ethic is somewhat questionable to say the least. While things are going Boris’s way, […]
Farewell Nibbles and Tabby
With Henry out of action, and Christmas looming, I’d decided to bring Nibbles and Tabby back into work. I’d discussed with Leanne, who offered them their semi-retirement home, contacted my farrier and organised some days to go out and gently work them, to build up some fitness. The main prompting for bringing them back into […]