My new friend Brin

I had a lovely day off, and now I’m ready for anything!  Hope I get a chance to do some more driving.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love doing my agility and I don’t want to give it up, but it’s nice to have another ‘string to my bow’!


I had a chat with Brin over a tasty patch of grass yesterday, he’s really enjoying being at Calvert Trust Exmoor, even more now he’s working with our guests. I love having him to play with; Pixie is great & my best friend ever, but she doesn’t see the point of playing what she calls 'silly games'! 

Playing with Brin

With Brin about I’ve got the best of everything - lucky me!

Collywobbles? Moi?

Guess what: I was driving again today, except I had some people watching me high up in the gallery!


We did the same things we did the other day, but I was a little bit nervous and I’m not sure it was as good as last time.  

But I heard the staff say they were really pleased with me as it was my first ‘public appearance’.  I think that means I will get a chance to do this again; I hope so as I did enjoy myself, and I’m sure all superstars get an attack of the collywobbles sometimes! 


PS – managed to get a couple of pictures and I look pretty good – what do you think?

I’ve just finished a busy but fun week with a group of children & their parents. The weather was great, so we were able to do stuff outside too, which I love.


Let me know what you think of my photos; pilgrim@calvert-trust.org.uk!

The Shadow revealed...

Hi there folks, it’s me once again – Mr short & sweet! 


Isn’t Pixie great – she knows just about everything there is to know (I think) and in case you hadn’t guessed….the shadow she talked about is me!


I’ve been very busy so far this week,not only have I done my agility but I’ve also done some driving! First I was long reined (that’s like being driven but without the carriage) then I did the same thing again, but with a bit of weight as well (but still no carriage!).  


Finally I was put into my carriage and once I was warmed up I had a bit of fun driving round a tricky course of cones.   I did some really neat turns and felt like I went very fast; they should make a proper competition like this for horses and carriages.  


I do love driving!!!!!

Guest Blogger Pixie: 2 Girl Power

Hello everyone, it’s me, Pixie, taking another turn on young Pilgrim’s blog.


Last time I mentioned my role as an ‘Ambassador for Horse Behaviour’ at the Calvert Trust Exmoor.I use this title as I am the most experienced at communicating with other horses, just like we do in the wild.


You might wonder how I gained this knowledge: I spent the first 3 years of my life living naturally with a herd on Exmoor, and believe me you learnt very quickly to understand what other horses were saying and who was in charge! I’ve since used these skills to establish my position in any herd I join – it probably won’t surprise you to know that I usually have the last word at the stables. I have heard the staff here call it Girl Power – not quite sure what that means, but it sounds good!


It is for this reason that I am often called upon to join a few of the others in one of the arenas.  We are let loose so that the guests get to see how we behave towards each other and communicate. I won’t say much more, except I often have a shadow on these occasions – guess who!?!

Pilgrim meets Bob!

Hi there, it’s me again - Mr short & sweet!!! (I like that!).  Wasn’t Pixie good as it was the very first time she’s been near a computer?   She promised to do the blog again and Pixie always keeps a promise.

Time for a news flash: I know who Bob is!


Or should I say what he is? Anyway, I was working in the yard when I went past his stable and the door was open.  It turns out that Bob isn’t a small horse at all!!! 
  
Bob (it must be a nickname) is a red barrel; he sits on a frame & has got a saddle on the top!

Bob in his stable!

I now see why ‘Bob’ is able to help our guests, as they can have a go at getting in the saddle before trying with one of us!   What a brilliant idea!

Guest Blogger: Pixie

Hello everyone, my name is Pixie; I am an Exmoor pony and have worked at the Calvert Trust for 11 years.

Pixie

Pilgrim asked me to write a piece for his blog – at first I said no, but he gave me one of his ‘looks’ and I relented.  It works every time and he knows it, the cheeky monkey!


My job at the Calvert Trust is to help the smaller people among our guests – I stand 13.2 hands and can carry up to 8 stone.  Being a mature lady I no longer pull the carriage – I leave that to the younger ones such as Hendrix and Maxwell.   


However I might be called upon to do my duty at Christmas time as I have the honour of taking Father Christmas in a carriage to the Centre. It’s a very responsible job, I and wonder if the younger ones will be ready for it. I might just have to have a word if the call comes.


Another important role I have is showing people how we horses communicate with each other. Most people think it’s all about neighing, but it’s so much more than that! I will tell you a little more next time – Pilgrim has said that we should keep the blog ‘short & sweet’.


Was he talking about the blog or himself?  To be honest, knowing Pilgrim it could be either!

Bob? who's Bob?

Just a quick hello from me this time - I’m going to help Pixie write her blog this week so mustn’t be long, but I must tell you this;


I’ve heard the staff talking about Bob & how he will help our guests get on a horse ‘cause he’s nice & small!!! 
What about me! I’m small & I would be very easy to get on… 


...I know I’m a bit too small to ride but I don’t mind having a go!


He’s in the stable next to Duke, but I’ve not seen him. I will have to find out a bit more about this; will keep you posted!

Fun with the little people...

I’ve been working with a group of smaller people today – for most of them I was the first pony they have been ‘up close & personal’ with!  Even though I’m the smallest at the Calvert Trust stables, I can imagine even I could look a bit scary if you’ve not met a real pony before.


Once they said hello & had a go at leading me on the yard,with some help, everyone was ready to walk with me round my agility course. They each did brilliantly & lots of photos were taken to show their friends & family when they got home. I must be one of the most photographed ponies in the South West……maybe in the world!!

_____________

Good news!  I asked Pixie if she would write something for the blog & she said yes - mind you I’ve got to give her a bit of help!   So watch this space!

My Friend Pixie

What did you think of the photo with me next to Brin?…..cool huh! (if you missed it, its here: Hello Big Guy!)


We are getting on really well, he’s quite playful and now he knows that I’m up for a bit of fun we get together more in the field.I’m not sure that Pixie, my best friend, is very impressed with Brin…


…she has a way of looking at other horses that lets them know exactly what she thinks of them! She’s always nice to me as I’m her favourite, of course I'm everyone's favourite! 


She is a bit older than me but we just get along really well. I’m thinking of asking if she would like to do the blog sometime; not sure if she’s even heard of blogging!  (I bet she would think it was something rude!!)

Bye Bye Nicky

Hi everyone, it’s me again with the latest from the stables at
Calvert Trust Exmoor. Had a bit of a surprise this week; Nicky, one of the staff, has left the stables after working here for more than 9 years! 

Nicky (with my friend Bruno)

All of us horses say a big thank you for looking after us so well and wish her well in whatever she does next. Of course this means that the staff will be looking for a new person to join the team at the stables – but they will need to find the right person so it could take a bit of time. If you are interested I've been told you can find out more on the vacancies page (whatever that is!)


In the meantime the remaining staff will do their best to keep things going for the all the guests that come to the stables. It might mean that the sessions are a bit different for a while; but I will do my best to keep everyone entertained!

Paparazzi

I’ve had an idea, I think I might ask if someone can come round one day when I am doing my agility so they can take some pictures.   Then for those of you that haven’t seen me in action you’ll get a better idea of what I do!


It needs to be dry & sunny so I can be at my best, things like the seesaw aren’t really safe for me when it’s wet, especially in these plastic shoes! So can everyone please keep your fingers crossed & hope for good weather very soon!!   


Field Update:
Brin is still playing it cool – but we did share the same patch of grass yesterday; I’m sure it won’t be long before we are proper friends.   Will keep you posted!

Am I agile or what?!?

No driving this week, but I’ve taken some of the guests round my agility course.  Now I’ve been thinking & I reckon that some of you may not know what it is I do for agility, so I decided to give you a rough idea.


I have my very own set of gismos that can be set out in whatever place and order you like.  These include;

• Cones (for bending round – the closer the better) 
• A big tyre with side barriers (I have to take big steps to go in & out of the tyre and stay straight), 
• A seesaw (specially made for me & one of my favourites!) 
• A ladder (I need to walk through without missing out a ‘rung’) 
• And my very own ‘parking space’ (I have to stand with all four feet inside the edge).   

You can see why I enjoy it so much as no two courses are ever the same!   Maybe you might be the one taking me round the course one day fancy a go?

Hello big guy!

You’ll never guess what happened today…


I got put into a different field (with my friends Pixie & Teddy) and the new horse Brin was put in with us as well!
I had to go up & say hello of course – he is REALLY big…..in fact I think he is the biggest horse that I have ever met!    

Getting to know Brin

I think he was a bit surprised when I went up & said hi – it might be that I am the smallest pony that he has ever seen; how cool is that!


Anyway, I didn’t bother him too much; I think he is a bit shy & I had to check out my new field & seek out the best patches of scrummy grass.

Mud, mud glorious mud

Hi! All’s well here at Calvert Trust Exmoor, except for the weather! I can’t believe how much it has rained in the past few weeks.


Some days we are even having the mud washed off our feet. It’s a nice touch by the staff to make sure we are comfortable in our stables, but it’s supposed to be summer!!!


Thank goodness we’ve got the indoor area to work (& play) in.


I heard someone say today that it’s going to be warmer & dryer this week…..I’ll believe it when it happens!