Guest Blogger: Teddy

Hello, its Teddy here. I’ve taken over Pilgrim’s blog while he’s doing ‘something of great importance’.   

Pilgrim has asked that I keep you ‘up to date’ on all that goes on this week while he is doing other things – and so I shall!
  
Firstly let me tell you a little about myself. I am an experienced and quite dapper piebald and I have been working at Calvert Trust Exmoor for 5 years. I am 15.2 hands tall; built for strength rather than speed.   

Teddy

My main role here is as a riding horse; with my calm manner and smooth paces I am ideally suited to working with guests that need extra support. However it’s nice when I carry a more experienced rider and I love being taken along the track by the reservoir for a bit of a run, as long as it’s not too far!

After a few weeks off with a minor injury, I am back in work and without any problems, at least so far! I feel great and my work load is back to normal; I even took a young person in my tandem saddle last week, so I must be back to peak fitness. I think the staff and I are both relieved about this, to say the least!   

I'm an author!

I’ve got a bit of news for you! you’ll never guess what it is, so I’ll have to tell you…..

Yours truly has been asked to write an article for Posability magazine!  It seems that they’ve read my blog and would like me to report on what we do with our guests at Calvert Trust Exmoor!

This means I’m going to have a busy week; I will still be working while I work on my article, not sure I can do my blog as well. 

I’ve decided to leave the blog in the capable hands of my friend Teddy. He’s not done a blog before but he assures me that he has a ‘wealth of experience’ and ‘just how difficult can writing a blog be?’  

I’m sure he’ll do a great job; but I’ve asked Pixie just to keep an eye on him just in case! It should be fine as he’s got lots of stories to tell and knows all there is to know about what goes on! I'll keep my hooves crossed just in case...

I love my job!

Good news!

I did some driving today & I was great! I had a person in my carriage plus one of the staff by my head helping them out.   I could sense that the lady in the carriage was new to driving so I was on my best behaviour.

As we went on I could feel her gain confidence, and we finished off doing a figure of eight round some cones, partly in trot.  I got lots of praise from both of them for being a little ‘superstar’ - their words, not mine - & afterwards a nice groom before I was taken out to my field. I love my job…

...but then who wouldn't!

Embarrassed Teddy

Do you remember the breakout a few weeks ago? 

Well, I had a chat with Teddy about it over a lush bit of grass last night. I could tell he didn’t really want to talk about it; I reckon he’s a bit embarrassed about leaving me behind (& so he should be!).

He muttered something about this field having more grass and a better view of the reservoir; but I think it’s more to do with it being harder for him & the others to push the fence!   

Brin told me later that he’d seen one of the staff walking round the field they broke out of with a roll of string,  banging metal bits into the fence. He thinks that they’re putting the same buzzing stuff on the fence that we’ve got in this field.  At least that means I won’t be left behind again!

I wonder if this was Teddy!?

I noticed last night that someone has attacked our sign, I wonder if that was Teddy too? He does have a good appetite, so maybe it was; don't think I'm gonna ask him though!

Shall we race?

It’s been quiet for me the past couple of days: I’ve done some agility and taken a few of our guests along the track, but no driving so far this week.    

The good thing about having a bit more time is that I can chat with some of the others here at Calvert Trust Exmoor & catch up on all the latest news. Of course any interesting bits I will pass on to you – but as a good reporter should, I will keep a confidence if asked to!

I've been chatting with Hendrix; we both love driving so we had lots to talk about! His main job is driving with the guests, he can pull both carriages but says he mainly works with the 4 wheeler.

Hendrix doing Carriage Driving

Hendrix told me that he’s been doing a few driving demos recently to show folks what driving is all about. He reckons the best bit is going round a course of cones as quickly as possible!

I told him about the demo I did a while ago and he said that maybe we could have a race sometime to see who’s the fastest!! I’d love that but I think I need to do a bit more practice first – it sounds to me that Hendrix is a bit of an expert!  

Welcome to the family Brin!

Me & a few friends showed some of the guests how we ‘talk’ to each other this week.   We are allowed to roam freely in the arena, just being ourselves with folks watching from above.
Having an audience doesn’t bother any of us……we’ve too busy catching up with each other or enjoying rolling (one of my favourite activities).   

Me having a lovely roll!

Good news; It sounds like Brin is here to stay, YAY!!!!!!

I know that all the new horses have what is called a trial period – which means that they are allowed time to settle & to see if being here will suit them. I must say I was a bit worried after the ‘breakout’, I hoped that it wouldn’t mess up his chances of becoming a proper member of our team.

It looks like his hard work & great personality has won them over at the Stables & I will have my new friend around to stay! whoopee!!

A little bit of rain..

Remember the ‘Great Escape’ from my field by Brin, Teddy & Bruno?  I am pleased to report that so far ‘the boys’ have stayed with me & not gone off on another adventure.  I made Brin promise that if they do it again they will take me with them!

It’s been raining again – surprise, surprise! I Didn’t have my rug on though; It’s when it’s raining & windy at the same time that I get a bit chilly.

Bruno made a comment about how some horses couldn’t stand ‘a little bit of rain’.  BUT I’m not the only one to have a bit of help to stay warm…….Pixie, Duke & Wizard also have a rug on when the weather turns wet & cold. 

I bet he wouldn’t dream of saying this to Duke (or Pixie for that matter!)

___________________

Apparently lots of you lovely people like reading my blog, so they sent out a photographer to get a picture of me writing - I've decided to use it as the new background for the blog! Here it is - a great shot of me in action!

Me hard at work, talking to you!