My first horse show!

As I mentioned I've recently had a few baths to try to get rid of the long winter coat which I am hanging on to. (I'm still not 100% convinced that it isn’t going to snow soon!) Anyway I am still quite hairy but slowly it is coming out with lots of grooming and the occasional wash.

Last weekend though I was very glad I looked clean and shiny because I went to a SHOW! It was on Sunday and I had been in overnight so I had an inkling that something was going on.  On Sunday morning I was groomed and had hoof oil put on my feet.  I looked gorgeous if I do say so myself.

As soon as I was ready Nicky and Louise got the horse trailer and I climbed up the ramp.  The journey to the show was not very long, but I am too small to see out of the window in the trailer so I don’t know exactly where we went! When we arrived there were lots of other trailers and horseboxes lined up and horses and ponies of all shapes and sizes.  I don’t think I have seen so many shiny and beautiful equines in my life!  I got to have a walk around with Nicky to take in the sights which was great, and then I got to taste the grass which was brilliant! 

Soon it was time for my class and Nicky put on the new head collar that Mollie got for me.  The class was for Mountain and Moorland types - which means all sorts of different breeds from different parts of the country.  I saw Welsh ponies, Fell ponies and also some other Shetlands including miniatures just like me.

The Mountain and Moorland Class

Meeting the Judge

I enjoyed myself in the ring and was very impressed with the other ponies, and I got a rosette too which was lovely.  The judge did comment on how woolly I was!!

Proudly wearing my lovely rosette

I'm no oil painting... (but I'm going to be!)

Hey everyone it’s me, your favourite small equine here! 

Last week I had a special group of visitors come to see me, they came to say hello to me in my stable first and took lots of photos of me, then they took me outside to have more photos done in the sunshine. Teddy lives in the stable next door to mine and he was desperate to have his photo done too!

He posed beautifully so the visitors did take some of him as well as me. I am sure mine will look the best but Teddy is a very handsome chap! 

Teddy out for a ride looking handsome!

Anyway the reason for this photo-shoot was to get some good pictures of me for one of these visitors who is an animal portrait artist; she is going to paint my portrait. I'm very glad it's being done from photos as I don’t think I could stand still for long enough to be painted!

I will keep you posted on the progress of the portrait; all the other horses will be very impressed and a little jealous! 

vet visit

Yesterday was a really important day for us here at the stables. 

Every year a vet comes to see all of us and checks us all over to make sure we are fit and healthy. The vet looks in our eyes with a strange thing which makes a clicking noise! I think it is just to make sure we can see properly.

He also looks at our general health and listens to our heart with a thing that goes in his ears (Teddy said this is called a stethoscope). 

Next we have to walk and trot for the vet so that he can make sure we are moving properly and are sound.  I liked this bit; it was good practice for trotting for the judge when I go to the show. The vet said I looked very good and I made him smile when I showed him my trot! I hope the judge at the show thinks I look good too! 

Bath time again!

We had a great Horse Experience Weekend here last weekend.  These are great fun, and people who come on them get to spend the whole weekend in the stables so they get to know us all really well.

The weekend was lovely weather too so the guests did lots of riding and carriage driving in the sunshine, and then finished their weekend with a competition.

I was lucky enough to get a bath on Saturday, which I love. It's helped a bit more of my old winter coat to come out, but there is still some hanging on!

Hey! You forgot to do my hair!

I need to be looking as good as possible because as I told you I am soon going to a show; I think it will be great fun and can’t wait to see what other horses and ponies might be there.  I wonder if there will be any other miniature Shetlands? 

Meeting some lovely young people

Hi everyone, we horses and ponies have all had another busy week here in the Stables.  

We had a school group visit from Ladbrook School year 6. They were a great bunch of young people and all came to the stables for sessions riding, carriage driving and of course doing some agility with me! 

Kev is such a poser: He seem's to have forgotten its all about me!

Some of them also did some grooming and even mucked out!! I really enjoy meeting young people.  I think some of them may never have seen a pony as small as me before. 

 Quite often people ask whether I am a baby; If I was I wouldn't know half the things I know! I guess people think I am still a foal because I am tiny, but they don't call me the mighty atom for nothing!

More New Kit for Me!

Kerri, who is one of the riding instructors in our stables, has a young daughter who is horse and pony mad!

This lovely kind young person is called Molly.  She recently went to Badminton Horse Trials to watch horses and riders do lots of very clever stuff. They do dressage, cross country, (which involves very big jumps made of stuff like trees and jumping into water!) and show jumping. 

I've had a go at show jumps before...

Me show jumping!

...well very little ones and admittedly I didn’t have a rider on my back! These other horses sound like really talented chaps to me!

Anyway while Molly was at Badminton she saw a stall where you can get things for very important ponies such as me. As she had heard about me from Kerri she wanted to get me something special.  I am now the proud owner of a Superstar head collar!  It is red with stars and my name on it. 

Look at my lovely head collar!

As you can imagine I feel very proud that she chose me to get something for, and I feel like a movie star in my new head collar.  I am available for Hoof prints on the red carpet and feel sure I will soon get a call from Hollywood!!

Our Volunteers Are Awesome!

Hello everyone it’s your favourite small equine here!

I thought it was time to tell you all about the brilliant volunteers here at Calvert Trust Exmoor. Every week we have volunteers  come and help us in the stables. The volunteers help the stables staff to look after us and also they help to enable our guests to be able to ride and carriage drive.

Some of our lovely volunteers

Whenever there is a group of people coming to the stables to do things with us horses and ponies we need the help of volunteers, they get involved in all sorts of things! 

They might be leading one of us, or walking beside us to give a rider some help, or out being a driving groom in the carriage with Duchess or Hendrix.

Brin and some guests being lead by Mike, a regular volunteer

There are always things for the volunteers to do and the staff say they couldn’t do riding and driving sessions without their help.  Some of our volunteers have been coming to help us for years, even longer than Teddy has been here, but we  also have some newer ones.  Most of the people who come to help love being around us horses and ponies, of course I am usually their special favourite!

New volunteers are always welcome, all us horses and ponies love to meet new faces! Anyone can find out about becoming a volunteer here by speaking to Josh in the office or Nicky in the stables, or visiting the volunteering page.