Oatlands Village Fayre

Having got back from Weald Park late on Monday night, it felt like I'd not had much time to turn the lorry around (unpack, wash all costume and pad covers etc, clean out, empty toilet and refill water tanks, repack etc etc) before we were heading off again to the next show - Oatlands Village Fayre down in Weybridge.  Imie only lives very close so was planning on meeting us there, but as Helen would be coming in the lorry Monty was once again relegated into the back.

We trundled down without too much traffic (M25 on a Friday afternoon is never something to look forward to!), but on arrival at site we were greeted by a very very tight gate, set on an angle, with railings to content with as well - it was far tighter than either Todmorden or Colchester, let alone Hampsthwaite!  It took an awful lot of wiggling, along with holding the traffic up before we finally managed to squeeze our way in, but squeeze our way in we did!  We were then sited in a lovely corner surrounded by trees, and set up in no time.  We've got our set up pretty slick now, everyone has their own jobs and just gets them done. It's so nice not having to check everything because I know it will have just been done! And it means that even working at a nice pace and not rushing, we can be sitting down eating supper with the horses in their stables and sorted out within an hour and a half of arriving - not bad at all!  It'll certainly come in handy later on in the season when we have to travel from show to show!!

The following day was a lovely sunny day, and considering there was virtually nothing on site when we arrived, the whole fayre sprung up in no time - it always amazes me how an empty field can be transformed into a bustling event in only a few hours.  We had a lovely big space to warm up in and both the boys worked in beautifully. Casper was calm and concentrating, which with experience I have learnt usually doesn't bode well for the show!!  I wasn't wrong!  In the time it took us to walk the twenty metres from the tent into the arena he went from a lovely relaxed horse into a ridiculous excited one.  It's so frustrating, I can work him as much as I like at home and he is always absolutely foot perfect.  He's calm and lovely at shows until the very second he walks into an arena, and most of the time he's brilliant then as well. But one time in ten he will be so wound up its untrue!  I have no idea why he's like it at some shows and not at others, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between arena size, audience size, speaker distribution, music volume, surrounding attractions (stalls, rides, etc) or anything. Sometimes he's just manic and that's all there is to it, and you never know until you get I to the arena.  He's a conundrum for sure and certainly keeps me on my toes!!

Despite Casper's best efforts though both shows went through really well - vaulting on him was just sped up somewhat!  And thank god for Tinker!!  He's so sensible and lovely he is always a pleasure - although I know the audiences always prefer cheeky naughty Casper!

Before long it was time to pack up and head home - once we'd squeezed our way back out of the teeny tiny gateway that was!  I only got a few photos from the day, which you can see here.  But to make up for my lack of photos Imie has done another vlog!


We've got a weekend off before heading down to Hove for the Martlets Hospice Carnival on the late May Bank Holiday Monday - that'll be my next blog post!

Love Rosie x

Weald Park Craft and Country Show

The early May bank holiday saw Tinker, Casper, Monty and myself loading into the lorry and trucking off to Essex, for the Weald Park Craft and Country Show.  Both Helen and Imie were going to be meeting us there, so it was Monty who rode shotgun as my co-pilot - and very happy about it he was too!

It was another show for Classic Festivals, the organisers behind Framlingham Country Show - and it always makes things easier when you know how a show will operate!  Imie was also a happy bunny, as that week she'd bought herself a Go-Pro and was looking forward to filming our weekend.  She started off by filming all of our set up on time lapse, which is hilarious looking back at it!  My favourite part is watching me sledgehammer in all the stakes - in time lapse mode it just looks like I'm a pneumatic beast! If only it happened that easily in real time!!

Both shows went through really well on the Sunday, although unfortunately as it had been raining most of the morning the crowds weren't as big as hoped.  We've been really lucky with the weather so far, as it's rained before, in between and after our shows but not during - yet!  The evening came out nice so Tinker and Casper spent a few hours in the arena munching on the grass.  They also met Boris, the giant tortoise the girls met at Framlingham.  They were absolutely fascinated by him and couldn't seem to figure out what to think!

Luckily the weather was much better on Monday, and the whole show was far far busier. The crowds were great and everybody got behind us clapping and cheering in all the right places.  There were a couple of particularly enthusiastic chaps in Tinker's show, who made almost more noise than the whole rest of the audience put together!  I'm not sure if they genuinely thought the show was beyond hilarious, or if they'd just spent a bit too much time in the beer tent - I suspect the latter!

Before long the weekend was over and Monty and I were trucking our lonely way home.  Much as I love the hound he's not much of a conversationalist!  We managed to get a few photos of the weekend, which you can see here.  Next up is a one day show down in Weybridge, Oatlands Country Fayre, so I'll tell you all about that next!

Love Rosie x

Colchester Town Show

Our next show following Framlingham was Colchester Town Show, run by Oakleigh Fairs. I've known Charlie, Emma and Daniel (the organisers) for years, and having not seen them since Poole Town and Country Show back in August I was looking forward to seeing them all again.  Helen was meeting us there so she'd be able to make a quick getaway on Sunday evening, so it was Imie, myself and the three boys packed into the lorry.  We made good time on the journey, but then spent ages trying to find the correct entrance to the park - we ended up at one point down a very narrow lane with a tight bend and had to do a many many pointed turn to try and turn around! We finally managed to wind our way down yet another teeny tiny lane and through a VERY narrow gate (reminiscent of the one at Todmorden Show but not quite so bad!) and we were finally there on site! Hooray!!

It was lovely seeing the crew again, and we were set up and sorted in no time.  The next day we were soon ready for the shows. The first one started well, but having not had much space to warm up in Casper was full of beans! As I was working on Tinker at the start of the show I could see him out of the corner of my eye dancing about and being silly, so when Helen said 'It's time to welcome Casper to the show, he's been waiting very patiently in the wings...' I nearly burst out laughing as he most certainly had not been!!

Roman riding was interesting to say the least, as Casper was plunging and broncing which is far from ideal. Poor Tinker was obviously just wondering what on earth was going on, and who was the massive idiot he had been clipped to.  Despite Casper's best efforts though everything went through as planned, just with a bit more oomph!  Luckily his oomph was mostly run out by the second show, so I could relax and enjoy it all bit more.  Having said that, I always enjoy the shows, even when Casper is being a massive fool - and the more of a fool he is the more the audiences seem to enjoy it!!

Helen and Imie spent the evening practising their head stands (good for shoulder stands!), and then we all tried to fly one another in various different acrobatic moves - with equally varying degrees of success!!

Sunday went through very smoothly and before we knew it it was time to pack up and head home. And that's where it got interesting! We had to wiggle our way back out of the very narrow gate before doing another many many pointed turn before winding our way back along the narrow little road, but we did it!  We were then happily whizzing back down the A12, thinking we'd be home in no time, when BOOM! A tyre blew.  Balls.  We pulled over in a layby and rung the breakdown people.  They were brilliant and within the hour a lovely chap called Jay had arrived with a shiny new tyre and proceeded to change it for our burst one.  The horses were so good, as the lorry was jacked up and a pneumatic tool was used to undo the wheel nuts right under their front feet - Imie kept them occupied by feeding them carrots so they were happy as anything!

We were soon back on the road, and on our way home - the whole episode only put us back just under two hours, so not so bad, although I was very glad to finally get home!  We've a few photos from the weekend which you can see here.

We then had a couple of weeks off, before heading of to Weald Park Country and Craft Show over the May bank holiday, so I'll tell you all about that next!

Love Rosie x

Framlingham Country Show

11th and 12th April saw us performing at Framlingham Country Show - our first proper show of the 2015 season!  It was organised by Classic Festivals who were the team behind our last show of 2014, the East Anglian Equine Fair, so it was nice to know we'd be seeing familiar faces.  The show was being held at Framlingham College and Helen was meeting us there so it was myself, Imie, Monty, Tinker and Casper who piled into the lorry and headed off on Friday afternoon.  After a relatively easy journey we arrived on site only to be told we had to turn around (no easy feat on a tight show field in a 33 foot long lorry!) go back out of the site, wind our way back through the town and come in at the bottom of the field.  This we duly did, but not before missing the little lane we should have taken and having to do yet another many point turn around! We finally arrived where we should be, and after another little lorry wiggle to get through an awkwardly angles gate we were there!  It was a beautifully flat area of grass right next to the cricket nets, but we were assured they wouldn't mind us setting up there.  I was worried about making a mess, but we decided to turn the lorry around so it was facing the right way for the tent and for us to leave at the end of the weekend.  Round I went feeling pleased with my relatively tight turning circle, only to look in the mirror and realise we were leaving huge tracks in the immaculate grass!  Oops!  Never mind, just one more slight adjustment to bring the lorry parallel to the bank... back I went... and sunk.  Properly, deeply sunk.  The lorry was stuck fast, and we couldn't go forwards or backwards.  We couldn't drop the ramp to get the boys off because the lorry was backed up on an angle to the bank so we really were stuck in every way.  Poor boys, we offered them a drink and they were actually quite happy just munching on their haynets, although I'm sure they would have preferred to get off the lorry and eat some grass!

Imie and Helen had gone up to the main show site (a few minutes walk away) to try and get some help.  This was duly found in the form of a lovely chap called Simon Tinkler, who had a stand at the show promoting the local Ernest Doe Power, who as their name suggests had quite a few tractors!  Simon tried with his 4x4 first of all to pull us out, but we're about thirteen tonnes fully laden so no such luck unfortunately - just more holes in the grass.  Off Simon went to fetch a tractor from their premises, whilst we just waited.  We were also next to the colleges tennis courts, and Monty was overjoyed to find a ball!  Ball is God to Monty, and as we were all at a loose end it wasn't long before he was completely exhausted.  Simon soon returned with a lovely big tractor and before we knew it we were free!  Hooray!!  Thank you Simon!  So, after having been on site for just over an hour, we were finally ready to get on with setting up!

It took us a little while to remember where everything went and how the stables fitted together, so our set up was a little longer than usual - we'd got it down to a good fast technique by the end of last summer, but I have no doubt we'll get that back again!  Having settled in for the night we went to bed hoping for good weather - and that we'd all remember the shows the following day!

We had a lovely space for a turnout paddock for the boys and warm up area (although it did have some dirty great tyre tracks across it...), but we didn't get much chance to do a warm up as it poured with rain all morning.  We were all dressed, tacked up and ready to warm up, and just waiting for it to ease off a bit.  But it didn't.  I really didn't want to go out in it as it just makes everything soggy and bedraggled, and the horses hate working in the rain almost as much as I do.  Our warm up time gradually ticked by, and all the while the rain continued to pour down.  Eventually, just five minutes before we were due in the arena the rain stopped and the sun came out!  Hooray!!  We jumped on the boys and trotted up to the arena by way of a warm up with not a minute to spare.  Straight in and away we went - and they were perfect!  Having not been in a proper show for nearly five months they went in and were brilliant.  It was a tight arena on quite a slope, so down the hill and around the bend was a bit hairy in Roman riding - especially as Casper was his usual exuberant self!  He was very good really though, despite being absolutely fascinated by Cherry the miniature horse who was in a pen ringside.  He was trying to concentrate but just couldn't year his eyes from her!  

The only real problem we had was with the music system.  Ron, the music man, hadn't realised we needed two hand held mics and a CD player.  Luckily we had a CD player with us, but we had to muddle through with one hand held and one head mic.  Poor Ron also had to muddle through as the way the system was set up meant we could only have one of the three things (two mics and CD) playing at any one time - not ideal!  He looked like he was going to have a heart attack by the end of the show, but amazingly he managed to sort it all out for the second show so everything played at the same time - well done that Ron!

Next in the ring following both our performances were the Zulu dancers.  Casper and Tinker have never seen anything like them before, and were once again fascinated - I thought Casper's eyes were going to pop out of his head at one point!  The Zulus were great and we were all dancing away before long - Casper included who just couldn't stand still!!  As well as the Zulus there was lots to see and do at the show.  The girls went for a wander about in between our performances and met a lovely big tortoise called Boris.  You can see photos of him and other images from the weekend by clicking here.

By the time the evening came around we were all exhausted, but luckily the rain stayed away so the boys could get some well earned rest and grass  in their paddock.  I took Monty for a lovely walk along the Framlingham Castle Mere Trail, which he absolutely loved.  He's such a pleasure to have with us on the shows - although we do all have to wear earplugs overnight so we can sleep through his snoring!

The next day both the shows went through really well again, and once again we were lucky with the weather.  There was quite a bit of time in between our two performances, so we got everything packed down and ready to go.  It felt quite odd coming back to the lorry with just tack, costume and props to pack up, but it sped us up no end and we were back on the road in no time!  And that was our first show done and dusted just like that!  The following weekend we were off to Colchester Town and Country Show organised by Oakleigh Fairs - I'll tell you all about that next!

Love Rosie x

East Anglian Equine Fair

Photo by Helen Gilbertson

 Photo by Kate Jackson

Our last show of 2014 and it was a late one!  The last weekend in October saw Helen, Imie, Monty, Tinker, Casper and myself heading of to Trinity Park in Suffolk for the East Anglian Equine Fair.  Up until two weeks prior to the event I had had it in my head that it was an indoor show.  When I realised that actually it was outdoors I became slightly nervous!  Not only was it the last weekend in October (when the clocks go back), so the weather was bound to be revolting, but the last shoeing the boys had had we'd not bothered with stud holes as I thought it was going to be an indoor show.  Now we were faced with the prospect of a rainy show, in the cold, on slippery grass with no studs.  Eeek!

Having arrived and set up we were delighted to find some Yorkshire friends there too!  Hannah and Rachel from Connection Training were down for the weekend with a stall at the fair.  I'd not seen them for at least a year, so it was great to catch up with them.  There were there with another lady called Mel, who had her pony Toby with her for some demonstrations.  None of them were staying on site but Toby was, so we were introduced to him and promised to keep an eye on him.  We bedded down for the night and went to sleep hoping for fine weather the next day.

And we got it!  We woke up to a grey but dry day, and were so pleased to make it through the shows without getting rained on at all!  There were some showers but we escaped them all - phew!  We had a lovely big space for warm up, and the arenas were a really good size as well.  There were two different arenas, and one of them had a few trees in.  This didn't cause any problems, other than the fact that I had to duck whilst Roman riding a bit!

As the event was an equine fair there was lots of other horsey demonstrations and displays, everything from Parelli to Para Dressage and Clicker Training to Heavy Horses - it was great!  We spent a bit of time watching some displays and wandering around the stalls, but you never as much time as you think to yourself on a show day - there's always something to do!  We got an extra hours sleep overnight on the Saturday though which was lovely, I always appreciate extra time in bed!!

We were very lucky with the weather again on the Sunday, and both the shows went through well, so any concerns I may have had on arrival were thankfully unjustified.  We managed to gather a few images from the weekend, which you can see here.  Before we knew it it was time to pack up and head home - and before we managed that it was dark!  We set off, waving goodbye to everybody as we went, and then spent the next twenty minutes driving around and around Trinity Park (which is huge!) trying to find the way out!  We kept following little roads that ended at gates - but all the gates were locked.  We eventually managed to find our way out, and back onto a proper road and home.  2014 season done!!  At the end of the last blog of the season I usually say thank you to everybody involved, and how none of it would be possible on my own, it really is a team effort.  It feels a bit odd writing that now, in May, in the middle of another season - but it's still true!  Special thanks must obviously go to my most amazingly generous, willing and generally fantastic boys, Tinker and Casper - without them absolutely none of it would be possible!

And the 2014 blog is finally done!  Hooray!!  Now I can start telling you all about the shows we've already done this year - first up was Framlingham Country Show, and I'll write about that next!

Love Rosie x

Rotherham Show

Sunday 7th September 2014 saw us at Rotherham Show in South Yorkshire.  Charlie, Adam, Monty, Tinker, Casper and myself had all piled into the lorry and headed up the M1 the day before, with Helen meeting us on site.  We'd arrived and set up in good time, and the boys were particularly happy as we'd turned them out in the arena where there was lots of grass.  Their paddock at home was practically bare at the time, so they wasted no time in stuffing their faces as much as possible!

The morning of the show we were excited to see we had been joined over night by Dingle Fingle. Dingle is a good friend who I'd not seen for a while, so it was lovely to see him again.  We'd not had a show together since Tain Gala the previous summer!  Rotherham Show had requested a little added extra, so we had rearranged the shows to include Roman riding in both performances.  We'd given the new shows a run through in August at the Poole Town and Country Show, but it was all still a bit new - we were all hoping it would go well!  Mainly that we'd remember the new running orders!!

Whilst we were getting everything ready for the show Adam took Monty for a walk around the showground - and between them they committed a massive social faux pas!  Not quite as bad as at the recent Dunscore Gala, but not far off...  They'd been for a walk around most of the showground and were just coming back up the main drag between all the stalls when Monty decided that was the most appropriate place to have a poo.  Now, Monty's poos have to be seen to be believed - they are quite simply enormous.  Adam waited for him to finish, whilst being eyeballed by all the stall holders, before dutifully patting his pockets down for the poo bags (you always need two!).  Only to realise with mounting horror that he had forgotten to take some with him!  Eeek!!  After a little while an obliging dog owner handed over a bag, but the offending mountain refused to fit in just one small bag.  Adam had to scrape up as much as he could, before they both came back to the lorry with their tails between their legs.  Needless to say Adam had to go back out with a second bag and collect the remaining turd - much to his disgust and the stall holders delight!  I just saw this 'Off The Leash' cartoon which sums up the situation perfectly!

Whilst all this was going on we had welcomed Helen's parents, Chris and Sue, who had come to watch for the day.  It was to be the first time they had seen Helen vault in the show so they were very excited - and Helen was determined not to fall off!  In we went and it was soon Helen's turn to take centre stage.  She started off well and then it was time for the dreaded shoulderstand on the back - her nemesis move...  Up she went... and then down she came!  But she somehow managed to squiggle around and stay on!  Hooray!!  I'm still not quite sure how she managed it, as looking back at the photos she was practically half way off Casper at one point - it was definitely a good save!  The Roman riding went through really well as well, despite the fact that the arena was on a bit of a slope - we got plenty of speed up coming down the hill and around the bend!  The thing I remember most from the Roman riding is Sue's face as we whizzed past her, it was a mixture of excitement and horror - at least that's what it looked like and was hilarious!

Helen had bought her camera and Adam managed to get loads of photos of the two shows.  You can click here to see them, and bonus points if you can spot Dingle in the background who filmed it all!

Following Rotherham Show we had a break of about six weeks, before heading off to the East Anglian Equine Fair over the last weekend in October - I'll tell you all about that next!

Love Rosie x

Earls Barton Rally and Country Fayre

The late bank holiday in August 2014 saw us packing up and heading off to the relatively local Earls Barton Rally and Country Fayre.  It was a real treat to only have to drive for an hour, and not even touch a motorway.  We've spent so many Fridays sitting in motorway traffic over the summer, but not this weekend!

Having arrived on site we were directed to a lovely quiet little corner that had been cordoned off especially for us.  One side of our area was fenced with an adjoining paddock.  In this paddock were a couple of donkeys and a couple of pigs.  Pigs are quite literally the only thing I have ever found that Tinker is genuinely terrified of, and Casper has always been absolutely horrified but also fascinated by donkeys.  Needless to say from the second I got them down the ramp their eyes were on stalks and they were both snorting and puffing like a pair of ridiculous dragons!  We let them off whilst we were setting up, and the snorty ridiculousness continued for quite some time!!

It was a three day show, and the Saturday went through very well. Following our second show, Helen jumped in her car and shot off to a friend's wedding for the evening, but later on we were joined by Imie's boyfriend George.  George is lovely and Imie was really happy to have him with us, although I think he was a bit unsure about having to bed down in the cosy lorry!

Sunday morning and Helen reappeared!  The boys were mooching around their paddock, and had actually managed to get used to their pig and donkey neighbours.  The weather was lovely and sunny, we had George with us for the day and Adam was due to come down later that evening - what more could we ask for?!  Things did improve though, because before we'd even gone in for the first show the organisers came over and rebooked us for their 2015 event, which was brilliant!  I love getting repeat bookings as it means we must be doing something right!!

The shows went through really well again, apart from a slightly panicky moment just before we were about to go on for the first one when I relised we hadn't got the boys plumes on their bridles.  Luckily speedy George sprinted back off to the lorry and fetched them for us just in the nick of time!

We were very lucky with the weather over the weekend, but then on the Monday it was the opposite.  It was a very miserable day, and pouring with rain.  The organisers came and told us that as there were so few people on site we didn't have to go on if we didn't want to - but how could we not do the shows!  We reached a compromise and ended up doing our forty-five minute show, so everybody was happy.  And it turned out we did have quite a good audience, what they lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm!  We got back to the lorry to find that in the hour we'd been gone Adam had made a super human effort and managed to pack up the entire tent and stables all by himself - it normally takes all three of us the best part of an hour!!  It was lovely not to have to do it, we literally untacked the horses, packed away the show props, and we were away - I think we were home by about 4pm, which is unheard of on a show day!!

We met lots of lovely people over the weekend, as well as catching up with some old friends who came especially to see us, so we are all very much looking forward to our repeat visit in 2015!

Next up is our trip to Rotherham Show, but in the meantime you can see some photos of our weekend at Earls Barton Rally by clicking here.

Love Rosie x

Dunscore Gala

All photo's by Brian Clark at www.dumfriesphotos.co.uk

Still trying to catch up with the blog for last year's shows...!

Friday 8th August saw us packing up and heading off to Scotland!  We were off to Dunscore Gala.  Imie was away again, so it was Tinker, Casper, Monty, Charlie and myself who loaded into the lorry and headed up the M6.  We were due to meet Helen at Penrith, as it's silly for her to come all the way down to us in Oxfordshire from Yorkshire, only to go all the way back up again!  Helen's family own a builders merchants company, (JT Atkinson) and one of their outlet stores is at Penrith, so we arranged to meet her there.

After another long boring Friday drive up the M6 we finally arrived at the Penrith store, and we got a few odd looks as we drove through the industrial estate and parked up outside.  Helen hadn't managed to get hold of anyone to tell them we were coming, and she was stuck in traffic, so I tried to explain as best I could what was going on.  But trying to justify an enormous spotty horsebox parked up right outside their shop, assuring them we were supposed to be there, and that we were meeting one of the family members who owns their chain was quite tricky - they obviously thought I was completely mad!  Especially when I dropped the ramp and started unloading the horses...

Luckily Helen appeared before too long, the horses had a drink and a wee, and a bit of a leg stretch and some grass, and then we all piled back in and waved goodbye to a now very friendly bunch of folk!

We trucked on up to Scotland, and as we were approaching the venue I had the funny feeling I'd been here before.  It wasn't until we pulled onto sit though that the penny dropped and I realised I had done Dunscore Gala before, way back in 2011 whilst still working for Jive Pony.  I remembered it as being a lovely show so was very pleased to be there again.  We weren't quite the first people on site, but we were the second!  Ridgeside Falconry were already there, but not yet set up, and very soon somebody arrived to show us were to go - I could have guessed though as it was the same spot as in 2011!

As the field was virtually empty, Monty was happily trundling about whilst we were setting up.  He never goes far, and is so well behaved that I never worry about him.  However, he managed to commit the most horrendous social faux pas ever, which he has since paid for dearly!  Fiona, the organiser, had come to welcome us.  We were chatting away, and she was saying how they were all getting ready for that evening's quiz in the marquee so she'd been home to get changed which was why she hadn't been on site when we arrived.  Next thing we know Monty walked up behind her, cocked his leg, and weed all down the back of her legs.  I was absolutley mortified - it is possibly the most embarassed I have ever been in my entire life.  What a horrendously naughty hound!  (Needless to say he has since been castrated - that was a costly error on his part!!)

The next day was gala day!  We were up bright and early getting everything ready, before I was whisked away with Tracy from Ridgeside Falconry to go up into the village and judge the float competition.  The floats were all brilliant, with lots of different themes and endless fancy dress.  There were prizes for every single one, all we had to do was to decide what to award them their prize for!  We ended up with things like 'most characterful' and 'best effort' etc, although there was one overalll winner - apparently the group which wins every year!  There was so much effort which had obviously gone into the floats, I just love the smaller events which have a proper community feel to them.  Everybody was very much in the carnival spirit and we raced back down to get ready as the parade also made it's was back to the gala field.

Before long it was time for the show, and we were due to perform our double act.  As far as I can recall it all went through smoothly - I only tend to remember when things go wrong!  There was a a photographer there called Brian Clark (Dumfries Photos), who got quite a few good images of the show - and one utterly ridiculous one which is at the top of this post!  For more photos, have a look at our album (all Brian's photos) or at Abbey Camera Club's website where there is a good selection from the day. 

Next up we went to Earls Barton Rally and Country Fayre over the late bank holiday weekend - I'll tell you all about that next!

Love Rosie

Poole Town and Country Show

 Photo by Emma Owen

I can't believe how ridiculously behind I am with the blog, but now I have some more time on my hands I'm going to do my best to catch up!  So...

The first weekend in August saw us loading up and trucking down to Upton Park in Poole, ready for the two day Poole Town and Country Show.  Imie was away for the weekend, so it was Charlie, Helen, myself, Tinker, Casper and of course Monty who spent most of Friday afternoon sitting in traffic on the A34!  We eventually arrived and it was lovely to finally get the horses off the lorry.  I'd been looking forward to this show, as it was organised by Charlie and Emma Owen, of Oakleigh Fairs.  I used to do a lot of shows for them whilst working as Jive Pony, but hadn't seen them for probably about four or five years.  Unfortunately Charlie wasn't on site, but Emma was there with their two daughters - I couldn't believe how much they'd both grown!  We were placed in a lovely spot, and able to rope off a good chunk of the park to use as our warm up space as well, which meant the horses had a brilliant paddock for the weekend - perfect!

I had recently changed the shows around to add Roman riding in to every performance, and as such had had to make new music CDs.  On the journey down we'd tried to play the CDs in the lorry so we could talk the new shows through, and they wouldn't work.  I'd also recently bought a new laptop and for some reason it had only copied four tracks onto each CD (there should be eight).  I was trying not to panic, and was hoping they would play on the CD player at the show.  They didn't.  I was still trying not to panic, but there was only one solution - Adam!  Adam had been working all week but had Saturday off so was planning on driving down to the show for the day.  The journey from Milton Keynes wouldn't have been so bad, but he wouldn't have got to us until about 11pm.  I rang him and through my panic he cottoned on to the problem and offered to come down to the show having gone home first to collect both my laptops and some blank CDs.  Phew!  it meant he wouldn't be with us until about 1am, but it meant I would have music!!

I organised with the security guard that Adam would be arriving very late, and asked him to point him in the direction of our set up, and then went off to bed.  I set my alarm and snuck outside to meet Adam when he arrived, he'd rung to say the security guard had let him in and told him where to go, so I waited in the tent with the horses.  Next thing I know I can see Adam's headlights right over the far side of the showground, going in completely the wrong direction!  Unfortunately I wasn't really dressed appropriately to go and get him, but it was dark and I had no choice.  So there I am, running across the showground at 1am in just a coat, knickers and wellies.  Not ideal!  Adam's headlights soon picked me out, much to his amusement, and before long we were all back in the lorry - along with my laptops!

In the morning I spent ages moving files from my new laptop to the old one and burning new CDs. I trundled off down to the music tent to test them out with Steve, and they didn't work either!  Steve was sure he could play the tracks directly from my laptop, if only he could find the right lead...  By this time I was tearing my hair out, but I went away and not long after I heard our music playing over the loud speakers. HOORAY!!!  I was so relieved, and it couldn't have happened any later, as we were just warming up and getting ready to go for the first show!  I was far more nervous about our performances than I usually am, I think because Charlie and Emma's opinion matters to me so much, and we were doing a show that was quite new - I didn't want any mishaps!  There were also some audience members I knew (which always makes performing more nerve-wracking), as an old friend had come all the way down from Oxfordshire with her two children especially to see us.  No pressure then!  

I needn't have worried as all four shows went really well over the whole weekend.  The new structure means that Casper gets some time in the arena during the first show before he has to do anything, which lets him settle much better.  It also means I work both horses twice so Casper is never left on his own anywhere - this also suits him much better but I'm not sure Tinker is overly impressed with being tacked up and worked twice a day as opposed to once.  I keep telling him it's like doing two halves rather than one whole and is just the same really but I don't think he believes me!

All in all we had a lovely weekend  It was good to catch up with the Oakleighs crew, who I'd also not seen for years, and there were some lovely walks through the park for Monty.  The horses were happy in their paddock and all the shows went well - what more could I ask for?!  It wasn't just me who was happy with the shows, as Charlie and Emma have already booked us for a couple of different events for our 2015 season.  We won't be going back to Poole unfortunately, as we're already booked elsewhere that weekend, but we may be back down in the area for another event.  Keep an eye on our website and facebook page for details on all the events we'll be at throughout the year.

The next blog will be on our Scottish trip - which was brilliant apart from Monty's horrendous social faux pas!  More on that later...  In the meantime you can see a few images from Poole by clicking here, enjoy!

Love Rosie xx

Kings Bromley Show

Photo by Beth Dillon

The last weekend in July saw us heading up to Staffordshire for Kings Bromley Show. Luckily Imie was out of hospital and on the mend, although she still looked quite pale and interesting!  As the show was northwards Helen was due to meet us on site, so it was just Tinker, Casper, Monty , Imie and myself who set off on the Friday afternoon.  After the expected horrendous M6 traffic we finally arrived on site, and what a beautiful little show ground it was!  Everything was very square and neat and tidy, with lots of white marquees and plenty of bunting - perfect!  We had our own little coral, which meant we could have the horses wandering about whilst we set up.  The horses always love going to shows, as there is always so much more grass than they have at home.  Unfortunately Helen had got held up in traffic as well, so it was just Imie and I setting the tent up.  Poor Imie was still feeling very weak, but we just about managed it between us.  We'd just got the main awning up on the lorry tracking when Helen turned up - perfect timing!

I'd been looking forward to this show, as some friends were also going to performing with their horse act, Big and Little, and I had been wanting to see them for a while.  Pete and Tash had also bought the old Jive Pony lorry (affectionately known as Big Dur), which I had spent many a year driving up and down the country, so I was looking forward to seeing the old girl too!  I know it's silly to get sentimental about vehicles, but when Becca told me she'd sold Big Dur to Pete and Tash I was so happy it was still going to be out and about on the show circuit, and was hoping I'd bump into it (not literally of course!) sooner or later. 

There was also another old friend on site who I hadn't seen for a year or so.  John Pollard, or Polly, has a parrot show using rescue parrots which he trains to do all kinds of things.  He has a lovely set up and the birds really have fallen on their feet when they end up with Polly.  He came over for a chat whilst we were setting up, and it was great to have a long overdue catch up.  One of my favourite things about going to shows is meeting up with other performers.  Over the course of the year we meet up with so many old friends, as well as making plenty of new ones!

It was such beautiful weather that once we were all set up we decided to dine al fresco.  The shop table doubles up as a brilliant dining table, although unfortunately our camping chairs are a bit too low - our food ends up at about chest height!  The horses were still mooching about, and typically they both wanted to get far too involved.  I got up to take a photograph but has to dash back as I nearly lost my supper to Casper!

After a peaceful night (I always sleep really well at shows) we woke to find Pete and Tash had arrived during the night.  Big Dur had been re-signwritten and smartened up quite a bit inside, with lots of spotty oil cloth and new paint.  It looked great but it was funny to be back inside it.  When Becca bought it it seemed like a massive lorry, and it was compared to what we'd had before.  But then I'd bought my lorry which is a bit bigger with a much more spacious living, and having got used to that Big Dur seemed quite small!  And Becca has since bought an even bigger new lorry - lorry size is escalating!!  We spent a large chunk of the morning catching up with Pete and Tash, and it was lovely to see them.  Monty got on well with their two collies, mother and daughter Pickle and Lily, and we also had a visit from Alice, one of our most loyal fans who we hadn't seen since Stapleford Carnival last year.

We were due to perform our double act, and the arena was absolutely perfect for us.  Just the right size and dead flat - a welcome change after our last show at Rushden!  We just about had time to watch Pete and Tash's first show with Billy and Magpie before having to dash off to warm up, and it was really sweet.  Billy and Magpie are ex-circus ponies, and they have a lovely little liberty routine which we all really enjoyed watching.  You can find out more about their act on their website.  Before we knew it we were into the arena and away!  The show started off really well and was going perfectly until the start of Tinker's dance.  We'd just got into it when a fly flew straight into my mouth and went straight down my throat.  Yuk!!  I was coughing and spluttering whilst all the time trying to continue on with Tink's dance as if nothing was happening.  It felt like it was there for an absolute age, but by the time Tink was finishing up with his bow I'd manage to dislodge/swallow the offending fly.  Much as I hated it I'm sure it was a far worse experience for the fly!

The rest of the show went through really well, and Casper was a very good boy!  Helen was once again very nervous about her walk freestyle, having fallen off at every previous attempt during performance, but... SHE STAYED ON!!!!!  Not even a bit of a wobble in the lie out, hooray!!  I was so pleased for her, and you could tell by the grin on her face that she was over the moon as well.  I knew she could do it, it was just a matter of time.  It helped that Casper was walking nicely, and he kept up the good behaviour for my canter work.  A chap called Mervyn filmed this section of the show, so you can see for yourself how good he was.  I was a bit cautious though and didn't let go as much as I usually do - I wasn't going to be lulled into a false sense of security as I know him too well!! 

Mervyn also managed to get a couple of really good shots of the show, you can see them here along with a few others.  The whole show went brilliantly, although by the end I felt like I may actually spontaneously combust.  It was one of the hottest days of the year, and to be running around and vaulting virtually non-stop for forty-five minutes is beyond exhausting!  We had a lovely time though, and were so well looked after.  It's definitely a show I would love to go back to again, so fingers crossed we get invited another year!  Next up is a trip down to Poole for the two day Poole Town and Country Show - I'll tell you all about it soon!

Love Rosie x

Rushden Party in the Park

 Helen and Charlie in their playsuits - neither of which burst during the show, unlike mine!

The week after our long road trip of the North of England, we had our closest show of the season.  We were due to perform at Rushden Party in the Park and as it was only about forty miles away, and we weren't performing until the afternoon, we decided to travel that morning rather than the night before. Unfortunately during the week Imie had been rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitis (although she had the appendix removed it turned out to be a case of E coli - much nastier!  She's fine now though, phew!!), so it was a last minute call to Charlie who was thankfully available.  So in the morning we set off with the lorry crammed full; Tinker, Casper, Monty, Helen, Charlie and myself.  It was such a gorgeous hot sunny day that there was no need to set the tent up, just the stables which we did in no time.  As usual, we asked if we were able to turn the horses out into the arena whilst we set up.  The organisers were quite sceptical, and one lady seem convinced the horses would jump out!  I assured her they absolutely wouldn't - the grass was so lush and the arena very large, there was no way they were going anywhere!  It was also fenced with metal barriers, and as neither of mine have ever been taught to jump I knew they'd never attempt it.  She wasn't convinced though and I had to promise my insurance was in place and that I took full responsibility for any 'mishap'.  Needless to say they barely lifted their heads and just ate the entire time they were in there!

The arena itself was a tricky one.  It was on quite a slope and must have been ridge and furrow historically.  As such I knew it was going to make for a difficult time vaulting.  I wasn't wrong and as soon as I went in on Casper it felt like we were on a roller coaster!  I managed the first freestyle with no problems, until the very end.  I did a big flank off and as I pushed off from the roller I heard a rip and felt my costume give way - eeek!  I was wearing the stripey playsuit which has a halterneck.  The halter neck strap had torn from the top of the playsuit on the left side, leaving the whole of my costume precariously positioned with nothing to hold it all up!!  I motioned to Helen that something was wrong, so she talked and talked until I managed to sort something out.  What to do though?!  My mind was racing - we've safety pins in the lorry but Charlie won't know where and pins are painful to vault in.  I couldn't cover it with the cardigan as there still wouldn't be a way to hold the playsuit up.  Then I realised what to do.  I ripped a hole in the top of the costume, poked the strap through and tied a knot in it.  Not ideal as the halter neck was now so tight it not only hurt but was under more strain so may give out on the other side.  Fingers crossed it would be ok though!  I hate costume malfunctions, but it's only the second time it has ever happened, the first time being at Castle Howard last year when the zip on my dress burst!

On with the show!  Next was Casper's dance which he did beautifully.  However, he was an absolute monkey in the games section, and kept doing laps of honour on his own whilst bucking and farting - much to the crowds amusement!  Not mine though, as each time I would have to sprint around the arena to fetch him from wherever he ended up - not ideal on a boiling hot day in a big arena with a precarious costume!  Helen was to do her freestyle next, and given that she'd fallen off the previous two attempts she was pretty nervous.  But she stayed on!  First time ever in a show!!  I was so pleased for her, and the audience gave her a massive round of applause.  Still, however happy she was, I know she was very happy to give Casper back to me and take the microphone back!  I wasn't looking forward to the last freestyle because of my costume, but thankfully it held.  And chatting to people afterwards it would seem nobody even noticed - phew, got away with that one then!!

Tinker put in a near perfect show, as ever (what on earth I would do without him I don't know!), although even he struggled with the arena a bit.  However, I don't think we found the arena as difficult as the motorbike display team that were also performing.  They had to adjust all their ramps, take offs and landings.  Nothing any of us could do about it though other than get on with it!  To be fair the arena was on the flattest part of the whole park, it's just a very wonky old ground which you notice more upside down on a cantering horse or flying over ramps on motorbikes!  We had a great day, although it felt very odd to have the whole thing done and dusted in less than ten hours - it's usually at least twenty-four or more!  Everyone was really friendly and looked after us well, the crowds were brilliant and the weather was amazing - what more can you ask for?!

I didn't get any photos of the day unfortunately other than one of Helen and Charlie and a very sweet one of Monty, both at the top of this post.  Next up is Kings Bromley Show which I'm very much looking forward to as some friends are also there with their act, Big and Little, which I haven't seen before.  I'll let you know how we got on soon!

Love Rosie x

Croft Carnival and South Tyneside Family Fun Day

I'm so behind with the blog it's untrue!  But going right back to the first weekend in July we had a road trip of a weekend planned.  Adam and I set off on Friday, with Tinker, Casper and Monty on board.  We were off for Croft, near Warrington, where we would be performing our double act at their carnival on the Saturday.  Imie was staying with her sister nearby so was due to meet us on site, and Helen would be driving down to meet us also.  Once again it was a Friday afternoon spent sitting in Traffic on the motorway, this time it was the turn of the M6!  We finally arrived to a beautifully kept green, but unfortunately the organisers weren't aware of the size of the lorry and stable tent, and hadn't accounted for the amount of space we needed.  We ended up with the lorry wedged into the corner of the green as far as we could get, and luckily the tent fitted perfectly between a group of trees.  It was as if we'd been made to fit the space!  It was a little bit drizzly as we were setting up, but I didn't mind at all as it meant the boys' new spotty rugs could come out!

When we arrived Monty jumped out of the lorry as usual, and was met with looks of horror by the organisers.  It transpired that the green had a very strict 'no dogs' policy - oops!  We promised he'd be on his best behaviour, and that we'd keep him in stealth mode for the duration of our visit - easier said than done!  

It also turned out there was no place for us to warm the horses up on site.  Warm up is obviously vital, so they ended up coming up with a solution.  Across the road from the carnival field, and down the way a bit was a green space designated for dog walking - perfect!  We'd just have to factor in walking there and back into our preparation time, but it would be lovely to warm up away from the hustle and bustle of the carnival.

In the morning (after a quick stealth walk for Monty!) we tacked the horses up and headed down for warm up.  As we were doing the double act we had both working at the same time, and we had a good practise with both horses behaving brilliantly.  Helen ran through her freestyle a few times as well, as once again she was going to be performing during the show.  This time she'd be on Casper, so a little bit different to the previous week when she'd been on Tinker.  Fingers crossed he behaves!  Before we knew it we were back on the carnival field and it was show time!

Tinker opened the show and was his usual brilliant self, but out of the corner of my eye I could see Casper being an idiot and making Imie's life very difficult.  The music box was a big trailer covered in mirrors down one side, and he was using this as an excuse for silliness - he obviously saw a fool in the mirror and decided to join in!!  This didn't bode well for Helen, and I could see the dread in her face as the moment for her freestyle approached.  She started of beautifully, but before long it was time for those dreaded shoulderstands.  Casper was being particularly unhelpful with an incredibly active walk, not making it easy for her at all.  Unfortunately this was her undoing, and once again she tumbled off during the shoulderstand on the back.  I know she can do this move, so we're just going to persist until she can do it in front of an audience every time!

Casper was very full of beans throughout, but the show went through really well.  The audience were amazing, and really supported us right the way through.  It's a great feeling to be up on a horse clapping along to the music and have a big crowd clap along with you - I love it!  Imie and I spent a lot of time following the show chatting to people with Tinker and Casper, and all our shop goodies went down really well.  We were so busy that by the time we were finished Helen and Adam had virtually packed the whole stable tent down - result!  When it was time to leave Helen and Imie went ahead in the car, and Adam drove the lorry.  It felt very strange being driven in my own lorry, as it's not something that has happened before.  Although I've been driven miles and miles by Adam in Devil's Horsemen lorries it felt odd being driven in my own. I could definitely get used to it though!  

We were on our way up North again, this time up to South Tyneside for a Fun Day.  Because it was the weekend of the Tour de France in Yorkshire, we avoided the M62 and went up the M6 and across the A66 instead.  I've always liked driving the A66, and the whole drive was beautiful.  My ex-boyfriend, Ben, had recently moved into a farm along the A66, so as Helen and Imie had whizzed ahead in the car they stopped in to say hello to him.  They hadn't been there long though before we flew by in the lorry, and then the race was on!  As we were driving I was texting Imie saying how many miles we had to go and our ETA, she was doing the same and even though we'd had a good head start they were gaining on us!  We ended up arriving at exactly the same time, who'd have thought my old lorry could nearly beat a nippy little Golf!

We were right next to the seaside, so having set up Adam and I took Monty for a walk along the beach.  He absolutely loves the water, and is obsessive about his ball, so with the combination of the two he was in heaven!  It was a very tired, soggy, happy hound that returned to the lorry with us - he definitely slept well that night.

We all did, and were up bright and early the next day ready for the show.  We were the only act in the arena all day, which was great as it meant we could set the bunting up and leave it up all day.  It also meant we could warm up in the performance space, which usually means Casper is very well behaved as he's already seen everything there is to see.  The only slightly strange thing is that we then usually end up having quite a large crowd gather during the warm up, and today was no exception.  It's always a bit odd being applauded for simple warm up moves, but is something I always appreciate!  Warming Casper up in the arena did wonders for him, and he pulled his best show of the season out of the bag.  I was very grateful, as I had some old friends who I'd not seen for ages in the audience, a lovely couple called Alan and Dorothy.  Alan and Dorothy are great friends of Ben's, but I hadn't seen them since leaving Yorkshire in December.  South Shields is pretty local for them, so they'd made the trip up to see the show, and was really lovely to see them and have a long overdue catch up.  Also in the audience were some friends of Helen's, so we were really hoping today would be the day she managed to stay on!  Alas it wasn't to be, the shoulderstand on the back once again proving to be her undoing.  Adam was taking photos and managed to get a hilarious sequence of shots showing the whole thing - you can click here to see them along with lots of other photos from the weekend.

After another great show from Tinker we packed up and headed for home.  It was a long long drive, made even longer by the remnants of the Tour de France traffic which had us stationary for quite some time.  We finally made it home and Peroni (Adam's horse) was very happy to see the boys back - he doesn't like being on his own in the field, even if he has got neighbours.  Even though we covered some miles we had a great weekend, made easier by having Adam share the driving with me - and Helen share the vaulting!  I'm determined that she'll master the freestyle and make it through with out falling off - maybe next weekend?!  In contrast to this weekend's mammoth road trip we have a relatively local one day show next weekend, so local that we're doing the whole thing in a day and won't even have to put the tent up!  It's Rushden Party in the Park in Northamptonshire, and I'll hopefully get around to telling you how it went soon!!

Love Rosie x

Ackworth Gala

Last Saturday we were at Ackworth Gala - and it was a show with a difference for us! Helen was due to meet us on site, and Imie was away on holiday, so it was Tinker, Casper, Monty, myself and new girl Charlie who set off up the motorway.  This Friday it was the turn of the M1, and I was hoping it would treat us better than the M6 had the previous week.  It didn't unfortunately, and it took us five hours to do the 130 mile journey.  Not to worry, we arrived to a gloriously flat and empty field (I love doing shows on cricket pitches!) and were set up in no time.

We spent the morning talking through the shows, as they were to be slightly different.  Casper had unfortunately come in from the field with a slight knock to his leg, which had since filled up with fluid.  Although he wasn't at all lame, he did have what resembled a small water balloon attached to his leg, so we decided to give him the day off from vaulting.  This meant Tinker would have to step in and do the vaulting work, allowing Casper to have an easy day!  Poor Charlie not only had to learn the show, but also a confusing version involving lots of swapping horses around.

I'd also decided during the week that it was high time Helen tried some vaulting during the show.  She's been having lessons on and off for the past year or so now, and can do both freestyles through in walk on both Casper and Peroni (Adam's lovely big Irish Draft).  We'd been saying since last summer that she could do the explanation walk freestyle in Casper's show and that was what we had planned.  Unfortunately though, Helen has only vaulted on Tinker a couple of times, and whilst he and Casper may look fairly similar they feel completely different to work on!

Show time was rapidly approaching, and having given Tinker a brief warm up we ran Helen through  the freestyle.  Again and again.  And again.  It's the dreaded shoulderstands that she struggles with.  You have to be so strong in your core to be able to hold them on a moving horse, and I was expecting her to do two!  Plus a lie out onto the back following one of them.  I knew she could do it as I've seen it happen, but Tinker is different to both Casper and Peroni, and she kept collapsing or sliding off.  Practise was over far too quickly and then we were into the show!

We opened with Tinker before swapping him for Casper, who did his maths, dance and games really well.  He was full of beans once again though, and let it out by doing the most impressive rear he's done all season - go Casper!  Following the games we got Tinker back in and it was time for Helen's debut vaulting performance.  Having never before vaulted in front of an audience, and having spent most of the rehearsal time falling off, Helen was pretty nervous.  As was I!  Up she went and with the music playing we were away!  I was commentating through the freestyle and really enjoying myself, as I don't get to do much commentary these days.  Before long it was time for shoulderstand on the neck, and although Helen couldn't hold it for more than a couple of strides she didn't fall off - hooray!  She did really well with the whole thing, but then it was time for the second shoulderstand, this time on the back followed by the full lie out.  I turned around for a moment to move one of the posts to stop the bunting sagging, when I heard a groan from the audience and looked around to find Helen standing on the floor!  That wasn't in the script!!  Not to worry, we had a contingency plan.  It's called the leg up.  Up she went again to try for a second time, and plopped off for a second time!  Oh no!!  Up she went again and, moving swiftly on (!), on to the neck to continue with the routine.  The rest of it went through beautifully and then it was over - Helen had vaulted in front of an audience!  They were brilliant and gave her a well earned huge round of applause.  I know she enjoyed it but I also think she was very glad to take the microphone back from me and hand me back the horse!  Tinker and I finished the show, with lots of commentary from Helen along the lines of 'Doesn't she make it look easy Ladies and Gentlemen?  I can assure you it is NOT!'

After the show we had a bit of a breather and changed costumes before taking Tinker back into the arena for his full show.  He was brilliant as usual, apart from repeatedly falling out of his pirouette.  I couldn't work this out as this is one of his best tricks, until I remembered he had studs in his shoes!  The ground was quite soft and the poor boy was quite literally stuck to the spot - despite his best efforts there was no way he could spin around himself.  Oops!

Following the shows we packed up as quickly as we could ready for the journey home.  However, we weren't nearly as quick as the Ackworth Lions - about forty minutes before we were done the entire field had been packed away.  Everybody had vanished and the field was once again completely empty - although not quite as flat anymore!

Thankfully the drive home went much better, within three and a half hours I was home, having dropped Charlie off on the way back.  She did really well for her first show, so hopefully will come with us again if needed!  Casper had his leg drained this morning (Wednesday) so will be back in action this weekend.  I was planning on giving him another weekend off from the vaulting, but it turns out we have the double act booked in for Saturday so no such luck!  It's a bit of a monster this weekend; we're heading up the M6 again on Friday ready to perform at Croft Carnival on Saturday, then packing up and driving North some more up to South Shields for their Summer Fun Day on Sunday.  Then it'll be a very long drive home on Sunday night.  Luckily Adam is coming with us and I've put him on the lorry insurance now so he can share the driving with me!

I didn't manage to get a single photo from Ackworth Gala, but I've got the camcorder on charge so will be able to get video evidence of Helen performing this weekend!  I'll let you know how we get on!

Love Rosie x