Gritting my teeth
I am so excited today. My first load of gravel for the surface of my "arena" has arrived. We have been on tenterhooks for months about whether they would be able to get a 20 ton lorry through the stable yard. There were only millimetres to spare, but the driver was fantastic and he did it. I'm thrilled with the gravel - 2-6mm, dark brown to please the Peak Park. I took Tetley out to walk around the edge of it and he loved it, he felt like he was getting a foot massage. Now all we have to do is get the other 8 oads in and spread it. Then after four long years (it was flattened 4 years ago but has become too hard to ride on, with rock as half the surface :-() I will have a proper 20x40 area to school on and practice a whole test before I compete :-)
Tia's work on rough ground has really paid off. Today on a hack up the road she was much better balanced and walking and trotting really nicely. Tetley was fine too, in the barn though it was stiflingly warm, but I had to stay home for the gravel lorry. Caddy is very relaxed and happy. I did his feet today and discovered that I have another horse with separation between the inner and outer hoof wall. In his case it is very obvious, because the split is full of black stuff. It's almost as if he has two layers of hoof, one grown over the top of the other. His sheared heel continues to improve.
The gelpad arrived - and it's going back! It is ridiculously small!! I don't think that it would actually fit under anything but a pony saddle. It is so annoying to buy these things mail order and then have to send them back.
I did the modifications to Tetley's saddle that it needed - and then cross threaded a screw so badly that it wouldn't go in or come back out again. So .... one unusable saddle. Superhubby came galloping to the rescue and found a replacement screw and retapped the hole. He just happened to have all the bits and pieces needed to match the screw thread and do the job. He is very much in favour this evening - in fact I must go and make him a nice cup of tea :-).
C
posted by cptrayes @ 9:22 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Wow bet its going to look fabulous are you/have you fenced around it?I wouldnt trust my nutter without a fence around it ,that side bit looked a pretty steep drop but then again your wonderfull neds will be fine either way im sure!
I bought a fantastic gel pad at Bramham its vented so breathable, it was a expensive but my old was has lasted years and years.Plus it had £10 off its RRP for the day so i couldnt resist!
/////He is very much in favour this evening - in fact I must go and make him a nice cup of tea :-).////
A CUP OF TEA!!!
My mate Emma's ned is out of work for 2months then more tests.....!
I've got a full size gelpad you could borrow to see if it did the trick; I don't think I want to sell it, may decide to use it under the grandeur/whatever else in the future, but if you wanted to try it and see if it works before spending the money?...
I ask again, can you clone Superhubby? He continues to astonish...not so much with all his skills, but rather with his instant attentive responses to all your horse crises.
The ring is going to be fabulous. What a difference it makes to have a good surface to school. The ponies will all be making great strides in their training I am sure.
on a favour or a promise...where on earth did you get superhubby and does he have a brother?
Addendum....Eight loads of the gravel? How much in each load, and how deep will you put it?
When I did my arena in sand, I ordered enough to put it at 3 inches. I had it spread and in a day or so I had to call it "expand a sand." It became way too deep. Then I had to get someone to take some out.
I don't know if the same will happen to you, but it might be a good idea to hold some aside when you spread and then see how the surface is for riding. You can more easily add more than have to take some out.
Apparently designing the perfect riding surface is a real art. At the NJ Horse Park, they spent ages trying different combos. They worked with experts from the racetracks too. The big problem was trying to make a surface that would make dressage, jumper, driving, and game horse people all happy. Quite a chore as each discipline seems to like a little different kind of footing.
He likes tea. Honest.
I haven't got a fence around it. I have wooden railway sleepers to hold the surface in. I didn't want a fence because some horses "lean" on them mentally, and when you take them into a dressage arena they miss them and go badly. If I have a horse that needs a barrier, I ride in the barn where they can run into a concrete wall if they like .....
What's wrong with Emma's ned NOW????
Thanks Claire, I read your offer too late and have already re-ordered a gel-eze - which just happens to have a hole in it right where his lump is.
Superhubby is indeed one in a million Jean, especially if I am upset at having butchered a £1500 saddle!!
No brothers sorry Mandeigh (thought you were committed? yours is better looking than mine!)
Nine loads Jean, 17 tons each, total 153 tons. To make it 100mm deep, 4 inches. I've tried Tetley in it that deep and it seems to be perfect.
I chose it for the best surface for barefoot as my first criteria. But I also had to have a colour that was dark that the Peak National Park Authority would approve. And not rubber or plastic which would create toxic run-off that the Water Authority would complain about (we're on a reservoir). Then stuff that would flow and not pack hard and not blow away on an exposed hillside (so sand and cinder were out). And then the least expensive option. I'm totally thrilled with the result, it's going to make a fanstastic hard-wearing surface. But you are right - I wouldn't want to jump much on it, not enough spring in it.
C
i forgot to tell you we split up about 6 weeks ago!
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