Rachel

When I was doing my GCSEs, and before then, I was always very creative, always writing, and always writing things that others thought were impressive and they'd like to read (in their opinion).

Since then (I am now 19) I have not been writing or reading as much as I did, and it's getting frustrating that my writing is no where near as successful as it was. The ideas are there, and forming much better, but getting it down on paper is another matter! Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do?!

In a pony profile! For a horse book, I would like some information on different characteristics, habits and distinguishing features your horses have, as they are all different!

Fill in as much as you can. Tell me...

Name, age, gender, breed, colour, height, etc

What you do with your horse (discipline: dressage, show jumping, western riding, etc)

Your horses history - where you bought it from, its background before this

Its lifestyle - stabled/lives out, etc

Characteristics: gentle, greedy, loner, cheeky, etc?

Likes/dislikes: great fear of sheep or whatever?!

Funny habits

Please do as much as you can :) Thank you! Couldnt think of anyone who would know their horses as well as most of you do!

Obviously as a teenage (Im 17) horse-loving girl I would love a horse of my own. I've had experience with horses in the past: lessons for a few years before helping out friends with their horses (both stabled and field kept, and a range of cobs and TBs/TBxs). My dad has been driving me round since I was about 6 or 7 to visit horses (I didn't have lessons until I was 8 and we were a bit pushed for money at the time) and we have time and time again driven to a field of cobs. You know the sort if you live in the UK: owned by a gypsy-type of fellow, left in a field untouched, bred and bred and bred. Conveniently this field is by the river so dad can chat to the fishermen while I give the cobs some attention ;) ANYWAY, about 4/5 years ago I met a little cob filly - I'd been keeping an eye on the heavily pregnant mare for a while and then a filly appeared :D gorgeous girl, and surprisingly though it hadn't, to my knowledge, been handled (and neither had the mare) they let me stroke the both of them for a long while. Pathetic really but I feel like I have a link with her, particularly as my grandad was there at the time and died shortly afterwards. ANYWAY, the man seems like the type who'd sell them at a low price just to get the money. She would be kept on grass livery a 2 minute drive (20 minute cycle, probs) away from home, and kept as cheaply as possible (although this is a stupid thing to say when you have horses, I am well aware!). I would obviously have to back her and bring her on once I was used to her, but I helped my friend to back her 3 year old cob and feel I have a network of people around who could help me. However, I am sure she will need vaccinations, feet trimmed, worming, and I don't even know if she's passported :/ obviously I would find all of this out before I bought her. I just want to give her a life. She isn't too big, and I don't think I would be overhorsed - shes very calm to fuss, though perhaps a little nervous at times which is understandable. However, take into account that this is my first horse and, though I feel I could do this, I am thinking it could be a stupid idea should anything go wrong - which, logically it could with her health or lack of experience. Im such a softy when it comes to her because I have known her pretty much all of her life.

Sorry, waffle much!!! All opinions welcome, just please don't cut me down, be tackful. This has been my dream for years! Thanks very much :)

Hi, I was wondering if any of you would be able to tell me how much grass livery (DIY) costs in your area, to your knowledge. This would be DIY grass livery, so basically just renting a paddock. Per week/per calendar month. I understand that the yard's facilities could increase the price. The yard im looking at isn't too extravagant: theres an allweather lunging pen and a few schooling areas which aren't allweather. Thats all the details I have at the moment :)

I've just purchased a pair of Mark Todd Mauri long boots and the reviews look good but does anyone have any experience of these boots?

Stupid ideas accepted, because who knows? :)

Im looking for a pair of yard/paddock boots for the winter that I will also be able to ride in. Is there any you would reccommend? I don't need them everyday, so they wont be too hard done by! Also im looking for something that's not about £150!! Thanks all :)

Next weekend I will be attending my first ever horse show... and I wont be riding, but I will be a sort of groom. It's only a small show, and I would like to know what happens and what I should wear! Such a stupid question :P thank you!

We've just come back from a walk in the woods and my dog has gone very hyper and is scraping her back feet on the carpet. Its a little bit red in between her paws and we've just checked for thorns, etc but there's nothing in there that we can see. We've just soaked her feet in warm water to draw out anything, but why do dogs do this?

All in the question..

What funny habits, etc, does your horse have/do??

Funniest answer = best answer :D

Thankss :)

First time I've done this!

Okay, for all you horse owners & lovers out there, this is my question today...

What was your most exuberant equine purchase to date (except the horse of course!)? Have you ever gone mad and splashed out on some random rubbish you didn't need but just REALLY wanted??

Funniest answer = best answer ;) because quite often you people really do make me laugh!

Pick faults I dont mind! I wrote this in about 20 minutes so it could probably do with lots of corrections!

The pavilion stood half-erect and empty, its prior grandeur now long diminished – a mirror image of the partly-demolished manor, two hundred feet away, the whole of its west-wing collapsed beneath the mighty figure of a man lying, still and blue with cold. Small fires still burnt behind some of the windows in the east-wing where the building was seemingly untouched, the ochre orbs adding light and a delusion of warmth to the steadily-darkening parkland surrounding the house. Much of the parkland, however, was in thick shadow and was out of view of the house. A figure, drenched more deeply in black than the shadows surrounding him, edged around the concealed lawns beneath the trees. His eyes were watchful, careful and he froze with every tiny noise or movement around himself, following out cautious steps after identifying the source. Suddenly he broke out from under the trees and streaked, quicker than a fox, across the vast lawn below the house. He headed straight for the pavilion, stealing into the darkness beneath it and crouching behind one of the remaining intact pillars, glancing around for disturbance. All was quiet.

He stood, leaning against the pillar, breathing heavily. His chest rose painfully with every breath and, as he tenderly clutched his ribs he realised that they must have been broken earlier along with his still throbbing nose. The warm, trickling sensation had ended however, a good sign: he couldn’t afford to loose anymore blood. His head still spun slightly and he squeezed his eyes shut, pressing into them with the heels of his hands. His cool skin was a relief.

His eyes snapped open again and he jumped as he felt a warm, slightly moist breath on his cheek. Hands wrapped around his middle, holding his fast to the pillar and he was sickened to the stomach as a powerful stench of burning hair wafted over him.

“Good evening, Feverel.” The man’s voice was deep, rasping and slightly hoarse, as though he had been shouting excessively and had now lost it. The sense of intimidation his voice usually cast over his victim seemed to evade and, though Feverel’s heart was thumping in his chest and his stomach was seemingly clamped to his spine, he wasn’t afraid. He had been about to respond but closed his mouth again, pressing his lips together tightly, thinking hard. The other man continued to speak.

“Got you now, ‘ent we, little man! What will Lord say when I return with your ‘ead in me hand, eh? Oh there’s a lot ‘o gold waiting, a lot ‘o gold. Much more than a little thug like you could ever imagine…” He was off, muttering to himself about how he would spend it and how he was going to make sure that “Lord” promoted him, how he would have the respect of the whole commune. Feverel gazed down and saw the cause of the smell: a huge red-raw burn stretched up the man’s thick forearm, glazed slightly with a thick, unidentifiable fluid. Hopefully poison, Feverel thought, slipping his hand into his coat pocket. The thoughtless brute restraining him had left much of his arms free to move and, as he was still talking to himself with gormless, fixated look of excitement on his face, he didn’t notice as Feverel slipped a small slick of silver out of his thick fleece and conceal it in his hand, leaving the tip pointing out of the bottom, beneath his fingers.

“…so shall we say sweet dreams then?” the man gloated, a horrible grin etched across his face. He removed one of his hands from Feverel’s middle to draw out his blade (the strength pinning him to the pillar doubled under his single hand) and Feverel quickly took the sudden opportunity to ram his knife, as hard as he could, into the man’s thigh, pushing it deep into the thick flesh. The man’s voice was so hoarse he could barely scream in pain, and Feverel seized his moment of weakness and took off into the night.

Does anyone have a horror story about buying a horse from Europe, or elsewhere? Could be your own experiences, or one you've heard about. Buying horses seen or unseen. Their behaviour changes, the difficulties faced, etc. I am mainly interested to hear about competition horses, but any horses or ponies really :) Thanks

I have a short version of this dress: http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet...

comes an inch below the knee on me because my legs arent as long as the models'! What type, colour shoes would you pair with this dress (if you find any examples, it would be useful). Also other accessories please :)

I was thinking a nude coloured heel to make my legs look longer. Oh, and please recommend something I could realistically walk in!

Thanks for your help :)

I was curious about what you'd wear with this :)

http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/skirts/tutu-ski...

Hi,

I would like to know what the style of this dress is please :)

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet...

Thank youu.

I've been riding on and off for about eight years now and have recently started to ride a new horse. We went out hacking with a couple of friends last weekend, and I'm not as experienced as them, so when they were galloping around fields, racing, I felt the nerves! The horse I ride hasn't got the best co-ordination and I was terrified she was going to trip. Also she has become very unfit and the saddle was slipping, which wasn't helping. Anyway, I kept loosing my right stirrup. I already know Im unbalanced slightly to my right, but why do I loose just one stirrup? Do you think its because I am clinging on too tightly with my knees and not putting enough weight in the irons?

(I ride english)

If a horse is 'good to box', does it mean he is happy to be stabled? I assumed this is what it meant and then my friend said its when you can load them into a trailer. But surely that would be 'good to load'? :S :)

Thanks

I was thinking Welsh Section C cross or something? What do you think?

http://www.yourhorse.co.uk/Community-Landing/Media...

My dog refuses to have her claws cut. Her back ones are fine, but with her front ones she pulls her paws away, even getting to the point of yelping when we're not even hurting her. It must be to do with fear but I need ideas of how to get her over this. I have tried cutting and rewarding but that didnt work. I have never cut them too short, either, because I only snip a little off the end (a couple of millimetres). Its getting annoying now because her claws are getting quite sharp.