Week 13...Hell on Earth

I am going to continue with Rosie's story as this is the main intention of my blog....this leads to week 13 of Rosie's road to Dublin. Each season Loughrea show takes up two days of the third weekend of every July. On the Saturday is the horse showjumping and Sunday is the pony showjumping but 2010 was the year Loughrea show would change forever in Highgrange. Saturday turned into a hectic type of day, we arrived to Loughrea with the truck filled with the showjumpers. Coco was a 5 year old and making nice progress after starting the season at 80cm and now jumping in the metre classes. In her usual style she flew around the course to come home with a ribbon.

Usually after the Saturday of Loughrea we would have whatever ponies ready and in for Sunday but this year was different as Rosie and Macken were both showing on the Sunday. After arriving home after a long day on Saturday we had to face exercising and washing the show horses and repack, fill haynets, etc. It was straight to the shower and bed that night I can tell you! The beauty with Loughrea showing is that the ridden classes come after the inhands so you have that bit more time to get ready and settled at the show. It was a misty horrible day and no one likes hanging around in that weather. There was a huge entry for the Ridden Hunter class and at the last minute was split into Small/Lightweight hunter and Middle/Heavyweights so after waiting all afternoon all of a sudden there was a bust to get her ready for the Small/Lightweights. Rosie was fully tacked and groomed and ready for her warm up and in true horsey style the horse is head to toe ready before the rider even thinks of themselves. The girls had a hold of Rosie while I went to get ready in the jeep, hang on where are my clothes?!?!? There I was sweat running with the fright of not being able to find my gear...I was in deep trouble...I wasnt sure what was worse, admitting to Mary I forgot my clothes or not having enough time to warm up for what looked like a good class, this was hell on earth. I spotted Grace on the way back with Macken, at that moment she looked like a little angel coming towards me, I ran at her and told her to get off him and give me her gear (it was like daylight robbery!). There we were in the jeep swapping clothes hoping Mary wouldnt notice then all of a sudden I had no tie as she was wearing Ian's and he was in a ridden class straight after Rosie. Shane went running and found one...best part was the hat! Grace and I have different sized heads, I was hoping to God that I wouldnt loose the hat in the gallop or inhand. Tensions were high and my heart was racing, I jumped up on the mare and straight to the ring wearing small boots and a big hat! Thankfully Rosie held her own (and the hat stayed on) and was pulled in 3rd. She went beautifully for the ride judge, I stripped her off for the inhand judge who was an old gent from the north and spent 10 mins complimenting her and asking me to go north for Racehorse to Riding Horse classes to promote the retraining of these beautiful types. All in this time I was trying to not pass out with the stress of no clothes and how was I going to manage the trot up, would the hat come off or would I get a cramp from the size 5 boots squeezed on my huge size 7 feet? Someone was looking down as I managed to complete the trot up accident free. Rosie finished the class moving from 3rd to 2nd so I was delighted and the photo of  my face in the lap of honour says it all!

Strutting her stuff

Relief!

The look of relief! Thank god for Grace's clothes!

Smiles all sides and I could finally admit to Mary that I had forgotten my clothes as we had a ribbon in exchange of a few words. We packed up and made our merry way home delighted with the girl having another super day and in the ribbons yet again. After a weekend of intense competing all you are either fit for is bed or to let the hair down, in our usual young carefree humor we had every intention of hitting CPs and having a few giggles and a dance. We arrived home turned out our super little horses, unpacked our gear to get a phonecall to get home ASAP which is never good. Tragically I had lost a very close relative and it felt like the whole world was caving in on what was turning into one of the best summers and being given the most amazing experience. Never mind the forgotten clothes that afternoon as this really had turned into a real hell on earth. This is when I learnt real friends who are family step in and keep the show going in a time of need. This led to one of the worst weeks of my life in the run up to the biggest show of our careers to date, Tattersalls in Meath. Mary, Grace and Ian took Rosie's reins for the week and kept our ball rolling with the intention of hopefully loading up the jeep and box at 4am on Saturday the 24th July 2012 and heading for one of the biggest days of our lives.

I cant live without my......

This weeks theme on #ITWBN  is "I cant live without my...." and I have to say I cant live without my river boots or wellies, especially in this weather.

Only last Sunday night the girls and I sat down to watch old showjumping and hunting dvds of the days gone by. We laughed and laughed at ourselves and the excitement and screaming when someone went double clear or when you met a nice stone wall out hunting. As we watched the good oul days we talked about our old ways, one being our footwear. When we were kids with no money and our parents were sick of spending more money on ponies, we used to wear our riding boots to shreds (literally)! We all wore our uber cool Aigle rubber (rank) boots as if it was a secret fashion club. Then one of us would start to complain of wet socks and run to the kitchen to grab a Flynns of Lackage plastic bag and slip it over the sock putting your foot back into the boots hoping to buy some time before the wet would creep in again. This could last for weeks with maybe 3 - 4 bags on each foot and then if one of your trusted stable buddies was worse off than you lent a bag in a time of great need. Then along came the government duty of 22c for plastic bags which broke our little pony hearts, how on earth would we survive? But alas every cloud has a silver lining...the reusable bag. We would rob a bag for each foot and it would save wearing a few bags and on the plus side they didnt rip so easily. This would keep going until your mother would notice starting to go lame and your toes coming out through the top of the boots, you were marched into the local tack shop and awarded with a brand spanking new pair of Aigles...just as good as Santy. When I reflect on it now I doubt our parents were begrudging us of boots, we probably enjoyed the bag drama (sometimes). When we evetually got paying jobs and out into the real world with more variety of boots we burnt the oul faithful Aigle boots and began to act like normal human beings.

So after that intro it leads me to the whole point of this entry, proper footwear.    I have tried and tested loads of different boots and wellies in my years. I have learnt that lovely fancy leather boots cant stick this wet weather so after ruining many a pair I have made myself have two (or more) sets of boots in the tackroom at all times. I have my leather boots for out on the horses and then my yard boots.

My favourite yard boot is a purchase made by Shane Christmas 12 (with the help of thetackroom.ie) and they are the Dublin River Eskimo Boot. After a full year of putting them through their paces with trying to avoid the saddle with them on I have to say they still look like new. They are so cosy in winter with no need for an extra pair of socks and cool enough in summer to stick on between your classes at a show or washing your horse, etc. They get a big thumbs up from me. They can be purchased off www.thetackroom.ie

Next on my list are Joules wellies. I am on my 4th pair. I had a cool short ankle pair which I lost to a fall 2 summers ago. While I was lying in the sand ring after myself and a lovely mare taking a tumble (I was her air bag!) I lay there balling crying not because I couldnt move my leg but crying because Mary was cutting these fab wellies off my fat cankle (Not the first time Iv cried over boots being cut off from a fall!) So ever since then I was on the look out for new Joules. I came upon my current ones at the Dublin Horse Show and tried them on...they were made for me as I always try to tell myself. I cant resist the design and patterns Joules make. Nicest surprise was the price tag...€55 down to €22.50...nice one. I adore them and dont feel too much like a farmer in them while Im running around Dunnes on the way home from the yard. Joules have an amazing range of wellies on their website www.joules.com and are stocked worldwide. I love how they constantly change and update their styles.

So there is my weeks blog on "I couldnt live without my Boots!"

New Years Resolution Horsey Style

So I know I shouldn't be blogging this week as I am preparing for my final Bank exam this Saturday....ahhh!But I said I would do a quick blog in line with #ITWBN theme of New Years Resolutions. So this will be a quick post but might get my horsey friends thinking ahead of the 2014 season and may make life a little finanicially easier.

Last year it was safe to say it was the most expensive year for me with the horses as we decided to travel further a field to some more national competitions in the yards new truck (very exciting). Of course with all of this comes more entries, stabling fees, most beauty products for the grooming box, some celebratory drinks, etc, etc.

So being very analytical as all the girls know I am, I decided I was going to put a few bob aside each month into my horsey account. You may think oh ya she works in the bank so of course she will be good with her money but no way, not when it comes to the horses. As most horsey people know you never second think the mares shoes every 6 wks but you second if not triple think about buying shoes for yourself. Then grooming products...no problem handing over €20 for highlighter for the mares but again you think about that fab new highlighter in benefit but yet question yourself.  So instead of scrambling money together during the summer months where you love your weekend shows but also love your summer nights out, fashion & make up then why not make a new years resolution to set up your horsey account. I am paid monthly (dose) so a standing order leaves my account the same day and arrives into the "Coco/Rosie Account". As of today I have €100 in that account unknown to myself and its only January. With the help of God we plan to visit some more of the bigger shows this season so I will be giving myself a pat on the back for starting this account. Why not give it a try, screw the diets, gyms, etc and think of yourself and your horses! ;-)