Giving notice

Well the dastardly deed is done – I have given my notice at Wyndham Livery. I found this quite a hard thing to do—even though I know it has to be done—because Sally has been so kind to me, it is such a friendly and happy yard and I like being there. It was made doubly hard because Sally had already heard that I was looking at other yards and was a little hurt that she hadn't heard this from me first. I am sorry that I misjudged this. I felt it was better to wait until I knew whether I was moving Red or selling him – and it hadn't occurred to me that she would hear about it while I was still at the cogitating stage. She was nice about it though and we shall part on good terms.

I went up to Briwnant Riding Centre this morning to talk to them about moving Red there on working livery. They were most friendly and welcoming and I was there much long than expected. I shall be riding Red over for them to see on Tuesday. Unless there is something about him they really don't like—which is unlikely—it seems most probable that I shall move him there soon after. I liked the place and their approach to running the yard. I liked the way they were with the horses I saw them with this morning. The horses were friendly and looked healthy and happy. A lot of my queries were answered without my having to ask – such as how they managed the work for the horses to prevent them getting stale or bored, and how they expected beginners to behave when mounted so that the horses don't become hard mouthed and dead to leg aids.

They have a lot of land—about 93 acres—and the horses live out at pasture except when they are working. It is possible to ride through some of the fields to avoid roads altogether, or to access the higher part of the Wenallt horse trail. They have a menage and are setting up a cross country course. The views across Cardiff must be spectacular, but unfortunately today it was too misty to see very far into the distance. I will post photographs when I am up there on a better day for photography. The owners had read my blog and volunteered that it would be possible to hire one of their horses for 'ö-Dzin and I to hack out together once they were sure that we rode well enough to be entrusted with one of their horses. I really appreciated them saying this without my asking.

I still feel a bit churned up about having given my notice at Wyndham. It will be a big change and I shall miss Sally and everyone else at the yard, but at least I should now be able to afford to keep Red indefinitely – possibly into his 20s, by which time I will be in my 60s and probably we shall both be ready to retire.

When I called into Wyndham after my visit to Briwnant, I discovered that all the horses were being kept in today because of the weather. Red was sweet and pleased to see me. He let me groom the mud off his legs without any fuss or my having to tie him. I hope I am doing the best thing by him and that he will settle quickly in his new home. It took him a long time to settle at Wyndham. However he settled very quickly at Ridgeway which was also pasture livery, so perhaps he will settle quickly at Briwnant as well. Perhaps it is the amount of time they spend stabled at Wyndham that was the reason he took so long to settle. We shall see. I think it will be nice for him to be in a mixed herd of mares and geldings again. He was always fond of Dee even though she pushed him around.

Working livery

I am having to re-visit the idea of working livery. My livery costs have just gone up by £20 a month and my monthly income has just dropped by considerably more than that. The drop in income is hopefully only temporary, but nevertheless it has to be accommodated. Horse expenses are starting to feel too much to cope with again. In addition to this, Red is challenging me in the stable again now that I am not handling him everyday, which is tiresome. We are working it out, but I feel he might be better behaved if he were doing more and getting more exercise.

I've written to three livery yards to enquire about working livery. I've chosen these three for particular reasons. The first is a yard where close friends livery horses, the second I have ridden at a number of times and know the set-up, and the third is close to where we are now. I am not going to rush into a decision, but it seems that it will have to be working livery or sell Red.

The first yard has an extremely good reputation and is recognised as one of the top ten riding establishments in Britain. I know the place is trustworthy and Red would be well looked after. There are trails to ride, although they are not so conveniently accessed as the trails by where we are now. I would be able to ride with my friends which would be most enjoyable. My only reservation about this place is that most of his work would be schooling and I am not sure whether he is temperamentally suited for this.

The second place is a riding stables where 'ö-Dzin and I have ridden many times. The couple who run this yard are most pleasant and the horses all seem happy and well cared for. It is in a beautiful rural area, and the riding that is asked of them is hacking rather than schooling and includes beach riding. I think he would have a good life at this place. I also believe that they allow riders that they trust to hack out unaccompanied, so there may be the possibility of hiring a horse and riding together.

The third yard I do not know anything about but it is very close to where I am now so that it will be easy to check them out. If they want to have a look at Red I shall be able to ride him over there and have a look around. I have met groups from this yard on the Wenallt trail and the horses look well cared for. I believe they do some schooling, but he would get trail riding as well for variety. Perhaps it may be possible to hire a horse here to hack out together as well, or at least we could join a group ride. This place has the advantage of being nearly as close to home as I am now and so Red would still be able to ride on familiar routes. However this could also prove to be a disadvantage, as it may be unsettling for Red to be near Wyndham, but no longer living there. A complete change may be easier for him to adjust to.

Now I have to wait to hear from these places, so that we can take our explorations to the next stage. I'll keep you posted ...

And still pondering

It is strange only having occasional access to a computer. I currently have a backlog of 106 blog pages to read from my regular list on Google Reader, so I hope all my blog friends out there are well – I'll get to read your pages eventually.

This has been a busy week. Our retreat ended on Monday after five delightful days in the company of our splendid students. Yesterday we had a multifuel stove installed in our lounge. It is wonderful and I am enjoying being warm with less effort and greater convenience. As you can see the cats approve. The hearth used to be higher in the previous arrangement, so at the moment the tiles surrounding the fireplace do not go right down to the floor – another little job for us …

Last night was our Christmas meal with Wyndham Livery. Seventeen of us celebrated the festive season at a local hotel, with good food, good wine, and musical entertainment. 'ö-Dzin was the only man who joined in and he thoroughly enjoyed the company of so many ladies. Sally—the yard proprietor—is unfortunately suffering from an injured leg at the moment, having been trampled at the weekend by a horse who decided to jump off the horsebox ramp taking her with him. She was in good spirits nevertheless and danced as enthusiastically and magnificently from her seat as any of us on the dance floor.

Of course I am still thinking and thinking and thinking about what to do with the horses. I have not heard from SB at Liege Manor, and consequently my thinking has been going off in different directions with the extra time to ponder this week. Victoria wisely commented that I should not make a hasty decision, and I also thank LJB for suggesting that a third option may suggest itself and make the situation more fluid. And indeed a third possiblity has arisen. This is to retire Dee to an inexpensive grass livery and to keep Red where he is at Wyndham.

I have been remembering how Dee never really felt like my horse while she was on working livery, and I feel the same would happen to Red if we moved him to Liege Manor. It took Red a long time to settle at Wyndham as it was his second move in six months. I feel that we are now discovering the 'real' Red – the Red who feels safe, content, relaxed and happy with his life. This Red is a fine fellow – friendly, communicative, easy to ride, cooperative (mostly!) and entertaining. Everyone at the yard who has to deal with him has said how much easier he is. Do I really want to unsettle him again and jeopardise this by moving him – and to a yard where he would be ridden by different people everyday and be parted from the environment he has come to rely upon? I feel any chance of continuing with my natural horsemanship work would be lost if he were on working livery, and I am sure they would want to put him back in a bitted bridle.

Red becomes attached to horses and people, once he is settled and relaxed. He is becoming attached to us, which is reflected in his changed and lovely attitude to us now. He is certainly attached to some of the geldings. The other morning after our ride 'ö-Dzin turned Red out. Arriving in the field much later than the other geldings because of our ride, Red stood and called. After a few moments eight geldings came charging down the field to Red at full pelt, and then they all wandered back up to the top field together – the gang were back in town! He so often reminds me of an adolescent: playful and energetic, but occasionally a bit belligerent, and not always fully in control of where his feet are. I want to keep this Red.

Dee does not form attachments. She does not like to be on her own in the fields near the motorway, but she does not care which other horse is with her, and has not really made friends with any of the mares. She seemed to quite like being with Ash at Ridgway, but has shown no sign of missing this mare, and does not acknowledge her when we meet out on a ride. I guess she does recognise me as her ally, but do not feel she misses me at times I have to be away from her. Her priorities are most definitely comfort and food and if these are provided she is content. I do not share Victoria's confidence that I will one day get her to hack out alone, and I am not sure that I have the time or conducive circumstances available to me to be able to put in the sort of consistent effort of working with her to achieve this. So my musing are generally taking me in the direction of feeling that if Dee was moved to somewhere where she was well looked after and had no demands made upon her, she would be content.

We can both ride Red, we cannot both ride Dee. Red will hack out alone, Dee will not. Red will take a while to settle if we move him again, Dee is likely to settle more quickly. Red is becoming attached to us and to Wyndham, Dee is just Dee wherever she is. Good grief it is hard to make such choices.

Cold, crisp riding weather

My laptop has died and I am having to borrow 'ö-Dzin's, so my posts will probably be somewhat intermittent until I have a new computer.

We have just had a wonderful five day retreat with our students. We included in the retreat a couple of morning rides, as well as the daily chores of horse care. The weather has been bright and cold – perfect for walking and riding in Coed y Wenallt.

We have found it works best with the horses for us to ride out on them first, and then swap riders after a while once they are settled into being out and about. I watched Dee very carefully when one of our students mounted her and rode off. Dee was completely unperturbed. It did not bother her one iota that someone other than me was on her back – and someone who is not a very experienced rider. This has made me wonder whether I worry about her too much and whether regular exercise would actually be better for her than the infrequent riding she gets with me. As she is getting older—she's nineteen next year—I think it is important to keep her gently active. Perhaps the on/off style of exercise she experiences with me at Wyndham is not so good … or am I just trying to convince myself that working livery would be okay?

It is all academic at the moment anyway. SB of Liege Manor will be coming to look at Red sometime this week or the beginning of next week. If she feels he is suitable for Liege Manor then we shall move him there, and he will be on a month's trial to begin with. If they are happy with him and our connection with Liege Manor is established, then she may consider taking Dee as well at sometime in the future. I will look at that decision if that eventuality arises.

Still pondering

Thank you very much to my blog friend at Nuzzling Muzzles for sending me this bunch of flowers. It has brightened up my day.

We are still agonising over how to resolve the conflict of wanting to own horses but not really having the time or resources. The lady from Liege Manor is coming to look at Red next week. If we are able to move Red there, this will solve part of our difficulties. I talked to the proprietor about the possibility of also moving Dee if she is happy with Red, and she said this may also be possible. I feel strange about even thinking about this as a possibility. I have always said that I would never put Dee through having to cope with lots of different people working with her again. To contemplate moving her to a working livery feels like a betrayal of the commitment I made to her when I bought her.

It is true to say that Liege Manor is a very different establishment to Pontcanna stables. Liege Manor has an excellent reputation for tuition and care. I believe the horses' work is more varied and more interesting, and if we did move Dee there, she definitely would not be spending up to eighteen hours a day in a stable. But still it feels like a betrayal. I can't think about it anymore today. There is nothing that can be done until the lady has seen Red and said whether she'll take him, so I'll stop trying to live in the confusion and worry of 'what might be' and live in the present – nothing is going to happen or needs to be decided until next week. So I can relax into the moment and enjoy the horses for the next few days.

I pass on the blog friend bouquet to David at Approaching Aro for his interesting articles about our Lineage;
to Cilla at Frontshoesonly where I so enjoy hearing about her journey with her mare Lizzie,
and to my oldest blogging friend whom I hope to meet one day – Victoria at Teachings of the Horse.

The inescapability of what is

Today we hit our lowest ebb. Red was so muddy that it took us an hour to groom him to even a reasonable level of presentability. Apparently he and a few of his mates had enjoyed a romp around the yard after breaking a fence down. His headcollar and leadrope are nowhere to be found and I shall have to buy new ones tomorrow, having improvised with an old headcollar of Dee's and several lengths of baling twine this evening.

When we had finished our chores this morning we were both exhausted – far too tired to ride; and riding is the point of the whole exercise, isn't it? 'ö-Dzin commented that it is a bit like spending a period of time knitting every day, only to find that it has been unravelled overnight and you have to start again. I added to this, that you have to go and buy the wool again as well! If our total involvement with the horses is putting feed in one end and carting away dung from the other end, there is simply no point in continuing. We have reached the end of the road, we just cannot continue like this.

I'm sorry if this sounds a little pathetic. I know that stable hands muck out half a dozen stalls every day, or more. But if it is your job, I think it is different. I still have my job to do after visiting the horses, and 3 - 4 hours a day is too much. I've still not fully recovered from my cold and the thought this morning of having to get up at dawn tomorrow to do it all over again was somewhat grim. We've tried every possble scenario to make it feasible and whichever way we do it, having one of them on full livery is the only comfortable solution and this is too expensive for us.

So, what is the solution – to enable us to return to enjoying our horses and having a manageable amount of work? Firstly we have put Red back on full livery from tomorrow. We cannot afford this in the long term, but it is an immediate relief and a short term solution. I can easily manage the work of Dee's care without 'ö-Dzin having to be involved. Secondly we have made enquiries about the possibility of Red going to a riding stables on working livery. Dee would stay where she is on part livery. The working livery would be on the same yard where our teachers keep their horses, so if it worked out it would also mean that we could ride with our Lamas occasionally, which would be marvellous. This yard is a high quality establishment where the horses are kept in spacious stalls, with regular turnout and varied work. They work two hours a day, six days a week. It is very different from Pontcanna, where Dee used to be on working livery. There the basic level of livery was three hours work a day, and in the winter she could spend up to eighteen hours a day in her stable. Only very occasionally would a lesson involve riding outside, and even then it might simply be circling in an outdoor arena. Hacks around the park were a rare treat. I would sell Red rather than put him on that sort of working livery, but we are very loathe to lose him as he is such a good horse for us. Recently a trekking centre has opened near to Wyndham, so I may enquire there, but I know nothing about them and would have to be sure Red would be looked after properly.

It may seem strange to split the horses in this way and it would be an end to our pleasant hacks around Coed y Wennallt. However to our reasoning it seems a good solution. I would never put Dee back on working livery, and she is too old anyway now that she is nearly nineteen. Although Dee and Red have stables next to each other, they do not interact at any time other than when we are riding, so we know they will not actually miss each other at all. We would very much like to keep Red, and having finally faced the fact that we cannot keep two horses at Wyndham, he is the more logical horse to move. There is a possibility that the lady from the livery yard may come and have a look at Red tomorrow. I hope she likes him and feels she could accept him on her yard so that this plan succeeds.

Everything would be so simple if we had ten acres of land outside our back door. I'm sure then the work would be manageable and I could organise it around my own schedule and for my own convenience. But this is never going to happen, so we have to work with the situation as it is as cheerfully and pragmatically as possible and with the welfare of the horses uppermost in our minds.