Mandyworld

Super organized

It's less than one week until we move house and I have time to blog! I'm totally weirding myself out. I like to be organized but usually I run about like a headless chicken juggling lots of different shaped balls, basically lurching from one disaster to the next. Yet, I'm pretty much completely organized for this move. OK, so I've called in lots of help, I've got the full packing service, a cleaner coming to do the house after we've left and Di looking after the horse while we move, but still. So what the hell else is there to do I hear you ask. The answer is I don't really know but it is very disconcerting not to be in a total packing panic. I keep getting the feeling like I've forgotten something, like I've left Emma at the supermarket or something........(don't worry, she's in bed)
I've been playing with Google Earth, it's amazing. If you haven't already take a look. The scan of this area is not brilliant but I was looking at where I used to live in Quantico, Virginia and it's amazing. I could pick out our house and school and even the stables where I used to ride. I also looked at Namibia where we went on holiday and you can see the red sand dunes at Sossusvlei and the seal colony at Walvis Bay. Awesome!
Speaking of riding, Balu is a bit better. He is off the painkillers and although not 100% he is quite a bit better. I'm able to ride him okay on soft ground. I think I'm going to change farrier when we move and get the vet to look at him at the same time. Annie's going really well. She had three mentions and a big picture in the Horse and Hound this week after winning 2 Area International Trials. That's basically the biggest class at national level. She and Tim seem to have clicked now and should hopefully just get better and better. It sounds like they could have done with her out in Aachen where the showjumping team are having a terrible time at the World Equestrian Games. Well done though to Zara Phillips who did really well to win the Gold medal in the eventing. It was quite sweet, she was cried buckets when she realised she'd done it. Ahh, I bet the Queen welled up too!

No foot, no horse

Actually it should be no foot, no horse, no money! My poor horse is lame again! Ever since I had Emma and he had a bit of a holiday I haven't been able to get him fully fit. Last summer he was diagnosed with arthritis in his right pastern joint and his left coffin joint in his front feet.
He had loads of treatment and I think we're managing that okay but then this winter he has had problems with his back and sacroiliac joint. I've taken him to the osteopath 3 times which seems to have fixed that but now his feet are falling apart. He has quite brittle feet and in the summer they always seem to dry out and literally fall apart. He has been going really lame after being shod and it's been getting worse each time, he's shod about every 5 weeks. He has special shoes because of the arthritis so I thought maybe these were hurting him. I got the farrier to try some others but this time he pulled away and broke 2 lead ropes when the farrier was tightening up the nails. This is so unlike him and I felt really sorry for him. It must of been hurting as the nails were going into his feet. Poor thing! He's on Bute at the moment ( that's like horsey Nurofen) but I've spoken to the farrier and this week we're going to try taking those shoes off and glueing on lightweight aluminium ones. In the meantime I've been researching the latest in feed supplements and hoof treatments. The Horse and Hound archives are actually very helpful.
Anyway all this is costing me a fortune but Balu is so sweet I'm afraid he has to have the best treatment I can get for him. I mean just look at that face!

By the way, Annie was 10th in the Welsh Masters today!

Holiday at home

Hey I'm back! My technology problems have been well and truly sorted but I've been really busy so I'm afraid this blog has taken a back seat. So for the news..
We've been having a sort of holiday at home the last few weeks. Lots of friends and family to stay and a kind of last hurrah in our house. The weather has been pretty good and we've got one of those over ground pools on the patio so it has been great just chilling out and enjoying the sunshine. It was great to see everyone and thank you so much guys for the really cool present!
I've got a new computer and some really cool photography software (Aperture) that I've been playing with. Like all these things it will be great once I've got the hang of it but at the moment I'm still learning what it can do. I have to say I know it's a bit sad but I just love my Mac, it's so pretty!
So now the weather has turned a bit cooler and we have to get ready to move, again! We are going to a very nice house that we're renting down near Dorchester. It's a bit further a way than we wanted but it's a lovely place and there's room for the horse and excellent riding ( I can't say that didn't sway me a little). Anyway, we're going to try life a bit further south ( only about 30 miles!) and see how we get on.
I've been trying to do quite a bit of riding but I'm having some trouble keeping Balu sound. He's having problems with his front feet and his sacroiliac joint so I'm trying to sort things out with the osteopath and the farrier. It's not cheap let me tell you. Meanwhile Emma has had her first few rides. I bought her a really cute tiny saddle which has a big handle on the front that she can hold on to and she loves it. Today she had her first trot. She looked so funny I could barely hold onto her for laughing. I'm sure she enjoyed it much more than the pony did. Jade (her pony) is very old and I think she thought she had retired until Emma came along. Photos to come soon.
Also on the horse front Annie has been going great guns. She jumped a fantastic round in the King's Cup, having an unfortunate 12 faults. It was on TV and it was so exciting to watch. She looked great and jumped the difficult parts of the course with ease. She's been going well since with lots of placings and won the big class today in Staffordshire. At the moment she is Tim's top horse, as Corlato is still out with injury after his fall in Portugal, so the pressure is on. I'm sure she can come up with the goods.
I have to keep you up to date with Annie now as someone else found this site by googling her name. Weird, I always thought I was talking to myself. Lauren, if you visit again say hi in the comments. It's nice to know that someone is reading this babble.