A write up about my new youngster - Prancer!!!

When we started to build this web site last june,  i would never have thought that i would actually purchase my next horse from it!! Well i have, His name is Prancer and he is a Welsh Section D X and he is only 13 months old and i have had him about three weeks now!!  I have never really thought about buying a youngster before but when i saw the photo of him to go on our web site for sale, i had to phone up and enquire before i put the advert on for all to see (thats the perks of having your own web site)

Prancer was living down on the Herefordshire/ Welsh border. I phoned and spoke to Mrs Sally Herdman where we chatted on the phone about Prancers` background, his parents etc.  Sally and I were emailing  each other as i was asking other questions about him i had also asked for more photos of him in the field.  My journey to see him was a couple of hundred miles so i needed to be sure i liked what i see. (i did).

I then got in contact with the vets that was close to where Mr & Mrs Herdman were living and had Prancer vetted.  Then i was left to decide whether i was going to see him and when.  Its quite a big decision taking on a youngster as they need to learn such a lot and that you can not ride then for a while. 

Sunday July 15th 12.30pm we left Clacton and arrived at Clyro Hill Farm Stud just before 6pm. The scenery would have been amazing to see but there were quite low cloud when we arrived which was unfortunate. 

Sally and Tony were very friendly and helpful to us offering us a much wanted cup of tea and sandwiches with homemade chutney with cakes for dessert, could not get much better than that!! Prancer was there in the stable looking at us, i groomed him, walked him out up the land and on the road.  How could i resist such a lovely little horse and the deal was done.  We loaded him in the trailer, in which he went straight in, ramp up said our goodbyes and off we travelled home.  We had made many stops just to check on him, going through Worcester he was a little warm but once on the motorways he was as good as gold, he ate, drank and went to the loo.  We arrived home at 2.30am Monday morning we were all very tired, we off loaded him to a well laid out Straw bed that my sister and nephew had done for me, Water and hay was waiting for him should he have need it.

I have had him now about three weeks or so now has settled in very well, he goes out in the day and is stabled at the moment at night, he does not fret or worry, i think just sleeps after being out all day. I can groom him, pick out his feet and i even put on some fly repellent the other day and Prancer looked up and sniffed the air to see where the smell was coming from.  It was very funny. I learn things everyday with him and am very glad that i have brought him.

Tony and Sally have five mares and their own stallion that will be hopefully be producing the next generation of coloured foals for them. They have also built a beautiful holiday home for guests to stay, with great views and the peacefulness of the Welsh hills, what more could you ask for.

I would like to thank Tony and Sally for their help with my purchase of Prancer, family, friends and to Margaret for where he is now kept.

 PRANCER posing and doing what he does best - eating!!

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Photos of Prancer in the Field in September 07 

I have had Prancer over three months now and the time has flown past.  We have done so much and he has taken everything so well so far!!! 

Back in August i bathed him on several occasions, so he could get use to the water and the hose pipe.   He has been having his feet regularly trimmed now every 6 weeks.   We have started his injections and booster jabs and i have been loading him in the trailer on my own and going off to Sudbury, Prancer stays in the trailer and the vet gets in and gives him his jabs while in there, will have his teeth looked at next year.   I have also had him freeze marked, when the lady put the clippers on to clip the patch of hair off, he thought she was itching him and he rather liked it (so hopefully i should not have a problem clipping him at a later stage!!).

TAKEN LAST WEDNESDAY Oct 17th 07 we had an early morning start to get to the vets on time, it was dark outside and i thing i may have woken him up.

I have also bitted him, i have brought in smart in-hand bridle and bit and he walks around just fine with it on, i don t put a lot of pressure on it but its there for him to realize it. 

A couple of weeks ago we went to our first Showing Show, boy was i nervous having been out of the game for a few years i was not sure what to expect. I bathed him the day before and put him in the stable overnight and then the next morning got him ready, loaded him up in the trailer and went to the show i was on my own the whole morning, i had tied him up to the trailer, got him ready, washed and brushed him over again.  We entered two classes one Mountain and Moorland and the other was the Coloureds class.  All very good experience for him and me and we even came home with a rosette. As usual Prancer was excellent and i could not fault him at all.

I have also started walking him out on the roads, just a short walk and back again at weekends, the roads round here can get quite busy so i want him to start him now but very gradually.

He is still out in the field at the moment, grazing with his field pals and have made friends with `Solly` a gorgeous 17hh warmblood horse, looking at the two together its really like looking at little and large.  I have brought a second - hand rug for him in which he has had on and is fine with it, even with the surcingles around his legs.

TAKEN on Oct 3 rd 07 - Prancer with his rug on

I do regularly weightape and measure him and as with all youngsters he is growing upwards and outwards and  has grown almost 4".

Since having him i have learnt alot and have heard alot of different views and ideas about keeping and looking after youngsters and from what is generally being said is that `do what you can with him while he is still young and do the things now what you hope to do when he is older` and thats what i am doing!!! and for now it seems to be going ok? 

Taken Oct 11th - looking a look cleaner there than he does now in the field

The one where he is looking up was taken on Oct 15th and the other Oct 18th - again doing what he most enjoys grazing after he has had his feed!!! There will be more photos and news at a later date....... I have a roller and surcingle to go on with and just carry on as i am through the winter.  HAVE FUN WITH YOUR HORSE/PONY and keep warm through the winter!!!!

OCT 31st 07 - Sally and Tony have more youngstock for Sale, please take a look Clyro Hill Farm page

Dec 07 - two photos of Prancer - Below - Poppy, prance and Jazz. Right - Prancer (i think) looking handsome but a bit dirty, i took the photo with my camera phone thats why its looking a little smudged!!

January 25th 08 - i have decided to give Prancer a show name which i shall use for later competitions: `Perfect Puzzle` and for me it has a great meaning (thank Margaret for your help in this!!).

Back in February 08,  Prancer has started moulting and i hate it especially if i wear fleece like clothes, his hair sticks like glue!! there is so much of it.

March 24th 08 -Latest update -  since October 07 i have been busy with Prancer. I have carried on with the usual things of looking after him, grooming, picking out his feet, tying him out.  He has had a rug on, the last couple of days as its been very cold ( we have had snow).     

I have kept on with walking him out on the road and have meet a coach, bus and lorries and have been brilliant, just walking on with no troubles although when its windy he can be alittle spooky.  I have practised loading him up in my trailer with his travel boots on - food always helps and he walks on and off now with no worries. 

I have been getting him use to wearing a cavesson and roller and he has been great, i have started to long rein him, only for about 10 minutes, maybe once or twice a week,  I then have travelled Prancer over to Wix equestrian centre with my mum helping me (thank you) and hired out the indoor school only for 30 minutes, the first time was so that he can see coloured poles on the ground and walk over them and also get him to see different surroundings where one day we hopefully will be competing at, the second time (just last week) practised some long reining with my mum leading him around. 

Prancer is now about 21 months old and has such great character and excellent temperament, i can not fault him at all... he is my little darling? 

I will add some more photos and another update soon !!

April 19th - Bathed prancer for our showing Show tomorrow (Sunday 20th) at Weeley, ESSEX for the Tendring Hundred Riding Club.  He was very patient and stood beautifully as it did take about 2 hours to bath him (must get alot quicker!!)

April 20th - I did have to do some last minute clean ups in the morning..... its so hard to keep a white clean.  It was a long day but we successfully came home with a 5th Rosette in the Coloured Class and the comments from the judge were very promising and so glad that i went!! I didnt get chance to take photos at the show, these were taken at my yard in the morning.

Prancer ready to travel to the show and him looking at the horses` being turned out !!   

Wed Oct 8th 08 - Well what a busy summer we have had together.  He really has been brilliant, taken everything in his stride and again as yet nothing has fazed him (oops i should be very quite about that!!).  We have not been able to go to any more shows since April, but have been loading him in my trailer regularly in which he has been good, so will start showing again early next year. Prancer is now 2 years and 4 months old, weighing approx 450kg, and is standing at about 14.1hh with his bottom still further higher than his withers.

We have been doing all the stable management side of things - tying him up, feeding, grooming, i have had my clippers out and on him, they have been all around him and even up on his head and legs etc, he was excellent with the noise, no problem. We have been able to give him several baths through the summer practice using different shampoos and conditioners, sometimes times just washing and cleaning his mane and tail. He is now use to having fly spray on and around him also we have been putting on plenty of sun cream, again have tried many on his nose and have that sudo cream works the best as its much thicker and stays on longer.  I did buy him a fly rug back in June as the flies and midges were terrible and biting him like crazy. He did look so cute although the rug now is very dirty. We have been putting on his bridle and walking him around the farm also i have had the lunging and long reining equipment on, his saddle on, exercise boots and bandages although he is a little fidgety when the bandages go on but plenty of practice and we will get there.

He has been having fun with his field pals - early mornings i have caught him racing round the field and sometimes even caught him sleep (lazy boy).  I have still been feeding him everyday as he is still on his `stud balancer` so he is excellent when i call him now, he comes running over to see me, sometimes i have to call him several times and then he finally hears me, i think personally he just wants his breakfast and tea.   

Prancer is on shavings through the winter and this summer i have brought some rubber matting to cover most of his stable floor, the matting is down and ready for when he comes in for the winter time (thought that he may have been in at the weekend just gone as it was horrible and very wet!!).

Here are some updated photos, taken through the summer!!!     

Prancer itching himself on the big tree in the field and him having his tea!!

Prancer with his fly rug on, middle photo, he has just been bathed (not sure about the tongue hanging out ha ha) and the photo with him lying down early morning (wakey, wakey prancer!!).

More updates again soon... will try and update more regular!!

He is my little darling and i cant wait for next year, more showing shows to take him too, to do a bit more long reining with minutes of lungeing and towards the end of next year hoping to get on him (yikes!!).