Saddle Review

Hello Everyone,
I'm actually making this on Saturday, I have a very hectic week ahead, cram today and tomorrow, sit exam on Monday, leave for up north on Tuesday, selection visit on Wednesday  back home late that night, then school the next day. URGH!!!!! I really want to skive school, but I also want my marks back from all my mocks.


Anyhow, that all aside lets get on with a wee review. I thought I would review my saddle which my awesome dad got me, along with the horse. Here it is, the Jeffries Falcon Hawk Event. It has been my trustee tack that I got a couple of weeks after getting Blue.
I got mine in black with matching Jeffries stirrup leathers. It's safe to say that this saddle is the bomb! It's got gorgeous leather with superb stitching all the way through. The general seat of it is brilliant, lots of comfort and the knee pads are perfectly positioned. It is a great general purpose saddle, I enjoy most aspects of riding, I don't do dressage. (Blue is a clumsy highland!)

This saddle ticks all the boxes, Hacking, Outback, Jumping, XC and flatwork. I can say confidently that this saddle would be good for dressage as well, based on the overall quality of it. Here, it is being used for jumping,

Although I enjoy riding bareback a lot, I couldn't have asked for a better saddle!as you can see it fits Blue perfectly. My legs are supported well and the seat of it is just right.This picture was taken quite soon after getting him and I had just got the saddle, I had became very fond of it very quickly.

Before getting this, I was bareback and tried out a few, an old one of mine and then a friend of my Dad lent us a synthetic one from a pony we loaned in the past, (The pony that rolled when you were on her!). The saddle was alright, quite small seat though! It was a dream come true when we got this, its just sparkling! I honestly completely trust this saddle for Blue, he is very happy in it and has never had any issues with it. I am very picky when it comes to tack, considering you really need to have everything to fit correctly or you are going to harm your horse. I recently got a new bridle to replace a combo one with some pieces brown and newer and black and older, I felt that he was going to need something matching as not to harm him. Although the other one fitted him fine (One in photo) I am too picky to settle with that. It's brilliant that I have found a saddle which fits him and me and both are tremendously happy with it :)

Here is a wee video of me at Pony Club, it gives a good picture of the saddle.

Overall this saddle is perfect, I cannot flaw it whatsoever (aside from the price)! Saying that, obviously it may not serve what other people want, if you want a GP saddle but plan to do a lot of dressage, then I would go for the Jeffries Adler (at the same price). This saddle has worked for me and Blue, I do not expect it to mesh so well with say a non-hacking thoroughbred, you may want a more specialized saddle or a narrower fitting. The service from Jeffries and the saddle fitters (won't disclose name due to location in title) was impeccable and I also can't thank my dad enough for the great amount he gave to get this :). Also, thanks Blue for dealing with a session of different saddles on and off and me riding you up and down the drive. Thanks :).

Thank-you all you readers xx Have a good night xx

YouTube Channel

Hey guys, feel free to check out my YouTube channel, new video coming out tomorrow :)

Snow!

Hello again :)

Snow is here! This white powder is just glorious to everyone and especially me! However, when I have an applicant day all the way up north and need to leave the ponies for the night with my mother (who has a broken leg), lets say I wasn't as welcoming the snow as usual.
So I now have 2 horses needing water and hay, in the morning, yesterday. On to the phone to call my friends nearby, "What? Help out before school?!". Well I couldn't force them to do that! Run round to my neighbor, yes! She would do it! SAVOIR! Thanks so much!

Snow can create issues for ponies, such as fears, spooks and phobias. Blue and Shannon never suffer from anything of the sorts. Both of them just care about if I have food in my pockets. As you can see, I put out hay on the ground (instead of hay hutch) this morning due to my sub sleep state my lack of grip to it. Blue is just a cutie right here! Even though I need to clean that lump! Now I know what you are thinking, Why isn't he in a rug?  I guarentee he definitely doesn't need one right now, he is an overweight highland with over an inch long coat of furry hair! The actual temperature is warm enough. It is a common misconception is that if it snows then its freezing, this is wrong, it has to be warmer to snow. Get in your head :P. Rant over.

Tip
After snow has fallen and the temperature falls put out salt on to your most used route that your horses use to  get to food and water. The snow will freeze if otherwise and turn to ice, making it a huge struggle for horses to walk down it without injuring themselves. Also its a good idea to put salt down where the horses are likely to settle and roam in the in field and I have had my late elderly pony fall down on the ice (Don't worry she didn't  hurt herself), it gave us all a big fright.

Mini Review
This medium size hay hutch is a past model with square holes in the side. Its such a brilliant feeder for the ponies. The matt, hunter green finish on it gives a very well placed and an unitimidating feel. All the ponies I have had have welcomed this little hutch in their space well. There was no spooking or backing off at the site of it. The lid of the hutch is very practical with a firm grip, although it can take some time to assure that it is on properly, its brilliant for staying on when there is battering about, looking for more hay! One major flaw of it is that I seriously can't fit an entire bale into it but I guess it doesn't specify it can fit a medium sized bale. Another negative is that there is 3 holes which means each one is in close proximity to another. Preferably I would want 2 so both my ponies were further apart. They struggle to get on when this hutch is involved, however, with a bit of alpha alpha input from me, Blue soon realized that he wasn't allowed to start a scrap around with Shannon. Overall its a great wee hutch that I would recommend to everyone who has 1-2 horses anything more, they should buy a different size, product or several of them.

www.hay-hutch.com

Introduction to Me and My Horses

Hello there,

My name is Kate.I live in the middle of no-where up in the hills of Scotland.
After 10 + years of riding under my belt and my love for the internet (where cats poop rainbows) I thought it was time I gave this blogging a shot. Up in the hills I have two babies well one and a grumpy old mare!

Blue is my main man who I hack, jump and outback hack with. He is a grey, 15hh lump of highland, 15 years old. I got him back in 2010 Spring. Throughout my years of riding we had loaned a few ponies but never bought. We decided to take the plunge. So after Easter in 2010 we started the search of a horse that would give me what I needed, which at the time was confidence.We found blue and immediately went to see him, he was a big hairy highland, a little too big for my liking. Although it took a while to tune into each other on the first session my (Brill, but he didn't want me to write anything) dad decided to buy him for me :D. We got him home and I fell into loving riding again, riding before and after school! How my parents didn't kill me over my lack of homework surprises me! After trying out different things we have found our place in general hacking, occasional jumping (not very high, he is not made to jump!) and outback hacking.

 Shannon is his second mummy to take care of him in the field. She is a bay, 21 yr old, 15.2hh Irish sports horse. She is a cranky mare who acts rather like a cat, she keeps Blue very happy, so her running away from me every time I go near her is worth it. We got her January 2012 after my last loan pony who was my childhood pony turned companion passed away. She had just had a foal and we knew she was a mare to catch! We went to see her and thought she fit the bill. Soon after we went and got her and took her on the boat home. After a settling in period she soon learnt that she was no longer at a riding school with a working yard. She practically adopted blue due to her recent pregnancy. They immediately got on after blue wandering after her (like some awkward brother) as she explored the place. She still isn't solid on getting caught but with food we know what were doing.

I have videos on YouTube of past and current ponies which I shall link somewhere! My plans with this vlog is to review products, give advice and tell you guys funny stories with my big baby blue.
                                                             See you soon, Kate :)