Brr, its starting to get chilly....

Hurrah! I did some more driving & I was brilliant!

What I really enjoyed today was that we went outside rather than in the arena.  Don’t get me wrong, I love it when I’m whizzing round the cones and seeing how well I can turn; but you can’t beat being outside when it’s nice & sunny.

It’s been getting a bit colder at night, so I’m having my rug on most of the time now. It won’t be long before all the other horses start having their rugs on too.

I don’t mind if it gets colder as long as I’m warm & I’ve got grass or hay to eat! If it gets really bad the staff will keep us in our stables overnight.  That means a nice soft warm bed, lots of hay & friends to chat to…cosy!

Hot off the Hoof!

Not much goes on in the stables at Calvert Trust Exmoor without yours truly finding out about it.Here’s the latest news, hot off the hoof!

A little bird told me the guys in the other field, including Brin, broke through some of that ‘buzzy’ fence into a different part of their field.   Apparently they all had a great time munching the long grass until they were discovered in the morning.

My Big Friend Brin

I wouldn’t be surprised if my big friend lost his shoe when he escaped; no wonder he was a bit ‘forgetful’!

My mate Brin

Although Brin is no longer in my field we still manage to catch up every day as his stable is right next door to mine.  As your trusty reporter, it means that he can ‘fill me in’ on all the goings on in his field, so I don’t miss any of the action!!
Brilliant!!!

You won’t believe this; but Brin has lost a shoe! He says he doesn’t know how it happened – one minute it was on his foot, the next thing he knew it was missing!!

I’m not sure if I believe that; how can you not know when a metal shoe comes off?  Especially when they are as big as Brin’s!!!   I’m sure there’s something he’s not telling me & I plan to find out…

...I will keep you posted.

Back to driving, Yay!

I did some driving today, first time in what seems like ages!
I was a bit rusty to start, but it didn’t take long for me to get back into the swing of things and I was very pleased with how my driving went.

Also, I worked outside in the BIG arena. I heard the staff say that it’s Olympic size…

…. Not quite sure what that means but it sounds good!

Quick update on our Exmoor weather; been mostly dry but with occasional showers; which means that I’ve had my rug on a few times.   I don’t mind though – its great being out in the field, munching on my favourite patch of grass & feeling all toasty and warm. You can’t beat it!

I’m back!

Hi there everyone, I’m back!!   I’ve finished my article for Pos-ability magazine & it’s been sent off for approval - I just hope it’s alright!  There was so much I wanted to say about the great things we do here at the Calvert Trust Exmoor…

..the trouble was I was only allowed to use 500 words!!!!!     
Now that was tough for yours truly, as I’m sure you can imagine.   You never know if I’ve done a good job they may ask me to write another article…
….hooves crossed!

Teddy did a good job with my blog while I was busy; in fact he even offered to ‘take it over’ again if I needed a break!  That doesn’t surprise me; he loves to chat and keep up with all gossip round the yard!

That’s why I ended up telling him about my ‘something of great importance’ as Teddy put it.  I think he was rather impressed & quickly told the others all about it; he just can’t keep a secret!

Me & The Princess, and my new friend Sarah

Hi again everyone, its me again, Pilgrim!

My new friend Sarah has sent me some lovely photos from the day the HRH Princess Alexandra came to visit me last week, I just had to share them with you!

The Princess, Me, and Sarah

It was a great day we had, I especially liked it when the princess gave me polos - I like them almost as much as I like clover!

I love it when visitors share their photos with me, and you can too! email me on pilgrim@calvert-trust.org.uk, just like Sarah did. Thank you Sarah for the brilliant photos.

Guest Blogger Teddy 4: Oops, sorry Bruno!

Good news, the farrier came yesterday and put a new shoe on Bruno!  Hopefully he should get back to work ASAP!
Bruno and I are in the same field so I asked him why he kept losing his shoes. He said something about having soft feet and that the wet weather made it harder to keep his shoes on.

I know not all horses have strong feet like yours truly, so it makes sense that he might just have a job to keep his shoes on. My feet are so good that I don’t wear shoes at all; in fact I’m the only one in this yard that can go ‘barefoot’.    

I found myself feeling a bit sorry for Bruno and his soft feet – but don’t let him know that will you!

______________________

I've had just a fantastic day! We were able to go out into the outside arena and work in the sunshine! It seems ages since we’ve been able to do that and you can sense the difference a bit of sun makes to everyone, both horses and people.

Hope it lasts for a bit longer than a few days; I know the sun makes our grass grow a bit quicker and we could do with a top up!  Not that I’m complaining you understand, but I do need to keep my strength up.

Guest Blogger Teddy 3: Work Shy Bruno

Pilgrim has asked that I continue as ‘guest blogger’ for a bit longer as he is still rather wrapped up in whatever it is he’s doing! I’ve tried asking politely without any success; it’s very unusual for Pilgrim to stay quiet, he’s normally bursting to tell anyone who’ll listen what he’s up to! 

I will find out somehow – I shall put my thinking cap on and come up with a plan.

We’ve been busy today – Well, all of us except Bruno that is! He’s managed to lose a front shoe (again) and his foot ‘is much too sore to work’.  

I wouldn’t mind too much; indeed losing a shoe can happen to the best of us.  BUT it seems to happen quite a lot to Bruno! He is either extremely clumsy or very clever, I haven’t decided which yet!! 

Clumsy Bruno or Clever Bruno?

It’s certainly a good way to have a few days off work; I only hope that the farrier comes sooner rather than later so Bruno can get back to work!

The Princess Visits Me!

Hey it's me, Pilgrim, the Mighty Atom!

I've been really busy and Teddy is doing a brilliant job of blogging for me, but I had to give you some exciting news!

Yesterday HRH Princess Alexandra came to visit me, and not only that, she gave me polos!

HRH Princess Alexandra

Apparently she had to do something with the new building as well, but I was definitely the highlight of her visit. I think someone got a photo of me with her, hopefully I can get hold of it soon and put it on here for you to see.

Bye for now!

Guest Blogger Teddy 2: Grooming

It’s busy as usual here at the Calvert Trust Exmoor. I regularly get to work with our guests on the yard as well as in the arena. I’m a bit of a softy at heart and love getting lots of attention, especially when it involves me being groomed!  
For us horses, grooming is quite relaxing and helps to keep us in good condition. I’ve heard the staff refer to it being the equivalent of having a shower – I know which one I’d  prefer!

My friend Bruno enjoying a grooming session - lovely!

I would like to clear up a misunderstanding regarding the incident a few weeks ago with a broken fence and a midnight stroll. Pilgrim seems to think that Brin, Bruno and I left him in the field, with no concern for his welfare or feelings.

I can honestly say that we all thought he had followed us out and was also enjoying the lush grass and sense of freedom.   We didn’t think that what was a small step over the bottom rail for us would be a big leap for Pilgrim! I did apologise to him, and so did the others; but he does have a habit of bringing the subject up from time to time to make us feel guilty!

Needless to say we are not planning any midnight adventures in the near future – and if we do you can guarantee a certain ‘mighty atom’ will be the first to know!

Guest Blogger: Teddy

Hello, its Teddy here. I’ve taken over Pilgrim’s blog while he’s doing ‘something of great importance’.   

Pilgrim has asked that I keep you ‘up to date’ on all that goes on this week while he is doing other things – and so I shall!
  
Firstly let me tell you a little about myself. I am an experienced and quite dapper piebald and I have been working at Calvert Trust Exmoor for 5 years. I am 15.2 hands tall; built for strength rather than speed.   

Teddy

My main role here is as a riding horse; with my calm manner and smooth paces I am ideally suited to working with guests that need extra support. However it’s nice when I carry a more experienced rider and I love being taken along the track by the reservoir for a bit of a run, as long as it’s not too far!

After a few weeks off with a minor injury, I am back in work and without any problems, at least so far! I feel great and my work load is back to normal; I even took a young person in my tandem saddle last week, so I must be back to peak fitness. I think the staff and I are both relieved about this, to say the least!   

I'm an author!

I’ve got a bit of news for you! you’ll never guess what it is, so I’ll have to tell you…..

Yours truly has been asked to write an article for Posability magazine!  It seems that they’ve read my blog and would like me to report on what we do with our guests at Calvert Trust Exmoor!

This means I’m going to have a busy week; I will still be working while I work on my article, not sure I can do my blog as well. 

I’ve decided to leave the blog in the capable hands of my friend Teddy. He’s not done a blog before but he assures me that he has a ‘wealth of experience’ and ‘just how difficult can writing a blog be?’  

I’m sure he’ll do a great job; but I’ve asked Pixie just to keep an eye on him just in case! It should be fine as he’s got lots of stories to tell and knows all there is to know about what goes on! I'll keep my hooves crossed just in case...