Marathon obsticles

This spring we realized finally (!!! :D ) that it would not be too much trouble to build some marathon obsticles at our farm, we have a few nice spots for them here, too. In the mare herds winter paddock there is a nice area with trees, which is suitable for one obsticle, so I raked the whole area and we cleaned some stumps and branches to make a safe ground to drive on. We got old tires from a car repair shop, GTE here in Lohtaja village. The tires we will pile up around poles to make an obsticle and to soften it up a bit.

I have been sending e-mails to several companies to get material to a few obsticles more and I was so happy recieving e-mail yesterday from Svarvar trävaruhandel, a timber/wood/pywood company, who gives us material to four "barrel like" constructions! These we can make portable and use at our farm but also if needed transport them elsewhere. We also buy material for one obsticle part, so totally we get five barrels. To make a good and safe obsticle we consulted Ben Simonsen for advice and this is what they will be looking like:

Besides five barrel constructions we build a few fences and plan is to use one more birch forest area and build a simple and low bridge there which can also be avoided. That would make three obsticle areas. We have one more forest area that could be used and I also thought of having a water obsticle with just poles and simple fence construction but that would definitely need a sponsor to afford all the groundwork needed for the water with pool making and gravel needed. I really hope to get a few sponsors more to help us! But with what we got already it is possible to train obsticle driving properly and hopefully we have an training event later this summer! Will take more photos of the areas soon as we get them ready. We will probably go to Svarvars at Saturday to get the material so maybe at Sunday possible to start building! :)

Not always as planned, but always for the ponies best!

Well, I knew already before Kiuruvesi training camp and Ypäjä competition that it will be tuffer for Paulette, who has only competed in breed show performance classes and has not travelled so long distances so far, than for Ivanhoe. I think she did very well in Ypäjä and was not tired of the competition itself but the 8 hour drive back home at Sunday made her muscles stiff. So she, as well as Ivanhoe, has had a vacation week 24/7 in their flock/herd and only a few short drives driven. I also massaged Paulette which she enjoyed very much and which she really needed. The she was pampered with the warmth of Back On Track backwarmerer. So summa summarum, it would definitely be too soon to again drive the same 8 hours to Loimaa training camp and competition for Paulette next week, and so we decided to skip the competition with pair. Of course I could have taken Ivanhoe and compete single - but then again, he has done the same trips and competitons and trainings as Paulette though he, as a former trotting pony, is more experienced of travelling. So the ponies stay at home and now we plan a family vacation instead as my friend anyway could stay at our home and take care of the ponies :) Always keep your ponies first, and not the need of participating in competitions at any price. There will be new competitions to take part in. I just wish all the combine driving competitions would not be at least 450 km from us :(

I got two photos from the photographer Leena Kahisaari of our pair at marathon at the Ypäjä competition and these makes me very happy! My combine driving ponies :D

Ivanhoe at right hand viewed from the whip and Paulette on the left

Inspired of the competition we have now started to build our own marathon course. We already have a good place for one obsticle around trees in one of the ponies inclosures/paddocks. We also got old tires which we can use. I was brave enough to write two companies with suitable materials for donations but lets see if it works :P Our riding club would also need a donation of ca 500 euros to be able to buy precision cones, hopefully I'll find a sponsor for them, too.

We also have a breeding stallion, chestnut dun Verano Lee v.d. Zandkamp, and this year we also take a few mares to him. The first customer arrived at Monday, a big beautiful grey mare, so now the breeding season started. We broke him to drive but he has mostly been used to breeding. Here an winterphoto of him, isn't he wonderful <3 Verano has very good action so can't wait to get his foals broken to drive. Thorin Ax, our first homebred Shetland who is now 3 yrs is now driven a few times and does it very well, he will hopefully be a perfect pair for Ivanhoe in pair as his gaits will suit better with Ivanhoe than his dam's Paulettes gaits does. We then have a 2 yr old filly Eowyn by Verano and Paulette and two yearling colts Gwaihir (dam Skattens Sissy) and Mithrim (dam Haganäs Marilyn Monroe), both of course also by Verano. This summer we expect two foals by Verano and by the mares Skattens Sissy and Jenniefer. Jenniefer has had three foals so she will not be covered now, Skattens Sissy will probably be covered, Paulette I have not decided of yet, she is going to the International Shetland Pony show in Ypäjä and the rules did not accept covered mares participating (normally in Finland one is allowed to compete in any sport with a covered mare until 4 month "pregnant").

 Verano Lee v.d. Zandkamp, our breeding stallion

First competition with pair done!

24-26.4 we were competing at Ypäjä Equine Collage in Southern Finland. Caravan car, trailer and a second car with trailer headed South and we drove ca 450 km to Loimaa and Loimihaka riding&driving centre where we had hired boxes for the ponies Ivanhoe and Paulette. For Ivanhoe it was a familiar place as we competed there last autumn with him.

It was very windy when we arrived to Loimaa!

Of course we had had a pit stop at Seinäjoki and Hööks horse equipment store where I bought some nice leather head collars for yearling foals to have on shows and all Shetland and Pony sized head collars of a model I know suits very well in Shetland heads :) Ponies also got new boots to cover front hoves at marathon, sadly the only color I could live with was red, no green or brown or even black available.

Competing ponies :) Doesn't they look great!

The competition was shortened to a two day challenge so at Saturday we first drove the dressage. I thought to give the ponies a easier day and spare the hard training outside the competition paddock so I drove very calmly and not too demanding. Of course we then got comments that the pace could have been better but after all placed second with 68%/51points which I was so proud of, good work my little ponies!

I just had to buy a few photos a photographer had taken of us in dressage...

The class we competed in was a novice class, so any part of the team can be a newbie, the pony/horse, one of the ponies/horses in pair/team or the driver - in our case we had permission to participate because of Paulette who has not competed in driving before. One can participate in novice class until one has won once the whole three part competition or until one has two placements in total in any parts (dressage, cones or marathon).

 

A very happy driver and handsome ponies after dressage

Directly after dressage we drove the cones. That was challenging as in the beginning of the course there was a few very very thight turns but we managed to turn in time, then again in the end of the course there where long ways from cones to next ones and there I couldn't have them trotting as fast as one would wish as Paulette likes to gallop and it is a thin line to balance on to keep her trotting. In easy classes in combine driving in Finland it is not allowed to gallop. Still we drove a clear round though it was just the third time ever I drove cones with pair!

We then packed the ponies and harness&carriage in transport and drove them back to Loimaa headquarters (ca 18 km), had lunch and relaxed a bit before driving back to Ypäjä for checking the marathon course. Three of the four obsticles where fine but one started with such a tight turns that I really thought we would crash in the competition :D

 At Loimihaka they have a minipig called Mikko, Ivanhoe has seen him and took it quite calmly but Paulette did not know what to think, to be terrified or curious??!

So Sunday came after rain all night and the competition arena started to look a bit heavy for small ponies, but off we went on marathon which in this easy class is only the B part with obsticles (no A part in the beginning). First obsticles was in a birch forest driving around birches and I can tell you that after the first gate I had now idea of between which two birches the next gate was not to talk about the rest :D of course I knew approximately where to drive but somehow I just saw a loooot of birches. Thank God I was driving a pair and had Marko as groom so he had easier to give directions than me looking around with two ponies of which the other one was again all the time trying to gallop which again made me concentrate of keeping her in trot! After all we made it and continued to number two which was the hard one...

I really had to take walk, as it was so tight but we made it through without any parts dropping either as there where small balls on the obsticle. Number three was again birhces but also with a wooden carriage and some other wooden constructions so I think that one we cleared quite nicely. The last one was poles and a small building to drive through, I was a bit concerned if the ponies would go inside the building but they didn't even question it and again nicely cleared this last obsticle. In the end we had nicely time to walk to the Finish line and ponies seemed to recover very well though the course in the end was already very slippery, wet and muddy due to rain. What an amazing feeling to have one dream come true, driving a pair in combine driving competition! In marathon we placed third as well as we had in cones and with the second place from dressage we placed totally 2. with 6 other competitiors, which where all big horses and ponies - and only singles against us! I am so proud of my little driving ponies and they worked so well the whole weekend! I just love them <3 Next I'll try to write what happens after a competition when you get home...