Saddlepads for driving

Earlier this year I got a very nice sponsorship from Sweden, Mias Ridsport sponsored us with a few saddlepads for driving. I have bought a few some years ago and have been very pleased with them, top quality fabric and sawing! And of course they look great too! Here some photos of the new ones which you can choose colors to yourself. I chose now red with beige and black borders to match my tartan driving apron. The other ones I got was black with silver border and they look very classy, don't have a photo of them though.

Ivanhoe av Friheten on right hand, Swinghill's Paulette left (nearer camera). My harness is Ideal leather pairs harness if you wonder.

I'll add here a few photos of the ones I have bought earlier so that you see different colors:

Green with silver border, here on marahton course with Ivanhoe av Friheten. Love my driving position here - it's a bit forward :D :D :D

And here brown with golden border and again a funny looking whip driving, sitting too low! :P

I haven't used them when driving dressage at combine driving competitions as I then prefer classic look but now when the red ones match my tartan apron it must be tested. I have used them in Shetland Pony Show Performance classes and cones in combine driving they look great when matched to gig and cloths - and always someone asks where to get these! So I can really recommend this product and if you want to buy, go to the Swedish retailer online shop Fällfors Frisergård www.selar.se which also sponsored me with quick release locks and a safety belt to use on marahton!

Heading for competition!

So now we really are heading for the first combine driving competition with Shetland pair! Pretty amazing! Leaving tomorrow and competing Saturday and Sunday. Both dressage and cones are driven on Saturday and marathon at Sunday. I really shouldn't be blogging but packing right now! The Finnish spring is really not helping either as it has snowed a few cm snow during the night :P 

I have packed some stuff already, unbeliveable how much blankets and stuff you have to have with you with two ponies! Today I will drive the ponies in pair so cleaning up the tack must be done late this evening. Then there is packing of the carcaravan also, very handy to live in during competitions!

I just printed and collected all the documents you need, ponies passports, healthy cards for the driver and groom for marathon etc. Really a lot to remember!

Yesterday I tested if I could plait the ponies manes, looks nice here but as I drove it got loose, so I'll let the original pony breed compete with mane loose waving in the wind :) This is Paulette.

We had the vetenarian come to our stable at Tuesday. All 2 yr olds teeth were checked and wolfteeth removed, also Paulette's, Ivanhoe's and Verano's teeth checked and three young ponies vaccinated. Paulette and Ivanhoe had also to be measured officially due to the competition regulations and the document has to be with them in the competition, Paulette was 99 cm and Ivanhoe surprisingly 104,4 cm. We have got a measurement document of him taken in Sweden when he was a trotting pony and then they had measured him to be 102,9 cm, maybe it is the muscle he now have in his neck that makes him 2 cm higher ;) 

Then we even had a friend massageing Ivanhoe and Paulette, she studies to become a equine masseur. If you have ponies working hard you can't expect them to keep fit if you don't take care of them. Both enjoyed their massage and was pampered with Back on Track backwarmerer blankets afterwards. Next week they'll get their second massage after the competition. They were in quite good muscle condition now which I was pleased to hear as they still had a long stand in the trailer in the weekend to the camp and back home and hard training passes both days, so not any very sore points found, just some harder parts in muscles where one can expect with Shetlands, in the shoulders and lumbar region (hope that is the right term). So they had recovered from the training very good!

Hope I have time to put some photos from the competition on our facebook page during the weekend!

Training camp greetings!

We had a wonderful weekend at Kiuruvesi Equine Collage at combine driving regional training camp! We participated with pair Ivanhoe av Friheten and Swinghill's Paulette. 

At Saturday we drove a dressage training which went quite well and in the evening a second training with cones, both drives was in a manege. It was the first time I drove cones in pair so after one slow round I managed to drive 40 seconds faster the second round, still maybe not fast enough but it will do. In Finland in regional level one is not allowed to gallop so that is a bit of a problem in my pair. Ivanhoe who has been a trotting race pony in Sweden before he came to us is a very good trotter of course and Paulette has sometimes problems to hang along in trot. As she is not as experienced nor trained yet otherwise either she easily starts to gallop, that won't be a problem when we start driving national level :D :D :D if we ever will... We forgot the camera!!! Can you imagine! Thank God for smartphones with a camera...

 

Waiting for the cones training to start with a Shetland pony Qulla. Ivanhoe on the left in pair and Paulette on the right (looked from the viewer, not driver)

 

 Driving dressage on Sunday

On Sunday it was time to drive dressage again, this time we drove on outside arena, which was very heavy for the ponies. We drove the dressage program which will be the program on next weekends competition. Could have driven better but as we had so long very icy roads and snowy fields I have not been able to drive dressage much, it is understandable. Anyway next week we start in a novice class so we'll take it calmly anyway to get a good start with the pair.

At the camp three other Shetland drivers pariticipated, all drive single. It was nice to meet all and get inspired by others who share the same passion - and of course it was very interesting to see all the drivers with horses too! That is not affordable for me now but maybe we drive some other combination later in life, who knows!

Photos from competition

Got these lovely photos from Hanna Käräjäoja who had photographed last spring at Shettis Cup performance class competitions in Kalajoki. We participated in long reins and driving class and in the Match Show held at the same time, Ivanhoe was Best In Show and Paulette Best In Show II! Ivanhoe was also chosen Performance Champion!

Swinghill's Paulette right and Ivanhoe av Friheten left (from the carriage viewed)

Ivanhoe long reins

Best In Show and Best In Show II heading home

Autumn drive with Shetland pair