Riders

HORSE STORIES

Horses Wanted

Murphy's Letter to Cognac

Another Diary entry from Pippa

HORSES WANTED

Our Centre is seeking reliable ponies and horses for our riding classes. We offer professional equestrian care with lots of love and attention. If you have a mount standing around in a paddock or retired from Pony Club Competition, please consider the pleasure they could be giving as part of our program.

Please phone (02) 9679 1246 or email us at talltimbers@rdansw.org.au for further information.

ISHMAR’S DIARY

As told to Chanida.

Dear Diary,

I am so tired! All I seem to have done lately is go here, there and everywhere! It’s been heaps of fun though, doing all sorts of different stuff.

Firstly I went to State Dressage. I didn’t get to go last year but since everyone got stuck there I guess that was probably a good thing! There were 5 of us who went – Pippa, Murphy, Polly, Vegemite and Me, and if I do say so myself, we were all on our best behaviour. I reckon the worst part about these outings is that they always start with a bath. The shampoo massage I can handle, but is it really necessary to drown me in water? It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the truck ride either, but at least I had friends to support me on that one. We arrived on Friday afternoon, got settled into our accommodation – Pippa and Murphy seemed happy to be back in their honeymoon suite! This was Polly’s first big dressage comp. I have to say she was very calm about it all, first timers usually have a lot more to say, I know I did, but she just seemed to take it all in her stride.

All of us except Murphy had three different tests to learn. Murphy was lucky, he just had two. We rode two of them on the Saturday and we were all so tired by the end of it but we all just wanted to do our best for our riders. It was an early start on Sunday morning but we only had one test to do then we could all go home. We couldn’t wait. While we were in the warm up arena Polly looked really tired. She whispered to me that she tried so hard for Danielle on Saturday but didn’t think she could give her the final ride she deserved that morning. I understood how she felt, she didn’t want to disappoint Danielle so I offered to help and let Danielle ride her final test on me. Everyone thought I was great, I just thought I was helping out a friend. We were all so proud of each other and VERY happy to get home for a well earned sleep!

In what seemed like no time at all we had switched practice to mounted games. This is so much more fun than dressage! This is just a one day comp, we went to Nepean Centre and we had a pretty good day, everyone walked away with ribbons and seemed happy enough. It was only Pippa and I that went this time and we were lucky enough to travel on Denise’s new angle load float. I wasn’t scared at all, I walked straight on, which amazed everyone, and I wasn’t shaking when I got off. It was great! I think the only downside to the day was the wind, for some reason it’s always windy when we go to Nepean, but at least the roof didn’t blow off the arena this time. The best bit had to be Pippa letting herself out of her yard to introduce herself to all the other horses. She found the best dust bath to have a roll in, I asked her to let me out too but she wouldn’t. Not that it mattered much anyway, they came and caught her straight away but she was pretty proud of herself.

After mounted games everyone went on holidays so we finally got a chance to rest. There were a bunch of people here for a few days in the middle. I’m not sure what they were here for but they dragged me, and a few others, into the arena and asked us to stand there while they stuck dots all over us. It looked like we had multicoloured chicken pox! I just went to sleep – it had to be the easiest lesson I’ve ever had to do! Another strange lesson I had to do the other week was at night. We did normal classes during the day, then after a break went back into the arena to just stand there again, while kids ran around on foot playing the games that I normally get to play. There were people all lined up on the balcony cheering and clapping, but I don’t know what for, and they had to turn the lights on because it was dark outside but all we had to do was stand there. It was so boring I just went to sleep in the corner. And just to confuse everybody we didn’t get fed till 8:30 that night, I was sooooo hungry. Sometimes I just don’t understand humans.

Well, I guess I’d better be going. I’m getting hot standing around writing this. I refuse to take my fur coat off until the weather makes up its mind about what temperature it’s wants to be. In the meantime I’ll just have to go for a swim in the dam to cool off!

Luv Ishmar

DENIM

Tough as nails, yet full of bluff

You really were made of sweet stuff

You liked to scowl and kick and bite

But you never gave a rider a fright.

You taught so many over the years

Even though you caused some coaches some tears

Horse of the Year you deservedly won

Though some cut out cows nearly saw you undone!

You loved a banana

Not all horses do

But you always liked drama

You had such derring-do!

For 25 years you served us so well

No other horse has endured such a spell

Denim you were the most special of beasts

May your new pastures run rich with treats

Personally speaking I loved you dearly

Though once you floored me very nearly!

Heartfelt thanks to a special horse

Till we meet again when I’ve run my course.

Rest in peace beautiful boy.

Judy Brightman 19 September 2007

PIPPA’S DIARY ENTRY

(as told to Chanida)

Dear Diary,

Wow! It’s been so good to have a holiday. All I did all day was hang with my mates and eat. It was something I could definitely get used to. The downside though is that I have put on sooooo much weight! If I’m going to be honest I did kind of miss working. There’s just something about having a routine…. The smiles on the kids faces….

I must say, my paddock got kind of empty towards the end of the holidays, first Apex left, and then BB. People might think I smell! I’ve heard that Apex has some sort of infection in his leg. He was having so much trouble walking when they first took him away. He looked so sad. I’ve seen up at the barn lately and he looks like he REALLY wants to get out of that small yard – not that I can blame him. He calls out to me sometimes but they just won’t let me go and see him. I’ll have to find a way to get up there and visit him, I do miss him.

They tell me BB went to live with a new family in Queensland. They didn’t even give us a chance to say goodbye, they just took him out of the paddock one day and he never came back. Oh well, it was probably for the best, I’m not very good at goodbyes. I hope he enjoys his new life, it sounds wonderful with the bush and the beach nearby. It would be good if I could visit him sometime.

I noticed the other day that King hadn’t been coming to the rails for breakfast. When I asked Ozzy about it he said that King had gone back to his owner. I thought that was pretty cool, but now who am I going to fight with at the rails? I’ll just have to start picking on Mr Ed!

Lately I almost wish Angel would have left too. She spent most of the holidays prancing around the paddock like she owns the place, all because she won some Horse of the Year Award. I mean, congratulations to her but she was being a bit of a princess about it. I’m sure she was trying to use it to pick up Ishmar too; it was pretty funny watching him ignore her!

There have been a few new additions to this place lately. There was one mare causing quite a stir in the holidays when she wouldn’t shut up or stand still when she was at the rails. Man, she was annoying. I think her name was Rose, or Rosie or something. But I haven’t seen her lately so I guess she won’t be hanging around. It’s a shame really because deep down I think she would’ve liked it here.

There’s another couple that I’ve seen being ridden around the place. One of them, Stormy, looks like a bit of a mummy’s boy but he seems sweet enough. The other one, Maggie, was in a class the other day. She didn’t have a rider, like they used to do to me when I first got here. She seems pretty cool.

Anyway, I guess that’s it for now. Now that the holidays are over I’m going to have a lot of work to do so I’d better get some rest.

Take care, Pippa

ANGEL’S DIARY ENTRY

(as told to Chanida)

Dear Diary,

Wow! How good is it that fourth term is here already! Not long now before I can get my bikini out and do some sun baking by the dam. How cool is that?

Can you believe how many new guys have come through this place this year? I don’t really know many of them but some of them are really cute! I am going to miss the ones that have left though. I think everyone knows that Rocket’s gone but I was so upset when I realized that Jody and Sheba were gone too. I was only just getting to know Jody but Sheba and I have been friends for ages. Now I guess I’ll have to think of them every night when I look up at the moon and the stars and know that they are watching over me. Oh well, enough of the sappy stuff!

OMG! Have you seen how many good looking guys there around here? Now that Bonnie has moved houses I thought I’d have a chance with that BB but, no, he’s chasing around after Pippa (man I really hate her!). He follows her around like a little lost puppy, it’s sickening! But hey, look on the bright side, now I can make a move on that spunk Apex. I know I’ve been playing hard to get up until now but you can’t deny he’s good looking and I’m pretty easy on the eye if I do say so myself.

Anyway, if he’s still too hung up on Pippa then there are plenty of other hot guys to choose from. I’ve always had a thing for Tiger but now that they’re using him in classes……I don’t know…….Let’s just say I’m seeing him in a different light.

Then of course there’s Scooter. There could be a height problem there though; I like my guys taller than me. Besides he’s ruled a little too much by his stomach for liking. I heard he was running around the round yard with a weed hanging out of his mouth – now that’s desperate!

Rebel was pretty cool but I guess he missed his Mum too much so he had to move out. That sucks though; we could have been good together.

I suppose I’d better watch myself since I’ve got some competition now. There are two new girls on the block Honey and Savanna. They’ve only been here for five minutes and they’ve already hooked up with a couple of the other new guys. They sure didn’t take long. Mr. Ed is kind of cute and I’m sure he and Honey only have a casual thing going but, again, I like my men tall. I do have to admit that my heart melts when I see him and Chris together on a Thursday morning, they make the cutest team!

Ricky’s a bit of a pretty boy but Savanna is so hung up on him. I mean, he was scared of the birds in the arena when he first got here. Who is scared of birds? He did redeem himself in the end when that plane flew over a couple of weeks ago. The whole arena shook and while I could tell he was scared he tried his best not to show it.

Well I guess, after all that, there’s really only one guy for me – Ishmar!

Love Angel

MURPHY’S LETTER TO COGNAC

Dear Cognac,

Um, Yeah, Hey! Diaries are for girls so I figured I’d just write a letter. I know you can’t read this but I really wanted to tell someone about what I’ve been up to and what’s been going on around here and you were my best friend. I’ve gotta say though, there is this new filly next door who I think really likes me. It’s a real you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours kind of relationship but that suits me just fine!

Hey, guess where I got to go at Easter. The Easter Show! How cool is that? I got to go with Ishmar and Pippa for some competition against other Centres from all over NSW. It was a great day but I can’t say I appreciated the bath, or being made to stand still while they pulled at, and knotted, my mane OR being forced to look absolutely stupid in whatever that striped thing they put over my head was. They call it a skinny hood. I call it embarrassing! But I suppose it was all worth it in the end. I mean, I did look pretty handsome when they were done.

I must say, one of the worst bits of the day was being woken up in the dark I had just gotten to sleep and then they wanted me to stand still in the dark while they put these itchy boot things around my legs and wrapped my tail round and round and round….. Anyway, it was all a big adventure, the trip on the truck was fun (I don’t think Ishmar enjoyed it as much as I did) and when we got there so much was happening, there were people and horses everywhere, big ones and little ones – even ones that were smaller than Scooter! Oh yeah, and we had to stand in stables which I haven’t done in ages. Ishmar didn’t like that either - he wouldn’t settle until they put a window in between him and Pippa so that he could see her. I don’t think they’re boyfriend and girlfriend or anything I think he was just a bit scared and wanted to see a familiar face. The arena was so big and there were people sitting all around us watching and cheering it was like we were famous or something, I felt so important. Firstly we all had to line up with our team mates and then one horse, rider and coach from each team had to step forward. From our team Pippa, Harrison and Wendy stepped forward along with other centres while some guy walked around them, writing things down and looking all official. The rest of us were starting to doze off in the sun and all of sudden someone announced over the loud speaker that Tall Timbers had won the best presented! YEAH! Well, back to me, I had 2 riders that day, Desiree and Natalie, and I was so careful not to do anything silly so they wouldn’t fall or get scared, after all, we were on show and I could tell they were nervous (so was I!). We had to do 4 events (all stuff we’d done heaps of in class) and it was so much fun. Unfortunately we didn’t win but everyone kept telling us that they were proud of us, so we were happy. The same went for Ishmar and Susan, and Pippa and Harrison. We didn’t care; we were getting so many pats and carrots that were having a great day! But the day wasn’t over yet. After a quick lunch we went back to the arena where an obstacle course had been set up. It looked pretty scary in places but I had to be brave – I had to show Pippa that everything would be ok. Susan and Wendy rode me this time. Susan and I had to go first so that was a bit scary but I think we went really well, I didn’t jump at the lizards or at the cows (the fake ones OR the real ones). I looked after Susan just like I did Desiree and Natalie and I am just as proud of myself as everyone else is. I didn’t win the obstacle course either but Pippa came second so that’s pretty cool. They tell me I came ninth, but everyone keeps saying that I was robbed and I should’ve got more points, but I don’t care I had fun and I hope I can do it again next year.

After the Easter Show it was holidays so most of us got to wander around our paddocks eating grass for a couple of weeks. It was great. The new horses though didn’t get a holiday. They had to go through that stuff we all had to go through when we first come here. You know, the balls, the flags, the hoops, the toys, the ramp and that one where they jump off you while you’re still walking. I’m not really sure what that one is all about; I think they just enjoy it! I’m sure that when everyone first comes here they think the people are crazy – I know I sure did! (Sometimes I still do!)

One of the new horses, Stormy, is in one of my classes and he’s not doing too badly. He seems to be enjoying himself most of the time. He just has to get used to the routine and realise that you use a lot less energy if you walk slowly. He’s still new; he’ll figure it out soon enough. Stormy and his paddock mate, Dodger, live next to me. Dodger’s pretty funny. It seems like he’d rather hang out with people than other horses. I mean, who’d pick a human over grass? Everyone thinks he’s just gorgeous, personally I think he’s annoying. Sorry, I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just that everyone used tell me how gorgeous I was but now there’s this new kid on the block…. I guess there are two people out there who love me even if one of them doesn’t count cos she’s my Mum! Oh well, at least I know Pip will always love me, itchy patches and allJ

Hey, guess what they’ve built since you’ve been gone? Stalls for us to stand in, so we don’t have to be tied to the rails all day. They’re really cool and they’ve even got shade cloth over the top to give us shade in summer but I’m so glad they’re finally finished. Charlie, the guy who built them, was using a nail gun to put everything together and the sound is still ringing in my ears, it echoed from under the roof of the arena. Man it was loud. Oh well, they are finished now and I can’t wait till we can use them cos then I won’t have to stretch my lead rope to scratch my backside!

Well, I guess that’s all I have to say really. I just wanted to tell you what a great time I had at the Easter show. I really wish you could have been there to see me but I’m sure you were watching me.

From Murphy (as dictated to Chanida)

ANOTHER DIARY ENTRY FROM PIPPA

Dear Diary,

I’ve found the love of my life! He’s tall, dark, and handsome and he’s well and truly drowning in my big brown eyes! He was my neighbour for months but we recently holidayed together at Horsley Park and I finally saw the light. It was so good I didn’t want to come home. We’re living together now and life is great.

Things have been so messed up around here lately. Getting woken up in the dark by trucks and big machines that were digging stuff up. They were so noisy. Everything has been changed and it looks so weird, there are holes everywhere and flappy orange stuff…. It’s all good though I’m brave, I can handle the change.

Throughout all of this Harrison was coming to ride me a couple of times a week. I didn’t realise at the time but we must have been practicing for something. It was so much fun being trotted around, I so looked forward to him coming. It turns out we were practicing for state dressage. Apparently it’s some big deal? It was nothing I haven’t done before but everyone was making such a big deal out of it. We (Murphy and I) got washed, and then four of us (Murphy, Vegemite, Gossip and I) went for a truck ride before we ended up at our holiday destination. We had private rooms, the decorations were amazing, and we were waited on hand and foot. It was great! It seemed that all we had to do was trot around the arena a couple times, just like Harrison and I had been practising, and whatever we wanted we could have. I stamp my feet, they’d take me for a walk. I stamp my feet, they feed me. What else could anyone want? Then things changed.

I thought I’d done my work for the day and I was snoozing in my room when all of a sudden I was woken up, saddled up and in the arena again. It took me by surprise, it all looked so different at night and I didn’t like the lights, they were so bright. I didn’t want to stay in there but Harrison sat up tall and told me that we had to finish, just like we practiced and then I could go back to my room and have some carrots. All I had to do was trust him. He’d never hurt me before so I took a deep breath and finished the test. Harrison did so well to convince me.

We were told we could only have the rooms for the weekend but they surprised us and we got to stay for nearly a month! 20 days to be exact – it should have only been 15 but I put my hoof down and refused to leave. I was having too much fun! Gossip and Vegemite had already left but Murphy and I got to stay the extra 5 days. My tantrum must have made them nervous because the next time they asked us to leave they offered us a stretch limo for the ride home! I must have really let myself go while I was on holiday as no sooner was I home I got so sick. Everyone in the area got whatever evil thing was going around. I felt so hot I couldn’t breathe properly and the thought of food made me want to throw up. We were all coughing so much our stomachs were screaming and our noses – I didn’t know there was that much yellow slime in me! Poor Denim though. He was already sick to start with. I’d heard rumours that he was over 30. He’s in a better place now and I hope I can continue his legacy and keep giving everyone grief until the day I die too!

I’ll tell you what, I’m feeling so much better now and I’m so bored. Murphy and I run laps of our paddock just for fun. It’s especially fun kicking up our heels and racing the tractor down the fence. I think some of our new neighbours have been watching us cos they’re starting to copy us. I saw Jet racing the wheelbarrow the other day. It’s not much of a challenge to beat that now is it?

Anyway, I guess I’ll get pretty busy soon. There’s talk that we are nearly well enough to start work again. Yeah, I can’t wait!!!

Pippa (as told to Chanida)