Peter's First Horse Agility

Hi everyone,
I've just been filmed doing my first online Horse Agility course ! The humans were behaving strangely as usual but they seemed happy. I did manage not to knock over the blue barrel but I couldn't leave the cones standing up - they look so much better sideways. Sue didn't really mind me shoving her hat into the poo cos I DID put my nose on the ball  - I really like to give it a big push. Sue needs a good telling off for giving my pal Noah a big push cos he was in the way. Well, he just was DIEING to do the course himself . Actually Bart took him round after me just for fun and he did  so well, even though it was raining, Bart entered him in the competition too! I don't know what the poles are all about - Sue makes a big fuss and I can't jump yet but I did walk across the yard perfectly. I had to try really hard to get sue to notice me at the end where we had to wait. Then I went on the fun green thingy and got told off for playing with the lumpy bit the wind had thrown up.Humans are so strange ! Hope you like my effort. Love, Peter.
Please click the link :  http://youtu.be/-ZaC53pgX5U

Sammy's October Donkey Agility

Sammy has his second go at online Horse Agility.
Last time he got 80 points out of 100 so he has that to beat ! Here's the link to his video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky3jY9rxYOE&feature=youtu.be

Hi friends, This is Sammy to tell you my latest news - I've entered this months OLHA competition !
Here's the link to watch me in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCXrkG4g1o&feature=plcp

So what is that? you ask....Well, in the middle of the summer our Sue saw a piece on TV about an Exmoor pony stallion called Bear who had won the International Online Horse Agility Championship.He was following his owner around a course of obstacles completely off the lead - cones, poles, pedestals, flags, seesaws and jumping through a hoop too. So she decided to join the International Horse Agility Club -  www.thehorseagilityclub.com   - It is dog agility for horses !  Sticks and whips are never allowed and the idea is to start on the lead in a halter and work towards doing the course off the lead by good horsemanship and creating a partnership with your horse. Well, I'm a donkey of course but since it makes the humans more polite to us I definitly approve of the good horsemanship bit.

What's more Pierre and I, and Kiwi and Peter and quite a few of our friends, have already done lots of the obstacles while playing Parelli. In fact, baby Kiwi and Peter have been teaching human visitors to do it too all summer, in the Clovelly Stableyard.

To enter the competition Sue and the helpers built the September course which they had downloaded from the Agility Club. Then we did lots of practicing. Unfortunately I went lame again half way through - I keep having problems with my front feet. Then Bart videoed while I went round the course with Sue and Sue sent the video to the club via YouTube. Next the Club judges will award us a score and we will get points. If we get enough points and enter enough competitions we will move up the International league.At the moment we are just starter level - makes sense since we have never done it before!

Sue says more likely they will take off lots of points cos we are not too good at it compared to everyone else. Well, I was still slightly lame - that's my excuse!

First we did the gate and I think I was very good cos I waited for Sue then turned round for her to latch it.
Then I trotted towards the jump but we were'nt going to jump it cos I was a bit lame - well I thought it would be easier if I pushed it down so I did.

Then we did the T-shape of poles - you are not supposed to touch the poles and it was such a long way back I got a bit bored and asked Sue if we could play counting instead. Then I had to stand in a hoop while Sue fetched her flag to show to me. Hoops are such silly things !  Then I walked through the strip curtain and over the tarpaulin, waited politely for Sue to go through the barrells and then went through the scary corner and in and out around the cones. I did get a bit distracted in the middle because I like standing on the big drain cover now that Pierre has shown me how to do it - but I think we did it without loosing the all-important smile in the lead rope.

Now I have to wait to see what score we get.Sue is threatening to enter Pierre too so I've got to beat him !
Gotta go back and eat some more round bale. ~Sammy~

Baby's first day in the field.

 It was lovely and sunny so Mother and baby went out in the field to get some grass.

In the afternoon we went to check on them and do some more foal-handling.
Here is baby parked in the hedge.

Sinead says 'Come on, out you come.........

Bart does the handling.......

Baby does some skipping.......

Here she is back home in the evening.

Seems it's been a long day as she is falling asleep and can only just manage to lift an ear to see us !

Sinead's Easter Bunny

Here is our newest donkey friend - Sinead and Sammy's new daughter.
This morning, after being very crabby with the other donkeys and chasing Donk around the yard because she doesn't like him Sinead, like this .....

Turned into this.................................

When Bart went in to check she came straight over to see him and then followed him around.

We think that's a very good sign.

She's a very big foal - 36" high already.

People keep asking how she fitted into Sinead's tummy - Sinead just says she doesn't, that's why she was born and she's not so heavy when she's walking on her own feet !

She has a very cute black face and a white nose and a small shoulder stripe - but we can't see ny back stripe yet.

She's so big she has to bend down to find the milk bar even though she's only just born.

Now is the time to introduce her to all the things she will have to know about living with humans so we have done lots of foal handling. She is so relaxed she goes to sleep in our arms. aaaahhhhhh.

Now we have to choose a name.

Possible names :
Sarah, Sally, Sophie, Celine, Shirley - suggestions welcome.

Her name should begin with S or Sh because parents are Sinead and Sammy, be Biblical,
Irish or French and if possible have some connection with Clovelly.
Sinead and Sammy's donkey adopters will be voting to choose from our shortlist.

*x*>>>>WELL DONE SINEAD  <<<<*x*

The Hay Shed

Hi, Noah here. I've been quite successful lately in invading the new hay shed.
This year our hay arrived in October. We had to have huge 'Euro' bales because the farmer didn't have any of our small ones. They came on a huge trailer while we were out in the field.

The farmer carried it into our yard on is tractor. The tractor looked HUGE in our yard !

The big bales wouldn't go in our hay loft so he stacked them up outside the horsebox's shed.

Then he pushed them into the shed. Just as well he's a very good tractor driver cos he might have knocked the shed down with such a giant tractor.

Here they are all pushed in ready for us to eat after Christmas.

Now, when the humans want to feed us they have to fill up a big dumpy bag from the shed because the bales are too heavy to lift. They do enough dumpy bags to last a few days because it's quite a difficult job. I always like to help so I've been getting into the shed so the others can come too.

Here I am with a good mouthful. I turned round and Kiwi and Peter were trying to get in. Strange thing is the humans keep throwing me out.

There goes Jana with the bag.

This time Kiwi has got in first, bringing the queue with her !

Watch out Kiwi Jana is coming back!

The bag is filled up again and Jana drags it off  - and I'm ready to snatch another mouthful !

Sue loves me really !

Cheers ! ~Noah~

Kiwi's Favourite Tractor

Peter : ' Mum, why is Welly staring at the tractor like that?'

Sinead : ' He's looking for the exhaust pipe.'

Peter : 'Why?'

Sinead : 'Because when it's going it gives out lots of lovely hot smelly smoke and he likes to sniff it.'

'See?'

Peter : 'Is it nice?'

Sinead : 'Jasper doesn't think so..........but your sister Kiwi ADORES it. She used to run out of the stable when she heard the engine and go round and round swishing her tail with excitement. Lucky for Welly that Bart is going backwards !'

Welly follows the tractor into the shed.

And here comes Kiwi, right on cue !

Smoke !!!!

It's January and our humans are up to odd work things again.
One day there was all this billowing smoke and lots of noise.

I asked Mum what it was but she said 'I don't know, ask Welly, he's going to see".I thought it was fascinating but I think Mum was not too keen on it.

Welly and Charlie went and stood on Isaac's throne and watched from close range.

It was..................

Bart making a channel in the concrete with his noisy stonecutter so that the groundwater that was coming out of the back wall didn't go into our new shed and flood the floor.

It worked - we havn't had a flood since!

Eeores, ~Peter~

Charlie and Wellington's Exeter Nativity Play

Hi, this is Charlie. I want to tell you all about our day trip to Exeter for a very special occasion - celebrating the birth of baby Jesus.
One afternoon Bart and Sue got out the horsebox and Welly and I were asked to go in.Now, Welly used to say he didn't do horseboxes but he seems to have changed his mind now and I had some competition for the hay. We went on rather a long journey and the humans fussed all the way in case we were late - but it wasn't OUR fault was it?
In fact we arrived on time but had trouble finding where to go until the humans spotted the choir in the shopping centre. Then we had to get out of the horsebox and stand around while we had our brush and foot-polishing and put on our posh bridles. Then off we went to the shopping centre where lots of people came over to pat us and ask what we were doing.

While we were standing the choir was singing carols and quite a crowd gathered.

The Mary and Joseph came and led us on our journey to Bethlehem through Exeter.

We were followed by a huge crowd of people and the television men with michrophones and cameras.We are used to crowds so we didn't mind .

When we got to the seats Joseph stopped to ask the innkeeper on a balcony for somewhere to stay for the night - but he said everywhere was full.

That meant we had to go on another walk to find the Cathedral where Mary and Joseph would be able to stay in a stable. We were allowed in too, I'm glad to say.

We had to walk down the steps and through the big doors.

I had a good look at the steps but Welly said they were OK so I didn't worry. I was a bit more scared of the big carved stone slabs inside the Cathedral because they were all different colours. However Sue said they were safe really so I did follow her all the way to the stable.

Mary and Joseph went up onto the stage and put Baby Jesus in the manger. There were some (rather strange but friendly) sheep too.Sometimes you can't take pictures in a church because it's not polite but when Sue asked the lady Minister she said it was a precious moment so we were allowed to. Here we are in front of the crib. There were some lovely decorated Christmas trees and Welly thought they were nice enough to eat but Sue did tell him he shouldn't so he only ate a tiny bit !

The crowd followed us into the stable and everyone sat down with all the children in the front row.The choir sang again and all the children joined in.

The shepherds and kings came during the singing and brought gifts to Baby Jesus. The organ played very loudly but we didn't mind because Jana our helper was really enjoying it and kept giving us lots of fuss.

After the singing all the children were given a candle and paraded past the manger with them. On the way they gave us lots of pats. Then the organisers came up and patted us too.

We watched everyone troop out of the cathedral before we went and Welly was very good about the tree.

Then we went out to look for our horsebox cos Bart had finally found where he should park it. The humans gave us some hay and told us what good boys we had been.

It was certainly an exciting day out and we reckonned we had earned the hay. Jana REALLY enjoyed it and said it had made her Christmas. Our humans also met an old friend and settled down to enjoy coffee and cake with her in the van while we ate our hay.

Perhaps we will be asked to go again next year?

Love to all,

~Charlie~