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~