Sponsored Horse: Blisterin’ Barnacle

Posted by joburg on Jul 9, 2009 • (1)

My muttered curses when “Barney” arrived were not unlike those of Captain Haddock of Tintin fame, which inspired his name.

He was sent to us as horse for my wife, who had had enough of riding her rather ungenerous first horse, because he was a really nice person, generous and brave. I was somewhat sceptical as he arrived with a bowed tendon.

Ignorance is bliss. Unfortunately I was working for a vet at the time and had him scanned which revealed a HUGE tear in the tendon, bye-bye bliss!!! Given a very guarded prognosis we set out on a long rehab programme, at the end of which we had a sound horse!

And what a sound horse he has turned out to be! Brave, willing, clever enough to sort things out when the rider makes a mistake and confident enough to take over completely when needs be.

Barney is a horse who just gets better and better the more you ask of him.

We have had some hiccups along the way with the usual injuries, lameness and illness, changes of environment and grazing but through all of that we have had a goodly supply Herbal Horse products to help keep him looking and going like a million bucks.

Barney is so eager to please that he internalises his stress, the only outward sign being seriously liquid manure! Over a long show this really takes it out of him and we were having to feed him up before a show. It was a constant tightrope exercise to get enough energy to be competitive in the last class without having too much in the first class (even more of a problem in the eventing where your first phase is dressage with 50 other horses milling around and the last showjumping having galloped a 2km or so cross country track in between! )

We have found the perfect answer for him though and used it to brilliant effect at the SA champs eventing at Northern Farm in December.  Herbal Horse Calm mix for three days before the show and some of the new Stamina mix from about the same time.

I had not ridden Barney for over 18 months and sat on him twice in the week before the show so was not expecting much to say the least!

What a difference!!He got off the box, put his head down and started grazing. For the dressage he was responsive and obedient and for once my smile was just that and not a grimace.  The cross country track was long and pretty big and I would have been worried about him staying the distance usually but he hadn’t been burning nervous energy the whole day and not eating. We went out on the track the next morning with him feeling on top form and got around clear in exactly the optimum time and he still felt like he could go again.  The showjumping was a revelation though, any thoughts of having to ride cautiously and nurse him around carefully were dispelled when we got in the arena. Barney put himself into a powerhouse extended trot right around the edge of the arena and didn’t want to know about coming back – he was showing off and that was that! The bell went and he was all business I didn’t have to worry about a thing, even had time crack a joke with some spectators along the way.  We finished 7th or 8th but we may as well have won I was so thrilled with him, our first show together, two rides prior… Watch this space

This year has started badly for us with Barney breaking his hoof very badly followed by me nearly writing myself off just before Novice Champs. the rest of this year will just be a chance to get back into things  but the plans are already being made to have him competing in the one star class at SA Champs 2011.