Great Eccleston Agricultural Show Sat 16th July 2011

If you have tuned in, sadly this is an old blog of mine .

Half of the content is now missing but I have left some topics and many photos, if you fancy a nosy. Enjoy x

Firstly, it is my youngest childs birthday today, my son is now 15, wow, I dont know where the time goes.

The Great Eccleston Agriculture Show
Though the weather was pretty over cast yesterday we still decided to go and support our local agriculture show. The Great Ecc show attracts many thousands of visitors every year. We enjoyed the show but of course, my blog wouldn't be my blog without a little whinge- here goes; The entry price you pay was £10 each to get in, yes, it is a good day out fee and what you normally pay at events like these, however, you would think with entry fees like that, you would think you get the programme of events too? Oh no, if you want a programme you have to pay £3 extra for each copy. Imagine taking many family members. The other whinge moment; The extortionate price I had to pay for two small lots of chips in the small polystyrene tubs you get them in , FIVE POUNDS! Five pounds for two lots of chips! How can they justify ripping people off like that? I was stood next to a man that got two burgers from the same place and his total came to £7.50 !Thank god only me and my daughter went this time. I do miss the Royal Lancs Show.

Grt Ecc 2011

We got to see all the Shire classes of the day as well as the Champion of them all,win ,which qualified to go through to the Horse of The Year Show. Them Shire horses are absolutely magnificant. Looking at them in all their attire maticulously prepared by their grooms and owners is something to be in awe of, they were beautiful beautiful gentle giants to watch. We saw many of them in hand, many foals,  ridden, in carriage, the stallions in their show attire, just beautiful.

Shire Stallion 17th July 2011 Grt Ecc

The handlers and grooms were all at hand with their grooming kits and buckets full of cleaning goodies, tubs of baby talc,water, sprays, cloths, brushes, you name it, getting these horses to sparkle, their whites and feather to gleam so bright, was an all day job. Saturday was a very very long day for all the shire owners and exhibitors as they had many classes to enter.

Whiter than white 16th July 2011

SLIDESHOW:



Like you would expect from me, I took lots of photos, in fact, I took around 200. Remember, creating memories, that's my excuse for picture overload lol. I have put them in a photo bucket album to share with you, as well as a little slideshow. Please find time to capture the atmosphere of the show by looking through the photo section.

Inside the prep tent

Two youngsters

Grt Ecc prize winners

Cow being milked

PHOTO ALBUM With many more photos:
Great Eccleston Album


My daughter and I have been sending texts backwards and forwards From England to Italy. She has been making me very jealous. She said the people over there dont sunbathe as it's too hot in the day and their culture is much different to ours, so that's Bex and no sunbathing lol, shocker. She said they slept on the balcony the first night they were there at her friends familys' house as it was 40 degrees, too hot to sleep! She keeps saying there isn't a cloud in the sky. Tonight, they are having a family birthday party for my daughters best friend.This means she will experience a true Italian birthday party. Wow. Nope, you are seeing things, what do you mean i'm turning green. I keep saying to her "have you met a gorgeous Italian guy yet " lol. She is staying in the heel of the Italian map if you are wondering what area of Italy she is in, she will also be going to Milan for a few days.

Pink stuff

Well, I have succumbed to Jessicas' way of thinking and gone pink! Noooooo, what a waste of money,grrr, ah well, she did go on to say she would love to spoil her pony so I have helped her along the way.  I am waiting for his new bridle to arrive, it is a dark brown leather bridle with pink lined nose and browband with swarovski  style fancy browband and reins to match. Nope, there is nothing wrong with the gorgeous tan jaguar leather clip bridle he currently wears. She just wants a change of colour and my god, I cant believe I am going a long with it. Not sure if you know, but I have lovely stuff for the neds so to change items for colour purposes is a massive extreme. Someone slap me across the face to stop me lol. She now has the feed and water buckets, a headcollar that says 'hooligan' , of course that suits him lol, haynet, pink whip, even a pink shovel ! That is going a bit far and other pink things. So what do we do with all the other items he owns that isn't pink, wasted and stored away!!!! She doesn't get much else really so it's ok to spend on her pony now and again, after all, most of us horsey types are the same, we just own too many horsey things.

16th July 2011

16th July 2011

 Horse & Rider Magazine Jan 1984 ..............70p

I have been finding the old magazines very interesting, though not as glam inside as the magazines we read today. They are very interesting and more informal. I can remember these magazines from the good old days though I mainly bought PONY at the time, in the late eighties I began to get Horse and Rider as understood them a bit more (I was an 80's horsey girl), so I'm loving these.

An article of interest was titled 'Is competition cruel'?

IThis topic was regarding a tv programme that was due to be aired. Stating; 

The film touches some nerves; after all how many riders want to question whether, let alone admit that they push their horses too far? Despite this, producer Peter Williams managed to get opinions from top riders on age-old controversial questions like the use or abuse of Phenybutazone (bute), at the same time revealing the heartaches that competition can cause. Lucinder Green explained,"If you love horses, then sometimes you ask yourself why you are doing something whicih can conceivably cause them injury". jane Holderness-Roddam rememvers the horrors of team events-when you had to keep going for the sake of the team-and the feeling that you were abusing a good relationship in asking your horse to continue round the course, when you knew he should be pulled up. Obviously, competitions do not always cause such moral problems-few would be willing to compete if they did! Nethertheless, the dangers of going to extreme lenghts in order to win, exist;it doesn't hurt to be aware of them. It goes on to say the film is certainly thought-provoking and stimulating.

Other topics were: Chronic cough, Mud Fever, Clicking noise, Bone spavin and is she too old, these were in the Horse File section. Health; Equine Herpes and Arthiritis. Double page of BHS 'so you want to work with horses'. Riding; dont flap your elbows you're not John Wayne. Double page of long distance riding.Show jumpers viewpoint; through the grades re flatwork.Jennie Lorriston-Clarke has her section of horse and family life.Double page of 'Horses and the Law' which is of very interesting read and I am sure it would be of current answers today. Double page on Footnotes focussing on Laminitis.Small section on managing the eventer, hunter and show jumper. Double page section on how to build a menage in good detail. From rags to riches stort, can you remember them? Four page section-on the lunge. Diary section of a horsewomans account of every day rider. Double page; wintering out. Double page; Teaching the half pass.Single page; Road Sense and this is towing a trailer. The magazine contains much much more. I would say, the older magazines really did give value for money where as today, alot of pages are adverts with many riding lessons? but maybe i'm old fahsioned lol.

Here is a picture collection of our lot taken this past week, a couple are of the second lot of swallows born at the stables this year, these ones live in my hay shed at present:

July 2011

July 2011

One of our hens posing July 2011

R.I.P  Poppy I would also like to mention my friend in todays blog. She suffered the loss of her dear aged pony Poppy who lost her life this past week. Poppy was a big fighter who struggled with cushings and numerous over complaints. With the love of my friend, Poppy managed to live a good seven years as part of my friends daily life until Poppys' age and conditions caught up with her.

July 2011

July 2011

July 2011

July 2011