Screen Siren

Oh what a week I've had! I am now officially a star and will be applying for my equity card any minute. Let me tell you all about it.

Like LouLou I've been having a bridle fitted and have been lunging every day. Now Tom says that at the moment I'm growing and I'm 'up behind' so I found it a little more difficult than Louise but I've got the hang of it now. Anyway, this week we had visitors from At The Races who decided to do a feature on the yard. So Tom selected MEEEEEEEEE to be filmed having something called a roller fitted for the first time. Was I phased - not a bit of it - even when the camera man held the camera a couple of feet away from me! I was just serene and took it all in my rather large stride.

Up to the lunging ring we went - with camera man and interviewer in tow - and I went round a couple of times before Tom called me into the centre where I stood absolutely still, just as I've been taught. Then he fitted the roller round me - now this is just really just a big girth (I heard him telling the interviewer all this) and he did it loosely at first so I didn't really know that it was there. Then he tightened it a little and sent me off round the ring - now I did feel it and had a bit of a buck and a rear - which is apparently expected - and then once I had gotten used to it just settled down and trotted round good as gold. Tom called me in again and then sent me around the other way and off I went. I heard him say that I might have a buck and a rear again as I went off the other way, but I thought to myself ,'I'll show them what a star I can be' and just set off quietly. Tom told me I had been VERY good and I must say being filmed was really rather nice. I think I like being in the limelight.

Now this little film is going out on national television - yes me - being beamed into homes all over the place - can you imagine it - me a little girl from Ireland - whatever next. I shall have to retire to my dressing room to think about it.

Love Thelma

New Horizons

Well, well, well, what a lot there is to learn! My little head is fairly spinning with everything I have to remember - this is certainly different to being turned out in a field every day!

Thelma is right, the first couple of days were rather difficult for me, as we're not side by side any more. She is in the box in front of me, although I can't see her. But once I got used to the fact that she was there I settled in rather well. The routine is quite different - everything starts much earlier here as there are so many of us that need seeing to. Now as you know I do need my sleep, so this has taken a bit of getting used to as mornings are not really my thing at all. Still as long as there is plenty to do and see - which there is, thats fine. I am now a whizz at having my bridle put on and I've been introduced to the horsewalker - now this is really a great piece of kit. At first I didn't really know what was expected of me, and the back bit kept catching up with me and hitting me on the bum - but now I'm a dab hand and really like it, as when I'm going round I can watch whats going on in the lunging ring.


Now the lunging ring is where I have really learnt a lot! Every day I get taken up taken up there twice, and over the week I have been gradually introduced to trotting round the ring on a long rein (now I love this and, as I'm rather nifty on my feet, its been no problem at all). Then gradually each day I've had a new piece of kit put on, until towards the end of the week I had a saddle on - moi! How grown up do I look now! Who'd have thought it - two weeks ago I had no idea what a saddle was and now here I am all tacked up like a proper horse.

My head is spinning with it all, there is never a dull moment and I must say I'm ready for bed each evening, and then before I know it we're up and doing it all over again.

love from a rather dizzy Louise

Settling In

Here we are in our new home - its all very different but we do like it now that we have had a chance to settle in. We must admit it was a little strange at first. To start with we are in a large barn with stalls around the sides and up the middle. Now I'm (thats me Thelma) in a large stall in the middle section - I've got bedding up to my knees, as you can see in my photo, and I must say when I lie down at night I can get very cosy which is just as well as its started to get quite nippy at night again!

Louise has a large stall just behind me, although I can't see her, but I know she's there as I can hear her! It was a little strange not being next to each other like we were at the farm but, after a day or so, we soon got used to it and to be honest there is so much going on all the time that it soon takes your mind off things!

So what goes on - well for a start there are about twenty horses around at the moment of all ages and sizes and we are all doing different things. But whatever we are doing, there is always activity with people or horses coming and going, being ridden, being tacked up, being groomed etc. We also have other stablemates - the hens (thank goodness no geese) who peck around the place all day picking up any grain that we've dropped. As you can see from the photo they're quite pretty and make quite a nice clucking noise - no honking I'm pleased to say.



Then of course there is the mucking out and the feeding. Now the latter is something I'm really pleased about. As we don't go out in the field all day our feed has been raised and I'm being given a healthy 12lbs of food a day - blisssssssssssss! It was worth moving home just for this alone - although I know we both miss the team a bit as they did look after us well.

This week has been a gentle introduction to quite a few things - first of all a bridle - now we have been used to headcollars but this is quite different! At first it felt a little strange having something in my mouth (other than food that is),but after a day or so it was easy - I know Lou felt the same, and now we both stand beautifully still while we are groomed and tacked up - see we're learning the technical jargon as well. Just to show off we have Australian bridles, because Tom likes them and thinks they are best for us, but what's wrong with a British one I ask?

Now what will we do next week? I heard Tom say that we have quite a busy time ahead of us - bring it on - thats what I say.

From a well fed me! Love Thelma

Going Further Afield

Hello from both of us - this has been a momentous week! We have moved out of our cosy stable yard and joined the real world!

The week started quietly with our usual out in the field and in at night routine but, come Tuesday morning, it was all change. For starters we didn't go out to the field after breakfast which was unusual. We were given a good groom and tidy up and were looking fairly gorgeous when two lots of people came to see us and say hello. This was all fine and we were given lots of hay so actually we were quite happy, if a little dismayed not to be out with all the lovley new grass that has grown. Then everyone disappeared for a while, but about two o'clock Tom came by and introduced himself and then The Gaffer, The Mrs and The Vickster appeared. They explained that we were now off to join other horses and were going to be educated and taught how to be racehorses - how grown up and exciting is that!!!!

We were going together - so that all sounded fine and we will be meeting loads of other yearlings, so actually it sounds like we are going to have quite a lively time. Thats not to say that we won't miss everyone here - we know we will - but we are quite grown up now and ready to find out about whats out there in the world. Now one person we won't miss much is that pesky goose, but we have become friends with the Alpaca, the other horses in the yard, all the people who come in and out, the swallows, the puppies just to name a few and we have even become used to tractors, helicopters, cars of every shape and size and we even like cricket (though we're not quite so keen on opera!).

Anyway back to Tuesday, our ropes were put on and we went out through the tunnel to the yard where this lovely little 2 horse box was waiting for us - it looked almost exactly like the trailer that we had been jumping in and out of last week and so it was really no bother walking in and getting settled. I went in first - thats me Thelma - as Tom thought that as I was the biggest I should have the most room to manouvre - and then in came LouLou. We were as good as gold - as if we had been doing this for ages (which of course we had - well, since last week anyway) and we could tell that everyone was very pleased with us and we got lots of pats. We could hear Tom saying how well we had behaved and we think he was quite impressed with us. Then we had to say goodbye - now that was a bit difficult and we had lumps in our throats, but Tom seemed so nice that we were really quite happy to be driven off to our new home and we know everyone will come and see us - so as long as they feed us properly we really won't mind.


We had a lovely smooth ride - we must say it was much better that our earlier trips especialoly the one from Ireland - Tom was a much better driver for a start and because we had had our trailer training the whole thing was a breeze - in fact we were so relaxed that we even started having a little play with each other in the lorry and before we knew what was what we had arrived.....

Now we'll tell you all about our arrival next week when we've had time to gather our thoughts because there is so much to tell you about - but what we can say is that we are excited to be here.................

Love from a quite grown up Thelma and Louise xxxxxx