News 2009

22nd December

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas !

Nearly christmas and we have had snow now since last Thursday, I love it, the ponies are beautiful and clean (for a change!) it has not really been all that bad we have still been able to get out of the farm and able to drive to the winter fields to put out hay for the girls.

The foals were weaned 3 weeks ago and seem quite happy being inside. The colts are all together in the barn and the fillies are together in a big stable. They love carrots!

Here are a few festive pics

13th October

I have taken some up to date photo's of the foals today in the glorious autumn sunshine.

They have all grown on really well, I'm really pleased with them. Just love watching them all playing, especially the colts they are so funny when they are having a good old scrap.

Valerock St. George

Valerock Miss Brodie

Valerock Victory

Valerock Claudene

Valerock Valiant

9th September

Time for a catch up. My broadband has been playing up and it has been really difficult to update the website. The connection seems fine now so I can now let you know how we have done at the shows we have been to.

Firstly we took Drumochter to Equifest at Peterborough. There were 5 Highland stallions entered and Drum got 2nd place. The following day it was the Southern highland pony show, only 3 stallions in that class and Drum got 3rd or last which ever !

On August bank holiday Monday it was NPS area 4 show at Harrogate. We took Drum again for the Highland stallion class and he was 2nd out of 5.
Mick and Carole Forrest's mare Trailtrow Rhuann won her class and was Highland champion and then supreme M and M champion. Congratulations to them!

I didn't get any pics of the shows but here are a couple when we got home with Drumochter back in the field with his mares and foals.

15th August

Last Sunday I rode the Cliviger Gorge pack horse trail with Kath and Lynne and their horses Spinner and Jack. I rode Drum and he was such a good pony, remarkable really to say that he has only been on the road twice and has never been ridden in company. All of them were very good, considering we had to ride through a wind farm, directly under the turbines. That was quite an experience to say the least! When we had survived the wind farm, then came the bogs, which were quite deep in places, Drum came into his own here and just ploughed through them, at one point having a good old dig and covering me in mud!

The ride was extremely challenging and it was a fabulous adventure. In total it took us five and a half hours to ride about 20k. We got lost a couple of times but thanks to Kaths great map reading skills, we got round safely. The veiws were breathtaking when we came on top of the gorge.

It was a wonderful experience and I have to say thanks to Kath and Lynne for coming over and riding out from the farm with me.

Some pics courtesy of Kath

6th August

Yesterday I spent a lovely few hours veiwing ponies at Kath Wurcbacher's Cloughwood stud in Warrington. The weather was gorgeous and so are Kaths ponies. The foals were all very sleepy in the sun. Here are some pics of the mares and foals.

31st July

Last weekend it was The Royal Lancs Show and I had entered Pearl in the youngstock class, brought her in the night before because the weather was horrid, gave her a bath and put her in the barn. Pearl really didn't like the idea of being left in on her own and was throwing a little paddy, so I went to get Drumochter from his field to keep her company. All was well then and she was quietly munching her hay. Got her out in the morning to load her up and she was lame, she must have hurt it when she was having a strop. I was really dissapointed but still went to the show to watch and Pearl is fine now, the little madam !

Valerock Pabbay went off to her new home too and she has settled in well with her new family. She was a star loading and travelling. I'm always sad to see the babies go, here is a photo of her the night before she went.

Have loaded some pony pics up taken in the evening on one of the rare times the sun has been out here.

18th July

We have had a busy week, going to The Great Yorkshire show on Wednesday and North of England on Saturday.
Valerock Sea Pearl went to Great Yorkshire and came 4th in the mixed large breeds youngstock. She was very well behaved in the show ring, very quiet for Pearl, I don't think that she had much sleep in her stable the night before, the showground was very noisy and she was yawning all the time, poor Pearl think she was glad to get back home !

Then it was Drumochter's turn to go to North of England and he came 2nd in the M and M mature stock and was reserve champion Highland. He was glad to get out of the field away from Molly and Bryony, he ran up the ramp on the morning of the show, he is so funny.
No photo's from either show, took the camera but didn't manage to get any pics.
I will take some in the fields soon. If it ever stops raining.

Pabbaydene's filly has been weaned this week too, ready to go to her new home. They have both been brilliant and no fuss from either of them. Baby Pabbay has been bought by my friend Dawn and is going to a lovely home with other highlands for company. Wishing them the best of luck for the future.

2nd July

We have been up to the Royal Highland Show, with our young stallion Strathleven Drumochter. We had a brilliant time, as usual the show was fantastic, the weather was great and to top that off, Drum came 2nd in the senior stallion class. I was thrilled to bits with him. He was his normal laid back self, sleeping, lying flat out in his stable every afternoon. We had to go in the grand parade every day, Drum liked that too, especially the Clydesdales, he got very exited when they were in front !
Here is a picture of him.

13th June

Trowan Violet has had her foal, a beautiful strong colt sired by North Wells Summit. As usual Violet gave birth with no problems, in fact I was shocked to find him there because Violet showed no signs of foaling the night before.

Here are some pics of the foal.

3rd June

We still havn't managed to get to any shows as yet, I have been really busy with the foals and visiting mares, so it looks as though the RHS show will be our next one. Hopefully soon I will get Flower and Thorn the yearlings to a local show, for a little bit of experience.

Here are some more foal pics from visiting mares.

Colt foal born 25th May out of Rosemary of Croila and by Strathleven Drumochter, bred by Mrs Kath Wurcbacher.

Colt foal born 20th May out of Trailtrow Rhuann and by North Wells Summit, bred by Micheal and Carole Forrest.

Colt foal born 18th May out of Moss-side Kirsty by Strathleven Drumochter, bred by Mrs Jan Barker.

23rd May

At long last Velvet has had her foal! Yesterday morning at 5am in the pouring rain, a colt foal by Blairgowrie. They are both fine and Velvet adores her new son. He is a friendly little thing.
Here are a few pics.

Valerock Velvet and colt foal by Blairgowrie of Whitefield. One day old.

17th May

Still waiting for Velvet to foal, she is now 2 weeks and a bit overdue. She looks well and is just starting to bag up so maybe it will come next week. All of the other foals are growing and filling out really nicely. Everytime I think about taking pics of them it pours down.

I have had picture's kindly sent to me of another of Drumochters foals, a filly out of Glentrowan Beauly. She was born on 13th and is so pretty. Bred by Yvonne Leedham from Derbyshire. Here she is new born.

12th May

Today I have had my very first sit on my young stallion Drumochter, he has been away for a few weeks for backing and he has been a super star. They all love him at the yard where he is, you just would'nt think that he was a stallion.

Really proud of my little man, can't wait to get him out riding this summer. Here are some pics.

7th May

I have been to see one of North Wells Summits foals out of a visiting mare Strathbeag Kirsty Bhan, she foaled last Saturday a filly and she is gorgeous, bred by Dawn Stringfellow. Luckily she is not far from us. Here are a couple of pics.

2nd May

Another new addition this morning. A filly foal out of Valerock Sweet Briar (Ruby) sired by Blairgowrie of Whitefield. I havn't really been able to get close to her because Ruby is extremely proud and protective of her new baby. Everything went really well and she was up and sucking within half an hour. I am thrilled with Ruby's first foal and her Grandparents where watching her over the fence.

She is extra special with being the first I have had out of one of my home bred girls. Here are a few pics :-

23rd April

I have had a brilliant St. Georges day today with Molly having a colt foal early this morning. Think I shall name him George. Everything went well, he was a little slow to suckle but eventually managed it, whilst Molly was led down. Its because his legs are so long and he couldn't work out quite how to get there !

He is another Drumochter foal.

Here are a few pics of the lastest Valerock baby.

12th April

Been snapping away today, in the glorious sunshine, here are some pic's of the new farm.

9th April

Bryony of Combebank had a filly foal last night, it is her first and she has been brilliant. Both of them are doing really well. The sire to the foal is Strathleven Drumochter.

Managed to take a few pics even though it was raining.

7th April

We have finally moved into our new farm and all the ponies were brought over at the weekend.
The move went very well and the ponies seem to have settled in their new fields. It was me that was more stressed about the move than the animals.

I will post some photos soon of the new place, if I can find my camera in the mountain of boxes that are strewn everywhere.

19th March

This months news is very exiting, we are moving farms. Not too far away from here, the new place is in Cliviger near Burnley. A beautiful spot right on the Mary Townley loop, which is a long distance ride, in fact Townley Hall is our neighbour, so we should have plenty of good off road riding places nearby.

The new address is Farside Farm. Red Lees Road. Cliviger. Nr Burnley. Lancs. BB10 4RQ. Tel: 01282 455098 the new line will be connected on 23/3/09.

Hopefully there won't be too much disruption to my broadband connection and my email address should be working very soon. In the meantime my mobile is the same and I can be reached at anytime on that. So apoligies to anybody that tries to reach me by email if I don't respond straight away.

I will update the site as soon as we, and the ponies have settled in.

8th February

Today we had an outing with Pearl our 2 year old filly to the NPS area 5 show at Myerscough. We had to borrow a friends trailer because our lorry is poorly and in the garage, thanks Dawn!
Pearl was a good girl and loaded really well considering she has only been in a wagon.

Pearl won the M and M largebreeds youngstock, she was the only Highland pony in there. I think that there were 8 ponies forward. I forgot to take my camera but I have got a couple of photo's of Pearl that I took yesterday, whilst trying to get her looking clean without water in case she froze with this icy weather.

2nd February

We have had real wintery weather here this week with plenty of snow and more to come. The ponies seem to be enjoying it and are all wintering very well.

The mares are all looking in foal now, can't wait for spring to come.


Here are some pictures of the ponies taken today in the Artic weather conditions.

8th January

Today we have been up to near Glasgow to deliver Peggy of Combebank to her new owner Jane Dawson from the Isle of Islay, that was just half of her journey. The rest would have been by ferry to Islay a very long journey, but Peggy arrived fit and well. She was so very well behaved on the trip and just walked from our trailer into Jane's without any bother.
Peggy will be joining the Ellister Islay highland pony stud as a future brood mare. It is a fabulous new home and I wish Jane the very best of luck with Peggy for the future, hope she breeds her some lovely foals !

Pabbay's foal is doing really well, growing like mad. Pabbay is a shadow of her former self, she actually looks very trim. Which is a rare sight for Pabs! I have named the foal Valerock Pabbay after her mother and grandmother, but her stable name is Holly.

Here are a few pics of Holly enjoying the snow that we had on Monday.

2nd January

Pabbaydene has foaled this morning at 2.10am, a filly.

They are both fine, Pabbay is a great mum for a maiden mare. She is very protective of her foal.

I am really pleased with her she is a super little foal, very chunky and very pretty.

Here are a couple of pictures of our new year addition.

1st January

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year !

The weather here is Artic we have had severe frost for a week now and yesterday even the ponies where covered in ice! It is unbelievably cold. I have taken some super photo's of my frozen ponies, they look very festive.

Oldhams Wood Miss Molly

Peggy of Combebank

Valerock Sweet Briar

Molly and Bryony stood in the middle of the haylage pile as usual they are like the Kray twins seeing everybody else off !

It looks as though Pabbaydene will be giving birth soon she is waxed up and this morning was dripping a bit of milk. It is so exiting I just can't wait to see the foal. It has been a long time in coming, I thought that she would never breed and suprisingly and thrillingly she is about to give birth. Hope that the foal has a wooly coat to cope with this weather.