SHOWTIME!!

Omigod, I am RAPT with how Bella peformed at Kumeu A&H today (13 March 2011). 

1st in Best Presented - many thanks to Leesa Anderson and Anna Limmer for their super presentation skills, and Maryanne Jefferies for the kind loan of her bling browband.
2nd in her age class - tough class against some lovely horses. 
1st in future broodmare to breed show horses

Bella was superbly well behaved (well, in my rose tinted eyes anyways).  She lost a bit of concentration in the ring to start with - she was a bit distracted by things outside the ring but as it was her first show, that was to be expected. 

6 sleeps!

I dropped Bella off at Leesa Anderson's tonight - what a superstar!  If she encounters something she isn't sure about, she just stops and looks.  Awesome!  

Can't wait to see what Leesa does with her - below are pics I took on 6 March 2011

It's showtime!

I've just paid for and sent the entry form off for Bella's first show. I don't know whether I'm excited or nervous!!!

She is going to do three classes inhand - best presented, age, potential as a future broodmare - just for the experience. She is going to look silly against the huge warmblood young' uns but oh well.

New Year, new name?

I've been appallingly slack at updating Bella's blog - I don't do much with her now that I'm living in Papakura and working in the city and she is in Dairy Flat. I try to see her every weekend.

Bella ties up (and stays tied up!), loves being groomed/given attention and walks/halts inhand. She didn't want to/didn't know about trotting inhand the other weekend so had an impromptu lunge lesson - happy to halt, walk, trot on the left rein, not so sure about doing the same on the right rein.

I would like to take her to Helensville and Kumeu A&P shows but they may end up in the 'too hard' basket. Bugger.

Anyways, most people didn't like "Believe" as a showname so with some research, I discovered "Meissen" - a German town, and a type of porcelain. I believe it is pronounced "My-sin" but I would imagine a lot of people will pronounce it "Meesan". There is already a 'Meissen' registered with NZEF so I will register Bella as "Meissenz"

Better late than never

I have been horrendously slack with keeping Bells' blog up to date.

She continues to be super awesome to work with and I've even started thinking about who to send her to to be broken in - obviously not just yet though!!

I've loaded Bella onto the truck a couple of times and she is always happy to load, stands quietly and walks off calmly. She doesn't like the cobblestone driveway and it is almost like she thinks of the truck as her safe place lol. I took her for a drive the other weekend (just to the end of the road and back) and while she sweated a little (it was a VERY hot day), she was perfectly relaxed about it.

Winter PJs

When the temperature dropped suddenly recently, I had no choice but to put Bells winter rug from last year on her. It is 3'9" and mum had to put darts in it last year so it would fit (it was still too big at the time) but now it almost chokes her, and is of mini skirt proportions. Mum bought home a 4'0" combo for Bells.

Pxt below of her with her winter PJs on - for what it is worth, it was FREEZING that day, hence me 'rugged' up lol

2x

I find it amusing that people hear Bella's breeding and assume she is going to be a showhorse. I presume this is due to her grandsire, Kilvington Scoundrel www.whaltonstud.co.uk/kilvingtonscoundrel.html. However, Bella is out of Eden Garnet (Swedish Warmblood - Gibraltar II / TB - Shipside Sally) so I consider her to be bred for performance, and not just the showring.

I saw Bella doing two times changes in the paddock - this isn't the first time I've seen her do this so hope it bodes well for her future!