Team Weirdo Professional Circuit
|
|
It has been an interesting year for Team Weirdo. For starters, I’ve not been able to come up with a better name than ‘Team Weirdo’, and I guess it has stuck, which is... inconvenient, I suppose, but not unfitting. Beyond that, 2017 has seen both the start and the end of many an era. As you all have read, this was the year that marked a very sad farewell to the special horse who started it all... my dear Polo. Yet, even despite the fact that it brought a day so strongly dreaded, I cannot say that 2017 has been a bad year. Because for Team Weirdo, this was not the end. The end of an era, maybe, but not the end. 2017 has been the start of something completely new.
Team Weirdo is no longer just me, a group of scruffy misfit horses, and an incredible support team behind the scenes. Now, Team Weirdo has extended to the professional circuit, and includes a small, scruffy group of pupils – both human and equine – who have happened upon the misfortune of becoming the Guinea Pigs of my professional training skills for the years ahead. Thus far, the improvement in every one of these special souls has been overwhelming, and the future ahead is looking – at worst – inspirational and exciting. At best? Tentatively hoping – downright successful.
Furthermore, 2017 has finally brought me some big news to report from the competitive circuit! Ponybox’s favourite OTTB, Moonfire, returned in full force at the end of this year after an unfortunate paddock injury left him off work until August – just a few short months after his eventual recovery from his tie back operation in 2016. Moonfire returned to the competitive scene by cinching the South African adult 1m Eventing Champion title – finishing with the best score of the entire national championship show. From there we surfed on the success, throwing our all into chasing down the last few big shows left for the year. Moo took on the extremely challenging International Spurwing Horse Trials Africa Cup competition as his first run at one star in over two years, and finished a very respectable 5th in a huge and strong class, against horses graded two and three star. From there, the champion traveled on to Port Elizabeth to take home the Eastern Cape Champion title with an outstanding one star performance, leaving him with a lead of over ten penalties.
After what I can only describe as an overwhelmingly successful show season for our team, the Champion was given a well-deserved holiday, and is now resuming work for his 2018 debut.
And, if Mr. Moo’s success isn’t exciting enough, some tentative plans brewed at the beginning of the year have now finally begun falling into place as we hurtle towards 2018. They say that for every window closed, a door opens. In the last few years, due to changing circumstances and a series of misfortunes, I have had to say goodbye to many a very special partner and competition horse:
Mountain of Bronze - One star eventer and junior and adult team horse – began his new life as a schoolmaster with a young rider.
Finola – One star eventer and extremely successful open showjumper – hung up the jumping boots for a wistful attempt at a late start at stud.
Without these remarkable horses, my own competitive string was comprised of only Moonfire, meaning that when he was injured, I was not competing at all... all the windows were closed. But as luck would have it, we finally came across a key for an old door that we had sworn never to open again. Yeah, we all know it.
It’s that “Why don’t I buy a new horse” door.
So, with that very long and rambling newsflash of an intro... Ponybox, allow me to introduce the latest addition to Team Weirdo:
De Niro - Four (4) year old Warmblood Stallion, by Sirandipity (Sir Shutterfly (Hann) x Calvaro Z x Ramiro Z) out of Tsunami (Sandor (SAWB) x Empress Bayxx).
This talented youngster will be bringing with him a whole new set of challenges and opportunities that the OTTB based Team Weirdo has never encountered before.
So, Ponybox, for a very exciting journey with many interesting stories ahead... watch this space. |
|
|
Related Horse News
|
|
This is the story of my horse, Polo. Yet it is not only about Polo, because you see her story is my story. In this day and age we often see things that have come to be known as 'fursonas', virtual creatures that Internet users hav ...
|
|
The weekend of April 20th saw my official showjumping debut for 2013. Since the South African Junior Championships in December, my horses were given a well deserved holiday, before slowly building back up to competition standard. ...
|
|
This video shows myself and my Polo horse simply being ourselves and having a great time! Everything in this video is bareback, it is a complete no saddle zone! The only tack used is always either a bridle or a halter and lead rei ...
|
|
So, to my Polo, goodbye, and thank you. You were more important to me than you could ever know. And to all you at Ponybox, Hello again, and thanks for waiting. With this long overdue tribute to a very special muse, Polo the Weirdo ...
|
|
If your instructor is able to get through more than three bottles of wine in a lesson, you probably have the wrong instructor. Or your instructor has the wrong pupil. You should never drive instructors to alcoholism, no matter how ...
|
|
Have you ever experienced while attending an extremely proper and dignified horse show, an elegantly dressed person suddenly erupting, at the top of their very polite lungs, WHY YOU LITTLE FART! And, having had this strange experi ...
|
|
The weekend of April 20th saw my official showjumping debut for 2013. Since the South African Junior Championships in December, my horses were given a well deserved holiday, before slowly building back up to competition standard. ...
|
|
As I write this, I am soaking wet from the knee-down, with puddles in my boots, and sand in places I’d rather not mention. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: My horse is an #$@&%*! ...
|
|
Horse and Hound recently released a quiz which tells you, based on a series of questions, what celebrity your horse would be if he was a human. Unsurprisingly, my own Moonfire would probably be Kanye West. This got me thinking, if ...
|
|
Have you ever thought about the terms that we equestrians use for horse behavior problems, and what those terms would sound like to the average man on the street? Our jargon often leads to much confusion for the layman (which ofte ...
|
|
More News by Polo the Weirdo
|
|
If you are lucky enough to afford an extremely expensive imported horse, it will spook at its own fart in the quarantine paddock and immediately sustain a career-ending injury. ...
|
|
Welcome to part 2 in our quest of finding the best gadgets and gimmicks that can actually help you to improve your riding! Put your body where it should be, and let your brain figure out how to keep it there. You’ll have that perf ...
|
|
Do you always find yourself riding with toes like a ballerina? Do you stare into your own lap as if the secrets of the universe are stitched into the crotch of your joddies? Do you ride with shoulders that would make the Hunchback ...
|
|
Gadgets often get a poor reputation in the equestrian world due to their misuse on equine athletes often resulting in harmful or abusive conditions. The debate on whether or not gadgets (like side reins, etc.) ought to be used on ...
|
|
The elongated shutdown of racing brings with it many great consequences, many of which are already beginning to show as owners, breeders and trainers alike are forced to begin euthanasia of horses they can no longer afford to keep ...
|
|
With the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, people the world over are doing exactly what one would expect modern man to do in a time of great crisis. They are binge-watching eccentric Netflix documentaries. The specific documen ...
|
|
With our current global pandemic, many equestrians the world over are suddenly being forced to face a horseless reality as entire nations enter lockdown. It is a miserable and testing time, but equestrians are tough. We’re gonna m ...
|
|
On the first day of lockdown, most of us sat in our homes. Silent, shellshocked, looking through old pictures of our horses and trying to come to terms with the fact that we had to be without them for 3 whole weeks. Worrying about ...
|
|
|