t-normile

The Schooling Field
Here are our schooling fences and hurdles. There are four fences in a row and there
are two flights of hurdles. I managed to persuade the ground staff at the racecourse
two winters ago to build the fences for me. I know that they are well built and will
last a long time. All the horses jump them well. The hurdles are also old racecourse
stock and likewise are well built and jump well. They are situated on a hill as this
helps the horses to jump without going too fast.

The Horse walker
This now has a roof on it. Given our climate this means that the horses can now go on
without getting wet. Previously, the horses would need a New Zealand rug to keep them dry.
We also had problems in winter: when it rained, the area turned into a large puddle which
then froze over. This could remain solid for about 6 weeks!

The School
Or the tennis court as it was once, when we were all
younger and fitter! This still has the tennis court surface under the sand and rubber
so it could be reverted back if necessary. This is ideal for sitting on the young horses
and loose schooling as it has a nice high fence, but they can see through it to friends.
The sand and rubber make a nice comfortable landing when falling off for youngsters,
and we do a lot of gymnastic jumping both loose and ridden, which helps horses to
think for themselves.

The Baby Jumps
This field consists of rows of small logs and tyres. The logs are small enough to step over but are great for the first leaps!
These tyres vary in height, but all the babies love jumping them as they are nice and inviting. It is also fun for the older
horses and younger Jockeys.

                                  The Gallop
                                                        This has been our biggest investment, but already it seems to have made life easier
                                                        and I hope gets the horses fitter.it took a while to get finished, as the men installing
                                                         it must have had some of the worst Scottish weather possible. It is now nicely
                                                         established and has a great surface to ride on, which the horses seem to enjoy. It now
                                                         means that we have a constant and reliable surface on which to work the horses.
                                                        As you can see, on a nice sunny day there is a great view from the top of the gallop
                                                       however, it's not the same when it's snowing or raining!