Rollestone Farm Stud & Livery

Hi everyone, and to those of you who know SOLO who was a livery and born at Rollestone, it's his 3rd Birthday tomorrow, 8th July.

I can't believe I've owned him for nearly 10 months, the time has flown by.

He's still a real character and I love him to bits.

I took him to Dawlish Show mainly for experience and it was the first time I had travelled him on his own. He behaved perfectly travelling and at the show. I took him in the performance pony class for something to do, walking in and out of bollards, over carpet, etc. and he came 7th, so I was really pleased with him as I hadn't taken him anywhere else before.

We then went to Chudleigh Show the week after and he was placed 2nd in a m&m in-hand showing class and 4th in another performance pony class.

I'd been doing some practice at home walking over things with him, such as tarpaulins, carpets, feed sacks, to get him used to it for pp class. The other day my husband left his coat over Solo's stable door having turned the horses out. Solo walked back into the yard and promptly went over to his stable, picked up my husband's coat in his mouth, carried it into the middle of the yard, and then dropped it on the floor, pawed it and then walked over it, just as I had been 'teaching' him to do!

He always makes me laugh with things he does, such as drinking from the bird bath!

Will try to add a pic taken at Dawlish Show.

Love to everyone who knows him from SOLO, especially KATE.

Will try and update soon with some more pics.

Julie.

Ahh he is so gorgeous. Cant believe he will be 3! God i remember the nights me and stef stayed at the yard thinking Willow was going to foal! 3 weeks we stayed there for unti she finally had him and i was soooo pleased with him.

Well done at the show. I was going to go to dawlish show as well, but it was fathers day!

I will try and pop down and see him some time soon. Are you going to be breaking him this year? How big is he now?

I remember Solo as a foal, he was a few weeks old when Paddy moved to Rollestone and he was tiny and very pretty! That's a lovely picture of him, what a gorgeous little man

Hi again, I did try to measure Solo today and he is very roughly 13.3 1/2hh. I think he may mature to around 14 hh or just over but will have to wait and see. A friend of mine reckons he will still go on growing until he's 4 yrs in any case, I don't know, but will measure him again next year.

I'm only 5'2" so he will probably be okay for me anyway with his breeding.

I'm not in any rush to back him, so may do it this year, or may leave him until next year. So long as I continue to do things with him so he doesn't get bored I will just take things as they come.

He's so quick to learn that I think he's going to be one of those you can just get on, with no bother. However, I want to do some more groundwork first. Just waiting for my hay to be cut so I have room to do a little lunging and then some long reining.

Next thing is to make sure I've a saddle that fits him okay. I picked up a lovely English Leather Saddle for him but am now wondering if it will be wide enough as he has broadened since I bought it, so will have to get that checked out. I know youngsters continually change shape so was reluctant to spend too much money on a new saddle until he is a little older.

Hoping to get him to a few more shows this summer just for experience. I'm not really into competing anymore but it will come in handy if he knows what it's all about when some of the younger members in the family want to do something with him.

I will try and upload some more pics of him soon.

Nice to hear from you both Kate and Fran.

Julie.

Yeh please do try and get some more pictures up so that I can see him and let me know when you are going to any of the shows and I shall try and come as i am out most weekends now with my lot. X

Hi again, just a few pics of Solo at a few shows I've taken him to. He's been to Dawlish, Chudleigh, Hennock, Cornwood and Chagford and has come home with ribbons from all except Chagford where he wasn't so well behaved in the ring the reason being I had also taken my mare from home and they continually called to each other, but I'm not complaining as he had been to the other shows alone and behaved perfectly

I've tried various classes with him (in-hand showing is completely new to me so we are learning together ) and he's done part-bred m&m type unplaited, pt bred arab plaited, and riding pony type plaited. It was all good experience for us both.

Anyway for those of you who know him from Rollestone here's some more pics as promised.

Julie.

Fab pics, He looks lovely. How did he get on? He is looking more and more like his Mum every time I see pics of him.

Give him a big kiss from me. X

Hi JEM thanks for the update and photos. The board is rather quiet at the moment. I'm really pleased to see the pics, Solo is a handsome chappy! Congrats on your successes with him.