# Its about time....



## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

The title says it all. I need a little journal to record the antiques of Mr. Diddly Squat. 

Lets see... Where to start. 
Ah yes, the beginning generally works doesn't it?
I'll start with when I bought Diddly 2 months ago. 

On July 10th I went to see Diddly, labelled as a 15.3hh chestnut gelding. An Irish sport horse. So off I went to see him, and I instantly loved him. He was very sweet in the stable and out riding he was a dream, except for a bit of nose poking. So I told the owners that I would buy him if he passed the vet. I tried to ring the owner later that night to arrange a day for the vetting, but she never answered, or rang back. SO I waited till the morning, and tried to call again. Still no answer. By the afternoon I had come to the conclusion that Diddly had been sold to someone else. I cried my eyes out as he was so, so close to being mine. 
I barely slept that night. The next morning I got a phone call from the owner, and she told me that all was well, and he was still there if I wanted him. Apparently she forgot her phone at a friends house! So I had him vetted, and he passed, bar some mild thrush. SO I went back another couple of times, to make sure he was perfect, and he was. I then paid for him and brought him home. 

22th/July/2013: I had my first private lesson on Diddly. My main goals were/are to get him consistently on the bit, and getting straight lines and perfect circles. He had a lot of nose poking going on, but hes only 4 so I didn't mind too much. 

23th/July/2013: Diddly went to his first show at Tattersalls. It was a HOY's qualifier so, a massive show. At first Diddly was excited, but after 10 minutes he was calm and responsive. I went into my class, and despite his nose poking he was pulled in mid way down the line. Not bad. The judge rode him and I was moved up two places. The judge told me, to my delight, that Diddly had given him the best ride of the day! Wow! 

24th/July/2013: Diddly had a day off......

....25/July/2013: Diddly was lame in his back feet. I checked his legs for heat, lumps or bumps; Nothing. So I called the vet out and I was told to poultice his feet and spray them with iodine. I did this, and by Friday he was sound again. I rode him out on Saturday, and then on Sunday I went to another private lesson. He started to flex onto the bit a little, but not hugely. 

1st/August/2013: Diddly went to his first riding club rally/lesson, what ever you want to call it. Diddly was excellent, and when he cantered, every one's jaws dropped, as his canter is magnificent! He put some of the 5 year old's there to shame!

15th/August/2013: Diddly got his feet done by the farrier. What the farrier found on the hind feet was that the tips of Diddly's frog's were gone, and there was a hole where the tips should have been, in both feet. Poor Diddly! We noticed the hole when we got him, but didn't really think much off it. It was due to him being in a mucky, damp stable all the time in his previous home  Poor fellow. We put iodine, and stock holm tar in the holes, to seal them and create a 'skin'. 

16th/August/2013: We discovered that Diddly has separation anxiety. Percy was ridden out, and Diddly was left in the stable by himself. He went nuts! Banging and screaming, etc etc. So I let him in the field where he could see Candy and he settled down. 

1st/September/2013: Diddly went to his second show, which was a good deal smaller than the one at Tattersalls. He was really sweet, but still a lot of nose poking. This time we didn't do so well, as the judge liked different things. Also, the other horse were porky pies, and Diddly is still a bit light. He's gaining slowly, but hes definitely not in show condition yet. He also lacks muscle, only being a baby.

2nd/September/2013: Diddly nearly killed himself! He jumped the 1.40 meter fence into the next field. What happened was Diddly got a fright and started to gallop. He was about 4 strides from the fence, and he realized he couldn't stop. So he launched himself over it. But he walloped the top railed, and knocked it out. This rail was nailed well into the posts and would take A LOT of force for it to come out. He's so lucky that he didn't break his legs or cut himself or anything. Before that, the highest he had ever jumped was 40 cm, as we are only doing flat work. It was the same in his previous home. Just flat work. Scared the heck out of me he did. 

8th/September/2013: Woohhhooo! I got Diddly on the bit today in walk and trot. He literally floats when he is on the bit! He was also excellent when Percy went away. He was super calm, and not anxious at all. He couldn't see Candy either! Yay! 


Right, that's up to date. 
Kudo's, cookies and milk to those who read it! I'll update regularly!


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## MissingStar (Feb 20, 2013)

What, no pictures ! So glad you managed to purchase Diddly in the end and that he's working out well for you - but we do require photographic proof once in a while (pretty please).


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## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

I was thinking about giving evidence. Ill post some pictures now!


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## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

I got pictures!!!


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