Home Blog Page 366

The breeding season winds down

By
Editorial team
-
1
Doug and Lucy reflect on the enormous joy of an ‘I made that!’ moment – even as they teach foals to pick up their feet, and hope they don’t split their stitches
She’s had surgery, has stitches which are not yet healed, and she’s in a small grazing pen to stop her from running.
You can’t keep a good horse down. Image: Lucy Procter

We can’t start this column without mentioning the passing this week of Lester Piggott – probably the greatest jockey any of us will ever see. But what people may not know is that he was also the breeder
of a number of successful racehorses, some of which he rode himself: rider-breeder is a far rarer combination than owner-breeder.

A selection of the awards that Doug and Lucy Procter have won as Honeysuckle’s breeders

Slow June
At TGS, with the arrival of June, life at the stud changes pace. All but a handful of the mares and foals now live out 24/7, most of our seasonal boarding mares have returned home to their owners and our two seasonal members of staff have left for the summer.
With less to do during the day, I’ve had a flurry of photos of foals wearing caps and having snuggles with the staff – but none of this is time completely wasted. If the foals are well handled at this early stage, the easier they will be to handle as they mature into half ton, lively young racehorses.

A TGS foal with hat. Because why not. Image: Hollie Rhodes

At TGS this season we’ve welcomed 22 foals into the world, 24 mares have visited their chosen stallion and, at writing, 19 are confirmed pregnant. There are two late mares due to foal at the end of the month and only three mares left to cover.
Doug takes up the story:
While checking on how both the foals and the grass are growing (well for both, at the moment) I got to thinking just what do we get out of breeding racehorses?
With a horse like Honeysuckle, what we get out of it is pretty obvious; awards and column inches galore would be a buzz for anyone. But what about the others? A lot of horses never win. In fact about a fifth
never even race. So when you do breed a winner it’s quite an achievement. You can think “I made that!”. A lot of other people – bloodstock agents, trainers, jockeys, owners, old uncle Tom Cobley and all, have got to get it right along the way, but still, YOU made it.
You chose the mare. You planned the mating. You can remember the gawky youngster and what you thought about its future as a racehorse, whether they might be good. Or not. But for sheer joy and excitement, seeing a horse you bred cross the line in front of all the others, be it carrying your colours or someone else’s, is hard to beat.
The old Churchill quote “there’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man (sic person?) is doubly so when you’ve bred the horse too.
But before we get too carried away dreaming, Lucy brings us back to earth with the day-to-day ups and
downs of breeding.

There’s time for cuddles in the fields now that the workload is slowing at TGS
Image: Lindsay Swalwell

Foal in stitches
This month, one of our mares foaled her filly foal while standing up. Normally if this happens there isn’t a problem, but on this occasion, within a couple of days the foal’s stomach was noticeably distended. Our vet identified a potential issue with the foal’s bladder and arranged for a rushed admission to Western Counties Vet Hospital. An internal rupture was identified and surgery carried out.
Now home, although mother and foal can go out during the day, we have to keep them in a small grazing pen for the next month so that the foal doesn’t gallop around too fast and risk splitting her stitches. We can’t stop her leaping for joy, however (see image at the top of article), so we just have o keep our fingers crossed she doesn’t do any damage!
One of the routine jobs for us is worming, which starts at two months old, and continues bi-monthly until late autumn. We used to deworm monthly for the first year, but professional advice now is to do so every two months, the idea being to give the foals a chance to start building their own natural resistance.
Our main weapon in the battle against worms though is poo picking. We regularly remove poo from fields using poo skips and rakes, before moving the horses to a different field and then going in with the tractor to harrow and top the grass and rest the pasture for a couple of weeks before grazing again.

Even in a small grazing pen, one bored foal can look for some trouble
Image: Lucy Procter

Fancy footwork
Our oldest foals are also meeting the farrier for the first time. It’s a good idea to regularly practice picking up their feet in the stable or field, so that it isn’t a total shock when the farrier turns up to trim their hooves for the first time. Usually the foals are reasonably well behaved for the farrier, but recently one in particular wasn’t interested in standing still with her feet up for rasping. So rather than battle with her we will do daily foot-lifting practice so that hopefully, when the farrier returns in a couple of weeks, she lets him do his job.

Royal Dunfermline
With the Queen’s Jubilee upon us, and we prepare to head on up the hill opposite the stud for the lighting of the Jubilee beacon, we are reminded that her Majesty has herself been a keen owner and breeder of racehorses for most of her seventy- year reign. In fact, her most notable owner-breeder triumphs came in 1977, her Silver Jubilee year, when her homebred filly Dunfermline, won both The Oaks and The St. Leger, two of the five British Classic flat races.

Lucy Procter, co-owner of The Glanvilles Stud (TGS)

Gorgeous 5* rated walk to the Chalke Valley (the views!) | 11 miles

By
Laura
-
0

This is an old favourite which we’d not done for a while. The below map is our original route (with all its 5* reviews!) but we walked it again during May just to double check all the paths, and it’s still stunning (you can see all 34 photos from the more recent 2022 the duplicated route here). 

It’s an up-and-down walk as you cross the hill range and back again, and it took us three hours and 40 minutes at a steady pace. The route really makes the most of those spectacular chalk downland valleys, but the expansive views across the Chalke Valley are interspersed with shady routes through green lanes.

This is the final climb – passing to the left of the twin trees in the valley, then crossing to follow the hedge on the left of the bare strip and all the way up to the right of the copse at the top to crest the hill
The view from the top of Marleycombe Hill though … You can just about make out the cricketers in Bowerchalke below
It’s a steady pull up Marleycombe Hill… but the very steep descent into Bowerchalke isn’t much better!
The Roman path along the Vernditch Chase
No of course we didn’t just plough through a crop. This farmer is ace – he always places posts wrapped in white plastic along the footpath through this huge field, so you always know you’re where you’re supposed to be (see the white dot over to the right of Courtenay’s shoulder? That’s where the path goes, NOT the wide tractor track over hs left shoulder)

There are three steady climbs but they are suitably rewarded, I promise, with big skies, and sights across to Salisbury cathedral, coupled with hidden green lanes and ancient woodland. Walk it on a summer Sunday, and you’ll descend from Marleycombe Hill into Bowerchalke to the sound of cricket on the village green. Perfect.

I love this solitary barn with the wide sky – and as you crest the hill beyond it, an amazing view of the Chalke Valley opens up below you
The farm track from the back of Knowle Farm is steeper than it looks here (under the tree and up the hill between the hedges). Grit your teeth and just keep plodding…

Do watch out for hares in early summer – we saw so many on this walk in the middle of May. 

*There’s easy free parking at the start at Vitrell Gate car park.

All the Dorset Walks we feature have been created and walked recently by ourselves, so you know you can trust them – we aim for unpopulated routes with as little road and as many views as possible! You can always see the route and follow it yourself via the free Outdoor Active app – see all our routes here.

Blandford under-nines girls win the County Cup Final

By
Editorial team
-
0

The Blandford U9 Wildcats sealed the inaugural Dorset Youth League Cup trophy for Under Nine’s girls football in May in a truly remarkable game at The Blandford School.

The girls were 4-1 behind their opponents, the strong Redlands Rebels U9 Girls, after a nervous first half. In the second half they fought back to a 4-4 draw at full time. Extra time lead to a 6-5 win to Blandford!
There was strong support for both teams, with more than 250 people attended the cup final – an astonishingly big crowd for a match which traditionally only draws the family of the players.
Manager Dan Cullen saud “The memories of today will outlive the trophies, and the crowd and roars of support meant more to the team than winning.”

The business of Nocturnal Manoeuvres in the Dark

By
Editorial team
-
0
There’s an opportunity for eco-tourism to benefit both our rural landscape and the local economy, says Richard Miles, Dark Skies Adviser for Dorset CPRE

England’s ‘green and pleasant land’, this ‘sceptred isle’, has in my lifetime become rather too urbanised for my liking; 84 per cent of the UK population now lives in towns and cities. As such, the countryside is in danger of becoming an increasingly scarce resource. Rural areas such as the Blackmore Vale need to be
protected from creeping urbanisation on our doorstep.
How might we do this?

Capitalising on rural tourism
One approach is to exploit our rural heritage by encouraging visitors to enjoy the simple delights of the countryside which are noticeably absent from urban environments, such as walking through green fields
and woods, breathing clean air, enjoying the tranquillity, birdsong, the sound of running water and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Communing with nature in this way is an increasingly popular form of eco-tourism – but have you considered another attraction that is missing from the life of the city dweller? Urban living
has many benefits, but it does come without the spectacle of the evening, when the failing light brings forth the nocturnal world and the starlit sky.
William Barnes, the 19th century Blackmore Vale poet and scholar, celebrated the beauty of evening-time in
his poem, The Evenen Star O’Zummer (opposite). Above is a photo taken by my astronomer friend, Nick James, to which I have added a relevant extract from Barnes’ Musings poem.
Late spring through to early autumn are arguably the best times for staying up late to take in all things nocturnal. The nights are warmer and darkness arrives later in the evening. Nocturnal mammals such as foxes, deer and bats are often best seen around dusk. Then we have the moon, stars and planets appearing in the night sky.
Pubs, inns and other local places to stay might profit by advertising these attractions and staging events to
enjoy them. In Hampshire, for instance, the Hawk Conservancy Trust stages Owls by Moonlight events that
include a hot supper and can be booked online.

Light pollution is falling
The CPRE has just published the findings of the 2022 Star Count, which aims to map light pollution across the UK. Severe ‘night blight’ in towns and cities reached a peak in early 2020, comprising 61 per cent of all reports. In two years, this proportion has dropped to 49 per cent, suggesting that more people are now
switching off lights (perhaps saving on their electricity bills).
Rural businesses could take advantage of our improving dark skies to attract more visitors to the Vale, adding ‘astro-tourism’ to their activity portfolio. To me, a night awash with stars and our Milky Way
spanning the sky instils a sense of awe and majesty. Stargazing is one of those contemplative activities which provides an escape from the everyday hustle and bustle and opens a door into a magical world that does wonders for our mindfulness and mental wellbeing.
Sleep well!

Richard Miles Dark Skies Adviser Dorset CPRE

The Evenèn Star O’ Zummer
William Barnes
When vu’st along theäse road vrom mill,
I zeed ye hwome all up the hill,
The poplar tree, so straïght an’ tall,
Did rustle by the watervall;
An’ in the leäze the cows wer all
A-lyèn down to teäke their rest
An’ slowly zunk towárd the west
The evenèn star o’ zummer.
In parrock there the haÿ did lie
In weäle below the elems, dry;
An’ up in hwome-groun’ Jim, that know’d
We all should come along thik road,
D a-tied the grass in knots that drow’d
Poor Poll, a-watchèn in the West
Woone brighter star than all the rest,–
The evenèn star o’ zummer.
The stars that still do zet an’ rise,
Did sheen in our forefather’s eyes;
They glitter’d to the vu’st men’s zight,
The last will have em in their night;
But who can vind em half so bright
As I thought thik peäle star above
My smilèn Jeäne, my zweet vu’st love,
The evenèn star o’ zummer.
How sweet’s the mornèn fresh an’ new,
Wi’ sparklèn brooks an’ glitt’rèn dew;
How sweet’s the noon wi’ sheädes
a-drow’d
Upon the groun’ but leätely mow’d,
An’ bloomèn flowers all abrode;
But sweeter still, as I do clim’,
Theäse woody hill in evenèn dim
‘S the evenèn star o’ zummer.

Local Artists celebrated by Trouvaille Gallery

By
Editorial team
-
0

June 2022 marks the second anniversary for Trouvaille Gallery, and the very first themed exhibition running from 9th to 24th June. This exhibition features a variety of mediums created by local artists from the Somerset and Dorset areas. Having opened in June 2020, like so many other small businesses the gallery has been affected by the Covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns that followed.
Gallery owner Marianne Bareham said: “Over the last two years we’ve all been forced to stay local, and many of us have begun to appreciate the beauty that our local areas have to offer, which is why I was thrilled to be able to invite local artists to submit entries for this not to be missed exhibition simply entitled ‘Celebrating the local area’. Local college student Ben Belcher who has joined the gallery on work experience has had invaluable experience helping to organise this exhibition and has work featured within the exhibition also.
Visit www.trouvaillegallery.co.uk for opening times and further details.

Local teenager’s event attracts 120 supercars worth £120,000 to £1.2m!

By
Editorial team
-
1
A student from Clayesmore School has surprised and captivated supercar owners with his creative meet-ups. Rachael Rowe reports
At his last event, 18 year old Zander attracted over 120 cars, with values between £120,000 and £1.2 million

Eighteen year old Zander Miller has been interested in supercars for a long time. “From a young
age, I watched Top Gear and then got fascinated by photography. Through my photographs of the
supercars, I developed a social media presence and got chatting with some of the owners. I have
spent the last year getting facts together and officially starting a company.”
Zander started with a meet up for supercar owners in November last year. “The first meet up was
for owners only and was a real eye-opener. Forty cars turned up, which was unusual as a lot get
put away for the winter. People started talking to each other about their cars, and it was a lovely day. Some of them hadn’t met each other before.”
I’m wondering how these supercar owners reacted when they found out who had organised the meet-up, as Zander is still at school. Zander smiles: “My dad took me to the first meet up and all these owners went up to him asking if he was Zander, so he said ‘no, I’m just the taxi driver! You want Zander – he’s over there!’.”

Zander Miller is finishing his final year at Clayesmore before heading to Bournemouth University to study Business Management

Bigger and better
The next meeting was a more significant event with more than 120 cars attending with values between £120,000 and £1.2 million. It was also opened up to the public with food stands available. Zander clearly knows how to attract the cars! “Some of my friends came, and they were impressed. One of my friends turned up with his dad, who has a supercar and he was amazed at the turnout.”

This classic Aston Martin looked at home amongst the Ferraris and Lamborghinis

The supercar owner
Most of the owners are happy to talk to people about their cars. One lets people sit in his Ferrari,
for example. “I have spoken to all the owners, either in person or online. My contacts portfolio is extraordinary. I have been able to talk to them about how they made their money to buy the cars, with a lot of people investing or making it through property. Although it is free to meet up at the moment, I’m looking at ways to develop the business.”
For those of us who associate a supercar with a certain type of individual in Central London, Zander is keen to dispel that myth. “There is a minority of people out there who are arrogant, but most people are very down to earth and happy to show their success.”

A colourful collection of McLarens at the last South Coast Supercar Club event in Bournemouth

Next steps for Zander
I’m interested in what Zander currently drives (I’m curious about the insurance premium). “A Skoda Citigo – I’d like a Lamborghini.”
And what do his parents think? “They’re really supportive, and they’re proud of me too. Mum and Dad came to both events.” So what are the next steps for Zander? “I’m off to Bournemouth University to study business management, and after uni who knows. I’ll also be looking at making my business succeed.”

Clayesmore have never worked with a student on a standalone event before, but when they realised the scale of the network Zander has built in the supercar world, they ‘jumped at the chance’ to collaborate with him on the Classic and Supercar Sunday

School support
Clayesmore has taken an interest in Zander’s entrepreneurship. The school is supporting him to host a Classic and Supercar Sunday event at Iwerne Minster in August. Already the event has attracted the interest of local companies like the Haynes Museum.
Headteacher Jo Thomson said: “We are very proud to celebrate Zander’s entrepreneurship and lend our support and stunning grounds to launch this inaugural Classic and Supercar Sunday event at Clayesmore.
“Working with a student on a stand-alone event is not something that’s happened at Clayesmore before, but when we realised the scale of the network Zander has built in the supercar world, we jumped at the chance to collaborate with him. He has a bright future ahead, and we hope he will come back in years to come and mentor other Clayesmore pupils. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to Clayesmore to see magnificent cars and soak up the atmosphere in our glorious grounds.”

The Classic and Supercar Sunday event is at Clayesmore School on 14 August.
For further information on the event, please contact the Clayesmore commercial team on 01747 813240 If you would like to exhibit your classic or super car, please register here: classicandsupercarsunday

By Rachael Rowe

Part-Time Vacancy In Dairy Farming Environment (Crewkerne Area) | NMR

By
Editorial team
-
0

Opportunity to work within farming environment.

National Milk Records plc (NMR) is looking for an enthusiastic person to become a part-time, self emloyed Milk Sampler, visiting 8-9 dairy farms in the Crewkerne area. The work involves taking individual cow milk samples.

Hours will vary but the work will take up approxinately 5-7 early mornings and 5-7 afternoons per month and applicants must have their own transport. Perfect work if you enjoy the outdoor life.

Approx earnings: £400/month.

Please contact: [email protected] for more details.

Closing date: 20/6/22

Bagber rapper played in Las Vegas

By
Editorial team
-
0
Could dialect poet William Barnes have imagined that 220 years later another poet from the same hamlet would create a song heard across the world?

In October last year, Ben Varney (22) received a request through the online freelance marketplace
Fiverr for a song for a client in Japan:
“He provided a beat for me to rap to, and asked me to make a UFC-style video game fighting song. I wrote and recorded the song in about an hour. The client was happy, paid me £120, and I forgot about it.”
Ben lives with his parents in the tiny hamlet of Bagber near Sturminster Newton, the birthplace of Dorset dialect poet William Barnes (1801-86). Currently studying for his Master’s at Bath University, like most students, Ben supplements his income. Along with bar work at Plumber Manor, he sells his abilities as a rapper on Fiverr. Taking commissions through the online marketplace, Ben records at home with a microphone attached to a kitchen table.

A reappearance
Last month, Ben saw that forgotten song begin to appear in his ‘top songs’ online. Unsure how, he searched for it on YouTube and came up with Ready For The War JONAH (play the video below). “I was shocked to see it had over 35,000 views – but that it had been posted without my name and, on top of that, on the New Japan Pro-Wrestling channel, a professional wrestling organisation. To be honest, I usually only get about ten views, half of which are my gran.
“From here I found my track was the official song for a professional Australian professional wrestler named
JONAH. He uses it for every live bout entrance and exit, as well as in any match held by the US wrestling organisation IMPACT.


The song can be heard playing in wrestling arenas in the US (I’ve been played in Las Vegas!), Australia, Japan and more; some of the videos have upwards of 300,000 views.
“It was amazing to find that my voice has been played in arenas all over the world, especially as I had no idea what the song was going to be used for.”
And how much more did Ben make from the song – was it a lucrative deal for the useage on such a huge worldwide stage?
“No, nothing – just that initial £120! Apparently my original client worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I did have in the contract that I should at least be credited wherever the music was used, but my client then handed the song rights to the wrestler in question, so it all gets very muddy.”

From Bagber to the world – Ben relaxes by the river.

You can follow Ben and hear more of his music on his Instagram account @BenVarneyOfficial

By Laura Hitchcock

Leisure Team Member Apprentice | Oxley Sports Centre

By
Editorial team
-
0

Leisure Team Member Apprentice

Starting Salary £12,699 (18-month initial contract)

You need to be:

  • Enthusiastic, Positive and Motivated
  • Looking to build a career in the leisure industry
  • Ability to work in a team
  • Flexible, willing, and happy to work shifts including evenings, weekends
    and bank holidays
  • A confident swimmer (be able to swim 4 lengths comfortably)

In return we offer on-going in-house training and an opportunity to work in different areas including poolside, reception, swim teaching, holiday activities and hospitality.

You will also gain 5 leisure industry qualifications including:

  • NVQ Level 2 in Leisure Operations
  • National Pool Lifeguard Qualification
  • Level 2 Fitness Instructor
  • STA Swim Teacher Award (L1) and Certificate (L2)
  • First Aid at Work

Closing Date: July 2022

To apply, download the application form from wwww.oxleysc.com/careers and return to Holly Mabey [email protected]

Bradford Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 3DA .Telephone 01935 818270. Email asc [email protected]

1...365366367...523Page 366 of 523