Pet Fact File

Welcome to a new feature on the blog: Pet Fact Files! 

Belinda and her friends will be drawing up fact files on all the pets (not just ponies!) at the yard. 

First up: Chico! 

Full Name: Lancgree Chico

Age: 15 years

Breed: Irish (Connemara x Irish Draught)

Colour: Grey now (but he was speckled blue roan when he was a foal!)

Sex: Gelding


Loves: his food! Jumping, especially cross country, although sometimes he can be silly and bolt between fences! He loves hacking out, too, and going fast – he loves his work and always wants to get on with it! He’s got bags of stamina, too.

Dislikes: scary birds flapping out of bushes on hacks, tractors (not good in the country!)

Owner: Megan and Nicky. Megan competes Chico and jumps him, Mum Nicky hacks him out (she was Zano’s main babysitter when he first started hacking!). He’s normally well behaved with Nicky, and saves up all his cheekiness for Megan!

Best friend in the yard: Chico is definitely Zano’s fave on the yard – when Zano had to stay in overnight after hurting his knee, it was Chico he missed most!

You’ll never guess what...? Chico’s temperament changes in the winter – he can get really territorial in his field and sometimes he charges at you if you’re not watching! But he can be soft and soppy when he wants to be, too.

If you'd like your pet profile to be featured on the site, send us in information about your pet, a photo and your name and age to marketing@templarco.co.uk. Under 13's must ask permission from a parent or guardian first.

16th March - Something isn't right with Zano

Well, it’s been an eventful few weeks at the yard with Zano. To begin with, Jason, the farrier, came and shod him first of all (Jason is a bit younger than Jock, the farrier in Scout: Mystery of the Marsh Ponies), but he’s every bit as good. And he never says no to a cup of tea, either!

Zano having his 'shoe' fitted

Jason’s verdict was that Zano has big, strong hooves, so he’s happy that Zano will be okay with just his front hooves being shod at the moment. Zano was amazingly well behaved – he almost fell asleep, with his muzzle resting on Jason’s back! When he wasn’t asleep he was turning round and trying to watch what was going on as Jason took off his shoes, trimmed and rasped his hooves and fitted his new shoes. At one point I saw John give him a kiss on his velvety nose!

Zano checking out what the farrier is up to!

I love watching the farriers work, with the noise as the furnace fires up, and the distinctive smell as hot shoes are fitted against the horses’ hooves, and the sounds as metal is hammered into shape and the nails are carefully tap, tap tapped in. It makes me think what it must have been like in old days when the spooky Old Forge (which appears in book 3 of the series, Puzzle: The Runaway Pony), was a proper, working blacksmiths!

I am starting to worry me about Zano; I’ve ridden him a couple more times, this time in the school, and we’ve only been walking round in large circles, but something doesn’t feel quite right. He’s starting to get a bit shirty, too, about having his saddle put on and his girth done up; he doesn’t even like having his bit put in! And, he’s not really putting on any weight, even though he’s having loads of hay and his feed is starting to be built up.

It’s time to do some investigation into what’s up. He’s already been wormed, so that can’t be it. So – first stop? The equine dentist, then the equine chiropractor!