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existed and the date of his arrival was fixed - how did all that happen so quickly !!The introduction to Cuddles and his new home went smoothly and despite a few hiccups a routine was soon established. The weather remained fine and everything was set fair for a relaxing and trouble free summer - so little did we know about Deno !!  As the summer progressed there was hardly an uneventful week, whether it was the first time we put him on the lunge with great success, the evening he got choke and nearly died or the hours spent grooming him only for him to find a nice muddy patch and roll. Never the chance to get bored especially as we started to meet in person many of his "Defenders" who called to say hello - lots of opportunities to have the barbecue lit and the beers chilled. The ultimate visit occurred in August when we had over twenty of his supporters camping in the field for two nights. The summer changed to autumn and then the start of winter down came the rain - the river broke its banks and the orchard was flooded it became obvious that Deno and Cuddles needed to be moved to the paddock across the road. Fortunately, in a way Ruby and Ellie who were previously occupying this paddock had moved on at the end of September to a lovely paddock near East Grinsted together with the lady and her daughter who had been learning to ride Ruby - I am sure they can all look forward to a happy life together. More work ensued making sure the outer boundaries were secure, not easy on a three and a half acre plot, as well as putting up an electric fence within the plot especially in what seemed like continuous rain.The transfer to their new paddock took place without incident and they soon settled in, obviously appreciating the fresh grass and firmer ground. Unfortunately as November turned to December the rains continued and the grass disappeared only to be replaced by mud. Oh the joys of keeping horses in the winter.  Christmas approached and the rain turned to snow and the mud froze - water now as well as feed had to be carried twice a day across the frozen, snow covered ground to the field shelter. Mucking out became almost impossible as the muck froze into a solid mass. It was then that we suffered one of the most heartbreaking incidents that a horse owner ever faces, the decision to have one of your horses put to sleep to save them from further suffering - it was not turning out to be a very happy time as Cuddles was buried 3 days before Christmas - Deno was distraught, constantly calling for Cuddles, even at one time refusing to eat. It was obvious that something had to be done and quickly - thanks to Liz from Chaldon we were put in touch with one of her neighbours and one of their horses who had been bought at market to save her from the knackers yard arrived on Christmas Eve. As you all know she settled in quickly and it wasn't long before she and Deno became inseparable.Thankfully Moz and her mob hadn't forgotten us, between them they raised the £500 to pay for Posh with some left over for any emergencies - it wasn't long before such an "emergency" arose - long story short, Posh arrived pregnant, with the foal due later in the year around September time.The weather has now turned drier, the paddock that Deno and Posh are occupying has started to dry and their big feet have started to flatten the ground. It won't be long before the orchard is dry and the grass is green enough for them to come "home". We can't wait to see Posh's reaction to her new domain.Lots of work faces us in the coming month, converting the shelter into a secure stable for Posh to have her foal in, destroying part of my workshop and turning it into a shelter for Deno with a window into the stable and preparing a separate paddock for Posh and her foal to be turned out into away from Deno for the first few weeks of the foals life. We are confident that we will be able to continue to care for Deno and Posh as we know that we have an "army" of Deno Defenders and now Posh Protectors to call on for help when needed - without their practical and financial assistance the little we have so far achieved would have been impossible - thank you to all. xxReading back all the above it almost seems like a tale of woe but we have had some fabulous times thanks to the great lummox - seeing him being ridden and the bounce in his step is particularly heart-warming considering the strife he has overcome - the welcome grunts you get when he spies karrits in your hand and the way he acknowledges your presence, even when eating, by raising his head and rubbing it against you - even if nine times out of ten it sends you sprawling !! In conclusion none of us here at Creekyland have regretted for one minute taking on the care of the great lummox and we are all looking forward to the adventures facing us in the coming year as the weather turns drier and warmer- we hope that his continued presence will mean return visits by those who have already ventured into darkest Surrey as well as lots of new visitors, those who have not yet been brave enough to face Captain Chaos in real life.The title of this little update is "Not Quite a Year" but I think a more appropriate title would have been "Quite a Year".
 June 2010
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I'm sure at that time they were checking me out just as much as I was trying to get my head round the idea of taking on the care of a giant of a horse - bear in mind I have never ridden, nor do I have any intention of doing so in the future - my daughter and her friend had joined us by this time, as fanatical a pair of horse lovers as you can find, which meant that together with Coralie who has kept horses since the age of eight there really was little hope for me. Before long it was decided by everyone that a suitable mug had been found and that Deno would be joining us very soon down in Surrey.