Adventurous April weekend plans?

[millitiger]

The weather here is pretty gloomy but not raining

I have been setting up a track system in the summer fields for my boys to try out.
I'm a little nervous they are going to use it as a racetrack, especially the 'sensible' adult, or just run through the fencing in the middle.
I hope the lure of fresh grass keeps their heads down and feet grounded!

We are going to BD on Sunday, hoping to collect some points for Regionals.
April is dressage month this year for us, as our eventing all got cancelled so far so I'm going to concentrate on BD and hope to enter some more events in May.

In other exciting news, 3 weeks today we should be at Badminton

Have fun everyone and good luck all competing.

 

[Titchy Pony]

Definitely adventurous for us as well, taking Enormosaurus to her first outside competition. Jumping small (65cm) but hoping mostly for good behaviour. Luckily it's a small competition (only 30 participants) so it shouldn't be too long or try her patience too much.

Quick update on the riding school's haul last week at the departmental championships: 6 medals in jumping and 6 medals in dressage! So celebratory meal tonight after the lessons.
Mr Metronome came in with a great second place with his rider in dressage, might have scraped a first if he hadn't decided to jog instead of loose rein walk, but at least he was full of beans!
Washed Out Mini Madam did me proud, carrying her young rider around the 60 cm course and saving her from quite a few mistakes. An unfortunate pole on the last jump meant no rosettes for them, but the rider was still grinning from ear to ear, so all good.

 

[dorsetladette]

Another little hack out on robin on Sunday hopefully. If not then at least a ride round the field so he is 'ridden'

Long reining over raised poles and some lunging for Ben as I've put his entries in for royal welsh so we are both on a fitness drive to get round that main ring without clasping - excited.com!

Reggie will hopefully wear his harness or saddle and go for a little walk out again either down the road or round the field depending on time (weather we have MIL in tow or not)

 

[SEL]

Started early here with a trip to Cholsey on Wed with @SpotsandBays We booked a guided ride because neither of our horses have been out much over winter and we didn't fancy maps and jogging horses. Great fun and the weather was ok too (sideways hail the day before). Good blast up the big hill and baby cob pretty much kept his front feet where they were supposed to be. He's 6 in a couple of weeks so I don't think he can be baby cob much longer!

Filming his dressage tests, hacking the microcob and field maintenance for the rest of the weekend.

Also had a saddle fit this week. It's a relief when someone you haven't seen for 5 months says how well they're all looking - baby cob described as perfect weight. He'll take that as needing bigger rations

 

[meesha]

Off at lunchtime for a horsey weekend on Exmoor with friend and her horse. Back Monday lunchtime so hoping to get a few good hacks in and explore ... Weather looking promising.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Unaff dressage for fun tomorrow. Just to keep her work-load varied and as a progress check. Then a well deserved day off Sunday as we have worked hard this week hacking and schooling as I try out a new bit that I will hopefully be jumping 2nd rounds in next weekend. So I want her to get used to it.

 

[Asha]

Stallion show for us tomorrow, then im hoping Aria foals on Sunday. Monday ive got my 2nd pole work lesson. ( back on board and starting to get out an about after hip replacement)

 

[Bernster]

Actually have horsey plans! Off to Milton Keynes for a play around the xc with the big grey fella, Finn. He hasn’t been out to a party for so long as he had time off for melanoma surgery, and rehab, and then I’ve been taking it very slow with him to see what’s he’s happy doing. I’m hoping he will remember that he’s Captain Sensible! We’ll have a little play about as neither of us that fit. It will just be nice to finally get him out to a pony party. Looks like it be be chilly though

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I had a lesson this morning. Was feeling a bit wobbly and slightly tearful on the drive up, not sure why. Let my instructor know it was a bit of an off day and asked for some advice on how to ride when it's like this (if I had my own horse and not already paid for a lesson I would have spent the time grooming and pottering instead). Ended up having a great lesson, mainly in walk and without stirrups but super educational. I have finally learned how to use my seat bones to steer and now I'm not gripping it turns out giving leg aids clearly is much easier. Who knew!

Physio showed up the weakness on my left side so got exercises to fix that. Sitting centrally in saddle feels wonky to me at the moment but all coming together just need to practice and get more consistent, then I hope my next dressage tests will actually look a bit 'proper'.

I realise I say this about most of the horses I ride, not all, but I adore Mr 17.3 ID. He is just wonderful! On the drive back I had a little happy cry. It really was one of those rides to turn a mood around. Even in the rain!

 

[TheMule]

Nova has come with me to my family's home for a little staycation. He had a jump today and we'll go xc schooling for the first time of the year on Sunday. Really looking forward to it, he is jumping really well so it will be fun to get back out (actually haven’t been xc for over a year thanks to his self-harming tendencies )

 

[blodwyn1]

I am hoping Mairead goes off peacefully to her new home on Sunday!

 

[millitiger]

Well my track went 99% well.
My neurotic one seems very relaxed on it and they don't seem to have used it as a race track all night.

The 1% that didn't go well- my Welsh pony in the fenced off middle this morning, rather than on the track
He is turning into a little Houdini!

 

[Ambers Echo]

Happy with this!! Hit and miss for various reasons, and went wrong , but lovely comments.

 

[Ambers Echo]

In the interests of transparency, it was a very, very small class!! But the 2nd placed test looked lovely to me so knowing I’m up at that level is very encouraging as there is still a lot I can improve on.

 

[southerncomfort]

Booked the day off and had a gorgeous hack on my boy Bo.

Both of us starting to regain some fitness, so had a few exploratory trots to see how my injured foot coped. No issues there thank goodness.

Meeting a friend in the morning to do our favourite moor ride. Bo loves it up there and it's stunningly beautiful.

Hoping I'll be able to get back to lessons and clinics soon.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

I’m working so no real plans, but did manage a productive schooling session followed by sunbathing in the field while he had some naked time!

I’m so very grateful for being on a yard where the view is this stunning, and also where our winter fields still look this good after the winter we have had! (And the horses haven’t been in to make them look good, the only days they’ve not been out during the day have been when we have had weather warnings)

 

[AandK]

Fun things to report! Well, not fun like jumping etc but as fun as it gets for us these days!
Finally managed to get my trailer fixed (needed a new coupling) and horse has also his hock topped up with wonder gel so yesterday we went out to hire a local arena. Only his 5th time out in 5yrs of owing him, last time was early July last year. He seems to be in a really good place at the moment and was really chilled (for him) the whole time, only did one lap on each rein before getting on and as soon as I got on I could feel how much more relaxed he was compared to our last outing. Did some really nice work, and had some lovely canters. So chuffed! Hoping this is a sign of more good things to come, he is becoming the horse I knew was there all along. More fun things planned for next month!! Had some company so also have photographic evidence to share, lucky HHO…



He also got bopped on the nose by a bee a couple of times, which resulted in some funky leg action!

 

[Cloball]

Lesson on Saturday both of us got very hot and sweaty and worked hard! Took her out by herself for the fourth time I think but this time with OH on the bike need to work on both going at a reasonable speed D wanted to chase the bike and also pull my brave pants on to go past the tractors to do the whole route. Toying with the idea of paying someone to get her going by herself sans my neuroses but I think I'd be too fussy

 

[Accidental Eventer]

Friday I was at a coaching workshop all day, I am starting the process of getting qualified. It was a very interesting day. Henry came with me to be a demo horse, he was such a star, happy to poke around pretending to be a school master. I love him!

Saturday was a very non-horse day, we had a wedding to go to!

Yesterday I jumped Hen at home and clipped Coolie. There was so much hair! Hen needs a clip now.

 

[Bernster]

We did a thing! Xc lesson on Finn. First time he’s done xc for probably 2 years now. And the first time for me for maybe a year. I was expecting Captain Sensible as he’s generally a very easy boy, and he was good apart from the first 10 mins or so where he was very tense and nappy. Instructor got me to work him a bit further away, and I got stern with him (growled a bit and told him to get onnnn’) which seemed to do the trick!

Once he’d got his head in the game, he felt great. Took everything in a forward stride (he tends to chip in) and seemed happy to be out. He’s not done a lot since melanoma surgery, complications, and rehab. I’m slowly doing a bit more with him to see what he’s comfortable doing so it was lovely that he felt so well. It felt like we were back to where we’d left off 2 years ago. We ended the session by putting a little course together, so we could get into a rhythm and work away from the other horses. And he was awesome. Really pleased. It gave me a big confidence boost too, and the hope that we could get out and do some sponsored rides and hunter trials this year, once he’s a bit fitter. Oh, and he felt great barefoot too. I wasn’t sure how that would go but I never once felt any issues with grip or the ground (apart from the stony bit getting to the course).

 

[nikkimariet]

Easy week for Rooni after a few days off post winter champs. Had a lovely hack Saturday morning and then Sunday we went to a Lewis carrier clinic, it was really local to me so I thought why not

He was a bit spooky behind me to start but really relaxed and did some great work. There’s no way I could have pressed the 1’s and piaffe as much as I did then about 6 months ago so he’s really matured.



And now he is having a weeks holiday before we pick back up for competing end of May

 

[humblepie]

Went showing - proper old fashioned show on grass. Amazing how well it had dried out and what good going. I don't have facilities to school much but went to a dressage clinic last weekend with someone who hadn't seen horse before, and he said what a fab canter the horse had. Well yesterday's call was more sideways prancing at the excitment of being out, but we scraped a first and a second so at least came home with goodies even if not out best performance!

 

[blodwyn1]

Mairead left successfully for her new career in driving!

 

[Titchy Pony]

Enormosaurus was very well behaved for her first outing. Loaded on the lorry fine with the biggest issue being getting her to put her big bum where it was supposed to be and not blocking the separators. She traveled fine though she did take me for a bit of a walk around the venue when we unloaded her. Once her friend had finished his round she settled fine tied to the lorry with a pile of hay. We had a mini rear and a mini buck in the warm up, but apart from that, very good. Brilliant on the round, no planting going in, all four feet where they were supposed to be, pretty much controllable, so I didn't need to drop back to trot to stop rushing. We did remove a stride in the double though (I have the feeling doubles are going to take a lot of work to get correctly!). We finished clear for a second place out of 4.
I'm really pleased with her and we're all pleasantly surprised with her behaviour, so here's hoping we get similar at next outing which won't be before June due to my busy social calendar in May.

 

[Alibear]

Had a lovely but cold long weekend at Sean Colemans for a canter clinic. The improvement he gets from horses and riders is phenomenal and in such a quiet way but so quickly too.
Amber came out better each day, and it was lovely to be given permission and encouragement to let her go; I'm not as brave as I used to be. We worked up and could happily lope around on draped reins, increase and decrease the speed, do 90-degree turns, etc.
She's such a clever girl, and being permitted to try more advanced stuff really engages her, and she starts to enjoy her work and excels at it.
Left to right, flying changes so smooth I had to be told she'd done them, and a canter half pass confirmed. All ridden one-handed in the Rommel reins and our new-to-us straight bar bit, which she is so much straighter and happier in.
We've come home with a really good exercise to address her issues with the arena fence line; in 4 days at Sean's, it made a big difference, so I'm hoping I can replicate it at home.
I've got lots of notes, and Sean made sure I was clear on the exercise and our other homework so that I could continue things now we're home. The next time we see Sean will be at his new forest hacking week, I have no idea what Amber will make of it, but it will do us good
It was a long 5 days, though, so first, a couple of days off to recuperate. Tonight is unpacking and cleaning out the trailer, which I never normally leave, but I was shattered when we got home at 9pm last night.

The only way to improve the weekend would have been to have someone come with me to help and also to video some of it so I could see how it looked. I really don't know how other people manage to do these things with a support team, I think I need to work on my social skills, or perhaps bribery might work

 

[Pippity]

Blue did an in-hand session of... sort of horse yoga polework? First, a few exercises to get her crossing her hind legs (essentially, walking a very tight circle), and then exercises to get her crossing her front legs (essentially, reversing a very tight circle!) Being a very front-heavy cob, she did struggle with the front legs, but once she got the hang of it, it really helped her to work under herself. The instructor said it was TRT, but I've also done very similar with a classical instructor. It was followed up with various pole grids.

It was supposed to be an hour session in a group but, as the other people cancelled, we just did twenty minutes or so, with lots of long rests. She's coming back into work after nearly six months as a field ornament, so I'm taking it very slow.

 

[shortstuff99]

Had quite a busy weekend! Took Bean out for a jumping clinic and she was very good! Clearly she just found dressage a bit boring and enjoyed being back to more fun stuff . I have also been making sure to actually ride her now rather than just constantly babying her which has improved things massively.

Last week I took her to a little dressage show for a walk and trot and she was also very good for a 62.6% and a 6th place.

The on Sunday I was official steward for combined training qualifier which was a but chilly!

Little clip of the jumping Bean