.
) I can offer Minstrels and frozen Mars bars 
!
I recently ditched a planned dressage outing for a trip (avec horses) to the beach involving hip-flasks, highly-irresponsible and slightly-out-of control flat out galloping and paddling in far too deep and shrieking when the waves got us. This was followed by a proper pub lunch (dripping all over the pub in our breeches and socks) on the way home. Much less productive than the dressage outing but very liberating and good for the soul
Hell you are going to crash the forum in a minute, is the post a record, largest ever that hasn't turned into a huge controversy!
As far as I'm concerned you are an inspiration (licks boots) to achieve what you have with the medical issues and not so tender years you have given me the courage to fight on and quell the demons that say this is a young persons sport (it may be but some old codgers can suceed!)
It is sometimes diffficult when you are throwing all your capabilities, talents and training at a horse yet the results are not what you wish. I am beginning to think the biggest way we can all improve is to get the mental side (brain in gear not madness) right so we focus on what we have achieved and not where we have failed (we should find a positive in everything!)
Hoping to be comparing success stories next year
). when we're back and fully functional next season.
^^^Completely agree!!
I know it sounds cheesey, but you really are an inspiration Baydale! I have no CC to offer, as some really great advice has already been offered. I think you have had some fantastic results with 2 young horses this year, I really enjoy reading your reports and the way you write speaks volumes about the kind of person you are! (in a good way btw!) As do your responses on this thread.
Things like this thread are the reason I keep coming on here, if you can look past the bitchy stuff (which I do) then there are some fantastic people on here and it is a shame when someone decides to leave because of a few bad eggs.
Keep up the good work! I wish you all the best with recovery from your broken leg, and the chemo!
Well I don't have 3 years spare so will not be reading everything that's been said in between my last post and this one! Seems like it's all stayed very chummy going by the couple of posts above mine.
Yes, you were crooked in the counter canter, my current "forefront thought" (I can manage about one forefront and two background thoughts I find), is to plug my spine into the horse's, and make sure they are perpendicular. Like Lego. Hips, rib-cage, and shoulders can "float" around spine. Definitely helps me with weight distribution.
His canter needs to be bigger to get a mark more I think. I know he probably finds it hard going by his walk, but I think if you just "dressage-up" his sj canter he'll look better. It may be that that's a lot to contain in a 20x40 granted.
SJ, not bad at all. W lurches left in a normal Sprenger (his dressage bit), I have recently put him in a waterford fulmer and he's much straighter. He's also straighter in straight-bar bits such as his pelham. The difference is quite noticeable. Trainer sometimes puts up two fences about 5 or 6 strides apart, and to begin with I have to ride a 10m left circle in between the two (to get him off the left shoulder), then progress to riding left shoulder-in in between the two. Makes us think, and does make him more inclined to stay straight after a few repetitions.
I'll still have him
i really really like that, "plug my spine into the horse's". ***lightbulb moment*** Ta!
this is something my trainer got me looking out for - in so many pictures (in H&H etc) the rider is not positioned in line with the horse's centre of balance, but when they are, it has such an effect.
B, my McTimoney guy's here next Wed late a'noon and evening doing me and my lot if that's any good for you? You just need a short walk after treatment and are then fine to drive. He's really excellent. I'll try to think of a bribe or two...
Certainly not one to balk at a challenge!
Thanks for the comment about H, it means alot
You're welcome.
Now if you were a horse how much money would you have spent now on getting it fixed?? We seem to spend so much money on chiroprators, massages etc on our horses, but what do we do for our selvesThink we need to start taking better care of our selves, can you imagine how ours nags feel
Hi Baydale, no crit from me - can't watch the vids!
But another one to definitely say Pilates for your core strength - and get an instructor that comes and shouts at you! Mine used to come over and poke my gut) we had another one that used to just say *breathy voice* "and in your own time if you'd like to begin" and just pansy about - not so good!
Alternatively - find a way to have a go on a sulky, through the summer holding myself upright on a small seat with legs akimbo round a bouncy field for 40 mins a time does wonders for mine
meardsall_millie and I will ache from laughing more than from the Pilates I reckon!
No CC from me (obviously, I don't even ride
Rosie spent about 18 months convinced that all she had to do was carry on as usual and she'd soon be back to riding like she used to but for the past year she's accepted she needs expert help and has been having as many lessons as she can afford - flatwork in particular. She's also accepted that her core strength ain't what it used to be. I don't know if she's doing anything about it yet but she knows she needs to.
After we saw you (at Keysoe I think) my daughter said to me that she wasn't sure that carrying on as usual was the best way to get through recovering from chemo/breast cancer but, having watched Rosie over the last couple of years, she felt she understood why you were doing it.
Doubt this is very helpful (and possibly confusing) but I'm certain there's life in the old dog yet. There, I've been rude
I'm convinced the horsey PMA (positive mental attitude) can contribute towards healing, or coping with healing, after trauma, but a major accident or threat to your health is bound to affect you mentally too. I'd have no friends by now, not even virtual ones.
I've just read this entire thread - it made for a very extended lunch break indeed!
I think that any CC I'd have the temerity to make have already been covered, mostly by people vastly more qualified than me to do so. The thing about getting slightly too holding in front of the fence is something I do too (to a much worse extent than you). I got roundly b*ll*cked for it by KC the other week who basically said 'you've got a very talented horse but you're sitting there killing the canter every time'. Luckily the motivational chat was captured on video so I can go back to it every time I need my bottom kicking.
Pilates is something I'm meaning to do (physio was horrified by my lack of core muscles and I haven't even had anything wrong with me to blame it on
ps. I knew Juno was male
so much to do just to be able to function properly as a competitor. It's serious stuff, innit? 
I knew I'd forgotten something.....Your pony is too FAT!It's definitely stayed chummy as no-one has dared risk the wrath of Baydale by bluntly pointing out that I ride like a bag of poo and my pony is too fat.
Sod the big hugs, kirstykate,
you go girl and send me some!!!!! x
Apart from green really suiting you and your shiny pony - I still can't quite compute that this is the opinionated slightly fuzzy 3 year old I first met all those years ago - he looks very smart, and I can see that his balance has improved over the last 6 months alone.
I thought he did a neat little test - perhaps seeming to get on his head a little when he loses balance, but as I said before I see real improvement in his self carriage and he looks far more established that I've seen him look previously. For better marks I think they would look for a little more 'swagger' in the trot work and a little more jump in the canter. At times he looks a little contained but riding a test on grass when there are exciting things going on all around is very different to riding a test in an indoor on a good surface with little or no distractions so sometimes it is best to go for safe to secure the good mark, than to throw caution to the wind, throw him off balance and lose marks in pursuit of a bit of flashiness. It might be something to consider playing with over the winter in some tests to see if you can get some different comments from judges. We are only talking some slight tweaks here and there - you can see the foundations are good and his rhythm is lovely. I also didn't see any evidence of the teenager - you know those flashes of opinion that he sometimes threw in for a bit of variety - he looks sweetness and light
Showjumping - I am not qualified to comment
XC - he looks keen and buzzy enough to react but not get silly and I didn't see anything wrong with your riding particularly. You've commented on core stability which let's face it we could all work on to one degree or another, but you were forward and positive to the fences and not getting in his way. You looked safe and so did he.
Friend of mine (rider) has just started pilates (down south) and keeps telling me how hard it is. She has discovered that she is completely inflexible and goes home aching - she is however really seeing the difference. Carrie Adams used to run the Pilates for riders at Collingham...... there is also a lot you can do on a swiss ball at home. I've got a couple of books at home - happy to copy you a few exercises if you like?
Looks like I'll be at Vale View regularly this winter, doesn't it? I think I can imagine how our nags feel, and I hope I'm right; we've had a few comments about how happy our horses look when people have come onto the yard - I reckon it's just them putting on their cute faces knowing that someone will have a packet of polos.
but seriously go get a sports massage I ride so much better after one!
Not offering any CC as what I have to say about the SJ round has already been said, by Juno and Mbequest and others...
What I do have to say is about your pelvis...I used to ride really well, I rode big tracks, lots of horses, horrid horses mostly, but I found it easy. I took a break and had the children and put on weight and suffered from collapsing vertebrae in my back, huge pelvis problems (it split), everything shite that you can. I started riding again and TBH I kidded myself for years that I could still ride how I used to, I cannot, I have now accepted this, the motor skills through my pelvis and my lower back and my core strength will never be the same.
So, what I am trying to say is yes, it may well be because of your pelvis. Invest time, money and expertise into sorting it now, I didn't and it is a huge regret of mine as I am 10 years on from all the trauma I suffered and I let it fester and f up for good
And for the meantime....stop getting paralysis by analysis, start enjoying yourself, go do a load of Am SJ classes over the winter and have fun, refresh the mind and all that. You know you are capable and the over critiquing has to stop as it will only serve to f you up even more x
WOW, what a thread. Some really good advice that I think we can all take on board & some really lovely comments.
No CC from me as you are a fair better rider than I can ever hope to be but I would just like to say that I too have really missed your reports. I don't think I have ever read one where you haven't had some kind of advantage & they always make me laugh.
I really hope you get back to where you want to be riding wise, though I would be very happy with myself if I was where you are now.
Loads of useful stuff in it that I shall be using, definitely.
I'll pm you now and paypal you some money for postage. .
I'm not stalking you, honest
There is one at Castledyke Equestrian Centre in Boston, any good? I can find you the number if you are really nice to me, then again, you could just Google
If you've got the number to hand, yes please; if not I'll google it. Do you fancy coming too if Kerilli and I get organised to go?
I recently ditched a planned dressage outing for a trip (avec horses) to the beach involving hip-flasks, highly-irresponsible and slightly-out-of control flat out galloping and paddling in far too deep and shrieking when the waves got us. This was followed by a proper pub lunch (dripping all over the pub in our breeches and socks) on the way home. Much less productive than the dressage outing but very liberating and good for the soul
You could of course go hunting instead. Much the same thing
Hunting is on the cards, yes, Marty and I need to go, a lot, and I did promise Jooopiter a few days although BaggyBreeches had volunteered to test drive him first.
I think posts like these really mean the rest of us without the ability of some of you can really learn
I'm very much looking forward to another update when you feel inclined
Another thing - all your horses are so HUGE. Spend more time pony squishing the blue 'n' white one, t'is good for the soul
She said she liked having her trainer with her at both, even if course-walking on crutches was challenging for me.
no cc from me just wanted to say your a real insperation and the very best of luck to you
oh and us not so experienced can learn a lot through helpful cc really interesting thread
No CC to add but just thought I'd say how much I've missed your reports and hope you are feeling back on form soon and the leg heals quickly.
Plus since there doesn't seem to be any chocolate on this thread yet (I haven't read the whole thing