LauraWheeler
Well-Known Member
It's been ages since I did a proper update for you all as we've not realy been doing much except hacking about the countryside and schooling.
But Herbie has had a very buisy last few weeks
We shall start on the 17th of May.
Herbie and I went on our first ever 12 mile pleasure ride.
This was a day of many firsts for Herbie.
It was the first time he has loaded since we moved yards last year and also the first time I have travelled him with other horses. We were going to put him on the end so he was only next to one horse but Herbie desided he didn't realy fancy going on so we re jigged the places and he ended up travelling between two geldings. One of which he had never met. He travelled realy well and didn't try to kill anyone.
We arrived and I tied him up to the side of the lorry and got him ready for the ride. As we were unshore how he would be we decided to take the ride steady. This actualy proved to be a mistake as Herbie got stressed and did quite a bit of leaping and bucking esp when we were overtaken by other riders. But on the whole he behaved so much better than I thought he would so I was pleased with him.
When we went to load to come home Herbie was having none of it and to make it worse one of the other horses seemed to have lurnt from the morning and also refused to go on. We had to rejigg the places again and Herbie ended up travelling home between a mare and a gelding this time. Again he travelled like a star.
The next day I decided to give loading him another go. Unfortunatly I started quite late in the day. Those who saw my post the other week will know I started loading at 17:50 and he finaly went on at 22:11. It took 4hours and 11mins but he went on just as it was getting to dark to see.
The very next day I tried again and he only took 10mins to get in the lorry. He had the Wed off from loading as I didn't have the time if he refused to go on but on The Thursday he loaded in 14seconds.
On Sat 23rd we had a showing clinic. It's just up the road so we hacked there.
At the clinic he was a star only one big buck but he behaved realy well with no napping. We also stood him in the lineup inbetween two horses. We've always stood him at the end before for fear he would attack. But he is getting used to other horses and actualy stood quite relaxed. I was so proud of him. Afterall we can't garentee we will be pulled first or last at every show we go to
Sunday 24th saw us doing another 12 mile pleasure ride. He loaded like a star. We desided on this ride to keep moving a bit more and did alot more trot and canter. Herbie was alot more settled and we had no sillyness at all. I think he actualy enjoyed himself. He loaded well to come home to.
Saturday 30th saw us having a go at our first proper Prelim dressage test (We did some afew years ago but he wasn't realy ready for that level we only did it as I had been offered a lift to the show and that was the lowest level they did) I normaly hack to the venue we were doing dressage at and it's 2 hours away. This time however I had managed to arrange for us to get a lift to the show. I did a 12hour nightshift on the Friday night and was back on night duty on Saturday night so thought a 4 hour hack may be to much for me.
I left work Sat morning and went streight to get Herbie ready. He loaded well into a strange trailer and we set off to the show. Sadly not enough time for me to have a kip on the way there. we arrived in plenty of time and I got my number. Herbie was getting a little stressed on the trailer for some reason so I tacked him up and walked him inhand round the warmup for a bit till he settled down and then I got on and gave him a trot around. He was a little tence but very good. Before long they called us to do our test.
I got him into the arena and he realy tried his heart out. He had no 'Herbie moments' at all. But I realy felt my riding let him down. I was tired and realy wasn't doing my best. I was kicking him to much and my reins kept getting to long.
We finished the test and I left the arena proud of Herbie but dissapointed in myself. I realy thought I had let him down.
Herbie was a little reluctant to load back onto the trailer but he only took 10mins or so to get on so not to bad.
Then I went to wait for the results. They seemed to take forever but when they finaly came out I got a surprise. We had come 6th with 59.75% (The winner only had about 63% I think) I was so pleased with our result for our first try at this level. Herbie also got an 8 for his walk Looks like I didn't let him down to badly afterall. If We can do that well when I've had no sleep imagen how well we could do if I was properly rested
We were supposed to have a pleasure ride on the Sunday but it got cancelled due to the weather. I wasn't to worried though I think Herbs has earned afew days off bless him.
I'm so proud of my shortarse nutjob pony. He's come such a long way from the agressive unridable pony he was 5 and a half years ago. He means the world to me and I love him so much. Words can't actualy express how much he means to me. I would be lost without him.
Thankyou if you read this whole mamouth report. Here is a video I made for Herbie containing all recent pics and videos. Some of him schooling at home, some of him at the showing clinics we've been doing, Pics from the walk and trot dressage we did last month (including his test sheet with the 9 on it) and some pics from the first pleasure ride we did.
I think the song fits us quite well to
https://youtu.be/BlWp7YA4ERU
Thankyou if you watched the video I hope you enjoyed it. xxxxx
But Herbie has had a very buisy last few weeks
We shall start on the 17th of May.
Herbie and I went on our first ever 12 mile pleasure ride.
This was a day of many firsts for Herbie.
It was the first time he has loaded since we moved yards last year and also the first time I have travelled him with other horses. We were going to put him on the end so he was only next to one horse but Herbie desided he didn't realy fancy going on so we re jigged the places and he ended up travelling between two geldings. One of which he had never met. He travelled realy well and didn't try to kill anyone.
We arrived and I tied him up to the side of the lorry and got him ready for the ride. As we were unshore how he would be we decided to take the ride steady. This actualy proved to be a mistake as Herbie got stressed and did quite a bit of leaping and bucking esp when we were overtaken by other riders. But on the whole he behaved so much better than I thought he would so I was pleased with him.
When we went to load to come home Herbie was having none of it and to make it worse one of the other horses seemed to have lurnt from the morning and also refused to go on. We had to rejigg the places again and Herbie ended up travelling home between a mare and a gelding this time. Again he travelled like a star.
The next day I decided to give loading him another go. Unfortunatly I started quite late in the day. Those who saw my post the other week will know I started loading at 17:50 and he finaly went on at 22:11. It took 4hours and 11mins but he went on just as it was getting to dark to see.
The very next day I tried again and he only took 10mins to get in the lorry. He had the Wed off from loading as I didn't have the time if he refused to go on but on The Thursday he loaded in 14seconds.
On Sat 23rd we had a showing clinic. It's just up the road so we hacked there.
At the clinic he was a star only one big buck but he behaved realy well with no napping. We also stood him in the lineup inbetween two horses. We've always stood him at the end before for fear he would attack. But he is getting used to other horses and actualy stood quite relaxed. I was so proud of him. Afterall we can't garentee we will be pulled first or last at every show we go to
Sunday 24th saw us doing another 12 mile pleasure ride. He loaded like a star. We desided on this ride to keep moving a bit more and did alot more trot and canter. Herbie was alot more settled and we had no sillyness at all. I think he actualy enjoyed himself. He loaded well to come home to.
Saturday 30th saw us having a go at our first proper Prelim dressage test (We did some afew years ago but he wasn't realy ready for that level we only did it as I had been offered a lift to the show and that was the lowest level they did) I normaly hack to the venue we were doing dressage at and it's 2 hours away. This time however I had managed to arrange for us to get a lift to the show. I did a 12hour nightshift on the Friday night and was back on night duty on Saturday night so thought a 4 hour hack may be to much for me.
I left work Sat morning and went streight to get Herbie ready. He loaded well into a strange trailer and we set off to the show. Sadly not enough time for me to have a kip on the way there. we arrived in plenty of time and I got my number. Herbie was getting a little stressed on the trailer for some reason so I tacked him up and walked him inhand round the warmup for a bit till he settled down and then I got on and gave him a trot around. He was a little tence but very good. Before long they called us to do our test.
I got him into the arena and he realy tried his heart out. He had no 'Herbie moments' at all. But I realy felt my riding let him down. I was tired and realy wasn't doing my best. I was kicking him to much and my reins kept getting to long.
We finished the test and I left the arena proud of Herbie but dissapointed in myself. I realy thought I had let him down.
Herbie was a little reluctant to load back onto the trailer but he only took 10mins or so to get on so not to bad.
Then I went to wait for the results. They seemed to take forever but when they finaly came out I got a surprise. We had come 6th with 59.75%
(The winner only had about 63% I think) I was so pleased with our result for our first try at this level. Herbie also got an 8 for his walk Looks like I didn't let him down to badly afterall. If We can do that well when I've had no sleep imagen how well we could do if I was properly rested We were supposed to have a pleasure ride on the Sunday but it got cancelled due to the weather. I wasn't to worried though I think Herbs has earned afew days off bless him.
I'm so proud of my shortarse nutjob pony. He's come such a long way from the agressive unridable pony he was 5 and a half years ago. He means the world to me and I love him so much. Words can't actualy express how much he means to me. I would be lost without him.
Thankyou if you read this whole mamouth report. Here is a video I made for Herbie containing all recent pics and videos. Some of him schooling at home, some of him at the showing clinics we've been doing, Pics from the walk and trot dressage we did last month (including his test sheet with the 9 on it) and some pics from the first pleasure ride we did.
I think the song fits us quite well to
https://youtu.be/BlWp7YA4ERU
Thankyou if you watched the video I hope you enjoyed it. xxxxx
