Final Weekend in November Plans

lottiepony

lottiepony

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Exited for mine as it's a busy one so thought I'd start this thread!

Saturday off to the BRC area dressage qualifier. I compete my friends horse who is just an absolute pleasure so it's always a relaxing and enjoyable day out.
Hopefully back in time to squeeze in first hack on my new boy as we got our saddle last weekend!

Sunday off in the other direction from home with Frank the Shetland for indoor driving fun. Very pleased with how we did at last months comp and my aim for this weekend is to get a shift on in the cones section. We were far too slow last time lol mainly as I didn't realise how fast we did need to go!

What is everyone else up to? Hoping the weather is ok...
 
I'm going shopping with my Mum on Saturday as its recently been both our birthdays, so we are going to do a little retail therapy. The weather is supposed to be rubbish, but that won't put a damper on our spirits!

Sunday, I am planning on introducing Rabbit to the roller with lunge lines attached and getting him used to the feeling of the lines touching his sides, behind him etc in prep for restarting our long lining sessions. I'm also hoping to mix in a little bit of standing above him whilst I groom him and "accidentally" dropping things/getting him used to the feeling of things being draped over him and touching his sides. I'm not planning on sitting on board till mid July next year all going well, so I figured with the rubbish weather I can do some groundwork in his stable as it's pretty large :) Baggs my old man will continue to happily enjoy having winter off and occasionally being used as a nanny horse for Rabbit in certain situations :)
 
ester said:
Driving Sunday, aiming for fewer cones penalties and not getting lost in the obstacles 😅😅
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Where are you competing?
I've spent all summer doing BDS stuff and it appears ICD is a lot faster lol! Chuffed I remembered the way in the obstacles, it has been a while!
 
Feeling very spoilt this weekend for horse things.

Had sports psych yesterday so have homework to do for that.

Two lessons today, plus visit to tack shop in Lambourn (a proper tack shop!) and found a new riding hat that fits, which was proving to be a bit of a mission. Just now need to ask Santa for a nice hat silk as I've switched to a skull cap (recommendations welcome) and about a million other things in there that I wanted.

Another lesson tomorrow and then a volunteers thank you/celebration event at local EC after that.
 
Helping at dressage cancelled as the queen of pulling shoes has done the obvious 😂

Plan for this weekend is Do Your Best tbh. Between the weather, Sadies opinion of the weather (bad), and pre menstrual anxiety hitting me like a ton of bricks for some ungodly reason we will just have to bloody see how it bloody goes!!!!

Might put up the Christmas tree
 
It's torrential here! I'm supposed to be recording the Christmas Cracker dressage tests - but my arena is on grass and I'm not sure trotting through puddles is in either test!

Also need to get my saddler back out. I seem to need my stirrups long to stop tipping forward but then my lower leg starts flapping. I so, so wish I hadn't faffed around with seats last year (WOW) If I'd realised they don't manufacture a size 1 to take size 0 panels any more I would have left well alone.
 
Bleugh, just put two round bales out, it rained a LOT last night so even tho it was muddy it was so wet the mud just slid off the wheels...(small wins) 😄
Going to the walk in centre next as I've done something to my hand/ wrist a week ago and its not happy.
Tomorrow I'm going to a Xmas Wreath workshop
Edited to add, just home from A&E had x-ray, nothing broken, Dr suggested it could be carpal tunnel syndrome and to book in to see GP 😐 slightly concerned as its my left wrist and I carry my walking stick in that hand, maybe related who knows
 
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Not very exciting here. Hacked Thursday she's become such a relaxing reliable girl.

Lesson Saturday which I nearly cancelled as the weather sounded horrible but I zipped up my reincoat which has been such a good investment and we had a super session doing lateral work around the puddles. We managed some relatively even walk shoulder in and some fab walk piri diamonds with some rein back and halts thrown in. Couple of nice canters transitions, getting less frantic but still get the wrong leg on the right about 50%.

No one to ride with Sunday but it was so sunny and calm we did some ground work then went for a walk in hand which I haven't done since last winter. She was a perfect girl on the way out, one discussion when her field mate started screaming and then super good on the way home. A bit brisker but not stressy and managed to keep a loose lead provided I didn't dawdle 😅 and she did stop and turn back for cars without a tantrum wrestling match which is much improved and more enjoyable than the last time. My aim is to get the coming home as calm as possible so I know if I go out by myself I can hop off to come home if necessary without having to jog/ mow down traffic 🫣

Looking forward to the driving reports.
 
Sounds perfect Cloball! I love a little dander, so good for them.

Our weekend turned out better than expected. Little hack yesterday with a couple of others then a tiny trot round the arena to see how she felt and 👍👍👍. Nutcase Pony has been retired again for the moment.

Was supposed to do the same today but buddy felt it was still a bit frozen for shod feet so we went on our own, in our trainers (Flex boots!) and Sadie felt so good we went the long way! Hit a little patch of slushy half frozen mush that was quite slippy but she just engaged Mountain Goat mode and didn't even hesitate long enough for me to think about getting off, so I just kept out of her way and she was golden! Very cool pony 🥲

10 seconds after the frozen mush I had a mouth full of midges. Ty climate change!!
 
Quiet weekend here!
Both lads were hacked yesterday, OH on board and me on foot.

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Planned to do the same today, but with me on board - but it was v cold and frosty here and didn’t want to risk any icy patches, so decided against it. Arena was frosty but not solid so brought Ace out to do some walk work - nice session 😁

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Managed a circa 8k hack yesterday, just about beating the daylight. Planned on a 10k route today that only goes on Sundays at the moment because of bloody forestry operations (again!! we coudn't use the forestry between January and June last year because of the damn logging). But oh wait, it was icy. We sucked it up for about 5k, dodging the ice we could and shuffling at 1kph over the ice we couldn't get around. I had time to school her afterwards, but just couldn't be bothered.

Sounds like everyone is over winter. I deny this reality.

We caught a nice sunset yesterday.

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Great day, got some practice/coaching/drilling with rara in since last time which wasn't my best and it paid off, chasing Rara's score all the way 🤣- keep creeping up on her 🤣. Good dressage, had a lucky cone tap that didn't fall down and nailed 1 time penalty, then he was fabulous through obstacles, particularly the last one/4 he stayed with me and I stayed with him, with no last minute paniced hand fiddling which I'm a bit prone to do and upsets him. Managed the win in the novice class, and even more excitingly would have been 3rd behind rara winning the open. Fun one next time out that doesn't count for the league - runs world cup style like olympia so no dressage, albeit that is still our best phase 🤣, have planned my christmas around it, thankfully Mum understands!

Lovely to meet lottiepony and her smart chap too, we followed her most of the day so only managed to see her in the warm up.

hat cam of me driving (does tell me when I look down when I shouldn't!)

obstacle 4 of me driving, loved this obstacle.


backstep vid with Rara driving, shows the tighter lines she can manage with him.

 
My weekend was tame. We were away last weekend, in Berlin, and it has been pretty miserable weather since. I have forced myself to ride most days, hacking or a spin round the arena. I too only just made it back for dark a couple of times.
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My BF was resurrecting an old, disused CNC machine at his factory, that he used to use for wooden products. To test it, he knocked up a saddle rack similar to one I'd seen at Chatsworth Country Fair last summer. I have a saddle locker for H's saddles (jump and dressage) but Rigs' dressage saddle was on a freestanding metal rack. That was fine until H got a Western saddle, and the pole rack wasn't sturdy enough.

The new rack is sturdy, has a tray for 'stuff' in the bottom and will take the Western saddle and dressage saddle, end to end, so we don't have to stack them. Early Xmas present!

I've told him we should take some photos and market it LOL.

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It is handy, having a BF who invents/makes LOL. He is also driven, as in energetic. This weekend we got the Xmas decorations up, rode the boys together, went to an Xmas market, had a date night, went swimming in a lake and generally made time for each other too.

Some exciting news for Rigsby. He isn't getting ridden much, which is a shame as he enjoys it. I dared to put a post on FB and a rider volunteered to hack out 2 X a week with us. This is him out with myself and BF yesterday, but tomorrow, he will be out with his new rider.
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Finally recovered from covid enough to record and submit obstacle vids for an online winter Trec league.

They were very far from the best we can do but I'm pleased we got them done at all.

Because of the icy conditions, we had to record one video out in the field. Cue B trying to convince me that a blast around the fields would be much more fun!

Weather is vile here today but should be fit for us to get out for a hack tomorrow. Must remember my neck strap!
 
Another that filmed a winter league TREC PTV this weekend - nothing like learning the course as you are setting it up 🤣 Had some pretty technical parts though so really pleased with pony's efforts.

We had a lovely almost 20km hack on Sunday. The sun was shining, we had lots of long trots, canters and cantery-gallops so it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning ❤️
 
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Fairly quiet weekend for us. We've been working on getting more lift / cadence in trot and canter so carried on with that in our schooling sessions last week and lesson on Friday - it feels awesome when we get it right. I even managed to use my seat going from a medium to collected trot, instead of my usual bouncing out of the saddle and hoping I don't completely unbalance him so that was a win 😆.

Sunday we hacked around the village with wonder-nanny Pocholo. Sammy is so relaxed about it now, he plodded along in front most of the way without batting an eyelid at vehicles, lawnmowers or people putting up Christmas decorations. It's lovely that he can get out hacking after a life of arenas and hacking around fields on his livery yard!
 
It was indeed a goodun'!

Dressage went very well, 2 x 2nds with good solid scores (prelim was generous lol) I was very chuffed to get an 8 for my riding in both tests! Weather was so rubbish I didn't get to hack my new boy (part of me doesn't want to get my new saddle soaked lol!) just did a bit in hand in the arena.

Driving Sunday was very good. Dressage not quite as good but still a nice test. My plan was to go faster in the cones and sod the faults lol. We did indeed manage faster and only knocked one cone so mega pleased with that. Obstacles getting better as frank grows in confidence each time.

Lovely to meet ester! Had a good natter in the warm up :)
Please note that we look incredibly slow vs ester, well vs anyone else lol! Really makes me laugh as honestly it feels a lot faster, promise!
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13 reactions | Another fab day indoor driving at Beechwood Equestrian. Great seeing all our friends and having a blast 😊 beating our score from last month 💪 bagging the red one 🤩 thanks jane for being no. 1 groom today! Also thanks to Equine Reset wi

Another fab day indoor driving at Beechwood Equestrian. Great seeing all our friends and having a blast 😊 beating our score from last month 💪 bagging the red one 🤩 thanks jane for being no. 1 groom...
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Great to see some of him :), the smallies it’s definitely all about the tightest lines.

Still amused that calypso the late 20s mini Shetland beat maestro (fancy pants dressage beast) in the dressage 🤣🤣, she’s easier to nail the accuracy with and has a mean extension in her but it does show you don’t need fancy. :)
 
Weekend was a success - had a lovely time shopping with my Mum on the Saturday and it didn't rain!

Sunday's session with Rabbit was hilarious - he couldn't give a crap about me acting like a loony around him with lunge lines flying everywhere, saddle pad falling off to one side, lunge lines being left around his hooves loose etc - he just stood there and looked at my Mum as if to say "Well are you going to stop her or do I have to put up with this crazy hooligan?!" 😅 I did have a little tear down my face as he was only 8 months old when I first saw him, and now he's 2.5 years old and changed so much but not at the same time - part of me wants him to be a baby forever, and the other part of me is looking forward to having my first sit towards the end of next year on him......x I just can't believe that my little 8 month old colt has come so far in his training and we're only at the beginning x
 
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