It's 2026! Icy weekend plans?

SEL

SEL

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Well untangling this wasn't on my 2026 goals! I went out with a torch to find the flipping thistle.
My road and yard were sheet ice this morning but my summer fields melted in the sun and they're not a lake like they usually are in Jan - so he got some schooling at walk, trot this afternoon.
Shoulder in on left rein pretty good now but on right rein is still sticky. Lateral work doesn't come easy to him so I'm pleased he's making progress.
Can't see us doing much else until the world melts - my road doesn't get gritted so we're not driving anywhere
New year plans anyone?
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I think the weather might put pay to plans here, not worth risking going out hacking and not sure if the school is going to manage to defrost. Local venue has cancelled already for the day.
 
No hacking here either. Local venue is going ahead with show by the looks of it. I have vowed never to go there again in icy weather as they don't grit the box park even for competitions/clinics and it's just damn dangerous unloading and leading an excited horse.

I'm going to lay out a few boards and poles in the field to simulate a WE bridge and see if I can persuade AJ to cross at less than 100 mph in hand.
 
Yesterday I had a very good first lesson of 2026. 'Just' in walk but I am still learning so much and gaining good experiences and confidence, and enjoying my time with the horse. I think I am getting much better at being in tune with the horse and focusing on what we're doing instead of letting nerves take over. The nerves are still around but they're much less in charge!
 
Good lesson today despite the neighbours lighting a massive bonfire and going past with a rattly trailer and quad every 10 mins. We seem to have swapped and now left canter is hard and right is easy 🤔
 
No riding here, as where the horses are is a winter wonderland of snow drifts and the -5 wind chill is feeling decidedly cold. Plenty of non riding activities, such as filling water troughs, hay nets and the poo picking for 5 barn bound horses is keeping us busy enough.
I’m also doing a lot of pre endurance season planning eg farrier, dentist, physio booking along with planning ride dates.
 
Rooni has had a fresh clip and got ridden in -8° this morning 🤣 He was golden. He will probably work Mon AM as well as tomo AM - wouldn’t normally do 3 days but Tues & Weds weather just look so dire even I don’t want to ride in that! Easy week otherwise, saddle fit check and a hack. Not out competing for a while yet 🥶
 
We were meant to be at an arena XC competition tomorrow but i wasn’t planning on going with the ice etc… literally every competition and event has been cancelled this weekend but this venue has been digging its heels in and won’t make a final decision till tomorrow. First they cancelled the first class, now they are cancelling the second and won’t make a decision about the others till 10.30 tomorrow!

Come across as money grabbers to me, just cancel the whole thing and be done with it! Seems irresponsible to me to run any of it
 
Got Hermosa out yesterday, just about, but the ice hit harder today. Fin went on a short hack because he can stand up on things you can’t, but Hermosa was stuck in the sandbox. We’ll all be grounded after tomorrow, because Fin needs a lead horse/foot soldier, and nothing else can work as well as he can on ice, and Mr Caol Ila goes back to his day job.

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I'm having the OH come to the yard with me in case I slide the car into a ditch. Ponies can't get out of the barn for iced over snow 😭
 
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I braved the weather.... Somerford keep things going very well.

I am very, VERY happy with this. A bracing minus 6! But sooooo beautiful driving over at sunrise. Riding behind my favourite ears and - drum roll please - our first jumps! She was calm and positive so that's a win.

 
What a week for a milestone like that @Ample Prosecco !!!! 😍😍😍

Didn't die on the roads 🎉 and Sadie got wormed and some thrush preventative so at least I did SOMETHING today. She's perfectly happy staying in so long as she has company and I won't be there to see how stiff she is when she comes out on Tuesday morning (please God) so I can just pretend she will be fine and not creaking and popping like a haunted house.
 
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Cloball said:
Not dying on the road was an achievement @smolmaus the mighty panda 4x4 was great despite other drivers and pedestrians doing weird things. I was following tyre tracks down the hill until they went straight into the hedge 😂
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People were driving like LUNATICS. We passed someone doing Fast and Furious Tokyo Ballynahinch Drift on a quad. Found where he had been doing donuts at the intersection 😂 no helmet obvs.

Tho that was actually less appalling than the golf overtaking on the brow of a hill and almost doing a Final Destination, to complete the millennial movie references.
 
Same 😂 got tailgated by a polo who thought I was going to slow who proceeded to nearly drive into the back of me every time I had to pull in for oncoming traffic, then a car drove straight at me, a BMW going so slow to the other extreme he failed to get up a very small incline, pedestrians walking their tiny dogs right in front of me.
 
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Quiet weekend for us as everything is frozen! We did manage a dressage lesson on Friday, which was fab as I wanted to check our flying changes were working before Areas next week and we nailed them all. I've had a dodgy left shoulder, which I think has helped as Sammy tends to lean on that rein and fall through his left shoulder but as I can't tolerate much I've been firmer about making him carry himself!
Even our usually reliable rubber school is frozen underneath currently so we only did some walk work in there yesterday. Sammy thought that level of effort was awesome 🤣 - he said it would have been even better without those annoying poles that he had to engage his brain with and lift his legs over.
 
Made it to Saturdays clinic, got a bit worried as the snow hit about 10:30 but it stopped soon enough. The indoor was a bit crunchy at the door end to start but soon settled and we had a fab time. Focused on small but very important details so have some good things to work on once the weather improves too. This also means I'm not remotely worried about not riding now until the snow clears up.
 
Haven't ridden since Sunday which was at walk around frozen fields. Everything frozen and lanes too damgerous to ride or travel box on; now it's lakes. At least horses are out for 11 hours a day so keeping moving.
Arena Eventing not happening tomorrow as not fair on horses so have a lesson instead.
Motivation just isn't there at the moment. Next comp is 7th February so hope weather improves. 🙏
Need to get arse in gear and ride today.
 
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