It's December! Weekend plans??

[SEL]

Or is everyone Christmas shopping / hiding from the horrible weather?

Filmed 2 x Christmas cracker tests for the riding club on my skating rink of a field. The hooligan's intro test was lovely - very proud of how balanced he was in the mud. Canter wasnt happening on a circle today because it's too slippery so we'll have to see if we can do that before next weekend's deadline.

The microcob did her bitless test. She hates slippery ground and its far from her best but I've paid now so the entry is going in.

Niece's birthday tomorrow so I'm hiding indoors away from the mud, rain and stench of damp rugs

ETA - after dropping the cameraman home I'm now heading back as we passed the hunt. No notification (again!) & I just missed hitting a fox bolting from the copse they were in. Right by the flipping road too which won't win them friends if the hounds take off after it.

 

[sheep]

I had initially planned to have a lesson yesterday, then maybe go dressaging today - but both were cancelled due to rubbish weather! So we hacked one of the lads today (will do both tomorrow if weather is on our side) and just busied ourselves with general yard chores. Boring!!

 

[Red-1]

Lunged today. Busy, VERY busy with non horse stuff tomorrow.

I did get H to a jump clinic in the week though.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7580344531556584726

It was the first time we'd jumped in about 6 weeks. I have difficulty in motivation over Dec, Jan and Feb!!! I just did a few poles and a couple of jumps but we both enjoyed it.

Rigs has a new person coming to ride. I got brave and put something on FB. It is someone who rode 30 odd years ago, and is happy to wander the lanes on a beautiful, characterful and lovely Rigs. We rode out twice this week, just 40 minutes at walk this week but we will build it up.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I cancelled my lesson yesterday as the week caught up with me, and it's just over an hour each way driving for that RS so I thought too much on top of the other things I needed and wanted to do. The weather got progressively more and more awful as the day went on so by the time my lesson time rolled around I was absolutely not regretting that decision. My poor OH was diverted from Bristol to Birmingham airport as the weather was too bad for them to land!

Today was at other RS. Got there to horrible wind and rain, very nearly asked to do ground based lesson but talked myself around to give it a go because I won't get experience/confidence riding in crap weather if I never do it. I also thought of my instructor out there for multiple hours, so surely I could attempt 45 minutes?!

I was nervous by my instructor stayed with me and we did lots of stuff over poles and lateral work to keep my worried brain busy. It's a newish horse for me I've had maybe a handful of lessons on. He's an excellent teacher because he's safe but asks me questions which previously would have worried me but now I see as good practice for managing when things have gone a bit sideways (literally, byeeee inside shoulder as we glide into the middle of the arena for reasons which are not clear to me )

Super proud of myself for getting on with it today and putting my sports psych stuff into practice. My instructor seems pretty pleased with how I'm doing, I'm enjoying it, and realising perhaps in the past relied a bit too much on horses making things okay or successful riding being things not going wrong instead of feeling I was learning skills for different situations/questions horses ask. Just now looking forward to riding in less testing conditions!

 

[Kunoichi73]

I have 2 days of horse archery starting tomorrow. Weather looks mixed...

 

[southerncomfort]

Got my score sheet back for online winter Trec Obstacle league. We got 19.5 out of 20 for one obstacle and 20 out of 20 for the other so I'm chuffed with that!

Tomorrow's deluge is due to hit at about 10.30am, so hoping to get a quick hack in before that. Will be donning full waterproofs just in case.

 

[smolmaus]

We dodged the rain for a quick hack today. Also dodging horseboxes as there was a very large event on locally and everybody was coming home! Got a compliment from a very old man on my matching hi vis reincoat and Sadies matching quarter sheet nobody was missing us! Followed a digger up the road for a bit. Spooked about 20 sheep who took off like we were a tiger.

Dressage support team tomorrow with another weather warning in place will see if the big orange coat spooks horses as well as sheep. Unlikely to hack in that tbh, but have a 3 day weekend so if I sneak in a Monday AM dander that will count!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Christmas party for 30 people tomorrow. I’ve been baking all day: stollen, chocolate orange tiffin, almond Baiser Torte, brie & cranberry pastry wreath, candied peel. Yum. Myka’s also being ridden but not by me. I’m hacking on Monday.

 

[sheep]

We dodged the rain for a quick hack today. Also dodging horseboxes as there was a very large event on locally and everybody was coming home!

Are you around the corner? Santa ride??

 

[smolmaus]

Are you around the corner? Santa ride??

I think I am but I was passing horseboxes all the way from Lisburn, half the province must have been there. The Yard Teens went, no injuries reported this time, just some absolute bin bag boasting about how her horse had only been backed 2 weeks

 

[Cloball]

We dodged the rain for a quick hack today. Also dodging horseboxes as there was a very large event on locally and everybody was coming home! Got a compliment from a very old man on my matching hi vis reincoat and Sadies matching quarter sheet nobody was missing us!

Ah yes I also go out like a giant orange cone

D did a lesson yesterday with a delightful preteen so could catch up on work and Xmas errands. I have a friend to walk out with us today so we will hopefully got for an amble at the very least to wash the mud off in the river running down the road.

 

[sheep]

I think I am but I was passing horseboxes all the way from Lisburn, half the province must have been there. The Yard Teens went, no injuries reported this time, just some absolute bin bag boasting about how her horse had only been backed 2 weeks

Agh that is mad, horse must be an absolute saint to have tolerated that, either that or totally shell shocked by the experience

I sometimes think I’d love to give it a go, but I’d be scared that it would all go horribly wrong

 

[smolmaus]

Agh that is mad, horse must be an absolute saint to have tolerated that, either that or totally shell shocked by the experience

I sometimes think I’d love to give it a go, but I’d be scared that it would all go horribly wrong

I will NEVER like, i could hack Sadie through Saintfield tomorrow and she would be grand but its everybody else would stress me out! You always hear something, even if its not some poor sod ending up in A&E.

Gransha are doing one for Air Ambulance on the 21st that might be more sedate!

Rain isn't as bad as expected so I probably could have gone for a hack today but I made the mistake of coming home after getting drenched at dressage and now I'm super glued to the nice warm couch. Both friends got frillies in the league tho! Lovely morning despite the wet!

 

[sheep]

I will NEVER like, i could hack Sadie through Saintfield tomorrow and she would be grand but its everybody else would stress me out! You always hear something, even if its not some poor sod ending up in A&E.

Gransha are doing one for Air Ambulance on the 21st that might be more sedate!

Rain isn't as bad as expected so I probably could have gone for a hack today but I made the mistake of coming home after getting drenched at dressage and now I'm super glued to the nice warm couch. Both friends got frillies in the league tho! Lovely morning despite the wet!

Brilliant! It is chucking it down here and due to excess gin consumption, I have done nothing other than laze about and throw hay at the horses

 

[smolmaus]

Brilliant! It is chucking it down here and due to excess gin consumption, I have done nothing other than laze about and throw hay at the horses

This is the Horses At Home DREAM

 

[Cloball]

Ended up doing to an impromptu trance night so was a bit lame this morning. Managed a little solo tootle up the lane again before the rain and did our usual Sunday TLC.

 

[sheep]

This is the Horses At Home DREAM

It made a difficult morning much easier

 

[rara007]

Mini break/work camp Maestro says at Unicorn trust. Fantastic horse and real privilege to be there.

 

[AppyLover1996]

Rabbit's decided that the loss of two of his baby teeth this weekend gone meant that he must substitute them for a gain in teenager attitude, but with my poor non horsey Mother rather than me!

He was pulling her around, not listening to what she is asking and even tried tanking off with her attached to the end of the lead rope.....I was absolutely livid with his behaviour, especially as he was a diamond with me....

So my weekend consisted of giving my Mum a few lessons in groundwork with Baggs my trusty old lad, and then transferring the skills she had learnt onto her handling with Rabbit.

Safe to say Rabbit did not have a clue what had happened to my Mum (she is usually quite soft and quiet in her body language and behaviour), as she had transformed into a gentle, no nonsense taking person and was firm but fair at all times with him.

I am super proud of my Mum, she was petrified of horses before I got Baggs, but she's really pulled out all the stops and gotten over her fear x I just felt so sorry for her as she was blaming herself for Rabbit's behaviour, so I gently reminded her that it's something that is easily solvable, not to blame herself as he used to pull the same crap with me and to keep her chin up as she's come so far since I got Baggs. That put a smile on her face and the car ride home she was asking about the best way to correct Rabbit's behaviour without going over the top, but still letting him know that she doesn't tolerate the behaviour etc. She was also asking if she can continue working with Rabbit for the next week to reinforce the lessons, and to help her body and mind remember what to do - I of course said she's more than welcome to and she also asked if I would keep a watchful eye over and let her know if she's doing something wrong or if she can do it a better way x

The only thing that she does struggle with is tying the rope halter - anyone got any helpful tips that I can share with her? x

 

[nikkimariet]

One of our last shows of 2025 - it was a learning curve rather than a winning curve!

Firstly I went on auto pilot and completed both stables - which I’d told myself to leave till my return (as times were very early). So found myself 20 mins short on getting ready time. I tacked him up, plaited him and loaded him all in 30 mins!!! Whoops.

He was fantastic in the warm up and a lamb to handle (had a livery friend and my dad there which was nice!). I was super pleased he didn’t blink about the noisy shutter door at the bottom of the warm up which he notoriously hates, so he has grown since last year.

PSG was solid - costly mistake right piri which was frustrating as it’s been super reliable recently but a solid 66%+.

Inter 1 - what can I say! I went wrong. Was so busy thinking that was a nice medium I sailed past my next marker lolllll. I’ve only been doing this test for how many years?! Then we had a mistake in 3’s - unlike him and the same right piri mistake. So dropped best part of 4/5% for 63%.




Such is life! He felt fantastic and we learned loads. I rode this morning and he was just mega. I’m blaming it on the fact we could hack on Friday - the barriers into the car park were broken and it’s pretty much the only reliable safe off road hack I’ve got. So that was a shame. That was our omen!

Still really pleased with him, more so now I’ve watched my test videos and lots of little bits I’ve been working on are paying off. Good boy Roons!!!

 

[Edward28]

Or is everyone Christmas shopping / hiding from the horrible weather?

Filmed 2 x Christmas cracker tests for the riding club on my skating rink of a field. The hooligan's intro test was lovely - very proud of how balanced he was in the mud. Canter wasnt happening on a circle today because it's too slippery so we'll have to see if we can do that before next weekend's deadline.

The microcob did her bitless test. She hates slippery ground and its far from her best but I've paid now so the entry is going in.

Niece's birthday tomorrow so I'm hiding indoors away from the mud, rain and stench of damp rugs

ETA - after dropping the cameraman home I'm now heading back as we passed the hunt. No notification (again!) & I just missed hitting a fox bolting from the copse they were in. Right by the flipping road too which won't win them friends if the hounds take off after it.

Or is everyone Christmas shopping / hiding from the horrible weather?

Filmed 2 x Christmas cracker tests for the riding club on my skating rink of a field. The hooligan's intro test was lovely - very proud of how balanced he was in the mud. Canter wasnt happening on a circle today because it's too slippery so we'll have to see if we can do that before next weekend's deadline.

The microcob did her bitless test. She hates slippery ground and its far from her best but I've paid now so the entry is going in.

Niece's birthday tomorrow so I'm hiding indoors away from the mud, rain and stench of damp rugs

ETA - after dropping the cameraman home I'm now heading back as we passed the hunt. No notification (again!) & I just missed hitting a fox bolting from the copse they were in. Right by the flipping road too which won't win them friends if the hounds take off after it.

Sounds like quite a weekend. The mud has been brutal here too so most of my plans shifted indoors as well. I squeezed in one quick ride on the only patch of ground that was not a swamp then gave up and focused on drying rugs and keeping the horses comfortable. Hope the weather gives you a break soon so you can get those tests done without skating across the field.