Kira's Top Hat & Tails debut!

What an awesome achievement :) The whole thing is amazing..... the speed at which Kira has gone up the grades, the fact that she isn't a 'conventional' dressage horse, the fact you have achieved a long held ambition..... just fantastic :)

It inspires those of us who are ecstatic about achieving a 20m circle in left canter to keep going ;) :D :D x
 
Well done, super smart and what an achievement. Just shows that all is needed is correct and incremental training. Who needs a dumb blood.
 
Lévrier;13666479 said:
What an awesome achievement :) The whole thing is amazing..... the speed at which Kira has gone up the grades, the fact that she isn't a 'conventional' dressage horse, the fact you have achieved a long held ambition..... just fantastic :)

It inspires those of us who are ecstatic about achieving a 20m circle in left canter to keep going ;) :D :D x
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absolutely keep going... you never know where you'll end up ;)

AdorableAlice said:
Well done, super smart and what an achievement. Just shows that all is needed is correct and incremental training. Who needs a dumb blood.
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Kind words AA :) I have to give a special thanks to Adam at AM Dressage though, I wouldn't have even been half way there without his continued support and excellent training :o There aren't many trainers who would have looked at the pony I first turned up on and seen potential instead of a heap of problems. They're a great bunch over there.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Well done, super smart and what an achievement. Just shows that all is needed is correct and incremental training. Who needs a dumb blood.
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:eek3: don't mention the newbie!

re. tiger oats, they are really tasty but realistically they are oats+oil+ equilibra. That and I can't read their spec without eye rolling a little... they like to use long words ;)

could the addition of some naked oats help?
 
Yes it does have little pellets in it. To be honest it was before I was a feed freak so I’ve no idea what was in it but it did help my welsh who hadn’t the best stamina at the time and it’s very palatable.
 
Fabulous achievement, well done.

Tiger Oats don't make the old plain oats with pellets now, they only manufacture as a Muesli style feed stuff now, I fed the oats for yrs to my natives for stamina and they worked superbly without blowing their brains, even fed them safely to my daughters 12.2hh but I can't use the muesli as it has too much sugar and other stuff in it now (Micronized (Sugar) Beet Pulp / Cane (Sugar) Molasses) and one of mine is EMS so can't tolerate it.
 
Congratulations! Kira looks fab, and you've come so far with her in such a short time! I'm sure the stamina will come with time and practice, and who knows how far you'll go! :)
 
Boysy said:
Fabulous achievement, well done.

Tiger Oats don't make the old plain oats with pellets now, they only manufacture as a Muesli style feed stuff now, I fed the oats for yrs to my natives for stamina and they worked superbly without blowing their brains, even fed them safely to my daughters 12.2hh but I can't use the muesli as it has too much sugar and other stuff in it now (Micronized (Sugar) Beet Pulp / Cane (Sugar) Molasses) and one of mine is EMS so can't tolerate it.
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I saw them recently and seems like still available!

https://www.romsleycountrystore.co.uk/product/3816/Tiger-Oats--Horse-Feed
 
Ahh thanks everyone for your kind words :o
I'll see what I can get hold of locally in terms of naked oats etc, fortunately it seems that all my horses can more or less eat anything I buy so it won't be wasted either way.. ;)

daffy44 said:
Absolutely flipping fabulous!!! Wonderful achievement, I really look forward to meeting superstar Kira one day.
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Now, she will really look like a tiny pony from atop your gigantic horse! :D

OldNag said:
Absolutely brilliantly well done!

I echo that first line of the judge's comment :)
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everyone that's said this... I totally agree, I think she's just the cutest horse on the planet and I just love having her around, the little weirdo :p I really believe that if you let them, the right horses find you... Really hoping Salty is another of those!
 
If she really cant cope with one test, i would have a go at entering a much lower test HC, then it gives you a longer gap between tests to help her recover. Then at least you can think of the first test as a leg stretch kind of thing but still getting in the boards.
 
thanks so much :o ahhh so nice to know other people like her too, she got me out of a difficult place in my personal life and I feel like I owe her everything! she's so difficult at times but I just love the bones of her. I hope she will continue to progress now, it really is the blind leading the blind again now but it's great fun :D and I would encourage anyone else with these silly dreams like I have to just chase them, find the best trainer you can and don't give up :p
 
Just a thought, but does she need to actually be in the boards for the warm up test? Could you just do two warm ups instead, so warm up, put her away, warm up and do test? Is that possible, that way you can conserve a bit of energy. I do also think it takes a fair bit of time for horses to be mentally and physically ready to do those level of tests, its a bit more mental tiredness than you think, so give her time and I think she'll be fine.
 
thanks daffy, it does seem to be getting inside the boards that makes the difference as I've tried the 2 warm ups thing before. But then she's changing all the time, no harm in experimenting... ;) and thanks for the reassurance, first time at this level so feeling our way around.
 
Oh well, worth a suggestion, then just try slightly shortening your warm ups for each test, every little helps! I do think it takes a bit of time to adjust to the higher levels, and its easily as much a mental issue as a physical one, dont worry, just give her time and I reckon she'll be fine. You could also try a version of interval training in the school, just a more forward, off her back canter etc it may well help, but I tend to find they really only get fitter for the higher collected work when they get more relaxed and confident in it.
 
Wow amazing! I absolutely love watching these different horses at higher levels.

I assume its advertising but would be very confusing for me to look up and keep seeing the letter K around the arena!
 
I got a bit damp-eyed reading this :) Love following Kira's progress, you've both done so well!

Could you do an easier test HC first? Like a medium or even an ele? You wouldn't even have to finish it, just get her to the point where she's with you and raise your hand. Her brain is probably quite tired as well, not just her body, with this level of work.
 
milliepops said:
thanks so much :o ahhh so nice to know other people like her too, she got me out of a difficult place in my personal life and I feel like I owe her everything! she's so difficult at times but I just love the bones of her. I hope she will continue to progress now, it really is the blind leading the blind again now but it's great fun :D and I would encourage anyone else with these silly dreams like I have to just chase them, find the best trainer you can and don't give up :p
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Could have written the first part myself!

Watching you pair progress just gives me motivation to keep cracking on with my bog horse and just seeing where we get to. Top hat and tails, even just once, would be epic. Love seeing your FB updates, and you should be so proud.

I understand the hacking alone thing too, only recently have Skye and I managed to wander out solo again after our 'disagreement' on the roads. Its so frustrating, I don't know if she'll ever be a safe solo hack :(
P.S. I totally agree re: judge - a smile from the judge can help massively!
 
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JGC said:
I got a bit damp-eyed reading this :) Love following Kira's progress, you've both done so well!

Could you do an easier test HC first? Like a medium or even an ele? You wouldn't even have to finish it, just get her to the point where she's with you and raise your hand. Her brain is probably quite tired as well, not just her body, with this level of work.
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yes I think it's easy to underestimate how much thinking is required on her part! good point!
The only thing that puts me off entering a class more than one level below is just that it varies so much, how many entries there are and therefore how long you have to wait... Too long and we both go off the boil.. too short and she doesn't recharge. I suppose I could phone the organisers and get a late entry when they know what it's looking like. I bet other people do that, need to get more savvy! Hmmm. *scratches head*. I feel a bit naughty retiring but yes, that's the other option.
 
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