Pictures Mimosa update

LadyGascoyne

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Some of you will know that I managed to injure my neck in early February - slipping on ice whilst carrying a bale of hay- which resulted in a no-riding order for six weeks. Lessons have been learned!

Mimosa had the time off having done very little over winter anyway. I started up again at the end of March, on her fifth birthday. I also bought her a lovely Arabian Saddle Company saddle which is the comfiest saddle I’ve ever had and actually doesn’t slip which, when you have a horse the shape of a heavily pregnant llama, is a minor miracle.

So far we have halt, rein-back, turn-on-the-forehand, circles, bending and all forms of halt/walk/trot transitions in place.

But we don’t have canter yet. It was always going to be a struggle for her. She has a good walk, a very nice trot, a terrifying yet impressive gallop but has somehow always cantered like a drunk Shetland on stilts- tiny strides on long gangly legs. And of course when it becomes unbalanced, she has a buck that would make a cowboy shake in their boots.

I’ve worked on the basis of trying to get a few strides uphill out in the fields, and one or two on the flat area that I’m using to school them. She finds working on the lunge harder as circles require more balance so it’s been my only option. Over the last few weeks she’s started to anticipate that I’ll ask her to canter and I can feel the lack of confidence creep into her trot work which is the last thing I want.

So last weekend, we ditched the schooling and got out the western saddle, and we’ve been bombing around the farm all week. She is absolutely loving it, and today I got a good few strides of not a terrible canter up the hill. She’s absolutely in her element. I think we might even be drafted in to move some cows in the next few weeks ?

I’m excited to go back to schooling in a few weeks and I really feel she’ll have a new level of confidence and balance by then. The difference in her way of going has been enormous since last year and I think once we have canter in place, we will really be on our way.

My first day back on board, her 5th birthday40932797-AC6F-4BA4-8345-449280A13EDB.jpeg

What trot is like:

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What canter looks like:
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Spring blossom and fuzzy, roany spring palomino. So much like a baby pigeon.

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Five year old logic - sprinklers are fun:
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Water is scary:
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Pulling off the chilled out western horse look. I could leave her tied up outside a saloon any day:
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And a perfect Mimosa moment - supermodel looks... if only she wasn’t guzzling grass ?

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ycbm

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She's absolutely beautiful LG. Is the OH still in love with her?
.
 
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LadyGascoyne

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She is beautiful. Which stud is she from?

She was bred by Silvabak stud. They have done such a great job with her, she’s such a well-adjusted, nice, easy youngster

She's absolutely beautiful LG. It's the OH still in love with her?
.

Oh, absolutely. And the feeling is mutual. He does have an unfair advantage though because I handle work and he feeds her, grooms her and takes her on walks in hand. I wonder why he’s the favourite ?

I snapped this the other evening.

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LadyGascoyne

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The water is scary photo is just brilliant, especially when it follows the sprinkler one.
She's a beautiful girl
I too love the sprinkler V water photos. Her face in the water photo :oops:o_O:eek:

Yes, you’d think that artificial, fast moving, sky-fountain would be scarier than small, sedate natural stream. But apparently I am wrong.

She did cross it nicely after I insisted though, so she does work through scary things really well.


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Pinkvboots

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I’ve just got to get canter worked out. That’s going to be the game changer.

I think it’s a combination of her needing to get stronger and more balanced, and me needing to get over myself, buy some velcro jods and just crack on.

It's easy said than done though especially if they like to throw a few bucks! I was quite lucky Arabi cantered in the school first and he wasn't too bad balance wise, and he was pretty good on a hack, Louis though is still a prat to canter out he bucks and is all over the place so I don't bother much now.

Shame you get to go out with another horse in front although that sometimes winds them up, she will get better in time it's just practice even if you just do a few strides then go back to trot she will eventually be able to keep going.
 
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