New Year's Eve Weekend Thread

Ambers Echo

Ambers Echo

Still wittering on
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13 October 2017
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Bit late to this but can't see another thread and I've been riding! So not really a 'plans' post, but a 'this is how my weekend went' one.

Lottie has come out of her break feeling great. She has been Indiba'd 3 times and her back tight spots are disappearing, and her hamstrings are looser. She feels amazing under saddle. I've started back at basics with the expectation that she will hold herself in self carriage and respond instantly to light seat/breathe cues, with reins used much, much less. I am not getting that consistently, of course, but I expect it, and correct as soon as she leans, or stops letting me control pace, or braces in any way. Then she gets the rein back as soon as she is both soft/light in the hand and listening/responding. It is fairly consistent between back up and walk. I get a few strides sometimes in trot too, and it is just magical.

It is hard to describe the difference bewteen her trotting along in a nice rhythm and on the bit, but somehow detached from me. I just know if I half-halted or transitioned down I'd not get a reaction without a firm cue to get her attention back. Then other times she is 'there' totally with me. And it feels completely different but I don't even know how I know she is 'there'. I can just tell that she will immediately give me whatever I next ask for - and so I ask and she does. I am never wrong! But I don't know what it is I am feeling. Does that make any sense to anyone?

Anyway I am get glimpses of what might be possible one day if I had that connection all the time, and the thought gives me goose-bumps.

Good pony today!IMG_2960.jpgIMG_2965.jpg
 
Hacked out this morning. That's twice this week! Hurray!

Bo was ridiculously excited and bounced his way down the hill to where we meet our hacking buddies.

He did settle eventually and relocate his brain, and we had a lovely ride. Didn't even get wet!

Hoping to get some TREC practice done this week.
 
Total sense AE about the "with you" bit - mainly because I didn't have it today!!

Filmed a couple of online dressage tests on boxing day and I'm relieved I did because my fields are under water now. I hacked everybody today (& got soaked to my knickers) but the paths were "interesting". No idea how much rain we had last night but you could lose a pony in the puddles.

The microcob had to jump a small tree that was across the path. She was very jolly about that whilst I remembered dressage panels on the saddle aren't great for cat leaps

The other two did my local completely waterlogged bridlepath - just an out and back but pretty deep in places so did a great job of taking the bounce out of baby cob.

Technically they're all a year older tomorrow but I think I'll be calling him baby cob until he's 20.
 
Britestar said:
Does it count that 6 weeks post hip revision operation, I sat on my saddle with no pain?
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Well done, excellent news! :)

Had a lesson this morning, did some dog leg low cross poles. The big chap I was riding is not so good at picking his feet up, particularly if it's not a straight line of poles, but we got a few decent attempts.
 
Ive had the week off and with the high winds have still only managed to ride twice. Schooled on Friday and she was polite although a bit of a rush in trot, left bend is still a bit sticky but right was improving.

Hacked out today and she was most disgruntled when we didn't just zoom round the block in the rain we bounced around the longer route rather crossily. We've not been out of the school for a fortnight though and that has been hit and miss in the wind.
I plan to hack tomorrow 🤔 ?🤢
I put a rug on her the first time this week and now she doesn't at the gate and is quite a good deal cleaner 😅
 
Pretty high winds here also, but I have been managing to ride! Nothing exciting, but a good schooling session and a nice little hack despite the high winds today- having dodge a few blown down tree branches out hacking at the moment! I was proud of myself for riding despite the bad weather.

There is a local-ish fun ride I really want to go to in March, but if I want to do that, I really need to keep his fitness up, which is tricky when it is so dark in the evenings! We have great hacking with lots of hill work, so in theory fitness ought to be easy, but it's obviously tricky when the only times you aren't at work are in the dark!
 
Britestar said:
Does it count that 6 weeks post hip revision operation, I sat on my saddle with no pain?
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My big achievement is actually seeing Blue for the first time since November 18th, so yours definitely counts!

I'll be spending the rest of the year flat on my back, on the maximum dose of morphine, but I've hit my target.

Only a month to go until I'm out of the brace and able to crack on with life.
 
I spent today getting some jumping clinics booked in for January and February. BH had a good schooling session yesterday, but what I am really pleased with is simply the manners on them when I take both out at once for a hack. BH and Riggers.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7318831811080113440
 
Long soggy hacks for us as the box had the gear selector cable snap on Christmas Day. Have decided to get them fit enough doing distance that we can enjoy some sponsored rides in the Spring. Making the best of what life throws at you and all that!

Took the 2 year olds for a walk today also - they’re bored, the field is soaking wet and it’s good to get out! Bigger one is about 11.3hh now but the smaller one is only 11hh. Funny to believe they were the same size as weanlings!

Project pony leant over her field gate this evening after dinner asking for fuss. Scratches and carrots, and then I hand fed her a bit of dinner one of the others had left. I haven’t hand fed a horse since my very special TB died in 2022. Special moments!
 
maya2008 said:
Long soggy hacks for us as the box had the gear selector cable snap on Christmas Day. Have decided to get them fit enough doing distance that we can enjoy some sponsored rides in the Spring. Making the best of what life throws at you and all that!

Took the 2 year olds for a walk today also - they’re bored, the field is soaking wet and it’s good to get out! Bigger one is about 11.3hh now but the smaller one is only 11hh. Funny to believe they were the same size as weanlings!

Project pony leant over her field gate this evening after dinner asking for fuss. Scratches and carrots, and then I hand fed her a bit of dinner one of the others had left. I haven’t hand fed a horse since my very special TB died in 2022. Special moments!
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Lots of fab pictures. Had a couple of nice long hacks whilst the roads are quiet. We don’t do much over winter now other than tick over and occasionally have a think about going on the bit rather than a really long rein then we decide just to wander on.

@millitiger that is a very smart lorry. Think the Bloomfield are the best built I have seen.
 
We’ve been pottering about at home. Schooled in the wind and rain yesterday and found something that Chilli is genuinely scared of - umbrellas! So that will be some homework over winter. Other than that I’ve been really pleased with him, he’s been far more relaxed and with me these last few weeks. I’m starting to think we’ve turned a corner but still keeping everything crossed..!
 
j1ffy said:
We’ve been pottering about at home. Schooled in the wind and rain yesterday and found something that Chilli is genuinely scared of - umbrellas! So that will be some homework over winter. Other than that I’ve been really pleased with him, he’s been far more relaxed and with me these last few weeks. I’m starting to think we’ve turned a corner but still keeping everything crossed..!
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I was leading my old Ardennes out in hand when we came across a guy with a big golfing umbrella. Knowing that me vs a horse designed to pull tree trunks wasn't going to end well I asked nicely if he could put it down because the horse was unsure of it.

He closed it and gave it a really good shake........

Fortunately a tasty grass verge stopped the draft horse towing a small human but I never managed to convince him umbrellas were ok for the rest of his years :-(
 
Chuffy99 said:
We’re going for a play at the new Radley Green xc arena which opens officially tomorrow
Fantastic to have this in Essex, looking forward to it
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Wow just wow, it’s fantastic, huge arena fences of every sort from 50/60 to 100 great water and lots of ditches
Add in a show jumping arena, 60 x 20 dressage (all boards up) and a .6 circular gallop, fabulous toilet and showers and a cafe which will be open at busy times, clinics and camps, we were left open mouthed, daughter said it was like being let loose in a sweetie shop
For those locally it’s very close to the old Norton Heath so easy and accessible and so wonderful for us east Anglians to save us trekking to Hickstead
Apparently lots of clinics and camps upcoming or like us you can hire for£36 an hour
 
I might be able to sneak back into these threads from time to time with my own horse. I don't post about what I do with horses not owned by me, typically.

My youngster, a 2 year old PRE will have his third birthday in May, and we're doing a bit more now. He's doing really well with his long lining/ground driving, and I think we are ready to expand our territory. We have a good stop, start, reverse, and steering. I typically use a side pull (I have the Kieffer Kendra) but he's been introduced to the concept of a bridle and bit. He's doing well in enclosed spaces, so I think we will go around the property now. That might be next weekends plans!

I also want to continue more trick training. He's really impressed me with how he just takes to anything I throw at him whether it's new tack, new surroundings, or some other idea that I have. We've done handwalks on and off the property, and he's easy to handle and load. He comes up to me in the field every time, ready for whatever.

I'm too nervous to get too excited 😬 but maybe I'll pop in here and there.
 
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