Not sure whether to post this... weekend plans

Daffodils are the devil according to my connie!!
oh yeah, K would agree o_O

Pink pony riding yesterday. OH now decided it's too cold to harrow as the grass is growing now but the cold nights will knock it back. So I'm spared the tractor duty! for now... I am dying to go for a walk today but obv the usual options are off so K is coming for walkies round the bridlepaths later.

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Stuck supercob and his hairy young brother out in our little turnout paddock this morning. They dont get in there a great deal, it's a swamp when its wet and mostly they just stand and look sad. As they both get plenty of exercise it seems pointless dumping them in there.
Well, it's mostly dried out now and they both had a real good charge about. Might let him have the day off today, he's worked well all week.
I'm going to have to go to a shop today among other things I need milk and there will be no work key or otherwise if I dont get a coffee in the morning
 
Lovely pic MP! She looks to be going very well :)
she's an absolute bloody tinker but she just puts a massive smile on my face every day. we're still dealing with the Spring Demons so she's a spooky wally in the school at home - of all the times to be stuck on site :rolleyes: but she is enjoying her work so long as I don't make her do too much piddling round doing basics ;) I can con her to let me do basics if she thinks we're doing tricks. I am hoping this lockdown period is going to be the opportunity we need to get the 1 tempis installed properly. It breaks everything when we work on them, she gets hot and offers changes all over the place freestyle so it's not a good thing to play with when there are shows in the diary. At the moment we have 5 1s and then she gets croup high and loses her balance, so I need her to let me get her sitting and pinging, and then be able to ride forward into the changes without her pushing up behind. Tricky one! i think perhaps we could do 4 and then collect/sit then forward for another 4 down the long side, that could be a good way forward. I'm going to have to learn how to count 1s now o_O
 
Well I finally bit the bullet and decided to teach my 4 y/o to lunge. I am trying soooo hard to slow down the natural progress of her education so riding is further down the list than it has been previously - she has proved to be lovely to hack out quietly and I really don't want to bore her head off by repeating the same tedious road block now that I don't want to go further afield or play with 3rd gear in various external situations!! Lunging is really not something I tend to do with young horses though in very limited amounts I can see it's value. My winter turnout is now nice and smooth and flat thanks to 14 y/o rolling and harrowing so I dragged out an old French cavesson and we made a start. I am hugely relieved that my little lumper (Welsh D) offered a really quite nice trot each way with only voice commands and then with a little encouragement was able to offer canter on both reins. I kept moving so we were not just circling around and it was interesting to watch her - her balance isn't awful but she needs to develop much more rhythm and consistency all round. I know that will come. I also noticed a rather nice amount of 'push' from behind. Having said that, it was all very untidy in places and a bit wild in others. No matter - that can be worked on gently in a number of ways. We did a few poles (not on the lunge but in hand) and that was fun and I did a tiny few asks in terms of working 'in hand' properly - i.e working with me at her shoulder in halt and walk.

There is so much we can work on and I hope that this work in the field will all help with ridden work in the field at home - again, not something I usually ask of our horses but needs must and she is young so doesn't know our existing 'rules'! Bless her, I have felt sad not to be developing her experience under saddle but I can see that we will still be able to have fun. No pics on this occasion as I have no smartphone and my 'safety monitor' (daughter) had left hers in the house. :) :) Onwards and upwards any way we can...
 
Spring cleaned house and Bob caught his first mouse. He was so delighted he bought it in (very much alive) and released it inside. Now he’s seemingly uninterested in finding it. More interested in the daffodils. Excellent.

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They don't smell for too long as long as you keep the house warm ?

Congratulations on a milestone Bob!
 
Glad to see everyone is managing to keep more or less sane and keeping nags worked in one form or another.

I long reined Bean at the weekend, using raised walk poles quite a lot which she is really enjoying and actually starting to understand. I can already see changes in her bum muscles over the last few weeks of using them so I will be continuing when back to ridden work.

The self carriage is improving no end on the ground, I really hope it translates into the ridden work once I'm back on board. I have thoroughly enjoyed the enforced groundwork, and while I'm itching to get back on I will make sure to continue using the long reins regularly as it's so good to be able to see from the ground how everything is working, and what needs improvement.
 
Big Doofus Horse has decided now would be a great time to remove a shoe ? great. Mare has also pulled a shoe so have sent SOS to farrier. We've not lost shoes in years and the ground is dry now. Blahhhh!!!

In the midst of the shoe related excitement, I thought now would be a good time to do a comparison shot from when we first got him.

To put into context, he had been out in the field for a few weeks from late Nov til around Christmas, and had been quite fit before that. I think though he has matured quite a lot in the time we have had him. Now cutting down on the conditioning feed as do not want him to become a chubster!!! Very pleased though!

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