Rainy Mid-November Weekend Plans

SaddlePsych'D

SaddlePsych'D

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Weather warning for rain here. Perhaps will have first experience of being 'flooded in' to the village. Apparently one road is usually ok but guess we'll find out 😂

Starting this thread on a Thursday because I have been holding in my excitement all week that I'm going to visit my old share horse and her owner tomorrow. Uni friends are having a reunion thing on Saturday so I'm making a couple of days of it.

Stupid rain has scuppered riding plan for tomorrow but hopefully will get to say hello to horse tomorrow then go for a ride Saturday morning. I don't think I have been back since I moved away in 2022 which I feel very guilty about but then life and health have got in the way. I have missed share horse immensely. It will be wonderful to see her and her owner; it really was a great share 😭

Am rather glad I cancelled the lesson I had planned for tomorrow at the RS though!
 
Oh enjoy your reunions, that sounds so lovely!

A few weeks ago I did something similar - my friend and I met up with an old friend from a yard we all grew up at, it’s a riding school too so we knew the owners very well. The chap who owns the place is in his 80s now but we had a good catch up with him and his family. A pony I had on loan from there 15 years ago as a 5yo was still there and going strong, so I understand your excitement!

Weather to be pants here as well, so my plans may be tweaked slightly. Ace will go to treadmill tomorrow anyway, I’ve to go get some hay on Saturday and will hopefully get something done with the lads between downpours both weekend days. Probably get the equibands out on Saturday and do some groundwork / hack on Sunday 🙂
 
Does anyone have any recommendations to keep hair dry while riding - I've got to ride in the storm on Saturday and then go straight out to non-horsey civilisation! I was thinking about pulling my hood up under my hat but not sure how safe that is 😬
 
muddybay said:
Does anyone have any recommendations to keep hair dry while riding - I've got to ride in the storm on Saturday and then go straight out to non-horsey civilisation! I was thinking about pulling my hood up under my hat but not sure how safe that is 😬
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I tuck my hair under my hat silk, does an adequate job!
 
My boys think they have retired! I wanted to do something on Sunday as the weather is better, but I think the ground is going to be to slippy for fresh babies.

So job list consists of,

  • feet trimming for the sheep - 3 who are bigger than me and have opinions differing to mine. OH thinks it's hilarious watching me wrestle with huge heavy balls of damp fleece with attitude.
  • restocking the hay feeder
  • sorting rugs for delicate (not so) little Reggie
Then I think we'll find a country pub for a carvery and a warm drink. I'm so ready to hibernate!
 
muddybay said:
Does anyone have any recommendations to keep hair dry while riding - I've got to ride in the storm on Saturday and then go straight out to non-horsey civilisation! I was thinking about pulling my hood up under my hat but not sure how safe that is 😬
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Some riding rain coats have a hood that's designed to go over a riding hat if you have one?
 
 
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Just got the yellow weather warning 🙃 so Saturday will be whatever can be managed without drowning here too. Time for the bright orange hi vis Reincoat to show it's quality! I need to dig out the pony's version, I've been using the summer orange exercise sheet and I think we definitely need the waterproof one at this point!

Sunday a friend has a dressage day riding 2 so will go play groom, have a natter, drink coffee and cheer on and squeeze in a hack before or after.
 
muddybay said:
Does anyone have any recommendations to keep hair dry while riding - I've got to ride in the storm on Saturday and then go straight out to non-horsey civilisation! I was thinking about pulling my hood up under my hat but not sure how safe that is 😬
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I got one of the Rein coat high viz jackets. It was in the sale and the hood goes right over my hat/hair. Mine is the lightweight and my normal jacket stays on.

I've been rubbish this past week, we were on holiday again last weekend, but had such a good time, we decided to let the plane go without us and stay a while longer. Only got home late on Wednesday night, fetched the horse yesterday and managed a ride out on the stubble.

It was just a weekend Fri-Mon in Lanzarote, but I had a go at diving on Saturday and decided I wanted to do it again.

I did a post on another page, about confidence, I'll find it...

Red-1 said:
I guess I'm one of those who you would say was confident. I actually do have wobbles like anyone else, but have the experience to not feel out of control and therefore manage and even enjoy it. I wonder if it is about not being in control of the horse or not being in control of yourself?

Last night, we came back from a holiday. I've been learning to dive. At the moment, I'm not really enjoying it! I like the bits where it goes well, when the sea is beautiful and I see an octopus or a sea horse. But, at the moment, my inner script is more about the water that has ingressed into the mask, or the dryness of the air making me cough, or that I am not in control of my buoyancy.

My boyfriend learned in mid summer. Took him 3 days to qualify and he loves it. Never worries about the fact that you can't breathe under water. He now does the sort of diving where you can't come straight up but have to wait at a staging point to equalise the pressure. I can't think of much worse than being stuck under water, choking or whatever, and not being able to surface. I did a little dive when he did his first but felt awful and only did that one dive.

We did another holiday since, where he dived and I did not, but he wished I'd been with him and, tbh, I was a bit jealous of the fun he was having and the photos and videos. I decided to give it another go, on this latest holiday.

I knew I'd find it difficult, so, before this holiday, I went to a swimming pool to try again somewhere controlled. A bit like being on the lunge I guess LOL. I told them I'd failed once and they were great. I was ages in the shallow end, where I could simply stand up if I wanted, and went through the routines of what to do in an emergency. Mask off and on, regulator out and in again. I felt OK, and went to the bottom in the deep end and was OK.

On holiday, my first dive was with a lovely lady who again went really slowly and did the routines. It was on a sloping beach and we gradually went deeper so I could deal with any water ingress and equalise ear pressure. I had a FAB dive, looked at fish, really enjoyed it. So much so that the original weekend break was elongated to allow me another chance at diving in a more challenging way.

Our hotel was fully booked so we had to move resort for the extra nights and therefore used a different dive company. The second company arranged for me to have 1-1 tuition in the morning and dive off a boat with my boyfriend in the afternoon.

This was different. It was in a marina and I had to swim to a buoy and go straight down a rope, to 5m. He pulled a toggle on my BA and I was going down. My mask filled with water, my ears had pressure. Both needed attending to. I felt in danger and out of my comfort zone. The mask felt awful - water up my nose etc, and I cleared that first. Sadly, my ears should have been my priority and they still hurt today.

The man wasn't incorrect in anything he did, but I had my confidence shattered. I followed his instructions but after a while asked to surface and simply said that this is not for me. I didn't feel safe. He talked me round and I did continue, having re-done the safety protocols. I did do the afternoon trip, simply because I wanted photos LOL. It was exhilarating, somersaulting backwards off the boat, going to 12m, but I didn't really enjoy it. A couple of issues arose with another diver and my breathing equipment, and although I managed, I wasn't feeling confident.

Now I don't know if I want to do it again. I'm sitting here with a sore ear, I didn't feel safe, I didn't enjoy it.

I have booked to go back to a swimming pool to do the protocols again and decide if I wish to continue.

It made me double down on how important a trainer is to go at your pace, in riding too. How we need many good experiences and to know what to do when things go wrong. To feel comfortable.

I won't ever be a carefree diver but would like to persist just to be able to join my boyfriend on some tourist dives.

I write all this as I see many parallels in diving and horse riding. There is a clear and persistent danger in both. One you could fall and die, the other drown and die. Or just be scared and injured. Both are really silly hobbies, TBH, but also both can be exciting and rewarding if we get it right. Both physical and give beauty. Both can have a trainer within touching distance, and the trainer can't necessarily make you safe even if they are in physical contact with you.

Both need you to be able to react and avoid panic. It is an inner job.

With one, I feel confident and in control. With the other, I was a baby and incompetent. Very different feelings.
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Anyway, this is a photo from the afternoon dive...

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I feel satisfaction at managing the inner game but I'm still not sure I exactly enjoyed it LOL/

We also did a horse ride on the way back to the airport. We've ridden here before. I'm sure many will criticise the bitting and less than Ideal saddlery, bit all I can say is that the horses all looked well and, even better, were volunteering for their work. One even broke loose and ran to the mounting block unassisted, and when no one came, he went down the line of tourists to see who'd have him.

The horses do 2 rides out a day, morning and evening, and do a lot of canter. They were fit and well though. Most of them, I recognised from the year before.

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As with last year, I'd happily have brought both horses home with me! As with last time, my BF had a horse who'd happily go steadily but would push on when asked. I had one who was a bit more go, but polite enough that I could get my phone out and video whilst following in canter.

We also hired pedal bikes, swam, danced, etc etc.

I only got the boys back yesterday but took H out for a canter in the stubble. He'd been clipped while I was away and he looks fabulous! He also had a lot more go with the fluff taken off!

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I had intended to give H a jump in the arena this aft, but the fields are looking sodden so I cleared the arena of jumps and he is now using it as winter turnout.

Rigs was also clipped and looks stunning.

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His field holds up a bit better, so he is still out. He needed clipping as his long hairs get caught in the girth if un-clipped and that makes him grumpy! He is happy ridden when his hair isn't being pulled. If left wild, his undercarriage hair goes to about 4-5 inches and waves in the breeze 🤭

No plans for this weekend. I'm exhausted from holiday. I need a holiday at home to recover!
 
NADA here, thankfully as we're in the middle of the amber rain warning. Schools are closed, roads are closed, there is lots of localised flooding and the river in town has the flood defences up.

Boys are in the stables for the day and will go back out this evening to their field shelter.

A good weekend to be indoors- thankfully we have a roast and cinema booked for Sunday!
 
I have continued to tick Maddie over this week. A couple of ridden sessions, plus the treadmill, and practising some more TRT stuff. I find it quite hard at home as my arena is very exposed, and on the side of a hill, and there is always so much else for her to focus on - very different to when we have done the clinics in an indoor school. But we are making progress, and her focussing on me/the job in hand, is one of the reasons we are doing it. Day off today due to Claudia. Not sure about tomorrow as husband is playing in his band at the Christmas light switch on, so we need to go into town by lunch time, and it will be dark by the time we are home. On Sunday I am dressage writing at Wellington in the morning, including for some music classes which is always a nice change. Will lunge, including poles on my return. Have a good weekend all, whatever you are up to!
 
I have a competition plans!!! It’s 8 years since I took BBP to his last competition, I stepped him away from competing after that, then retired him all together in 2020 and lost him in 2024. The Connemara and arab don’t intend to be competition horses just yet…or ever.., so my little 2yo Shetland is stepping up to the plate to have a go at his first ever in hand trec!😄 Just for the experience, no pressure, just pottering around being adorable hopefully. But he is quite feisty and can buck like a rodeo bronc so we will see!
 
We got away lightly with the rain looking at some photos, but yesterday I'd normally hack instead I abandoned them to their field.

Recorded a very nice prelim test on the hooligan today for e-riders. Just watched it and I've missed an entire circle out! Thought it felt a bit short. So we won't be uploading it, but I am impressed at how balanced his canter is now. I'm in a field, its slippery and its a 20m circle at B then round C / A end and up the diagonal to trot at X. No way was he balanced enough to do that on both reins 6 months ago. Lots of hard work paying off.

He then got to play at bounce fences and after 3 weeks the brain & legs have made the connection! Still on pony strides but he is only 14.2 🥰
 
Managed a hack today! Missed the whole rest of the yard going out, so 6 with 4 teens and sounded like I should be glad I did. Chaos day, everyone cross 😂 our little solo dander was a bit chaotic as well tbh, there were cows yelling so loud I now understand why a bull horn is called that and Sadie didn't like that one bit. But just led past them, hopped back on and the jiggy jog home was mostly just because it started raining. Very pleased considering she hasn't hacked alone in weeks!
BBP2 said:
I have a competition plans!!! It’s 8 years since I took BBP to his last competition, I stepped him away from competing after that, then retired him all together in 2020 and lost him in 2024. The Connemara and arab don’t intend to be competition horses just yet…or ever.., so my little 2yo Shetland is stepping up to the plate to have a go at his first ever in hand trec!😄 Just for the experience, no pressure, just pottering around being adorable hopefully. But he is quite feisty and can buck like a rodeo bronc so we will see!
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Pictures mandatory BBP2!!
 
BBP2 said:
I don’t know about that! He has taken the classic small pony approach to competition prep by being as muddy and full of arena sand as is possible, and then being so wet there is no possibility of making him clean. Just as well we aren’t going showing!!
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Pictures from far away is fine. If you tell us he's meant to be the colour he is we will believe you
 
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Nice morning here, so got both the lads out in the arena. I try and do similar things with them, but sort of scaled depending on what I think is within their current capabilities eg Charmer has had a tendon injury, so I am taking things particularly slowly with him. OH is back next week which will mean I can safely get out hacking again too 😃

Anyway, today’s exercise was walk poles. I incorporated it into the warm up for both of them, then for Ace I built it up to trotting into them, coming back to walk a couple of strides before the poles, then resuming trot. Was good for encouraging a quick transition and kept the walk purposeful. Eventually I built it to cantering up to them, trotting a few strides, then walk, back up to trot, back up to canter. Leg yields on the long side in both trot and canter.

For Charmer, we spent much longer in walk, doing loads of walk halt walk transitions, then adding in the poles. For him, we did some trot walk trot with the poles too, some nice leg yielding as well and that was us!

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They’re pleased to be in this paddock. Queen Bee is still a wee bit tender on the foot that had the abscess, so she’s convalescing in the double-sized field shelter right next to this paddock.
 
smolmaus said:
Pictures from far away is fine. If you tell us he's meant to be the colour he is we will believe you
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Turns out no photos anyway as black pony in a dark arena on a dark surface wasn’t really conducive to photography. Which is just as well as apparently my brain couldn’t count to 10 anymore and I completely missed one obstacle so eliminated myself. Whoopsie! But it wasn’t about that, it was about the experience. And he was ace. Loaded perfectly, travelled perfectly, unloaded and came out bold confident and curious. Had a go at everything, said hello to everyone including the venue cats. Perfect pony. I wish I had gone down the route of mini Shetlands over ridden horses decades ago!😂

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BBP2 said:
Turns out no photos anyway as black pony in a dark arena on a dark surface wasn’t really conducive to photography. Which is just as well as apparently my brain couldn’t count to 10 anymore and I completely missed one obstacle so eliminated myself. Whoopsie! But it wasn’t about that, it was about the experience. And he was ace. Loaded perfectly, travelled perfectly, unloaded and came out bold confident and curious. Had a go at everything, said hello to everyone including the venue cats. Perfect pony. I wish I had gone down the route of mini Shetlands over ridden horses decades ago!😂

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Omg he is stunning 😍
Sounds like a good day out, shame about the missed obstacle!
 
I did swimming yesterday, it was bloomin' freezing!

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I did also ride H briefly, on the arena. He is freshly clipped and feels less laid back! However, he was foot perfect.

In the evening, I took my 'buddy' for the switching on of the city's Xmas lights. There were many attractions! I am an Independent Visitor for social services, for kids in care. It is a voluntary role. I recommend it as not only does it help the kids to have an outing, it also means I get to do fab fun stuff that I otherwise wouldn't.

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Today, we cycled out for breakfast then rode the boys out. Both had a good time and were perfect boys.

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Again, I used to do posh and fun stuff. Now we just mosey about!
 
BBP2 said:
Turns out no photos anyway as black pony in a dark arena on a dark surface wasn’t really conducive to photography. Which is just as well as apparently my brain couldn’t count to 10 anymore and I completely missed one obstacle so eliminated myself. Whoopsie! But it wasn’t about that, it was about the experience. And he was ace. Loaded perfectly, travelled perfectly, unloaded and came out bold confident and curious. Had a go at everything, said hello to everyone including the venue cats. Perfect pony. I wish I had gone down the route of mini Shetlands over ridden horses decades ago!😂

View attachment 169294
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His little snip 😭😭 i would die for him

We just did a quick hack today, wasn't great, all horses feeling antsy and annoyed for ???? Reasons ???? And confirmed Sadie is eating bedding again and refusing to let her flipping cough go away so she's lucky she missed bonfire night or she would be at risk of being kebabs. Horses are stupid.
 
Yesterday after poo picking & haynet filling I opted not to even go & acknowledge the existence of the pony & went home to hibernate (& buy SS presents)

Today spent most of poo picking time being pestered by pony. Then I clipped another horse on the yard, discovered I need retraining on how to do lines (as apparently now too used to full clips so out of practice) and then decided I’d best introduce the pony to the small clippers so rubbed them all over him whilst running. Not convinced he actually noticed. Next step might be to take a tiny strip off his chest / underneath neck at some point when we get a dry spell. Sooooo tempted to try and clip a little reindeer head into his bum for Xmas now I’ve got some A5s that’ll take a toe blade but possibly not the most ideal introduction to clippers as would require stillness!

Then took him out for another solo walk. No grass diving today which is an improvement!

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Here he is watching the digger doing something behind the hedge whilst he tried to figure out what it was and why it was there.
 
BBP2 said:
He’s the absolute best. Him and his bro are just the coolest most fun little ponies. And I’ve always wanted a pony with a star and a snip, so childhood dream realised!
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I really want a tiny mini Darcy plus my husband's friends have 4 little horse mad girls. I suggested this as a plan and that he could take them all for walks and he turned his nose up at the walking aspect..... But not a chariot 😅
 
Managed a really fun hack on Saturday, Amber was foot perfect and we had our most solo canters to date.
Sunday dragged hubby to the yard with me to take photos of my new saddle to send off to fitter to check fit; then schooled really nicely, improvement needed in travers and renvers but she was completely settled and gave her best shot. So that's our winter project under way.
 
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