HufflyPuffly
Well-Known Member
Topaz first, we've been ambling along quite nicely. We went off to the area festival at Myerscough, got up super early for the arena walk where Topaz was actually fairly relaxed, but for her to have an attack of the spooky monster when we came in for the test... So an unfortunate tense test with some very harsh scoring going on! Fair enough my test was never going to be a top ten, but at about the mid way point only about half the class had a +60% score 
, so at least I was not alone 
. However despite a low score I was still pleased with her as she stayed much more ridable despite being tense, so I still think we're heading in the right direction.
We then went out this weekend for our final Team Quest, she was a little odd really with a bit of unnecessary leaping about in the warm up but came out for the test really calm and forward? Nice test I felt, as she felt really onside and swinging along to post another fab score of 70.76% to win the novice section again! Three outings at team quest this year and three individual wins and three team thirds
.
Picture to finish the season with, thanks to Anthony P. Holt:
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Topaz is still on restricted rations but that bum ain't for shifting, thankfully she does not look quite so rotund from the side and front .
She booked in for the practise day at Aintree now, and will hopefully get out to a comp as well before the area festival there, so Topaz vs AF round two can commence.
Then the other news which I may be slightly more over-excited about. Skylla's abscess's seem to be starting to finally clear so we're cracking on! I've bought her, her own saddle so when that arrived it was all systems go. She's started long-reining, and in true Skylla fashion after the inital woah whats going on it's like she's been doing it for years! We can trot figures of eights, stop, go, turn, go sideways etc etc . She's out round the lanes, and after about a minute our leader realised she wasn't really needed and could step away from her and Skylla went it alone with no issues, she really is being a total star! It's making it harder to keep a steady pace with her progress as she is so laid back about it all .
We've also been introducing leaning over, we started leaning over her a few weeks ago and she's been fine stood still but a little more unsettled about it on the move, so we've taken things a little more slowly with her here. A couple of days ago we had a nice break though and she did her first nice calm steps with me leaning over, and ever since shes not reacted at all about being used as a resting post, she must have got over my vast weight on her now . Then last night I had my first proper sit on her, astride! Very proud and now she knows whats going on she seems fine about it all, the next stage is to get in the school and put it all together, but as long as we're calm and confident with her I think she will take to it all just fine. Anytime she looks anxious we will take a step back and go over it until shes happy again.
After a long reining session, modelling our new spaceman boots
Debating what these weird humans are doing to her now!
Being sat on!!!!
Thanks for reading x x
, so at least I was not alone . However despite a low score I was still pleased with her as she stayed much more ridable despite being tense, so I still think we're heading in the right direction.We then went out this weekend for our final Team Quest, she was a little odd really with a bit of unnecessary leaping about in the warm up but came out for the test really calm and forward? Nice test I felt, as she felt really onside and swinging along to post another fab score of 70.76% to win the novice section again! Three outings at team quest this year and three individual wins and three team thirds
.Picture to finish the season with, thanks to Anthony P. Holt:
Topaz is still on restricted rations but that bum ain't for shifting
, thankfully she does not look quite so rotund from the side and front .She booked in for the practise day at Aintree now, and will hopefully get out to a comp as well before the area festival there, so Topaz vs AF round two can commence
.Then the other news which I may be slightly more over-excited about
. Skylla's abscess's seem to be starting to finally clear so we're cracking on! I've bought her, her own saddle so when that arrived it was all systems go. She's started long-reining, and in true Skylla fashion after the inital woah whats going on it's like she's been doing it for years! We can trot figures of eights, stop, go, turn, go sideways etc etc . She's out round the lanes, and after about a minute our leader realised she wasn't really needed and could step away from her and Skylla went it alone with no issues, she really is being a total star! It's making it harder to keep a steady pace with her progress as she is so laid back about it all . We've also been introducing leaning over, we started leaning over her a few weeks ago and she's been fine stood still but a little more unsettled about it on the move, so we've taken things a little more slowly with her here. A couple of days ago we had a nice break though and she did her first nice calm steps with me leaning over, and ever since shes not reacted at all about being used as a resting post
, she must have got over my vast weight on her now . Then last night I had my first proper sit on her, astride! Very proud and now she knows whats going on she seems fine about it all, the next stage is to get in the school and put it all together, but as long as we're calm and confident with her I think she will take to it all just fine. Anytime she looks anxious we will take a step back and go over it until shes happy again.After a long reining session, modelling our new spaceman boots
Debating what these weird humans are doing to her now!
Being sat on!!!!
Thanks for reading x x
