Scorching hot Weekend Plans!

Had a jump on my boy (first one since eye removal back in Feb!) yesterday morning which was amazing! Hacked up on the downs this morning, found a field with good grass cover on the bridleway so had a nice canter up the hill. He is being shod at lunchtime so day off tomorrow so I am going to pick up my trailer from having a bit of a refurb (new floor, decals etc) and service. All going to plan we will have our first outing in it next weekend!
 
Good luck to everyone competing and I hope those not competing enjoy themselves :). Rather you than me in that getup Cortez!

I had an early start to the weekend when a friend came up from London to visit me and Mads yesterday. They had a nice ride around the bottom common and Mad was very well behaved - always a plus ;). She did manage to pull both front hoof boots off within about 2 minutes so I left them off - the path to the common is very rocky with some sharp stones but she didn't struggle on them at all and just marched on. When she was shod she'd limp her way down this path because of the stones so it's like a totally different horse! She's also no longer showing signs of EMS so I've no idea what's going on there but am keeping an eye on her.

The airshow in Swansea this weekend means that the main road I use to get to the yard will be shut and all the other roads will be super busy so I'm not sure if I'll make it up there. If I do she's having a bath :p.
 
My clinic has been cancelled due to the heat, so both horses can have a bath this afternoon. The Appy enjoys them, but I get more wet than the Ardennes when we do his. Hoping he'll be hot enough to enjoy it rather than stomp around in a huff.

Saddle fitter out for the Appy on Sunday morning. Hoping she'll be early looking at the temperatures. Riding pretty limited when you have a horse that doesn't sweat :mad:
 
We've just withdrawn from Eland. So think we may pop over and watch some jumping at British Masters instead. Aria will be relieved !
 
A quiet one for us, no plans so just riding at home. Good luck to all competing and have fun to those riding at home or in lessons/clinics. Hope everyone manages to stay safe and comfortable in the heat :)
 
Am out tomorrow doing the discovery, need a nice confidence building round so will see how we get on!
Day off Sunday I would have thought
 
Took the new girl out yesterday and she's certainly an old head on young shoulders.

Got to work Saturday :( but going showing sunday. Wanted to take the big lad to do the workers but taking the appy instead to do in hand in case its as silly hot as it was the other day. He was sweating stood in the field so didn't think it would be fair really to do the riddens.
 
I am taking Baby Cob to a combined training (intro/50cm). I messaged the centre and it sounds like they are going to insist on jackets!
 
Ooft... I hope they let you take jackets off tomorrow [deleted user]- if I have to wear mine tomorrow I won’t be jumping as it’ll be lunchtime before my class starts.

Beau was good today in his lesson even though it was boiling. My trainer ended up having a play instead of me jumping ;) so we’ll be sticking to the 1.05m tomorrow (assuming I don’t melt).

On a side note, the arena builders have been dropping off plant equipment ready to start our new arena on Monday so in 2 weeks we should have a lovely outdoor to ride in so we don’t melt in the indoor. :)
 
Phew :cool3: it's hot out there.

What are we all up to?

Kira had a fab lesson yesterday so has a few quiet days because it was REALLY hot and she worked her socks off. Salty had the physio this morning so she's also on a quiet day or 2.

Saturday we have a lesson with Simon Battram (see Step Into Dressage) which i'm looking forward to, decided to take Kira as Salty is making a bit of good progress at home but will probably ask Simon to help with some in hand work rather than ridden.

Sunday supporting a friend at her first Area Festival.

Tuesday Kira is off to Kings for another PSG.

Have fun everyone :)

See you at the OB1 clinic. What time are you on? I’m at 12.
Can’t wait!!!
 
Well I was going to do a fun ride on Sunday.... but I've just found out my MOT expired in May, so I'm not going anywhere now :D :D Whoops....
 
See you at the OB1 clinic. What time are you on? I’m at 12.
Can’t wait!!!

Oh bum, didn't see this until now! I watched a bit of your lesson, your horse is gorgeous :) Hope you enjoyed it.

I really found mine a useful session, I had asked to do in hand work and to see if he could help me to find a way to develop Kira's half steps from the ground. We started with doing some lateral work in hand which Kira was really good at when he demonstrated, and very willing with my cack-handed efforts ;) Bit of practice needed but I think we will incorporate this into her general training.

Then he identified what was going on with the half steps -she IS reactive enough but pushes herself out of balance because the steps get too big and too keen *before* you ask her to quicken behind, and so she ends up on the shoulders, against the hand and if you keep her straight then she gets stuck :o so the key is to make her stay small and waiting before asking, then ask for the quickness and allow with the hand and then she's away :) lightbulb moment! Seems so obvious but from the saddle you can't really tell how much she gets away right at the start. Really good fun.
 
Thats brilliant MP! I had a fantastic lightbulb moment in the piaffe in my last lesson (not with Simon), I absolutely love it when you get those revelations.
 
Well, I went splat for the first time in ages... my fault but he didn’t exactly help me out. The last bloody fence as well.

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It was going so well up until then but hey ho...

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Dad and T managed a double clear and 7th in the novice but Ellie had a bit of a hissy fit coming into 5 and ended up being eliminated. So not our day today...
 
Well, I went splat for the first time in ages... my fault but he didn’t exactly help me out. The last bloody fence as well.

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It was going so well up until then but hey ho...

Must be something in the air today - I went splat too, but my photo is less in focus (and less obvious) than yours... Oh and my jumps are a lot smaller (and out of shot here as I clung on for half an arena :p)

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Yup, all good :)

My hat must have hit the bridge of my nose when I landed as it started bleeding but apart from that and the surprising amount of surface in my breeches I’m fine ;)

Think I jinxed myself by saying it had been ages since I’d had a miss at a fence :D

our round minus the splat
[video=youtube_share;3ahQohCB3wo]https://youtu.be/3ahQohCB3wo[/video]

Oh dear JFTD... hope it wasn’t a sore one :eek:
 
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Oh bum, didn't see this until now! I watched a bit of your lesson, your horse is gorgeous :) Hope you enjoyed it.

I really found mine a useful session, I had asked to do in hand work and to see if he could help me to find a way to develop Kira's half steps from the ground. We started with doing some lateral work in hand which Kira was really good at when he demonstrated, and very willing with my cack-handed efforts ;) Bit of practice needed but I think we will incorporate this into her general training.

Then he identified what was going on with the half steps -she IS reactive enough but pushes herself out of balance because the steps get too big and too keen *before* you ask her to quicken behind, and so she ends up on the shoulders, against the hand and if you keep her straight then she gets stuck :o so the key is to make her stay small and waiting before asking, then ask for the quickness and allow with the hand and then she's away :) lightbulb moment! Seems so obvious but from the saddle you can't really tell how much she gets away right at the start. Really good fun.

Thank you so much, Simon called her a little poppet, which I think sums her up nicely. He gave me some really good pointers and exercises to work on. I loved it.
Sounds like you had a great lesson. I saw you in the school but I was too busy getting Mids settled to see any of your work. Hoping to go back again in September, hopefully the drive home won’t be so hot then!
 
Hope thoae who took a tumble are ok and its not catching! I am going xc schooling tomorrow (very early due to this crazy weather!).

Did very hot dressage today, and I am going to blame my forgetting the test not once, but 2.5 times (one movement i mostly forgot but knew where i had to end up). Gutted as for the first time ever in a test horse stayed in front of my leg. Even with my brain disaster I still managed 67% ish.

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Sack the jockey!!!
 
Hope the fallers are feeling ok.
Not a huge report but I hacked my mare today. It was the first time since she has been turned out. I hacked her while she was on box rest and it was pretty explosive. But pleased to report a chilled walk in the sun. Fingers crossed she continues to be sane and sound.
 
Skye and I spent today getting very sweaty and hot tearing about a polocrosse pitch, getting her first signing off so she can play again. Realised she's learned to push into other horses too well - she now actively looks for a horse to slam into and sit on which isn't ideal when you want to chase the ball or actually move away from the opposition! :eek3: I have also lost the limited ability to catch I once had, but gained the ability to do decent 10m penalty throws, which is frankly a bit weird!

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But all in all, not too bad at all, given that I can't turn my head to the left properly, and my right hip feels like it's making a bid for freedom, and plotting to set up as an independent entity. I'm too old for this hitting the deck business!
 
Great day yesterday. Went to offchurch bury for their be90. Amazing ground, everywhere inc warm ups watered all week- just super. Boggles jockey was on him today. Hot cocky dressage where he cantered four times during trot work so 39. Sj was such a shame, he was jumping the best I’ve seen from him so far but we had kept him in rubber dressage bit which he ran through, wouldn’t come back to trot to change legs for a bit oxer, knocked it and then got a fright and took out the next jumps wing as he drifted left! So not a great score on paper but he finished the second half of the course fantastic, so pleased he pulled it together after an upset so quick

And a superb clear xc, second 90 and be just skips around finding it so easy!

Holiday for him now :)



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Wasn't going to post as on Saturday I was certain we would withdraw due to ground but when I went to walk to course it was clear the organisers had put a lot of effort into keeping it good :) so we went to Aske Hall for the BE90. He did a sweet and safe test on a downhill arena next to the road so I was happy with 32, popped nicely round the show jumping for a clear and stormed the cross country as if it was nothing so we finished on our dressage score for 2nd place :)
He's having a quite few weeks now until Burgham at the end of July
 
Hope the tumblers are less sore today :)
lots of great pics this week, well done everyone :D

VERY long hot day at area festival yesterday being general dogsbody for a friend, totally worth it as she was placed and did her first mounted prize giving. Lovely of Allens Hill to do a mounted one and a well organised day all round. Will still take about 4 days to cool down though, the sun was punishing! ;) Glad my tails are softshell, as I'm at a show tomorrow myself and would not fancy dragging my wool coat on :p
 
Big mare came with a swollen leg saturday night so no show for her :( Hopefully she'll sort herself out before the next county show but we'll see. Little yearling went great in the yearling class then decided that there was an invisible monster in the ring for her other 2 classes so spent one refusing to go and the other being okish lol. She found her legs again in the championship though :)

Eventful evening with an outside mare coming in to cover unexpectedly. Went to take the other mare out from the stallion ( she's flightly and I'm not convinced her eyesight is 100% but the owner thinks she's fine) resulted in mare bolting blind through electric fence and dragging handler with her. I got an electric pole to the face and somehow (don't laugh) rope burn from the tape on my bum. Friend has some on his legs. Mare was ok though
 
Hope everyone coped with the heat on the weekend & didn't pass out in thick jackets ;)
We had a great show on Saturday there was a brilliant strong breeze on the show ground all day so we didn't get too hot at all! 1st 2nd & 2nd in our hunter classes - first time we had been out in a while! My cheesy grin says it all!!

Well done everyone, love seeing all the photos




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After swithering about going out to play in this heat it was just after midnight that the decision was made. I was getting up at 5am to bath the Wee Coloured Job! He was not best amused! And it showed. We arrived with 10mins to spare which isn't enough when he needs a good 10 min run out as well as sprucing up! So his first class he went round with his ear back being a grumpy toad! But he won it! So that was the M&M class. Then came the Senior Handlers in which we were 3rd. I'm going to have to stop doing these classes as my reputation is going down hill! I won all bar 1 of the child handler classes I did in my youth so coming 3rd (2nd last time out) is not good!

We went home for a few hours and then back for the championships in the evening where Lance won the Overall M&M Championship over 2 ridden Welsh C's that have previously qualified for HOYS and have been knocking on the door all season so far. He then went on to stand Overall Skewbald Champion over all of the cobs etc. Nothing in the Supreme but my class judge that was fighting my corner against the other 2 judges had to go home before that. But hey! It was a good day! And by the end of it I think Lance had forgiven me for the early morning cold bath as he did the whole evening with his ears pricked!

For a 5yo stallion he is such a dude!

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