Second Weekend of April Plans

SaddlePsych'D

SaddlePsych'D

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A bit cooler here today but the sun is making an appearance so I have a very happy Greyhound gently toasting herself out in the garden.

Fatigue is hanging around although not as bad as last week. Wasn't sure about riding but thought I can always get off if I'm really struggling.

Another great lesson though. All in walk. Not a perfect lesson by any means, it's the progress in my confidence/mindset which I'm really noticing. If I get worried by something (like the horses in the next field running about), I'm much quicker to get my focus back instead of letting it run off to various disaster scenarios. I'm learning to giggle a bit by the horse being a bit nosy at everything and then getting us both 'back in the room'.

Or when Little-not-little Cob has one of his sat nav error moments. For some reason we have a nemesis corner in the arena. Not sure why. He's not spooking I don't think. Just comes in through his inside shoulder and decides we're walking a slightly different way. I'm getting better at pre-empting though and correcting a little quicker. In the past something like that would worry my and I am so much better now at just relaxing, aiming to make the correction, while not getting caught up in various unhelpful thoughts.

I had some nice feedback from my instructor and noticed she kind of sat back a bit this lesson and I rode more independently. Perhaps a sign of my increasing confidence and decreasing likelihood of freaking myself out over nothing 😂
 
I also had a nice lesson mostly in walk! Tiny discussion about our setback last week then was told to LEAVE IT like a dog with a bone which is exactly what I needed.

Started teaching shoulder in on a circle which kept us both mentally busy and aware of our bodies which is the thing I need to be doing when I'm by myself!

Weekend plan is do keep not doing very much until the ghosts of Storm Dave are definitely banished!!
 
Absolutely chucking it down today, we have a weather warning so it will be an evening on the couch.
Theres also a fuel shortage here so no diesel anywhere to be got.
Was meant to go showjumping sunday but my jeep is empty, so unless the garages get diesel Ill be having another weekend off :p
 
Just 2 weeks before Chief goes off for harness training - and the little so-and-so has had to have a whole precious 6 days off games due to getting stung by a bee on the side of his face :eek: Treated with antihistamines and bucket loads of fresh hand picked cleavers, and 🤞🤞tomorrow we can re-start his long reining.
 
Our riding club did a day camp today. 1 x jumping & 1 x flatwork session. It was the smaller outdoor for jumping which was a shame because we have that "trotting cob" issue of needing a bit more space to get a good canter for jumping. We ended up trotting most of it - although clearing 60cm easily from cob trot. BUT i wanted to work on the canter so a bit irritated!

Flatwork was ok. The indoor had a rattling metal door so we had some impressive spooks. I'm fussy about flatwork instructors (most seem to like twiddling around with mouths which is my pet hate) but this was working in open order with lots of bending exercises. Very good practice for competition warm ups having other horses trotting & cantering with us. Been a bit of a nemesis having other horses come towards us, but not too bad today.

Windy on the motorway driving home though. I could feel the lorry being blown around - it was horrible! Such a sense of responsibility with a horse on board too.

@SaddlePsych'D also a cob with a scary corner today. Ride deep into the corner says instructor. Cob snorts and we go round with wrong bend FOR THE ENTIRE HOUR! There was nothing in the corner....
 
SEL said:
@SaddlePsych'D also a cob with a scary corner today. Ride deep into the corner says instructor. Cob snorts and we go round with wrong bend FOR THE ENTIRE HOUR! There was nothing in the corner....
Click to expand...
You cant POSSIBLY know that!!! 😱

Windy as heck here today as well. Attempted a hack and put my big girl brain in and when she was napping at the start I just got off and walked her instead of having an argument. Yes I walked up the big hill but then we had a very nice second half with nobody getting stressed or upset and I could use the exercise also.

And it was a good thing I was walking too as there was a brute of a black lab that ran at us out of his garden barking in a fairly scary way despite me saying my usual cheery "Hello Beautiful arent you a sweet and lovely dog" which usually works. I channeled our beloved @Caol Ila and while I didnt go whole hog I did say HEY and stamp my foot at him, which is as aggressive as I get 😂 worked a treat!
 
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I'm not very dog-tolerant so go from zero to 60 quite quickly when one comes at me. Just don't care. Get the f-- away from my horse, you dumba$$ wolf-like creature, or I will beat you to death with my dressage whip.

Lost my f888in nut a couple weeks ago when a bulldog thing ran towards us. They scare the hell out of me. I am sure everyone in Mugdock Park heard me screaming like a lunatic. Dog was very confused, trying to figure out of this was a big four legged prey animal or a psychotic two-headed monster. Owners eventually gathered it up and were like, "she's really a big softie." Oh, f__ off.

Windy as heck here too. Managed a short and fairly miserable hack (horse was fine....she just gets on with it...it was just miserable when the wind blasted us) + a schooling session. Despite the wind, managed to introduce the vague idea of a walk-canter transition. Getting her to canter after only a step or two of trot. Hadn't tried that before, so was quite pleased with how it went.
 
We went for a cow working day. H has seen cows on a couple of clinics, but that was in 2021. I really wanted to go for my BF, so he could have some fun. Horses are not really his 'thing' but he makes strides forwards, doing fencing, hoof trimming, turning out, hacking etc etc. I think a bot of variety will help keep his interest up.

We did cantering in a big field too but it was so rainy that my phone touch screen wouldn't work to film.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7627910588521336086

And a couple of stills...

670661086_10233633012431116_881422522343072626_n.jpg671057994_10233633013351139_3346212138467318755_n.jpg671955961_10233633012711123_1273418397372398809_n.jpg669839345_10233633013111133_8066879297783075772_n.jpg
 
Another little pootle! There are daffodils in that picture if you zoom in but Sadie is very serious about using phones when operating a moving pony and if my phone is in my hand she's eating grass so no better photos were taken 😂 no barking dogs today!! And only walked the first few minutes till we got used to the wind!
 
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