Soggy Jan weekend plans

j1ffy

j1ffy

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I thought I'd setup a weekend thread before we accidentally jump on a 2025 one again 🤣

Having said that, there's not a lot happening here - lesson this PM then pottering about Saturday and Sunday. I've felt on the edge of a cold for most of the winter so I think I'll try to get some R&R!

Anyone got anything fun planned?
 
I was going to take part in the local endurance group hack and chat, but to be honest with the forecast so bad I've pulled out and am just going to hack local both days. Saturday my daughter will ride standie and me endurance arab pony and then Sunday daughter has plans and I'll ride standie. Aiming to do at least 6 miles both days.
 
I've been ill all week with a cold that went to my tonsils and chest. Thankfully started turning the corner yesterday and was able to go for my lesson today.

Very proud of myself for taking a 'just give it a try' approach, in the wet and windy weather. The horse I was riding is a good one for when I'm nervous because you have to really concentrate. When my brain tried to throw up various negative scenarios, it was actually easier to go 'shush brain I am riding!' because otherwise you miss something and the next thing you're heading in the wrong direction. Not at speed, which makes him great to teach me, but just enough that I really was having to focus to keep on track. To go from being nervous about getting on at the beginning to nearly asking to try a little trot at the end, in crappy weather conditions and at the tail end of a crap week. Very pleased with that and came away feeling like I smashed it!
 
Brief lunchtime hack today - was going to ride before work but it was raining so went into work early and ride at lunchtime. Was raining as I tacked up, stopped raining and nice sunshine, then horizontal gale force wind for about 2 minutes, followed by sun, followed by rain, followed by hail, all in about 30 minutes. Then back to work and drying all my wet gear! Hopefully go for a couple of hacks over the weekend. Have fun all.
 
SOOOOO soggy here.
Hacking for us tomorrow and polework at home for everyone Sunday - varying levels between young one's first play with poles under saddle, one young one with one session under his belt and finally experienced adult horse who had been moved to be my mum's hack but has firmly told us the last 2 weeks he is ready to come back to proper work!
 
Taking pink NF for yet another in hand hack whilst avoiding rain - the sooner he loses those final molar caps the better, so we can move on to long reining. He's such a chilled out sweetheart I am enjoying every minute and it builds our confidence in preparation for when he is finally learning to pull my carriage 🩷 🎉
 
I hacked this morning, first time for what feels like forever due to every weekend recently being icy or torrential rain. Horse was 'forward going' is the polite term I think. Tomorrow I am also doing Working Equitation. It's an indoor winter series with Guy Robertson which has been fabulous so far. I've booked on his April camp with Isaac Ares Rio, quite excited about that.
 
Enjoying the 18 degrees weather here! It had been raining for weeks and weeks but it’s finally dried up, the horses are out and Atlas is loving the sun on his back. He was sweating just stood in his stable having grown a Colorado mountain appropriate coat so I took it all off, and to avoid all the har when he starts to shed as I’m so allergic!

I’m relieved and so is he!

I have a saddle fitter coming in a week so I’m hopeful I will at least get some guidance on what could work for him and then I can get on board finally.


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gave lily a nice warm bath today, omg what a game changer!!! the best money i’ve ever spent, she wasn’t dancing about the whole time and i wasn’t in hell with cold water going down my sleeves every 2 seconds!🤣

so she’s clean and tucked up ready for a show tomorrow…she’s not and never will be a “show” pony, but i’d really like to be able to do some equitation classes etc without her losing her mind!

last show was nearly 2 years ago, where the steward said “credit to you for handling her!” when she’s usually the sweetest poppet on the ground🙈 biting me, mini rears, the full works, and to this day i’m none the wiser as to what set her off as i couldn’t have picked a better opportunity to start if i tried🤣

so fingers crossed!! she’s been to the venue multiple times for dressage, so hopefully she’ll keep her cool!
 
25671.jpgjust hacking for me going gentle as we're experimenting with some ventipulmin as I've been struggling to get her fitter and she gets out of breath quickly although never anything worrying/acute/cough etc. So had the vet for a bit of a mini performance work up and she noticed a bit of an exercise induced wheeze... any hoo either the twice daily feed or the meds have turned her back into the spooky mess of 2 years ago. She has plenty of energy and she's gets much less out of breath but now we have melt downs at pedestrians and try to bog off home. I need to keep riding as that's the only time you notice the breathing to see if its helping. If the ventipulmin isn't the answer she'll needs scope and a referral next, but now I feel like in trying to 'fix' her and make her feel better I've broken her brain🫣
 
stayed dry :) (it threatened) and we were 3rd despite one stop which demonstrated the amount of issues everyone else had! So it was worth the time spend clipping all his hair off yesterday 🤣 which also meant he then looked clean.


we then provided great amusement where I tried to provide a lead for a friend and stoopid welsh (organisers very nice about it!) confused mine over what we were aiming for, he stopped and I ended up staying on but in front of the saddle. I have not previously known quite how hard it is to push yourself back from that and I wasn't sure I could dismount either 🤣🤣 bless him for just waiting. He's a good egg and had a lovely jolly time of it.

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Despite what feels like endless rain, managed not to get wet at all! Finally feel like I am getting to grips with my new boy now, after a slightly rocky start where I totally lost my nerve 😭. But, with a bit of outside help, and very accommodating yard manager, I have remembered that I can actually ride and things are rapidly picking up 😊. Had 2 good sessions in the school and a nice hack out with friends, very pleased!

Have signed up for WE camp in March which should be nice and good education for him.
 
We got out for 2 decent hacks over the weekend, 4 miles yesterday and 8 today, both hilly and starting to incorporate some trot work to increase the average pace. Daughter rode standie both days and me punky endurance pony, who didn’t roll this weekend and only threw one moderate buck in today when we hit open fields and started trotting! Weather looks to continue wet this week but aiming to get out wed and thurs and possibly to a local gallops next weekend to have a look at standies faster pace and canter!
 
Got saddle on today as friend needed company and I can't very well be too tired and headachy to help someone out, can I? 😭 very good girls on the way out, the way back both of them were competing for who could jiggy jog and snort the most. Friends mare being 19 and coming back from lameness! 🙃

Anyway the universe gave me a gift for being a good person. In our colour? And just left in the road??? Yoink. Will store many rugs!!!! 😈
 
After being so incredibly well-behaved last weekend this weekend saw a return to tense and spooky so just a short walk hack on Sat and a short school session on Sunday although did manage to try out new snaffle and mecate reins so not a total loss.
 
First show of the year and first high profile of the year!

Rooni a really good boy - we had errors in both half piris in the PSG dropped to 64%+, but was really pleased with the rest of it. Came back much better for the inter 1 for a silver win and second overall with 68%+ ⭐️

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My position is a little off but I was trying to ride for my absolute life and trying a few new things, bare with me 🤦🏼‍♀️
 
Can I join in as I am sure my non-horsey friends and colleagues get sick of me talking about this stuff! Bit late to be talking about last weekend but it was a big one for us full of firsts with daughter's new horse that we bought in November for her to start eventing hopefully this season. So Saturday was first hack properly off the farm where we are stabled, and she was a delight, no spooks no nervous moments at all, and also first time for daughter getting on at the block on the yard with lots going on around us, rather than in the quiet arena etc. and then Sunday first trip to XC Tech arena for a lesson and schooling, flew over everything, jumped in and out of the water, all stuff that previous pony might have asked questions of, suddenly becoming easy and straightforward. And I even legged daughter up in the car park and horse didn't bat an eye at all. Really pleased with the whole weekend!

Weather today is disgusting and next weekend doesn't look brilliant but at least it will be the actual end of January!
 
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