Storm Ciara weekend plans

[deleted user] said:
Well we were meant to be off to dressage on Sunday.....but the weather being what it is, there is no way I am towing in that! Let alone trying to warm up in an exposed outdoor arena!
Incredibly, even though everything else has been cancelled, even the local hunt, the dressage comp is still running! Insane, and money grabbing!
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We're still keeping an eye on the BD Regionals at Morris Equestrian for updates but it looks very likely that it's still going ahead. It just doesn't make sense?! Police Scotland & The Met Office have issued warnings and only to travel if necessary on Sunday. I think BD and Morris are being very irresponsible and reckless expecting competitors to travel with their horses when weather warnings are in place.
 
Just repeating what I put on another post

Being a weather nerd, Im here to ask people to please take this storm seriously.

Amber warning has been stretched to one of the largest areas ive ever seen.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2020-02-09

This storm has a potential to be like '87 or worse. (87 was 945millibars, this storm is currently 928 millibars, lower the millibars, stronger the winds)

Stay safe
 
Am a bit annoyed the pole work / jump clinic hasn’t been cancelled. They said they don’t want to incase it ends up being a nothing sort of storm in the am. Well that’s fine maybe by the am it will be ok, but if it whips up by the pm and people have travelled etc..
 
Michen said:
Am a bit annoyed the pole work / jump clinic hasn’t been cancelled. They said they don’t want to incase it ends up being a nothing sort of storm in the am. Well that’s fine maybe by the am it will be ok, but if it whips up by the pm and people have travelled etc..
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Wow, everywhere around me has cancelled and refunded or deferred entries
 
My dressage show for tomorrow is no longer going ahead. They are trying to re-arrange if they can organise venue / judges which will be good if they can :)
 
Well we had a nice sunny morning out at the show. Darcy was very very excited on arrival, that's the problem with having a view from the lorry now instead of being shut in to his little space ;)

Anyway managed to scramble on board and set off to the warm up. Kira is completely ridiculous at this venue, she naps and spooks all the way from lorry park to arenas as you have to pass the show stabling and a couple of barns etc. And then she totally dries up in the ring. Well none of that with Darcy, he marched down bold as brass and was jolly but forward to work in. Did some reasonably good work in the warm up but then got a right spook on for the first test. There was lots to look at as there were 3 arenas, 2 million banners, people sitting in the stands and also a PC XC rally going on in the derby arena next door :oops: so we wobbled round P17a badly and considered it well done to have stayed together and finish facing the right way o_O

Back in for P19. This test suits him better because you have a circle pretty much straight after the entry and so I get a chance to wrap his head around my inside leg to contain the gawping a bit. He was much more settled going in, and we more or less managed to do a recognisable version of the test, found the left canter that had been missing from the first, and he even did some of it on the bit :p

Bless.
Anyway, we were scrambled with the BD sections today so the judging was a bit more realistic than some of our earlier outings, 50% for the first :rolleyes: and then a big improvement for over 59% in the second. Few horses I'd be happy with a 50s score but to have a 10% increase with the same judge in tests 45 mins apart feels quite OK. I was able to sit up and influence the way of going in the second test which is the main aim at the moment ;) his crappy canter transitions and giraffe moments will get better as we go along and he gets less tense :) ready for some indoor boot camp next week now :)
 
First como with my loan horse today was a success! To be fair I had set a low bar with my objectives - the main one being to stay out of the nearby A&E ?

As it turned out, he was very well-behaved albeit a little overawed and nervous, which manifested as getting strong and losing any semblance of power steering. This resulted in us leaving the arena in right canter ?‍♀️ (between the white boards, we just did a slightly big circle and went on the outside of C!) and I also stupidly forgot the G&R in trot. So 4s for those movements but 6.5-7.5 for the others and 63.6% overall. Very pleased as a starting point!

I’m planning another unaff Prelim in two weeks, which is indoors so no opportunities for leaving the arena ?
 
Well done everyone who got out competing today x x

I see your dressage is rebooted for next week wheels ?

I managed to get a D&V bug on Thursday night which derailed our weekend plans somewhat, though I did manage to get F and Muffin to his trainer Fri PM for a lesson.

I wasn't feeling up to SJ today though, so we just hacked instead.

F has Tetrathlon training on Sun morning, and we might possibly get to ride in the afternoon, but I'm not holding my breath.

Fiona
 
Wheels said:
I've had a number of dressage saddles on trial over the previous 6 weeks or so and finally found the one!!

Very happy pony and very happy owner :D
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Great news - who do you use for fitting? Just out of interest, v happy with my saddle but always good to know who else is available!

We had no plans this weekend - got my friend to school the big horse yesterday, I had a busy day but didnt want the weather to get in the way. Friend very happy with him, worked him fairly hard so I was delighted!

He has been working really well, he is as honest as the day is long and I'm really feeling confident and comfortable on him. Big eejit.

Had vague plans for hacking this morning but went for a run instead. Big horse then got his first ever clip. He wasn't too impressed to be honest. We had originally planned on blanket clip, but he wasn't really enjoying it so we have basically just taken the front end off. He seemed to find having his neck clipped really annoying, but didn't mind his head (just half) and his shoulders. Anyway, we didnt want to push our luck as it was his first ever clip, so with a bit of bribery we got through it and he has forgiven us for making him partially bald... let's hope it doesn't make him super sharp lol!

I've a lesson booked for Monday evening but let's see what the weather does!!

Pic attached because why not... :) the big unit himself nosying over the wall #bighorseproblems
 

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Sheep said:
Great news - who do you use for fitting? Just out of interest, v happy with my saddle but always good to know who else is available!
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It's a solution treeless so fits differently than treed saddles. I'm actually a qualified saddle fitter, albeit non-practising, but I still took advice from the Solution approved advisor in England who sourced it for me :) I've bought a few from her over the years and I send her pics and vids and we discuss options etc over the phone.
 
Wheels said:
It's a solution treeless so fits differently than treed saddles. I'm actually a qualified saddle fitter, albeit non-practising, but I still took advice from the Solution approved advisor in England who sourced it for me :) I've bought a few from her over the years and I send her pics and vids and we discuss options etc over the phone.
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Ahh brilliant! I'm glad you found something to suit. It can be such a minefield!
 
Yesterday Rooni went out for some dressaging. Although he trod on my foot on the lorry (sporting a nice bruise already!) he was immaculately behaved and is feeling even more confident than the last time out. Super rideable and again just that smidge more genuinely forward about everything.

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Perfect lad for his first test 72.08% first overall despite two jogs in the walk. Then different arena and different judge and apparently a different horse for 64.66% and third overall... The comments are fine - needs to be more relaxed into hand and confident in his surroundings, sure. But I would have given him a 2 for the stop and spin spook manoeuvre he pulled at the car and then 7-8's for the really nice bits (and thought 67-68 overall) but the whole test including the mishap was just 6-6.5 nothing higher or lower which doesn't impress me at all, I don't get judges that are incapable of using a range of marks and sit in the safety zone. The class was won on 65% and the two horses above me deserved over 70% for sure. Filed it in the bin!

Today is utterly hideous. It's quite mild and dry for the moment and riding in it wouldn't bother me, but personally not risking taking the lorry out in it. It's blowing me over as I walk up and down the field! So back to bed for me and the ponies are having a duvet day (Rooni and Bruce went out for 20 mins whilst I did the yard).
 
I made the mistake of deciding to hack this morning, I further made the mistake of deciding to save myself some time and ride and lead with both horses. Only a 4 mile ride of which 95% was done in canter half pass while I held on for dear life. Would have been difficult enough to manage with one horse but two horses prancing around was just silly. We made it round in half the time we usually would.
I'm not turning out today so at least they got out their stables. I will do a fence walk tomorrow to check all is standing before I put them back out in the field.
 
Absolutely shocked and disgusted that BD are running today's show at Morris Equestrian on the west coast. No concern or interest regarding today's severe weather warning when my friend called them. Mass flooding, some roads impassable, tree's down and the wind is set to get even stronger through the day. So many people being sensible and not attempting to travel. I would never risk injury or accident by going out in my lorry. My friend is gutted to not be going to her first regional but safety first.
 
HBB, that's bad, I understand a bit for those already there but they ought to offer some alternative. Everything is cancelled here
 
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HBB said:
Absolutely shocked and disgusted that BD are running today's show at Morris Equestrian on the west coast. No concern or interest regarding today's severe weather warning when my friend called them. Mass flooding, some roads impassable, tree's down and the wind is set to get even stronger through the day. So many people being sensible and not attempting to travel. I would never risk injury or accident by going out in my lorry. My friend is gutted to not be going to her first regional but safety first.
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That's awful.

I can't think of anything still running here in NI.

M y big 2 are having a duvet day, we've had hailstones and thunder and lightning and all sorts...

Little 2 are out but have 12ft high fir tree hedge as shelter.

Fiona
 
@Fiona It is awful, isn't it!
Horse welfare and safety is paramount but not to BD when it come to running an event when severe storm warnings are in place, cash is King as they say! I have considered for a while not to renew my BD membership but this has firmly made my mind up. It is my friends first time affiliated and she hasn't see any benefits up here, classes are far too expensive, poorly attended and some venues don't even give out a rosette, it's shameful!
 
Had a great lesson yesterday. Rode the newest school horse who is a lot bigger than the one I had been riding and is a half brother to Amber to start getting me ready for my first ride on her. He may be new to the job but he’s a fab combo of powerful, light and supple. Already if you don’t ride correctly he doesn’t go correctly. He very kindly pointed out that I don’t keep my right leg on or don’t use it at all in general. Had a couple of bounces when I was to heavy with him and Magyars a few really nice circuits of canter controlled off my seat once I got it right. Then spent an hour washing Ambers tail and I don’t think I won! I’ve never owned a horse with such a full tail before.
 
Managed a great schooling session this afternoon, M was a superstar :D

Worked on some walk to canter sometimes selecting inside lead, sometimes outside although he finds this v exciting so plenty of calming walk breaks. Some rein back to trot and some trot walk trot transitions in leg yield and shoulder in. Feeling good!

Hope to hack tomorrow weather dependent!

Wee pic from afterwards

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Roxylola said:
HBB, that's bad, I understand a bit for those already there but they ought to offer some alternative. Everything is cancelled here
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@Roxylola Sorry I missed your post. The show office at Morris couldn't get her off the phone quick enough.
It has been terrible here today, the ground was already saturated and with the relentless rain and wind last night it has brought quite a few large trees down. So many drainage burns have spilled onto the roads, it would have been foolish for us to even attempt the journey, no rosette is worth the risk imo.
 
Lovely roast dinner cooked by OH today. Got my riding area/paddock built Friday and yesterday. Lots of lunging and long reining Fri and yesterday. B1 saddle isn't really fitting how I'd like as he's lost a fair bit of condition and top line over winter. That's horses for you, always an obstacle ?‍♀️.

Today is not a day to be doing anything outside if you don't need to so seems odd that competitions are going ahead instead of postponing to a time more enjoyable for everyone.

Hope everyone has stayed reasonably dry and warm today and any damaged is limited. X
 
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