Stormy first weekend in October plans?

SEL

SEL

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It looks a bit damp & blustery down here but I think you guys in Scotland might be tying down your field shelters.

The hooligan has the weekend of his dreams. A polework clinic tomorrow (he loves poles) then the South Ox sponsored ride on Sunday. We appear to have engaged Autumn bouncy mode so neck strap & sticky jods for both!
 
Im Aberdeenshire so think we're just a yellow warning, further west is amber I think (although maybe changed by now). Strangely there's not a breath of wind right now! My events been cancelled tomorrow so thats pretty rubbish. We're used to wind up where I live on top of a hill so no preparing other than putting the patio furniture away for the winter!
 
Sounds like a fun weekend! Hoping those with more challenging weather keep safe and no damage done. Thankfully the 'gusty' winds hadn't materialised before my lesson this morning.

Total transformation from lesson last week at other RS when I rode when I wasn't feeling well. I've been working on my sports psych homework since then, and smashed it in my lesson today. Forward, free flowing trot was the overall aim and I set a goal for one lap on each rein. The nerves were there quite strongly but with the homework practice I had done I tuned into my skills instead of freezing up. We did a nice figure 8 in trot too.

The activate your seat exercises seem to be helping already as well. Physically feeling freer and able to 'do less' in the saddle.

Reporting back to sports psych on two totally contrasting lessons will be interesting!

Sunday I'm volunteering for timings section at a hunter trial. Not totally sure what that involves but I'm told there will be a couple of others who will be there helping.
 
I had planned for a lovely schooling session in my new saddle with Baggs, but the weather has put a stop to that pretty sharpish.....

So instead, both boys are having a duvet day tomorrow for the worst of the weather that we are due, and I'll be sprucing them up from their current feral state which I will quite enjoy to be fair.

Rabbit's mane is going every direction bar the one I want it to go, his tail has several knots in it that I need to gently take out, he came in absolutely caked in mud so will need a thorough de-mudding session as he is supposed to be a buckskin few spot, but is currently identifying as a dark bay! He's been happy being semi-feral and not the sleek sports horse that I am used to seeing, but I gotta sort it out before it drives me insane aha! I also need to slightly trim his tail, tidy up his fetlocks and see if he will let me give him a very small bridle path for his headcollar to sit in. He absolutely loves being fussed over so I can happily take my time faffing around with him, and he'll just stand there chilled.

Baggs, on the other hand just needs a thorough (but quick ish) groom with a dandy brush and some stain removing spray. He's not got much of a mane/tail so it doesn't take a lot to maintain it, and he doesn't really enjoy the faffing around of being groomed so I have to be efficient and rather quick. Even when he has a bucket of feed, likit, haynet, haylage net and some snacks in his treat dispenser he still gets peeved rather quickly, so I think Baggs' glow up session will be over a few days aha....
 
I will be hunkering down, thank you. YO just text that she has brought everybody in for the day as it's bloody miserable.

We had a very wonky ride on Wednesday, neither of us felt 100% and even though she looked okay from the ground last night I think a quiet weekend with just some stretches and in-hand walking (weather permitting) will be fine for her until the osteopath comes out again on Tuesday. Our instructor was away in England this week and I missed having her very trusted eyeballs on us both!
 
Hope everyone manages to keep safe and have fun if the weather isn't too bad where you are :)

We've not got it too bad, but it will be pretty miserable so I'm not motivated enough to ride in crap weather these days so it'll be bare minimum of making sur ehorses are fine and then bunkering down with films and chocolate!
 
We got back from the Area Festival Champs late last night (I'll do a separate post on that!) so he's got today off and probably tomorrow too - we're missing the worst of the storm but we're still due 40-50 mph gusts tomorrow. Then likely just a gentle hack on Sunday :)

A little teaser from the Area champs:


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SaddlePsych'D said:
Sounds like a fun weekend! Hoping those with more challenging weather keep safe and no damage done. Thankfully the 'gusty' winds hadn't materialised before my lesson this morning.

Total transformation from lesson last week at other RS when I rode when I wasn't feeling well. I've been working on my sports psych homework since then, and smashed it in my lesson today. Forward, free flowing trot was the overall aim and I set a goal for one lap on each rein. The nerves were there quite strongly but with the homework practice I had done I tuned into my skills instead of freezing up. We did a nice figure 8 in trot too.

The activate your seat exercises seem to be helping already as well. Physically feeling freer and able to 'do less' in the saddle.

Reporting back to sports psych on two totally contrasting lessons will be interesting!

Sunday I'm volunteering for timings section at a hunter trial. Not totally sure what that involves but I'm told there will be a couple of others who will be there helping.
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It's good to hear your sport psych is helping - mine has definitely made a big difference already!
 
j1ffy said:
It's good to hear your sport psych is helping - mine has definitely made a big difference already!
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Just seen your report :D I'm certainly pleased with the progress so far. Looking forward to developing the strategies for different situations now and hoping progress will pick up pace significantly if I can keep practicing not losing the plot and continuing to ride when I'm nervous. Probably should have done another 'set' of trotting as spent the rest of the lesson in my comfort zone, but still, I'll take the 'win' and bank it for next time!
 
I have a polework clinic on Sunday where we only have a 25% chance of rain thankfully, I was going to hack tomorrow but it will be weather dependent.
Dex is being a bit of a demon to hack, which he always is for two weeks or so when they go from overnight to daytime turnout so he's on a bit of valerian for a month or so, so I stay in one piece. I was going to try and wait for the cold snap, but I do need to clip so that's being done start of next week which also means I need to bathe him at some point this weekend.
 
_DSC5699.jpgone very, very happy cob at South Ox sponsored ride. 12 miles with lots of gallops is his idea of heaven. Behaved impeccably and we even jumped some bigger jumps following my friend's ex-racer (i may have shut my eyes!)

He's muscled up so much now I need to buy a new winter rug. Even his Swish is snug around those shoulders.
 
He's looking so well @SEL look at those shiny muscles!
We had a yard coffee and cake morning for those of us with birthdays in late September/October (me, yo) which was lovely. Then the weather came in. D is sound but a little reluctant after her kick/injury so we just had a gentle walk on the flat when the wind dropped below 40mph. I decided my rugging policy is currently weather warnings until it gets a bit colder.
 
He is such a dreamboat @SEL 😍😍😍

Got out for a quick hack with the new livery last night, some occasions of ears back from Sadie BUT she led past the spooky bits! Taking the lead two weekends ago not a fluke??? 😱

She did come back with a big stone wedged into her frog she didn't tell me about tho. Just LIMP A BIT PLEASE I'll fix it!!
 
Well my clinic didn't go to plan, below is my air jacket where I landed across the top of the fence on my rib cage, thank god I was wearing it!! Bruises on both sides of my rib, query broken finger and a scraped up and bruised right arm but otherwise okay.

Dex has always been vile for the saddle fitter and I always wondered why it was just her as she's lovely, but I think I have actually realised that as I am either at the yard AM or PM, and thus only ever ride AM or PM, he now believes he shouldn't be worked in the middle of the day when it should be field time, as thinking about it now every time I have tried he has bronced and been generally horrid. Yesterday was the first time he got me off since I have had him though so not terrible innings really.

No prizes for guessing the only time of day he will be worked for the next month ++ ..... ;)

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Naughty Dex! My littlest cob will grump if she's asked to work before 11 am but fortunately she's too polite to do anything but grump. It's hard when we work to not get into a routine but rodeo at lunch is a bit dramatic.

The hooligan would like to thank you for the lovely comments about how shiny he is. The mares are so fluffy I'm wondering what winter forecast they've seen but I keep getting asked if I've clipped him. Proper little tank now and thankfully feeling a lot more grown up than last year where I had 3 replacement hats and was grateful for my body protector!
 
SEL said:
Naughty Dex! My littlest cob will grump if she's asked to work before 11 am but fortunately she's too polite to do anything but grump. It's hard when we work to not get into a routine but rodeo at lunch is a bit dramatic.
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Yes, definitely - thankfully work are pretty good and won't begrudge me going down at lunch time on my WFH days, plus I happen to have every friday booked off this month as had AL to use up, so it's worked out fairly well.

smolmaus said:
To be fair to Dex I would also want to launch my manager into a fence if he asked me to work over lunch. I suppose he is from just down the road, maybe we are related 😂 (for real tho sorry about your ribs ASBMO!)
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😂 Me too - but I wouldn't feel quite so aggrieved if that one hour was the only hour that day I was being asked to work!
 
You had a storm???

I was off on a holiday of a lifetime. We went to the Grand Prix in Singapore followed by a week in Phuket.

The whole deal was under 2K each and I think it was a bargain.

I'm not that interested in F1 (or any other) motor racing, but loved the Lewis Capaldi and Elton John concerts and was right near the front. Lewis Capaldi had me in floods of tears as his songs resonated with my situation. I seemed to simultaneously be feeling sorry for myself and congratulating myself for being brave and getting on with life after David died. Happily my BF was very understanding and believes that I have been too brave, if anything, and I should let it all out.

Phuket was amazing. Swimming, snorkelling, caving, canoeing and helping wash elephants at an elephant sanctuary. It was also very romantic.

Both horses have been staying with a friend. H has been walked out and Rigs has generally ruled the yard LOL.

557857311_10231275442173333_1460171607055928042_n.jpg559065441_10231275416212684_5018075162026589159_n.jpg559026338_10231287817082698_3637017057714344798_n.jpg557621179_10231315327650445_7991654897016484134_n.jpg557635963_10231319647718444_2893258313697392921_n.jpg564040323_10231346490109487_2131587067117542013_n.jpg562960667_10231356569121456_3385803561132602439_n.jpg562236753_10231364815927621_1762984247239624731_n.jpg564621349_10231364816127626_7290748993381654553_n.jpg563451622_10231364924690340_4062050824538724956_n.jpg
 
Oh, and then I watched Bridget Jones on the plane on the way home.

SPOILER below, so don't read if you have not seen the film.


I have no idea how to make the spoiler button so I will make it lower!!!



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Who could have known it was about her becoming a widow??? I certainly didn't: I was expecting light entertainment. That too resonated and I was again in tears. From the bit where she couldn't make Netflix work (been there) to people telling you what you should or should not be doing/feeling, to feeling like your husband is somehow there sometimes.

But the biggest tearjerker was when she realised that you could grieve, and still find happiness. Blasted tears!!!
 
Squeak said:
That looks incredible Red-1!
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I never used to do holidays.

Life has changed.

It was nice today to climb back aboard H and go for a canter in the stubble, but he was away for 3 weeks and has lost a lot of fitness. I'm not sure if I should mothball him until spring. Maybe just hack about a bit, do the odd lesson but not hunt or compete. He is obliging enough but certainly has no personal aspirations 😂

I am away for a couple of days every few weeks for the foreseeable too.
 
No new weekend post so I’ll Chuck this here again!

Aintree HP; Thurs we had a great PSG and 5th in the gold section and 6th overall, very pleased considering the company! He boiled over for the Inter 1 and I retired, good bits very nice but far too many big mistakes sadly. Fri back out for the Inter 1 and he was concentrating 100% and we won the silver section and were 3rd overall!

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Very chuffed with him. Big atmosphere and a lot to contend with but he took it all in his stride.
 
nikkimariet said:
No new weekend post so I’ll Chuck this here again!

Aintree HP; Thurs we had a great PSG and 5th in the gold section and 6th overall, very pleased considering the company! He boiled over for the Inter 1 and I retired, good bits very nice but far too many big mistakes sadly. Fri back out for the Inter 1 and he was concentrating 100% and we won the silver section and were 3rd overall!

View attachment 168105

Very chuffed with him. Big atmosphere and a lot to contend with but he took it all in his stride.
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Huge congratulations - a great achievement, and a really lovely happy photo!!
 
nikkimariet said:
No new weekend post so I’ll Chuck this here again!

Aintree HP; Thurs we had a great PSG and 5th in the gold section and 6th overall, very pleased considering the company! He boiled over for the Inter 1 and I retired, good bits very nice but far too many big mistakes sadly. Fri back out for the Inter 1 and he was concentrating 100% and we won the silver section and were 3rd overall!

View attachment 168105

Very chuffed with him. Big atmosphere and a lot to contend with but he took it all in his stride.
Click to expand...
I saw your FB post - fabulous results!
 
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