Summer Solstice weekend plans

[Sheep]

Dressage for me today, same venue as I’ve been going to recently. We usually do prelim & novice, decided to be brave and ditch the prelim and instead enter the novice & open class (pre-set tests from either novice, elem, med, adv med) - opted for another novice as not quite there yet with the elem stuff (I can just about do novice tbh).
Very, very warm ?
Anyway, very pleased with 6th of 15 in the novice and 4th in the open. Big unit is a very good boy

 

[Goldenstar]

Blue was good ,won the first test on 73.89 in the second the rider despite having a caller got completely lost and ground to a halt but Blue went well .
there’s still a lot to do .
He needs to more in front of the leg in the arena this is difficult because he only does this at shows ,it’s a bit of anxiety I think it will wear off as he becomes confident , no shouting this time though that’s good .
The canter transition still needs tiding up and needs to be sharper .
The canter is coming now just need to keep at it .
He does drop his poll if you are not careful and is still weak, so his nose will be more out in six months .
Hes not yet showing the swing he has at home in trot when he’s at a show and his tail is more down .
Moving on we need to start getting him fitter and he’s off for a proper dressage lesson indoors on Tuesday, he’s anxious indoors so we need to expose him to this now .
So it starting more fitness work keeping on with the pole work , continuing on the progression we are on , bringing in the lateral work and more changes of gear within the paces and see where we get .
Hes a really fun project .

 

[Goldenstar]

There was a photographer there MPG photography folder 5 is Blue Hes a big blue roan cob with four white socks and a white face if anyone fancies a look .

 

[DressageCob]

Mmm, so me and Charlie is us jumping at bold last weekend, the background was courtesy of @GreyMane in the who'd want a cob thread and I nicked it cos it was too good not to. There's one of us doing a "cobuissance" there too ?

I just love it! It looks quite realistic. A cow pony jumping over the moon

 

[nikkimariet]

Had a brilliant day in the Peaks riding Jacobs Ladder on Rooni. Insane inclines and drops and views. The views are just incredible!






13.5 miles over 4.5 hours. Weather was perfect. Rooni was a star and loved it. Eye on the next challenge already!

 

[DressageCob]

Had a brilliant day in the Peaks riding Jacobs Ladder on Rooni. Insane inclines and drops and views. The views are just incredible!

View attachment 74233
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13.5 miles over 4.5 hours. Weather was perfect. Rooni was a star and loved it. Eye on the next challenge already!

I love how Rooni is a kick ass dressage pony some days, and other days he's a long distance, rough terrain hacking horse. There aren't many who are that versatile (or riders who are either!)

 

[DressageCob]

There was a photographer there MPG photography folder 5 is Blue Hes a big blue roan cob with four white socks and a white face if anyone fancies a look .

Oh my word ??????
He is just gorgeous. If you ever tire of him, let me know!!

 

[Goldenstar]

Oh my word ??????
He is just gorgeous. If you ever tire of him, let me know!!

Thank you He’s such a special person .
He‘s MrGS’s hunter .

 

[Roxylola]

Hes a smart chap Gstar, really nice stamp ?
Fab pics all round. We had a little hack tonight to test ride the double bridle. And yes I was riding in my jump saddle - dressage girth came home for a wash ?

 

[Goldenstar]

That’s on the list for Sky , starting him in the double .
It will be a while for Blue !!!!

 

[Ambers Echo]

Great birthday weekend. BBQ last night after a fab day out competing. Then enjoyed clear round SJ. Scarlett was fab and I am having so much fun with her.

 

[Goldenstar]

Great birthday weekend. BBQ last night after a fab day out competing. Then enjoyed clear round SJ. Scarlett was fab and I am having so much fun with her.

How big is she ?

 

[DressageCob]

Hes a smart chap Gstar, really nice stamp ?
Fab pics all round. We had a little hack tonight to test ride the double bridle. And yes I was riding in my jump saddle - dressage girth came home for a wash ?

He looks so smart!! Handsome chap.

I bought a double bridle last year but have still never ridden in it. I did feel a little underdressed at the AFs because every other horse seemed to be in one! But I don't know where to start choosing the bits, and I worry that my hands aren't good enough ?

 

[milliepops]

If it helps, I start with the horse's normal snaffle and a basic stainless curb and see how that goes, after a while you get a bit of info about how the horse feels about it.

Kira is still in that combination, after a while I tried all the things I had in my bit box for other horses but she has simple tastes and we came back to our starting point.

 

[DressageCob]

If it helps, I start with the horse's normal snaffle and a basic stainless curb and see how that goes, after a while you get a bit of info about how the horse feels about it.

Kira is still in that combination, after a while I tried all the things I had in my bit box for other horses but she has simple tastes and we came back to our starting point.

Thanks, that is indeed helpful ?

 

[Ambers Echo]

How big is she ?

15.2

 

[Roxylola]

He looks so smart!! Handsome chap.

I bought a double bridle last year but have still never ridden in it. I did feel a little underdressed at the AFs because every other horse seemed to be in one! But I don't know where to start choosing the bits, and I worry that my hands aren't good enough ?

Charlie's was second hand and came with a jointed snaffle- tonight was enough to know we both prefer a lozenge, and a sliding cheek Weymouth which was fine. I tied the bottom rein in a knot til we got going - I've used them before but he hasn't so I figured I'd leave it out of the equation at first.
AE, she looks smaller somehow, I'd have guessed about 15hh tops maybe more 14.3! Glad you had a good birthday

 

[Goldenstar]

yes I thought she looked smaller as well she looks great fun .

 

[CanteringCarrot]

He looks so smart!! Handsome chap.

I bought a double bridle last year but have still never ridden in it. I did feel a little underdressed at the AFs because every other horse seemed to be in one! But I don't know where to start choosing the bits, and I worry that my hands aren't good enough ?

I started with his usual snaffle style for the bradoon and chose a weymouth suited for his mouth conformation (no room in there). He also prefers a leather curb chain cover.

You don't have to use a double in some cases (when it isn't called for). My horse knows it and goes well in it, but a lot of the time, with him, it doesn't offer any huge benefit and I don't need to use it every or nearly every ride. There are some that use it for almost every ride. I guess it depends on the horse. I won't simply use it because it's "in" or almost everyone else is.

I suppose it's worth a try, and if you don't think your hands are good enough, try it under the watchful eyes of a riding instructor. If you think it offers benefit to the work you are doing with the horse, then use it. If you feel as though you get by fine with a snaffle, it's fine to stay in that too.

I know some see it as the horse being in a certain place in their education/sort of a status symbol, but I don't care about that. If my horse goes well in it, yet I can accomplish what I need to in a snaffle most of the time, then I ride in that ?‍ whatever suits.

I recently switched to a titanium bit and my horse loves it. Not many options for titanium weymouth bits that I've found yet though.

 

[Ambers Echo]

yes I thought she looked smaller as well she looks great fun .

I've not measured her but she's bigger than Dolly who is 14.2
Owner said 15.2 but I am rubbish at heights. I'd love to keep Dolly when Katie stops but she is just too small. I am happy hacking her but not jumping. Scarlett feels a perfect size for me.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s much nicer when you have that perfect size feeling for me it’s 15.3 to 16.2 I am fine with a bit bigger I have had some bigger ones I tell people Sky is 16.3 but he’s bigger because the shape change they make when they come up in the wither makes them a bit taller .

 

[j1ffy]

AE - Scarlett looks lovely!
Great to see everyone else's successful updates. Great work on your first outing with Maddie nikicb

We had a weekend of hacking - around the village on Saturday with a friend, then a solo hack on Sunday and my first time cantering Chilli on grass. He's a bundle of energy at the moment and I need to get used to him a little as Danny was definitely not a hot horse - if he'd felt that buzzy it would likely have gone badly wrong Chilli was great fun, really up for everything and very polite. I think we'll have a lot of fun together over the years, I just need to convince him to take it steady as a 4yo!

I also got around to putting together some footage from our first lesson together last Wednesday, this was towards the end when he'd relaxed a little:

 

[nikkimariet]

I love how Rooni is a kick ass dressage pony some days, and other days he's a long distance, rough terrain hacking horse. There aren't many who are that versatile (or riders who are either!)

Aw thank you! He loves it and so do I! I think it’s really important to be happy in whatever you’re doing with your horse. If all you want to do is compete that’s fine, as long as it works. If all you want to do is hack, that’s fine, as long as it works. I couldn’t imagine not enjoying my horse with my friends like this. I could genuinely easily give up competing to do this each weekend though. I’m very relaxed about being in the white boards these days, I have goals for sure, but they don’t take over my every moment whilst I’m with them.

 

[LEC]

Had a brilliant day in the Peaks riding Jacobs Ladder on Rooni. Insane inclines and drops and views. The views are just incredible!

View attachment 74233




13.5 miles over 4.5 hours. Weather was perfect. Rooni was a star and loved it. Eye on the next challenge already!

You should put the first photo on Between a Horses ears on FB.

 

[GinaGeo]

Podrick went Show Jumping on Saturday to a really friendly unaffiliated, local venue. It was his first time in a busy jumping warm up and he held himself together pretty well.

Other than a dramatic spin into the wall when somebody else clattered I through the warm up jump and going a little green on me, he was a very good boy in the warm up. He did need to have a look at the pig fillers the first time and got a little distracted in the second round nosying at the judges and forgot to look where he was going and a jump snuck up on him. But he popped two sweet rounds gaining in confidence as he went. He stood very nicely outside the ring and his standing patiently on the lorry between classes was much improved. Clever boy.

And yesterday was a wild hacking kind of day. Solo was responsible grown up with mum’s silly pony and a spaniel to babysit.

Neither of them were that game for getting up this morning ?

 

[humblepie]

Lovely photos and lots of different things got up to. We had a nice outing -19 ex racehorses doing an extended canter/gallop in a big grass show ring. I was seriously ring rusty so didn’t show horse off to his best but a useful reminder of things to brush up on. It was just me and the horse so after the class we had a social distancing brunch - he had hay and I had a cheese sandwich which was nice.

 

[scats]

I enjoyed a chilled weekend. Lovely afternoon at my cousins on Saturday and then took Millie out for a hack, although she did try and deposit me down a 10foot ditch and then got her knickers in a twist and proceeded to be a complete idiot all the way home, having a meltdown at a grid, a driveway... basically anything at all. She wouldn’t even follow my friends pony, she got herself so wound up.
The next day we did the same route and she was as good as gold. Mares, don’t you just love them!

Went to Charlie’s for a bit of retail therapy and bought some new riding tights.

 

[Alibear]

I had a lovely time at western camp. The first day was great as it was dry so we got to use both arenas and the new big riding paddock. Everyone went out pretty nervous with slightly on their toes ponies, Amber and I just about lead the way. Within 5 mins everyone is relaxed and happy both human and equine. The weather was against us on the following days but we fitted into the big indoor arena and made the best of it. Amber was awesome coped with it all very well, just one minor tantrum and one invisible cow. Then on Sunday we showed and managed 2nd in the Novice Horsemanship and 1st in the Novice Ranch which was our main aim class so really pleased with that. We'll gloss over the rider error in the walk-jog horsemanship and the nappy pony start to the walk-jog ranch It was challenging as the rain was still against us so the warm-up area was limited and busy so really we all competed from cold. I did have to get some help loading her to come home though, I think she'd settled in and was happy to stay! We had lovely permanent stables so they were cosy, dry and warm despite the weather.

 

[nikkimariet]

You should put the first photo on Between a Horses ears on FB.

It is