Third (Windy?) October weekend

[Alibear]

So what are everyone's plans for the weekend?
Later this afternoon, Amber and I are off to Oakridge for a Western Show; it's already started today, but I'm out of the holiday for the year, and luckily, our classes are on tomorrow.
There's one on Sunday morning, but with the wind showing up on the forecast, I think we'll come home tomorrow evening/night as I'm not keen on towing in 40-mile-an-hour gusts.
It's a shame today's weather won't hold as it's a gorgeous day in East Anglia. We're not prepped as well as we should be, but it's the last affiliated show of the year, and it will be the first one we've been to all year!

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Dressage lesson tomorrow, then unaff SJ on Sunday. Was having a major (rider) confidence wobble so need to get out and check we’ve sorted that.

Supposed to be doing Bicton 3DE next weekend, considering sourcing a snorkel or maybe some waders… (luckily it’s our most local event so not having to deal with camping/stabling on site!)

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

No horse plans for me. I rescheduled the hack I had booked for a job interview today. But then I had my COVID and flu jabs on Wednesday and I woke up this morning feeling like my head was being squashed and nauseous. So no interview or riding. I feel much better this afternoon but too late to get back the interview or the hack.

Instead I will be using any bits of dry weather to paint my pebbledash house (yup...) and figure out how to lay a patio and a gravel path. Tomorrow looking good, Sunday not so good.

 

[humblepie]

No horse plans for me. I rescheduled the hack I had booked for a job interview today. But then I had my COVID and flu jabs on Wednesday and I woke up this morning feeling like my head was being squashed and nauseous. So no interview or riding. I feel much better this afternoon but too late to get back the interview or the hack.

Instead I will be using any bits of dry weather to paint my pebbledash house (yup...) and figure out how to lay a patio and a gravel path. Tomorrow looking good, Sunday not so good.

Eek. Glad you’re feeling better today. Good luck with the DIY.

 

[SEL]

We've got heavy rain tonight and high winds on Sunday so I'm not really sure.

Took the hooligan to arena hire on Wed am. I did forget magnesium in breakfast but wasn't bothered because i thought we could use that energy to really get some good work. What I actually got was a horrible, spooky distracted monster with occasional Nice Trot performances. It also rained.

 

[ihatework]

Really exciting weekend for me! End of last year I was lucky enough to buy some land …. This weekend the babies move in

 

[J_sarahd]

Got a pony being delivered on Sunday! I have him on a 2 week trial so I’ll introduce him if it all goes well

 

[Red-1]

I let my boyfriend ride BH on the arena yesterday, he is doing fab for his 16th ever ride...

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7426822635725589793

Today, I was paid back in spades. Boyfriend has a bromance with Riggers and he spent the day taking up old mats, flattening the road planings and re-laying new mats. BH also has a matted loafing area now.



Tomorrow, we have a Parkrun then BH has a group jumping lesson in an indoor arena.

Sunday, I am hiring the XC course where we did the hunter trial last week. It is only hired one day a year and I would like to get BH more forward and confident. He was good last week but was in his Mr Health and Safety Inspector mode

 

[Ahrena]

I’m supposed to be taking baby barrel to her first dressage competition but really unsure re the winds.

We live in a very exposed area so she is used to high winds and regularly ridden in them and the journey doesn’t involve motorways but not sure it’s a good idea.

 

[Cloball]

Hack today, chase hay across the field in a storm Sunday and hack again Monday I hope away for work Tuesday. I planned on a schooling session last night but I missed my weather window by about half an hour so by the time I arrived at the yard (usual post work tim) the rain and wind had rolled down the valley. Plus D was a hippo in leg warmers so would have taken me a while to tack up, c'est la vie. I do tend to ride if it's raining or windy but we'd both rather not if it's both and I'm still trying to set us up to succeed when we are solo.

 

[Landcruiser]

First ever fun ride for my 5 yr old today (moved from tomorrow when I saw the forecast). Cotswold Farm Park in their "novice" slot, with OH roped in as groom and moral support. Feeling a bit nervous about those open spaces and good going...wish me luck folks

 

[SEL]

Good luck! I'll be interested to know how quiet the novice slot is because I thought about doing that ride, but just didn't get myself organised

First ever fun ride for my 5 yr old today (moved from tomorrow when I saw the forecast). Cotswold Farm Park in their "novice" slot, with OH roped in as groom and moral support. Feeling a bit nervous about those open spaces and good going...wish me luck folks

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Lottie’s loan has started so no riding plans, which feels very weird. Mylo is being cute and gorgeous to make up for it

 

[AandK]

Had a nice jump at home yesterday morning and this morning was the first clip of the season! Need a new battery for my clippers but fortunately I managed to get it all done without them dying, win!

 

[Red-1]

Little jump clinic. Poor H had to be athletic

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7427533873191341344

Supposed to be a XC practice tomoz but I suspect it will be rained off.

 

[j1ffy]

Little jump clinic. Poor H had to be athletic

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7427533873191341344

Supposed to be a XC practice tomoz but I suspect it will be rained off.

BH looked like he was enjoying the challenge!

 

[Red-1]

BH looked like he was enjoying the challenge!

He is just one of those amazing horses who is kind and just wants to do the right thing.

 

[Trot_on]

Cancelling bloodhounding tomorrow because it’s too windy but did get my winter field fencing up today which is a win

 

[Caol Ila]

Tomorrow is happening. That's just unfortunate. I want a TARDIS so I can skip winter.

Not an uneventful hack on Hermosa today. She stopped for a snack in a bog (the snacking is an issue....), and then found her feet stuck because the bog grabbed her hoof boots. She levitated/caprioled out of it. I almost fell off, but didn't, mostly because she stopped and threw her big powerful neck upwards, which tossed me back into the saddle. All four hoof boots flew off, which was impressive. But she stayed in one place and grazed while Mr. Caol Ila and I searched for them. It took like ten minutes to find them all.

With me and hoof boots in our rightful places, we continued onwards. Then an ornery French bulldog chased us, as described in my post in the 'Irresponsible Owners' thread on AAD. Some screaming and swearing later, we hacked on. Then my mecate reins, which have a third bit that's a leadrope and gets tied to the saddle, untied itself and fell off the saddle. Luckily Hermosa always stops when the rope hits the ground (this happens sometimes). It happened next to a bench where some people were having a picnic, and they were a bit scared and baffled because we'd stopped right next to their picnic and I was faffing around, trying to rety my rope to the saddle. I said, "The 'get down' rope part of my reins has become untied, so I have to fix it." I'm pretty sure this was unlightening. Then a family with a young baby attached to one of those chest carrier things squeezed past and stopped to say hi and pet the horse. She enjoyed the cuddle from the parents and nosed the baby. I was a bit worried she'd get mouthy (she's not terrible, but she likes grabbing zippers and velcro), but she was curious and gently polite with the baby.

 

[SantaVera]

Might freshen up the clip I did the other week and then go for a hack to remember a friend who loved her horses.

 

[SEL]

We flash flooded this morning. Shelters filled with water, ditches couldn't cope and fields looked like lakes. Went on to be a beautiful afternoon but filming e-riders tests when the long side of my grass arena was a small canal was a plan which needed to be cancelled.

More rain but with the added fun of high winds tomorrow. Excellent.

 

[dominobrown]

I was meant to go on a hunt ride, setting off today and staying a friends. So excited. But I cancelled, I can get there ok, ride would be wet however I made the call not travel back into the storm, we are in the weather warning area with 67mph winds, so I would get stuck there or worse.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Have hacked out and managed to dodge the rain. The wind got up as I was riding home so I think I timed it well!! Thought about doing a pleasure ride but I won't risk travelling my boy in high winds.

 

[Red-1]

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7427833800882752800

Managed the XC hire. Got back before it rained too!

Lovely morning.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Good day in the office today! (Despite the tongue out in the photo)

A very speedy clear in the 80cm to take the win. Other than 1 person who was 1sec behind us, we had a good 4secs on the rest of the class

Another nice round in the 90cm, not quite so fast as wanted a really confident round, so didn’t do the tighter turns I did in the 80. Ended up being the only clear in the class, so took the win there too!

My confidence is a little bit wobbly and fragile at the moment, have had a lot going on personally and coupled with a couple of silly falls it all went a bit wrong a few weeks ago. This weekend was just what I needed to remind myself that we can do it, and what an awesome little horse I have

 

[Alibear]

Amber and I had a great time, and thankfully, the winds forecast didn't appear, so we got home yesterday just fine.
Amber is so good now and very reliable; I just need to get my brain sorted. I massively overrode in Sunday's trail, which is daft because she can do it all blindfolded, but I got hyped up, so she kept popping up to lope.
I did better on Saturday, and our scores matched what I felt; I overrode the first walk in the first pattern, so she trotted; again, that's on me. The faults were all down to me, but we got some good placings. I'm really pleased with a 3rd in the ranch rail as at the start of the year, it was hard to get her near the arena rails. On Saturday, she was better on the rail than off it! (Rail = Arena Fence) .

My winter project is to get my head sorted out as if I were to stay calm and quiet during a pattern she'd be tough to beat. She'd do so much better with a better rider, not because she needs a skilled rider but because she does need a consistent one, so I need to work on myself.

 

[Ahrena]

I did get out to dressage. They said they would cancel if the winds were too bad and were playing it by ear.

We didn’t have any motorways to drive on so decided to go. Very pleasing, educational outing. Baby barrel (Nutmeg) was pretty tense when I first got on but no more so than usual at a show so I think we can stop stressing over indoor arenas. She settled, went out to do her first test and had a bit of a meltdown when she realised the other horses were still in the indoor and she was alone in the outdoor (plus outdoor backed onto indoor with a window so she could see them). I very much wanted to get off when she was plunging round in circles.

But I decided to get on with it and cracked on with the test. First one was pretty damn tense but we survived. Got back on for second test and she was much more relaxed in the warm up and the test and actually did a fairly nice test for what she’s capable of at the minute.

Very generous scoring (it was stressless dressage designed for novices so very encouraging marks) and got two 4th, out of 4 and out of 6.

I couldn’t of been more pleased to be honest, I was on the brink of selling her in spring as she was pretty tricky to back and I majorly lost my confidence so getting out to a ridden show and enjoying ourselves is huge.