We hacked out alone!

[Waxwing]

I had to have a few weeks off riding after going down with Covid; despite being double jabbed and having had the booster, and was a bit apprehensive about returning to riding our five year old but the weekend before last we managed a walk and trot hack out on our own, with a couple of stops and lots of neighing but we got round. and this weekend just gone hacked out twice with a friend on the same yard which is now becoming a regular occurrence. She is very happy to take things slowly and let me set the pace and her horse is pretty bombproof so sets a good example for mine. We managed our first short canter in the lead on Saturday. She has been to her first show with friend riding her and jumped clear. In our lesson today we managed to correct lead canter on both reins and she stayed in correct bend. Last week she had resumed to trying to bite me when I picked her front feet out; which was something she did when we first got her, but today was back to her usual self and fell asleep for half an hour while I detangled her tail. We have had the saddle fitter back for the third time since getting her as she has changed shape quite a lot and now actually has a visible withers. She still has her baby moments but overall she is doing really well and I am very glad we kept her. She coped with a bus, a fisherman and an ambush of pigeons from a bush over the weekend and thanks to her bombproof escorts was able to bravely face these. I came home very happy after spending the morning with her today.

 

[Lady Jane]

Sounds like great progress, I like a happy post!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

That’s great - well done! Time and patience definitely pays off.

 

[ArklePig]

Well done! Lovely to read people making progress

 

[hobo]

Lovely positive post well done glad it is going well.

 

[eahotson]

Very well done to both of you and lovely to read a happy post.

 

[ycbm]

Great progress, well done. You could join the 5/6 year olds training thread and share notes.
.

 

[Ratface]

Well done! How pleasing to read of a youngster having a good grounding and not being rushed.

 

[tristar]

you should be very proud of that, well done.

for me its one of the most important proofs of good training

may you enjoy many more

 

[Waxwing]

Thank you for your very kind comments; we ended up buying a younger and probably more talented horse than planned; the person who broke in her events at 2 star level and our horse could have been sold on to more experienced owners than us who wanted to complete. Instead if things work out as planned it will pony club next summer with my daughter and hacking, possibly some dressage and fun rides with me. Equally if long term she is a horse that I hack a few times a week and have some lessons on that's fine by me. I have a pretty demanding job and riding and spending time with her is very good for my mental health (that was the main reason for me getting back into horse ownership). She is schooled a couple of times a week by the one of the instructors at the yard and I have regular short sessions with an instructor to make sure I am riding her properly; while I don't any grand competitive aspirations I do want to ride her as well as possible. I think she is enjoying life with us; she lives out with two other mares, she is rugged and comes in most days and spends the morning asleep in her stable. We haven't clipped her and she now resembles a shaggy pony but I think she is enjoying life being a horse while getting the grounding she needs from a more experienced rider. but we definitely aren't pushing her.

 

[CARRIECOLEMAN]

What a lovely positive post - well done!