Weekend plans :D

Wheels said:
I'm doing the same as I've been doing the last 3 blinking weekends. Groundwork, grooming.... Getting annoying now

Vet booked for Monday to see if we can speed the process up a little!

There is so much going on at the min, clinics, dressage leagues, pleasure rides, hunter trials and I'm stuck not able to saddle my horse because of these annoying slow to improve fly bites. They are actually getting better every day but just not healed enough yet to put a saddle on top of them
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What have you been putting on them? My go to is always Flamazine which worked wonders on Grays fly bites last year. Had them down flat in a couple of days and healed enough to saddle up in 10 days. Only 1 was under his saddle though.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Have I missed something - hope Fergus and Daemon are both ok?
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^^ this....

Funny old day with Kira today, we had the journey from hell thanks to an accident and road closure so she spent over 2 hours on the box instead of the usual 50 minutes and arrived with no time to get tacked up (let alone warm up!) first test was a write off but she tried really hard in AM98 for a slightly mean 62% - mega chuffed with her as that's the hardest test she's done by far and with a little more match practice at this level she'll just get better and better. Got all her changes and the steep half passes were easy, Top Cob!

Back to Summerhouse tomorrow for another addition to my weekend activities, a friend has been selected as a demo rider for an event they are putting on (it's free if anyone is around!) so I'm toddling along to try and calm her nerves :lol:
 
EKW said:
What have you been putting on them? My go to is always Flamazine which worked wonders on Grays fly bites last year. Had them down flat in a couple of days and healed enough to saddle up in 10 days. Only 1 was under his saddle though.
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He had a steroid injection a few weeks ago, been using hibiscrub and applying ultrasalve twice a day on vets advice but think we need to try something different now - the vet is back on Monday
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Have I missed something - hope Fergus and Daemon are both ok?
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Fergs injured himself in the field mid-August - nothing too serious, just time off for some bone remodelling to occur (well now walking out, but quiet work). Dae is being broken to drive - for various reasons. And now not seeing pony tomorrow either. Hopefully it's still on the cards though as I really quite like the look of it...
 
62% is pretty damn good under the circs, MP - especially if it's a bit harsh. Clever pony!

Sussexbythesea said:
Well my foray into weekend plans has been brief but enjoyable. Apart from hacking and playing around with straightness training it's unlikely I'll be doing anything until next year if he's still fit and sound to continue showing.
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Straightness training counts though - that's interesting. I don't do "straightness training" in the MDJ sense, but I do plenty of in hand work, it's always interesting to hear what others are doing.

Lanky Loll said:
Good luck to all competing, trying new ponies and generally having fun. I am mostly sulking, the ginger witch has kicked the new 4yo so she's off games, and the witch has managed to cut her fetlock, plus her saddle is off being altered as she's changed shape again. 2017 is proving to be my pants year, broken ponies and frustrations all round :(
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I sympathise. Other than nicking the big brown thing from another livery, I've pretty much been in the same situation. Horses are pests!
 
M and her young rider sneaked into the frillies today at Kelsall BE with a 10th place in the BE80. It was the jockey's first BE, and the horse's second. A respectable dressage, one down SJ then a very nice clear XC with a couple of time faults.

They have been out doing UA 80's this year with DCs, and schooling up to 1m, but there's nothing quite like the razzamatazz of an affiliated event. The pair coped very well.

I'm back there helping at the dressage on Sunday.
 
An unusually quiet weekend for me horse wise, ahead of two ridiculously busy weekends coming up. I had a lesson yesterday and the conclusion was that Cassie doesn't really do well after time off (I had a busy few weeks on a personal basis, so she ended up with nearly three weeks off). She would never do anything naughty/nasty, but seemingly forgets the whole 'submission' element in our work. Groundhog day anyone? Of course she is an Arab/Welsh pony mare, so she clearly knows better and would really just like to canter at warp speed all day long, and eat, a lot. :D She was clipped today, then lunged for a short while, then we did some straightness training. She now has brain ache. ;) I shall probably school tomorrow, and she will have Sunday off. I will also spend much of my weekend covered in antibiotics from syringing what seems like a very large amount into a very small pony after my little old sec A had a fractured tooth removed earlier in the week at a vast expense. Good luck to all those out and about. :) xx
 
JFTD said:
Fergs injured himself in the field mid-August - nothing too serious, just time off for some bone remodelling to occur (well now walking out, but quiet work). Dae is being broken to drive - for various reasons. And now not seeing pony tomorrow either. Hopefully it's still on the cards though as I really quite like the look of it...
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Phew!

Sorry Fergs was injured and glad he's on the mend. 'Bone remodelling' doesn't sound like it was nothing poor boy :( mine had a bone chip from a kick once and he fully recovered.

Will be interesting to see Dae in his new job :) and new pony how exciting.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Phew!

Sorry Fergs was injured and glad he's on the mend. 'Bone remodelling' doesn't sound like it was nothing poor boy :( mine had a bone chip from a kick once and he fully recovered.

Will be interesting to see Dae in his new job :) and new pony how exciting.
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No, it wasn't nothing, just a bit complicated - but yes, similar injury. Actually, he took a whacking chunk out of his radius as a 5 year old too, which healed nicely. He's sound and happy, anyway.

I can show you Dae starting his new job - he's a good, useful work horse, at least!

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I am doing my best to sell my house this weekend... It's a starter equestrian property and this *is* on topic as when it's sold, I can buy something with more land and buy something else to compete while having room for the field ornaments...! Wish me luck!
 
Living vicariously through everyone :P I was supposed to take my little TB mare to her first event in a few months next weekend, but she decided to jump into some rocks on a hack and cut her back leg really nicely :( That and my other mare is out of the game for a few months too, and I am looking enviously at everyone who has a horse to ride! At least mine are cute and like cuddles even if they are both a bit broken :D
 
Well Done FW, looks like it was a successful trip!

My weekend is now not as full as first planned . . .

It didn't start off well when on my way to arena hire, we met another lorry in a very impassible place whilst both being followed by a long queue of cars . . . I ended up getting out and running up and down the road asking cars to reverse enough for me to pull into a gate way, meanwhile the other lady lorry driver did nothing but flap! eventually sorted it out only for the sat nav to pack up on us before we got there meaning we were completely lost until i could find enough signal to call the place.

Then today, Bricky got called off :( so party cancelled tomorrow. And my other horse didn't get dropped home, so now have to go and pick her up tomorrow.

Bit of a flop of a weekend really!
 
JFTD said:
62% is pretty damn good under the circs, MP - especially if it's a bit harsh. Clever pony!
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Thanks, I'm not sure whether it *was* harsh or not just felt like a better quality of work (and no mistakes) compared to other 62% tests she's done at the level. Whatever, it was a good end to a rather unpleasant day.

Dae looks like he's taking to his new job well, glad to hear F is on the mend.

Sorry to hear that some weekends are turning to flops... mine has just been a bit full on and not finished yet.

Friend enjoyed guinea pigging for the saddle fitting demo at Summerhouse yesterday, was a long cold night but good fun and a great experience for busting some riding- in-public nerves.

Kira did some arena hire today, part of my new initiative to not ride at home much because riding vague shapes and vague lines between jumps is not conducive to our 'getting to advanced' mission. Little clip of her doing 5 fours for the first time below - I think we are at the point now where the changes are reliable enough to start trying to improve the quality - need more collection and more straightness which should be possible with a bit of preparation, but it will take some willpower to sit still and not over ride it!
[video=youtube;PfFvsCOokq8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfFvsCOokq8[/video]

Clipped Millie, sneezed like mad between horse allergy and brewing sniffle. Baked birthday cake for dad (looks good - ginger and macadamia cake with chocolate icing!)

Now off to clip Kira, then blissful dehairing shower and off to deliver cake. Hope others have been having good days.
 
Kira is looking super!

I rode - I couldn't help myself. It was only 5 mins and bareback but had to shuffle myself forward a couple of times to make sure I wasn't touching the bites. He isn't particularly comfortable but I enjoyed it a lot!!

I am over the moon with how much straighter he feels, groundwork really does pay off
 
So, I maned the dressage test - just! Woke up at 3.00am with a stomach upset and spent a couple of hours praying for someone to put me out my misery. This didn't work, so dragged myself over the yard and they were running super late. Spent an hour huddled in the gallery, then decided to brave it and tack up.

Keeping in mind I'd only ridden him twice before, he went very sweetly and I was pleased with only one emergency dismount in the warmup - thank you kindly stranger who grabbed my reins while I bolted for the ladies! Ended up 4th to go in our class, which was my first go at a novice. I was stressing over the mediums and thinking forward, forward so we broke to trot twice in our early walks and then ended up with a rushed canter where we lost all our impulsion and skittered about like a racehorse. But we nailed the medium trot and we got a 9 for our final centre line! 8th in a strong class, 62% so I was happy enough and some positive comments about my position.

Back to showjumping in a fortnight - it's been 4 years since I until ally left the ground but there's a lesson fitted in there somewhere. And hopefully I won't have to ride that with one eye on the route to the loo!
 
Love hearing all these reports. FW, your new girl is lush, is she a baby, I thought you were going for an older hand?

I was back at Kelsall yesterday. My short lived retirement from dressage scribing, (due to grumpy judge issues), ended as I found myself writing for a 50 starter class :eek3:. Lovely judge this time (as almost all of them are).

Despite sterling efforts by the organisers and much moving of arenas/warmups, the going was pretty cut up by day 3. No one moaned, the competitors just cracked on and got on with it. Gotta love the eventers.

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To top it, the local seagulls cottoned on to the worms etc which were brought to the top of the churned up surface, and they descended onto the arena for the last few competitors' tests. I tried to scare the seagulls off, but they'd settled back down before I'd got back to the judge's car. Imagine the vapours that many pure dressage peeps would have had about strutting their stuff under such conditions.

Apologies in advance for pure dressage types who are not drama divas :)
 
Love the seagulls TP. That looks far too wet for me to cope with!

Yes I looked at a few teenagers and actually made a very generous offer on a 13yr old cob who had had a hock injected. However the people messed around for weeks and I started to wonder if the hock which wasn't causing any issues at all, actually was. While they messed around I saw this girl and thought she was a much better buy. Even if I had to spend the "spare" money paying someone else to bring her on for me I would still end up with a far better prospect at the end of it.

As it happens it's all going great and she's got the right sort of Irish cob brain that I like. It doesn't matter that she is green, that doesn't scare me at all, it's the feeling of possible unpredictability / spooking at fillers that I don't like. So I don't think I will need anyone to help me with her after all. Having another 30 min lesson with my coach today in a new venue to us both and I just feel happy about it.

I think she's actually done more for my confidence than an old banger would have because I am now feeling like I can ride my section D when she weans the foal where as before I was feeling like I could never get back on her (she's never actually done anything bad it's all in my head, and she is a little Welsh!). If I'd got an old plodder I would be feeling nice and safe and happy and thinking that that was all I could ride.

As it is I've got two other nice horses which are coming back into work and I'm feeling so much better about everything. Confidence is a funny thing!

Yesterday I rode out 3 (2 of mine and one of daughter's) and over saw exercising of another 3 and burned more calories than I ate which meant I lost 2lbs so that was good too :D

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First solo hack (she was totally perfect!) and also first trailer ride she's come out looking like she went in instead of looking like she's been left out in a heavy shower.

Back on the big lad after I got his foot balance sorted. He's been back in work for one cycle but I was just leading him from Daisy however back on him yesterday with no issues. Think these pics paint a thousand words!

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Tiddlypom said:
To top it, the local seagulls cottoned on to the worms etc which were brought to the top of the churned up surface, and they descended onto the arena for the last few competitors' tests. I tried to scare the seagulls off, but they'd settled back down before I'd got back to the judge's car. Imagine the vapours that many pure dressage peeps would have had about strutting their stuff under such conditions.

Apologies in advance for pure dressage types who are not drama divas :)
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lol! OMG at the seaguls, they were onto a good thing there :D
No diva-ing here, the only time I've ridden in top hat & tails was eventing, in a bog of an arena quite similar looking, in the peeing rain - we had a ball! Just didn't quite go up the centre line as it was bottomless, so we sidestepped about a foot to one side to trot on what grass was left :D

FfionWinnie said:
As it is I've got two other nice horses which are coming back into work and I'm feeling so much better about everything. Confidence is a funny thing!
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fabulous :) So pleased for you :)
 
Impressed with your multi talented multi tasking MP!

And snowfilly that really is above and beyond, not sure I could manage that with a stomach upset.

Love the seagulls showing the route for the dressage lot!

And great to hear your confidence is retuning FW. It's a delicate thing, easily lost and not always as easily recovered. Your new girl looks lovely.

I was out on a family weekend doing thj ga like scaring myself silly doing a go ape type thing. Hated it! I feel like my arms have been wrenched out of their sockets.

Looking forward to some horsey time this week, have missed it and not ridden much the last few weeks. Booked onto a ride this weekend if the lorry gets fixed this week. Want to recapture the fun out of xc and jumping generally, as lost it a bit with the training I was doing. The break may also have helped a little, as am not feeling quite so freaked out about jumping now.
 
Great to read about everyone's weekends, although sad to see some didn't go as planned :(

We had a busy time! First up on Saturday was dressage with Pocholo. He warmed up beautifully and we headed to the indoor for our Elementary 44. Sadly he wanted to check out the stable yard instead of doing dressage and spent all his time on the open side of the arena going sideways and checking out the stables :rolls eyes:. I wouldn't change his cheeky personality for all the tea in China, so there's nothing I can do but laugh! We ended up on 59.2%, without the naughtiness it could have been a decent score but that's life.

Next up was Elementary 59, by far the toughest test I (or he) has attempted and I was very much doing it for experience rather than any expectation of a good score. Pocholo was far more focused and I was over the moon with him - we had a couple of mistakes due to my lack of experience, and a couple due to him wanting to do some sightseeing :P. I was very pleased with 62.66%, which means we've qualified for the GBPRE BD champs in November :D

Video of E59:
https://youtu.be/JNby_fmui0E

Sunday was Badminton fun ride, Indio's first outing since coming back into work! He's feeling great and a lovely friend rode him for me so I could do some of the jumps on Pocholo. We had a great time, the boys absolutely loved it and we all had huge grins by the end, as the photo demonstrate!
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Lovely pic Jiffy :) naughty monkey P in the first test! Well done for E59, there's certainly plenty in it so now you've done the hardest elementary and survived ;)
 
We went to low key dressage at a local livery yard.

I'll bullet point the key bits!!

-survived the working in, with multiple people who didn't know left to left and a kamikaze child who kept turning straight in front of us!!
-didn't clear the working in
-actually quite relaxed and almost lazy in the working in
-got the right canter leads in the test

Now the flip side

-went rigid in the arena
-cantered lots in tears intro
-cantered down the centerline in the prelim
-didn't really worry the corners in the arena!

Full range of marks given from 4s to 7.5s!!

Loaded and travelled perfectly. Got home in time to go to bed before my nights. No pictures yet.
 
Well... Well done on the 7.5s CM! :D

Not sure if our venture to native champs this week falls into this thread or the next one.. I'm getting an Ollie Townend complex as I'm first to go in all 4 of my classes... :rolleyes:
 
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