Weekend plans :)

[Nicnac]

Sprog riding both horses at RC Area Qualifiers ODE tomorrow. Mine's in the team and hers is running as an individual. Mine doesn't do a great dressage but is usually pretty reliable in the jumping phases and hers (TB) usually does a good dressage and SJ but can have a complete meltdown XC.....

Leaving at 6am and it's going to be a looooooong day! Sunday may do gentle hack or give them a day off.

Good luck to everyone out and about. Must say an Egg Show sounds lovely and stress-free!

 

[JFTDWS]

We went jumping today... Skye was polishing her halo as usual and jumped some fun fillers.

(^I'm not sure what theme this jump is going for, frogs in parliament...?!)

I guess I ought to take her competing sometime soon

 

[little_critter]

Going to try new horses first solo hack tomorrow, then first lesson on him on Sunday. Saddle fitting Monday as the one I have has only been lent to me.

 

[Bernster]

Fab JFTD!

 

[DirectorFury]

Good luck to everyone competing and I hope everyone else has fun!

In a huge change from normal we're hacking yet again . We've done fast hacks in company all this week and she's been absolutely angelic so it'll just be a short walk round the block tomorrow and then a fast common hack Sunday. I really need a kick up the butt to sort out some arena hire and actually do some schooling but it's much more fun to hoon around the countryside so <shrug>.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

DF, hooning around the countryside is quite under rated..... 😉
I did same today, not for long but the 😃 on both our faces was rather apparent 😎

 

[Michen]

A weekend of moving, whilst try to spend as much time as possible in hand grazing poor boggle who is being such a star after now a week of box rest with another to go. I hate it though, he’s alone in the barn at night and just makes me feel so bad

 

[Wheels]

Did I miss something? What happened to boggles?

 

[Chippers1]

Couple of pics from today, managed a couple of the 90cm course jumps too. He was a bit funny at some of the jumps and I had a few stops but we got over them eventually! Trying to get more confident over the bigger ones so having refusals wasnt helping, but once I'd pulled myself together we had a great time round the rest of the course.








The nervous eyes looking down have come out again!!

 

[milliepops]

Fab pics, knees up!

 

[DirectorFury]

Those first jumps look way bigger than 90 Chippers!
Continuing the hooning round the countryside we did 7 miles in just under an hour today - I let M choose speed and direction while I worked on my 2 point (which sucked, thread to come on this topic as i need help!) and she was very happy 😃. I can now also easily feel ribs which is a relief!

 

[BenvardenRach2]

Eeekk so today was rather exciting!!!

Not everyone is aware but it took us 2 DAYS to load lily to bring her to wales from Cornwall 10 months ago.
After the first day we managed to get her half way up the ramp but not in the trailer.
On the second day we called in the help of a lovely ‘natural horsemanship’ lady who said she could help .. even then we took a good few hours trying to get her relaxed enough to close her in. She would plant herself on the ramp and then reverse out at full speed. Anyway we got her in and had to drive 4.5 hours home and pray that she would stay calm, she actually travelled perfectly!

Today, we took the trailer down to do some practice, she hadn’t seen the trailer 10 months since the Cornwall trip (my fault for not kicking myself up the ass to practice!!) I was expecting to be there for a couple of hours and my main aim was to get her full body in the tailer for a couple of seconds before she reversed out but I even though that would be a bit optimistic!!

BUT ... The video below shows exactly what happened, within 5 minutes she was on the box!!!
Safe to say I cried like a baby - we walked her through a good 10 times after this and she stood so relaxed on there like it was totally no big deal!!!
This is massive and I honestly couldn’t believe it- she is an absolutely different horse to the horse we collected.
She had no respect for your personal space and was quite scatty but she hadn’t been handled much at all in 6yrs so we did ask a lot of her!
She’s the sweetest pony and I think she’s found her trust in us again - a total transformation!

Katie taught me how to work with her and understand her body language, she taught me so much in a few hours and taught me the pressure release technique which lily just seemed to understand!

Weekly sessions from now on, hopefully we will be able to take her to her first show in the trailer in a few months!!!

 

[Fiona]

That's fabulous BR2......

Gorgeous pics chippers, don't overface yourselves until you're both really confident x x

F and I both ran through our dressage test for tomorrow, but I was ready to murder him after a half hour strop because he said Daisy was spooking, she wasn't...

So I ran out of time to bath the ponies as we had a party in the afternoon, and they are grubby beige at the moment 😭😭😭

Fiona

 

[Bernster]

Wow those are big uns chippers. Great pics.

 

[Chippers1]

Thanks for the pic comments! I know he's perfectly capable of jumping bigger, it's me that makes him stop which frustrates me as I know it's all fine and all in my head. Once we'd got over the particularly sticky jump (the boat one above, which he's jumped before!!!) He flew round the rest of the course and some of the first part of the course again with no problems. It's all down to me being a bit rubbish 😅

That's amazing @BenvardenRach2!

 

[JFTDWS]

Super photos, C!

Nice loading too, BR - similar day for us as my YM's mare who sometimes comes to arena hire with me was a bit of a twat the first time we took her reversing out / planting / rearing - but on Friday she walked straight in like a pro.

I introduced both highlands to archery in the field yesterday - bareback because I left their tack at home (usually lives in the car but didn't have space on Friday!). Obviously neither of them gave a toss about it!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=335536557083591

 

[CrazyMare]

We've been to BD today. First time fully registered rather than a ticket.

A 1st, a 4th, 5 points and 2 Area Festival sheets in the bag!!!

We went alone, I did manage to get someone to video one test but Facebook is playing up atm

 

[Snowfilly]

There were good entries at the show I was doing secretay stuff for this morning, but had to turn 3 lots away for not having up to date flu jabs. Felt really sorry for the crying 5 year old who'd spent hours polishing her boots and was all excited to ride. But honestly, it's on the fb pages, it's on the schedule that they had to look at to get times and postcode for the venue, it's on the bloody great sign outside the trailer; why are people so ignorant about the rules?

Everyone else was easy going, although writing down names of welshies for the M and M classes is never going to be my strong point! And I got a box of chocolates to say thank you.

 

[scats]

Headed to a new venue today to have a go at P2. This would be Millie’s first outdoor test so I was treating it as a schooling round.
She arrived rather fresh and proceeded to shriek and spin which made tacking up rather fun. Warm up was indoors and she was good, albeit a bit spooky at some banners. I dared to give her a flick with the tickle stick when I didn’t get the canter transition I asked for and she told me what she thought of that so I vowed that wasn’t to be repeated!

Onto the test. She’s never seen the boards before and she was rather suspicious of them. Then she was spooky at a stack of jumps near the arena and then at the nearby grazing horses. I decided then that this was likely to be a test of survival so keeping her in the boards and not teleporting or bogging off was my ultimate aim!
Had to ride quite tactfully and she wasn’t as consistent as normal in the contact, particularly when she spotted a horse out hacking on a distant bridlepath and promptly parked her ears up my nostrils...
Canter was fun! We motorbiked one corner at considerable speed!
Anyway, we survived the test and was delighted (and a bit suprised!) to see that we won the class on 66.77%.

 

[Wheels]

My lesson on Friday got cancelled unfortunately, probably not a bad thing since thumb is still sore.

Yesterday I just brought m in for a brush, he was so blinking filthy and dusty!

Today I decided to do some liberty work. We've only ever done a couple of sessions but it's the safest thing for me to do whilst my thumb is out of action. I think I will learn a lot. I always give a fair few breaks whilst I'm working with M but at liberty he can just take himself off when he wants and i must say he went off more often and for longer than I would normally give him even just doing basic things, very telling! But he did come back to engage with me everytime and the breaks he took were getting shorter each time throughout the session so I must have been doing something right lol

 

[scats]

 

[Denbob]

Respectable test for Mr D this morning - despite riding like a plank he managed a very tidy 62.17% to keep us just out of the placings. Even though it was at home he's been very spooky in one particular corner of the big arena and I wasn't sure how he'd cope with the car and noise of the warm up behind the big hedge. Turns out I needn't have worried, didn't bat an eyelid!

My confidence still needs some work and I was a bit hesitant to ask for too much so a lot of "needs to be more forward" but at least I know next time I can push for more 'oomph' without worrying he'll blow a gasket. Onwards and upwards!

Some very blurry photos:

 

[Sasana Skye]

We had a pretty terrible day today. Brieze started off a little sluggish in the dressage, she is a bit of a diva and couldn’t possibly stand the wind and rain in her face so we suffered with the score although I also think the judge was a little harsh. Upwards on onwards! My horses best phase is the SJ so I went into the warm up really confidently but after warming up for about 10-15 minutes Brieze was getting stupidly strong and I noticed some blood in her mouth so I got off and withdrew immediately. She is fine I think she just bit her tongue in the excitement. Gutted as the xc suited us down to the ground - technical and fast. Feeling like the worst owner/rider in the world right now for a. making my horses mouth bleed and b. for not letting her go xc which she LOVES. Never mind there will be other days...

Love seeing all those pictures! Wish I could have gone across the country today 😔

 

[Wheels]

We had a pretty terrible day today. Brieze started off a little sluggish in the dressage, she is a bit of a diva and couldn’t possibly stand the wind and rain in her face so we suffered with the score although I also think the judge was a little harsh. Upwards on onwards! My horses best phase is the SJ so I went into the warm up really confidently but after warming up for about 10-15 minutes Brieze was getting stupidly strong and I noticed some blood in her mouth so I got off and withdrew immediately. She is fine I think she just bit her tongue in the excitement. Gutted as the xc suited us down to the ground - technical and fast. Feeling like the worst owner/rider in the world right now for a. making my horses mouth bleed and b. for not letting her go xc which she LOVES. Never mind there will be other days...

Love seeing all those pictures! Wish I could have gone across the country today 😔

That's a real shame, better luck next time

 

[milliepops]

Well done to everyone out and about, sorry about your day Sasanaskyex

We've had a good weekend. Lesson on Friday was great, the penny is dropping about getting a really engaged posh trot so looking forward to another go on Tuesday.

Kira came to stay chez Millie for a few days, it's been really funny watching the 3 of them together (ish - separated by a fence to avoid a punch up ) Kira didn't appear to recognise Millie, despite having been totally obsessed with her when they were on a yard together. Millie came in season straight away and is drooling over Kira Twiggy has gone really clingy and follows Millie round everywhere. Odd little gang.

Hacking today, she is usually super bold when she doesn't know where she is, and today was no exception I had no idea where we were either, which made for a rather interesting outing

3 shiny weirdos

 

[scats]

Glad Kira is starting to enjoy her hacking more MP.

 

[milliepops]

Glad Kira is starting to enjoy her hacking more MP.

it's taken a long time but she's finally starting to be a bit braver - I still have to be prepared to hop off now and then if she starts having a meltdown on the road but she's getting more... um... "elastic" in her brain and more willing to consider things than before

 

[Ambers Echo]

Had a calm, listening Amber af Brand Hall. Even on XC. Hurrah!! I'll do a report a bit later Godzilla-willing.

 

[Accidental Eventer]

We had so much fun at the hunter trials yesterday. Henry was super confident and felt awesome. He had one stop at a particularly scary jump, but wasn't bothered when he actually looked at it and represented. We will iron out the kinks with more time and now I know how he feels when he isn't sure.

Other than one wobble, he cantered around like he'd done it years, not his first go. I am so proud of him, he made it all feel easy.

 

[Fiona]

RC area dressage champs yesterday, and both ponies went well, though Daisy was spooky in one particular corner. Unfortunately I got the encouraging judge in the senior arena, who said 'What a little dude!!!!' at the bottom of my sheet, but poor F got Ms grumpy which was a shame as there aren't many 7yos especially boys who like dressage....

Fiona