Weekend Plans :)

[Sasana Skye]

I was very proud of my 5yo this morning. We went for a hack in a hurricane (OK not really but still it was v.v. windy). A bin fell over in front of us and after a mild panic she kept going forwards, then we came across a plastic bag flapping in the hedges she gave it a good look but kept going forwards, then we got past a silage bale in a farm field which had become unwrapped and was flying all over the place and to finish we walked through a stream which was running higher and faster than normal and filled with thick natural foam.
A month or two ago she'd have reversed, reared and span away from those things and I would have had to get off and lead her past but she is getting braver and more confident which meant that I didn't even need to kick her past anything, I just gave her a pat and a bit of verbal praise, let her stop and think about it for a second before she went forwards of her own accord. SO PLEASED!!

 

[DirectorFury]

Hacked yesterday, I'm phoning the vet Monday. She's always been a tense type but never ever this bad. I'm not convinced it's physical but it makes more sense to check that off the list before I plough even more time and money into schooling.

Horses ?.

 

[milliepops]

Hacked yesterday, I'm phoning the vet Monday. She's always been a tense type but never ever this bad. I'm not convinced it's physical but it makes more sense to check that off the list before I plough even more time and money into schooling.

Horses ?.

bugger obviously hope there's nothing wrong with her but if not then you've got a different problem :/

 

[DirectorFury]

bugger obviously hope there's nothing wrong with her but if not then you've got a different problem :/

I'm not sure a Welsh brain problem will be any easier to fix .
The general explosive behaviour atm is more likely the haylage they're all on but we're making no progress at all on the contact front and at this point it's either something physically wrong with her or I'm an even worse rider than I thought.

 

[DressageCob]

Great weekend!

Big cob did his first proper half pass. We've been doing baby ones for a few lessons and today we went for it properly and he was great. We did some shoulder in, to half 10m circles, to shoulder in, then half pass off a half 10m circle. He seemed to enjoy having to think. I need to catch up ?

With the little cob we had a flat lesson yesterday. he's working so much more uphill now. Today we accidentally joined a jump lesson and he had a blast! I was ridiculously nervous. It was windy and I was out of practice ? (That's my excuse anyway.) We did a small-medium cross pole, and he jumped it like it was a puissance competition. I don't think he can judge height so well since his eye loss (that's his excuse anyway!!). So he jumps everything like it is enormous. He's such a dude.

 

[Fiona]

We had a bit of a meh dressage competition today...

Child and daisy rode a reasonable test, with one late to canter and one late to walk, but was beaten 8% by the winner who is a similar standard, ie nice active paces, but no real outline shown....

Then Fionn was so overcome by the fact that Daisy was standing at the side of the indoor arena that he spent the whole test neighing to her and trying to look at her, so while there was a it of beautiful balanced canter, there was mostly inattentive nose poking ??

Not a very positive day...

Fiona

 

[little_critter]

Must have been a day for it Fiona. I was feeling confident in our work leading up to the comp. I felt we should be 66-68% if we did a good test and I didn't mess up.
Test 1 (P18) I did my usual trick of not actually riding, didn't ask for enough and got comments of 'needed better connection, needed more consistent contact, needed more suppleness'...all fair comment. It was a safe test with everything in the right places, just not enough quality work. 63%
Test 2 (P7) we just missed the sideways hailstorm that blew through, but there was still an icy wind so Theo was wired. We were the only ones in the warmup for a short while and even then we were barely keeping a lid on it. I seriously considered withdrawing, but thought I might as well see if we calm down as we do more warm up. We managed to calm down enough for me to ask for trot, so I thought maybe we could do the test, but trot the canter bits. Then after a bit more work I braved a very short canter and felt we could have a crack at the proper test, we could always retire if needed.
Well we got round ok, left the arena at one point but we did all our movements and transitions in the right places. General comments were that the calm focused work is good but needs more consistency...fair comment. 63.8%
So disappointing we didn't show our best side, annoyed with myself for riding like a wet towel in test 1, but pleased I stuck with test 2 and went from nearly withdrawing to pulling off an 'average' test.
I need to learn to push for more and not clam up in a test.

 

[Fiona]

I rode Prelim 18 too LC...

Its one of my favourite tests, and last time I got 68%.

You need someone to give you a pep talk just beforehand. My hubby ignored me the whole time, he was fiddling in the lorry because Fionn had dislodged the partition (after Daisy was taken away) and only just appeared in time to video.

Fiona

 

[HufflyPuffly]

So I actually went out somewhere! Feels like it has been forever since we last did anything and to be honest I was only covering someone elses slot, but I am so glad I went!

XC lesson with Mark Cramb in Somerfords Ash arena (lots of lovely small fences), was suppose to be a shared lesson, but the other lady had to pull out so despite not even originally going it ended up just me and Skylla! Was a bit nervous as she's been a bit wild recently and I think we've only jumped a handful of times since the end of Sept .

Started in the forward fetal position , got told off and to sit up, stop letting her pull me forward, engage my core and LET HER GO . Skylla was awesome once I stopped fannying about! She was so keen but kept her cool, even though I said another horse could share the arena she barely even registered it, which makes me so proud that all that time battling through the awful nappy five year old stage was worth it #proudhorseymum! Still need to sort out bitting as the wilkie meant I was 'just' in control but she was still pulling a bit, but then I don't know if this might be better as I tend to try and hold too much so really don't want to over-bit her...

Jumped absolutely everything asked to, even when I completely messed up and jumped a flipping massive (to me) skinny fence with brush on the top, as for some reason I went all chicken about clarifying which 'green' fence he meant . Skylla just said yep sure we got this.

Really super lesson as it was all about riding her in a rhythm, forward hands, down towards the withers (not near my chin ), letting her get on with it and trusting her to do it! Mark set lots of twisty courses so the corners naturally slowed her without me needing to pull, which really helped. Only two iffy moments, one at a duff stride to the bank where I completely abandoned her and panicked in an 'I'm going to die' mode, sorry Skylla! The other after jumping the skinny brush I wasn't suppose to, we tried linking both of the skinny brushes, but I didn't have her quite together enough (wasn't pooping myself at the enormous fence we'd just jumped, nope not at all ) but popping a circle in between she did it easily, and as Mark pointed out we'd not see anything that technical or big out on an 80!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1349307798583164

'Got told to crack on and get out there now ...

 

[DressageCob]

So I actually went out somewhere! Feels like it has been forever since we last did anything and to be honest I was only covering someone elses slot, but I am so glad I went!

XC lesson with Mark Cramb in Somerfords Ash arena (lots of lovely small fences), was suppose to be a shared lesson, but the other lady had to pull out so despite not even originally going it ended up just me and Skylla! Was a bit nervous as she's been a bit wild recently and I think we've only jumped a handful of times since the end of Sept .

Started in the forward fetal position , got told off and to sit up, stop letting her pull me forward, engage my core and LET HER GO . Skylla was awesome once I stopped fannying about! She was so keen but kept her cool, even though I said another horse could share the arena she barely even registered it, which makes me so proud that all that time battling through the awful nappy five year old stage was worth it #proudhorseymum! Still need to sort out bitting as the wilkie meant I was 'just' in control but she was still pulling a bit, but then I don't know if this might be better as I tend to try and hold too much so really don't want to over-bit her...

Jumped absolutely everything asked to, even when I completely messed up and jumped a flipping massive (to me) skinny fence with brush on the top, as for some reason I went all chicken about clarifying which 'green' fence he meant . Skylla just said yep sure we got this.

Really super lesson as it was all about riding her in a rhythm, forward hands, down towards the withers (not near my chin ), letting her get on with it and trusting her to do it! Mark set lots of twisty courses so the corners naturally slowed her without me needing to pull, which really helped. Only two iffy moments, one at a duff stride to the bank where I completely abandoned her and panicked in an 'I'm going to die' mode, sorry Skylla! The other after jumping the skinny brush I wasn't suppose to, we tried linking both of the skinny brushes, but I didn't have her quite together enough (wasn't pooping myself at the enormous fence we'd just jumped, nope not at all ) but popping a circle in between she did it easily, and as Mark pointed out we'd not see anything that technical or big out on an 80!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1349307798583164

'Got told to crack on and get out there now ...

She looks great!! Very positive outing. Some find those arena set ups overwhelming, but not Skylla!!

What did you think of Mark? I've hovered over booking in for one of his clinics, but have heard he can be a bit too pushy. But then I like pushy!! But I do have limits ?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

She looks great!! Very positive outing. Some find those arena set ups overwhelming, but not Skylla!!

What did you think of Mark? I've hovered over booking in for one of his clinics, but have heard he can be a bit too pushy. But then I like pushy!! But I do have limits ?

Skylla definitely wasn’t overwhelmed, unlike her rider ?.

Thought he was great! Lots of similar themes to the Tuffy clinic but I felt he was less scary ??‍?. I didn’t find him pushy, but then I am reasonably happy to do as I’m told and Skylla is starting to make me feel bolder!

I’d defo recommend based on that lesson, he was really lovely and positive which I always like, even when basically telling me to sort myself out ? it felt encouraging rather than heavily critical.

 

[DressageCob]

Skylla definitely wasn’t overwhelmed, unlike her rider ?.

Thought he was great! Lots of similar themes to the Tuffy clinic but I felt he was less scary ??‍?. I didn’t find him pushy, but then I am reasonably happy to do as I’m told and Skylla is starting to make me feel bolder!

I’d defo recommend based on that lesson, he was really lovely and positive which I always like, even when basically telling me to sort myself out ? it felt encouraging rather than heavily critical.

Sounds good! I don't mind being given a verbal slapping, so long as I don't feel like a dimwit afterwards ?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Sounds good! I don't mind being given a verbal slapping, so long as I don't feel like a dimwit afterwards ?

Even when I jumped totally the wrong fence he didn’t make me feel stupid (I did feel stupid but that was my own doing ??)!

 

[Bernster]

Love that write up! And such a cutey photo!

 

[Chippers1]

well hunting didn't happen...came in on Sunday for cleaning minus a shoe! Could not find a farrier able to put it back on so the day was abandoned. Earliest farrier can come is Thurs so an easy week for Buzz. But at least yesterday he walked over to me in the field

 

[Sasana Skye]

I bought a lovely new Fairfax XC saddle in the summer and went for my 10 week saddle check yesterday. Firstly I almost chickened out of going because the wind was so strong at 7am and I wasn't keen on towing over the M5 bridge in it, but by 9am when I needed to leave it had died right down so chucked the horse in the trailer and off we went down to Somerset.

Good news and bad news: good news is that after a little top up flock and gullet change (MW to W!) the saddle fits perfectly and is nice and balanced. Brieze agreed that she still felt free in the saddle and proceeded to canter excitably around the arena for 100 laps. She has actually lost quite a bit of weight in 10 weeks since the saddle was fitted but still managed to go up a gullet size, really pleased with how her shoulder is building up.

Bad news is that while the horse is now even, and the saddle is nicely balanced, the rider is crooked and it's throwing the saddle off to the left on the right rein. I have had a weak right hip for a while which causes massive pain in my knee while running, we think it's causing me to put more weight into my left side. Now it's starting to interfere with my horses way of going and saddle fit I will finally do something about it.
Also got told off for using stretched stirrup leathers and advised I need better irons (ones that are £200+ apparently). It never bloody ends! There's always something that needs fixing.

 

[Fiona]

Bad news is that while the horse is now even, and the saddle is nicely balanced, the rider is crooked and it's throwing the saddle off to the left on the right rein. I have had a weak right hip for a while which causes massive pain in my knee while running, we think it's causing me to put more weight into my left side. Now it's starting to interfere with my horses way of going and saddle fit I will finally do something about it.
Also got told off for using stretched stirrup leathers and advised I need better irons (ones that are £200+ apparently). It never bloody ends! There's always something that needs fixing.

My saddler said the same about my lovely but heavy sprengers, and I bought a pair of the acavallo safety stirrups. £110, and I can def recommend. They are so light, and really comfy.

Fiona

 

[zaminda]

So our ride was pretty good. We shortened the ride as Mindy has been a bit off colour, and that loop still includes rolling back up some gallops which I knew she would enjoy.
Just after we turned for home my friends horse slipped over on the mud as we were approaching a gate. They were both fine, but just after that the lady in front of us got hooked up in the gate, the stirrup didn't come off, and the horse panicked.
I managed to catch the horse and we rang for help. It took a while for help to arrive, then we rolled home with both horses loving it.
Thankfully the other rider was fine, just bruised and sore.
Onwards and upwards for her, fingers crossed she stays sound.

 

[dorsetladette]

The boys checking out their new accommodation ?
A very productive weekend!!