Weekend plans :)

[HappyHollyDays]

Ouch Amber hope you aren’t too sore tomorrow.

Well I took B XC training late this afternoon and I learnt something new about my laid back little Connie. When he gets excited he broncs ? and apparently XC jumps are very very exciting. Trainer was very complementary about my limpet like abilities but it actually shook me up a bit. I’m used to DP being sharp, spooking sideways at warp speed and throwing the odd buck in canter but he only does it once not 4 or 5 in a row. More practice required me thinks.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Sounds a bit hairy LL! Did he get cold standing about at all, or was he just being a tit?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Think it was a combination of getting chilly and excited at being back out jumping. We were on top of a hill and it was windy and raining for some of the session..

 

[KEK]

Bernster, she look lovely!

Our weekend started today with 2 rounds of show jumping at Patrons Cup (missed you by a day KEK!). Henry was pinging around and won his first round, his first blue ribbon, his first rug and his first prize money! Thrilled doesn't cover it.
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Second round was brilliant, but he just tapped the first fence with a slack hind leg which meant we were out of the placings. He learnt not to touch them after than and jumped the rest massive! Very proud of my little horse! He makes the jumps look teeny tiny!

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Tomorrow we have our last dressage club rally of the season, it's been a huge benefit for us going.

Sunday will be hacking the bouncy orange horse around home. Have a good one all!

Oh wow, congratulations! Nice rug!! Are you doing states in 2 weeks at serpy?
Malachy did super at his 1st show, SO much happening and he wasn't phased! Course went forever, 1 down.

 

[Chippers1]

Buzz was so good yesterday jumped everything with enthusiasm and was nice and forward. Admittedly we didn't jump very big as the liveries from my yard that we went with don't really jump but it was a nice confidence building day.
Didn't load on his own though but that's fair enough as I've not been able to do any practice with my box being in the garage. He loaded absolutely fine with someone just walking behind him (as usual!)
Also really pleased as he had the farrier on Thursday and after his trin he walked out perfectly on the stony path I'm so pleased his barefoot transition is going so well.

 

[Xmasha]

We had a fab day out at dressage , a bit of a tail of two halves . First test the prelim 17 went lovely, we should have got our best score to date - 68.3% ( however , whoever was adding up calculated it wrong and put us at 66%)
our first attempt at Novice was a disaster . Started off great , with some 7s , then Just didn’t get the canter transition which made me panic , kick like a pony club kid ( no offence to pC kids ?) then got the wrong lead and panicked even more . Mind went completely blank , and forgot the rest of the test . Walked when I should have trotted , suddenly realised we should have been doing a half circle at V , so did a handbrake turn . Got to the end of the test , didn’t salute as basically I’d given up by then . So had 4 marks in total taken away . On the score sheet it said 62% , which I was made up with . Got back home and wondered how with scores ranging from 3 -5.5 and 4 marks deducted did I get 62% , ( there where some 7s before I lost it . Checked it and hey presto should have been 54%
My friends was also added up incorrectly too . But the bits we got right , we did get some 7s , so I just need to practice and get some more miles under our belt ?
Token photo of us

 

[Season’s Bleatings]

Well we survived and made it back in one piece ?
Clear for me in the 80s and an unlucky 2 poles for OH in the 90s. Absolutely thrilled, horse was such a star and flew round so nicely!! Might give the 90s a go next time myself ? jumps look tiny compared to his big spider legs ? first 4 are me and last 2 are OH.

 

[Pippity]

We did some 'hydrotherapy' yesterday, aka, hacking the flooded Trans-Pennine Trail! It was mid-cannon bone in places, but still with a lovely, firm surface underneath the water, so we walked backwards and forwards a few times with her really working through.

If we're going to have grotty weather, I'm going to take advantage of it!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Still on the XC course fence judging. Just the 100 class to go, all 52 of them. At a double with only one run out at the second part all day and there have been about 175 through already.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Still on the XC course fence judging. Just the 100 class to go, all 52 of them. At a double with only one run out at the second part all day and there have been about 175 through already.

That sounds a very long day!

 

[scats]

My lesson yesterday appears to have killed me off! Was in bed at 8pm last night and felt rotten today, lay down this afternoon and fell asleep. Trying to revive myself with a coffee before I see to the girls!

 

[TheHairyOne]

Some fab reports in this thread so far with some cracking pics and lovely horses.

Ive had a busy weekend! Dressage yesterday (1st since lockdown) and the good bits refecting the improvements at home and the hard work put in instead of going out with a lot of 7.5's and an 8. The bad bits due to lack of ring practice got a good couple of marks 5 and below so came out just short of 66%. However, lots of positives to take away!



Today we went to a pick your own height CR. Feeling brave I went with 80 - 90 and horse was wonderful and flew everything.



Well earnt day off tomorrow.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

That sounds a very long day!

Finally home. It was long but riders were coming through every 90 seconds so it was very busy. Now for a cup of tea.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

So happy with Toby. Had a great jumping lesson today. For ages it has felt that he is a total baby when it comes to jumping. Not forward, not straight, not sure what to do when he gets to the fence! So I felt like I had to really ride and it looked and felt a disorganised mess. And suddenly he has figured it out and feels more or less a normal horse. So we popped round a 70/75 sourse with no bother. After the video was taken Katie had to go and get Dolly ready but the jumps went up 2 holes, a couple of back rails went on and we popped round again. Felt easy and from thinking he won't be ready for an 80 class EVER, it feels like we could do one now . I won't yet though. I am in no hurry. But it finally feels like it's coming together.

Dolly was amazing too. Jumped 2 100cm fences on a crazy angle. An upright to an oxer set at almost right angles to each other and jumped on a straight line at a very acute angle. She popped though first time of asking. Such a special pony.

 

[Bernster]

Loving the pics! Well done all - some great outings and activities this weekend!.

 

[DressageCob]

I had a special weekend. On Friday it was my 11th anniversary with my little cob. I made him a little cake to celebrate; he loved it and so did all his friends.

On Saturday I ran through M71 with the little lad, and it's getting much better. just need to sort out canter half passes now. He would rather go fast than sideways ?

On Saturday afternoon I took the big lad for a lesson with Spencer Wilton at a very swanky local-ish yard. He was a very good boy (and so was the horse). It was a great experience.

 

[milliepops]

Good weekend pottering here. Had a little breakthrough in the 1 tempis and knocked out a line of 15 on the quarterline yesterday i think this shows our straightness homework has been effective because previously she got crooked and croup high when we put a longer sequence together so I'm pretty chuffed with that.
Today we faced the elephant in the room and started chipping away at the passage work again,I'm a bit anxious that I'm going to get told off on Tuesday for not doing it but we both got so hacked off that i thought doing canter exercises was more productive

then assisting OH with a fencing job, bit of quality bonding time as it's our wedding anniversary tomorrow and we'll both be busy

Gratuitous mum & baby snap, Hera has got SUCH a thick coat now!

 

[j1ffy]

It sounds like lots of good weekends have been had! DressageCob - I’ve been drooling over the FB photos of the yard I think you went to, is it as gorgeous in real life? MP - Hera looks adorable! AE - Toby looks fab.

Our dressage outing surpassed all expectations! Danny felt very grown up and almost the same as he does at home. We were rewarded with 72.6% in our first test (Danny’s second Novice) and 70.7% in the second despite Danny feeling shocked and tired at being asked to go again for the first time, and two firsts. I am so proud of how he has gone from anxious nelly to giving it his all in the arena. What a ?

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Fabulous J1ffy!

 

[Roxylola]

Ooh everyone looks fabulous. We on the other hand look stubbly with a hint of patchwork quilt. The cob is super in so many ways, but he gets mallanders and is a bit funny about having his legs clipped/trimmed. Body, head and back legs are fine (apart from his withers). We have not fabulous battery clippers and a very cheap set of battery pet trimmers I am allowed to use on his legs. So, normally I blend and just do the backs of his legs from knee down. Well, as I'm clipping and hes kind of woolly I went for clipping off the whole front legs.
We ran out of battery on the big clippers before I could iron all the lines out, and legs are best described as interesting. Too wet and muddy to have done them properly as well. Hopefully I'll be able to get him tidied up tomorrow ?

 

[Accidental Eventer]

Oh wow, congratulations! Nice rug!! Are you doing states in 2 weeks at serpy?
Malachy did super at his 1st show, SO much happening and he wasn't phased! Course went forever, 1 down.

What a good pony! We are going on Saturday to the States, hubby is there all weekend either judging or stewarding so I figured I might as well go too.

 

[nikkimariet]

Nothing except bash the countryside at great speed!!!! 20 miles yesterday and you can just see Rutland water in this pic.

 

[Keith_Beef]

w00t!

Got an SMS from Anna to tell me that there was one place left on an all-day ride she's organising to Saint-Germain en Laye and back, with a picnic there in the grounds of the big house at midday.

Not only that, but she knocked 37% off the price to fill the group up! She sent out the message at 08h45 and I saw it at about 13h00, but the place was still available, so I bagged it.

And the weather forecast is for fine through morning 9°C, occasional light showers and 13°C for the afternoon... for me, that is an ideal temperature for riding.

We're riding from a yard I've not visited before, so I expect to get a horse I don't know. I've ridden from four yards, so far; I think that .there must be at least another twelve livery yards and riding schools in my town).

Great day out, perfect weather for almost the whole day apart from fifteen or twenty minutes of rain late in the afternoon and a bit of gusty wind at the same time.

Everybody set off from Maisons-Laffitte, some of us from the yards in the town, others brought their horses in lorries and trailers to the racecourse and set off from there. So there were about fifty of us in all, but in groups of between four (our group) to twenty or so (a pony club from a nearby town) plus two or three individual riders.

We met up at a yard I was sure I'd not been to before, to ride a horse I'd never seen before... but I trust Anna to choose a horse suited to my build and level. Breakfast (coffee and a croissant... I know the routine, so I have some milk and a bit of ham before I leave the house) in an upstairs club-house room with the two other riders (a Frenchman of about my age and a Canadian/American woman in her mid-thirties).

We got the horses tacked up and saddled and set off. About forty minutes or so, already through the first part of the forest and across the road into the second part, we could see a herd of ponies with their riders dismounted, so there was clearly something amiss. I held back while the others went forward so we now were in single file with about five metres between us when a girl of about thirteen suddenly strode out from behind a bush and through the long grass. No prizes for guessing how our horses reacted. But we were far enough away from her, and the horses calmed down quickly enough. The girl told us that one of their group had fallen, was lying on the sand ahead, and that the fire brigade was on its way (aver here, it's the fire brigade paramedics that respond to accidents). As we left them, I warned the girl that at least one other group would be coming along in a couple of minutes, and that she should post herself in the middle of the track to be visible...

We reached the fallen girl, who was attended by another of about the same age. Lying on the wet sand with a jacket over her upper body. I asked if the injured girl was feeling cold, and of course she was; she was on wet sand (it had rained the previous night). So I gave her one of the two survival blankets that I always carry on long rides, and then went to catch up with my group and we continued on.

We pushed on through the forest, some walking, a lot of trotting, and some cantering. The paths are sandy, sometimes as narrow as 30cm and sometimes as wide as six metres. There are distance markers along some sections, and the longest stretch of canter that we did was along one of these: 1500 metres.

We got to the grounds of the Château at about 12h30, tied up the horses to a high-line, took off the saddle and tack, brushed them, then watered and fed them before heading over to the buffet tent. Masks provided and required while at the cold buffet: salmon, roast pork, roast beef, various kinds of salad (pasta, potato, lentil/wheat, cucumber/tomato/olive/feta), bread, cheese, red and rosé wine, cider, fruit juices and water.

After a break of about two hours, we set off to ride back home by a different route.


No more accidents, very few navigation hesitations, and I found out a few things about my horse...

• Slow canter is very difficult, he falls back to trot very easily.
• Slow trot is a little difficult, but he can settle into it after a few strides; I need to plan for that and drop back a bit, ask for the trot, then slow it down before he gets too close to the horse in front.
• He doesn't like to get his feet wet, and prefers to go around puddles where possible or jump over them. Not high, but long.
• He doesn't like the sound of breaking branches. A group of kids playing at building a cabin out of fallen branches decided to break a couple, and that spooked him. Then when the rain came, the gusts of wind broke off a couple of small branches and he spooked again.
• He's usually very good with traffic, but a car that approached from a side road and waited for us to pass didn't wait quite long enough, and the noise of it pulling out behind him spooked him again... this time on tarmac so his hooves skidded about and that unsettled him even more, but again he quietened down quickly.

 

[KEK]

What a good pony! We are going on Saturday to the States, hubby is there all weekend either judging or stewarding so I figured I might as well go too.

Lol we will be there Sunday, at an agility trial Sat. Think he's doing the 65 and 75cm class. Good luck!

 

[tristar]

Lovely morning hunting with Bear. He hasn’t been for a month so expected some silly behaviour but he was great! So tempted to get him doing some jumping but need to teach him a bit in school first.

Then came home to find the cat had left me a chewed up mouse on my bed- lovely!!

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you should be a model for equestrian ads, inc posing dog and horse

 

[DressageCob]

It sounds like lots of good weekends have been had! DressageCob - I’ve been drooling over the FB photos of the yard I think you went to, is it as gorgeous in real life? MP - Hera looks adorable! AE - Toby looks fab.

Our dressage outing surpassed all expectations! Danny felt very grown up and almost the same as he does at home. We were rewarded with 72.6% in our first test (Danny’s second Novice) and 70.7% in the second despite Danny feeling shocked and tired at being asked to go again for the first time, and two firsts. I am so proud of how he has gone from anxious nelly to giving it his all in the arena. What a ?

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Well done! Excellent scores. He looks super shiny too.

The yard is even more amazing in person. It's also immaculate. I need to win the lottery and build a place like that!

 

[Michen]

you should be a model for equestrian ads, inc posing dog and horse

Aha! Bog is the most photogenic of us all!! x

 

[scats]

I had a special weekend. On Friday it was my 11th anniversary with my little cob. I made him a little cake to celebrate; he loved it and so did all his friends.

On Saturday I ran through M71 with the little lad, and it's getting much better. just need to sort out canter half passes now. He would rather go fast than sideways ?

On Saturday afternoon I took the big lad for a lesson with Spencer Wilton at a very swanky local-ish yard. He was a very good boy (and so was the horse). It was a great experience.

Is that the yard near me? If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s absolute gorgeous!

 

[DressageCob]

Is that the yard near me? If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s absolute gorgeous!

That's the one!

 

[scats]

That's the one!

It’s the dream isn’t it! I’ve got a couple of friends based there.