Weekend plans

Pippity said:
Weirdly, I'm fine with the cold and even the wet (I have plenty of, um, 'built-in insulation') but I can't stand the dark.
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I'm the same! I just find the dark nights so limiting - I'm a happy hacker and whilst I'm eternally grateful to start work late twice a week to keep up winter midweek hacking, I'm missing the lighter evenings to get out and about in. I don't care if it rains or is chilly ... just give me the daylight please :D
 
Survived ride on Fat Rat! She was a little, errr, fidgety when mounting and borderline hysterical when arse first made contact with makeshift saddle (polypad and a roller!). Just sat quietly, lots of pats and when she eventually started breathing again we just walked around the school. No nonsense once we got going. Now on the lookout for a saddle to suit her ample width. In all seriousness I need her to drop weight this year, she is too fat and I don’t think I can manage it through diet alone. It’ll be a challenge to have 2 horses in work, but if I get her moving a few times a week, it should help.

Adding a pic but they are coming out sideways again ?

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Super lesson tonight. Built a 20x60 arena to practise tests for Sunday (we are lucky to have an outdoor that’s 30x60). Horse went really well, delighted with him. Have been trying some of the exercises from the lockdown clinics which have worked really well - instructor was very pleased and felt it was some of his best work yet. He is really starting to get the medium trot now, he can switch it on and off pretty swiftly which is lovely! Riding the bigger arena was good fun, so I’m tentatively looking forward to the comp on Sunday. ?
 

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Well, supercob was rather shirty in our lesson today. Hes had a nice easy week of hacking with his owner and her daughter but I think actually hes not done quite enough and combined with one or two minor niggles he was very tight and stuffy with quite a few stroppy bucks and broncs. He did settle and do some nice work in the end but he was pooped by then
 
Blue hasn't hacked for a couple of weeks due to darkness and illness, but she's been so good in the school that I considered hacking her in her snaffle today, rather than her dutch gag. I decided to be safe and use the dutch gag and I'm extremely glad I did! Apparently brakes happen to other people, the only correct speed is turbo trot, and have I considered reining because she thinks she'd be quite good at it.
 
Schooled again today, as I was worried the heavens were going to open! Despite the drizzle, we managed some nice work! Had a go at the canter again today (only the third time in the school as it is pretty unbalanced), had some good transitions and nearly managed a whole circuit of the school on the left rein. As soon as he feels unbalanced, he drops back to trot- which is no bad thing, but I do feel I need an instructor to help me work through it. Unfortunately mine isn't allowed up to the yard at the moment because of lockdown!
 
Had a real confidence boosting lesson today. Lost my nerve a bit jumping my youngster (jump anything else no problem) but he got into a habit of doing his own lap of honour after every fence involving multiple laps of the arena.

Haven’t jumped him for a couple of months apart from the odd fence in the past couple of weeks which he’s been an absolute saint with but I just found myself freezing in fear.

Anyway had a fabulous grid work lesson today, starting with canter poles and building up to a pretty meaty fence at the end and I remembered how much I enjoy jumping him and that I love his boldness.

My jump position is still a bit defensive but came away feeling like I can trust him again

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Posted elsewhere but still like to add to the thread. I went lesson instead of hack today and glad to have made this choice!

Highlight was practicing one handed cantering (for working on balance/security) and feeling a sense of progress from last week - less nagging, more snappy transitions! Had a bit of a wobble but new instructor was good about it and we still got some good work done, just in a different gait.
 
Lots of enthusiastic ponies this weekend it seems! Teaching all went well, I had enthusiastic ponies too lol 4 weeks being in has started to show its effects now might get quite interesting when we start getting some cold days ?
Had a nice little stretchy mostly walk hack today although I nearly fell off trying to get on. I often just hop on rather than putting a foot in the stirrup and "mounting". Well I was on the off side getting on off a low wall because the mounting block had been moved. And I either over estimated my height or my hop, or under estimated the wall height. Either way I was in that awkward place where theres no dignified way to either get on or abort and try again, so I just wriggled my way on board ??
 
An alright day for me, prelim 15 & novice 23. Low marks across the board for everyone, 8 of 9 in prelim and 7 of 12 in novice, not a huge range of marks from top to bottom tbh, we must all have been mediocre ?
Horse spooked at judge’s car in the prelim which gave us a dodgy canter transition, otherwise he was ok. Novice felt 100x better but only 0.5% higher score. Anyway, happy with him, he tried hard and felt very rideable (not that he ever doesn’t lol!).

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My usual weekly run down!

This time it starts with a good forest hack. Lovely time and Rooni was so good with 2 x motorway bridges and a totally flooded path that was belly deep.

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Quick Figgy session mid week, he’s always fun to exercise.

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Got absolutely soaked riding Rooni on Friday but he was great and the changes / half steps are coming along.

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Saturday I gave a friend a lesson on her exracer and he was fab, really lovely horse.

Today, rode both and am super impressed with Rooni. Mega grown up all of a sudden.

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Today didn't quite go to plan as I was going to hack out with another livery at the yard, weather predicted to be fine. Which it was, but livery changed mind. Rather than hack on my own I decided to use the free arena to practice our new 'standing still at the mounting block' technique.

After last weekend, when she swung a little away from the mounting block and I stayed on top of it, making her walk right around it until she stood again, I decided that the key problem was her being able to swing her rear end away. So during the week when I had a couple of lessons, I mounted each time by putting her alongside a jump wing or a filler on her off side. Worked a treat both times, with my instructor standing nearby but not holding or saying anything to her.
So today on my own, did the same and mounted with no problem at all. I'll continue to do this a few more times, then try it away from the off side obstacle and see if she remains still, fingers crossed. I'd really like to be able to mount her from anything, anywhere, as we sometimes do TREC and at the moment I need to rely on a partner to do gates for us!
 
MuddyMonster said:
I'm the same! I just find the dark nights so limiting - I'm a happy hacker and whilst I'm eternally grateful to start work late twice a week to keep up winter midweek hacking, I'm missing the lighter evenings to get out and about in. I don't care if it rains or is chilly ... just give me the daylight please :D
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I’m another who really struggles with the dark, partly as our arena lighting isn’t good enough to ride by, so I’m restricted to my half days or days off work. I’d rather ride in the pouring rain when its light than in the dark
 
Struggling with motivation at the moment! Had a very jolly (joggy!) hack yesterday as we went off to find the common near the new yard. It was lovely, lots of tracks and grassy spots, some nice uphill bits and generally a really nice place to visit. So that was fab. But both horses def felt we should have been cantering!
 
Cob Life said:
I’m another who really struggles with the dark, partly as our arena lighting isn’t good enough to ride by, so I’m restricted to my half days or days off work. I’d rather ride in the pouring rain when its light than in the dark
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Thats tough. I appreciate my lights even more reading these comments!
 
We're lucky that we have a short main road stretch and then we've got a big housing estate which is pretty quiet but well lit so we go out with viz and lights but we can go out. Alternatively I'm often out early and as it gets light theres a bridle path a similar distance the opposite way up the main road. Takes about 20 minutes to get all my viz stuff on so schooling would be quicker but our surface gets too deep when its wet for my liking. This is us on the lane going home, its the only actual dark section
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Roxy - do you get much traffic and are they ok? Only time I ventured out a bit later, and got caught in the dark on the way home, we had one car stop and make some comment that we shouldn’t be out, and one driver who deliberately drove AT US. It was the final stretch of the road to the yard, we had full hi vis and strong lights, and it was sunset so not fully dark but darker than I’d have liked. ?
 
Mostly the roads are wide enough for them to get past without much hassle, it's all 30mph areas (for what that's worth ?)
I'm usually trotting if I'm on my own on the main road. I'm not against briefly walking on the pavement if need be - for instance if theres a build up of traffic for instance.
I also hold my whip out from knee height if people are getting a bit close, and will hot them if I can reach - it's a reflective and hi viz schooling whip and is very effective!
I've never had any sort of real issue, there is one woman who I think works in some way at the school - shes been seen driving in there in the day time. Shes known for driving at horses, but shes not an issue at the times I'm out.
It's not ideal,but we do all muddle along ok
 
Cob Life said:
I’m another who really struggles with the dark, partly as our arena lighting isn’t good enough to ride by, so I’m restricted to my half days or days off work. I’d rather ride in the pouring rain when its light than in the dark
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Our arena lights are good, but the school too big for them to reach every corner, so I ride with a head torch on. The horses adapted pretty quick, you just have to remember that the light goes where you're looking so don't blind them, other people with it lol.

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Realised today my saddle needs something done. Bugger!
Noticed the other day that it looked like it was sitting quite high. Compared to pics from when I got it and there’s a big difference as far as i can see. I think it is probably too narrow now. Horse doesn’t seem to have noticed but I am paranoid now! Cue emergency day off work and an appointment at the saddler for Wednesday ?
 
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