weekend plans

RachelFerd said:
what drives me mad is the amount of times there are clinics in there with people jumping 60/70 and falling off left right and centre, who should have probably booked the Ash arena instead!
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I don't really see why less experienced partnerships who they want to experience XC and the water complex etc should be viewed as less entitled to be in there? There are jumps at all levels on all 3 arenas to allow all levels of rider and horse to enjoy fantastic facilities. One of the things I love about how Andy H has set it out this year is the new technical but small lines like the line of ski-jump, skinny, bounce on the arena nearest the water complex, so people get the full experience even if either they or their horse are only comfortable at 60/70. If they only had bigger jumps, then fair enough. But they don't. They cater for all abilities and I'd hate people reading this rto think it was not for the likes of them because they are 'only' jumping 70cm. It's a brilliant venue and everyone should feel free to access and enjoy it.
 
Clinics are at the mercy of the trainer as well, for an arena hire I'd probably book the ash as it's likely to be quieter even though theres lots in both for us
 
Amber Prosecco said:
I don't really see why less experienced partnerships who they want to experience XC and the water complex etc should be viewed as less entitled to be in there? There are jumps at all levels on all 3 arenas to allow all levels of rider and horse to enjoy fantastic facilities. One of the things I love about how Andy H has set it out this year is the new technical but small lines like the line of ski-jump, skinny, bounce on the arena nearest the water complex, so people get the full experience even if either they or their horse are only comfortable at 60/70. If they only had bigger jumps, then fair enough. But they don't. They cater for all abilities and I'd hate people reading this rto think it was not for the likes of them because they are 'only' jumping 70cm. It's a brilliant venue and everyone should feel free to access and enjoy it.
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Well said!
 
New clippers arrived yesterday so probably treating Miss Pie to a spa day / tidy up. ( I say 'treat,' - she loves being clipped but not the wash off or mane and tail wash after....).

Probably spend the weekend enjoying riding in daylight and hacking. My confidence level is at 'decent' at the minute so we've been enjoying flying over some wee logs on one of our canter tracks (in the dressage saddle). Maybe at some point we'll progress that back into the arena with proper jumps. My GP saddle is away to be sold to hopefully help fund a jumping saddle.

Token pics of her during her lesson on Wednesday as nothing interesting will happen at the weekend. Miles to go with this horse but I am pretty pleased at how strong she is looking at the minute, especially at this precious time of year where she's prone to just shedding weight.


 
I'm keeping an eye on the weather forecast for Sunday as that's my day with share horse this weekend. Currently saying heavy rain and windy so not sure if I want to be in the school for a lesson or go out hacking. If I hack with my instructor it's a bit like a lesson anyway which is quite good as I still learn lots.
 
I’m trying to remember a weekend when I wasn’t working!

Sunday is my first day off in a run of 14 days, then I’ve got no other days off til Christmas Eve. Haven’t finished my Christmas shopping yet, so no idea when that’s going to happen.
I’m exhausted. I’m flopping into bed at 8.30 most nights and I’m asleep within minutes. I can’t even contemplate riding at the moment, which is frustrating.
 
I was getting rather fed up of Mr H’s shaggy heavy metal hair style which is hard to control and gets caked up in mud in winter - so I reached for the scissors...

I rather liked the half inch long punk style but when I took him for first lesson in 4 weeks after lockdown and got my RI clip him, before I could stop her she whipped the lot off leaving him with a rather severe skinhead!
Ah well I’m getting used to it (and he was much more comfortable in lesson)

Have another indoor flatwork/poles lesson today, weather forecast to be foul tomorrow. Mid week jump lesson booked but forecast not promising..

Photos show heavy metal, punk and skinhead
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Quiet weekend here. L and I went for a ride on Thursday and did some baby half pass steps in walk/trot/canter. Super pleased with her, she's definitely quicker off my leg and aids these days :)

Unfortunately what I thought was an innocent bump to her leg has turned out to be a painful splint, so she's off games on NSAIDS/DMSO/icing for a few weeks. Disappointing but she deserves a few weeks off work anyway so to look at the silver lining she'll have some rest and hopefully come back better for it.

L is currently my only riding horse, so the focus will move to the B the baby WB for the next few weeks. She will be packed up and floated out to our regular outings instead of L, where she can learn about going to see the world and hopefully do some long reining in a sensible manner. And if my helper is available next week for a few days we will go ahead and back her. Can't wait to sit on her, I hope she takes to that as easily as all the other prep I've done with her :)

I'll finish off with a crappy video still of L from last weekend. I am so pleased with how she's built up and using herself these days, it's taken the best part of a year to encourage her to lift her back appropriately under saddle. Small but positive steps have brought us this far.

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Hope everyone has a great weekend!
 
Had a clinic with the legend that is Ros Canter today, which was amazing! Will definitely be going back when they run them again (her yard is 10mins down the road from me). I’d love to say H behaved himself but that would not be true, he was his usually spooky self. Think we both panicked a bit when the jumps got bigger and I just stopped riding, so he just stopped. I know this is what I do, we are working on it! To be fair once we got going he was much better, and he’s jumping so well at the moment :)

Plus I can forgive him a multitude of sins when an Olympic Eventer says “I like him, he’s really cute and genuine”
 
Just hacking for my boys. Oh my god Bear has suddenly gone SO bum high. He’s already 15.1hh and a full Connie- he’s going to be a monster! He has no wither at the moment so it’s a very weird feeling. One more lesson (well, arena hire) and then he will slow down a bit and have some time off.

I think I may have a 16hh monster on my hands within a year.
 
Our Somerford day out ????❤️❤️ Gaining lots of experience
 

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I took my youngster out jumping and she was AMAZING. There have been times I've really wondered if we were going to get there, today, finally, it feels like we are and that we'll be able to start progressing and competing properly.
 
Feeling a bit of a fraud posting anything as I am not riding Rose but here goes anyway! I watched the lesson on Wednesday with Peter Storr with interest as they worked on some of the movements in M73, Rose struggled with the walk piris but managed everything else quite nicely. She got hacked on Thursday, schooled Friday and lightly schooled yesterday in prep for her first outing at medium. It was in the indoor arena at Hartpury so out of the rain but quite a looky place and Rose has not been there before. I am isolating so haven't seen her since Wednesday, I'm also bored out of my mind, so sat watching the online scores at home. 65% and she won the silver class. I am really pleased for them, WPs weren't a disaster, she was a little tense and broke into canter in the trot HP but generally considering she's green at this level and there's quite a lot to do in M73, it was a great result can't wait to see the video. I won't be able to get to the yard for a little while so just might pop over tomorrow to give Rose a cuddle on her day off and tell her she's a good girl. Tuesday is D day, I can't wait but a teeny bit nervous!
 
Went hacking with instructor for lesson today. The weather really was grim: sideways fine rain (the extra wet kind) and windy. Share horse was very good about it, and great experience for me to ride out in crap conditions with someone who instills confidence rather than letting me indulge in worrying instead of riding. I quite enjoy having hacking lessons (as in being taught on a hack, riding skills and how to navigate various situations out and about).

I did my first canter on a hack with share horse too, a very short one but still very pleased. I've not done much cantering on hacks full stop so happy with that step today.

Also did not go A over T poo picking in muddy field during torrential rain. That's the real win today! ?
 
Another quiet one. Yawn! But feeling like I might start planning soon to give me something to aim for.

Hacked out penny who was very good, I think she’s settled into the new yard well (6 weeks). Not that she’s been unsettled but this hack she was very chilled and I think more like her ‘normal’ self. Then got my friend to try her over jumps as haven’t really seen her in action, and she was super. Didn’t want to mess it up myself! Straight and steady although we still have the head up in the air most of the time, and she cat leaps a bit rather than snaps up the front end, but plenty to like for the first time she’s jumped in a while. Popped 90 no bother.

Finnegan came in with a clanky shoe so managed to get the weekend off ?

Also got the lorry fixed. It was the battery! Didn’t realise how often I should turn it over (weekly) so hopefully will not do that again.
 
Fab if very wet and windy day at Eland for the arena eventing. Clear but 6 seconds too fast in the 80cm for 3rd. A green 4 faults in the 90cm when she misunderstood the small rail on the island in the water complex. She did not register it as a jump at all so she was slowing down on the approach then when Katie kept her leg on she just said 'ok fine I'll push through this barrier if you really want me to' - and walked straight through it :p. But here were very few clears on a tough, technical track in hideous conditions so that was enough for 6th.

Video edit:

 
I wasn't sure if I'd loaded the wrong horse up today and accidentally brought my old TB to dressage instead of the baby TB - she had her first 'feral' day, which I guess having had her for 4.5 months isn't too bad going.

However, idiot of the weekend award goes to the 15 year old (old TB) who is rehabbing from a DDFT injury earlier this year - proceeded to buck (in walk) all the way down the bridlepath. Purely as he was angry because he wasn't in front.
 
Another successful arena clinic at somerford. Well done to rb looking good over those tables,they dont look any smaller in the flesh either!
Skylla is looking fab as is Dolly - sounds mostly positive all round. We popped some slightly bigger stuff this week, but apparently our new trick is bronking out of the water, which I guess I should be glad isnt bronking in the water ?
 
Roxylola said:
Another successful arena clinic at somerford. Well done to rb looking good over those tables,they dont look any smaller in the flesh either!
Skylla is looking fab as is Dolly - sounds mostly positive all round. We popped some slightly bigger stuff this week, but apparently our new trick is bronking out of the water, which I guess I should be glad isnt bronking in the water ?
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Ahh thank u , they are wide arent they ? Xxx if i stood next to half of the fences I definitely wouldnt have jumped them ?? xx i felt much better jumping on a weekday as less chaos than on a weekend xx
 
racebuddy said:
Ahh thank u , they are wide arent they ? Xxx if i stood next to half of the fences I definitely wouldnt have jumped them ?? xx i felt much better jumping on a weekday as less chaos than on a weekend xx
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Those fences are fierce!
We were on at 8.45 so was pretty quiet, but busier when we finished. I'll trust if a trainer says to do a fence that we are up to it, but I preferred the course hire at eland for me to ride on my own as the fences are signed so I know what i can confidently do and where I can push a bit at somerford I'd end up just cantering round popping logs. Although I do want to hire it to practise translating our medium trot to an arena I feel like that has enough space to really work on it ?
 
Roxylola said:
Those fences are fierce!
We were on at 8.45 so was pretty quiet, but busier when we finished. I'll trust if a trainer says to do a fence that we are up to it, but I preferred the course hire at eland for me to ride on my own as the fences are signed so I know what i can confidently do and where I can push a bit at somerford I'd end up just cantering round popping logs. Although I do want to hire it to practise translating our medium trot to an arena I feel like that has enough space to really work on it ?
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Ive loved somerford last couple of weekends although made mistakes my end learning loads and con definitely enjoyng being out and about xx
 
We went off to do our first BD medium.....horse that never bats an eyelid at different arenas, has done championships, has done music class where he went into a different indoors for the first time with sponsor seating inside the arena, lots of spectators, etc, has done the "in the spotlight" bit when he won a championship - took a dislike to the Christmas decoration We needed to get super duper marks on the bits that are established to make up for the unestablished bits and as that obviously wasn't going to happen thought giving up was the best approach and to retire. Not going to stress it. Think he was getting his own back as previous time doing this test unaffiliated he was on for about a 65% when I went wrong at the end, had mental blockage and retired! He has been pretty near perfect on his other outings this year and it is what it is. Recall my older horse who did all the big shows, once taking a dislike to the cardboard box of rosettes, but happily warming up alongside the main arena display of cowboys and wild west wagons! Well done to those who got out and about. Some fab reports.
 
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