oops .... bang

today was bath day, the weather being so gorgeous.

So, took her round to the yard to bath her. she decided the hose was scary? not.

anyway, half way through hosing off she decided to play up again ... and slipped, bang, down on her left hand side, hips first (essentially, her back end went out from under her)

she's put her pelvis out.

This wasn't clear until some time later ... but she has. so i've texted the back man and am waiting to hear back

i expect she's got some bad bruising which will really show tomorrow

from 7 to 2

mares, that is. The rest have ALL gone to stud...

So it's going to be a bit of a nightmare, really, i expect, as the other mare's owner always rides in the afternoon and i ride in the evening at the moment...

i expect he'll fetch molly in and i'll turn them both out... but up that hill it's not clever! ah well.

Today, we didn't do huge amounts time wise.... but what we did do was good, little bit of ground work to establish a basic, then i got on and she was nicely with me most of the time - a little bit iffy at first as she could hear a lawnmower and could see someone going out into other yard's field for horses... but then settled down nicely. finished with a few halts down the long side, all of which were done without setting the jaw etc... so i thought that was a good note to finish!

a long unexpected walk....

in hand.

The mares had been moved back into the field they were in, so they were right up at the top by the harbour house drive near enough.

when i went to get Molly in, there was no way she would move down hill to the field gate we normally use to get back to our yard... no matter how much i moved her head, shoulders, quarters... i hadn't taken the pressure halter with me.

but she WOULD move back to the harbour house drive end, where there is a small picket gate.... so that's the way we wen.t

at that point, i had a choice - turn right, go out onto the road, down a dip up the other side to my yard. but it isn't necessarily the safest road, and whilst I'm happy to ride it, being on the ground isn't that safe as traffic can be a bit fast and stupid, and the sight lines are poor for cars ...

the alternative, turn left, along and down to harbour house, along the back drive, over the ford and round back up the side of the field my yard's geldings are in. That was the one I chose - apart from no traffic, it also meant that molly got a consequence for not having gone the way i'd originally wanted. If she thought she'd got out of ANY excercise, she was wrong.

The only trouble was, it took 40 minutes and by the time i got her back to her stable we'd both had enough excercise for the day! and i was pouring with sweat (it's HOT here...)

Therefore, i didn't ride.

lesson tomorrow, and i did think about rearranging it to next week bearing in mind we haven't done as much work as RI wanted this week, but decided to carry on as planned.

different horse?

looked like the same horse, was in the right place, new me, etc... but a different one to the one that wouldn't let me get on yesterday and wouldn't do anything the day before.

i was particularly pleased with her as not only was she working nicely after the first 5 minutes, but there was a young friesian ( 4 or 5 i'm told, only been in the country a year) being lunged .... and when it was cantered on the lunge, they didn't stay up the end they'd started at but ended up at the end Molly and I were, which at least meant we could then use the full school. finsihed up with three horses in there, 2 ridden and the one being lunged.

when i was taught to lunge, i was taught that the lunge cavesson should be on the bony bit of the nose and tight so that it doesn't slip about ... nothing has changed about that that I am aware?

anyway, you'll gather i'm a happy bunny tonight. hope tomorrow is as good!

in hand....and in hand...

i thought i'd do a bit inhand before i got on... she was good, i didn't hurt too much, what can i say.

but she wouldn't stand to let me get on, and i didn't have my pressure halter of course.

so did a bit more in hand and then stopped, i didn't have the time to persist with the mounting as i had to be home to work this evening (clients, of course, work days...)

mmmmm

well...

got on, did some work for what, about 20 minutes? she wasn't really lightening except occasionally .... but wasn't arguing from the off as she has been...

then she decided she'd had enough, and despite sitting up, legs as told, pushing ... all i was getting was sideways, and head tossing...ggrrr

got off and did some really nice in hand, was very pleased with that and i even organised mysefl enough to do something on MY "bad rein" (all wihtout stick, which I didn't have with me) think i even got a bit of shoulder in, certainly tried for it..

then got back on ...

and the head tossing got worse! with or without contact....

not prepared to have that argument on my own.

but next time, i'll take my schooling stick.

then when i put her back in the stable and took her tack off, something set all the horses off in the field - the mares she coul dhear but not see, and the geldings she could see .. and all she wanted to do was be out there. 1/2 hour later she hadn't more than had a mouthful of tea. so out she went.

and the sad nws, a mare which arrived just before the weekend was turned out yesterday - immediately hurt itself quite badly and was brought straight back in for the vet, and has today, i think, gone to horsepital....3 year old :-(

fell asleep!

but i blame the sun...

we got up really early and went up to northumberland county show - watched some of Nicola's class for her borders - and it was HOT... 30 degrees C, apparently, according to the car sensor...

got there about 9, left about 2 - tired.... went to my mother's on the way home.... came home, fell asleep for about 2 1/2 hours!!!!! so not me! and after a glorious hot sunny day, when I did wake up again, it was raining!

now what a surprise! not

Molly had, of course, put me where she wanted me and I hadn't realised! i wasn't sitting up.

So you'll gather we had a good lesson

lots of circles with the inside hand very wide and lots of small flexions with the fingers....and lots of assorted resistances from herself (she won't be able to tell me any more she doesn't know how to go sideways, she does!)

after about 20 minutes or so (one does lose track of time) RI got on and did the same, and she started relaxing....

then someone else came in the school, who'd a thought it Sunday teatime! - but not to worry, loads of room....

then i got back on... and sat up, LOL. interestingly, the feel is of a chair seat, but i'm not sitting in a chair seat... just shows how much i'd been leaning forwards without realising it!

so we were both relaxed, and Molly was working really nicely after that!

So I'm to do a week of that in walk, and next lesson is next saturday teatime...

still shimming issues...

i had thought that the propensity of the pad to move off centre was a function of my getting on, amongst other things.

it isn't - it's a function of molly moving!

I did a bit of in hand today, with a view to riding thereafter (lesson is postponed till tomorrow!) and realised after that, as i was preparing to get on, that the pad had moved off centre under the saddle (the result is that the centre seam is not up in the gullet where it started - this was particularly noticeable at the back! before i mounted).

so i undid it and put it all right, got on ... walked round .... got off ... and it had moved again...

I hadn't anticipated doing anything huge by this stage, as a horse was shouting loudly back in the yard and someone/thing was crackling about the copse next to the arena, but i decided to go away and think about shimming again.

the saddle itself stays where it should, so far as i can tell, but of course if the pad has moved, the shimming is also in the wrong place....

it isn't as agent had it, TBF, last time she was out, as I can't get quite the right thing for the back....

you woulnd't believe it....

after the difficulties of the last few weeks....

went out for a hack (myler combi in her mouth) with a friend.... good as gold, bar the moment when the geldings tanked up to the track we were on and hooned about....

particularly pleased as i'd expected a tantrum at harbour house, and when we got through there to go down the hill, the track to the hill is largely fenced off with (unpowered) electric fencing leaving a very narrow access....

she wasn't keen on going through the ford, but then it's a while since she's seen it.

and we got a proper trot going up the hill beyond the ford.

well pleased.

hopefully she'll be good in the lesson tomorrow as well!

this was all arranged very late last night via facebook!

myler combi

did the trick in terms of Molly NOT throwing her head about, etc....


but my new boots need breaking in. I got some new long boots this morning as the winter ones were far too warm .... fine in the hsop, as you would expect, fine walking to the arena ... but when i got on, it became all too clear which had been tried on loads of times and which hadn't. serious pain in my left ankle due to boot crease digging in sharply....

so i got off, wrestled with the boot put it back on and got back on ....three times round in walk and it was still painful, no point trying to do anything.

of course, molly knew there was something wrong with me, i couldn't begin to use my legs!

anyway, looks like i'll be using the combi for a while again, haven't had that on her for what, over a year? certainly well before I moved OFF harbour house last June...

the smallest mule on the planet?

THIS is great

can't do flexions

if every time i pick the rein up, she starts tossing her head about!

i thought flexions might be a good plan to try and get her head wrapped round havint he bit in, but clearly that wasn't going to work.

and this was only standing in the stable.

RI didn't get my text, something wrong with her phone, so will ring her tomorrow.

i'm feeling abit disheartened ATM.

i have texted RI

to organise a lesson.

She was better with the bitless tonight than with the bit yesterday, but trot wasn't going to happen. that was for one of 4 reasons

1. the going (we're back to DEEEEEP)
2. whatever with her muscles
3. remembered whatever about the bit
4. something i'm doing

or a combination of all 4.

never mind, we did get some sideways! several times. the circles were better. got some serpentines as well. couple of stops, for lambs i think!

tomorrow

i will ride in the bitless.

today, i rode with the bit in. and it was exactly the same as prior to the move - kangaroo hopping in trot and little hope of contact in walk.

this despite the nice work she'd been doing on longlines (mind, that was bitless...)

Friend was there watching ... she said she wouldn't have the patience!

i did wish i'd taken the bitless over with me, could have swopped over, but too far to go back and pick it up!

and i'd forgot partner was going out (to see a badger sett, apparently) tonight so who knows if we'll eat ....

mounting and staying on practice

happily, getting her in was easier than yesterday - they were much nearer the gate (about in the spot they were in the video i posted!) and i took the pressure halter and 12' line!

anyway, to ride again.. put the bitted bridle in, with the pressure halter in case of need.

led her over to the arena and there was a chap and his son having a kick about on the access, they stopped .... but then went to talk to someone on the drive (i'll have to post a pic of this as you'll never visualise it - but anyway, the access to the arena is through what used to be the gates to a big house, and there's a gate lodge on the right, opposite the arena a ndseparated from it by an expanse of grass and the drive)

So, into the arena. first attempt to mount, she moved so i worked her round (just had the lead rope, but does the job!)

second time, she stood, i got on, we walked round ..coming back down I knew that the noises of talking and bouncing ball was group of people standing outside house talking, but they were hidden from view by a tree. never mind, she just stood and looked, so i got off and led her to the fence line so she could see what was causing the noise..

got back on again, and i don't know what happened (possibly i let the lead rein go a bit slack) but she was sort of kangarooing/minor bucking/who knows what across the arena whilst i tried to get my offside stirrup and not jab her in the mouth but stop .. wihout falling off. all of which i managed.

i then decided we needed to try that again, so got off, back to the mounting block, took halter off and got back on ... walked round some more, admired the lambs who admired molly so much they were trying to climb into the arena.

did the whole thing one more time, and then decided enough was enough - boy bouncing football was now kicking it about on the grass, the rain was trying to start again not having rained all day, and i thought we'd done quite well overall, considering.

So, i think tomorrow i can probably dispense with the pressure halter altogher (hope so, it's a long way to go back for it, LOL) and do a bit more once i'm on....

eventually got on...

but it was a lengthy process

first, get one's horse from the field ... they were right up the top so i had to walk right up, and decided to take my walking stick with me in case i needed to brace myself if molly didn't want to come. that was a good plan - she was hapy to be caught, but didn't want to leave the other mares. Fortunately, they followed, but not as quickl as the other day so we had a lot of circling round me and trying to go back. eventually i decided the safer plan was walk back round behind the other mares and bring Molly down a different part of the hill, which got us a lot of the way to the gate and then she started planting a bit again near the muddy area .. but not too bad by then and at least it was level. Then through the gate and very carefully down the very slippy slope! I reckon it probably took at least 1/2 hour, possibly longer, to get her in and back into the stable.

then left her for 10 whilst i had a chat to another owner - Molly quiet and happy when i'm with her, but shouts when i'm not! - and groomed and tacked up. whilst I was puttin gthe saddle on it started chucking it down properly, and i did think it was going to stay too wet, but it eased off and was going to stop, so picked up mounting block and off we went to the arena. i'd put the bitless bridle on, largely because of it's qualities as a "pretend" pressure halter - but should have taken the 12' line as well! the lead rope not quite long enough. Anyway, after a bit of protest and working her on the lead rope, and reminding myself the hard way that whilst the reins are 12' they have velcro in the middle! so she had a trot round on her own! Molly stood still and I got on.

walked round twice, remindedmyself where the "seat brake" is, walked round again a couple of times and got off and called that a good day. Not much, I know, but whilst she wasnt' charging around it WAS the first time ridden in there and when i was on her i rather felt as though I should have lunged or something first (and of course we weren't supposed to be lunging!).

Still, next time will be easier.

and really it's all my own fault as she hasn't been worked at all since what, week past Friday? what with me being ill and the back man coming out and the weather... and i know by now that something every day is a better plan with her. Also, of course, she hadn't been in the stable since Tuesday...

anyway, I finaly did the video from the day she was first turned out:

thir d day off!

because it has rained all day! until after 7 or thereabouts....

and my voice is now failing ... but i've stopped sniffling!

if the weather is ok tomorrow, i will see about riding... back man said "light exercise" not sure what he meant by that, but whether we can go for a hack is a function of there being someone to go with...

it seems

that in fact Molly now living on a hill has brought to light some issues that may have been brewing for a while!

She had tight spots over both quarters in her muscles, and I'm to do some stretching exercises ... save that we discovered that I'm not in fact fit to do them with her due to my back/neck/etc issues! the exercise where you lift the back leg up with the hock bent, and then pull the foot forward, thus stretching the muscles... the alternative is an equilibra (? think that's the brand, not equissage too expensive!) massage kit and use that every day...

and her hocks are a shade stiff (unsurprising, given her history!)

she also had a sore spot just on the left wither, and he wanted to check the saddle until i said it was a HM treeless .... difficult to know about this one, as it's not that long since I had agent out and less long since the new shimming arrived .... it may be the new shimming that's wrong, but i don't think so .. we'll have to see (but he also said that the HM treeless was the best of the type....)

Poll etc were fine.

and I really should make an appointment to see him myself! (he trained as a human physio before training as a horse physio and does both!)

2 days off (which i knew he'd say anyway!) then "light exercise"

in the meantime i wasn't as well today as yesterday ... felt dreadful, in fact, all achy - and so coold (it wasn't hot out, but i think i was feeling colder than i might have otherwise!) i put the heating back on. bad me.

that was interesting...

Molly was right up at the far corner, the highest point of the field by the drive to the other yard, where she was last night, so i went up armed with the bitless bridle, which can also act as a bit of a pressure halter ...

she came along with me - followed, in a line astern, by the others! it was quite funny, i wish someone else had been there with a camcorder!

so you'll gather i'm feeling somewhat better - still blowing away, but the sore throat has gone and the head isn't feeling so bunged up!

back man tomorrow, lunchtime ish

computer came back, sorted....

hopefully back into some sort of routine soon, but not this week - evening meeting wednesday, away training day thursday!

phillippe karl

i thought whilst i was laid up i could usefully use the time to start on some of the videos and dvd's i've bought and not got round to. so i opened Part 1 of Phillippe Karl's Classical Dressage series.

Very Interesting.

I was particularly interested in the flexions, to see him do that....motivational to try it again with Molly ....

and interesting to see the ridden - particularly the raise the hands - you could see the horse sit back and lift himself, so to speak..

glad i watched that, now to open the rest....

day in bed

well, long bath and back to bed, with more lempsips etc...

molly? i drove down to the yard about 5 and they were al at the very top of the field by the drive down to the other yard. so i made up her tea, put that and the headcollar in the car and drove back round there and fed her next to the car. saved me a HUGE walk up and down hill that i really wasn't up for...also saved any grief she might otherwise have offered on the subject of leaving her friends, LOL.

lots of lemsip

blackcurrent flavour though, i much prefer it to lemon!

I didn't do anything with molly, the ear is still protesting if i bend over, and perpetual need to sneeze etc doesn't really help towards working one's horse effectively .....

partner had a mega-shopping spree.... she did get a new to her car, will take delivery at end of month - 2 years old and only 11000 miles on ....

not well...

me, that is.... sore throat, sinus if i bend over, couldn't get myself going until lunchtime ... lots of lemsips, strepsils, and trip to chemist to see what else they could give me for said sore throat.

Molly is fine, in the field...

the computer is still being mended.....will get it back on monday. The PC, of course, has the work software on it ... back up back up backup, thank goodness i had!

and the wind was ridiculous all day until about 7 pm.

so that was my day!

um....

you will recall i was very pleased with her longlining in the bitless last night... doesn't work as well on the lunge, probably because it is very difficult to get the length of the side reins correct when you have to wrap them round the roller a couple of times first!

so, um.

and my computer has been taken away. man came to the house today to put in, nter alia, a new hard drive.. and finished up saying, he didn't know why the office hadn't told me to take it in, when putting everything back kept not working! so he's taken it away to try and sort out!

hugely improving...

she was thinking about falling asleep in the stable - only thinking about it, and still standing up - but more than happy to just stand with her head out the window, and go back when i told her!

then i longlined with teh bitless - and she was working into the bridle when i got it right, so pleased, we'll get back to where we were in the not too distant future i expect

but isn't it odd - lead horse past someone, clearly not tacked up to be ridden, and am asked if i am riding ...?

back man tuesday

calming down..

she was much calmer today ... don't know whether that was partly to do with they were allnear the gate, but she was a lot easier to get in, and not bouncing round her box. i was able to groom her (last time was when steph was here Saturday) and tacked up to lunge .. only with the bitless, but still ...

next to the arena there's a coppice, where there was a chap getting firewood - didn't realise until she suddenly decided that corner wasn't nice and started cutting in, and i registered the noise being made by the chap ... didn't last long, and in teh scale of things all she did do was not stay out on the circle. later, she went back to full circles.

so overall i was pleased with the session.

i should get pony lengty side reins to work with the bitless, the full length ones are too long really, i got them a bit shorted by wrapping round the roller (which is quite wide) rather than jsut through the relevant ring, but that's not wholly staisfacctory. had i been able to get them a shade shorter she would havce been working into the bridle (cna't say contact with bitless!)

so i was very pleased!

rang back man first thing, and someone else rang last thing ... so we'll have to wait to hear from him..

a struggle won...

Molly again did not want to come in - we had a lot of planting, no i want to go back to my friends (who were following, LOL) and circling and at one point trying to barge over me (happily failed!) but got her out and down the hill - assisted by the walking stick (proper walker's walking stick) partner bought me in Aldi, this of course to ensure as much as I can that I DON'T come a cropper down the hill - especially as it tipped down all last night!

so got her in and left her to stand for 15 minutes or so, changed my boots (back to needing long boots for the arena, boot full of arena is uncomfortable!) and then took her over to the arena again for some more groundwork.

Someone had left one jump and some pony length trotting poles out, but there was more than enough room to work round them.

in a way, i'll be happier when she chills to the point where i have to push her on, rather than slow her down!

but she was listening more than saturday i think

then she got her tea and turned out - by that time, the others had gone back to the top of the field, so she screamed for them and set off at canter up the hill! coulnd't quite tell how crook she was because of the angle she was to me, but not really "flowing" if you see what i mean.

i'll ring back man in the morning (i saw no point in ringing over the bank holiday, as it is a holiday, and it's not as if he'd ring back until tomorrow anyway!)

my plan for today, made yesterday, was for gardening - lawn needs doing, some weeding, whatever .....

but since it teemed down all night i couldn't mow the lawn and partner wanted to go find water plants for the pond ... so that's what we did. almost back to wintry, bit of a wind, but we got the plants, came home via tesco for shopping and then put plants in pond before I went off to do molly!

and the most amazing thing? i didn't wake up until 0920, unheard of!

nothing.....

on the molly front ... we had a very late night last night and an early morning this morning, and then a day out with a friend who was here for the weekend, so really didn't have the energy .. but i have bought molly a new himalayan salt lick, 5 kg should last her a while!

mirrors and splints....

Stephanie is here for the weekend (and EE dinner in Newcastle tonight) so she arrived at lunchtime and we had a horsey afternoon. she kindly held the stable mirror whilst I fixed it to the wall, i put the hay bar up as well and then we got molly in.

we also got another mare in who otherwise would have been in the field on her own!

molly was somewhat more settled, the foal in the next stable was tied up outside, she could see other horses and the mirror was up, so she got groomed, then did some ground work and also let her loose in the school for a canter round - she was VERY crooked in canter - quarters in both reins, very much so - also dragging her feet walking down hill - so needs the back man. happily someone else is also getting back man (qualified physio) next week and he's seen her before so hopefully i'll get her seen.

she wasn't as crook in trot rope circling, on right rein a bit (steph says, i coulnd't see it as well) left rein much better.

so we only did 10 minutes of that and brought her in for her first tea since monday! then turned her out.

she is, of course, doing a lot of hill work in the field that she hasn't had before, so that'll be working muscles she probably forgot she had....

and splints, you all wonder .... we wondered if i've got one on my left shin, from the accident i had in february 2006 when i walked into a box in my sleep. it would certainly account for the continuing pain, and occasional inability to weight bear of an evening when i try and stand up

anyway, doctor on the 15th, hopefully she will agree and send me for xray ... i saw different gp last year who said "soft tissue injury", a diagnosis with which, of course, i disagree (a soft tissue injury would not render the leg non weight bearing, now would it!)

a small success....

went armed with pressure halter etc.

happily they were at the bottom near the gate, so caught her no problem (she actually started coming towards me) and she didn't get upset going down the hill (just as well, it was very slippy as it had rained again, both going carefully!)

didnt' jog up the other side

but put her in her stable and she started screaming and shouting ... must ge the mirror up tomorrow, that'll help - no way she was going to stand to be groomed.

so i put the halter back on and went over the road to the arena and did some ropecircling.

no trouble getting movement, but her attention wasn't wholly on me. didn't keep it going too long, just enough to know she was listening enough to go the direction i wanted, not the one she wanted...

then turned her out again after another attempt to stand her in stable....

she'll settle in time ... just not quite yet.

cancelled tomorrow's lesson, not worth it!