racehorse to riding horse

is a competition for ex racehorses - only qualification is that they have been in training. My mate took their ex hurdler (ran 4 times over hurdles) to Osbaldeston for a heat yesterday and came 6th. She asked me to go - it turned into a ladies day out (apart from the horse, the only male about and he is a gelding...my mate, the breeder, a teenager from the village who grooms for them, and me....) We thought it was the best of the bunch, the idea being to produce a riding horse, not a show horse... the rest were show. It was the only one ridden in a snaffle, the rest were in pelhams, and it was the only one that was lean and fit ....one entry was 22, and last raced (point to point) at 14.....

but we were so pleased with my friends horse. it was the first of this sort of competition he'd done and he didn't put a single foot wrong. we weren't over keen on the riding judge .... hunt style rather than my friend's smooth as silk ....

and I stayed over last night, we didn't get back till nearly 9 and were pleased to get back then!

So All molly got yesterday was fed, but did a little bit of groundwork tonight until someone else came in to school ridden, and since we were arguing again about going right i just did until she actually did go right and then left it at that.

I think tomorrow I might tack up and long line... in my shorts though! still not right to put jodhpurs on unfortunately, although it does all seem to be subsiding, albeit slowly! appointment at doctor on Thursday morning before work.

and max is definitely confirmed for 4th & 5th June, really looking forward to that... hope my legs better by then .... i suppose as a one off i could ride wearing shorts if it isn't....

and back in the office this morning our receptionist was back after a week off sick, so i asked how she was and what had been the matter... her horse had died, been found dead in the field! horrid, but i guess it was heart attack and it'll have gone out happy ...

found a new blog to read...

http://hollinhurstrebel.blogspot.com/

don't know if it's going to be updated but going to make interesting reading (willhave to go back to the beginning....)

more groundwork

I chose the best bit of the day, the wind had dropped a bit (and i was right, it WAS a good drying day!) and I took molly straight into the school for some rope circling. she was pretty good, in the scale of molly in the arena, and I was particularly pleased that we got a little bit of BACK .. not something she's wanted to do in the past but this time she did a couple of steps. But she wasn't standing still away from me, kept coming towards me, and I had to work hard to get her to go right. But by the finish we were doing that as well, and I also got some turn on the forehand from that side.

the leg is better with skirt/shorts though. I'd found my looser trousers, but i could feel my leg getting hot....

skirt

for the first time in about 15 years, i bought a new skirt.... i have concluded that the leg needs fresh air, not trousers and the only other skirt i had that fit me (i guess i need to lose some weight) was getting quite dirty, what with horsing around in it as well!!!!!

the leg looks as though its starting to subside this morning, which is good, i was starting to think it wasn't going to

molly, as you say jean, is happy to do nothing but get fed .... but annoying all the same. that has been the pattern with me/my horses for a good while = horse sound, me not and vice versa!

james it's not that i can't ride, i could, it's just that jodhpurs are so tight anyway, a swollen leg makes them uncomfortably so and would rub the affected skin more than it already is....

still swollen

and i'm inclined not to put jodhpurs on until it's subsided, makes it too tight and won't be good for the skin either.....so i've nothing to report, between that and the rain last night...

right leg up like a pudding

that's mine, not molly's ..... my own fault, i have psoriasis, which is itchy, and .....

so antibiotics, creams, blah

decided to not ride (really, not wear trousers/jodhs) till it's subsided a bit.

so back to groundwork (whilst wearing a skirt LOL). probabbly a good thing as I've been riding to the exclusion of groundwork which really is silly, i need to get back into a routine of alternating it (save that if i get a chance to ride out with smeone, i should take it!).

loads of halt & lame at the yard. apart from the old mare still recovering from her tendon injury, the gelding in the next box to me had a swollen leg, which burst out through the coronet band yesterday. and apart from the faller from sunday, there was liz from teh barn hobbling around - trapped nerve in back....

damp

but not wet and the horses were not too wet and thank goodness not muddy, so we rode - with out macs on and when we got back it was starting to get out nice (so nice, i've now got my washing out on the line).

molly was annoyed she coudln't play with her bit but the whole experience was a lot easier. the other two - we were all on mares! - were having issues as well. Scarlett horse came to one gate and was refusing point blank to open then gate and then to go through it, she was behaving as if there was a major horror just round the corner (you go through that gate to a narrow track under a bridge, river wear on your left and bridge support on your right). ended up with all three of us having to wait whilst the last one through came through and took the lead.

then later on we came to a gate that is never shut, but this time it was. the third mare took the lead at this one, and it was going ok ... then she rushed it before it was fully open, the rider got her feet caught on the fence we think, got pushed off, did a somersault, happily kept hold of the horse who pulled her away from the gate she otherwise would have landed on. that was scary, looked as though it was going to be a really nasty accident and it was only luck that it wasn't. horse had cut on her right at the top of the leg, and rider wrecked her chaps (lucky she had them on, there was a graze on her leg) and landed on her back.

and Molly? wouldn't go in a straight line and at one point napped pretending she was going to tank off back down the field tot he river but allowed herself to be turned round, but generally was a bit of a pain going out and then settled once she knew she was going home. and bravely walked right up to some sheep and lambs that were on the track round the last field, which impressed me.

overall, we were very lucky really.

we needed rain

and we got it.

i was right in thinking i would have a wet horse when i went down this morning; and it started raining again (only a mizzle at the time ..but since then we've had several major downpours interspersed with sunny cloudy spells).

will see if it improves later, but short of keeping her in to keep dry and then trying to catch a dry spell ...

and no one else was riding that i normally ride with - one horse lame (thought to be abcess); one horse elderly losing too much weight to rider won't ride him (rider is not owner); another rider away for weekend....

told RI about having richard maxwell see molly soon, and about the success with the flash strap. agreed to think about lesson after the session with max.

looking forward

to tomorrow, assuming its not raining, should have a much nicer ride out with the flash strap on molly

and newer large knee rolls arrived, a swop with someone on EE who is taking my small ones....

and the cat's health is improving in that he has managed to drag himself to the litter tray a couple of times, has stood up, and partner had him out in the allotment today where he managed stand up and potter a little....

and the new pc arrived after a month! havent' tested it yet, but will be well pleased if it works (an ebay bargain..... will be neutral feedback though, it was like pulling teeth to actually get the machine and communication? what was that?)

and i MUST go to the feed store...

2 1/2 years

to work out that a flash strap on the bridle is a good idea.

it is a good idea.

i only did loads of walk (did a little trot, but not much), but was able to get direction just with a very little pressure of the fingers YAY.

circles? of course.

small circles - reluctantly, but yes.

result.

Think I might go for the myler mullen mouth though .... even though it's a mullen mouth, it moves independently either side.

someone said - it's as if putting that strap on has made a decision for her.

london

was still there of course. train was 10 minutes late in so the course had started time I got in, but not to worry. a morning on asbestos and control of substances hazardous to health and an afternoon on HAVS (my specialist subject, i was told to just sit and shut up so as not to confuse the beginners!) and Noise induced deafness.

interestingly, there was an american lawyer from Philadelphia there; he works a lot with UK firms on asbestos cases (the same companies either side of the pond!). Apparently they've never heard of HAVS in the states (workers comp or product liability) which amazes me = they've tried Carpal tunnel, which is daft, as HAVs is much more likely ....

Maybe they need some training?

but in america, it is totally different. here we sue the employer; in the states, its workers comp (not the same as an employer's liability claim) or the tool manufacturer for defective product. to my mind a vibrating hand held tool is not a defective product, it is after all doing what it's designed to do!

wind....

i would have been blown away if i'd tried, and that sort of wind always winds me up. plus, it looked as though everyone had been and gone (been raining on and off all day). so despite the clean bridle, new flash strap AND clean martingale, decided to just feed and com ehome. London tomorrow, a course.... horrid amounts of time on the train, very expensive rail fare (i get it back, but still... the wonder why people don't use public transport? hah. )

yeah.....

the flash strap worked! only had the synthetic one and had to put a new hole in it and didn't have a keeper, but it worked. she was much better. it kept the bit in place andpretty much kept her mouth shut . hadn't put the hole in the right place (it's very hard to put a hole in a synthetic strap!) but even so it was so much better.

only in the arena as there wasn't anyone going out, and i wanted to try it of course in the confines of a safe space!

but i was pleased.

i've decided the sit tights are perfect for hacking but a bit too sticky for flat work.....

emergency vet

for the cat, old blackie .. we think he's broken something, or at least very seriously bruised. came back this afternoon and found him in the garden , initially didn't think anything of the fact that he was lying on the concrete, it picks up the heat from the sun and where he was will have been a sunny spot. then i heard a yowl as simba tried to play with him. i took a look and realised he was in a bit of bother; in fact, he couldn't put any weight on his back legs, was pulling himself with his front!!!!! rang vet, went up there to the surgery with the cat. Bill to be paid tuesday; vet couldn't tell if anyting was broke or not, needs xrays, and then to cap that coulnt' give painkillers as blackie had been at vet friday with ear infection and the injections for that meant that the painkiller couldn't be given!!!!!!!

we parked him downstairs on a cat bed, with the litter tray to the side and the food/water in front!!! and he has barely moved since, save just now to get out from under the cat blanket we'd put on top of him.

don't know if he's been hit by a car - but unlikely, he wouldn't have been able to crawl to thefront garden from where he could have been hit by any cars - and partner wonders if he fell out of the tree , but i can't see that, he's never gone out to that bit of the tree, he's never had the ability to get that high up (unlike simba!)

sudden brainwave

after the ride out ... which was not too bad in teh scale of things, save that i made the mistake of asking her to move a touch before everyone else was ready and ended up being hauled into the arena... she only consented to come out when person on horse came to get us! a nd refused to turn right...

anyway, just a walk out, for most of which molly was in the lead, and did very well on the way back as there was a horse eating lamb onthe other side of the fence (it had got out of the field we were in and couldn't work it's way back, mother on our side!) and she was actually listening to me down there!

anyway, we'd been discussing why there is such a problem with bits/mouth etc and had talked about her openeing her mouth etc.

the brainwave... why on earth don't I put a flash on? i've never used the flash attachment that came with the wintec bridle (and don't have a leather flast strap for the leather bridle...) so the plan is in the morning to put the flash on and see what happens. also, must by some bit guards (those round plastic things that stop the bit being pulled through the mouth....)

who knows, it may be that that sorts it!

frozen , but rode

and with a bit in. Put the mullen mouth in to see what happened, and brought the stool round to the yard rather than taking the horse to the arena. so got on in good order and no problems, she stood like a lamb whilst the others got on.

going down to the 20 acre takes her past her field gate so she tried to nap into her field! then followed down the hill and was striding on ahead of the rest until half way round, when she had to stop and wait for them.

then carried on round, she tried to nap home instead of over the ford but followed the others, then we went on ahead - there's a little track trhough a coppice with stream on right (thatwe'd just crossed) and field on left, she strode on ahead most of the way along (again, we had to stop and let them catch up, she had to reassure herself they were still there!) then on again and WE OPENED THE GATE AT THE END when in the past she's had a major strop at that one every time.

but i was FROZEN. i hadn't been that cold, but there was a faint breeze with a nip in it and I didn't have my jacket on, so i turned round and went back with julie who had suzie out in hand (that's the horse with the fetlock!). molly didn't want to turn round but did, and i was pleased, i was nithered, and even when i got back and got my jacket on i didn't really warm up until i got back inthe ouse and put the heating on and then had a bath! and it wasn't that cold, really.

but i wasn't pleased with moly when we got back.. we've been used to going straight throught the yard and getting off in the arena (as much for the benefit of my still achy foot, as for the benefit of her head) but she napped to the stable (too many cars for too much of an argument) and whilst i did get herturned round to go away, she turned back round and started in to the stable, stopped her but it was a close run thing so i got off. I know, i shouldn't have, but I don't want to be dumped on concrete/my head off a wall/whatever and the parked cars were all a bit close for comfort....

went up to hexham later, dressed for chilly, and the sun got out to a nice day (still a bit of a nip on the tops); then up to allendale to see queenie and pay for her keep. she was so far across the field we decided not to go over.... huge hike up and across, and wrestly with horrid shetland also in field with her and two youngsters... she looked ok from a distance. the friend who keeps her wasn't in, but happily was down the hill at neightbours farm ... so had a good chat. no ideas from her on the molly front, save that she inclined to the view that the early work was not given consistently or well...

so turned out a go

friday night again

and late home again - had to do some shoppoing, and there was a possibility partner would need rescuing from her walk, which was near my work, so stuck about a bit. and it's cold again, we've been spoilt.

hopefully, nothing will prevent us riding tomorrow!

depressed and p*****d off

that's both of us i think.

I am bored in the arena. i thnk Molly's bored in the arena as well, but since she refuses to leave once in that's her own fault. i did in fact get her out of it today. took 10 minutes of standing at the entrance and then she woudln't go much further

asked a couple of people what there plan was - a hooly up holme hill, and that ain't in my plans at all until i have a bit back in that i know won't be argued with .....

someone else was going to ride out and i was going to see about going with her, but she put someone else up on her horse and went out on foot with them ....

bored, depressed and pissed off...

late and cold.....

last two appointments of the day at our redcar (coast) office, coming out in rush hour, needed petrol..... late to yard and really really cold - the sit-tites are brilliant, but not warm! and I'd missed everyone that was likely to be riding (last one walking away down the hill as i went round to get molly) .... so again she got a night off. bbrrrhh. we've put the heating back on!

much better....

we actually got some sensible trot, and we got to go where i wanted (in the arena ... everyone else had gone out already....) AND i got some sitting trot as well.

how long that all lasts is another matter.... but good while it lasts.

maybe i was stressed on sunday? i don't know.

i wasn't on her for very long really (interrupted by small pony coming in, back off hack, to see if she was lame in the arena, as she was out ... diagnosis bruised sole, pony turned out) so i didn't keep going as long as I might otherwise have done, but i was pleased with the small amount i did.

someone said, as they came to help me get on, why don't i hold the reins up tight and hold on to the mane .. so i showed them what happens if i try that... no different from if I don't, she just goes round me in a circle and/or moves when i put my foot up on the stool....

stiff as a board....

that was me last night, never mind this morning.

after yesterday morning's mishap, the next job was to go walking with partner, who'd managed to get herself lost the day before as readers will recall.

I had to go as despite not having done the mapreading course, i can read a map (and also did the walk every year for 7 years when at school).

roseberry topping & captain cook's monument circular .... she's recceing this for a walk she's leading in 2 weeks, and put "gentle inclines" on her walk description ... WRONG. I knew that when i saw the description, but had forgotten how steep it was. 7 miles .. not the walk for a first walk for a couple of years when one's foot hasn't recovered from its fracture of 10 months ago...

so here is roseberry topping



and here is Captain cook's from about 1/2 way between the two



and here is roseberry again, from cook's



fantastic walk, but the path down from cook's had been blocked - looked like there's been a fire ... so we had to take another one whcih was horribly steep, and the path down from roseberry back to the carpark was a nightmare as well. I'd rashly put my ariat's on for support ... but the soles aren't grippy for that sort of steep!!!

If you think Roseberry reminds you of something - that's the matterhorn lookalike! the sheer drop was formed when part fell down in the 1920's.

and Captain cook's is so named as the monument is to Captain cook.

I went to school in the village below, the Friend's School Great ayton, now closed...and turned into posh houses (did a good job too, the old school is Grade 1 listed)

so I was still a bit stiff tonight and saw little point in inflicting myself on the molly moo... and of course we'd been pretty late last night as well, so stil had the jobs to do that didn't get done yesterday evening.

Will get on tomorrow night though, and see if we can get some sense out of her...

frustration ...

so this morning i'd got on having got help from someone inthe barn, then molly napped into the arena and wouldn't come out again. paul who i was supposed to be riding out with came through (on his horse) and said was i ridng in the arena, i said, no but she won't come out of here - thinking he'd come through properly and give a lead.... no he turned round and went off .... molly at this point realising perhaps something was going on and consented to come out of the arena but then napped to the hill down to the 20 acre. i'm going to have to put the martingale on, and really with the BB there's no control to get the head back down again when she's windmilling and makng like she might go up... had to get off ... despite asking someone to come hold her head to help, i was ignored, so had to get off and go back round, by which time paul had gone off with the other person riding ... his wife helped me get back on and said oh they're waiting but they weren't.

eventaully went back into the arena and eventually later did get some nice trot work on both reins. but so pissed off.....

people know we're still a work in progress and yet still think i can always get molly to do what i want. well i can't...and some assistance when i'm clearly in bother would be helpful instead of just being abandoned....

on saturday morning

i was all tacked up, waiting for the others, when my phone reminded me that partner & i were due at the hairdressers ......so molly got untacked and put back out. I never got back. the plan for the day then went very wrong but it turned into a good day and we got home at midnight...

hairdressers first; in and out in record time 1/2 hour for both of us, unheard of; then partner said since we were up that way let's go to ikea (swedish flat pack furniture warehouse) normally a nightmare during the day but it was before 1p.m and it wasn't too bad and we got the one thing we wanted (chest of drawers)....

then plan for the day as origianlly set was partner to recce walk roseberry topping & captain cook's that she's done before (north yorkshire, a hill named after captain cook who discovered australia) and i go to saddlers further south with friend to see if they'll buy my two saddles.

dropped her off about 1500; went to friends, went to saddlers; on the way to saddlers partner rang three times to say she was lost (she's done mapreading course.......um) so when we came out of saddlers (still with our respective saddles, they woudn't give us enough money) we went to pick partner up and then back to friends (100 miles round trip....) then waited for friend's partner and went to pub for dinner, gorgeous food, slow service (all freshly cooked) and left there after 11 ......

today we have to repeat the walk and i have to walk it, complete with bad foot, as I am unlikely to get lost....

ride.....

out! yay.

the lady who's elderly mare did her tendon in back in the winter, now is allowed to walk her in hand all the way round the block. so she waited for me & moly and we went out with her.

so molly got the lead from suzie along her least favourite track, and we cam back round the 20 acre. had to go ahead at that point as molly by that point had her confidence and no longer wanted to be behind.

was really good until we were nearly at the farm end, and she could see the fence/gate - which she's done a fair few times on her own, last time the other week when i eventaully got her roudn on her own.

so we stood.

then she turned round - slowly, but still round - and stood and looked at suzie approaching - we'd been a fair bit ahead.

all this time i was just stroking her neck and telling her she was a good girl, even though by that point she wasn't really as she'd turned round.

and in due course - suzie still being a ways off - she gave a sigh, turned round and off we went through to the fence through the gate and back up to the yard.

way to go. and we were, of course, bitless.

and a thought occurred to me - don't know why it's taken so long .. but i wonder if the reason she blocks when she sees a fence ahead of her is because she remembers what happened when she was 6 months?

when she was weaned, she was brought down to the yard i was then on and just turned out with the horses already there. first day out, she was obviously chased about and foudn by a total stranger staked in the middle of her chest. you wouldn't know now to look at her - but i think the high likelihood is that that is what she thinks of with a field fence in front of her....

bit out

you might like the look of it Jean, molly don't; she lost no time in reminded me that she didn't like it, as soon as i picked the reins up. I tried the gentle pressure each rein, etc, but after 5 minutes of not moving save to toss her head, etc, i gave up, went back and put the bitless on (then had to find someone else to help me on...).

any myler mouthpiece comes with any of their rings, check out their website (www.myler.com, i think)

so maybe i'll try a lozenge bit.....or if i can borrow one, a myler mullen mouth with full cheeks and NO HOOKS i don't like the hooks, i think they've a tendency to dig.

and she was doing her level best to pull it through as well...

bit in

the project for tonight was to see if, now some days have passed, i could in fact get a bit in molly's mouth. the bit in question being the Myler 02 with hooks (not that I use the hooks .....it was all they had in in the right size at the time .....). After some argument, and then some of her resting her head on my shoulder (whether that means she's tired or she trusts me) it went in. so i did the bridle up, left her a couple of minutes or so, then took her out in hand and walked her along the track in front of the house that she won't do on her own ridden ...

that was it.

when i arrived, as i got changed, etc, there was a howling gale blowing and a huge black cloud building up, we all thought it was going to team down any minute. time i got back, maybe 10 minutes, the wind had dropped ... typical, what!

so tomorrow we'll tack up and see how we do with this bit in. But without the noseband. it's too much hassle when she's arguing about the bit, to be trying to keep the noseband out of the way as well..

partner made it home at 20.05 last night ....

message on answerphone

on mobile, partner had gone out without key (left with workman) and would i come home, she didnt't want me "rolling in at 8" .....

it's currently 19.33 and i've been in since about 18.33 ... still on my own .... mmm....

i did have a plan for molly tonight...

apparently, the farrier said molly didn't really need doing, one assumes because i've been able to ride her much more .... and he's now decided he won't do horse unless someone's there .... so hope he starts doing saturdays again, a whole heap easier than having to take the odd day off work... but thereagin, if i sort that properly, can add to the weekend...

farrier and rain

in that order. went down on my way to work to bring molly in so she was there, don't know how impressed she was, and happily got a text later from the other person for whom the farrier was coming to say he'd turned her out ...

mucked out tonight (not too bad!) and lifted some mats, left the last two back in the corner with what's left of the shavings and they'll get lifted in a couple of weeks and then the whole thing jetwashed out.

and that was instead of riding since it was raining on and off ... more on than off! but we need it pretty badly, so not arguing!

normally

we ride out on sunday mornings, a few of us (generally 4...)

this morning i pitched up at the usual time got molly in, people were already there tacking up .. they all went off without me .... yes ok, so i didn't say "are you waiting for me" or whatever .. but....

i ended up in tears, partly because i really didn't want to go in the arena again, and partly just sheer frustration.

was supposed to be richard maxwell today in yorkshire, when friend said 22nd, i said, but that's sunday. she's been trying to get hold of them to confirm. i've been trying to get her since thursday to check theplans (since she would have to come to me and collect molly, the plan had been to go there for the weekend....) couldn't get her thursday friday all yesterday morning, eventually got her partner who said "we're off showjumping will get her to ring you" tried again this morning eventually got a text that she'd had no response at all despite several attempts and concluded he wans't coming....

i responded, "but what if he does"

and i went and got the money out of the buildings society yesterday, on the grounds that it was no good not having it if i didn't need it.

ggrrhh - but i'm half expecting a call this afternoon saying he's arrived...

molly was doing some nice trot in the arena and i was doing much better at keeping a better position. but she woudln't go out on her own at all....

the thing with the BB is I don't think there's quite the steering and finesse that you have with a bit. but I'll be using it for a while till she forgets about the trauma of friday LOL

think i might investigate lozenges though ... they're slightly different from the french link ...

back to the bitless bridle

she wouldn't have the mullen mouth snaffle in for love nor money ... so back to the bitless (with a bit of trepidation on my part, it's a while since we've used it and i didn't know what she'd do) and apart from a couple of attempts at not going right, it was like riding a different horse after this last week.... we walked, we trotted, we didnt' try to buck, we nearly got some lateral movement, i could think about me without fighting her, she didnt' pretend to be lame ....

so i guess i'll be inthe BB for a while (it's a Dr Cook's, jean) but wihtout the rope reins i bought for it, they'll be going on ebay along with the pelham, i need the thin rubber lined ones i got recently... the rope ones have no grip and i rather agree with gaynor, they're not nice, especially for small hands! hurt after a while....

back to square one

she did not like the pelham.

got it on, sorted the curb out, jackie who uses one was there and checked it that was fine. tacked up, spent ages failing to get her to stand still and eventualy gaynor turned up and held her.

move? no.

windmill head? yes

buck? yes tried from standstill.

bit ring in mouth? yes (the lower one, for the curb rein).

pah.

wasn't prepared to really get after her. i was, after all, trying to also get used to two reins. didn't have any pressure on the curb rein at all, except accidentally when she was windmilling.

rain at last ...

all afternoon, apparently (it didn't where i work).

as i walked round the corner to get molly from the field, she was in the very act of rolling. so damp mud all over her body and, to be tedious as i was going to try hte pelham on her again, all over her face.

so that was that. it would have taken hours for her to dry enough to get it off. i always say, the main point of a rug is really to keep them clean!!!! especially when they're generallly as warm as molly usually is.

through the wood

not that that had been the plan, but it's what we did, with a woman from one of the other yards on the estate and her daughter. nice potter out, oodles of midges everywhere.

the plan had been to put the pelham on and see how we went with it, now we've got the elastic curb.

put it on, and rather thought it was too big. when i thought about it afterwards, i could have used the rings nearer the elastic, but i'm not convinced that won't then catch on the bit rings

photos:




So tomorrow i'll look at putting the curb on the other rings and see what it looks like, but i'm not sure it'll be right and am not sure it'll fit snugly in the groove....

so put the ordinary bridle on and went in the arena, had to have a hand on; she would no go right at all, everyting i got her going that way she ended up arguing facing the fence about she'd rather go left...

and it was actually she who decided she wanted to go withthe others; i decided that was a good idea since it has to be better than schooling and she re learns that she can go down the hill and through the wood. and i wanted the company, as everyone on my yard had gone home, pretty much (save the person who helped me get on!) before i got there....

jean you may be right about the saddle, possible need for more shimming ...

trotted up

in the barn (level, concrete, no pebbles) sound. so fed her and came home to ring france, where there was no answer save answerphone...

Shall see what Molly's like tomorrow then; the elastic curb has arrived so I shall wrestle the too long chain off, put the elastic on and see how we go.

believe it or not, someone giving me major earache last night on the subject of not using that severe bit, a pelham, suggested i try a dutch gag .... what can one say... speechless. not helped by being unable to explain the theory behind use of the pelham for the purpose.

i think i need more shimming in the saddle, and having the moulded panels in tipping me forward slighly won't have helped anything. but she's always had a vague tendency, which goes off with work, to look lame when she isn't. this may be to do with the congenital assymmetry at the front.

hope none of my readers have been directly affected by that horror at virginia tech ... bring on gun control in the states, i say, amend the constitution (i know, i'm not american, what would i know .... i know guns breed more guns!)

not sure

if she's going lame or not. something on her left fore/shoulder, possibly. we wondered the other day but then she started moving properly when i got after her. yesterday she wasn't quite right onthe lane in trot, but i put that down to the poor going (it's a bit pebbly). fine in walk. will see tomorrow. trot her up on the level with someone watching (you know what it's like trying to do it yourself....)

anyway, tomorrow i have to come home early and ring friends in france, about our summer holidays (loads of americans will be there as well, jean, the couple are french (husband) american (wife) ... going for youngest childs christening.

and i mentioned to someone i was going to try a pelham when the elastic curb arrives- well, talk about earache. the earache impressed me less when said person suggested i use a dutch gag!!!!!!

I've just re read HM on the subject and realised that i have in fact been using the fingers on both hands together instead of alternately, oops.

well sorry folks but with molly it has to be tried. if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but i really think it's the way forward (and in any event, i could use it without the curb at all and that would prevent her pulling the bit through her mouth all the time....... yes, i know, different sort of bit or bit rings for that )

loads of photos - and a battle won

well.... and this will be long, i expect, as well as full of pictures.

The usual suspects didn't turn up. i asked to if they'd wait for me but they said they were only going for a walk and didn't. went for a help to get on in the barn, and rode out of their with paul and liz but they were going for a fast hack. that left me to myself. i thought, I'd try and get round the 20 acre, since we'd been down the hill yesterday that shouldn't be a problem. it wasn't the first time, but we only got a 3rd of the way round when she decided to turn round and come back and there was no telling her otherwise. in one way that was funny, cos at the top nearly back to the yard she decided she didn't like that either (the way was apparently blocked by a large builders van that she'd had to come past to get down .... duh...).

anyway, here's a shot of the 20 acre in the distance, looking across the mare's field where molly usually lives...



it's the dusty field in the distance, we have to ride round the outside.

so i took her back down, which was fine, but we barely got through the gate, maybe 100 yards into the field when she was back round again ... ggrrhh..

so i went through the yard, with a view to going up the side of the geldings field or up the drive. here's a shot of the willow tree at the beginning of the track that leads to the ford -she won't go under there on her own in this direction yet...



i think it could be that it looks too dark and uninviting, i don't know.

so that didn't work. i tried it a few times.

then we went and stood at the top of the hill down to the 20 acre



but her head wasnt' in it and her ears were back to the yard



- as was her body in due course. we did stand there for ages, right at the top of the hill, me thinking forwards and not letting her turn, but eventually a fisherman with his rod started climbing the hill so we had to go back


so we went back and forwrd through the yard. by this time everyone else was back, untacked, and leaving; i was well hacked off, i can tell you. but i thought, one last try. partly i was feeling stuck to the saddle which helps a lot, and secondly i was so t'd off with her messing me about (which was all it was ) i really got after her with the ends of the reins. that seemed to do the trick, downthe hill we went again, through and round the field. That got very scary at the end, as there was a huge roller at the other end of the field AND as we approached it a tractor was driving down from my right, the other side of the hedge - round she went again .. but i WAS NOT going all the way back. the tractor driver realised i was there and backed up and switched off, and molly sidled past the roller and through, we turned left to go back and the tractor was on our right at the ford ....

so this left brings us to the track that she won't go on from the yard



you can see that it would look like a black hole from the other direction, I think. and this was taken whilst she was walking not standing, as were the next two - a view of the willow from this direction and finally molly virtually under the willow





So as you can imagine, i was very pleased indeed!!!

it took forever, i was probably on her about 1 1/2 hours if not 2 (left my watch at home!) and she had to be washed off when we got back.

but that is a major success!

and i felt really secure. don't think i could have done that if i'd been slipping about!!!!

I really don't think it's a trust issue with her at all, i think it's a "i'm going to try you out" and always have been - and with the proviso that i don't want her to start throwing herself to the ground again like she did last summer, I think we might have less of that from now on!!!!

flat batteries

on the camera

it turned into a gorgeous day - i couldn't see the end of my street at 0645, but by the time we rode out the sun was blazing.

I did eventually get molly to stand stilll .. i think what did it for her was when the others came round mounted to see how i was doing. that was after 10 minutes of circling the stool - every time i put my foot on it, she moved. when i finally got on, i was only half over her back when she moved and lucky not to come off the other side, but hey, at least i got on.

down the hill, then instead of going roudn the 20 acre which has been ploughed, turned left to go through the woods - it's so unusally dry the usual bog in there is dry as a bone! I got my camera out of my pocket, to find the batteries i'd put in last week were flat ... duh. so no photos, which i'd planned.

Molly was very good. couldn't undersatnd why the others were panicking about the odd tree stump, newly planted baby tree, whatever - until she got to the gate, when she said no. I do think she has an issue in her brain about being shut in when she's ridden, very odd as she has no such problem in the stable or the arena, but if we're out and she comes to a place where there's no apparent way out, she naps back.

then we went down to the park, the bogey hill = and i was so stuck to the saddle it was no problem at all, to the extent we were able to give another horse a lead.

and then on the way back she got two gates open, which was good.

and I took my leathers up a hole... was really a shade too long for hacking. Having said that, i think i'm contracting a bit from where i was after the equisimulator. I expect that's because i've spent so long trying not to slip....

so a successfull morning!

now if only the milkman had done his job, i'd be a happy woman - no milk delivered today or thursday! so can't have any tea until i get to the shop...

friday tired

there's something about friday afternoons .... i'm totally fried! and it's been foggy and chilly all day, we've got too used to the warmth this last couple of weeks, and i was late out ... she got fed and turned out which pleased her!

ground work

i decided, since it was a while since we did it...

i took some photos - not brilliant since i was on the end of the rope! - and got my mate to video the last bit of work, which was good as she did trot (had woken up by then!!!!!). I'm trying to get stuff uploaded to photobucket but it's on some sort of go slow. so, here's before we begin


and here's during ....


and when photobucket has finished i'll post the video...

here



and here's in the field afterwards

sit tight - glue tight

WOW. gives a whole new meaning to sticky bums ..... I stuck to everything, including sticking to the car seat, and the saddle as I got on. WOW. and i see why they are called tights ... totally different from anything we can get over here...

They're going to take some getting used to, and I need a belt to hold them up to my waist till they mould to me. But i shall be recommending these to all my friends, and certainly won't be slipping off the saddle on the way to the park!

in the meantime -- Molly stood still for me to get on. WOW to that as well. i didnt' think she was going to.

I carried mywhip - didn't half wake her up, possibly a bit too much, but she was listening to me. shame I was so stuck i couldn't get quite right! Actually, i think my right hip has gone a bit crook again, and that's possibly because i need to change the leathers ....

anyway, I was so stuck i was able to think about working on sitting trot, which is good - but i need to be able to keep the legs down, they're creeping up, i'm losing what i had and i think that might be because of using the moulded panels a few times. so i wasn't keeping my leg on as well as i should and wasn't keeping my feet firmly down; but next time i'll be able to use my balance strap, which has finally stretched enough to fit the saddle! which will help me loads.

also i really must see if the local saddle agent has recovered enough from her broken leg to come out and check us out (and one gets a bit of a lesson from a lady who trained the irish olympic eventing team at dressage a few years ago...)

and james - yes, loads of patience and i dont know where i get it from. go back to last july and read all that, if we hadn't sort out those issues I don't think Molly would still be with us ....

better....

took the moulded panels out and the original panels are much better, left me in a much better position. decided to see how far we could go on our own. first up, thought i'd try the 20 acre, which we could do last year. she wouldn't go down the hill, but looking down i could see they'd ploughed the field, and later realised the tractor was still in their ploughing, so probably just as well!

so got her through the yard without too much napping back to the stable - had to boot her in the sides but got her back round. through the yard reasonably in order - there was someone rattling something round a corner that she couldn't see, but got through and then right the way to the corner of the geldings field. tried up to the left of that, towards the big log, but she was nappig back and since that was where she nearly dumped gaynor in the hedge last year, decided to try andother way. so went along the bottom of that field - sun directly in my and her eyes - and that wasn't a problem. she doesn't like being faced witha gate though.

thinking about it, up the left side of the field there's the big log - huge - and she never really likes coming up to a gate - maybe there's some psychological issue with being hemmed in when ridden? or maybe not, there's no problem in the arena. but anyway, i was pleased to get as far as that on my own!

then went back into the arena and eventually got some decent trot. Think I'm going to start carrying my schooling whip again, if only to hit my boot with. Today i used the length of the reain to make noise off the saddle when she wasn't doing anything.... worked.

whether i'm prepared to do that to get her away from home yet, i'm not sure... maybe leave that one a bit longer!

and the other problem

went to get the cash from teh ATM = put my card in, and the machine promptly crashed big time (started running windows NT reboot scripts, got into the DOS!) with my card still in it..... AARGH

photos

this is Queen of Timber today ....
















































and this is Didi, a gorgeous 2 year old by Dance in the Dark.... believe it or not she was black ... is going to be grey ... and has movement to die for...

molly's mum

Queenie; I saw her today; i should say, i do still own her, she's in retirement about 30 miles away and i see here when the person who has her is there (she often works weekends and so often when I go up to pay her keep i have to go there, not to the farm). I'm not sure she's going to do next winter. I'd been getting good reports through the winter, one person apparently thought she was about 10 years younger then her present 25 and in foal ... but when I saw her today I'm not at all convinced. She seemed to have lost a bit of condition, which she hasn't in the past (always did herself well!). I'll pay more attention over the summer; where she is, is very good, I trust the people implicitly, i think it's one of those things where if you see the horse all the time any changes creep up on you where if you don't, the change hits you in the eye immediately.

Anyway, I'll post some pictures later when i've got them off the camera.

As for Molly - i did more than I'd expected, jackie was riding out up to one of the other yards on the estate which has a much better arena than ours so I went up with her. Molly wasn't wholly impressed - fair enough really, new place, new route to get there, jumps in the middle, etc. Spent a fair amount of time throwing her head about! But i think, i wasn't at all helping her. the stirrups were even this time. But i've decided to go back to the original flat panels, not the new style moulded panels that i'd put in. I very much felt as though these panels were tipping me forward, and that's no good! Also, I think the stirrup leathers have stretched!

But i was nontheless pleased by the finish; and Molly was striding on along the road going back (she does like a tarmac road! and it's good for her feet).

lovely ride`

shame about the rider's incompetence today ....

i was wondering for ages why i felt uncomfortable etc, and then when we went to trot i couldn't ge her moving and felt as though i was tipping....

realised a stirrup was the wrong way round (quite important with HM stirrups...) then a little while later realised i didn't have the leathers the same length ....duh. i was thinking the saddle had slipped, all sorts .... what a nit.

but we saw some new born lambs - molly nearly stood on the afterbirth whilst we were standing watching the mother lick the later one dry ... they were so new they still had the umbilical hanging down, we must have just missed the birth itself by seconds... and i had the camera with me, with what i thought were new batteries in ... dead as a doornail. heyho.

and i really don't like hills at the moment.... niether of us are balanced enough for them. we went down a different way, all grass no rocky tracks, so it was easier, but still not totally clever. never mind, we'll get there, and i'd have been a lot better had my stirrups been right....

some views

this is the Tan Hill inn, which as you can probably tell is quite high up....












this is the view from the pub car park ... looking north over the A66 up towards Durham














this is the view of the pub from higher up - we walked up the bridleway opposite after we'd eaten, this is part of the Pennine Way which runs up the spine of the country.









some orphan lambs - i like this pic, the light was perfect!












and the lambs again (there were three .... plus another brand new one ...)

and as you see, the dogs didn't think "dinner" - we thought perhaps because the lambs didn't run away from them .. they were just like puppies, really ...

ropemakers

and this is why i wanted to go to hawes on saturday (they're closed sunday) - you never know, i might get a training halter at a better price...

berwick upon tweed

for a blog supposedly about molly, this goes off topic regularly .. but then so does life!

and the peril of having a partner is that sometimes one has to go on trips...

and today was berwick upon tweed

we'd never been before, either of us, and were glad we did - despite the length of time it took (heavy heavy heavy traffic, totally mad, with no reason for the 15 mph on the dual carriageway...)

here's a picture of the view out over the bay

we were looking down towards holy island, but don't think that has come up on the photo, you can see it in life....









and here's a picture of a greyhound, forever waiting outside the house:
















and molly? she got her tea, after she'd run the gautlet of getting past brooklyn, who took a chunk out of her bum. i rather think they're not all totally overjoyed to be out all night, as all three horses came running to the gate when i appeared (the pony didn't bother ....)

tomorrow, Hawes to meet some friends, and eat at Tan Hill the highest pub in england.

house clearance

because partner's parents are now both gone, we had to do some final clearance today - and collect the bed. so crack of 0830 collected rental van, filled it with stuff from our place, went to parents, filled there, went to tip, tipped it all, lunch from a store, diversion to the barbour factory shop (if you want anything jean ... but the sizings are impossible, even if the prices are perfect!), back to pick up bed, then pick up my car ( had dropped it off for handbrake repair) came home, had a rest, went to see molly but no point trying to ride - there's nothingn like carrying a mattress for doing your fingers in - came home, emptied the van on my own save the mattress (got the neighbours to do that) made tea sat down .. phew...

gorgeous weather again as well, shame not to have the time to ride but the job had to be done and i suppose it was the right weather for what we had to do....

sun!

a lovely day, the washing's all dry (well, except the stuff that went out at 4 p.m!). the carpet is fitted in the spare bedroom, i managed to get the moulded panels into the saddle and had a ride out! timing on that was perfect as (I hadn't know) the others were all riding out as well.

back down the park - scary steep, but at least i wasn't slipping off totally, just a little bit! and molly was very brave about the lambs. last year when she first saw the lambs on the other side of the fence, they were really horrid horse eating lambs. today, she had to go past some = and did. also someone was having a XC lesson in the field we were walking through, no problem (person of course slowed down etc. whilst we went past).

and i think i got the thing about lateral - had to push her over a couple of times and thought about the hip/weight thing, worked.

and we did the last gate out onto the drive! in the past she's really not wanted to know about that gate, but we did it tonight. took three goes to get her lined up to get the catch, then i had to go back round again to pull it open. but we did it, i was so pleased with her!

and the others went off for a canter (i'm still not doing that ... haven't since i fell last june, but i don't care, we're both still building confidence again!) and we walked back down ourselves - i thought she'd prefer her usual of going down the drive, but she volunteered herself to go down the grass track between the drive and the geldings field, and that pleased me as well. it's downhill, in the past she's had issued with the large log jump that makes the track very narrow and she sometimes rushes at the bottom.

it occurred to me that one of the things about down hill - as well as feet - will be balance. so that should improve with more work, i hope!

then i went to the store again and came home and washed the car. I'd mucked it out earlier - needed it, after all the shavings/haylage/feed/mud etc in the winter. i can now not be embarassed to let anyone into it!

4 1/2" pelham

with curb chain that probably belonged to a 7" ....ggrrhh

i've been meaning to try the pelham for nearly a year. i bought it last spring when a local tack shop had its closing down sale. it was 1/2 price, which was good. but didn't get round to it.

yesterday discovered that the bridle was too large for it. so dug out the wintec that was in the house and took that down. perfect. BUT .... the chain, even when turned to lie flat, was miles too long ...

so, the usual bit went in. and we did a bit of work. better than yesterday

i'm trying to get some lateral movement but not getting there. i can get turn on the forehand but not leg yield. we're getting something wrong ...and it isn't that her sides have been kicked numb, that's for sure! i wonder i think i need to have even more contact (and less grief from her on the subject!) and i know i get a bit tense when trying something like that..

she exhausted herself

eating in the field and really didn't want to do anything at all.

and i didn't feel as though my position was up to much tonight... whatever i did. the only thing that worked well was at the end when i rode her through the yard and along to the start of the track; she wouldn't go any further, but since we got there with no traumas at all (a first) i was quite pleased with that.

the new thin reins are good, i've definitely got a much better grip with them.

had i had my brain in gear when i knew the richard maxwell thing wasn't going to happen this week, i should have organised myself a lesson at some point this week = much easier during a weekday than on a weekend when everyones doing other things for themselves...

what i forgot to say

was that we also nearly fell over, but i didn't realise at the time.

as we set off, we went along the track past the house and to the ford.. it's a bog standard farm track typ of thing, hard, pebbly in places, some soft bits, and it goes past a copse on the left and the house/orchard on the right.

molly kept trying to go one side or the other (her feet a shade soft after the winter, of course) and i kept trying to push her back but as usual she wasn't really listening to my leg, what's new there.

in the orchard they are digging a "ha ha" ( a form of ditch, usually called this when a design feature) and just past the orchard there's a relatively wide bit of what looks like grass ... but is in fact quite soft and she doesn't do mud.

she went onto it and it was a lot deeper than anyone had realised - i'd thought it was just soft mud.

one second i was thinking oh well it's wide enough grass don't argue, then next second i didn't know what was happening as molly under me seemed to be trying to get quickly towards the fence as if somehting had bit her bum or whatever. it was very bizzarre sitting on top, and all i could do was maintain a contact, steer her away from the fence (we ended up next to it, the ground rises slightly to the fence) and sit up.

that was fine, got her back to the track and carried on.

then when we got back everyone said how well i'd done there particularly, and when i looked at her legs she'd clearly been hock deep! I still didn't register, but they were still talking about it in the evening

I went back to have a look - AARGH - we were clearly very close to actually falling over one way or another, it was seriously deep and no warning that it was going to be. you could see the huge hole where the first leg had gone down deep, and then you could see where she'd been struggling to pull herself out of it. if i remember i'll take a photo...

so i was even more pleased with myself, and i think this may account for why she was listening to me more after that - maybe i do know best sometimes? despite the twingey feet? dunno, but i think we've both learnt something there, definitely.

flies!

we weren't expecting them in the chill breeze (not quite as cold as yesterdy, but working on it) but once we were out of the wind - flies all round!

had a really good hack.

wore my winter cord jodhs' - they help the stickability! and the new very thin rubber lined reins I got are a great success - only had cob size in the shop, so hugely long, but it's much easier to keep my reins a correct and consistent length than it was with my favourite continentals - which are now relegated to second favourite in consequence!

Molly did two gates as well, which was good, and has started to listen to my leg - not as much as she should, but compared to her previous ideas, very good. possibly assisted by my continually improving position.

We must have been out for 1 1/2 hours, longest i've been out on her, loads of walk really and a couple of trots.

and she spent most of the ride out in front, so she's getting loads of confidence back

and she didn't nap at her usual place

so i'm very pleased with her indeed!

teacher's rights

thought this might be of interest jean .....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6515077.stm

tech support

for the new router couldn't tell me why the pc wouldn't recognise the router. i worked it out for myself just now - the ethernet card had been disabled! duh. if i hadn't been so tired earlier in the week, i should have clocked that then.

25 minutes on the phone to india (happily, not at international rates!) and i solve the problem myself. ...

slippy saddle

i don't know why i believed the agent when she said the butt leather wasn't that slippy. it is - and today proved it. we went out to go down the park and then round. to get down the park you go through a gate and down a steep hill.... i really felt as though i was going to slip off! not assisted by molly not wanting to go the way i pointed her. to be fair to her, her feet are a shade soft after the winter and she didn't want to be on the track .. but oh, it was horrid.

anyway, the plan is (in addition to the kerrit's, jean! ) to take the saddle, and the old seat saver off my gp as a pattern, to a leather man on the westgate road (bike leathers, but does loads of other stuff as well) and get him to make me one up to fit. friend says he's very good and very cheap. i really don't want a HM one, as i think there's enough cushion under me with the saddle!

and it's worming weekend - they all have to be in from 10am this morning until monday morning. hoping i can then get molly out 24/7 ....

more ground work again...

she's still being good on that.

i had been going to ride... i had infact been going to put the pelham in and see what happened - but when i looked at it i decided i needed to go look at some pictures to see how to attach it to the bridle, i'm almost inclined to think there's something missing .... so ground work instead. she's now offering me right rein in preference to left. but we still have some confusions.

unfortunatley, plans for next week can't happen re getting richard maxwell out due to it being easter week and other committments his end and at the venue. so it'll be the back end of the month.

but i'm starting to feel better, which is good

and roll on tomorrow night, week off next week, yay.

more fog ....

and i was so tired. you know when you can feel your eyes tiring as you drive home? like that. so i didn't do any work with molly, just came home. plans for the week? what were they!

fog and groundwork

it was misty/foggy all day, didn't really see the sun till nearly home again and it was a bit nippy. decided to do a bit of ground work to see what she remembered from last time; pretty good, really. someone else was having a lesson so we didn't have long, but what we did was good enough.

got my pc back, seems to be working but not recognising hte modem. so the laptop is back downstairs online wirelessly, but the pc is upstairs not online at all. go figure!

very very tired

only 4 hours sleep last night, still suffering from the ailment of last week and overheated .... so mollydidn't do any work tonight, despite the light night and good weather ... i expect yesterday has taken it out of me a bit!

satnav rocks jean! we wouldn't have done anything except sit and wait for the road to re-open, or go back, if we hadn't had it and we found we didn't have the map we thought was in the car!

i think they're excellent!

adventures with a satnav....

we had a good day in york, once we eventually set off. saw the yorkcastlemuseum part 2 (the ticked we bought last march 28th was valid for a year.....) and pottered about. on the way back, we thought we'd go over the tops - north york moors - so set course for helmsley. that was fine. went a new route as directed by the satnav, through Ampleforth where I'd never been and here's a nice view of Ampleforth College from the other side of the hill (it's a famous Roman Catholic abbey & private school)

got to helmsley fine, so the next thing was the helmsley/stokesley road over the top of the moors.

not far out of Helmsely,the police had closed it, there must have been an accident further along. so being clever and having a satnav, we turned off left at a junction that happened to be there, and followed the satnav.

Bit of an error. It was going to take us over the top of a moor, yes there was said to be a road, but the sign said "not suitable for motor vehicles". we thought, well it looks suitable (tarmaced, don't you know) ... went up quite steeply, became untarmaced, got to a gate, sheep on the other side, went through gate, got to another gate ... there'd clearly been other traffic through, but the potholes were looking interesting and we couldn't see how deep they were, so had to turn round and go back, which involved me reversing back aways (happily, it was level, and a gorgeous sunny day) through the second gate, then turning on the field ...

The satnav wanted to take us to kepwick from hawnby, which is fair enough and the track is in fact marked on the ordnance survey as an unfenced single lane road which should in fact have been passable.

should have ignored the last instruction from the satnav where it said turn left, as when we got back to that point, there was a signpost for osmotherley and we went much more confidently that way.

Have just looked it up on the ordnance survey online map to see, and we didn't in fact have too far to go (but for the scary looking pothole!). so one day possibly on our holiday or over easter, we're going to go to kepwick and walk to where we had been and see.

so i rang from the top of that moor to have molly brought in; plan had of course been to get back and do it myself! but i clearly wasn't going to make it....

back to it

the weather having improved!

20 minutes in the arena; by the end she was really losing it (well, starting to) and didn't want to go any direction i wanted her to; but one of the others was going out on a hack so i went out with her as far as the ford, then turned round. Possibly shoul dhave gone on, but she'll have wanted a canter up holme hill and i don't like holding people back! and that was the good bit, and we got some nice trot steps coming back. and she went back to the arena without arguing, so that was good.

rest of the day - expensive! partners birthday present. went to camera shop to decide on camera, happily partner content with camera i wanted to buy her. wanted to use my credit card, which i can only use online as i have never known the pin number. got home. ordered it ... website in fact didn't let you buy on line and pick up in store, only order online and buy for it in store. so i had to go back to store (22 mile round trip, dammit) that i knew had it in and get it on my debit card. ah well. and had to fill up with petrol (gas, jean ...LOL) and the price of that has rocketed as well.

my friend in yorkshire texted me .. her horse won a dressage test last night with 78% WOW is all i can say.

an away day tomorrow for partner's birthday, york, usually good value for money for a day out. so molly gets another day off, but we have light nights from tomorrow night on....

looks like

the weather is starting to improve. molly's been rugless again yesterday/today; not totally warm (jean, send some of yours this way please!) and is warm. plenty of haylage of course helps!

here's a photo from where we were sitting wednesday:




this was taken with myphone, 2mp, without the light on ... the light effects were really good, the green/blue made you think of bluegrass country! which was clever.







partner's birthday sunday so have to go shopping tomorow for present, think i know what to get but she needs to look at it (new camera required...)

don't know how much work I'll be able to give molly what with that, the hairdresser and the usual weekend chores.... but at least the clocks go forward saturday/sunday so we get lighter nights from now to october...

vaguley disappointing

and not just because i was not well and probably shouldn't have been there (turned out partner could have had a colleague have the ticket .... )

the singing was of course excellent.

but it was a proscenium stage, so flat, and even with the tv cameras projecting the stage onto tv's either side, there was not one close up of her. close ups of everyone else, but not of her. now why would that be?

and she does talk a lot. she quoted a review from manchester the night before, the reviewer had said she talks too much. hello, she does. I dunno, if I go to hear dolly sing, that's what i want to here.

we got jolene, 9 - 5, little sparrow, coat of many colours, like that, plus some covers of some 60's stuff (Those were the days, my friend, amongst them! which got us all singing along of course!)

even partner is now prepared to concede vague dissatisfaction.

but hey, for a never to be repeated event..

the silly thing was, we had an excellent sightline to the stage. but guess who forgot binoculars. duh.

edited to add: whilst I knew she was wearing white the first half, I could only see what it was etc. when reading tonight's paper ...

dolly parton

we have tickets for tonight at newcastle arena. hope i'm ok for it (had to come home early and go see gp today .....) but i'll have to be, partner will NOT be impressed if i don't go (partner's birthday present to self...). and as partner says, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. was a bit hacked off all the people giggling when i said, I like her anyway!

so i was able to bring molly in myself tonight, having originally asked friend to, but that was good as the temperatures are rising again and i had to change her rug. she might go without again tomorrow, will have to see what the forecast is, but it is improving again all the time.

hardy TB

i was deceived by the glorious sunshine this morning into not putting rug on. oops. it snowed in teh afternoon and of course i was 25 miles away at work. Molly was warm; not as warm as she couldl have been but no way cold. i put the fleece cooler on as she was also a bit damp and standing in she's more likely to cool if damp, and put a couple of extra slices of haylage, but she'll be fine. She will be getting a rug the rest of the week though .... it's forecast to get a bit worse.... so there'll be no work done either this week. but i reckon if i'd left her rugless and unclipped this winter, she'd have been fine

and we can't repeat the ride we did saturday morning; they've ploughed the field up. they're supposed to be leaving riding strips round the outside of crop fields, but someone forgot to tell the ploughman that....

hilarious

film we've just seen. Hot Fuzz. highly recommend it.

as for the molly mare; everything was being blown horizontal today, and i got the rug back on her just before it started snowing (she was warm, but wouldn't ahve been if she'd got wet!).. think she was pleased about that. forecast to continue really cold and the wind chill is horrendous. euch.

just found

baby barista - see the bottom link- very good! not that i'm a barrister, i'm a solicitor so instruct barristers - this is excellent, whether it's fiction or not!

rode

before the gales.

it was windy - but we didnt' notice it down at theyard, it was only as we left that the wind hit us! had a nice ride. four of us out; at one point all 4 horses were moving as though their legs were going through glue, very bizarre!

molly was very good; towards the end she was marching on ahead along the road no bother - then the others wanted to go along the field instead, and we had a tro. she did her usual sewing machine trot but then started to relax into it and i felt as though i was getting the rise right.

personally i could have done with continuing along the road, for the benefit of molly's feet (they need road work!) but one of the people doesn't do roads very well....

i was pleased with both of us, i have to say! and she's very good about going under the railway bridge (east coast main line) where some of the others don't like it...)

then went up to meet a work acquaintance for lunch, planning a conference for a year come may (i.e. may 2008!). glad to get him to the point, we've been meaning to do this for a coule of years (already did three) but last year someone took the wind out of our sails by borrowing our format for an identical conference aimed at half of our audience! pah. then went to buy a friend a haybar and back to teh yard, when it was time to bed up and bring in (possibly a bit early, but it was starting to spit on to rain, and the wind got a lot worse). meant to go to the pictures but time allison had visited her mother we were 10 minutes late...

much as i like a lie in

i dislike intensely mucking out at night around the horse..... ah well, can't have it both ways. kirsty offered to turn out this morning and i fancied an extra 1/2 hour shut eye. dind't get it particularly, but did stay in bed the bit longer....

will have to think of putting rug back on; not usually advisable, but they're forecasting snow....

a long way

for a site visit, well two actually. but i was impressed, 2 hours 20 there, not much more back, i was very lucky with the traffic! and my satnav rocks - got me to two obscure locations no bother at all. much easier than forever stopping to consult the map when you are getting near, especially in these days of yellow lines all over (that's to stop us parking jean!). But not enough tea; no one one offering a brew (mind i don't know if i'd have said yes had it been offered.... but it's polite to offer!)

turned molly out this morning, and was in time to muck her out tonight.. not something i normally do in my suit!

had planned to go see caroline but that went pear shaped .. they had no signal for their mobile phone so didn't get my call ... ah well, next time. but i always reckon visiting friends is even better when soemone else is paying the travelling expenses!!!

late from work

not a late meeting, just late out, then had to set the car up for tomorrow's long trip to the other side of the pennines! fill up with petrol, jet wash, like that. so molly got her tea, and i put up tomorrow's tea and haynet ready. shan't have time to do more than turn out in themorning, friend is bringing in tomorrow night as i won't be back till late....

only just cooking my tea now at 9pm (althought partly that's for other reasons!) griddled chicken...

felt better

as soon as i got on i felt better in terms of my riding position, so spent time thinking about that.

also thinking about whether i could feel which diagonal i was on in trot, when we got to it.

and some time getting molly to listen to the leg - turns on the forehand, which she does wonderfully in hand when i don't want one!

by the end she was doing that really nicely left, but not so nicely right (now there's a surprise!)

got on the horse!

felt like weeks since i'd been on Molly although it was probably only a fortnight. all that groundwork, whilst it was successful in itself, has left me forgetting where i was supposed to be. still, with the weather improving i should be able to get back into a routine .. alternate, i always found useful, or even a three activity cycle - flatwork, groundwork, hack...

anyways that's for later inthe year when we get proper light nights.

i felt as though i couldn't get my leg right at all. and she was no way going straight. that was probably down to me, but she was mithering on at the bit from the off which didn't help. i did about 20 minutes or so in walk; she's forgotten what little she had learnt about moving away from the leg. then when someone turned up (i knew this person was stll to arrive, herpony was still out!) i did some trot work and felt i was starting to get it in terms of a low rise and not bouncing. we started off with me on the wrong diagonal everytime, but in due course got to me on the right diagnonal from the off. and almost got some sitting trot back.

need to work harder on the legs

need a lesson ....

a good drying day

but that as all that could be said for it; certainly wasn't a good riding day! i don't think anyone rode, the wind was so bad. i'd thought if it dropped later i might .. but there's no signs of it. ah well, the laundry is done and dried and the kitchen's a lot cleaner than it was...

haven't tried the moulded panels on the saddle yet, that was going to be for this weekend...hope i get the chance through the week...

what was that

about riding on saturday?

car to garage. partner picked me up. took her home, wrapped parcel to post, post office, yard. muck out etc; wait for farrier. farrier late. rashly let other's go first, had to leave money with farrier and come away. no sign of partner. back to garage paid for car left hers there came home, partner appeared. we found carpet man had been this morning supposed to be this afternoon ... happily, came back! back to garage, waited for carpet man, had brunch (bacon butties, done in baguettes in my case with cheese, yummy ...). went to feed store for haylage & feed. filled car. man said what's there is all we have left for the year in haylage..... went down, unloaded car, decided go back and load car again; did so via garage for fuel as had none. back to yard unloaded more haylage. bedded up etc. put haylage in for night, made up feed. by this time totally frozen - howling gale - and starving; horse brought in and i came home.

it's true what they say, the best of the weather is in the morning, and if i hadn't had to take car to garage.... but there we go. better luck tomorrow i hope!

definite progress

tonight she offered to go right at a point when i was asking for left. progress, i should say so! not totally consistent yet and i think we're still a tad confused as to what means go forward and what means turn in and stand, but i cannot believe how well this way of training is working.

excellent!

and she was warm when i got her in, and shedding huge amounts ...

rug off

molly was SO warm, i took the rug off. she'll get filthy (stable is on rubber matting with one bag of shavings and of course the field is still muddy) and i hope i don't regret it, but she's shedding so much, it's so nice through the day (UP TO 54 F forecast for tomorrow) she'll be melting and i don't want an overheated horse!

didn't do anything with her - apart from anything else, was still in my work kit! and that doesn't work, really!

and i'm still pleased about last night, it was good...

and more yay

not having done anything with molly since what, wednesday was it? i didn't know what to expect. borrowed friend's rope halter and 12' rope with leather bits on the end, as used by e.g. maxwell and others.

we got right rein trot, with practically no argument whatsoever. I didn't have to spend any time at all moving her legs.

yay.

so after confirming that she would do it by having her do it again, i stopped.

and i now see why those ropes are £20 - that'll be about $40 US jean i expect ... very heavy in the hand, make a satisfactory noise when circled, much easier to use altogether.

and shedding? she's shedding .... it's amazing how easy it is to forget how horrendous the spring moult is between one year and the next!

the pc's at the office, our IT chap said he'd look at it for me

another oddity; the hub would never work on the pc, works perfectly on the laptop. go figure!

mad march gales

as if we hadn't had enough in january and february... more today. lovely morning at work looking at it, if cold; by this evening, not. so i did that rare thing, groomed without then doing any work! still a bit tired from the weekend anyway,

recovering from yesterday

the trouble with a bad night is it takes ages to pull back together ....

the plan was to ride this morning, given the weather's nice and forecast to rain this afternoon.

but soo tired still, and for same reason my shoulders are hurting which means i need to wear my neck collar a couple of nights probably (although it's been all this stress of things going wrong, i expect!). got to the yard ... no one was riding. lots of hangovers, i wasn't actually yawning when i got there but was time i left, you know how catching it is.

so i thought leave it to later .... if it doesn't rain and i feel better, then maybe.

there's never a huge amount of point doing anything when you're not well, and i can't go out on my own yet .....

simba

in one piece

first thing this mornig (well, not quite first thing .... this was about 0730 i think) up our maple

i think this has been my busiest blogging day yet...

always on broadband

i'd wondered, when i went to broadband, why everyone wittered on about always on internet connections, because i certainly didn't have on.

turns out, that's because of the modem that came with the subscription.

the new modem is always on ....

so i'm going to have to be really on top of updating security software (happily, it does it automatically)

comments

always have the time on them, but never the date.

i was struck by this having gone to beckbrook to see if victoria has anything to say for herself yet. she hasn't, but the comments are all on the one post and there is no way of telling that in fact they've been added many months later.

generally speaking it doesn't matter; but in this case, it certainly does! and i wonder if there's anyway of resolving that short of actually putting the date in ones comment...

tired

which isn't surprising.

i do have time and daylight to do something with molly, but don't think i've really got the brain power after the hour i got up this morning.

the car is probably the fan switch, booked in for next friday.

the pc will have to wait for the man getting back to me

partner had me out choosing carpet for spare bedroom.

hot in the car, cold out

tired.....

so am having a cuppa to pick me up then will go down and bring her in and feed her

oh, and the other job for the day was to buy haylage for molly and a bag of feed for queenie; i need to go up this weekend, but that's waiting for tomorrow now.

and the weather has been rather good .. lots of sunshine, and the only rain was before dawn. so the washing's on the line as well....

testing new modem with laptop

at the crack of dawn (well earlier, i got up at 0430, overheating ...) my pc crashed.

i moved the laptop upstairs, but found that the software i'd thought i'd downloaded, the modem driver, hadn't downloaded properly and there was nothing there. major deprivation moment.

had to buy a new modem.

rather think the pc is totally stuffed. went into set up 4 times, but it would not recognize the main hard drive (i have two, but the one that wasn't working was the one with the os on ...)

so i won't have to ask to borrow anyone's pc to post ... and won't have to post from work, which is seriously frowned upon ....

what a day...

firstly, when i came down this morning, Simba was hobbling about on three legs; so clearly the usual routine to get ready for work, etc, went out of the window as he had to go to the vet. I thought he'd broken something..... got there well before they opened, having dropped partner off to collect her car from where she'd left it for her london trip, and made it work for 10.

then in the afternoon had to go to our other office. i'd forgotten about the horrendous road works to get into redcar (well, they were a lot worse this week than last anyway) and whilst sitting in the traffic jam the car overheated.

so had to rearrange the client who was due any minute; didn't know how long i'd be sitting there.

walked along to garage on corner next to road works, who really unhelpfully said " we all finish at 5 and the lads are on their last jobs" ... essentially, f*** off; I shall ensure I tell everyone about that lack of service! the fact that my car was not the make of car that garage sells really should have been irrelevant, but I don't suppose it was.

by the time i walked back to the car it had cooled down enough to be nursed round to the office (switching it off when the traffic wasn't moving, i was still in the jam!). left it in the car park with the bonnet up; one of the lads had a look, we decided there was loads of coolant, so goodness knows what's going on.

then came home early. decided to come home before going to yard, on principle that i could use partner's car when she came back from vet with simba. She'd decided to go visit her mother (who's in hosptial; this morning she'd said she wasn't going to...)

Simba hasn't, apparently, broken anything, just realy severe bruising. but has to go back monday 4 pm. partner will have to do that, i won't be able to ...

so after all that, despite the nice weather this evening (cold but dry and no wind, and we are, apparently, expecting a full eclipse of the moon) molly just got her tea and i came away....

and brought a load of work home ot make up for this morning and to get it done.... forecast to rain sunday. but was due to go to see queenie this weekend, now car has to go to garage in the morning if they'll look at it...duh.

yay

one full circle in trot right rein... result!

first attempt she'd gone right, then turned back when i started saying good girl and she realised what she'd done.

second attempt, yay hey.

did by applying gentle pressure in a rightwards direction, then when she'd turned her head that way slightly touched the end of the rope to her right shoulder.

and then we went back in. and she got two polos, one with her head at the girth left and the other ditto right.

nice ideas jean ... it's really only an issue in the arena.