the cat

was vetted by my horse vet .. who was slumming it at a different practice. well that's not quite right, he's reduced his time at the horse practice and is doing reduced days and is no longer in the partnership there, so was locuming (is there such a word) at the small animal practice the cats get taken to...

he's got a gum infection, for which he got a jab of antibiotics, but there's some concern about other infection/whatever and if the excess salivation don't clear up in a couple of days, take him back for tests.

that's depressing, he's not young and broke his hip earlier this year....

as for molly - she was pleased to see me when i finally got there.

now, here's a thing. last night i found a myler combination, the right size, new on ebay, very good buy it now price, so i bought it. today, my money was refunded, "due to urgent unforeseen circumstances" it was withdrawn ... after i'd bought it?.... duh.

and again!!!

and much better - she didn't move around at all, I was on dead quick!

and then had a nice ride out with Julie, round the fields, up the hill, trot, walk, trot, walk... now, the sewing machine trot when out?

and I'd put the sit tights in the wash, and forgot to put the furry cover on the saddle... like glass. now why didn't i get a suede seat? you tell me, must have been a moment of madness...

But I was very pleased with the molly mare tonight again...

partner has arranged for me to take HER cat to the vet tomorrow night after work, and for a man to come and discuss hard landscaping our back garden the next night after work.... i have complained, but the arrangements were made by then!!!

and again...

but it took a bit longer today, and I did have to get off at one point and lead her back round (it was better to do that than have the tantrum that was incipient...)

she then marched happily down the hill to the 20 acre.... into it ... then promptly decided she was frightened of smething in there, the mare that happily marched on ahead of suzie all the way round last week!

then we went up to the gelding's field with gaynor, and back. she's pretty much given up napping ot the stable.

then of course, since she refused to go anywhere on her own, she ended up in the arena.

I've just bought a new book - schooling exercises for dressage riders - so set to with some of those, one of the trot ones in walk, then walk/trot/walk/trot, and some flexions to try and get her to soften to the bit instead of setting herself. she gets that for a bit, then loses it. partly me, partly her.

at one point we had a lateral movement across the arena; the trouble was I hadn't asked for it deliberately but I know what the problem is, my right hip/seatbone.

then back through the yard to the willow (preventing her from napping to the stable quite smartly!!! it's scary when she starts that as its hard concrete with rocks on top (small rocks, but sharp ones!) and next to a stone wall) and back to the arena to get off.

I still suffer with that foot i broke last year if I land on hard, so do have to get off in the arena. anyway, don't want her to get used to me getting off in the yard, as that would be an excuse for more napping back to the stable. the stable is NOT where we stop work!

success

got on at th emounting block by myself with no help

took three goes - but she wasn't moving her bum away from me, she was moving forward. and I didn't get off, just kept turning her back to me .. at one point i thought i'd try getting on the wrong side, but she moved forward again... YAY.

then went in the arena (had thought I might go out, but that would have been pushing it!!) and did some work, my rising trot was better but I wasn't really trying for anything exciting since the success of the day had already been achieved.

i suppose arguably i should have got off again and then got back on.....

foot & mouth

again.

let's hope they get it under control this time, and we don't have a repeat of 2001.

where i keep Molly they have cattle & sheep - it's an organic farm supplying at least one major supermarket chain.....so i guess there'll be restrictions on our movements as well!!!

last time was a total nightmare for everyone who did anything in the country....

will it or won't it?

rain, that is. looks like it's going to, damp grey clouds...

Molly and I did some groundwork again, rope circling. she went the directions I told her at the pace I wanted, which is progress. didn't do much (thought it was going to rain, and it did start to try to, and it IS friday night!). little issue on goingback and coming forward to work on. she goes back. all I have to do is turn her in and drop the rope to the ground and she goes back, which actually she's not suppose to. coming forward she comes to far, and she comes when she hasn't been asked sometimes.

But i got what i wanted for the night...

maybe

we've cracked the problem with mounting from a proper mounting block straight on in the yard, but not the stool in the arena?

whatever, got on again tonight - TBF, Julie was at her head again, but she showed no signs of moving away AND let me do her girth whilst mounted, which is always a disconcerting task with dressage girths!

and we had a nice ride round the 20acre in walk, we knew where the brakes were when waiting for Julie on Suzie, and she didn't try and trot back to the yard from the ford as she was wont to do.

so well done her.

the only fly in the ointment was when I went through to the arena to get off (still have problems wtih that foot i broke! plus i don't want her to get back to the habit of napping to the stable) and lo and behold she took serious exception to a piece of farm machinery that has been tied up next to the arena entrance for months and months. nice sideways leap that i sat to, and got her in ....

here's a picture i saved from google earth:
the black line is the River Wear, and the 20 acre is the second field above the buildings in the middle next to the river....

last night and tonight...

last night we had a bit of a battle re whether she'd long rein or not, which i won.

and then she was going very nicely!

tonight, decided not to bother with the ground work. the YO had moved the mounting block from where it was (where you had to go round the corner to get up onto it, thus giving the horse an immediate excuse to turn quarters away) to another place next to the muck heap where it is straight edges. so thought we'd see how she went, and I'd go out with Julie who's still on walking exercise with Suzie.

so led molly up to the mounting block, julie stood in front of her with a polo, and she showed no inclination whatsoever to move away or into me.

very pleased. and since it's the first time on her since 5th June (and that wasn't a success due to my leg ... last time i actualy rode her in earnest was April, I think!!!) i was even more pleased...

ggrrhh......

still can't get on.

can do pretty much everything else.

think i possibly need MORE time .... but on an evening when one has been to work and has the law to mow before it turns into a hayfield......

together with sarcasm from someone because i forgot to take the stool back saturday - i said, at least i didn't leave it where it could be run over.... (wasn't in the mood for sarcasm at all by that stage!)

kristofferson

was so worth seeing/hearing. Excellent. all he did was sing. his only mistake was saying "hello newcastle" - he was in gateshead (it's called Sage Gateshead...) but that's what happens when two cities market themselves together, people get confused.

the house got cleared.

Molly got fed.

the madam

wouldn't stand still at the stool for me to get on.

did some rope circling - left, right, stand, back, forward

did some longlining - she stood stock still whilst I attached the long lines, and whilst I took them off.

Then she followed me to the fenceline where I'd left the reins (next time I'll have them wrapped round me - I also wanted to get the longlines out of the way rather than leave them all over the arena...)

so when she wouldn't stand still, we went back to the circling etc., then tried again; and again; and again; and eventually I looked at the time, we'd been at it over an hour and I had to think abot stopping as I knew I'd have to pick partner up at the local railway station..... so we finished on her going right in trot.

the stool is at a height where if she steps into it she gets my legs and I HAVE to go back off it. she knows this, I think .... depressing.

So we'll keep trying.

Possibly not tomorrow though; have to finish clearing partner's parent's house so it's empty for the buyers.

and - we've got tickets for Kris Kristofferson at the Sage Gateshead tomorrow night! really didn't expect there to be any, but there we are, sorted!

flat tyre

came out of our redcar office late - lengthy meeting with client - to find the off rear was flat. tried to undo the spare - it was seized up. happily, staff members husband assisted (in fac did the entire job) and i had to drive back slowly with teh spare on (it's one of those thin ones that you can only use as a spare).. so first job in the morning is get tyre sorted. the cause of the problem? a house screw.... some builder not clearing up!

and Molly? got her in and straight into the arena without so much as showing her a grooming brush. we got trot right rein AND i managed to keep it going.

So only 5 minutes, but a good 5 minutes.

mounting block? ask, was how to get one made. asked my mate if her partner would, and she said yes (course, what he says when she tells him.... apparently, his mounting blocks are now in demand, so second string occupation if he gets sick of being a horse vet, unlikely but hey).

i shouldn't have used the "R" word

rain, that is.

it teemed down all afternoon. stopped as i left work, but Molly was still wet, too wet to groom, and was clearly going to rain again (as I left, it started).

so i swept the junk out of the stable instead, i hadn't done that for a while given that she's out ....

I'm thinking about asking my friend to ask her partner to make a mounting block, he's made a wonderful one for them...alternatively, IKEA do a nice stool for about £10 but too low for my liking, and I found one on Robinsons website last night for £28.

and better

much better right. by the finish she was consenting to keep trotting (or i'd got better at asking for turn in before she decided to walk, which should end up with the same result....)

it's amazing how hard she works and thinks when in fact it's not nearly as intensive as e.g.a full on lunging session. which i won't be doing for ages if at all.

think i'll try the longlining tomorrow if it don't rain. I'm concerned that our arena is really too small to do that effectively in.. will have to see.

and I MUST buy a new mounting block, some plonker having broken my stool (I think someone took it out of the arena to use to mount, and then someone else drove over it, it's the only explanation and I'm annoyed...)

this is so working....

Molly is really paying attention. still prefers left to right, but will now stand where i put her, go back, come forward, de dah. still an issue on right rein though that I will have to work through - turning in for herself instead of when i tell her. on the other hand, she is going right when i tell her without too much of a battle, and thinking whilst doing it. hopefully she's not thinking of new ways to avoid it...

good work...

sorted out the training halter, I finished up with it right last night and checked with pictures when i got home; Molly was working better tonight, thinking about it all more. A bit of a challenge right rein, but doing it without the huge strops. a bit of a challenge going to her right from a standstill, but that will come. A bit of a challenge getting her to turn in straight to face me when she's been going left (she wants to stand so i am on her left slightly) but easily sorted by moving myself slightly and pushing her back using the visual cue of the snaky rope. And an oddity - stand her facing me, and she moves backwards; does she think that's what I want her to do? not sure. Clearly what I want is for her to stand where I put her. and on right rein - took a lot longer to get her to a place where she would keep a trot going, so stopped after I'd got that.

Onlooker commented that it looked good.

Jean, the event i missed would have been dancing horses AND dancing people (probably together on occasion... saw something part of the same thing when we went to see Appassionata last year). Very disappointed not to have got there....

the skin condition improved substantially to the extent that the hands were just about clear by this morning and the feet were able to wear socks all day yesterday and today.

By the close of business tonight, though, I can see the hands starting to give up again, so that leads me back to the contact dermatitis to something at work.

the legs are a lot better but not perfect and there's other bits still not right, but a substantial improvement on where i was even on the day I set off for the holiday.

more photos

the Bilbao guggenheim



the moon and venus, believe it or not; I was surprised this worked, and it is faint, but that is what it is...
the view from the terrace of the house...

photos from france

This is sunset over the Atlantic, very late on Saturday 14th July, I'm very pleased with this.

These are some saddles and stuff in a display at the Château in Saumur; vintage western, and vintage French army that are, you have to say, very like modern Portuguese/Spanish.


And this is the house in which we were staying for the week at St Jean de Luz. Between 5 couples, it wasn't bad at all...

back to work

Molly was pleased to see me, even after my two week absence she came over to the gate!

Very muddy so got a good scrub up, and then to do some groundwork. I think I've forgot how the halter goes, will have to review the vids to remind myself. I think the only think max forgot was that he'd put the halter on molly when I wasnt' actually there watching ... and I'm sure i manage to upend it somehow in transit, it fell off it's hook when i was driving home.

but we'd remembered most of what we needed to remember!

I bought Molly one of those crocheted fly head pieces in France, rather nice, and here she is with it on - I'm rather pleased with it, it's much nicer than any i've seen over here...

I was very tempted in the same saddler by a leather lunging roller with turrets and black girth, euros 99 - actually would have been a really good buy and i will wish that I had, but decided I already had a roller and didn't need another no matter how good. I was wrong - I haven't got on with turrets and a matching girth in leather, but there we go! I was pleased at myself for NOT buying it, since as we all know it's very easy to go mad in a saddler, especially when there's bargains of that sort to be had....

holiday notes - photos later

Well if I'd had my brain in gear I could have typed up the events of each day and then uploaded the whole lot all at once.... I had my Palm and its keyboard with me (the palm has satnav....) but I didn't even think of that until this morning.

The satnav anyway didn't work in France; I think the full map of France was all too much for it, so whilst I had mapping, I had to work out direction myself. Useful nonetheless, especially when mislaid in a town and having to wrestle with the one way system as well.

Anyway, the highlights and adventures of our holiday.

Drove down to Folkstone late Monday for an 0530 am train; in fact got the 0337 train, so were there even earlier then planned, probably just as well. But I really mustn't do that again, much more sensible to drive down the day before and book a night in a travelodge! Straight to belgium (about ½ hour) on arrival for cheap baccy, then a couple of hours shuteye in a laybye.

Took us most of the day to drive to Saumur, which isn't really that far but kept having to stop and sleep! Eventually got there about 11pm, mad, and overslept for breakfast the next day.

Saumur is very nice, lots to see. Spotted that the Cadre Noir did a demo show every Thursday – but, this was the only week it was cancelled! They'd gone away somewhere for the week to do a demo elsewhere.... Freebie tour of the place instead. That was Thursday morning, having spent Wednesday looking at the town and the château, which had an interesting display of old saddles etc... very reminiscent, and probably in fact exactly the same as, modern Portuguese/Spanish styles.

Thursday drove down to near Bergerac, Friday was the christening to which we'd been invited, lovely day had in good weather. Then Saturday down to St Jean de Luz in Convoy .... 5 cars, us, 3 American couples and the American/French couple whose 4^th child was the one being Christened. Massive villa booked – and there was a room for us, which they'd thought there wouldn't be but there was. So that made it cheaper all round and saved us finding a campsite.

Sunday spent some time on the beach; Monday – went to Bilbao to the Guggenheim. Realised shortly after arriving that it was no distance at all to Bilbao, so off we went, so pleased we did. Mind the art it contained didn't do HUGE amounts for me, but the building is fantastic.

Tuesday partner joined some others (essentially, one person per couple) on wine hunting trip whilst the rest of us stayed home and minded the kids (of whom there were 10, not including the non walking baby....).

I'd got a flyer for a dressage/flamenco show that night, but no one wanted to go with me and when I set off I realised I was out of petrol – and i already knew that the local supermarket, which had the only 24 hour petrol station, didn't like my card as I'd had to pay cash for the shopping. So I didn't go, which was a disappointment.

Then Wednesday we went into Biarritz and Bayonne, which were interesting, and Thursday to ST Jean town in the afternoon and then the adults went to Hendaye just on the French side of the border for dinner, there having been a babysitter found for the kids.... early start Friday morning and drove up to Calais in one go ... not too bad, if lengthy, and a 2 hour lunch break in Poitiers.

Found a hotel with a room in Folkestone Friday night, then Saturday morning went to Hastings to see my uncle (rang the home he was in to say was it ok to come, to be told he was in hospital....really glad I went!). Got home 9 last night.....

home at last

after a rather good holiday!

drove from St jean de luz to calais yesterday, won't be doing that again! found a hotel at folkestone then went to see uncle in hastings - in hospital!!!! was glad i'd gone, may well be the last time i see him .....

catch up tomorrow, it's too late at night and we've still to unpack the car!!

a dry day!

with sunshine for most of the day, amazing. lots of laundry done. was able to get molly in without getting soaked! she was dry so she got groomed & flysprayed!!!!

my feet are feeling vaguely better; shame the hands are still struggling, but they're easier to deal with in some ways, being more accessible!!!

hopefully by the time i come back from my hols i'll be able to put socks and boots on comfortably..

not packed yet, but at least we've got clean clothes!!!!

and a tent..... eek..

durham

city ... that was where i wanted to go for my birthday, only 2 1/2 miles down the road, so that's where we went.

there was various musical bands playing at various points around the town, including one from Rajasthan in India, the Jaipur Kawa Brass band, very good, a New Orleans style jazz band, and some others.

bought myself an expensive handbag, the cheap ones keep collapsing (straps snap) - i like the back pack style of bag which are not easy to find at all.

also a book or two (a new Jonathan Kellerman) and some new summer shirts... shorts didn't suit me, even though i needed some it's very hard to get them to fit.

we're going to go see molly soon and then go to the pub for dinner..

favourite blogs

do you think i should re-organise that list? it's getting very long, and i think it might help to put the horse people ones together.....

will it ever stop raining?

doesn't look like it at the moment... although they say we'll have a dry day sunday!

blogging in the horseworld is becoming even more popular....as you'll see from my links...another added...

Molly is doing well, waiting for me every night - whether she would if she knew she'd have to work for her supper is another matter! I do hope the anticipated southern french sun sorts my skin out! put my boots and socks on tonight because of hte mud, and rather regretted having to.. not comfortable yet!

teeth

Tonight molly had her teeth done; the person is a young lady called Ruth, so I have her in my diary/contacts as "ruth the Tooth" - happily, she's ok with that, quite liked it!

Molly was very good, much better than last year when she really had to be held down and we had to give up a wee bit before we wanted to ...

this year, yes she had a bit of headshaking, but in the scale of things no problem, and we were all done in good order.

the only problem was, the heavens opened as I got to the yard, so we all got wet afterwards....

two people came back off their hols - they'd been where we're going, apparently it rained all the way down and all the way back and was grey cloudy all the time they were there bar one day.... pah! hope it improves for next week....

winnats pass

a photo of the pass i drove through yesterday on the way back...


I drove through here yesterday; fantastic, and the sun was shining. goes down to Castleton and then you cut down to Sheffield via Ladybower reservoir...

photo from http://www.rural-roads.co.uk/winnats/winnats1.shtml; don't know whose the copyright is but credit to them....

.

june & the 4th of july

June was apparently the wettest june since records began.... july isn't going to be much better at this rate.

4th of July - american independence day - this is for jean & james and any other american readers. I live not too far from Washington - the original washington, site of washington Old Hall where George Washington's family originated. They have a friendship arrangement thing with Washington DC, and today there was lots of Independence Day celebrations. They even have the John F Kennedy primary school (that's for children under about 7 ....). so that made the local news.

and here's a picture of Molly's leg....
it's looking vast amounts better, i'm really pleased with it.

west bromwich

is one hell of a drive & back..... just made it back to our local petrol station on fresh air and was shaking with tiredness and hunger I hadn't felt till i stopped as I put petrol in... just chucked some chunks of cheese down my throat and cup of tea to hand....

and i called at caroline's on spec but they weren't in as we know....will leave C to post the photo I took!

trip was worth it though, and came the slow way home and found some interesting places for us to go see...

dry!

apparently it did rain momentarily, but I missed that, it didn't where i work. so Molly got groomed, being as how she wasn't soaking wet, and also sprayed with fly spray....

i hold with my decision not to start work with her again until after my holiday, there is little point for the sake of a week now and anticipating improvement in my skin over the period as well!

if only my feet would stop overheating as well!

i'm still fairly sure my hands are something at work, but will have to wait for hospital appointment and tests.... as for the rest, who knows!

got to go to west bromwich tomorrow; 4 hours each way! hope it don't rain and the roads are ok...

bazzyboy

you MUST check this out - again, found by someone on EE, superbly funny...

http://www.bazzyboy.net/index.html

and the makings of a good book, i should think!!!!

no infection

in my hands.... they were SOOOO hot and SOOOO red, and I hadn't been feeling well, i eventually took myself to A & E. they took bloods and checked and there is no infection, thank goodness, but the dr agreed i did the right thing to go given recent medical history.....as i said to her, if my horse had this degree of heat i'd be digging around for the abcess!!!!!

so never actually got to see molly today, bad mummy.... but she'll be find, if vaguely miffed as she does know my normal time to turn up...

balance saddle

the person in the stable next to me has a new saddle, a balance saddle; i am so pleased, it was one of those situations where one didn't know what to say. So she had me take some photos of the horse's withers and we're going to update regularly to see the changes as hopefully he will now develop some muscle and finish up with the back he shouldhave. we agreed that too often people say a horse is high withered, when what they haven't realised is that it has atrophied due to an ill fitting saddle....

molly got fed and turned out again before the rain came on again which it was supposed to and finished up not doing.

my hands are very hot.

i think i'm allergic to something at the office, which would be very tedious...

my hands

are getting better i think but the weather is still pants....heating on at the end of June phooey!

no rain!

and the sun got out as we got to the yard, although it was nippy. only having one car between us meant at least i had partner's help at the gate. She got fed and turned out again....we were COLD. But I'm really pleased with her leg. and I'm pleased i didn't cave in to any temptation to rug; she was fine and would have ended up overheated today....(just because i was cold doesn't mean she was...)

the car isn't mended; the part was supposed to come, but it was in sheffield and sheffield is closed because of flooding....

if the weather improves and my skin improves i'll hope to start doing something by the end of the week.... but since we're going on holiday a week monday i'm not sure how muchpoint there is in doing huge amounts in the time left! may be better to leave Moll until after my hols....

the weather

is disgusting, howling gales, torrential rain - in yorkshire more floods, man dead (foot trapped in storm drain i think....) boy missing cars floating away, houses under water....we're lucky here not getting that where i am.

went to see molly when partner came home - they were at the far side of the field in the field shelter, so i just left her to it...if i'd got her in it would have done more harm than good, as she'd have had to be rugged to wick the water away and keep warm, better off out where she can move if she wants to etc and has the company of the others.

doctor doesn't know what's wrong with me and i've to ring him on wednesday as he's trying to see if my hospital appointment can be expedited...

video edit magic is good and capturing from my analogue camcorder - but, didn't get the sound even though it was supposed to...

90 years ago today

my mother was born, and she had a party today. a fair amount of family and a load of friends, about 50 to lunch; more were expected for tea, but i had to come away as i was getting very very itchy and had omitted to take lotions & potions with me. it was too warm in the building once everyone was in...

catching up

with someone who doesn't post on EE anymore .... just realised, and this link to her blog was posted

http://www.angelfire.com/me/innisfailte/anxire/

very pleased to see that!

and i've just realised i didn't say anything yesterday, how remiss!

the car broke down - keys stuck in ignition when i pulled up at the yard, called the AA out, i need a new whotsit, entire new unit in fact, had to leave the car there overnight with the battery disconnected, jump start it this morning and take it to dealer, they can't do it until tuesday anyway......and it's going to be pricey - i could have spent less for a different part, but that would have taken 2/3 weeks even to arrive!

and i've bought some cotton gloves from the chemist so am sitting here with cream all over my hands and gloves on top, the thought being that'll help....

and it's tipping down, loads of thunderstorms etc. if there's a dry patch later will go back to yard and check molly out

thunderstorm

saw the fork of lightning about 2 seconds before the roll of thunder, so it was directly over the yard...and it was teeming......warm, but teeming...

5 minutes work

my legs/feet were hugely better, i could get my boots on without everything feeling all horrid, so i did 5 minutes in the arena with her. Her leg doesn't look as though it's going to be busting open again, so I decided the concerns about possibly getting arena in the wound are over.

she was a bit gobsmacked.

we seemed to remember what we needed to remember.

BUT the one thing we can't get yet is stand still so i can get the tack sorted out BEFORE we work.... she'd behaved herself with max in that context, as she wasn't in teh arena, she was in a field she hadn't been in before.... mmm.

andyway, i was pleased, left right, backwards.

i need to work on my technique, but she was doing what i wanted and when she didn't i got her to do it.

but I do think our arena is going to be a tad small for longreining....for that you really want your circles larger than the 12' rope will allow, but widthwise, that's about all there is....

nuno oliveira

someone on EE found this:

http://nunooliveira.artblog.fr/

shoudl be good once we struggle through the french & possibly other languages.....

Molly's wound is still looking good, and the slight swelling is reducing.

my hands spend the afternoon being bone dry and cracked, and my feet were swelling on the way home, so decided to bin the plan to work her and continue looking after myself.

the new cream is working, but not convinced about it on the back of my hands.

the doctor

said he didn't think i have an infection, and gave me a new prescription for the psoriasis. i have to go back the week before we are due to go on holiday (france.....)

i was even able to get my boots on without feeling all icky....

shame about the rub at the back of my heel, but progress!

as for molly's wound that's looking huge amounts better. if i can get my long boots on tomorrow night, and her wound continues good, she might find herself doing some ground work tomorrow night!

it was supposed to rain so i didn't hang the washing out. of course, it didn't rain....

a rest

for me anyway. partner did as promised and didn't require me to move furniture or whatever, and came and helped with Molly.

having had a discussion with the chemist yesterday afternoon (that is to say, the pharmacist..) i decided to try the corticosteroid on my hands... it works. so i expect teh doctor to prescribe something along those lines tomorrow.. shoudl have got a prepay thingy for my prescriptions!

molly's leg is looking good. it got a bit of a wash off tonight - getting the gunk that was left from the dressings off, rather than the scabs, which can stay till they're good and ready to come off by themselves!

molly is better than me

her leg is healing nicely. she doesn't want me to wash the gunk off (wasn't planning on taking the scab off, that can continue as it is for the moment i think) but there's some gunk where the dressing was. and she didn't want me to blue spray it. she's got so into moving over when i go to her back end whilst holding the rope that she thought that was what i wanted her to do. heyho. julie had to hold her head.

but i decided i don't want to work her in our arena until the leg is better healed than it is! our arena is so deep that if i wear short boots i get a boot full of arena. so if a horse is working in there you get a lot of crap kicked up - crap that you don't want getting into and affecting wounds on legs.

would be better if i could use the mares field, but can't as of course the mares are in it! shame as it's nice and flat!

as for me - my feet are hot. my hands are hot and dry. i shall be pleased to get to the doctor on monday. i can't even wear my short boots comfortably. socks were not a good idea.

still raining

teeming down in fact; i did think about keeping her in , but decided against; it will stop.

the leg got blue sprayed again. I'll have a good look at it in a dry spell tomorrow. should be OK, and she's still sound. and the good thing about this weather at least it keeps the flies off.

when i went to get her - picture, at the other side of the field from where we get them in, there's another small gate - horse width, could be opened from horseback, but no one goes that way - leads to the 20 acre... some dummy had left it wide open! so i went round to check that all the mares were present and correct. if i knew who'd done that....

she's acquired a nick on her flank, probably from hoolying yesterday.

I'm back to the doctor Monday; I'm starting to wish I'd insisted on an appointment earlier this week, but it seemed a lot better and since I'm not off sick and therefore prefer to go at a time that minimises time out of the office.....

jean did you read my reply to your comment on Wednesday....?

she's home!

philip brought her up during the day and left her with a haynet! bandage off, blue spray on, the wound is hugely better, he said more blue spray and she can go out, so after a mouthful of tea, out she went to hooly about with the others. largely "whey hey, she's home"

they say it might stop raining mid weekend so i do hope so.... had too much time off since last tuesday!

wagon mended

at last - so all being well, molly will come home tomorrow.

concepts - pressure and release, just as they do themselves with each other. the horse resists the pressure, it's harder on her, she gives tot he pressure gets release from it it's therefore easier for he to do what's asked than anything else.

pressure can be visual as well - e.g., waggle the rope about to make her back away from my space (horizontally not vertically)

so to have her go right, point right holding that arm out gentle pressure to take her that way; if she decides no she's going the other way, circle the end of the rope applying visual pressure as well and she'll move away from that..

and if you're able to move their feet about where you want, you get them to do what you want -

end result you get their respect, they know who's in charge in the relationship

when i get the vid from the camcorder sorted it'll be better sound...

one more

movies at last

all 5 minutes each....

video

is finally coming together.

i have had to upgrade the software that came wiht the camera to edit that video, and buy separate software to capture the camcorder stuff (it's an analogue camcorder). The man in the shop said the bought software would play with the stuff from the digital camera, but he was wrong! dammit.

currently uploading one to photobucket...

molly still away

the wagon still isn't fixed.
an opportunity to prune the clematis and mow the lawn, but an opportunity i could have done without.... ah well.

and i couldn't get through to the doctor's at all, every time i rang it was engaged, which is unusual..

and partner isn't home yet.... wasn't aware of there being anything on tonight...so a bit concerned...

bramham

yesterday we went to bramham horse trials, about 1 hours drive, to meet the friends who molly's been staying with. this was after we'd spent 4 hours in the hairdressers! (end result looks good, but does my head in being there that long! at least there's good books to read!). had a really good afternoon - was annoyed i didn't have my shorts as it turned into a gorgeous day when the forecast had said it would be horrid!.

got there - 2 30 in the afternoon! - and they wanted to charge us full price to get in. was going to just drive straight through but rang mate who said park up in lorry park next to them and their friend's wagon - so did that! spent not TOO much money - found some 30' long lines for £20 the pair which was good, and a new straw hat which i need in the sun and of course had left mine at home! so now have two summer hats, which is good! partner well happy; she'd thought it was some local poxy event, and was very impressed to find that whilst not as big as burghley/badminton it is a proper job!

didn't walk the course (too late really, and my leg not really up for that yet!) but they have a big screen next to the showjumping (international showjumping as well).

plan was, go back to friend's put molly in wagon and fetch her home.

saw molly go in wagon, we set off first and never thought about the fact that philip was revving the engine. got to yard, waited and waited, partner went to macdonalds at 10 pm ... i was to take away by 11 had them in every ditch between here and there ... rang the police from home .. no reports of anyting ... drove back down. wagon still parked where it had been .. molly back in field ... house all dark .. came home....

the brakes had failed on the wagon; they thought they'd texted me from cell phone but that text still hasn't reached me... my texts didn't get to her.... mobile signals all down as well.... aargh. and they'd only just gone upstairs so i could have knocked and spent the night there......partner thinks they could have tried harder to get in touch but i'm not sure what more they could have done when their landline has been down for weeks (landline supplier being pillocks and not sorting that out!) so i'm knackered and they're knackered.

they're going to borrow a trailer later and bring her up this afternoon...

bad news from the yard

one of the horses died tuesday. apparently, it was found covered in cuts in the middle of a lot of collapsed fence. that was the message i got this morning. the more likely story this evening is that is collapsed intot he fence. apparently it suffered so much muscular damage to its back end that it was physically unable to get up; it also lost a tooth...? owner's to take away of course - an ex jockey, damn good rider, got a lot of time for him....

the good news - a 12' training line for gbp 15, between 10 and 15 less than most places online, from a nearish tackshop where i called onteh way home tonight.

molly's coming home tomorrow night, after we've all spent the day at bramham horse trials.

early tea

because molly's on her holidays and i was home, we had actually had our tea - including pudding!!! - by 7pm!!!!!

Molly's wound is doing really well, barely needs a dressing, and she was really good stood like a rock when it was changed last night - a vast improvement on tuesday morning, when she nearly knocked philip over, so a change for the better already!

trying to find a 12' rope - you get the halter but not the rope - and the price variation is interesting, from 24gbp + postage to 30gbp + postage...so i've got my eye on some on ebay....

longlining

these were off the digital camera; Max took some pics whilst i was longlining; no video of me doing this on this camera though and i haven't wrestled with the camcorder yet.

and the word is that her injury is healing very very well, philip's very pleased with it and thinks we'll be able to take the dressing off by the weekend when she comes home!

i think i forgot to say

I left Molly there for the rest of the week. They have a small injury paddock and friend's now fiancé (they got engaged Friday night.....) a horse vet said she'd be fine out, and they offered to keep her to the weekend. That is so much better for her, as at home there isn't that option - she either goes out with the herd, or she stays in, and she gets bullied sometimes so....

I suggested during the work that some of molly's issues may be to do with the few months box rest she had to have at 6 months old, thus missing out on the early socialising with other horses she should have had. Others will be to do with the fact that she is generally at the bottom of the rung in the field, is bullied, and therefore possibly thinks if she's bullied there, she'll bully me/people instead in a gentle sort of fashion (she's never been nasty, but never kept out of your space...). Max, i think, thought that was possibly right. Also agreed, I think, that there's something in her history I don't know...

anyway, i've bought the editing software - came in less that the price tag on the box! - so will slowly get to it all.

and my friends horse

which was rescued from someone's front garden!

this was her second session with max, and he was there for a refresher and work on some ridden issues.

she had a minor battle at the beginning, but the real revelation was something no-one knew was going to happen.

whilst my friend went to get her tack, max was just playing and got his lunge whip out ... and the mare went ballistic. had clearly been thrashed in a past life (and she's only 7). by the finish, she was accepting the line over her back, whirling round her head, being cracked on the ground beside her and not twitching. it sounds nothing written down, but it was a hell of a lot to see. no one hadknown as my friend doesn't use the lunge whip lunging so hadn't had a thought about it...

and it was all done without physical force.....

wow....

right left and centre....

yay ... she now goes right, left, back, forward, stands in her own space .... did throw her toys out very scarily at one point, but part of that was memory of the last time she was on the longlines ....longlining with the Dr Cooks BB, a new one for Max (her lip hadn't healed ...)

When throwing her toys out ... she threw herself to the ground ..... aargh..... then got up and got on with it properly! another advantage of a treeless saddle; the horse can do this with no harm to either itself or the saddle (or, if the rider happens to be on top, the rider either....)

lots of homework to do

and loads to digest, and HUMUNGOUS amounts of video to edit....(and thanks max for your help with that whilst i was working!) (my friends all left me alone when it was molly's turn, they'd all had to go back to work...)

I've got 2 1/2 CD's of yesterday morning, a teenager & her horse; 1gig of molly plus 1 1/2 hour of analogue video. i put the video on the mounting block, and the digital on the top of a jump post, and just essentially let them both run. so sometimes there's just a view of grass...

when it's all digested it'll all end up on here....with links to photobucket, but i think i need to buy some video editing software that will also take analogue

should have done this within my first 6 months of owning molly

yay!

thanks max....

max

this is such a worthwhile visit. Molly is being seen tomorrow, but I watched today; I said to him later, had I known then what I know now, he would have seen molly ages ago.

and Molly is realy chilled; she was a bit gobsmacked last night when she got puton the wagon at 21.50, but settled really well once she was offloaded and has been out inthe small injury paddock today .... and didn't have a radge that she was on her own... to be fair she could see other horses and some cows, but still.... well pleased.

and i've filled two 1G XD cards with movies so far. trouble is, there's not going to be anyone to film me!!!!!

longer walk out

set partner to take molly out for her bit grass; whenshe got back, she said she'd taken her down the hill! EEEK. but no harm done, still sound as a pound, and a bit happier i guess..

jean, you asked about my leg .. subsiding slowly!
partner reckons i should ride monday if needed. i'm not sure.... see how i am.

neighbours

are good to have.... julie and her husband (with suzie, the old mare with the nearly repaired tendon..) offered to take molly out .. thatlet allison off the hook, and molly got longer out.

the small holed haynet had collapsed on the floor... this is why i have small holed, when they rot, they can land on the floor with no damage to anyone or anything except themselves...

she's still sound.. shame about me!!!

nice walk out

apparently molly got to walk along the front of the house ... not what i'd planned, but partner had spotted a horse being fed outside the field (one of the geldings from the field opposite the mare's field, the normal place for grazing is along the grassy track between mares and geldings field...) so sensibly took her the other way. and apparently she was very well behaved.

we've been talking some more about nedt week, and think that the bandage can go between the fetlock and the hock to protect the wound... which should be a lot better by then... and we should be ok. i just hope i'm not expecting/trying for too much.... but if the vet says she should be ok, then one can only go with that!!!!

edited to add ... small holed haynets, jean.....! i do know that one........actually many years ago saw a friends horse caught up, was horrendous to get her out as she kept panicking.... nightmare.

partner came to help...

to walk molly out whilst i mucked out.... thus, one hopes, reducing the amoutn of walking i do ...not sure about that, but doubt if partner's mucking out skills would be wonderfull......may be doing an injustice there.

but that worked, in that i didn't have to do both things. Molly wasn't out as long as i'd perhaps thought, i said, did she volunteer to come back? no, had been brought back as partner was worried that she was being a bit frisky and didn't want to lose her of course....

she's defnitely gone off the haybar.

and as for feeding off the floor... there was a dreadful mess ...

so it's haynets....becuase that way shecan eat and look out of the door at the same time!!!!

good news

we were really pleased with the look of the wound when the bandage came off; it had bled, as you would expect, but had stopped, and looked really clean.




as usual wiht a photo doesn't look quite as nice as it did inthe flesh; this camera phone does take good photos!

anyway, redressed. There's a bit of swelling but nothing exciting.

he says, if she's still sound on saturday and nothing is looking horrid, she can go on the wagon - the reason is, my mate's partner is a really goo dhorse vet, to all the trainers in middleham (well, a lot of them!) and he can change the dressing when we get there. if I'm not totally happy, then my vet will come next monday and change dressing; and if it starts going tits up, ring vet before....

as for her eating. ... turns out she's gone off the haybar, because she can't see out and ofcourse she knows its summer and everyone else is out. so the hay is back on the floor by the door...

oh, and antibiotics in her feed, breakfast and tea.....

the problem is going to be me

i went to teh gp on a walk in basis on my way home from the yard, saw another gp ... he said, it's cellulitis andi shoudl be resting it. i said,no one's said that before! so essentially i've spent 2 1/2 weeks doing things i shouldn't have been doing...

my partner thinks i should go anyway, and my mate rather agrees. .. max can do molly and my mate can do the biz .. the point is for molly to get the work, and although he likes to work with the owner, i'll be there if not upright!

she's sound

took her out this morning for a bit of grass .... when she'd finished marching up and down! didn't want to stand at first (she really wanted to be in the field, but tough) and didn't stand and eat until Julie with Suzie appeared up the hill - and as I suspected would happen, when Julie started taking Suzie back in, molly followed (by going ahead LOL). anyway, she was sound as a pound, even the slightly puffy knee wasn't a problem, so I'm really pleased about that. Hope it's as good when the vet takes the dressing off tomorrow...

then I found she'd moved one of the rubber mats... i'd only two left down anyway as I'd been in process of taking them up to clean it up over the summer; so i've put another one down, hopefully will then prevent that happening again as there is a line of three down the one side of the stable...so molly had to stand in the yard in front of Suzie's stable (there's a pen....) whilst i did that....

she's really hacked off at being in though.

and all that haylage I'd left for her? mostly still there. clearly she was only having me on when she started eating it last night....she'll eat when she's hungry, but i wish she'd do her normal, and just eat!

eating....

She likes the new haylage.... in preference to her tea.....



i did think about taking her out for a walk, but it was blowing a howling gale, i was frozen and my leg wasn't happy (not that it's cold, just me....) and she wasn't that fussed once i put the haylage in.



hopefully the leg is starting to heal under all this bandage.....

but mum i want out....

is basically Molly's position....

She was fine in herself when i went down this morning, there was more than sufficient to muck out so clearly nothing going wrong with her innards which canbe an issue with antibiotics

A friend gave the jab (i'm useless at them, TBH)

if it stays dry ( had rained overnight and this morning) i'll see about walking her out in hand for a pick of grass, but on the drive to avoid the bandage getting wet...

when i've had my breakfast and sorted myself out will go find supplies....

reboot phone

I thought I'd lost all my photos, but then found the phone wasn't taking photos at all, weird, to restarted it.... and lo and behold

So, the access to the mare's field



The gap she went down

Showing the space between the hedge and the wire
and this is molly as i left to go the first time, still recovering from the sedation and decided this was a good place to prop her head.... i was a bit worried she choked herself, but it would have been exceedingly difficult to move her...

I guess the wire is there to keep the horses off the hedge ..... previously it hasn't been an issue, but this is a new gate, they've fenced off the original as they've reseeded the entire strip and are letting the new grass grow......

we always said this new access was dangerous, i think we were expecting one of us to be kicked if anything went off at the gate, since there's nowhere for a horse to go whilst you shut the gate and if you haven't got a really long lead rope it's a pig to shut behind you ...

i so nearly

didn't work molly at all ... and i wish i'd gone with that.

She got away from me on the long lines .... tanked away... stopped to talk to her friends - i nearly got a hand to the lines .. she tanked back the other way and into the gateway where the gate to the mares field is ... i had a horrid feeling this would go pear shaped .. it did .. she went down the gap between the hedge and the wire fence, then got over the wire fence into the field, was chased round .... one of the lunge lines broke ... when we finally got them calmed down and caught her .. her off hind was bleeding profusely .. had to have the vet .... sedated, flushed out, all bandaged up ...



very lucky it wasn't a lot worse though ... she'd chested the wire before going over it and we're very very lucky she didn't totally do her front leg in as well.

she nicked the artery lower part of off hind; vet thinks we'll be lucky - he didn't stitch it ..I have to jab her in the chest muscle tomorrow and Monday and the vet will be back out Tuesday to take the dressing off and see how she is...

i had some photos on my phone but have managed to lose them all as the phone didn't connect properly to the pc and when I disconnected it, they obviously all went... pc lying when it said there wasn't a drive at the end of that lead....edited to add.... i'd texted it to a friend and she's texted it back to me ... horrid...

and i have to go back in an hour or so, to see how she's doing and give her some haylage. and will have to go to feed store tomorrow for haylage and shavings.... had to borrow...

more groundwork again

after I'd wrestled with the fact that the road from home to the yard was closed; it's a nasty bendy lane which people regularly take too fast and go over the centre line, and tonight a car ended up under a transit van. police said no one hurt .... I guess what they mean is, no one seriously hurt. at least it wasn't' one of the horses, the main yard of the estate is at the bottom of that lane on one of the worst bends.....

so molly did a bit of groundwork again, much better than earlier this week in terms of going right, but I can't teach her to stand in her own space, so really looking forward to the session with Max ...

and the friend who organised it came back from York sales yesterday with a 7 year old Dutch warmblood working at medium level and jumping at a bargain price; vendor put it in last minute, no one hardly left to bid on it, perfect for friend's partner. vendor was in floods of tears at having to part with him anyway .... she'll be kicking herself more for not putting a proper entry in. My mate hadn't even taken her wagon as she hadn't been looking for herself ... another friend was looking for a shetland! So I'm all green eyed, as you can imagine. the bargain Price? £1,100 (that'll be about $2,200 US).....

antibiotics

more, lashings more ....2 weeks ... hate to think what they'd have done if i were allergic to penicillin. and an appointment with dermatology, and a lecture on sunbeds in case i get skin cancer. i want rid of the psoriasis again ....the sunbeds work, and i am not going mad with it like some people do...

huge black rain cloud overhead when i got to the yard so i just fed and flysprayed .. and of course when i got home, the raincloud dispersed. isn't that just typical.

long reining

round the 20 acre. She was generally very good, apart from a tantrum as we got to the bottom of the hill going away from the yard, that involves going through a gate and first she didn't want to go and came round back to me then when we got through, she decided turning round again was good... but after that, she walked on really well, didn't tantrum at all going through the gate out again at the other end, and when we got back along towards the house didn't tantrum at the helium filled birthday balloon that was going to leap out and bite her from about 200 yards away ... just turned to look at it a couple of times, thought about tanking back the other way, but didn't, and gently passaged away from it towards home.

i was quite impressed, really (and if we keep this up, i'll be a lot fitter as well,...)

long lining

just a little bit (if only because i got a huge amount of the arena in my boots!!!)

had to set it all up before we left the stable, given her propensity for failing to stand still in the arena whilst i'm trying to adjust tack! got round there ok, got her going round the outside both reins in walk, then some trot circling both reins, changed direction without too much protest

i'd left the gate open (a bit difficult to close it behind me) so when i was trying to stop to dismantle everything and stop, she decided leave the arena was good - that'll teach me for stopping at the gate end, but it is a lot shallower in terms of the depth of arena - so we finished up longlining through the yard and out along towards her least favourite place.

think i might try longlining her out along that track tomorrow if the weather stays ok.

my leg is improving i think and my elbows certainly are - psoriasis there as well but at least it didn't get too badly scratched!

and the fresh air is helping of course..... short sleeves as well - but i don't know how i'm keeping warm really! just keep me away from chilly breezes!

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....