the good things about today

Did not, i'm sorry to say, involve molly.

one good thing - made a start on cleanign up downstairs now the office is back in its proper place upstairs.

another good thing - the garden man & I sat down and looked at thr RHS plant encyclopaedia to decide what to put in round the rockery..plan being to get them after i'd seen molly...

the denture is now fine (even cancelled the dentist appointment). think we'd wrestled it in and out so much, my mouth had got bruised; a week without, and it was fine when i put it in today

and had a lovely lunch at the best fish & chip restaurant in the north east (no, not harry ramsden's - clem's in spennymoor)

And as for Molly?

Well, firstly, I couldn't get on on my own. spent ages and ages trying - at least a 1/2 hour - click/reward was all very well, but get her to where i wanted, click/reward ... and then as soon as i move to actually geton, off she goes, bum away .... gggrrrhhh emma I've pm'd you about that!

did try another place where there's a low wall and she wouldn't be able to go forward (but would be able to go round); might have worked, but the wind was starting to get up and people kept driving in when i was at a critical point, and since said low wall is at the entrance, kept having to move.

So, as I say, eventually someone turned up to hold her. by that time, of course, i'd well run out of rewards ....

so into the arena. couldn't get the lights to work, and certainly wasnt' going to get off again! couldn't see where i was going really ... well, i could but couldn't really work it out

wind really getting up. it blew the arena gate shut and then open again...other things were getting blown here and there and down....neither of us happy, so gave up and got off after about 10 minutes! Oh, and we'd ended up by the barn at one point.

and plant buying? not clever in the dark, their lights had died.

so plant buying will be in the morning after I've been to the doctor and mucked out the horse (and probably tried to do something with her then as well... although that depends on the weather...

oh, and neighbour is in hospital - some growth on her neck!!!! scary. they don't know what it is...

balance

someone on EE found this:

http://www.ridingart.com/balance.htm

fascinating...

EE Lesson

was a major success. a dearth of pictures though - it was too wet to leave the camcorder on a fence this morning, although did dry up this afternoon. emma used the digital camera this afternoon but the new batteries that i'd put in at about 11 am this morning, gave up the ghost after only about 6 pictures!!! gggrrrhhh.... clearly been hanging around the shop for too long before i bought them.

slightly late start - Emma got held up with traffic, roadworks and torrential rain, so the 2 hours was 2 3/4 eek.

anyway, she arrived, and the first thing was clicker/groundwork. And the first thing on that was getting the bridle on! Molly picked that idea up really quickly, so will be doing that for minor bridle tantrums from now on.

Molly picked up the in hand idea really quickly, and once I'd been shown what to do (which was what i wanted - we agreed that all the books etc aren't at all the same as having someone actually show you what you are meant to be doing) and Emma even got her going sideways and a couple of steps of shoulder in! and she was starting to soften.

We did get a bit wet during all this - all in all about 1 1/2 hours of that - but it was all good.

I had to keep reminding myself to stop looking at Molly's head, but look where I'm going, and it does put quite a twist on the body so I'll need to ensure i wear neck and back support for that. But good.

Then we went for a rather nice lunch at the pub up the road, we were severely underdressed (it is very new - previous building pulled down and this is a totally new building!) but they were very good about it.

After lunch, riding. Emma agrees with me i need to do something about more padding under the saddle - shame I sold that suberpad I had under the cheyenne, it's true what they say, never sell anything horsey, you never know when you'll want it again!

this is a "before" pic

so ridden work. After watching me for 5, Emma got on = i always like that in a teacher, because, as Emma says, unless you've ridden the horse yourself you don't really know what it's like! So she got her softening to the bit with a seriously light contact - then i got back on.

Essentially, i have to do the opposite of what I've been told to do for years. e.g. on circles, push with the outside leg and rein and have pretty much no contact at all with the inside. At one point she said "give it away" and I literally did! tee hee.....

So we did an awful lot of that and Molly was with me, rounding up under me, very soft and light, fantastic feeling. and she was maintaining this on halts, and when moving off again (something i'd never managed to get!)

I even managed to get some sideways movement. Essentially, Molly hadn't been grasping that at all, and now she does.

Then we moved to trot - but only to get the upwards transition, me to not be tense and try and do the same with hand/leg as in walk, and then straight back to walk again.

We did click/treat through all this, but by the finish, Molly didn't really want any more treats!!!!!

We are both "sided & twisted" (that is, molly & I) as a result of our respective various injuries so don't always help each other that way.

my right leg is much worse than my left (interesting, as my left is the injured one - maybe i don't do horrid things with it because it is injured?!)

But this was fantastic work for where Molly had been before. Emma agreed with me that she's got the talent, if i can get it together to get us there....

and this is an "after" pic
So I'm to do an awful lot of walk work, working on this softness and getting me and her right, lots of serpentines, circles, leg yield, shoulder for (i think i finally grasp the concept of shoulder for) just one or two good steps of each till she gets it and then building up...

Emma thought that Molly's issues right rein relate back to her previous injury with the off hind, and that makes sense - it's the same reason she won't happily let me pick up her near hind to pick the hoof out.

And this so emphasises why I was unhappy with my last lesson with my local RI .... sad to say, don't think i'll be going to her again .... save possibly for an odd lunge lesson, and even then, she doesn't want me to take my own saddle...

but I can't use Molly for lunge lessons, and probably won't be able to for a while.

Will see emma again, possibly in a few months time and needs to be nearer her!!!!

tomorrow

the weather is forecast to be sunny spells with the odd, rare squally shower and they said we'd be hard done by if we get wet. hope that's right, as friend who was going to come and operate camera (and provide wagon if needed) can't as she's got a very serious chest infection and had to have an ECG today - very scary as she's a good 20 years younger than me....

also, today's weather was, by tonight, total pants - warm, but huge gales. car got a tree bit glance off the windscreen whilst driving home from the yard, that was scary!

today, new anja beran dvd arrived - bought it off ebay - and found that this laptop will play it. a criticism already - she gets on from the ground! but, can see it's going to be good. and, discovered it'll play on this laptop!

one more day

at work, then three days of plust the weekend.

now have 2 clean bridles and a clean martingale. so why 2 bridles? the old leather one which has too wide cheek pieces for the myler. the wintec with added pony cheek pieces for the myler.

there's also the new leather one i bought this year which i'm using instead of the old one generally for the mullen mouth. but that is still waiting to be cleaned.

too cold and too windy to ride, and getting colder... must check the forecast again for wednesday.

the big news? a flood under the office floor. it's a modernish building, about 20 years old - pools of water beneath our feet, who knows if we'll be able to get in tomorrow? landlords are not happy. looks like its the heating!

if

i had got up at the crack of dawn and gone out without my breakfast ... i could have ridden.

but i didn't, as clearly my body needed the sleep, and given last Saturday's mishap which I'm sure was to do with lack of breakfast I needed to eat that .... so by the time I'd done that it was p*******g down, and didn't stop all day

and just to keep me happy, when I did get molly in this evening and took her rug off - it had leaked. I think it has leaked where it was mended, so that needs reproofing.... so that was annoying. which means also i shall have to waste 5 minutes in the morning rug changing (we have all given that up, they keep their outdoor rugs on generally ... what with all the rubber matting, plus the time saving!)

hopefully it'll be dry tomorrow...forecast looking good for wednesday!

unexpected

good weather!

the forecast led me to believe that this afternoon would be wet - whilst it was a very close thing, and Molly and i did spend a couple of minutes sheltering in the lee of the machine shed, it stayed dry.

We did about 55 minutes work - mostly in the arena (another attempt to get beyond the house stymied by meeting the old lady again, my timing is pants! but at least we stood still, and i did get a back up out of it)

Did a lot of nice work, lot of trot walk trot transitions, lot of circles, small and large, and the walk at the end was really good.

at the beginning i was keeping my hands high, but my arms were tired at the end but oddly she was really moving under me. at that point, my hips were really open and today I could feel my left seatbone a lot.

I think, you know, i've been really favouring that broken foot when riding as well as walking - possibly more! - so thinking about not favouring is helping.

Cat got taken to the vet this morning, was pretty good for him, yet more antibiotics and he's to go back in 10 days....

rain

pouring down when i left the office, and i think it's following me up - forecast to be awful.

i jammed my finger in the stable door when i shut it after giving molly her tea. don't know how i restrained the shriek of pain!

now, shall I take my friend up on offer of wagon to Richmond EC on Wednesday and have my lesson there? she said, if the weather's pants she'll do that (would mean a 4 time trip for her, as she's south of there!) and she wants to watch the lesson anyway.....which means i get a camerawoman as well. which reminds me, not getting the wagon i was going to get - not mended yet, and with incipient big vet bill if insurance doesn't pay... well...

And yes it's petplan nicola, so with what you say, I'm hopeful!

no news on Queenie yet today, I haven't rung as I don't suppose anyone is in ATM, will ring tomorrow and no news is good news.

cat to vet in the morning....normally partner's responsibility, but there you go, she's away.

eating up

Queenie is. ate her slop last night. was let out for an hour today and TROTTED down the field to the grass! tucking into her hay at 5pm tonight. So looks like we're out of the woods. Here's a photo from the recent set I took (for all you reiki practitioners if you could/would?)
So we're all pleased about that. insurance claim form in the post to the vet, so crossing fingers that they'll pay!

Molly did a bit of groundwork again, after she'd had a good grooming. I was pleased to be able to give her a bit of attention. she was even behaving pretty well! but it was SOO cold, i only did about 10 minutes as my fingers were starting to get really cold.....

EE lesson next wednesday - friend is going to come up, watch, operate the camera, and if it rains (must look that up) she'll come up and get us and take us to richmond EC, which will be appreciated by emma, I expect. Apparently they're cool about letting you use the indoor through the week - especially for my friend who's friends with them and whose partner's a vet...

pleased about that; she'd originally been going to be away so i hadn't said, but her plans have changed.

cleared - phew!

mid morning ish.

She was apparently a lot happier this morning. when vet eventually came (not the 0900 first said!) Queenie was tubed again, and it had pretty much cleared so swilled through again with water.

She went out for a pick of grass for 10 minutes in the afternoon to encourage her appetite (i expect she's got a humungous sore throat, which won't be helping!).

she's on very little and often for a bit; clearly if she doesn't start eating then that'll be a different matter, but for now we're all very pleased.

phew!

and to help = i rang the insurers (she's insured for accidents, a veteran plan) and said, how do you treat choke? accident or illness. the young lady on the end of the phone said, ah! has been treated as accident, a subject of debate, get form filled in, vet to do full report and they'll look at it! which sounded very hopeful. that's petplan ... if they meet it, it'll have been worth the 10 pcm i've paid them since she retired, as it'll amount to pretty much that much anyway i would have thought, three visits and loads of drugs already.

As for Molly - ii suppose she was pleased to see me - i told her her mother was ill, but she didn't care - but she was pleased to have her tea tonight! it's raining, of course, but frankly after the emotions, travelling and hoo ha of yesterday, i don't think I'd have had the energy to do a lot anyway.

queenie - choke

I was rung this morning just before 11 - she'd been found this morning, clearly had been in some distress, vet called (had been and gone by this time but was coming back). had had some liquid poured down the usual tube but to no great effect.

I obviously went up - happily boss was OK about that when I told him (i was filling up, of course). We & vet spent about 50 minutes pouring the best part of a bucket of warm water down tube, got some out, but it's still there.

happily it wasn't blocking the windpipe, but is blocking the stomach.

vet's coming back in the morning, and is going to have one more go if it doesn't self clear overnight as a result of the sedative. if that doesn't work, the only option would be invasive surgery, and I'm not prepared to go there - she is after all 25 about to be 26.

so if it doesn't clear and the vet can't sort it, the decision is made that Queenie will be PTS. vet pleased I'm of that view, she said. I said, whilst we were in the process of pouring liquid down, that I didn't want to be officiously striving for the sake of it if it wasn't going to work. She says she's had 4 or 5 so far in her career and has always got them clear.

so of course emailed friend to do molly tonight, just as well didn't get back here till gone 8....

cold and dry so groundwork

rope circling the order of the evening, and i was quite pleased with both of us. i kept my body language positive, and she decided she had to go right and left in trot when i asked.

now, can anyone tell me why, when i send her back, she doesn't do it in a straight line? ends up with her left flank to me....

dug a rug out - i wanted a compromise between lightweight and heavy - and foudn one perfectly clean but with a rip in it. i think she's had it on once, and i forgot it had that rip..also i seem to recall it wasnt' perfectly waterproof...

fugly horse

link in sidebar ... thanks to others for the reference ... love it. especially love the writer's take on rollkur..

alone for a fortnight

up at 04:00 - to get partner and her friend to airport for 0600, friend at Stocksfield which is about 15 miles cross country

so at yard about 0610, home for 7, breakfast and back to bed until lunchtime!

This is "worming weekend" - it is tedious. 48 hours in, and the YM never does what she's supposed to do = collect samples for testing! and, as with every other yard i've ever been on, poo is never picked. so I really can't see the point of keeping them in.

Anyway, got to the yard about 2 30 ish i suppose, groomed/mucked out. Clearly going to ride in the arena, no one about.

I decided to try the mullen mouth - had longlined in it the week before last and that was fine. But clearly was never going to be a good move today. She was setting her jaw against it before I got on, and in any event wouldn't stand to be mounted.

So, to the myler. she wouldn't let me put that in at all.

So, after several goes at that and rather than continued to stress us both out, i went for the bitless. That shocked her, actually, she was expecting to have another argument about a bit in and found herself bridled up with nothing she could do about it, tee hee.

That all wasted 1/2 hour!

Still couldn't get on, happily someone turned up and held her so finally got into the arena at about 15.40. Once the saddle had warmed up again, and i'd kicked myself for not wearing sticky jods, we got some nice work in the scale of things.

I decided to try what really raising my hands would do, and it did seem to help substantially in terms of direction, and we had some not too bad circles in trot. And I managed to find my left seatbone, which goes missing regularly, so I must have been doing something right there.

then decided to see if i could get through the yard, as she'd been going reasonably well. did that - she didn't nap back to the stable as I had schooling stick and kept tapping down shoulder on stable side when she tried. So we went out of the yard (heading to the bogey willow, after yesterday's success at going up the geldings field thought that might be worth trying on my own). Not to be. Partly she'd realised she'd let herself be conned into getting out there on her own, partly, possibly, because the old lady of the house & her companion had come out for a walk - so started paddying all over. That meant I had to get off - not because I'd started shaking again, I hadn't, but because the old lady is very pottery, has to have an arm to hang on to, and I certainly don't want to be the one to knock her over with my horse. don't have quite the control with the BB as one does with a bit.

Anyway, is there something with her teeth? who knows, tooth lady due over Christmas.

And the shaking - possibly once, Caroline, many many years ago and ended up feeling quite ill. but that time I hadn't got as far as getting on! don't know what it was about yesterday at all.

annoyed

and I don't know whether i'm annoyed with Molly or with me.

I did say whilst I was grooming that I thought she was in a bit of a mood - bouncing round the stable which she doesn't normally, but then the shoot people were all arriving.

when i got on, at first she was standing nicely which was what i wanted whilst the others got on, then as gaynor drove through in her car she HAD to follow and go into the arena.

on the other hand, she came out of the arena at the first time of asking with no difficulty.

She then happily went up the side of the geldings field, with no demur at all, past her bogey big log with narrow gap, having totally refused to do so for about a year.

Also walked happily along the track along the top, beside the drive, didn't spook at the new cattle grid, and waited calmly whilst the gate to the next field was opened and walked quietly through.

so you can imagine, i was very pleased so far.

The field we're now in is pretty big, and we walked round the outside, then through a gateway that has no gate, and about half way down to the gate we were going to leave by - she turned round. she wouldnt turn back. and just to really help, i started shaking quite badly. i'm not sure if it was the cold, the fact that i hadn't had breakfast (and it was now about 3 hours after i'd got up. i tried to relax, but couldn't stop shaking, and clearly shaking, whatever the cause, is not clever when you're on a horse that is in any event dooing what you don't want.

So i got off and led her back, which is about 1 1/2 miles. phooey.

and then she was, for a wonder, good as gold to be wormed (it's worming weekend, they come in no later than 10am and can't go out again till monday morning).

so what was all that about with both of us?

greek dinner

was huge - we went for the mezze (feast) and couldn't begin to finish it. food all very good though, the lamb was melting in the mouth. Friend did molly - impossible to do her and still get out in time - as it turned out, partner got stuck in ginormous traffic jam caused by massive accident on the motorway....we could see it driving up the side road parallel when we did set off, looked like a real horror (apparently a wagon had overturned).

the broken foot

regular readers will remember than in June 2006 i broke my foot and had three weeks in plaster.

Ever since, I've had pretty continuous pain - at varying levels - at the site of the break and was convinced it wasn't mended.

back in October I went to the GP and he referred me to hospital, where I went to day - orthopaedic outpatients at north tees hospital

xrays were duly taken - and guess what, it's still broken. a clear flake fracture, never got anywhere near healing.

They can't take the flake off as it has a tendon attached to it and there would be no way of getting the tendon fixed back in place, so essentially i have to live with it.

as to support, he recommended one of those support things one gets from the chemists or wherever, such as sportsmen use.

ggrrhh...might do some research on the 'net to see what comes up, but i think he's probably right, and i don't want to do anything that might make it worse. i know i'm not short of calcium, that bone builder, as i eat loads (probably too much) cheese

and as for the fall i had Monday this week - think I've done something to the left leg, particularly noticeable when I try to get up from a chair, so will have to go back to the GP for another orthopaedic referral and more xrays on that. might be just bruising, but i've a feeling not.

as for molly - the weather is no way near good enough to do anything, so again she just got fed and left. can't even groom when it's like this (dirty bits are wet as well....)

We're out tomorrow night, so we'll see what the weekend brings in terms of weather and riding possibilities.

dried out

at least, didn't have to drive home in the rain. but huge traffic jams.

i think i really jarred myself when i fell on monday, left leg seizes up interestingly when i sit at my desk at work...

looking forward to the next fortnight - sounds awful, but partner will be away and i therefore don't have to answer to anyone and can spend longer at yard at night without being nagged (subject to weather, of course!)

rain...

just like everyone else in the country....

so i'm watching telly - bought a new digital box with hard drive recorder so have set it to record soemthing and we'll see what happens. a vast improvement on the old one though! and not hugely expensive

tempting fate

That's what i did last night by talking about the slippy mud and Blake's occasional tendency to bounce a bit when being taken out.

he was, in fact, good as gold. But that didn't stop my right foot slipping, Blake standing on it, and then me falling my length in the mud .....

i had to go home and have a second shower after I mucked out, and i haven't looked at the foot since then but anticipate a mahoosive bruise.

the jodhpurs & knickers I had on - which were clean on - got taken off IN the shower then left to soak all day. the jacket got left to try and dry in the tack/feed store area, and currently is in the washer without washing liquid to try and rinse all the mud off, along with the gloves. the plastic bags I'd had in the boot to protect it from plant dirt ended up on the car seat to protect it from mud whilst i drove home for the shower...

and I've been really stiff all day, so must have really jarred myself up!

Oh, and younger cat decided the catch for last night was - a PHEASANT! FULL GROWN! goodness only knows where he got that from, we don't GET pheasants in the churchyard or anywhere near the house...

and that was all in the dark.

at least we didn't get snow

as caroline did ....but an awful lot of rain. It's going to be horrid leadinv them out in the morning, the track to the field gate is very slippy. Molly wil be OK but BLake, my friend's horse, has a tendency to pull a shade if he think's HIS friend is out. Hopefully he'll behave!

Plus, this morning the road to the yard was closed - apparently there'd been a fatality (one assumes an RTA) at about 0500 - not only did they close that road, they seemed to have closed all the roads roundabout and people had to remove bollards to get to the various yards! don't know what the police think people are supposed to do! and we didn't see any anyway! Open again by tonight.

interesting....

The reiki, that is. The person could tell where molly's off hind had been injured in the various places - more interesting, she asked about the near hind above the hock. I'm not aware of any injury there, but who knows?

molly was very good. took the off hind away a couple of times, but that was all.

I didn't do anything else with her at all today, planning to ride in the morning unless it rains. I thought (and reiki person agreed) it was probably as well just to let her be. She thought it would be interesting to know what reaction a Reiki master would have/molly would have to same (person is level 2, not planning on going further with it).

went and bought plants though; dwarf conifers I'm seeking for one side of new rockery, also bought some new raspberry canes. must get some rotted stuff off the muck heap tomorrow...garden man suggested he'd get his trailer emptied and fetch that down, otherwise its plastic bags in the car, not clever!

I should really post photos of what's happening in our back yard -- it's having a makeover of major proportions. when it's done, i'll post a before and after. new shed was put up yesterday (the old one was falling down, having been backed into several times by the coalman over the years (people in this street still get coal delivered....)

martin luther king

40 years ago this week, was given an honorary degree by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (about 12 miles from here) and came over in person to be given it. I didn't know that before; it was on the local radio station tonight, as they are doing a special event commemorating the occasion. I didn't know he'd been to the UK at all (but I guess I can be forgiven, I was 12 at the time and he was killed about 5 months later). I do remember the following April when he was shot - I suppose by the following year I was taking more notice of what was going on in the world.

As for Molly - everyone had gone home by the time I got to the yard, and partner's going out tonight, so I didn't do anything - save put a heavier rug on. unusually she was feeling cool, most of last winter she was fine with the lightweight, but i guess we've been having much colder weather than this time last year....it'll be totally filthy by the end of the week, from clean on tonight!

Tomorrow a friend is coming to give her reiki; don't know whether it'll help or not, but friend offered and it's for free, you never know! friend does massage as well....

longlinging

was in two minds whether to work or not, so groomed, then decided on longlining ... only 10 or 15 minutes (wasn't prepared to dig my watch out from under the layers to find out!), with the mullen mouth in.

she was working much better left than right - seeking the contact, softer on left rein, where right rein head in the air (not too much, but up) and slightly set in teh jaw. but i felt much more in control of the paces today, she came back to walk very nicely which she hasn't done in the past, so i'm doing something right there!

and i'm having a lesson on the 5th december on inhand work, clicker training ... see where we go. emma, hope you're enjoying the read! you're welcome to comment in advance!

washing

i had decided i really had to come home and get some washing done (running out of things to wear, as you do) - and it was cooold and daaark and looonley .... (now there's a whinge!). Molly only wanted her tea anyway (nothing new there then!). She'd managed to untie the haynet, which was in the bottom of the haybar (haynet for when she first comes in, then i can take it away easily if we're going to do something). also, alternate nights is good in the winter (unless it ends up raining tomorrow, of course...)

and a lie in

thanks to friend doing early turnout! and I was so glad. didn't muck out until about 0900 on the way to the dentist.

Molly did a little bit of groundwork tonight, rope circling - worth doing that at least once a week, although probably should do more. I hadn't dried my glove off properly after it got wet this morning, the result was raynaud's in the right index finger which is pretty painful so we only did about 10 minutes work. but she was better about going right again this time (maybe the lunging last week helped!). But, she insists on coming in to me when i haven't asked her to when she's stopped, and so i have to send her back out again without moving myself. tedious. She is, i think, starting to find it easier to cross her hind legs when i ask for turn on forehand, so that's good, must be doing something vaguely right.

there's an auction (for a charity) on EE ATM and someone put up an EE etc. lesson within 2 hours of sheffield. I'm within 2 hours of sheffield so i've bid on that, so far the winning bid. I'm at the extreme of 2 hours from Sheffield, but it is 2 hours! assuming no traffic jams or other horrors....

and I'm seriously thinking about changing RI....

Wagon is still where I left it; it is going to be taken to vendor's fitter and looked at. consensus still is muck in fuel through being left.

I have said that next time i have to do that sort of trip i will go the day before (I'd been saying that anyway, but was over-ridden)

solihull

by train - 0656 from durham, got back there at 21.25 -----just got in ... .aargh. if there is a next time, i hope to be able to convince boss that the day before by car and drive back after...

better day....

in that the kitchen floor got cleaned, Molly got ridden, and I'm cooking a home made moussaka; it's ages since I've done one of those so really looking forward to it.

I was pleased wtih Molly. I nearly didn't ride at all because of the cold, but braved it as I knew I'd warm up. She had to be held to be mounted (ggrrhh...) but when we went into the arena we were doing some nice trot, in that it was balanced, moving forwards, circles, diagonals, and she was wanting to move. almost, I thought, to th epoint of wanting to canter, but I don't think I'm up for that quite yet (still haven't cantered since last june!). I want to be much more sure that i'm getting walk/trot right and that we're more connected and balanced altogether before I do that. It's quite a small arena - not a full 20 x 40, keep meaning to measure it - so the horse (and rider) have to be quite balanced to canter it meaningfully.

Then did a lot of walk work just trying to get the contact right and keep the walk even and where i wanted to go. that was partly right and partly wrong, but when it was right it was excellent. we finished wihth a full circuit of the arena with her on the bit in walk. YAY.

Caroline, you're probably right about the fuel. wagon hasn't been anywhere since July or something. someone else suggested condensation in the fuel lines as well. either way, need to talk to vendor to see what plan we have. As it's still a decent wagon (partner not impressed, but as I said to her, new ones come in at £30K, not going there! unless i win the lottery, and if I do i think i'd rather have one of those canvan type ones.). If that's all it is, shouldn't be too bad, it's just a case of deciding whose paying to sort it out!

what a day.....

well. Started at about 5 in the morning when it was clear younger cat had caught a mouse. so i got up and rescued that, then back to bed. Sleep was a struggle as partner had taken the duvet, the cats had the rest and my hip decided hurting was good. Julie was turning Molly out, so no rush.

Plan was, when we got going, to get wagon, take it to fitter's at Tow Law, then back to yard to do Molly and, if it had stopped raining/blowing, ride possibly. set off late (partner's idea of urgency leaves a lot t be desired!)

anyway, got down to friend's - 50 miles, not too far but the last bit from the A1 to the house is a pain - partner set off home andleft me, we did the paperwork and i set off.

Going up hill out of Masham, engine chucked it. I thought, might be i'd just not got enough power in it, got going again, didn't worry.

Got through Bedale and on to the A1 again at Leeming. First hill - and I was in top gear - chucked it again! This is a major dual carriageway folks, happily this section has loads of laybys. you can see already where this is going.

Got it going at third attempt, another couple of miles, next incline, chucked it again. this time had to sit a bit before it would start again.

Then it did it again. just before the catterick exit opposite the airfield (RAF Catterick; there's also an army base)

Rang fitter (who was waiting back specially for me - he was going to sort the hydraulics on the ramp). he thinks there's air getting in the fuel.

rang vendor - who was mortified.

We decided I should nurse it to Richmond Equestrian Centre, which I duly did, and leave it there. oddly, if I didn't go above 20 and didn't get into higher gear, it kept going.

Then, of course, how to get home? partner hadn't even got to where she was going by this point (her sister's in Cleadon).

This was about 3.15 in theafternoon by now. I finally got picked up at about 10 to 6 at night ... by which time i was frozen.

Some of the time iwas usefully entertained - the North East Welsh Pony show was on, so I watched the last two classes whilst keeping warm in their big indoor (partly in the cafe, which had a heater!).

There were some very nice ponies, some being very nicely ridden and some being very badly ridden.

two caught my eye in I think the ridden Section C's - that's what they looked like, too small to be section D's, too big to be section b's, although they might have been ...anyway, both in Pelhams with two reins. One was being very quietly ridden - the other, i cringed. The winner of that class was neither of those, but a nice palomino (slightly darker chestnut than the norm...) Having said that, the quietly ridden one, whilst looking to be on the bit, had a very downhill canter to my eye. and at one point i really cringed as one of them got sooooo overbent....

And then I saw the show championship - 5 winners from other classes. one lady on a Section D, nice horse, but the rider ... I know my ridings pants but she did let the horse down a bit, slumped.

and some of the kids in the earlier class - kick kick kick and of course pony won't move...

But interesting, and warm.

then they all finished, of course, and it was only 5pm... and it was blowing a gale outside... choice between sit in the wagon and freeze or find a sheltered spot and freeze. The wagon only had a view of the hedge.... i thought, partner would come to car park so chose sheltered spot, which wasn't that freezing; partner in fact went to wagon.

wagon will be picked up by vendor at some point and we'll have a discussion tomorrow about what to do. When my mate (it was her fiance who was at home) finally got back and heard, she texted me asking did i want her to tear the cheque up or send it back. She's fuming, but clearly we're going to be able to sort it. she's blaming the person who last used the wagon ..which will be right.

So we went to pub in catterick for dinner and got home about 10 minutes ago.

And of course I had to ring and get someone to do Molly ...ggrrhh..

and of course I hadn't been for shavings, since that was also part of the going home plan....

and when we got in, the elder cat has a very weepy eye. happily, still full of antibiotics from his op the other day (they do a long lasting injection these days) but has clearly scratched it. he's back to the vet tuesday...

a successful day.

firstly, Simba came home - in the middle of the night - but hasn't been anywhere since, i guess he thinks that was all too much! it won't last, he loves being out. I think we'll just have to get used to the fact thatoccasionally he does vanishing acts. the trouble is, knowing whether he's just having an adventure or is run over or has found a new home, it's a worry!

secondly, a major success at work. case went to trial - a rarity in itself - on the question of whether the client had brought his case within the time allowed. A Result - yes, said the judge. that's pretty impressive for a HAVS case - usually you are landed with having to persuade the judge to disapply the period and nothing else. But he said he would have found for us on that as well. so we're well pleased about that.

Then this evening I rode. Mind, I'd had about 8 goes at getting on myself before Julie turned up to give me a hand... ggrrh.

got some nice trot. but she's not as light in the hand as she was when i first put the bit in, and she certainly doesn't do what people say horses generally do with this bit ... i.e., have the head pretty well vertical.

But it was ok, i was pleased by the finish.

oops.

bear in mind that there are no security lights in the yard - the only lights are when people turn them on, and of course we all turn them off as we leave.

so i got in the car and julie turned the yard light off - i started backing up before turning round to go. i was only going to go the edge of the wall (can't see if anything's coming through it whatever the conditions. someone thought i was going to back into their horse (which i couldn't see, as it was dark with a dark rug and h/she was in dark clothing). Oops. I wasn't, but they didn't know that... but i really couldn't see anything behind me.

but i guess i'll be consequentially unpopular.

julie said apparently someone nearly drove into another horse this morning.

guess we need to see YM about some proper security lights...

and it was very very cold and very very windy. So molly got extra haylage and her tea, which was all she wanted, and that's her tucked up.

apparently another friend has gone to YHL at Stoneleigh - jealous, moi?

and i finally got insurance sorted for the wagon, so need to see partner about going down to get it, and need to ring man who's going to sort the ramp, as it will have to be picked up and taken straight there....probably. makes sense to me, anyway. the alternative is pick it up one weekend and take it to tow law the next, either way, partner needs to be about to drive the car...

road closed

the main drive to the yard was closed (but you didn't know until you turned in); we had to go much further a long and use the track (which apparently is called the "back drive" there's posh) which we normally use to ride along, the one that goes over the ford. potholes, very uneven, pitch black, very few passing places and an extra 2 miles. Didn't do a lot for my headache, of which i have a stinker due to my neck being stiff (and I blame the dental hygienist for that one!) so I just fed and came home.

and the missing cat is still missing.

lunged!!

haven't done that for a long time, as you know, but i wanted to know if any of the work we've been doing has helped towards lunging.

answer - yes and no. I didn't take the risk of trying to do the side reins up in the arena, did them loosely before I left the stable (and we had to use the bitless bridle..as i didn't want to dismantle bits and bridles ...but that was good anyway as if i needed to do rope circling it's good for that.

so, into the arena, got her away left rein ok - after she'd realised we weren't longlining, which she'd set off to do!!!!

right rein? had to use the end of the lunge rope to get her back end moving and then to get her away the direction i wanted, but once she did, she moved on and didn't turn in immediately, and when she did, i was able to get her moving again. What was interesting, i could use the whip to circle, i.e., use the end of the whip in the same way as the rope...

so i was pleased with most of it, save that when she did stop she came in to me instead of staying, but i was able to move her back out again.

Will have to dismantle a bridle one day and re-organise bits to see if I can do the same bitted, which would of course be preferable. Not sure that the myler combi would be quite the thing for lunging!

so, that was moderately successful.

the cats, however, are a problem. one went out abefore we came home last night and hasn't been seen since, so that's a worry, he's been away before a couple of nights at a time but 5th november? more worrying that usual.

the other was at the vet and has come back with no teeth. he was a rescue cat anyway, and has always had problems wiht his teeth & gums, but it was beyond controlling with antibiotics etc so he's had them all out.

he's still a bit wobbly, but asleep on a windowsill above a radiator.

commuting & bonfire night

can only be done once one can get out of the office car park.

Gridlock tongiht. there are two ways off the "office" estate where i work, one over a bridge over the tees, through stockton and home - that's my route, and about half the entire estate's route, i think. the other is right through the estate, onto the A66 then the A19 ....

the bridge had been closed from 10am this morning whilst they set up firework displays for tonight.

result - total gridlock. one of my colleagues came back in after 40 minutes sitting in the car park... i didn't go out, but rang the yard to have molly given her tea/more haylage than i'd left her!

Bonfire Night - otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Night - celebrates the demise of one Guy Fawkes, a 17th century home grown terrorist (tried to blow up the Houses of parliament), seem to recall he'd been trained abroad! this was during the reign of James 1, it was a religious thing (just goes to show, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and religion is the root of a lot of strife in the world!) is tonight. can't move for fireworks and fires. I had to ring the fire brigade on teh way home, someone had started a large fire in some trees between the A66 & 19 ... so i imagine they had to close both roads to sort that out! the trees are tinder dry, i should think, as we haven't had much rain lately!

Red squirrels are not extinct, but becoming very rare due to the influx of grey squirrels from north America. They are confined (reds) to a few locations in the North, and Allendale is one of them. Which I didn't know until yesterday! Greys are to be shot on sight....well, perhaps not!

Queenie is still mine, albeit retired. Bought her in 1995, when Molly's younger brother was weaned. Now 25. back the day when British Eventing put the results online, I could have linked you to her eventing record... but it's not there any more.

Pheasants are bred here for shooting as well (those that don't breed in the wild). but they're thick as two shorts, do a nice line in running under car wheels. this one wasn't tame, just curious .. perhaps a more clever one than his colleagues? who knows....

anyway, i've found the link to my first post on my earlier blog, here http://20six.co.uk/clairehodgson/archiveofmonth/2005/07/00

of horses and squirrels.

photofest


First, Queen of Timber. She looks tons better than she did when I saw her last month. Maybe it was the light in the stable, maybe it was a change of coat, but I was much happier today than I was this time last month.

Apparently, she's in charge - there's no youngstock at the moment, just Queenie, a grey Julia, and a 4 year old Blue (going grey, possibly ID connemara cross).




Second, the pheasant that was terrorising me yesterday. every time i moved - into the stable, out into the yard, into the tack/feed room, there it was, virtually at my heels. Maybe it thinks it owns the yard during the afternoon? certainly a safe place to be on a saturday when they're shooting!

Very unnerving though - sometimes clucking, the next minute hissing at me, a couple of times i was sure it was going to have a go!


And this is another view of the Tees from the work carpark, with swans. this was earlier this last week.


and the squirrel? driving up to the farm where Queenie is, you go up a very quiet narrow country track between some beech and conifer woods. There's a red squirrel crossing the road. it ran into a tree and sat looking at us but by the time i got the phone camera out and sorted it had moved and I simply couldn't get it. Fantastic though, they are becoming very rare (too many greys, killing them off by passing on a disease!). I hadn't realised they were up there.

early bird

mucked out, ridden and home by 10am. Fell out of bed at 0730 thinking OOPS .... didn't expect to ride as didn't expect there to be anyone to ride with, but Julie's back off her hols and despite not getting home till midnight last night, came dwon this morning. So we rode.

Round the 20 acre, through a couple of gates, up another field and back down.

There was the very odd sight of a hang glider not moving - goodness knows where he took off from, but there was clearly no wind up there as he wasn't going anywhere.

Molly blotted her copybook once - that was trying to knock a woman down who'd "helped" me get on, but since that particular woman is hopeless at the task (is frightened!) and also is telling untruths about another friend, i didn't tell her off too much. i rather think it was own fault - push my mare around she'll push back, kind of thing! and if you will walk away directly in front of a horse that's known to move onwards before rider is settled in saddle....

Oh, and going dwn the hill she decided she wanted to go the other way from the 20 acre - normally when i've tried to get her to do that she wouldn't. so maybe she's getting braver, but too opinionated. did get her sorted once she decided to listen!

off to see queenie today, have another good look at her - you'll recall i wasn't totally convinced last time that she is as good as she should be for another winter.

rein back

Well, we tried it. Got jackie (who was nearby plaiting her horse, and did know the aids!) to come push Molly from the ground whilst I gave the aids. She did give a couple of steps of rein back, but I couldnt' repeat it for myself, so something to work on. But, I see what is meant by getting them under, she was moving better afterwards. Did try it your way first, caroline, but she went forward so i was obviously doing something wrong!

And before that, I'd realised the one mistake in dressing this morning (in a hurry to go down and turn out, that I hadn't remedied) - no bra. Doesn't half force you to ride correctly, though, to reduce the bounce!

and after about 20 minutes in the school, we went down to the 20 acre. down the hill no bother, through the gate, then i put her into trot. She's not sewing machining as much as she did. But we still only got half way! still, it is progress.

She was in really early in consequence - not quite wrapped my head round what time it gets dark, and we were done a bit sooner than i might have planned, could have left the house an hour later!

and i really must get Muriel out to look at the saddle...

now, on the subject of saddles, that barefoot cheyenne is on ebay, will someone please buy it!!!!

and one disaster. I bought a large container of screen wash the other day, and hadn't yet opened it. it should therefore not have leaked even if it did fall over. it fell over (in the boot) and leaked all over "100 exercises for dressage riders" which is now hopefully drying out with tissue paper, but you can guarantee a load of pages will stick together and therefore illegible if i try and pull them apart. bummer.

friday night

dark and lonely. i don't ride when everyone has gone home which they had tonight. generally there's at least one person around a lot later but not tonight! looking forward to a nice day tomorrow, weather going to be good, they say.

i might regret

putting a rug on molly tonight, but i might not.

it was really warm again this morning, so she went out without, but then rained all afternoon - when i got to the yard, she was warm, and dry by then, but muddy. BUT the forecast had said it was going to get cold again, and obviously she can't keep warm in teh stable as she can't move about as much. so rug on (once i'd scraped the mud off!). but it was still warm when i left, so i hope the forecast was right or i'll have an overheated horse instead of a nicely warm one.

and it was continuing rain.

Mylers - it depends on the Myler, I think. This particular one is for a purpose, given Molly's issues. if we end up with a long term result, then probably I'll go for a dressage legal one ...this one certainly isn't that!

now here's a thing

clipped yesterday as you know. it was so warm she went out rugless (and I didn't need my jacket to muck out, which is a balance - keep my top half clean from horse things, as i have the work shirt on, but not get hot and sweaty). and when i got back tonight, she felt warmer down her neck than she had prior to being clipped. So i reckon there's a thing there about being too warm and thus feeling cold....

anyway, i tried to finish the face off (at least made it a load tidier!) but it'll all have to wait to the weekend for some daylight now.

felt sure it was going to rain - kept spitting on and off on the way home and was forecast - so decided not to do anything work wise with her. and of course, by the time i'm on my way home there's no sign of rain... ah well.

Muriel, yes I think the myler combi has a lot to do with it. She can't set her jaw (although she can set her body if she really wants to....) which means it's much easier to get direction and softness.

clipped

I got off work early (dental appointment) so was at the yard with plenty of time before it got dark, and wahl pro trimmers - which i rather thought would do the clip I wanted, the girth area & between the legs, up to the wither then neck/face - and they did. Ran out of battery before i got the face done, and some tidying up needed, but considering that's the first time i've ever clipped a horse myself (in the past other people have done it for me - even when it's the clippers I own a share in!) i was very pleased. Molly is very good about being clipped - had a haynet in front of her, and got through two slices of haylage whilst i was doing it - but not bothered in the slightest. unlike her mother, who was a total pain, especially regarding the girth/between the legs. People were amazed i was able to do that clip with those trimmers (which is what they are sold as) but they're pretty substantial compared to many other brands of tiddly trimmers, and whilst not a full width blade, plenty wide enough, and much easier to get to the fiddly bits.

And then she was ridden.

bearing in mind that in the past we've struggled with small circles, i was very pleased that we did one of my favourite warm up/suppling exercises (well as taught by Marji armstrong, actually .. works though) which is round the arena in 10 metre circles - you do 1 1/2 right, then 1 1/2 left, and so on until you get round the arena again. not perfect circles by any means, but no argument about them, no attempts to not go the way i indicated, no stress head..

Oh, and I did leave the schooling whip on top of the wall in the arena, so I was able to get on first time of asking no trouble, so that was good as well. must remember that one!

it's not that dark

honest, not when there's lights in the arena! everyone else was away home, but i decided 15 minutes ground work would be a good plan...after I'd helped Kirsty get her hay in, had arrived really late (think she'd given up on it as she came back in her best kit! when i rang to say it had arrived).

Really good molly already being in when i get there, saves a load of time. It's amazing how much they can eat in a short time though!!!!

pictures from google earth:

close in on the shot you want to capture, then file/save/save image, and it saves it as a jpeg wherever you tell it...

20 acre

The yard is slightly to the right of centre towards the bottom of the picture, and the line running bottom right to top left is the River Wear; the 20 acre is the field alongside the river, so i went this mornign as far as the white line running at right angles to the wear. the ford that i sometimes mention is off to the left of the picture hidden by trees...not the top left corner though, we don't ford the wear, only a small stream!

out on our own!!!!

Not very far, it is true - but I managed to get molly down the hill and half way round the 20 acre, i was very pleased. I think what decided her against going further was the pheasant sitting on the log at the half way point - either that, or the sudden realisation that she was in fact on her own! she had thought about not going at all, but didn't turn round, so I tapped her with the stick and down we went.

when we came back i did try to go the other way under the willow, but she wasn't having that.....so we went back to the arena and practiced our trot circles etc which are improving.

and I worked out why she was heavy in my hand yesterday - i'd put the reins on the wrong ring, oops. Sorted that.

I was impressed to be able to ride at all - raining when i left the house, no one else was, groomed and put the saddle on and then had a cup of tea and could see it was clearing, so mucked out round her whilst the weather cleared some more. Turned into a gorgeous day, for the little we did she was very warm, out without rug, glorious sunshine,

the whole day was spoilt by the fact that I'm having to have coffee now - there was enough milk for me to have my tea when i came home, when i left; came home, brewed a pot whilst toast toasted and i cleared & refilled dishwasher, toast ready, poured tea - no milk! AARGH. by which time partner had left .. and is going to the shops and won't have registered that milk is required....
a
ah well, it's been a good day so far and its only 11 am - the joys of the clocks going back to GMT!

barefoot

i've been thinking lately about this...

Molly has been barefoot for ages (only had shoes on for 6 months, then took them off againn, since I had her, and it was years before that since she'd been shod).

She doesn't get white line disease. She doesn't get thrush. She hasn't had any abcesses (touching wood as I type).

she's trimmed by the farrier every few weeks.

I don't wash her feet out every day or whatever....

You all know the work she does (granted, not huge amounts!)

Anyway, I spend a lot of time reading other forums and what other people seem to struggle with. White Line disease, thrush, abcesses; and i get the feeling they get trimmed more often than Molly does.

Do other people do too much? is this not a less is more situation? bearing in mind that as the horse moves, the hoof is getting worn, and there's a balance to be struck between the amount of growth/amount of wear - if the work/growth balance is right then hardly any trim would really be needed, just tidy ups...

anyway, what do people think?

And I wonder

farrier & shooting

the farrier was late - i rather think he'd put the appointment in his diary for 1/2 hour later than i'd put it in mine! Molly was pretty good - she'll never pick her near hind up for me, because she doesn't like putting the extra weight on the off, i think, but does for him, probably because he's stronger! He's doing a dissertation and wants photos of molly's feet - something about using her as a control to compare with shod horses, i think

Shooting - it's a shooting estate, and today was a shoot day, they were very near the yard, down on the 20 acre, and one girl from another yard hadn't realised and ended up having to get off and lead! I tried to get molly to go with her (we were ready to ride by then) but the gate was the failing, she wouldn't go through it of course - so back in the arena. Molly actually felt quite heavy in my hand today, which she hasn't since i put the myler combi in, so i don't know what that's about - probably stretched leather on the cheek pieces, will probably have to use the pony bridle in its entirety with the full size browband

But we did an awful lot of trot today. My position in trot was huge amounts better - i was rising pretty correctly, which i haven't done for ages as consistently as i was today - and we did a load of circles and stuff. Molly didn't get any lighter though, although she was listening more. so a mixed day there..

tomorrow should be able to go out with the others...

friday night....

and i still had to muck out, as had to take partner to drop her car off as well this morning.... and am knackered (all these 0600 starts, Caroline!) - so mucked out and fed. Farrier to trim feet in the morning, so I'll miss the hack out with the others - might try and see what she'll do on her own after last week's minor success!

don't quite think we'll get a light on the bridle muriel, and olympic sports? perhaps not!

longlining in the dark

was vaguely successful; she was really moving on and i was at one point worried i'd lose her, but i didn't. not sure that the myler combi is the right one for that job, just didn't look right in her mouth .. but ok for the purpose tonight and worth trying. and we finished with a walk right round the outside of the arena, which was good as last time we tried that she wasn't having any of it. and must be warming up as i ended up quite warm (although that might be trying to keep up with her!)

muck boots

are the warmest things on the planet (well, this neck of it, anyway....) and the riding style ones went in the car this morning.

so i rode tonight, and was quite pleased overall. didn't do huge amoutns, only about 25 minutes, but i was getting some active walk, and the circles were ok, and we had some nice trot as well that grew out of the walk (although i wasn't so clever!) and people thought i was "brave" to ride in teh dark (we do have lights in the arena!)

the most difficult bit was getting on, had to have help, but i can let her off a bit - it was dark by the mounting block, there was a rock in the way, i was trying not to fall down the hole in the middle of it, and i had my stick ( i wonder if i shoudl put the stick on top of the wall in the arena and pick it up once i'm there? schooling stick ... ) which she usually takes as a cue to move on ....plus of course she's had a couple of days of in fed and not working!

really really clear

and really really cold.

I'd rashly not dug out my warm winter long riding boots. So there was NO Way i was going to put my thin cotton socked feet into my leather riding boots ..

will remember to put them in the car tomorrow.

and got home to no heating - it's died! ggrrhh. hopefully someone can come on friday, partner's off work that day.

and molly did remember the thing this morning, went past it without a problem! so did everything else, so whether it was the lesson or the fact that it wasnt' new any more is another matter. but getting her into the field with brookie & portia standing in the way in the dark wasn't so clever..

more bogies

but this time they were items that the estate workers had left nicely positioned to spook horses being brought in from the field = the fact that the horses will have watched the workers put the items there being completely not the point, of course! one white object that on closer inspection might be a section of corrugated roof, and one large tank, made of green plastic and still with it's labels on - possibly for heating oil.

ME go past THAT, said molly tanking off backwards on the end of the lunge line (i use that to get her out of the field as there's no space to turn round ...). much snorting, sidling etc later, she consented to go past when she realised it wasn't coming after her. She wasn't the only horse who took that view of those objects either!

so when i'd groomed, i decided rather than ride, some ground work followed by some familiarisation with said object would be a good idea (had i ridden back to the arena, she would have spotted the objects again ....)

so that was what we did. eventually she was right up close to it and not a problem.

Mind, you can guarantee she'll have forgotten about them time she goes out in the morning (last night, she decided she wasn't going to be dragged away from her hay into the cold, rugged or otherwise....so she's in nights now). So I'm up at 0600 for the foreseeable...(till April, probably ....)

much better....

Molly actually was in front as we set off under the bogy willow, and stayed there past the house... blocked a bit further along the lane, prettymuch the same place as yesterday, but took a lead from the others (and then regretted it, I think, as they don't walk as quickly as she does!).

Then once we were through the ford, Molly & I took the lead and stayed there ..... hard to slow her down so the others could catch up!

all in walk, up to the riding school and back down along the road and home.

one scary moment - there's a dip with a farm house and livery yard on the left at the top as you go down - a dog ran from the house across his garden to the fence line, not barking, but there ... i saw him and told everyone, but that didn't stop Blake behind us having a bit of a moment ... all the dog was doing was just standing there wagging his tail, but behind the hedge so all you could see, and then only if you looked hard, was his legs.... but there was a car coming up the hill towards us! it stopped, happily and we went on.

I did carry my stick, which may well have help substantially!

but it was below 0 when Igot there about 0830 .... the sun's up now and it was warm in the field when I left, but when I got molly in she wasn't warm even under her rug!

I'm thinking I might just start bringing her in tonight. Think she's about ready and won't argue about it at all! I did want to keep her out another week .... if I do that, I'll have to go down mornings anyway to change rug, as it's not getting out nice until after I time i would be at work anyway ... so difficult.

but was very pleased about this morning....

cold/hot/cold

day started well - hairdressers, sold old GP saddle, breakfast, then to Hexham, there was a continental fair (huge queue for the bakers stall, they'd brought their own oven, i joined it!), eventually got home and had a french lunch (demi baguette, pate campagne - mind, english cheese!) (We also bought some italian dried sausage for partner, croissants, ciabatta, tarte au pommes, tarte framboise, belgian chocolate macaroons....and some kielder organic meat, for a local touch!)then went to see Molly.

Bear in mind it was freezing all night, and very very cold until about 1 pm - of course, she should have had her rug taken off at about 12 noon ..... only to be put back on when i turned her out about 5! can't win

but she certainly does need a clip!

and as for riding her? well, i was on for an hour. she didn't want to move in the arena (will have to get into habit of carrying schooling whip, just the carrying of it is motivating!); woudlnt' go to the 20 acre (despite my praising the forward steps ....)

young emily on katie offered to give me a lead along the track, and we got under the bogie willow and along past the house, but she got her eye on something - we'll never know what! - and wasn't going further forward.

she can't set her jaw - doesn't stop her setting everything else, though!

maybe a stick when out as well? sometimes i do, sometimes i don't.

anyway, ride out in the morning with the others and see how we do....

friday night

and as usual, knackered - had to have a black coffee this afternoon! mind, had got most of the way to our other office when my mobile rang (handsfree, so no telling off ) reception saying the client had cancelled.... duh. wasted an entire hour of the afternoon.

ana, i imagine people do groom every time before they get on if their horses are out all winter - i reckon, the main point of a rug is to keep the mud off most parts of the horse!

molly will be coming in next weekend for the winter - then she'll be out roughly 0630 - 1800

I've been thining this week - what with it being very cold, and getting very dark - that really i can't work her too hard at night now unless she is in, because i can't turn her out sweaty, of course.

She'll get clipped probably in november some time - just from the back of the girth forward and then up to the poll and half her face!

so i don't know what i'll do next week; it's compulsory they're in overnight from next saturday and i want to keep her out until then (if only to maximise the length of time i don't have to get up at 0600....!)

cooooold

as cold as december should be! hard frost on the cars this morning.....

so we just did 10 minutes groundwork.

she isn't arguing to stay in yet (but is rugged of course!).

at last

and just to totally p. me off, she was an angel.

i put the pressure halter on as well, in case... it may be that that made her behave, or it may be that kirsty did the deed .. whatever, she's now had her double dose strongid p. next one we'll do the same way (equest in november, and they have to stay in 2 days....).

all of which would be all very well if anyone picked the poo up - i've never been on a yard that does...and would have thought it would have been worth the estate's while tp get one of those things that hoover it all up...

and it's really cold. think it'll be not long before molly insists on being in, but hopefully not until the end of the month when they all have to be. at least i'm doing better than last year for that!

well

i'm going to the store for more wormer on the way home tomorrow, she'll get it straight in her mouth/down her throat and hope we don't get it all over..

no not powder ... tube of paste/goo....

priority for the week is to get that into her.... so there won't be much riding getting done, as i have to have help for the task, and then you can guarantee it'll rain the following ...

she's rugged it's gone really cold and she felt cool when i brought her in - warmed up in the stable, but it's very sheltered and the warmest place in the entire yard! - but worth light rugging. i needed to put my fleece under my jacket! this is possibly because i had been in a warm car .. but it was only 10 degrees C and getting colder...

would it or would it not?

rain, that is.

it was starting to as i pulled into the yard.

got molly in; tried to feed her - it stopped raining - spent ages trying to get her to eat her tea (wormer... she's usually good about eating her tea with wormer in, but not tonight) - rained again by the time i was leaving.

think it's going to be like that all night.

molly is going to have to eat tomorrow what she didn't eat today - and if that doesn't work i shall have to buy more worker and get some help to put it down her throat, which is always a pain...

good and bad

Good, in terms of some of the work we were doing in the arena.

Bad in that she still doesn't want to go out on her own.

I was getting some nice trot coming on when a very tiny fly landed splat in the corner of my left eye! had to stop whilst I took my glove off and got it out, which rather buggered us up.

and some walking over poles.

Not enough space - or poles - for the exercises suggested in the "100 exercises" book .. but walking over three poles did help!

not sure how much more contact i should take up = or to put it another way, how much, if any, shorter I should have my reins. will have to think about that.

but she was generally soft, generally listening (except when i tried to go out!) and generally very good.

will have to remember to take dressage stick with me.

and I wish i could remember to not try so hard, it's amazing how one tenses up when trying...

oh, and must remember to do more work without stirrups before doing anything else ... my position was of course a lot better after that!

will i regret this?

a wagon - 3 horse & living - D reg - £500 and the ramp needs mending - from my friend. they'd given it away to some neighbours who'd helped them out loads and whose daughter helped them mucking out etc; neighbour fell out with them and returned it needing a new ramp, and mucking out - friends don't need it as they have a much newer one - it starts, everything works, taxed to December. I'd be able to take molly to RI's for lessons, to e.g. an EE teacher for lessons, to friends to ride, we'd be able to go places from the yard....and if it's not a good idea I could sell it again without losing money, i would have thought....

yup, reckon i have the key

to Molly's mouth.

Went out along the track. she tried 3 times before the ford to nap back, and failed because she could not set her jaw. She tried to nap into the 20 acre as we got to that entrance, which is just before the ford, and failed again with much less grief than usual, as she could not set her jaw. and again not long after the ford.

So it turned into the nicest ride out I've ever had on her as she could not set her jaw, was huge amounts softer - i was so pleased.

it was all just walk work, but that was the point. we avoided all gates as I wanted to avoid anything that would stress her out in any way

Next time we'll go further, a different way ...

Unfortunately, that is unlikely to be tomorrow as riding partner won't be riding tomorrow - although you never know, might catch someone else going out later..

and now she can't set, i stand a huge amount better chance of getting out on my own as well....

tyne at night

i should have taken some photos but ran out of time - parking @ 80 p an hour, even after 6 pm!

anyway, we're planning another ride out tomorrow with Julie, so hopefully we actually get somewhere this time! we WON'T set off round the 20 acre, though ....

have i found the key?

myler combi. put it in (with the shorter cheek pieces of course.). she didn't argue with it in the stable. I got on; she stood llike a lamb. I went to the arena on a very long rein and walked round slowly picking up a contact (although not as short a rein as RI would have me use!).

for direction, close the hand, little finger.

we got lots of nice walk, we got circles, we got a halt - all with no resistance in the jaw. I could feel that she was softer. i was also told that she looked more relaxed.

so watch this space (but not tomorrow .... i'm going to the baltic for a bit of a do.....)

now work this one out

I wanted some pony cheek pieces so as to be able to fit a bit (myler combi).

you'd have thought cheek pieces would be cheaper than bridle.

not a bit of it - it was cheaper to buy a complete pony bridle, with rubber reins (Kincade) that it was to buy cheek pieces. Not by a lot, but cheaper. but the cheek pieces off it will do the job

so I'll be selling some rubber reins on eBay fairly soon.

should have worked Molly tonight - what with one thing and another she's done not a lot this week - but my IBS had been building up this week (must go back to more salads...) and really didn't think riding was a good idea for me...

hopefully I'll be a good bit better tomorrow, as I'm not at the office, I'm on a course in Newcastle (mind, wrestling with that traffic won't be clever, might be worth not having a huge lie in!).

roger mcgough

If you ever get the chance to see him, do so. Very Very funny! hasn't lost anything with the passage of time (and those of you who say "who he" get "nul points"!)

it's been raining since the middle of last night, as forecast!

rug on

because it's forecast to drop huge quantities of rain on us ... not because she'll get cold at the temperature it is,but she'll get cold if wet.... so in a way hope it does rain as i would hate to think i'd left her to overheat ....

bit of groundwork tonight, but i found i really didn't want to do anything much; had been a busy day, one of those days that flies by before you realise it...

ulcers

contributing to the debate on ulcers, andn posting here rather than commenting on 3 blogs separately - I've just been reading September's Horses for Life, and found this article - very technical, but if anyone is subscribed to it worth a read

well that wasn't so good

a mixed bag of an afternoon. friend turned up = but her group went to the other half of the estate first!

I did a load of work, in the arena, leave the arena, through the yard, back, go where i want. no napping back to the stable, which was something, but several "i'm not going through the yard". did TRY to get up the side of the geldings field,but no chance

anyway, eventually - been on over an hour - got off and fed her; friend and group she was with were heading our way, but i was SO pleased i wasn't with them.... it was in fact a fast hack with loads of jumping, wouldn't have been happy with that at all...

and then had to wait for friend to get back to her wagon as she was to sort something out with molly for me that she knew & I didn't, and she had some stuff of mine to give me back....

so wasted a lot of time.

and my hole punch, when i was trying to get it working, bashed a hole in the back of my hand, and won't work anyway

and it finally stopped raining when i got home...

Well that's working then...

Once I got on! had to have a hand with that .....

anyway, got her walking round at a good brisk pace, made sure I did the corners - didn't, i have to say, pull my hand back to my hip! but did ensure I gave a definite aid with my inside hand when i wanted her to turn.

Also, instead of just keeping a small circle going - as that was the real stressor on Thursday - put 10 metre circles in at various places round the arena - B, E, a corner, C, in the middle having let her think we were changing rein - like that...

She only set her jaw against me once in about 1/2 hour (although it might have been a bit longer, despite having my watch on i lost track a bit!) and I was really pleased. did a little bit of trot as well, but nearly all in walk.

not ONE headshake...

maybe she's getting it? maybe I'm getting it?

It was very warm as well, which was good...

now let's hope she behaves tomorrow - friends supposed to be coming up with her partner & their horses, and another friend, and we're supposed to be riding out with them. Mind, last time she was coming up it didn't happen, but this time someone else has organised it, so it might!!!!

River Tees

but firstly reflections further on last night.

Caroline, I do agree in many (if not most!) respects, and did in fact say I had been working on keeping my hands/fingers right and only moving the little finger in to turn her head slightly etc.....On the other hand, it was also keeping my hand up, when I've had too much of a tendency to keep them low thus pulling myself forwards a bit more than I should be ..... and, as Jean suggested, it was also about keeping her/getting her to be straight; AND to get her hindquarters through and under (it certainly succeeded in that, we almost had piaffe never mind passage with the tantrums!). And yes, that is a very interesting way of getting straightness, but since she wasn't listening to me at all previously (well, she had started to, but then I would end up with her "planting" and setting against me anyway) and we did end up with sideways that I haven't been able to get to at all before! ....RI knows how I do want to end up.

As I said, I can see where the pelham would be of major assistance here, but RI doesn't I don't think appreciate that side of the pelham's use, or at least hasn't admitted to doing so ... interesting contrast between her take on it and Alison where I keep Queenie......we're all the same generation as well. Anyway, will debate that with her another time. I have a Myler combination waiting to be tried, once my friend has shown me how to fit it, and I've a feeling that that might be sufficient to do the needful

For now, she's been teaching me for a long time, and did the same Marji Armstrong clinic that I did (it was on her yard!) so knows that I really liked that (and my balance etc is hugely better now than it was then, and I now have a much better feel for what my seatbones/body should be doing ...

RI says she'd be inclined to lunge the socks off Molly - but since that was always a major issue, I disagree and will continue with rope circling and longlining. Much easier to get what I want, and I think longlining will do her more good for now.

RI has been teaching me on and off for about 17 years now, so knows me and my faults and knows where Molly's come from (the staking incident was on her yard as well, although nothing at all to do with her as the turnout wasn't her decision and she wasn't there at the time, as I recall. And she had to have Molly on her main yard for a few weeks whilst she recovered from the wagon incident 3 years later....). So I think that's an advantage for now.

But I would prefer to have an EE teacher at some point, but they're all so far away from me the mileage would make it really expensive unless there were a few of us....

Anyway, there's food for thought for Molly & I for a while until the next lesson, which hasn't been arranged yet as before long they'll all be in for the night and that makes it more difficult to do an evening lesson at RI's yard

as for tonight .. after I'd mucked out! I decided we'd do a groundwork session and had to get after her a bit again, but not nearly as much as I did the other night. She was pretty good considering. I have no problem moving her backwards, forwards, stopping her coming into my space etc, and she was moving forwards and tracking up when going round, which was pleasing.

And I was very pleased she didn't argue about going out again - had thought she'd decide that after last night she wanted to be in, but she didn't (mind, I helped by removing the haynet!).

And the river tees? well, it was a lovely day to day, and the river was very still (there's a barrage about a mile down river from the office) so this is the view from the carpark, looking across to the shopping mall in stockton. Taken on my mobile phone.... (cell phone to you Jean!)

lesson ... on molly

RI rang at lunchtime to say she didn't have a sound horse for me to ride - Spuddy had come up lame yesterday, and Jack colicked at a show on sunday and isn't himself yet. so we decided a leesson on Molly at mine.... well.

there's a lot of thought in that, and Molly ended up being kept in as she'd had so many tantrums she was pouring sweat!

we were working on straightness and getting her to listen. done by going straight in walk up to the corner, then bringing my hand back towards my hip to turn the corner in the corner, and so on round the arena several times, change rein and the other way ... she didn't tantrum until we got to 10 metre circle left and then she started. we had loads of spins which were very scary but I did stay on even though i gave the rein away.

the headshaking - which i thought was midges in her ears - RI says is her "stress head" - that's when she blocks, she says the only way she can get herself out of it is a spin or something of that nature.....

I can see why heather says the pelham would work in getting more acceptance, from doing these excercises with just the snaffle....

in course of keeping her moving, we did an awful lot of sideways - pretty much straight sideways, if you see what i mean - so now i know the feel of that, anyway!

RI wants me to work her that hard every night - but as i pointed out - and as she could see! by that time (we'd been on an hour) i'm left on my own, and there's limits to what I'll do when there's no one about ....

but much food for thought.

and I'll have to get up 1/2 hour earlier in the morning to turn her out ...

i'm impressed i sat those spins..... quite scary, and a fair few of them!

i've to keep my hands up (had got into the habit of keeping them down!) and my leg on.

RI did want me to kick on odd occasions, to get some movement, but I said - i thought we wanted me to keep my leg on properly! so i didn't actually kick, but did get my leg well on, it's full length .. hence of course the sideways!

anyway, we didn't arrange another lesson - it's going to be difficult with the dark nights... so i've to ring and see what we can arrange...

and lucky RI could come. turned out she was sitting waiting for me - had had to go and rescue her daughter whose car had broken down ....that was after she'd rung me!

and i owe some money, we couldn't remember what her mileage was!

rain

if it hadn't been for the huge traffic jam, i might at least have got molly in before she got wet; but i didn't, so after she'd been fed she went back out without the rug i might otherwise have thought about. But, it wasn't cold and won't be because of the cloud cover, and she was quite happy to go out again, so i don't feel the least bit guilty.....

got after her...

and it worked.

Back to the rope circling, and she really didn't want to go right, was challenging whether i really meant it, and wasn't hugely wonderful going left.

So I got after her .....by running purposefully and circling the rope - and my goodness she moved!

and if anything is hurting, it certainly wasn't showing - she's sound as a pound. think she's just winding me up, really, there's a surprise!

walk...you will!

and go right! she didn't want to to that - even going large - so she ended up doing an awful lot of right circles!

I'd left my new bridle at home soaking oil so used the older one with the continental reins, not so successful - despite my efforts they were getting pulled through, which doesn't happen with the libby's rubber lined ones. but i got what i wnated and she wasn't very happy. don't htink it was wonderfully pretty either, but that wasn't the point....(although I was getting the feel of my legs swinging with her belly, interesting!)

i reckon i should do more groundwork - thin ki said that about a month ago, but then did a lot of riding. but the dark nights make it more likely that groundwork will be more likely, i reckon!

reiki

and I found out yesterday that a woman I know is qualified to do Reiki - level 2, she won't move on to be a Reiki master - so I've asked her to come out and see Molly... if I'm going to go alternative, might as well make a job of it and you never know....

flowers in the rain

those of us of a certain age (and probably the rest of the world as well!) will remember this, The Move's first hit.

i didn't know until yesterday that they have never earned a penny from it in royalties, because their manager was an idiot who'd never heard of libel laws - managed to libel harold wilson, the then prime minister, in a cartoon publicizing the song, they ended up before HH Judge Melford Stevenson.... result, royalties to charity.

This wikipedia article refers; I found out when listening to Radio 4 on Saturday...and if you have real player you can listen again here

a bit too late to appeal, unfortunately...