lunging

with the myler 01 in. got right and left; but last time i lunged it wasn't nearly such hard work going right...can't remember which bit i used, will have to find that post and check.

I have:

1. mullen mouth snaffle
2. Myler combi short shank
3. myler 01 on loan (going back, she doesn't settle in it)
4. bitless (Dr Cook's)
5. Pelham (she tried to buck from stationery, but that might have been me - i think not)

currently she goes best in the myler combi, reins on the bottom ring of course, which is interesting.

Also, of course, the mylers are thinner, which is good for a horse with a small mouth (4 1/2") and large tongue.

so something thin, and not single jointed (HATES single jointed!) might be the thing.

i did think about the magic bit i hear about and might well try that. it's thin and ported ....

natasha thinks I should try a KK ultra lozenge..

Her issues with bits go back to her youth, so whatever the issue is it's too late to know what started it.

as for the going right - well, at least she goes. But whether long lined or lunged, she's really pulling me over almost have to work hard to stay put! left is fine.

But, on the other hand, she isnt' rushing as she used to so the balance is a lot better

and, when I put the roller and polypad on tonight (use polypad under roller) it was more symmetric side to side than it has been - normally (her mother's the same) you put in on and it's square one side, you go round the other side and everything's well off . Wasn't NEARLY so off today, so whatever i'm doing, it's working in squaring her up, which has to be good!

longling bitless

is as bad as longlining with a bit. right is not good.

so, i think i won't try that again for a while, lunging/rope circling when I'm not riding..and sort out a dressage legal bit that she don't object to!

another success

for four...


went round the 20 acre with Evelyn on scarlet (she shares him with her husband) - this time last year there was no way she would even hack out, she's come so far, and there she was volunteering to come round the 20 acre with Molly & I. I was so impressed with her getting her confidence back like that!

and Molly did protest a bit the first half after we got into the field proper, but i was able to keep her going so that was good too.

I'd put the mullen mouth snaffle in (hadn't anticipated going out) and I think she's gone off it - no beginnings of any lightness at all. but hey, we kept control and got where we wanted to go.

jean of course i was pleased with last night, compared with previous - what you said, really!

and finally, thoughts are with Erin in the states on the loss of her parents. Hope she's got loads of help from all round and keeps strong.

you're both right, of course

but on the other hand - there is something else as well.

You'd think she'd be bored with the arena and be more willing to go out, at least on a route she's been before.

Anyway, we got down to the bottom of the hill and through the gate into the 20 acre (which is always left open) but a few strides further on she stopped. she didn't try and turn round in usual style, unless i asked her to walk on ... eventually we saw george and sheila coming back, way over the far corner, and we weren't going to go forward then.

ended up back in the arena, and did get one really nice circuit of trot, with her soft!

but i keep saying, the arena's too small - can't get balanced... not enough room, so if you lose balance on a long side you haven't time to get it back before the corner...

at last

was able to do something with Molly today. Actually was able to get on without any ground work (just a Polo) - 3 times, which is impressive.

First time - she wasn't listening to me and wanted to go to the track down to the 20 acre, but she was seriously on her toes and didn't mean that she wanted to do that (I can tell, by now....). anyway, that wasn't what I wanted to do, so we didnt' do it.

Led her back to the mounting block got back on and she did go where I wanted, which was into the arena so see what if anything we'd remembered.

she was doing quite well. came soft a lot quicker and i decided to see about trot, which I haven't done (deliberately) for a good while.

I had a habit of preventing the transition by tensing, so the object was just to get trot, whether sitting or rising (the latter for preference) on the correct diagonal and not rushing, which we managed a few times, also a circle - I'm doing something a bit wrong circling, as if I push her round with my outside leg we end up rushing, which isn't wanted.

We're not assisted by the fact that the arena needs harrowing - sides higher than they should be which is unbalancing...

a few times over the poles i'd set out (in walk...)

anyway, then decided to try to go through the yard. She didn't want to do that. i though, back to the arena to get her settled - she didn't want to do that either.

so we got off and back on again....

Paul volunteered to walk in front and see if she'd follow, but she ended up with her stress head on when I got under the willow. eventually got off and led her up the track a bit to where there's some rocks and stuff been left that can be used to mount. got back on, but she wasn't having any.

Now explain this to me - at this point, I can - if I'm pointing the direction I don't want to go - get her jaw soft, she comes soft and round and you'd think she was listening - but as soon as i try to turn, everything tenses up, jaw, neck, body - head tossing, de da...

ah well. At least I got on 4 times!

Oh, and I tried flexing the bit a little before i got on.... the first time.

then came home and planted potatoes... probably too late in the day but it needed doing or there was no point in buying them.

Experiment - some just in holes (hole per potato) some in a trench to cover over as they grow, and some in a trench covered over now...

When it all warms up i've got onion sets to go in, garlic cloves to plant, pea seeds, and want to get some lollo rosso plugs (easier to grow stuff from plugs than from seed...)

nothing doing

last night was friday and whilst it had dried up momentarily, there was a howling north/east wind (i reckon here its a northeasterly, caroline!); today, i was thinking of doing something this afternoon, but we have just realised that our tickets for the Sage Gateshead are for today! this afternoon! next door neighbour (who was trained as an opera singer and has a fantastic voice, you'd love her Jean) is singing. We've been listening to her practice for months (well, we listen to her sing all the time!) and so bought tickets. so Molly Moo will get another day off....

rain? winter? spring?

what is it?

someone on the radio yesterday said it was just a late spring such as we used to have... i dunno about that...

anyway, raining tonight. odd - molly keen to come in for tea, but quite happy to go back out again to join portia over by the exposed fence...

amazon.co.uk

meant to post this on yesterday's (written this morning) but forgot...

driving into swansea, ginormous warehouse on my right, amazon.co.uk; at the same time on my left, two riders, all hi viz, riding the dunes (well, what looked liek the grass area between the road and the sea, some sort of park)

then leaving swansea tonight local radio report that that was a brand new amazon warehouse just opened today.

Gorgeous weather - we were able to have lunch outside in the sun! - all 6 of us (2 lawyers for each party, we put the legal world to rights!)

and we won the case, YAY. even better as one defendant made an offer very late last night which we decided wasn't good enough.... more YAY.

got home, was in the last 5 miles - and it was snowing! only a shower, but crikey.

the difference between there and here is about 360 miles, left just before 4 and got back here 2140 - one stop ... good run up!

swansea

was a good drive down and happily dry once i got here. glad i have hands free on my phone as people kept wanting to talk to me about the case (a good sign).

the bad bits? restaurant where i had dinner seemed to think that lasagne was improved by heinz tomato soup - NOT. which made it an overpriced meal, to say the least - but i got some more of Racinet read whilst i was eating. and despite having paid for internet access when i booked the room, i couldn't get online last night at all and this morning it wouldn't accept the fact that i had already paid... pah. oh, and the satnav or some reason couldn't find a fix for the best part of 100 miles - dunno what that was about, but happily i was still on home territory, so to speak, then..

partner ill

spent the day in bed, got out of it long enough to ring me with an order for more medicine! and came out tonight to see Molly and buy tea (and go to the cash machine - i bought her a new car battery yesterday!)

but she'll have to look after herself the next two days.

Molly was of course quite happy to only get fed and not do anything for it!

and i still haven't packed....

cold - but flies are out?

so it's not as cold as you'd think - but only when the sun's out.

had to do a bit of groundwork to get on, but only a couple of minutes ....

but she doesn't, i don't think, like the bit i have on loan from natasha....

some soft nice steps with her back round under me and everything doing well, but others - nightmare of jigging head, pulling reins from me, de dah...

ah well.

she'll not do a lot this week, I have to go to Wales for a trial!

successful morning

Went out for a ride with Paul & Julie - just up to the riding school and then back round the way we'd come but we were all quite pleased with Molly.

didn't have time for any hoo hah with mounting so Julie held her head.

When we set off Molly was fine going out towards the drive, which she normally doesn't like, and for a wonder walked under the bogey willow with no problem at all, almost as if it wasn't there. so that was good.

Had a couple of stops along the track, then over the bridge at the ford no problem. she got a stress head on after that for a few strides - i think because Paul with scarlet wanted to go up the field, (2 gates) and i'd specifically said no gates this morning (wanted to avoid them).

When we came out onto the rode there were some builders bags on the left, which she avoided like the plague - will be fine with them next time I expect - and put an odd stop in before we turned left.

I think we all wished we had gone the road not the field at the left turn up to the riding school - scarlet & molly both ended up in the plough trying to avoid the mud!

then through the riding school yard, down the copse and out onto southill drive - for all of this Molly was ahead (she walks faster than everything else and then seems to get stressed when she thinks they've vanished!).

bit of a stressy moment as we came out onto the southill drive beyond hte riding school, but settled again - listning to me a lot more, i think - and then walk back along the road to the track and back to the yard.

This is probably about 40 minutes in walk only.

For a lot of the time Molly was pretty light in the hand. I was concentrating on sitting square - i.e., weight in left foot/left seatbone, since that's the side i favour and I need to stop doing that!) and i think that helped.

overall very pleased.

and this is Simba, having helped me make the bed this afternoon, just because it's a cute pose....

rain

which is much less troublesome than Caroline's snow - the pennine divide strikes again!

so wet horse - but warm horse, interestingly being rugless and out. and she didn't really want her tea, she wanted to be out again, so out again she went of course. She and Portia are quite happy.

mind they were full of grass - some horse had knocked down the electric fencing, which was clealry suffering from a flat battery/lack of power anyway, so they'd got into the bit that the YO had fenced off since last summer to regrass itself....

which also had the advantage that we didn't have to go plodge in the mud at the small gate! how long that lasts is another matter.

i haven't looked at the forecast, hope it's ok, but they are forecasting more rain...

late meeting

so nothing done with molly at all, julie did the honours with the feed!

the 20 acre

on foot. I decided she needed to see the rest of the field again before I ride her round it, so walked her out in hand. she had two stops to look at whatever it was she was looking at - something she could hear, perhaps, in the river - and 2 stops to try and eat some grass

and she's out for the night now.

Portia was out (portia had managed to kill a stable by kicking the wall so badly it is going to have to be rebuilt) so she was out as there was no choice. So Molly's out as there's enough grass IMHO for them to be ok and it's about time. and the forecast is to improve, so i'm happy she'll be fine. and portia was glad of the company, and i'll be glad of the minor lie in!

light on the longlines!

you may remember i said that Molly is always heavy on the long lines. She wasn't tonight. I remembered what you said, jean, about half halts on longlines so that worked fine when walking round the outside of the school, both directions. and i also thought i'd try working on turning her using the outside rein, as i've been learning to do riding, and that seemed to work as well. This was all in walk.

prior to that i'd done 10 minutes ground work to establish boundaries (like, you will stand still whilst i put the longlines on!) and then trot circles on the long lines (essentially two rein lunging...)

I might go back to the BB for that; that was what she had on when we first did it with Max back in June, and I find that she is ok left but not right (there's a surprise) and fights it. the bit, that is. my thought is that with the BB we avoid that argument and get the work into her, and then go back to trying it with the bit later.....

in the meantime, a new series of CSI ..Vegas, i can't be doing with Miami but won't miss NY

april?

and not having the luxury of an indoor, no work was done with molly ....

supposed to improve as the week goes on, do hope so.

plan for sunday had included planting veg - put off for yet another week!

snow - click on the pics to get full size effect

pictures... the top ones out of our front bedroom over the churchyard - spot the pigeon in the maple!, the bottom one from the back office window over the gardens looking down the street
and hope this video works...

and a repeat of the robin from last week, as it was indeed hard to see...

winter

I so agree with caroline about the weather. We had cold (but not freezing) and showers, very heavy ones of rain/hail, interspersed with sunny spells when it was warm. I ahdn't put molly's rug back on (it's been off a week already) so when iwent to get her in to ride, she was warm, but damp and muddy and of course it would take forever for her to dry...

but i was feeling huge amounts better, i have to say! possibly because there was nowt left...:-)!


more snow tomorrow....but apparently only over lunch time so should be dry when i go to ride....

ryvita

which I like, no longer likes me. you'll remember a couple of weeks ago i wasn't well; that wasn't a patch on today, i had to come home early from work. the only thing that's been different is eating ryvita for lunch in place of baguettes/bread/like that. No more. Had to ring Julie to ask her to do Molly, there was no way i was up for that at that point of evening - glad I like doing my jobs in the morning then if anything does go wrong the worst of it is out of the way! that all started at about 12 noon, and finally started to settle after 6 (assisted, i think, by a bath for its muscle relaxant properties) ...

so no news.

in the meantime, here's a robin i photographed when we went to harlow carr week past tuesday:

more good news

That was AFTER i'd had to re-establish the boundaries at the mounting block

Put the combi on as the plan was to see whether i could get down the hill to the 20 acre (even if we didn't get all the way round it).

so Molly's first idea was, turn the bum away! HAH. got the pressure halter, into the arena, 5 minutes ground work, back round, she stood.

I took my short stick.

she didn't set her jaw, and actually wanted to go into the arena but walked calmly along the track and a few steps down the hill, but turned - but DIDN'T set herself.

so back to the yard area in front of the arena where we stood for a couple of minutes, then I turned her round and back down - and she went all the way down, through the gate, and half way round the first half of the 20 acre when it all got too much for her - I rather think she heard a fisherman casting - we can't see them, can only hear them. so turned round, but again without setting. I think she would have "set" had I argued, but I was well pleased with the distance we'd got, considering she hasn't willingly gone anywhere on her own for months and months ....

and we had a nice, balanced trot along the track back to the yard as well, which was good, so something's going well on the getting balanced front!

Then we went back in the arena and some work ...then decided to follow a couple of other horses out the other way - which might have worked, but george & sheila were coming back in and it all went a bit pear shaped ... so she got taken back into the arena. But again, half good - i was really balanced, didn't tense myself, Molly didn't set her jaw and we finished up getting something nice and soft on left rein.

grass?

Molly thinks there's grass....she left hay last night and wasn't lacing into the haynet when she was brought in tonight.

But we can't get them out yet - snow forecast for sunday, which is mad considering how warm it is!

So we had another good evening. did about 10 minutes ground work and then got on - had to do one more bit to emphasise what i wanted, then she stood

then i did about 40 minutes schooling. Would have liked to go out, but no one about riding when i started (someone did turn up later but then i was committed to what i was doing....) and I was glad i didn't follow the people from another yard who set off down the 20 acre - they were cantering along it, as I could see from my vantage point in the school!

still weren't doing wonderfully well - more of a struggle to soften on left rein than right, and I do wonder if it's to do with me - given that left foot! i need to do work with no stirrups, i'm sure that would help balance me out some more and get the hips opened up....

but we'll get there.

and i did think i'd have to stop sooner than i did, until i realised george and sheila were going out, which meant i could stay on the horse until they came back!

so altogether pleased....


hopefully we can start going out in company soonn, then try again with the going out on our own. for that, it'll be back to the combi (currently using natasha's myler 01, which you will recall i have on loan) but i think the combi's better for preventing jaw setting...

and christened the new breeches i got sunday - nicely sticky! recommend caldene sticky bums!

i wondered

who reads my blog. I am told that everyone on the yard does ... whether that means "everyone" i don't know, but certainly a fair few! so i was rung up and asked if i am moving....which i'm not... but i can see why people might think i am, bearing in mind what I said about the yard i visited saturday.

anyway, it was blowing a real howling gale tonight, so much that they closed the Tyne Bridge again, i walked round to see whether the arena was getting the benefit of shelter or not, and tonight it wasn't, so I made an executive decision not to do anything. i never could bear a gale! they upset me, and if i'm upset, so's the horse.

Blake got moved so Molly's new neighbour is moved in - not a problem, total sweetie....shame kirstie had to take an unexpected day off work for the purpose (some problem with the people moving out...)

more good news

but before that, explain to me - it's a lovely night, warm, no gales, no wind.... and i was the only person riding from our yard? don't get that.

anyway, decided to do the ground work/mounting exercise.

she wasn't pleased having to do ground work, but it was certainly the way to go. she'd been sharpened up a bit (as had I!) by Saturday's exercise. So she tried it on a couple of times on the ground work front but failed in not going backwards - that is, she did - and failed in not going right - she did - and succeeded in standing still at the stool! twice. after I'd got on the first time, i decided to get off again, do a bit more ground work and then get on again!

YAY!

then i couldn't do as much ridden as i would have wanted - as everyone was going. ACtually, if i'd known Gaynor hadn't arrived yet, I would have stayed on - but I thought everyone had gone .. and that was unusually late for her anyway!

blake is moving to another yard on the estate tomorrow, so Molly will have a new neighbour, pony Katie who will spend most of the summer in (laminitic...)

standing and sharing and snoozling...

This was first thing this morning - I'd tied molly up with a haynet whilst I mucked out, and blake decided to share (even though he had one of his own!). neither of them were bothered!

and this was taken by Kirstie, blake's owner, some time later, before she went home herself - always amazes me how good a photo you can get on a mobile!

Anyway, a visit to Queenie in Allendale via the tack shop in hexham (which produced a pair of caldene sticky bum jod's, half price (£19.99) pleased with them!

Queenie had a very nasty cut on her foot....not sure how well the photo of that has worked, it was a bit dark in the stable - but lucky not to take her entire foot off. But looked ok, sound on it, will see how it goes. she'll have to be on box rest until it heals a lot more than it is.then via Ikea to buy stool to use as mounting block (£7.50) which I built after i finally got to the yard again about 4. the weather by then was glorious!

And Molly? up to the mounting block, stood like a lamb! very good. and picked all her feet out without a debate as well! She wasn't so good after I got on, but I think that was my fault, i didn't feel quite square. at one point I put my full weight on that left foot and it hurt, so I guess i'm right in supposing i'm favouring it when riding. we had a lot of rattling the bit about, and unsettled head, and waving it around a bit, interspersed with some nice work when she did round under me. We did a little bit of trot as well - it was at this point I realised how much i was favouring that left foot!

So given that we now have light nights, might start the odd small hack out with Julie on Susie if the weather's ok as well.....but at the least sign of her going back to her old ways for mounting, it's back in the arena! if I go on a hack, I can't keep Julie waiting whilst I do 10 minutes or so ground work as well....don't think that would be fair!

ok, you've been waiting

to know how we got on.





that was the start. So you can all see what she does, and that it wasn't just me (the pale jacket is me, the pink is natasha! and yes, natasha did get a hat on shortly thereafter!)

but WE CRACKED IT

or more to the point, natasha did.

the real problem was, by the time we did that, the light had gone & it was raining and I couldn't get any vid of the successful moment! sorry and all that!

essentially, instead of doing what i have been doing (one night riding, if i'm doing ground work, not tacking up and riding after) i need to be doing ground work before riding). and of course often it's easier for someone else to deal with this sort of thing....


there is some more video of the work that led up to success, but it is on the camcorder, not the digital camera, so is going to take some while to sort. and it's a lot of ropecircling, backing up circling, backing up ... and so on.

but I feel a whole lot happier.

and to investigate new yard - went up to visit a chap & his horses we've known for a while, nice yard, 3 arenas of much better quality than i have ATM, hacking without gates it seems! £30 pw inclusive of haylage & straw (possible discount available since i'm on shavings). so will go back, check out mileage, their terms, etc

the plan for tomorrow

involves natasha coming up in the afternoon, then boxing molly up to the indoor - which is on another yard on the estate - and spending time working on the mounting issue. i hope that plan comes off (i.e., nothing prevents natasha from turning up!). we're going up there as the weather is forecast to be not good! of course, if the forecast is wrong, we'll stick with the original plan, i expect, which is for tash to fetch a horse up and try getting molly out as well!

we'll see.

planning on taking camera as well, so if that works we'll have some video tomorrow night as well....

one achievement in 3 1/2 years

is that molly will lunge to the right! we did 15 minutes lunging tonight - it wasn't raining (although thinking about it) and wasn't blowing, and everyone else was pretty much away so I decided that was the thing to do.

will need to go back to a few basics on the feet picking up, whilst she is a lot better it's not completely there yet and i need to reinforce that training with some more click/treat until I know she's consistent about it. would be good to be able to surprise the farrier in a fortnight!

I didn't say on Tuesday, but Queenie had to have the vet again Monday night - so busy trying to eat over the fence that she knocked it down and hurt her foot. alison wasn't going to call out as she knew what to do per clean up etc, but then decided on balance some antibiotics and bute were a good idea. at that point Queenie was showing her age - by the morning she was kicking hell out of the door to be out again, so probably not much wrong overall.

looking forward to the weekend - hope the weather is a vast improvement on last weekend, and i get some solid work done with her. Partner away to see a friend for the weekend so no one nagging as to why i'm not back yet...

and it's worming weekend, which means they aren't allowed out from saturday 10am until monday morning save for exercise, so an afternoon practising stuff is probably going to be a good idea!

general consensus

is that the longline idea is a bad one - which is pretty much the conclusion i'd come to thinking about the tangles one could get into, let alone rearing possibilities!

friend's coming up on saturday so we'll have a conference...

the other option, of course, is doncaster sales.....and invest proceeds in an ottb....or see if someone has something available on long term loan....

don't think i'm wholly prepared to give up just yet....despite my frustrations!

an idea

Kirstie had an idea that might work if it isn't dangerous.....and it might not be if I can get it right.

she suggests I clip a long line to the outside bit ring, gather it up in my hands going round Molly's bum as i lead her up to the mounting block. Thus, as she starts to turn her quarters away, I am preventing that happening. then of course once I was on I'd have to gather the line up quickly in my hand and tie it to the saddle such that it doesn't fall down again.

Thoughts anyone?

the other thing I have to think about, as I reminded myself this morning and forgot to say yesterday - if the stool I'm using in the arena isn't high enough - and most of them arent' - then Molly, when she isn't turning quarters away, is moving her body IN to me and thus pushing me off the stool! which isn't helpful, especially to the poorly foot which is the one I usually end up landing on....

For partners birthday today we went to Harlow Carr, the RHS Garden in Harrogate (which also has a Betty's....) and then on the way home to Brimham Rocks. We will go back to Brimham Rocks on a warmer day with our walking gear and a packed lunch - if we'd known they were there and that good before, we'd have done that instead of Harlow Carr! But it was itneresting to see the work they'd done at the Garden, and how the "gardens through time" are developing.

So Molly had nothing done with her - shame, as of course the weather at least wasn't windy, if a bit cold!

I was rung this morning whilst we were on our way south and reminded i have a meeting after work tomorrow night - burgers.

nearly in tears

me, that is.

Decided to go downthis morning, as we're meant to be out this afternoon. So after i'd mucked out etc got her in and groomed. By the time i was tacked up there was no one there but Liz was out on a ride. After 1/2 hour of me trying to get on on my own and failing - the usual bollocks, get her so far and then the quarters go round - Liz came back and came to help me on. so far so good you would think.

Molly set her jaw and set off for the 20 acre - which would have been all very well if she hadn't planted at the top of the hill. turned her round, planted again. turned again, planted again. said, ok then, down the hill - planted again. turned her round, planted again. Now this is quite a steep hill so not a good place for sitting out a plant at all - she was getting to a situtation where we would have been planted at the steepest bit, rather than the bit you can go down. So i got off and walked back, and whilst doing that saw Liz getting in her car and she drove through the yard in front of me on foot.

There was no way i was getting back on - Molly went back to quarters round when i got anywhere near.

No one will be back now until this afternoon.

so i called her several names and turned her out again.

The bit i had in was the new one I'm trying out.

and please don't tell me i shouldn't have got off. I'll scream at you if you do.

I know the idea of putting straw bales opposite the mounting block. There aren't any, and if I did I would have to put them there every time then move them away again, as they would be totally in the way of everyone else trying to do anything with their horse. don't think my back would be up to all that moving straw bales around.

And we did have a period when she did stand to be mounted, I don't know what happened to decide her to stop doing so.

finally got on!

after how many days? Mind, i rather wished i hadn't - or rather, I'd wished I'd gone down in the morning, the weather was better! Managed to miss the actual snow, but the wind had got up again so my hands froze before we'd done the first half hour, and I had to get off as i was then too cold to do anything! Had got a bit of sideways, which pleased me!

I lengthened my stirrups by one hole, which i'd been wanting to do for a long time. It is better- at least, in walk it is! - my legs felt more draped and more effective and I felt more able to use less leg, if you see what i mean. so even though it was short and cold, i learnt something. Oh and I did get one moment of "up" with lightness as well! which was a first, usually it's "up" with a set jaw! hopefully i can repeat that when the weather's better!

but I wish she'd stand to be mounted...she will insist on turning quarters away, and she knows what she's doing, and there's nothing i seem to be able to do about it! get her so far to the block, and she turns away... depressing. One of the chaps insists i can do it, but the trouble is when he comes over then she stands - she always does when someone comes to her head. I'm sure i'ts just badness....well, not totally, but she knows what she's doing!

partner promised to come and video the exercise one day - i'll hold her to that one on one warmer day! someone might be able to think of something that might be persuading the moo to do this...

Natasha thinks I should aim to do a walk/trot test by august. I think, that's probably a good idea, as it gives me a goal to work to ....

weather...?

eventually the wind dropped - at about 5pm or thereabouts - by which time we'd done a load of stuff in howling gales and freezing cold and blizzards, so wehn i got back to the yard i was stunned to find NO WIND - but everyone else had gone home, of course, and i was knackered....

hopefully, it stays that way for tomorrow!

rainbow girls

today we went up to the Scottish Borders to visit a friend and her two fillies - one 2, one 3, from the iberian peninsula - crosses not purebreds, but they're going to be stunning nontheless.

The only photo you're going to get is one eye of each horse....it was VERY VERY windy (still is) and kept snowing off and on ....it was too cold to be out more than 5 minutes

but I think you can tell they're pretty special and very friendly.

and we were given a fantastic lunch, won't need to eat again until the morning, so many thanks for that.

I wouldn't have been able to do anything with Molly even if I had stayed at home - it's been AWFUL. the only good thing about that was that the A1 north wasn't as bad as it normally is on Good Friday, as most people probably had the sense to stay at home LOL.

I'd arranged for Molly to be brought in this evening and left all ready (I turned them all out this morning....) as I didn't know what time we'd get back - that road is known for horrid accidents, no guarantees at all as there's too many people insist on breaking the speed limit, passing wagons where they shouldn't, and so on....

hopefully it'll improve for the rest of the weekend..

ENT

you will remember the dizzy spells I was getting? had my ENT appintment this morning - the consultant thought he was seeing me at the end of labrynthitis running its course...keep on with the tablets but run them down and get referred back if it all goes wrong again. and I had an audiogram done, which was interesting - i was right in supposing my left ear to be worse than my right! but really not bad at all - couple of dips at the higher frequencies in the left ear (which means i don't hear those frequencies as well, early sign of age related deafness) - hate to think what it'll look like in a few years time!

and easter weekend is starting with a howling gale. swept the yard in front of the stables, put it in barrow - it immediately all blew out again.

early start tomorrow, going up just north of Berwick to see a friend & her 2 horses, looking forward to that - will have a lie in on Saturday!

the innards are settling down but will take all weekend to come back to normal with no pain, i expect! hope quicker, would like to be able to try molly with the new loan bit i've been left with!

not well

IBS kicked in after i got home last night ...did spend some time today wondering why i'd gone to work! but it's settling down slowly so hope it'll be fine by the morning. in the circumstances, i thought riding wasn't a good plan - turned out everyone else had gone home anyway!

RIP Blackie

parter's cat - seen here with partner! PTS today - he'd been failing since last summer when we found him motionless under a tree - reckoned to have fractured a hip - then had a lot of teeth out earlier this year - he'd been a rescue cat and always had bad teeth - been slowly giving up since christmas really and today had to be the day. last week vet persuaded partner that another steroid injection would or might do the trick, but it didn't.....she'll kill me for putting this photo up but it's the only one immediately to hand on the PC!

and Molly? natasha & philip came and lent me their myler 01 to try - complete wit hthe bridle it was attached to which happened to fit perfectly with no ajustment required! We tried it for about 10 minutes - it was dark and very very cold - molly wasn't objecting to it. So they've left it with me to see how we go with it - will need to change reins (i can't be doing with those thick rubber reins, they hurt my hand!). we did well for that time, pleased with her. she was a bit stunned, had been wondering where her tea was! it was nearly 730 when they arrived.... 1 1/2 hours later than originally planned!

daylight! WOW

until about 6.40 - put the lights on anyway (they were mended Friday) as it was going to get dark before I'd finished, but it makes such a difference.

i decided to lunge with the BB on molly, rather than a bit, as I just wanted to see how she's going re going right and being more balanced with it, and that was a good idea. we did both reins twice, and she didn't argue about it more than half heartedly.

The rope circling techniques that max teaches are quite effective when done just with the end of a lunge line if there is a minor protest.

and molly is becoming much more balanced going right

So we're getting there, slowly but surely.

oh, just to remind us - the left foot is the broken foot.....but yes, i see what you mean!

ok, pictures.....

less may be more

but the video shows i wasn't really doing less....paul got his camera, i'll post something later once I sort them out (he kindly gave me the memory stick so i've put them straight on the pc...) but i look too big for the saddle.

She did do some nice stuff, but he wasn't videoing that - maybe i was conscious of being watched?

we started off tiggering round to the car park area in front of the arena and it was a bit scary as she was really hyper for a moment - i wasn't surprised, as she had been unsettled whilst i was grooming her, which is most unlike her.

i reckon the wind, and it was not in the usual direction (which meant it was a bit nippy in the arena, no shelter today!)

but we got in and then she settled down.

i must try and keep my hands stiller, i hadn't realised they were moving as much as they were (forwards/backwards, rather than up down!) and i was doing too much with my seat as well (possibly because i was trying to warm it up).

paul said we both looked much more relaxed, and certainly i think that's right...

i got better circles and serpentines, and we finished with three soft halt/walk/halt transitions, which pleased me! and i made sure we were on left rein for that so i could get off without landing in the fence.

you'll gather my back was a lot better - kept the back support on, of course, and kept taking the painkillers. that, of course, has the advantage of ensuring i stay upright!

update on yesterday

the warmblood came 3rd, and philip was 6th, so everyone is really pleased....i don't think i said, that was Novice 30

back support

is still needed unfortunately - better when i move about with painkillers inside me (ibuprofen for the inflammation) but not right - and not assisted (indeed the cause is probably) by having to wrestle with soaked hay. i think i must have made a mistake at some point earlier in the week in that i can't have been straight in myself when hauling the hay up to drain, and i think that's what's done it.

so today, went up to watch natasha and her fiance philip stressaging at holmeside hall; got there, and natasha had me call her test (i do a good line in clear stentorian bellow specially for the purpose!) which meant she didn't get it on video - they hadn't brought their camera. that was a shame, he did some really nice work - 4 year old on his second outing - if it hadn't been for his canter transition, which was pants, he'd have won the class. as it was, he came 7th and got a rosette, just over 60% and nothing lower than a 5. TBF, as Tash & I agreed, the canter trans was only worth a 2 or 3, but each such transition was part of another sequence of movements, so judge justified in marking it overall up.

philip's horse went tense as soon as it got into the arena - it was an indoor, you'd think he'd be used to them, and possibly some rider tension as well - so didn't do as well. the other horse they brought ridden by a friend, 8 year old warmblood, did a fantastic test spoilt by her failing to count 4 seconds for the immobility at A and when she went for her second canter transition, her calf cramped so she had to tickle with the whip and the horse put in a minor buck (he doesn't approve of your not asking for the movement in the correct fashion!). but she had no choice and did really well, i know when my calf cramps all i want to do is scream with pain and rub it! happily that has never happened when riding (yet....)

then went and mucked out etc, and decided to just do a bit of rope circling- the painkillers i'd taken earlier were wearing off by then, and it was spitting on to rain.....

but a good day. am now going to check the video to make sure it came out!

sun! warmth!

so good i took her rug off this morning. i reckon i'll have to leave it off now - hopefully no more of those howling gales!

but i spent most of the day with my back support on - total agony!

rabbits

that's what we had one of in the bedroom last night - a live one! simba the hunter... at least it was live, the other day we found the back half of another rabbit downstairs.....euch.

evening meeting tonight, which means i'll have to soak tomorrow nights hay in the morning....

spoke too soon

at about 4.30 i looked out at a lovely blue sky and said (out loud, very rash) looks like it might just not rain.

how wrong can i be? huge black cloud followed me north (being blown by 60mhp+ winds) and started to rain about 1 1/2 miles from the yard. hasn't stopped yet. I don't know why i think i can do consistent work with molly in the winter, it ain't going to happen unless i change yards!

i came out of the office

and looked at the black cloud to the north and thought, it's raining at the yard. I was right, it was. wet horse, wet arena ....

put hay order in, be delivered tomorrow (and he'll stack for us as well, which is cool!)

then had to go buy a new kitchen bin, ours broke, and finished up at caroline's favourite place - MacDonald's, as the gale started - horizontal rain, rather than just vertical! That had stopped by the time i got home, thank goodness, for long enough to unload the car....

it's raining

absolutely teeming down...but since they were forecasting howling gales as well, that's not a problem. a bit windy this morning but in the scale of things we can't argue. apparently it was sunny the other side of the pennines...but the south has had the forecast gales (about what we got the other week, i expect..)

interrupted

by a phone call whilst riding - don't really know why i had the phone on me, save that i always do!

Anyway, Molly and I are improving - certainly she is, in that she's softer, quicker, than she has been, so the work in walk is starting to pay off.

I'd left the poles where I'd had them last night - between B & E, parallel to the fence so that if you turned off the track at B you had to go over the poles to get to the track at E. so they were usefully placed for variation, Molly never knew when she might be asked to go over round or through them (the were either side of the centre line as well).

So some useful work. She moved up to trot 2/3 times, but I think i must have accidentally asked for it; it was a softer trot than it has been in the past!

I got a shoulder in position once (yes, i did ask for it!)

and half way through this good work the phone rang - friend having a whinge....interestingly, after the stand still whilst i had that conversation, Molly was moving forward better.

Had Rhona (hello Rhona!) check to see if the pad was still moving side to side under the saddle, and apparently not, so that's good.

and lovely daylight even when i finished...mind, that was only 17:20! roll on the end of the month when the clocks go forward...

Left her rug off in the stable. I get the feeling that she's shedding so much and getting so warm in the stable, she's itching with the rug on.... (bed all over when it isn't usually.... bit of a giveaway that). I might regret it, as i'll end up having to brush her to rug up before i can turn out in the morning (supposed to be a horrendous storm, and rain, tomorrow). so we'll see.

perfect timing

in terms of the weather. This morning i really thought i'd not be able to do anything with Molly - it was raining, then when that stopped the rain got up, then later it was horizontal rain... got to the yard about 4, having put dinner (stew) in the oven and had lunch after a day out (been to pay for queenie's keep) - blue sky, wind slightly dropped, arena sheltered...

So after i'd done the chores (and everyone had got their's in for the night at only 5 pm!) i lunged

Bitless bridle, lunged over poles. First just one pole, both directions, then two poles, both directions.

That REALLY woke Molly up. First time going right she wasn't having it and I had to go back to MAx's techniques to get her back listening to me (advantage of the BB, it acts like a pressure halter as well when needed, not as much, but enough to make a difference).

Then she decided canter was good, so I moved myself so she was circling round the poles rather than cantering over them (actually, i was impressed, it's AGES since she's cantered!) then when she'd calmed down a bit moved back down so she was trotting over the poles again.

When she was eventually trotting over them calmly, brought her in and changed rein again, then two more times each rein, finishing on the left rein.

I can really see the way this is helping her use her back end, and work out where her feet are, and it should help her balance right rein as well much more than she as, as she's also forced to think about what she's doing rather than just rushing round.

I could really see her thinking about it as she was going round (the lick/chew thing...)

This was, of course, what I'd had planned for Monday, but probably its as well I did it in daylight first!

and then as I was leaving the yard, the rain started again, so even more perfect!

just to say

i am still here, and not looking forward to the weekend (weather going to be pants). Fay forgot to tell the lads about the arena lights, and they're now off until monday. phooey

frogs

two of us left the yard more or less at the same time, i was second (still in the dark, by the way, someone's going to tell the lads tomorrow about the lights!) anyway, person in front kept stopping, driving erratically, whatever, i was starting to think either there was something wrong with the car or with her. this is still on the private drive, not the main road. eventually she stopped and came to tell me - she was stopping for the frogs! i hadn't seen any (because she was in front, i assume) but she was trying not to run them over and occasionally getting out and physically moving one!

so spring is springing -they're on the way down to the River Wear, which runs through the estate, clearly. and that must mean we should soon get some frogs in our new pond, as well, which is the idea (slug control!).

this is going to be a boring week

as there's still no lights in the arena. not that it made much difference tonight - had to get partner packed for a weekend in carcassonne (friend's hen weekend!!!!) - didn't know until i got home that also involved laundry, thus leaving heating on all night to get laundry dry.....phooey.

still in the dark!

no arena lights again... phooey. dont know if anyone's had a chance to see the lads to say and have them find out what's wrong....

no lights

in the arena this time - i can see in the stable, but that of course did nothing to assist the plan, which was to lunge, possibly over poles. goodness knows what was the matter with them, but at nearly 7, there was no way enough light to see by

poles

put some poles out = over them each way, round them, through them, diagonally over them - at one point it was "OOH can we trot over them please mam?" - no, of course - took about 30 minutes again before we got some softening but since I was also trying to keep her "through" behind it was harder work, whilst trying to keep "less is more" in mind. i think i've said before, relaxing myself takes nearly as long - not so much the top half, more getting the hips stretched. and we got some sideways as well, a couple of times, which was good.

not so good on the halt/walk/halt transitions, but i wasn't really working for them , was working for more activity and softness at the same time.

and half way home remembered i'd forgotten to put the poles away, oops.

But it was COLD - could have done with an extra layer to proteect me from the bit breeze coming from across the field. but againn, I chose the right time of day the wind seems to drop abour 4 ish and not get back up again until after 6 or so. if we're lucky it'll have dropped altogether - but i don't think so.

Amazingly, looking out of our kitchen window this morning at the trees being blown about, their was neighbour sitting outside on her patio eating her cooked breakfast.... that patio is very sheltered from the prevailing wind, but didn't think that much. and it was a suntrap as well - her own microclimate! where our back allotment about 10 feet in front of her, you couldn't have done that...

and to add

she's shedding! huge amounts. woulnd't have thought it was warm enough yet, but Molly clearly thinks it is.

and thanks to caroline for introducing me to the benefits of a shedding blade!

less is more

less is more, less is more. the less i did, the more i got...must remember that. she was quicker to remember soft and round - not consistent with it, but it was there.

i chose the only calm moment of the day - so that was well planned. what i call a good drying day (so have lots of dry washing as well :-)). needed help to get on of course, but was very impressed when molly's first reaction when i picked the reins up was to come to the bit. lost it again fairly quick but in a calm sort of fashion.

i was concentrating on not having my hands so close together, keeping a consistent length (have the continental reins on the mullen mouth - prefer the libbys, not so big in the hand and stickier!) and keeping myself upright. seemed to be helping a lot. i was pleased with both of us.

Now, how do I stop her overbending? lift my hands?

oh, and she blinked! so that's fine - must find a way of having her face me properly!

photo review

i think my hands are too close together as well....

+ 70 mph winds again

and no one had any electrics - there's a line down. got there in time to just be able to see the feed bins.....

in the dark

amazingly, i could just about see to muck out this morning - vaguely dawn, and light from the tack room next door (there's a big hole in the wall high up...); it won't be the best ever mucking out but at least i could do it!

not so easy to groom tonight though (can't tie up outside, there's only room for one horse, blake was already there and even if he hadn't been they'd have got at each other over his door!) so decided to do some rope circling. that was a good move, she was maintaining the pace by herself much better than she has in the past and was listenign to me well - not perfectly, but well. She still likes to come in to me when i haven't asked her.

i'd just pulled the gate to, rather than shutting it properly, and a smallish gust of wind blew it open - so she started looking at that but didn't spook.

I found myself wondering if there isn't something wrong with her right eye - because, when she stands, she always looks at me with her left - does not face me straight on as she should - and since i can move her legs where i want, move round, back etc, i did start to wonder....

and whilst i was answering emails just now i nearly burnt dinner! just catching on the base of the pan! oops.

partner's car

wasn't quite the nightmare anticipated, but not far off! and when i eventually got back to the yard, Molly's stable light had popped (and taken the electrics with it, someone had to go find the trip switch and put it right).

so will have to see if someone can get hold of the man tomorrow to get a new bulb in - can't see a thing otherwise. might muck out by the light of the car headlights in the morning....not quite light enough to do without altogether (and i don't get a lot of light in there, unless the sun is exactly right, which it isn't at 0630 in february!)

+70 mhp winds

worse than last week......lorries blown over on the tyne bridge, house blown down at whitley bay! aarrgh. partner has taken my car to newcastle.... and tomorrow her's goes to the dealer to be mended, if possible, that'll be a nightmare as well....

and more

yet more photos

those that paul took yesterday .. as i said, the video he took was at the beginning when we weren't warmed up, and whilst it is hugely better than saturday, it's still crap. but at least i can see it is crap! but interesting nonetheless - I was still doing too much, and I really do think I need my stirrup a hole longer....sorry they're huge here, had to go to photobucket, blogger has a problem tonight with photos! and i wonder why getting on the horse makes me look even bigger? because I'm cockeyed? not sitting up? it's the jacket? i used not to look such a lump! but then.... it's partly a time of life thing with me as well, i think....(my excuse and i'm sticking to it!)

much better today!

for me.

just because i'm not going to show you all the vid of me from yesterday, don't mean i haven't learnt from it. and of course i'm reminded of what i'd got wrong again!

I Think i said i'd decided i'd been having my reins too short again, so today i kept em longer, but still with a contact. I also put the mullen mouth back in...partly just to see!

once I was on (you know, she doesn't actually need her head held, she just needs to know she can't get away so when george walked towards her, having been asked to come help, she stood like a lamb. that was my 5th attempt. George doesn't believe i have any trouble at all :-)) she was easy to get into the arena and we started work - i knew it would take a long time to warm her up, i reckon myself it's about 30 minutes before she really starts accepting (and that is of course an improvement on pre december! or any time pre last summer when i started to get it better....).

After about 5 minutes paul turned up with his camera, which i think he'd brought specially, and has taken some video and stills. the still isn't bad - i've told him to email me the lot - but the vids of course we're still not soft in the jaw etc and i'm not fully relaxed into it. i think sometimes it takes me as long as it does her.

BUT i was getting circles much better than i have been (Natasha did a lot of them yesterday) and changes of rein a lot better, and when she did try to say she'd had enough (by walking into the wall, today!) i used the move the head trick which worked.

after about 30 minutes she was coming really soft and not long afterwards i could feel her back lifting under me, it felt really good.

then we got to a point where i got a soft halt, followed by a soft (no head up to resist, she maintained her position!) up into walk, and another soft halt.

That should, of course, have been the good time to stop. the trouble was, had i tried to get off at that point, i would definitely have landed on the fence! which would have been painful and broken something else.

this morning if you'd been listening carefully you might have heard me banging my head for forgetting that the suberpanel is meant to be used damp .....

now i'm off to put up a myler with hooks on ebay, and a stephens half pad (grey/black, if anyone's interested?)

one more video

this one from the mobile - this is first in time and probably should be looked at before th eones in last nights post:



very poor quality but you get an idea of what went before....

videos

i sometimes wish this camera didn't do sound!

the video of the major tantrum was on the mobile phone and hasn't really worked very well...

a visitor - a good day! video to follow

my friend natasha, who's a much better rider than me (she says not, but she is....has several more horses to ride regularly and trains with, inter alia, the bartles at YRC) came up to ride Molly today at my invitation, we talk about molly all the time and the troubles i have so i said, come up and get on.

so she did.

There is a load of video but it will take forever to up load (broadband? fast? not here!) and i will put it on when it's ready. We also have some video of me, but it's totally awful, for private viewing only (i was doing too much, got trot when i didn't want it, didn't have a bra on....dreadful!) Plus, I hadn't realised I'd shortened the reins up too much again .... and we shouldn't have been trotting of course! this was just after I'd got on so not really got warmed up (Gaynor had my camera to take photos of Charlie's sarcoid for the vet ....and before she went off to do that, decided to video me!)

So, 20 metre circles in walk working on getting her to accept the bit and work through etc - Molly threw her toys out a bit early on, but unfortunatley at that point I only had the mobile phone and the video of it is fairly dire....gaynor had my camera! My heart was in my mouth somewhat, but natasha got her through that and got her working nicely. every now and again molly planted in her favourite way, and Natasha showed me a good way to get her out of it without it getting into overload, which i did video and will put up, it was clever (one of Max's ... - move the head side to side). She was working really well for about 5 minutes, then would plant, then be pushed out of it, and so on ....but by the finish was really smooth and accepting changes of rein without going tense again. At one point she did a really nice leg yield, which i managed to miss with the video (i was conserving battery - new battery in, and by 3/4 hour no battery left...ggrrhh)

so you've got that to look forward to, and i'm reminded that less is more....

and we had our hair done this morning, 3 hours in the hairdressers (colour) - would only have been 2, but hairdresser decided allison needed her highlights doing after all (as well as her roots...) ggrrhh - but i read a lot of podhajsky whilst we were there, so it wasn't wasted time!

oh - but one not so good thing that i could see from being on the ground - the saddle moves slightly laterally on molly's back, not a huge amount, but enough to be noticeable! boo hoo..... :-(

as i said

late meeting. didn't get home till 9 - but went via favourite curry house on the way, so we're well fed!

wind even stronger ... scary. north sea ferry got loose at port of tyne, ended up crashing into an oil rig on the other side of the river!

+50 mph winds

started up this morning - getting blown about the motorway going to work, no better coming home, so no riding.

got the feet picked out though. better tonight than last night. and i worked out how to stop her following me about hte stable so i could get the job done! she of course gets excited because she likes this game!

nothing tomorrow - got an evening meeting! friend coming on saturday, hopefully, to ride Molly and give a second view (this is the one whose partner is a vet...)

a clicker fix

the success for tonight - using clicker training to get her to pick her feet up without trying to kick me in the head - not that she really tries to do that, but her back feet in particular are difficult to do. She had an accident to her near hind in a wagon when she was 3 1/2 (will never pass the vet and you can still see the scars, although she's not lame on it) (same leg she hurt on the wire fence last may...) so she really dislikes picking the foot up on the other side, especially if she's the slightest bit unlevel/it's not flat ground. And there's not much flat ground about, even her stable has a slight slope.

I got them all picked out. I did have to tie her up = otherwise she wanted to follow me round the stable to see what the game was!

So more of that for that task, I think....

this morning, it was -5 when i got to the yard.

tonight, it was +6 when i left (and rising, had been =3 when i got there from work). So she's back in her lightweight rug (with the new vest on!) and i can put my thermal trousers in the wash. that's been one of the best investments of the winter... equigear thermal trouser, with sticky bum seat, from anna dressur on ebay. Highly recommended!

temperature

at the moment, in newcastle, is -9...

ok, so it was unexpected

but what persuaded me to go back to hay, that needs to be soaked, when the temperature is down to -7 overnight and not above 0 during the day? (-1 at lunchtime) granted this is not common over here.....

Mollys new anti rub vest, which i ordered sunday night, arrived today so that will go on in the morning before she goes out. She's my 4th horse, and the 1st one to need such a thing....http://www.bossysbibs.com/ if anyones interested, the feedback is good, as are the before/after pics, so hopefully it does the job and i bought the right size!

so there's no way i'm riding or anything else after dark in this = too horrid. might have been ok during the day, apparently the sun was out, but there are limits to everything, and this is it!

off to check the weather forecast, if it's going to continue like this my very last bale of haylage is going to get opened...(i was going to keep it, it don't go off...)

minus 5

this morning and forecast to be -7 tonight (that's centigrade Jean :-)).

This morning the soaked net i'd left hanging up to drain had frozen - it had thawed out by tonight though. and the tap was frozen. tomorrow night's got soaked then put in the barrow and left inside! (i'm soaking one night what i'll need for the next night). Molly got a heavier rug on... it was supposed to warm up through the day, but i don't think it did and she felt cool tonight, which she doesn't normally.

I lunged her for 10 minutes and by then two fingers on my right hand felt as though they were going to drop off they were so cold... so didn't keep her out as long as I might have. if it keeps this cold, can't see me riding this week at night - doesn't work when it gets so cold you actually can't function!

And jean - I've never had a rodent get into the haylage if it is still wrapped - they'll get into the hay, but not the haylage...

not as good as yesterday

i had to get help to get on. i put the treats on teh wall again, but she wasn't positioned right - my fault - and the second time we tried she was too far away from me, so went round to the barn for a hand.

after that, not too bad - but i think when it's as cold as this its hard to feel the seatbones, they sometimes seize up with cold!

but it was quicker to get molly thinking about it than yesterday.... and she did start to do some nice softer work....at one point we had a really nice halt, she stayed soft for about 2 or 3 minutes - i just thought i'll keep that just there so we can remember the feeling if nothing else!

and the hay ? is being soaked. it was very dusty i realised, and she coughed today (whilst she was eating her soaked net whilst i was grooming her...) so will keep an eye on that. if i have to go back to haylage, so be it ....we'll see how it goes this week.

a good day

a busy day, but a good one (apart from being unable to find holmeside hall arena - thought I'd not need the satnav for that, could see where it should be on the map, but couldn't find it...so didn't see mate & her fiancé do their successful dressage tests).

Molly.

1. let me get on (i put some treats on the wall in front of the mounting block - so she faces the wall and eats the treats whilst i get on, and we can then move off left. Hope that works again next time I try it, which will be tomorrow!)

2. didn't nap away from the arena - i think she half thought about it but didn't, and i was really pleased as, quite apart from not wanting her to, i was wearing "slippy" jodhs - i.e., not my sticky bums - and it was very slippy!

3. was listening to me

And I was pleased with me, as I've FINALLY worked out what is meant, and what one then feels, when slightly weighting a seatbone by putting that foot deeper into the stirrup. AND it works, we went in the relevant direction every time I got it right.

I did about 45/50 minutes in walk, again working on pushing her round turns rather than pulling her round them (i don't know if I'll ever get out of the habit of pulling my inside hand back, though....), and halt/walks - basically the same as earlier this week - and by the end she was starting to soften. still got a ways to go but i feel i'm at least getting the idea and so's she.

and I got my storage cupboards and hay all swopped round, looks a lot better (and of course tidied up as well).

but i MUST get molly one of those vests.....

friday night

headache...

and of course everyone going home early, so no riding. i did give a very passing thought to some groundwork, but it IS friday night and i DID (do...) have a headache...

the plan - and the hay

I'd decided to put Molly back on hay - see how she does, but the haylage, whilst good value, is too difficult in the car, it's ok with a van bought in bulk at the start of the season but given that the haylage is very wet and very heavy, and the hay gets delivered, and is good this year, i decided to go back to that. This meant re-organising my area so as to be able to store the hay NOT under the leaky bit of roof.

I'd been told he was delivering Monday, so i put my order on the board this morning. could move stuff on the weekend.

email at lunchtime - it had been delivered today, and was in the barn.

so the plan had been to ride - the result was, woman-handling 12 bales of hay (4 trips with the wheelbarrow) round the yard from the barn to my storage area. the stuff didn't get re-organised of course, and Molly didn't get anything done with her...

rotherham

was where i went today - that's 100 miles from the office - to see a client. on the way back called at a friend's and discovered i'm going to miss her wedding - they set the day on Friday, and its in the middle of our france holiday. boo hoo.....holiday's al booked up, and in any event we;re house sitting and are relied on .....ah well, will try and get them a nice present, we know where to get rather nice RED champagne, gorgeous!

rode again

had to practice our circles at first, as Liz was lunging at one end (and it's a small arena so they weren't huge circles)..but i was pleased to have to do that, as it forced me to think about what i'm doing. sometimes i end up twisting myself instead of moving the inside seatbone on its own...

after liz had gone we went large and worked on trying to get her to soften. eventually i was doing walk/halt transitions and then moving into 20 metre circles again and she was starting to get there...

then everyone left and i had to get off. i suppose about 1/2 hour or thereabouts? not sure. freezing again...

3/4 hour

ridden work, in walk, in the arena. YAY. one of the chaps came roudn with me, we took a chair, he held her head whilst i got on. and shut the gate so she coulnd't nap out.

She went really well... considering she hadn't been ridden since well before christmas, i was really pleased.

Interestingly, having the suberpanel underneath makes it feel narrower - seems to add a bit of a "twist" feel to the saddle, which i'm not going to argue with.

a very forward walk, i was working on just ensuring my hands/fingers were right, pushing her round corners with my outside leg rather than pulling her round with my inside hand! did some nice half circles (just about lose it on a full circle, but the half voltes are good!)

she's working out the sideways push of the leg, helped by thinking about where to put it!

and we have much more control of her shoulders - no where near what it could be, but compared to what i had pre December, a major improvement.

stopped when the last person in the barn switched the lights off, as after that I'd be on my own.. anyway, it was pretty damn cold!

subject to the weather (and a potential trip to Sheffield on Wednesday, it doesn't look as though the case will settle till we get to the door of the court!) will try and ride if only for 5 minutes a night from now on....

the suberpanel i reserve judgement on for her. she doesn't object to it, but i do need to keep an eye on the fabric underneath. when I had a suberpad under the cheyenne, the fabric wrinkled. having said that, the cork felt looser in that than it does in this...