racehorse to riding horse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

found a new blog to read...

http://hollinhurstrebel.blogspot.com/

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

more groundwork

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

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

skirt

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

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

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

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

still swollen

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

right leg up like a pudding

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

so antibiotics, creams, blah

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

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

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

damp

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

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

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

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

overall, we were very lucky really.

we needed rain

and we got it.

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

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

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

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

looking forward

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

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

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

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

and i MUST go to the feed store...

2 1/2 years

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

it is a good idea.

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

circles? of course.

small circles - reluctantly, but yes.

result.

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

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

london

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

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

Maybe they need some training?

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

wind....

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

yeah.....

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

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

but i was pleased.

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

emergency vet

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

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

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

sudden brainwave

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

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

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

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

who knows, it may be that that sorts it!

frozen , but rode

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

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

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

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

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

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

so turned out a go

friday night again

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

hopefully, nothing will prevent us riding tomorrow!

depressed and p*****d off

that's both of us i think.

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

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

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

bored, depressed and pissed off...

late and cold.....

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

much better....

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

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

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

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

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