equisimulator refresher

went down to wakefield again .... wel worth while. should have taken my own saddle, we'd decided i needed as Nicola had a fhoenix of course, but had i done so we could have set mine up re. the knee rolls. i have small ones, and i was practising with large ones.

stirrups went longer again

and i got the canter

so looking forward to putting that into practice. Plus, nicola said i was a lot straighter than the first time I went, so whatever i'm doing, i'm doing right...

and she's thinking baout whether or not to come up and give me a lesson on molly; could prove pricey for me, it's a fraction under 9o miles each way, but her OH helpfully pointed out that he's from just up the road from me (and used to mountain bike where i used to ride!) so he suggested a useful trip up for him to see mates. i offered to pay a tank of petrol, cheaper than the mileage rate!!!!

on the way down i'd stopped off at richmnond equestrian centre and caught my mate doing her first test (horse popped out of arena in canter, not helpful!) but she got some nice marks from thejudge, and her second test, which i missed of course, she came third in the class. So both horses are nearly qualified for national trailblazers at stoneleigh, so they're pleased

went to see them on the way back, nice lunch in local pub, but made one error .. we should have gone to get her feed before we went to the pub, as her saddler/feed store had a sale on; only in fact got there in time to pick up her feed. but then, i've spent enough.... LOL.

and then she has Richard Maxwell's new DVD, maximise your horse's potential, lots of food for thought there, i was really pleased to see it and will now try again on molly going right, using those techniques which are easier to grasp when seen....

only got home at 8pm .. happily knew i'd be late so organised someone else to bring the horse in.

and it was a gorgeous day ... once the sun came up ... if you were in the sun it was lovely, but apart from that there was a hard frost first thing this morning and there's another one building now, it's coooold out there...

parcel

of goodies to go with the saddle had in fact been sent to the local agent, who far from letterin herself be confined to barracks, is up and about and tonight was taking a clinic on lateral work..... and she'll hav eplates in permanently. I met the dog that did the damage. a labradoodle, golden.

anyway, still the girth to come, but the wintec i'm using at th eminute seems ok, if not quite as non slip as the new one. I shallbe most pleased tobe able to use the leathers & stirrups; adapting ordinary leathers to work when you should have dressage leathers is seriously uncomfortable.

so since i didn't leave work until 50 minutes after finishing time, all molly got was her tea...

45 minutes

on molly for that length of time, happily there were people about which was good.

it's been a really nice day here, almost spring (well, you'd have thought...) and the evening was just as good.

we did some trot and a lot of walk. i concluded i needed the leathers down one again....

i was thinking about my position again, but also about getting molly responsive to me, which meant i had to think about where my weight was. at one point we almost got a lateral move .... i've never been totally sure she understands them .... and a fair few small circles as well.

overall i was quite pleased....

interestingly, after i got off i thought i'd run the stirrups up .. guess what, no i can't go round to her right side to do that whilst we're in the arena.... duh.

safety

after monday which i was reasonably happy with, i've been reminded of the safety issues involved in riding at night when everyone's gone home and there's no one at home to notice that you haven't come home..

it's a long time since i've had to think about that,but i'm having to this week.
shame, the weather's lovely - really warm, no wind (barely a breeze).....

but some things aren't worth the risk, i don't think (maybe it's an age thing.....)

spring

is not sprung, but it was warm enough for us all to feel as though it was.

it was so nice tonight, no wind, no rain, full (well, nearly full) moon, clear sky, i decided to get on; only did 20 minutes (wasn't going to stay on when everyone else had gone, and no one waiting for me at home!) and had to get a hand to get on as of course she woulnd't stand still... but at least she THOUGHT about it tonight!!!

i was starting to get the trot, but she sets off in such a rush i lose it again ... not assisted by the stirrup buckle bashing into my shin, of course. but we were doing better on circles and i nearly got a little bit of lateral work (which i did ask for... i do tend to forget the aids though .... must re-read up on it)

overall i was pleased, better than sunday anyway!!!

um ...

think i possibly need to be hacking out more.

it was too windy at the start. gaynor & i decided to go in the arena. that wasn't easy ... it's quite a small arena and i wanted to carry on getting used to the saddle/getting my position right in walk trot, whilst gaynor just wanted to do what she was doing (which involved lots of canter circles on both reins....).. I stopped to put my stirrups up a hole. I'm using my ordinary leathers but with the buckle at the bottom, and the buckle dug into my shin on one side. But I did start to get the trot better. then we decided to go for a short potter out, with a littel bit of trot. and my rising trot was somehow a lot better out than it had been in. that's why i think maybe i need to be hacking out. but madam molly decided to whip round before we got to where we were going (only the ford; the bend just before it she often takes exception to) and i wasn't expecting that as she normally will just follow on.... didn't come off, but didn't do me a lot of good. so we trotted back with me concentrating on slowing the rise and trying to get her to trot properly instead of the sewing machine trot she does when she's trying to rush back..

hoo, that was a long paragraph.

And I must see if i can get the yorkshire agent to come up; think i need some adjustments in teh shimming department (and i can't see where they go) (or possibly the other panels which haven't arrived yet but are promised soon). I'm seeing her saturday, so will ask then... decided that's a better plan than a phone call..

new jersey

jean, i saw this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5067912.stm

and thought of you ....

do you get many round your way? (bears, that is, not ginger toms.....LOL)

sunshine

it was a gorgeous day .... regular heatwave outside molly's stable door! but once you were out of the sun, not quite.. but blue skies, no rain, no gales.

So why didn't i get on?

I dunno ... well, i do, it took ages to find some stirrup leathers, having sold the barefoot ones and still waiting for the hm ones to arrive .... remove entire contents of box, give some stuff away, re pack box. the leathers were the mouldy lengths. goodness knows how they got mouldy when everything else in there wasn't (leather head collar, a few other bits and bobs ...). time i'd done that, got half way through getting the mud off, the farrier arrived. and i still had haylage to get. so i thought i'd lunge, just using the BB.

I give up. I will not lunge ordinarily again. in future, if i want to do ground work, she gets two lines to the bit, with both through the roller rings. it's the only thing that works (at least, until i can get her seen by richard maxwell, that's the plan for the summer, he might have some thoughts/solution).

So essentially i shoudl have put it all together and ridden, and not bothered with the lunging. but also it had been a while what with the weather, so i thought it was a better idea.

couldn't loose school as someone else was using the arena as well (also meant i couldn't have the more major debate on the subject we normally do, there wasn't the room and the other person was in fact giving a lesson to a beginner..... )

the haylage involved borrowing landrover from instructor and putting as many bales in as it would take ... 5, given its an SWB. and the drivers seat wouldn't be moved forward, it's been fixed in place, so that was painful... could feel it in my lower back by the time i got back. but kind of her to let me use it (normally her OH delivers for free - it's him i buy from) when you buy off him, but he was away ... so no pick up either.) and by then it was getting on and a LONG time since breakfast as well ...

Simba went out for the first time today .... and went straight UP the canadian maple we have in our garden, I WILL HAVE THAT BIRD he was saying to himself. i left him to it, he came back. but I must try and take a photo. he was out along branches and all sorts... but he does blend in to the tree bark a bit.

cold

but a day off tomorrow, which i will spend all day rushing round like a paper kite...

simba has now conceded that i can hug him and he will purr not hiss...

winter is here?

well, almost. snowing but not lying where i am but getting colder, and windy again. can't see any riding getting done for a few days. Molly's happy just to be fed & watered, and who can blame her. but a tad too wet of an evening to think about grooming, so just check her over and say hello and answer the demand for tea!

the good news is twofold. the saddle is now paid for so i can now start paying the payments (well, i suppose that's good and bad); and simba has decided to stop hissy fitting, has started purring, and tonight has spent some time on my knee, purring (then decided walking over the desk was good, but that was to be expected, so long as he doesn't start trying to type!).

so he's settling in.

now, all we need do is get friday (vet) day over and he can start going out. think he'll ust about know where he lives, and the tom tendencies will be subsiding.

think the birdlife won't be too pleased though... old tiger didn't have the energy, and blackie's too fat (always is in the winter, and takes all summer to reduce)

earlybird

had to be up at 0415 this morning to get partner to the airport at 0500.... did it. amazing how busy the roads were, wagons setting off early, but we made record time there and i made record time back to the yard. molly and blake went out super early - about 0530, and blake had no company. I'm sure he survived. but at least i had breakfast in the house, which made a change!!!!

coming on to snow . but it isn't going to lie... on the way home; wasn't planning on riding anyway.. need to sort out some leathers, having sold the ones that went with the cheyenne and the ones i've ordered to go with the fhoenix havne't arrived.

and think i'm going to have to ring teh yorkshire agent (to whom I am going for an equisimulator session anyway) to some up and check out my set up. can't think of anything else to do, really ... and that's a 170 odd mile round trip.

got to ride

amazing... the wind died down, the sun came out, it was nippy but it was nice.

again, just in the arena, practising my trot ... need to get my legs right. think i need leathers a shade shorter at the moment.

it was a bit difficult as gaynor was lunging charlie.... he was going too fast, really, and we had to work one end of the arena.. it's quite small.

i realised i'd been thinking about my seat so much my hands had gone pear shaped .. not so much in terms of fingers, more that very slight movement to point direction, oops, confusing her. no wonder our circles etc. weren't working.

anyway, did ok, but i do need to go back on the equisimulator. need to slow and lower my rise some more...

the bad news, the local fhoenix agent has broken her leg in two places.. so the email i sent her asking her to come out andcheck the set up, whether i need shims, whatever, is going to fall on deaf ears atm. and i gather she's a bit older than i'd thought she was .... and i only got on set of panels, the others still to come, and i've a feeling its the ones i haven't got that i need.

the hot water bottle makes a big difference though...

welcome simba

new kitten, 6 months old... went down to fetch him today.

isn't he gorgeous.

this one is after he'd been in the house about 1/2 hour









and this one is as he'd just got out of the carrier and was coming into the house from the conservatory...







the older black lad we still had after Tiger went is a bit disconcerted - and doesn't understand the concept of play, we don't think. ooops.

it was an awful drive down.

the gales were blowing, i was down to 60 mph on the motorway when i usually max to the limit. and I was oh so nearly written off altogether by the tractor unit of a wagon ... there's a place on the road down, single carriageway, 50 mph limit because of a bad bend -- tractor unit came the other way round said bend, doing about 65 or so i would think, and in consequence was on the wrong side of the road. the language was choice, and I was oh so pleased I wasn't maxing it to even 50 there! or i wouldn't be here ....; ditto that he didn't have anything on the back! i was going slowly enough to be able to react and pull slightly to my left without totally losing it but I was bricking it and so, I think, was the chap in the car behind me who had a clear view as well..... shook for the next 5 miles ... essentially till i got to where i was going.

and as for molly - i clearly wasn't going to be riding her in that lot i thought. So we left the cats to get to know each other, and went to the local town and then went down to muck out/bed up/get molly in. it was dire as we were doing our messages ... but we got down the yard, the wind had dropped.... i could in fact have ridden. but partner wouldn't have been too impressed by that, and molly was anyway pretty wet, would have taken ages to dry the mud enough to get the bridle on. so she got brought in very early, and was left with loads to eat and a new bed...

weather

has gone mad.

snow in malibu!!!! ice storms in the US south!!! warm in washington, new jersey (jean!) etc; howling gales and deaths in most of the UK, my bit of it gets off really lightly.... who knows why?

Connie Lawn, a white house correspondent, does a piece for our local radio station in Newcastle on a Friday night; she reckons our climate si worse than that in the US? can't believe that...

i was thinking tonight driving home how little attention the horses get inthe winter compared to spring/summer/autumn.... between the lack of light, lack of indoor, and weather, there's no chance of keeping anything going consistently for most of us.

the news on the lame mare is good - she's pottering about - she has a stable with a gated front yard with it, so she can get herself a bit of exercise. she's 26, so whether she recovers enough to be ridden again is an interesting question... owner will be content if she's happy which is all any of us can want .... i was really relieved it was only a tendon, as honeslty, when i first clocked her, i really thought she'd broken it (and so did the others who came to help get her in, i think!).

anyway, whether i get any riding done this weekend is a function of the weather, so that new saddle might well just sit there for a bit!!!!!

slept in again...

well, not only did i sleep in but spent 10 minutes extra inthe house sorting out the laptop to take to work; i'd left it downloading a programme that took longer than i thought, and when i came back to it this morning to install it it said i can't without sp2... which i haven't got, WGA thinking that my genuine XP isn't....

so molly & blake got chucked out and that was it, and kirsty & I were both mucking out at a late hour, me round the horse! happily, someone had brought her in, which was good.....

howling gales the rest of the country (including teesside, where i work) but durham where i live was an oasis of calm ... just as well, sounds dreadful)

and there had been snow last night! just about the first of the winter, cars in durham with snow on them this morning...

winter is arriving

there was snow in the rain today and it's forecast for the weekend... still, so far we've got off lightly.

Jean, thanks for the tip re pelham; in a way i'm frightened to try it, but i will. RI won't show me.... old school a bit on that i think. but isn't it typical .... new saddle to get into and the weather's too bad to ride... hey ho. I've even given in and put the heavier rug on .... hope she doesn't over heat, she's very difficult to get the rugging right, just like her ma.

cats....

here's blackie, the other one; new kitten gets picked up saturday, and hopefully i'll be able to book him at the vets the following friday when i've got day off anyway.... he's supposed to be on a diet now there's only him...

i've got a load more cat photos elsewhere, of the various cats i've had over the years....

i knew she didn't want to do anything

as soon as i brought her in.

but the weather was still and dry - if b*****y freezing! needed my fleecy chaps on!

the hot water bottle did the biz warming the saddle up ... immediately comfy. and I could really feel her moving, the back legs coming through, so that's an improvement. I did think about trying trot but she wasn't happy and i wasn't happy i had my legs quite right (think the saddle slipped a touch, despite someone holding it, needthe proper girth to arrive...)

and then second time we went past the arena gate, which was open, i didn't anticipate the dive for it quickly enough ... duh. but, whilst she did try to nap back to the stable, she didn't get as far as she normally does, i did turn her round through the yard (startled by the sight of a dark shadowy horse, let her off with that one!!!) and then back trhough, but she still wouldn't go back in the arena so i eventually got off and led her in, if only on the basis that she was going to go in there.

she's started getting unhappy in her mouth again... might be me, but we might be back to the bit issues we had before.

i want to try the pelham but still can't find anyone to show me how to use two reins/that bit effectively and properly. do'nt want to end up with a worse issue that i already had....

and in the meantime we think we're getting a new kitten - 6 months, a woman in the office building i work in, her daughter is allergic to it. perfect age, already house trained, what more can one want? we'd need to get it neutered (it's a tom, so all the more reason!) but apart from that sounds ok.

more gales

and i was very tired - comes of staying up late reading a book, always a mistake! - so didn't do anything save get her in.

forecast for frost but no wind, i can live with that - but those ice storms in the states sound horrendous.

the old mare apparently has a tendon .... which was expected to go up like a pudding overnight, but hasn't. and that leg isn't insured .... oops. previous incident apparently. but she's fine in herself, eating etc, just struggling to move.

stopped in our tracks

by someone else's lame horse

i'd bought a hot water bottle to warm the saddle, but the entire estate had no electricity ..

anyway, got tacked up, got on, went into the arena, stopped to talk to someone who it turned out is saving up for a phoenix, started walking round, walking down the long side looking up and saw the mare suzie trying to follow the other horses and failing miserably - only half a step from half across the field, but didn't look right at all ..

so took molly up to the barn to call a couple of people out i knew were there, caroline walked up with a headcollar to get suzie in - she was hopping, looked as though it was both front and back .

i put moly away and untacked and went back to help, had to keep the field gate open and i had to shoo the other horses away. got on the phone - i didn't have owner's number but did have her friend's, and she rang owner whilst i rang the vet.

whatever it was she'd done, i think she did it when they were all hoolying about not long after i arrived; somone had a fall and there were two loose horses, which set them all off, and the high probability is that suzie hurt herself then.

Whilst I'm pleased I spotted her when i did, it's a shame I didn't spot her in the first place ... but then, i wouldn't as you can't see the field from the yard, only from the arena/barn

the vet hadn't arrived when i left, but the owner had

hope it is only a sprain; she's getting on a bit, that mare, late 20's i'm fairly sure i was told.

so molly got off really lightly.

the saddle felt a lot better as it warmed up under me of course. and i dropped the leathers a hole, my position felt really good. It's amazing how this saddle forces me to sit up

you will sit in the correct position

is what the new saddle is telling me ... which is, of course, one of the things i wanted!

i do need to get a hot water bottle .. it was like a board when i first got on. of course it does have to mould to both of us....

i think i had it a bit far back.

and it definitely slipped as i got on (someone holds her head, but not many think to do it from the offside and hold the stirrup as well!!!)

stirrups too short in consequence of being put in the correct position, but too much hassle to sort out whilst onboard.

she wasn't wonderfully happy, but that was in her mouth - rather think she's unhappy at contact, which she always is, and of course as i was getting used to the saddle wasn't really working hard at getting myself right.

did a lot of walk work, just in the arena - there was a few going out for a hack, but to me it made more sense to get used to new saddle before hacking out on it, especially as there was 5 of them without me!

and we got the best of the day - i checked out the weather forecast at about 730 this morning, and it said it would be calm this morning but get gales again in the afternoon, and they were so right...

and we've had some wind damage - not much in the scale of things, but enough to warrant a call to the insurance company - the vent pipe for the drain has come away from the wall in the wind, there's a huge hole in the wall where the fixings came away ... ah well, that's what insurance is for. just pleased we had the new roof last year, don't think the old one would have survived...

saddle part 2

it arrived. it actually arrived before i left the office last night, but i was at our other office and no one told me there was a parcel there for me ... so that was a mega surprise this morning! YAY. and I rang up, i can use it .... and the good thing is i can work out which size girth I want before that gets sent ...

but the gales are worse than ever, AND we had no light at the yard - had to leave my car lights on to see what i was doing, and will have to again in the morning, AND molly had been left out on her own, much to her distress and mine. I am getting SO hacked off with that.

She won't be getting mucked out in the morning if I can't see what i'm doing ....

oops

we all cocked up on the saddle front - me and the arranger for not spotting the difference in figures, and the bank ditto .... so we have to start again.

in the meantime, a saddle with my name on it is sitting waiting for the money

duh.

molly's well and unworked.

thought about it last night but rashly had put the hay straign into the haybar, as the forecast was to be a lot worse than it in fact was. there was no way she was going to stop eating.

and tonight got really held up at work and ended up at the yard in my suit.... happily had a mack to put over, and had also asked kirsty to get her in (she had to ring me this morning, having slept in - we're all having a good time, time wise!)

anyway, ebay has a 10p listing day tomorrow, so i guess i should put the cheyenne up...

slept in ...

this morning, only had time to tip molly out, and blake for kirsty... so had to muck out round her tonight, AND she'd been left out on her own again .... duh.

a few degrees warmer where i am at home, than at work 25 miles south ... and no wind at home when it was blowing hard at work....

blogging this from the laptop, neither blogger nor the bbc is showing up properly and if i wanted to post a photo i wouldhave to do it from the pc... very odd.

jean, i think the long line is what you're teaching from a major distance!!!!

she's a c**

Tonight I thought I'd try ordinary lunging . the thinking being that if she's going right with two lines, she should with one .

Not.

had to get someone to help put the side reins on, she still wouldn't do what i wanted, so i set her left, and she started backing up and thinking about going up. Bollocks....

so i went back, got hte other rein, and took her back round and got her going right with two reins. which she did nicely ...

ggrrhh..

and my foot is killing me. that arena is too deep really, and i can't wear my ariat boots as i end up with a boot full of arena ..

i shall save up and have her seen by richard maxwell .. she needs that sort of specialist assistance, as clearly do it.

but the weather is good (about 11 or so degrees), got the apple tree pruned and all the prunings shredded, so that's a job jobbed. think we might take one central branch out next weekend as well, couldn't quite make my mind up about it today ...

RIP Tiger

Tiger was my cat .. had him since early 91, I think (it was either 90 or 91 ...); anyway, for weeks and months now he's been chucking up, with more or less frequency. whilst i was off sick and over christmas, we foudn he was doing much better on little and often and the vomiting was a lot less. Of course, we went back to work, and he started chucking up more.

so we took him to the vet this morning .. turned out he had a tumour in the tum ... I'd a feeling he wouldn't be coming home (indeed, we knew last year that when we took him we probably wouldn't be fetching him home).... and i was right, we didn't.

Vet said could have put him on steroids, but what's the point? at that age, it would only have prolonged the inevitable.

he went out purring to the end - was a bit miffed at us trying to keep his paws down, but carried on purring

gone in seconds, way to go.

my partner said he'd had a much better death than her dad, who died in february having been kept alive on ventilators etc for a fortnight...

(edited to add photos ....)
These were taken recently. The one with the bone was Boxing day. We'd had lamb on the bone, and decided to give the bone to the cats onthe basis it might tempt tiger to eat ... which it did, he loved it. And the other one was this last week, wednesday. The ones of him as a kitten were before the days of digital cameras!

as for Molly ... Jean, we tried the two rein lunging with the reins through the top rings on the roller.

started off with long lining round the arena both directions - but htat was AFTER i'd had to get someone to hold her head whilst I clipped the long lines to her bit!!! doh. Think we wil have to long line out of the stable....

any way did that, then we ventually got her going on left circle (after a turn in and a tangle, which i worked out how to get out of ...) and then later on right, in trot.

partciularly pleased as Gaynor brought Charlie in and was riding him roudn the outside of us.

She did get a bit strong, and I'm not totally sure my hands were as good as they should be, will need to re-read the book (i've got sylvia loch's, and i've got a video on the subject by a swede whose name i can't remember).

but she was acccepting the contact ... which is goot ... and looked quite good!

and had to get my car brakes mended as well...

gales ...

no point even thinking about trying to do anything last night and tonight ... gales .... full moon, but howling gales.

and apart from that i'm not doing anything save vegetating in front of the telly.... and touring forums and other blogs ....

ground work

thought it was time we did some ground work .. so thought i'd try two rein lunging and see how we got on. last time, we got on badly as I couldn't get the reins set up to go either way due to her refusal to let me go to her right side....

tonight i conned her to start and managed to set it up and get her going to the right, yay. managed to get the offside rein caught under the pad i put under the roller, but never mind, better than flapping round her ankles.

also tried turning her, and succeeded in long lining all the way round the arena twice, on right rein. also at one point had the beginnings of a half pass - whichwas all very well, but i didn't know i'd asked for it and it was too close to a corner anyway.

but when it came to set it up to go left .... which of course means reorganising the reins .... i couldn't get her to let me round her right side at all.

duh.

so i gave up. yes ok i shouldn't, but there's limits to how long i am prepared to stand there since it only results in my losing my temper

i did wonder if next time i should just set it up and long line directly out of the stable. i think if i do that i'd better have someone there, as it would be not good if that went pear shaped. but it might be the way forward. a

anywhere except the arena, i can go to her right side.

friend of mine has richard maxwell coming out ... on thursday, though, and there's no way i can take the day off work, just having gone back after new year. good to know he's well enought to be back working though. i would LOVE to have Molly have a session with him, woudl do her and me the power of good.

friend is going to video the session though, so it'll be interesting to watch that...

back to schooling...

the wind was horrid this morning, so rode this afternoon, did some schooling. gaynor had to help me get on, molly has turned back into a right cow about standing still (she won't, again.... thought we'd cracked that one...)

so i was going for my position again, and kept getting in gaynors way, but did get myself sorted out ... found myself jamming my feet to o far into the stirrups, but by the finish i was getting there a lot better... mind i did have my fleece lined chaps on, which are a shade slippy

looking forward to the new saddle....

derwentwater (keswick, lake district)

I did remember to take my camera; here are some views over derwentwater.

this first one is from Friar's Crag through the trees











This has turned out slightly better than I expected...













And this clearly isn't derwentwater - it's on the shore, the soil around the roots of these trees has been washed away over the years and makes an interesting effect with the roots....

keswick & gales ...

yesterday in keswick ... it did stop raining, happily after we'd eaten, and we had a good potter about, along the lake, loads of brent geese, a heron (too far away to get a decent photo of that) and a norwegian sweater shop with a sale on ... still pricey, and we shouldn't have bought the sweaters that we did, but they are good. we bought one each, and the friends we were with bought one each, then another! and were given a hat ...

this morning we had another ride out - 5 of us altogether - she was still good, so i was pleased - but very cold, the wind got up after we set off and i didn't have enough layers on ... oh dear. and the wind got worse after we got back, so we definitely chose the right time to ride!

windy....

first time for weeks...

rode out with a couple of the others, short and windy! and molly was good again ... save for getting on. she ws even good when her exercise sheet blew off, ddin't want to turn round to let me put it back on again ....

then went to allendale to see and pay for queenie's keep, had breakfast on the way ..... useful thing, a croissant...

then visited several saddlers and replaced the troxel hat that got broken in july

then to the metrocentre (biggest shopping mall in the country, jean! just up the road from us) but only visited a couple of shops and starbucks for coffee - there was a plan there, the airport is not far up again and it was pointless going home (south) to go to the airport (north), then to another shop then to the airport in time to pick my ma up

her plane was late; her suitcasehadn't arrived ... duh.

nearly 9 pm by the time i got home, via our favourite curry house for takaway..

phew.

and it was teeming down when i finally came home as well.

tomorrow partner wants us to have an awayday, which is fair enough we haven't had one for a while....

frosty ride

this morning, being as how i was there and the others were too, i went out for a ride with paul & julie; it was FREEZING and mist was forming on the river, but it was sunny. A long walk - along to the ford, through to the field, up holme hill (the rest of the world think blast up there, i don't believe in always blasting in the same place! and anyway we only wanted a walk) back round, across the road, along, back across, down the track back to the ford and home. Molly didn't put a foot wrong.

I really wished I'd had the camera though. it was gorgeous.

then had to go back at lunchtime (vet came to do booster jab, shoudl have been done last friday) so all in all i went to the yard 3 times.

if i get up in the morning i'll go out again with julie & kirsty...

i should have believed the weather forecast

and ridden or whatever this morning.

got down to the yard, got her in, groomed her, tacked up, spoke to a couple of people about a couple of things, took the haylage away, put the bridle on - and the heavens opened.

i'd planned to lunve as we hadn't done that for a bit. decided against it. even with waterproof exercise sheet on, i'd stil have had a lot of horse to dry, which isn't a useful way to spend time on a cold wet wednesday...

hi viz ...

rode out the way i had to walk her yesterday - i was done up like a christmas tree and gaynor wasn't .... she realised how important this was when we got to the top of the track and out onto the road... it had got a lot duller in the space of 10 minutes, i could be seen and she couldn't .... we cut short the original plan and went back fairly sharpish along the road (sharpish mostly in walk, charlie's quarter sheet came undone and gaynor had to try and do it all back up whilst on the horse!!!) and when we did trot i lost my stirrups, couln't keep the right leg down and a sewing machine trot....

but at least we rode what she woulnd't ride yesterday....

christmas day ride

not as successful as last year. she only got so far, following partner, when she stopped and wouldn't move forward wanted togo back. to be fair, i think half of it was a really odd noise that we could all hear, like an electrical whine, very bizarre. but i didn't want to get her to throwing herself on the ground in a tantrum and didn't want to let her go back. so i got off and led. which is tedious as i can't get back on again ... so i got exercised as well. did half the ride i'd originally planned, and thank goodness it was christmas day (back along a a country road - i ahd my hi viz jacket on!!!!). when we got back, i did some work in teh arena, and feel as though i'm getting there with the rising trot ... and i rather think nicola was right, the cheyenne tries to put you in a chair seat ...i'll do better with the fhoenix & knee blocks i think!!! getting there, anyway.

all done by 4 pm, now cooking our dinner ... duck breasts with roast veg.... yummy ... but partner hasn't done the mulled wine so no nice wine gravy...

by the by - was far too tired yesterday recovering from friday!

muscles

don't always remember where they are meant to be.... i was back to trying very hard to keep my right leg where it belonged.

i was non the leess pleased. a bit hunched up through the cold, which didn't do huge amounts for me, had to keep remembering to sit up. when it worked, it worked.

i did a fair amount of trot; she sets off quite quickly then i have to think about slowing my rise down and making it more subtle; when it get it, it's good.

and now she's got back to to much arguing with the bit. i think it's in the process of accepting it - she will eventually - and she's working on a better way of going herself ... but she needs to stop playing with her bit.

and we wrapped it up with a walk through the yard to the geldings field (after managing to open the arena gate) with virtually no attempt to nap back to the stable and i took her back to the arena gate to get off. don't want her to learn that i get off at the stable ..

will try to ride out tomorrow; like to ride on christmas day, partner comes out on foot...

560 miles

from when i filled the car up last night to getting home tonight .... knackered....

but in the scale of things it was a good run, left mothers (she's about 17 miles north west of me) at about 7 a.m, dropped her at heathrow terminal 3 at 12.05 ... including two stops. A fairly decent run down, despite the patchy fog, largely, i think due to the fact that loads of people were off work. Also, i'd expected a huge jam to get into the airport, but there wasn't one.

getting back wasn't quite so good ... M1 northbound roadworks and an accident, so i did a diversion that included getting fuel (for the car and me!) and a 40mph trip in the fog back to the M1 cross country. i was really pleased I'd put the sat nav in the car - Milton Keynes wihtout one is a nightmare (I know, i did it in the dark one night without .... eugh).

The fog cut in with a vengeance then, so 50 mph to north of leicester (being passed by all sorts of pillocks going too fast), cleared, then cut in again north of Leeds for most of Yorkshire ... a fair way at 50/55 (sometimes slower, and again being passed by aforesaid idiots!). the one thing about fog, it minimises glare from cars coming the other way ..

back home by just after 7 pm .... pretty impressive.

but, as i said, knackered...

no longer

tried the stirrups a hole longer again, but that didn't work at all.... just a bit too long. but it feels a bit short otherwise. will have to fiddle with it.

and didn't do quite as well as yesterday - apart from anything else, took 15 minutes to get on and then had to get jimmy to hold her.... duh.

there are no domestic flights to/from heathrow. mother was booked to fly to heathrow from newcastle .... she can still do her international flight from heathrow, but guess what i'm doing? 300 mile drive to heathrow and back.... horrid. happily, we have friends in perivale, so if i really am not fit to drive home, i should be able to stay there (if they're in...)

i am not looking forward to that at all ....

putting it into practice

the stirrups went down two holes.... i think they'll go down another tomorrow.

result was - i couldn't QUITE get the feel i wanted in the trot, but it was a damn sight easier to keep her going, right rein especially .

She didn't really want to do anyting much at all . it was cold, should have put exercise sheet on and I rather think something went awry under the saddle ... but we did do some nice work and the trot on that rein was a lot better.

I was working on just trying to get my rise as low and slow as possible ... it wasn't quite low enought, hence the need to drop the stirrups another hole .. and in consequence wasn't quite as slow as i wanted, but as i say once i was very nearly there i needed no leg at all to keep her going.

And i didn't lose a stirrup.

YAY.

methinks it'll be better in the new saddle.

I don't think the cheyenne puts me in a chair seat, but i think it's easy to fall into it unless you work on not doing so.

i think tomorrow, unless it thaws, i'll be wearing my fleecy lined chaps .... it was cold. but at least i was full of lunch; went to the chippy in spennymoor (it has a restaurant attached, it opened the year before i was born and is still going strong) with partner ... i'd been there anyway for the dentist. Realised that the cobblers was still there... took the boot in .. he thinks he can fix the zip without having to put a new one in ... YAY.

and rashly went to the saddlers at thinford ... wooly hat (left mine in yorkshire yesterday, oops) and pro choice trimmer/clippers .... which i'd been debating for a while, and since our jointly owned clippers have to go back as they're broken, and after hearing manypeople say these are pretty good for rechargables, decided to go for it.. me, made of money? no made of debt, OUCH. should stop really... or may be loads of stuff up on ebay, more to the point!!!!!

equisimulator

today i went to wakefield for a lesson on the "rider powered" equisimulator there .... different. (if anyone want to know about them, go to www.enlightenedequitation.com and follow the links...)

by "rider powered" - you are on it and it goes if you make it go properly by using your seat. if you get it wrong, you either bounce or it stops.

It can simulate trot and canter (and really walk, in that some of the time i was practicing "walking my seatbones" to get a feel of what they should be doing).

It took ages, and a MUCH longer stirrup length (about where i thought i should be, or even a shade longer) than people keep insisting i ride with, but I DID get the rising trot right. I knew it was meant to be barely a rise, and knew i'd got it odd times on the horse ... what i meant was, it was even subtler than i thought, and i'd only partly got it on the horse....

gave up trying for the canter .....

the machine squeaks, and essentially the squeaks are in a regular rythm, and you slow and slow until you're right...

hard to explain really unless you're on it, and no doubt others would have a different way of describing it.

at least, nicola said I didn't squash her hand!!!!!! which was good.

the simulator had an SBS on it; I am so looking forward to my fhoenix!!!!

Molly, I hope, will appreciate my efforts - hopefully i'll be able to get on her tomorrow!! one thing is for certain, my stirrups are getting a lot longer ....

Nicola did wonder if the cheyenne was putting me in a chair seat - i don't think so, I've been working hard NOT to be in a chair seat .. but bearing in mind that my instructor had me sitting upright in trot rather than slightly leaning forward, and with a short stirrup, it's entirely possible.

fog

all day.

horrid.

did all the christmas cards though so felt very good with myself, even if strictly the post office won't guarantee delivery now....

went for feed and some shavings, saw a friend i hadn't seen in ages, told teacher about the new saddle, drove home inteh dark and fog - horrid, 30 mph all the way, couldn't see hand in front of face and cornering was interesting - trying to remember where the corners are, and metaphorically feeling ones way to them... there'll be some accidents tonight!

loose horses ... on a road

nowhere near the yard - but gaynor, who'd been intending to ride out with me, spent 1 1/2 hours catching loose horses near where she lives - well, firstly trying to ensure they stayed on the patch of waste ground she'd herded them to, she couldn't leave her car as she had the bairn, then when the police arrived they didn't know what to do so she left them to mind the bairn whilst she caught the horses and put them back where they'd come out of (a broken down gate, who'd knocked the gate down being an interesting question.) this on a main road, and the passing traffic just carried on by, at speed, without a care for themselves or the horses.. typical.

so by the time she did get to the yard she was knackered.... and i've just remembered we forgot i wanted my back support back...duh.

anyway, whilst i was waiting and before i knew why i was waiting i tidied molly's mane up with the solo comb, that'll last a while now, and then eventually rode in the arena again. managed to stay on the stool whilst molly did a few small circles round me till she decided she'd stand, but did get off a coule of times - it's a small stool and if you teeter you're off, which i hate as the left foot still hurts even landing on the arena surface. but did get on on my own, YAY.

and then she did some really nice trot. (and some nice walk, but i think she overbends in walk .. better that than stargazing and we will get that right eventually).

I'm managing to keep both feet in the stirrups which is helping a lot!

i think next time i'll do more walk/trot transitions...

freezing again i think. left the thinner rug on, not sure yet when to change rugs ... may be a lot to be said for the thick rug overnight and the thin one when she's out ... will have to see how she goes and how she feels in the a.m. but she's certainly warm when she comes in...

good weather!

well it was pretty cold (compared to recently) but sunny and calm and not raining or anything horrid at all, so was able to RIDE. Thought that was pretty amazing really considering i hadn't been on her for over a week and the last thing we did was lunge last sunday (and, btw, discovered i'd left lunge whip and long lines in the arena, they were still there, very very wet...eugh.)

But she was pretty well behaved. got a hand to get on, but at least i managed to stay on the stool whilst she walked round me LOL.

again working on my position, you can tell when it's right as she walks on better etc. I must start wearing my velcro stock again, it's amazing how much support it gives my neck (which is killing me this afternoon, partner had me helping put up christmas lights in the maple in the garden, which means looking up, which hurts, dammit).

And we got some really nice trot.

Teacher had said I should sit upright when trotting, but that's wrong.... it felt wrong at the time, so i leant slightly forward and that was heaps better - i was with her, not against her.

but towards the end she started having a minor paddy (very minor,but still a paddy) in that she kept wanting to turn to the gate. I had thought about riding through the yard again, but decided against it. I thought i'd done pretty well by then, and with the pain in neck (and right shoulder, goodness only kows what i've done with that to make it hurt like it does again....) i decided an argument wasn't what a wanted!

and then on the way home went for my sunbed session and the zip on the back of my riding boots broke. very annoying - mountain horse sport rider, not cheap, very comfortable especially ow they're broken in ... ggggrrrrhhh. Will see if i can get a new zip in, but have a feeling that what passes for a cobblers these days won't be able to help...

the shoulder - have had three falls on both shoulders (i.e., 6 falls altogether), first one in the bath at my ma's when i was 18, the rest off horses. either way, both are knacked, but don't usually hurt during the day....

dosed to the eyeballs with ibuprofen tonight then..

new saddle is in hand, finance sorted out, getting all excited. need a couple of boxes to parcel up the old ones ready for sale, but think i'd better leave that to after christmas .. no one wil have any money left at the minute.

a sign of old age

is when you get a letter saying come for a breast cancer screening - I'm now on the list and qualify for regular screening. letter waiting for me when i got home, and the appointment is first day back afer the holidays, so shall have to try and get it re-arranged. Still, at least over here we have the NHS with that sort of provision for free.

Should be ok, no history of BC in my family that i'm aware of - other things, but not that!

Had to ask someone to get Molly in tonight, knew i'd have to work later ... and i was right. and i still had to bring some work home...

subsided

the wind, that is... but it was raining, so couldn't even get the mud off as it was wet...

hey ho.

but it's warm, and hopefully will be ok for the weekend...

gales

i thought the weather was bad earlier in the week, tonight takes the biscuit. gale warnings from the met office - don't think we need them, lorries being blown over everywhere, a portable building blown off a lorry on the A1(m) (that's the main motorway from the south, it's the only motorway from the south) and they finished closing hte entire thing for about a 20 mile stretch, htere were so many accidents.

i had to ring up and ask kirsty to fetch molly in when i came to a halt behind about 2 miles of traffic. turned out there were some roadworks as well and it cleared quicker than i expected, but horrid. makes me bad tempered, gets under the horses tails, hopefully no trees blow down that haven't already ... have visions of not being able to get to the yard tomorrow if that happens, one road i go down is very bendy with loads of trees to the right, and one came half down a couple of weeks ago, council had to come out on a sunday to sort it....

partners gone christmas shopping and i'm not allowed to go as she's getting something for me; she thought it would be quiet at the metrocentre if the weather was as bad as it is.... mmm.

and as for Molly? pleased to be in, wanted to know where her tea was, not too hyper considering...the muck heap was blowing away in the direction of her stable....

at least its a bit sheltered down there. the last yard i was at, all the rooves blew off two winters ago and we had to turn the horses out 24/7 until they got mended. they were better off outside than in in that weather (it is at the top of a hill and at least if out they could get away from whatever.... one horse was lucky to still be alive).

saddle

decided a few weeks ago that the cheyenne isn'tworking ( i blogged about that it think ); can now get finance for a fhoenix.... approved ... i'm getting a fhoenix... YAY. so that's my christmas present to me.....

if anyone wants a Barefoot Cheyenne grasshopper? or a KES gp? off to find some large boxes and get them up on eBay i think! my luck they won't make a sensible price....

not that i can do anything with molly at the minute, the weather is pants.

but she's still in her lightweight rug - it's amazing how warm she keeps herself... it's inthe blood, her mother's the same (even now at 24 ....)

car sorted....

thank goodness. partner's car sorted. i got picked up at 6 pm instead of 5, partner insisted on trip to tesco, we went to see if i could get my tan topped up (for the psoriasis ....) but it had shut early, up to chester le street for car, didn't get in house till 8, didn't finish eating until 9 .... had of course organised for molly to be brought in as i knew i'd be late...but of course as it wass warm this morning she had a thinner rug on (she was well overheated when i got there.) and it's cold tonight... hey ho, can't win. and bad day at work.... need to think about it but by this time it's far too late and my brain is fried.....

weather

another howling gale, and substantial wind chill ... i hate a howling gale. so again, no work done... but that's winter for us ... at least we don't get horrendous heaps of snow..

back to square one ..

i knew that would happen ... a week off because of the weather, and she wasn't having any of right rein. She loose schooled that way fine, but wasn't letting me get her going on the lunge right at all. Almost there once, but i made the mistake of bending down to pick my whip up which was her opportunity to turn in ... ggrrhh... eventually gaynor turned up, after i guess 30 minutes of me trying to get her to go right (i'd done the left rein ....) and i got her to lead her round. even then she turned straight in ... took the side reins off and she did it - for about 5 minutes or so and then turned in without my spotting the signs of her being about to. of course, i hadn't bent down for my whip, didn't want to lose it doing that ... propulsion was by my swinging the end of the lunge line round and round ....

so i was well hacked off.

not assisted by being ill all morning ... i was impressed i was even able to do anything, as when partner dropped me off i still wasn't feeling right and had visions of asking someone to bring her in ...

one car between two = partners car has had to go to the dealer (always expensive!) for some serious diagnostics, will cost about £300 to mend and won't get it back until at least monday night. and partner has to go about 40 miles north tomorrow for a walk (well, doesn't have to, but willl....)

pah.

BUT i have organised a session on an equisimulator week tuesday, looking forward to that, my mate's coming too (when I told her she immediately asked if she could ...), that's part of xmas present ....

howling gales

euch.

and i'd rashly taken up the offer to have the horse turned out for me this morning, to give me a lie in, i regretted that! duh.

three weeks of me being off sick spoilt us in a way as i was able to do a load of work, but haven't been able to do a thing since saturday because of the weather...

plans to pot

the plan was, partner was going out with friend, weather forecast was good, i'd work with molly then come home for tea...

partner rang at 5 to say she'd come home early ill again and would i come home instead.... so i did.

duh...

downpour

very very wet ....

not even going to try to do anything ...

tired

first day back at work after three weeks off sick, very wobbly really, so molly got a night off ... anyway it was spitting on to rain. so that's two days off she's had..

She was a bit stiff i think this morning pulling her out, possibly because i got her in early yesterday, or maybe just general early morning stiffness through lack of movement ...

groomed her, fed her, came home to find partner ill (literally) ...hey ho.

queenie

molly's mother ... went up to allendale to see her today. got there and the horses were of course at the farthest end of the field ... but it was dry if windy. helped unload a load of shavings and went in for a cup of tea. came out - the heavens had opened. so we got them in.

Allison said a friend of hers came round the other day and asked who queenie was in foal to .... HAH. she certainly does look pregnant! does herself very well, person was amazed to be told her age (24) and she does look well. has gone a bit sway backed, as they do, but hasn't lost anything for condition.. and when we called them in she charged on up with the rest of them (on 3 year old rising 4, one yearling, and one shetland g*t)

The yearling is to die for. Black filly, by Dance in the Dark ... I want I want ... I can't have, she'll go for good money. Lovely conformation. We decided she needs to be shown ... her dams not been put back in foal this year (this one was her 3rd in a row) but I said really put her back to the same stallion next time ...whatever, this is her third lovely filly.

and Molly's daughter Cleo has been sold on for a good sum ... hopefully to a good home ..

bought some shavings from them unexpectedly (at £3.60 a bag, instaed of the usual £5, not to be argued with) and also unexpectedley bought a rug ... Allison had been to Blair horse trials and bought this but found it wasn't a fit on any of hers but it will be fine on Molly (too long for Queenie, who had it on .... her's being soaked).

More money I hadn't intended to spend ... but it's a nice rug, and I hauled my slightly heavier weight one out of the cupboard yesterday to discover it had a rip in that I'd forgotten all about and therefore will need to have mended....

the weather didn't improve at all. i got molly in about 1500 ....left her with huge quantities of haylage, but it was so wet, so windy, not going to improve and it's all a lot easier to do in daylight!

clip

Molly can be a star about so many things, and today it was clipping.

She stood like a rock throughout, and actually seems to like having her face clipped.

We were particularly impressed as the clippers seem to be faulty - they 'seize up' for no apparent reason (and remain seized even after they've been cleaned out ....); it's analogous to the gears going on a car - put it in gear and nothing happens because they've died ... like that.

So we're going to have to send them back; and hte real pain is it is just over a year since we bought them, rather than just under ... we did wonder last year if they were quite right, but thought it was just not being used to them...

Ah well - she looks very smart

and I was really pleased i'd had it done.

After that, I lunged her; she worked so hard she had sweat above her eyes, so imagine how sweaty she'd have been unclipped.

She dried off well, however, and was toasty and warm when she got her tea ... although a bit miffed she had to wait so long for it.

And just as I was about to start my mother & sister turned up; seemingly sister had come up for the weekend, so they decided to come see me on their way elsewhere... neither of them dressed for standing around a cold yard watching me lunge, and being a horrid person I wasn't prepared to keep Molly standing about forever tacked up, we were ready to go....

hey ho. sister now knows both where my house is and where my horse is ...

photo shoot

the results of today's efforts.....

this is Molly with Jimmy, falling asleep together in the sun









and if i say so myself, this is excellent..... almost good enough to have someone paint it ...

so much for plans

the equine dentist came today.

my plan was, after she'd been, to do some ground work with molly - and it was a gorgeous day for it ...

i brought her in to stand in the sun with a haynet outside whilst i mucked out and we waited for the dentist.

first time i've tied her up outside since the end of june as she'd kept pulling herself free, usually to go back to the field ... and because she wasnt' doing being left on her own well.

so im in the stable mucking out and she's standing happily eating, in a suntrap .. it was about 65 degrees in that corner; farrier's just finishing another horse and that horses owner is watching that...

one of the estate workers turned up to empty the bin...

next thing i knew there's the sound of hooves and riots, and molly's pulled back in fright, snapped the lead rope and was turned round to head away ... happily not fast but still

turned out the man sorting the bin out decided it was a really really good idea to flap the empty new bin bag about ..... stupid person .

so when it was molly's turn to have her teeth done, she wasn't good like the dentist says she normally is, but generally was very unhappy, especially when we were trying to keep her head down ...

think she's probably given herself a headache

so i thought the better thing to do was not do any work at all.

but she went out without her rug on for the afternoon, as it was so nice...

hopefully getting clipped tomorrow

here's a picture:

a rest day

caused by howling gales ... any way she hadn't had a day off for a while, since i'd had a lot of them...

interesting ....

and worrying and decides me about the saddle ...

i'd put it on, and she was still eating her hay. had the geleze pad between the saddle & the grandeur pad. you could see the sheepskin of the grandeur pad moving against her back..... duh.

It wasn't has horrid when I took it off as it had been on Monday but still .... that isn't right.

So that is being sorted out .... partner will not be happy at me getting a new saddle, but there we go. My old GP is now for sale if anyone wants an 18" KES black wide fit, VGC, only 5 years old .. and the cheyenne will be as soon as new saddle is sorted out/confirmed. ...

in the meantime, i did ride .... the difference in her when I'm right is interesting, it just shows how much I'd lost/forgotten/bad habits fallen into whilst concentrating on other stuff, and particularly since my two falls!

Molly was doing some really nice walk and then some really nice trot, both of which fell apart if I did - especially in trot

and my muscles know about it as well ... but it won't take long I don't think for my body to remember what it's supposed to be doing, as opposed to what I've been doing the last few months ....

had to leave her with the fleece on again .. MUST get her clipped... saturday, hopefully, partner will be away anyway...

worked hard

lunging

i decided we'd done enough riding the last three days so we needed to do a bit of flat work or lunging.

was undecided whether to lunge one rein or two, but decided one, to get back into the way of it with the bitless bridle on

started left, a debate about going right which i won but she was rushing it at first, back left, then an argument about going right - she tripped herself into the fence whilst arguing about it, but clearly not having hurt herself i made her do it.
s
she had certainly worked hard .....

and i remembered (don't know how i forgot on friday when she was sodden with rain!) that she has a fleece - - i suppose because it had been put away after being cleaned ... so she got that on to help wick the sweat away and keep her warm betimes.

it's going to be a cold night, and even when she cooled down she was still a bit damp, so the fleece got left on for the night ... it'll be filthy in the morning.

on the saddle front, i think i'm going to go back to the gelpad underneath .... was discussing it with gaynor, she said it didn't 'float' as much with that on as without ... but not wholly satisfactory - i think it wouldn't be so bad if the grandeur pad had a smooth fabric finish rather than the furry finish it does have .... but i think i'm going to have to have a concentrated effort to sell the GP, then sell the cheyenne and invest in a fhoenix .... don't see much choice, as it clearly is wholly unsatisfactory to have a rub on her back .....

but anyway i was pleased with her

and i think she's becoming pleased with herself.

she's so much happier with the stable mirror up and the hay bar in the corner ..

leaning forward

was what i was doing .... talking to gaynor afterwards she said she'd noticed that, now she thought about it, since my fall inthe summer....

so to work on sitting upright - the feel at the moment is as if i was stargazing! but I am assured that in fact when it feels like that I am upright..

clearly gone very backwards the last couple of years ... probably all the trying to get molly to accept stuff and not thought about myself...

and of course, the difference in her way of going was noticeable ....

so i've to work on that ...

and we put my stirrups up a hole. and the left stirrup is about 1/2 hole shorter than the right, which won't help.. can't drill holes in the barefoot leathers .. will try and find my old ordinary ones as they can get holes drilled in them, you just put the buckle at the bottom just the same and wrap em up!

and she started off on a good note as well... let me on with no one holding her head, YAY. hopefully that lesson is sinking in ...

teacher agreed that the grandeur pad isn't right - she said it looked as though it were floating about ... so will try harder to see if can get something else sorted out ... it's always useful when someone else confirms one's view of an issue...

But, i did get hte saddle on without any argument today .... so overall we've had a good day..

a mixed bag ...

in the molly behaviour front.

to start, i had to have someone hold her to get on - was lucky there was someone there!

then i concentrated on trying to keep her listening and keep my reins very light at the same time, and then on trot - by the finish she was offering some nice trot.

So i thought for a change, and since she'd been good yesterday, i'd try and ride her out the way we went yesterday, if only as far as the ford.

hah!

she napped back to the stable.

i thought, she's going that way anyway, so led her all the way to the ford. Some of it to keep her going i was having to position myself (as I realised) as one would for in hand work, ....

anyway got there, came back, decided not to put her waway. went to the arean, she stood and let me mount.

thought, let's try going through the yard again

no, she said, i'm napping back to the stable.

I'm not prepared to risk getting dumped there, it's hard concrete with things to bash one's head off on the way down...

so got off, led her back round to the arena ... she let me get on without anyone holding her. so i did twice round the arena and got off in the arena.

So, as I say, mixed bag...

lesson tomorrow...

rode out .. yay!

The plan was that gaynor & i would ride out - see if Molly would go along the lane, and possibly further, without having a tantrum.

She did.

We went past the spooky willow tree, along the track to the ford, over the ford bridge (the others went through the ford) up to the road, up to the riding school (another yard on the estate with an indoor riding school, with mirrors no less!), through there, back down to the road, up to the drive and so back down to the yard.

a minor attempt to nap back to her stable as we set off, various veerings off to the left as we went through the coppice just after the willow tree, tried to turn round after the ford as two others with us turned off to go for a hooly, but then easy to turn back to follow charlie, a minor spook at a wheelbarrow that was peacefully propping a wall up, as they do, and canter up the road to the drive entrance ... but good as gold. I was so chuffed.

mind it was interesting watching her confidence build. at the start - and really till we got to the riding school, which is about 1/2 way of the ride we did - she was hanging back behind charlie, which really is not like her she normally marches on miles ahead of anyone else we're with - then once we got to there she decided she was fine and started marching on.

so i was very pleased.

I'm not so happy with the saddle, which is moving on her back .... not good. i want a fhoenix.... i'll have to carry on wanting for a bit, i think.

and it was dry - it actually got out to be a nice day, having started off damp, and we got the best of the weather this afternoon.

bitless bridle

well i was right - it was a lot easier in the bb than with a bit .... she did give a vague bit of argument and try to do left not right, but gave in a lot quicker. AND i got the side reins on - so we did both reins twice, once with side reins, once without.

result. So i think we're back to the BB for ground work anyway

And we were getting very wet as well ... i tacked up and it started raining again, but i decided not to let her off - it was just wet, not cold - and out we went.

The only thing that didn't impress me was how wet we both got . she won't be dry for hours yet, so i had to leave her rugless. Should be ok (if filthy) as it isn't a cold night at all. maybe i should invest in one of those wicking rugs that dry them off quickly without sweating .... although if I'd had my brain screwed on i do have an excercise sheet hiding at the bottom of a cupboard .. but I wouldn't want to have untacked and had to start again though...

more bad weather ...

but at least the mud had dried off in the gap between storms when i got her in..... there's a lot to be said for working ones horse first thing in the morning, as a generaly principle the weather tends to be a bit better then ....

anyway, pondering over the bitless bridle & groundwork, and consulting with sheila @ bitlessbridle.co.uk, will now revert to using that for lunging, two rein lunging & attempts to long line and see how we go

thinking ...

it rained this afternoon so didn't do anything with molly - she was a bit wet!

but i was thinking; when i finally got her going right last summer, per the photos - it was with the bitless bridle, which i haven't used since new year save for the odd occasion.

it is a pressure/release tool, hugs the head - the idea is - well, best off reading it for yourselves. pull one rein, pressure on the opposite side of the head - release rein = release pressure.

it therefore occurs to me, that may well be why i was eventually successful with that

so, i think i'll go back to using that for lunge work; no reason why it shouldn't work for long lining either, in principle! will ask....

and finally got hold of teacher - turned out she'd been having problems with her phone. lesson organised. but I won't be going up there for a lesson on one of hers - because her indoor is full of bits of her wagon whilst the brakes are mended....

addendum

just been looking at those flickr photos - which were taken summer 2005 - you wouldn't think looking at some of those that she ever had an issue with me being on the right side, since clearly i was.

my recollection was it had taken a long time to get there; after that, we moved, and then did a lot of riding last spring/summer till i broke my foot in june.

so some of this is reverting back to where we were before. she clearly hadn't been totally comfortable with it and i should have done more ground work interspersed with riding to keep that up.

feet

someone who'd seen the photos i posted in the spring sent me a message saying such things as molly's frogs looked not right through lack of contact with the ground (the message was recent, even though the photos werent'). i printed it off and showed my farrier today when he came out to trim molly's feet. he was quite amused. my farrier trains other farriers and is good at what he does ... including barefoot trims. Molly's happy with her feet, no signs of any lameness, goes over anything (that is when she goes at all LOL!). we also discussed asymmetry and related conformational issues.

in terms of the asymmetry at the back - i have to get the physio to ring the farrier, he won't take it from me as he's been caught out in the past with the old 'chinese whispers' messages and i can quite understand that! so i shall have to get lee to ring him. also said, a bit difficult to do too much remedially without shoeing, and i don't want to do that ....

generally, we both remain of the view that the more work i can get into her the more balanced she will become generally and thus the more balanced her feet will be in turn.

before he came, I'd done some neck stretching exercises in the stable.

after he went, i took her into the arena to loose school. She was in a bit of a hooly mood at first, took herself off full tilt and even threw in a buck (which I haven't seen her do loose before!) - i think because it was a bit windy and the others were way over the other side of the field and not standing watching as they usually do!

but all the time she had an ear on me ...

eventually she slowed down and walked; my plan had been, of course, to see if i could get round to the right side of her head without too much grief.

i did indeed manage to do that, she remained standing still whilst i stroked all over the right side of her body and even walked round me properly once, instead of doing her usual turn on the forehand to try and put me on her left again!

the first time was better slightly that the second, but she did do it.

but as soon as she gets a chance, she has me back on her left side again.

still, small progressive step.

I then took her a walk through to the willow tree to cool her down, she'd got herself a little bit sweaty. I suppose we were in the arena about 1/2 hour, probably longer than I'd intended

overall i was quite pleased.

right side ... pressure/counter pressure

in the stable, molly's happy for me to be on her right.

loose schooling, she's happy to be on her right rein. she listens to me, i can change direction no problem (even with only the floodlights)

but attach a lunge line or whatever - not so happy.

the original plan had been long lines (probably two rein lunging) but that went out of the window as i wasn't going to be able to get roudn to her right side to attach the rein to the bit that side .... so my plan changed to having her go right,combined witih standing still

so loose schooling first, both directions.

that was fine.

walk trot walk trot.

then getting her to stand still, not so fine... partly my body language not so clever, i suppose, but still if i stand stock still i'm surely not doing anything to tell her to move.

then when she did come in to me, she'd stand, then start walking round me .... and pushing into me. i did work out what she's doing - counter pressure against me becaus she was actually using her body to move me....

eventuallyh got her to stand still ... and attached the lunge line to the bit -through both bit rings from the right so that i could hopefully try and get her to go right


which i did manage after putting the line round her back, walking round, as she's trying to go left I make myself large and point right ... she gives in, like she did the other week.....

i probably need someone to watch how i'm doing it.

but it still doesn't make sense.

why is she quite happy to be set off left, but not right?

why is she quite happy for me to be on her right except when she's going to be working?

why does she free school right when she won't lunge right without an argument?

has to be something physical about going right, one would have thought. But i can't think what. we've had everything checked out!

ah well, will persist with the exercises, get into the clicker, possibly a pressure halter as well (you can tell i've been reading maxwell as well as kurland!!!!) - here's a thought, can you combine the two?!

i can see where the pressure side works - that's why she eventually does go right, because i've put the pressure on enough and at the right moment .... so am i being inconsistent somewhere along the line?

ah well, more tomorrow ...

in the meantime, i moved the rug rack off the door and into the stable ... much better place for it, and happily the stable is more than large enough and it's on a wall she doesn't go near .... it's not where the bed is.....

tunstall reservoir

this is where we went for our walk - down this hill, round the reservoir at the bottom, back up the hill slightly to the right of this path down ..... it was very sunny but very cold due to wind chill. lovely at the bottom though, very sheltered, and some nice views across the reservoir through bare trees that you wouldn't get in the summer ..

i think it was the hill back up that finally did for me.... they talk about muscles not used to riding, mine are not used to walking ...

walk

partner wanted me to go help recce a walk. i said, go on then; it was a glorious day and it had to be done. only (she said) 3 1/4 miles ...... yeah right. i reckon more like 5. but by the time we'd done that and got back to the yard it was really cold, my legs were telling me they'd done more than enough for one day thank you (and my foot had done enough walking as well!) so ended up not doing anything at all with Molly.

I'm half way through the richard maxwell book i bought really pleased I did. interesting stuff he's saying about self carriage rather than 'on the bit' or whatever else people use. and it's interesting the ideas are similar to alexandra kurland's - and probably anyone else who's got any idea about behaviour whether it be horse or human! - reinforcing the positive and not doing anything about the negative (or at least, not punishing the negative as such).

i know i know someone who should read all this ... but won't ... in the context of managing staff ....

another success

on the riding front. the person who is now sharing charlie came into the arena whilst i was riding; i asked if she'd give me a lead through the yard and along to the house, she agreed, so we did. molly started napping back to her stable but not nearly so severely as usual, and i kicked her on and she said "ok then" and followed charlie. we got to the willow tree with no trouble at all - and then my phone rang, dammit, or i would have said can we go further. the phone ringing was of course molly's opportunity to turn round whilst i answered it ... yes, i could have left it ringing, but you never know what has happened ..... it might have been important, after all. it wasn't. ...

but hey, that was a success, so we'll do that again.

in terms of getting to the right side of her head - you're right, jean, i'd omitted to keep up the leading from the right ..... must try and remember that. realised today, with the new haybar up, and where she stands to eat the hay, i'm now starting my grooming from her right, whereas previously i always started from her left. so that will/should help. will try those excercises in that context though - physio has me doing them for her anyway (or i'm meant to be, a lot more than i am!!)

she has started blotting her copybook again in terms of mounting - i had got her to a place where i could get on without help, but she's regressed now. she sees me put the stool there, thinks oh good treat, but forgets that the treat was connected with me getting on. so need to go back to having someone there, with strict instructions no polo until i'm on!

but at least these days she stands still when i get on, instead of charging off in a fast trot as she used to!!!!

another new book to read - one of richard maxwells (not the newest one) - arrived from amazon yesterday so starting in on that .....

walk past goblins ...

it was blowing a howling gale most of the day so i didn't expect to be able to do anything, but it dropped as i got to the yard (nice co-incidence!)

i decided to take her for a walk in hand - and was amazed she went past all the places she'd balked at last time we'd tried that! out of the yard, past the house, under the willow, up the track and quite a way along it. well pleased.

jean, the easy bit is the actual lunging; the difficult bit is that she won't let me round that side of her at all when she knows that's what we're going to be doing. takes about 1/2 hour or more of argument, usually putting the lungeline over her head, walking round behind her, try to send her away, she turns back in, and so on. stand her still at the fence line and go under her head, she puts herself back so i'm on her left again ... and as for trying to put side reins on. but she'll loose school right rein no problem so go figure! i can stand on her right hand side in the stable, not a problem. in the arena, a problem. last time i did eventually get there after the argument, she did eventually give in, but it's a debate or more every time. and last night i didn't win as we ended up with the lunge line caught on the bit ... not a clever idea.

I try to vary what we do

hey ho.

on the ground

yesterday afternoon .....

lunging - no she won't go right rein again

in hand? what's that, she says. So i need to be shown how to do that, i think - reading books can only take you so far. for instance, richard hinrichs says - look where you're going. but if you look where you're going, you're not looking at the horse, so i'm confused. unless e.g. you look where you're going but slightly over the horses shoulder? ?

and the arena is a bit deep for walking on foot - i managed to forget to put my long boots on so ended up with a boot full of arena material, never comfortable that!

But i would have had her walking along the lane, save that there was a very old lady walking the other way (owner's mother ...) and if molly decided she wanted to argue about it, knocking over old ladies is not a good plan!

it was a nice afternoon but no one else out, being thursday ...

and must get her clipped. at least with being off can organise that with gaynor for a weekday afternoon.

and yet again the man didn't turn up to mend our boiler and the roofer didn't turn up to mend the roof. dammit.

the hay bar is up

and after a bit of a 'oh my god what's this' and having to tempt her to it with some feed, once she worked out that's where the haylage had gone, she was fine with it.

and you can see the stable mirror up as well.

i'd been trying to put it up myself (really a two person job) but one of the estate chaps heard the drilling and came along and did it for me ... always useful to be seen to be making the attempt onself!

i've a feeling i'll still have haylage all over the floor as well - she likes to have a look see what's going on outside as well!

sorry about the poor quality photos - taken with phone not camera, and still getting used to new phone .... but considering no flash, not bad at all. I think if i'd used the camera, the flash would have given her another fright!!!

and no work for me. sick note..... whilst i put brain back together ....

and my right foot - the one i broke in july folks! - got stood on, at an angle, and i duly fell over and banged my hand, right hip and leg. rubber matting is all well and good to lie on, but falling on it still hurts. i was putting her rug on and she moved unexpectedly, got my foot and i was at an angle and had no choice but fall over ....

not doing well really!!!!!

no work tonight

with molly as i was too knackered. really really bad day at work .....

jean, thanks for that tip re mounting. will need a larger mounting block - she also moves away and i have to get down ..... tedious. we'll get there and that's another piece of ammunition in the training armoury.

riding

yesterday.

the plan was to put the haybar up then ride.

i made a total pigs ear of putting the hay bar up it won't go on a straight wall, ended up pulling the screw & plug out of the wall (doesn't say much about the walls ...) and will have to get someone to try and get the screw out of the plug before i can start again ..

riding. she's stopped behaving when being mounted - second time had to get someone to hold her, and i thought we'd cracked that one!

i'm still unhappy with the saddle. ithink it's partly molly's asymmetry, which is the same as her mother's at the front (shoulder) which makes it difficult. when i took it off there was some ruffling of her hair.

but she worked hard. had a bit of sweat when we finished. i decided to try some lateral work, first time i've tried that, and it made me think she doesn't really understand those aids. which makes me think i need to learn in hand work (that's why i bought richard hinrichs book & video) so i can try and give her an idea of what i'm after. also get some lessons on that as well.

didnt' do anything tonight - although the weather had improved subtantially from this morning, we had to wrestle with collecting partners car ..... which involves 2 round trips to teesside for her and just one for me and i'm confined to the office with no car...

christmas shopping

in newcastle.

we got up early and were there for just after 9. oh but i'm knackered now - and we didn't do nearly as much as some others do. in fact the only christmas presents i bought were a dvd & cd for my partner .... by 4 hours, my foot was starting to ache which it hasn't done for a while now. then partner wanted to go look at wardrobes, and as i expected we ended up back where we bought the fitted wardrobes in the main bedroom ... i said, this was why we bought them there better quality etc ...

so by the time i got to the yard i barely had the energy to muck out/bed up /fetch in, and now i'm at home i'm struggling to keep my eyes open ....

and the rug molly had had on definitely leaks. I'm very annoyed about that, you don't expect new unworn rugs to leak.

she's in very early with a bit more haylage than usual ...

no they don't count them in - have to rely on someone spotting she's last out. not everyone is bothered about their horse being out on its own .... my view, one should bother as a matter of principle, but on the other hand if someone has said don't get theirs in i wouldn't .

traffic jams

40 minutes to get from redcar to the a19 - about 10 miles, if that. and another 40 minutes after that. i drove up to the stables as kirsty brought molly round the corner, i was so pleased. she'd realised she had to be on her own as she was about to go home herself....

and it was blowing a gale and wet.

so tea and leave for the night was the order of the day!

jean - i can't get your blog anymore, it vanished ..... where'd you go? (it actually vanished quite quickly after i'd found it, the link just stopped working ...)

cold but not alone

molly had been brought in. i was pleased. she was about to be left and was spotted, excellent. partner wanted to go look at wardrobes .... so molly didn't do anything except eat. but it's cold so slightly thicker rug on ...

more yay!

after a bad start to the day - the alarm clock hadn't worked! we woke up at 7.07 instead of 6 .... happily friend was at yard so i rang up, she'd been about to ring me ..... she turned molly out, said she'd been looking very disgruntled!

so i had to muck out tonight, which i don't normally do, and was in two minds as to whether to do anything at all, but decided to see how we were after monday's success.

and we were well. true, she didn't let me move round the front of her to get to her right side. so I put the lunge line over her head and she went straight into trot right rein without a single argument. so i was very pleased. and she wasn't rushing like she had been on monday. so more yay!

kept her going a little that rein and brought her back to walk, then sent her the other way.

what i must do is get a new battery in my watch so i can time how long we go each rein.

anyway, i'll keep this going fo a bit and then move on to putting side reins on again and interchange that with two rein lunging.

i am starting to read richard hinrichs' book which is interesting and will teach me a lot, and will watch the video at the weekend (unless partner thinks of something more important .. but unlikely, she's away sunday!)

yay!

finally got molly to lunge right rein.. took some doing. she argued and argued and argued and i tried various tactics - tried the getting her to listen to me by poking her in the chest and telling her to go back, don't think she'd been asked that before so will have to go to that one another way! tried putting the lunge line over and then going behind her, tried all sorts ofthings ... eventually it was as if she just caved in and said go on then. she started off at a dreadful rush in canter, then to a hurried trot, but kept it going without trying to turn in again as she often does and was giving signs of what would have been join up had she been loose schooled.

so overall i was pleased with that.

i wasn't so pleased with the shenanigans prior, couldn't get girth done up on the lunging roller as she woulnd' t stand still for it. but i conlcuded that that wasn't goint to let her off, hence the lunging

don't know if there's something with her back again.

i finally got an email from the bowen person last week - 2 months later, she said her internet had been down, or her email at least ... i replied saying essentially better late than never and what's her diary like ... no response ...

electric

battery - went flat on the first hole in the wall for the haybar. duh. the one thing i forgot to check. never mind, it can wait till next weekend to go up...

I decided to try something today. I have one of those ergopads, a precursor to the suberpad. Thought, try it under the GP that i haven't sold yet and see if it makes the saddle usable.

it was like sitting on a board. Apart from being perched, I couldn't feel a thing except hardness underneath me.

got off again.

Molly wasn't overjoyed when she realised she wasn't just being put away but i was changing the saddle. so when i went to get back on she wouldn't stand, had to be held. But hey, she'd stood the first time, and we had to wait whilst gaynor finished lunging charlie and then go up the top end of the arena instead of our usual spot.

then i had gaynor check she was using her left hind properly, which she was, so that was good.

but it took me a while to get her to really listen, and then she decided she'd had enough.

she was giving it what for with her head, over bending dreadfully (which is in a way better than stargazing, but too much ....) interspersed with the odd bit of nice walk steps. so i did a bit of stop/start, trying to keep her on the bit, and some trot/walk, which didn't work very well.

It might have helped if i'd had my bra on though ....

hay bar

finally got one. they have them at farmway hexham, thought they might have, last month they had the literature but no hay bars. bought it. they said, they were walking out the door, which doesn't surprise me. all i have to do now is buy some solid bolts and washers to put it up. people have suggested make something of all sorts of things - chicken wire and wood, garden mesh, various things - but i couldn't wrap my brain round that ... and this I know is ok.

Mind, we had such a busy day I didn't do anything with her at all! had to go up to see about old queenie (pay her keep, provide some feed, see how she's doing) and if we do that we go hexham and corbridge as well, well i hadn't planned corbridge but partner wanted to .... didn't get back to the yard till just before it got dark, and still had to go to partner's sister's after that..... i said, if it raing tomorrow i'll not be happy as the weather was canny today, especially this morning.

and if i needed retail therapy, i certainly got it ... apart from the hay bar, Richard Hinrichs book AND video on lunging/long reining/working from the ground. I'd bid on a couple on ebay and am watching one at the moment (the videos) but the price they are being bid to, when i looked at the price new, i thought i might as well buy the new as by the time you add the postage on to an ebay purchase i wouldn't in fact have saved anything.

so looking forward to that.

and the usual feed/shavings. and we went to ikea last night .....

tomorrow need to mop our new floor; had the dining room/lobby/conservatory/downstairs loo tiled the same as the kitchen (they all run into each other) and it looks gorgeous but once the grouting is dry it all has to be mopped. and the kitchen floor badly needed doing anyway. then will put shoe rack back next to back door and try and persuade partner that leaving outdoor shoes/boots at the door is a really good idea. shame the cats can't be persuaded to wipe their feet ....

alone

molly had been left in the field on her own! I was not happy. I was surprised she wasn't totally demented, but she shoudl not have been left out on her own at all. I thought everyone knew that... i've said it enough times, and really it should go without saying!

clicker

thought i'd try and see if i could use this to get her standing still in the arena when i want, or moving to the right when i want.

i think standing still might work she was getting the idea.

don't see how move right (with me on her right side) will as it's too complicated to work out. i'm too near, my arm isn't long enough.... need to work on the theory. standing still is much more simple!

will try again another night.

but it was COLD tonight ... forecast frost, and i've bought some deicer, first of the year