snow

of course, as forecast. Not as bad as down south, though (and I gather they don't have snow ploughs down there as they rarely have need of them). so horses stayed in, but we put three of them in the arena this afternoon to stretch their legs whilst we mucked out. this is a great shot, if I say so myself - accidental, of course!

i never thought i'd say this

But Molly was a pleasure to lunge this morning!

Either rein, as i wanted it.

i decided to lunge early as the forecast is horrid for later in the day (indeed, we had a snow shower as I turned her out afterwards) and I need to have a wheelbarrow hunt.

So I decided to lunge with side reins (set loosely) to see if i could get

1. relaxed work
2. molly seeking the contact.

managed both. even on the right rein - which she has always rushed, when she would go that way - she was relaxing and seeking the contact, and I could see she was carrying her tail. i started with the side reins very loose and every time we changed direction tightened them up a shade, but still not tight ....

and we got canter transition - oddly, better right than left! - so my ability to do that (and her ability to listen to me ask for it) is improving.

Walk wasn't so successful, but I wasn't going to work on that so much anyway, I just wanted her to walk when i told her.

My lunge cavesson doesn't really work with the bridle though - it's a comfort headpiece and particularly thick, and the cavesson just doesn't sit right with it. I did buy a new cavesson the other week, but it doesn't fit Molly very well ... i'm forever getting cavessons that don't really fit her. perhaps a pony one? the one i bought has bit carriers which is good, but not if it's not right on her! webbing, so not expensive, but annoying.

nice trot

despite the nip in the wind .... in the barn, it's not noticeable, but go round the corner out of the shelter of the barn, and it surely is

nonetheless, decided to ride, and got really NICE trot - molly did try to wrestle the contact down a couple of times, but with some finger tweaks and pushing on she desisted.

tried a turn down the centre line in trot, which i hadn't tried before, a shade wobbly, but not too bad and nice left turn at the end which was good.

I didn't do a huge amount, my chin felt like a block of ice - the buff I've got to keep my head warm under the hat was sitting here on the desk, not helpful!

forecast for colder tomorrow, from the arctic, and snow tomorrow night/monday.

Arena had been harrowed & rolled, which got rid of a lot of the "divot type" lumps

researched the internet this afternoon and think i'll struggle to find a barrow that I like!

thieves.....

got to the yard @ 0730 or so this morning to find the gate wide open but no one there....odd.

went in, fed them all, opened the back door and went out with water bucket and looked for wheelbarrow -

3 wheelbarrows missing

then noticed the gap where a trailer was also missing.

so, Louise's trailer stolen, three wheelbarrows - 2 orange ones, and my green one that I've had for about 15 years and which isn't made any more (the company went out of business). the trailer was due an outing today, pony going to dressage....it's insured, and they will have been able to borrow another but still.

I've been trundling round trying to find another barrow that i like - not easy! and an expense i could have done without (polycarbonate, about £50)

will tour the DIY stores & garden centres later after I've done something with molly .. not sure what, ATM, that wind has got up again - may lunge again.

poles? to be scooted and avoided!

i decided to put three poles out and lunge over that.

started without them, walk and trot, and brought her back to walk for first time over, which was fine.

second time she speeded up

in trot she avoided them

took her back to walk and led her over them three times, fine, then ran and led over, fine.

on the lunge? no chance.....rushed, avoided, rushed...

then canter? very fast, avoiding the poles (i moved us away!) and took a while to bring her back down!

ok, folks, how do i persuade her that she can go over poles? she has done in the past... but doesn't like them any more!

edited to add - they were raised poles, think i'll try again with them on the ground...

better - but cooooold

Did some flexions inthe stable first - she was MUCH happier about those than she has been for a good while, albeit still not happy right - which is odd, as if I were to hold a carrot at the girth that side, she'd have no difficulty stretching round for it.  Actually, that's a thought - if I do that, that may help her loosen the muscles....

then i got on, and didn't have any of the grief I had yesterday, and i got a really nice trot as well - but it was sooo cooold - it had been one of those damp days, where even though it's not that cold it feels as though it is - and by the time i was riding, it was in fact getting colder and there was a stiffish breeze .....despite the riding hat, my head got really cold

so we only did about 20 minutes. if that

was she trying to tell me something?

probably, but i'm not totally sure what... other than it involved "don't want to"

At least I got on. But, she would NOT move. i'd left my schooling stick - hadn't needed it for i don't know how long, few weeks - but had to go back and get it.

Then i had her do 2 circuits each rein in hand, and got back on.

Then she moved, but never settled - occasionally I'd get the odd few nice strides where i could feel her back round under me, but then she'd start head tossing - at one point i ended up with her slaver on my specs!

part of it was the squidgyness underfoot, i expect, as it seems to have rained all last night and despite the warmth hadn't really dried much by this afternoon. the rest of it - who knows. it's not as if I work her too hard!

on and flexions? remind me to do in hand ones in the stable! she didn't want to know about them, either!

I gave up at the finish as I was getting totally fed up and hacked off, which is never a good mood to be riding in!

lunged

and molly did work hard. I wanted to see how she's doing.  She was really using herself, but it'll take some work to slow her down but keep the activity.  At the moment, I think that is easier ridden, when i can slow my rise....

despite teh thermometer saying it was above freezing it was one of those damp days wher eyou end up feeling colder than you expect.  

and the car has to go for repair - an expense I could well do without! - as it's losing coolant, not good! 

teeth today

horse dentist was out today. She hasn't seen molly for 6months - thought she'd developed some muscles! so did that, then kept her in - plan to go see friend ride then come back and lunge - but time i got back from that, i was frozen and it was late - and i had no change for the meter for lights in the arena! so she got an unexpected day off.

and i put my riding hat on whilst the dental work was being done - bad enough being bashed in the head by molly's jaw, the prospect of being bashed in the head whilst molly wearing dental gag was NOT a happy one, so discretion became the better part of valour!  she did settle - i THINK i might have found the "relax" spot!

co-incidentally (whilst I do have Racinet's books) in this months' horses for life is a reprint of Racinet's article on Flexions from riding in lightness. so have printed that out...

trot serpentine

i really can't remember the last time I did a trot serpentine - probably on Queenie, probably about 6 years ago? something like that!

Certainly hadn't done one on Molly before, and today I thought the trot is now good enough, and she's listening to me for turns well enough, to try one - and we got it! With no argument about the bends. not the perfect serpentine of course, but pretty good!

also some nice trot walk trot transitions, and a couple of halt/trot transitions

and she only got her head right down once (and yes, people it is too far down if i don't catch it) - did push her on a bit, which clealry helped, so thanks for that! and i pretty much managed to keep my foot in such a position that it wasn't getting twisted.

Mind, she wasn't happy by the finish but generally speaking i was pleased.

We do get put off by the boggy area H - C, which is quite deep and Molly don't like it, who can blame her!

nose on the floor

Now it's good that molly is now much happier to accept the contact, and good that she wants to stretch over her back and take the contact down - but not to such extremes! especially when i'm on her, it's very disconcerting in trot! (bad enough in walk!!!). If i have enough thumb on the rein to stop her, we end up arguing about it.

Cure, anyone?

and my left foot - if i can't stop myself twisting it in teh stirrup, i'll break the damn thing again, probably in the same place! i did try hard not to, but it kept moving. the inside of the foot comes up and the outside down, hence the potential for flake fracture!

one other success - no, two.

walk trot transitions, good

sideways - i finally realised i'd been moving my leg back - WRONG! so having worked that out, i did get a few strides of sideways!

finally - hoping that Trudi, Di, and my friend Cory & her family & Inl aws are ok and surviving the horrid weather down there. Cory is in Bordeaux, which is having a really bad time, and Trudi, Di, and Cory's inlaws are in striking distance of it. (between 1 & 2 hours) - i am a bit concerned about all of them!

longlines ... improving!

I decided to longline tonight, thinking it would be easier on my foot (wrong!) and also to see how she's working.

she stood like a lamb whilst I put the longlines on in the arena - shows how far she's come, as it's not that long ago that doing that was a nightmare of movement! and tangles!


then she set off at a rate of knots and it took me a while to get her to slow down, which resulted in my having to jog to keep up!

BUT she was reaching for the contact, and round, and so on...

so we did about 10 minutes of trot both reins ( a few times) then 10 minutes of walking round the school and practising circles ... which worked well!

then back to trot again.

quite unnervingly, she had her nose practically on the floor a few times and I wasn't sure about that, but she was relaxed when doing it. The walk work was better than the trot, but it was all good to see.

the bandages are having the desired effect on the swelling -in that there is none when i take them off, so that's good!

Then tonight we went out to the Sage Gateshead
to see/hear Richard Thompson (a founding member of Fairport Convention) "1000 Years of Popular Music" tour, which was excellent! there was he, and two women. Judith Owen was fantastic, huge range of styles, fantastic voice. Debra Dobkin was the drummer/percussionist/and singer, also great.

and I got some nice photos of the Gateshead Millenium Bridge on the camera phone, together with one of the Tyne & High level Bridges - shame I hadn't realised i was getting so much more in the pics...!

leg bandages

are a pain to put on .... especially this morning when molly spent some time waving her near hind about!  she eventually stopped

The legs are the least swollen they've bene for a while, with bandages ... TBH, i don't think it all REALLY cleared up from the autumn

they were even less swollen this afternoon when i went back

spent some of the morning looking at what EE peeps have used for mud fever, and trundling round the internet.

eventually bought some aromaheel; once it arrives, i'll slather it on and she can go out, and we'll see....gets good reviews, anyway.

the weather was horrid this morning so didn't do anything (had htought about some groundwork) but rode this afternoon.  RI turned up to give YO a lesson whilst I was in - said, different horse!  we're going well.  I said, next lesson we need to work on 2 things - having molly accept a slightly stronger contact without arguing about it, AND my lower leg/feet.  i've stopped putting the leg too far back, but still have an issue with movement (ending up with feet too far jammed into stirrup)

molly did work well though, she's definitely strengthening up. a halt/trot transition was good at one point.

also need to work on her working out sideways.....

it's a form of mud fever

apparently.

had a long chat online with natasha this morning, her OH is a very goo dhorse vet; they've had the same thing with one of theirs.  took 8 weeks to clear him... :-(

advice is to put an antiseptic type cream on, gamgee, bandage, keep in, and that'll mean i'll have to exercise her twice a day.

i'll have to keep a close eye on that swelling up, though, to be sure it doesn't!  but i need to keep her out of the wet to give the skin a chance...

and new farrier (YO's OH) saw her for the first time today in a professional capacity!  said she had really good feet due to not having had nails in them....

hack didn't happen...

all ready, hanving about outside with teh barn all locked up, redy for the appointed time. Molly relatively happy as she was grazing ont he grass round the paddock edges (there's none in the field) but I was getting colder & colder...

when they were 20 minutes late, i decided to just ride int eh arena and see whether they turned up - also being ocnscious that I had to be home no later than 12.

but by then, i was pretty cooold - so didn't do a huge amount of anything much, just enough to say i'd got on.

when got off, unlocked the place and tied molly up, got phone out - text to say it was too icey where they were coming from, so not coming, sent half hour after appointed time to arrive at my yard....

ah well.

and I'll have to have the vet out. Molly's legs were swollen yesterday, with having been kept in, including a front one.

tonight, hosed and washed (left with thermatex leg wraps on) - not mud fever, but losing hair, some bare skin, so definitely vet back out. vet coming friday anyway, and the consencus is that it can be left until tehn (share the call out...) - we think it's the lymphangitis recurring, but not sure. definitely not mud fever.

difficulty - i HAVE to turn out, to get the swelling back down again, so in the morning i'll clag all the affected areas up with (probably) sudocrem, which will act as a barrier. lovely

rain? snow? what was it?

who knows, but it ws so dire this morning that Jill and I agreed we were keeping Oscar & Molly in.  normally they're first out (and often only ones out these days) but it was TOO wet - considering the fields are muddy anyway, and we thought the downpours and wind of this morning was too much on top of that!

so in they stayed.  I regretted it though as Molly still needs exercise to keep her legs down.  They've not been so bad for ages, but particularly puffy today. Jill has the vet coming Friday, so I can see how she does.

so time i'd mucked out this evening (the rain having stopped and the wind dropped) i loose schooled her in the small arena.  Again, useful to see how she's moving.  and then we did some "picking feet up politely" practice, as we'd lost a bit of that!

and when i got home and FINALLY got signal on my mobile phone - got a text, going for a hack in the morning, that'll be interesting!

a right radge....

that was me - well not a full blown one, but working on it! So I shouldn't have bothered riding. The cause? excessive noise - YO's OH had the roller going outside the barn, all over, and for some reason it really rubbed me up the wrong way today.

then, having cycled down in nice weather, and there being nobody there when i arrived - time i got her groomed etc the weather had turned and we ended up with 3 of us in the arena.....wind up all their tails - starting to get damp - pointless.

So i got off again after about 10 minutes, before i lost the plot totally and thus made Molly do the same.

I was on long enough to discover that Jean is right, it's my knees of course!

and of course time i set off home the precipitation had ceased (the wind hadn't, though)

cycling

to the yard and back. It was reasonable weather when i set off, nice and sunny, no breeze.

Time I got Molly in, mud taken off, tacked up, on - the wind was picking up and it was getting cooold....

the continuing good news is that she is still stanidng to be mounted - this is after 2 days not being ridden (you'll remember i lunged yesterday and didn't feel up to anything thursday).

and she still offered to take the contact down a couple of times in trot!

I was also thinking about why i'm putting too much weight on the inside, will have to work more on that. If i don't put the weight on the inside, I end up with that leg coming up a shade and feet moving to end up jammed too far into stirrups. mmm.

anyway, 25 minutes of reasonable work, still with a forward and softish trot, the only person still there said she was going, and i was getting cold, so stopped.

cycle home? half of it. I'm not fit to cycle UP the hill from the yard yet, so walked half cycled half.

partner was impressed - she said, she'd seen my car and thought i must have taken hers, realised i hadn't and took a while to realise i'd taken the bike! how much i do that depends on the weather, but it's only a mile, and I should!

lunged....

hadn't done that for a good while, what with all themoutning practice and good lessons & good riding, so I thought it woudl be interesting to see what she's doing from the ground.

She walks when asked.

Her trot is more through.

She cantered when asked both reins.

She went right rein with no argument at all - if a bit hurried.

she came back to walk when asked...well, not immediately, but hugely quicker than has been known in the past.

She wasn't as relaxed as I'd have liked, but no matter

The advance lempsips seem to be having the desired effect, in that I'm getting no worse, which is good, and felt inclined to do things today!

instructor rightly suggests lunge lessons for me - but can't do that on Molly, she's not strong enough and not good enough on the lunge for that! so she suggests a fellow livery's horse when he's back in work....(he hasn't done a lot all winter....). anyway, we'll see what we can do without that for the meantime.

Hello Danni & Trudi! put some pictures up!

lemsips 'r us

think i've caught the bug partner's been fighting for a month now...so am medicating it before it gets going!

was ok this morning, i thought, but by this afternoon i was really struggling to keep going and since it was a horrid day weather wise (damp, windy) and molly clearly couldn't be bothered either (she'd been demanding to come back in since 0900, and was brought back in at lunchtime when i got back from taking fellow livery owner to hospital & back!) i decided to just give more hay/feed to see her till themorning and come home and dose myself up with aforementioned cold medicine!

take the contact down

in trot.

something else I've never had on any horse I've ever ridden before.

Am I making progress, do you think?

and she really did keep the contact. I remembered what i'd missed when she offered this during the lesson sunday, and was ready for it! A bit disconcerting in terms of horses head nearly on the floor, but hey.

BUT i've started putting too much weight on my inside foot again on circles, especially on left bend. a while since I've done that! and it may be one of the reasons I broke said foot in 2006. Now why the heck do i do that? a subject for next lesson.

Also have started halt/trot.

poor molly

because it's been so warm the last couple of days & nights, and she overheats if overrugged, she has a lightweight stable rug on.

I'm up bright and early as you see - and you should see the frost on the cars. drat. but at least it'll mean the mud is frozen and any hay I put out will stay on the surface!

whoo hoo

it might not have been technically correct (in terms of where my hands were) but that was the best trot i've ever had on any horse ever.

through, round, soft,moving (was she moving!)

my hands were on my thighs but i was flexing the fingers as required.

instructor happened to see it (she was there mucking out etc. a friend's horse, friend being poorly bad)

i wish someone had been there filming, y'all would have been as impressed as i was!

still good

lovely trot, on the bit sometimes, definitley moving, and my steering has improved hugely as well.

walk wasn't so good - but i was thinking about forward forward - and TBH i don't think she could be bothered! until we'd trotted.

and the weather was great. no need for a jacket.  i even put some washing on the line....

the saddle keeps the leg right, dummy....duh!

now I did know this - it was why i bought the Fhoenix and then the Vogue.

Why, then, was i moving my lower leg slightly back from where it should have been? put that right, seat more secure, horse goes better. Duh!

You'll gather we had another good lesson.

Didn't think it would have been as I had to go back in for the pressure halter to get on - although to be fair, it was blowing hard, going to rain, and I had some polos in my pocket I'd forgotten about but Molly knew were there.

Anyway, i decided my warm up was carry on from friday - move her on forward on a long rein to get her relaxed and thinking forward. Then when RI came in i had her take the halter off, and we worked on trot.

Instructor, having watched this (I have to say I knew part of the crap trot was me) decided part of it was Molly and part of it was me (the legs...). So, put the legs right, and just push her through it - pretty damn uncomfortable as apparently she's skipping all over underneath me trying to avoid working - not assisted by a need to avoid the d*** harrow that's been left in the arena! - and by the finish we had a really nice trot ON THE BIT.

this was all with an exceedingly light contact indeed and hands low.

Not once did Molly argue about any of it, she kept her mouth shut and her head was still virtually throughout.

So very pleased again, and will work on that for the next couple of weeks or so before arranging next lesson.

headache

which i think was caused by too much time spent looking upwards, with my neck bent back, into the tree - we were taking down the christmas lights. so i'd pretty much decided not to ride, and it was stil very cold (-3 this morning) with added windchill - so didn't. glad i didn't, i wasn't really up for it. painkillers to the fore! looking forward to the other half of my lesson in the morning, anticipate the headache will have gone by then as i'm not planning on looking up any more today, LOL.

good lesson

well, 1/2 lesson anyway, other half on sunday.

Firstly, Molly stood to be mounted without pressure halter etc - I did ask Jill to stand nearby in case, but she stood! YAY.

i'd had a text from teacher to say start warming up she was on her way, and was behind hand doing that due to receiving a phone call!

and Molly was in season - she and the other mare had been "tarting" over the fence - i blame the new mare for that, Molly hadn't done that before! That accounts for the less good work earlier this week.

anyway, instructor turned up 1/2 hour later, had been held up by her son having a tantrum, as they do.

She was pleased with where we were compared to last time (i'd been working, and we weren't as stressed as first lesson anyway!) and we worked on getting molly soft/round and on what degree of contact would get the desired result without stressing her head. at one point i had her so soft/round she offered forward into a lovely trot without my realising she was going to, and then did something that no horse has ever done for me before - offered soft and down! she wanted to stretch down. unfortunatley i didn't recognise that, so blew it, but there we go!

we then gave her a really loose rein and pushed the walk on, riding by seat, and then gradually took the contact back. very interesting!

then instructor's youngest child (fast asleep in car with engine on) woke up -someone had been minding her! wind - and needed her ma. so we ended lesson there, as molly had been out an hour and i was frozen. instructor said we'd finish up on sunday, she was clear she hadn't given as much time as she normally does.

she said molly was tracking up and overtracking really well and looking really god, and was pleased with the work we'd done since the last lesson. I was pleased. and of course, the first lesson, as I say, was stressful..

the other thing - with all the work, molly's mane now lies all the same way!

so more on sunday.

and my god deed for the day, i found some bedding for another livery owner, she thought no one had any of what she uses in stock, but someone did, so off we went to get it (beats hoovering as an occupation! but i had to do that later...)

partly successful

but I don't think it quite works - partly due to the fact that the bit is a hanging cheek, and i think there's insufficient space between the top of the bit and the noseband on the bitless. someone suggested that it may be possible to attach the bit to the bitless ... not sure about that, but it might be

Worked in that I was able to get on first time with no hassle. But she didn't seem as though she was totally happy with all the stuff on her head.

I got off and removed the bit bridle and remounted (easily). with the bitless, i feel as though the entire weight of her head is in my hands! and that feels fairly dire. the odd moment when she thought about dropping her head, but only very odd moment... tried some trot, but couldn't get it (my fault again i think - reflecting on that, i need to get after her more to get more movement!).

got off and replaced the bitless with the bitted. first time of trying to remount she started to move, I moved her off smartly and then cracked my schooling whip off the ground, and then she stood whilst I mounted.

by this time she was unsettled and my thighs & bum were cold (it was back down to freezing!) and overall we weren't doing anything well at all.

So i got off again and did two circuits in hand. Just to prove to her that she CAN work nicely and CAN accept the bit and CAN work through her back into the hand.

this was all in the small arena - the main arena was in process of being resurfaced, nearly done, hope it's finished by 3 pm tomorrow as i am having another lesson.

anyway, it was more mounting practice!!!

thawing...

above freezing. got as high as 4!

following through my thought about the DR Cook's BB having the same effect as a pressure halter, today I rode in the BB. I got on first time with no argument.

BUT then we lose a lot in the work in that Molly doesn't then work properly over her back as there's not the same contact for her to work into. but no headshaking etc of course. Having said that, I have to think more about getting stuff with my seat, and circles, straight lines up the middle/across the centre inside leg to outside hand were working...

As it's such a long time since I've ridden in it i didn't try for trot.

I think it should be possible to have both bridles on so I think I'll play with that thought tomorrow!

ice.....

-6 this morning, did get to 2 degrees this afternoon but that did nothing to make the arena safe - it was a shade TOO hard for my liking!

snow!

i was surprised, it had been raining last night, but there was about 1/2 inch of snow this morning and the arena was frozen....so i put off the vague thought i'd had of riding this morning, and rode this afternoon instead.

the pressure halter is good when moutning, but really not so clever riding as after a while it drops down her nose and upsets her... so i'll go back to the on/off/on/off until i can get on without it...either that or if someone's available to take it off once I'm on....

but we got a few lateral steps today, not many, but more than we've had before! then it got really cold as the sun (what there'd been of it this afternoon) vanished to i got off, my head was getting REALLY cold...

rode out!

i shall have to start using labels, as it then woudl be easier to look back and see when i last rode out. anyway, went out with Jill this morning, only up to the pub and back (Oscar's not fit yet and Molly's first time out for ages) and she was very good!

So for the first time in I can't remember how long, I was all done and home by 10, only thing left to do today is bring in & feed this evening.

going to watch Natasha stressaging this afternoon, at least we haven't got snow on the ground like last time!

unsettled ....

for 4 reasons, i think

1. we were in the smaller arena
2. there was a jumping lesson going on in the larger arena
3. i left the pressure halter on.
4. 2 of the new horses were shouting for each other (one in stable, one in roundpen!)

i think 3 was the most important and will not do that again. i will go back to 2 or 3 on/off and then take the halter off and get on the final time....

having said that, we did get a few nice trot strides - the going is a bit better inthe smaller arena, no boggy bits to avoid - and i did manage a circle each rein.

but then she got against the hand again, not hugely badly, and i think a lot of that was i was trying to wrestle with the reins AND a lead rope - granted a lot easier than the 12 foot line, but still in the way!

alnwick

stephanie & I had a really good day. we both spent some money - books, jacket, trainers, lunging cavession with bit hangers! lunch.

found a copy of Mrs Hubroun's SideSaddle but didn't buy it - it was £38 and we don't want to ride side saddle... but it's a rare book, probably won't be reprinted, and someone out there will want it!

molly did nicely without me, apparently, and i went down gave her tea and checked her over..

i think...

we're at the stage with the mounting practice where really all Molly needs is the presure halter on and she'll stand....i tried first time without it today ,but that resulted in a move ..as soon as i put it on, she stood.

but the 12' rope is too long and thick to carry in the hand sensibly, so i think i'll try it with just a lead rope (then i needn't get off again...)

interesting how calm Molly is about it all now.

a few more weeks of this, and I'll be able to try again with the tall mounting block in the corner....it's too heavy to move, you need three people at least, and it's badly placed altogether .. but given the progress i'm making at the moment, that one will be "cracked" eventually as well!

peas...

But before I get to them.

I didn't lunge, I rode. Continued success. Second time to mount I took the pressure halter of and she stood. Yay.

one slight problem. the saddle moves about 1/2 inch as i mount (the mounting block I bought is not tall enough to just step over) with the result that the shims are slightly off when i do get on and straighten it up. so even though i don't need someone to hold her head, i do need someone to hold the stirrup on the other side... oops.

hopefully, she'll eventually stand at the main block in the corner, and that IS high enough..

and the peas?

I like peas. partner hates even the sight of them. partner away, so dinner was home made pie with home made chips and garden peas .. yummy. and that was mince pie, enough pastry left to make a steak pie from the left over stew from t'other day. so i'll be well pied as well!

and finally - can someone tell me why it takes several million goes before I can comment on Jean's blog? no problem with anyone else's .... perhaps that's an exaggeration, but i think i've tried 10 times today, from both pc and laptop....

more massage and mounting

the equissage lady came back today so i paid for another massage for Molly, she does like them.

then we did mounting practice again. this time, the third time when I'd taken the rope halter off - she moved, so i had to put it all back on again! then I asked Louise, who turned up looking for some money she thought she'd dropped, to take it off...

But anyway, Molly was walking nicely and I could feel her back rounding under me, and we managed some more circles as well.

but it is cooold.....not as cold as north scotland, or canada or northern states of america, but cold and i'd not put my thermals on ... will do tomorrow if it carries on like this!

I think some lunging tomorrow ...

on, off, on, off, on....

hurray! seems to be sorted..

got on (with pressure halter etc on); rode round; got off; got back on again rode round again; got off; took off pressure halter; got back on and did about 20 minutes or so - TOO cold, my thighs and hands were freezing....and managed one circular circle (as opposed to an elliptical one punctuated by a "no i don't want to go that way" tantrum...)

a success! gratitude to Natasha

Who came up to help with the mouting again and was able to spot an error i'd been making - essentially, leave the rope halter etc on whilst I mount until that is established, so that if she moves as I get on I can send her straight off to work again without having to step down and put everything back on.

so by the finish i was getting on and off no bother!

Then Natasha rode for a while - Molly had worked really hard by the time we'd finished everything (I'd already done about 40 minutes groundwork time Natasha arrived .....) so left her in with her cooler on

edited to add - I've added a new link which I anticipate will be of interest ...

improving all the time

Molly is improving in leaps and bounds - or i am, not sure which! anyway, she was a lot softer altogether, and i was too - i'd put loads of stuff on teh player and set it to play the lot randomly - proved sufficient! and the speaker on the player is more than adequate for the purpose! anyway, i felt more relaxed and that will be part of why she was, no doubt.

People said we both looked more relaxed ......

so pleased all round.

but ooo it was cold today...

poles in a cross - and music!

would have been a better exercise if i'd placed them better, which i will next time.

but having said that, when we both got it right, it looked good.

poles are something i need to work better at, to get it all set up right, and my technique at slowing molly down needs work.... fine when there's no poles, but not when there are!

the haybar and stable mirror got moved along today into the stable i moved her into last week. can't move back now!

and music? i bought an mp3 player - what would you all recommend to ride to?

7 mile christmas walk

it was meant to be 5 but we got lost, due to there being too many fields with streams down their right hand side...

partner's idea, of course, recce'ing a walk she wants to do for her walking group. but we were well ready for our dinners! and we like to do something on Christmas day - although I prefer riding the horse whilst partner leads on foot!

circles - on the longlines!

we actually did a circle circle on the longlines, i was so pleased! and whilst she was mouthing the bit more than she should, she was in a really nice frame and through! all in walk. we'd done some trotting in circles as well, but i brought her back to walk for the purpose of working properly (as it's all easier at walk!!!)

then i got on - um. had to have a hand. then we did get some nice walk (but my stirrups were the wrong length). but hey, she did some nice walk ridden as well. but everyone had gone - jill stayed for 5 whilst i walked round but had to go (don't believe in being on my own, just in case....so i didn't do much more, and she had worked hard on the longlines!

happy christmas all

equissage massage...

there's a lady up the road who has an equissage massage machine, and having heard good things about it Molly had a treatment today. she seemed to thoroughly enjoy it!

afterwards, I rode, and I do think she was softer sooner than she might otherwise have been. Difficult to know exactly whether it was that or the fact that it wasn't blowing a gale, there weren't two horses in the paddock next to the arena having a play fight, and we weren't having a lesson - but she didn't give as much grief as usual to get on (although i did, of course, get someone to hold her, since that saves the stress anyway...) but overall this was a much better session than I've had for a while (but given it's only the 4th ridden work I've done since i came back from Cheshire...)

anyway, overall pleased. not consistent in her mouth, which is partly her and partly me, but she was hardly against the hand at all and we had NO blocks, which is a first. a couple of moment of "no I don't like this circle", but no blocks. Also had some nice walk/halt/walk transitions as well.


so overall very pleased. Might invest in another treatment in the new year - only £10 a time. Lady said she's finding after she's been to a yard a couple of times, people are clubbing together to buy their own!

Didn't post yesterday as nothing to say - turned into a busy day, time I'd been to the dentist, done a last minute present shop and gone to a meeting in course of planning future....shame, it was a lovely day as well.

lesson...

was re-arranged to this morning; Molly put her stress head on for a good while, which didn't help either of us! but eventually got her (and me) relaxed and got some really nice work. there was a bit of a wind blowing, so one way the wind was full in our faces and the other way right up her tail! so in the circumstances, she was pretty good. as usual, a lot of it is her resisting whatever it is - and new instructor thinks too much leg is an issue with her (could well be right) .... i was trying too hard again at the start, as well. some things to work on but still with a lot of walk. Did get some trot but couldn't keep it going. instructor got on for 10 (i take the view that instructor gets a much better idea of the horse if she rides it herself) and then i got back on again - molly behaved well for the changeovers!

I'll have another lesson in a couple of weeks, and hopefully that will make more sense than this one. (which isn't to say this one didn't make sense, but a first lesson just gives instructor a sense of us and vice versa!)

Something I should have done differently - really we needed 10 minutes walk round on a long rein to get molly unstressed before starting work, the initial stress caused by work getting her to stand still for me to get on! and to warm the saddle up...

YO was watching, i should have given her the camera but hadn't realised she was going to stay and watch until she had, too late by then - there would have been some good shots!

the problem with christmas

is that after having done the hairdressing thing, and the Xmas shopping thing (to be fair, for my present from partner!) one then has to help partner do the outside Christmas lights in what's left of the daylight, which left no light to ride in and by then it was raining again....

consolation, this photo, taken molly's first day at the yard back in June, taken by Louise who lives next to the yard and who had forgotten she'd taken it until this week. isn't it fantastic!

rained off

it was sooo wet and soooo windy there was absolutely no point in having a lesson.

the daft thing was, it was dry and calm in the morning and i was at the yard moving along to the next stable..instructor drove past and saw my car - debated calling in then as she had a spare hour - didn't. but really, by the time i would have got molly in clean and tacked up her spare hour would have gone.

we'll try again when the weather improves...

Molly quite happy in new stable - which of course she would be! hay bar and stable mirror will get moved tomorrow.

late night!

after busy day - starting at the doctors, then to see if i can further the thought about setting up on my own (entgirely possibly, meeting on monday) then not lunch with friend who didn't make it so back home, then out to Molly - rain and howling gale, and too dark, and waiting to see if massage person was going to be able to come earlier than she'd planned in which case i would have had molly seen too - answer, not. She hadn't got the message, apparently, so booked for next week! then out of time to ride (weather had calmed down) as had to go home for tea and then out again for some CPD training

tomorrow i am moving molly into the stable next to the one she is currently in, which floods when it rains...will keep me busy and could not have stayed at home tomorrow anyway as the electric board are switching the electricity off for the day whilst they do some work in the area.... and then assuming the weather stays fine, lesson in the afternoon..

oops - forgot yesterday!

That is, forgot to post yesterday! Not like me....

I rode. for about 30 minutes. Some nice walk, and some nice trot, not necessarily getting it wholly together but it's all coming back to both of us. Finished as Molly was starting to be spooked by something - the traffic? perhaps? there's a road and junction just outside and the lights all coming down, quite busy it was, and then some idiot decided haring down the road with his horn going was a good plan. i got off and did some in hand, and then she got seriously spooked by something so stopped.

tonight, longlining - but i couldn't make the lights work, so had to stop when it got dark!

and I've been for an interview in York, but not good news as they'd misunderstood something in the conversation ... have emailed them to clear that up (in so far as the agent had the right of what the misunderstanding was!)

busy day tomorrow and lesson on Friday

5's & 6's !!!!!!!

generous (particularly for the non performed trot! LOL) but confirmed what I thought about walk/halt....

anyway, the person judging teaches, and I've seen her teaching, and riding, and we've had some conversations about ways to ride etc.. and I'm going to have a lesson Friday if the weather's any good

rode twice! posh or what...

little yard show today. a walk/trot test (we didn't do a lot of trot, due to spooking at people's cars/depth of going) and a "dressage to music"

The first was the walk trot - the warm up was hopeless for various reasons, largely to do with saddle being not quite on in the right place/saddle pad & shims wrong, all my own fault! and couldn't really get going in more than some nice walk strides

so did the test (had it called) and did some of the trot but then decided it made much more sense to concentrate on walking which we're currently better at! first time down the long side going right she was spooked by person putting christmas hat on by back door of car (that isn't normally there) and then by car door closing... and it's very deep/boggy down that side ATM. but hey, finished the test! which was more than i did last time.

Nearly had a major disaster leaving the arena - she was keen to leave, but as we did someone clattered their horse down wooden ramp of lorry, which we weren't expecting, major spook and i ended up with reins round my neck EEEEKKK - sorted it though without being tanked off with and before she got 3 strdes out of gate.....

then untacked and left her for a while went for cup of tea and then retacked for the music session. now bear in mind i hadn't even picked any music and had no idea what i was going to do.

First ones in were YO and a fellow livery did a pas de deux which they'd been rehearsing and did VERY WELL (but they didn't win, and two others went in totally without rehearsal and did a reasoonable show without the practice).

I did something to David Essex's "Winter's Tale" which was rather good. People said they hadn't seen Molly go as well. The trot wasn't perfect of course, but much better than earlier - a couple of spooks, and someone with a flash camera. but we were the only people to finish dot on x dot on the last note....

Think I might get myself an MP3 player and chuck some music on, will help me relax!

by that time it was 14.30, so did all and fed her and left her for the day - was well ready for somethign to eat by then (There was food, someone had been home baking, lovely mince pies, and quiches and stuff) and I missed out on the chocolate cake...) but I wanted to go home and get warm as well...

Anyway, I was rather pleased with that!

rain, rain, more rain, snow, rain

so no riding, of course. although I did find YO riding her horse back to her place from the yard - fond of a treat!

we went to blanchland - mother had paid for us to have a posh lunch at the Lord Crewe Arms - rather nice - but then had to rush back (people don't understand the need to get back for one's horse!)

and on the way back, the rain was turning to snow (that is quite high, and we came back through consett which is equally high) but back to rain again at home.

Molly was soaked, of course - we'd turned them out this morning anyway! - and ready for her tea.

no way i would have ridden in today's weather, and if it's like this tomorrow then the small yard show will be off....and i shan't worry about that! but i might keep her in.

fields are rice paddies again....thank goodness there's only Molly & a pony in hers!

spooked

Molly was already up a height when i got her in from the field, think she'd been playing with her new friend!

covered in wet mud - well, her legs and belly - so no way that was going to dry quickly so i could get it off and then ride, so decided on groundwork again rather than nothing.

went in the small arena. over the far side of the yard beyond the muck trailer & tractor is the haylage bale area. we have a haylage bale cover. the wind was catching it - or someone was putting it back, i think - anyway, molly clocked it and it seriously spooked her, to the extent that she was really struggling to go left (which effectively, from where we were, would have her facing it!). she was paying attention to me, but at the same time was seriously concerned about what this big green bag was going to do (nohting, it's tied down, but she doesn't know that...)

so after about 10 minutes i took her in the big arena, closer to the bales, and she had a bit of a hooley about

then back in.

wind was getting up, and it was a bit chilly!

I Rode!!

But i think that i should have had more layers under my jod's - my legs were cold and in consequence I felt slightly slippy even on warmed memory foam!

but she was very good - there was a boom box going in the corner of the arena, a mix of christmas songs and some other stuff (odd mix altogether really, started off with Vangelis and moved through Fairy Tale of New York and onwards...) people practicing for yard show on sunday, which i haven't given any thought to at all!

I need to remember the stuff I was doing before the long break, and so does she. I only did about 15 minutes (if that!)

and guess what? I had to have help to get on ... duh.

more groundwork

largely because it's sooooo cold... bit of a breeze tonight, just a gentle one but made it seem a lot colder than it is so Molly got her exercise sheet on .. probably time I got back on, but will, I think, leave that to the weekend...

No news on the jobs front. A couple of agencies have put me forward for a couple of things, but that's about it...:-( One firm shortlists on Friday, so we'll know next week whether they want to see me.

lunge and longline

with the bitless bridle, rther than the bit, as much for practice as anything else since we haven't longlined for a long time and i wanted to get her used to the idea of that again before re-introducing teh bit (given her past history of bit issues...)

the lunging went well, I wasn't aiming for anything hugely exciting, just for no tantrums, and going both ways. that was fine.

longlining, she pretty much stood still whilst i sorted the reins out, which is good in and of itself, and then was moving reasonably well both ways. didn't WANT to go right, but did go right. left rein she was reaching for the "contact" (in so far as one can with a bitless, you know what i mean..) very nicely fora couple or so circles, not so much right rein, maybe only a couple of paces, but generally not too bad. and we were changing the rein nicely as well.

only about 25 minutes all told, then it got too dark and went back in.

but i was pleased with that!

thawed!

result - mud.

can't have it all ways though!

the arena surface was of course much improved. I didn't get back to the yard until it was dark, though (afternoon meeting in durham) and so did some more groundwork with the electrics on....reasonable lighting in the smaller arena, spots mounted on the barn wall. she thought about having a tantrum, but decided not to. and it's a bit dark outside the lit area....think there was some animal she could hear that i couldn't.

hopefully i'll get back sooner tomorrow and be able to lunge in daylight - lunchtime meeting in newcastle, but if i go up early i'll come back straight after lunch hopefully with all jobs done.

but it was so warm i could take the medium wieght rug off and put the lightweight back on, she was overwarm this morning under the medium weight...

and more ice...

wish this cold spell would end....

went over to watch a friend do some dressage today about 15 miles away - called the test for her, she was riding her OH's warmblood, he got 65.5% which is very good, as he's hardly done anything for a couple of weeks and the warm up was non=existent due to the ice - the day was running about 40 minutes or so early (presumably because people had cried off) so she did her first test and decided not to do the second...

by the time i got back to the yard it had gone REALLY cold again - so Molly got about 5 minutes in the arena, but it was just too much, really.. She had been out in the field, though, once hte slippy bit had thawed out.

would like to do a bit more this coming week, but getting a safe surface is interesting - you have to hope for a clear day, as then the sun is on our arena and fields and takes the edge off, so you can at least do something in walk! and some bits you can do sometting in trot. no one would canter it though...

ice rinks...

it rained on the ice and then froze.....so life in hands.

amazingly enough, they managed to get the horses out - i left Molly in the stable, but someone dug out a bit of ice and put her and two geldings out - an edge round the outside of the arena wasn't frozen so out they went. oddly, there was quite a bit of heat in the sun when it eventually got out! I made up several haylage nets (we're on big bale...) ready for the morning as well as overnight.

by this afternoon, the smaller arena was useable so long as no one wanted to canter or ride, so more ground work.

we're re-establishing manners/who's in charge, which is good. she's stopped having hissy fits

when it thaws properly, i'll long line, but i don't want to do that until the surface is properly right... that is, all the ice has gone! not for Molly's benefit, the horse's weight is sufficient to break it up, but for my benefit!

a friend is having a book published by Blackwells in May, available to pre-order:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Knowing-Your-Horse/dp/1405191643/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227544491&sr=1-1

thaw....

unfortunately, rain on top of frozen ground makes for ice underfoot ... a bit dodgy! checked the arena, but didn't think it was safe to use, quite. hopefully it'll be all thawed out tomorrow - and if it's not raining in the morning, Molly will be worked then (in case it does rain later on!). main roads ok, but everything else is at that treacherous point where you have to be super carefull where you tread....

working in the snow (2nd post of the day)

i was right in thinking snow would enable me to work molly - arena surface was much imrproved. and it was the only chance for her to get out today. I would have turned out in the snow this morning, but no one else was, so i couldn't ....it wasn't cold and they woudl have been fine but turned out there'd been a misunderstanding - when i got there i was told they were all staying in, so fine, but later turned out another would have turned her horse out if there was another out. the joys of misunderstandings!

not to worry.

She's stopped having hissy fits and is working much better, if I can I'll lunge tomorrow rather than basic ground work.

In the meantime, some more pictures

this was as i left her whilst I skipped out and put more hay etc. in ....

here of course she wants to be back in again!

this is good, she looks particularly pretty here I think!

this was a couple of seconds before the one above....she was thinking about it!

and this is the church next to my house (which I photographed this mornin from my window) but seen from across the football field (I walked to the yard and back, this was on the way back..)

winter wonderland

the top photo was early this morning, about 0815, and the other two were about 12.15, from the same spot.... upstairs window in my house!

deep freeze...

didn't relent enough to thaw the arena surface - the sun didn't get out enough today ... so nothing done. It was just a shade too solid and icey to be safe. only good thing to report is that YO agreed we could put hay/haylage out in the field for them.

I have the advantage there, in that Molly is on her own so no one to fight with - so she stood and scoffed the lot, apparently, then went and stood by the fenceline next to the pony in the small paddock (they've fallen in love....)

and there isn't another big bale for tomorrow, or wasnt' when i left - happily, i still have a small bale left and dead easy to go get some more, so long as it doesn't snow heavily..

clipped and worked

the clipping took all morning - not for anything Molly did, she was very good (save for the "armpits" - but the clippers.

at the end of last winter I took my blades to be sharpened, as you do. when they came back, they were nicely wrapped up in oiled paper and in a box. They stayed there, until this morning when I got them out of hte box (which had been in the car's glove box).

They were blunt.

Louise offered to let me use her brand spanking new never used before liveryman clippers. It took us about 3/4 hour and 3 calls to the vendor to work out why they woudlnt' work (tensioning, resulting in the reset button needing to be reset, and that was a pain in the ....)

once i got them going, I whizzed through it all, and Louise was amazed at how much came off. People say TB's don't get hairy, but they do!

She looked very smart, if i say so myself. I must try and find the trimmers to attack between the legs (assuming that blade got sharpened, it went and came back at the same time as the clipper blades, so I'm not feeling very confident...) and finish that up. I did a better job than last year....

by then it was lunchtime, so went home, had a rest, lunch, and put dinner in the oven to cook (stew .... very good, if i say so myself!) then went back and did some work with Molly - surprised, as whilsst I was chopping onions I was watching it snow!

the arena had thawed out enough to be used, so some groundwork. Getting better. She was being challenging, but gave in much better than at the weekend, and the overall result was much better! Molly managed to avoid the total hissy fit of Sunday ... only thought about it.

hopefully it'll stay dry and not windy so we can carry on ...

what i should have done

was clip this morning when it was dry, if freezing! it started to rain properly lunchtimeish, and by the time i got her in, she was a bit wet... and it was still raining, and still is! so i guess that's a job for the morning...

hissy fitter...

well, had she been a cat, she would have been having a hissy fit. againn, when I started her off right - she'd been fine left. We were rope circling a la Max....she was NOT happy, and i had to work hard (as did she in consequence) but I had to keep going longer than i'd planned as I slipped over on a patch of ice underfoot in the arena (she was ok as she's large and heavy enough to break up the surface, i'm not) so the result was that i had to really then make sure that she was doing what i wanted, and she was very pissed off about it. then, of course, I had to stop sooner than i'd really have liked as, due to the lack of clip, she was very hot and starting to drip with sweat, which isn't clever when it's this cold. so, she got her thermatex wicking rug on again, got led out in hand for 5 minutes, and didn't get her tea - left a friend to do that about an hour later ....

then went to collect the clippers from gaynor, and whilst there, admired her new week old son, one forgets how tiny a new baby is!

tomorrow, all going well, Molly will get clipped. and hopefully the going will be a shade better for me!

molly was not pleased

to be asked to work....

it was -5 this morning when i went down so turned her out and decided to go back this afternoon (could see the sun was going to come up so prospect of it being a bit warmer...)

lunging was the order of the day ... i just wanted some nice walk. I got that left rein. Right rein? she started with that, then decided bucky hissy fit challenge me was good , she did NOT want to go right ----- i thought, OOPS - i knew if I didn't win that one i'd be in trouble, and happily I did. I don't think I'd have won it 2 years ago.....

so we got her going right and eventually down to walk, which was what i wanted. but some back up to trot/canter - i didn't mind that, so long as she went the direction I wanted.

phew.

trouble was, given she's not clipped, she got a bit warm. So i put the thermatex rug on on the basis that that'll keep her right overnight...

so must find the clippers - i have a third share in a set which are at harbour house, will have to text and find out. and somewhere i have some small trimmers which would do the job, but quite where they went when i moved i'm not sure - in the house somewhere!

anyway, definitely will be clipped!

and at least a week groundwork before i get back on, if not two .... small yard competition 2 weeks tomorrow but whether i bother i don't know....

tea...

i was home in time to give molly her tea -

the car is still full of stuff.....decided to unload that in the daylight tomorrow...

fish & chip lunch, steak sandwich dinner

hopefully my back will start improving now i'm back home....

packing...

i do hope it all fits in the car!..you know what it's like when you fetch stuff down in bits.....should do, i'm a good packer, but there's a chair (fold up) that i brought with me...bits and bobs....

lunch

was interesting (as well as being paid for!). might have something more positive to say soon ... even if it does involve the odd week in totnes! (that's devon, jean....)

last week

in wilmslow

i'm quite down, really, understandably given that it's back to the dole next week (hopefully not for long). but i won't be sorry to see the back of this flat. a fridge it was last night (and the inside of the freezer section of the fridge reminds me why mine is a self defrosting job...)

bitter cold

and it had snowed last night, although not a lot.

I'm still not feeling totally well enough to ride, so didn't.

but did buy Molly a new rug - that she didn't REALLY need, but it was at a very good price and it looks rather good on her. so she's tucked up in her stable with loads and loads of haylage

oops

sorry about the lack of post last night, the internet wasn't playing.

and tonight, i left my lap top in the office.

the innards are improving slowly..... even felt hungry yesterday, which (despite eating a substantial dinner) i hadn't felt the night before. odd that.

Molly had her vaccinations today - apparently the vet didn't get there until 17.30, which is pretty late!

lovely dinner

at the legh arms with a friend (hi jenny!), and we didn't spend ALL the time talking horses, just some of it....

she's a lot nearer than i thought she was, and an even smaller world than that, turns out her daughter is round the corner from this flat .....

first proper meal i've had since sunday, so hope i'm still ok ish in the morning LOL. off to take my medicine now...

doctor

d I was in agony this morning, so gave up and made an apoinment with a local doctor - quite impressed, rang just after 0830, appointment for 1010, and i went early and was seen early. mega good. really nice young doctor. listened to me. listened to the rest of me (stethoscope!) wrote a prescription and i came home = well, back to the flat - via the chemist...

hopefully i'll be improved/not be in such pain by the moring.

food?

2 strawberry yoghurts.

1 banana, ripe

2 sliced of toast & cheese (late on)

3 glasses of prescription gloop

several cups of tea..

hungry? no. and some actimel to drink as well. my thinking being that yoghurts/probiotics of whatever sort are called for, in addition to the prescription stuff which i've had before and works.

and partner bought eh applechaff.

warm...

as opposed to cold last night. part of which might have been a function of being unwell, but this flat when it's been left is a serious fridge....no central heating....

must remind partner to go buy molly some feed (tee hee....) didn't realised how far down it was until too late yesterday...oops. enough for 3 days, i think, but not the week ... partner said "?applechaff?!?

remind m

never to eat seeded buns again... i knew it would come back and haunt me with a vengeance, and it is! I shan't be riding today, and frankly am surprised i even made it to the yard, thought at one point i was going to have to ring a friend ... hopefully things will settle down through the day so I'm fit for the long drive this afternoon...

but sorted out the remaining mud on molly's legs, and applied mud fever prevention - which also stops the mud from sticking! got through most of a brand new grooming block in the process though....

mud monster

never seen her so covered in mud - had i been here, i would have hosed the rug off whilst it was still wet mud, as it is it needs a really good brushing and cleaning itself

took me an hour to get her clean enough to get any tack on her, so thought I'd lunge - I didn't know there'd been a coin slot put in for the arena lights! no coins! and it was far too dark to do without lights, that full moon of earlier in the week was covered by cloud....

true, i could have done all that this morning, butdidn't think partner would really appreciate me not being home when she was trooping off to manchester after lunch! and then i had to go see a client who lives not far from me about a case... only opportunity and time limited so had to be done....


so hoping the weather is as nice tomorrow as it has been today and i can get on!

and she is apparently depressed - well, frankly, who can blame her, all that mud and not a lot to eat in the field. but the consensus is that she is missing me... so not too long till i'm back..

home again....

in good time ish tonight, at least - i was in by 20.15! takes an hour to get round Manchester, and then, amazingly, NO traffic jams in my direction. not even at Wetherby. was pleased i wasnt' going the other way, traffic back from hartshead to leeds - that is a LONG traffic jam!

apparently

the new bath at home looks wonderful, and is, as we thought, bigger than the old one (difficult to be totally sure till it was actually in place). so partner is having a wonderful time using it! the one thing i've had the advantage of being away - it might be cold, but at least i could have a bath/shower every day!

looking forward to getting home tomorrow evening....and seeling molly moo on saturday! hope the weather's ok for riding....

full moon (2nd post of the night)

this is from the main door to the block of flats tonight .... about 9 pm or thereabouts. i could ride in this, it's so bright! i can actually see the door, and even the lock to get the key in, without the torch!

hurray

in that i think the internet is sorted - have rearranged the room to put the laptop nearer the window, on advice from teh ISP, and so far so good, it feels better already!

no, nicola, i'm not selling the vogue, no way - but the agent has someone who actually wnts to SEE one in the flesh, and it is apparently proving a tad difficult to organise and i am, apparently, the only person in teh area who has one she can look at. I'm surrpsied if that's the case, but there we go...

on the job front, things may move on again ....the other temp in with me decided not to stay until christmas....so who knows, they may want me to after all.

as it stands, i shan't move molly until i KNOW, given that if i'm not staying, there's no point moving her for a fortnight only!

shame, as this coming weekend would have been perfect for the job.

jobs....

:-(. won't be getting kept on full time where i am, and neither will the other person (who was temp, like me, but had been led to expect he woudl be) for reasons i won't go into here.

so need to hear about the manchester thing.... and you never know, the one in durham might prove fruitful!

had i been getting the job here, i would have moved molly this weekend, but as it is, i shan't do anything until i hear about manchester one way or the other....no point moving her for a fortnight! despite the expense, the expense of travelling her would cancel out.

hey ho.

and the agent says someone wants to look at my vogue, now if i can just maintain my internet connectionlong enough to reply to that email, i'll be happy!

delay in service...

it's taken three hours to get online tonight! goodness knows what that was about.

anyway, meeting tomorrow so that should help in knowing what the plan might be!

jumpies...

well, very baby ones. when eventually it stopped raining for long enough to do anything without a soaking, i decided 2 trotting poles, with the polepods 2 high - esentially, cavalletti height.

Molly was good about them right rein, and did in fact jump, rather than trot over, several times. she wasn't nearly as keen on the left rein!

she was, i think, a bit full of herself, and really wanted to motor on a few times, but i decided i didn't mind that as it wasn't really about schooling, it was about her enjoying herself and doing something!

my boots have been traced to a cupboard, where they had been placed to dry. apparently there was a flood last week....

.

rain ... hair ... groundwork....bath (not!)

raining in the morning

hairdressers appointment, so no worries there...

sun got out

didn't get back to the yard till 4, and she was IN!!!! turned out there'd only been 2 out all day, oscar in the geldings paddock and molly in the mares...

and molly will be the only mare in the VERY near future...one went yesterday, and the other goes tomorrow/later in the week. :-(

though my muckboots had been taken - they have been put in my locker....

apparently there was a flood through the week.... it was dry over the other side of the pennines..

ground work ... she wasn't overjoyed!

we were meant to have our new bath fitted today. man turned up, took old bath out ... and we need new flooring underneath where the bath goes. so the new bath is still sitting there!

stanneylands

livery - used to be a racing yard, is rented from the previous trainer - excellent! fantastic boxes, lovely paddocks, the "lunging ring" is more than big enough to ride in, a horse walker!!!. price is right (£23 per week DIY, £12 per day if I want her done), nice people, and under 1 1/2 miles from the flat, ditto from the office - i could walk it if i had to.

So once I know definitively what i'm doing for the next few months, that's sorted.

and an agent rang as i was leaving the office - a firm whose office is within 2 miles of this house, might be interested and so is being sent my CV. YAY.

yard hunting

can't believe i haven't updated since monday, how awful. still, nothing to say.

tonight i went to the tack/feed store at ashley and wrote down a load of contact details for livery yards...will ring them over the weekend, i think, and see what people say.

and tomorrow lunchtime going to look at one that used to be a racing yard, opposite the stanneylands hotel, so only a mile, if that, from this flat. whether it fits the bill or not is another matter, but geographically perfect! a gallop that you can trot round (no longer suitable for full gallop, he says) and a lunge ring - he was unclear about it's size, but they don't have a manege.

mobberley

yard outside there in the back of beyond - one of those, if you don't know it's there, you'll never know it's there, so as secure as can be in the scale of things. nice people, nice horses, arena, nice stables, tackroom, feed store; couldn't see the fields but lady said, mud! but horses legs didn't look that muddy when brought in! believe in turn out every day, good. £60 per week inclusive of hay/haylage. would have been inclusive of bedding as well, but that's straw, which we dont do! that would have been £65 per week. and they turn them out for you in the morning.

6 miles from the office, 8 or 9 miles back home again...

i don't use that much haylage in a week - and forgot to ask how much to have molly done on a weekend when i go home for weekend...

drat

r
wanted to do something with molly today but also knew i still had my laundry to finish up so i have stuff to wear this week, so decided to turn molly out and then lunge her later .. mistake. by the time we got all the chores done and a shopping trip for stuff for the house, it was raining. and to cap that, the laundry wasn't dry....i don't have a tumble drier, so it either hangs on the airer next to a radiator on full blast, or goes outside on the rotary airer if rain is not forecast... so it was next to the radiator, and just hadn't had long enough

think i've got enough shirts for the week....and packed some smart sweaters as well, so should be ok

photo

from yesterday, whilst we were waiting for the farrier

maybe

the time off is helping ...

this afternoon she clearly remembered what she was meant to be doing in walk, and we got a halt/walk transition nicely, and even better, we did a good walk/trot/walk transition when she didn't set against me/get her head back up etc, and some nice trot circle.

that was the good note to call a halt on.

but she's a very hairy pony! absolutely no point in clipping when i'm only doing anything at weekends. don't let anyone tell you TB's don't grow a thick coat, cos they do!

jean, the motherboard on the laptop had died. over £200 + vat for new board, + the labour to get it put in - so 6 of one and half a dozen of the other whether to do that or go for a new one, and decided to go for a new one. it's very whizzy, even has a built in web cam! more to the point, 2 years warranty. the hard drive off the old one is now doing duty as an external hard drive, and he chucked in AVG Pro (a anti virus etc. software programme) for free.

so i'm busy reinstalling software ... which, thinking about it, may not have been necessary if i'd connected up the external hard drive....but then i'd have to do that every time!