middleham open day

Middleham, for those abroad/who don't follow the racing, is a small village in North Yorkshire packed full of training yards, top quality ones (the biggest trains for Sheikh Hamdan/Darley). and Every Good Friday they have an open day in aid of charity, 0930 - 1230 for the central yards, and 12 - 4 for the one outlying one (George & Ann Duffield).

and this year for the first time there was stuff in the afternoon, and my friend natasha & her husband Philip had been asked to do a dressage to music (the afternoon events were largely about what a racehorse does after it's racing career is over, and they do a nice line in ex racehorses!) so i wanted to watch that.

so off we went - up early, much to partner's disgust (slept in car on way down, only an hour) and molly got turned out but i left the mucking out until later

and we had a really good day, despite the morning rain.

some lovely horses! as you'd expect! and the drssage to music was good, despite the slope, teh howling gale (low moor being misnamed and being quite high!) - particularly impressed, philip, with your walk/canter transition!

then in antique shop bought an old print of a farrier hot shoeing, rather nice - can join the pile of pictures looking for a wall to be hung on (we need to decide what goes where, now the house is fit to have pictures put up!)

got back home about 4, time i'd mucked out etc and got molly in - could see a BIG black cloud heading our way - the rain started whlst i was grooming ... so could see no point tacking up, and that was right, time I left the rain was coming down hard....

longlined

i really can't remember the last time I did longline, so i took it carefully and did a lot of walk - some trot, but a lot of walk, round the large arena, diagonals, circles ... as much practicing myself as doing anything for molly!

sometimes she was working nicely, sometimes she was hauling the contact down to the floor ....

but given the length of time since we did that, not too bad - especially given the wind! the lines were getting blown away a bit

hot cross buns

decided to make some, a long time since i have ... but used the machine to make the dough. the results are not as uniform in shape as i would have liked, but so what. and there will be home made burgers for tea.

and we were blown away this morning, not quite literally but working on it ... had dropped a shade tonight, but i decided on ground work in the round pen. it's a long time since I've done any of that - not since I came back from Wilmslow - and she was very good. as part of this, i had her move away from steady hand pressure just behind the girth, she did that nicely both sides. was pleased with that (the idea, of course, is to get her to grasp the idea!)

someone had some hay delivered, and whilst stacking it they managed to knock mine such that it's no longer stable .. hopefully, it won't all fall over.. Goodness knows how that was managed, it was perfectly stable this morning!

lunged...

i can cue canter right rein ok, but left rein not.

she does have a very nice canter, and is starting to be able to keep it going longer on teh lunge, which is good.

trot needs some work, can pull side reins in a shade but ok.

we needed rain, we were forecast rain

we got rain.

i hadn't realised ti was raining until i turned round to go out ... didnt' seem THAT bad, but then it got wetter, so i just fed again and came home.

and now we've had our teas and it's not raining ...

there we go!

shimming

wasn't right. had all gone dead (too squashed) and generally not right at all. so put some others in that agent had in her box of tricks and found what worked .. so off to get some more.

Decided, therefore, to cancel the lesson... but hopefully will have a lunge lesson later in the week.

wouldn't you know it...

i thnk i said somethin gthe other dayabout the weather being better in the morning, usually ... certainly true today. by the time i got back to the yard at teatime, with a view to the promised longlining, it was far too windy! RI had been lunging someone else's horse and had had a hard time of it with that....

so Molly just got to stand eat!

but my day had been spent productively - my potatoes are planted and a lot of weeding got done....and a lawn mowed....

and lesson tomorrow

and to recap i have a new yard to go to end of month, sorted it out this morning after i'd mucked out ...and i know some people there already, it's another yard on the estate i was on until last june, for those who remember (with a better arena...)

Molly will be moving - again!

I think I might have mentioned that YO has planning to become a Riding School.

She tells me there is going to be a lot of children.....

So, I shall have to move Molly. whilst children individually are cool, I would struggle with that...

So, I shall have to move her... just emailed YM at previous yard to see if there's any spaces anywhere on the estate, but email has bounced!

In the meantime, looking forward to Sunday's lesson, since not doing too well tonight, save that we worked out backwards again having forgotten how to do it since last summer! so that was helping a shade...

Think I'll longline tomorrow.

no key

last night as i was locking (well, trying to lock)the tack room door, which lock is one of those double lock ones and a shade sticky, my key for the same broke. which meant, since there was no one about when i got there tonight, I couldn't do a lot.

Having said that, the fog was rolling in - i'd been able to see it coming from the sea, and bearing in mind we're about 10 miles from the coast, i expect a foggy damp night - and molly and her mate, last 2 out, were desperate to be in. I did vaguley think about lunging for exercise from the bitless bridle, but decided not to.

so i just fed her and left again.

new key will turn up once one has been cut, sooner rather than later!

ah ... getting better

right rein, that is.

thanks for the tip about my weight, i tried to balance that better, so it may be that that was why there was some improvement!

lesson arranged for Sunday, hope the weather holds!

the calming effect of a bad ride on a bad temper

very odd. normally a bad ride make a bad temper worse, but i concentrated on the work, and found i'd calmed down (also of course concentrated on not feeling bad tempered).

and why was i bad tempered?

firstly, partner had promised to come home promptly from work i.e. at 5 so we could have an early tea then i could ride and she could go off to her choir. should have been home for 5.20. turned up at after 6 ....

then when i got to the yard, the children had the worst radio station in the world on at full volume, which i hate (can't bear the radio station, and full volume is painful).

then molly started cow kicking when i was trying to brush her belly - again!

this time i pulled her out, put the pressure halter on and backed her up and down the aisle. and i got her belly groomed with no further grief!

tacked up and got on and walked round whilst i did some deep breathing. then trot work. still, left rein lovely, right rein pants. right rein getting worse! and yet i'm not conscious of changing anything about my position between the one rein and the other. i was out for about 1/2 hour if not longer, lost track of time.

so MUST text RI and sort out a lesson.

and have to think hard about grazing issues, on which we have a problem (due in large part to the water boards activities last year, they haven't reseeded that area of land yet - hopefully they'll do it soon! but even if they do, it won't be ready for this season of course, and possibly not for next...

edited to add: i think on right rein i am blocking somehow with my thighs. and on left rein i keep my hands settled (one reason it's going well that rein, i expect!) but not on the right.

as i said

i lunged. And Molly lunged well. the canter is improving, she can keep it going a shade longer (particularly good after last week off) and she's looking something. Then i did a little longlinging but that wasn't so successful, which is my error as i haven't done any for a long time! also, i had her in the roller, and put the reins through the terrets, and that's possibly an error with her at the moment.

apparenlty the forecast is good for a few days!

hurray!

despite the minus 1 this morning, it was a gorgeous sunny day, the wind had dropped, no clouds

so I was able to ride.

left rein we're going great guns, but have lost the plot right rein altogether. So need another lesson, I think.

But i'll lunge her a couple of times through the week as well I think

rainy gales.....

horizontal rain after i got home from the yard this morning (it was only gently vertical when i left their...) I did give a passing thought to going back down and getting her back in, but didn't. and i had caved in and rugged, as i knew the rain wasn't going to stop.

and would you believe - this evening, got her in gave her tea, more hay, left - and the wind dropped. typical.

think it MIGHT be a nice day tomorrow.

and my online banking for the office account doesn't work - but at least i got a prompt reply to my email!

the month of march

has left all it's gales until this week, it seems. I Shan't be riding today! It's dry - but that's all that can be said for it!

halifax, west yorkshire

was the venue for the day trip for partner's birthday.

we visited the Piece Hall, which is amazing.

we then went to Bankfield Museum, which was fascinating. an embroidery exibition with pieces dating back to early 1600's, and stuff from all round the world; the Duke of Wellington's REgiment Museum, stuff about Edith Durham, of whom I'd not previously heard but clearly had a fascinating life, and then went to Dean Clough, but didn't really have time to look at the galleries there, so I guess we'll go back at some point.

Then stopped at a pub in Masham on the way home for dinner .. sorry to say, I had to make a complaint. I'd asked for steak pie, but what I got was carrot with a bit of steak, rather than steak with a bit of carrot. tasty, and hasn't put me off the pub (chef, apparently, was mortified)

Left all done for Molly to be brought in tonight, and hope it wasn't wet up here - in Yorkshire, sunshine was interspersed with wintry showers...

was it worth it?

Probably not.

Actually managed to ride today ... didn't take my schooling stick, a conscious decision as I usually end up putting it down somewhere.

but we couldn't really get going at all, in trot. walk was nice virtually all the time, but i could not get the trot right. i was wrong, she was wrong ... whether it would have been assisted had i had the schooling whip to start, I don't know.... but since it was clear i wasn't going to get anywhere for whatever reason, i made sure we finished on a nice note and called it a day very quickly.

and we have a new cat. My friend is moving house and not allowed to take her cat with her, so we have him.

he's not quite as big as he looks in this pic, and it's a very small pic as taken on friend's mobile phone...

nothing to report

due to busy work day, unexpected new client, and going out this evening... I used to be a morning person which would be better really ...

Anyway, should be something to report tomorrow (subject to weather) as partner is away out for most of the day.

a good drying day

that's about all that can be said for it. it was blowing mad march gale this morning, and still is now, with no let up. and it's got worse since it got dark, in that it is now raining as well.

But as I say, a good drying day!

and at least it was sunny during daylight hours (not that any of the horses will have been particularly impressed anyway, they were all keen to be in!).

wind....

and i did wonder whether i'd be able to ride, but it wasn't too strong - one of those winds that sounds bad when you're inside, but isn't quite as bad as it sounds once you're outside..

and i had some company in the arena, so it was useful to work round them - guinness the gelding, working well.

we were trying hard and had some good moments.

i've decided that the hole shorter stirrup is the way to go .... leg stabilised much better ....

reckon i need to so some work without stirrups!

mmph.

a bit hacked off ... didn't get to ride, as by the time i'd done all the things partner wanted, there wasn't really time before dark AND molly has minor fly bites right where the girth goes. fly repellent to be applied .. (save we're forecast snow next week, apparently!)

partner now off for a week - i said i'd take the one day for her birthday! - so i might work her mornings ....we'll see. i don't want to interrupt my routine....

ridden....

but still got that sore.... put aplaster on, but i don't think it helped (haven't looked yet!)

anyway, how was she? well, not as good as we could have been, hadn't been ridden since Sunday so that's not surprising. but by the end we were getting there, hopefully we'll get there quicker tomorr.w

and she had her feet trimmed

and the weather turned out so hot (sorry jean) that i had to take my jacket off..

lunged...

if only because the sore behind my knee is still a shade sore and not fully healed....i was given the option of being picked up by friend to ride local estate but opted out on the ground that even though a plaster would have protected the surface, it would have done nothing to relieve the pain which distracts from the riding...

She is looking better again on the lunge, i should be able to tigthen the side reins one hole each side again soon. and the canter is improving. AND i'm noticing that she's "tightening up" underneath - that is, her muscles are toning up and she's starting to lose the belly caused by lack of muscle tone...YAY.


RI said she didn't think i'd done anythig odd that could have caused this (happened to see her this evening) .. so will just have to keep and eye and try not to do it again. RI didn't get chance to ride Molly whilst I was away, so nothing to report on that front.

home again

had a nice curry last night in stratford on avon with a couple of EE friends, another day's training today, got back home about 8pm and hopefully will have a good report tomorrow on Molly...and i now know how you set up documents will all the information already in, and now have to set to and do all that with mine.....will keep me entertained!

a summer's day

at least, that's what it's like on the atlantic side of the pennines, wasn't quite so nice at home when i left due to east wind coming in

so i'm in birmingham for 2 nights, software training, RI is riding molly either tomorrow or wednesday for me, friend is "doing" her and i return the favour over the easter holidays when she goes to a wedding ...

time for my leg to heal up, at least!

now tell me

after 40 odd years of riding, how come I have a sore on the inside of my left knee, at the top of the boot, and have never had one before?

i shouldn't have ridden today, but did (didn't really think about the fact that I shouldn't, until after about 10 minutes when said sore made itself more sore... half chaps, not boots today)

Anyway, I was much more effective about getting molly to listen to me and in consequence we got better work sooner.

i also took my stirrups up a hole.....that has hugely sorted the leg. Partly brought on by the fact that the chaps felt quite slippy on the saddle and for some reason my leg felt as though it was longer and losing place more than it does usually ....

anyway, had a good day.

here's a pic from yesterday that Louise took - chopped off all the extraneous scenery!



and, if anyone can tell me why Molly's ears are like this:


i'd be grateful. we were in trot at the time....

and one last one:

I know i'm looking down and shouldn't be....

Trudi was right

it was an excellent lesson, despite the gale that blew RI's words away regularly.

I'd had my hands too far up and back, lower and forward is the key to molly - if you put them where we're all taught to have them, she starts to stress - get that, and the work is fantastic.

keep finger pressures on the left rein (that is, the left side of her head, whichever direction we're going) when she tries to set against the bit, and if necessary open the inside hand

and then of course wants she starts working properly she's more likely to continue. and when she does, i can put hands back central

i need to be quicker on those corrections

once I'd "got" it RI left me to my own devices and we continued working nicely. And of course the better that goes, the better able I am to keep myself right....

then RI got on to try the canter - fantastic canter she has!

We think if we can keep this up, she can go to a party and knock them for 6 ....need to take her somewhere to school away from home first.

and I must find somewhere to have lunge lessons....

Louise took heaps of photos, i shall have to take a USB stick down to get them (her camera, not mine) and then i'll post them on photobucket and link. I did take my camera which takes movies, but L wanted to use her own (which takes much better stills).

Next week when I'm away RI is going to school her one day

fly bite!

right under where the saddle would go. not a big one, and she wasn't reactive to hand pressure, but it thought i'd not put anything on it today. so i just took her round on the lunge with the BB on, just to say i'd done something!

and why did she have a fly bite? because i'd made the mistake of thinking last night would be as warm as the night before, so left her rug off, so she was dirty, so therefore more attractive to the odd fly...

anyway, lesson at 0915 in the morning ...

my lesson

will be on saturday morning as everyone is ill....

so tonight I lunged molly, as it was a while since i had, and after my last couple of nights not very good ridden work, i thought a good plan.

she did some really nice work, and the canter is still there and improving....

i'm with Di

on going backwards.

but that happens.

Quite why it happened to us tonight, i don't know, just one of those things....

anyway, lesson either tomorrow or Friday, depends on how RI's time goes, which will do me good....i think if lesson is friday i'll do something else tomorrow, and vice versa...

rode...

RI was riding at the same time, schooling someone else's horse ... good for us to work round.

Again had some nice stuff, but some not. and Molly was distracted, a shade (not to total not listening, but distracted...)

At one point she wanted to canter, and RI said why didn't I whilst she was there, but I declined - I want her to canter Molly first, and I want to work more on my riding, in particular my legs! which are getting somewhat better, but i want them more inclined to stay put in trot before i start cantering again (don't want another broken foot)

So I'll have another lesson soon, and possibly RI will school molly whilst I'm away on a training course next week.

cooold wind

it was oneof those deceptive days - the sun was shining but I could see that the wind was up - it was one of those go through you winds...

i didn't ride or do anything else

and molly wasn't that keen that i'd turned her out .. even though the grass is growing (just) she's not that keen on being out, and stands at the gate waiting to be brought back in when i turn her out (at least until I leave).

the opposite of saturday when i put thermal undies on and didn't need them - today i didn't, and did...

walking EEEK

partner wanted the other half of her walk recce'd, that she got lost on before, and i had to go ... started in a snowstorm which happily stopped.

i was able to show her where she'd gone wrong (oops!) but by the time we'd done that and got back i was seized up, so didn't do anything with molly save hose the mud off her legs...

better balance

is shown by a much greater willingness to have the near hind picked up and out - Molly can take the weight on her off hind better. I think she was surprised herself!

I'm getting there on the riding. tonight was interesting - halt/trot transitions. got some good ones on right rein - not so good left rein, dunno if that's about my asymmetry (probably, LOL) but anyway, it was good and light as a transition and the following trot was mean as well, and the trot/halt was no bad...

not so good left rein.

this exercise is good for both of us, me particularly as i stay more together...

and yes, RI has no history with Molly - she said herself, after she was on she realised she was surprised (she has seen the performance!)

jean is right

I do need to up my game.

some of this, of course, is that Molly knows I'm not as good (I'm certainly not the rider I was when i had queenie, but hey...)

anyway, rode today and did get some nice trot, if I could only keep myself right she'd be a lot more consistent. need some lunge lessons, therefore need a horse upon which to have same.

But why is it Molly DOESN'T pretend she has a sore in her girth area for RI, DOES take her bit no problem from RI, and DOES let herself be mounted from the proper mounting block by the fence for RI

but not for me.

As I said to RI tonight on the subject of moutning, if she walks off from the main moutning block (which she did three times) I have no way of giving her an immediate consequence in the way of hard work round it, as it is on the fenceline and i'm too busy catching her again (if I hold on I'd be pulled off the top, not a good move). so I'll carry on using my own small one, which we've cracked.

I did try when i first went into the arena, as i knew RI had succeeded without any effort Wednesday, but she was setting her jaw before we got there and moveher butt away - i gave up and went got my own small block, went back to it later after i'd ridden. so on that go round, the first tiem, she stood .. i tought i'd do some more to reinforce it, and it went wrong again.

so my last thing was getting on from my own small block, not a problem.

minus 5

This morning when we got up. ouchy.

Lunged tonight, she's doing well

and yesterday? RI said 20 minutes of pure pleasure .. light, on the bit etc etc etc..I should have been there, must be there next time I have her school her, and of course I will be, and will have camera with me...

whoo.... busy day!

but productive, business wise.

horse wise, Molly was ridden by RI as I knew I wouldn't have time. I haven't seen her yet and her phone's not on, but the report left for me is that Molly was on the bit, working well, soft, through, etc... don't know if canter was attempted, and no doubt will get a full report tomorrow.

ordered office supplies online - they sent me 4GB usb's, when I'd ordered and paid for 2GB usb's (back up for system data, as recommended) - so i've told them this, will be interesting to see what they do!

oops

I had every intention of lunging tonight.

turned Molly out this morning - don't think she was too impressed, despite the fact that it was dry and stayed dry all day, when i left she was hanging round the gate expecting to be brought in again! hah! she'll stay in tomorrow.

but time I got back it had go SOO cold - not much of a wind, but out in it it was really through you, and by the time i'd got Molly, her field companion, and the lone gelding from the next field in i couldn't feel my head... and molly was only interested in her tea. so that's what she got.

had an intensive morning - 2 hour phone call, software installation and training - then went to collect new denture seems to be fine compared to previous versions.

and didn't get lunch till really late ... busy day!

improving

it's amazing how we are both improving

it was funny tonight though. I was trotting round (Molly prepared to work much sooner in a session than used to be the case, and was feeling good!) and fellow owner came over to watch and said how good she was looking. I'd been thinking whilst she felt good but i felt really odd.....right leg felt as though it was everywhere ... eventually worked out, that stirrup was set 1 hole longer than it should have been ... duh.

after that sorted out continued to get some nice work, Molly definitely getting stronger. Did some walk/trot/walk/trot transitions, that was cool

the plan for alternative day turnout might not work out - apparently its forecast to rain all day tomorrow, which is a shame the land was really drying out.. :-(

off topic but...

The first day of the rest of my life?

www.cmhsolicitors.co.uk

in business as of today (i know, it's a Sunday - first day of the month therefore a cleaner start).

i don't expect any work this week of course ... although partner came home yesterday and said she'd met a man who'd fallen at work, she did think about giving him my details but didn't know if I'd want her to ... duh.

Need to double check i've done all the start docs i need, am trying to print a business card but it isn't printing right ....

Wish me luck, people!

and back to Molly - she's out in the field. the weather is lovely today, her legs are well covered with aromaheel, she hasn't got her rug on so will come in filthy but happy, and I've decided in to give her today off as well. I expect I'll have to hose off when she comes in (the stuff is waterproof, so i hose the mud off and leave the cream on...) and I think i'll do it alternate days whilst I see how the legs go. it's a good bit drier than it was, if not totally perfect, and the grass is STARTING to come through - she got her head down quickly enough, LOL.

recently i've noticed

that i've no sooner had a whinge about something than it starts coming right.

the hands are getting a lot better. i need to work on the legs more but that will come as molly improves, as the more steady she is, the better i am... what a vicious circle that is! It's good to know that i can still ride, after a couple of years of thinking that i'd forgotten.

Molly is finding it much easier left rein, to the extent that I can put my hands back up instead of carrying them low ... We had one EXCEEDINGLY good walk/trot transition, that we haven't had for ages, so hopefully more of that to come.

right rein not so good, of course, but getting there.

much better

firstly, the weather warmed up so much between my turning molly into the round pen and finishing mucking out this afternoon, that i had to take my jacket off

secondly, we are making progress.

the schooling stick is in my outside hand which means that i don't catch her wrongly on a circle and it's much easier to keep that right...

i forgot to say, my other problem is arthritis in two fingers on the right hand, combined with b'd right wrist ..

anyway, i was finding it easier myself today

Molly is finding it easier as well - particularly when i remember to advance the relevant seat bone as well for a circle!

maybe the day off yesterday helped as well....

horrid north wind

oneof those winds that goes right through you, not round you.

pointless lunging as the lunge line would have been blown about too much

and too windy to ride really

so nothing done. but she DID need a day off.

and she wasnt' very suited when i turned her out in the pen for exercise, but there was no one to talk to over the fence....

some good some bad

OK - so, if I don't carry a stick, i can keep my thumbs very firmly on the rein and thus give/take with teh fingers effectively.

But if she then stops answering the leg (which sometimes happens) i'm stuck - i either get off and go get it, or sit there unti someone turns up to give me it, or give up for the day.

However, if I DO carry a stick, she moves off the leg very quickly, very rarely gets to the point of not doing so .... but I can't keep the thumb firmly on the rein the relevant hand (the one carrying the stick).

so a bit of a dilemma there, since I want to ensure that Moly can't pull the rein out of my hand and at the same time want her to be forwards, not standing still sticking her (metaphorical) tongue out at me! and, apart from the fact that I don't want to go back to "kick kick" - if she's not answering the leg, she's not answering a kick either!

plus - RI wants me to ride with my hand lower ATM, essentially treating Molly as a young horse, (fair enough given her lack of training in the past, LOL) BUT if i also carry a stick (my schooling whip) i find that the hand position is all wrong and i can find myself connecting with her with the stick when i didn't want to.

having said all that, she's starting to get to the point where I can get her forward and into a sensible nice contact with a higher hand, but not very often...

so some of it was good, and some of it was bad.

the walk's still good though!

good lunging again...

Friendship awards

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Thanks to English Rider for that. my friends include some who have already been nominated (can one give these twice?) and some who haven't:

http://nicola-minky.blogspot.com/
http://lionhearthorses.blogspot.com/
http://dressage-junkie.blogspot.com/

and
For a change of pace - She's going VERY nicely. I've ALMOST got the canter aid correct = sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so i'm not being crisp enough or something ....but she has a nice canter when i get it.

and it was a lovely day again eventually.

not so good

probably because i was over dressed and overheated

and probably also cos molly needs a change of scene.

hoping to organise a hack out...

BUT we did get a small sideways ... when I DIDN'T also twist my body, LOL

and we DID get some nice walk

and we DID get me winning the argument about who had control of the contact...

another first

once round the arena, on each rein, on the bit. YAY.

after some circles/voltes (large ones, needed to avoid the boggy bits!) and so on...

very pleased.

smalll show at the yard today, i could have done a walk/trot test and something to music, but decided not to, as it's still too boggy in places ....

interesting to see after i'd ridden, as YO harrowed it after everyone had gone and i was first in there after that .... you now can't tell it had been harrowed, really!

and we nearly fell over once, don't think that was to do with boggy bits though, think that was to do with Molly not quite concentrating at that point...

and we had a nice sunday lunch out, really recommend the Queen's Head at Lanchester - proper beef, thick large slices, proper yorkshire puddings, properly cooked roast potatoes, veyr nice...

we'll have some scones for tea....

fun with poles

i thought rather than really work hard again, i'd do what i'd been planning for a while and put 4 poles and my polepods in the smaller arena, as it's easier to keep heron track in there. Happily, I got some help with the poles, which are solid wood, a ton weight.

anyway, that was a good plan.

I didn't put a bit on, just used the bitless - on the ground if we ended up in an argument about poles, i wouldn't be jabbing her in the mouth, and it's great for lunging in anyway

So molly worked nicely over the poles, followed me about like a lamb when i rearranged them, and finished up volunteering herself to freeschool over them.

my final idea was to have the polepods 2 high, with two poles - she did some nice jumps over them, and right rein i asked for and got canter before it and she jumped it nicely. Not so good left rein, but happy to trot it.

was good to watch...

the only thing was, i so wished i'd done all that in the morning, the weather was a lot better!

and when i got home, having made dinner, i decided to bake since i had the oven on - scones, which i haven't been successful with in the past, but these are great, properly risen - and i've had one already. very nice...

short and damp

Damp, because it was raining - that mizzle turning into proper rain that can't make its mind up..

Short - because partner had rung and changed the plan, and because it was raining.

Effective?

I think so.

Molly much softer, quicker, left rein, and starting to get it (balance sooner) right rein..

We were in the smaller arena to avoid boggier bits, as it isn't drying out (because of the intermittent heavy rain on top of the wet left by melting snow)

Having 2 to choose from is useful....

and i think i've come to the conclusion that the internet problem was a cable problem ... now why didn't i think of that before? ah well....

canter transition

on the lunge. finally got it quite nicely, instead of having to run round with her, which isn't good.

she was looking good on the lunge.

the only problem was - as we finished, it started to rain - and i'd left my washing on the line.

and the internet? the router clearly wasn't the problem, so i've wasted more money... drat. i suppose i can sell it.

the difficulty is to know what the problem REALLY is!

in the meantime, I also have a mobile broadband dongle, which I am using on the laptop next to the window when the main broadband is down.

very tedious indeed.

i guess i need to check the phone line with BT and check with my ISP in case of network settings. it may be there's some damp in a line box at the moment...

wasted £40 ...

The wheelbarrow. That's the trouble with buying things on the internet - it's all very well if you've seen it in the shop first, but when you haven't you have to rely on the picture - which in this case, wasn't a good move.

It isn't as deep as it looked to be in the picture, doesn't have a square front, and doesn't have any stability side to side when you fill it.

so i've wasted my money (save that i'll bring it home and use it in the garden, since the barrow we had there got stolen by the someone some years ago .... and will have to spend more money on a barrow I do want... if i can find one.

Molly.

when i eventually got her clean after her two rolls in the round pen last night and this morning (she was dirty!) and she currently HATES me trying to get the dried on sweat off the girth area on the right hand side, despite there being nothing whatsoever that anyone can see or feel to cause a problem - cow kick, anyone? i have to keep an eagle eye on the leg on that side!

anyway, rode, to carry on where we left off last night - only for 1/2 hour, but was being effective, as I eventually got something i haven't had for a while - all the way round in walk on the contact with no arguemnt - recently it's only been part way.

so i need to keep that up.

and I practice the "go sideways" aid a couple of times, with the purpose of moving her to the right towards the fence line - successfully, as we move sideways and stayed straight.

and the router? thought i'd sorted it this morning after plugging the ethernet cable into a different port onthe router, but it was gone again after a couple of hours. had planned to go get a new router after i'd been to the yard, but a lack of headlight bulb on one side meant the better option was go home....

new router

is what's required, i think... it isn't the phone line, or the pc, it's the router

ah well.

in the meantime, Molly.

We had a lesson today. RI thinks molly not strong enough for lateral work, but showed me how to get her to get her quarters moving over and gave me an exercise to do re. that.

then after that we worked on trot/contact

I MUST not let her get the better of me by letting her get the reins pulled through my hands

we got some really nice work!

and SO warm - shirtsleeve order for me! i was too hot with light jacket on.

and molly worked so hard it was an hour until she'd cooled down enough to have her tea....

internet connection

i'd been wondering for a while whethere there was something wrong with my modem... worked out tonight (after not being able to get on the internet at all, for ages!) that in fact the ethernet connection was slightly loose at the back of the modem (this is what happens when people move things from where theywere, not me, of course!).

sorted now.

someone has just sent me an email thanking me for an order and my money, telling me the book has been sent - when they sent it in July, I've just had to dig through my paypal account to confirm the date. how confusing.

back to the internet connection - it went down again for a couple of hours, wonder if i was right first time?

more improvement

lunged today, since i hadn't yesterday. the new girth is a perfect fit on the roller, so that's good.

and Molly?

carrying herself much better, straight into it, i was very pleased.

I wasn't so pleased with myself, i cannot give an aid for canter to save myself.... pah.

whilst I was doing that, partner went for a walk over the fields and down to the River Wear, which is REALLY full with all the snow runoff:

carrying me

Molly did feel very much as though she was learning to carry me today, it was a really good feeling.

I had planned to lunge - having bought a new girth for the leather roller - but when I got there YO had the BAlance saddle person there and she happened to mention that she'd shimmed treeless saddles with balance pads... so i asked her to check mine out (approval of my line of thinnking there! which is good ) - i've met that fitter before, fitted a friend's horse with a balance, trust her judgement on these things.

so i thought i might as well ride - in the small arena, better going.

such a good idea. totally different from yesterday - good ish going will have helped a lot there! - and as I say once we got the trot going, Molly was carrying me both reins.

i then ploughed it a bit by deciding to try for right rein again, and i guess she'd had enough by this time as we just had a lot of arguing with her head in the air and fighting me for it....i think i pushed her a shade far for the day. the more positive side of that, is that when i brought her back to walk she was happy to soften into the contact. So that was me, i reckon, just too much ...

RI was there giving another horse a lunge lesson, so i said, text me when you can fit me in.

i need some help just finalising the leg & hand position, and need to be properly taught (well, we both need to be properly taught) lateral work. no one ever taught me properly about this stuff (although i did manage SI once on Queenie at a clinic) and really it is something i needt o be shown properly and get established..

finally, i love the wood pellet bed. it's still expanding, i've had to spread it out more than i would normally do as it was getting too deep (bearing in mind the 28mm rubber matting) and i still haven't taken any out. NO bed comes out with the droppings ....

heat in the sun - on the snow!

still loads of snow on the ground, but when i went back to the yard at lunchtime with feed to drop off, it was so hot I decided to turn Molly out in the arena without her rug, whilst i sorted out the feed and skipped out again. These are the result. I didn't have it set to movie whilst she was rolling, i know, should have done. So i guess she was pleased!

Later, I rode in the large arena - not wholly successfully, i have to say, after about 20 minutes she decided not moving was good, and was ignoring my leg - now, i don't want to go back to kicking, which is just counter productive in the long run, so decided to see if i could sit her out - also thinking that if someone arrived, which happily they did, they could fetch me my schooling stick which was, unhelpfully, in the stable.

after about 10 minutes, my prayer was answered, RI turned up (she mucks out a friends horse sometimes) and brought me my stick - one tap, and molly moved.

after that, i concentrated on getting the walk right and getting her moving into the contact, ended up doing lots of 10 - 15 metre circles; could only get half round the arena before we lost it!

when i put her away, turned out a lot of the problem was that she needed a wee - she's one of those that doesn't when you're on her! ah well.

2nd post - 2 inches of chaos

There was no more than 2" of snow, possibly 3" - it didn't cover my feet! - but it's amazing how much chaos that can cause when it's unexpected and snowing heavily!

i didn't take the car, got myself all warmly wrapped up and walked down - glad i did, as if there had been a gritter along the road i'll be surprised, and it would have been a bit dodgy, i think - plus there's an incline into our street makes it difficult once a couple of cars have been over and turned it to ice!

but after I got there, and had mucked out, it stopped snowing and turned into a mizzly rain for a bit - so I put molly in her waterproof exercise sheet and roller and lunged anyway - only for exercise, in the BB, rather than for work.

the only bit of the arena that ended up icy was the bit i was standing on, i turned it slippy by virtue of standing on it in one place, so i moved around a bit to avoid slipping.

so because of the non slippy snowy arena and the barefoot horse, some exercise at trot and canter.

and i walked home, also well exercised!

snow again...

this was at 12.30, all since 09.30 and there's more since....i'm going to have to walk down to the yard, and will take camera with me so more later. but there won't be any work done, unless I do some flexions in the stable!

lunged again

i think i've pretty much decided that the plan is 2 days ridden, one day lunged....maybe interspersed with longlining as well

back in the day when i had Queenie in work, i used to do one day hack, one day lunge, one day school - don't trust Molly hacking on her own yet, i don't think, so that'll be ad hoc when i have some company.

so today i lunged. not QUITE as good as the other day, but partly as i'd chosen a time to start when I could only see for half the circle, due to sun in my eyes the other half!

but we got there, which is good.

yesterday we had another first - i've never actually seen Molly lying down in her stable before, normally she hears my car and is up before I get to her stable, but yesterday she was lying down, and stayed there whilst i went into the stable and said hello. so clearly a chilled horse..

hands .......

Molly isn't impressed at the notion that I WILL NOT let her pull the reins through my hands ....but if I can only keep that, then the rest will come in terms of keeping the contact consistent for her to work into, i can see that. I found my thumbs hurting after a while....

we were working in the large arena, for the space, but the boggy bits are boggy and it takes a fair bit of work to get through them, resulting in some unasked for halts/ trot to walk/ changes of direction, and frankly, i can't blame her but eventually was much more able to push her through them.

i did try the serpentine again, but since that involves passing through boggy bits twice, whichever way you go, it wasn't that successful...

on the other hand, the successes, she's definitely listening to my leg to go forward, i hardly need anything much to get the upwards transition to trot. the walk/trot/walk/trot is coming on in leaps and bounds (not literally, happily!) in that the transitions are better

the halts are good (i was very impressed when i got off, a very SQUARE halt!)

we did a full hour, i think, today - RI was giving a lesson to someone else in the other arena, and we were out as long as they, and that's usually an hour.

and Molly now has a brand new bed - moved on to wood pellets, good reports from others about them, so hopefully that'll work. i've ordered some in, shoudl work out cheaper, and i know it's easier to muck out (YO has her pony on them, looks like a nice bed and easy to do).

thumbs - and Tony Benn

one of my consistent issues has been inability to prevent the horse (any horse!) pulling the reins through my hands....

so one of the things i tried tonight was 5 minutes ensuring my thumbs were clamped tight to hold the reins between my thumb & finger .... ooh molly didn't like it! but, it was working. i didn't keep that up too long but it is something i need to work on consistently

before that i'd done about 15 minutes in the small arena, some nice trot, and managed to change the rein across the centre (not easy in that small arena! not a huge amount of space!)

al this while YO had been riding her horse inthe main arena, but then decided her horse needed lunging, as she wasn't listening to anything ridden ... so we had to swop arenas.

to change arena, had to get off, then remount once in. I think Molly thinks that leaving one arena means end, which of course it doesn't, but since she totally sets herself against the hand and i didn't have my schooling stick, but i didn't want the battle that would have ensued otherwise....

the main arena is of course still boggy.....but got some nice trot circles and some nice walk with the thumbs firm!

and Tony Benn? for overseas readers, link in name, but a very well known left wing socialist politician, former cabinet member - evenign with tony benn @ the sage gateshead, very good evening, he talked a bit, then Q & A between him and the audience....last minute booking we were lucky to get the tickets, partner on call so didn't know until 5 whether she'd be working late or not.

frozen mud

at -4, which meant that molly could go in the small paddock for the day, since if it did thaw a shade that isn't deep mud at all (unlike the field!).

and i gave her the day off from work, as she's worked so hard the last 2 days & got to go out.

me? we spent the day clearing a drain ... cheaper than getting a man in to do it!

the lesson

was in fact a lesson for molly on the lunge - we didn't do any ridden work as she'd worked so hard by then and was tired...

essentially, when we start off and she dawdles then speeds up, i should push her on - and then after a short while she slows herself down and evens up the tempo.

same on both reins

then put the side reins on - still relatively loose - and she remembered everything i'd done with her last night. essentially i'd been doing the right thing, small vibrations on the lunge line - wish i'd had the camera

the only difficulty - which will probably be sorted with more work as she strengthens - is that the inside leg comes across in front of the other hind, rather than tracking straight. some of that is conformation, some of it is accidents in the past, and some of it is lack of correct work in the past..

and again, if she takes herself too far down/tries to overbend, push her on.

then canter. better right rein than left oddly

and the piece de resistance - and coincidental given Caroline has written about the same thing! - medium trot, both reins. I couldn't have got that but RI did, and it was fantastic.

she was impressed with Molly's paces ... as am I, which is why i've persisted for 4 1/2 years! -

and molly was excellent, definitely with us - clearly finding the work easier, and "getting it" in her head....

and the other good bit, we got the best of the day weatherwise, after that the snow showers got worse and when i went back at 5 someone was lunging in the snow!

she's "getting it"

Lunged tonight - had vaguely thought about riding, but it was late, and i suddenly felt very hungry, so lunged instead.

Molly is most definitely starting to grasp the concept of contact, working into it, etc, and she looked great! fantastic in trot.

so part of tomorrow's lesson will be lunge work for her, to establish that a bit more and work on canter on the lunge, which is rushed.

i am here!

and i did ride - in the arena, which is a total bog now after all the rain and melted snow - and in the smaller arena, which isn't a bog but doesn't have the space to get going (well, girl with warmblood can even canter in there, but we can barely trot because of our current lack of collection/balance for the space...)

it was very cold. I put the wrap round exercise sheet on (the sort that wraps over the saddle and velcros in front, also keeps my legs warm) but discovered that it is too long for Molly - it was fine with her mother, but on molly far too long and no way of stopping it pulling back, short of totally remodelling it at the front.... m. shame, my thighs were warm when it stayed in place!

a good look at the legs without mud shows that the hair is growing back, thus the cream is in fact working and i have ordered some more, but i shan't turn out until there's much more improvement, not into the mud soup we have at the moment...had RI to look as well, i find the angle difficult with these specs, and she agreed, hair growing back.

subject to the weather, lesson on saturday (bank says i have a bit more money than i thought I did...)

black ice

an adventure this morning.

Samantha rode over to my yard and we went out for a hack. over the narrow bridge, up through the estate, down the country lane, a bit slippy, through a HUGE pond where the road was flooded, and it was at this point that the black ice either side was really a bit scary.

after the pond (which Molly went charging through after initial hesitation) the ice was really dodgy and we nearly fell over (despite being barefoot) and we both thought we could hear an engine coming up the other way - blind bend. so i got her onto the verge and got off - TBH, my nerves had been a bit frayed by the nearly falling over episode, and given that we were sure something was coming and she'd been REALLY good all the way round, i thought i'd lead the rest.

Then of course, there wasn't in fact anything coming, the ice eased off after the next corner, there was no where to get back on and once we got round back to the road I was struggling to keep up with my own horse! (on a mission, she was!)

but I was SO pleased with her.

friend was on a shod 4 year old, and not sure how they stayed upright, TBH, a couple of times!

I'll lunge her later, I expect, but that was a really good ride...

rain? pond? sun?

rained hugely overnight - not sure it stopped, was still raining this morning.

huge pond all round the barn this morning - blocked drains. hay got in them (going to get finer mesh covers! and we're all going to try and sweep up better...)

sunshine this afternoon, turned into a glorious day.

took molly out for a walk in hand - i'd kept her in, not happy with those legs

rang the people i bought the stuff off

decided to try and wash it off - NOT easy, as it's impermeable! a barrier - and try the healing cream, keeping her in.

i said, and i think this is right, what works for one horse, won't necessarily work for another! the bugs a slightly different, possibly, the horses of course are all different...might ring the vet and see what they suggest...

be easier if there was somewhere non muddy to turn out in through the day, but there isn't...the world is made of mud. and despite this having been one of the drier winters, the ground doesn't dry out after it's raing - clay subsoil, yeugh. never been on clay before....

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.