mirrors and splints....

Stephanie is here for the weekend (and EE dinner in Newcastle tonight) so she arrived at lunchtime and we had a horsey afternoon. she kindly held the stable mirror whilst I fixed it to the wall, i put the hay bar up as well and then we got molly in.

we also got another mare in who otherwise would have been in the field on her own!

molly was somewhat more settled, the foal in the next stable was tied up outside, she could see other horses and the mirror was up, so she got groomed, then did some ground work and also let her loose in the school for a canter round - she was VERY crooked in canter - quarters in both reins, very much so - also dragging her feet walking down hill - so needs the back man. happily someone else is also getting back man (qualified physio) next week and he's seen her before so hopefully i'll get her seen.

she wasn't as crook in trot rope circling, on right rein a bit (steph says, i coulnd't see it as well) left rein much better.

so we only did 10 minutes of that and brought her in for her first tea since monday! then turned her out.

she is, of course, doing a lot of hill work in the field that she hasn't had before, so that'll be working muscles she probably forgot she had....

and splints, you all wonder .... we wondered if i've got one on my left shin, from the accident i had in february 2006 when i walked into a box in my sleep. it would certainly account for the continuing pain, and occasional inability to weight bear of an evening when i try and stand up

anyway, doctor on the 15th, hopefully she will agree and send me for xray ... i saw different gp last year who said "soft tissue injury", a diagnosis with which, of course, i disagree (a soft tissue injury would not render the leg non weight bearing, now would it!)

a small success....

went armed with pressure halter etc.

happily they were at the bottom near the gate, so caught her no problem (she actually started coming towards me) and she didn't get upset going down the hill (just as well, it was very slippy as it had rained again, both going carefully!)

didnt' jog up the other side

but put her in her stable and she started screaming and shouting ... must ge the mirror up tomorrow, that'll help - no way she was going to stand to be groomed.

so i put the halter back on and went over the road to the arena and did some ropecircling.

no trouble getting movement, but her attention wasn't wholly on me. didn't keep it going too long, just enough to know she was listening enough to go the direction i wanted, not the one she wanted...

then turned her out again after another attempt to stand her in stable....

she'll settle in time ... just not quite yet.

cancelled tomorrow's lesson, not worth it!

nearer....

to the gate, which was a relief. i didnt' try and catch her, as i knew i hadn't time due to late meeting, but went and said hello and fed her polos...

as i walked back to the gate, other owner was brining her mare up and molly started shouting for her....

i'll try to get her tomorrow....

insecurity

of my mare.... she would not be parted from the other mares in the field.

it's a huge field, uphill, and they were on the flat bit at the top, from where you cannot see the field gate...

this was taken just into the field from the gate - straight up under that branch in the way, and then up and onto the flat that can't be seen!



when i first caught her, that was fine ... until we got over the brow of the hill so she could no longer see the others and then i was in trouble. i did not have my gloves, my hat, or my pressure halter, and we were on a fairly steep hill ... circling her was all very well, but she was getting more and more aerated so the safest thing was let her go .. whereupon she cantered back to the others!



i went back up and caught her up again, but she was even less inclined to walk away..

and if I had got her to the gate, the track down from there is even steeper and SERIOUSLY slippy even in the dry... after the last day and half rain, it would not be the place to be with an excited horse!

you can see from this pic how steep it is up to the field gate...

and back down again...


so, next time i'll go armed with all the equipment, and if no one else is bringing their mare in (which would be the ideal, of course!) i'll probably take her out the very top and walk her down through harbour house and round to my yard that way .. with the pressure halter and 12 foot line, i would at least have control!

eventually, of course, she will realise she gets to go back out again, i'm sure it's just because she's worried she'll get kept in again (plus, of course, she doesn't want to leave the grass, LOL)

so no work done since last week - and none tomorrow, as i have a meeting after work.

i know we needed it.....but

the rain could have confined itself to overnight! or at least just a few hours...

So, molly as you all know was out rugless. i was expecting her to be desperate to be back in again - not a bit of it. still eating. wet, but still eating. I went and put the headcollar on, felt all over (warm) looked all over (no wounds i could see) and took headcollar off again and left her.

I expect that if I had brought her in she would have started shivering as soon as in the stable so i would have had to put a wicking rug on and keep her in overnight, which would have hacked her off....she's as well where she is, putting some weight on and making friends.

but the access is going to be really dodgy in the wet. steep in the dry, but in the wet it will be lunge line for horse (so if she wants to go on ahead back down hill she can and i wont' lose her) and walking stick for me (otherwise i'll fall back down hill .... it's very steep and slippy! quite treacherous.)

and there was a bog between the field gate and the horses that i had to find a way round as well, not having my long boots on.

and my Drizabone, which i've had for about 10 years if not longer, needs reproofing ... over the bum! still, 10 years aint bad going...

she's out

in the rain but she didn't care - GRASS!!!!

not as much running around as i thought. after 10 minutes i left them to it and went to muck out ... heard one bellow (I can hear but not see the field, it's the other side of the trees that form the view from molly's stable door!) and then nothing - they are all too busy eating.

rugless, but there's plenty shelter under the trees if she wants it, and it's not cold.

so i'm not planning on going back until tomorrow teatime - first time since early september i've been able to have a lie in (not that i WILL, i don't do them... but nice to know i could if i wanted!)

new saddle racks

2, because I need one for the saddle, and one for the terretted roller & accoutrements...

and one rug rack (goodness only knows where my last one went!)

two walks out in hand for grass, one prance round the arena to look at it, one lunge session in the arena (bitless and no roller etc) for exercise.

As before, she's happy when the horses in the field are at her end of it, and not when not; she's spent most of her time with her head out of the door as i can tell from the poo pile..

if i want to top up her hay without going in, i just need lean in through the glassless window, LOL - so that corner is where the haybar will go, once she's out in the field and i can get it up.

She is too stressed to tie up outside sensibly at the moment, so i'm not even going to try....

she's allowed out as of about 4 pm tomorrow afternoon ... i'm planning on videoing, i think!

and i'm not planning to do any real work with her until she's relatively settled again...

and i'm going to get fit. walk down hill about 5 mins to mares field, and back up again ...

and the field itself is massive, with a heck of a climb to the top if that's where they happen to be!

So hopefully, i should get my muscles a bit toned up and lose something off my hips that's been gradually creeping on the last few years

and she does look a bit thin....but then there's not been a lot of grass at Leamside....and yet, if i gave her more than 16 lbs of hay overnight, she wasted it...

the view

from Molly's stable door is rather good.

I left her at about 16.30 with huge pile of hay, water and her tea of course, having wormed - i'd done as much as i could sorting stuff out, need to by a saddle rack (or two = saddle, and roller with terrets - and decide where to put it, think a table that was already there might get moved to the other side of the storage area ...

she was not too bad about loading, a bit disconcerted and shouted a bit as we set off, but good as gold.

part way there

a lot of the stuff that can go in the car got moved, the rubber matting got moved and the bed is down ready (although i think it needs more bed down, can't tell atm.)

tomorrow afternoon the rest gets moved as does Molly.

you won't be surprised that Molly didn't get ridden, lunged, or anything else!

now, can anyone explain why (on the pc, this is being typed on the laptop) I can type in word, but if I try to type anything on the internet everything is put in in reverse? weird.....i'm hoping it will get sorted by a reboot.

bitless

after about 1/2 hour or so, and not getting anything like a nice trot, i took her back in, put the bitless bridle on, and voila! trot, no kangaroo steps.

so, it's either my contact - unlikely, as she was doing the same wiht RI! - or back to bit problems.

and my money is on the latter.

WE've been lunging off the bit for a while, as my lunging cavesson isn't really right on her and i can't find one to fit. I shall just have to find one to fit.

in the meantime, i'll be riding bitless and working on my seat, LOL

and partner has just told me she has tomorrow off! (flexi...) - that's always difficult when i'm trying to work! but i'm not working in the afternoon ...starting the move

trot

walk was nice but trot was pants.

i had to get off and re adjust the saddle shims ... will email agent again, they still move as i get on ggrrrhhh

so trot? kangarooing again ... eventually i just gave up any thought of contact, shortened my stirrups and pushed her on (whlst being careful to keep off the fences, LOL) .. both ways, and called that done.

i did suggest to RI the other day that might be the way for now, just give up with contact and push her forward ... i may have something there....

a picture of concentration

molly eating grass in the quarantine paddock, which has more grass than the winter field she was in, and which she has all to herself...

From Molly - Bitless, Barefoot, Treefree

From Molly - Bitless, Barefoot, Treefree

and work?

well, for one thing, I CANNOT do in hand work for more than a couple of circuits on each rein - that is because the need for the body to face the horse, whilst the face looks where one is going (whilst also looking at the horse, yet!), results in pain in the neck .... shame.

lunging (i was planning on doing both anyway) was half successful and half not - in that she didn't realy want to do much, and we couldn't get canter, but when she did move, she was looking good.

as for yesterday - i don't think it's a success to have to get off and lead back into the large arena...

and i haven't put the video from saturday on the pc yet, no time - and spent about 4 hours today wasting time with software support people... they've zipped a copy of the stuff to themselves to look at the code! did i want to do any work?

hum....

lunged first at RI's suggesting in the small arena, then got on ... still inteh small arena as we're not allowed to lunge in the main arena...

lots of walk, thinking about softness and not overbent and the SI position on corners (lot of them in there ...)

then thought i'd try to ride her from one ot the other, normally she won't even undo the gate and then will have a nap back to the barn

the success, was getting the gate open from horseback.

unfortunately, she did start napping to the barn, and i had to get off and lead.

back into the large arena and got back on...walked round, nice and soft - tried trot .. phooey... did get on half decent circle, but that's about all that can be said for it!

but, after that we got some rein back, so I thought that was a good note - particularly as there was a hot air balloon starting to loom up!

lunged bitless

this morning, and she cantered both reins, and was bringing herself into an outline....quite impressive!

lunged again tonight .. she wasn't so keen...

hadn't stood in, she was in the winter field on her own talking to the geldings over the fence.. and eating what grass there was, at least she had it to herself...

i think she's in season, is all ... the bed was in the worst state it's been in for a good while!

and between morning and evening, i did a lot of gardening....

and then made a roast beef dinner and a rhubarb pie...

tomorrow i will ride and see how we do.....and see if i can remember the shoulder in or if i've forgotten the aid AGAIN.. wouldn't be suprised!

even RI struggled

to sit the kangaroo hopping ..

Molly was tense from the off, so we struggled.

started with shoulder in right rein, to give me control of the shoulder...hopefully, how to do that will now sink in to my brain, i('ve done it before on queenie, but can never remember....)

that at least helps me keep her away from the fence LOL

we did that both direction for a while, all in walk, then pushed her up to trot...

left rein first since it's usually the better rein, but taking a good while to get her right.

was able to keep my leg long - put the ariat long boots on, for some reason they help me keep my leg right, recent difficulty has really been when wearing short boots and chaps..

anyway, right rein - no way Jose! kangarooing....could not get it

anyway, we had planned a 1/2 lesson 1/2 school....so RI got her hat and got on ..

and had the same trouble as me
)
i was able to video RI's ride (misssed a couple of bits, you know what it's like when you're trying to watch and video)

i see what people mean when they talk about the horse curling back...she was doing that, and going above the bit as well, and then kangaroo hopping, and when RI got trot, you could certainly see why someone would think she was lame when she isn't .. .jsut tense for some reason..

then i got back on .... and after 5 minutes we decided to just concentrate on getting a nice soft walk, as we were getting nowhere with trot...

we wonder if she's in season?

she didn't want any sort of leg aid, tenser than she's been for a good while.

been in all day (is going to be in all week until after we've moved) but that sholdn't be a problem, it didn't cause and issue when she was in for weeks in the winter with her mud fever..

anyway, i'm going to put the video on the pc and study it, and RI will come round one day and study it...

mmm..

so i guess the main thing I got out of today was a reminder of how to do shoulder in, which i needed....and that's about it.

woo .. 11 followers!

thanks people... partner takes the michael when i mention where people are who read this, but i'm well impressed..

anyway, did ride tonight, stirrups back down to where they were until recently, i.e. long leg, with a view to stretching my hips/thighs..and in walk, with a view to holding my hands higher to see how she does and to try and imrpove the steering ..

whilst we've been working a lot on forward, i think we've lost other stuff ...

and having my hands low, as RI says (and which TBF molly does seem to go better with) also has th effect of seemingn to pull me forwards more than i shold be AND i can't maintain my hands upright with thumbs on top at all ...

my knee

has been given another night off - the bruising was wonderful by close of play last night, i've bought some arnica cream, hopefully it will be a bit better tomorrow. I wasn't sure it was even up for the movement involved in lunging, so discretion being the better part of everything else....

hopefully it's sorted by Saturday teatime, as I've just arranged another lesson - it's going to be half lesson, half molly being schooled... and partner is thinking about starting lessons again herself...

the fog

hasn't lifted all day so whether anythhing gets done tonight is a moot point... it's not 5 pm yet, and not looking at all promising.

edited to add, at 19.01 ... it still hasn't lifted!

knee off fence...

due to Molly's inability/unwillingness to do anything sensible right rein, and/or my inability to make her....

ah well.

the work yesterday didn't REALLY transfer to my own horse...

i did take my stirrups up, which did help a bit... but we need to rearrange the lesson that DIDN'T happen week past sunday ....

the shims are fine now anyway

and i've bought a HM seatsaver from an EE vendor for use during lunge lessons and if I ride anyone else's horse....

lesson report

There will be some video, after we'd started I found people videoing it EEEK. but apparently it looked ok.

Firstly, Del is a good bit bigger than Molly, and it's such a long time since Ive ridden anything other than molly it felt quite scary! It also felt quite slippy at first, but it wasnt'

Second, it was a jumping saddle, and the pommel was high (well it felt high!) so i leave you to imagine that effect. It also, of course, had slightly forward set bars....so next time we'll either try my saddle on Del, not sure owner too keen but she's worried how he'll react (fine, i would expect, no tree.... and shouldn't need any shims!) or i'll buy a seatbone saver...

I'd been told his trot was bouncy - well, i couldn't feel any bounce so I must have been riding it properly!

Anyway, started off with some thigh stretching exercises, one of my main issues is to release my thigh to allow the leg to drop properly.

Then those things I never did as a child - arms waving out, carryig them up, out, on hips, whatever ... helpt a lot, and of course not something i could do on molly moo at the moment!

We'd put my reins on (he normally has those thick rubber ones which I can't use) and then I was trot/walk/trot on the lunge, and then RI took lunge off and I was left to my own devices - and he went wel for me, but i did lose my leg towards the end....I also tried halt/trot and got some snappy transitions - he's a horse you've got to get moving on to get the reaction ....

But he's very nice to ride and I had a lovely time, albeit i worked hard!

Molly got a day off, of course...

longline bitless

thought i'd see how that went, why not.

not very well, really .... moments of making an outline, but ... probably won't do that again for a while!

and the lesson? didn't happen, RI was too late back so we'll try to set it up for tomorrow.

canter improving

on the lunge on the right rein, she was offering it.

on the left .. nuts. i cannot get it, she cannot get it, miscommunication beween us. i think there's a lot to do with balance on either rein...dunno. RI was in next arena so i anticipate some tipes on that one when we havce time....

anyway, tomorrow I have a lunge lesson myself, on Del-Boy, a big 16hh 3" or more wide well set up animal belonging to another livery owner...and RI says i'm going to canter.

the only thing is, of course - this being to help with my position - it's a totally different horse and a totally different saddle. ah well.

and, of course, the parcel i was waiting for, new shims, arrived whilst we were in chester le street, was too big for the letterbox they say, and i can't get it now until tuesday... phoeey.

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....