lesson from BHSI

unfortunately without any pics or video - was expecting regular RI to come and watch but she had to work LOL

shortened stirrups one more hole (i'd already taken them up one) and that did help me a lot.

after that i really need to work on keeping my reins firmly between thumb and finger! She suggested I try a market harborough... and turns out a friend has one! My preference would be reinbows, which i've recently come across, but theyonly fit those really thick horrid rubber reins ATM so no good. we need a tool to help me!

not really anything too different from what we've been trying anyway, in essence, and molly did work better than she has recently (assisted by my being better balanced i suspect) but still really having to push her through the tranter/skipping malarkey!

One thing I wasn't sure of what she was saying - using the outside rein to keep her to the outside... but think that may have been another way of saying inside leg into holding outside hand.

and wanting me to use my hands to slow the trot, rather than slowing my rise! But i rather think that was because the trot was such that slowing my rise was difficult on occasion!

instructor used to run dressage comps and trains for BHS exams and so on, and thought Molly looks very pretty & good when working nicely!

good lesson .. and both molly and i got hosed off afterwards (I hosed my head!)

edited to add - forgot to tell yo the most exciting bit! a branch brok off from a tree in the copse next to the arena... happily we weren't right next to it, but clearly that could have been really hairy. she bounced a bit.. but neither of us could see it, so fine! she was a bit dubious about going down that side but eventually settled...

another ride...

after 1/2 hour trooping round the field trying to catch her! she and the other adult mare have a competition going to see who can be closest to the nearly 3 year old baby - who's an ID cross bigger than either of them by about a hand, ATM! so it got a bit dodgy, and a bit tedious. and the sun had got out so the flies were killing...

hope some of the other mares come back from stud soon, i think this could be a bit dodgy!

then, had to wash her bum... the light wasn't good enough yesterday anywhere to see anything, but in the sunshine today it was clear she'd had a major season...euch.

then out for a ride with other owner on her large wide pony .. her saddle slipped, she had to get off at harbour house (well, before we got there) to sort it out, i had to get off as molly had a one on as alan (the pony) wasn't following her...so had to have a hand to get back on .. then back. found a new way i hadn't know about to avoid the ford.....but needs all cutting down, very high grass (above our toes!)

and a barbecue tonight ... sun had gone in by the time we'd eaten!

guess what i found?

that's right, the phone i lost last friday... doh. I have a tyre in the stable into which goes Molly's feed dish... it had fallen into that, inside the rim, and clearly i therefore didn't hear it fall .. and it was the last place i thought to look. I found it because i actually picked the tyre up to muck out the stable...

Anyway, lunged Molly. She's becoming a nightmare to get the bit into her mouth...managed it eventually, but it was a bit of a struggle...due the tooth person end of july, appointment already made, but she gets checked every 6 so i can't see how anything too bad can have gone wrong in that time..

anyway, once we got that in, she worked very nicely, I was pleased with her. Tried some canter, but that's not so clever .. surface a bit too deep in places.

can see her muscles working in the right places!

and she'd been in since 10.30 - i got a text at 1 asking if i wanted her turned out again! i said not, since i would then have struggled to get her back in again, but hadn't known she wasin ... chap with the other 2 mares obviously came down early today! i could have gone down then as well had i known...ah well.

molly the leader!!!

only once, through the ford on the way back, but i was still pretty impressed!

friend now keeping her horse on my yard came up to ride out, and as I was unexpectedly free I went ....when she first texted me i thought i wouldn't be free but i was ... and it was raining! but molly had already been brought in before it started (the owner of the other 2 mares having brought both his in!) so was dry ... so off we went, me being visible for miles around in my bright yellow riding mac!

along the road, down the back drive, through the ford, through a couple of gates (tash had to wrestle with those!) through harbour house, down the hill, round the 20 acre, back through the ford up the track and back along the road to the arena for 10 minutes....

friend's horse came out of training about 2 months ago .... good as gold, save he'd never met water before... so 5 minutes thinking about that one and he went through first.. on the way back, i managed to get molly past him, she gave half a thought to not going through but did and gave him a lead (he was stil a bit dubious!).

the yellow mac came into it's own when we were nearly back, big wagon behind us that was half thinking about passing us on a blind bend where we knew he couldn't but he didn't.... and we were turning right .. so I put my hand out to show him that he couldn't and that we were turning, and he slowed right up and hung back till we had turned!

edited to add: i needed wipers on my glasses though... it were a bit damp!

diagonals

what is is, on right rein Molly wants me to be on the wrong diagonal....that doesn't help

got on first time, which pleased me as we've been a bit dubious about mounting since the saddle slipping incident!

walk was nice.

trot left was ok, got direction i wanted as well and some nice circles..

right rein ...tranter ... boot on ....very iffy ... as soon as i put myself on the correct diagonal she dislikes that...mmmm to work on.

the other good thing .. first time for a good while she didn't argue about me picking her back feet up!

more trot...

we can't accuse molly of not being forward anymore, she's certainly that...

but what we've found is, we have to let her trot on at her pace with no contact at all to speak of and then let her slow herself down.

trying to keep a contact for her to work into results in the impossible to sit to tranter sort of thing (canter in front, trot behind, nightmare..)

and jean you were right, we are co-operating in putting me on one side....but which sides depends on which way we are going!

anyway it was a good lesson, and molly worked so hard i had to hose her off....that doesn't happen often!

i still have a bit of a thing in my head about canter though...

not quite so good...

but at least not as muggy as yesterday, just nicely hot with a nice breeze where needed!

went over to the arena and someone had just finished setting jumps up ... so i got on (decided to get some assistance since it was there to be had!) and walk/trot round the jumps. couldn't get down outside track, circles either end with a diagonal one way and a dog leg the other way down the length. she was setting her jaw and i couldn't get her to soften...but at least she was happy to be forward again!

friend turned up about 2 hours later than she said she would .. she'd forgot her hat! so was read a lecture on the subject. since she had got on, i said we'll just walk up to the riding school and back, which was good for her confidence as well as last time she was on that particular horse she was off again ...

and i lent her richard hinrichs book & video on inhand work, as she hadn't known what i meant by that...

!!!! TROT !!!!!

first time since when? about a month before I left Leamside?

Granted it wasn't the best trot on this earth, but considering teh grief we've been having getting it at all!

I reckon all this massage must have something to do with it ...

but anyway, i was quite pleased with her!

not quite so pleased with me .. when i took the saddle off, it was clear from the sweat pattern that i'm weighting the left seatbone too much (or the right one not enough, whichever way you want to look at it!) so will have RI look at that - probably wednesday it'll be now. Saw her tonight .. what a chapter of disasters, hope i don't lose any more phones (although as i said to someone tonight, it did mean i couldn't be rung up and nagged as to when i was coming home!)

the trouble with having no mobile....

is that if RI did text me i didn't, of course, get it; and didn't have her number as it is on the missing phone, which i hadn't synchronised with PC recently....and ALSO i'd misremembered which venue she was competing at today, so no wonder i couldn't find her either! doh.

so molly got turned out again not long after 5, having been in since just after 12, well hacked off, and hopefully RI and I can touch base soon...

it didn't rain, either...

flaming june....

it rained, of course... from when i got to the yard about 2.15 till now and it still is....pah. soaked through, of course.

happily got molly in just before it got really heavy ... and she was in for about 3 hours... stood her in a different box round in the enclosed yard, which apparently might come free September (there's some confusion); will contact YM and check it out, as i think she'll settle better .. she seemed to this afternoon .. could see all happening in the yard and didn't have the distraction of a field to look at

got massaged, and i tried some flexions again but she wasn't having it...

turned her and her friend out in a downpour and i'll have to get them both in tomorrow as the 3rd mare is in tonight and will be at a show tomorrow...

and no sign of the phone. of course, what i'd forgotten when ringing virgin mobile this morning and them suspending it, was that suspending it meant that it couldn't be found by ringing it up... doh. no sign of it, and i even dug out the area of the muck heap where i'd dumped my barrowload yesterday... and it won't be in the middle of the field as the horses were at the gate yesterday, so i looked round there and no sign.. and it wasn't on the track down to the field... so that's that. it either got dropped outside the post office and i shall check that on monday in case someone handed it in (certainly wasn't on the road outside the PO!) or it landed in the river! i've a feeling it's history and may as well be replaced...of course, i didn't have it insured, so not sure how that works on the contract!

lost my phone....

half way through seeing to miss molly .. probably after her massage... i realised i didn't have my mobile phone (cell phone for american readers...)i felt sure i'd brought it out with me ... but hoped not. anyway, jsut got home and rung myself and it is neither in the car nor the house. drat. so need to borrow someone else's (find partner's work mobile, if nothing else!) and take it out to the yard and ring myself there...

and molly?

whilst the massage was doing its thing, i spent 10 minutes trying to persuader her that the stable is a good place to pay attention to me. not that successfully, i have to say .. the attractions of looking outside are more vital... never mind, it's too late to swop boxes now, i think...

after that tacked up for longlining with the bitless, so did 5 minutes rope circling and such first, and she was paying full attention to me and even went backwards with very little pressure (just a twirl of the leather bit on the end of the rope).

longlining was good, she wasn't wholly keen on going right in trot, but happy to in walk so we played with transitions, and also serpentining in walk up and down the arena, interspersed with trot circles..

she does work nicely on the longlines in the bitless. i think the reason it don't work bitted is that she's not that confident about the bit and sets against it more, which she's pretty much stopped doing ridden (hope that's not famous last words!)

early bird....

woke up and thought it was 7.30 ... only just realised i misread watch (through not having glasses on ) and it's only 5.30 ... but not tired and have a very bad back....i'm going to regret this tonight, i think!

ggrrrhhh ... at the weather!

plan was, ride molly, then come home and get the laundry in off the line and mow the lawn, which is starting to look like a hayfield (should have been dry enough by then).

Got Molly in and did her 1/2 hour massage, tacked up, led over to the arena... big black cloud starting chucking rain at us time i got her back to the stable it was pretty wet....

so turned her out (did think about trying to do some clicker/in hand in the stable, but she still isn't paying attention to me in there)

time i got home, through a major rainstorm..... sun has come out. pah. washing is soaked again and lawn too wet to mow.

and i've realised that a major distraction when she's in the stable is that she can hear people going down the hill calling for their horses so she's looking to see who/what is coming in!

perhaps this was the wrong stable to pick.... ah well, too late now.

it rained...

from about 945 until about 6.15 pm .... solidly and largely torrentially ... so by the time i got to the yard i had my shopping in the boot. plan, to muck out from her time in yesterday, feed her at the field gate and go home again.

most of the way through mucking out it managed to stop rainig, but since i had a soaking wet horse i carried on with the plan..

and of course it dried up more as i came home and hasn't rained since!

jean, you're right, it was that horse... but it's lame again tonight in another leg, and is going back whence it came.... it also, apparently, reared up, and was so terrified being without molly, molly had to be taken round to it's stable to say hello...?

so molly back in the original field with the other mares, and youngster being picked up tonight to go away ...

the forecast is for dry tomorrow, i do hope so as i washed all my breeches when i came home and want them on the line in the morning to be dry for tomorrow night!

time off

from anything is never good.

i reminded myself why i'd stopped doing flexions....molly won't stand still, won't stand square, and (in this stable) insists on looking out of the window....

at previous yard she wasn't quite so insistent on that but clearly wasn't quite square which was why she moved forward into me.

until she settles more and is happy in her current stable, i won't be able to do any flexions at all in there... pointless doing them in teh arena, too much space

then when i went to the arena to get on ... had to go back to teh stable for the pressure halter and a rope! she did in due course agree to stand still whilst i got on. she wasn't ansty about it, or stressed, just insisted on moving off!

after that we got nice walk in both directions and circles and round someone lunging her new horse

tonight she's out in another huge field with a new mare (well, mare that was here, hurt itself and has been elsewhere getting better and is now out with molly separate from the other 2 mares...) hope they're ok.

thunder then cue rain...

so no work done at all with molly ... didn't even bring her in, as there were only 2 out and i would have had to bring both of them and in any event she'd have had to stand for a good while to get dry before i could have put the massage pad on ... and it's still raining now 1 1/2 hours later.

i could hear it coming and knew what it was going to do, but couldn't go out as i had people to ring...and had to be in for the bread being ready as well! ah well! hopefully it'll be better tomorrow night

well that was good

a reprise of the work we did with Jenny last July, Emma was trained by Jenny. Steph and I were just spectating (i was videoing, and really thought afterwards I should have been right next to each one separately, rather than trying to get the whole scene and zooming in ...) but eventually i'll have something to send them all.

the downwards flexion and the lateral ...

and then some ridden work in the afternoon...which was interesting...

one lovely 3 year old shire did really well in teh morning, was the star of the show (had only just had a bit in , usually ridden bitless!) but poor lad was knackered by the afternoon!

and a gorgeous black 6 year old, absolutely to die for...struck a pose that was EXACTLY like one of those sketches from Fillis!

and we were really lucky with the weather.. one thunderstorm passed over whilst we were having lunch and then stood over edinburgh south of us for the rest of the afternoon but left us dry

course, had to drive through it coming south, it was horrible! and out the other side.. coming down to newcastle there was ahuge cloud over there and durham, but it cleared away ahead of me.

i'm afraid i spent some more money as well. new ariat bromonts that fit, at an astoundingly low price (very surprised, that vendor usually prices a shade over the odds!)

so must sell the ones that don't fit!

in scotland

at stephanie's today, going to a flexions clinic tomorrow... because partner's away for the week i thought i'll have the weekend! pics tomorrow probably when i get home! went down as i set off to make sure molly still had 4 legs etc, and hopefully will get back before dark to see her tomorrow night....

20 minutes

although i did wonder after the 3rd attempt to get on whether it was going to happen .. which it did after the 4th. i think we were both a bit dubious after monday's events!

still mostly nice and soft, i slightly went into trying too hard mode which is something to be avoided....and pushed her through her attempt to stop after 10!

had remembered my mp3 player so listened to hank marvin and the shadows, and niether of us were distracted by the bouncing lambs!

and of course she was more than happy with her massage... the machine does an automatic 30 minutes and then switches itself off.

bramham

was good, apart from getting there a bit earlier than we needed. had been told that friends class was 0830, and we didn't get there until about 0915... it turned out the class was in fact at 1030! um....

anyway, apart from one shower, we had a good weather day (we'd all gone with an assortment of foot and outerwear) and i came home with

1. a new pair of ariat springboks in black, at a reduced "show special" price.

2. an oster grooming kit at a VERY good price! (to be posted, should arrive Tuesday, they're paying the postage!). i've wanted one of those for a long time but the usual price is just a bit pricey to justify ....this price was good.

3. an equilibrium massage pad AND magnet therapy pad, all for the price of the massage pad....i didn't go looking for the magnet therapy pad, but since they were offering it in and it retails @ £90, that was a bit of of a no brainer... it's likely to hit ebay...

but without the person i gave a lift down to who is staying at friends for the weekend and will be back monday..

so whilst the bank account has taken a hit, it's all in a good cause and the back man did insist i massage molly every day ....i'll charge the battery tomorrow after partner has set off for her week away, LOL...

10 minutes

but it was a good 10 minutes - no grief on mounting, no setting of the jaw, lots of softness and, so far as i could feel, back legs coming through, direction as i requested after a couple of false starts (pheasant hiding in long grass, horse's tail swishing behind a tree, that's all you could see, and a very odd looking van through the trees!) ... generally very pleased with that, particularly as I was totally starving not having had lunch....normally starving makes me feel queasy!

so i was quite pleased with both of us (and yes, i put the shorter girth on!)

that was after Molly's feet had been attended to by the farrier.

coooold

well, i don't suppose it was really, but I felt really cold (had the heating on this morning) and when i got to the yard it was cold and windy and molly was desperate to be out (had been in for about 3 hours by then...) and i really couldn't feel up to anything ... so i fed her and turned her out, so she was happy! and it's rained a couple of times since i came home again so i don't feel so bad about not doing anything...think i'm having a bit of a blue phase ATM, actually! partner worries about me spending so much time at home on my own, and possibly is right... rejuvenation on thursday, off to bramham horse trials for the day.

not as thin as i thought...

Molly, that is .... or it was because she'd been in for a while already when i got there, but i think she's jsut not put on as much as i thought..

now why do i say that?

i'd done the girth up as much as possible.... the saddle slipped as i got on, i tried to put my other foot back on the moutning block and didn't quite get it right, so iwent backwards, my left foot came out of the stirrup (thank goodness) and molly went bucking round the arena with the saddle on her side as I fell on my back

shorter girth, I think!

got someone to come and help me get back on, as I wanted to get on again sooner rather than later and ensure she hadn't been adversely affected by that.

She was good

phooey.

I've never had that happen before! and so pleased i got the left foot out of the stirrup!

and it makes me wish i'd hung on until the shop had had the slightly taller mounting block in stock ...

better .... in parts

Friend on the yard texted me about going out for a hack, so off we went.... partner working on PC on work work!

Bit of a trying time getting on, and when I did, everything had moved underneath me so the first half of the hack was pretty uncomfortable! shims crook underneath, saddle therefore not square, therefore me not right... got off at harbour house to put it all right, but couldn't get back on again at ordinary mounting block! so led her back to our arena (i do like a walk, not! it was about 15 minutes i think) and got back on from my mounting block no bother at all. and everything felt much more comfortable! Friend's horse had been being a prat as well, turned out she was in season ... sorted ther out and we were both riding different horses! so left the arena and walked up to the next yard again and back round to finish.

so all in all, quite pleased, and next time if stuff slips we put it right again BEFORE going anywhere!

I think i hadn't tightened the girth enough, really...

back on board....

and she was very good.

i did have someone hold her ... since we're not allowed to trot yet and she still has some bruising, i didn't think rope circling was a good idea if she wasn't going to stand!

so she didn't argue the bit once

bear in mind between the arena and the road is a thick copse that you can't see through but can hear everything going past.

we could hear car doors being slammed (car at house next to yard), cyclists shouting to each other as they cycled along, traffic, and she could see the geldings belonging to next yard up moving about.

didnt' get herself distracted by the noises off (although the horses moving about did at first, until she worked out what they were...) and was particularly impressed by the non reaction to voices suddenly being heard out of seemingly nowhere!

only did about 15 minutes, which i thought was about enough

and was pleased it had finally stopped raining! about lunchtime....but we had to put the heating on!

rain rain go away

well it had by 5, when i went down to see molly .. but teemed down from about 0600 until then!

happily, i didn't have to wrestle with the hill in the mud ... they were up by the other drive, so i took the feed dish round in the car and fed her there!

She'd already been in at lunchtime, as it turned out - the owner of the other 2 mares got them all in as he wanted his in to dry out and rug them... had i put a rug on molly, she would have severely overheated (as it was, she was really really warm and toasty! despite the rain).

an i am told that at 0700 or thereabouts this morning she was to be seen standing next to the water trough .. with a young deer! I said, where was the camera LOL

bruising....

as to be expected, nice big bruise on her left quarters near the top....and back man had to watch her as she wasnt' impressed being touched! but settled....got some massagey therapy (electro stimulation sort of thing...)

give her another 2 days, then i can start riding again in walk only, and massage by hand to help reduce the swelling .. and then as she improves see how trot goes...

and given i can't do the exercises he gave me last time, i should, he says, by a massager.... equilibrium one ....

bargain....

curry's was selling printer ink for my printer ... at 97p! that's what the sign said, so i asked the chap on the till to check the price ... 97p! so i had the last 2, and wold have had more had there been more... guess someone made a mistake somewhere in the back office! but if tha't what their system said...

and Molly? when i get her in tomorrow for the back man coming, i shall have to take the pressure halter i think! and finally got hold of the farrier... he hadnt realised the text message i'd sent him was from me.....he does another horse of the same name, and was puzzled me talking about trimming ... so that's next wednesday.

totally o/t

and shamelessly stolen from a post on EE (no doubt taken from elsewhere, LOL):

Julie Andrews Turns 69,


To commemorate her birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie 'Sound Of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:



(Sing It!) - If you sing it, its especially funny!!! :D

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>
(Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd
that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores. :D

Thursday

is the day the back man can come....

hopefully i hear from the farrier soon .. spent all last week trying to get through to him but something was going awry with the texting, finally went on Saturday!

I did think about trying to learn to trim her myself, but my back wouldn't hack it... so i shan't!

happily, we're back to 3 mares, new filly (rising 3 year old ID cross, more ID than anything!) turned out this morning!

oops .... bang

today was bath day, the weather being so gorgeous.

So, took her round to the yard to bath her. she decided the hose was scary? not.

anyway, half way through hosing off she decided to play up again ... and slipped, bang, down on her left hand side, hips first (essentially, her back end went out from under her)

she's put her pelvis out.

This wasn't clear until some time later ... but she has. so i've texted the back man and am waiting to hear back

i expect she's got some bad bruising which will really show tomorrow

from 7 to 2

mares, that is. The rest have ALL gone to stud...

So it's going to be a bit of a nightmare, really, i expect, as the other mare's owner always rides in the afternoon and i ride in the evening at the moment...

i expect he'll fetch molly in and i'll turn them both out... but up that hill it's not clever! ah well.

Today, we didn't do huge amounts time wise.... but what we did do was good, little bit of ground work to establish a basic, then i got on and she was nicely with me most of the time - a little bit iffy at first as she could hear a lawnmower and could see someone going out into other yard's field for horses... but then settled down nicely. finished with a few halts down the long side, all of which were done without setting the jaw etc... so i thought that was a good note to finish!

a long unexpected walk....

in hand.

The mares had been moved back into the field they were in, so they were right up at the top by the harbour house drive near enough.

when i went to get Molly in, there was no way she would move down hill to the field gate we normally use to get back to our yard... no matter how much i moved her head, shoulders, quarters... i hadn't taken the pressure halter with me.

but she WOULD move back to the harbour house drive end, where there is a small picket gate.... so that's the way we wen.t

at that point, i had a choice - turn right, go out onto the road, down a dip up the other side to my yard. but it isn't necessarily the safest road, and whilst I'm happy to ride it, being on the ground isn't that safe as traffic can be a bit fast and stupid, and the sight lines are poor for cars ...

the alternative, turn left, along and down to harbour house, along the back drive, over the ford and round back up the side of the field my yard's geldings are in. That was the one I chose - apart from no traffic, it also meant that molly got a consequence for not having gone the way i'd originally wanted. If she thought she'd got out of ANY excercise, she was wrong.

The only trouble was, it took 40 minutes and by the time i got her back to her stable we'd both had enough excercise for the day! and i was pouring with sweat (it's HOT here...)

Therefore, i didn't ride.

lesson tomorrow, and i did think about rearranging it to next week bearing in mind we haven't done as much work as RI wanted this week, but decided to carry on as planned.

different horse?

looked like the same horse, was in the right place, new me, etc... but a different one to the one that wouldn't let me get on yesterday and wouldn't do anything the day before.

i was particularly pleased with her as not only was she working nicely after the first 5 minutes, but there was a young friesian ( 4 or 5 i'm told, only been in the country a year) being lunged .... and when it was cantered on the lunge, they didn't stay up the end they'd started at but ended up at the end Molly and I were, which at least meant we could then use the full school. finsihed up with three horses in there, 2 ridden and the one being lunged.

when i was taught to lunge, i was taught that the lunge cavesson should be on the bony bit of the nose and tight so that it doesn't slip about ... nothing has changed about that that I am aware?

anyway, you'll gather i'm a happy bunny tonight. hope tomorrow is as good!

in hand....and in hand...

i thought i'd do a bit inhand before i got on... she was good, i didn't hurt too much, what can i say.

but she wouldn't stand to let me get on, and i didn't have my pressure halter of course.

so did a bit more in hand and then stopped, i didn't have the time to persist with the mounting as i had to be home to work this evening (clients, of course, work days...)

mmmmm

well...

got on, did some work for what, about 20 minutes? she wasn't really lightening except occasionally .... but wasn't arguing from the off as she has been...

then she decided she'd had enough, and despite sitting up, legs as told, pushing ... all i was getting was sideways, and head tossing...ggrrr

got off and did some really nice in hand, was very pleased with that and i even organised mysefl enough to do something on MY "bad rein" (all wihtout stick, which I didn't have with me) think i even got a bit of shoulder in, certainly tried for it..

then got back on ...

and the head tossing got worse! with or without contact....

not prepared to have that argument on my own.

but next time, i'll take my schooling stick.

then when i put her back in the stable and took her tack off, something set all the horses off in the field - the mares she coul dhear but not see, and the geldings she could see .. and all she wanted to do was be out there. 1/2 hour later she hadn't more than had a mouthful of tea. so out she went.

and the sad nws, a mare which arrived just before the weekend was turned out yesterday - immediately hurt itself quite badly and was brought straight back in for the vet, and has today, i think, gone to horsepital....3 year old :-(

fell asleep!

but i blame the sun...

we got up really early and went up to northumberland county show - watched some of Nicola's class for her borders - and it was HOT... 30 degrees C, apparently, according to the car sensor...

got there about 9, left about 2 - tired.... went to my mother's on the way home.... came home, fell asleep for about 2 1/2 hours!!!!! so not me! and after a glorious hot sunny day, when I did wake up again, it was raining!

now what a surprise! not

Molly had, of course, put me where she wanted me and I hadn't realised! i wasn't sitting up.

So you'll gather we had a good lesson

lots of circles with the inside hand very wide and lots of small flexions with the fingers....and lots of assorted resistances from herself (she won't be able to tell me any more she doesn't know how to go sideways, she does!)

after about 20 minutes or so (one does lose track of time) RI got on and did the same, and she started relaxing....

then someone else came in the school, who'd a thought it Sunday teatime! - but not to worry, loads of room....

then i got back on... and sat up, LOL. interestingly, the feel is of a chair seat, but i'm not sitting in a chair seat... just shows how much i'd been leaning forwards without realising it!

so we were both relaxed, and Molly was working really nicely after that!

So I'm to do a week of that in walk, and next lesson is next saturday teatime...

still shimming issues...

i had thought that the propensity of the pad to move off centre was a function of my getting on, amongst other things.

it isn't - it's a function of molly moving!

I did a bit of in hand today, with a view to riding thereafter (lesson is postponed till tomorrow!) and realised after that, as i was preparing to get on, that the pad had moved off centre under the saddle (the result is that the centre seam is not up in the gullet where it started - this was particularly noticeable at the back! before i mounted).

so i undid it and put it all right, got on ... walked round .... got off ... and it had moved again...

I hadn't anticipated doing anything huge by this stage, as a horse was shouting loudly back in the yard and someone/thing was crackling about the copse next to the arena, but i decided to go away and think about shimming again.

the saddle itself stays where it should, so far as i can tell, but of course if the pad has moved, the shimming is also in the wrong place....

it isn't as agent had it, TBF, last time she was out, as I can't get quite the right thing for the back....

you woulnd't believe it....

after the difficulties of the last few weeks....

went out for a hack (myler combi in her mouth) with a friend.... good as gold, bar the moment when the geldings tanked up to the track we were on and hooned about....

particularly pleased as i'd expected a tantrum at harbour house, and when we got through there to go down the hill, the track to the hill is largely fenced off with (unpowered) electric fencing leaving a very narrow access....

she wasn't keen on going through the ford, but then it's a while since she's seen it.

and we got a proper trot going up the hill beyond the ford.

well pleased.

hopefully she'll be good in the lesson tomorrow as well!

this was all arranged very late last night via facebook!

myler combi

did the trick in terms of Molly NOT throwing her head about, etc....


but my new boots need breaking in. I got some new long boots this morning as the winter ones were far too warm .... fine in the hsop, as you would expect, fine walking to the arena ... but when i got on, it became all too clear which had been tried on loads of times and which hadn't. serious pain in my left ankle due to boot crease digging in sharply....

so i got off, wrestled with the boot put it back on and got back on ....three times round in walk and it was still painful, no point trying to do anything.

of course, molly knew there was something wrong with me, i couldn't begin to use my legs!

anyway, looks like i'll be using the combi for a while again, haven't had that on her for what, over a year? certainly well before I moved OFF harbour house last June...

the smallest mule on the planet?

THIS is great

can't do flexions

if every time i pick the rein up, she starts tossing her head about!

i thought flexions might be a good plan to try and get her head wrapped round havint he bit in, but clearly that wasn't going to work.

and this was only standing in the stable.

RI didn't get my text, something wrong with her phone, so will ring her tomorrow.

i'm feeling abit disheartened ATM.

i have texted RI

to organise a lesson.

She was better with the bitless tonight than with the bit yesterday, but trot wasn't going to happen. that was for one of 4 reasons

1. the going (we're back to DEEEEEP)
2. whatever with her muscles
3. remembered whatever about the bit
4. something i'm doing

or a combination of all 4.

never mind, we did get some sideways! several times. the circles were better. got some serpentines as well. couple of stops, for lambs i think!

tomorrow

i will ride in the bitless.

today, i rode with the bit in. and it was exactly the same as prior to the move - kangaroo hopping in trot and little hope of contact in walk.

this despite the nice work she'd been doing on longlines (mind, that was bitless...)

Friend was there watching ... she said she wouldn't have the patience!

i did wish i'd taken the bitless over with me, could have swopped over, but too far to go back and pick it up!

and i'd forgot partner was going out (to see a badger sett, apparently) tonight so who knows if we'll eat ....

mounting and staying on practice

happily, getting her in was easier than yesterday - they were much nearer the gate (about in the spot they were in the video i posted!) and i took the pressure halter and 12' line!

anyway, to ride again.. put the bitted bridle in, with the pressure halter in case of need.

led her over to the arena and there was a chap and his son having a kick about on the access, they stopped .... but then went to talk to someone on the drive (i'll have to post a pic of this as you'll never visualise it - but anyway, the access to the arena is through what used to be the gates to a big house, and there's a gate lodge on the right, opposite the arena a ndseparated from it by an expanse of grass and the drive)

So, into the arena. first attempt to mount, she moved so i worked her round (just had the lead rope, but does the job!)

second time, she stood, i got on, we walked round ..coming back down I knew that the noises of talking and bouncing ball was group of people standing outside house talking, but they were hidden from view by a tree. never mind, she just stood and looked, so i got off and led her to the fence line so she could see what was causing the noise..

got back on again, and i don't know what happened (possibly i let the lead rein go a bit slack) but she was sort of kangarooing/minor bucking/who knows what across the arena whilst i tried to get my offside stirrup and not jab her in the mouth but stop .. wihout falling off. all of which i managed.

i then decided we needed to try that again, so got off, back to the mounting block, took halter off and got back on ... walked round some more, admired the lambs who admired molly so much they were trying to climb into the arena.

did the whole thing one more time, and then decided enough was enough - boy bouncing football was now kicking it about on the grass, the rain was trying to start again not having rained all day, and i thought we'd done quite well overall, considering.

So, i think tomorrow i can probably dispense with the pressure halter altogher (hope so, it's a long way to go back for it, LOL) and do a bit more once i'm on....

eventually got on...

but it was a lengthy process

first, get one's horse from the field ... they were right up the top so i had to walk right up, and decided to take my walking stick with me in case i needed to brace myself if molly didn't want to come. that was a good plan - she was hapy to be caught, but didn't want to leave the other mares. Fortunately, they followed, but not as quickl as the other day so we had a lot of circling round me and trying to go back. eventually i decided the safer plan was walk back round behind the other mares and bring Molly down a different part of the hill, which got us a lot of the way to the gate and then she started planting a bit again near the muddy area .. but not too bad by then and at least it was level. Then through the gate and very carefully down the very slippy slope! I reckon it probably took at least 1/2 hour, possibly longer, to get her in and back into the stable.

then left her for 10 whilst i had a chat to another owner - Molly quiet and happy when i'm with her, but shouts when i'm not! - and groomed and tacked up. whilst I was puttin gthe saddle on it started chucking it down properly, and i did think it was going to stay too wet, but it eased off and was going to stop, so picked up mounting block and off we went to the arena. i'd put the bitless bridle on, largely because of it's qualities as a "pretend" pressure halter - but should have taken the 12' line as well! the lead rope not quite long enough. Anyway, after a bit of protest and working her on the lead rope, and reminding myself the hard way that whilst the reins are 12' they have velcro in the middle! so she had a trot round on her own! Molly stood still and I got on.

walked round twice, remindedmyself where the "seat brake" is, walked round again a couple of times and got off and called that a good day. Not much, I know, but whilst she wasnt' charging around it WAS the first time ridden in there and when i was on her i rather felt as though I should have lunged or something first (and of course we weren't supposed to be lunging!).

Still, next time will be easier.

and really it's all my own fault as she hasn't been worked at all since what, week past Friday? what with me being ill and the back man coming out and the weather... and i know by now that something every day is a better plan with her. Also, of course, she hadn't been in the stable since Tuesday...

anyway, I finaly did the video from the day she was first turned out:

thir d day off!

because it has rained all day! until after 7 or thereabouts....

and my voice is now failing ... but i've stopped sniffling!

if the weather is ok tomorrow, i will see about riding... back man said "light exercise" not sure what he meant by that, but whether we can go for a hack is a function of there being someone to go with...

it seems

that in fact Molly now living on a hill has brought to light some issues that may have been brewing for a while!

She had tight spots over both quarters in her muscles, and I'm to do some stretching exercises ... save that we discovered that I'm not in fact fit to do them with her due to my back/neck/etc issues! the exercise where you lift the back leg up with the hock bent, and then pull the foot forward, thus stretching the muscles... the alternative is an equilibra (? think that's the brand, not equissage too expensive!) massage kit and use that every day...

and her hocks are a shade stiff (unsurprising, given her history!)

she also had a sore spot just on the left wither, and he wanted to check the saddle until i said it was a HM treeless .... difficult to know about this one, as it's not that long since I had agent out and less long since the new shimming arrived .... it may be the new shimming that's wrong, but i don't think so .. we'll have to see (but he also said that the HM treeless was the best of the type....)

Poll etc were fine.

and I really should make an appointment to see him myself! (he trained as a human physio before training as a horse physio and does both!)

2 days off (which i knew he'd say anyway!) then "light exercise"

in the meantime i wasn't as well today as yesterday ... felt dreadful, in fact, all achy - and so coold (it wasn't hot out, but i think i was feeling colder than i might have otherwise!) i put the heating back on. bad me.

that was interesting...

Molly was right up at the far corner, the highest point of the field by the drive to the other yard, where she was last night, so i went up armed with the bitless bridle, which can also act as a bit of a pressure halter ...

she came along with me - followed, in a line astern, by the others! it was quite funny, i wish someone else had been there with a camcorder!

so you'll gather i'm feeling somewhat better - still blowing away, but the sore throat has gone and the head isn't feeling so bunged up!

back man tomorrow, lunchtime ish

computer came back, sorted....

hopefully back into some sort of routine soon, but not this week - evening meeting wednesday, away training day thursday!

phillippe karl

i thought whilst i was laid up i could usefully use the time to start on some of the videos and dvd's i've bought and not got round to. so i opened Part 1 of Phillippe Karl's Classical Dressage series.

Very Interesting.

I was particularly interested in the flexions, to see him do that....motivational to try it again with Molly ....

and interesting to see the ridden - particularly the raise the hands - you could see the horse sit back and lift himself, so to speak..

glad i watched that, now to open the rest....

day in bed

well, long bath and back to bed, with more lempsips etc...

molly? i drove down to the yard about 5 and they were al at the very top of the field by the drive down to the other yard. so i made up her tea, put that and the headcollar in the car and drove back round there and fed her next to the car. saved me a HUGE walk up and down hill that i really wasn't up for...also saved any grief she might otherwise have offered on the subject of leaving her friends, LOL.

lots of lemsip

blackcurrent flavour though, i much prefer it to lemon!

I didn't do anything with molly, the ear is still protesting if i bend over, and perpetual need to sneeze etc doesn't really help towards working one's horse effectively .....

partner had a mega-shopping spree.... she did get a new to her car, will take delivery at end of month - 2 years old and only 11000 miles on ....

not well...

me, that is.... sore throat, sinus if i bend over, couldn't get myself going until lunchtime ... lots of lemsips, strepsils, and trip to chemist to see what else they could give me for said sore throat.

Molly is fine, in the field...

the computer is still being mended.....will get it back on monday. The PC, of course, has the work software on it ... back up back up backup, thank goodness i had!

and the wind was ridiculous all day until about 7 pm.

so that was my day!

um....

you will recall i was very pleased with her longlining in the bitless last night... doesn't work as well on the lunge, probably because it is very difficult to get the length of the side reins correct when you have to wrap them round the roller a couple of times first!

so, um.

and my computer has been taken away. man came to the house today to put in, nter alia, a new hard drive.. and finished up saying, he didn't know why the office hadn't told me to take it in, when putting everything back kept not working! so he's taken it away to try and sort out!

hugely improving...

she was thinking about falling asleep in the stable - only thinking about it, and still standing up - but more than happy to just stand with her head out the window, and go back when i told her!

then i longlined with teh bitless - and she was working into the bridle when i got it right, so pleased, we'll get back to where we were in the not too distant future i expect

but isn't it odd - lead horse past someone, clearly not tacked up to be ridden, and am asked if i am riding ...?

back man tuesday

calming down..

she was much calmer today ... don't know whether that was partly to do with they were allnear the gate, but she was a lot easier to get in, and not bouncing round her box. i was able to groom her (last time was when steph was here Saturday) and tacked up to lunge .. only with the bitless, but still ...

next to the arena there's a coppice, where there was a chap getting firewood - didn't realise until she suddenly decided that corner wasn't nice and started cutting in, and i registered the noise being made by the chap ... didn't last long, and in teh scale of things all she did do was not stay out on the circle. later, she went back to full circles.

so overall i was pleased with the session.

i should get pony lengty side reins to work with the bitless, the full length ones are too long really, i got them a bit shorted by wrapping round the roller (which is quite wide) rather than jsut through the relevant ring, but that's not wholly staisfacctory. had i been able to get them a shade shorter she would havce been working into the bridle (cna't say contact with bitless!)

so i was very pleased!

rang back man first thing, and someone else rang last thing ... so we'll have to wait to hear from him..

a struggle won...

Molly again did not want to come in - we had a lot of planting, no i want to go back to my friends (who were following, LOL) and circling and at one point trying to barge over me (happily failed!) but got her out and down the hill - assisted by the walking stick (proper walker's walking stick) partner bought me in Aldi, this of course to ensure as much as I can that I DON'T come a cropper down the hill - especially as it tipped down all last night!

so got her in and left her to stand for 15 minutes or so, changed my boots (back to needing long boots for the arena, boot full of arena is uncomfortable!) and then took her over to the arena again for some more groundwork.

Someone had left one jump and some pony length trotting poles out, but there was more than enough room to work round them.

in a way, i'll be happier when she chills to the point where i have to push her on, rather than slow her down!

but she was listening more than saturday i think

then she got her tea and turned out - by that time, the others had gone back to the top of the field, so she screamed for them and set off at canter up the hill! coulnd't quite tell how crook she was because of the angle she was to me, but not really "flowing" if you see what i mean.

i'll ring back man in the morning (i saw no point in ringing over the bank holiday, as it is a holiday, and it's not as if he'd ring back until tomorrow anyway!)

my plan for today, made yesterday, was for gardening - lawn needs doing, some weeding, whatever .....

but since it teemed down all night i couldn't mow the lawn and partner wanted to go find water plants for the pond ... so that's what we did. almost back to wintry, bit of a wind, but we got the plants, came home via tesco for shopping and then put plants in pond before I went off to do molly!

and the most amazing thing? i didn't wake up until 0920, unheard of!

nothing.....

on the molly front ... we had a very late night last night and an early morning this morning, and then a day out with a friend who was here for the weekend, so really didn't have the energy .. but i have bought molly a new himalayan salt lick, 5 kg should last her a while!

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!