a rest day

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

interesting ....

and worrying and decides me about the saddle ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

worked hard

lunging

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

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

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

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

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

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

but anyway i was pleased with her

and i think she's becoming pleased with herself.

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

leaning forward

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

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

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

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

so i've to work on that ...

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

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

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

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

a mixed bag ...

in the molly behaviour front.

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

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

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

hah!

she napped back to the stable.

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

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

thought, let's try going through the yard again

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

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

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

So, as I say, mixed bag...

lesson tomorrow...

rode out .. yay!

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

She did.

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

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

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

so i was very pleased.

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

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

bitless bridle

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

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

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

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

more bad weather ...

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

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

thinking ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

addendum

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

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

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

feet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

still, small progressive step.

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

overall i was quite pleased.

right side ... pressure/counter pressure

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

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

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

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

so loose schooling first, both directions.

that was fine.

walk trot walk trot.

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

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

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


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

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

but it still doesn't make sense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

ah well, more tomorrow ...

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

tunstall reservoir

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

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

walk

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

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

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

another success

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

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

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

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

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

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

walk past goblins ...

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

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

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

I try to vary what we do

hey ho.

on the ground

yesterday afternoon .....

lunging - no she won't go right rein again

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

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

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

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

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

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

the hay bar is up

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

and you can see the stable mirror up as well.

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

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

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

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

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

not doing well really!!!!!

no work tonight

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

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

riding

yesterday.

the plan was to put the haybar up then ride.

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

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

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

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

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