mothers

mine & Mollie's ....

it was time to go up to Allendale to see Queen Bee; asked Mother if she'd like to come, we thought a trip out, lunch out would be appreciated, and it was.

No-one was home at the Allendale Farm save the horses, but happily Queenie was in a field next to the road and came over to say hello, and got some horsey treats. She's looking good, considering the position last month, i was very pleased!Then we decided to have lunch at the pub in allendale, rather than troop back down to Corbridge - right decision, we got in just before it got busy, the food was good, and then mother wanted to visit a gift/dress shop and got herself a really nice new top with earrings to match. don't know why i didn't take a photo whilst she was showing us it, it was lovely. the sort of thing that, if seen on the rail, you wouldn't try on, but once on, is perfect.

then the long way back to her house, the scenic route over the moors rather than the quick route down the motorway.

Then down to the yard to get Mollie in - it was getting dark by then, and I had to get home (see below!) so just in & fed tonight, the plans for inhand work will have to wait for tomorrow!

and typing this whilst waiting for an eBay bid to end - winning a horseware julia down jacket for partner, she was so impressed with the one i got myself in harrogate. wonderfully warm when it was so cold a week or so ago, and very smart as well.

so everyone is happy..

choices, choices

choice between in hand or lungeing. After the hard work my foot got yesterday, I decided on lungeing (as at least I don't have to walk anywhere!) and it would be interesting to see if any progress had been made on getting Molly lunging right rein.

Pleasing to say, progress had been made, in that she did it, twice - once without and once with side reins - about 5 minutes each rein, with and without. Rushing a bit on the right of course, it will be some time before she doesn't, but i was very pleased.

in hand tomorrow, I think. in the daylight (it's much easier when you can see where you are going!) assuming it don't rain.

RIP David Wilford 1919 - 2007

my mother's younger brother - died, mother's just rung to say so. it wasn't unexpected, as he'd been ill for a good while with cancer, osteoporosis and something else that gave him severe anaemia; the final straw was breaking a hip a few weeks ago. Everyone's favourite. always a twinkle in his eye. Even more pleased I saw him in the summer.

longlining

it used to be the case that getting out early got the best of the weather. I'm finding the opposite. Teemed down this morning (apparently kirstie & Julie were at the furthest away from the yard that they could be when the heavens opened and they got soaked....) so I longlined Molly this afternoon.

She was pretty good. Even managed to nearly stand still whilst I was putting the longlines on! and did some nice work

now, the way i longline is the way i was shown by Max - essentially, both lines through the stirrups (or, in this case today, the lowest rings on the roller!) and I stand in the middle and have Molly change direction around me. This interspersed with some walking round the outside.

But that, I was thinking as I was doing it, leads to different operation of the reins/bit aid to keep the circle, from that which I am taught to use when riding. I have to have little pressure on the outside rein, but ensure i keep her in the direction I want with the inside rein. I think that could create a bit of a conflict?

Still, it was good, she was starting to come balanced on the right rein (much as though she didn't want to go that way!) and was seeking the bit.

But oh, our arena is HARD on the broken foot and the leg muscles, it's SOOOO deep...

typical

holiday weather! Got the midwinter clip done, just (still need to do her face), then the heavens opened....Had molly been doing a raindance? probably! and it's not the tidiest clip in the world, but at least its done and that's that until next year. She'll be a good bit more comfortable at least...

vet

out today for flu boosters for Molly & charlie.

Poor girl was on call Christmas day - had to PTS 2 (one slipped on ice and broke a leg, the other a toxic colic belonging to a child!) and 2 other colics and one other emergency admission....

how horrid!

So molly was good for her jab. I was going to clip - now bear in mind my blades for the large clippers have only been used once, and then only to do half the horse - they were blunt. burgers.

Then i went and did some rope circling. Haven't been doing as much of that as I should, and really must get back into a routine of doing much more groundwork = longlining, in hand if i can get the hang of it without twisting myself into a spasm! - and rope circling. I think it went off the boil with the severe cold and very dark nights we had before christmas..

kirstie in the next box had her instructor out, who also is a qualified saddle fitter so we had an interesting discussion about the fit or otherwise of saddles. had some horror stories of horses whose (treed) saddles had been far too narrow for them...she generally, she says, fits saddle company saddles.

reflections

after that reflective post on the internet, here's some photos from Christmas Day - clouds reflected in hurworth burn reservoir.

the power of the internet

we all know it's powerful, but it's interesting how that can work.

as you know, I posted last thursday about a former colleague/school"friend" who had died that morning.

a school contemporary & friend of hers in canada posted yesterday having seen it, and i then had an email exchange with him Googled him and dug round his firm's website to find out how his email address would be written...

i think that's pretty good, really!

the world is becoming smaller and we are all becoming more connected!

we got round the 20 acre

with gaynor on charlie. didnt' bother with futile attempts to get on unaided, just walked her round to the barn and got Gaynor to hold her (oops, just realised left eh hot water bottle there...).

The plan had in fact been to go the track past the house, but the house alarm had been going all afternoon, sometimes ending up sounding like an air raid siren, and molly wasn't having any of that (who can blame her!). so down teh 20 acre we went, and she didn't put a foot wrong all the way round. It was getting on to be a bit dull to go up to the riding school so we headed back to go into the arena for a while. I DID get off at the last gate voluntarily, as the alarm was still going and I didn't want to be put into a position where she got me off in any way.

and she did have one plant - we'd wanted to go up a hill in a field to come out at the top of the drive, but she wasn't having that.

Gaynor - whose known her since I got her, and has ridden her - agrees with me that she would behave the same whoever rode her, and that it's something in Molly's head that suddenly makes her decide not to go somewhere.... even when it's places she's been before.

Glad we decided against the ford though - it looked rather deep! and we were lucky that the 20 acre wasn't too deep -it can be a mud bath in the winter, but since it hasn't rained for a couple of weeks it wasn't too bad at all.

I spent ages with the saddle and the mattes pad - saddle upside down on table, centre seam of pad being pushed into the gullet - was much better than last time, although does drop a bit.

The saddle sort of spreads as it goes onto the horse's back - which it would, being treeless! - and the shimming in this pad is keeping it off her wither but then it's not right further back as the centre seam drops down as you put the saddle on....mm. waiting to hear.

6 1/2 mile walk

on foot, not on Molly's four legs! partner wanted a walk, as she's leading one in february that she hadn't recce'd yet, so we did that.

then back to the yard to muck out, bed up, and bring molly in really early. well, not really really, but about 15:45 - by that time we were certainly ready for our dinner, which i then had to cook. never mind turkey, roast beef and yorkshire puddings!

got some nice unexpected presents (earrings from vietnam, silk scarf!) and molly got some carrots and huge quantities of haylage of course.

ride out tomorrow, supposedly .... hope she behaves!

bit more joy

because i got paul to hold her head! course, stood like a lamb. then wouldn't go through to the arena - it was dark by this time and she could hear but not see george changing his horses rugs, and there was a light where there isn't usually. got there eventually - think she decided it was better than going out! which was her only choice.

had some occasions when i really felt her back round under me, which was good.

i struggle to relax i think, but when we both get it it's good.

this is all really stretching my hips, which is good!

Caroline, yes, she knows what she's doing

had the stephens numnah under the wedge panel ... put the stephens in the wash to try and soften it ....


and then to cap it, kirsty essentially said molly wasn't the horse for me if molly won't do what i want, and it's all about the relationship between us and actually quite upset me, i think ...felt quite upset at what she was saying, really.

academic anyway, can't see anyone wanting to have the molly mare until she is doing the things she currently doesn't!

when the weather improves - or rather, when the days are longer - we'll try going out again.

daft thing is, couple of them had ridden this afternoon, but i didn't know. i suppose i'm no fun to go out with as we never know what molly's going to do (usually she's ok in company, just if she finds that she's not it gets a bit pear shaped!)

40 minutes

of walking her up to the mounting block, her turning away and round and so on - and trying to keep the rein out of her mouth, she's developed an awful habit of getting it into her mouth and chewing it, i can't even see how she does it, something with her lip when i'm leading her... - and i was driven past by two people who KNEW i'd been there for ages (they'd walked past me when I first started ... and some tears ... and stopped for a fag to calm down - someone else finally arrived at the barn so I went round and asked for help. I am SOOOOOOO hacked off with this. and later when i'd finished riding, scarlet's owner turned up - his helpful comments were

1. you need to do something to crack this
2. have you had professional help with this?
3. you need someone to help you for hours....

i could have spat... but i didn't, i asked what did he think i should try that i hadn't already, then he said, he had the same problem with his first horse that he never cracked because she had girthing issues - which as i pointed out molly doesn't have. some people.

anyway, i did 40 minutes ride in the arena - some times getting there, sometimes not. I was well warm, thank goodness (the new thermal trousers and the mega horseware jacket) the only bit of me that was chilly were my ears!

sometimes molly was too fast and I struggled to slow my seat down to slow her down. but sometimes we got it. i'm getting better at controlling her shoulders. still need to think of less being more.

and remembered on my way home (just after Paul rang me to ask if the schooling stick left in the middle of the yard was mine) that my hot water bottle is still on the wall where it was left....phooey. it's full of water as well, happily only half full but the deep freeze of tonight isn't going to do it any good. oopsy.

equestrian access

readers in the UK should see & sign this petition:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Equestrianaccess/#detail

massive quote from forum:

[quote]As the law stands at the moment, EU funding can be made available to maintain bridleways by converting them to 'sustrans' routes ('sustainable transport' in favour of cyclists). The problem is that the reclassification means that these old bridleways will get a makeover, but because they lose the bridleway status, Horses won't be allowed on them . There is a real risk that Horse riders are going to be marginalised in the name of 'going green' which is a movement which shouldn't be underestimated.

I had a conversation with (Director of Access for the BHS) Mark Weston at the time of the last petition, and he said that due to the wording and lack of consultation amongst the equestrian community in the CROW 2000 bill, no provision was made for horse riders in helping to provide alternative (safe) routes on which we could get about on.
With amendments of the Bill being looked at, it is crucial that Horse riders have our voices heard or we will continue to be marginalised, and our safe routes are at risk of vanishing.

Quote:

BHS petition calls for bigger say for equestrians in access law-making
The British Horse Society is calling on all equestrians to sign a petition asking the Government to give them a say in all new access and rights of way legislation. Equestrians are the most vulnerable of road users and need increased off-road access for their safety and the welfare of their horses. Horse riding and driving provides healthy outdoor exercise, which the Government is keen to encourage. It is enjoyed by more than four million people in the UK and is the second biggest land-based industry, but equestrians have not been included in recent access-creating legislation which would help make them safer and encourage healthy outdoor recreation.The recent petition calling for amendments to the equestrian sections of the Highway Code attracted just under 20,000 signatures, showing the amount of concern there was in the equestrian community. The BHS Access Department and its regional access and bridleway officers would like riders and other horse lovers to sign the petition.


We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to include access for equestrians in all new access legislation, access given to walkers in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW) 2000. Over 4 million people in the UK ride horses or drive horse-drawn vehicles. The equine industry is the second biggest land-based industry estimated to be worth £4 billion and to employ 150,000 people. The current coastal access proposal should be extended to provide access for all non-motorised users thus allowing mixed family groups to exercise together. This would be consistent with the joint Government/Industry-backed Strategy for the Horse Industry, published in December 2005. Providing access for equestrians and cyclists, as well as walkers, represents better value than just providing access for walkers.[/quote]

holiday start

involved no lie in....took loads of photos of molly with and without saddle, saddle with and without numnah/pad underneath. Have now put the wedge panels in, and shims and we'll see what that looks like in the morning - it was TOO cold to wrestle with them at the yard, never got above about 3 degrees all day, and the very slight breeze made it feel huge amounts colder. For the first time this year, the tap was frozen - happily, it only took a kettle of hot water to sort that out.

My new winter thermal jodhpurs are really toasty - to get them on over my ordinary jods i should have bought a larger size again, but didn't need the extra layer i don't think. recommend them to anyone (from annadressur on ebay) - better than fleecy chaps, as chaps don't keep your bum warm.

didn't ride, did go to try longlining but she wouldn't stand still (possibly because the mares in the field next to us decided to have a hooly) so just lunged - and amazingly, she went right with no argument, so I decided that was the good note i wanted bearing in mind previous issues with going right, and left it at that. was conscious that farrier was due, and he duly turned up dot on time! left her all done.

still haven't bought our christmas dinner - that will be the very first job on Monday after i've turned the horses out (volunteered to go down and do that, since partner has to get up and go to work anyway!).

whilst we've been at work the last few weeks the gardener has been beavering away in our back allotment. which now looks like this:

This area where the pond is now used to be an overgrown herb area, with huge amounts of overgrown bushes (lilac, forsythia, a ribes of some description that i never liked, and weeds) with a collapsed/blown over fence behind it. we will have water plants as well, but they won't be got until the spring. you can't quite make out the two acers to the right, one bloodgood and one sango kaku, as they're both leafless at the moment!
and this used to be fruit bed that had, when the wall was built, become a disaster area with mounds of soil, rubble etc ...raised beds are going to be much more practical. the raised bed beside the trellis is going to have raspberries and blackberries (thornless ones - the wild ones run riot and are impossible to control!) and the trellis will also be useful for other climbing veg (shame partner hates peas). will get some new strawberries (the previous ones needed renewing anyway) and the whole thing will be much more manageable.


the bare soil is the middle third, and is going to be lawn which can't be put down until the spring.

It's a nice surprise every Saturday when we can actually see it in daylight to see what has been achieved during the week.

been busy

been busy making a home made sympathy card to post in the morning....

really cold (-4!!!) so not looking forward to going out in the morning. have to take loads of pics of molly with the saddle on....

bad day at work - neither my 3 pm nor 4 pm turned up, which wouldn't have been so bad but the appointments were at our other office, so essentially, i wasted the afternoon. but I've 10 days off now, so looking forward to that..

RIP Jenny Winterschladen (nee Jones)

back in 71/72, i was in 6th form and jenny was a 1st year (Friends School Great Ayton). When I started working at my previous firm in 1988, Jenny & I didn't realise immediately we'd been to the same school but we had; we worked together until I left Watson Burton in February 2004.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer and I heard back this time last year she was clear.

I was rung this afternoon by WB - Leigh drew the short straw to sit in a quiet room and ring all former work colleagues who had moved on - she died last night in her sleep. It had come back to her liver very aggressively. her eldest child is only 16 (edited on 29th december to get that right, sorry emma!)....

the plan

did not involve coming home and working - at least, it didn't when i left home this morning. but by the time i set off, I knew i had to - the law on defering the dissolution of a company, to be mugged up by tomorrow morning. partner also ended up working late - she wasn't on the ASW rota for tonight, but her colleague who was, had an RTA.

and Molly has a longer wither than the usual so consultations are going on about saddle fitting.

Molly in the mirror

Hurray, got away from work on time (client I'd arranged to ring at 16:50 had his phone switched off so I gave up at 5!) and the weather was not at all bad - even got warmer as the evening went on, no wind and not frosty!
so i decided to try a bit of the in-hand work that Emma was trying (that being the operative word) to teach me. It isn't good for the back/neck (mine, that is!) and shoudl have dug the back support at least out of the car, it's in there somewhere.

Now, she's thinking when she sees me she should get a treat, so i had to get her out of that, but pretty good to get the bridle on (only took me a couple of attempts!).

in the arena - i don't think i've fully got it yet. not surprising. but we DID get some nice steps of shoulder in, which i had in fact asked for (TBH, thought i'd just asked for shoulder fore, but got shoulder in, so I did too much but rewarded that, anyway!).Apart from working hard at that, i'm going to have to work at her "knowing" she only gets a treat for getting it right - and then of course, sometimes i don't quite know that she has.

we'll get there, i was quite pleased.

and in the mirror? i was taking some photos of her back...
not bad with a mobile phone indoors in a stable!

and here is her ear - i was trying to take an eye, but she wanted to know if the phone was a treat of some description

tyres

yesterday a friend said, did i have a soft tyre? i said, it's just cos it's a bit downhill where it's parked.

today in the carpark, i thought, ooops she's right. assumed slow puncture so went to tyre shop when i left the office.

TWO new front tyres, £157, later...

i reckon they must have needed looking at before i bought the car, i've only had it since end of august and i don't drive that badly ...in fact i don't drive badly at all.

what i hadn't twigged was that because it's a sports car, it's compulsory to have sporty tyres...

burgers.

rang the yard and kirstie put molly's tea up and etc. for me. just as well i did, it was well over an hour before i could get away and even then have to drop it back tomorrow to get the tracking done...

a bit better...

once i got on. that was the difficult bit (after i'd wrestled with getting the bridle on).

Because Molly "knew" she would get a treat, she never put herself in a position where she could be clicked, until after Kirstie came and held her head - at which point, click, mount, reward. but I think - i rather lost count - something like 20 attempts to even get her at a sensible place at the mounting block. and the only thing that got clicked/treated in all that time was one straight halt. my thinking there was, she gets clicked/treated for a square halt elsewhere, she'll get the notion that a square halt at the mounting block might be good. but no. and the number of times i had to take the reins out of her mouth...

when i was on, i had to get kirstie to walk in front of her round to the arena. she was allowed that uncertainty and need for reassurance, however, as there was a tractor with it's engine running round the corner, i knew it was there but she didn't.. car parked next to it wiht its engine running and lights on - YM and her b/f trying to fit the fence posting machine to the tractor...

then i did about 40 minutes walk. some of it was good, some of it was bad, but we are getting there i think. sometimes we go off when i get tense - found myself twisting my body every now and again...

but i think it was more good that bad when on straight lines. circles/serpentines not so good. can do small circles, but large ones we're still working on. and i need to think more about how to control the shoulder without moving my seat bones...

the hard frost has gone, but still cold.

if it stays like this - dry but not that bitter cold of last week - i'll try some in hand during the week at night...