fly bite on chin

at least i think that's what it was... had scabbed, was swelling, was next to (but not under) where bridle strap goes..
that was after he'd seriously objected to having saddle on!  before i got as far as girthing... farm hand was there (he'd been parking tractor and we had a chat) said he'd been in a foul temper all day snapping at any other horse coming near and generally being in a bad mood

so i bathed and creamed the wound and left it at that.

that hadn't been the plan, of course...

mm well...

Thursday was a washout (not literally, but the RA attacked my left hand!) and friday was an improvement pain wise but i just tried some lunging (at least he'll go round in walk, even though i can't get a faster pace out of him).

but riding on saturday.

I don't know what to think.  Have i wasted £1500 on new saddle, or is there something else going on?

get on, he wants to march round to arena (hadn't been my original plan, which was to go out, but any movement is better than none). we go in quite smartly and he picks up trot... 3/4 round he stops and plants.... at least there was room to dismount.

so i go back round and get back on and he plants again....

until person comes out on her horse, so i went out with her (not the ideal choice, but movement is good).

plan to go down the hill towards the river then right up a steep hill i've done before, through gate and wood - we get most of the way down to the river and she says she'll be cantering ... i say, ok, i'll turn off and come back different way when you do that...

so we go through wood... and she sets off in trot, which normally would be fine, but NOT with the low hanging branches to knock your head off, it was ridiculous (eventually she had to stop and walk herself, thank goodness) and the clouds of gnats we were riding through...she wasn't' prepared to change her plan at all....

time we got to the other end M was hyper as he was as hacked off with both those things as i was (and also, we never normally trot through there due to very steep drop to the left.....a cliff, basically!)

so i get off to lead back, and glad i had as i hadn't known (and he hadn't known) there were horse eating logs hiding in the long grass .....so i had to walk between him and them...

so go to get back on at yard - waste of time...

put him away and first thing he does is pee... maybe that was it?  but i think not...

fed up, i am.

TB always moving? not this one.

waiting to hear how G got on today in the breaks in rain....

hurray (save for the flies, of course!)

a lovely evening ride, haven't done one for ages of course.  arranged to go out with one of the girls, excellent ride, hardly any sticking and when he did it was wanting to scratch his nose off his knee down hill (never a good feeling, that, so try not to allow it!)

very warm, so couldn't move for flies

very pleased....

now, will he do as well tomorrow on  is own, or will i be back to square one?

restricted to where we can go, as the fields are so overgrown it's impossible to go anywhere without having to through belly high nettles (not nice!) unless you confine yourself to the back drive, the road, and that's about it....

mad dogs and englishmen (women)

go out in the midday sun.....

ride out round the 20 acre with Riemah, who coincidentally was setting off  also - just as well, as he'd blocked again, but once we got going he was fine, and i had to keep stroking the shoulder with my long whip to keep the flies off! and so overgrown!  at one point we were riding through belly high stuff....a bare bit for the feet, but that's about all that could be said for the track through the field

then trotted back along the back drive without incident whilst Riemah went off to do something faster in another field...

but my it was hot!

looking forward to hearing Gaynor's report tomorrow...

an odd week altogether

Monday i posted about was reasonably ok.

Tuesday, set off again to try and go further than before, but didn't get as far - he stopped just a little way in to the back drive, and was not planning on moving again. nothing working form on top, and even when i got off i had to tap him on the shoulder with stick to get movement to be able to turn him round and troop back to the mounting block

got back on and set off again, but didn't get even as far as before...

Wednesday was gaynor's day and the farrier came. he was falling asleep when being shod, put into stable for 15 mins and had to be dragged out

Thursday, last night ... a nightmare.  firstly stopped at the very start of the back drive ( car came down hill, no excuse but he took it.)   managed to turn round at least, walk back into yard and he stopped dead at the start of the yard, right next to a low wall but not far enough away from it (or close enough to it, either way) for me to be able to get off safely (i would have landed half on half off said wall and risk of then falling down and breaking something else)   again, no reaction to any relevant aid....
this was with a new girth, and at this point i realised that, in fact, i hadn't tightened it properly and saddle not in right place .... anyway, had to get lass to come round and lead him to get him somewhere where i was safe to dismount.  back to the stable, stood him outside it not tied up, he wasn't moving, put saddle and girth right ... brought mounting block to him ... got on ... no movement...

aaaarrrrgggghhhh

tonight.  tacked up got on, started to move, stopped by car, got him moving to in front of arena, stopped ... .... 5 minutes later two riders came out of the barn, but would he follow them? no.  and one of the horses is a field mate... they went off, we're still standing .. someone came up from 20 acre... hurray, he''ll follow that horse!.  so went off finally following  and had a nice 20 minute round and met the people who'd left me standing when met the back drive again....

i would like to think that will have been sufficient to persuade him he can in fact move.....

otherwise, is there some underlying problem?

will be interesting to see how he does with G on Sunday ..... hopefully she does have time on Sunday, her normal day...

the long grass always hides terrors

even when you're in walk...

and of course because i didn't know there were terrors in the long grass at the side of the track, i wasn't quick enough to stop the walk whip round...

walk, i ask you!

never mind, we got lots of exercise walking back up and down the back drive and then he consented to trot round the arena without stopping (well, he tried, but agreed to continue)

course he's still wrapping his head round the fact that the saddle no longer impinges where it did, being a new one, so hopefully that won't take that long...

also need the girth straps to soften some more...

and have had to get new girth, we concluded that the 26" was in fact too long .....

saddle photo

yay new saddle

much better.  stayed where it was put, he moved, what more can i want?  once he twigs that this one doesn't drop we should be fine..

but the bad news, i discovered that, far from my tack locker escaping last weekends flood, it had in fact been flooded at the bottom .....

so i had to borrow Gaynor's hat, as mine was somewhat wet, and my hit air vest was so sodden it had to be hung up to drip dry. hoping it hasn't come to any harm, as when i dug the instructions out from under the water they say it's not supposed to get that wet.

managed to dry it all out later - scoop the water out, then a couple of towels.

tomorrow

new saddle arrives

:-)

so....

i recover from the weekend's issue, feeling much better by monday lunchtime .. but the RA starts kicking off in the left hand (at least these days I know what it is when it starts - doesn't help the pain, but knowledge stops one panicking about what on earth it could be!)

so in hand work monday night, and last night wasn't really up to that...

happily it was resolving, but i didn't have full movement back, as i did by this morning.

G's day today, and she said he was a different horse, and she had a nice ride round the 20 acre with the bareback pad only (having taken the saddle cloth home and forgotten to wash it as intended, LOL).

and my saddle's on it's way, hurray!  got a message monday afternoon to say that it was in process of being despatched.

coming via fitter of course, since it makes more sense that she comes out so we ensure it's all a correct fit etc from the off...

in the meantime, here's a pic of our pond & some roses, taken tonight (the tall yellow flower is  a flag iris.

when i got home:

rain stopped play, again...

it was forecast not to start until 1 pm yesterday - i even put washing on the line = it in fact started around 11, so no riding (it was defo set in for the day) and the washing stayed on the line until it was vaguely dry at lunchtime today- it was horrendous.

and i wasn't  very well, so just as well, really, that i couldn't ride - after going to mothers (and having to take her to hospital for yet another cut to be dressed properly!) i came home and fell asleep on the sofa for several hours....

not something i normally do at all.....

but he got ridden today by G, who chose a dry moment (we're supposed to get more rain, but it hasn't started yet and we might get away without) but was headshaking quite badly, apparently......

nmmmmmm

he doesn't do that with me (although, TBF, i don't take him out much and won't be until we have new saddle....)

I think it's a summer thing, she doesn't tell me about this in the winter. he did have a fly mask on over bridle, but browband is coming off again....

the rain held off a bit

G rode out Wednesday - M now unhappy with the long grass (he really dislikes the feel on his legs ...)

I rode with the bareback pad last night, which wasn't a success as i hadn't done it for over a week what with the weather and stuff, but at least i got on

tonight i put the saddle on....

will be really pleased when the new one arrives! is all i can say...

and the heavens opened....

most of the way to the yard (thinking the rain would hold off till i got home to get the laundry in..) and the heavens properly opened....

so got wet going out and checking/feeding.....