motion!

in the arena, for 20 minutes - yes a couple of half hearted attempts to stop but got him going agin..

virtually no contact, and trying to turns with a very wide rein and/or seat/legs

and unusually for me, rode back to the stable to dismount (i don't really like getting off there, it's a hard landing!)

A positive start

To last night's ride.

But he stopped half way up a hill which was not a good pkace to start the moving dhoulders etc exercises

But ri had also said it was ok to get off so long as we still move forward so that's what I did. So I got well exercised too

Another ride round the 20 acre

With an unexpected companion who also prefers company when out. And her horse had a massive splash about in the ford - we just wemt over the bridge

if it's not one thing

it's another...

So tuesday i'm sitting peacefully at my desk working, as you do, when i feel a sudden pain in my right wrist, which gets worse as the day goes on....

excrutiating by bed time (M got 5 minutes in hand, and TBH i probaly shouldn't have...)

yesterday it was not goo, up at 4 am to take painkillers and was in two minds whether to go to A & e bu the painkillers kicked in eventually


went to work, but gave up mid morning (had done 3.5 hours chargeable, but painfully...) (even if i dictate every word, still have to use mouse as the software doesn't have many keyboard strokes) so took rest of day off and spent most of it reading a book and avoiding computer altogether..

today, happily IT guy at my office (we have 4) and i decided eventually i'd be better with a laptop (trackpad not mouse) so sorted one out for me.

this morning i couldn't pick mug of tea up with right hand, by this evening, i could.

so getting there...

cuase? no clue, unless it's the angle at which i use the mouse....

work for M? no.

he had the vet yesterday as well, blocked tear ducts - an annual thing, i said to vet it should be part of his spring MOT, jabs, teeth and tear ducts....

hot hot hot

just cool enough to be nice when i arrived and started getting the tack out but time i'd done that the sun was out again ...

going out with rachel on her brandy - tbh, him and M have a lot in common when theyr'e on their own!

brandy got brave and led all the wy, which is pretty good for him, he had a spook 6 feet left when a very gentle breeze gently wafted some vegetation at the river's edge, whilst M stopped and looked at him wondering what was going on

we were round the 20 acre, which is in a dip next to the river, and we rather regretted it once we got down there as the temperature rafted up due to no breeze in the first half.  when we got to the end there's a narrow gate to go through.  brandy was spooking before we got to it, who knows why, but it turned out to be a rider coming through the ford on the right beyond the gate.  rider rode past, brandy went through, M and got just to gate when M started napping back round i could feel it coming and was ready for it - turned out to have been another rider coming through the ford.  you can't see, you can only hear, hence the spooking.  and i was lucky not to have been halfway through said gate or i'd be missing a kneecap...

then trotted back along the back drive to create our own breeze, partially successful in that

would't let M stop outside brandy's stable, which is the first one you come to going back in, and he's been getting into a habit of stopping there (my error of course!) so went on to my own before getting off - and he promptly put his head into the next door stable and i had to back him up before i could get off!

and the rain came again....

and forecast for tomorrow as well.

but it was funny tonight - chose my moment to go feed, it wasn't actually raining, and called him, not expecting much movement at all - but the entire herd cantered down to the gate. so wish i'd had my camera out and set to video!

tuesday and thursday ... an improving week

tuesday out with companion for hack , was fine save for the flies

lesson tonight, and we worked on two things.... techniques to get the boy moving, and talking therapy for me (since it's been in my head, as we all know).

hopefully it'll work in the long run

ended up actually out on a hack which makes sense and RI dropped back farther than i realised, so couldn't then say i'll go through the ford, at that point i realised she wasnt' there and of course he stopped again!  hey ho, but i kept on with teh stuff she's been suggesting and got him fruther towards the ford that he'd stopped at.... and she walked downa and we went another way... i was a bit anoyed as he has been through the ford with me on him on my own before, but hey..... so roudn the 20 acre instead

at the end of that you go up a steep hill, so i trotted it, carried on trotting at the top, and one minute i'm trotting along and the next he's spooking at who knows what and i'm up his neck on an angle? bizarre, but i stayed on....

mm - a new evasion?

this was a new one..

i thought he was falling asleep.

but no..

i spent between 5 & 10 mins trying get bit in his mouth.  finger in between teeth did no good. presenting favourite treat, no good.  he was not going to open his mouth. he proved he wasn't asleep by occasionally turning his head to investigate passing car/look see what a noise off might be...

weird.

eventually he had to swallow, of course, so relaxed and bit went in.

what was that about?

i divided on arena tonight - out yesterday, and I've a date for a hack out tomorrow.

so we started off better than we have recently, circles either end, then i thought a serpentine - and he stopped on the last leg of the serpentine.

backward was no great help. he would go back the odd step but not then move forward. turn on the forehand left, ok, but not forward.  turn on the forehand right, no thank you...

looking forward to RI's visit on Thursday..

Sunday busy

Gaynor & i cleaned the stable, always a filthy job.  Was pleased it didn't turn out as hot as the previous day had been.... was just right for the job (after a wet morning),

then we got the boy in and rode - i rode out the first half of the ride with G on foot, and G rode back the 2nd half

he was pretty good, apart from one moment where he wanted to come home and we didn't want him to, set his jaw, that would have been fun (not) but G led him the way we wanted and he said ok.... and then a big stop at the glimpse of a large plastic bag in the verge as we came out on to the road...

i rang a friend again..

Asked Gaynor to come and see what if anything i was doing wrong.

nothing, particularly, i don't think... debating buying some spurs, though (and he's knacked another flymask, so that is definitely a new acquisition...)

I've a horrid feeling that the more we try to get him to work the less reactive he's being...

will just have to keep working on it, and RI is due out on the 17th.

in the meantime, we did get a result, so i hope he remembers it

wound healing

G tells me, pleased as last night it had turned into a small hole, EEK!

she rode with bareback pad in the arena and apparently he was a good lad, so has got over his temper anyway....

lets see what tomorrow brings (if not some rain!)