the met office

was wrong..

at the moment i check the weather forecast over breakfast, at about 06.30, to see if it's going to be wet or dry - if it says wet, i'll rug, if not, i'll not, and it's been dry through the day (bar the odd very short shower) for a while.. and M not clipped yet, and will overheat at the drop of a sunbeam....

today, it said it would stop raining for 7 (which it did) and not rain again..

that latter bit was wrong...

so G couldn't exercise her plan of riding as horse too wet - but she tells me she lunged and he was very good for her...

I, in the meantime, took elderly cat to vet for "pedicure" - she's so old she goes nowhere so her claws had to be manually cut...

soaked...

Gaynor, Monfils, Rachel & her Welshy, but not me .. i was sitting in the car..

G took M out for a nice hack - they'd no sooner set off than the heavens opened, and i thought they 'd come straight back but they didn't

Apparently, M was very well behaved on a new route, despite an incident with a gate that could have gone seriously pear shaped - unexpected bit of wind blew gate shut on G's legs as they were going through, one bit of gate stuck on boot, other leg jammed against fence... M just stood, hurray!  G has a nasty bruise, though

we remembered

our longlinging...

but, the reins i bought are strictly too short - bought 4 metres, should have got 5.  ok for what we're doing just now, but as we progress i will need longer ones.  Hey ho....

and hot!  couldn't believe it after the freezing start this morning... the sun got out, no breeze, at least 20 on the track up to the field gate with teh sun full on it....lovely.... then the sun went in, and the midges came out again, you'd think they'd have all died by now, and they love me sadly

sleepyhead

me - this afternoon - and the black coffee didn't help at all!  so got the boy in and left him enjoying his tea/haylage, was really too tired to do anything (and cried off from the planned meal out...)

getting it...

and the mares woke him up, LOL.

M has definitely "got" the basic idea towards lunging...

so onwards and upwards, hopefully avoiding midges!

but not tomorrow, as going out.  and the new reins arrived today, and hopefully the short whip tomorrow, so will hopefully be able to try proper longlines saturday/sunday, subject to the weather (teeming down at the moment!)

grew and grew...

Monfils, that is...

bear in mind i haven't ridden since that crashing fall on 5th September...

so, got the dirt off, tacked up... he grew a shade....

got on .. he grew some more...

happily someone was on hand to assist with the girth tightening...

round to the arena .. and he grew some more, the mares are back in the mares field next to the arena and were doing their usual leaning over the fence, they haven't been in that field for months.... so ladies man grew a bit more

and i'd forgotten how solid a HM saddle can be when it's cold, it was like sitting on a brick..mind, couldn't have put hot water bottle on it, as the place upon which the kettle sits with which to boil hot water, has been moved and not replaced (it will have to be replaced before winter kicks in properly ...so will have discussion with person who moved the ledge shortly)

so i got off again and did some in hand work (without stick, yet!  and he worked well)

then left him in for the night, and hope he doesn't knock his water bucket over like  he did night before last...

still, at least i got on, and the still sore bit on my behind didn't hurt when on the saddle...

midge impossible

was last night - there were so many they were in my eyes, up my nose... hopeless trying to do anything much, but did manage 5 minutes in the arena in hand....but i kept having to stop and rid myself of irritants.  i think they like me too much!

and tonight M had his feet trimmed.  we're putting him on a 4 week cycle now rather than a 6 and whilst he has strong soles and frogs the hoof walls need more supplement than they've been getting so seaweed it will be and a cream to apply....

he can't make his mind up whether he wants to be in or out; last night, in, but i think he changed his mind half way through the night as this morning the water bucket was tipped over and he'd trashed the bed a bit - although that might have been because of a new horse that was in further a long, they could hear each other but not see each other and i can imagine that would be a bit frustrating!