bad weekend

gaynor didn't have childcare so todays lesson had to be cancelled - but i would have had to cancel anyway, for illness. plus a howling gale yesterday, and what was tshirt weather last week has gone really cold again!

i'm hoping my ill health is resolving by means of lots of movicol and little solid food (soup! and not a lot of that) and no great desire to eat anyway .... but not good. if it's not one thing it's another!

looking forward

lighter nights - not dark till 6 - so looking forward to being able to start working the boy at night - but hoping the health remains good...

tonight, plan was for a night out listening to a band, partner's plan. but i was pleased when she rang at 5 to say she didn't want to do that, as i was about to cry off myself being unwell.....

anyway, hoping also the weather will stay good the weekend so i can ride both days, and next lesson is this sunday...

practising....

not had much chance of that what with all the weather, so today practising in the arena

We were much better at riding corners correctly - amazing what a difference being shown how to do it properly makes, LOL. My corners have never been as good

and we weren't bad on circles, half voltes (I do like a half volte!) and other changes of rein.

and got a bit of nice trot as well but that was really to get Monf going again as he was getting a touch bored with all the walk, even though walk is good at the moment

and NO sudden plants!

roll on summer and more riding opportunities though, my legs knew about that when i got off.

Sadly, so did my wrist. it had been twinging nicely and continued to do so... went for a swim later, and only managed 1/2 my normal time, if that .... not good....

the sheepfeeder

i thought a good plan for today - given it's still pretty cold (had to use hot water on the tap!) was introduce Monf to the terrifying sheepfeeder ... so when we went for the, instead of heading back to the yard, we took them into the field with the sheepfeeder......much snorting, not too much prancing (well, none at all - there was a bit of grass and some hay as well) and in due course he walked round it and touched it... and then we came back, via more grass. Charlie, of course, was ahead of us leading the way....

whether, next time we hack, he remembers that the sheepfeeder he sees from the track is the sheepfeeder he touched this week, i don't know, but certainly he shouldn't be quite as terrified as he was last sunday!

too cold

for anything.

i do know it's not as cold as europe, russia, canada, etc ... nonetheless, too cold for here, and tis getting to my bones (and the plate!)

monfils is at least toasty in his rug with sufficient hay overnight, even if there is nowt to eat in the field. Oddly, he & Charlie are always happy to go out - it's as if they forget overnight how boring the field is these days, with no grass in it ...

a rdie out!

first one since october! (when i fried my left wrist).

only down the hill and round the 20 acre...

i made a pigs ear of going down the hill (it's a steep one, i dislike it, and i was too stiff).

both horses were very dubious about a bit of orange plastic hanging off a fence, it was tiny.

the very dead and rotted log half way round was clearly going to kill both of them and had to be snorted past, sideways, whilst being given as wide a berth as possible consistent with not heading over the bank into the wear!

and poor monf was totally terrified of the sheep feeder to the right of the track on our way home - quicker and quicker towards it in a faster and faster walk and then his nerve went, a trot/canter u turn whilst, literally, crapping himself .. but i stayed on, and he was ok to turn round and follow charlie!

freezing....

properly. hose being taken inside overnight, tap frozen in the morning, minue 5 (c) yesterday morning, minus 1 most of today, then when it got fractionally above freezing, snow.... that started lunchtime.

forecast to be a lot warmer tomorrow, hope they're right!