instead of riding...
Partner picked a lot of our blackcurrant crop last night, and the only thing to do with it is make jam... so that's what i did. first time i've tried to make jam so hope it tastes ok!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200740469848679&set=a.1453291766854.61776.1070074986&type=1&theater
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Monday, 29 July 2013
in hand...
it occurred to me it's ages since i've done any in hand work, and last time he was messing about, so that was the plan for tonight...
only did 5 minutes, but he was happy to move on, was reaching for the contact, and we finished up with flexions which he was also much better at than last time - the stretch down he's particularly "got", which is good...
only did 5 minutes, but he was happy to move on, was reaching for the contact, and we finished up with flexions which he was also much better at than last time - the stretch down he's particularly "got", which is good...
Sunday, 28 July 2013
a slow idea....
should have written this yesterday but hey...
so i thought we must go in the arena but decided not to do anything but be calm....
that resolve was tested when he stopped along the first long side!
but i thought, no, we can't carry on as we have been, it's no good to be getting too worked up and i want him to move because he wants to move and will move, not because i've whacked him again...
so the plan was, just sit, keep him pointing in the one direction, no turns, and praise any steps forward - whilst giving leg aids and tapping with long whip every now and again...
it was starting to work ....
after 3/4 of a circuit the mares came over to investigate but he listened to me and moved on, but i was aware of something over the fence behind us, where the YO has their raspberry bed.....
YO and his wife were putting bird's netting over their raspberry bed, which is at the top of the arena
spooking at big rolls of birds netting was not going to be conducive to achieving the desired result; i specifically did NOT want, for this exercise, to be doing cirles etc
soo that was a nice plan gone slightly west....
so i thought we must go in the arena but decided not to do anything but be calm....
that resolve was tested when he stopped along the first long side!
but i thought, no, we can't carry on as we have been, it's no good to be getting too worked up and i want him to move because he wants to move and will move, not because i've whacked him again...
so the plan was, just sit, keep him pointing in the one direction, no turns, and praise any steps forward - whilst giving leg aids and tapping with long whip every now and again...
it was starting to work ....
after 3/4 of a circuit the mares came over to investigate but he listened to me and moved on, but i was aware of something over the fence behind us, where the YO has their raspberry bed.....
YO and his wife were putting bird's netting over their raspberry bed, which is at the top of the arena
spooking at big rolls of birds netting was not going to be conducive to achieving the desired result; i specifically did NOT want, for this exercise, to be doing cirles etc
soo that was a nice plan gone slightly west....
Friday, 26 July 2013
another ride out...
wasn't the plan..... but the arena wasn't working! someone said did i want to go out with them, so that was the final encouragement M needed to upin himself from the spot upon which he was doing turns on the forehand (in default of him agreeing to go forward...)
so went round the 20 acre and back along the drive...
it was HOT....
it was hotter then than it had been all day.... typical - and of course no breeze until after we'd done and i was taking him back to the field!
so went round the 20 acre and back along the drive...
it was HOT....
it was hotter then than it had been all day.... typical - and of course no breeze until after we'd done and i was taking him back to the field!
Thursday, 25 July 2013
confidence improving again
took me three goes to get on, though...
first time, he went too far forward altogether, i was a shade slow in getting him to stop.
second time, the angle was bad but i thought i'd try it .. wrong move, i ended up hanging on to the saddle whilst he walked on (calmly, LOL)
third time lucky
then went out...
i decided just along the drive and see how we did.
first test - to show he was trying me out = " no i won't go under the willow onto the drive, i want to go the other way back to my field"
no, i said.
ensured he stood facing the way i wanted him to go, and in due course (not very long, minutes or so) tapped him hard and off he went...
i set off to trot up the small incline - and at that piont realised i had forgotten to do my hat up, oops! nice forward trot, though.
then walk the flat and down the bank to the ford, and turn round, trot back up the bank and most of the flat and then walk the rest of the way back
in course of which, i sat 3 spooks.
one small one as we set off along the drive, some animal in the bushes on the left
a larger one as the gamekeeper started his quad bike up off to our right..
and a larger one again as the animal in the bushes did some more active rustling on the way back... we'd both, clearly, forgotten it was there....
then along into the arena, and having stopped, ensured he would walk on again.
then off
(have to say, i much prefer getting off in the arena, it's a much softer landing on the slightly still not right left foot!)
first time, he went too far forward altogether, i was a shade slow in getting him to stop.
second time, the angle was bad but i thought i'd try it .. wrong move, i ended up hanging on to the saddle whilst he walked on (calmly, LOL)
third time lucky
then went out...
i decided just along the drive and see how we did.
first test - to show he was trying me out = " no i won't go under the willow onto the drive, i want to go the other way back to my field"
no, i said.
ensured he stood facing the way i wanted him to go, and in due course (not very long, minutes or so) tapped him hard and off he went...
i set off to trot up the small incline - and at that piont realised i had forgotten to do my hat up, oops! nice forward trot, though.
then walk the flat and down the bank to the ford, and turn round, trot back up the bank and most of the flat and then walk the rest of the way back
in course of which, i sat 3 spooks.
one small one as we set off along the drive, some animal in the bushes on the left
a larger one as the gamekeeper started his quad bike up off to our right..
and a larger one again as the animal in the bushes did some more active rustling on the way back... we'd both, clearly, forgotten it was there....
then along into the arena, and having stopped, ensured he would walk on again.
then off
(have to say, i much prefer getting off in the arena, it's a much softer landing on the slightly still not right left foot!)
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
monday tuesday wednesday
i did ride on monday - frankly, i wished i'd just put the hit air on and gone out...
as it was, he was testing me, but this time failed as i didn't get off until I deemed the time right, which was after 1/2 hour of him standing, doing turns, moving, standing, doing turns (i am asking for hte turns to get movement!) and eventually, sad to say, hitting him.... dammit. but he needs to stop just randomly stopping when he wants...
tuesday - felt like a hot bath! leaving the office
today, is G's day - i've mown the lawn, and should be very surprised if G has done anything as it still feels like a hot bath! i need a cool one....
as it was, he was testing me, but this time failed as i didn't get off until I deemed the time right, which was after 1/2 hour of him standing, doing turns, moving, standing, doing turns (i am asking for hte turns to get movement!) and eventually, sad to say, hitting him.... dammit. but he needs to stop just randomly stopping when he wants...
tuesday - felt like a hot bath! leaving the office
today, is G's day - i've mown the lawn, and should be very surprised if G has done anything as it still feels like a hot bath! i need a cool one....
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Tolting
is a pace of Icelandic horses.
Today, I rode an Icelandic horse out on a hack ...
a friend lives near Aberystwyth and i went to visit and we went out for a ride...it was high up, just nice - about 19C with a steady breeze, so not too many flies (although a horse fly got me, and we had to occasionally get them off the horses) - up round an old lead works
excellent
the tolt was instead of trot, as the particular horse i was on doesn't trot
VERY smooth, i could get used to that!
and the saddle was very comfortable as well, a St Merryn, which i'd heard good things about and they were all justified (it has memory foam in the seat, and the stirrup bars are in a good place - heather moffett had a hand in its design, i believe....)
anyway, that did a lot of good for my overall confidence, as you can imagine
oh, and we were followed by some fillies loose on the hill, couple of gorgeous palominos and a nice grey...
Today, I rode an Icelandic horse out on a hack ...
a friend lives near Aberystwyth and i went to visit and we went out for a ride...it was high up, just nice - about 19C with a steady breeze, so not too many flies (although a horse fly got me, and we had to occasionally get them off the horses) - up round an old lead works
excellent
the tolt was instead of trot, as the particular horse i was on doesn't trot
VERY smooth, i could get used to that!
and the saddle was very comfortable as well, a St Merryn, which i'd heard good things about and they were all justified (it has memory foam in the seat, and the stirrup bars are in a good place - heather moffett had a hand in its design, i believe....)
anyway, that did a lot of good for my overall confidence, as you can imagine
oh, and we were followed by some fillies loose on the hill, couple of gorgeous palominos and a nice grey...
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