Return of .... the SAFFY UPDATE thread!

[Bay Mare]

She sneezed today so it's back ;)

Just a few things ... she's not perfect and we know that she's not the finished article. We know her weaknesses and we know what needs working on.

This is just a record of my time with her so far and the twists and turns along the way :D It's been an interesting time and a great learning experience for me (though it didn't always feel that great!). I don't critique other people's horses without being asked and would ask that you show me the same respect.


I would ask that in the event of troll attacks we ignore and report to the mods if necessary. I've blocked the main culprits so I can't see what they write anyway.


Thank you to everyone who has supported me, your kind words and support has been fantastic :)


And one rule for this thread ........

PLEASE DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!



Thank you x



Did you know that there's a New Rider group on Facebook now?

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6441660291 or search for New Rider

[Bay Mare]

Introducing Saffy aka The Saffmeister aka The Saff Monster aka Saffy Moo Cow aka Saff Saff aka Saff Bags aka Saffy Lou aka Saffy Loulla aka Loulla!


It all started on September 11th 2004

I didn't actually go to buy a 5 year old or a grey or an ISH or anything under 16hh. I went to buy a 16.1hh dark bay 8 year old warmblood! The only box on my wish list that I could check for Saffy was MARE :D

Here is her piccie from the website:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/img122.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Fanny.jpg

There was something about her though which grabbed my heart so I ended up bringing home this rather gorgeous 5 year old RISH mare, steel grey with a mohican mane (she's never been a girly horse!).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy.jpg

She loaded beautifully but didn't stay in the trailer long as she backed out at speed taking the skin from my ungloved fingers with her (the person taking her for me was in a hurry hence the lack of gloves). Mummy ended up in the burns unit getting the tenderised flesh on her hand and fingers sorted out!

On the first outing to the field she walked down most of the way on her back legs.

The first day in the school (in hand) she showed me her levade even tapping my on the hand to make sure that I was watching :eek:

When picking up even the lightest of contacts she stood on her back legs over a dozen times in one lesson. I was hit in the mouth while riding her twice :confused:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/6be9db48.jpg

I spent one lesson with blood dripping down my face, when I got back to the yard they were all really worried as the blood had streaked all over my face and down my sweatshirt :o

Enter the Recommended Associate

The rearing was knocking my confidence. She was fine to handle but a nightmare in the school. Our RA rode her for just 5 minutes before figuring out the problem. She took off her bridle, put on a Dually headcollar and attached the reins to that. It wasn't as if she was in a harsh bit, I'd gone from a snaffle to a french link to a happy mouth to a rubber straight bar (which she ate!). I thought that she was nuts but Saffy proved me wrong and lengthened, overtracked and relaxed. Later that day I hacked her out in the Dually even though people thought that I had completely lost the plot.

The 'diagnosis' was that she was expecting either pain, discomfort or something horrible to happen when you picked up a contact. She was put in a hackamore for a few months and was 'cured' overnight.

She eventually went back into a bit, kindly choosing the KK Ultra costing me even more money! She obviously takes after her mother in liking expensive things :rolleyes:

[Whatanejit]

Welcome back Saffy and Lynne :)

[Bay Mare]

The Pasture Mix Episode

She was pretty good to handle and on the ground but I came back from holiday to find that she'd dropped loads of weight, wouldn't stay in her stable and was a highly strung, shaking mess. She had reared at people in the field and even charged at the YO one day.

I hadn't got a clue what was going on but she was obviously in some distress. I got a phone call early one Sunday morning to ask how long I was going to be. I wasn't told why but when I got there (thankfully I wasn't too far away) she was stood in her stable dripping sweat from the tips of her ears to her little hooves.

I woke up at 2am the next morning, sat up and said "Pasture Mix". Thank you whoever planted that seed in my brain! I took her off it straight away, acting not on logic but on intuition, call it what you like. First of all she went onto Cool Mix and within about a week was much better though still not 'right'.


In the school

She was much, much better and hadn't reared since the RA visit but was still very stroppy and opinionated. She had all the regular checks and more, she was ridden in a treeless saddle (my beloved SBS), was in a hackamore, was off the Pasture Mix so it was her character ..... wasn't it?

She was completely upside down with a very impressive muscle on the underside of her neck which she used to great effect :rolleyes: She also had no bum, something I've strived for myself but never been able to achieve!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffytrottinginfield.jpg

Enter the Bowen/Reiki/AC lady

I'd seen this 'strange' woman at the yard, she seemed nice enough but reputedly 'spoke' to the horses (or they spoke to her). Others on the yard swore by her, I was more sceptical.

Anyway, I decided to give it a go and boy did she blow me away. Logically she can't have known or surmised half of what she came up with, what she was saying was far too specific to be a gross generalisation. She sussed Saffy out even though she was stood like a donkey at her haynet when she came.

Saff had been getting very, very tetchy when you touched her and you couldn't get near enough to actually groom her. She wasn't nasty just didn't want you near her skin.

The therapist said that Saffy's skin felt 'creepy' and that she didn't want the hard feeds any more and that she didn't want carrots but she did want grass, hay and cleavers, oh, and a couple of apples! Rather bemused by this I decided that it couldn't hurt and Saff had pretty much stopped eating her feeds, including the carrots, anyway (the therapist didn't know this). The change in less than 10 days was amazing. She was a different horse. She enjoyed being groomed again and whilst she was still a bossy moo she was much nicer to be around.

I finally discovered Simple Systems feed which has been a lifesaver. She only has forage these days and a couple of apples a day. She came out of winter as porky as she went in and her weight is pretty stable even when they went out onto the new grass!

Her behaviour improved immeasureably in just a couple of weeks. She's still bossy and she's still opinionated but it's measured and useable now.

[Bay Mare]

Let the tree huggery begin

So, we've been treeless from the beginning, are using NH methods for groundwork, have been bitless (though she was introduced back into a bit because I wanted to do dressage), has Bowen/Reiki treatments and is on a forage based diet, none of this hard feed that horses *should* have!

It could only get worse ....

I saw another livery at our yard have a WOMAN trim her horse's feet. This was strange in itself but then I noticed that she didn't have shoes put on. Now Saff was unshod at the back and had coped well but you had to have shoes on the front .... didn't you? Apparently not! A long story short I had her shoes taken off and she was sound straight away. She's been barefoot for about 18 months now and is more than happy to crunch up the stony path that comes down from the road. Her feet are rather beautiful AND she doesn't sweat up from physical exertion so didn't need to be clipped.

Saffy grows up

In handling, groundwork, lunging, long reining and hacking out she's a real doll. We still had problems under saddle though. She is a very dominant mare and is more than happy to argue the toss with you. She is also very persisent and will not back down easily. I've spent many a lesson with a neck in front of my nose and TWICE got bashed in the face when she was pratting about and bashed me with her head while I was on her back (as before).

Another time we tried canter in the school (her canter on a hack is delightful, very controlled and comes back easily when you sit up). She got, erm, slightly overexcited and took off around the school at a gallop. She did a very controlled 20 metre circles in gallop and I was appalling. The only two thoughts that I had were "oh **** she's going to fall over" and "shall I bail out? No, she's going too fast". Finally she galloped towards the wall at the end of the school .... I, apparently, was shrieking "ooooohhhhhh s********t" very helpfully :rolleyes: :p

I was convinced that she was going to attempt to jump the wall (she'd previously attempted to jump a hedge when she got overexcited until I (to my shame but it had to be done) had to almost pull her back teeth out to pull her up). Jumping the wall would have been bad enough BUT I knew that there's a humungous drop down into a sloping field on the other side. We would have been toast.

I had completely blanked out by this time and was completely ineffective. She, however, got to the wall, flicked her bum around, deposited me out of the side door up against the wall where I slid unceremoniously to the ground. As she cantered away (about 3 metres) she caught me in the chest with her (unshod thankfully) hoof. She then stood, turned around and looked at me as if to say "what are you doing down there?".

My trainer wandered across and then sped up as I lay there winded and rather battered. Thankfully there wasn't too much damage though my back was completely scraped up and bruised and I had a wonderful hoof shaped bruise in my cleavage. Oh, and I somehow got a humungous bruise on my calf.

Fast forward to 2006

Through it all she's been a kind and generous soul. A dream to handle, easy to catch (apart from one episode where I couldn't get near to her but later found that there was a very good reason for it :angry: ) and easy to look after. We still had the tantrums in the school though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffycomingtomummy.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffysleepingnewrug28August2005.jpg


Saying that, things WERE better, she didn't carry her neck vertically anymore and the strops were shorter and less dramatic. My trainer recently told me that although he thought that I WAS ready for a youngster he wasn't sure that I was ready for THAT particular youngster. He also said that it was touch and go for a while as to whether I'd come through it or completely lose my confidence. He says that he's very pleased with me and proud at how I came through it all and that a lot of people would have given up on her and sold her on. I think that I've gained a modicum of respect from him for sticking with it and coming out the other side I refer to those days as my 'darkest hours'. They only lasted a few weeks but boy were they tough. Thankfully what didn't (literally) kill me made me stronger and I'm a lot more confident now than I was even before Saffy.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffygate.jpg

Anyway ... having two weeks solid with her when I was on holiday paid off beautifully. She is a changed horse. She's still opinionated but now works nicely most of the time and doesn't cause half as much fuss when she is expressing her opinions. Her movement, when she moves correctly, is phenomenal especially the movement through her shoulders.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SaffyOct06-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SaffyOct06-3.jpg

She also enjoys jumping the xc fences and even tackled the tyres without batting an eyelid. She's such a good girl. The thing is that I want to do dressage, she seemingly wants to event ...

My ex trainer has ridden her a few times. He wouldn't ride her previously because, as he said, it's his livelyhood and he couldn't afford to get hurt. Although she argued with him she went beautifully. It was nice in a way that she stropped a bit with him too. I'd have been completely mortified if he'd have got on and she'd have been a complete angel

So ... they do get better, it just takes time I love her to bits and she's taught me so much. It must have taken about 18 months to really bond with her. I thought that we'd bonded after 6 months and then at 12 months but each time I found new depths to our relationship. I love my little Saffy Moo http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/wub.gif

[Bay Mare]

The strops

I have always wanted to know exactly what she's doing when she strops. Although I'm aware that she's stropping it somehow feels quite comfortable and not really unseating at all. I got a birds eye view when I watched my trainer ride her. Thankfully she doesn't do this any more ... well very infrequently. She has several 'methods':

Cantering on the spot - she does as it says on the tin! She literally canters on the spot

Makes herself tall - it's really bizarre, she kind of grows, hollows and 'tap dances' with her feet, her feet barely leave the ground, she just shuffles them around like she's tap dancing

Rocking horse - she rocks backwards and forwards from her front to back feet, it's quite bizarre to watch

The head toss - probably the most uncomfortable, she sets her neck vertically and throws her head around

The levade - this one is weird. I think of a rear as them levering themselves up with their back legs fairly straight. Saffy doesn't actually 'rear' anymore but she did ... well, I have to explain it really .... when my trainer was riding her she brought her back legs right under her, if I hadn't have know her I would have said that she was going into a canter pirouette. It was very strange and did look like the SRS levade rather than a rear, she was superbly balanced, her hocks were under her and well flexed and wasn't upright like you'd expect a rear to be. As my trainer said, let's just hope that she can remember that for when we ARE doing canter pirouette! It does go to show that she CAN take the weight on her back end .....

The Spanish Paw - this is one that she uses on the ground to express her disapproval or impatience. Like the Spanish Walk but she doesn't walk! She's careful never to catch me when she does it and if I'm not looking at her she'll stamp her front leg down so that I can HEAR her disapproval. She did it the other day, I turned around, glared at her and she backed up, dropped her head and kind of went "oh c**p" I don't mind her expressing an opinion but she does get reamed out for this method as it could be dangerous.

[Palomino Mare]

i shall have to return to this tomorrow - laptop running out of battery!!

[molly34]

Welcome back Saffy Moo!
I love your story, so remember to tell us about every single sneeze :)

[Kittycat]

Lovely story Bay Mare. Saffy is beautiful, glad you are settling together, you seem to have a very special relationship.:)

[domane]

Blimey, I didn't recognise her in those early pics... she was much darker and had such a short mane......

[titch_]

Wow! thats a really interesting story!

[JOJOBA]

Saffy's paled off so much I never noticed she had socks!

Glad youre back, I was wondering when Saffy would next sneeze/cough etc ;)

I enjoy them :D

xxx

[MrsCarter]

I love reading things like this .... more please :D

xx

[Bay Mare]

It would be nice if they'd stay steel grey but she's a rather lovely dapple at the mo :) She's starting back in ridden work tomorrow so hopefully will get some new piccies soon :)

Anyway ... more adventures of the Saff Monster to follow :)

[Bay Mare]

August 2006 .... 3 steps forward and 1 step back

She was going well despite having not been ridden for a week (I was in London all week then moving at the weekend). She started with a 'dog stretch' (think front legs stretched in front, leaning RIGHT back onto her hind legs) though not while I was on her but went quite well in the school even doing a few teeny steps of leg yield

The next day, however ... ok, it was windy and raining ... it was like she'd been wound up and let go. She trotted around like she was on a mission, nice rhythm, just like Spotty Dog! FINALLY got some good work out of her (including better leg yield) but left canter for another day as I didn't fancy speeds approaching the sound barrier

There was a pigeon on the fence looking at us, unfortunately it was next to the 'spooky tree'. She was fine, ignored the pigeon, but then it decided to fly off making the MOST noise possible! Saff did extended trot for a couple of strides and then settled down again quite quickly (thankfully).

After her 'clockwork toy' routine on Thursday I decided to get her on the lunge on Friday. She wasn't naughty but she was up for it BIG time. At one point she was doind a 20 metre circle in GALLOP! Yes, true gallop. She was completely controlled and obviously just wanted a blast.

The day after ..... a step forward again

I tried to reschedule my lesson as there were gales, driving rain, mini tornados under every tree, you name it but my trainer was already out and about so that little ploy failed miserably. Now our school is open to fields on two sides and open onto a 'stack yard' which is open to fields on the other (with the YOs horses in!). Add in trees along one of the sides and you've got the biggest recipe for disaster that there ever was. The trees were blowing and making one hell of a noise. Each tree had it's own microcommunity of what sounded like a tornado.

There was NO WAY on earth that Saffy was going to behave.

But she did. She not only behaved but she didn't bat an eyelid even with the wind up her tail, in her ears and battering us about. She didn't even toss her head around. My trainer said "I want one like that" as she was just so well behaved. Not only well behaved but worked beautifully, even doing the lateral work

Let's just hope that she stays like that :D


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SaffypostET.jpg

Here's her dozing after an Equine Touch body balance

[Bay Mare]

My name is Saffy and I'm a kleptomaniac

I'd been watching someone else's lesson for about 20 minutes while she had a snooze, came back to the yard to find that she'd unclipped herself (don't know how) and was 'on the missing'. Looked in the feed bin area, she wasn't there, hadn't got a clue where she'd gone. Someone shouted that she was over in the other stable block. I went over to find a very pleased with herself looking Saffy heading towards me with a Waitrose carrier bag dangling from her teeth ... in said carrier bag were apples that she'd stolen from one of the other liveries. At least she has standards (Waitrose carrier bag) :lol:

One thing is for sure is that life is never dull with Saffy around!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy21August.jpg

[Bay Mare]

Saffy - a mare with 'character'

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/SeptSaffyhurryupinet.jpg

Hurry up mum!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/SeptSafftheGiraffe.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/SeptSaffeatingtreesinet.jpg

I like my food :D


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/SeptSaffGrassisGreenerinet.jpg

Awwww, muuuuum, but the grass is better HERE :mad:

[Bay Mare]

I do tend to make light of it now but those first few months really were my darkest hours. I was struggling with being a new owner and the loss of confidence that brings and on top of that had not only a 'problem' mare but a bossy, opinionated mare. At the age of 5 she was barging her way up the herd pecking order (a herd of about 23 horses), the mares really didn't like her for a while.

Until you own one, you do NOT know zits about horsemanship ... just joking, but they are great teacher ;)

I know that you're joking but to a certain extent it's true. I'd looked after showjumpers, I'd worked at yards, I'd helped friends with their horses but never in my life had I come across a boss mare like this one. Even the dealer who I got her from recently told me that they broke the mould when they made Saffy. She was very honest with me and told me that she thought that she was a real baggage when she first came over from Ireland but that she got to love her the longer she worked with her, unfortunately (not for me) she was too small for what she wanted so she couldn't keep her. She has taught me so much and done wonders for my confidence (working on the military model of break 'em down to build 'em back up!).

What got me through this was a fantastic support system AND this love that I had for this little steel grey mare. She somehow grabbed my heart in her little hooves and wouldn't let go. Throughout it all I had absolutely no regrets about getting her. I knew that she would be with me no matter what. Someone once commented that I MUST love her after all she'd put me through and I did. She was definitely meant to be http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/wub.gif

I was told by an eventer (who I trusted and respected) that I should get rid. I didn't even consider her advice, from the moment she said it I KNEW that she was wrong. In one way her saying that only spurred me on even more.

I always was a rebel :p

[Bay Mare]

I've got a lovely person working with her now while I'm away, she also does behavioural work and a lot of stuff with clicker which has really turned Saffy's attitude around :D She's doing really well now and learns most things very quickly (scarily quickly)! :eek:

Here are some up to date piccies ...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SaffyTrot-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/INSaffy17Mar07b-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SaffyTrot.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy19Mar07.jpg


In case you're wondering about the ears in some of the photos .... she's ridden in an SBS, her back is fine and her bit isn't winched up. The reason for the ears ... well, every picture tells a story ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/INSaffy17Mar07-9.jpg

How observant are you? Got it yet?

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Here's a clue ......


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Bag.jpg

[Bay Mare]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/INSaffy17Mar07Spanish-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/INSaffy17Mar07Spanish-3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/INSaffy17Mar07Spanish-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/INSaffy17Mar07Spanish-5.jpg



I should really add a disclaimer for anyone coming to Smeltings for the Heather Moffett clinic in May ....


These photos are selected from a whole host of photos. She is still a work in progress and though she can look lovely at times she also has other times ..... :p I'm only hoping that the clinic isn't one of those days when she has her 'other times'. At the least she will be entertaining if nothing else :D

[Bay Mare]

She'd been going so well and now walk and trot are getting there we're starting work in canter. Well ... the same sort of issues that I had when picking up a contact appear to be rearing (no pun intended!) their ugly head again.

Starting with the good .... the jambette seems to be getting better and she's trying really hard:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW-9.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW2April07.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW-8.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW2April07-2.jpg


However .... the canter transition can be a bit :eek:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Whoops.jpg


and once she's cantered she gets a little worked up .... add that to the spooky end of the school:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Rear.jpg


The thing is that she's much more relaxed doing lateral work and doesn't really get stressed doing the harder stuff! Silly pone :rolleyes:

[JOJOBA]

Those last two pics - I have a set of Jack doing EXACTLY the same thing. I think you should have been Jack's new mum ;) :)

xxx

[Bay Mare]

We've just discovered how important it is to keep Saff on the CalMag :eek: Last weeks 'excitement' at canter was one thing but this Saturday she just completely disconnected under saddle, was spooky and generally had brain fry, it was pointless trying to school her as she was just a spook on legs. She'd generally regressed to pre CalMag days :(

Hopefully trying to get her back onto the CalMag consistently will help ... fingers crossed! The awful thing was that she was a complete angel on Thursday but just couldn't cope on Saturday.

Here are a couple of photos from last Monday ... look how chilled she is, apart from canter but even then she settled fairly quickly afterwards:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW16April.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW16April2007.jpg


Jambette is coming along and her 'bad' leg is evening up (hooray).


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Canter16April2007.jpg

Not quite as excitable as the week before

v
v
v
v
v
v

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Canter-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Canter.jpg


Here's to a calmer, CalMag filled, Saffbags tomorrow!


I did have some piccies of me back in the saddle last week but I look dreadful, not only my awful position (I'm twisted to the right and my back is arched more than the girl from the exorcist) but I look horrendous, I've got a lot of work to do :eek: ... so sorry but those ones will never see the light of day!

I can't wait until I can ride 'properly' again but it could be some time :( Piggin drunk drivers :mad:

[Bay Mare]

Those last two pics - I have a set of Jack doing EXACTLY the same thing. I think you should have been Jack's new mum ;) :)

xxx


I do love him but wouldn't have had the time then for him :(

The first of the two is her just launching into canter, once into canter she was ok! I know that some RIs say that they should 'jump' or 'spring' into canter but madam takes it to the nth degree!

[Bay Mare]

The problem with Saff now is that she LURVES canter. You have to leave canter to the end of the session otherwise every aid that you give magically becomes a canter aid :rolleyes:

Her canter transitions are improving a lot now but she still gets very excited when you even THINK canter. Poor 'E' was trying to cool her down, walking and trotting on a long rein, and she just kept striking off into canter. It was actually really funny watching her (sorry, 'E') because you can see exactly what's going through her mind :p She did some rather nice, unasked for, canter work and canter transitiions!

I got on for 10 minutes ... still at walk! It's nice to be back on but not so nice to feel completely out of control of your own body. Another horse on the school was being a loon and Saff was great, she just looked at her and raised an eyebrow ;)

Once we'd got off the school she ALWAYS turns around and watches the other horse. It's like she's a spectator. She's always done it. Though she used to nudge my old trainer if he didn't pay her any attention when he was teaching someone else. The day she kissed him on the neck was hilarious ... and embarrassing :o What a tart, not at all like her mum ;)

We're really looking forward to this Friday (Heather Moffett's clinic at Smeltings). I'm going to be a nervous mummy because I'm already stressing about her going in the box. I've not got as far as stressing about her behaving once she gets there yet :D

[Bay Mare]

Once upon a time .....


Friday 11th May 2007

Daft o'clock. Got up before the birds to get my taxi through to Sheffield. Still asleep as I hadn't got in from the clinic the night before until midnight.

7.30am. It's p'ing it down with rain and the herd is right at the top of our 45 acre field. Needless to say Saffy wasn't overly excited about being brought in early!

Got her back to the yard and she obviously knew that SOMETHING was going on because she wouldn't eat her feed. She was cleaned up as best we could, plaited her mane and forelock, travel boots on, rug on, tail guard on and ready to go.

8.15am. Lorry arrives with a ramp that is akin to scaling Mount Everest. This was no 'edge them slowly up the ramp' job, this was total commitment. Not the best kind of ramp for a first load!

8.20am. Tack etc is on the lorry so time to get Saff on. She stands at the bottom of the ramp obviously rather confused as to what she needed to do. She's not naughty but isn't quite sure about it. You want me to climb up THERE? ? ? ? ? ?

8.45am. She decides to be a big brave girl, stands on her back legs and plonks her front feet 3/4 the way up the ramp. Back legs follow and she's on :)

9.20am. Arrive at Smeltings. She's travelled well and apart from being a bit sweaty, rubbing her tail guard off and poohing her pants she's fine. She walked off the lorry rather nicely rather than leaping or running :)

'D' took her into her stable where she neighed at her new friends and tucked into her haynet :) Bit of a revelation as she won't go in her stable at home.

After she'd had a while to pee and eat we tacked her up and took her into the lunge pen. I stayed outside as there were 2 horses in the school next to the pen and adding a strange place into the equation we expected an explosion. Apart from neighing at the new horses she was a complete darling. She even lowered her head and offered long and low. What a good girl http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/wub.gif

10am. Show time She came in and had a look around but was remarkably calm. She took a bit longer to settle but wasn't particularly spooked by the indoor school (we only have an outdoor), the cows in the field outside, the gelding in the field outside or the row of faces looking at her in the arena. We don't have fencing up to the sides of the school at home so she did jump a bit when she wiped 'E' up the side of the boards :o

Once she'd settled she went quite nicely. She was a bit unsteady in her head and had a few short 'episodes' but she wasn't particularly 'naughty' overall. I was really proud at how well behaved she was for her first time out, I really expected fireworks and spooks galore.

I had promised everyone that she would be 'entertaining' at the very least and she didn't disappoint! She literally EXPLODED into canter and once she found that this caused people to laugh she demonstrated it again ... several times! Once actually in canter though she was a good girl :) I'm so proud off my little moo cow.

It was a good lesson and 'E' did really well to sit so well on what is, effectively, an unexploded bomb ;) I just wish that Heather was nearer but at least we've got two of her teachers in the vicinity :D

Heather did comment on her ability to transform from Dobbin to Dressage pone :p We're hoping that it will work to our advantage once we start competing by lulling the others into a false sense of security and the difference between resting Saff and working Saff being SO noticeable that she'll really stand out :D

[Bay Mare]

I really enjoyed the clinic (and the demo the evening before). Heather is such a good teacher and, as I said in my other post, so positive even when she's giving corrections. I'd definitely do it again, it was a great experience :)

Having done herself proud it was time for her to go home. She wanted to stay at Smeltings but they needed the stable :p

She did the same thing again and stood at the bottom of the ramp just looking at it. 25 minutes later (that's obviously the magic number!) she jumped on again and went home.

Bless her, she was SUCH a good girl, we were very proud of how she behaved. It was her first time out and must have been stressful because of breaking her routine (getting her in early), loading, travelling, new place, new horses, new work place, lots of people watching. But she was a little star, we couldn't have asked more from her at all

I have to say a HUGE thank you to Heather who was absolutely fantastic and made everyone feel more positive about themselves and really improved the horse and rider by the end of the session.

Thank you also to everyone at Smeltings who was involved in getting it all together. Smeltings is a beautiful place and a great venue as it was so calm and friendly.

It was a great couple of days and very inspiring. Probably the best demo that I've been to in a long, long time.

I'm booked on the Conference in July and the equisimulator course in August and can't wait :)

[Bay Mare]

She gets SO excited when she goes into canter that she occasionally does this really excited squeal, it's sooooo funny :p

I forgot to post this yesterday ... this is for hoof anoraks amongst you, just look at those pretty paws :cool:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SaffFeet23May07.jpg


and her feet when the shoes first came off (she'd been shod a fortnight before)! And to think that I thought that they were decent feet :eek:


Off Fore

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Barefoot/19june05-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Barefoot/19june05-5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Barefoot/19june05-3.jpg


Near Fore

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Barefoot/19june05.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Barefoot/19june05-4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Barefoot/19june05-1.jpg

[Bay Mare]

Saffy is loving her work now and is finding it much easier. So much so that she can do it with her eyes shut!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07Eyesclosed-3.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07Eyesclosed-2.jpg


She also loves her Lucienuts .... soaked .... she also likes to give kisses just after she's had her head in the bucket ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07Green-1.jpg


I'm not sure WHAT she was doing here .... she squealed going into canter and was very excited .... and appears to have lost a leg!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07WTF-1.jpg


and then a nanosecond later ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07Whatyoulookingat-1.jpg


and finally, her party piece the Spanish Walk :D The little darling is getting SO cocky these days that she goes into it at the merest hint of a cue:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07SW-8.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07SW-7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy26May07SW.jpg


I told you she was getting cocky! Look at her resting her hind leg in the second photo :p

[Bay Mare]

The lateral work is in process so she's nowhere near being finished but she's trying very hard bless her :)


Shoulder in on the long lines

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saff-2.jpg


Trotting (obviously)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/Saff-1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/Saff.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/Saff323May07.jpg


Slightly more steady canter

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/Saff223May07-1.jpg

[Bay Mare]

Saffy being Saffy she's taken clicker training and added her own, very unique twist to it! She does the move, we click and Saffy treats herself to the trees and bushes at the side of the school :rolleyes: http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/rofl.gif Unfortunately we don't have any piccies because I came straight up from London this morning.

We decided today that she's not an ISH, she's a IDxTBxHamster. There's no way on earth that she can pack that much food into her mouth AND the pelham unless she's got cheek pouches! I've never known a horse like it. She ALWAYS grabs something to eat and wraps it around her bit ... it's not like she's going to starve in the hour that we're in the school :confused:

She is progressing really nicely, though, and did a beautiful slow trot today :) Not bad for a ned that thinks that her place in life is bombing across a cross country course!

[Bay Mare]

Spanish Walk update

Her SW is much more consistent now and she's getting about 6 steps of 'proper' SW. She does try too hard though and tries to get her legs too high so sometimes loses her balance. Now she's got the idea we're slowing her down in an effort to get it more precise and less rushed (she does everything at 100 mph given the choice). She did a brilliant one yesterday, 6 steps, legs nicely extended and both pretty much the same height. I haven't downloaded those photos yet so I don't know if I got any decent ones so here are the ones from the day before:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW8June07-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW-14.jpg

height and now .....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW-11.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SW-12.jpg

getting much better extension :)


Remember I told you about Saffy's 'self service' method of clicker training? Well here's the evidence:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Eating8June07.jpg

[Bay Mare]

Managed to get up today only to find my little pride and joy had turned into a hippo. She was absolutely filthy with dried, ground in mud all over.

Did her feet and found a NAIL sticking into her frog :eek: Panic ensued but I managed to get it out ok and cleaned it up plus packed loads of sudacrem in there so fingers crossed that it's ok. She wasn't sore or lame so HOPEFULLY it's going to be alright.

Only had half an hour in the school as it was booked out by other people :( so took her on the lunge and then did some (ha ha) in hand work and finally spanish walk.

She was, erm, enthusiastic on the lunge and went at a gait above what I was asking at all times! Nice paces and a lovely canter to gallop transition .... need to mute the excited mareish SQUEAL though :rolleyes: Unfortunately she'd forgotten the words for 'woah' and 'halt' and was trotting around me in the smallest circle known to man because she just didn't want to come back to walk/halt :rolleyes:

She did a couple of lovely walk-canter transitions though so we called it a day for the lunging once I could get her to stop and went onto the in hand stuff. Anyone in the vicinity must have thought that I was mad, though, uncontrolled giggles and me saying "Saff, stop, please stop, for goodness sake stop, will you walk, please will you walk, ok, trot then" :o

Now I'm a beginner to in hand work and pretty crappy as I try to juggle reins, horse and whip ... HOWEVER, she was a little star and we got some lovely leg yields and some passable shoulder ins and travers :) My 'click' is pretty rubbish too, must work on the 'click'.

I tried her in her stainless steel pelham today (she's been ridden in a rubber straight bar pelham so far) and she really seemed to like it :) I really wanted to get on and ride for 10 minutes but I didn't have time and it probably wasn't a good idea anyway.

I love my little mook. I just wish that I could spend a LOT more time with her than I do.

[Bay Mare]

Today's update: Audition for the Spanish Riding School


When we got to the yard today the school was booked out for a private lesson for an hour so we decided to long rein her around the field. Well, I say 'we', I walked beside, 'E' did the long reining.

Saff was fairly good but was rather overexcited. She did some pretty good beginnings of piaffe, passage and levade with a bit of terre-a-terre and a mini capriole (I've seen her do better on the lunge). She was about 18 hh today, beautifully arched neck and very stallionesque. I think that we made it round the field quicker than anyone else in the history of going around the field :p Apart from one spot (which she's bizarrely taken an intense dislike to) she was just very exhuberent and full of the joys of the first warm day in a long time. Even when she's overexcited though she's not trying to run off and doesn't pull on the lines. Strange horse ;)

Because she was a bit excited and because taking photos would have meant going through the corn field I didn't get any piccies of her gorgeousness today. Here's a couple of her on the long reins checking out the hedge on the way home!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Safflongreininginthefield.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Safflongreininginthefieldpanoramic.jpg

[Bay Mare]

How could I forget the new advanced moves that she's patented!!!!

Now a disclaimer ... these are advanced moves and shouldn't be attempted unless your horse is ready for them and you are qualified to teach them. No responsibility will be taken for any hurties or ouchies caused by attempting these moves. YOU ARE WARNED.


EAT GRASS to TROT transition

One fluid movement from eating the grass to trot. There should be no walk steps inbetween. The frame should be maintained. The horse should not lose balance and fall on their nose :p


EATING GRASS TROT

An advanced version of the free trot on a long rein. The horse should maintain impulsion, stretch down long and low and should eat a mouthful of grass at each stride. They should not lift their heads between each mouthful and should not lose their balance and fall on their nose :p


MUNCHING FROM THE HEDGE LATERALS

Whilst walking or trotting forwards with purpose the horse should bend through the body, take a mouthful of hedge and then return to walking/trotting straight. This movement should be fluid with no hesitation throughout the bend.


Saff is a work in progress for these highly advanced movements but she was giving them a damn good go yesterday :D

[Bay Mare]

Saffy pics from todays session. Saffy is learning about self carriage, it is still very much experimental but little things grow into big things with the right nurturing. She is starting to round up more in the back although we've still a way to go.


http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/8July2007021.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/8July2007019.jpg


and a comparison pic from March 07 :D

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j109/Kassidy088/Saffy17Mar07b.jpg



yay for progress!

Note: I have had to rewrite my post about 3 time because my pet rats are trying to destroy it :D hehe

[Bay Mare]

We think that she's slipped in the field (again) and tweaked pelvis/back and is lame on both hinds. She was a bit better yesterday and after I did an ET body balance and hinds/coccyx she first of all walked sedately up the field and then did a mahoosive buck and cantered the rest of way at the speed of sound!

Here are some piccies from our day:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Eatingasusual-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Hellomum-1.jpg

Hello mum, you've not got my headcollar or treats! What's going on then? (I have to walk across the field to get to the yard)



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Eatingasusual.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Itch.jpg

Think that I'll follow you down but need to have something to eat and a good scratch first


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Behindthetrees-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Whichway-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Whichway-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Hidingbehindthehedge.jpg


I'm not coming any further, it's too muddy. I'll stay here till you get mi treats though!

[Bay Mare]

It was absolutely chucking it down but STILL she doesn't like going in her stable. She doesn't mind standing in the very narrow walkway though!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Standingintheaise.jpg

Hello mum!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Itsstillraining.jpg

It's still raining :(



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Doesmybumll.jpg

Does this walkway make my bum look big?



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Eye-2.jpg

[Bay Mare]

Saffy's favourite part of the day ... the buffet on the way to the field:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/andstretchandeat-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Yum-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Treesareyum-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Treesareyum-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/MmmmWhatsthis-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Mimouthisntbigenough.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/MmmmWhatsthis-1.jpg

[Bay Mare]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Alpacas.jpg

What are those alpacas looking at?



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Takeaway.jpg

I'll take some for later



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Goingbackupthefield-3.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Goingbackupthefield-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Goingbackupthefieldintherain-1.jpg

Back to the herd



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Backinthefield.jpg

It's a hard life!

[Bay Mare]

She's still not right but is definitely on the mend :D Just a bit stiff now more than anything else.

She was more than happy to do a bit of work yesterday though and is still insistent at showing off her Spanish Walk :rolleyes:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/30July2007017.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/30July2007024.jpg


and then I had a go (badly) at some in hand work.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/LegYield.jpg


She's so good to learn on, though, as she does exactly what you ask so it's quite easy to figure out what you're doing wrong and what you need to correct.

She's available for hire for a small fee ;) :D

[Bay Mare]

She does have lovely eyes, very expressive and she does a really good 'cold' eye when she wants to snooze and you're still faffing about with her :p

I did a bit more in hand work with her today and she was great to say that I've not got the hang of juggling reins, whip and horse yet! Her baby half pass is really coming along, she's obviously got the idea now! The only problem that I have now is stopping her from pre-empting what I want her to do. I swear she can read my mind!

I have to walk from the tram to the yard and to cut down the time I go across their turnout field. There is Saff, all 13.2hh of her, in the swamp (we have a circle of ground that rarely dries up, we think that there's an underground spring or something). 13.2hh? Well, that's what she looks like as she loves to stand immersed in the mud!!! In winter she often looks 11.2hh because the mud is up to her knees





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/P7310125.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/P7310126.jpg


My pony has shrunk :eek:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/P7310128.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/P7310127.jpg


and in addition to only having 3 legs (see previous canter pic) hasn't got any hooves either ::)



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/P7310132.jpg


Visiting her bessie mate who is lame at the moment :(

[Bay Mare]

Honestly, it's great when suddenly they get mature, isn't it?


After today .... I don't know yet ;)


Saff has delusions of grandeur. She doesn't like doing the boring baby stuff like walk or trot, she likes to do the higher level stuff.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Pesade.jpg

Now those of you with protractors .... is this a levade or a pesade? :p


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Standingononeleg.jpg

Spinning on one hind leg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/andstretch.jpg

And stretching out those muscles ... it's hard work all this haut ecole business ;)

[Bay Mare]

Here we have 'The Lateral Spook':


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Lateralspook-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Spookywall.jpg


Slightly calmer:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/LegYield-3.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/LegYield-4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/SI-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Beinggood-4.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Beinggood.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Beinggood-2.jpg


Here's to the Wall Monster being asleep tomorrow!

[Bay Mare]

Practising leg yield on the long reins:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Madamlegyiel.jpg


and theres always one madam moment :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Madammoment.jpg


Much better

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Madamcalmer.jpg


Calm canter on the long lines who would have thought it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Madamcanter.jpg

[Bay Mare]

Saffalou had her feet done today. Thank goodness we went barefoot as there's no way that a farrier would stand for her 'antics'.

She's not 'bad' although she does have the attitude of "I'll give you my foot but don't expect me to do all the work".

Her little quirk, though, is to wander around the yard. She did practically a whole circuit of the yard today, every time our trimmer put her foot down she moved to a new position leaving a 20 metre circle of hoof shavings on the yard :rolleyes: She also likes to 'lunge' herself between feet :confused: She's a weird one alright!

I've often said that she's a horse who would prefer to be loose on the yard, just mooching about seeing what people are up to :p

[Bay Mare]

Saff felt very sorry for herself on Saturday :(


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffy-1.jpg



but still had enough energy to play :)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffyplaying.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/Saffyplaying-1.jpg


Unfortunately our school is open and they can get out behind the barn because it would be great to work with Saff at liberty :)

[Bay Mare]

Went to see Madame Saffafly today, bloody long walk so I was knackered by the time I got there! Washed her mane and tail so she's looking a bit less of a ragamuffin now :D

She was a lazy little moo on the lunge though she did do a squeal-canter transition and then trotted ... trotted ... trotted and trotted .... We'll have to do tests that don't have walk or halt in them as she doesn't like to walk or halt :p

Did some clicker and Spanish Walk which she always enjoys. She's a bit overenthusiastic with the kisses at the moment and has added the tongue for added effect (note to self ... must make soaked feeds less mushy!).

Then some in hand work which started off ok and then degenerated when one of the other liveries drove through the school with her trailer making loads of noise and then a truck pulling a small digger reversed at the school gates again making loads of noise. Saff was good but unsettled. We did some niceish work in walk including lateral work but she was a bit distracted so not as good as it could have been (plus I'm crap).

Finished off with some more clicker and stretches which she's always happy to show off :)

Oh ... and she's also got darker again! Strange horse for a grey :D

Oh ... and she loves her new linseed lozenges :D

[Bay Mare]

Madam has been lame on and off since she tweaked her back/pelvis but the back guy is coming on Thursday so fingers crossed that he can find out what's going on with her :)

She was very tired today ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/30September2007010.jpg


But stood like an angel having her foot soak ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/30September2007006.jpg


And even though she did her usual tour of the yard she wasn't too bad for having her feet trimmed, in fact she seemed to find it quite relaxing at times ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/30September2007012.jpg



We're a right couple of crocks between the two of us :(

[Bay Mare]

She's not permanently broken which my paranoia had started to tell me :rolleyes:

The back guy agreed with us that she'd splatted in the field and that she'd pulled something in her lumbar region (go us :D ). He also says that she'd stretched the ligament from her hock to her stifle on the left side which was making the left leg not come through properly and making the right stiff because it was compensating.

He's done some work on her and has showed us an exercise to strengthen the muscles around the ligament which we have to do for 2 weeks. After that she can do some long reining in straight lines for a couple of weeks and then some ridden work in walk.

Of course I'd taken a long weekend in 2 weeks with the hope of actually getting back to riding again ... I don't think that I'll ever get to ride my horse at this rate :( Then we'll be back into the winter and slippery clay mud fields ... hooray!

He agrees with us that she wasn't in pain from it and that it was *just* mechanical.

At least it wasn't bad news :D

[Bay Mare]

I've got a bone to pick with the person who works with her while I'm away!

Saff has been lame now for what seems an absolute age and we haven't been able to work with her until today (long reining/groundwork only for 2 weeks) so we took her in the school and did a bit of clicker and then some long reining.

Why have I got a bone to pick with her? Because she HAS to have been training Saffy in my absence and hasn't told me! Saff was an absolute star :D I would defy anyone to say that she has had over a month off with a tweaked back/leg based on her performance today :D She's obviously enjoying being back to work and the minute the long reins were attached she was off ... a bit like a steam train as is her wont but lovely long, swinging strides, very fluid, rhythmical and she hasn't reverted to working like a giraffe :D



She had, of course, to demonstrate her Spanish Walk. It's quite funny :D

Saff: Ok, let's do Spanish
E: No, later
Saff: Ok. Erm now?
Em: Not yet.
Saff: Mmmm. Ready yet?
E: What for?
Saff: Spanish
E: No, not yet, later
Saff: Ok. Do you want to see my Spanish?

http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/rofl.gif

Although she wasn't getting the height or extension (we haven't done it since she's been lame) she got some beautifully rhythmical strides. In that way it was the best SW that she's done :D We're convinced that she loves the SW because it's a crowd pleaser ... little show off ;)


I'm so proud of how she's come on. I just can't believe that the screwed up 5 year old that I bought has turned into this wonderful 8 year old :D We've still a way to go but she really is a little star. Ok, she doesn't have a volume control, it's either mute or full blast but, hey, that's Saff!


I can't believe that I almost forgot about the leaf!!!


We were stood in the school and a leaf came down and clonked her right on the top of her head ... well, you'd think that it 'clonked' her from the surprised look on her face Bless her, though, she jumped but she didn't leg it She really does have an expressive face! When I win the lottery I'm setting up video cam in the school :p I could make a fair few £250 from Saff alone ;)

[Bay Mare]

Went to see madam today, it's still another week of long reining so longreining it was!


I'm pretty crap at long reining so she did incredibly well to decipher my very inexpert aids :cool:

Started the session with a gunshot echoing around the school from the field at the back of the school. She jumped, cantered 4 strides (excellent halt to canter transition ;) ) and then grew to 18hh and stood trying to see what had made the scary noise :rolleyes:

She settled down quite well but then the herd in the field next to (but down a level) the school decided to go for a gallop. That got her lengthening her trot! Not that I wanted her to do anything in trot today!
She did some really fabby walk/halt/rein back transitions. She really likes backwords and is very responsive to voice aids.

For some reason I just couldn't get the hang of leg yield but she did a pretty passable (for her stage of training) shoulder in and a really nice travers :eek:

We finished off with some clicker training, she's copying really well now and loves giving kisses :p

I took her back to the yard for her haynet and to finish her feed and was chatting to the YO who's just got back from holiday. I suddenly realised that there was a Saffy standing next to us ... bit strange as she was tied up further down the yard ... she'd actually unclipped the lead rope somehow (don't know how, she's done it before) and come to stand with us so that she didn't miss out on any gossip :p

She's such a cheeky girl :D

[Bay Mare]

Saffy was a good girl today http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/wub.gif


'E' started her off doing some clicker and then long reining. She was super calm today (the calm before the storm?) and didn't leg it at the scary tree or the scary end of the school which was NICE :D

I'm really crap at long reining but I got a passable attempt at SI and some decent halt/rein back/walk ons.

I then put some poles down and BOY did she enjoy that :D We only did walk and trot though she did go for a bit of a canter on both reins!

She's getting really good at her tricks since she's been off with her back though she needs a shave for the kiss! She not only 'kisses' but also snuffles her nose on your cheek which gives you stubble rash! Her spanish walk is coming on a treat, she doesn't try to get her legs so high now and has got a nice, rhythmical walk as a result. I was astounded with what she pulled out of the bag today :)

The piece de resistance, though, for today has got to be her copying :) She's getting quite good at copying 'wanting the loo' and jambette so I decided to have a play with the 'crossing legs' one. I crossed, she copied, I uncrossed, crossed, uncrossed, crossed and SHE FOLLOWED ME :D What a little star. She did it a couple more times so it wasn't a fluke, she really is a clever little moose http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/yahoo.gif


We haven't ridden her yet but fingers crossed E will get back on board on Monday. I can't wait until I can get back up there again :)


There we are ... up to date again .... just waiting for the next sneeze now ;)

[monique]

Great update, you have come such along way a big pat on the back for staying the course and a sloppy kiss for Saffy, and although mine can't do Spanish Walk etc I have to say Syd is a master at the advanced munching moves especially the lateral moves with the hedge, when ever Syd's tack is put on she presumes we're going on a picnic or for a drive thru take away:D

[Wotsit]

Fab update - I have to say I do love reading the "Saffmonster" updates!

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)

I've had some great support along the way which has helped enormously. I've just learned so much and come across things that I would never have come across if madame hadn't been a 'character' :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/bug.gif

[amandal]

I know that you took this whole blog off before when people started asking q's about Spanish Walk but I am really interested to know what it's benefits are. Can you explain please ?

[Bay Mare]

That wasn't the reason that it was pulled but I don't want to resurrect all of that!


The Spanish Walk helps to strengthen the shoulders and also helps with mobility in the shoulders.

Saff splatted in the field 2 years running hurting first her left and then her right shoulder. Teaching the jambette (the precursor to the SW) not only gave her something different to do in our sessions but also helped to strengthen and mobilise her shoulders. Her shoulder action is a lot better now than it was even before her injuries.

She also tends to use the 'spanish paw' when she's impatient with you and teaching the jambette/SW has helped to direct those energies such that she doesn't actually do it outside of the school (to humans, she still does it to other horses) anymore.

We weren't actually teaching the Spanish Walk (she's a long way off doing the correct SW schooling wise) but she just did it from the jambette one day, skipping out the intermediate stages and going straight to 'left-right-left-right'. Nothing has been forced and she really enjoys doing it. We probably do it a couple of times a week for no more than 5 minutes at at time.

As we're following the more classical route of training it's something that we'll teach her properly when the time comes but that will be through collection and when she's ready for it. For the time being it keeps her brain active and her interested in training :D

HTH

[JOJOBA]

Bay Mare I have sent pics of Saffy's feet to my mum because Im thinking that with your podiatrist King might cope better barefoot. Im going up over Christmas to do some clicker training and groundwork with him and Im thinking since we use the sandschool more and the roads less in winter it might be the ideal time to have another go at taking his shoes off (without a vet butchering them) and seeing if he can cope... however Im really not sure he can. Would you reccomend your podiatrist?

xxx

[Bay Mare]

Yes, I would :)

It sounds like it would be a better time for you to do it too. You can always give it a go, there's nothing that says that you can't go back to shoes if barefoot doesn't work out. I've got some solemates that you can use though I don't have any hoof boots which might be a worthwhile investment. I'm hoping to come over to your place anyway once I've finished work to observe some of D's lessons so it would be good to meet up again :)

[JOJOBA]

I wasnt planning on going back up but I miss King ;).

Vet took his shoes off for a few months but he really didnt cope at all, it was heartbreaking because he was literally hopping. Did everything as vet suggested and he just could barely walk. Vets answer was to then rasp them down to nothingness and make him sore :confused:. Farrier was fuming.

We had the shoes taken off the counteract his recurrent mystery lamenesses.

Farrier eventually managed to find enough foot to get shoes back onto and voila, horse was totally sound and hacking out within the week - back to normal. He was taken out in boa boots whilst barefoot but he was still unsound on them - not footsore but still lame. Shoes back on and the lameness went away, and he's been sound since :confused:.

So Im not sure, my mum may not want to go for it again.

xxx

[Mary Poppins]

So pleased that the updates are back. I have just been telling my son all about Saffy. I wish that we lived nearer to you as I would love to see her in person.

[Bay Mare]

Well if you're ever in the vicinity just give me a yell, it would be lovely to see you again :D

[jaydevon]

bay mare.... this thread is fab, its like reading a book, not sure if u have seen the update on my new mare but she is also a ish... talk about difference!! but funny enough im thinking same temp as saffy! well done for blocking u know whos, tons of people care and enjoy yr thread keep it going! if nothing else i think it is an eye opener to people that have problems (may not b the right wording) with their horses NEVER TO GIVE UP! and non of us know it all get opinions get advice and build on it!

[Bay Mare]

Ooohh, no I haven't, must go have a gander :)

Thank you :) It's good to look back and see how far we've come as it does tend to go a bit 'rose tinted glasses' after a while and it can seem like you've not come very far. I haven't done it alone, I have had help but that's what it's all about. If you don't know, ask. Nobody is that wonderful that they know everything about everything. I'd rather look a fool (and do, frequently ;) ) than in some way impair Saff or, heaven forbid, do her any harm.

She was ridden for the first time in an age today (not by me, I'm still not riding .... only donkey rides at the mo :( ) and was fantastic. She wasn't spooky at the scary end of the school or by the scary tree and you couldn't really tell that she's been out of work apart from her ever expanding waist! She hadn't forgotten a thing and happily did some nice walk and trot and even some lateral work. She did want to canter (she did her 'riding a bike' thing with her back legs :D ) but not today ... we don't want to break her again!

We had a new mare go into the field today so we waited for a bit when we took Saff back down. It was quite strange, the new mare came trotting towards her and the rest of the herd went trotting towards Saff as well! Saff made short work of them and then herded the new mare into the next field. It was fascinating to watch, it was like watching a sheep dog, she was moving round in circles moving her away from the herd. She then showed her a clean pair of heels (no contact, just a warning strike) and then did the whole 'sniff' with arched necks, squeal and spanish paw. The one thing that she DIDN'T do which was strange was to rear up and wave her front feet until the other mare backed down. Once she was happy that the new mare was on the outer edges of the herd she went back to eating :rolleyes: All in a days work!

[jaydevon]

mares are ddeff different to geldings, over many years ive only had 1 mare and funny enough she was a witch with other people, and if in season would offer herself then beat the s*** out of the geldings, watching snappy i dont think she even knows how to be a horse and interact, i spend ages in the field just watching the herd, and it really is intresting, pluto and max now drift apart, but if a danger is there plutos there defending max, a small pony was the heard leader but he is going further down the ranks, and now stands off and waits to be allowed/invited in, take a book and a flask out to the field, watch how they graze and where their eyes and ears goes, quite fasinating! (guys im not nuts and im not surrounded by fluffy horse whispering stuff this comes from my experiances!)

[kyanya]

Exciting stuff to see that Saffy is back under saddle. Now all we need is for BayMare to be back in that same saddle, hey? How far away do you feel that is?

[Bay Mare]

It shouldn't be too long. I've still got 'issues' with my neck and back and can't put too much pressure on my knees but am hoping that once Saff is a bit fitter that I can get on again and then start getting my own fitness back too (with maybe a lesson or two at Smeltings to help me along the way). I finish work at Christmas so fingers crossed I'll have more Saffy time if I can find work nearer to home (or win the lottery in the meantime).

I can't wait to get riding again, it's been ages (I had my accident on January 14th). I probably need some osteopathy or something and a decent bed! The beds where I stay in London are AWFUL which doesn't help.

[veradonja!]

Hi Bay Mare tell me is the new mare in my old stable - I am still waiting to be paid for my mats - would be a bit dissappointed to find they are being used

K

[JOJOBA]

(Hello Veradonja, good to see another Sheffield[ish!] person on Newrider. We're taking over! :))


xxx

[Bay Mare]

Hi Veradonja.

Yes, I think that the new mare is on your old stable. I don't know about the mats though!

I hope that things are going well at your new place :)

[Bay Mare]

Actually, I've just realised that the new people had new mats delivered on Saturday so yours aren't being used by them :)

[veradonja!]

Thanks for letting me know I called the YO yesterday and sorted things out

Things are going really well for us thank V is in her own post and rail paddock and on full livery 24 /7 - having come back from 4 weeks of concentrated schooling wityh Hannah ES

She goes out at 8.00am comes in at lunchtime and is lunged and then schooled for an hour every day in the afternoon

For her this routine has been very settling she is much calmer and more acceptable of aides.

We really enjoyed the old yard - you know we were there for 10 years it was a big decision and I thought some of your picture of Saffy being long reined in the big field were really evocative but it has been the right move for us

Thanks

K

[cramarion]

baymare what an absolute pleasure to read and so inspirational, i am hoping to loan a horse next week after he has seen the back woman and he has a few issues about life. i will look forward to more updates, thank you.

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)

She's still most definitely a work in progress but it's good for me to look back and see how far she's come too :D

[jaydevon]

bay mare.... yours has been years mine only weeks but dosnt it make good reading, i think sometime we as the owner can also pick up on things the second time around!!!

[Bay Mare]

Definitely :) I'd certainly do some things differently given my time again. That's how you learn though I suppose :)


Saffy the Riding School Pone

Who would ever have believed that Saff could have a beginner on her back? Even a year ago I would have laughed at you if you'd have said it. BUT .....


Yesterday my niece had a short ride on Saff, here's a picture of her on board (ignores Saffy's face, she doesn't like being on the lunge line and perks up considerably when you take it off :rolleyes: ). Saff was an absolute babe and was very chilled :D


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Samantha/Sami1a-3.jpg



Just a couple of points:

- her hands are low because she's holding onto the grab strap

- she couldn't sit in a 'perfect' position because of her jeans

- her stirrups probably could have done with coming up a hole but she was comfortable and has a dodgy knee from a fall so I left them where they were

- this is the first time that she's ever sat on a horse, she hasn't even been on a donkey at the seaside!

- she could recognise which hind leg was coming under straight away and correctly identified it every single time!!!

- by using the 'squeeze the butt' method of stopping she stopped Saff dead (even catching me out once!) several times. Ok, it needs a bit of refinement but as she was holding onto the grab strap and the reins were only attached to the headcollar I KNOW for a fact that she wasn't yanking on her mouth :D


I'm very pleased with my niece (who was a bit nervous) but I'm VERY VERY pleased with Saff, what a good girl :D

[Est]

BM - your niece looks FAB! :eek: That's a pretty impressive position etc, never mind for her first time on board ever! I'd be chuffed too - well done to her :)

[jaydevon]

horses just know dont they... pluto isnt for a beginner, yet the other day a lady who has been riding for 18 months at a rs, but lost her sonfidence so much was walking him around the school.... he walked slowly which is not like him and just, was almost... delicate with her if you know what i mean!

saffs is looking well though

[Bay Mare]

I know! She's a natural :) Aided and abetted by my SBS complete with 'Fluffy Thing' sheepskin saddle cover thing (which covers the whole of the seat and flaps, not just the seat) :)

I think that they do know, Saff has been much calmer recently but she really reverted to 'plod' with my niece on her back :D I'm very proud of them both :D

[Skib]

You should be proud of yourself as a teacher too. What a perfect first lesson.

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)


She had her second lesson today which went something like this ....


- Recap on lesson 1. She'd remembered everything and did really well though I MUST give her a pair of my old jods to be going on with as todays' jeans were even tighter! She got a bit muddled on which leg was doing what (we're only doing the hinds at the moment) because she was overthinking it but a deep breath and less analysis and she got it spot on :D

- Teaching her to feel the swing of the belly. Again she got this pretty much straight away :D

- More on the halt without hauling on the reins. Saff wasn't quite as responsive today (she doesn't *do* halt) but she made a good job of it.

- Started working on turns using the advancement of the hip. She got it great on the right rein but not quite as successful on the left rein. Very good for a beginner though :D

- Spanish Walk. Spanish Walk :eek: Did she say Spanish Walk??? But that's an advanced movement. I haven't ridden SW yet and Saff has never done it under saddle :eek: But anyway Saff decided that the time had come so off she went :rolleyes:

I was walking around with them standing next to her shoulder and asking her to walk more slowly (we're working on the counted walk at the moment) instead of ploughing around like a steam train. The next thing is that my niece lets out a yelp and says that she thought that she was going to fall off. I'm laughing because Saff is Spanish Walking very proudly around the school!!! It took a while to realise why but then the lightbulb came on ... we only stand by her shoulder and ask her to slow right down when we're doing SW so she sees this as a cue (which explains a lot) even without a whip. The rest of the time we're working in hand or on long reins when we're on the ground with her. Anyone who says that horses are dumb obviously knows zilch about horses!

Once I'd explained it to my niece she was fine and actually enjoyed sitting to it. The thing is though, that makes my niece (after only 2 short lessons) officially a more advanced rider than me ;)

She's really enjoying learning to ride (and Saff is being an absolute darling about it), I think that I'd better start dropping hints to her dad .....

No photos I'm afraid :( We did have a photographer but he didn't realise that 'NO CF CARD' meant that ... there was no CF card :rolleyes:

[Bay Mare]

Saff loves Clicker but isn't so hot on the target work so did a target session over the weekend with our new 'Fairy Stick' (white sparkly jumping whip that I got at Harrogate).

She's a bit "what's the point, I want to do Spanish Walk/curtsey/bow" but was pretty good at it once she got into it :D Once she'd cracked targetting near to her I held it slightly away so that she'd have to take a step towards it. Well ... that was far too much effort so she stretched her neck out as far as it would go and then, still not quite being able to reach, wiggled her top lip out too :D I WISH that I'd had a camera as it was so funny :D

Worked a bit more on copying which she's getting really well now especially with the 'crossing' and jambette. She's still not quite got the curtsey but we've only just started copying work on that so not bad considering.

I then decided to see how 'joined up' she was so took her lead rein off and started to walk about the school. Now previously she would have followed me for a couple of minutes and then get bored and go off in search of food but this time she followed me all over the school INCLUDING up to the 'scary' end :D The only 'problem' is that she's too bright and when I was doing turns she would cross over behind me and walk on my opposite side to make it easier for herself ... lazy little monkey ;)

She's a bit too 'joined up' though and prefers to stay near to me (we've never done 'Join Up' btw) so when she started getting really excited and was bouncing around like a labrador I had to calm it down and finish on a good note :D It's lovely that she likes to play now but I didn't fancy a collision with half a ton of Saffy as I'm still not very agile since my accident! She does back off when you ask her to but was just getting a bit giddy bless her, she does make me laugh :D To be fair to her, though, when I stopped, she stopped, when I walked, she walked and when I 'trotted' she trotted and even stopped dead from a trot when I did :D

I really love how she's grown since I've had her, she's got such a great personality and for a dominant mare is very respectful to humans (takes no crap from other horses though!).

Here's to a great 2008 :D

[Est]

Right, that's it! We're *definitely* arranging a geek meet :D
She's such a gorgeous clever girl, and I love the sound of your "fairy stick"! Very cool :cool: :D

[*Boffy*]

Has she lost any weight yet?

[Bay Mare]

Right, that's it! We're *definitely* arranging a geek meet :D

She's such a gorgeous clever girl, and I love the sound of your "fairy stick"! Very cool :cool: :D


Yes, definitely :)

[HorseManiac]

Awww. I LOVE reading these kind of updatess!!!!

:D:D:D

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)

Well a couple of days after her last target training session (and a few kips) it suddenly all clicked! She realised that target training is easy rewards and suddenly it was like she'd been doing it forever, even stepping forwards to touch the star instead of stretching her neck and lip out!!!

We've started training something else too but more of that when the time comes ....

Saff is a little monkey but she does make me laugh :D

[cathUK]

piccies please!

[JOJOBA]

Can I come on your Geek Meet sometime? I intended to offer to come take some photos of Saffy over winter but time has just got away from me! I will take some in the summer if you say its okay, she'll be less fluffy then anyway :).


xxx

[Bay Mare]

Of course, that's fine, you're welcome every time :)

I will get some piccies when E comes up again :D See if I can get some of the stretchy neck and wiggly top lip :D

[Sammii]

I would love to meet you too if i'm not being cheeky! :D I've read every update possible on Saffy because it's interested me so much. Would love to see the crazy monster in person, along with the woman that made it all happen ;) :D

[Bay Mare]

No, the more the merrier :D It's not just all me, though, I've been very lucky to have found some excellent people to help me along the way!

[GraceT]

Great thread thank you. I loved the pictures, Saffy is stunning.

[Est]

Okay fellow wannabe geek meeters :D
Shall we fix a date? What suits you Bay Mare? Are weekends ok?

[Sammii]

Okay fellow wannabe geek meeters :D
Shall we fix a date? What suits you Bay Mare? Are weekends ok?

So exciting, do you think we should start a new thread? So that we don't takeover this one? :o

I can come anytime - it's only school :rolleyes: ;)

[Est]

Good idea - I'll put one in Meet ups if that's ok?
See you there in a min! :D

[horsey1992devon]

She had, of course, to demonstrate her Spanish Walk. It's quite funny :D

Saff: Ok, let's do Spanish
E: No, later
Saff: Ok. Erm now?
Em: Not yet.
Saff: Mmmm. Ready yet?
E: What for?
Saff: Spanish
E: No, not yet, later
Saff: Ok. Do you want to see my Spanish?

http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/rofl.gif





That made me laugh so much, I can almost imagine the conversation in my head :D:D
I loved reading your update :)

[lauraandharvey]

do you know what her sire is?
she looks incredibly like my cousins horse
x

[Bay Mare]

Yes, her sire is Coronea Loughine and her dam is a Pride of Toames mare :D

http://www.faranch.com/lougine.htm

[Bay Mare]

Friday 25th January 2008

The wind was blowing a gale so we decided to do some groundwork/clicker before riding. We've been teaching her to 'follow', 'stand' (she doesn't like halt!) and 'come'. She sometimes gets distracted but has picked it up quite quickly.

We took some video of her. You can see how windy it is from the trees! The other noises that you can hear are tractors and some kind of work that they were doing in the barn! To say that there were a gazillion and one distractions she did really well :D


http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-4819684180288311826

[Bay Mare]

Sunday 27th January 2008

Day of the GEEK MEET :D

Sammii, Est, Vicki&Milo, Jojoba and Misterton all came down to meet the Saff Monster, EmmaL and myself yesterday :D It was great to meet them all and Saff showed off some of her tricks :p

Est had a short lesson in in hand work and came off with black hands .... I did brush her, honest m'lord ;)

We called in at the pub for a pub lunch where we met Werehorse and then headed over to see Milo who is absolutely adorable :D He is such a cute little pone and what a character :D

It was a lovely day, thank you guys :D

[Sammii]

It was fantastic meeting you all! Especially the Saff Monster and Miloo (even though my finger is like purple today :D)

Thanks for letting us visit! :D:D

[Vicki&Milo]

erm....yeah, sorry about that sammii, i did warn you though. Will upload photos and videos when PC is working properly (OH has set something going and its taking forever).

Was a great day, and I learnt a lot too, not just actual skills, but concepts!

[Vicki&Milo]

Here we go, pictures and videos

Saffy and BayMare dance together
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/vickiollie/CIMG3030.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/vickiollie/CIMG3032.jpg

No mum, I want to do the Spanish
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/vickiollie/CIMG3031.jpg

EmmaL and Saffy show us how to Spanish in style

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/vickiollie/th_CIMG3033.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/vickiollie/?action=view&current=CIMG3033.flv)

[Mistertron]

It was great meeting everyone!!! loved Saffy's spanish walk and Milo was so cute!!

Had a great day - lets do it again soon!! :D

(Sammi and Est - i didnt think we would ever get out of Derby!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p:p:p:p:p:p:p)

[Bay Mare]

But at least you found B&Q .... once or twice ;)

We'll definitely have to do it again ... Saff may even be available for donkey rides by then ;) She may even be persuaded to let you have a feel at what it's like to ride Spanish Walk (like a ship on a stormy sea I would guess ;) ).


How's Milo today? Has he got over the excitement of all that adulation yet? :D

[JOJOBA]

:)

xxx

[jaydevon]

next time your in devon come and play with snaps!!! saffy looks great,.... spanish walk it feels like.... the back dips down and you can feel a horse ajust the weight on to the side thats not being extended, it dosnt actually feel that odd.

how to experaince it without a horse... get partner or friend to get down on all fours, sit on back and give aids to perform task! ok sounds mad but does give you an idea!!

[JOJOBA]

And when you've got it perfect I imagine it feels like nothing at all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpCvQBALBX0


xxx

[Bay Mare]

Gorgeous vid, Jo :D

Thanks jaydevon :D Unfortunately I've got a while until I can try SW. I'm still only on donkey rides since my accident and need to get rid of the blubber that I've put on since then (plus the blubber that I had on pre then!) :( I thought that I was on the home straight and then my knee gave way AGAIN on me the other day coming down the stairs and I've managed to pull a muscle in my calf :(

[Bay Mare]

The other day ... ?Wednesday or Thursday


It's been a crappy year. Between us Saff and I have been lame for most of it :( She's on the mend now (HOORAY) and is back to being ridden again (WOO HOO). Fingers crossed for a sound 2008 :D


Anyway ... she was hacked out SOLO the other day for the first time in a while and she was FAB :D She even went through the water jump without a second glance :D What a good girl :D

[Mistertron]

But at least you found B&Q .... once or twice ;)

We'll definitely have to do it again ... Saff may even be available for donkey rides by then ;) She may even be persuaded to let you have a feel at what it's like to ride Spanish Walk (like a ship on a stormy sea I would guess ;) ).


lol!

Now theres an offer - would love to ride a Spanish walk. Saff is so lovely - glad to hear she's on the mend. And sorry to hear about your knee!

Jo - that video was great.

[Bay Mare]

Well ... today we had a go at SW!!! I had my 'donkey ride', did some leg yield and a very bad attempt at SI (I've lost my co-ordination .... can I have it back now please?) and E said "shall we give it a go?". Why not ... so E cued and I sat ... it actually wasn't as 'ship on a stormy sea' as I thought that it would be and it was really quite comfortable. We only did it twice just to try it but she did really well :D

Despite the snow and other distractions she was a little star again today :D She did some very nice trot laterals and is even doing SI to travers now quite nicely for her level :D

We did some groundwork as usual BUT decided to try it without headcollar and lead rope :eek: (our school isn't enclosed and she can get behind the barn if she wants to). I kept the leadrope with me but she was a real darling and just did what we asked her to do :D

She's such a good girl these days :D Well ... unless she's bossing the other horses around in the field :eek: When I was bringing her in one of the other horses came to the gate .... woah! .... ears flat back, neck outstretched and teeth bared :eek: Not a pretty face at all, effective but definitely not pretty :eek:

[Sammii]

She's just protecting her momma ;) :D

Well done, that's great. Another meet to be planned now so that we can watch you on board showing off your tricks! :D
xx

[Bay Mare]

Definitely another meet but it may be a while before I can show off any tricks :)


Here are some piccies from today ....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_5784.jpg

A very rare one of me on board (first time in a while so I already know that I look like a pile of pooh :( )


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_5585.jpg

That's what Saff thinks to having her photo taken ;)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_5620.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_5625.jpg

Halt and follow

[horsesforever]

OMGOSH! Lovely wintery pics. She is so gorgeous! I stalk this thread haha :p And you absolutely do not look like a pile of pooh!

[coss]

you don't look terrible at all....
lovely pics - especially the sticking out the tongue - i also stalk this thread :p

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)

Well ... maybe not a pile of pooh :D Not quite how I used to ride though, need to drop the stirrups a hole and stop looking down :D

I love the tongue sticking out one too :) I haven't got a clue what she was doing :rolleyes:

[coss]

Thank you :)

Well ... maybe not a pile of pooh :D Not quite how I used to ride though, need to drop the stirrups a hole and stop looking down :D

I love the tongue sticking out one too :) I haven't got a clue what she was doing :rolleyes:

at that angle it looks like your legs are straight - how can you drop holes from there? :eek: however you know what you can do and i don't :p

[horsesforever]

I dont think I could have my stirrups half that length :o
You must be so thrilled to be riding again!

[Bay Mare]

at that angle it looks like your legs are straight - how can you drop holes from there? :eek: however you know what you can do and i don't :p

It's deceiving! They aren't bad but my heels are too far down and I wasn't pressing down into the heel so I can't blame that :) Only one hole though :)


You must be so thrilled to be riding again!

I am, it's great :D What a lovely day for it too :D


She was very calm today even though we had a few, ahem, distractions :D Check out the wheelbarrow full of hay that is being put into the field behind the school :)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_5740.jpg

[5.7FB+16.2FC]

I love this thread Saffy ie LUSHALISHIOUS!!! I might come steal her one day :D

[Bay Mare]

LOL, thank you :) I doubt that she'd fit into the back of a car though (Est tried last week) so you'd have to bring a van or lorry :)

[5.7FB+16.2FC]

haha :D:D

[Mistertron]

I love this thread Saffy ie LUSHALISHIOUS!!! I might come steal her one day :D

Hey join the queue! lol :p

[Bay Mare]

I don't want to jinx this so I'll say it quietly .... I think that Saffy is finally growing up :cool:


She is just so chilled now, what a contrast to the little hot head that we took to Heather Moffett's clinic at Smeltings in May! She was pretty well behaved for her first time out but whoopeed into canter which made people laugh so she did it again ... and again ... and again :rolleyes:

She just tries so hard these days when previously she would do it but grudgingly, this clicker business is the dogs :D

We've been trying some leg yield in and out of a circle, shoulder in (in trot) on a circle and walk 'squares' :D The one sticking point though is getting her to halt from walk ... she halts fine from trot but hates halting from walk :rolleyes: Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We've tried clickering but it's one thing that she just doesn't seem to want to do for some reason.

ALSO the first time in an age (because she's not been quite sound) she did canter in the school :D No 'whoopee', no 'bouncy', just a very nice uphill canter :D



My little girl is growing up :D




Please excuse the TOTAL overuse of smilies!

[Bay Mare]

This is a record .. madam was brilliant again yesterday and today :D How many times do you need to repeat something before it becomes a habit? ;)

She is just going so well to say that I was lame all of last year (apart the first two weeks) and she was lame for part of the year too!

Walk and trot and much more consistent, steady and rhythmical and nicely relaxed.

Laterals are coming on really well in walk and trot. Saff is much better when her brain is kept active (trotting round in 20m circles just doesn't float her boat!). Her work and attitude have improved immensely since doing lateral work.

Even her canter is much less 'whoopee' and much more steady and controlled. She did a beautiful canter on the left rein yesterday, we were VERY pleased with her :D

Her right rein is her worst and in her excitement to canter (she heard us mention the 'c' word and got all excited bless her) struck off on the wrong leg a couple of times. When she chills and sits back she gets the correct lead most of the time, it's when she's thinking (you can almost see the thoughts) "yay, canter, woo hoo" that she gets ahead of herself and takes off on whatever leg is easiest/first :rolleyes: She DID change though on one incorrect strike off! I think that we need to use the continental word 'galop' instead of the 'c' word when discussing the lesson as she can hear the 'c' word from about a mile away :D

Although she was full of the joys of impending spring yesterday (even her poo looked and smelled like spring grass poo :o) she was still incredibly well behaved. We had a convention of white van men being rather loud in the stack yard outside of the school complete with white vans flying all over the place with various bits of machinery and equipment attached (big yellow coils of piping to name but one!) and she hardly flicked an ear at them. What DID draw her attention, though, was foalie in the field next to the school ... she kept trying to sidle up to the fence to have a look at him :rolleyes: Oh, and mustn't forget the cat complete with a bell on his collar! She didn't do anything but she was certainly distracted for a moment and made sure that she kept a close eye on him, after all, he could turn into a fire breathing kit at any time!

I had a lesson today (first one in over a year) and she was brill, a really well behaved little girlie :D We only did walk, trot and laterals but she was a little star, very well behaved :D I've still got a way to go and need to stop trying to be 'perfect' as that makes me try too hard which is counterproductive. The French school way of training combined with clicker really suits her :D

[FRED]

Well done :cool:, its ages since I looked in on NR, just re read your post .wow your on a wonderful journey.
Fred .

[Bay Mare]

Thank you Fred :D It's nice to see you on here again :D

It is a great journey, we've had our ups and our downs but the ups are beating the downs by a mile now :D I'm really proud of my little beastie :D

[Est]

That's great news! :D Well done you and Saffy :cool: I fully intend to visit again and have an inhand lesson with her - what a treat that will be! :)

FRED I agree it's good to see you around again - and those photos in your blog are *stunning*. :)

[greymane]

Not been on NR for a while and what is the first thread I looked for? Saffy update of course :)

Great to see you riding her :)

[Skippys Mum]

I've just went through this thread and Saffy is gorgeous. I saw a mention of her being 13.3. Is that really all she is (or have I misread things as usual)? She looks so much bigger. Love the tongue out photos and the dancing!

Good luck with her in the future. I'll be waiting for fun updates xxx

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :D

No, she's 15.1 (and a quarter!). I think that you were looking at the post where she was stood in the 'swamp' in their field and I said something about her looking like she'd shrunk :D She likes to stand up to her knees in it!!!

Est, you must come up and see us again AND have a lesson :)

It IS good to be back on board :D

[*-crazy-chaz-*]

She was very calm today even though we had a few, ahem, distractions :D Check out the wheelbarrow full of hay that is being put into the field behind the school :)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_5740.jpg
^^ i was there! :D lol

its great to hear youre getting back on board :D

[Bay Mare]

Oh, yes, you were :) We should have got you in the photo (but Saff likes to hog the limelight) :D


Thanks, it's been a long time (over a year), I've had a couple of 'donkey rides' lasting about 10 minutes (all that I was allowed and even then because I whinged to my physio about wanting to ride again ... he told me that I could get on ONCE but if I got (or fell) off I couldn't get back on). It was good to have a lesson again even if it was only 30 minutes :D

[Bay Mare]

We took Saff for a short hack and what a chilled little beastie she was :D


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6230.jpg

What's the pony doing over there?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6226.jpg

La ... la ... la ...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6240.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6252.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6283.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6290.jpg

Going for a paddle

[JOJOBA]

Oooh lovely pics. You may have tempted me into a ride on her :D, she does look calm and nice now :).

I still want to take some nice portraits of her in the summer too :).

xxx

[Bay Mare]

And a canter to dry off


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6294.jpg

Can we go yet? The pony's gone :rolleyes:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6299.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6319.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6321.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/TashaKat/Saffy/IMG_6327.jpg

[horsesforever]

Aww gorgeous pics as always. That looks fun!! :D

[Bay Mare]

Thanks :) Yes, she is fun and DID have fun splashing around in the water jump :D


Oooh lovely pics. You may have tempted me into a ride on her :D, she does look calm and nice now :).

I still want to take some nice portraits of her in the summer too :).

xxx


She is, the days of her pogoing across the school seem (fingers crossed) to be way in the past now :D

Re: the photos ... definitely :D Though I hope that we see you before then :p

[JOJOBA]

Well yes, Id like you to come visit my pony in May with Emma :)

xxx

[Bay Mare]

Ooh, yes, you're on :D

[jaydevon]

looking really well,. how do u manage to keep her so clean! that canter in the field looks fab!

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)

She's strange for a grey in that even though she gets muddy once you brush it off she's quite clean underneath. She does like to rub her face in the mud though! Mud packs for horses :D Her tail is the bane of my life, though, I'm seriously thinking about getting a tail bag and seeing how that works.