2019 Hacking/Riding Thread

[Trewsers]

Well had one good ride on Zi and a not so good one where I got off, but then the next day I didn't feel as bad and managed okay. My confidence comes and goes -but the flies don't help. We've had such strange weather, one moment sunny and the next pouring with rain, I haven't ridden for a couple of days. I've totally lost track of the hours on this thread but pop in now and again and it's acting sort of like a record of my riding year too.
We've made more progress with the hacking track, so that's good, but the weather has held us back on that, as we can't mow when it's so soggy. That's something to look forward to.

 

[Huggy]

Well had one good ride on Zi and a not so good one where I got off, but then the next day I didn't feel as bad and managed okay. My confidence comes and goes -but the flies don't help. We've had such strange weather, one moment sunny and the next pouring with rain, I haven't ridden for a couple of days. I've totally lost track of the hours on this thread but pop in now and again and it's acting sort of like a record of my riding year too.
We've made more progress with the hacking track, so that's good, but the weather has held us back on that, as we can't mow when it's so soggy. That's something to look forward to.

Think it's going to be that sort of summer. I look out the window and think I should have gone out, then 5 minutes later the sky goes black and I'm glad I didn't! Hope you get enough dry weather to get your track done.

 

[Trewsers]

Managed a short pootle this afternoon. It was less full of flies - thankfully a good stiff breeze. I really don't rate many fly sprays either, but I used a roll on Lincoln one on both of us. Zi was ace as always - it's me that's the wuss! Even with the kitties playing in the bushes around the arena he was fine.

 

[GaryB]

A quick round the block with YO on Friday.
On Saturday a had a lesson over the grid I showed in my previous report. I wanted to stop Harvey falling in on corners so the exercise was a 10m canter turn into the grid and then the same on the way out basically riding a figure of 8 with the grid along the centre line. Very hard work but we were starting to make progress.

On Sunday we were invited to join YO on a schooling session at Lincomb Equestrian. We started with a course at 90-100cm doing a few fences at a time and then building up to a full round. We then put it up to 120cm (gulp) for YO while I watched.

Fence 1 (100cm)

Fence 3 (90ish)

Fence 5 (100cm with a spread as the first part)

Fence 6 - this is the one I fell off at on the riding camp

Hacking
3 miles
45 minutes

Schooling
1 hour 30

Totals

Schooling
24 hours 20

Hacking
182.5 miles
49 hours 45

 

[Huggy]

A quick round the block with YO on Friday.
On Saturday a had a lesson over the grid I showed in my previous report. I wanted to stop Harvey falling in on corners so the exercise was a 10m canter turn into the grid and then the same on the way out basically riding a figure of 8 with the grid along the centre line. Very hard work but we were starting to make progress.

On Sunday we were invited to join YO on a schooling session at Lincomb Equestrian. We started with a course at 90-100cm doing a few fences at a time and then building up to a full round. We then put it up to 120cm (gulp) for YO while I watched.

Fence 1 (100cm)

Fence 3 (90ish)

Fence 5 (100cm with a spread as the first part)

Fence 6 - this is the one I fell off at on the riding camp

Hacking
3 miles
45 minutes

Schooling
1 hour 30

Totals

Schooling
24 hours 20

Hacking
182.5 miles
49 hours 45

Oh lordy! That blue spread looks BIG!

 

[Huggy]

Had 3 hacks this week, all without incident. He's terribly slow at the moment, the heat I guess. We've been tackling the hill, and think it's time to move on, as he's been completely fine about it. So today, took a route down the centre of the inclosure, down the steep hill , through lots of ponies and then trotted the whole way back along the roadside. Very pleased with him. Disaster struck not far from home. One of the cottages had 4 massive rubble sacks outside their gate, and he was horrified. Eventually got off, as it was getting dodgy on the tarmac, led him over for a good old sniff. All fine til I tried to get back on - the saddle slipped right under his belly (I had tightened it as much as I could), and took me 10 minutes to undo and put on straight. His big round tummy makes it impossible to mount from the ground, so mental note - if I get off, I'm staying off!.

 

[Trewsers]

Had 3 hacks this week, all without incident. He's terribly slow at the moment, the heat I guess. We've been tackling the hill, and think it's time to move on, as he's been completely fine about it. So today, took a route down the centre of the inclosure, down the steep hill , through lots of ponies and then trotted the whole way back along the roadside. Very pleased with him. Disaster struck not far from home. One of the cottages had 4 massive rubble sacks outside their gate, and he was horrified. Eventually got off, as it was getting dodgy on the tarmac, led him over for a good old sniff. All fine til I tried to get back on - the saddle slipped right under his belly (I had tightened it as much as I could), and took me 10 minutes to undo and put on straight. His big round tummy makes it impossible to mount from the ground, so mental note - if I get off, I'm staying off!.

It can be hard work getting back on can't it? I once bought some of those stirrup thingies, can't remember the trade name, to attach to help me get back on whilst out and about. I don't know why but I didn't get on with them and resorted to my usual letting the stirrup down and undignified scramble aboard..............
Bet it is the heat slowing him.

 

[GaryB]

Oh lordy! That blue spread looks BIG!

I was looking at the far fence - the jumps are too scary to look at (and it looked enormous when YO put it up 20cm for her to jump!)

 

[Trewsers]

Had a not so good ride my mojo just keeps dipping and leaving town completely like tonight. Had to get off, but I did manage to get back on. I am so tense, and I made him tense too, he picked up on my nerves and started squealing (which he does when he is afraid or not sure what's being asked). Anyway, I am going to have to have a re think. Mr Trews is helping me lots, he is not nervous at all and is helping me go right back to basics. However, I think it may be a long road this time. (Sorry to gloom the normally jolly hacking thread out but I don't post anywhere else here now).

 

[Huggy]

Had a not so good ride my mojo just keeps dipping and leaving town completely like tonight. Had to get off, but I did manage to get back on. I am so tense, and I made him tense too, he picked up on my nerves and started squealing (which he does when he is afraid or not sure what's being asked). Anyway, I am going to have to have a re think. Mr Trews is helping me lots, he is not nervous at all and is helping me go right back to basics. However, I think it may be a long road this time. (Sorry to gloom the normally jolly hacking thread out but I don't post anywhere else here now).

It's so frustrating when you know it's you, but can't do anything about it. I've decided to try rescue remedy for those days that I can feel the nerves. Cannot count the number of times I've chickened out of something and then been furious with myself. Why do the bad rides linger with us so much? I could describe every bad one I've had, in detail, but the good ones are just a haze! Don't beat yourself up - I've had Hogan a year, and we are still in or around the inclosure, and I haven't even cantered him yet. The very fact that we even get on a big, unpredictable, flight animal in the first place deserves some credit, I reckon! I doubt the horse cares one jot that you're back to basics, do what you're comfortable doing. (Well, that's what I tell myself!)

 

[Huggy]

It can be hard work getting back on can't it? I once bought some of those stirrup thingies, can't remember the trade name, to attach to help me get back on whilst out and about. I don't know why but I didn't get on with them and resorted to my usual letting the stirrup down and undignified scramble aboard..............
Bet it is the heat slowing him.

I was effing and jeffing very loudly trying to undo the damn girth and put the saddle back onto his back. I'll have to go and apologise to the people in the house near by. Sods law - lovely ride, everything going swimmingly, and then that, right at the end

 

[Trewsers]

I was effing and jeffing very loudly trying to undo the damn girth and put the saddle back onto his back. I'll have to go and apologise to the people in the house near by. Sods law - lovely ride, everything going swimmingly, and then that, right at the end

Oh heck, how annoying - I'm sure they wouldn't mind the language

 

[GaryB]

Had a not so good ride my mojo just keeps dipping and leaving town completely like tonight. Had to get off, but I did manage to get back on. I am so tense, and I made him tense too, he picked up on my nerves and started squealing (which he does when he is afraid or not sure what's being asked). Anyway, I am going to have to have a re think. Mr Trews is helping me lots, he is not nervous at all and is helping me go right back to basics. However, I think it may be a long road this time. (Sorry to gloom the normally jolly hacking thread out but I don't post anywhere else here now).

I'm sorry to hear that

 

[Huggy]

Had a lovely lovely ride at 7.30 this morning. Hogan was an absolute little gent - dogs, rubble bags, other riders - not a flicker. I feel very lucky to have him when he's like this, and very lucky to be able to be out in the sunshine and forest on a day like today.

 

[Trewsers]

I'm sorry to hear that

Thanks, I'm persisting but really going back to the beginning. It's just something I need to do, and hopefully I'll be back to where I wanted to be.

 

[GaryB]

Another nice weekend for riding. It drizzled all of Saturday morning and in the end I gave up hoping it would stop and rode anyway. It was actually quite pleasant - there were no flies and it was so light it wasn't really wetting. A fellow livery and I had a nice hack round the bridleways to the top of the hill.

On Sunday I was on my own again so a nice solo hack around the block.

I'm still poo picking for my very poorly friend at weekends - this is my old share horse Bug waiting for me to feed him (have a look at the angle of the field!)

Hacking
2 hours 45
10 miles

Totals

Schooling
24 hours 20

Hacking
192.5 miles
52 hours 30

 

[Huggy]

Another nice weekend for riding. It drizzled all of Saturday morning and in the end I gave up hoping it would stop and rode anyway. It was actually quite pleasant - there were no flies and it was so light it wasn't really wetting. A fellow livery and I had a nice hack round the bridleways to the top of the hill.

On Sunday I was on my own again so a nice solo hack around the block.

I'm still poo picking for my very poorly friend at weekends - this is my old share horse Bug waiting for me to feed him (have a look at the angle of the field!)

Hacking
2 hours 45
10 miles

Totals

Schooling
24 hours 20

Hacking
192.5 miles
52 hours 30

Bless him - he looks very placid! Yes - that's quite a slope!

 

[GaryB]

Bless him - he looks very placid!

He's easy to deal with on the ground but he is the spookiest horse I have ever ridden (He's TB x Welsh). He's retired now but he was fun in his day (He did Novice eventing with his owner)

 

[Huggy]

Well, I'm getting suspicious now - Hogans been brilliant for about 3 weeks straight - what's he storing up for me? Been out 3 times, and, touch wood, no problems. I've been trying to take him on less familiar routes, and although he's dragged his feet, he's been very good. Our only incident happened yesterday, and it wasn't Hogan who caused it. Rounded the bend to the houses on the way home, and there's a massive lorry trying to manoeuvre, taking up the whole lane between the houses. We stood and waited, and then he starts coming towards us, as though we weren't there. I had nowhere to go, as it's just a dirt track, and his air brakes were hissing away, making Hogan very jumpy. He stopped about 10 feet from us, never acknowledged we were there, got out his cab and started talking to one of the homeowners who'd come out. He had left about 4ft space on one side that we could get through, and he was blocking it, standing talking. I got off, because Hogan was edgy by now, and started to lead him toward the gap. I had to say "Can we get past please?" to the driver, who tutted(!) and stepped out the way. Anyway, I had to lead him the last stretch home, because I didn't want a repeat of the sliding saddle incident! I suppose, taking a positive view of it, Hogan was pretty good over it, but a shame it ended a nice outing on a sour note.

 

[Trewsers]

Well, I'm getting suspicious now - Hogans been brilliant for about 3 weeks straight - what's he storing up for me? Been out 3 times, and, touch wood, no problems. I've been trying to take him on less familiar routes, and although he's dragged his feet, he's been very good. Our only incident happened yesterday, and it wasn't Hogan who caused it. Rounded the bend to the houses on the way home, and there's a massive lorry trying to manoeuvre, taking up the whole lane between the houses. We stood and waited, and then he starts coming towards us, as though we weren't there. I had nowhere to go, as it's just a dirt track, and his air brakes were hissing away, making Hogan very jumpy. He stopped about 10 feet from us, never acknowledged we were there, got out his cab and started talking to one of the homeowners who'd come out. He had left about 4ft space on one side that we could get through, and he was blocking it, standing talking. I got off, because Hogan was edgy by now, and started to lead him toward the gap. I had to say "Can we get past please?" to the driver, who tutted(!) and stepped out the way. Anyway, I had to lead him the last stretch home, because I didn't want a repeat of the sliding saddle incident! I suppose, taking a positive view of it, Hogan was pretty good over it, but a shame it ended a nice outing on a sour note.

That's a shame the driver was like that. But glad every other part went well.