2021 Hacking and Riding

Too too hot today. Robin was sweating in his stable at 3pm. I want to ride tho 😟. Spoilt brat moment. However he has progressed to a small pen in field. Leg is doing nothing good or bad. Plan is he will go out in big field next weekend when his buddy is away at camp as the vet can’t come that week. Really really hoping when he comes on the 27th he will be allowed to stay out 24/7. Even if it is only for a couple of weeks before he comes in for the winter. I think I have given up riding him for the rest of the year tho 😕
 
A quiet weekend for me. I occasionally watch youtube videos on a channel called ThisEsme and I saw what looked like a fun but simple exercise. Basically its just a curve of poles to make sure the horse works on both reins. So Fridays fun was playing in the school.

Saturdays and Sundays rides were local hacks one on my own and one in company. On Sunday Harvey was sound, but not quite right and has a puffy area on his front leg. The "back man" (osteopath) who came on Tuesday doesn't think it is serious so hopefully it will settle down by next week.

P9030486-X2.jpg


P9030500-X2.jpg


P9030551-X2.jpg


Video of poles

Harvey being Harvey!
44d3f343-088a-43dc-a5e9-f48991354e04-X2.jpg


Schooling
20 minutes

Hacking
8 miles
2 hours 20

Totals
Schooling
19 hours 55

Hacking
318 miles
95 hours 45
 
A quiet weekend for me. I occasionally watch youtube videos on a channel called ThisEsme and I saw what looked like a fun but simple exercise. Basically its just a curve of poles to make sure the horse works on both reins. So Fridays fun was playing in the school.

Saturdays and Sundays rides were local hacks one on my own and one in company. On Sunday Harvey was sound, but not quite right and has a puffy area on his front leg. The "back man" (osteopath) who came on Tuesday doesn't think it is serious so hopefully it will settle down by next week.

P9030486-X2.jpg


P9030500-X2.jpg


P9030551-X2.jpg


Video of poles

Harvey being Harvey!
44d3f343-088a-43dc-a5e9-f48991354e04-X2.jpg


Schooling
20 minutes

Hacking
8 miles
2 hours 20

Totals
Schooling
19 hours 55

Hacking
318 miles
95 hours 45
I hope the puffy area goes down and isn't anything. Looking good as ever btw!
 
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I thought today I'd try something different to get Hogan walking faster. Someone on NR mentioned making him halt, then walk, until I got the walk I wanted. 6 times - count them - 6, I tried. Hogan is not like other horses, he LIKES standing still, even more than walking slowly. He doesn't want to keep moving, standing still is the best thing ever. He just gazes into space, and the walking commences exactly as before. I ended up with hysterical giggles and probably frightened a man walking his dog. Other than that he was a good lad, and his standing still is second to none.
 
I thought today I'd try something different to get Hogan walking faster. Someone on NR mentioned making him halt, then walk, until I got the walk I wanted. 6 times - count them - 6, I tried. Hogan is not like other horses, he LIKES standing still, even more than walking slowly. He doesn't want to keep moving, standing still is the best thing ever. He just gazes into space, and the walking commences exactly as before. I ended up with hysterical giggles and probably frightened a man walking his dog. Other than that he was a good lad, and his standing still is second to none.
Lol I can just imagine him standing there doing nothing and you ending up laughing! Ah well, one day you might be glad of his liking to stand 😬
 
Managed to get out for a little ride today. There was an awful stench eminating down from pn top of the hill. Could also hear machinery rattling around up on the top too so i think they had muck spread the field before disking in. So i decided not to venture up and went down the hill for a little road ride. Billy was a bit twitchy on the main road but once down onto the quiet housing estate he relaxed, so we had quite a relaxed ride.
 
Huggy.. Sonny has a bit of a slow walk too.....
But Ill take it..

You can alwsys count on him to stop and stand no matter what other horses are doing or whats going on.

If I have to have one...
I will take a nice stand for sure

At gymkhana and versatilities ugh
You see so many horses dancing around all over the place cause they just won't stand still.
We just stand iff to the side and watch the chaos.

Max was the master of not wasting energy...
He had a really low key almost imperseptsble trot..
Just enough that he was trotting...but barely.
I had a friend in Illinois that didnt believe me til I sent her a vcr tape of him.

Max didn't have a malicious bone in his body he was quite the character.
If he was human he would always have been pulling some practical joke and shaking someones and with one of those joke buzzers that would hide in your hand.

When you would go to saddle to ride him
He would gallop buck and carry on like a LUNATIC in the rd pen.
THEN run up and stop in front of you...
OK I'M DONE.... lets go ride.
 
I think a lot of the gymkhana nonsense was deliberate get thr the horse all revved up and wired.
Then gallop into the arena and back out pretty much out of control having trouble stopping.
If that was such a good thing how come WE WON THE BUCKLE...

Win or loose I did it for the fun....
I never started to gallop BEFORE entering the arena...and we ALWAYS WALKED OUT.

I'd much rather be precise with nice tight turns than out of control fast but the turns are way past the barrels.

Many only did that kind of competing.
I wanted Sonny safe and sane.
 
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No play or riding today sigh..

A turkey invasion quashed that thought..

We had a few things to do really early and got hay on the way home.

My husband was taking the hay out and says ohhh look at that.. WHAT
all those turkeys..lots of them..

No big deal I love seeing Turkey's we finish hay
I let sonny out in the rope area..figuring to
Do something later.

A while later..while in the house...oh I hear the turkeys again he says. Again
No big deal

BUT IT WAS.

There was a huge kerfuffle for some reason they were all upset all carrying on
They got separated to different areas
Started flying over fences going every which way.

The goats panicked Andi had a freak out.
Sonny took off snorting tail flying..and he was in The wrap around rope area.

All i could think was dont anyone get hurt.

I caught him and got him back in his area.
Graham was consoling the goats...

The Turkey's are always so la.. te. da
Easy going even in big groups.

Its not hunting season til Oct 1 so its not that...

It wasn't nice...they all seemed lost and just could not get back together.
All running willy nilly

We didn't hear any coyote sounds so its a mystery.

Later my husband saw a good portion of the group up by the arena..

I just decieded its an unknown so its not a good day to chance it..

Sonny already had quite a run around.

He seems fine but hes 26 so I always want to be careful..

On a good note
Before the chaos started he and LINCOLN were nose to nose. This is BIG..
Theodore always went nose to nose and Lincoln ran away.

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Group therapy from daddy.
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One lost part of the group 20210911_132233(0).jpg
Another one behind the fence

And still more further back in the woods
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Took Hogan out this morning - SLOOW again! But took a chance and went round the outside of the inclosure - had to pass through lots of cows on either side, some as close as 6ft. Brilliant boy, immaculate. Also had to negotiate a half fallen tree on the lane - Hogan thought best plan would be to eat it.Screenshot_20210911-212535_Gallery.jpgScreenshot_20210911-212542_Gallery.jpg
 
his standing still is second to none
I had to laugh! It is nice when a horse will stand easily, though. Ziggy could not. If I stopped to chat to someone, he would wait for a few minutes, then tell me it was time to go by flicking his ears, then swishing his tail, then start the whole moving about turny turny nonsense. Sid is brilliant. He assesses the situation, and if it looks like he is in for a long wait he rests a hoof (and he goes really cockeyed when he does that, his back slopes enormously), flops his ears out to the side and goes to sleep.

On the walking briskly thing, my RI is another who says you should stop and start again until you get the walk you want and that doing anything else is letting the horse train you to accept a slow walk! I have to say I think she's probably right, and when Sid is booted and doesn't have feet as an excuse I am going to get after him when he is a slug. He can walk so nicely, I don't like him just pootling. If I have to I will pull a switch from some handy tree (I don't like to carry a stick).
 
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Just had a good play in the big rd pen.

He was a little wired but i got great halts and transitions.
Great change of direction too.
Ugh I did see one B52 though. THATS THE PITTS..
I moved him to the little cavaletti pen
Where I can see him from the camera to see if he's bothered and do a bit more play too.

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I wish I knew if that other Turkey group was going to come back.

I really don't want a repeat of yesterday
 
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