for the wellbeing of the forum - add your update thread :)

[orbvalley]

It is a bit quiet lately! So lets get busy and add your update

I'm just about to leave to go riding & am hoping to have a great session with some great shots to add later. Well I can but hope
We're practising at the moment four jumps put up in a cross shape, cantering and looping them together in fancy patterns I'm currently crap at it as I can't get the tight turns needed & keep the canter going, Cocaïne knows this & takes advantage by tumbling into a lazy trot at every opportunity I've taken the jumps down to floor poles to try to just concentrate on the direction and gait but she's more motivated when the jumps are up! So today I'm planning on putting them back up to see if we're improving.........

So over to you - what are you up to? whats going well? whats going not so well? & of course pics necessary!! xxx

 

[Trewsers]

Great idea for a thread!
Well no riding here for two days as we've 60mph plus with torrential rain so being the fair weather rider I am......however I have been making sure everything is either tied down or extra nailed! We're fairly well prepared - plenty of hayledge etc in stock as we never know if the barriers that link us to the main island will be closed. I also have a camping stove at the ready for power loss. Yesterday was glorious and Mr T rode Zi which was lovely. He's such a well mannered happy horse, doesn't matter if he doesn't get ridden every day or once a month. We are lucky to have found him.
Stylish outfit of the day!!!

 

[Jessey]

That sounds a good exercise, poles/kumps can really give focus and keep you both motivated

 

[Star the Fell]

I managed a quick ride in the school this morning before the wind picked up.
Tried Mylo in Star's treeless saddle, but he didn't go too well. He has no wither and it felt as if I was tipping forward. Swapped to his own saddle just to see how he went in that, in case he was having an off day. He was much happier, so will keep him in that, even though it's not a great fit and is too big for me.
Hopefully will get hold of a saddle fitter soon.....they are a very rare breed around here it seems.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

I haven't posted much recently but I have been riding. Just the normal hacking but with 2 differences. One is that my RI has been riding Ziggy for me (out hacking) once a week for the past 6 weeks. What a difference it has made to him! She can get him to walk prettily - I can't do that yet, but he is so much lighter in my hand and better behaved generally, plus his tendency to drop me off to the right has almost evaporated. We've had some lovely hacks, and one amazing lesson where he was just foot perfect even doing figure eights and serpentines etc. He's got very hot though so yesterday I had him clipped for the first time since I have had him! He arrived with a growing-out trace clip and has been hairy since then. Yesterday he had a bib and belly clip done by a local lady who is absolutely brilliant, and he was a complete star - I am afraid I almost take that for granted when it comes to doing things to him! The lady doing the clipping was astonished by how dense and fluffy his coat is, but he didn't move a muscle until she was finished. Then he had a banana while I swept up the snowdrifts of fluff.

It poured with rain last night and I felt a bit guilty when I found him hiding under the trees this morning, but I am sure he'll be happier when we are out together.

 

[Bodshi]

I'm trying to think what we have done that's worth mentioning! Had a x country lesson with Eleanor Mercer at Camphill just before we went on our holidays, which was fab. She has some tiny jumps to get baby/unconfident horses and riders started on - proper x country fences but in mini form. I was surprised that in our first one hour lesson we actually quite quickly worked our way off the baby jumps and onto the slightly less baby ones. Eleanor assessed each horse and rider (I went with a friend) so accurately and was able to offer us such relevant advice, which made us feel so much more confident about ourselves and really helped our technique. Her assessment of Raf (said in the nicest possible way) was that he is 'all mouth and no trousers' and he has 'the attention span of a goldfish' - both bang on lol.

I tend to collapse as I'm going into a jump if I think Raf is going to refuse and other instructors I've had have always put the sequence of events as my collapse, followed by Raf's refusal. Eleanor explained it differently though - she must have been watching Raf rather than me and could seen when he was thinking about refusing. She said it wasn't entirely my fault that I was collapsing, because he was putting me in that position (whether or not she was just being kind is immaterial because I immediately felt much happier). She told me I had to keep my core up and ride with my legs, which just made such sense to me - I've always been told to keep my core strong, but somehow the word 'up' just conjured up a completely different image and I was able to sit up and 'kick on' (I even got that image in my head of a proper x country rider approaching a fence). Raf didn't know how to react to this new technique, so to his surprise he actually jumped the fence Trying to arrange another lesson soon, if only the ground dries up enough.

Raf is being clipped on Friday in preparation for our first Hound Exercise of the season on Sunday. It's my favourite one, with the Four Shires, as it involves both a private x country course (by kind permission of the landowners where we have the port stop) and a river crossing to get home. However with all the rain and ground conditions a they are, I'm not sure whether we'll be able to borrow the x country course and I can't imagine being able to cross the river if it's swollen and fast flowing. Fingers crossed it dries up next week.

Enjoying reading everyone else's updates

 

[Cortrasna]

Pretty dull here lately . Little rescue summer visitors have gone back to the farm for the winter, really miss them, I love watching their antics. Very wet and windy today but at least stopped long enough to get the dogs out and check the little herd. haven't ridden for weeks due to ill health but hoping to get back out and about this week - but of course, sod's law, she has thrown a shoe this morning in the field - cant find it anywhere as per usual. Very bored so posted a few pics of new donated items on my facebook page, not with the intention of fully opening up just yet but getting a lot of response so I might be back fundraising quicker than I had planned lol!

Just a thought - but what the heck do retired people do if they don't have horses and don't run a fund raising page? I guess you would look for other hobbies - can't think of anything else much that grabs my interest enough other than animals! I have also read a HUGE amount this past 6 weeks which I enjoy so I am not complaining about that.

 

[orbvalley]

Its funny how people think they've not done much and then go on to provide a whole host of exciting news!
I can't believe you're all swamped with rain, its still drought conditions here, everythings brown & burnt looking & there's hardly any leaves left on the trees for autumn

I didn't get any photo's from todays riding as my new go pro had a technical hiccup Cocaine was suffering from her own technical hiccup too and couldn't get going jumping so I abandoned that plan and returned to flatwork where during the warm up she'd been sharp as a razor. We managed to achieve 2 tours of a 20m circle at canter on both reins Hooray! The training must finally be muscling her up some

 

[PePo]

Errr, I've moved Pete to a new yard last weekend so busy sorting out everything that goes along with that!

So far he's schooled in the school twice, jumped a course in there and been out for two in-hand walks. His hacking has taken a bit of a confidence knock so just been hand walking again - but today, despite the wind and rain he was happy to let me ride the last mile home so that was great We'll just keep working on building his confidence & we'll soon get there again I'm sure!

I've also interviewed for (twice in fact) and accepted a new job this week to start next month.

So very busy! It's lovely to hear everyone's updates

 

[domane]

Well you can't accuse ME of being quiet.... I've barely shut up!!!!

 

[newforest]

Well you can't accuse ME of being quiet.... I've barely shut up!!!!

Me as well.
I have no updates, I am here.

 

[chunky monkey]

You all sound like you are making progress and getting out doing lessons and competitions. I'm a bit dull.
At the moment mainly just short hacks, do a bit of schooling, driving. Been doing a bit of log jumping with Billy, trying to teach him that he can't charge at them 90mph so I circle them and he's only allowed to jump once he's calm and relaxed. This method is certainly working.
I have been trying to work both 5 days a week. Its quite tough working two on the days I don't have the girls to ride with me.

 

[newforest]

Two weeks ago the cob tried to disconnect my foot from my leg. All fine, didn't notice. It hasn't fallen off.
It has been what you would 'in light work' because it wouldn't stuff into my boot. Been using socks but it still wants to swell and insists on sympathy. It wasn't getting box rest, if it were a horse it would be paddock sound!

So been doing a little more lunging with a bounce treble set up which she loves and keeps the canter.

 

[OwnedbyChanter]

Don't know where to start really. In the last three weeks ginger and I have taken part in the RAF champs attempting our first elementary test with a very respectable 64.69 then fourth place on the 65 and third in the 75 SJ.

Last weekend we came second in the prelim championship with 71 and the went and won the novice with 72.

This weekend we were at the David Broom nation champs and came 2 and 3 in my prelim 64. 62and 66.92 and 7 with 66.61 in the novice amd tenth in the other novice with a rogue 59.52 due to rider error and I means lots of them.

Super pony is on rest for a couple of days then winter training starts with have lots to work on and I am very excited by it all

 

[Bodshi]

Don't know where to start really. In the last three weeks ginger and I have taken part in the RAF champs attempting our first elementary test with a very respectable 64.69 then fourth place on the 65 and third in the 75 SJ.

Last weekend we came second in the prelim championship with 71 and the went and won the novice with 72.

This weekend we were at the David Broom nation champs and came 2 and 3 in my prelim 64. 62and 66.92 and 7 with 66.61 in the novice amd tenth in the other novice with a rogue 59.52 due to rider error and I means lots of them.

Super pony is on rest for a couple of days then winter training starts with have lots to work on and I am very excited by it all

Gorgeous picture, Ginger is looking fab and you both look so smart.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Don't know where to start really. In the last three weeks ginger and I have taken part in the RAF champs attempting our first elementary test with a very respectable 64.69 then fourth place on the 65 and third in the 75 SJ.

Last weekend we came second in the prelim championship with 71 and the went and won the novice with 72.

This weekend we were at the David Broom nation champs and came 2 and 3 in my prelim 64. 62and 66.92 and 7 with 66.61 in the novice amd tenth in the other novice with a rogue 59.52 due to rider error and I means lots of them.

Super pony is on rest for a couple of days then winter training starts with have lots to work on and I am very excited by it all

Ginger is looking absolutely swoon worthy!

 

[Vicki100]

Not much really however had a couple of lovely rides lately

 

[orbvalley]

Not much really however had a couple of lovely rides lately

How can that not be much! Great pics - well done to both of you

 

[MrA]

I entered Ale into a photo competition and he got a 5th in best non ridden and 1st in best calender shot. He then also got overall champion for ring 2 (they also do a ring 1 champion) He hasn't won any rosettes in ages and whilst I know that isn't what owning a horse is about I think he deserves to win them for being so amazing and one in a million. But then I am bias!

Had a bit of a rough day saying goodbye to my little hammy so nice to share some good news

This is the pic in case anyone hasn't seen it and wanted to, probably not sorry.

 

[Bodshi]

This is the pic in case anyone hasn't seen it and wanted to, probably not sorry.

Why not?? That's an amazing pic, no wonder it won. It's just gorgeous

Sorry to hear about your hamster though, hope you're ok x