Post by spotti on Jan 19, 2009 16:12:56 GMT
Well, I forget how much I've said about how things are at the moment with the beastie, but for the past month or so we've been riding almost everyday (give or take a day due to horrid weather or just too much work to do and not enough time to do it in), just walking about and enjoying ourselves.
We started the regular riding while we were back home or christmas (after going to Robinsons and buying a rather expensive saddle pad - one for a Torsion saddle so extra padded lol - which she now loves and doesn't complain about one bit), just poddling about in the school or going out for a short wander up the back track when the weather permitted. We started getting brave after about a week or so and went ever-so-slightly up the quiet road at the end of the track and built up how far we went on a daily basis - eventually going half way up the road in one direction and then back, past the end of the track and to the end of the road in the other direction before coming back onto the track to come home. Over the course of the next few days, we saw quite a few cars, a motorbike, a woman with a pram (very scary lol) and a dustin lorry (which she didn't really mind too much - she just wanted to look at it) - all of which she coped really well with. *is proud* ;D
By the end if the second week (about new years eve-ish) I got my sister to watch us ride in the school and tell me when I was on the wrong diagonal/feet were too far forward etc and generally just give us moral support. Anyway, we ended up doing some lovely walking, then some trotting, then borrowed a pole and worked on trotting over that and by the end of the session, we had put the pole on a block and we jumped it! It was probably less than a foot high, but still...we jumped! ;D ;D ;D ;D
A couple of days later, we came back to uni (loaded within 10 mins the day before and only took about half an hour on the day so she IS getting better...slowly). Carried on riding her but with exams etc it wasn't always every day and after a few days the hairy beast decided to play silly and invented a reason why I couldn't ride...she decided not to like her girth being done up, soooooo I rode bareback for a few days whilst slowly getting her used to her girth and also making sure that there wasn't any 'real' reason why I shouldn't ride.
Now, a week or so later, I can tack up without too much fuss (she just likes to take her time and get lots of treats for being a good girl) and can ride quite happily and still come back sound.
So far we've mainly been hacking in walk and recently introduced a bit of trotting (she asked me for it...she seems to think she's ok to do it and still comes back with a square pelvis so I figured why not), attempting to avoid the road but we have also been being brave and go on the road a little bit too (mainly to build up my confidence on roads again, which also helps with Faith's confidence as well). We've been through some water, in big open fields, in the woods and past other horses...all of which seem to have gone quite well, apart from today lol...
Today we went in the school. It was wet and had a few puddles dotted about the place, and with hairy pony also being a scruffy pony, wherever there is muck, she wants to play in it. So what did she do? Only rolled with me still onboard!!!
Luckily I managed to get off as she lay down, and luckily my saddle is treeless so no damage there, but still!!!! When she'd finished, I got back on and carried on. We swapped schools (to the one with less puddles) and continued riding - Faith seemed to have better ideas of what to spend her energy on though...rearing! She did a few normal rears, then one that almost sent her over backwards and then another that left me still onboard but BEHIND the saddle!! When she gave up, I got some nice work out of her (even though she really needed nagging 'cos she hates schooling) and I think she almost started to go into a sort of outline...atleast, she dropped her head and arched her neck, bringing her nose down and her trot got more springy - is that what should happen?
Gave up schooling after this because she was doing as I asked so figured I'd end in a good note.
On the way out, instead of getting off and doing the gate by hand, we went out with me still in the saddle and did some fantastic turn on the forehands and rein backs to sort the gates out!
We headed back to the yard to get my hi-viz tabard and went out for a hack to cool off and chill out. Got back about 20mins later, all calm and cool and smiley and now I can't wait for tomorrow!
Cake and cookies to anyone who read all this and still wants to leave a comment lol
We started the regular riding while we were back home or christmas (after going to Robinsons and buying a rather expensive saddle pad - one for a Torsion saddle so extra padded lol - which she now loves and doesn't complain about one bit), just poddling about in the school or going out for a short wander up the back track when the weather permitted. We started getting brave after about a week or so and went ever-so-slightly up the quiet road at the end of the track and built up how far we went on a daily basis - eventually going half way up the road in one direction and then back, past the end of the track and to the end of the road in the other direction before coming back onto the track to come home. Over the course of the next few days, we saw quite a few cars, a motorbike, a woman with a pram (very scary lol) and a dustin lorry (which she didn't really mind too much - she just wanted to look at it) - all of which she coped really well with. *is proud* ;D
By the end if the second week (about new years eve-ish) I got my sister to watch us ride in the school and tell me when I was on the wrong diagonal/feet were too far forward etc and generally just give us moral support. Anyway, we ended up doing some lovely walking, then some trotting, then borrowed a pole and worked on trotting over that and by the end of the session, we had put the pole on a block and we jumped it! It was probably less than a foot high, but still...we jumped! ;D ;D ;D ;D
A couple of days later, we came back to uni (loaded within 10 mins the day before and only took about half an hour on the day so she IS getting better...slowly). Carried on riding her but with exams etc it wasn't always every day and after a few days the hairy beast decided to play silly and invented a reason why I couldn't ride...she decided not to like her girth being done up, soooooo I rode bareback for a few days whilst slowly getting her used to her girth and also making sure that there wasn't any 'real' reason why I shouldn't ride.
Now, a week or so later, I can tack up without too much fuss (she just likes to take her time and get lots of treats for being a good girl) and can ride quite happily and still come back sound.
So far we've mainly been hacking in walk and recently introduced a bit of trotting (she asked me for it...she seems to think she's ok to do it and still comes back with a square pelvis so I figured why not), attempting to avoid the road but we have also been being brave and go on the road a little bit too (mainly to build up my confidence on roads again, which also helps with Faith's confidence as well). We've been through some water, in big open fields, in the woods and past other horses...all of which seem to have gone quite well, apart from today lol...
Today we went in the school. It was wet and had a few puddles dotted about the place, and with hairy pony also being a scruffy pony, wherever there is muck, she wants to play in it. So what did she do? Only rolled with me still onboard!!!
Luckily I managed to get off as she lay down, and luckily my saddle is treeless so no damage there, but still!!!! When she'd finished, I got back on and carried on. We swapped schools (to the one with less puddles) and continued riding - Faith seemed to have better ideas of what to spend her energy on though...rearing! She did a few normal rears, then one that almost sent her over backwards and then another that left me still onboard but BEHIND the saddle!! When she gave up, I got some nice work out of her (even though she really needed nagging 'cos she hates schooling) and I think she almost started to go into a sort of outline...atleast, she dropped her head and arched her neck, bringing her nose down and her trot got more springy - is that what should happen?Gave up schooling after this because she was doing as I asked so figured I'd end in a good note.
On the way out, instead of getting off and doing the gate by hand, we went out with me still in the saddle and did some fantastic turn on the forehands and rein backs to sort the gates out!
We headed back to the yard to get my hi-viz tabard and went out for a hack to cool off and chill out. Got back about 20mins later, all calm and cool and smiley and now I can't wait for tomorrow!
Cake and cookies to anyone who read all this and still wants to leave a comment lol
Always saddle your own horse
Here you go 
I love your little stories & can't wait to hear whats coming next!! Faith - rearing - little madam 
