Happy New Year Everyone, I hope it's a good one!!

A sunny day.

This morning was bright and sunny after a couple of days of horrible wet weather. The sunshine can coax even the most reluctant body into action, so I went for a ride on Corky. She was pretty sluggish going out, but woke up on the return journey. It was only a short ride, about 40 minutes and she seemed ok in her boots. I've been asked to start riding out with a friend who lives just down the road, so I need to get her a little fitter.

I gave Anky a good grooming, she has a lovely thick shiny coat and is definitely looking in better condition, so despite her occasional bouts of belly ache I'm hoping she's slowly improving. I walked her in-hand up to the school, she was very calm so we did a few minutes in the school and then walked back home. I hope it stays fine, I really don't like the rain!!

A great Christmas.

We've had a lovely couple of days, the best christmas for a long time, spent with friends.

Christmas Day was spent with Bev and Bob , it was a lovely sunny day and we had a lot of fun. We made a fantastic Christmas Dinner between us, and I think we did rather well!!
On Boxing Day we spent the day with Trudi and her lovely family and we had a great time.

So, thank-you to our friends who helped to make our christmas special!!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire............

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!................

Jack Frost nipping at your nose...........

Despite all the drawbacks that adults (me???? lol) are supposed to be concerned about, the first snow of the year never ceases to thrill me. The horses were funny this morning, they've seen it before, but like me, they were still wide eyed and enthralled by it.

 

Winter scene.

The cold weather arrived today with a bang. It has been freezing, the ground is rock hard, but it has been so beautiful, the sun making an appearance for the first time in a long time.
I couldn't do anything with the horses but I did take some pics.

Corky and Anky stayed up the field, but Remy and Bonbon had to come down to see what I was doing.

It's snowing as I write.

Schooling Exercises in -Hand

I've just started reading this book by Oliver Hilberger. He describes it as "A 'how to' book for working in-hand". He stresses the importance of in-hand work for suppling and gymnasticising the horse, aiding his development both physically and mentally. My initial impressions are good, it's very easy to read, giving step by step instructions to get you started, and, I think it will help(for me, at least) take the mystery out of in-hand work.
It has lots of photo's (perfect for me :-0 )and I'm looking forward to reading it.
Obviously once I've read it I'll be an expert!!! (sorry, in-joke!!)

Miserable Mardi

Well it's grey and freezing here today, so I thought some nice bright pics would cheer up my blog. Photograpy is a wonderful thing but I'd never get the hang of Photoshop!!!

Une leçon manquée,

J'ai manqué ma leçon française ce matin, donc j'ai décidé de me donner quelques devoirs et écrire encore mon entrée dans le français.
Je viens de lire un livre par Tom Widdicombe, c'est un livre très simple, mais il a un message fort.
Une inquiétude constante pour les chevaux est qu'ils doivent être sûrs, ils sont des créatures d'instinct et leur instinct pour fuir est fort.
C'est l'emploi du dresseur pour fournir un endroit de sécurité, le cheval veut être dans cet endroit et Il peut se reposer et accepter le dresseur comme le chef.
Mes chevaux sont bien comportés et ont de bonnes façons, mais je veux plus, je veux la vraie communication, le respect réciproque et la confiance.
Je veux toujours monter bien et entraîner mes chevaux bien, c'est si important pour moi, mais pas sans un rapport vrai et honnête avec mon cheval.

Vous pouvez corriger mon mauvais français si vous voulez!!:-)

Oh look what I can do!!!

A nice session this morning, I took Anky up to the school in-hand, keeping her attention, lots of halts and backing up, past les sacs jaunes (yellow rubbish bags)that had freaked her out a couple of days before. She was excellent, focussed and although at times a little edgy she kept her attention on me. On my return I had a little session with Remy and Bonbon on the yard. Remy was more focussed today than I've ever seen him, backing at the slightest ask, sideways at a very light touch on the shoulder and staying focussed on me. Bonbon who I've done very little with was quite alarmed to be on the yard, not just going to the field as usual, but being asked to stand quietly at halt, asked to back up and follow, but after a little spook and jump forward , she settled really well.
Feeling quite pleased with myself (hehe) we turned them out, Corky first then Anky, Remy and Bonbon last. A couple of days ago the local farmer had put some fresian cows in the next field and they had been a source of alarm then. Unfortunately today, we'd just put Corky and Anky out when they appeared at the fence - Oooops. We'd just come out of the stables with Bonbon and Remy and were approaching the gate when Anky went a bit loony and galloped down the field with Corky. The youngstes spied the cows and added to the fact that the other two had legged it, it was just too much. Jim had managed to get Bonbon through the gate and into the field but she spun round and he slipped in the mud and fell over, so she legged it after the other two. In what seemed at first like slow motion and then went into fast forward pretty damn quickly Remy lost his usual composure and tried to set off along the barn wall. I was trapped against the wall and before I knew it I was at the end of the lead rope and couldn't hold him. He galloped down the garden and jumped the garden gate into the field, joined the others and they all had a hooney around snorting and rearing. After a few minutes Corky and Anky settled to eat , but Remy and Bonbon were still looking suspiciously towards the cows so I went into the field to retrieve the lead ropes. It was funny as both Remy and Bonbon walked straight up to me obviously wanting reassurance. I got the ropes and checked them out for any injuries and they were fine. So I hope Remy doesn't make a habit of jumping gates, and my next purchase is for 10 foot lead ropes!!

Thur 10th Dec Christmas Do!

It was our horse group christmas do today. Well, I've had more fun putting the rubbish out! Apart from the fact that I had a laugh and a good natter with my friend Bev it was all a bit of a washout. Thanks Bev you do me the world of good!!

Wed 9th Dec -Tom Widdicombe - Be With Your Horse

I've just started reading this book and I have to say I like it a lot. It's so easy to understand, to the point and makes a lot of sense. It gave me the inspiration to work with Anky , Remy and Bonbon today. Very short simple sessions, very quiet requests, getting their attention, asking to back up and standing still! Yes, I feel better already.

Wed 9th Dec -Share Your Flair

Followers of Not Waving but Drowning have been nominated to share 3 random things about themselves, so here goes.

1.I was so nearly Australian. When my mum was pregnant with me, they were well into the process of emigrating to Oz. My dad had a good job lined up, a house to live in and all was set. At the last minute my Mum decided she couldn't leave her Mum and Dad and all her family and wouldn't go. So instead I was born and grew up in North Manchester. :-(
2.The only time I played hookey from school, I went to a concert in Manchester with a friend. We were unlucky enough to find ourselves sitting next to the P.E teacher who took great delight in making is run round the x country course twice in our next p.e lesson. Punishment indeed for two girls who hated sport and were always placed at third deep at rounders.
3. I love Stephen Fry, but not really keen on Hugh Laurie.

If any of my followers want to divulge 3 random things about themselves, please, feel free.

Tuesday 8th Dec. Hmmmm.

A nice sunny day, I took Anky into the school.
Anky was not with me, yet again, she was out there checking out the monsters.
She did some droppings so I decided to dismount and do a little in-hand to try and get her to focus.
I did up the reins and left her to her own devices whilst I cleaned up the droppings, she was up at the gate ignoring me, so I cleared a few leaves from the corner of the school and she stayed down at the gate, keeping her distance from me. Hehe, "please open the gate and let me go back to the yard" she seemed to be saying. Jim arrived at that moment with the dogs, wondering why Anky was standing on her own at the gate. She suddenly set off at a canter and then had a few minutes cantering round, threatening to tip up and skidding into the corner nearest the gate. Jim said " you should catch that horse and I just said "should I?". I just thought it would be better to let her stop in her own time and see if she would come to me. Anyway the distraction of Jim and the dogs seemed to be making her worse so I told him to leave and I waited until she had started to calm and came up to me. I stood very quietly with her for a few minutes, then clipped her up and started to lead her around the school at walk. I stood at her shoulder and asked her to walk on, me taking up a position as in-hand and she walked off purposefully and we did walk halt transitions on both reins for the next few minutes using all the school. She was quite calm as we finished so I remounted and walked her back up the lane home. Not sure what to think of it all really.

Le professeur a dit "dans le français, s'il vous plaît".

J'assiste à une classe de conversation française tous les lundis et à la demande du professeur, aujourd'hui , l'entrée sera dans le français.
Hmmm, c'est difficile pour moi parce que je n'écris jamais dans le français.
Ce matin, malhereusement, je me suis levé très tard (pas si inhabituel pour moi) et je me dépêchais parce que j'étais en retard.
Heureusement, je suis arrivé à la leçon à temps et c'était très intéressant.
À cause de la leçon, je n'ai fait rien avec les chevaux aujourd'hui, mais cet après-midi j'espérais faire un peu de travail dans le jardin, il a certainement besoin de travailler, mais le temps était affreux, il pleuvait durement, j'en ai assez!!

Collective noun for cyclists?

It's weekend so the chasse are out and about. They're not close today as I can only just hear the bangs, but I don't like riding out just in case I come across them, so I took Anky up to the school for a short in hand session.
She was quite edgy and distracted ( that's so NOT a surprise!!) but we did a little lead work and then some lunge work at walk and trot. She was quite full of herself which was good to see, and I really did want to see her moving as she's been well the last week or so and moving about so much better in the field. She was taking a longer stride in the walk and much less tight in her shoulder, and the transitions to trot and then back to walk were so much more fluid. Her physique is better also, she is losing the bloated belly and finally putting on some condition and topline, so, I am very much hoping we're finally getting there!!
I took Remy into the picadero and he was very calm and responsive until a group of cyclists( don't know if there is a collective noun for cyclists, perhaps I should say peloton as I'm in France!!!!) complete with lead car equipped with siren came past. He was quite worried about this, grew to a great height and started pawing and snorting. He then managed two or three revolutions at a lovely cadenced trot interspersed with the most beautiful canter. I let out the line a little and waited quietly until he came to a standstill, stock still, head in the air snorting. When he does something like this I realise what a big boy he is and I felt like a very little me stood on the end of the line. This doesn't worry me however and it was lovely to see him with so much presence, but,obviously I needed to get his attention and have him focus on me, so I walked from the centre of the circle and stood in front of him about 3 metres away (which was the only way I could get his attention without pulling on the headcollar), and asked him to come to me,which he did, so I started leading him around, changes of direction, halts, backing up until he was calm and totally focussed on me. All this was done on a loose line and I was so pleased that he'd refocussed on me so quickly and willingly.

The sun shines (briefly).

I awoke to bright sunshine this morning and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride. Jim said that he would ride Corky, so we groomed, tacked, booted up and set off.
Anky was very forward and although alert she was quite relaxed and for the first time ever she left Corky behind. We went around the small fishing lake and headed back towards home past the stone cutting hut. At this point it's left turn for home and right turn to extend the ride. Anky was on the buckle and I presumed she would turn left towards home, but she turned right (hmmmm) and continued to walk on down the lane. It was quite funny as Corky predictably tried to turn left, she looked very miffed when she had to turn right and you could almost hear her tutting! I don't know why Anky decided not to turn left (she knows the direction for home) but I was really pleased and we continued on for another 10 minutes before heading back.
We were out for about 45 minutes and they seemed fine with their boots.

I've just had a little chat on facebook with my nephew Thomas. He's been a big part of my life since he was born, but now that we've moved to France, of course, I don't get to see him as often as I'd like. He was just a boy when we left the UK -it's his birthday soon and he'll be 15, and he's growing up so fast. I really miss him.

A lovely afternoon.

Went over to see Trudi today.
When a friend tells you that they have pneumonia, it certainly has some impact, so was worried on the drive over. I was very relieved to see her cheery smile when I arrived (antibiotics to the rescue methinks). We chatted all afternoon and I had a lovely time. Thanks Trudi.

Another wet and miserable day.

I'm ashamed to say that I've done nothing with the horses for five days. I could blame the weather and it really hasn't been very agreeable, but, to be honest, I've not had much motivation. Anyway, I'm sure it will return with brighter weather. On a positive note Anky seems to be feeling good at the moment. Yesterday they were all having a good play in the field and she was leading them a merry dance, rearing and spinning, and looking pretty much like a normal healthy horse (touching wood).

After our breakthrough with Tiger we didn't see him for 24 hours and thought we might have scared him off. But,I think, having thought it over, he's decided he's onto a good thing and he's back twice as friendly and spent last evening cuddled up on the sofa with me.
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Tiger in the house.

I just had to blog this. Our lodger in the barn is at this moment sitting on our sofa. He's been hanging around since April and we've been feeding him in the barn. When he first came he was dirty and skinny, but he's now a very beautiful healthy boy. He's been appearing on the window sill for a few weeks, just looking in, and a few days ago he allowed me to stroke him whilst I fed him some ham ( I know, it's only cupboard love, but I really do think he wants to be part of the family. I don't know what's happened to him in the past, he's very wary). Since then he's been back every night and about half an hour ago, as I was stroking him I picked him up and brought him in. It took him a few minutes to settle but he's now lying on the sofa watching the tv.

A couple of hours later.........

Riding Anky

For some reason yesterday I really wanted to ride Anky.  Hmmmm, why?
Perhaps because she's looked really well the last week and , well, I just wanted to ride her.
Anyway tacked and booted we set off. We managed to get to the corner of the field near the wood before she said, NO I aint going. Had to get off and lead, she was nervous and distracted as usual. I walked her across the road into the wood by the lake and round to the stone cutters hut. I then spent 15 minutes getting her to stand so that I could remount in order to ride her back the way we'd come. She was edgy but forward on the return journey and had relaxed a little by the time we returned home.
It was misty and damp this morning, but I wanted to take Anky out again, so we set off, the same route as yesterday. She set off at a trot up the yard as if to say 'ok, then, let's get it over with'. She remained forward the whole ride, looking left and right for the monsters, but forward and willing. We did the circuit of the lake and returned home pretty chilled. Despite the miserable weather, I felt like the sun was shining on us!!

A day indoors

I've been a bit fed up today as I wasn't able to do anything with the horses. I cheered myself up by playing my sax and messing with my new recording setup (ahem, it still needs tweaking!).
A few days ago I accidently deleted my pictures folder from my computer, so thought it would be a good time to transfer the back-ups from disc. Anyway here are a few pics that I liked.

Happy Riding but Sad Boot Day

I'm happily typing on my newly restored laptop. Everything is right with the world,the sun is shining again today, I've had a lovely ride with Corky all on the buckle and very relaxed.
The only fly in the ointment is that I finally had to make myself throw my riding/yard (extremely comfortable and well loved) boots in the bin. It sounds trivial and I suppose it is, but I really liked those boots! My new boots that have been sitting in their box for the last six months waiting their turn are now freshly oiled and looking forward to a long and active life!!

We had the same performance at the gateway today. They all went down and stood looking pathetically at it. Except Bonbon of course, she has it all worked out. She carefully checked out the ground and walked calmly through. The other three stood looking from the other side as I fed her an apple. It took Corky and Anky a couple of minutes before they decided they would risk it, which left Remy standing alone and pitiful. I went into the field and stood on the other side of the gateway and asked him to come to me, which he did, so I was pleased that he placed his trust in me, but I don't know how long it's going to be before he's comfortable enough to come through on his own. The funny thing is that he'll come through from the other direction.
Superhorse Remy!!!!

Finally, welcome to geekyandnerdy thanks for joining us.

A beautiful day with Happy Feet.

After my post yesterday, Gareth (barefoot trimmer) phoned to say that, if convenient, he would call to trim the horses in the afternoon. He arrived shortly after 1pm and set to work straight away. He was happy with all four, especially Corky who has very flat feet, but is doing much better than we expected. Considering that Corky and Anky only had their shoes removed 7 weeks ago, both are doing well and are already showing improvement. He thinks the two youngsters both have excellent feet and should have very few problems remaining barefoot. So I'm a happy bunny.

This morning was bright and sunny, but with quite a blustery wind. I went for a ride on Corky which I think I enjoyed more than she did. The fact that I turned up with tack for the second day running didn't go down very well. I'm sure she'll get into the routine though, she does make me laugh.
I thought I'd make the most of the wind and take Remy out for a walk. We haven't been out in the wind before and I wanted to see how he'd behave. I took him up through the field to the school, around the school, over the trotting poles and then down the little green lane between our fields. He knows that there's an apple tree there and was quite happy to go check it out.

We have electric fencing on the fields and a couple of days ago we had a short in one of the gateways (the wire is underground, but must have broken somehow).They must have all felt it as they wouldn't go through. It's been really interesting to see how the horses dealt with it after it was fixed.
On the several occasions that they've gone through since, Bonbon has been the first to check it out, very sensibly putting her nose close to the ground to see if she could feel it and then quite calmly walking through. Having watched her , Anky first, followed by Corky, would then canter through quickly. Remy, on the other hand, has just stood and refused to go through, not panicking, but just not willing to risk it. Jim said that there was a large hoof print just over where the wire was broken and perhaps it was Remy who got the worst of the shock, I don't know, perhaps he's just a wuss.

Leading him back to the yard this morning I brought him through the gateway and he was still a little hesitant, but he came through when I asked, I'm fure he'll get over it.

My laptop is back from the repair man after having a new hard drive installed, so now I'm off to re-install all my 'stuff'.

Aaaaaah, that's more like it.

I've just come in from a lovely ride on Corky, just a short ride as she has to get used to her new boots. Not wishing to be a drama queen, but the feeling I got as I sank my backside into the saddle was, marvelous, darling!!!!!
It's a beautiful day, warm and sunny,so when I returned from my ride,I took Remy for a walk, just me and him up the lane, through the field towards the wood. I expected him to be calm, curious and perhaps a little bit hesitant at times and he was just that, but mainly he was calm, relaxed and despite being distracted by "new things" he was still focussed on me.

Weird but strangely compelling..........

Omar Khayyam and times past......

“The moving finger writes; and having writ, moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line nor all thy tears wash out a word of it"

I came across this today, like a blast from the past. 
The  Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam    was shown to me by my aunt and uncle when I was a kid and this quote was on the cover.  I remember it still, I don't know why it made such an impression, but it always reminds me of them. They supported me so much when I was a kid and still do. I had lots of fun with my aunt. I'd like to see more of them, but being in France doesn't make it easy.  I miss them.
Love ya Joan and Rod.

A difficult day. I groomed Anky, spent some time in the stable with her. It felt good just to be with her. I mounted in the yard and she immediately hung onto the bit and refused to turn up towards the gate. She does this, she doesn't want to go out. I sat patiently waited for her to relax, asked again, eventually she softened and we turned towards the gate. She stopped again and I sat and waited patiently until she relaxed, asked again and walked up to the gate. It wasn't a day for hacking out, I've not ridden for 2 weeks and getting on and off to lead her if she was worried wasn't an option, so I took her up to the school. It was a little blustery, but not too bad and the sun was fighting it's way through the clouds. I was so happy just to be onboard. My intention was to walk her around on a loose rein, large circles and changes of direction, asking her to look in the direction she was walking, hoping to create a soft relaxed bend and a little stretching down. She was distracted, which wasn't unexpected, she's always distracted. We continued, Anky eyeing with distrust the little wood at the top of the school. We continued, asking on the inside rein lightly for a little softness, trying to keep large circles, soft to the inside leg and turning from my body. She had one big spook, which is not really a problem, but of course, she then loses the little focus and attention that we had. We continued calmly (me not Anky), I felt very calm, but I also felt a growing sense of futility. She stopped at one point to deposit a large, wet dropping, which contained a glistening mess of something that looked suspiciously like intestinal lining. Not a lot, but, today, the fact that it was there was enough to crumble my world.

It's not a matter of confidence,or having too high expectations, Anky doesn't test my confidence and my expectations are never high, but she certainly tests my patience. I don't know if it's a matter of me having more patience, or a lack of moral fibre, I just don't have the resolve to carry on with it. I made a decision, there and then, I'm not going to ride her, it's not what I want. I feel like I'm giving in, I feel ashamed, I feel saddened by my decision. I want to ride, I don't want to plead, cajole, argue ( I try NOT to argue with her),worry about her health, etc, etc, etc. There's too much emotion involved with her.
So, if I want to ride I'll ride Corky. She isn't the horse I want to ride, but she's willing and she meets me half way. I can take her out and hopefully, I'll get myself fitter, get her fitter and healthier, she certainly needs it, and perhaps try to gather together my thoughts.

It seems like ages.....

....since I've ridden, hoping to ride tomorrow.

A visit from the vet.

The Uk vet that has been giving me help and advice about Anky is over on a 3 day visit. He's here to liaise with one of our local French vets, seeing a few horses and giving a talk to our horse group, which is always very interesting and informative.
Yesterday he came to see Anky, we chatted about her progress, he examined her and seemed to think that we'd turned a corner and she's well down the road to recovery. I hope he's right. He said she felt supple over her back which bodes well for when I start riding her again. Her droppings are still very heavy and very acidic, it's obvious she's not absorbing the nutrients as efficiently as she should be and her droppings are too wet. We feed her alfalfa nuts ,as, apart from being a good high fibre feed,  it is also a good buffer for stomach acid.  He did say, however, that some horses can't tolerate alfalfa and having examined her droppings he felt that this may be the case here.  I've already done quite a lot of investigation with a view to changing her feed regime to something which would help her in the long term. I'm now in the process of changing her feed and some is on order,hopefully to reach us in the next week or so. Rob agreed that in his opinion the new feed would be good for her. It has a blend of fibres, proven to extend eating time , to slow gastric emptying and deliver balanced hind gut fermentation, maximising digestive health. So, I'll go with that.
I'll have a look in the ether for intolerance to alfalfa, see if I can get any more info.
He had a quick look at Remy and thought that he had a lot of growing to do. Hmmm, he's done so much growing in the last 6 months, he can't possibly be that strong. He agreed that I should do very little with him this year, perhaps back him, but , just back him and then leave him until next summer. That's what I intended to do anyway, no riding until he's 4. So we'll continue to do the walking out and in-hand in the school.
He said that Bonbon is a lovely filly, (what!!!) no, really he thinks she'll turn into a lovely horse ( we knew that anyway :-)). I told him we bred for a medium sized, compact horse and as we already know, he said we'd failed in that respect!! ( she's 16.2h at 2 yrs)We've bred a heffalump. So, a reassuring day, positive feeling for Anky and looking forward to getting back on.

One True Friend - the music says it all.

I've had quite a nostalgic day looking through pics and playing my sax. Obviously nothing better to do with my time.

Hmmmmm - so self indulgent.

I've not been too well this week so a big thank-you to my friends that have visited and tried to get some sense out of me :-) I'm trying to be cheerful - honest!!

Anky back in the school and Remy tries out the saddle.

Anky in the school this morning, first time for a while. She was pretty calm, if a little lacklustre and inattentive, but not tense and softer into my hand than the last time we did any schooling. I was tired this morning and a little lacklustre myself so we worked on walk halt transitions and added a little reinback towards the end of the session. So, not too bad a session, lots to work on. If she continues to improve healthwise, we can only get better.
Put the saddle on Rem for the first time and did a little in hand with him. He didn't bother at all. Next time I'll take him in the school and lunge him with it on. He's walking on and halting quite nicely now with me walking at the girth.

,kbjgsdr.n

Rode Anky out again. She was very jumpy, not naughty, just edgy, frightened of her own shadow.
We did the same ride as yesterday, and she didn't refuse to go, just looked and shied at everything.
She seemed fine when she came in, ate her breakfast and then started on her hay, so I'm sure she was feeling ok. Just one of those days then.
She had started to calm a little by the time we got halfway round and came back much calmer than she went out.
A short session with Remy in hand, concentrating on the walk and halt and him keeping out of my space!

Hee hee!!! :-)

Another beautiful morning, sunny and warm.
I took Anky out again and it was great! A couple of hesitant moments, but that was all. She felt soft and forward going. She was alert, but not tense. The ride only took us about 35 minutes, farther than yesterday, around the little lake, past the stone cutters building and back down the lane. I was smiling all the way round. Hee hee!!!
Corky was ready booted when we returned ( Jim's really getting the hang of the boots now)so we went off for our walk with Remy.
He was a little hesitant this morning, but followed calmly, investigating everything as usual.Our neighbour was in her garden as we passed, so we stopped to have a little chat and to introduce her to Remy , then further down the track towards the little wood. This is where the electric fence is and the last thing I want is for Remy to touch it. Remy and I have been taking the lead on our walks, but just to be safe Jim and Corky went on the side nearest the fence and we walked down the track side by side. Unfortunately I forgot about the silage bales on the other side of the hedge which suddenly came into view! Remy was worried by them and his little eyes came out on stalks, he didn't do anything silly but backed away a little - towards the fence. I asked him to stand and he calmed so we walked on a few more yards before turning back towards home. I love the way he deals with new things, no over reacting, just calmly accepting and trusting that he's perfectly safe. Another big smile on my face!

I'm off to see a friend this morning who's recovering from a broken leg - Ouch!!! , I haven't seen her for a while and I know she's been doing a lot with her youngster, so I reckon we'll be chatting for ages about the progress of our gorgeous horses!

A Beautiful Morning

The sun was shining and I was over my hangover - totally NOT my fault, forced to over-indulge on a day out at Trudis'.
No, seriously, thanks for a lovely time Trudi!

I took Anky out for a ride (oh it does feel good to write that) down the track. She stopped a few times, but nothing we couldn't handle and we made our way across the road and into the wood by the lake. This was further than we've been before on a solo ride, around the lake and back towards home. Trudi took some pics of me riding Moo with the Torsion and I really didn't like the position it was putting me in, so I rode her in the Trekker which felt ok,more comfortable than I remember, and, I think, allowed me to sit in a better position. I like the treeless saddles, you really can feel their backs moving and I like the feeling of being more connected, but I've got to make sure that when I buy one, I get the model that's right for us.
We returned home, happy and (Anky, quite) relaxed!

We then took Remy and Corky for their walks, this time in the other direction, up the lane, past the very noisy dogs and up the track to the school, where I introduced Remy to my newly acquired trotting poles. We'd stacked them up against the fence in the corner of the school, so we checked them out and then I dragged a couple to the centre of the school. As I dragged them, he just followed me on the line. We then walked over them a couple of times each way.No problems, he's a very good boy. We came back to the yard through the field and the garden, where he really spooked as a blackbird flew up from the barn. But then, he just stood still at my side, no bother, no worries. We walked round to the stables and on the way he poked his nose at the lid of the water container - he likes to stop for a drink.
He trusts me. What a wonderful feeling that is!!!
My two stars.

I think therefore........

This might just happen to me!!

Necks, Lies and Videotape

Just to keep up the momentum, here's another link to further information on the recent Blue Tongue scandal.
http://epona.tv/uk/news/show/artikel/blue-tongues-at-world-cup-qualifier

A ride out! Remy walks out again.

The title says it all. I rode Anky down the lane, onto the track, through the wood, across the road and all the way back again :-) 30 minute ride, didn't have to dismount and while I can't say she was relaxed exactly, she was forward, alert and responsive.
The boots don't seem to be affecting her at all.
Again, on our return, Corky was booted up so we went for our second walk with Remy. Just a little further this time, lots of new things to see and I think he enjoyed himself - he's very curious!! He sniffed and huffed at lots of things, but was really quite happy with the whole process. Another good day.

Aaaagh

Trudi posted this on her blog, it is obsene, but in the interests of getting it out there for people to see I'm putting it here also. Not sure how many people will see it here but it's on my facebook page aswell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hIXGiV4N4k

http://epona.tv/uk/news/show/artikel/blue-tongues-at-world-cup-qualifier/

Gerhard Heuschmann has written a brilliant book and made an excellent vid, here is an excerpt from it.

If only more people would listen.
See more links here

A ride out - of sorts and Remy walks out.

I decided I had to ride today. I have to start getting Anky out- 1. for practical reasons, she has to get used to the boots and 2, for the sake of my sanity, I must ride!
So, boots on, we set off. Anky decided she wasn't going anywhere without Corky from the start, but after a little persuasion and, rather ungenerously, we made it onto the track and towards the little wood. It's only five minutes, but by the time we reached the electric fence just before the wood she was backing off and, with the thought of her backing into the fence, I got off. I'd taken a long rope with me and put her bridle over her headcollar, so I clipped the rope to the headcollar and started to lead her. She wasn't very happy and kept trotting ahead, but when she does this I just make a little circle to reclaim my leading position and carry on. After a few minutes she settled and followed calmly. I continued to lead for another few minutes and then, with the help of a convenient log, I got back on and rode her home. She was very calm going home and felt quite relaxed in her back with a good stride. I rode her in the Torsion saddle and I'm beginning to like it more and more. The really positive thing about today was that I now know that I can get her out on a ride and if we have a problem I can lead her until she settles and I can remount.
I feel that if I do this often enough she will gain enough trust in me not to worry when we ride out alone.
While I was out with Anky, Jim had been wrestling with the Old Macs, so when I returned he had Corky booted up and we went for a walk down the lane with Remy. This was his first ever walk out and as expected, he was absolutely fine. I think it helped having Corky with us, but we took the lead and he was quite happy to follow me, investigating this new world outside the gates! A very good boy.

Pretty Chilled........

how I feel today. I'm off to play my sax.

What makes riding so..........

These are not my words, but they do sum up what I feel about riding and why it is so difficult to do well - I thought I'd post them here.

"What makes riding so interesting and addictive is that it is a lot of things. It is a craft. It is an art. It is a sport. It is also a science. In some ways it is simply applied physics. It has parallels with the practice of medicine. It is a healing art in the sense of physical therapy. It is applied psychology. It also has an intuitive, psychic side that must not be underestimated. It has things in common with yoga, pilates, dance, and music. These different aspects draw different types of people, and in order to go to the top and fulfill one's potential, the rider has to try and become as competent as possible in all these areas. Nobody can possibly master them all, which is why especially the truly great riders always emphasize that it takes more than one lifetime to master dressage.
Focusing on one aspect to the exclusion of the others lets the rider fall short of his or her potential. Somebody who sees riding exclusively as a sport and wants nothing to do with the other aspects will always remain on the surface. Somebody who sees it only as an art and does not take the technical, craftsmanship side or the athletic side seriously, will be held back by these shortcomings. Someone who gets too wrapped up in the physics and technique and never develops feel and intuition, will not get very far, either, etc. The best riders I have met all combined a fairly high competence level in most of these areas. They were all fit and athletic, highly intuitive, with an excellent understanding of psychology, biomechanics and conformation, and they had spent their entire lifetime practicing the craftsmanship side until it had become second nature, so that they were able to transcend technique and leave the text book path behind when necessary in order to find a practical solution to a problem through the application of intuition and artistic creativity."

Diane - trawling the internet and fed up because she couldn't ride today.

Où est le maréchal ferrant ?

I have gained a deep hatred for Old Macs!
Ankys' boots are very easy to use and this morning they went on with no problems, but Corkys', as I charmingly put in my last post (sorry about that) are a nightmare. I'm over reacting, I know and I'm sure they'll get easier, but shoes seemed like a very good idea this morning.
We did eventually get out for a short ride, about 20 minutes as we need to go easy until they get used to the boots, but actually they didn't seem to have any problem with them.
We met our neighbour coming back and he was telling us about the wine he's just made from his small plot of vines. This evening he came round with a few bottles, a lovely gesture which made us both feel good.

Fitting the Hoof Boots!!

We decided to try the hoof boots today, which meant cutting the pads to size and putting them in before we could use them. Jim did a good job of cutting the pads and putting them in the boots and I cleaned the hooves off and tried on the snazzy little pastern wraps which supposedly stop any rubbing.

We tried Ankys first and my initial thoughts were that they looked very big and clumsy, although after her first few steps, Anky didn't seem to mind them at all.



The pads are very thick, too thick I thought for the boots, but after walking her around for ten minutes, they have compressed and look ok.


I'd heard that the original Old Macs were a bit of a pain to use and after today I have to wholeheartedly agree. Ok, my energy levels are not very high at the moment and my patience level is about the same, but in the words of Catherine Tate "what a f***ing liberty!! Corky was acting like an aging diva and the boots wouldn't go on properly, but eventually we got the wraps on (not actually wraps but pull on, not like the cavallo ones which are a much easier wrap around design and secured with velcro) and the boots fitted, the inside strap tightened, the outside velcro tightened and eventually the back buckle buckled!! They looked even more clumsy than the Cavallos, like a cross between carpet slippers and wellies, but Corky didn't seem to mind.
So, even if we'd wanted to ride I wouldn't have had the energy. I can't believe it took so much effort to fit a couple of pairs of horse boots, but at least we're ready for our ride tomorrow!!


Anky stood very patiently, even if she did have her eyebrows raised!!


Final word goes to JENSEN BUTTON, Formula 1 World Champion!!

It's two weeks since I've ridden Anky. Today I rode her up to the school. She was full of energy going down the lane, but quite relaxed when we got into the school. I only walked her around and introduced her to the trotting poles that we bought yesterday. I really miss not riding and I enjoyed it immensely. My friend has lent me the Torsion treeless saddle that I tested here and I like it very much, the pommel is much better placed and doesn't interfere with my legs. I think if I buy a treeless, I may go for the Barefoot Lexington which is a similar design but a dressage model.

On the way out of the school I popped over the jumps shown in my last post...............I wish!!!!

The frost is doing a good job of finishing off our veggy plot. Most of the plants are now dying off so Jim harvested the rest of the pumpkins and squash. He picked the last of the tomatoes, most of which were green, so hopefully we'll have chutney. The only plants doing ok are the choux fourrager (like spring cabbage) which will withstand anything and will still be going strong into next summer!!

I'm being optimistic!!

Our horses stayed in last night. Surprisingly it wasn't my decision. Jim came back from putting them out to say that he wasn't putting them out as it was too cold!!
We've sorted the rugs out today and just have to try them for size!! Anky could fill a shop with her rugs, being the smallest she has lots of cast offs from Remy and Bonbon, I just hope we have a sufficient number of rugs big enough for our growing youngsters.
We've been after some trotting poles for a while and today we went to collect half a dozen from a friend. She also had 3 pairs of small jump wings so we bought those. Talk about being optimistic, my jumping days are long over, but you never know!!