Boots and Pads and Rugs for Winter.

The hoof boots and pads that I ordered arrived today. The pads recommended by the trimmer are VERY thick. I hope that they compress easily otherwise the boots won't go on properly. I gave Anky a good grooming today, she was glad to see me (well, she was glad to see my treat pocket!!) They're all getting pretty hairy now, except Bonbon who, just like her mum, never gets a thick winter coat. Hopefully, I'll be able to cut the pads to fit tomorrow and try the boots for size. The Old Macs are very fiddly, I can understand why people look at other models, but unfortunately these are the only ones recommended for Corky type feet(wider than long).
Time to dig out the winter rugs also. so I may do that tomorrow. Both Bonbon and Remy have grown such a lot since last year, I hope we have rugs to fit them.

Im typing this on my spare laptop as my sterling efforts to fix my other laptop have ended in failure. I hate to admit it but I may have to call the techy guy. We are very, very sad folk in this house, we have a total of 4 computers between the two of us. Well, that's not entirely true, because Jim only has one and I won't let him anywhere near mine!!

Sigh

Another sitting around day and my laptop has gone on the blink!! How will I cope!!

Kick up your Heels Guys!

I had a good day today when Trudi came over for a visit. It really cheered me up, thanks Trudi. An added bonus was that we got to see the horses in the field, playing and kicking up their heels and Anky looked full of energy and life.
It's a bit nippy tonight and I'm wondering if the horses need their rugs. Oh dear, winter's on its way. We've had a stray cat in the barn for a few months now, we've called him Tiger and he's lovely, we feed him every day. He nearly came through the kitchen window tonight - bribery is a powerful tool! Isn't he beautiful!

IDK

The view from my terrace.

This was today, we'd had cloud all morning and the sun was just starting to appear. The dogs had decided to get out of their beds and have a play in the garden.



This is the view down the garden and fields

And in our front field Remy (who seems to have got very hairy almost overnight) is watching me watching him


My horses doing what they do best.

Bitless Dressage

Still mulling over bitless I came across this vid. It happens to be the same person shown here
I presume that the horse was trained to this level with a bit.

It's interesting to compare the two vids.

I want to be here........

.......stick me in the corner with a large brandy!!

Wow!!

Wow indeed!!

Bitted - Bitless?

With nothing to do but sit on my **se and be grumpy, i've been mulling over Trudis' recent threads on bitless.
I've no doubt many people ride their horses this way with varying degrees of success, but having done many searches for videos of collected riding bitless, I've come up with very few examples.
This guy crops up quite a lot,I don't know anything about him, but he seems to be quite controversial.

I know Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling rides some of his horses in collection, bitless, but I don't know if they were trained bitless as it seems he feels the need to also ride with a bit.

It's a very thought provoking subject and I will be following Trudis' findings with interest. With a youngster ready to start I feel that I owe it to him to go there and investigate, but I have to admit that I'm pretty scared to do that as it may turn my thoughts on bitting completely upside down!!

Hoof Boots

Anky's hoof boots have arrived sooner than expected thanks to a fellow barefoot horse owner. Unfortunately pads are also needed inside the boots as a temporary measure during the transitionary period and these haven't arrived yet. I'll try them tomorrow for size but won't be able to use them until the pads arrive. They're the Cavallo make, Anky's are the snazzy red white and blue version, UK flag!!

No, I'm only joking, they're just the plain black version!!

Corky needs the Old Mac G1's as these are the only ones suitable for her slightly wider than long feet!!

Voca People

I like this.

Feet!!

The barefoot trimmer arrived at 8.30 this morning and left at 1.30pm.
He was very thorough, took the shoes off Corky and Anky very carefully and trimmed and measured them so that I can order boots and pads to protect their feet during the transition phase.
Corky has always had flat feet, we got her when she was eleven and her feet have never really changed. Every farrier has said the same, her heels are very low and her soles are very flat. And as the trimmer pointed out, years of shoeing hasn't helped. So we are optimistic that slowly the angle of her feet will improve and her heels will grow.






Anky has very good feet and has only been shod for a couple of years, but the trimmer noted how her toe had been left too long and the heels were becoming underrun(sp), he's quite confident though that in the long term she will have great feet and will be able to be ridden without boots.






Remy and Bonbon have good feet and should be fine to go without shoes in the future, although Bonbon has a couple of cracks on one hoof which I've queried with the farrier the last three trimmings, he told me not to worry about it, but neglected to tell me that she had a fungal infection inside the cracks. Although not serious this does need to be treated. This is going to be a slow process for Anky and Corky, but I'm sure it's a step in the right direction.

We also chatted about making their environment a better place for conditioning the feet, for example putting in an area of concrete which helps with wear, perhaps where they come up for water and an area of pea gravel which , in effect smoothes and polishes their feet. Of course there is only so much we can do to try and emulate their natural environment but I think we will give it a go.

A good day

Our appointment today with the new barefoot trimmer was postponed until tomorrow ( now that is a surprise!) so I went for a hack on Anky with Jim and Corky. She was a really good girl and I made the most of it as once her feet are trimmed we won't be hacking out until I can get her some boots.
I took Remy in the school and we had a short lungeing session,just a few minutes each rein at walk. He was very calm and although it's very early work he's starting to get it.
Jim took this little video for me ( and, no, our arena is not really that slopey).

God, I can talk!!

Too tired tonight, but will post tomorrow, just wanted to say that I had a lovely day today over at Trudis, but I think I talked her head off!!

Treeless V Bates Isabel

It was interesting today because I rode out on Anky using my dressage saddle ( Bates Isabel) which I like very much. Compared with the treeless, it is much more comfortable and feels more natural, but of course, I haven't had time to get used to the treeless. What I noticed immediately though was the lack of feeling of the movement through the back compared with the treeless. I can't be sure, but I think Anky moves better in the treeless. Anyway, she was a good girl and we went off down a new track and she took it in her stride.
I took Remy up to the school for a lungeing session and he was a little on edge and spooked a couple of times. What I like is that if I stand still and ask him to stand he does and he calms down very quickly. We had a little walk and trot on both reins and finished on a good note, he was very calm and responsive going back to the yard following on a loose line, halting and walking on as I halted and walked on. He's really funny, we've just installed some large water containers and after checking them out initially, now when we pass them he stops and pushes the lid with his nose because he wants a drink.

Back to Hacking

Hacked Anky out today with Jim riding Corky. We had a lovely ride, Anky started out a little sticky but soon relaxed and started to stretch. She feels very nice when she's forward and relaxed.I've noticed a gradual, but real change in her movement since starting the treatment for her ulcers. She is far less braced and she is softer in her mouth. The flexion work is easier.
Lunged Remy again, he was very well behaved and attentive, I'm so proud of him.

Arranged an appointment with a barefoot trimmer for Friday so I'll have to start researching the various types of boot available. Corky has very flat feet and was a little footy when barefoot (whilst in foal) , but I'm hoping with the skills of a good trimmer and boots and pads where necessary, she'll manage. As long as she's sound in the field we can cater for her when being ridden.

Anky on the loose.

I took Anky up to the school today intending to lunge her lightly and perhaps a little in-hand work. Once up there I decided to unclip her and perhaps we could do a little free schooling, I really wanted to see her moving without the restrictions of the lunge line. She started off by following me around and I walked towards the bottom end of the school. Half way down she stopped and wouldn't follow me further, in fact she turned and walked back to the gate and just stood there looking over the field. I walked towards her, meaning to move her away, but before I got up to her she trotted over to the corner and stayed looking down the field towards the stables. I left her for about a minute then started to walk towards her, before I could reach her,she gave a half buck and set off up the school in canter. She's obviously feeling more energetic than she was, which is good, but I don't think that this was carefree play, she was suddenly a little apprehensive about being there and as she cantered around, skidding into the corners and turning sharply I was a little concerned that she may hurt herself. It wasn't panic, but she certainly wasn't happy. I stayed very still, off the track towards the centre of the school and at one point she came to a halt and I thought she'd collected herself, but she set off again at full blast. I talked to her calmly, but if she was listening,she paid no attention to it. Then, I clicked a couple of times and she immediately trotted up to me and halted directly in front of me. She was blowing and very alert, but she stayed with me at halt and I gave her a treat, standing still until she started to calm, then I clipped her up and we did some leading at walk until her breathing returned to normal. I'm not sure what it was all about, but it does prove what a powerful tool the clicker training is.
Todays episode has given me a little more confidence in the fact that she may be healing and I've decided to continue with the hacking out in company interspersed with lungeing and in-hand work. I'm also going to hack out alone and I'll take one of our long ropes with me so that if she gets anxious I can dismount and lead her for a while. That way I can get her out on the tracks and further afield.

I took Remy out into the garden and lunged at walk on both reins, followed by a walk over to say hello to the neighbours who are here on holiday.

This afternoon I watched the Brits win the Team and Individual Gold Medals in the European Eventing Championships and Lewis Hamilton winning the Singapore Grand Prix. Go Brits!!! I am waving my flag!!!

Square Eyes...

.....today, watching the European Eventing cross-country day on the tv.
Great Britian, best in Europe and arguably the best in the world. If I had a flag I would wave it. LOL
Feel a bit lazy having done nothing with the horses, but hey.

Spent the rest of the time preparing my glitchy laptop for a format and reinstall. Ughhh, I hate it when things don't work as they should. luckily, I've got a spare.

Treeless Try Out

I'm trying to find a suitable treeless saddle for Remy and today we had a meet up to try several to give me an idea of fit for both Remy and myself.
Unfortunately,one of the girls couldn't make it so we didn't get to try her Heather Moffatt, but all in all it was a very informative afternoon.
So in the line-up we had from left to right Barefoot Cherokee,Trekker Talent II( mine), Bob Marshall Endurance and Torsion GP.



I rode in mine first of all ( Trekker), to clarify my position firstly ( I was worried that I may be sitting too far back) and also to confirm the fit on Anky.





We'd already established that the saddle wasn't really right for Remy, although his withers are high, he is quite wide and the saddle looked like it would put too much pressure on his wither ( in effect, the pommel area wasn't wide enough). However it fits Anky quite well and even though it has memory foam panels to give spine clearance,I think, with the addition of a designated treeless pad it would be even better. The blurb for this saddle says that it gives a true bareback feel with the security of a saddle and I have to agree. Of the four saddles I tried today, this one felt the widest, but having established that when I felt comfortable I wasn't sitting too far back, I think I could really get to like it.

I tried the Barefoot Cherokee next.





The first thing that struck me about this saddle was that it was very comfortable, but I did feel higher up off her back. The pommel at the front wasn't as much of an issue for me as on the Trekker and when we tried it on Remy it seemed to sit much better.
It doesn't have panels underneath so must be used with a padded treeless numnah or saddlepad and has D Ring attachments for the stirrups so should be used with safety stirrups or a barnes buckle release system.

Next was the Torsion GP





This was definately the most flexible of the saddles and gave the definate impression that it would fit most horses with no problems and it was a good fit on Remy. Like the barefoot, it needs a designated numnah and also has D ring stirrup attachments. I liked it very much. Anky seemed to like it too. We all noticed that she started to stretch down and relax ( may be coincidental , I don't know). Gill who owns this saddle and the next one,the Bob Marshall, told me of the Treefree make of saddle which is a copy of the Torsion with some improvements, including T bar stirrup attachments, so I will check that out on the web.

The last saddle is the Bob Marshall endurance.





For some reason we forgot to take a pic without a rider, but there's a pic of this saddle at the link below. Also the stirrups were a little short so I've taken a pic without stirrups.
This is the most expensive of the four and the quality is excellent. It seemed to sit perfectly on Anky and was very comforable. Like the previous two saddles, it needs a designated pad and has d ring stirrup attachments. It has very short flaps so gives a close contact feel for the leg. I also liked this saddle very much.


So, to conclude, I feel that I would be happy with any of them. Having looked at the pics I'm not so sure about heel/hip alignment,whether that's the saddle or me, but I know that the Trekker, Torsion and Barefoot saddles have a dressage version. By choice, at this moment I would go for the Torsion, it is the most flexible and I think, most suitable for Remy, although I think the Barefoot would be fine also.


Trekker Saddles

Barefoot Saddles

Torsion Saddles

Bob Marshall Saddles

We had a lovely afternoon and I have to say that Anky was very patient. We finished off with the obligatory eats, drinks and chat.

Stress-free?

Yesterday was a frustrating day. I decided to ride out alone with Anky as Jim was busy. I didn't know what to expect, but she was quite perky, obviously a little apprehensive without Corky but we started out and she felt relatively forward and willing. We got as far as the bend in the lane going into the wood ( 10 minutes out) when she stopped dead and immediately spun round and legged it back towards home. It took me completely by surprise, she's never been quite as spooked before. I managed to stop her (kudos to the treeless, it was very secure), after about 50 yds, luckily without touching the electric fence at the side of the track. It didn't worry me, but we are supposed to be having stress-free ( for Anky) hacks. After halting I turned her back, away from home and asked her to walk on. She walked forward about 30 ys and then stopped again, obviously looking for whatever was lurking round the bend. Our stress free ride wasn't going to happen so I dismounted and led her quietly and calmly down the track for a few hundred yards until she started to calm down, then turned around and headed for home. She was still a little apprehensive when we got back to the yard. I wasn't angry at Anky, but I am very frustrated with the situation.

I'm not sure what to do with her. Yesterday, I thought I'd just stop doing anything with her and let her recover, let her be a field orament. Or is exercise going to actively help her improve? Knowing she's not fully well is really colouring my judgement when I'm riding her and I'm not sure this exercise regime is really going to help her get well. Should I just continue with the lungeing and in-hand and leave the hacking out? Or only hack out in company and take her in the school the other times? God only knows, - at the moment, I don't.

I left her this morning and took Remy up to the school. He's not been up there for a few weeks and he was a little distracted, looking at things. He was a good boy though and I lunged him lightly on both reins followed by a little walk down the track to our apple tree.......

Back in the stables, I tried my new treeless on Rem again, we're having our treeless try out tomorrow, a few friends are bringing their gear for me to try so he's going to get a lot of attention.
I did the same again with Bonbon, five minutes in the stable, oh she is a lovely little girl.