As we are all gearing up and getting excited for the show on Sunday. I thought to just put a few funny and weird things about the horses. This is just a fun thing and I would love to hear everybodies comments on what their horses do as this just adds to the mystique around these smart and astonishing createrures we take on as companions and best friends.

As most of you know, I have become like a foster mother to Mici or Dynamic. Over the past few months we have been working together I have gotten to know this big teddy bear better and better.

By spending time with him I have discovered many things about him and myself and the bond we have come to share in the few months we have been working together.

Mici is a big fan of his grass. You can tae his food and water away, just as long as he has his teff net filled with grass he is the happiest horse alive. Thus whenever you come by the yard and he his in his stable, chances are that he has his head stuck in the corner with a mouth full off grass.

He knows his name and my voice very well, so once I arive, I just call him and the head will pop up for a few seconds, grass haning out the mouth and then he carries on eating. This is all good, until we need to tack up. Once the bit is in the mouth, no more grass is allowed. Intially, this was a bit of a struggle, but he has gotten more use to it now, although he still sometimes get that naughty boy look in his I and tries for a bite when he thinks that I am not looking and when I catch him out he seems very upset with himself that he got caught.

Now that we have gotten used to leaving the grass alone once the reins are over the neck, his latest trick has started. Even before I can get the bit in, we have to drink water and not just a sip of water, no, no. We drink as if it’s the last water we will ever get. So I have to stand there patiently and wait for him to finish before I can fully start tacking up. This water drinking session takes so long that I can make 3 plaits at the bottom of his main, so my hands don’t get caught in at and even do his forelock, which ticlkles his face. Once he finally decides he is done, we can carry on the tacking up. Since this started what usually took me 10 minutes to do has now been extended to a 20 minute excersise.

After riding, we sometimes go for a walk on the halter to cool down. As most of the other horses at the yard love their roll in the sand arena, I decided to take him for a treat one day and let him have a roll, but he blankly refused to roll. This is the day I descovered that he would much rather happily follow me around, without a lead rein, than have a roll in the sand. Since then when it is quiet at the yard, we go out and have some fun without the lead rein on his halter. We can walk trot and canter like that and even do little jumps, but all on condition that I do it as well. If i try to cheat and just go past the up right, he will follow me very deligently. This excersise is fun, but also tiring for me. He only goes as fast as I go, so if I go to slow while he is cantering, he will slow down to a trot as he never likes being too far away from me. When I am running, he canters behind me and almost nudges me in the back with his head, just to let me know he is there.

I know we all have fun stories about the weird and wonderful things our horses do and I cannot wait to read some of your stories.

See everyone at the show on Sunday.

HAppy Riding

Today Pam and I decided to do myself and Jay’s lesson together as they fed Flag late (or actually normal time instead of 30 minutes earlier) which made my lesson start late, and Jay in a very un-Jayly fashion, was tacked up 15 minutes early! So off we went with Tristan in the center taking photos.

This week we’ve been working on transitions and getting them to TROT over the smaller jumps and not JUMP and start cantering – which both Flag and Skye did really well! Although we did have a little jump every now and again… We are all entering the show on the 12th of February, so we’re super excited and preparing our little brats for that.

After the lesson I took over and took some pictures of Tristan, Susan, Kelly, Angelique and whoever else may have walked past – oh and of course Scampy, Bibi and some chickens. There’s a hen with 3 little chicks that’s probably about 3/4 days old, who’ve kind of moved into Flag’s stable – see the pictures of the little one peeking out from underneath mommy’s wing, too cute!!!

I know I’ve said it before but it is absolutely amazing how far all the horses have come!!! Look at Skye now and the Skye that Jay bought a couple of months ago – no way you would have been able to canter him in a circle, jump little jumps or even get close to him with a crop in your hand! He doesn’t have that terrified look in his eyes anymore and obviously loves his dad to bits! Well done Jay, Skye could not have asked for a better human!

Flag and Lily still amazes us every day – dressage ponies deluxe! Let’s hope they keep that frame for the next show and the ADD doesn’t kick in when the time comes for them to do the prelim tests!

We finished off with a very informative theory lesson about basic course building – which will definitely come in handy the next time Pam instructs us to go build a course for the group lesson! At least now we know what to look out for and what to consider when building a basic course.

Some photos taken by Grant Mansfield

Well…. what can i say!

Today i CANTERED.

It was totally awesome and unexpected.  After a few rocky starts, Mickey needed to go into canter from walk, we got going.  All the time I spent watching other riders posture in the seat whilst they cantered esp. Tristan and Anel – definitely paid off.

Mickey is also very responsive.  The trotting went well and I managed to get him to move a little faster with my rise.  He had me panting more than himself.  I think I shall have to find myself a hat with a fan and automatic watering system  LOL.

When pam asked if we should canter it was almost too good to be true.  And all it took was to lift the outside leg back and squeeze.  The first couple of rounds I forgot to bring my leg back down and as a result nearly lost the stirrup. heels down and knees in and relax was all that was going thru my mind. Of course all the co-ordination too incl. turning my shoulder in and keeping head up.  The most important thing I did keep forgetting – was to breathe!  it took a few rounds to get going and not trot but when the canter came – bloody hell! I was riding a horse finally.

There were a few times where I forgot to ‘ride’ the saddle and landed up bouncing up and down.  It was so funny and all I was thinking is that I hope the earth tremors were minor   (LMAO!!!)   but then I just relaxed and let the horse do the work.

Mickey survived and I live to canter another day…

For my saturday lesson I chose the Teddy over Mickey – whether this was a good decision at that time or not – was something yet to be determined.  Teddy is still such a comfy ride but my! has he gotten lazy!  The last time I rode him I got so frustrated with myself as I could not get him to move how I wanted him to no matter what I did.  Eventually i gave up.  However this time I managed to move him with my legs, moving in, moving out and getting him to just move.  I hardly used the crop.  When I untacked him, he was so sweaty  he must have really worked hard (oh ok then it was still a little hot too  )

In the last two bootcamp days of december, Diago and I spent lots of time trotting right and doing circles.  I miss that gorgeous beauty.  At least I had the privilege of giving him a bath after my Saturday lesson.  Each time I walked past his stable this weekend I could just not bring myself to look in it for fear of bursting into tears.

Awesome pics of the Patrick Kaye boxing clinic in January 2012