where did the time go ?
it's been a crazy few weeks. I'm trying to remember quite how it all fit together but roughly speaking...
The Sunday of the weekend I last posted on had the doctor out and diagnosing my mother with pneumonia. It was a nice day outside and someone who has ridden Dudley before came up and rode him in the school while her daughter was riding a shared pony. I tacked Rosie up and then rode up to the other farm with the daughter and the 11.2 she was riding. It was the first time in a long time that Rosie had been out, and the first time out with this particular equine "friend". She was fine on the way up, if a little cautious about the stony road.
The farmyard was a little much for the sheltered Rosie, so I hopped off to let her relax. Then big sis walked part of the way back (out of the yard) with me just to get us past the scariest bits. Rosie was fine down the road but was a bit concerned about the wheely bins at the road end so I hopped off and led her along the road.
She is not very used to traffic and I did not want to set up problems for the future - she is more confident when she can see a person. She was concerned but fine about the landrover that went one way, and the motorbike that came towards us (but was *very* civilied and even offered to switch the engine off !)
It was interesting to see that when we got back it was Dudley who was first in the line to welcome her back.
But after that life got a bit hectic as it turned out mum not only had pneumonia, but labrynthitis as well. Big sis, myself and dad all worked out a co-ordinated approach to the menagerie. For my part it meant doing their breakfasts and rugs in the morning, then in the evening doing the 7 and 10 feeds and making up breakfast and hay for the next day.
By the end of that week I was running low on energy. I was briefly re-energised by a friend. Definately the good kind of friend as he even helped muck out ! But I was going down with a nasty cold. That weekend was rain and wind, so even if I had been hale and hearty there would have been no riding.
The weekend after was similarly bad.
Last weekend I finally managed to ride Fi (in the western saddle) on Sunday, and lunged Rosie. I was exhausted after that. This cold seems to have completely sapped my energy. Working Rosie made me think that perhaps it would be constructive to lunge her in her tack. She is now much better at staying out and maintaining gait. I did find she was much clearer on voice commands for upwards transitions than downwards.
Fi seemed better but in her warm up (ground work) her movement in canter still looked slightly weird. So I only rode in walk and trot. Her focus was quite good considering she had not been worked for so long.
So this weekend the weather was finally ok. Saturday was sunny and hardly any wind. I rode Fi in the western saddle in all three paces and she seemed fine. We worked for about 45 mins in total. Then I lunged and rode Dudley - he had more than his fair share of energy ! When I was lunging him he broke away a couple of times and galloped about. I ended up putting the line over his head to the bit ring so that I stood a chance of having a conversation with him about his departures. (No Dudley, don't do that !). He was sensible enough to behave himself.
After which we turned the 3 biggies out on the main field. Fi lit out at high speed and motorbiked through the gateway. I suspect this is why she came in slightly lame that evening :(
Then to lunging Rosie. I bunged her saddle and bridle on. We need to swap to a shorter girth !! I did a quick warm up on both reins in walk and trot and then added side reins - not tight but enough to stop extreme head movement. She tried the contact out a little and the saddle got pulled forward. But over all she was a good girl.
She still needs a lot of reassurance and praise but is less likely to grind to a halt if you say "good girl". I used a convetional lunge whip to give me a slightly longer reach that a carrot stick and string.
Today I tacked Fi up but was aware it might be a short venture. She actually looked not too bad from the ground but was definately unlevel when I hopped on and walked her. So I called it a day.
Then I caught Duds to work him just with Fi's halter and line. I think someone had put ants in his pants - he could NOT stand still. He'd belt off in canter (on roughly 10m circle :o ) and I'd call him in... he'd hesitate briefly by me and just head off again in a different direction. He even did that stiff legged arab trot thing - I have *never* seen him do that in the 17 years he has been with us ! His state of mind was not improving so I swapped to sideways to get him to focus and finally he started to listen a bit more.
I finished up with lunging Rosie agaim. This time with a crupper on to help with the saddle. She was a good girl and is already better with listening to the voice commands. I do need to watch though - I realised that I mustn't always end after the canter as she was looking for the halt. So I asked for an additional trot. For every gait she has to do at least one whole circuit (especially in walk).
The lunge work will help with her fitness as well as working on forwardness in the arena.
I am pretty tired after all that - despite it only being what I would normally do (plus running) at a weekend.
The Sunday of the weekend I last posted on had the doctor out and diagnosing my mother with pneumonia. It was a nice day outside and someone who has ridden Dudley before came up and rode him in the school while her daughter was riding a shared pony. I tacked Rosie up and then rode up to the other farm with the daughter and the 11.2 she was riding. It was the first time in a long time that Rosie had been out, and the first time out with this particular equine "friend". She was fine on the way up, if a little cautious about the stony road.
The farmyard was a little much for the sheltered Rosie, so I hopped off to let her relax. Then big sis walked part of the way back (out of the yard) with me just to get us past the scariest bits. Rosie was fine down the road but was a bit concerned about the wheely bins at the road end so I hopped off and led her along the road.
She is not very used to traffic and I did not want to set up problems for the future - she is more confident when she can see a person. She was concerned but fine about the landrover that went one way, and the motorbike that came towards us (but was *very* civilied and even offered to switch the engine off !)
It was interesting to see that when we got back it was Dudley who was first in the line to welcome her back.
But after that life got a bit hectic as it turned out mum not only had pneumonia, but labrynthitis as well. Big sis, myself and dad all worked out a co-ordinated approach to the menagerie. For my part it meant doing their breakfasts and rugs in the morning, then in the evening doing the 7 and 10 feeds and making up breakfast and hay for the next day.
By the end of that week I was running low on energy. I was briefly re-energised by a friend. Definately the good kind of friend as he even helped muck out ! But I was going down with a nasty cold. That weekend was rain and wind, so even if I had been hale and hearty there would have been no riding.
The weekend after was similarly bad.
Last weekend I finally managed to ride Fi (in the western saddle) on Sunday, and lunged Rosie. I was exhausted after that. This cold seems to have completely sapped my energy. Working Rosie made me think that perhaps it would be constructive to lunge her in her tack. She is now much better at staying out and maintaining gait. I did find she was much clearer on voice commands for upwards transitions than downwards.
Fi seemed better but in her warm up (ground work) her movement in canter still looked slightly weird. So I only rode in walk and trot. Her focus was quite good considering she had not been worked for so long.
So this weekend the weather was finally ok. Saturday was sunny and hardly any wind. I rode Fi in the western saddle in all three paces and she seemed fine. We worked for about 45 mins in total. Then I lunged and rode Dudley - he had more than his fair share of energy ! When I was lunging him he broke away a couple of times and galloped about. I ended up putting the line over his head to the bit ring so that I stood a chance of having a conversation with him about his departures. (No Dudley, don't do that !). He was sensible enough to behave himself.
After which we turned the 3 biggies out on the main field. Fi lit out at high speed and motorbiked through the gateway. I suspect this is why she came in slightly lame that evening :(
Then to lunging Rosie. I bunged her saddle and bridle on. We need to swap to a shorter girth !! I did a quick warm up on both reins in walk and trot and then added side reins - not tight but enough to stop extreme head movement. She tried the contact out a little and the saddle got pulled forward. But over all she was a good girl.
She still needs a lot of reassurance and praise but is less likely to grind to a halt if you say "good girl". I used a convetional lunge whip to give me a slightly longer reach that a carrot stick and string.
Today I tacked Fi up but was aware it might be a short venture. She actually looked not too bad from the ground but was definately unlevel when I hopped on and walked her. So I called it a day.
Then I caught Duds to work him just with Fi's halter and line. I think someone had put ants in his pants - he could NOT stand still. He'd belt off in canter (on roughly 10m circle :o ) and I'd call him in... he'd hesitate briefly by me and just head off again in a different direction. He even did that stiff legged arab trot thing - I have *never* seen him do that in the 17 years he has been with us ! His state of mind was not improving so I swapped to sideways to get him to focus and finally he started to listen a bit more.
I finished up with lunging Rosie agaim. This time with a crupper on to help with the saddle. She was a good girl and is already better with listening to the voice commands. I do need to watch though - I realised that I mustn't always end after the canter as she was looking for the halt. So I asked for an additional trot. For every gait she has to do at least one whole circuit (especially in walk).
The lunge work will help with her fitness as well as working on forwardness in the arena.
I am pretty tired after all that - despite it only being what I would normally do (plus running) at a weekend.
posted by seahorse | 2:21 PM
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