Getting better....

Yesterday was sub-zero so, while it looked like a perfect riding day, the fields turned out to either be rock hard or still flooded from last week's downpours.... or both :(

Today was a thoroughly horsie day, to the detriment of my house - which is still a complete tip ! After horse's breakfast, I got dinner prepped (stew) as I knew it needed to be ready to bung in the oven before I got home.

Then it was time to (re)clip Rosie. She had an initial "bib" (keyhole) clip about a month ago but was still getting fairly warm, and even woolier. She had regrown a good couple of centimetres on the clip ! I managed to forget my boiler suit so had the biggest case of post-clip itch you can imagine.

Then it was time to empty the muck trailer - a weekly chore. Got that done and just had time to neck a bowl of soup and a slice of bread before loading Rosie up and heading off for our lesson.

Rosie had now had (I think) 4 lessons, the most recent today. We're not doing "fancy" things in the lessons, but we are clearly doing what is required as she gets better and more consistent every time.

The last two lessons have been shared with an other Eriskay pony, which has been lovely. We continued the work we started on last time, using transitions to encourage the ponies to be forward thinking. Rosie has had a couple of weekends of limited work due to the delightful weather (rain, wind, hail, snow,.....) so I was pleased that she seemed to be doing more fast work (longer trots) but still having gas in the tank at the end, for some "big" trots and some canter :)

This may not sound like a big deal, but Rosie's canter to start with was, to be honest, dreadful. She tended to hop into canter and all the effort was going up and down not forward. She was also very braced. She really just needed to work out how to use herself, but hasn't really been fit enough for any seriously long canters out on the stubble. However it seems that it has been doing more good than I realised.

The instructor asked me to ask her for a bigger trot....and she offered canter, so we took it. And then got our "big" trot on the other side of the canter :) I knew she had a big trot in there somewhere - we've found it on occasion when out and about with bigger ponies (Highlands). But she needs to be fit enough to offer it.

But even nicer to reflect on was that the canter itself is better. I know this is a bit of a a truism - her trot is so much better, her fitness better, that of course the canter would be better. Even so, it was
a tangible sign that we're getting there :)

Fi and Duds stayed at home and were allowed out on the main field. Their normal paddocks are short on grass and rather wet, so they appreciate the treat. They don't get to do this every day, but it's lovely to see them out there at the weekend.

Back from the lesson and just time to let Rosie have a quick graze before (their) dinner. Got them fed, rugs back on, and field cleared. And then a quick dash home to clean up before returning to have Sunday dinner with my father.

Last hay for Rosie. Duds came mooching down  so I put him some hay out but I think his stomach was still full of grass as he wasn't that bothered.

None of the ponies are in at night yet. This was initially because the stable partition between Fi and Duds was still the one she had mangled her leg on. Plus the weather up to the last two weeks had been very mild. Now we have both more typical weather *and* a new partition in place. So in theory they could start to come in. However so far they are showing a distinct preference to stay out so, unless I see some clear sign that it is not good for them, I will respect that choice. They are all, including Rosie, in rugs most of the time. Well the weather has been rubbish most of the last two weeks ! The farrier is due this week so we will see if I need to start to bring them in at night just to let their feet dry out.