Its a busy old life..

I sometimes think coming to work is easier than my hectic 'out of work' life!
Instructor had to cancel the lesson on Fri as she was stuck in traffic so we ended up having a 20min hack around one of the fields.
The lesson happened on Saturday and was really good and hard for us both which is hardly suprising considering i'd barely rode in three weeks and Ali had been doing mainly work on the ground.
Instructor commented that his stride had shortened up again so she had us doing lots of flexions to get him to activate the inside hind then pushing him through. We ended on a really good note with him reaching down onto the bit relaxed and swinging in trot. I can feel my riding improve with every lesson, im riding with much better feel and am quicker to correct when things start to go wrong.
Then to be really mean Ali had a rest for an hour then went on a hack with Quenza...cruel mummy! We didnt go far just along the lane, it was a good opportunity to pass the bogey cow area when he was tired and he was great. He was a little hesitant but with encouragement and my leg on braved it,the cows being further off in the field helped matters.
Guess what?!?! I rode Polo too!:))
Went out with the YO after riding Ali back along the lane which I thought was the best option as he's been walked out inhand along there a fair bit.He was a bit spooky/looky for the first 5mins but then was absolutely brill,his walk isnt as good a usual but mooching around in the field isnt helping so im hoping getting him on a few hacks booted and padded up will work. His feet have deteriorated hugely since he's been out of work and im now convinced this is where all the problems stem from.This is why I first pulled his shoes however many years ago that was as I couldnt keep him sound,riding in boots and pads turned things around so im going to try that approach again.

I didnt ride Sunday as I had a dog show. Was a weird old day as it was the same judge who gave Buster a 1st three weeks ago and a lovely critique, well he didnt place Buster this time! He placed two of the dogs Buster beat first and second this time, I could possibly understand him placing different dogs and not Buster but not dogs he only beat three weeks ago? Got me baffled!
Ted was silly-AGAIN. Mouse however got placed in quite a tough class,she is looking really well at the minute but her coat still isnt through.A few more weeks and I reckon she's going to be in peak show condition which is just intime for the two big shows in May and June.Buster and Ted's coats are a concern as they are going to need stripping soon which will mean they are probably going to be out of coat for these shows..its a complicated business for sure:))

Yesterday Ali went for another hack with Quenza,he was a bit of a wally when I had to get off and do the gates as he wouldnt standstill when I wanted to get back on using a large boulder. I kept circling around until he realised this was much harder work and stood. Other than that it was a lovely loopy hack through the field and back out onto the road heading home.
Today Ali had a short lunge and Polo went out for a hack with Quenza. He started with the usually 5minute spookiness which unsettled Q a little but then they both settled down nicely.Q had to work hard keeping up with Polo's long rangy walk, she hasnt figured out how to lengthen yet which is understandable its very early days under saddle for her but she did squeeze past a tractor on the way home when I had to get off and lead Polo past haha.
Weather has been awful today and tonight,im hoping for a better day tomorrow and a schooling session with Ali.

Back with a vengence..

Poor Ali must be sick as a chip im feeling better:)
I rode him in the school again on Monday,not a long session but worked him quite hard his flexing to the left (weaker rein) has gone back and he was trying to motorbike a bit but we got there in the end.Im finding I have a whole new intensity and focus to my riding since I moved yards,ive struggled to stay focused in the past.
Today we went out for a hack with Vic who had her first ever hack on her mare,who she sat on for the first time last week.It wasnt planned, Vic just couldnt face anymore longlining and since the mare's been all over on the lines and has been totally unfazed during the whole backing process she decided to try go for their first ever hack. Huge success all round and Quenza was striding out by the end looking totally chilled and enthusiastic.
Yo came too and on the way home we had a good giggle chatting about our obsession with our horses and dogs.
Im going to give Ali a light lunge tomorrow then have a lesson booked for Friday.

Minx is also booked in to be Spayed on Friday so im going to be on tender hooks until she's through it and back home!

I rode I rode..

AND it didnt hurt-hooray!
Half an hour in the school with Vic's OH videoing us,talk about a baptism of fire. He was a little less forward and more distracted than where we left off before the 'trampling'incident which is to be expected but he wasnt terrible and is definitely getting the idea of stretching and reaching down into the bit. I watched a bit of it back on the camera and was quite pleased with it there are some nice moments just need to improve the consistency of our work.
My YO rode him once this week to help me out and it was interesting to see how he went with someone else. She is quite a nice rider with a good seat but fiddled and see sawed a little with the rein which had him curling back quite a lot,looking really short and tight and not really using his backend so I was desperate to see what 'we' looked like together.Over all I was pleased with how we look together, although I have a horrible habit of looking down all the time!
YO liked him a lot:)

Im very pleased how both the boys are looking at the moment they are gleaming with health and shiny coats and Ali's weight is great, I reckon we got the field stripped off just before the spring grass really shot through which seems to be the key with him. He's still a little bit tubby but losing it steadily and toning up nicely:)

Was at a dog show this morning,it wasnt a good quality show to be honest,I went because the organiser rang to ask if I would enter and for practice for Ted. Ted got second despite being even sillier (when will he start to cotton on?). Mouse beat Buster in the open class so we got 3rd and 4th.No insult to Mouse but she's simply not as good a dog as Buster or have any coat at the minute so im not sure what the judge was looking for, sorry Mouse. He probably was another breed judge and not that knowlegeable of Borders?
Anyway i'd rather not get placed with a breed specialist judge against the best of Borders than get placed against not very good competition with an unknowlegeable judge..hope that doesnt sound conceited or like im a bad sport its not intended that way.

Of course im back at work tomorrow just when im able to ride again..typical.

For Jean

Lovely Eh!?! Bear in mind the one on the right (my left) is the 'Polo' one and is nearly two weeks old so you can imagine how impressive it was at the time.



I rode today..but I shouldnt have. Coccyx is still bit too sore, it is much better than it was but not up for riding quite yet,I couldnt get my backside properly into the saddle so was perched. Couple of more days and i'll have another go.
Went for a hack with Vic who was longlining her mare.Well we've found something that terrifies Ali,a herd of cows! He was in pure panic mode and just wanted to run away I pointed him away from them towards a gate and hedge and he felt like he was going to go over it. This wasnt helped by the fact I couldnt sit in the saddle properly so I got off at the first opportunity to see if being on the ground with him would help. Usually if he has a good look at something he's fine but not with these cows,having said that the more he snorted and leapt around the more it seemed to attract the cows seemed like there were hundreds gathered along the fence and wall. In the end I marched him away as quickly as possible.Throughout this Vics mare stood grazing on the verge oblivious to Ali's panic...something tells me she's going to be a bombproof hack:))
I re mounted along the lane he was still a little stressy but settled okay,when we turned for home I rode him so far then lead him past the cow field.He was still scared but most of the cows had moved futher up th field so he coped going past with just few stops and snorts.Ive never seen him so scared.
Tomorrow I might lunge him then take him for a walk past the field inhand.

We're on a roll!

Very succesfull time at the show yesterday Buster got ANOTHER FIRST and Ted got a second and a third,im entering him in a maiden or novice class ontop of the puppy one for practice.
Buster was fabby, he was in a very good and large class so I was chuffed to bits.Ted was marginally better than last week, still a bit of hooligan boinging around but there is some improvement in behaviour so he's getting there luckily they make allowances in the puppy classes.

Vic rode Ali out on a hack today accompanied by me,the dogs and her OH with her broken pony also called Ted it was a gorgeous sunny day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I also gave Polo a good groom,foot soak and trim and trimmed Ali's feet too. Yes my back is feeling loads better,I felt things start to improve yesterday so im pleased and reckon i'll be okay to ride mid week the way things are going. Thats if ive not set things back doing too much today but the foot stand takes most of the work out of the trimming so its not too hard going.
The other news is i think im going to have a matching black eye!0
Had a bit of a freak accident tidying up tonight which involved a board falling on my head knocking me down and cracking my eye on the corner of the dog's chair..honestly its unbelievable,infact if it wasnt me i'd not believe it. Its right on the fleshy corner bit and puffed up instantly ive had frozen peas on it, hopefully it will go down over night!
So Jean you might be getting a picture although I doubt this one will be as impressive as the other one was:))

Still not back in the saddle

Its very frustrating being on hoilday and not being able to ride but my coccyx is still far too sore to ride!
If im no better by next week im going to have to get something done so willing it to get better as ive got a serious doctor/hospital/anybody doing anything to me phobia:0
However ive a feeling Vic is willing me not to get better as she's rode Ali a couple of times this week so he has done something most days.
At the beginning of the week Vic helped with the poles and we did the raised pole's exercises Rach showed me.
Then Vic rode him in the school one day with me as instructor {haha} then took him for a short hack yesterday around the fields and had her first canter on him. He was little unsettled as i'd left Polo in the field where as I usually bring them both up together but I had my little 3year old niece for the day so it was easier to just bring Ali up.He was still as safe as usual just few head shakes and stops, Vic seemed to enjoy it anyway (hey dont get too comfortable on him Missus!).
Today I gave him a 20minute lunge and he was fabby..he's pleasure to work with.

Sorry Jean I took a picture of the eye but I updated my phone the other day and lost all the recent pictures,it was a truly impressive shiner still got a fair bit of bruising under and around the eye even now one week on!

Dog show tomorrow....

Im still alive!

I have the most corker of a shiner you'd ever see honestly im impressed with it myself:))
Some of the swelling has gone down but its got some serious bruising, my coccyx is still really sore but better than yesterday so hopefully few days out of the saddle will do the trick.
And to top it off im hoping to ride the old lunatic this week or next while im on holiday,Im going to be carefully and only ride when my back is okay and Vic is going to come out with him on Ali to nanny him but he looks pretty good blasting around the field so reckon a few hacks wont hurt but may help with the excess energy that seems to be building up.
I lunged Ali on two lines yesterday he was fab as usual particularly with me hobbling on trying to keep up with him.

Nothing today as I was at a dog show,we should have been in and out first but they changed the schedule around so the Borders were much later getting into the ring than I had anticipated.
Ted was a hooligan again and didnt get anywhere this time,he really is sooo naughty practice does not seem to be helping!
Buster was an absolute star totally eyeballing the judge as he strutted past him how could he not win...which his did and we got a nice trophy too!That seems to be the way with Buster you can never tell if he's going to get a first or nothing but he always tries to please and gets lots of nice comments.
Mouse got a fourth with was good,he came back and felt her coat which I *think* was his way of saying why she didnt get a higher place,its still too soft at the minute from when she was stripped but im still happy with the day.

Ive spent all evening writing an assignment for the course I was suckered into doing for work and finished.It was painful and ive written total rubbish but im happy its done and I can enjoy my two weeks holidays.

Poloooooo!!!!!

I cant believe im having to say this after the last few drama filled months but Polo ran over me yesterday...yes RAN OVER ME.
It was a gorgeous day so I walked down to collect the boys Polo cantered down with Ali behind him,I should have known something was up cos he kept stopping and looking but seemed calm enough in himself.I got them through the gate and had turned to close it when Polo literal leapt forward in a blind panic I stumbled forward,unfortunately there's a dip in the ground at the gate so I fell flat on my face.It seemed to happen in slow motion, I knew Polo was coming over me cos I was right infront of him I remember shouting his name and feeling like I'd lay there ages waiting for him to stand on me.I think he must have tried to avoid me as luckily he only caught me with one leg..right on my backside!
I staggered to my feet and waited for them to settle down so I could take their halters off,Ali had followed him in charging around the field.Polo looked very sheepish when I got to him,mind you that could have been total confusion about my appearance as when I limped back to the yard and looked at myself my face and hair was covered in dirt.I knew i'd hurt my head, side of my face and my bum but couldnt really tell how bad at the time.
Drove home with my face and backside throbbing then had a shower which was when I saw the extent of the damage.
Im covered in grazes and bruises up my arms,grazed all down the side of my face which is pretty swollen and my eye has developed into a rather impressive shiner.
Probably should have gone to hospital but I hate the places so went to work instead:)))
I know why he did it, YO had hung a few rugs over the gate of the field opposite and because it was 'different' it sent him into panic mode.Im annoyed with myself more than anything cos he almost did the same thing a few weeks ago when rugs had been left over the gate but I caught him in time to stop him...grrr like I shouldnt know what he's like after all these years!

Today everywhere hurts,my ribs,my shoulders,my backside particularly around my coccyx, which ive injured once before,despite how bad my face and head looks this actually hurts the least.
I brought them in seperately today as Polo still seemed spooky,dont think the spring grass is helping matters the other two pones in the field are in high spirits too, although Ali isnt joining in with the madness thankfully.

I actually went out for a hack on him with the YO this afternoon I know I shouldnt have but the weather was so nice I did although it was so painfully I wished I hadnt,I wont be riding till my butt is feeling better.
Bless him he pootled along with me yelping and groaning and despite going around fields he's never been in before..YO is convinced he was looking after me.Of course it could have been the way I was perching trying to keep my bum out of the saddle:)

Hopefully tomorrow the stiffness will have eased NOT that im going to ride after today.I didnt half get some funny looks tonight when I did my shopping:0