13.09.2016- Good cop bad cop

Well this blog is very much over due! I've just started a new job so I'm stupidly busy at the minute and don't have a lot of time for myself so blogging is going to be a bit ropey this month I'm afraid. 
So, (two weekends ago now oops) we went and did our first dressage show! I'm not going to lie, I was very, very nervous but what a good boy he was. He was so well behaved, didn't have a tantrum at the dressage boards as I expected or freak out at the judges. We got 58% for Intro C and 63% for Intro A, getting mainly 5.5s and 6s and 7 for his free walk which I was really happy with. All the comments were just to say he needs to soften and come into an outline to do better which I already knew but his accuracy and rhythm etc is where it should be.

                         

                               

We also had a play at jumping; Emma did the 2ft class with him and came 2nd, she did SO well it was really nice to watch such a nice, confident round and she did her first jump off so I was super proud of them! :) Then I did the 2ft3 which honestly is the biggest I've jumped since about February time and he was wicked, hands down the smoothest round he's ever done, it's so obvious what a difference all the flatwork we've been doing has made a difference jumping wise. We came 3rd with a double clear. I honestly couldn't have faulted him at all that day, he loaded brilliantly, he behaved perfectly and was just a pleasure all day, even though he had to do a lot of standing around etc. To be honest, I couldn't quite believe it was my horse haha!

                                  

                                  

                                  

However he has slipped back into my bad books after being such a star that day after the clipping fiasco... It has come to that time of year when I need to get the clippers out and have a bald pony. I've done a lot of work desensitising him to them over the last month.... well, I can't say it made much of a difference, he is very certain still that he does not want to be clipped and is currently clipped one side and half clipped the other side, not ideal when we are off competing this weekend! Hopefully tomorrow I'll manage to get the rest of him done.. if not I shall just have to have a patchy pony! 
I'm finding it hard to find time to ride at the moment with working two jobs and being a bit all over the place but I managed to squeeze a short schooling session in after work yesterday. He was a bit tense and stiff but then he hasn't been ridden a lot recently and considering he's never been ridden in the dark with the floodlights on he was well behaved. I think he was just a bit stiff with not doing a lot the last week but I managed to get him to loosen up and some really nice, big, stretchy trot work.. and then the light meter went out, bugger!! So I think it would have been a bit more productive if I'd managed to do work with that trot had the lights not gone out! 

Beth & Jack x

Month Deux- 2/6

How have we ended up here so quickly!? I was expecting these monthly reviews to be humongous, marathon blogs but really, I can sum up how August went pretty quickly- he was super!! He's honestly been really well behaved and lovely this month bar the dentist situation, for once I don't really have a lot to say. 

Our goals for August were...

Crack the canter work

I'll be honest I actually ended up doing the unthinkable and focusing on our trot work instead, so canter work has taken a back seat. His canter is very balanced and wouldn't take a lot of tweaking whereas his trot work, I'll be honest was pretty dismal, to the point where he constantly felt like he'd bolt and was very, very tense in the trot. We have done sooo much work on improving the rhythm and quality of his trot and I honestly think it has come on SO much; so much so that we've actually entered in for our first ever dressage test tomorrow, eek! So this goal may not have have been achieved but we're still going in the right direction.                       

                                                                                                                                                      

More confidence and consistency hacking.

• Well I think this is definitely one goal we smashed! Getting off the drive is no longer an issue at all it's fair to say and we actually went on a good two hour hack the other day! He does still nap, however touch wood, it's to a much less extreme degree that what we had in the past. Plus, we even managed to get him to venture into the ford the other day. 

                                                        

What did we get up to? A fair bit of hacking, LOTS of schooling, starting jump work again, our first proper lesson together, lots of baths, introduction to clipper work 

How many times did he make me want to cry/scream/gouge my eyes out/write his advert/call up tescos/etc? Once... and ironically this was other the Vaseline incident not the Dentist incident; I think the different reaction on my part from these two events shows that I clearly need to (and have done!) paid attention to my goal of being more patient!

Best parts? The last schooling session we had... I really hope we can recreate that again one day! Oh and finally being able to cut his tufty ears. I'm easily pleased. 

Worst parts? The vaseline. It really wasn't that bad, I know. I'm dramatic. So is my horse. 

Now onto our goals for next month... this is a hard one this time and its taken me some thinking. Also, some of these are ongoing goals for the whole year but I thought I'd add them in just as a reminder for myself! With starting a new job, next months going to be ram packed so we may struggle to fit all these in but there's nothing wrong with being ambitious. 

• Improve our schooling 
• Hacking consistently
• Get him clipped- even if we just start with a bib clip, I want to try my hardest to get his irrational fear of the clippers sorted by exposing him to them as much as possible until he releases it's not as horrible as he thinks. 
• Attempt some dressage
• Ride bareback; I'm aware this is going to seem like a bit of an odd one but I cannot remember the last time I rode him bareback and I couldn't before because he was just so tense in his trot. 

Beth & Jack x

30.08.2016- In which the pony was very good

I have three days worth of blogging to get through so, well, grab a cuppa. 

On Friday I did something I haven't done for a very long time... we had a jumping session! He does a lot of hacking and schooling so I think it's nice to mix things up sometimes and you can still work on flatwork and the general basis of your schooling whilst jumping I think. For example, our aim for that day was to keep an even, consistent rhythm in the canter to and after a fence and around the turns. The last time I had a proper jumping session with him must be what, two months ago at least now. He's always been good to jump really, but a bit of a handful with him going sideways everywhere, napping to fences and just basically being a lunatic if I'm honest. He's never been able to canter around a course in a flow, it's always been very unbalanced and disjointed with flying changes every five strides. Well, what a bloody difference two months of pure flatwork and hacking has made, he was like a completely different horse- starting with the fact that he was soooo lazy. 
 Bar the fact that he was the laziest horse to ever exist, he was absolutely perfect, his canter is a million times better, at no point did he rush or feel unbalanced and we did a few little 2ft courses spot on, landing on the right leg, letting the fences come to him and taking his time but still going forward (However, I will not be jumping without a whip again any time soon, my poor legs!!). 
 Then Monday, Emma came up and we plaited him up ready for the weekend to see if he'd act any differently under saddle plaited up (Sparkie tenses up a bit because he doesn't like them pulling his hair. Pussy). We just had a general mooch around the school and didn't produce anything spectacular but he was a good boy none the less. Emma had a little play as well and then took him down to the end of the road and back to cool him off and, despite walking slower than an elderly snail, he was super duper. He then had his weekly bath after (you've got another coming Saturday mate!) so now he's all shiny and clean. And then and then... he went out in the big field for the first time in 3 months! And he came to call still when I shouted him today, yay pony!

                                  

                            

                                 

                                                        

And then we have todays ride. Now recently, with the exception of my tootle round the school Monday, I have tried to make more of an effort when I school but I have to admit I do cut corners and probably don't always take it as seriously as I should. Well today I was determined that we were going to take it serious from start to finish. We started off in the sand school because someone was having a lesson in the rubber where we just worked mainly on bending and flexing in walk. Once the rubber was free, we swapped to there because it's easier for schooling with it being smaller and there being less distractions. I tried to work on riding him the best I possibly could- I find horses are very clever at getting us to ride the way they want us to, for example, I find myself 'falling out' on his worse rein and trying to hold him to heavy in the inside hand. Instead I tried to put myself in a text book position, shoulders level and straight, heels down, holding him with the outside hand and pushing him into this hand with the inside leg and then giving and taking with the inside rein. Since our lesson I've noticed that he moves off my leg so, so much better, especially in the walk and on the left rein, if he starts to drift in and fall in on a circle, I just give him a tap with the inside leg and he practically leg yields to the outside track again, especially using the schooling whip as a back up to keep his body straight. I also tried to slow his trot down a hell of a lot but keep the timing and rhythm consistent which made a huge difference especially with transitions- he even let me do some work in sitting trot which he usually hates! 
 Now I'm not saying he was suddenly bang on in an outline, but he felt so much rounder in general, for the most part he had some kind of inside flexion, his lines were straight and he was forward but not rushing. I knew he must have been working hard because as soon as I asked him to work long and low in the trot, something that usually takes a bit of persuasion, his chin hit the floor. Then when he picked the reins back up, all of a sudden there we go, we were able to work in a semi consistent outline in trot! Honestly, that's the best feeling he's ever given me under saddle, never, ever did I think we'd have a breakthrough like that when it came to our trot work, if he goes like that Sunday I will most definitely be smiling (although he'll probably have forgotten all this come tomorrow). We did a couple of canters, again working long and low and then when I shortened the reins and came back to trot, bam, straight into a lovely round outline and a nice, slow trot. 
 To finish off we had a nice amble to the fishery and back; he honestly was a bloody star today, he really made me smile!! 

Beth & Jack x

24.08.2016- Hacking, schooling and the dentist drama...

Well we've had quite a busy week! On Monday we went for a hack (after a short 15 minute schooling session where he was a good boy) with the help of Emma. He was absolutely perfect the whole way and we saw some pretty challenging things such as bikes and a bus and a digger! He even went into the ford which I've never managed to persuade him to do before (he's a mahoosive pansy about water). He discovered that actually, you can drink water and it's quite funny to splash yourself with it so maybe it wasn't as awful as he thought all along. 


                                    

                                    

                                                

Then Tuesday we had another go in the school. He honestly went really well, he's starting to become a lot more willing in the school and to try a lot harder, he's no where near perfect but I'm generally quite happy with his way of going. He might not be a dressage pony as of yet, but there's no obvious faults or areas of concern where his flatwork is concerned and he could probably go out and do a dressage test to the same level Sparkie did when I evented him (and he was somehow coming back with 35s!). I decided to try playing with the contact a bit, giving and retaking my reins to see whereabouts he was happiest and I actually got some really nice work out of him; not perfect, but he was flexed to the inside and soft through the contact. We then braved it out on a little hack to cool down and he was foot/hoof perfect the whole way. We didn't go far, just a 10 minute amble to cool down but he was super :)
 Today he was meant to have the dentist out... well. Long story short, she was unable to do his teeth or well, really get near him in general. Very frustrating, but I can't hold it against him or be cross with him as he was genuinely terrified there was no nastiness or naughtiness about the whole situation, I think it's just going to be a long process before we try again. We did go out for a hack after wards and actually managed the longest hack (by ourselves can I just say!) we've ever done and he was super boy. He had a few napping moments, but nothing serious, mainly just turning round to go towards home but he went forwards again as soon as I turned him back round, so nothing unmanageable. In fact, if he does that out hacking the rest of his life, I'd still take that and count it as success because I had a really lovely, relaxing time out exploring with him- so that's three very successful hacks this week!  

                            

                                     


Beth & Jack x 

20.08.2016- A very rainy ride in which Jack was perfect

Well today has been well and truly miserable weather wise! Still, I am a dedicated rider these days and a bit of rain is not going to stop me from having a productive day. 
 It was both of the ponies turn to work today (side note; not sure if I've ever mentioned my other pony Sparkie on here, but he is on loan at the moment and for the foreseeable future due to finance and time issues. He's also probably THE best thing since sliced bread. Seriously he's awesome.), as Emma rode Sparkie and I rode Jack. I had no idea what he was going to be like as I haven't ridden him with another horse for a very long time, especially Sparkie who is his best friend in the whole world/field. Usually riding the two together means he finds completely impossible to concentrate on anything he's doing himself and we have at least one crazy napping, rearing session. But no, he was perfect! I am so surprised and so happy with him, he was so well behaved and sensible today; more so than Sparkie which is something I never ever thought I'd be saying!

                                                       

We just did a little bit of schooling, with a bit of work on bending- he did loads better than in our lesson the other day, so we'll just keep working on it until it finally clicks, but he was definitely a lot more willing today. We even did a bit of jumping (how brave of me!) and he looked after a very nervous me very well, he's so much calmer jumping now, he's like a different horse. I'm still not overly fussed about jumping still, but I'm starting to actual enjoy it now again and see the fun it which is good. I probably won't jump him again for a while now, until after his second physio appointment but it was still good fun and he jumped really nice :) We also practiced our dressage test, which, in my head was a complete disaster as I convinced myself he was lame and stressed myself back... actually watching it back, it was probably one of the best run throughs we've had and just a little bit of work on bending has made a difference in how it flows, I'm just super paranoid! I think it's because I've spent a long time getting things right I'm just really paranoid and worried his shoulder is going to flare up again but I need to relax a bit, he's really fine! 

                                    

                                   

                                 

We also had another session with the clippers and he was really good again! I got them onto him a lot quicker than last time and I'd almost feel confident enough to try a clip now... however we're going to keep up the good work we're doing for a few more weeks before we risk it. Very, very happy with my boy today, he was a very good pony :) 

Beth & Jack x

17.08.2016- We dared to brave a lesson...

Yes, you did read that correctly. For the first time in 4 years (and our second ever lesson together!) I went and booked a lesson. I'm finally happy enough with the way he's going that I didn't think we'd make a complete embarrassment of ourselves. I also think we'd got to the point where, don't get me wrong we're still progressing and I'm happy with him, but I kind of went into the school and ambled around on each rein and then called it a day so I needed someone to stand on the ground and give me a few new ideas. 

                                 

  For anyone who's read my last blog (why am I writing this when no one reads these?????), you may remember (again why???) I mentioned that I need to sort my washing line reins out... well this is one of the first things she picked up on! She told me to shorten my reins; and then shorten them again. I thought that I was doing the right thing by having him on the buckle end and asking him to move forward but turns out by not having a good, consistent contact and having shorter reins, I was just allowing any energy generated by his back end just trickle out the front end which is why I felt like I was kicking and kicking and going no where. When I shortened my reins I found that I didn't need to have him racing around at 100 miles an hour to feel forward. What I was doing was having a really long rein in the hope that he'd eventually start to stretch his neck but actually, when riding with a shorter rein, he's more likely to use his muscles so then when I did lengthen the rein he stretched so much better because he actually needed it!

                                   

I told her our main problems we needed to work on were getting him more forward off the leg and working on bending- he's like a cardboard box to turn. Well the whole issues with forwardness were sorted just by shortening my reins so then it was time to work on bending. Well, this is definitely a work in progress and we didn't necessarily achieve it in this lesson (without her taking over control of the reins anyway haha!) but I learnt that it's not impossible for him and that I need to be more persistent with him and start asking him for a bit more because he's ready to start learning. She agrees with me that it might be a long road to head but that we will get a dressage pony out of him yet and to still go and give it a try because she said he's got one of the best free walks she's seen from such a small horse and you get a double score for that! 

                               

All in all, I think I really benefited from it and it was a massive confidence boost that my riding isn't as terrible as I believed and I'm really looking forward to the next one :) 

Oh and my new clippers arrived the day before! I know it's going to be a very long process to get him clippable but we had our first session the other day. I only intended to run them over him turned off and perhaps turn them on next to him at the end but we got a lot further than that; we had them turned on, all over his back end and even up by his neck by the end, which is a massive achievement! Good pony that day all round :)

Beth & Jack x

14.08.2016- Feet above ground (just about)

After a day off yesterday where he just had a groom and a chill out time in his stable, it was back to work for the fat boy today. I was originally going to attempt a hack but with work I didn't really have the time (or the motivation!) to try and deal with the effort of that today. I still fancied doing something a bit different to mix things up a bit so we did a bit of pole work. 

                              
                       Someone actually came and asked what show he was going to.. no, I just like                                                          hoof oil and oil spray that's all.

                                                 
                                                              not helpful

I only set up a simple exercise of three trot and canter poles (not easy when he parked himself right in the middle of where I wanted to set them up) because we both haven't done any pole work for a really long time. I mainly just wanted to work on keeping a constant rhythm approaching, going over and leaving the poles, getting a good turn into the poles and keeping a nice straight line. He was very good, especially cantering over them, if perhaps a bit lazy at times but once he realised we were in the jumping arena he perked up a bit! I don't really want to do a lot of jumping with him until he has his follow up physio but he does love it (even if I don't anymore!) so I let him jump a little cross pole to finish on, again working on the same principles we had with the poles. He used to rush and get quite strong jumping, but he stayed very calm and balanced still, he might have got a little bit more forward but before it was cantering on the spot, bucking and rearing kind of forward, today it was just a bit of 'yay!' and that's in a snaffle, so he was very well behaved. Maybe one day in the very distant future when I'm happy with our flatwork I might be brave enough to start jumping again but I'm happy enough playing schooling ponies for now. He's getting a lot happier and relaxed in his trot every time and we even had some nice stretchy trot work after popping the jump a few times, something that would never, ever have happened with a jump in the school before and the most he's stretched since swapping back to the snaffle. My goal for myself riding wise now is to work on keeping a more consistent contact and not being afraid of letting him know I'm at the end of the reins; no more washing line reins! 

                          

Beth & Jack x