What is everyone doing with their horses at the moment? Need a bit of motivation

[alicecrail]

Both of mine are living out at the moment, which is so much easier, but i find that instead of riding and doing more with them i am using the time doing jobs at home.

I am hoping to do bit of dressage at the end of the month and i really need to get on with it, but i am lacking in motivation, and then when i haven't ridden for ages i start to get a bit nervous.

So what are you all doing with yours at the moment? Please come and inspire me and get me competitive

[MANATEEequineOHARA]

I just hack and play around in the field. Building jumps (and jumping them!) and long exploring hacks are my favorite things

[alicecrail]

Lucky We have absolutely no decent hacking round here at all, perhaps thats why i get a bit disillusioned with it all. I try to vary their work as much as possible and they are out in the field a lot, so i suppose they are not bothered. My TB has had a bit of time off with lameness but is now sound so i am getting on him today, so that is a bit of a push.

[Stannie]

Mine are both living out and eating their heads off (having the time of their lives!)

It's a bit depressing for me but they think it's the best thing ever

[alicecrail]

This is the thing isn't it? We feel guilty that we are doing nothing with our horses, that they are being wasted etc, but nobody tells them that they should be out competing every weekend. As long as they have got food they are happy!

Feeling quite pleased with myself as have schooled both of my horses

[MANATEEequineOHARA]

We really don't have good hacking either! There is a frustrating lack of bridlepaths here. But get a map and explore what there is, I am often surprised at the distance we manage, and I don't think that your hacking can be worse than where I am, even if you are in a city centre! (actually city hacks can be fun, esp on well 'planned' estates with green spaces for canters/gallops - see, just need to be creative about it!)

[alicecrail]

Our biggest problem is that you find a good track, go for about a mile then find you have got a huge fen ditch 10ft across/10ft deep and have to turn around and come back again. Frustrating! I have been spoilt really as i grew up with decent hacking and then worked for someone where there was about 300acres of grass/woodland and it attached to a uk chasers course - it was amazing

This is why i really need to win the euro millions

[MANATEEequineOHARA]

I used to be near Chasers too in Hertfordshire sigh, I do miss that!

Haha, sounds like you plan your future lottery winnings in the same kind of way I do (huge bit of land for extra fun horsey ride, also with my new found power as someone so rich I would make the concil turn many country lanes and footpaths into bridlepaths...with neat jumps along the side )

[Owls]

I'm just that you've got enough grass to turn them out all the time. Honestly, we have very little decent grazing just doesn't seem to be growing. Mind you, having had a pony prone to laminitus in the past I am a bit paranoid about too much green so not going to worry too much.

We have got decent hacking around here so must get down to doing something instead of just pottering around the fields. But can't do a lot in the fields as we NEED a menage.

Ahh well, just enjoy them I guess. But ours are only 3yo so plenty of time.......Have a horrible feeling I'll be saying that in ten years' time though.

Sorry Alice, not too inspiring am I?!

[alicecrail]

i had huge plans for my 3yo when i bought her unbroken, she is now 8 and a superstar but not really done much.

manatee whereabouts in Herts?

[Pixel]

I'm not very inspiring either I'm afraid! I did take him out on monday (when he leapt in the air as a truck went by and bashed me on the chin then bucked - I was complimented on my seat ), but I haven't ridden since, except for a 10 minute potter round the paddock. I then decided it was too hot and gave him a shampoo instead!

Actually I probably would have ridden today but dd had another teachers' skive inset day and she gets bored hanging around the horses. Is she really mine?

[MANATEEequineOHARA]

Berkhamsted and then the Eldings Fsrm just outside Hemel Hempsted were both near Chasers. (although I'm not sure the one near Hemel was Chasers or just a similar thing!) But mostly I was around Kings Langley and the hacking was good there too without Chasers!

[MANATEEequineOHARA]

FARM not fsrm!

[Butkin]

Off to Rutland County tomorrow. Was looking forward to taking the palomino but now the weather forecast is shocking.

[alicecrail]

Hi butkin how did you get on?

Was planning on doing some showjumping on wednesday but i don't feel the horses have done enough.So looks like the next thing will be dressage on the 28th

[Butkin]

Alice we went to Rutland and managed to avoid the worst of the weather. Having abandoned doing the RIHS qualifer we just arrived at 2pm as all the big lorries were being towed off! As we were only in a trailer we managed to get on OK and no rain whilst we were there.

We finished 2nd in Lobster Pot so qualified him for PUK - he is now in Lobster Pot and Colne Novice finals and qualified for Equifest as well so job done.

He was quite naughty though as the whole occasion seemed to get to him (noisy lorries near ring, big horses working in and in next class, cold and windy etc). Will have to get him out again soon.

Where do you go for showjumping/dressage?

[alicecrail]

Well done! How long til PUK?

The yard where we are at is a show centre, so it means we can compete and not have to worry about travelling. We moved to Fenning for that reason as we don't have transport (were going to buy a small lorry, but then i fell pg ) and it works really well.

I saw Robert (i think it was Robert, i'm never sure) Chapman at the races the other week and told him about how Crail was getting on. I think they may come and see him soon, possibly at the dressage.

[MitchyInge]

Since he started sleeping out I spend most of my time trying to catch him but still entertain fantasies of getting to some fun local shows and doing some jumping. Although really am satisfied with the ditches, logs, puddles and other things we can jump on our hacks

I probably won't ever be anything more than a hapless hacker to be honest, seems like ages since I made any improvement in my riding and struggling financially so lessons have been few and far between lately.

[alicecrail]

Dressage tomorrow!!
Feel stupidly nervous though. I think it is because i know i haven't put in as much work as i should have. Oh well, will report back tomorrow, possibly with pics, wish me luck!

[Pixel]

Good luck .

[alicecrail]

Thanks pixel

The thoroughbred was very well behaved and got 56.84% which i was really pleased with and we got some good comments.

My mare was a bit of a madam! I have been riding her in a grakle and she is much better as it allows me to ride her forwards more without having her bugger off, but as you can't use a grakle for dressage, i had to put her back in the flash and she took the piss completely. We got 54% which is the lowest we had ever got, so a bit more work needed for both!

[Nekabu]

Over 50% on both is PDG! Congrats to you!

[alicecrail]

Thank you

[ohnelly]

Can you box them somewhere to go for a good hack or try some fun rides? just for something different? otherwise treat yourself to a lesson - get an Instructor to come over and give you some tips/things to work on. Maybe you will get a few ideas you have not thought of?

[MitchyInge]

have you done much more since then Alice?