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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Original poster

Riding log - anyone interested?

999 replies

SupersonicDave · 26/03/2011 11:25

Saw this on a horse forum and thought it would be a good idea.

Basically i need a bit of help with motivation (too much to do, not enough hours in the day etc) and can get a bit stuck in a rut wrt schooling/hacking/lunging.

So, today i am riding out my mare, a friend is riding my gelding, and we are going to ride through the village and back across some grassy tracks. Want to concentrate on keeping my mare calm, especially on the grass.

OP posts:
MitchiestInge · 26/03/2011 12:12

Oh good idea, am in!

Apart from anything else would like to keep record of amount and type of work mine do generally.

MitchiestInge · 26/03/2011 12:17

and good luck with mare too by the way!

CotswoldCountryMummy · 26/03/2011 12:48

good luck with the mare! sounds fun. Have you tried NAF Stay Calm? It's excellent.

CluckyKate · 27/03/2011 09:30

Great idea - how did it go???

Rode my girlie for the third time since having baby no. 2 (now 5 weeks old) yesterday and concentrating on getting the old muscles working properly - me, not her. Was a lively ride, just walk and jog trot....very tempted to canter but thought better of it - maybe next time.

Original poster
SupersonicDave · 27/03/2011 16:35

Had a lovely ride. Mare was very well behaved, and gelding was a donkey Grin

Mare's biggest problem is not enough work tbh, hoping to rectify that!

DH rode gelding out on his own today, slightly more lively, but i think they both enjoyed themselves.

Big news is next weekend we are going to try mare in a trailer again (first time in 4yrs, since she lay down in one) and a girl at the yard is going to take her to pony club!!

CluckyKate congrats on baby no2. How are your muscles today? I found that strangely i didn't ache when i first started riding after dc2, possibly because all my muscles were surrounded by a good layer of fat Grin

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Ponks · 27/03/2011 21:42

Can I join in too?
I am trying to regain confidence riding, it has disappeared down the plughole over last couple of years. Hacked my mare today and bless her she was a saint. We have had some bad times together and I'm hoping to build our trust in each other.

olderyetwider · 27/03/2011 22:25

Can I join? Ride to pub yetsreday, then a bit more today. My new little mare is lovely and up for it, but gelding is still stiff, so gradually back to work. But today I didn't bail off when she spooked going by a really big muck spreader. Would have got off and led, but sat it out and feel proud!

Original poster
SupersonicDave · 28/03/2011 08:13

Yay for good rides!

Today DD is at preschool, so while DS naps i am hoping to ride my mare in the school (just for 15mins or so - all i have time for!) and lunge gelding.

With the gelding we are aiming for an ex-racehorse show class on Easter Sunday. It will be the first showing class he has ever done but need him to be going a bit more smoothly and to learn to stand still for longer periods. Hmmm.....

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CailinBainne · 28/03/2011 10:44

Count me in... I do flexible working so try and ride round my work hours (haha)

Hoping the lighter evenings will be more productive - I have 2 geldings (one's still a baby so in the process of being brought on)

MitchiestInge · 28/03/2011 10:52

mine have done quite a lot this weekend, not all with me, but both did a couple of hours of hacking on Sat and then schooling and jumping in the evening

yesterday was a day off until I thought it was a waste of a spare rider and a nice evening and we spent too long playing chase me Charlie round a course - have to say both those boys are absolutely perfect at the moment, enthusiastic, responsive and beautiful

want to get through whole summer with them at this level of fitness, wish they would return favour and adjust my diet and activity levels so I can be sleek and athletic too

MitchiestInge · 28/03/2011 10:53

although I do literally have cellulite of steel at the moment

CailinBainne · 28/03/2011 12:23

OK... rode both boys out yesterday (DD rode the little 'un) and had a good hour's hack out in the forestry despite meeting some eejits in rally cars (ponies spooked but didn't bolt) Then my lad tripped and went down on his front legs almost throwing me over his shoulder but I clung on as DD with me and didn't want to scare her.

Been out on bigger one this morning for a 45 min road hack - Little un's having a day off

frostyfingers · 28/03/2011 14:56

My new dhorse came in on Fri am on 3.5 legs, literally hopping into the stable for his breakfast. PANIC - my nice vet whizzed out whilst I was having nightmares about suspensory ligaments and pinged tendons and confirmed that it was soft tissue damage and horse needed to be in, bandaged and cold hosed as much as possible.

The vet has just checked him again and decided that as the swelling has gone and dhorse is sound that he must have knocked himself whilst pratting about in the field and that the horse can go out again, but I need to cold hose once a day and not ride for a week just in case.

Dhorse has gone into my small field and proceeded to gallop and buck and handbrake turn with abandon so I've come away as I can't bear to look. Hopefully he'll settle quickly as I don't think my nerves can take it. Please god be sound and not swollen tonight - pray for me!

Original poster
SupersonicDave · 28/03/2011 16:11

Wow, everyone is doing so well, must be the sunshine Grin

Rode Mare today in the school (20mins) concentrated on myself as despite the baby weight coming off quickly (Shock) i am so wobbly and haven't got fit at all. I feel so weak and think this could be why i was finding riding such hard work recently. So did most of today in walk and trot without stirrups - mare was an angel.

Will try to get gelding lunged tomorrow as although DD not at preschool, i should have a friend with me who can keep DD out of the way for 15mins.

Going to fill out form for gelding to join ex-racers club this evening and get it sent off (will have to show him then!)

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MitchiestInge · 28/03/2011 16:31

your legs will kill tomorrow! Or is it just me who finds no stirrups a killer, even when I ride most days?

I am losing my nerve though, I keep getting a fear about random jumps - it's not always the height and I haven't had a fall since the pony rodeo weeks and weeks ago. I actually had to get off, smoke, back on and Make Myself Do It recently. What's that about?

Original poster
SupersonicDave · 28/03/2011 16:46

Age Mitchy Grin

I do quite often have to 'Have a word with myself' wrt riding/horses. I want to do these things, but i feel i can't iyswim? I don't know if it is to do with not feeling fit and stong enough, or because of the kids, or getting older, or my useless leg Hmm who knows, but i need to get over it.

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elephantpoo · 28/03/2011 17:46

Room for another?

I'm currently breaking my welsh x...........Wednesday has been named as "sit on day".

V. v. nervous.

He's lovely. But still very nervous.

Poor boy won't recognise me........I'll be wearing any bit of protective gear I can lay my hands on Blush

Also, I have been riding DD's Dartmoor over the worst winter months, but have now decided to back off and only work him from the ground, and their "bond" has improved greatly (as has his behaviour!).

They're in a really good place at the moment.......Pony Club here we come Smile

MitchiestInge · 28/03/2011 18:24

Age! Yes I bet it is. Quite often have momentary wave of cold panic, feel sick, going to die or at very least wet/soil myself when getting them in from field too - think it is from the day horse charged through gate and knocked me over and sent pony flying. Their strength, speed and suddenness is something not to get too complacent anyway, probably?

Sounds like we all have lots of projects on the go. Am finally arranging loan dartmoor officially on Thursday and this will give me even more to do :)

horseymum · 28/03/2011 19:40

me too please! although may be quite sporadic due to lack of time to ride the available horses at work and distance away of my own horse. Rode her last week - even cantered round field which was fab fun and can't wait for her to be a bit fitter so can even (whispers) gallop again after so long off (her not me)

CailinBainne · 28/03/2011 20:54

Yup...age.....
I have a fear of picking out back hooves

DD (age 11 just gets on with it, all confidence and "pick up boy")

Today I picked out my boy's back hooves for the first time ever. I was shaking but I did it (he had a haynet at the time cos he's a big ol' belly on legs and will do anything for food)

Pixel · 28/03/2011 20:57

Didn't ride yesterday due to feeling like a wet rag and also I'd have felt guilty not taking ds out. Still, I gentle stroll in the sunshine with a boy and a shetland is nothing to complain about. Smile

Today I thought I'd better at least get on! Still feeling rough so pottered about for a while first trimming off dhorse's goat beard with the mini clippers. He let me do half of it and then had a tantrum so it all took longer than necessary. Anyway, we did go round the block but I've got to start going a bit further as it is barely far enough to get him to settle (he's always an arse for about the first 10 mins) and he was quite strong.

ManateeEquineOhara · 28/03/2011 21:05

I want to join too please :)

On Saturday my DCs both rode her in the school bareback.
On Sunday the mare was used by another livery's grandchildren as a lead rein pony!

Today I actually schooled for 30 mins (quite a long time for me to be schooling!). Then I went in the woods and had a little play about. I am such a little kid when it comes to my horsey time, I had a fantastic time building jumps (and jumping them!) and the mare was brilliant. I put the gag on to the second ring and it made a real difference, rather than just tanking off at the jumps she did a sort of excited controlled (albeit slightly sideways!) canter, which is much nicer imo :)

MitchiestInge · 28/03/2011 21:15

you can join my sideways show jumping club! Pony sharer had a go at it (on sideways horse) and loved it

pony neither wiggles nor goes sideways, he just bascules impressively. This is why I persevere!

MitchiestInge · 29/03/2011 15:36

lovely lovely lovely hack, out for quite a while (me on chocolate horse, sharer on mint humbug) and had perfect canters although most tracks were too rutted and concretey - rain please

horse did a bit of criminal damage to a friend's lawn on way back - it is ok, please let them graze said her husband but where pony daintily nibbles in a helpful, asset to any gardener sort of way the horse carves it all up by pawing with his front feet before even tasting any grass. Why? It looked like someone had been off-roading in their garden when we left.

Trotted most of the way back without reins, that was fun. Oh and pony did 30 mins schooling before hack. He is getting very good at bending AND standing still - his two most hated things. :)

Original poster
SupersonicDave · 29/03/2011 17:21

Very Envy of your good hack, sounds lots of fun!

A friend of mine came over today. She is still quite a novice rider having only been at a riding school (knows how to do things, but would be a bit stuck on anything needing 'riding' iyswim?) but she rode mare in the school. My mare is one of those that switches off if she thinks she can get away with it in the school. My friend seemed to think she had schooled her for me Grin but it is still a help getting the horses exercised.

Lunged Gelding in loose side reins, was very well behaved despite being wound up because Mare had left him earlier

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