Riding log - anyone interested?

[SupersonicDave]

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.

I'm not, just lucky that those high withers hold everything in place!

OMG Mitchie, that is a bit scary! and nevermind the withers, you must be well balanced even if you don't think so!

I did a quick after work ride in the woods. I told the mare all about an amusing work incident where I though my colleague was telling us she was naked but she wasn't, giggling away to myself, only to find afterwards one of the liveries had been walking in the woods at the same time. She didn't say she heard me but then maybe she is just being polite...she is hardly going to say "So then Manatee, were you talking to the mare or yourself". I am such a disgrace!

Haha, how embarrassing! Wonder how much she heard?

Did the same route again but with sharer A and a very snugly fitting girth. Less galloping at first as she hasn't ridden for nearly two weeks, I forget what a difference it makes if you don't ride every day. Also she didn't realise pony can now be trusted to bomb around without doing anything silly, I think he is just too fat to rodeo now! She was very very pleased with him, played Chase Me Charlie over the jumps that are mysteriously appearing along the tracks and happy to gallop up last hill. Both sharers are thrilled with new place, think we are all regressing to childhood a bit. It's lovely not to worry about roads and members of the public, all I have to think about is my GIRTH.

I've just come back from a long ride in the forestry to try and wear dhorse out as I'm away this weekend. We had a lovely ride for about 2 hours then when it came to put him back in the trailer he decided that actually he didn't fancy - naughty naughty beast. It's the first time I've been completely solo as in no one in sight to boot him up the bum and I know he was just taking the mickey. I spent 20 mins being very reasonable while he stood with two feet on the ramp and contemplated life until he decided that actually it was time to go home and sauntered in like a lamb. Grrr. Next time I shall take my Dually headcollar and a schooling whip and hide them in the car just in case. As a result I was late home and have been running late ever since.

It's the one thing my old horse was really bad at (loading) and I'd been so confident with this one as we'd never had a hitch at all until today - I hope it was a one off as it really got to me in the end with the other horse and I never went anywhere with him as it was such a battle to get him in.

Ho, hum he's now got a couple of days to think about it, and I'll have another go next week.

You are really brave travelling without other humans, I have an entourage of about a thousand helpers if mine are going anywhere in a trailer. I don't know why because they like travelling and nothing usually happens but I would be rubbish if it did.

Showed sharer A some other routes this afternoon, horse is a bit stiff and achey I think so did more leisurely pace. Have been doing too much fast work possibly. Signed up for sponsored ride next month, I might even clean my tack!

Been out for a two hour ride, all the way round the woods. Lots of hills for getting mare fit, and a lovely long canter up the hill, followed by jumping logs. DH's heavy mare (Belgian Draught) is really fit and up for it at the moment, and the ground's soft so we made the most of it. It's the first time I've seen her in canter (I'm usually in front). She looks awesome, DH confesses to a desire to yell 'CHARGE' when we set off. He is such a child

Ahhh that sounds fun. Did very much same thing, also two hours, but not the woods today, just different bridleways around fields but linking with as many hilly bits as possible and some jumps. Horse mistook them for six bar gates, thought we were jumping the sun!

Got permission to build cross country course around edges of my favourite field, it has a lovely hill and gentle zigzaggy bits - perfect! Keep thinking am going to get told off for churning up all the land but they said 'it is lovely to see someone enjoying their horses' :)

You certainly sound like you're enjoying yourself Mitchie! Bet you're glad you moved. Another first for me today, I galloped! I can't believe that in 4 months I've gone from being a nervous wreck to someone who shouts 'race you' across an open field. And we stopped at the end (was worried about that bit). I love my pony!

Ahhhhh isn't it nice - first time ever or first time in a while? It is the best thing and so much better when racing against someone. I can hear the hooves thundering in my head now!

Too hot to ask mine to do any hard or fast work today, although horse was well up for it. Am trying to divide it into two one and a half hour rides each per day, and do more walking. Ground is already too hard to canter again :(

First time in 30 years Mitchie! And DH's big mare gave us a run for our money. (DH has only been riding for a year) She makes the ground shake! We have sand tracks all the way round the park (we hack up there in 5 minutes, see all the lorries and trailers in the car park and know how lucky we are!) The sand tracks are always soft, but we've had huge downpours all week so everywhere's quite good at the minute, and shade most of the way. Flies were bad though.

GD rode new pony today (just out of quarantine) She is a little sweetie, forward going, but really sensible, so I'm hopeful (still stressing a bit though) Camp will tell!

Lovely to hear everyone having lovely rides. I rode mare out for an hour yesterday. Was lovely, flies bad here too.

Dh is still convinced he is going to do the sponsered ride on the heath in Sept. He has ridden once in the last 2months and we are still waiting for the saddle to come back from reflocking. Still, I'm sure 15 or 20 miles will be fine :o

I've not been on here much over the past week as time has been flying so have spent a bit of time this morning catching up on everyones stories and i'm now thinking how much I miss the British summer! Nothing in life beats the feeling of galloping across acres of open space, especially after a busy day at work when you know it won't get dark until late!

Sounds like you're all having a great time - even with a few hair-raising moments thrown in, but (as we all know)thats part of the fun!

Mirage - sorry to hear it didn't work out with Joshie, if he wasn't right for you then you've made the right choice.

I've spent the last week helping to organise a little competition at my yard, I was so nervous beforehand hoping everyone would have a good time. It went so well, it was the first time any of the horses or their riders had ever tried a competition, it was wonderful to watch, so happy

Mitchie and Olderyet - sounds like you are both having so much fun :) Olderyet - I love the sound of your DH's mare!!!

Dappleton - having a little yard competition sounds great fun :)

I have just been out on a 3 hour ride. It was so much fun, I love that ride, from my old yard though it was more like a 2 hour ride so much easier to fit in. I am not really getting on so well at the new yard. Nothing massive, but I hate that all the hacks from the old yard are now almost + 1 hour. I have gained some rides, and the woods to ride in, but I don't feel like this is 'my yard' in the way I did at the old place. I also don't like the fact that you need to take out a gate electocuter thingy to get out of the yard on a horse, and ditto to let the farrier etc in, that is a pain. And today I was walking around the field looking for the mare's fly fringe and found half a rusty old gate in the grass...wtf! I don't really know what to do, I was at the old yard 8 years so very comfortable there, and I could move again, and just feel the same as I do now.

SD - it's not the 15-20 miles that will be hard, it's the 3 days or more following that!

I was going to ride last night having been away for the w/end but it was too hot, and the horseflies are horrendous. Poor horse is frantic unless he's covered head to toe in his jacket so it's not worth it until the air freshens up a bit. I'm also having a bit of trouble with bursitis in my hip again - the steroid injection has long since worn off, and it's painful to do anything that requires me to stay in one position for too long. Back to the GP for some stronger painkillers and hopefully a more permanent solution.

Horsefly horror here this evening too. Much much cooler than this morning but still too hot really, and miscalculated route so was well over two hours. Had already worked them this morning so felt very bad but they were still full of beans, especially when they spotted loose horses in a deep ditch by the side of the road! It was actually a narrow bit of the river Deben and the horses were sensibly paddling and keeping cool. Unlike mine who stupidly freaked out, galloped home and had to be cooled down for ages like racehorses.

Manatee, come to my new yard! We have a cross country field with sixteen jumps (but they so rinkydink only about four still standing), 250 acres to ride round plus loads of public bridleways, loads of interesting things to jump in the school, boundary farm, hurrah, only five minutes ride, topthorn 30 mins ride, ME, loads of spaniels, hunting, a whole field full of beehives (scary actually because sometimes the bees chase us) and NO BROOMS. I think sweeping the yard might be against their religion, I love it!

Mitchie "NO BROOMS. I think sweeping the yard might be against their religion" LOL think i might join this religion, i'd fit in perfectly!

It's nice. People just kick foot pickings to one side, someone seems to magic any poo away and there are little trails of straw and hay everywhere which makes my heart sing - used to HATE being told to tidy up bits of hay and straw. Is hardly a biohazard is it? Also means when horse gets loose he can just mooch about tidying it up by eating it and not get into any difficulty.

My sharers are adjusting well and have given up looking for brooms and are starting to relax now. I wish I could relax today, think working them twice a day is too much in the heat so resolved to just do long slow hack this evening when it is cooler. But am insanely twitchy. I wonder if I actually need another horse?

It actually sounds like my dream yard Mitchie...apart from seriously falling outside a viable travelling area!

:( farrier thinks horse is very slightly laminitic, he's not lame but he has been a bit stiff. Too much fast work on hard surfaces - guilt guilt guilt. So just lots of walking for a few days.

Am trying cytek, bit anxious as they have mixed reputation with very evangelical believers on one hand and on the other those who think they are the devil's work. So far I like the way he stands in them, apparently they are rubbish for jumping though?

Don't feel guilty Mitchie - you were not to know that could happen, and anyway, it sounds very mild if the farrier just recommends walking only for a few days. May not be laminitis anyway? Don't panic!

I rode the mare in the school, today for a bit - very nice, then around the woods, also very nice! Lots of dappled sunlight through the tress though which totally messed with her already pretty bad ability to see the stride into a jump!

It's so lovely riding through trees on a sunny day isn't it?

Anyway definitely not laminitic, he is moving very nicely and my new brakes are shit - not completely useless but only partially effective, which is perfect really. Life wouldn't be the same without scary zigzagging round bendy tracks. Ground is awful again though, where does the rain go? Or hasn't it rained? I thought it had.

Mitchy, what are your new 'brakes'? I'm looking to change dhorse's bit so I've been trying to decide what to get. Have finally chosen (this one) and it seems no one will have any in stock until August. Now I've made a decision I only want THAT one so I'll have to wait.

Moved dhorse to the other yard yesterday and he seems very pleased to be there. As soon as he realised where we were going he started neighing non-stop! It was a total nightmare getting there though as we couldn't get any transport so my instructor rode him. I was going to take turns but he was so freaked out I started writing FOR SALE ads in my head instead.

Oh well, he was very sweet today. He's in quarantine so I've been clearing his new paddock of ragwort and burdocks. He is quite close to the school so he's had plenty of entertainment, I just hope he's picking up a few tips!

God the horseflies are bad this year, it doesn't seem to matter when you ride but they are always there and one of the blasted things managed to bite the palm of my hand today. It's swollen up nicely and is itching like hell - when they're as bad as this I'm not sure it's worth the effort and no fly repellent seems to repel them at all.

Quite a good ride apart from that, and he's still shying like mad at drain covers (and this time the 30mph) painted on the road gave him a scare too. Any ideas how to deal with this - it seems to be getting worse not better, currently I'm going on as loose a rein as possible and pretending that nothing's happening, but do you think I should get cross with him instead? I certainly feel it!

of all your rides in the sunshine.We took our pony back today,and I miss him despite his unsuitableness.The paddock looked empty and wrong when we got back and there is a pony shaped hole in my life now.

But,despite saying I wasn't going to,I have found another pony.I hadn't planned it and I'd even invested the 'pony money' where it couldn't be touched so I couldn't be tempted.This pony is a 20 year old Pony Club veteran who has been a confidence giver to at least two families of PC children.The dds rode her down a very busy main road and she was as steady as a rock,no lead rein needed,which surprised me.[Dd2 was thrown by the prevs pony on Thursday and both the girls wouldn't ride him without the lr after that].There was a PC instructor there on our test ride and she was great very friendly and encouraging,DD1 rode around a big field solo and even did a small course of jumps-I was amazed at the difference in her from before,prevs pony had knocked her confidence.

The people we are buying her from are from another county from us,but bizarrely,it turns out that their cattle are in a field behind our house and,talking to them,we found that we have a lot of friends in common.I feel better buying from someone who is 'known' in the area and has a good reputation.They are happy that their pony is going to a place that they have links and can see her when they come over to check the cattle.

It must be fate,because the day before we went to see her,the bank returned my cheque as my ISA is up to it's yearly limit-so my pony money is back in my account.Not for much longer though.......