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.

Mithcy's "Project Can The Brown One Jump 4'" has made me think about horsey goals for 2012, so these are mine....

1. Get Dpony on a serious diet/work regime - he looks like a hippo and enough is enough!
2. Get 'baby' horse to do a Prelim level dressage test with a decent score - he's still very green and ploddy but i'm sure it's possible.
3. Get my beautiful school master back into work - he's been off lame for 1 month now with a suppossed a bruised sole but no improvement so i'm doubting the diagnosis :(
4. Finish my Equine diploma that I started last year.

What are everyone elses 2012 goals?????????

Right now my 2012 goal is to have a SOUND horse - the damn thing has come in lame again and I'm convinced he's done a tendon properly. The vet (vv nice vet) has just rung to talk about it in advance of his lunchtime visit and seems to think it may be an abcess so I'm praying that it is that. It is so frustrating - I don't know whether I'm coming or going with him at the moment and as soon as I make a plan it gets chucked out of the window. Please, please can I have my horse sound?!

Well the vet has been and is convinced it's in his foot, although there is a strong pulse running all the way up to his knee. He flinched when tapped, and leapt about when pincered so it looks likely. The shoe is off, but there's no sign of either pus or a bruise so he's just been hot tubbed and now poulticed. The instructions are to poultice for 3 days and keep the shoe off for a week so I hope in the next 24 hours something nasty will come out and we can get this show back on the road. My fear is that nothing emerges and it is his tendon after all, but I'm trying not to be too pessimistic.

I'll keep everything crossed for you frosty.
We are gutted,we've just had a phone call from the people we were meant to be loaning a pony for DD2 from,to say that the people they were meant to be buying from had changed their mind,so loan pony is staying with them for the time being.

Poor dd2,we've been looking for months for a little pony for he,with no luck and thought we'd found the perfect pony with him.

Well life still hasn't improved much - so much for new year new start. Dhorse is still lame, he's had his shoe off for a week and now great chunks of hoof have come away and he's still lame. I don't know if that's due to no shoe or something else - the farrier is coming tomorrow or Friday to put it back on, and we'll have to take it from there.

I had a job interview yesterday but just been told I didn't get the job - it would have been a tricky one as it was full time but needs must! Anyhow, I put too much emphasis on attention to detail and getting things right when they are more interested in achieving targets. So back to the drawing board.

Sorry - needed to moan somewhere!

Oh no frosty.I hope that things improve on both fronts. I can't understand why getting things right is less important than targets being reached-that is madness.

The shoe has gone back on, although the farrier thought he was a bit sore when he tapped and used the pincers although he didn't flinch when it was nailed on. The farrier said to give him the w/end with it and see how it goes - the problem is that loads of his hoof is falling away without the shoe on so it's too risky to leave him without.

It's driving me bonkers - and I spread 3 tons of bark peelings yesterday in the turnout yard and now it's blowing all over the place! Another wasted weekend ahead.

Frosty - mmmhhh...seems our horses have the same problem (see my post 9th Jan), my horse is a TB ex-racer and has had tendon problems in the past and I really thought the problem was coming from higher up (his knee to be specific) when he first went lame (late November). Vet said it was his sole, I was very unsure about this diagnosis but farrier backs up the vet. Now, he is still lame but slowly improving, he's seen the farrier twice since the original diagnosis and also has a big chunk of hoof missing due to loosing a shoe in the paddock. Have my fingers crossed for both of us!

Had a fun ride on Friday, rode one of my horses in the arena and he was a stupid, spooky pain in the arse a bit nervous in the wind. Got and decided to take my gorgous pony for a blast to lift my mood - in cyclone type winds and rain went out for a good canter and had so much fun - he's such a star

Well his lordship seems sound this morning. DH trotted him up and down the road for me and as far as I can see he's level. I've asked the vet out this afternoon to double check for me as I don't want to start riding him again too quickly. He's been turned out for half a day in a small paddock as he was going stir crazy, but I was a bit late getting him in on Sunday evening and he was most put out!

Dappleton, it's such a worry isn't it? I've rather lost my confidence in my ability to see whether he's right or not, hence the expensive vet visit, and I can't decide whether or not there's puffiness in the leg or not - I've checked it so many times I'm surprised it hasn't fallen off!

Keeping everything crossed for you frostyfingers.Lets hope he is sound and stays that way.

On the vet's advice I took dhorse out today for the first time in over a fortnight, and only the 3rd time in a month. He was surprisingly well behaved, (and sound) so I shall do walking only for another few days then see if I can get his fitness up to a half day hunting.

I'm off for a day with the Grafton on a horse I've never ridden before on Saturday, so if you never hear from me again you know I'll be face down in a hedge somewhere!

Good day. Took DD and her Section B for an outing to Newton Hall. Plan was just to get her thinking about her show/riding etc as we approach the season and wanted to get her BSPS Winter Championship ticket.

She rode really well - big improvement on last year - and won her class so job done!

Well Done to your DD Butkin.

We've had a pretty quiet weekend.The dds had a lesson yesterday which went well,Dpony has stopped planting and is more responsive to them now,which is good.

We were invited to a Bloodhound meet today,and despite following foxhounds all my life,I've never seen a bloodhound pack in action,so it was very interesting.We didn't take dpony as I don't have my new car yet,and we wanted to see how fast it was before DD1 goes out with them.

We had a 4 mile hack this afternoon,it was very muddy underfoot,but it was nice not to have to rush back before it gets dark.A bit of good news is that the lady who offered us a loan pony for DD2 has been in touch again,to say that she is still trying to find a replacement and she is hoping to have one on trial by half term.So,hopefully we could have a new pony in a few weeks.

Bloodhounds sound fun. Did you notice anything different about your day, compared to following foxhounds. Do you think DD will be able to follow them in future?

It was quite different,Butkin.The dress code was not quite as strict as our local hunt,more people wore BP's and tweed,not everyone had their hair netted,and there was no one side saddle.It seemed much less formal than what I'm used to and there were no children,which I found surprising for a Sunday meet,the youngest looked about 14.I did notice how fast they were though,[perhaps why there were no children]and someone else had mentioned this to me prior to our going.The huntsman was a good 3/4 mile away before the last of the field had exited the farmyard.Apparently they have 3 meets in a day,so riders can opt out at any point.We didn't follow because it was in a different county and I had no idea where I was or where I would end up,not like here where I know the land very well.The noise the bloodhounds made when they set off was terrifying though,a real deep baying.It gave me the shivers.

They don't come our way very often,but I would let DD1 go in future I think,it is £20 for children and as long as you follow on foot or in a car,they don't need a babysitter. I think I'd leave it a year or two unless she can go with a friend.She is pretty fearless and hunted a whole day with our pack [who are well known for being hard riders] but had a babysitter with her then.It is hard when she is so confident,and I don't want to knock her,but I do have to remind her that she has only had dpony 6 months and prior to that had only ever ridden at riding school.I wish I was a good enough rider and had a horse to go with her myself,but that is a slipperly slope......

I'm told that it is a very different experience - you go for the riding rather than to watch hounds work. As you say they do 3 lines in a day, with breaks in between, and each line is followed pretty much flat out. I don't know if they have a non jumpers route, but it may be worth looking into.

It does sound like fun though!

You are right frosty,it is more riding centred.The meet yesterday was meant to be suitable for jumpers and non jumpers,and the first fence was 2ft 6,so both DD and dpony could manage that if they had to.Was quite funny as on the other side of the jump was a kale field,and the horses did not like it at all,the huntsmans horse refused 4 times,much to the hilarity of us followers,and amongst the rest there was some very impressive rearing and broncing-I've never seen anything like it.It was useful to point out to the dds that even the most experienced riders encounter problems sometimes.

I prefer traditional hunting out of the two,I like to watch the hounds working a line.But I'll definitely follow the Bloodhounds again,preferably closer to home so I know where they are going.

I've just been for the most fabulous ride - it's -8 here beautifully sunny and still and with my still concussed head had a gentle ride around the fields. It's a bit slippy but dhorse is very good at tippy toeing and I put an exercise rug on him so he didn't feel chilly and therefore didn't need to bounce about.

I've just poo picked the field, swept the yard and waltzed into the house feeling warm, exercised and virtuous - days like this make you remember why you have horses!

It's all downhill from here as I now have to do the housework!

I picked my new car up last week and love it! I took the trailer out for the first time on Weds,on a trial run before Pony Club on Thurs and the Sorento tows like a dream.The only bit I didn't like much was reversing down our steep narrow gateway and yard,but my dad,who has been doing it all his life says that it is particularly tricky and if I can manage that I can do anything.

Pony Club went well,and I had no problems towing there or reversing out,just came a bit unstuck at the yard again and needed 4 attempts to get backed in.But it can only get better with practice I suppose.

The girls have just been out riding and dpony went beautifully,DD2 had no trouble getting her to canter and jump.She seems to be more forward going at the minute and I don't know if it is because she has been to PC or because she has had an extra day off this week.Perhaps 2 children riding her almost every day is too much? Hopefully we'll manage to get DD2 a pony soon and dpony will have it a bit easier.

Is your trailer particularly heavy? Ours is a Wessex which is nice and light and I have on occasion unhitched it and wrestled it into place. Obviously uphill would be tricky but it might be worth bearing in mind if you get stuck elsewhere.

Thanks frosty,it is light enough to pull sideways to hitch up if need be,I hadn't thought about doing that.

Dpony was still very responsive today,both girls got some lovely cantering and jumping in.She has never been very forward going,[apart from out hunting] and they struggle to get her to trot,never mind go any faster.But certainly at the minute,the girls only need to ask once and she responds beautifully.In fact,she went round the jumps so fast that DD2 didn't lean around a corner and fell off sideways.Perhaps it has taken a few months for them to 'get' each other.Anyway,they are having a lot of fun with her.

Well done Mirage - glad they had a fab half term.

of the bloodhounds, that sounds like heaven

After weeks of 'nothing to report' on the horse front I finally had a good ride today. Managed to get 5 out of 6 of my horses out for a proper (with a bit of canter) hack today - including 'baby' horse, new horse and 3 of my old boys - all ex-racehorses cantering along better behaved than most other horses I know - so proud!!!!

well done dappleton! I'm feeling proud of mine too after the excitement going out in a little group (friends from Old Yard have finally followed me to New One, hooray) they were all pretty lively and pony did four massive bucks with the all-too-muchness of it when we cantered but it was lovely

a few moments when, anticipating the next bridleway, I'd turn in the saddle intending to say 'are you ok if we have a canter now?' but already galloping before I could speak but it was all ok, everyone had a nice time. Even managed to stay behind sometimes, in the middle anyway. And my hip doesn't hurt at all :)