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.

That's great, everyone is getting on well. I'm ashamed to say I haven't ridden dhorse for months . It started off with being busy around Christmas, then bad weather and a bad hip/back for me. But the weather has been fine for ages and my hip is much better but the longer I leave it the harder it is. I've built it all up in my mind again and it doesn't help that he is feeling really well and racing round the field bucking like a lunatic at the slightest excuse!
Anyway, had decided I must at least get on him today but didn't get a chance in the end as we smelt gas and a man came and condemned our old cooker so have been waiting in all day for delivery of a new one. It has been lovely and sunny too! (and I've discovered that dh can't be trusted with measurements. He told me the new cooker was only an inch smaller than the old one, which I thought I could live with, but it is tiny and none of my trays fit in it. I shouldn't have been surprised I suppose as he once measured up a carpet and when we got it home it was about 3" too small!).

It was my first ride for ages, weeks - maybe even months? Once I'm on I don't want to get off, a bit all or nothing. Was genuinely worried about making my hip worse, but I think walking does more harm than riding. And maybe the cold weather was bad for it too?

Hope you can ride soon, it's a funny mental hurdle isn't it? Once you're through that barrier you will get back into a rhythm hopefully.

It has been a totally gorgeous day here, and ds had a private lesson (instructor at new yard is amazing with littlies and he and dpony are coming on leaps and bounds) followed by tagging on the end of the childrens hack. Dpony was immaculatley behaved even with hot air balloons and microlights going over.
Then I got to go out and play ! Fab going out with 10 others, and my confidence is def building back up

hooray for growing confidence cmot!

it's very quiet on this thread? I'm just hacking every day and loving every minute. Think am finally over my rodeo phobia and starting to ride the pony in the same way as the horse, revelation this evening that he can beat the horse in a race. Usually he trails behind huffing and puffing. Perhaps I have a hot seat?

Glad to hear you sounding cheerier Mitchy

I'm going to book myself a few lunge lessons at scary dressage yard to try and deal with my mental canter block.

DS tells me he's going to be the prince escorting his princesses out riding again tomorrow

Pretty quiet for us at the moment. DD rode her new SHP last weekend for the first time and will hopefully go down and sit on him again in a couple of weeks. She is off to Isleham HT tomorrow whilst I'm going to the local point to point (where they are filming some of Made In Chelsea apparently!). On Sunday she is having a lesson on her Sec B and he is having his mane pulled in readiness for a BSPS show next weekend.

Hope you had fun at the Point to Point Butkin.Ours is next month.

We are still waiting for our prospective loaners to find another pony so we can have theirs.We've been waiting since November,but still been looking,just in case.There is absolutely nothing smaller than 13h around a 40 mile radius of us.I'm beginning to wonder if it is worth getting another 13hh for her instead. DD2 will be 7 in May.She has no problems riding dpony,jumps and canters,hacks her out with perfect confidence,so I'm thinking perhaps a steady 13h pony would be fine rather than waiting another goodness knows how long for an 11.2.She is desperate to go to Pony Club and go hunting with her sister and cried last night because DD1 is going to a show jumping rally and she can't. It'd certainly make my life easier having two-currently they argue about who rides first,who tacks up and untacks,who leads her back into the field ect.

There's quite a few (to buy, not loan) in the East Midlands on Horsemart at the minute Mirage (namechanged regular btw, used to have reference to age and width but RL loon found me via a board search so not saying old name)

Oh no! There really are some nutters about..Thanks for the tip,but I really can't afford to buy one now-buying the car cleared me out completely and I'm losing half a days work after Easter.Plus I can only keep 2 ponies at home,and just know I'd be rubbish at selling on.

Have you been out and about much lately? We had planned to go to the showjumping rally later in the month,but DD1 is running in the County finals cross country the same day and I don't think we can fit both in.

We're going to the XC rally on Saturday then competing in Hunter Trials at Prestwold Hall on 18th March (well GD is, I'm trying to pluck up courage to enter the pairs with her but don't think I could ride with the amount of dutch courage I'd have to take on board!)

New pony (may have to stop calling her that, we got her last May!) is coming along really nicely and she and GD are really well bonded. Old pony is happy with his nice sharer and DH and I are just bringing ours back into work having not done very much over the winter. We got out for a 30 minute hack after work last night which felt like spring is nearly here! My sweet little mare's the same as always, DH's is a bit opinionated so I'm going to ride her a much as I can

I've had a couple of days hunting on dhorse - he was manic at one because it was only a small field and we were up with the hounds at the first one, and then it took me an hour to get the so and so into the trailer at the end of the day. He just planted himself about 3 feet away from the ramp and would go neither forward nor backward, I was on my own and completely stumped and trying very hard not to lose my cool. Eventually I found some help and he was still reluctant but went in after another 15 mins of arm waving and grass. The next day I did went much better as there were more people out, but he was still a bit reluctant to load, I can't think why as he's never been so difficult before and nothing has happened that should make him nervous. It's all in his head I think. I'm hoping to go again on Saturday and will have to rely on having someone around to help.....it makes going anywhere so stressful as I never know how much time to allow!

I've had him just over a year now, and he still feels "new" - he's a dear in so many ways, and I can do much more with him than my old horse, but he isn't so cuddly and humanized as the old boy, and I miss that. Refusing to go into trailers does not help him endear himself to me either!

i'm on holidays, kind of, DH is on a business trip and DS and I have come along! in a hotel with a sleepy baby and missing my horses so thought i'd have a look to see what everyone else is upto!
Mirage - think you will have to get anoter loan pony, my mum tried to get my sister and I to share when we were a similar age to your daughters, it never worked, we always argued, ashamed to say I even poked my sister in the eye once in an arguement over who would ride first! It was so much easier for everyone once we had 2 ponies and more enjoyable as we could hack out together.
Treble - what's an RL loon??? sorry to ask and it's probably obvious but i'm having brain-freeze!
Frosty - glad you're over your concussion and back out on Dhorse again. How long did you have your old horse for? I think some horses just have characters that are irreplaceable and are a hard act to follow.

Real Life lunatic

A hotel sounds nice - I feel like I'm running one here atm. I've just changed and washed 5 sets of sheets and trying to decide what's to eat tonight. Concussion and whiplash have gone thankfully, but the back is still sore so I'm toying with the idea of a trip to my osteo lady to see if she can ease it a bit. Riding is fine - it's everything else that makes it hurt.

I had my lovely old dhorse for 8 years - he was the first horse I'd owned myself rather than ones we'd had as children and he was such a softy. He'd come and rest his head on your hands and just sigh quietly and he knew when you were having a bad day and was happy to listen. "New" horse doesn't get the idea of being cuddled, he backs away until you stop, and tolerates general soppiness rather than actively enjoying it! I think his upbringing as a pointer in a big yard has made it difficult for him to appreciate the one on one I'd like to have with him.

I've just come back from a really good day's hunting - finally! Dhorse behaved like a star and we jumped loads and loads of things, including a double of metal 5 bar gates (twice!). I did decline the two humungous hedges on offer as the hounds weren't actually running, and I thought I might be pushing my luck. He then lost a shoe and I was about to head for home when I ran into my farrier, who was shoeing another horse so he clapped a new one on and we continued for another hour. To cap it all, he walked into the trailer like a lamb - after last week's shenanigans I was getting quite stressed at the thought of spending an hour enticing him in.

So all in all a good end to a short season (5 days only!), and something to look forward to next year.

That sounds a blissful dayfrosty and I'm pleased your dhorse has got over his trailer problem.

We had a nice hack yesterday,and halfway around a car drew up alongside and the driver commented on our muddy pony.I thought he was bit cheeky,and replied that she hated stables and liked to roll.He then said 'you don't recognise me,do you?'It was the dad of the family who sold us dpony! They don't live near us so it was a surprise to see him.He commented on how fit dpony looked and said they missed her, and said that DD1 was just about the right size for dpony now.I said that we loved her and were keeping her for good-once the dds move on to faster/bigger things,if she is still fit,I'll ride her.

The girls were practising their jumping this morning and the lady living opposite [also horsey] said how much they've come on in the past 3 weeks.It is all due to the PC instructor giving them lessons and their practising hard.I'm really pleased with all of them

Haven't been in the tack room for a while.......you all seem very busy!!

After a very emotional few months, with all sorts of things coming to a head (horse and work related) I finally feel we are back on track.
I've had Dpony back from "loan" for 1 1/2 weeks and I'm so pleased I have him back I'm now on a mission to get him going really well and fulfilling some of the potential I know he has. We had an hours lesson on Monday and he proved to be responsive and very quick to learn. In the space of an hour he went from making an oval track around the arena to cornering perfectly, from running into canter to a smooth transition and even popped a few coloured poles like an old pro!!
DD also had a lesson that evening and her Dpony (who I had reservations about bringing back into work.........he can be so naughty if he's not worked for a week or 2) was a superstar!! DD was so pleased with him. Last Saturday she took him to a pre-PC type club a local lady runs and he got so excited when it came to his turn to canter to the rear of the ride that he kind of bunny-hopped. DD sat through it very well. I was concerned that she may be put off by it, but she was so pleased to see that he has some spirit in him (he's not always the most forward-going of ponies!!) So that incident and her lesson have really spurred her on..........PC here we come!

A lovely sunny hot day here,dd's rode in t shirts.We hacked to my dad's farm and over the fields.DD1 had a fab gallop but managed to fall off whilst doing a slow trot on the way home.My neighbour who we rent the yard from has bought his hunter back from loan for a weeks holiday at grass now the season has finished and before he starts eventing.He is 16.3 and dpony looks tiny next to him.She is trying to pretend that she isn't interested in him,but can't resist putting her nose to his,squealing in outrage and racing away.Thankfully there is a post and rail fence between them because she has already showed him her heels-if he takes it into his head to jump in with her,he'll soon be jumping out again.

Well done Frostyfingers - I'm very jealous. Sounds like you had a fab day!

We took Sec B to local BSPS area Winter Show yesterday. DD did her first WHP but got lost on course and we had to shout to her! She jumped clear but got deducted 15 point for crossing her tracks (quite rightly). She got top marks for everything else inc manners and confirmation so frustrating but at least we know he can do it easily and she is keen to try again. She was then 2nd in the First Ridden and went reserve champion - the sponsored rosettes were the nicest we've ever received so she was chuffed.

Today we all went to our local point to point. Smallish fields (4 -6 in each race) due to good to firm going but huge crowd and exciting finishes (2 wins by a neck).

Sounds like everyone is having a great time atm !

Congrats to your dd Butkin.

Ds is now hacking out off the lead rein (obv in safe place) and happily trotting off from us as we are walking. He's got so much more confident out and about.

My class today played at musical rides - it was hilarious trying to be all synchronised, but a really good lesson in using lots of speeds in the same gait. Getting the crossing going right felt fab !

Well done CMOT. Our Pony Club did a musical ride for the first time this year and I was impressed about how difficult it can be...

We are off to see a loan pony tomorrow,over an hour away.Ironically his owner lives 15 mins away from me,and he is coming back to her next week,but several other people want to try him,so he may have gone if I wait.

DD1 is going to try him,because he'll be too much for DD2,and my theory is to let DD2 have dpony and DD1 have the new one [if he works out].DD1 was adamant that she wasn't giving up dpony until she found out that the new one is a fabulous jumper and on the PC teams,then she changed her mind .However,I have warned her that if he isn't right,we are not taking him on,no matter how great at competing he is.I can't summon up any enthusiasm as the last 6 months of searching has dulled any excitement I used to feel about possibly finding the right pony.Gah,I need a boot up the arse atm.

Fingers crossed Mirage. Heres hoping that this is the one

good luck Mirage!

Hope it works out for you Mirage. An hour is nothing for the right pony!