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.

Thankyou all,I feel quite mean really.DD1 has worked extremely hard over the past few months and has just got to the stage where dpony and her 'get' each other and have clicked.The PC instructors have commented on how well she knows dpony and how comfortable she is on her and it has been hard won,no matter how frustrating DD has found dpony at times,she has never given in and I'm proud of her determination and hard work.I just feel a bit rotten that she'll have to start all over again with a new pony.I know she will have to at some point,but it seems a bit soon I suppose.

Just got back from pony trying.He was a real sweetie,and DD1 got on very well with him,despite having a wobble about cantering him [she remembered that 2 of the previous ponies she had tried bucked her off during a canter and got a bit frightened].He is faster and more responsive than she is used to,and he hasn't had any spring grass yet-he could speed up even more when he gets that.I'm not sure-he did nothing at all to worry me and was very gentle,so don't know why I'm not enthusiastic about him.He is jumping at Arena UK on Sunday and another prospective loaner is going to view him there,so I might email his owner after that and see if he is still available and if we can have him on trial.If he hasn't been loaned out by Sunday,he will be back home just down the road from us,so we'd be able to try him again far more easily.

We can write off the original pony we were hoping to loan.His owner has decided to keep him until after PC Camp-we have already waited 4 months and don't want to wait much longer,DD2 wants to go to camp too.

I'm glad it went well - don't worry about not falling in love with him straight away, you've had so many ups and downs it's understandable that you are cautious. How big is he? Could you have a little sit on him to see what he feels like? I would suggest you ask for another go or two - explain exactly how you feel, any decent owner will be happy for you to be careful and take your time, after all it's better if he goes to the right person in good time rather than you taking him quickly and sending him back.

Thankyou frosty-you are the voice of reason. DD1 said this morning that she really liked him and hopes we can have him,so I have text his current loaner to see how we go about having him on trial.If they say no and he is still available next week,when he is back at home near us,I'll take the DDs back and try him a few more times before we decide.

I was wondering why he hasn't been taken so far,but he is advertised as a confidence giver,which he is,if you've got some confidence already,as he is fast and a big jumper.If I'd have put DD1 on him last summer,she'd have been scared by his speed and responsiveness.He wouldn't be suitable for someone coming off leadrein,more of a 2nd pony.Anyone going to try him and expecting a plod would be put right off.

He is 13hh,same as dpony,to be honest,it is so long since I've ridden properly that me sitting on him would tell me very little-but having handled dpony daily,who can be quirky,I'm pretty good on equine body language and watched him carefully to see what signals he was giving off and saw nothing to worry me.

Oh well,we'll have to wait and see now.Bloody ponies have taken over my life.

Mirage, do you think your lack of enthusiasm is about a sense that actually he's not right for dd1? He sounds quite a big 'step up' if he's jumping at Arena UK and is fast and responsive, he's perhaps more of a second pony? (I don't mean to be rude about dd, or your pony btw, just that you've not had her that long and ideally you'd probably like her to consolidate the progress she's made) I just wonder whether this pony could knock her confidence?

Do you think you could be getting a bit desperate given how much you want to be fair and get dd2 mounted up? and looking at ponies that you wouldn't have considered previously? There will be a good pony out there, it's only now really that people are emerging from winter and considering moving up sizes etc so I think there will be more available before too long.

X post there, sorry Mirage.

Trebles,I think there is a lot of truth in what you say.DD1 losing her hard won confidence is a worry,I don't want to knock her back now.I spoke to Julie Mann yesterday and she was saying how confident DD1 was on dpony.I suppose really she should be left to enjoy being comfortable for a while before we move on.Arghh!

Actually,you have reminded me of something,I'll PM you.

I wouldn't rule him out until you've had another go - is there someone else who could ride him for you as well - do you have an instructor who could come with you and have a look too?

All change is scary - I went from my safe, elderly tb, to an ex pt-pt horse, from a racing yard, although he'd been out of racing for 2 years and initially found it hugely different. Obviously you don't want DD to be scared, but whatever she rides will be different from what she has now, and will feel different too, and to start with, until she gets to know him, may be slightly scary. If you do go ahead, schedule in a number of lessons and get DD to spend lots of time just handling the pony to get to know him.

Don't rush it though, or feel pressured into making a decision just because you've been looking for a long time.

Thanks frosty-they have agreed to let us trial him,but there is one more person to see him jumping at Arena UK tomorrow,so I've said that if they feel that the other person is the right person for him and they want him,to let them have him,otherwise we'll give it a go and see how we get on.I'll make sure DD1 has a couple of lessons on him and ask her instructor what she honestly thinks.We haven't done any competing yet,but it was his trustworthy kind nature that we liked and DD1 said that she felt comfortable on him once she was over her wobble,plus she got a lovely canter out of him when apparently other people who tried him didn't.

Anyway,we have had a development.I was looking at the for sale bit of the Pony Club Website,and found a 12.2 mare not far from us,who has been outgrown.Her ad stated that her owners wanted her to go to a small yard with someone who was interested in NH/IH and that although good under the saddle,was not a cuddly fuss loving pony.Well we tick all those boxes,dpony is wonderful ridden,but dislikes fuss and grooming,it doesn't bother us,we are used to it.So I was very cheeky,emailed the vendors explaining that although we wanted to loan,not buy,the pony seemed a good fit for us,but I understood if they didn't want to loan.A few more emails back and forth and the owners said she was glad I've been 'cheeky' as we sound perfect and has invited us to go and try her and see what we think.

Sorry to butt in but Mirage what does NH/IH stand for - got me scratching my head!

Natural Horsemanship and Intelligent Horsemanship Butkin.

The owner of the pony we saw on Thursday rang me today for a chat,she says although someone else is going to see him tomorrow,she wants us to have him as we are only a few miles away.I mentioned that I was worried that he might be a bit too fast for DD1 and that we had no experience of competition ponies,and she told me that she originally bought him for her 7 year old to ride,and all 3 of her girls learnt to ride on him as a family pony [they are in their 20's now].His first loan home after they had outgrown him was also teaching children to ride,which is reassuring.She said that they all loved him too much to sell him and at nearly 22,it was time he had it a bit easier.We can trial him at home for 2 weeks to see how we get on,so hopefully I'll collect him on Monday.DD1 is beside herself with excitement.

I'm going to keep in touch with the other pony's owner and go and try her too.I've learnt the hard way that you don't put all your eggs in one basket.

That sounds promising on both fronts - it's great they'll let you have pony number 1 on trial, it's by far the best way of finding out if DD and pony will fit. Is 12.2 going to be the right size - if she's managing 13hh now, and she's not going to get any smaller is it worth getting used to a new smaller pony who may not last as long?

I don't envy you - it's never simple is it? Good luck!

sounds exciting Mirage, competition pony sounds like he could be perfect. From your first post it sounded like he was going to be a big step-up and potentially a lot of pony to handle - however at 22yrs old having taught lots of children he sounds lovely, hope your daughter has a great time trying him out.

Exciting developments Mirage-hope you get pony 2 soon.

Dpony has settled beautifully at the new place and even within the week we can see the difference unrestricted turnout is making to him. He's always been lovely but we've got the chilled boy we had over the summer back which is great. He's in a huge field with 3 others and a few sheep but comes cantering over when he sees at the gate.

DD rode in her first "grown up" class today and did very well against the adults, she's very pleased with her second place rosette and seems to have qualified for some championships. I did wonder if I was insane when I was trying to fix the dodgy jockey wheel on the trailer at 6 in the morning though!

Good luck Mirage - sounds like your potential Dpony will be happy to start slowing down and obviously knows how to look after children. Amazing how they often respond to the abilities of their pilots. Fingers crossed!

Well done to your DD marialuisa and I'm pleased dpony is enjoying his new home.

Thankyou everyone for your good wishes,sadly he isn't coming to us after all. I got back from sorting out a new paddock for him to find a message from the owner.Apparently her daughter,who used to ride the pony came home today and saw the last people trying him.She decided that she wanted them to have him,and her mum says that although she'd rather we had him,he was her daughter's pony so she has to abide by her wishes.We are all gutted,this isn't the first time this has happened and poor DD1 had a good cry.

Anyway,onwards and upwards,we'll go and see the other little pony this week and see how we get on.

That is a shame Mirage - good job you've kept your other option open. Sure it will all work out for the best.

Well done Marialuisa - glad your DD is doing well and thrilled with her 2nd place. Where did you qualify for?

We took our DD to Midshires Show at Olney - never seen so much mud but the rings and warming up were indoors. She finished 5th in a very strong class for the Royal International qualifer and we were delighted especially as she got 40 for her show (one better than the winner).

Sorry about that Mirage, hope option 2 comes through.

Butkin-P(UK) 2012-still not quite sure what it is but there we go. Was your DD doing first ridden? DD pointed out that the competitors in the lead rein and first ridden classes were getting easter eggs but I didn't think we could really go under the same judge for small breeds and first ridden on the same day for the sake of a packet of mini eggs!

Oh Mirage, what a rollercoaster! I hope pony 2 fulfils the brief, keep at it. Not horse related but we're looking at houses to rent and keep driving miles to look at "the one" only to be disappointed when we get there - I'm running out of enthusiasm, but unfortunately have to be out of here in 6 weeks so also running out of time. I feel your pain!

Marialuisa Ponies UK are popular children's showing organisers. Their summer championship show is run at Newark from 8th to 11th August with loads of classes each day. www.poniesuk.org/

You will have qualified for one of the championship classes being held there by being in the first 3 at the weekend.

I presume you've never been members of Ponies UK before so therefore they give you 14 days from qualification to register you pony, the owner and rider with them.

There will be other suitable classes (which you don't need to qualify for but you do need to be members) at the show if you want to make an event of it.

DD won a Cadbury's creme egg along with her rosette (luckily she has a pocker in her jacket). Most shows will give some sort of eggs out between now and Easter in LR and FR. At the BSPS and PUK Winter Championship shows they will be proper boxed jobs!

Yes she was doing the RIHS qualifer M&M F yesterday.

You can do small breeds and FR on same day if your DD is young enough to qualify for FRs (ours is 9). If she is young enough for FR then I'd be suprised if your DD did not do that class rather than competing against adults in small breeds class.

For most people showing is being able to be the most capable jockey in that class so we still do everything we are allowed such as doing SHP LR (she wasn't 9 until after Jan 1) on our 4yo until he is ready to do FRs later in the year.

As the BSPS Winter Champs she will be doing two classes on the same day. One is Tiny Tots FR (for those under 9 on first Jan) and the Royal International Qualifer - two ends of the same spectrum!

This showing thing is getting too expensive, I'm supposed to be joining the NCPA so she can go to POYS and I may have been meant to join BSPS as she qualified for their winter championships.

Dpony and DD can do M&M FR but dpony does not naturally move like a FR, he's a big mover rather than a dinky type. Although she's qualified for things in the 2 FR classes they've done both judges have said they should really be in small breeds. We should probably plait him up for cradle stakes really as he loves to jump but DD's not keen on jumping "in front of people".

Yes it can get expensive. We're members of BSPS because we like their classes and want to qualify for RIHS and their Championship shows. You have to be a member of them before you qualify and in the case of RI qualifers you have to be members to even do the classes. Also we try to support all the BSPS shows in our area (16) so that DD has a chance at the end of season points cups.

We don't do Ponies UK anymore and NCPA is too Northern for us.

We may join NPS because they have good clases and championship (Picton) for our Connemara and they have Novice M&M Worker classes which are a bit smaller than the other societies.

Of course you can also do Equifest and that doesn't need membership so is comparatively cheap to do for the week and this is why it is so hugely popular.

I think it is a question of working out what championship shows you want to do and working backwards otherwise it can get out of hand.

DD has just started doing jumping and did her first FR M&M workers last weekend. They are often run at BSPS shows and suit us because unfortunately DD's Section B is 12.1 and therefore too big for Cradle Stakes and we'd need to do Nursery Stakes which is a bit too big to start off with.

If your pony is a big moving pony have a look at young rider classes at affiliated shows because at least then she wouldn't have to take on adults. This is a popular route that teenagers take once out of FRs.

As you step up they have to do more in the ring. DD currently doesn't have to canter in company (although she could). When she hopefully does 12hh SHP open classes next season she'll have to not only canter in company but do a gallop in her show.

We saw another pony today,but it wasn't suitable.DD2 rode it around the ring and it had its ears back the whole time and was very tense.I quite expected it to either run for it or try and chuck DD2 the whole time she was on board.It also kept yanking the reins out of DD2's hands.It was a shame as DD2 rode her very nicely with soft hands and no kick kick kicking,but I felt very uneasy the whole time and was glad when DD2 said she'd had enough and dismounted.

On the plus side,we've had some lovely hacks this week in the sunny weather.We are lucky in that we can ride anywhere we like on the estate and there are about 2000 acres to choose from if we fancy a change from the farm.Dpony made us laugh on Thursday,the naughty old thing got down to roll with DD1 on board.I was so surprised that I just squeaked out 'Oh!',DD1 was very quick thinking and hopped off sideways before I could get to her and dpony got back up with remarkable speed.We think she must be itchy as her winter coat is coming out by the handful.

My neighbours hunter has gone back to his loaner and is up for sale next month,Dpony treated him with complete disdain,but misses him now he has gone.There is a picture of DD1 with him on my profile.Neighbour is registering him for BE this year and was telling DH how expensive it was.Dh looked like this .

We have had a busy Easter,DD1 has been to 3 rallies a jumping clinic and an Easter Bunny Hunt,I am shattered [and broke].We are certainly putting the new car and trailer to good use.Interestingly enough,one of the parents at the jumping clinic asked me if we had bought dpony from X,as they recognised her and said DD1 rode her very well and that they couldn't believe how good and fit she looked.Apparently the people we had her from hardly rode her and kept her more as a pet.Poor old dpony,she has gone from one extreme to the other in that case.

A friend very kindly offered me a pony for DD2 to ride at the Bunny Hunt and she had great fun.She isn't a 'joiner' and won't go to Brownies or anything like that,but happily disappeared off with a gaggle of other children after the bunny hunt,so I have signed her up to PC.Until we can find her a pony of her own,they will have to take turns taking dpony.

Today didn't start well,I went and fetched the trailer from the farm and got to the stables to find that a huge tipper truck had tried to deliver to my neighbour and had broken down,blocking the entire track up to the yard up.We couldn't even squeeze past it on foot,and had to climb the fence to get to the yard.The only way we could get dpony to the trailer was to walk her across 3 fields to the back of the village and round to the road.Fortunately the call out people managed to get it started and moved before we had to leave,but it was a close thing.Poor DD1 was panicking about being late but we were fine.

Sounds like you're having a great time Mirage - glad that PC is working out.

We've had exactly the opposite this Easter. DDs pony was lame last week and although foot now drained he still has some warmth so no competitions for us. To make matters worse we'd spent over 70 quid in advance entry fees for the Winter Champs. We went anyway just to watch and at least DD had some retail therapy.