hapless hacking and Actual Riding log

[Mitchy1nge]

is the riding log full now? Haven't seen it for ages.

Anyway we (well, me and the horse) are back in very light work at last, 2013 can finally begin!

What are your goals?

Well I've picked the damsons to make damson gin with so that will stop him and have moved the fence out again from the oak tree - idiot animal. I keep getting all the dates for autumn hunting here but we're not quite ready yet, which is frustrating as now really is the best time of year, before the clocks change but hopefully in the next month or so we'll get the all clear. Glad to hear about babysitters for DD's - hunting is the best education for children and ponies, and I remember being secretly thrilled (afterwards) about how frightened I was at going fast and jumping things I shouldn't have!

. We had a lovely hack and DD1 had her first canter across the stubble on her new boy.DD2 set off in hot pursuit and I was so happy watching them have fun on sensible ponies.We passed some alpacas on the way home and dpony looked absolutely horrified,Belvoir just carried on with no reaction at all.

Well I have given up my share, and am back to riding school horses.....Had a very hard lesson today - on one of the more advanced horses...and I got it all wrong to start with, but worked it out by the end - I am frustrated I got it so wrong, but instructor very pleased with me.

Have been thrown a curve ball from the instructor....her friend has an old ex-eventer. He has retired from eventing, and can't jump anymore. Is very well schooled in Dressage - a true schoolmaster. Her friend is looking for a sharer - 3 days a week, can be hacked, but have to be careful of his front feet hacking, but is absolutly fine in the school. She is wanting someone to ride him in the school - would be very happy for me to have lessons on him.

I am hesitating as he would be perfect for me in about 3-6 months...my plan was to get to the point I could ride all the riding school horses confidently (and some have real foibles).......both things would be very good for my riding. Anyway instructor has suggested I negotiate.....see if I can ride him once a week for a few months (for a finical contribution), then take on the full "share" closer to xmas. First I have to see if we get on (the ex-eventer) ....he was apparently quite the man in his day, but has really mellowed (she has taught her DP to ride on him, and he was a complete beginner).....
anyway lots to consider................

Well, I thought if I updated, it might encourage everyone else!

I have had the first week of my trial of a new share, and think I am falling in love........but man I have never worked so hard, to appear to do so little.
He is a true school master and he is really teaching me about my seat, in a way that the riding school horses can't.....it is a very steep learning curve for me, but I am loving it.

I just have to work out, how I fit everything in.....I am thinking about seeing if she would be happy for me to do 2 days until the end of oct ( after which the time pressure will lift) and then move forward with the 3 days.

Anyway yesterday learnt how to use my seat to get the trot, how to move him sideways, vs riding a corner. My abdominals were completely exhausted by the end of my lesson....but can't wait to do it all again.

He sounds great mrslaughan I'm glad it is working out for you.We are 1 week in of DD2 not being able to ride and she is missing it dreadfully.We have found 2 girls in the village who ride but don't have ponies,and they are riding dpony for us,and my friend's dd is coming over to ride her tomorrow.Poor DD2 is having to watch other people having fun on her pony and will miss 2 cross country rallies,which she had been really looking forward too.She goes to see the consultant in 2 weeks and I'm going to ask if she can ride again before the 6 weeks is up.No one horsey that I know has ever kept their child off for 6 weeks and she is safer on dpony than on her own feet,she has fallen off her once in over 2 years.

DD1 is getting on well with her new boy,he got a bit excited whilst jumping in her lesson and took off across the field,but she stopped him and carried on.Her instructor said it was pure excitement as he really loves to jump,and got DD1 to circle him in front of the jump if she felt him getting strong,and he seems to have got the message.Her instructor says that DD1 is riding so much better now that she isn't having to kick on all the time,and that her position is much improved.

I'm not sure you'll get a dr to say its ok for her to go back to riding early, but ask what the risks are and make the decision for yourself.....

Oh and so pleased new pony is going well for DD1?

I've just come in from spending an hour, yes an hour, trying to lunge dhorse. As part of his rehab he is supposed to have 10 minutes each side on the lunge every other day, brisk trotting, over poles a couple of times, couple of canter circles and then warm down. Ha - I've moved the poles and you'd think he'd never seen anything like it before, snorting, tail up over his back and could I get him over them, could I hell?

I led him over at a walk, he stopped dead and backed away and if I tried to trot him over he cantered and bashed me. Doing it on the lunge he just sort of whizzed by them, tried to jump the lot (4 in a row) and then disappeared off with me on the end of the lunge line, although I had to let go twice. I rearranged them so he couldn't possibly jump them but even then it too another 5 minutes just to get him to walk over them. There are times when I really regret having a TB!

He also managed to draw blood on one finger, which is currently turning a fetching shade of blue as well, which is great as I have to be out and about for work looking smart and well groomed, not blue handed and hassled!

I'm thrilled to report that the physio is very impressed with dhorse's new muscular physique! She said that he is looking heaps better all round - the sagginess around his back has gone, his skin is better, he's much perkier and he's working in a much better shape in all paces.

We now have the go-ahead to up his work again, although 30 mins on the lunge, plus 1-1.5 hrs ridden work every other day is pushing me a bit timewise already and then he can go hunting and jumping. I need to build up to it a bit with some short days and small occasional jumps but she sees no reason why he can't be firing on all cylinders in another 6-8 weeks.

After a patchy 12 months worrying all the time whether I'm doing the right thing for him, I feel much more confident that he can live life to the full for at least a couple more years and be properly pain free. It's cost a fair few pounds (luckily mostly the insurance company), but if he's pain free and happy then it has certainly been worth it.

If anyone else has a horse with kissing spine, I would recommend looking into the interspinous ligament desmotomy surgery.

Wow frosty - that is amazing, you should be so proud of yourself.

I have a new share, wasn't looking, and it just kind of happened...he is 19 and has some health issues, but is perfect for me, a true schoolmaster. he is teaching me so much I can't believe how far my riding has come in the 4 weeks I have had him. Every time I have a lesson on him it is a revelation......but my goodness it is exhausting!!!

That is great news Frosty. I never took my boy hunting for more than a couple of hours the first couple of times he went out. Always best to quit whilst you're ahead and you can always extend it to "second horses" as the season progresses. Good luck!

Thanks all, I'll try and get some pictures up if he will co-operate. He's not 100% perfect but we are finally making progress.

Photos up if anyone's interested. It is hard to see the dramatic change in condition in pictures that size, but effectively he lost all his muscle tone around the saddle area and across his hindquarters. Looking at him from behind his backside fell away dramatically from his spine, it was almost triangular and side ways on he looked a bit like a broodmare, all belly and no muscle around his spine and behind the saddle. On top of physically looking rough, he was pretty depressed and stressed and has really only shown his true colours over the last 3 weeks or so.

Hi everyone, LOADS to catch up on but what a transformation frosty! He's looking much more like the original pics you put up ages ago I think?

I always think I've killed this thread

borrowing someone's horse for hunting next week so mainly hacking him at the moment, is odd getting used to someone new isn't it? he doesn't jump ditches though which is quite important in Suffolk (do we have anything much else to jump here?) runs down into them and up the other side, horrible!

I did wonder where you'd disappeared to Mitchy - good luck next week. Make sure your neck strap is nice and handy, it can be a life saver!

Dhorse is on holiday atm as we are moving house (hurray, a whole other thread though!) and I've moved him and dpony to their new quarters. To and fro twice a day to check that they are happy, at the same time we're packing, loading, unloading, unpacking the trailer as we are doing it all ourselves - bar a van and two strong men on Thursday! I will be so pleased to be out of here.

I also have 2 job interviews next week so the pressure is well piled on and dhorse is a tad neglected but after that hopefully we can pick up and get fit enough for hunting.

wow you've got your hands full, and still energy to hunt! good luck with all that :)

Didn't get the aforementioned job (sigh), but on the plus side it allows me time for hunting. Dhorse has been clipped and tidied and we are off for our first day tomorrow, I have to admit to being more than a bit nervous, as it's a new hunt but fortunately I can hack to the meet from here.

how did it go? the storm scuppered my hunting plans, grrr, no electricity to clip for a few days and too many closed roads and general chaos - there is a meet after Christmas that I might be able to get too though - sorry about the job.

the rodeo monster sent a prospective sharer flyyyyyying tonight, it was awful, he looked so gleeful as he cantered off, still bucking. She was just too fidgety I think. Why can't I find a quiet adult who likes this sort of pony?

Sounds like my friend's pony, she was given him as he was too unruly for previous owners but she loves riding him and just wishes he was a little bigger so she could compete properly on him. However, he too sent his last prospective sharer headfirst into the arena fencing after several unplanned and very fast circuits! She has offered me rides on him but you couldn't pay me enough I politely declined .

wise! yeah they do sound similar, ours is truly lovely to ride when he is in the mood. I don't know what gets into him, it's like a switch flicking

anyway she still wants to see the full trial month out, with body protector, but I don't think she is up to it

It was cancelled as there was so much rain overnight so I'm trying again tomorrow. The disadvantage is that I'll have to go in the trailer, but am hoping that DH will decant us a mile away and I can hack on......

I'm only planning on a couple of hours and will see if I can get Tuesday in as well. Sorry to hear about the bucking, they just know don't they when you really don't want them to do something?

how did it go? am still trying to share the unshareable pony

why do people insist they are more experienced and competent and used to naughty ponies when they quite blatantly can't even canter confidently on a nice quiet horse never mind the bronc

Saturday was our first day and he was very revved up indeed, plunging and prancing and generally frightening the pants off me. I retired after a couple of hours after he'd reversed at speed into a barbed wire fence and cut his bum (not badly) stupid twit!

I went again on Tuesday and he was still a bit lively, he goes backwards as a sort of expression of panic and it's most alarming and very annoying. He was better though and I stayed all day as it was quite quiet but we were moving most of the time at a fairly steady pace with no whizzing about or standing for hours. He was pretty tired by 3pm (as was I). All being well we're off again on Saturday - the intention is to keep going twice a week until the penny drops that he doesn't need to panic if people move away from him and prancing about pretending to be a dressage horse is unnecessary.

I don't know how you get round people exaggerating their skills, it seems to be a very common problem and such a waste of time. Word of mouth is probably the most reliable way, but limits your choice a bit. Fingers crossed the right person will crop up soon.

Not posted for a bit because things have been pretty quiet here.No sooner had DD2 been given the all clear to ride properly again,than dpony,having watched Belvoir remove his rug,decided to try it too,and succeeded in ripping the binding off and tangling her hind leg up in it.

She was very stiff and definitely not moving right,so I gave her 10 days off to rest it,so that,plus bad weather and dark nights have meant we haven't ridden much.DD1 is enjoying hacking B,but he can get very strong when excited,normally cantering in company and jumping,which he loves.He isn't naughty,just keen and forward going,and DD1 has had a few wobbles because he is so different to dpony. It'll take them a while to get used to each other,and his owners came to see him a few weeks back and said that DD1 does far more on him than they did at her age,which gave her a boost.She is very hard on herself.

We've had to stop lessons for a bit,because it is too dark,the field is too slippery to do much in,so we are a bit limited as to what we can do atm.I hate this time of year.