thread on which to report positive things

[MiffyWhinge]

firstly the sun came out, hooray

secondly and even more welcome Joey didn't put a foot wrong today (once he started concentrating and stopped having a good look at everything around him). He managed to shoulder in, leg yield and, with a placer pole, put in a single stride of canter before a jump and do a double with a placer pole in between - he was a star, am ashamed of all the grumpy thoughts I've been having about him until recently. Clever, beautiful boy

please share yours!

I was planning on starting off with a two day ride in Wales, and would like to work up to doing a Free Rein holiday with DS. We are thinking about doing one of their walk and have a lead rein pony for child weekends this year, as DS would love that.

Theres loads of fab long off road rides near us, and several places do long days out, so that would be really nice to do

Wales sounds lovely - it's one of my favourite places and I've never ridden there (well, I've hardly ridden anywhere so that's not really very surprising!)

Those Free Rein holidays look great, I hadn't heard of them before.

used to love pony trekking in Wales in summer holidays, feel all wistful and nostalgic now

Grand daughter and pony went to their first Pony Club rally yesterday. We struggled to get him to load before we set off(lovely yard owner and another instructor eventually got him on board!)

I was dreading having a similar performance at the venue (in front of the Pony Club mums!)but he came down the ramp beautifully, behaved really well in the lesson (mainly) and then loaded up calmly with no problems ready to go home. Our yard owner said he perhaps thought he was leaving for ever when we first went to load up, as last time he travelled was when he came to us. So I'm hopeful that next time we'll have fewer problems

And DH managed to reverse the trailer really well (his first time towing)

Will definitely take them regularly (I'm exhausted though and have come to work for a rest!)

That sounds like it was great fun even if it was exhausting .

My good news for today, I got an unexpected parcel and couldn't think what it could be. Well I've won a competition and got a lovely pair of purple and black jods, very smart!
(only drawback is I entered ages ago and have now got to lose at least half a stone to even get into them. Good incentive though)

Huzzah ! I cantered today ! Suddenly, everything is coming together and it all feels great.
Instructor reckons a bit of instructional hacking will do me good (and learn to deal with gates etc), so will start that after next week

Warwick races were fab. DS turns out to have a good eye for a winner. He is trying very hard to persuade me that he can have a dog (loved the beagle and hounds), and spent over 45 minutes intently watching the farrier making shoes. And questioning him on the different shoe types. Farrier was at trying to explain the different ones to him, but he can now identify them

Ooh I should encourage that, a farrier in the family could be very useful and they always seem to have plenty of money! I tried to encourage my Godson to become a farrier but it fell on deaf ears .

Sounds like your riding is going really well and practicing gates definitely a good idea, it's amazing how many people can't do them. Just keep your knees out of the way of the gateposts!

Well in the interest of staying positive I have another lesson arranged for tomorrow. Mmmm.

My new feral cat has decided she likes living here and is in love with the Labradors and everything/one (not sure about that she's supposed to be a mad mouse/rat hunter). Oh well, the sun was shining again today.

CMOT, sounds like you had a good day. How was the Mother's Day lunch?

Oldernowiser, that brings back so many memories of DD's PC rallies. Aww. Agree it's exhausting but lovely while it lasts.

Pixel, like the sound of the new jods. Maybe breathe in?!

my positive thing is that am BACK after disgusting eye injury followed by loss of broadband

have not seen my horses for over 2 weeks

DD's roan A has been away for 2 weeks show schooling (teaching him to canter) and DD will have lesson there on Saturday before we bring him home and leave palomino A for a couple of weeks of lead rein schooling (and maybe some FR practise).

Palomino was a good boy at his first pony club event last week - went nicely in company and jumped well.

I'm off to Dubai for a week (racing) on Saturday and then when I get back can look forward to shows/point to points every weekend (hurrah)

DW and DD going to Ponies UK this Sunday for a look at how the FRs go (to inspire DD...)

Weather lovely and cob has his hood off today! (still 2 rugs on pones though!).

Ours have had their rugs off yesterday afternoon and today as it has been so lovely and warm. Don't suppose it will last though!

Owls if I breathe in that far I will probably pass out!

How did the lesson go today?

Mitchy, how did you hurt your eye? Sounds horrible!

a rottweiler scratched my eyeball (not on purpose, was just a freak accident, I bear him no grudge) luckily it didn't perforate or anything worse like that

SO good to ride again today, am sort of dancing around the house with excitement even though did not ride particularly well - completely forgot what Barney was like to jump and nearly came a cropper, thought I was going to fall off and DIE but luckily I didn't

we are also rug-free, well one of us is

and probably best of all my pony jumped a grid today and is behaving beautifully, really getting the hang of everything

Miffy, ouch, ouch, ouch that has made me feel really squeamish. Sounds so painful, how horrible for you. Mind you, I'm a bit odd, I go all weird over ripped finger nails as well. AAARRGHHH didn't even like typing that bit.

Anyway, my lesson Pixel. Mmmmm. Strange one today. I turned up and they clearly weren't expecting me - yard empty apart from owner and helper. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I ended up riding by myself in a big, hilly, windy field Think it it did me good in a strange way but liver will take time to recover from the amount of brandy I consumed after

Thank heavens my wonderful instructor returns next week - am actually looking forward to getting back on my little Cob! Now that is positive!

That's great news about Joey as well Miffy, you must feel you are finally getting somewhere.

I know, the longer I stay away the greater the improvement! More than happy to reap the results of someone else's hard work and experience

Things seem to be looking up for all of us all round at the moment? Except I have about 8 million rugs to clean and repair

Oh I know, don't talk to me about rugs - mine had at least 7 each at the last count. I'm sure my rug obsession doesn't help, I mean they are Cobs for crying out loud they don't really need that many do they.

haha, good thing they are not TBs or would have 32 million rugs to sort through . . .

in other positive turns of event my iPhone is miraculously working again, perhaps, like me, it just needed a long holiday to convalesce in?

Argh another thing not to mention. Sodding phone. I keep staring at it hoping for enlightenment as to why it is supposed to be so good. Not helped by the fact that I've got to change my number even though I was told I could transfer my old number to it. Nope not now apparently. That's probably why I'm not keen tbh, the hassle of imputing everything manually.

Although am strangely in love with compass function. No idea why I need to know I am facing 220degs SW when stood in the kitchen.

Sorry to hear you have yet to fall in love with your iPhone - haven't been able to put mine down since it came back to life yesterday. My laptop is fixed on a docking station (in a dark 9 degrees north facing corner ) and the girls don't let me near theirs in case I use them as ashtrays or somewhere for cats to stroll about/sit on or a place to store crumbs . It's so nice to curl up by the fire and MN and email and play scrabble, catch up on tv programmes I've missed, bankrupt myself on iTunes (music, apps, audio books, films, Lost season 6) watch videos of Joey and Barney, write lists, update schedule for back to work, make phone calls, send text messages, watch people falling off horses on YouTube, did I mention MN?

Hello!

Miffy - i have still got that stuff for you, but been a bit slack sorting it out.

Butkin - i may be wrong, but i think i have figured out who you are!! Are you FB friends with me? Go to Dubai a lot? If it is you, i am sorry i have so slow, i thought perhaps you were someone i met at the Tattersalls meet 3yrs ago when i worked for C Wall and took my mare out. (of course you could be both these people or neither! )

Positive things.....I love having my horses so close, we free schooled them over jumps last weekend and both were fab, and DH got on TB yesterday for the first time in over 6months, all was fine.

And......i am officially halfway through this pg!!

glad it is all going so well, how did you reach the halfway mark so soon though!

hope the mystery of Butkin is unravelled soon

Tell me about it, i am getting a bit wobbly about the fact i have only 20weeks left with just DD, and the fact i am going to actually 'have' the baby

I know Miffy, I WILL learn to lurve it.

Weather pretty grim here (again) rainy and grey and muddy fields back with a vengeance. Ho hum. Sorry, that's not positive is it.

Alice half way through already?! You'll be back in the saddle before you know it. Glad to hear the move's working out well btw.

How's everyone? We've all gone a bit quiet haven't we.

Positive things.....It is nearly April? Which means that Miffy can have her horses out, we may get some sunshine more often and it is easter and then it is May and DH won't have to go and see stupid foals at stupid o'clock so we can all have decent nights sleep