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!

Turned my horses out onto spring grass today - always a bit of a rodeo!! Magic

They NEVER perform under saddle the way they do in the first filed of spring grass!

We have had a FABULOUS couple of days. Our lovely friend Jane Ricobi is a showjumping groupie, and also runs the pony club at a Blackmires Farm riding school in Northamptonshire. She speaks to all the top showjumpers on the circuit, and arranged for JO WHITAKER to visit the centre and spend all day giving jumping lessons. Jo is marvellous and changed my nervous daughter into someone who left the menage BEAMING with happiness. Its enough to make me WEEP! Thank you to Jo for coming, Jane for taking the trouble to arrange things, and school owner Sophie Brennan for having such a lovely school and putting up with the invading hordes from Essex. This isnt the first 'royal visit' Jeff Luckett has also visited, and Michael Fearson puts in regular appearances and is equally wonderful. SOOO LUCKY

I love this thread

too many things going well at once here, the best thing has to be Joey's enthusiasm for x country and the way he and daughter have blossomed together - it's all been so worth the wait, and massive improvements on the ground, and can be stabled for hours without silliness. I LOVE THAT PONY!

He jumps everything now except the coffin and the ones that are a bit high for now (2'9 ish) oh and water jump he will do in one direction but not the other . He's exceeding my expectations in every way

It's lovely when they gel isn't it.
we have moved our ponies to a lovely traditionally run farm 5 mins from home, with unlimited grass and a huge stretch of beach and salt marsh! They live out, but it is only 30 a week. The first show of the year is next weekend, and the sun is shining! Life is soo good at the moment.

That sounds a fab place Jurisfiction.

DS and his friend had a super giggly morning today - they are loving having their lesson together, and were getting quite competitive as to who could trot the fastest over poles.
And who could cuddle the miniature the most

I managed to make Ben trot over poles nicely myself - he pretends that it is far too much effort to pick his feet up to do so.

Only 1 week till our holiday ! Off to Cornwall, and there is an on site riding school, so DS and I can ride everyday. Can't wait

cmot holiday

J so excited on hack he did sideways rodeo again

hurrah! Joey will 'do' the coffin - well, he did a 6' leap into the air at a standstill when he first approached it and came down on the other side

then he followed another pony over it a couple of times, and after much coaxing walked it in one direction but not the other

think he is genuinely anxious although is hard not to assume he is taking the p once he has done it a few times already?

he does the water jump from both directions now though

(thank you for not telling me to get a life)

Joey is really making progress with the xc jumps isn't he ? Although poss not so much out hacking..

This weeks business trip is cancelled due to the flight problems, so will try and get in another lesson to try and improve the canter thing before holiday. Last holiday I just followed behind DS - this one, I'll walk with him, then have my own ride after. He has said already that he wants to go in the sand school first, and then up the lanes each time. Am desperatly hoping that his favoured pony is still with them as he is still asking for it by name

He is fantastic

good that you get an extra lesson, I bet it is not long before you get a pony (loan?) for your little boy

Def no ponies for DS until after he is at school. Then, as we will drive past the stables to and from school, I will look into loaning one of their ponies for him as he will be able to get a ride in most days.

I, on the other hand, should be able to start a loan in 6 weeks or so when I'm allowed off the metaphorical lead rein of supervision

that will be fab, am excited for you - will it be Ben? sorry if you have said before

I like the sound of your place, wish someone would supervise me a bit more or at least remind me to check my girth now and then

looking forward to lesson tonight although am on grumpy ginger thing who absolutely HATES me

of you all being able to ride. Would literally kill to be able to leave DD with my Dad or a babysitter and DH and i ride out together. Or Just by myself tbh. Mare has an abcess on her face atm anyway so couldn't ride her.

I can't ride, trust me! Thought was in trouble for cantering Barney to his field with him only wearing rug, no head collar which meant we bombed up and down someone elses field with no real purpose, but did not get told off.

My resolution is to find a way to be a bit more mature without decreasing enjoyment of life as seem to be stuck in perpetual 2nd adolescence

(thought you could steer with your legs alone but is not that easy is it?)

How have you lived long enough to have a 2nd adolescence?

My friend had a pony she could ride without any tack, he was trained to her voice and very obedient. However, it was more of a party-piece and she only did it in a safe enclosed place.

I know, was not on main road though, do have some risk assessment problems sometimes

Did get stronger bit though (wilkie)

obviously more effective when it is actually in his mouth

You do rather contradict yourself Mitchy Riding without any tack, then putting a stronger bit in

Heh, no I got the bit earlier - just that it wasn't much help dangling from hook in tack room at that precise point in time. But it will come in handy today

Have you got a lesson?

No, was going to do some boring things in the school but ran out of time and energy

have got lesson tomorrow but annoyingly keep being put on various orange spindly ones so can learn some things instead of having fun being an idiot on Barney

I like the orange spindly things description

It was glorious out today. Ben wanted to sleep in the sun, and was somewhat recalcitrant on the subject of actually being got on. I think he has worked out that if he doesn't go near a mounting block it delays the moment of doing anything rather longer.

Beautiful day again today

Went out on hack, and this time trotted really nicely down to the railway, went on the road, round a roundabout (watched by a large group of small children who were fascinated), back up, and cantered up the hill. Felt fabulous !

Too nice to come home from stables - I managed to delay it by taking Ben back to his field, and was v tempted to go and help retrieve the escapees, but thought I'd better do some work today

Maybe, just maybe, I'll be OK to go on a beach ride next week