Just popping in...

...to say that I had a great riding lesson on Lara today.  Bev has decided that I should enter the dressage comp she is staging at the yard next month!  So she had me doing the Intro Dressage test to see how I got on.  And I loved it!!  Lara was fantastic and really looked after me (even if she didn't want to walk and preferred to stay in trot).  We went through it twice and it was great fun.   I even felt like I could ride!!

Some of my course books have arrived - I ordered them off Amazon - and I have begun reading one.  Really need to make some notes as I go...

Work is a bit manic with lots of changes happening - so I am trying not to think about them too much and concentrate on horses and photography (and G&T)!!

Sue x

All Change

Not popped by for a while as it has all changed around here. My last visit was on a Monday, a couple of weeks back I think. I got a call from a job agency during the day for a temp job I had applied for. I had a phone interview that evening, and on the Tuesday I was told I had got the job, and could I start on Wednesday ! So I did and I am there on a 3 month contract. I'm doing project support work in an office about 40 mins drive from here. Not difficult work, but there is loads of it !

So I haven't ridden in a while, but here is a whole other story. My younger son went to do some cross country riding with Bev from the yard and some others. I went along to take photos. He was a bit nervous at the start but soon was having a blast. Then his horse, Shanks, reared and my son fell. But the horse had lost his footing in the mud and fell over backwards onto my son, and he couldn't get his footing to get up quickly, so he ended up rolling on him a couple of times more in the effort to get up. I cannot describe to you what it's like to see your 12 year old son screaming with a panicking horse on top of him. Shanks, bless him, got up and stood still but my son was in agony. He couldn't move his left leg and his ribs and chest hurt. Ambulance was called and the fab paramedic, Mark, was calm and reassuring and the major worry was my son's leg. He gave him gas and air, which my son loved and it helped him so much. Boot off, jodhpurs cut, no visible sign of a break. But into a neck brace and onto a backboard and into the ambulance still sucking on the gas and air. After declaring that he felt "so stoned" he had the mouthpiece taken away from him!! Paramedics, the doctor and nurses were all fantastic, so kind and caring, we really do have the best medical team in the world.

The important thing is that he was xrayed and there were no broken bones. Thank God. He was wearing a body protector which saved his ribs from being broken. There is no doubt about that at all. And a riding hat which prevented any concussion. He is bruised and sore, of course, and he has a hoof print on his ankle. But it could have been so much worse. So much. I thank God that he is ok, that he wasn't out on his own, that Bev was so calm, as was everyone, that the ambulance got there quickly, that the whole medical team was so fantastic, that my son is safe. And that the horse is fine too. It wasn't Shanks' fault. It wasn't my son's fault. It just happened. I am so grateful that the outcome was so good.

It's Easter weekend, so we have a long weekend which is just as well bearing in mind what has happened!

And as for getting the motor glider back from Sweden, that is proving more difficult and complicated due to plenty of circumstances which have cropped up which could not have been factored in at the start.

Kettle's on - coffee I think...

Success

Well I woke up very apprehensive about today's riding lesson. Last week I couldn't get to grips with canter at all. Trotting was fine, but canter - nooooooo. So I arrived at the yard full of nerves, I just wanted to ride well.

Bev had decided that I'd ride Lara today - I love that horse. She is bouncy in trot, much more bouncy than Murphy, but it seems to suit me. Even sitting trot on her is really comfy. Bev had us doing all sorts of trotting, including her own invention : 10-1 trot. This is doing each of the four trots (rising, sitting, standing and light-seat) for 10 counts each, then 9, then 8 and so on down to one beat of each. Absolutely knackering. And yes, I did say standing trot. Now standing trot was a challenge, but as I went through the reps my balance slowly came and by then end I was (fairly) comfortably doing it all (with just a few collapses back into the saddle as my core strength is non-existent).

Then straight into a right rein canter - no time to think - and she is so very comfy in canter. The canter didn't last long before we went to trot, and I found out that her downward transitions are pretty immediate. So position and balance are crucial. Left rein canter was fab - 3 maybe 4 laps of the school. So pleased.

Lara is a star.

So my next lesson is next Wednesday, and Bev has said that if the weather is ok we will hack out for a long straight canter, and in a Western saddle. Yay...

Cantering is my Nemesis

OK - so I'm having problems with my canter...... I was on Murphy this morning, and did loads of trotting with 5m lops and stuff and keeping him on the track, and it was all going fine. Legs ok, hands ok, body position was fine. Then I had to canter. On the right rein it wasn't too bad, I did a few circuits of the school, but I did feel a bit like he knew what he had to do without me asking. I tried to concentrate on keeping in a good position and keeping my hands still. Then I had to change rein and it all went a bit pear shaped! His left rein is his less flexible side, and I struggled to get him into canter, and when he did I felt really, really unbalanced. My hands went up, my bum when down as his back came up, my legs were, well, I'm not entirely sure what they did, and there was quite a bit of daylight between my bum and the saddle. I got off, Bev got on, they showed me how it should be done. Ho hum.

I'm back there on Tuesday and I WILL crack it.

In other news, younger son is off school poorly today, but I think he's ok - just a bit under the weather. Older son has secured an apprenticeship starting on Monday. We are all very pleased for him. It'll be a shock to his system having to get up and out by 8am each day !

Happy Leap Day

For yesterday!

Soooooo busy yesterday, so didn't manage to pop in with a riding update. So, a day late, I can tell you that I did loads of trotting with no stirrups, 20 metre circles, and then a few canters:-). All on Murphy.

Today was neck-reining on Lara, with barrel racing thrown in too. Now Bev has told me that I need to go to the yard every day next week and ride in the school for half an hour or so to build up my time in the saddle. Yay me ! Tomorrow I am hacking out with Frankie - just walk and trot - Yay again !

Legs update - not too achy, but a bit bruised according to my husband!

I have had some disappointments over the job I was hoping for, but then I have had 2 calls in the space of half an hour about other contracts. Fingers crossed.....

No stirrups

I had another riding lesson this morning and I loved it! I was on Murphy again, and we walked and then trotted around the school both in rising and sitting. Then it was time to work without stirrups apparently..... Bev had me doing a few exercises to loosen off my lower back and then I was trotting around in sitting trot, doing serpentines and all sorts! Then a bit of rising trot which was a bit more painful (!). Stirrups back and a couple of attempts to get a canter. Success of sorts with the canter, but this is now what we will be working on mainly. I have another lesson tomorrow and the day after.

Older son is on a driving lesson at the mo, so the house is nice and quiet. Bliss.....

Best get on and do some housework I suppose. Or shall I put the kettle on first?

Hack

Bev called me and asked if I'd like to go on a hack on my horse. Would I ??? Of course!

So I got to the stables and sat on Lara for the first time ever (she's my son's horse really - we just pay for her !!). She's 15.2 hh and and an absolute darling. We went out in a group of 5 and walked along the track and along a road and then had a short trot. I had been told she is bouncy in trot so I was ready for it. It was lovely, I just had to rise a bit higher than I had been used to. A bit more walking and we got to a scary hose with an even scarier leak which was lying across the lane. Eventually with a bit of dancing, we managed to show it who was boss and stepped over it and carried on. Then we turned onto a track and Lara took this as her cue to take off. I wasn't expecting it and I shot forwards and my legs went back. It's quite difficult to recover from that whilst still in an active canter, but Bev managed to position herself so she could grab Lara. I knew what I had done wrong in not controlling her, and so I was even more alert from then on. We stayed in walk for most of the rest of the way, until we made the turn for home and the horses got excited. Short trots followed by an unexpected canter, which was surprisingly comfy and I stayed in position for - yay me !

More lessons next week. Hopefully my legs will have recovered by then...

I have been on the Aspire photography courses website and there is a new course covering Equine photography. It's a weekend course and it's in the New Forest in June. I'm hoping that I might persuade my husband a) that it's a good idea and b) that he will come too as he can fly at one of the clubs down there.

Oh, and did I mention that Eddie laid her first egg for us yesterday? Delicious!

And the other minor miracle? Teen son has tidied his room. I think I need to lie down...

Pancakes

It was pancake day yesterday, and boy did we eat some ! I made the batter in the afternoon so that we could all eat them when my husband got back from work. But the kids couldn't wait. So by 4pm I was making pancakes and they were piling them high with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. They did look sooooooo yummy.

Then I had to do it all over agin when my husband got home. They are lovely but I can't get the smell out of the kitchen yet as it's too windy to have the windows open. Ah well...

Anyway I'm just back from my second riding lesson. I was on Murphy again, and we did loads of trotting, rising and sitting, controlling the speed of the trot (or trying to) and 20 metre circles (which weren't particularly circular). My legs are aching now already.

Bev also told me about the benefit of Pilates and how flexible it can make you. So I have been looking on the web and there is a book, Pilates for Equestrians, which I may buy or download. I am also going to keep a track of my weight and try and lose a few pounds, and hopefully tone up a bit. And as it's Lent, I think I may try and give something up - possibly chocolate which does appear in most of my meals, snacks and treats...

So pleased with myself

I'm back. I had a fab time and I am really pleased with myself. I got there and there were loads of cars parked up, so I realised that I wasn't going to be keeping this a secret! A couple of the girls had been to McD's and got pancakes and were sitting in the barn eating. Bev came along and got me the indemnity to sign, and off I went for my lesson in the indoor school. Murphy (piebald? skew bald?) is lovely and solid and not too bouncy in trot apparently. And while he's not as tall as our horse (Lara) it's still a long way down when you are sitting on him.

Bev led me round the school in walk for a couple of laps so I could get used to being on a horse again, then I was walking him on my own. Then we trotted - rising trot which felt quite smooth and natural and Bev reminded me how to make sure I was on the correct diagonal. Sitting trot was next, which was more comfy than I had remembered from those long distant lessons many years ago. We changed rein and trotted some more. Then on to serpentines in walk, rising trot and sitting trot, and again on both reins. More trotting on the large track on both reins, then it was time to do some exercises on Murphy. Feet out of the stirrups, lifting my feet up and pointing my knee down to stretch the thigh muscles. Bliss! Attempting box splits and leaning forwards. Not bliss. Lying back flat and then sitting up again. Comfortable in lying position, but getting back to sitting without a winch was a challenge! Feet back in the stirrups for a bit of trotting in light seat. Now that was fun, and the weight of my bum acted as a counterbalance so I didn't tip forwards ! We had covered downward transitions, with varying degrees of success. Walk to stop was ok, but trot to walk will take some more practice! Bev had warned me that my legs would be wobbly as I dismounted, and sure enough I landed on my feet then on my knees!

I had a great time. I was so pleased with what I could remember from when I last rode. My legs ache now, well the insides of my thighs do. But it's that nice ache from when you know you have worked hard, like after a run or a swim or a bike ride.

I'm there again tomorrow and Thursday for more lessons. I think I could quite easily be bitten by the riding bug again...