Tues 4th May
Very unpredictable weather we’re having at the moment. It’s been very windy, rainy and cold and the horses this morning were tired. Bella has a therapy session tomorrow so it felt great to bring them home as at home the weather is milder and there’s a bit more shelter from the incessant north wind.
Tired babies
Mark rides Storm, leads Bella home
So good together
Luckily the Highland cows were off the track when we passed by 😉
and a nice trot/canter up the last hill home…all settled in to the home paddocks again 🙂
Weds 5th May
I’m studying an online college ‘Equine Behavioural Science’ course at the moment, a month until final date and am writing my final paper…it’s brain fuzzing hard work and today I’d just had enough SO Mark grabbed me and the horses and we went for a fabulous ride out to get rid of the cobwebs and find the joy again 🙂 IT WORKED so well, felt SO much better after the ride and I took the rest of the day off from studying. Also Bella had a therapy session…massage and body manipulation 😉
Bella’s fab therapy session. Asked Emily Cuthill out to see her, I felt she was more sensitive and maybe in discomfort when she was in ‘season’. She had sore area’s above her ‘tubes’ and kidneys…she’s had 5 foals….her right side stiffer than left side which I’ve been working on since getting her. She really loved the session showing signs by licking, chewing, dozing, pushing into the therapists hands and standing totally still without being held. She had some issues on her right kidney side but I could sense she was enjoying the relief of whatever was bothering her. She seems so much more relaxed now. Will give her a few days off and get therapist out again if/when we need her. Therapist, Emily, also recommended some Agnus Castus herbal supplement if her ‘seasons’ keep giving her discomfort 😉
Thurs 5th May
Well who ordered snow this morning…..on/off sleet falling through day too so light weight rugs staying on for now.
Thurs 7th May
Went for a nice walk today, no riding for a while after therapy so taking advantage of ok weather to be with Bella. She did some lovely up/downs into a grassed over wall/walkway…
Did some grooming with a grooming mit which got out some winter coat….
Did a fab jump over the buried stream and then she did a her first time into/out of the stream…
asked Stormy to do it a couple of times first, gave her the confidence to do it…
so proud of her for this, much easier to just jump it but we waited and she managed it with confidence 😉
Mon 10th May
At last the horses go back to the big field, the rain is still around but the temperature has gone up a lot and the N-NW winds have gone 😉
Thurs 13th May
Been quite rainy over the last few days so no play or riding but it was good to get them back to the big field and give them a few days off. The big part of the field has now been closed off and they are on the track system with middle bits on the hill (for now) as the grass is now growing.
Today was a nice day, slight breeze but sunny and warm at lunchtime SO Mark and I went out and had a bit of a mosey around the field with the dynamic duo 🙂
A nice walk/trot around field with Stormy to start off some follow the leader and then some leap frog.
Had a couple of P2P canters and then did two really nice jumps…first one from trot…
…P2P to the distant cone, rest and reward and then did it the other way..much more energy 😉 🙂
yeehaa..nice jump AND…
fab canter depart to another P2P obstacle 😉
Thu 13th May
Trimmed Bella’s hooves today then had a nice wee ride. Decided that we needed to go back to the basic’s and get lighter and more refined SO…lots of basic walk/trot/halt transitions whilst riding the rail first, then we did circling into fig 8’s testing our flexibility and the arc in our bodies. Enjoyable wee ride 😉
Fri 15th May
Today Mark trimmed Stormy’s hooves and I finished off Bella’s (ergots etc) and then had another wee ride 😉
At the moment she has a strange head behaviour….have had her checked out and given therapy but think it’s from me slowly taking away her treat rewards…she bends her head to the left and makes it hard to do right circles SO am trying some tactics to see if it IS the treats that is causing her to ‘ask’ for more while I try to reduce them…first way is to give less and reward with strokes and scratches. Today she did the left head tilt and was harder to ride than normal. Next time I’ll treat when she does what I ask every time again to see the difference in her left head tilt!!!
Today, albeit with strangeness, was okay though 🙂
Sat 16th May
Another day of straightness work through flexibility.
Nice back elevation and stepping under, her trot is strong and confident.
Tried this weave at trot…..she did so well 😉
Weds 19th May
We’ve had rain, rain and more rain for the last few days. Really annoying when I want to do some training or go for a hack BUT it gave me the opportunity to spend some undemanding time with them in the shelter whilst it pished down before their dinner time! LOL 🙂
Was so worth the time to see this fabulous rainbow with them <3
Fri 21st May
Today I decided to test Bella’s ‘head tilt’ by using her normal headcollar for play AND riding.
Firstly I make sure she is flexible and there’s no stiffness on either side.
I also do some circling, trot poles and COD’s…all goes well 😉
Riding in the headcollar is the same as her bitless bridle minus the browband AND because of how it’s made it goes nowhere near her eyes when I use one rein!
She rides really well in it and not one ‘head tilt’ 😉
Tues 25th May
This was our 2nd trial of the ‘halter bridle’. No ‘head tilt’ today either so for now this bridle is working. I am going to check her other bridle again to see if it causes the head tilt again….thinking it could be a tight browband or that the bridle sides get too close to her eyes when I use the reins to turn SO checking with it again will let me know if it was the bridle or it was just a strange ‘moment’ in training. For now, today went well 😉
Straight
Turning with more ‘body dynamics’
Nice and straight and a nice wee jump too 😉
Trot and canter ok
hi-energy buck…think she thought there was another jump there! LOL.
But another nice canter afterwards 🙂
Weds 26th May
A nice break in the rain we’ve been having so out to ride first Stormy and then Bella 😉
He was a good boy, some nice transitions and flexibility with a fun jump.
Bella in the meantime had been snoozing in the shelter but then noticed Storm was out without her so she did her BIG trot to catch him up at the far fence 😉
I then rode Bella in the arena area, we tried out her bitless bridle again to see if there was any ‘head tilting’ going on again and yes, there was SO back to the headcollar next time.
It was lovely to plod about with them today before I gave them their dinner <3
Thurs 27th May
Another nice day so out with the horses and Mark for another plod about…getting us and them fit again before we go out for some hacking…if the weather stays nice that is 😉
Headcollar working well still and she managed some nice big circles without too much trouble.
Stormy joined us and we played some ‘side by side’, follow-the-leader and leap frog.
We then went around some of the ‘track system’ taking in the lower hill.
And also taking in the big upper hill too 😉
Sat 29th May
Lovely day again today (2nd in a row) so no hack out as too hot but nice to have a bit of training in the field with Bella 😉 <3
She’s definitely getting fitter and I’m slowly getting used to her BIG ENERGETIC trot 😉
A short video with us putting a couple of things together that we’ve been working on…not slick yet but we find our focus as we go 😉
- Shelley – HorseSavvy