Sun 2nd
My back is feeling ok, the sun is shining and there are fabulous clouds in the sky SO time for a wee ride on Bella 🙂
Started with some passenger lesson
Went into some lovely trotting work and when she offered to canter I took the opportunity every time 😉
Ended the session with a lovely wee jump and canter <3
Fri 7th
What a really lovely ride out today with Bella, Mark and Stormy.
Went out from the field from the back gate for a change today, taking advantage of fields without any stock in them at the moment 😉
On/off at gateways which is great practise.
Slightly different tracks just for a change 😉
Both horses did so well with the changes.
Enjoying riding on grass where we all got a few canters 😉
Some really nice changes in scenery
Stormy suddenly realises where he is 🙂
Lunch of thistles 😉
Kept off track as much as we could and went over a lot of varied terrains
This stop was after a HUGE canter, almost a gallop, from both horses…really exhilarating and just let her go and find her own pace.
Rested both horses at the top of the field, to get their breathing back
Great views while we rested and then down the hill and back on track towards home
Last part of the track, our field is to the right and below this high track 😉
Great ride, new tracks, more canter and great company <3
Sat 8th
What a fab ride…..slightly different from yesterday but all elements of the hack have been done before. Bella was confident going in front or behind and they were less sweaty then yesterday but no big cantering about so probably a bit tired from yesterday.
Thurs 13th
A pheasant was killed in our horses field this morning, not sure by what but think it might have been another male pheasant as they’re fighting a lot at the moment all over the estate ;( Anyway, we think the horses must have seen/heard what went on as they were a bit spooked around that area and another male pheasant was making quite a noise in the pasture behind their field. This noise was making dear Bella quite upset and it took a while to settle her to put her saddle on (I was thinking about riding her today).
But I took her out into the big part of the field on a 22′ line and we did some play….she decided that her play was to canter around in a yeehaa….
The yeehaa was quite big and she got quite fast as I just hung on until she got it out of her system.
She had a bit of calm and then I put that energy to something a bit more focussed….
Jumping a few jumps with some COD (Changes of Direction) intertwined. She was still not truly connected to me so I just waited….
Then she regulated herself and was quieter physically and emotionally 😉
To help us connect I put this calm to some brain games…mostly sidepassing but put that into leg yielding at a distance once I could feel the connection coming back 😉
She did well we ended up on a nice, quiet, calm note, her energy used and mentally back to me.
No…I didn’t ride today but then sometimes you just have to play with the horse that shows up and help them find relaxation and the connection again 😉
Fri 14th
So, out today for a really lovely, calm play with Bella. So different from yesterday. We did some play around some agility obstacles: backing up, jump, sidepass and leg yields 😉
I thought about riding but was there to do a double dose of Strongid-P wormer for pinworms so did the worming and left. She did the wormer (two syringes worth) brilliantly…SO proud of her 😉
Weds 19th
Extreme Familiarisation with tractor as we get friend in to dig the stream bed in next field deeper, to stop it flooding through our field, which has been getting worse over the years 🙂
The finished job > 🙂
Bella the next day helping Storm to be brave and to come to the ditch to take a look….
She comes back to give him some encouragement and then he tries to be brave 😉
I love watching how they help each other and to allow them to figure things out in the field on their own when we can as it helps them being at liberty, to be able to naturally approach and retreat from things as they want to and to become familiarised to things in their own time, in their own way 😉
Fri 21st
Day before going off to teach a Horse Agility clinic and competition in Aberdeenshire SO a quick chance to have a wee ride on Ms Bella <3
Nothing too stressful, just a nice gentle ride of some walk then trot working just on asking for straight lines and nice arc’ing circles and curves 😉
Because I’ve hurt my ring finger on my left hand I worked mostly one handed which was a nice challenge today too 🙂
Tried Bella’s new fleece sweat rug, got all the buckles and straps in place ready to use for when she gets sweaty after a ride this Autumn/Winter 😉
Sat 29th
A week since riding Bella and 5 days since I saw them after coming back from my teaching trip. I wasn’t feeling too good (still not totally better) after having 2 back teeth removed under sedation but slowly getting there and it was fab to see B&S today after sleeping off the sedation effects for so long. Both S&B did some nice liberty connection work with me today and it felt really good to be outside with them while the rain held off for us 😉
- Shelley – HorseSavvy