WOW…it’s AUGUST ALREADY!!!!! how’d that happen? 😉
Tues 1st
At last we have some perfect hacking out weather…not too hot, nice breeze to keep the flies away and dry 😉
Storm and Bella ready to ride out….
Bella enjoyed the ride…well, the nibbles along the way I should say…first there were fabulously fresh, ripe raspberries with leaves and then she enjoyed nibble height small thistles ready for the taking 😉 🙂 Stormy nibbled a lot too 😉
We walked to the ‘wooden bridge’ which is a good place to turn back for home and not too much that they were tired out….building up stamina for longer journeys takes time and patience 😉
Then a nice jaunty ride back home where we had a faster walk and active trotting
AND a lovely canter on the home stretch for Bella and a slow plod from Stormy 😉 🙂 LOL
Wed 2nd
Just a bit of exercise for Bella today, mostly walk to just get her moving about.
It was quite windy and she was on ‘alert’ at one point…where we did a lot of going back and forth in the middle of the field plan. It helped to reconnect her to me and by changing directions regularly it kept her mind on the job too 😉
No problems with the flags being in a different formation today….grazing is always a fun way to get a horse used to changes. She rode through it well too…this ‘box’ formation gives us circling, fig 8’s and clover leaf pattern in w/t/c so will be fun doing that and a change is always as good as a rest, as they say 😉
Thurs 3rd
Today was a lot of fun as Mark and I rode together around the new field agility arrangement….didn’t get pics as too focused on playing with the obstacles 😉 BUT after that Bella and I had a lot of fun doing some FIRSTS…first to canter through the flapping flag box, first to canter through the bunting lane and first to canter over the tarp 😉
Short bit of leading Storm from Bella to start with 😉
Canter through the flapping flag box 😉
Did a bit of flag work but it was SO windy I didn’t get to ride with it today
Canter through a bunting narrow lane
Cantering over the tarp 🙂
Continued cantering……both of us having a lot of fun cantering more 😉
Stormy and Mark enjoying their obstacle play time 😉
Tues 8th
Lovely to ride big Stormy early this morning. We did a lot of the field obstacles but weren’t in a hurry or with any main agenda. Just a lovely plod around together.
And then I had a lovely ride on Ms Bella too 😉 We did a lot of the obstacles and put in some halt or backup transitions halfway through a lot of them 🙂
Into the bunting lane and halt for 5 seconds before moving on…
…same for the tarpaulin….
…and again with the low lane with log in the middle but we also popped in a halt over the log, backup off log then move on again 😉
…and again with the flapping curtain….with this one she took advantage of the halt and snatched some grazing with was fab…shows she was relaxed and calm even with the flapping plastic curtain bits all around her 😉
…last, but not least, the very low archway which we just plodded slowly through 😉
We also did some nice moves through the flapping flag ‘box’, popped a jump and did some canter ‘Point 2 Point’ game 😉
Thurs 10th
Walk, trot and cantered all over the field arena today….It was a bit muggy weather wise but we spent a lot of time working on the flag familiarisation. The work went up a level in energy today and it was fun.
Flag work going well. More familiarisation and body work and also the energy with it flapping while we walk and trotted about the field 😉
Sun 13th
Today I started off by riding big Stormy. He was light and responsive and we did some nice walk, trot and canter but first we managed to escort a lamb from the field next door back to it’s field as it had squeezed into our field through the fence. He did a great job 😉
We then did a great job following the hares in the field…always fun to challenge ourselves 😉
Then we followed Bella who walked with us along the fence line and finally Storm got some of the lovely thistle heads which are very edible at the moment.
THEN it was Bella’s turn. Now, we’ve been upping the amount of time we ride but today I changed that up to where we did less time but more canter 😉 I used the ‘Point 2 Point’ game to help motivate her to canter more and we got a lot of it, both ways. Very impressed that she cantered the WHOLE long fence line…whoop whoop 😉
Big hugs with Ms Bella after our ride <3
Mon 14th
Best friend Kat visited us today and Mark lent her Stormy to ride again. Storm always has fun with Kat and she gets the best out of him so it’s a lovely combo and I love watching them together 🙂
We did things together (Me on Bella) like riding side by side, follow the leader and leap frog but also we did a lot of coping things, like cantering through the bunting lane and flag box.
Bella and I had a lot of fun with Kat and Stormy and I was very proud of Bella for the canter work and for Stormy for taking good care of Kat 😉
(This pic I was giggling so much as Bella started the hill canter then put in a HUGE burst of energy from her powerful hindquarters and it took me by surprise but also made me giggle) 🙂
Thurs 17th
Today we painted the horses shelter to give it some more protection from the weather that constantly buffers up on it’s sides 😉
(Also gave it a 2nd coat on Weds 23rd) 🙂
Tues 22nd
Well, it’s been a whole eek of rainy days since riding Bella last but thank goodness for some dry warmish weather today so that I could get a nice ride in after trimming her hooves 😉
- Start with a nice active walk and allowing Bella to go where she wants. Not working on anything specific, just getting our connection back.
2. Second stage is where we get more precision doing straight lines and nice bends. Working on getting both of these better 😉
3. Lastly we worked on making the gaits better. Nice strong walk, rhythmic trot and balanced canter.
Task today: Get naughty young sheep out of our field the same way they got in….they push through the 5 wire fence and it’s really annoying! SO…Bella became a good shepherd, driving them back to the fence and quietly waiting while they sorted out going through the fence.
Familiarisation to driving the sheep. Familiarisation to the noise of the sheep going through the fence. Familiarisation of her getting used to me shouting ‘out, out, out’ regularly to help move them away.
Bella was a star and she got some grazing as a treat for being a good sheep horsey <3
Sun 27th
Lovely day for a ride today. Took Stormy around the field for some fun with the flags and then chasing naughty sheep out of the field again…..THEN I did similar with Bella but also did w/t/c around the round pens in a fig 8 pattern 😉 Yeehaa.
Gave them some hay this afternoon as they have been eating some of the wood logs in the field so must be needing either some vits/mins, some roughage or something to cut their teeth on! They really enjoyed it 😉
Thurs 31st (end of August ALREADY!!!)
Today we went out and decided to try our SLC’s around the round pens in a fig 8 pattern and Mark filmed it for me so I could see how we were doing. Not only was I shocked to see her counter canter on the left lead but was super amazed that she is so balanced that I didn’t even feel it was the wrong lead!!! SO….now we need to work on getting both leads when I ask….to be continued….
This is today’s try…
Before the canter leads we did some really nice, calm walk, trot and canter and some tight circle clover leaf patterns 😉
OH….and our flag work is progressing really well. Worked on familiarisation at standstill then walk and then trot 😉
OH…and I forgot I’d filmed this: Stormy doing a fab halt on a breath out from me 😉 Riding bareback, bitless and one handed he is a gem. Check out my cue on his mane for him to graze and that he doesn’t try to snatch at it before I give him this cue….this is called good training. lol 😉
- Shelley – HorseSavvy