Sat 2nd
Very VERY cold today, think it was well below -10* last night and it was -3* when I went out to see S&B. Too cold to do much and the ground is very hard so don’t want to do too much anyway. But it’s really lovely to have my calm Bella today, she was uber relaxed and attentive to what I asked. Just walk all the way but some lovely leg yields, hq yields, good circles and weave 😉
Lovely lateral flexion to the right and then left too 😉 shows willingness, flexibility and relaxation 🙂
AND…our one handed weave showing that the cue connection is getting so subtle now…hopefully aiming to do a ‘no handed’ weave before too long. Last bit from the purple obstacle I asked her to leg yield through the weave and although she stopped for a second she got it and did some nice leg yielding 😉
Wed 6th
We’ve had icy weather for a few days, the track to the horses is slowly getting more iced over SO today we decided to bring them home in case it gets worse and we can’t walk them home!!
Slowly walk them up the big field hill…both S&B were kind to me and stayed nicely slow and steady so I didn’t get puffed out…it’s a steep hill!
The track was icy still so it’s great they’ve learned to walk in ‘tandem’ for me…Stormy lead first
Had a nice bit side by side 😉
Stormy looks ENORMOUS when his head went up looking at the highland cows in this field
Mark gritted the iced water across the gateway here….they slowly went over it…no slipping 😉
Mark took over some of the walking, allowing them to graze the last of the heather and long soft rushes they love.
I did the last bit again, here Bella took over the tandem lead…she’s a clever girl.
Then Stormy took over the last big of tandem walking 😉 🙂
Safely in the ‘home paddocks’ at last.
Thu/Fri 6-7th
Rain, Rain, Rain at the moment.
S&B were rugged on Thurs (pic below) as it was quite cold but Fri saw mostly drizzle with dry spells and they were naked and seem fine 😉 The roads and fields are a bit flooded at the moment but they may get back to the big field before xmas and then back up to the house at xmas to give us a rest from going down the road to see them 🙂
Weds 13th
The weather is milder now after their week at the house so it’s time for S&B to return to their big field for a while. Great excuse for a wee ride which is always a bonus 😉
Mark with S&B and then me with S&B
All tacked up and ready to ride 😉
Not bad weather at all, looks grey but it was mild and calm
S&B really enjoyed the ride back, just a bit fresh but happy to be going back. I didn’t have our normal tack so Bella was in Storm’s old Transcend bitless bridle and Storm was wearing the big red halter that I adapted with ‘D’ rings for reins from the ones I use for work 😉
Just above their big field and then tack free running down the big hill in their field, happy to be home 😉 <3
Sat 16th
Nice short ride on Bella today…I decided to try out an ‘XMAS TREE’ pattern for fun and as my Equilab App (which monitors my rides) has a fab mapping facility I thought it would be fun to see how accurate we could be. I’d been mapping it in my head for 24hrs and today we just did it…….
….SO amazed that we pulled it off. Mostly walk with some trot and a lot of turning her hindquarters to create the pointy bits 🙂 <3 What fun that was 😉 <3
Bella and Stormy with me <3
Sun 17th
Decided to ride Stormy first today but as I set off Bella wouldn’t move from the spot behind the shelter and Stormy likes to see her when we ride around SO I thought maybe we’d just gently move her around a bit by putting some energy behind her. This worked okay but she did circle around the shelter a few times to get back to the same spot SO….
AND we did it all on the left and right.I love that we took the opportunity to have this practise session, it was a lot of fun….you don’t always get what you want but you ALWAYS get what you NEED 
Thank you S&B
After that lovely ride with S&B together I had a nice short ride on Bella. She was a little fresh but we had a nice ride around the big field ending on a nice calm note 😉
Tues 19th
Was going to ride today but it’s on/off drizzle and looks like some ‘shooting’ going to happen across the glen so decided to miss today and maybe try again tomorrow. Here’s some nice pics of S&B from today, heads up as shepherd doing some sheep moving and then gamekeeper across the glen. S&B are very aware of everything that goes on around them 😉
Stormy knows how to get my attention…..’you put your right hoof on, you take your right hoof off, you do the hokey-kokey and you turn around…..’ LOL
Sat 23rd
Well we’ve had wind, drizzle and today a ton of rain ;( Not very good weather for anything horsey unfortunately but did spend some ‘undemanding time’ with S&B this morning as I really needed some pony time and it’s always lovely just hanging out and listening to the slow munching of hay 😉
Sun 24th
Well…after some rain showers I got myself out for a wee 20 min ride on Bella today 😉
Nice bits of flexibility around the round pens doing some leg yields
Then working around circular cone/tyres with some really nice weaving 😉
Love a big horse shadow 😉
Stormy being his usual cheeky self….knocking over and moving the cones 😉 He loves to participate and hates being left out, he has a very sharp brain and loves using it 😉
After my ride S&B cantered behind the quad bike, kicking up their heels in joy and having fun
Love it when they do this, they’ve both had some exercise now then 😉
Riding into the rainbow 😉
And then as soon as it started they both stopped, rested and watched as I headed back home
Bella and Stormy wish you all a wonderful
Happy Xmas
hope you all have a good day tomorrow 😉
Mon 25th – Xmas Day
Well we’ve had weather warnings of rain/snow and ice SO a good day to bring S&B hoe again so we can miss walking them back on slippery ground….also it should be peaceful on the estate today!!!”
All started well, walked them up the field hill and mounted off the track gate 😉
BUT…..the gamekeeper was in the next field, S&B saw the 4×4 before we did and Stormy had quite a strong reaction to it….he spun and wanted to go back to the safety of his field!!!
This is something I didn’t expect….a ‘Negative Association Reaction’. He, and Bella, know the gamekeeper shoot and kill deer etc and they always use this 4×4 so they now think that every time they see it there is going to be shooting etc! 🙁
Wasn’t quite expecting to see the gamekeeper on Xmas day BUT think he drew the estate short straw to check the sheep and cattle on the farm so he wasn’t actually out shooting (S&B didn’t know that).
Mark and I both got off our horses and walked them along the track, allowing them to see the gamekeeper leaving the field they had to walk through and thereby allowing them to realise they could calm down 😉
I got back on Bella and rode to home, Mark decided to walk Stormy home (we need to make some safe big mounting blocks so we can get on easier along the track!)
We got home safe and sound with calm, listening horses 😉
At home I took the opportunity to help Bella walk the ‘newish’ bridge again. Making sure it wasn’t slippery for her first 😉
Tues 26th – Boxing Day
Boxing day, for me, has been
traditionally a day to have a nice walk out. SO, today Mark and I took Storm and Bella for a walk up the hill behind our house and back 😉 nice to stretch their legs (and mine…Mark rode 😉 )
Bella looking at the scenery 😉
Love walking her out and about, really lovely way to bond
Bella had some of her favourite heather while up the top of the hill…it was rather windy up there so we didn’t stay too long 😉
Walking down, as normal, was quicker then going up! lol
Managed to jump on Bella’s back when back in the field…..always a pleasure to be in the position to sit on Bella <3 Love her to bits <3
I am the luckiest girl in the world
Sun 31st
Just wishing everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and hoping you all have enormous fun with your horses throughout the year 🙂
- Shelley – HorseSavvy