Bella & Stormy – November 2024

Fri 1st

So November is here already and happily enough we all enjoy the cooler weather so training/riding can continue while dodging rain 😉 Today I had a lovely ride on Bella…she was just a wee bit fresh, probably the cool weather and just being put out to their Winter grazing (the whole big field). She was very focused so we managed to bring her energy down nicely and have some really good canters in the field which was joyous 😉

Then when I’d finished riding and went back to cleaning the field (poo picking) I look around and noticed both

S&B trying to attract my attention, probably for some more treats….Bella had her front feet on the big pedestal

and Stormy had his front foot on the smaller pedestal….and yes, they did get treats 😉 LOL

Sun 3rd

Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine 😉 🙂 🙂

Just love a lovely day, it makes everything better and puts a smile on our faces. Today was just that…sunny and fab 😉

I started off riding Stormy. He was good but a bit anxious when too far from Bella and me wanting to stretch his comfort zone by walking up the hill a bit (they do it every day grazing and when we call them up for dinner sometimes so it’s not a ‘new’ place). I used approach and retreat (going towards something scary, relax then retreat and keep trying with small steps more each time, rewarding for relaxation and trying).

You can see this progress by the green line on the top of our ride map.

Other than this anxiousness he was fun and fab.

Bella followed us around a bit realising that I had treats while riding Stormy. lol. I do with her too but she may have thought I wasn’t riding her today! LOL

I then rode Bella and she was super fab today. Walk first around the round pens in fig 8′, then big fig 8’s around big field in trot and then CANTER 🙂 🙂 🙂

We nearly did the whole fig 8 in canter but allowed her to slow, trot or walk when she needed and didn’t push it BUT her corners in the middle bit were super cool and she was balanced around the corners and no rushing or over freshness like last time we rode. FAB <3

So lovely to have shadow riders with us today…..great day…now off to do a training class with Beau our doggie 😉

Thurs 7th

Today we had a change

I walked S&B down the trail towards the village, we’ve not been down this track most of this year due to one thing and another SO it I was determined to just walk them out somewhere they’d not been for ages.

I saddled Stormy up so I could ride back which was a good plan that worked fabulously

< Stormy saddled up and Bella haltered up

Squeezing them individually through gateways >

< They’re so good going through gates and waiting until we’re all ready to go

All of us walking on the track, looking at new views and checking out the hedgerows >

At the turning point of the ride

I get my stirrups down, check the girth, change Storm’s lead rope for his clip on rope reins, mount and we’re ready to ride off.

< Bella does a great job following Storm’s bum

Back home and through the last gateway >

In the field I take their tack off and let them make their own way back down the big hill 😉

Bella and Stormy stretch their legs nicely with some big trot and excited canter 😉

Tues 12th

Very frosty and cold this morning so rode Bella but only in walk so as not to sweat her up (no sun = no drying out). She was as good as gold and we worked on straight lines, turns and circles for more precision 😉

Weds 13th

Bought a few new rubber mats to put onto the older ones as it’s the part that gets a bit muddy still in Wintertime.

Stormy, being a curious monster, was happy to test them out as soon as we threw them out of the trailer….Bella, being a sceptical girl allowing curious Storm to check things out first, came over when the treats came out 😉 lol

Mark, after 10 weeks since last time, fit enough to trim Bella’s feet for me 😉 and although tired from doing it he was happy his new knee had no problem doing it 😉