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Thurs 2nd

Happy April everyone 😉 🙂  What a gorgeous day today has brought (not so sure weekend is not going back to Winter but hey ho, enjoy the day while it’s here) 🙂

Today I rode Bella and then Stormy (didn’t want Storm to feel left out) 🙂

Bella….

We started off with our regular walk Ride the Rail, she went calmly up and down hills in walk doing this 😉

She was a bit faster in walk today and so after this we trotted over all the poles put haphazardly around the main field, like a jump course without the jumps.

Mounted with Stormy waiting for his treat too 😉 lol

After our ride Bella waits for her groom and treat 😉

Stormy…

We started with walking over all the poles in the field, asking Stormy to pick his feet up properly and take note of where his feet actually are 😉

Then we went around some of the rails like Bella and up the hill a bit. He used to worry when going away from Bella for a while but we knew where she was so all was ok.

After going down a small hillock he decided it was time for a canter up the other side which was lovely 😉

He then trotted to the mounting block for me to get off (polite boy that he is) 🙂

Along rails, up hills, Bella watching us all the time.

Couple of contented ponies <3

Tues 7th

Anyone for a hack out? Great day, great weather, great company 😉

Wed 8th

Today started strangely…Stormy took a wee spook at 5 walkers along the track outside the paddock fence while Mark was saddling him. I’m not sure why he did it, he’s not been worried by people before ;(

But we saddled up and went on our way. Unfortunately the same walkers were sat on the ground and the stone wall just before their field gateway, whilst also the famer was dashing about the next field on his quad bike….Stormy, and Bella a bit, were not amused at all. Both Mark and I got off and I asked the walkers if they’d get up off the track and let us pass, which they did BUT Stormy just wasn’t happy with them at all??? weird.

Maybe they had bad vibes, maybe they smelt funny to him…who knows?? Just before their field there was a dog walker and a big labradoodle, he barked a bit but we said hello, good boy etc and the walker was good to have him on a lead and backed off….eventually we managed to get them to their field and all went back to normal 🙂

So, even for us, things don’t always go smoothly, you never know what a horse see’s, or smells, or perceives a situation 😉

• Shelley – HorseSavvy.co.uk

Mon 2nd

Taking it easy into the New Year’s fitness programme 

Today:

Bella and I were a bit ‘unstraight’ to start with so I worked on getting myself ‘in line’ with the line we were going and then tweaking/release/tweak/release on leg/rein to ask Bella to find our body and directional ‘line’ under me. This worked really well. She hates being micromanaged so an ask/release repeated is a good way for her to synchronised with me and the way we’re going without any brace of body/mind/emotions 

Fri 6th

Another blue sky day up here (we have had some grey, drizzly days recently) so off out to be with S&B for me and Mark (he spent the time resting and taking pics, once it’s warmer he’ll be back riding now and then)….for now I’m keeping his boy, Stormy, fit and engaged 😉

Well Mark surprised me this morning by walking S&B back home after giving them breakfast and cleaning the field. This is the first time he’s walked a mile plus walking the horses…so proud that his knee’s are doing so well now 😉

S&B by the fence asking for a treat or two 😉

AND then…it snowed just before night fall and again in the morning BUT then came blue skies and rugs off 😉

They came up as I thought the farrier was coming the next day BUT after texting him he’s actually put us down for next Thurs SO….another opportunity to ride them home and then bring them back up next week 🙂 🙂

Fri 13th

Lovely hack back to the big field today riding Stormy and leading Bella 😉

Each beginning of the year I go back on our foundation. I do this to check things are there, they work and to start the years fitness as we have a long winter up here in Scotland and S&B (and me) get a bit riding unfit SO, starting from the basics is a good way to get it all going again.

Today Bella and I did our 2nd RtR (ride the rail) in walk. I choose walk to help her fitness and also she’s a draft horse so she’s really not ever going to RtR in canter, she’s just not that kinda horse.

One thing we should always be aware of, and work in the parameters of, is the type of horse you have, the spirit level of your horse and what they like to do

Bella is a medium spirit draft horse who was bred over years to be a good, calm horse that would have ploughed a field all day or pulled a cart most of the day. So, I try to not overface her with challenges she doesn’t enjoy but try to keep things interesting so she doesn’t get bored 

As the weeks go by we’ll start putting some trot into this and maybe more trot than walk by the end with a bit of canter when she feels happy to do so 

NB. The more foundation you put onto your horse, the more stuff you can build onto it. Working it up over the years until you have a very rounded horse with a solid foundation that the walls of training can happily sit upon 

I know both S&B will be okay standing still while I put my hat and coat on and I know how to make and put on a make-shift halter’

They’ve heard sirens on the main road (about a mile away) but never close to so that is something I know we need to practise.

I’ve also never put a sheet of wood near their bodies (used to keep people safe if a horse is flailing about when panicking) so another thing to practise.

Simulating syringes to the neck we’ve done before and also putting a towel (or tarp in our case) over their heads too.

Stroking legs with a stick is something I do with horses almost from the beginning of training so I’m sure that’ll be okay, so too the rope around belly and legs 😉

Walking over pipes and tarp they love doing so, again, not a worry.

Then I have had to make up a make-shift ‘trailer’. I put a load of tyres near a corner of the field fence, making a small, narrow but long gap for them to load into then out of. If the weather is kind I can try to put up two of my ‘agility curtains’ to make a ‘pretend’ roof and I’ve also a big tarpaulin I can try to affix to that so that it’s a really good pretend trailer but I may have to just use the space with tyres as if they weather is like today (very windy) I’ll not attempt the tarp roof/walls 😉

Anyway, today, was S&B’s first practise with the wood barrier and sirens noise from a YouTube vid on my phone. It went pretty well 😉

NB. I treat a lot when learning something new and gradually but as quickly as possible I go to having less to no treats. By the time I video the course for the competition I will give no treats 😉 I treat 1st for compliance to what I ask, then a bigger better treat for compliance with relaxation. Later it’s more of a stroke, pat and rewarding words 😉

Stormy’s video of practise 1:

Bella’s video of practise 1:

Tues 31st

Today I managed to film both S&B’s BARTA Agility courses for the competition. They were both fabulous and I’ll put up their vid’s after the Agility deadline of April 15th. For now here are the steps from Bella’s video 😉

All the tasks we did were to represent those that may be used by BARTA trained (firemen, police, vets etc) services in an emergency 😉

< 1&2 = Hat and coat on

3 = Put makeshift headcollar on (made from line of rope) >

< 4 = Sound of police sirens for 10 seconds (on phone)

5 = Put barrier up against horses side for 5 seconds (wood) >

< 6 = Pretend to do an injection using syringe with no needle (both L&R)

7 = Place a towel on horses neck, slide it up over ears, then eyes >

< 8 = Touch all horses legs with a stick like emergency services might use a crook (insides and outsides)

9 = Place a rope around horses belly for a second, then front legs, then back legs >

< 10 = Walk over obstacles representing fire service things (hoses etc)

11 = Walk over a tarpaulin >

< 12 = ‘pretend’ trailer loading (in for 5 secs) then back horse out (using a simulation of a trailer if no trailer available 😉

• Shelley – HorseSavvy.co.uk

• Mark is managing to do some wee walks with Beau now (after his left knee replacement in November ’25) which means I can get some time with S&B in their big field, feeding time, poo picking and doing bits of liberty connection 😉 

Sat 7th

Fab to finally get the rugs off S&B for a few days (hopefully)….they really really enjoyed a huge groom from me and then mutual grooming while I was poo picking the field 😉 Great to see 🙂

While I was cleaning the field Bella came over for a while. When she does this I always find a game or two to play at liberty with her to top up our connection jar and to give her a brain stretch 😉

Mon 9th

B’fast with S&B, they’re watching the farmer on the road when his car stopped to check some stock….they’re always aware of what’s going on

I made time after my chores to put together a small basic agility course so that when I want it it’s set up ready to go.

2 x different narrow gaps along a fence, 4 trot poles, 5 coloured jump wings for the weave and fig 8’s, a road drain pipe for some sidepass or jump and two stacked tyres making up a square with 2 jump wings and the pipe where we can do some nice turns with either the fh or hq’s 😉

Tue 10th

Not the greatest of pics as only had my phone to hand today BUT it shows that when we CAN play, we DO play. It’s usually at feed time (when they are wanting their apples) and at liberty 😉
Here’s todays offerings 😉

Bella….right then left foot on the medium pedestal

Storm and Bella trying to get their feet on the medium ped together. lol

Bella putting her left then right feet on the small pedestal

Stormy gets in on the act with the small pedestal putting his right foot on it 😉

Bella putting 2 feet then all 4 feet on the big pedestal 😉 🙂

Fri 13th

OMGoodness…..IT’s DRY….IT’s SUNNY (although -5*) and we’re all LOVING IT 🙂

S&B this morning at breakfast while the sun came up 😉

Took the opportunity to play with Bella online (Stormy followed us step for step at liberty) and get our connection sorted out and then I had the pleasure of riding Storm, then Bella bareback. Not a lot, just walking gently around the agility course and seeing how my riding cues were going 😉

What a good morning it was. Both horses were light to my cues (online and ridden) and they really enjoyed stretching their legs and minds <3

Sat 14th

Well what a great day (although -7* this morning)…..This is Mark’s first ride on Stormy since having his knee replacement operation, it’s been 3 months, 3 weeks 🙂 AND he thoroughly enjoyed himself 😉

Even having a wee ‘yeehaa’ up the hillock 😉 <3

I also had my 2nd ride this year on Bella 😉 Enjoying the sunshine and each other 😉

Sidepass

Trot poles

Trot weave.

We didn’t do very long (as our faces and ears were getting cold) but it was joyous to be out in the afternoon with our two beasties and each other on Valentines Day <3

Sun 15th

AND….just after a lovely 2 warm, sunny day the weather gods make sure we still remember it’s Winter out there….we have had 3″ of snow overnight and this afternoon it’s snowing again! ;( hey ho ;(

S&B’s rugs were on overnight last night, we went down at night to put them on as it was dipping to -4* again, then off during the day as it went up to 2*.

Tonight is going to be -3* (probably colder), it should stop snowing before nightfall but S&B will be wet after their dinner. They’ve got their other, dry rugs on tonight 😉

Some pics of our wee doggie Beau enjoying the surprise of snow this morning.

AND….some pics from dog walk this morning….

AND NO, I wasn’t taking black/white pics LOL 🙂

Tue 17th

The snow seems to be set here for a while but S&B just happy it’s dry and sunny (freezing though) 😉

Bella enjoyed a wee lie down after her b’fast and then a big roll 😉 must feel good to get the rugs off from overnight (it was -5 to -7 last night)

Fri 27th

Riding can be like waiting for a bus….nothing for hours/days then two at the same time LOL

The start to more fitness for us all…..I’m tuckered out now

Stormy is like a polar bear at the moment and shedding his winter coat like crazy……he’ll look better around the end of March when his long coat has shed 😉

• Shelley – HorseSavvy.co.uk