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Tues 3rd

Well, what a GREAT way to start September. Good weather (we like it cooler) and an afternoon exercise session that Mark came along to see our progress 😉

One handed, loose rein, walking warm up where we both settle in to our semi-circle pattern along the whole field.

One handed to two handed, loose rein to contact rein, trotting to help us find our balance, flexibility, energy and focus.

….and then onto CANTER. Very in-sync today and through our balance and raised inside rein we do SLC’s (Simple lead changes) all along the field. FABULOUS 🙂 all our practise and work going exactly where I wanted it to go 🙂 I LOVE it when a PLAN comes TOGETHER 🙂

1. Circle to right, correct right canter leg lead.    2. Circle to the left, correct left canter leg lead.    4. Circle to the right again, correct right canter leg lead.

SLC’s are where we do a half circle to the right on the correct canter lead, come down to a trot or walk for a few strides and then do a half circle to the left with the correct canter lead. We managed to do 4 down one way and then 4.5 going back down the other way 😉

I use these 5 circle patterns in the field to do large semi-circular weave’s up and down the field.

A kiss for the bestest girlie in the world

Me and S&B (Stormy spent the time munching grass in the field while Bella and I did our exercise)

Thurs 5th

Bella and I have got on really well with our canter circles, curved weaves and simple lead changes over the last few weeks so to keep things fresh we will now give that a rest and I will put the agility obstacles out in the big field so we can work on having fun with our walk, trot and canter transitions 😉 Always working on making training fun by mixing things up so that the curiosity, communication, confidence and connection keeps growing for that special partnership 🙂

SO…today, to change the pattern (make a habit, break a habit, make a new habit) I took S&B out for a walk in the field next to ours, they’ve not been in this field for quite a while as it usually has cattle or sheep in it but there’s been nothing for a while now, and no shooting yet either. They LOVED it, lots of lush grass and stretched their legs well too, mine too 😉 Keepin’ it FRESH 🙂

Sat 7th

Early morning ride today as it’s stonkingly hot up here at the moment….

We did some walk passenger lesson where Bella wandered about where she wanted and then I asked her to walk around the field a bit,

worked on some nice turns using weight, focus and less and less rein 😉

Then we did some trot clover leaf pattern which we’ve not done for quite a while but she remembered it well and kept in trot most of the time around each full pattern (going left around all 4 to start with a grazing break and then around to the right all 4) 🙂

Lovely nice ride today, pretty smooth, canter easy to move into and so balanced and light now 😉

Weds 11TH

Just to show that even with well trained horses sometimes circumstances say get off and try again another day. Today was that day.

 

I rode Storm for about 10 mins but something was getting him worried, the high wind, the farmer shouting at his dogs and sheep running about in a nearby field or something I just couldn’t see, hear or smell….SO…I got off. I used the opportunity to play a bit with the agility obstacles I’d put out in the field yesterday but he was very distracted.

And home….what a lovely way to spend a few hours 🙂

• Shelley – HorseSavvy

Thu 1st – HAPPY AUGUST EVERYONE 🙂

Today I decided to do the horses morning routine and then saddle them both and ride Stormy and lead Bella back to the house.

This is a great way of taking our training outside the field, give S&B a change of environment and also give Mark a hack on Stormy 😉

S&B ready to rock’n’roll.

Grazing along the route back to home.

Home with Mark waiting for us 🙂 He’s just walked the dog and is ready to ride back to the field as soon as I arrive 🙂

Ride back home not bad at all, lots of snatching for grass and we managed to stay calm while a super fast, noisy, low flying jet went overhead 🙁 🙂 phew……Bella a bit upset but she listened to me and we stayed calm and relaxed and she got some grazing as a reward.

Keeping them off the grass more we then allow them to munch on the thistles they love…me and Mark on S&B, side by side looking at the scenery is one of my favourite things to do on a hack 😉

Mark looking peaceful and happy while Storm munches away. They were a little behind me and Bella so I took the opportunity to turn left onto this wee bit of open field and had a nice trot then a lovely couple of canters before re-joining M&S on the track 😉 I LOVE that me and B can do this spontaneously now 😉

Nearly home and then through gateway and we’re there 😉

Rode them down the field hill and straight to their water trough where they both had a wee drink.

Bella checked in with Mark <3

Sun 4th

Fab breezy cool morning this morning so Bella and I had a lovely agility play session.

It’s been a while since play so it was a good thing to change our morning riding pattern.

We started with the hulahoop, archway, curtain and flag….

….then we played with extreme familiarisation (motion, energy, noise and touch) with a hand held flag all around her…she just carried on munching grass 😉

Then some bottles underfoot (trot and then canter…whoop whoop) and sidepassing over the drainpips.

Some fun also with a narrow bunting lane and circles in trot.

I then used a jump wing to mount and did the whole agility in walk and trot.

Finally we did some ridden walk and trot flag familiarisation which we’ve not done for a while 😉

Bella was a super star and I think she enjoyed the change in training today

Last part of the morning was with S&B playing around with our tyre pedestals, grooming each other and finally I took Stormy into the big field to munch on thistles (his reward as Bella had a ton of grazing while playing today)

Sat 10th

Well it’s been 6 days since riding due to weather and also a trip up to Aboyne to visit the World Horse Welfare where me, Mark and Beau had a lovely lunch but also we took/donated all our old 6’6″ rugs from horses who have passed over (Tara, Solly, Holly). They always appreciate donations of equipment of ££ and the equipment they get is either used for the horses they save (especially rugs) or they clean them and sell them to the public for much cheaper than new so they get ££ either way 😉 It always feels good to donate to a charity that’s close to the heart <3

SO….today, the weather has been grey days, on/off drizzle or rain with splashes of hot sunshine so just managing to take the opportunities to play or ride when I can 😉 Today was that day. They both came back to being ridden as if we’d just ridden yesterday, which is always a joy but because it’s been nearly a week we took it easy and just asked for stretching of legs, length of strides etc.

Nice and easy with Stormy today, he was a bit slow to start but ended well and managed some nice trot but we always just try to stretch in walk with him as he is 21yrs old now and not a spring chicken 😉 lol

Bella had a wee play before we rode and then she did very nicely, stretching out in walk as we went, smoothly transitioning into trot for a long stretch and finished with some nice balanced canter around the round pens.

Wasn’t long but was perfect to re-connect to my beauty <3

I leave them in the shade of their shelter as the sun starts to heat up.

Mon 13th

Yesterday was a wash out as the rain was torrential with thunder (no lightning) and I had a ‘sofa day’.

Today I knew it was going to be drizzly – rain SO up and out to get a short ride on Bella 🙂

Bella did fabulous bullseye into leg yields (turning in to a small circle then forwards and sideways making circle bigger)

Also trot weave on a loose rein to check our balance.

I then asked her to trot the round pens keeping a good strong rhythm but asking to stretch her legs which she did nicely.

Wed 14th

1. We start with her normal walk (or trot later) and that is our standard ‘medium’ walk.
2. I then lower my energy and breathing, get my butterfly to become smaller and toward the centre of my core while pulsing slower with it’s wings. I put in a small half halt on one rein and see if we can get our slow walk. I then release the hold on the reins and allow medium walk again as a reward. I practise this off/on for a full walk around the field.
3. To find our fast walk I ask my energy to think bigger, bring my core butterfly to increase in size and pulse more. I then give a verbal ‘kiss’ cue and then touch her sides with one heel then the other and wait. If it works then I leave it and allow my hips and shoulders to move faster with her, if it didn’t work then I repeat all the steps and try to get that deeper connection we need for this training.

Something to be working on but not fixated on so it continues to be fun and not a chore 

This morning’s rides were all about circles….

Bella

Walk 5 circles to warm up. Trot 5 circles to stretch out. Try some canter half circles to see how she does without the roundpens to support the angles.

Stormy

Just allowing him to walk at his own pace around the circles, ask for a bit of trot but allowing him to walk if/when he wants. He was a bit stiff and slow today so just exercising to keep his muscles and joints working at a slightly faster pace than his grazing

Mon 19th

A nice, early, quick, morning exercise for me and Bella today.

Circles again, trying to make them better, easier transitions and smoother.

We did well today….12 mins 51 secs / 1.2 km / 922 strides / 38 transitions 😉

Happy Bella munching on some grass after her exercise this morning and then both S&B on a strip of new grazing on the track. It seems that Autumn has come here early (or partially early)  and grass is slowing down it’s growth rate SO a wee bit more grazing on the track is much appreciated by them both 😉

Really lovely 20 min ride to sweep some cobwebs away, reconnect and have a bit of fun.

Fri 30th

Well gosh-a-roonie, it’s nearly September and Autumn is upon us. WOW. I hope you’ve all had a good Summer with your horses (albeit, like us you may have had storms, high winds and plenty of rain! 🙁 ) Here’s to a good Autumn with nice breezes that take away the flies, dry days that allow us daily riding adventures and good health for us and our equines so going into Winter is an easy transition 😉

Today….well I rode both S&B this morning. Starting with Stormy….

We did a nice 18 min ride working mostly in walk but it was a good medium walk with a purpose.

A couple of trots around arc’s as we did a very large weave/circle game.

He was more willing that the last time we rode out, he wasn’t so stiff and he didn’t grab at grass so much 😉 🙂

I enjoyed our ride out a lot today 😉

Me and my gorgeous big boy 🙂

Standing perfectly at the mounting block for me

Eating some grass I rewarded him with he looked lovingly at Bella 😉

After our ride I took him down the track to take his tack off and he walked beautifully beside the quad bike as I drove 😉

AND BELLA….

Today Bella & I had a nice ride today too. A round of walk weave/circles to warm up and then two rounds of trotting weave/circles.

She was light and well balanced in the gaits, listening nicely to my cues and eager to please.

Ready to ride, Stormy, already having been ridden, happy to rest near the shelter for our return 😉

Riding one handed turns….cues for turning are my focus so turning towards the way I want to go by looking with my eyes, inside shoulder back, belly button looking in right direction (all helping to put my weight in the saddle in the right place) then some light pressure along my outside leg, keeping my inside leg firm on the inside of Bella’s side. IF my focus cues and legs don’t make an impression then I’ll lightly, and quickly, use an inside rein upwards then release and repeat all the above as much as needed. Usually turning just requires me to look, bend my body where I want us to go and get my weight in the saddle right

Bella’s gorgeous face from the saddle…I love this big girlie so much <3

Bella grabbing some thistles as her reward for being a super star 😉

S&B given a new strip of grazing today 😉 🙂 🙂

Sat 31st

A little bit of liberty fun today with a new agility obstacle

I’ve had this ‘exercise’ mat gathering dust in the house for a few years so decided to put it to good use today….both S&B had fun with it and showed their ‘curiosity, confidence and connection’

Bella showing huge amounts of curiosity towards the mat

Both S&B put a foot on it together…I’m using +R (positive reinforcement) in their training regularly now, especially with new things. The reinforcement with treats (done properly and not as a bribe) is very powerful and they learn quickly without negativity 😉

Bella then put both front feet on the mat while Stormy watched.

THEN Bella put all 4 feet on the mat which is not only hugely clever but hard as she only just fit on it.

Both S&B put their front feet on it together which was fabulous 😉

Then I fold the mat once to make one bit higher, one bit lower….

Bella put front feet on the mat, one foot on the high bit, one foot on the short bit…

while Storm put one foot on the lower mat to prove he can do it too 😉

THEN I fold the mat up so it’s smaller and 3 times higher…Bella tests it with one front foot first.

I ask her to try both front feet and she did it very well….Stormy then did it too 🙂 <3 🙂

I can take this mat out to students now S&B have tested it for me 😉

• Shelley – HorseSavvy

Wed 3rd

Great way to spend this morning….riding both Storm then Bella 😉 The weather is perfect for it, damp, cool, grey, breezy…no flies…fabulous 😉

First ride is Storm. Just use the field to move him about, stretch his long legs so we didn’t need to go fast, just work on getting a good walk going. He offered some trot which was lovely and then a couple of small canters 😉 He got to graze in the round pen for a reward after our ride. I then rode Bella 🙂

With Bella we start off stretching her legs with a good solid walk out. Then to get her fitness up we work on sustaining her trot and we got a lovely big fig 8 of trot with very few stops and when she did it was quickly back into trot again. The ride wasn’t as long as some other rides but it was a great start on getting longer periods of trot which later on will bring more canter once we’ve got fitness under our belts 😉

Fri 7th

Today I had some fun doing some agility tasks with Bella (then Stormy afterwards) 🙂

Feet in hula hoop. Flag familiarisation. Sidepass over drainage tube.

Forward then back through arch. Touch flag with nose. Trot towards me through curtain.

Sidle over a pole. Trot onto tarp then halt. Jump

Into parallel poles, halt then back up. Back up through scary corner with bunting. Fig 8 in trot.

Bella ended with some nice sidling to a mounting block and then stepping on the flag which was flapping about on the ground 😉

Storm did the same round….feet in hoop. Flag familiarisation. Halt on tarp

Trot towards me under arch. Backup through curtain. Sidle over pole.

Backed up through the scary corner and both had the reward of some grazing on long grass in the agility arena 😉

Sun 7th

I knew today was going to be hot but also knew that the next few days I would be doing other things SO early this morning was perfect for a short ride.

Why a short ride? WELL…..It was already starting to get hot at 8am this morning and I knew if I set a good, quick goal that was achievable, then it would be a perfect ride. SO, what was the goal?

The goal was to warm up with the roundpens in walk and then in trot. The big goal was to then just canter around the roundpens, with a short trot section in the middle between circles. This is called a SLC (Simple lead change) and guess what…..Bella was a super star and just did it for me.

After she did it I jumped off, gave her a big hug and leg her graze as her reward for being such a super-douper, balanced partner 😉

Could not love her more, she has come so far over the 5yrs of having her in our lives. She is the perfect partner to me and to Big Stormy too <3

Mon 8th

So, today I had one of my student/friends over to visit S&B. I do this now and then on an ‘special invite’ only basis. It’s usually students I classify as good friends but also those that have enough knowledge, kindness and willingness to learn that I invite and Belinda is one of those 😉 🙂

She took on the challenge to play and sit on Stormy and took that challenge with both hands to the point where she was happy to ride Storm in walk and trot with me giving her some instruction through the play into the riding 😉

Storm was quite grass orientated.                                      Stormy looks ENORMOUS and as Belinda said, ‘he IS enormous’ 😉 lol.      Having fun with some agility obstacles

Manged to get on Storm well.                                        Belinda looks like a wee kid on a pony 😉 lol.        And laughing through the big trot Storm delivers 😉

Thu 11th

Bella needed her 2nd dectomax injection today, the follow up for mites in her leg feathers.
SO, opportunity to ride Stormy and lead Bella back to the house 😉

Stormy rode very well and Bella followed beautifully.

I love that she is so happy to just follow Stormy, keeping her feet off the stony track and on the grass verge 😉

Got to the house in plenty of time for them to have a graze in the home paddock before the vet came at around midday.

After vet had been we saddled Stormy back up and Mark rode him back to the big field while I walked Bella 😉

Lots of really long grass along the route home, S&B have learned the art of swiping for the grass heads while still walking 😉 lol

Bella and I opened the gates for Storm and Mark 😉 Look at that fabulously thick, long tail 😉 Great fly swisher
(I hate when draft horse owners cut their horses tails for silly shows, they need them for flies so we let them grow as long as they can) 🙂

Mark and Storm had a nice canter and some trot along the route. Really enjoy being out with the the boys and my beautiful girl Bella <3

And back in the big paddocks 😉

Fri 12th

Today I washed Bella’s feet. Firstly to help clean them from all the oil and sudocrem we’ve been putting on them to heal the cuts and get ride of the mites.

Bella was a super star and showed how well our connection training has come along over the years….she put her foot in the tall bucket with water and allowed me to wash her feet individually with much gusto. She has never put her foot in a bucket this tall nor with water in it SO I’m a very proud momma with her trusting me. I think she knew this was all for her good and probably the warm water was soothing.

I then towel dried them and put a mix of hibiscrub on them to help with any mites that may be left there (not that I think there are any there now) 🙂

Mark later on put some sudocrem on the wee crack she has on her front left and crusty scabby bit on her hind left 😉

Sun 14th

Very early ride this morning with Ms Bella. She was fab. Just kept it to walk and mostly trot, marking out the next pattern we’ll be doing later on in canter….the long side of the field (we’ve already done the short side) so this will be about holding canter for longer and we’ll try it out when the weather is cooler/breezier and when the flies are so nasty.

Before and after the ride Bella got some grazing, Stormy on the other hand grazed the whole time in the round pen 😉

Tues 17th

GREAT NEWS….TODAY MY NEW BOOK IS BEING PUBLISHED ON AMAZON 🙂

I’m so proud of finally getting my book into print. It has my Horsemanship training techniques, my articles, quotes and fun agility bits.

The hardback is a good deal and lovely quality, the paperback needs to be put under a heavy book for a while as the cover can curl at the start.

Just go to Amazon and look up Shelley Newton-Carter or click on the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=shelley+newton-carter&ref=nb_sb_noss

Thurs 18th

Another early morning ride on Bella and then Stormy 🙂

Sun 21st

Lovely ride with Bella today. We did a lot of different shapes, patterns and gaits and she felt very soft and light 😉

For a reward she wanted small thistles so I let her grab as many as she wanted 😉

Storm, as always, just looked fabulous <3

Tues 23rd

SO, today….I needed to get samples for worm count and that often means hanging around until they’ve pooped. Today I decide to ride B then S as I know movement can often help that process along SO…..

I have a lovely ride on Bella first….she provides the sample quickly, as she always does, but I continue with the exercise as we both need it. She was fab and she wanted small thistles for her reward so I let her grab a load while still waiting for Stormy’s sample.

I ride Stormy with a loose rein and a passenger lesson (he goes where he wants and I have no say about it apart from asking him to stay in walk). It was fun but he didn’t give me a sample so I pop him back into his round pen and 15 mins later he delivers 😉 🙂 All samples sent off now and hopefully all good.

Fri 26th

OMG, what was going to just be a quick exercise ride turned into a great ride.

Doing some walk trot transitions Bella put in a walk to canter transition I asked her to do it 5 more times and YES…BELLA can do WALK TO CANTER TRANSITIONS I’m over the moon.

So proud of her but also buzzing on a high of her achievements since being owned by her for 5 yrs now She melts my heart every time I think of her

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Mon 29th

Another lovely morning ride on Bella. Today we did a long walk warm up where I asked her now and then to lengthen her walk stride so we were  going medium walk to fast walk on and off.

After the walk we went in to some trot where I changed my diagonal every 6 strides on the up beat. This means that as we trot I count 6 strides and either sit down or stand up for a count of two. This helps to balance up muscles on me and Bella as staying on the same diagonal can be detrimental to muscles and symmetry for us both.

The last bit we were testing some walk to canter transitions but with a twist of counting 6 strides of canter, 10 strides of walk (or trot). She did the up gaits well but mostly wanted to come down from canter to trot and that’s fine with me as it’s difficult to come from canter down to walk for a heavy horse….her upwards trans were near perfect again and she felt very balanced and relaxed doing them so I’m a happy bunny 😉

Storm’s ride was just a basic stretch of his legs today, a bit of trot and a nice canter back to the mounting block to end.

They both had some grazing time today but as a reward we stopped at the small thistles they just adore eating at the moment. Then when back on their field track they mutually groomed 😉

• Shelley – HorseSavvy