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Bella – April 2022

Fri 1st

Well it’s a chilly start weather wise to April…brrrrrr. BUT sorted out a new Agility course, I like to set up and practise a course that I’m going to use for my students at my Agility Clinic’s…so that’s up and ready to test. Also went back down around 1pm to have a short, walk and wee trot ride on Bella…just getting familiar with the ‘dressage’ test I put together for us 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I actually changed a couple of bits on this course as thought it was a bit too ambitious for beginners SO, number 2 is now a fig 8 with just two blue jump wings and number 9 is a few jump wings making a narrow gap to back through 😉

 

Fri 8th

Gosh, it’s been a wild, windy and rain/snowy week that’s for sure…brrrrrr…big coats, hats and thermal jods back on. BUT today, although still windy and chilly, we go out to hopefully do SOMETHING with the neddies 😉 Well, it was windy and colder in the horses field than at home but we managed to give them both a good groom (much needed as Stormy is really really shedding his winter coat) and then I play with Bella then Stormy around the agility course that I set up (see above pic) 🙂 Here’s some pics from today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun 10th

Finally the wind, drizzle and snow has stopped today and it was quite pleasant being out and about. Managed to put bum to saddle too with a short ‘mosey’ about with Mark and Stormy after I trimmed Ms Bella’s hooves 😉

 

 

Nice, slow mosey to start off

Lovely sidepass when Mark and I played ‘follow the leader’ 😉

 

 

 

Great to get a more consistent trot now even after a week off.

Mark and big Stormy doing well on ‘walking up hills’ and not rushing them

 

 

 

Following Stormy for a bit and then doing our own thing for a bit. It was just lovely being out with the horses enjoying some nice weather 😉

 

 

 

 

Thurs 14th

Absolutely FAB to get out for a wee hack to the house and back. Had to get off and walk a bit as the HUGE timber logging machine was up on the hill near house and I wasn’t sure how Bella would take it SO better safe than sorry 😉 She was high headed and a bit snorty but they both Stormy and Bella did very well going past it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at the machine

Nice cool puddle drink for them both 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Big machine near the track, we wait for a bit and it moves off after a while 😉

 

At the house 😉

 

 

 

 

Waiting for machine to move off away from the track

Last leg of hack out

 

 

 

 

Fri 16th

Repeat of yesterday but I didn’t get off and walk today 😉 🙂 🙂 Big timber machine on way out on the hill and on way back near track but off 😉 Bella calm and confident <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tues 19th

Agility day today 🙂 🙂 🙂 STORM and MARK go first….

 

Mark rides/leads to the agility arena

Storm and Mark bareback and bitless….
1) The S’bend

 

 

 

2) Fig 8’s

3) Over water tray

 

 

 

 

4) Sidepass

5) Over pedestal

 

 

 

 

6) Under/halt with curtain

7) Trot poles

 

 

 

8) into box/halt

9) Back through narrow gap

 

 

 

 

10) Scary corner

and finishing happy 🙂

 

 

 

AND BELLA….

 

1)  S’bend

2) Trot fig 8’s

 

 

 

3) Water tray

4) Sidepass

 

 

 

5) Halt on pedestal

6) Under/halt curtain

 

 

 

7) Trot poles

8) Halt in ‘box’ while I walk around both ways

 

 

 

9a) Back through narrow gap

9b) Draw back at trot

 

 

 

10) Through scary corner

Such a good girl, she doesn’t forget anything <3

 

 

 

AND…Bella did it ridden too….

 

Weds 20th

Today was nice and warm with a lovely breeze so we rode around the field for a bit of muscle stretching together with Mark and Stormy 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thurs 21st

 

Another lovely day with the horses…started off with leading Stormy from Bella. We’ve not done this much but today it was the best we’ve ever done it 😉

 

 

I then got Bella into position to take Stormy’s halter off and set him free so we could do a bit more solo riding.

 

 

 

Really good walk and trot today. They were burning heather on the opposite hill to the field and we kept getting swathes of smoke over the field SO didn’t do much as it was horrible to breathe in.

 

 

Ended on a good note with asking for more trot between two cones…this will be our canter line later on so a good place to finish.

oh…and standing on the pedestal is always fun <3

 

 

Tues 26th

I love going to the horses at different times than they’re used to. This morning I walked Beau, our dog, to the horses about half an hour earlier and they were grazing on the big hill, which we don’t see often AND this afternoon I went down to play/ride Bella half an hour early too and this is what I found….

 

…awe sleepy heads <3

 

…and flat out together 😉

 

 

 

So, I didn’t want to disturb them so I sneaked down into the field and put together a new agility course by which time B&S were up and came over to see what I was doing.

I took Bella around the course online for a bit of fun, she did pretty well and showed up some things we need to work on which I always enjoy 😉

Then I took her over to where I saddle her up by leading her off the quad bike which was fab and then I rode her. Today we did freestyle cloverleaf patterns.

 

Freestyle riding is:
Where I have a totally loose rein (on the buckle) and we work on consistently looking for lightness by going through the same focus and body cues until the horse starts to ‘feel’ the lightest/first one and doesn’t need the others so much. SO, my cues are to look in the direction I want (eyes), to turn my shoulders then belly button that way, to open up my ribs on the outside of a turn (the same way I want my horse to do it), to then put a small bit of extra weight into my but cheek that’s outside of the turn, then put my outside leg/heel on, hold with the inside leg or open a bit for early clarity and finally to pickup the reins in one hand and use a gently bump cue with the inside rein to direct the horses head.

Bella started to get this after the 2nd circle on each direction which was good.

Cloverleaf pattern is:
4 large circles put two next to two, so they’d fit into a square and the riding pattern is that we start in the centre and pick a direction, say left. Then we’d do the first left circle, go straight through the centre and do the 2nd left circle and do that until all 4 are ridden and halt in the middle. With some horses I’d continue that left way until I see/feel a change that the horse is getting the pattern and I’m doing less cues with my reins. With Bella to keep her from being bored I do one set of the pattern left and then I change to the right. I do this twice SO left one set, right one set, left 2nd set, right 2nd set. She really started to get lighter and I hardly used my reins towards the end.

This pattern really helps to get freestyle riding going well, it helps the human to trust the horse and allow them to find the pattern and become lighter and stops the rider continuing to micromanage their horse, it also helps to bring lightness into the connected rein work as you progress 😉

 

Thu 28th

 

Lovely to see B&S dozing in the field together <3

 

 

 

 

They came over after waking up and Mark took Stormy to trim his feet whilst I took Bella to be groomed and tacked up.

 

 

 

I then rode the 2nd session of Freestyle riding the Cloverleaf pattern. A bit all over the place and then disturbed by shouting from local farmer at his sheepdogs and sheep BUT I just sat there, waited and reconnected to her and she calmed ok. I then resumed the pattern and went to doing a bit of a loose rein to help her connect.

 

She finds having rein support easier but I want her to respond to my focus/seat/leg aids and not rely on the reins so much if possible…I think it will really help her to have self-carriage and become straighter 😉

Afterwards we spent some ‘undemanding time’ together watching the cows and calves in the field next door 😉

 

 

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

 

Bella – March 2022

Tues 1st

A lovely start to the month with some mild-ish weather and some sunny spells. Went and groomed Bella then decided to take a wee ride as well 😉

 

Nice walk then into trot

 

 

 

 

Getting straighter with sidepassing

 

 

 

Sunshine & Snow

Praising all the time

 

 

 

Loose rein trot to cones and turning around cones using DHQ

 

 

 

Stop over log
Sidepass over log

 

 

 

 

New task is to ask for sidepassing over the log lengthwise. Okay with front legs, little unsure with backs at the moment. Always fun to have something to work on 😉

 

 

 

Weds 2nd

Lovely spending the morning with the gang, they followed me around while I did the poo-picking which is always lovely 😉

 

What lovely skies this morning

 

 

 

 

Sat 5th

 

Trimmed Bella’s hooves today and Stormy hung out with Mark 😉

 

 

 

Then had a nice short bareback ride on Bella…always helps relax my back after trimming her 😉

 

 

 

Sun 6th

 

Started off todays fun with Storm and Mark playing around with agility obstacles 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we did a ride around together. taking it slowly at this start of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then I do a bit of solo work with Bella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tues 8th

 

Managed to ride both Storm and Bella today 😉 🙂 🙂

Stormy: Rode to get back our focus after winter and also cooperation as Storm has a strong personality and wants to just do his thing so I tweak where he goes with a bit of where I want to go and then use cone and tyre obstacles to keep him interested by doing random fig 8’s and then P2P’s with sidepass over obstacle we ride to. He really got focused and ended up having a lovely ride together.
Bella: Rode to get back focus, straightness and flexibility. Worked on relaxation P2P’s first working on obstacles in corners of big field and then tweaked where/how I was sitting to find our straightness. Once that was in place I used my weight cues and alternate feel in the stirrups to create bends and flexibility. Great session and so focussing 😉
Thurs 10th
A bit windy today but had a nice session of in-hand agility with Bella and liberty with Stormy 🙂 Bella did a bit of liberty work but when she gets a wee bit further away from a good S2M she gets a wee bit worried and can’t figure out how to come back to me SO…am going to stick to helping her learn more online to keep her confidence and slowly we’ll do more with S2M close liberty work 😉
Fri 11th
Getting quite windy here so went down to the field to put the big straps onto the shelter and I also tidied up the agility area to make sure nothing is likely to blow away. Whilst doing this I had some fun with the tarp and the horses….’you’re never doing nothing with your horses’…so true 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weds 16th

Had a lovely play session with Bella followed by a really nice ride. Calm, focussed and felt like we’ve actually started our training year now 😉

Before, in the morning, I called them up the big hill and they decided to race to me 😉 😉 It was fab to see them cantering together and although Bella tried her hardest to catch Stormy she didn’t quite manage it.
Fri 18th 
Today was our FIRST wee hack out this year and it was really lovely to be out and about. Walked Bella first, got on at a gate, didn’t do too much, just stretched our hacking legs and got used to being somewhere ‘new/strange’ again. Fab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tues 22nd

Today we hacked out a bit further in the lower fields near their main field. Got on at the start of ride this time, off to go through narrow gap by river but she sidled up perfectly for me to get on again from a broken dyke wall. Did quite a bit of walk/trot in next big field and rode through narrow gap on the way back. She even gave me a really lovely, calm, controlled canter right at the end…perfect end to a perfect hack out 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wed 23rd

Today I played with Bella (in-hand) and then Stormy (at liberty) through a new Agility course. It’s the same course I’m doing in my March Agility teaching clinic’s and it went down very well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thurs 24th

Managed to film Bella doing the Agility course today…

 

And then I rode Bella in our make-shift arena with a ‘dressage test’ I put together myself for her. It was our first attempt and it was mainly to get the pattern in our minds and body but she did really well. Nice walk, energetic trot and she did her first canter along a long side too which is hard as not a lot of room but her canter was controlled and easy to sit to 😉 So proud of my big girlie, over the last few days we’ve done in-hand agility, started the year’s hacking out AND did some dressage 😉 How fab is she <3

 

Start in walk, get into trot nicely through most of it.

 

 

 

Big trot and then into some nice self-carriage moments 😉

 

 

 

 

Just a fab canter…a first for us in the arena 😉 😉

 

 

 

Will keep a smile on my face for a LONG time xxx

 

 

 

 

Sat 26th

Today is pretty hot around midday so we decide to have a short, fun session AND do the agility course ridden. It was fun and enough for today 😉

Here’s Stormy’s round…

 

< Gaits: Fast walk/halt/Slow walk/halt/trot/halt >

 

 

 

 

Curtain

 

 

 

 

Front feet in hula hoop…took two attempts but did it perfectly in the end, such a clever boy 😉

 

 

 

Weave walk and then onto tarp and halt

 

 

 

 

Jump then push the ball

 

 

 

 

Halt over a pole and for fun he sidepasses off it 😉

 

 

 

 

Into narrow gap, halt, backup then through and onto the pedestal with front feet and familiarise with flag 😉

 

 

Bella did it really well too, here’s her video…

 

Tues 29th

Today I set up an ‘Equine Agility UKs’ Easter Challenge course and went around it with Bella and then Stormy. It was a quick play for a bit of fun, here are the vid’s:

Bella:

 

& Stormy:

 

Thurs 31st

Went out today an hour before dinnertime, it was a bit windy and it’s got quite cold again here. The horses were okay but I could see Bella was a bit on edge so I groomed and rode Stormy bareback around the round pens first. Then I haltered and played with Bella in the round pen. She was super soft and light and did some lovely moves. I let her off and we went to the place where they have their meal and I put their hay in their shelter ready for the cold night ahead. All went okay but Bella decided she could not take anything from my hand and I could not catch her so I had to just follow her about and when she looked at me I walked backwards. Strange but it could be that she got the smell of the ‘wormer’ I gave Stormy and decided she didn’t like it OR she could be in season and a bit hormonal. Whatever the reason I hope she is catch-able tomorrow! 🙁

 

Bella – February 2022

Fri 4th

Been a week since Bella and I have been riding due to bad weather but we have been doing some liberty work almost every day to keep up our connection and games. Today we managed to dodge on/off snow flurries to catch a short but sweet bareback session.

We worked on straightness and turns trying to keep the straightness on our turns if that makes sense. We also worked on some nice walk/trot bareback transitions and hq engagement using leg yields on small serpentine turns. After that we did a quick, small version of a ‘self-made’ dressage test that we are going to try to complete this year. It has walk, trot and canter transitions, 20m circles, 10m half turns for changes of direction, some loose rein stretched walk and also some long side canter transitions. I’m hoping it will be fun to practise and help us get some controlled canter work in a large arena so that later on we can work on some canter circles this year. Here’s some pics from today’s session…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sat 5th

Snow chucking it down today SO bring horses back. Mark and I each do the walk alternating as it was tiring  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tues 8th

And after a couple of days the snow is all gone again so Mark rides Stormy, leading Bella, home to the big field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weds 9th

Very cold each day at the moment but spending some liberty time with them is lovely 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fri 11th

 

Decided to take Bella out for a walk with Storm and Mark, just into the next field now it has no animals in it.

 

 

 

Lot of fun, Stormy grazed a bit, Bella checked out the scenery 😉

 

 

 

 

Nice to stretch all our legs today.

 

 

 

 

Walking back to our field together 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Tues 15th

After a very short, walk/ride on Bella yesterday and getting off soon as it was SO windy and she wasn’t paying attention to me I felt a bit deflated BUT today was cold and sunny so as I went around cleaning the field I did some liberty play with them. Draw from both was really good, even coming down the small, scary, hillock 😉 Bella did some pedestal fun work and it was lovely to just be with them for a bit before going home for my own breakfast 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fri 18th

Well we woke up to 3″ of snow this morning and heavy snow still falling (as it did all day) SO, straight down to the horses and walked them home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now all settled at home, lots of hay with breakfast and this evening more food, hay and rugs on to warm them up after being wet all day long.

 

 

 

Mon 21st

Today I just needed to sit on Bella to perk my spirits up. She is such a good horse that came straight over to be haltered and sidled perfectly to the gate for me to pop on 😉 I didn’t do much, just plodded about a bit then jumped off but it really lifted my mood 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also the snow has started to seriously melt away, the track is easier to walk on and the next day or two it’s supposed to be cold but sunny so we decide to walk the horses back to their big field as with the thaw comes muddy paddocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fri 25th

Today it was cold but with a bit of sunshine coming through now and then SO decided to just go out and have a wee walk/ride on Bella with Mark and Storm for company 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy