getting lost & swapping bits...

The weather is so, so warm at the moment! It's making riding rather difficult as it's the kind of weather where just standing still in the heat takes it out of you, haha! Enjoyable for tans, not quite as enjoyable for working in a kitchen ;) on Wednesday, when it was a bit cooler, I actually managed to ride...first me & Emma went hacking with Sunny. We went a different route than usual, so we didn't really know where we were going, but hey that's the fun of hacking! Had a bit of a hairy moment with some troublesome horses who thought they'd join in our hack, but we worked through it and I didn't spontaneously combust or burst into tears, so s'all good ;) Then we went up to my yard and rode Jack.. I decided to do a bit of swapping with the bits( a bit of swapping, good one eh) because I wanted to put Sparks back in the hanging cheek and decided to give Jack a try in the wilkie just to see if he liked it...he went really well and seemed to settle really nicely with it, so it seems we'll be keeping it-the swap paid off! We both had a little jump on him finish off. He most definitely doesn't have the most natural jump, but he tries really hard and clearly enjoys himself and that's all that matters :) We won't really get started with jumping until next year anyway, so we're just sticking to a few little ones now and again just to introduce the idea!

a little sunny outing..

It was rather warm this weekend! As I had the day off work, me and my Dad took Sparkie up to a small local xc course.. it's more designed for hunter trials than xc really, but it's a nice quiet little course and it was very fun! Obviously didn't do too much as it was stupidly warm, as in you'd break into a sweat just standing still haha, so we left some of the bigger jumps. Still, Sparkie was really, really good, he seems to enjoy xc! Jumped everything I pointed him at without even a look which suprised me as he's usually not an overally confident pony, including some jumps that to me were rather scary..obviously not to Sparkie! Super pleased that he jumped the corner, the tyres and the coffin jump, as he's always struggled to jump wider jumps so usually backs off but he's got a lot better recently..he even pulled me towards the wider part of the corner haha! He usually hates the coffin fence, but he jumped it fine both ways..good pony! Hopefully taking him to a slighter bigger course with a wider range of jumps soon :)

a super duper weekend!

As the title suggests, this weekend was brilliant! (I'm also going to class Monday as the weekend, because hey, why not..) On Saturday I spent the day with Emma. We started off at my yard, the initial plan being to go for a nice hack...well. It was all going pretty well and then another horse appeared and a few stupid drivers and we basically decided that the hacking idea was not going to work out, haha, ah well! We went back to the field and a had a little play in there instead and they were both very good :) Jack had his first ever canter with someone other than me which made me really proud, it's so nice to see him going well for someone else! I'm not going to let many people on him for a while as I don't want to mess him around and it's so easy for hard work to be undone, so just his Aunty Emma for now, but it's still nice to see him being a good boy.
 We then went up to Emma's and took Sundance for a hack..he was amazing! Such a good boy, not phased by very, very scary tractors, open fields, nosey dogs, nosey horses...I think I was more scared of the tractors than him, haha. He's brilliant :)

 

We then went the cinema to watch Despicable Me 2 which was amazing...definately worth a watch guys!

Monday was another brilliant day.. I had to go into sixth form for an hour but then I had the rest of the day of so I decided to walk up the yard and ride both ponies. First it was Sparkie's turn.. he was feeling very fresh and spooky and couldn't possibly go near the muck heap without running backwards/spinning round/having a breakdown, but that's ok, it really doesn't bother me anymore, I just find him funny! He's such a baby still sometimes, silly boy..other than his silly moments he was fab though, he jumped everything I put in front of him, which if I'm honest, suprised me because I'd gone out the way to make the jumps scary..there was a corner jump, a tyre jump and then a skinny which I made by putting two of the sloping blocks together..nope, none of it bothered him, he popped over everything no trouble, just thought it was approriate to take off miles away...typical Sparkie!

Then it was Jack's turn! He schooled lovely, a little bit nappy and still things to work on, but I cannot fault him for his age at the moment, touch wood! He's really starting to slow down and think about what he's doing more, he works really hard :) His canter is definately what I'm most impressed with, his transitions are on point as soon as he's asked and he rarely strikes off on the wrong canter lead (apart from Saturday where he was having a bit of a moment I think, haha!) and he just feels so much more together, yay! Gave him a little jump, which was made very difficult by the fact that Sparkie wanted to follow us or just stand in front of the jump...he got called a few choice words. He's not a natural jumper at all, but he trys so, so hard, I've never known such a genuine little horse, he just wants to please! Hopefully with time he'll get better, but he was very good netherless and jumped about 2ft with the tyres underneath which he didn't even look at.. fab little baby! Obviously won't be doing much jumping with him this year, but it's just makes a nice change for him and he really enjoys it..brakes definately become a bit dodgy haha ;)

Beth, Sparkie, Jack & Carling! xxxx

 

 

please stop growing now...

rode Mr Jack today! I have no pictures because I was up by myself :( but he was super duper! changed his bit over to a hanging cheek as even though the other one was recommend by his dentist, for some reason he didn't seem 100% comfortable with it, but he foamed up to the hanging cheek today and didn't throw his head around so I think I made the right decision :) Rode him in the bigger part off the field so didn't really know what to expect..he went really well and a lot steadier and balanced than he's been lately, which is surprising as he's soooo bum high atm! Measured him at 15hh at his bum yesterday..
enough growing now Jack, just level off please! ;) He was even rounding his back and working into the contact at some points today :) overbent quite a lot in canter, but still super pleased with how much better his canter feels now!

Gridwork & fun...

Aloha mes amigos! This weekend has been rather fun :) It consisted of a sleepover, films and gridwork with Sparkie! Sparkie was really good for both me and Emma, it was my first time doing grids with him so more than likely his first time to and he didn't bat an eyelid just beasted down it no problem and even did a few 1m jumps! He just feels fantastic at the moment, have such a big smile on my face when I ride him :) don't want to jinx anything though ;) show time next weekend hopefully!

poorly Jack!

Today it rained. That didn't put me off though, me & Dad trooped off up the yard. After we mucked out I brought Sparkie in, gave him a quick groom and then lunged him which he thought was super fun..
he seems to think it's appropriate to canter off and take himself over jumps off his own accord...he does make laugh! Jack's turn next...he didn't want to come in so I had to chase him for a good few minutes first, little bugger! I thought he looked a little bit stiff, but I'm always really paranoid anyway so I didn't think much more of it. Brought him and groomed him, had a bit of a paddy over being sprayed but I can leave him tied up now and all four feet are remaining on the ground so definitely seeing an improvement. He also stood lovely and still while I put his new brushing boots on :) He lunged lovely on his right rein but then when I asked him for canter on the other rein he started broncing and rearing which is really unlike him...at first I thought it was because of the boots or because he's it's his bad rein, but he was being perfect the other way so I asked my Dad if he thought he was carrying his leg and it wasn't just me being paranoid but he noticed it's too so I gave him a pat and walked him off before trotting him up and he definitely didn't look 100% right...happy that we spotted it quickly though and considered everything rather than just putting it down to naughtiness straight away! Going to let him rest for a few days and see how he is, hopefully he will very back to normal soon :) xxx

The day we equally shared our chicken nuggets

I really could not think of an appropriate title..I'm sorry. So yesterday was my last 'day off' if you like, where I had no school work to do, so I made the most of it and went to visit my old yard with one of my friends Maddie to see her horses Topper & Splodge. First Maddie rode Topper and he was super for her, so lovely to see him going so nicely as she's really worked hard with him and he's been a bit of a monkey in the past. I've known him since the first day she brought him as a 3yo, so it's been nice to see him grow up :) He's so much better now! Then I rode him...it's been about 6 months since I last rode him probably and he has come on loads, he used to be quite difficult to get into canter and nap a lot, but he went straight away when I asked on both reins and came straight back down and he didn't nap once! Yay!

We then went up to my yard and I rode Jack, who was a bit speedy and not listening to me all the time, but it's ok, he's allowed to have his moments and he did settle down and do some nice work for a few minutes now and then. His canter was brilliant anyway, can't believe how much better he's getting! Even took him for a canter in the longer grass round the whole field and he came straight back to me and didn't try to take a hold and speed up- good ginger! Just wish his trot was the same now, hmmph :( Maddie said she was impressed by how much he'd come on since she last saw him (bearing in mind the last time she was Jack he was waving his legs in her face and then proceeded to lie down on the floor, so I'm not sure this counts) which is nice and that he looks really well! Then Emma came up and we went to McDonalds and we shared chicken nuggets..or basically me & Emma ate them all and Maddie watched and occasionally ate a chip, but that's ok, we just like food. 

Beth, Sparkie, Jack & Carling :) xxx