New clothes

Jack has a grown up boy saddle! 

The saddler came out on Tuesday to measure him up (which can I add he was a super good boy for!) and she had this one with her that fitted both him and me perfectly so I brought it on the day. It isn't really what I was looking for unfortunately, but still looks very smart and fits so, so much better than what we were working with before so hey ho, at least he finally has a proper saddle! I rode him in it properly for the first time yesterday and I finally felt like I had a semi decent leg position on him which has been a problem I've been trying to crack for the past few years haha, he was a very good boy and jumped nicely, just had a few stops here and there which were completely my fault as my confidence has hit a complete low at the minute, I would quite happily let the horses live out in the field being content and stuffing their faces and pack riding in completely.... Oh well, we shall crack on and move on and try and keep smiling!

I cannot think of a witty or creative title as I am a very tired Bef

(I apologise for the title) 

So yesterday I took Jack out SJ schooling at an indoor school near me (with the help of my glamorous assistants Emma and Mother). It was a new venue I hadn't tried before and would definitely recommend Priory, the staff were very friendly and the stables looked nice enough for me to live in myself! I was originally going to book the outdoor but my Dad suggest to book the indoor because a) the weather and b) Jack doesn't have that much experience with indoors and gets quite tense in the one at Ashwood so it's something we need to work on. He was a super star, we had a few minor disagreements but I cannot fault him for this as he just messed a stride, completely missed his spot and being the trooper he is decided to still plow himself through, totalling the jump and actually hitting himself in the face with a pole. He's usually a very confident horse (for his age!) but understandably it gave him a bit of a fright so we had a few stops and poles but it's the first proper jumping session we've had away from home and the first proper jumping session in a good couple of months, so we were both a little rusty (me more so than him definitely!) Was very, very pleased with him though, he had a great attitude to all that he was asked to do as usual, wasn't bothered by the new poles or wings that he hadn't seen before and ended on a 90cm course which is the biggest course we've ever jumped around. Just got to keep working away at now, but we're making progress I like to think! He's also in a new bit now (A cambridge mouth pelham) which he is miles more relaxed in and has already started to settle more on the flat in just two sessions which is very nice to feel. Once again, we got on the trailer in 5 minutes both ways also, so good baby horse! 
 Hopefully next week we're going to try the new Arena Eventing XC Technique at Someford; don't worry, Sparkie will have a turn to go out and play soon, I do feel a little bit bad and maybe that I'm leaving him out sometimes but he had such a busy summer last year with only one week off so it's nice for him to have a nice chilled winter to relax for a bit. He is happy being his usual super cute self in the field for now whilst we try to make a mark on our flatwork :) 

  

Arena Eventing take two...

On Sunday we headed off to Ashwood again to play at Arena Eventing but this time I decided to bite the bullet and take both my boys. I've only ever taken them out both together (with me riding both of them) once both before so this was kind of a trial run. We had a few glitches and stressful moments but this was always going to be the way until we get into the swing of things, its just going to take some practice to get there! No placings (although I think Jack was just out of it and came 7th?) but they were both very good boys. Sparkie flew round the first half of the course and would have completely walked it if he hadn't started napping in the corner which caused him to have a couple of run outs. Once he'd been told to get on with his job and had a little smack on the shoulder he was back to flying round, so it's a shame he had his little tantrum but we can work on this in the future! 

Jack was a bit of a handful on the ground as he gets separation anxiety quite badly so was being a bit of a plonker, so hats off to my mum and Emma for dealing with him! He was a lot more settled once I was on him, although still very attached to Sparkie; when he's like that it makes me want to not take him out because he's such a pain in the arse but the only way for him to learn is to keep going I guess- the best practice is ring practice. Unfortunately due to his girth mysteriously going missing he's borrowing one at the moment which is miles to big to his saddle would not stay put which was super distracting when we got into the ring. Also my skull cap is slightly too big and kept slipping down which a) is super annoying because I can't see where I'm going and b) super painful as I have excess brain fluid at the top of the nose which is now nice and swollen, cheers skull cap! Feel like I am making a lot of excuses there, but it made it quite hard to ride him haha, kind of had to just sit still and hope for the best so considering he was pretty amazing and flew round with just one run out as his saddle had slipped to a position that he couldn't have jumped out; he jumped it no problem second time round so really he was just saving my arse by running out! He found the jumps far too easy though so maybe next time we need to try the next class up! It took us less than 10 minutes to load him either way as well, good Jack pony; just to learn to keep all four feet on the ground all the time now.

  

Mission improve flatwork has lift off....

Writing a blog on the day that something happened for a change; try not to get used to it! Today was a very cold but very productive day and we managed to get a lot done. I hate, hate, hate sitting around doing nothing so this is my perfect kind of day! First I had a quick play with Sparks in his headcollar... well that pony has certainly done some growing up in the last year! Even up to last year he was known to be a bit of a monkey in the winter when he's not doing much, he used to get really strong and silly on the ground and would always be very fresh when you rode him but today I brought him and rode him for the first time in a month (our first ride of the year!) and he was a star in all ways, walk, trot, canter and popped a (very very tiny!) fence no bother. He's my favourite thing!

not the best photo but he looks super cute!

Also managed to persuade my clippers to work for a whole 5 minutes and quickly hogged him in one take which made me super happy as his mane was looking a state! However I do think my clippers are on their way out :( Realised today that they are ten years old which is longer than most clippers out and to be honest they haven't been looked after particularly well so well done clippers! After Sparks had had a play, Emma schooled Sunny who was fabulous as per usual. 

Then it was Jacks turn (he was very insistent that he had a turn as had been stood screaming at the gate since half 9). He tried on his new saddle cloth which looks v good and then he had a hair cut. He was very upset by this idea at first and we had a bit of fight and had to twitch him and he was still not at all pleased so I left it for a few minutes and then came back and tried again. He still would rather I did not cut his hair thank you very much but I just persisted with him and when he realised that he was having his mane done regardless of how many feet were on the ground at one time he decided it was actually a lot easier if he just stood still like a good boy. I schooled him draw reins for the first time, which I know will be quite a controversial decision but I have my reasons as I feel he just needs a bit of a helping hand and he is very, very tense in his trotwork which makes asking for any sort of a bend an impossible task and we just end up arguing. He responded to them really well which is nice as he really is not a huge fan of the pessoa so at least now I have something he prefers to give him a helping hand! He really started to use himself and brought his back up which was lovely to feel and I actually got off from a schooling session with a smile on my face for once! Did most of the schooling session with no stirrups because one of my aims this year is to do more without stirrups; abs here I come ;-) Sparkie's turn to meet the draw reins next! 

look at his hurrrrr 

hands you okay? 

slightly overbent but we can work with this!

Mischief Managed; One Year!

So on Sunday (11th) it had officially been a year since we went to pick Ron up! It's absolutely crazy how the time has flown and how much he's already changed despite being a field ornament for the most part. He was so nervous and flighty when we first got him and now he's so friendly and such a huge character, cannot wait to get him working away and see what the future holds for him. 

First outing of the year!

So on Sunday Jack & Sunny went on their first outing of 2015 as we went to Ashwood to play Arena Eventing. Sunny did the 50cm where he was a good boy (in Sunny terms of good boy) and he warmed up beautifully like a little dressage diva. The classes were running extremely late and poor Jack had been stood around waiting for 4 hours. He's not the most patient horses at the best of times and he was also in a bit of a tizz because he is very attached to me and Sunny so got rather upset when left by himself but for the most part he was actually quite chilled and waited quite well (major brownie points to him for being a super grown up boy and staying lovely and calm when Sunny had a trailer accident) however just before his class he did get quite wound up and had a bit of a diva strop in the warm up ring... I mean he made a child cry because he reared and then lay down, so apologies small child and small pony for causing that commotion haha! He's certainly a horse that knows his job though because he forgets everything as soon as he's in the ring and switches on to the task at hand. He jumped probably the best round he has yet with just two poles which were both completely my fault to come 3rd and qualify for the finals later on this year, so that's a pretty fab way to start of the year! Also felt like it was a very beneficial round for both us, I learnt that I need to stop riding him so over cautiously and have a bit more faith in him, I need to sit back and not interfere or expect a stop and hopefully the poles will stay up next time! After feeling a bit rubbish over the last few months, Jack definitely put a smile on my face this weekend, so fanks baby pony!

Things that would be quite nice

I have always been a little bit rubbish at setting goals as I tend to be very strict with myself about them and put too much pressure on myself so this year I'm not going to set specific goals and instead write a list of things that 'would be nice'. So, if these happen, it's a bonus but if not, that's okay too!    

*BE80 with Sparkie; this is probably my biggest 'goal' for the year, with the plan being to have a go in July. I'm not planning to get a perfect dressage score or a double clear but we'll just have our best crack at and see what happens.     

 *flatwork, flatwork, flatwork. I'm a little bit rubbish at schooling and I let the ponies down big time in that area so I really need to crack down on this! As soon as the weather picks up I plan to pessoa and long rein them whenever I can and maybe (this is a big maybe!) if I'm feeling brave I may have a few lessons! I want them both to work consistently in at least one pace by the end of the year however this may be a little too optimistic.             

*Take Jack eventing; even if it's just round a 60cm class, I want to see what he makes of this and maybe he could turn into a little eventing horse!?                              

*Qualify and go to MIDARC; I qualified with sparks last year but decided against going as I wasn't 100% sure if he was ready to compete to that level again yet. This year it would be super nice to qualify both of them and book a stable and take them both, a bit of an ambitious plan but maybe we could pull it off?        
*Teach Ron to be a real pony; the plan is to have him going forward in walk, trot and canter and hacking out by the end of the summer and maybe to have even popped a small fence? Doesn't have to be anything pretty, just understanding the aids and moving forwards well under saddle as well as obviously doing all the groundwork that comes with it. Also would like to work on getting him loading and out and about to see the world a bit and just general more doing more growned up things (ie, not high fiving me when he has a bath)    

  *Get my confidence back 100% on Sunny; I feel like I'm about 75% of the way there at the moment but I'd like to get more confidence cantering and jumping him again and to deal with his 'moments'. I also want to get photographic evidence that I rode him out at a place!

*If I man up and get some balls, I want to take Jack hunting because I feel like he would absolutely LOVE it! Also want to find the time to take Sparkie to at least one fun ride because he thinks they are the best thing that ever did happen to him. 

*To take Sparkie to the beach, it's an absolute dream of mine so hopefully this year we can make it happen!!!