Been quite a while since I posted anything. I've been stupidly busy with uni etc, it's all getting a bit stressful now. Anyway Saffy has been brilliant as usual :) We had Urmston show last Sunday and she excelled herself. I went with the goal of getting a 2nd place, we got 2!! We also got a 3rd. I was thrilled to bits with her and I thought she looked great. Only need a red rosette now and we have a full run!
In my lessons I've been working on my position and keeping my heels down so my legs down ride up. It sounds basic but I've gotten into a really bad habit of bringing my heels up and turning my toes out. I'm also working on getting her moving off my leg much quicker and not constantly nagging her with them. It's quite hard work but she's a pleasure to work with :)
We did our 2nd dressage test on Saturday and hacked over to Hargate. She was great on the hack and I felt pretty relaxed, new for me on hacks!! I just wish we could get to off-road hacking without having to go on so many roads. The drivers are generally great but there are so many things that are potentially scary in gardens etc. Meh, I'll get over it. Anyway she was a very good girl in the dressage, really did what I asked and worked a lot better than last time. We got 62.2% and came 3rd!! That's an improvement of 2.2% on last time so I'm pleased. I didn't see the tests that got 1st and 2nd.
Today I've bought her a 2nd hand western saddle for hacking. She was an angel when I was trying it on her and just stood there while I faffed about with it. It was very comfy so I'm looking forward to taking her out in it soon. I got her some hoof boots too which I'm going to use for hacks to stop her front feet wearing down.
We have Mottram show next Sunday then Hargate show the weekend after that. We then have a weekend off while I stress over exams followed by a jumping competition on my birthday weekend. Busy busy bees!!
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Saffy's first showjumping
What a brilliant day :D
I didn't sleep very well last night because I was so nervous. I was so sure we'd have a repeat of Thursday. I needn't have worried :) Got to the farm at 8:15 and she'd managed to get poo stains on her even though she was ninja-d up. It must just seep through the rug. I'm going to put her fleece on over the top next time. I need to modify the ninja thing for next weekend too. She hates it going on and off and I get all stressed because she panics. I'm just going to cut it under her neck and sew some velcro on. Should be a lot less traumatic for both of us!
Anyway I digress. Scrubbed the poo stains off her, tacked up and off we went. It was a beautiful day. I was sick with nerves though. She didn't put a foot wrong hacking either way, she was perfect. I was on edge as always but she put up with me :) When we got there I warmed her up a little bit and popped her over the little warm up jump. Once she was jumping it nicely I took her round the the arena for clear round. Went in and walked her around to have a look at the scary jumps. She hesitated slightly at the first (a filler with a ladder) but popped it and was fine from then until we got to the plank. She gawped at it for so long she got far too close and knocked it. She didn't refuse though so I wasn't bothered. I took her in again after a breather and she went round no problems. It was only 1ft6 but I was more bothered about her going around the course without any problems rather than clearing great heights.
The next class came around eventually and I went in 2nd. I kept it steady again and did half in trot and half in canter. It was 1ft9 and she managed it no prob. Went clear and got into the jump off. There was a hell of a lot of waiting around for the jump off and I was supposed to be going in 2nd but the person before me had disappeared so I ended up having to go in first. Having watched the video back I could've cut so much time off but I really wasn't pushing her too hard. I could've probably cut about 4 or 5 seconds off our time if I'd have been really going for it. She jumped clear and did brilliantly :) We came 5th and got a pink rosette and a medal. Dead chuffed :) She was loving the lap of honour too bless her.
I'm going to give the jumping a go at Urmston next weekend. Will start with the clear round (either sj or wh, not sure which yet) and then maybe do the novice if she's ok. If I get into a jump off I'm going to keep her in canter throughout and push her on in between fences. I need to get my turns a bit tighter too, will work on cantering small circles. Overall I'm so pleased with her. She out-performed every expectation and was an angel waiting around between classes. I couldn't have a more perfect horse. Very excited about my dad watching the show next weekend!
I didn't sleep very well last night because I was so nervous. I was so sure we'd have a repeat of Thursday. I needn't have worried :) Got to the farm at 8:15 and she'd managed to get poo stains on her even though she was ninja-d up. It must just seep through the rug. I'm going to put her fleece on over the top next time. I need to modify the ninja thing for next weekend too. She hates it going on and off and I get all stressed because she panics. I'm just going to cut it under her neck and sew some velcro on. Should be a lot less traumatic for both of us!
Anyway I digress. Scrubbed the poo stains off her, tacked up and off we went. It was a beautiful day. I was sick with nerves though. She didn't put a foot wrong hacking either way, she was perfect. I was on edge as always but she put up with me :) When we got there I warmed her up a little bit and popped her over the little warm up jump. Once she was jumping it nicely I took her round the the arena for clear round. Went in and walked her around to have a look at the scary jumps. She hesitated slightly at the first (a filler with a ladder) but popped it and was fine from then until we got to the plank. She gawped at it for so long she got far too close and knocked it. She didn't refuse though so I wasn't bothered. I took her in again after a breather and she went round no problems. It was only 1ft6 but I was more bothered about her going around the course without any problems rather than clearing great heights.
The next class came around eventually and I went in 2nd. I kept it steady again and did half in trot and half in canter. It was 1ft9 and she managed it no prob. Went clear and got into the jump off. There was a hell of a lot of waiting around for the jump off and I was supposed to be going in 2nd but the person before me had disappeared so I ended up having to go in first. Having watched the video back I could've cut so much time off but I really wasn't pushing her too hard. I could've probably cut about 4 or 5 seconds off our time if I'd have been really going for it. She jumped clear and did brilliantly :) We came 5th and got a pink rosette and a medal. Dead chuffed :) She was loving the lap of honour too bless her.
I'm going to give the jumping a go at Urmston next weekend. Will start with the clear round (either sj or wh, not sure which yet) and then maybe do the novice if she's ok. If I get into a jump off I'm going to keep her in canter throughout and push her on in between fences. I need to get my turns a bit tighter too, will work on cantering small circles. Overall I'm so pleased with her. She out-performed every expectation and was an angel waiting around between classes. I couldn't have a more perfect horse. Very excited about my dad watching the show next weekend!
Friday, 9 April 2010
Another one bites the dust
Ahh well it had to happen! I had my second fall off Saffy yesterday. Quite dramatic, ended up in A&E! Just for a check over because I hit my head quite hard. I'm ok though, just all achey this morning!
I had put up a double and a single fence. Warmed up and went over the single fence no problem. I took her upto the double and she refused so I gave her a tap and rode her back to it. She felt like she was going to run out but she was brave and did it. Thing is, she threw herself over it. Must've cleared it by 3ft!! That flung me into the air and as soon as she landed she shot to the left to run out of the 2nd jump, leaving me on the floor. She trotted to the corner of the school and stood there looking scared. I shook myself down, made sure all limbs were still attached, put the jumps down a bit and got back on. She was genuinely scared of the jump. After 2 goes she jumped it from the other direction but was really wary of going over it the way she did when I fell off. I eventually got her over it twice and left it at that. I wasn't angry with her and I don't think she's going to try the cat-leaping and legging it method again!
By the time I was going to bed I was scared. I had been convincing myself I had done the right thing getting back on and trying it again with her, which I know I did. Whenever I thought about the show on Sunday though I started to panic. What happens if we get to the double and she does it again? And I end up falling off in front of loads of people and bash my head again? Arghh.
I woke up this morning feeling a lot more confident. Not sure what changed over night but I want to get back on and try again. Today I'm going to put up a little double and get her lunging over it properly. That way she can figure it out for herself with minimal injury to me!
I had put up a double and a single fence. Warmed up and went over the single fence no problem. I took her upto the double and she refused so I gave her a tap and rode her back to it. She felt like she was going to run out but she was brave and did it. Thing is, she threw herself over it. Must've cleared it by 3ft!! That flung me into the air and as soon as she landed she shot to the left to run out of the 2nd jump, leaving me on the floor. She trotted to the corner of the school and stood there looking scared. I shook myself down, made sure all limbs were still attached, put the jumps down a bit and got back on. She was genuinely scared of the jump. After 2 goes she jumped it from the other direction but was really wary of going over it the way she did when I fell off. I eventually got her over it twice and left it at that. I wasn't angry with her and I don't think she's going to try the cat-leaping and legging it method again!
By the time I was going to bed I was scared. I had been convincing myself I had done the right thing getting back on and trying it again with her, which I know I did. Whenever I thought about the show on Sunday though I started to panic. What happens if we get to the double and she does it again? And I end up falling off in front of loads of people and bash my head again? Arghh.
I woke up this morning feeling a lot more confident. Not sure what changed over night but I want to get back on and try again. Today I'm going to put up a little double and get her lunging over it properly. That way she can figure it out for herself with minimal injury to me!
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Tuesday's lesson
Just a quick update. Had another great lesson on Tuesday. Cara's really impressed with how she's working now. She says we need to focus more on getting her moving forward now, which is quite a job! I need to ride every stride and be lighter but quicker with my leg. She said to do 2 beats to every stride, something I definitely need to work on! We're going to do some no-stirrup work soon so that should help strengthen my core muscles.
She's had the day off today while I focus on my dissertation. Farrier's coming tomorrow to have a look at her feet and see what he thinks about me getting some hoof boots for her because her front feet are wearing down quite a bit. Hopefully I'll be alright getting boots. I'd prefer to keep her without shoes. As long as she's alright after having her feet trimmed I'm going to do some jumping in the afternoon. Will do a double and make a scary looking jump in preparation for Sunday.
She's had the day off today while I focus on my dissertation. Farrier's coming tomorrow to have a look at her feet and see what he thinks about me getting some hoof boots for her because her front feet are wearing down quite a bit. Hopefully I'll be alright getting boots. I'd prefer to keep her without shoes. As long as she's alright after having her feet trimmed I'm going to do some jumping in the afternoon. Will do a double and make a scary looking jump in preparation for Sunday.
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Boing boing boing
Had a jumping lesson on Tuesday which was great. Cara says I need to fizz Saffy up a lot when we're jumping and count the strides loudly. I'm also not to put the jumps over 2ft until she's getting it right and her back end is stronger. That's fine with me, I'm not in a rush! She had the chiropractor out then (who said she looked like a completely different horse!) so she had Wednesday and Thursday off.
On Friday I took her in the school and she was really good. Quite distracted as it was windy and she hasn't been in the big field for quite a while now. She was great though, not spooky or daft. She's working in an outline in walk most of the time now and does it when asked in trot but doesn't hold it. That'll come with time though. I even asked her to lower in canter and she seemed to understand. I didn't ask for more than a couple of strides but bless her she was doing well :) When we finished I took her over to Ben's. She was good but felt a little bit on her toes. Didn't do anything daft but I didn't feel very relaxed, which I'm sure didn't help things. Either way, we made it there and back with no problems :)
Today the weather was quite nice when I set off so I decided to put a couple of jumps up. Nothing fancy, just 2 x-poles and 2 straights. She was on form today! I got her fizzed up and had her in a nice forward going canter. She flew over all of them for about 20mins (with breathers in between!) and then knocked one because she was getting tired. She's SO honest. If we botch the striding up she assesses the situation so quickly and either puts in a little stride or stretches further over it, whichever is best. She's going to make a cracking little jumper :) Can't wait til our first jumping show next weekend.
After that I took her down Gorsey (big hill, 30% gradient in places!) and back up again. The weather was lovely and she was a very good girl. It's a massive workout for her but excellent for getting her fit and building up her bum. I'm going to aim to do that at least twice a week from now on. It's such a quiet road so great for a relaxing ride. When we got back I pulled more of her mane in an attempt to get it thinner. It's getting there but could do with 2 more sessions I think.
Going to do some schooling tomorrow and think I'll put some poles on the ground to work her over to encourage her to stretch down a bit.
On Friday I took her in the school and she was really good. Quite distracted as it was windy and she hasn't been in the big field for quite a while now. She was great though, not spooky or daft. She's working in an outline in walk most of the time now and does it when asked in trot but doesn't hold it. That'll come with time though. I even asked her to lower in canter and she seemed to understand. I didn't ask for more than a couple of strides but bless her she was doing well :) When we finished I took her over to Ben's. She was good but felt a little bit on her toes. Didn't do anything daft but I didn't feel very relaxed, which I'm sure didn't help things. Either way, we made it there and back with no problems :)
Today the weather was quite nice when I set off so I decided to put a couple of jumps up. Nothing fancy, just 2 x-poles and 2 straights. She was on form today! I got her fizzed up and had her in a nice forward going canter. She flew over all of them for about 20mins (with breathers in between!) and then knocked one because she was getting tired. She's SO honest. If we botch the striding up she assesses the situation so quickly and either puts in a little stride or stretches further over it, whichever is best. She's going to make a cracking little jumper :) Can't wait til our first jumping show next weekend.
After that I took her down Gorsey (big hill, 30% gradient in places!) and back up again. The weather was lovely and she was a very good girl. It's a massive workout for her but excellent for getting her fit and building up her bum. I'm going to aim to do that at least twice a week from now on. It's such a quiet road so great for a relaxing ride. When we got back I pulled more of her mane in an attempt to get it thinner. It's getting there but could do with 2 more sessions I think.
Going to do some schooling tomorrow and think I'll put some poles on the ground to work her over to encourage her to stretch down a bit.
Monday, 29 March 2010
Winning weekend!
What a brilliant weekend. I'd absolutely love to spend every weekend like that. I can dream eh?
I spent all of Friday getting her ready. I had a little ride in the morning just working on getting the right canter lead. She was tired and it was a bit shakey but she was a very good girl. God I love that pony. Anyway, after that I gave her a mini bath to get rid of the stains on her bum and neck. The weather wasn't too bad and the sun even came out at times. It took forever though! Once that was done I began the mammoth task of plaiting her. She was a very good girl and very patient. I wrapped her up in her lycra bodysuit and fleece to keep her clean overnight.
Saturday morning I got an early train to the farm and found her with a poo stain on her bum. I now know it was the rug that put it there, seeing as one appeared in exactly the same place on Sunday morning! Anyway, washed it off, got tacked up and set off with Donna and Pam to Hargate. I'm still quite nervous hacking but little Safmonkey was great. It took about 45mins to get there and it was a great looking yard. Very jealous of all the facilities they have there! All the kids milling about would piss me off though. Anyway had a warm-up and she was going nicely. Wasn't bothered about kids flying around jumping or scary looking WH fences in the warm up arena.
We went in for our walk trot test and she went in very nicely. We actually got a 7 for our trot down the centre line! The rest of the test went nicely. She was dropping down into an outline a lot but not consistantly. I mucked up the half 10m circles and she was falling out through her outside shoulder quite a lot but for her first ever dressage test I was very pleased with her. Her walk needs to be more forward going and obviously get her to work consistantly in an outline but she showed definite promise.
We went in for our prelim test and again she behaved very well. She needed to be more forward going and we need to work on our canter transitions to make sure she doesn't hollow and that she canters as soon as I ask rather than running into it.
I was thrilled with our placings! We came 3rd in both!! The first test was out of 12 and the second out of 6 but I was expecting to come 6th because the other tests I saw looked very good. Our placings mean we've qualified for UK Riders Challenge 2010 regional finals!!! We'll definitely be giving those a go! Hopefully by then (June) she'll be working consistantly in an outline and her canter will have improved. Very happy with her on Saturday!
Sunday morning and I was greeted with another poo stain. She hesitated a bit when loading, not helped by bloody kids being stood around the box saying her name. I told them to move and they didn't. I was hoping she'd spack out and kick them but hey ho, no such luck. I got the box man to poke her in the bum with my lunge whip and she walked straight on. She travelled fine and we got there in good time. She was such a good girl in the lead rein class. The kid rode like a prat and didn't remember to salute at the end so came last. Not arsed, Saf was an angel. My first class was straight after that. We came last at the last show! I was determined to do better this time. It was a different judge which I was a bit miffed about because I wanted to show the other judge she was wrong when she said it'd take her ages to learn to soften. Today's judge was very nice though. There was a bit of drama as we were all cantering round as a spooky horse got scared by something and set another one off, sending it one way and its rider the other. She got her arm tangled in her reins and got dragged a couple of metres. Poor thing. The horse then legged it around the arena a couple of times so we all had to stand and wait while that sorted itself out. She went nicely in out individual show. Struck off on the wrong canter lead once but sorted it out. We came 3rd in that so I was very pleased :) We also got a rosette for being the highest placed member in that class. Yey!!
Next was ridden showing. It was a tough class but she did well and came 5th. Ridden coloured was a very tough class too with some beautiful horses. We got 4th in that one so I was all smiles :) All in all, a very good day. She's so easy to take to places. Not stressful at all. She spent her down time sunbathing by the box!
Brilliant weekend!! Six rosettes to show for all her hard work. She's had a well deserved day off today. Jumping lesson tomorrow :)
I spent all of Friday getting her ready. I had a little ride in the morning just working on getting the right canter lead. She was tired and it was a bit shakey but she was a very good girl. God I love that pony. Anyway, after that I gave her a mini bath to get rid of the stains on her bum and neck. The weather wasn't too bad and the sun even came out at times. It took forever though! Once that was done I began the mammoth task of plaiting her. She was a very good girl and very patient. I wrapped her up in her lycra bodysuit and fleece to keep her clean overnight.
Saturday morning I got an early train to the farm and found her with a poo stain on her bum. I now know it was the rug that put it there, seeing as one appeared in exactly the same place on Sunday morning! Anyway, washed it off, got tacked up and set off with Donna and Pam to Hargate. I'm still quite nervous hacking but little Safmonkey was great. It took about 45mins to get there and it was a great looking yard. Very jealous of all the facilities they have there! All the kids milling about would piss me off though. Anyway had a warm-up and she was going nicely. Wasn't bothered about kids flying around jumping or scary looking WH fences in the warm up arena.
We went in for our walk trot test and she went in very nicely. We actually got a 7 for our trot down the centre line! The rest of the test went nicely. She was dropping down into an outline a lot but not consistantly. I mucked up the half 10m circles and she was falling out through her outside shoulder quite a lot but for her first ever dressage test I was very pleased with her. Her walk needs to be more forward going and obviously get her to work consistantly in an outline but she showed definite promise.
We went in for our prelim test and again she behaved very well. She needed to be more forward going and we need to work on our canter transitions to make sure she doesn't hollow and that she canters as soon as I ask rather than running into it.
I was thrilled with our placings! We came 3rd in both!! The first test was out of 12 and the second out of 6 but I was expecting to come 6th because the other tests I saw looked very good. Our placings mean we've qualified for UK Riders Challenge 2010 regional finals!!! We'll definitely be giving those a go! Hopefully by then (June) she'll be working consistantly in an outline and her canter will have improved. Very happy with her on Saturday!
Sunday morning and I was greeted with another poo stain. She hesitated a bit when loading, not helped by bloody kids being stood around the box saying her name. I told them to move and they didn't. I was hoping she'd spack out and kick them but hey ho, no such luck. I got the box man to poke her in the bum with my lunge whip and she walked straight on. She travelled fine and we got there in good time. She was such a good girl in the lead rein class. The kid rode like a prat and didn't remember to salute at the end so came last. Not arsed, Saf was an angel. My first class was straight after that. We came last at the last show! I was determined to do better this time. It was a different judge which I was a bit miffed about because I wanted to show the other judge she was wrong when she said it'd take her ages to learn to soften. Today's judge was very nice though. There was a bit of drama as we were all cantering round as a spooky horse got scared by something and set another one off, sending it one way and its rider the other. She got her arm tangled in her reins and got dragged a couple of metres. Poor thing. The horse then legged it around the arena a couple of times so we all had to stand and wait while that sorted itself out. She went nicely in out individual show. Struck off on the wrong canter lead once but sorted it out. We came 3rd in that so I was very pleased :) We also got a rosette for being the highest placed member in that class. Yey!!
Next was ridden showing. It was a tough class but she did well and came 5th. Ridden coloured was a very tough class too with some beautiful horses. We got 4th in that one so I was all smiles :) All in all, a very good day. She's so easy to take to places. Not stressful at all. She spent her down time sunbathing by the box!
Brilliant weekend!! Six rosettes to show for all her hard work. She's had a well deserved day off today. Jumping lesson tomorrow :)
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Can you say outline?
Eeeeee she's amazing :D I took her in the school today to practice what we did yesterday and I wasn't expecting much really. She was brilliant! She felt tired, not sure what to do about that at the moment, but warmed up properly and did plenty of tight circles etc. Once she was warmed up I asked her to soften in halt. No problem. I asked in walk and she got it after a few strides. I then asked in trot and she did it after half a lap!! I was sooo pleased!! I was using firm but gentle aids so I wasn't getting too tense and she took to it like a duck to water. It's not consistent but she does drop down when I ask so it's just a case of being quick to react to her actions and she'll soon learn she needs to maintain it. She feels so light on my hands when she does it. I really hope I can get her to do it at the show seeing as the judge said it would take ages to get her in an outline because of her neck muscles. Pah. 3 weeks!! I know judges are unlikely to ever take her seriously as a show pony but that doesn't bother me. She's more special than any of the horses at that show and probably has more intelligence in her hoof than the majority! She's wonderful :)
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