I took Soap to a little prelim test on Sunday I had intended it as Jack’s 1st outing but I think he needs a few more weeks schooling until he will be ready. We got placed 5th which was nice, but the test was really under par for Soap and I. I think I got too anxious in the warm up about being accurate at the detriment of his paces. I came away with a rosette but feeling disappointed in my riding. So not exactly brimming with self confidence on Monday I went to Catherston Stud to be a guinea…
Sologroom has kindly sponsored me with a sologroom 4 piece grooming kit, in return for pictures of the results. Soap’s rug has eaten a big hole in his mane so he wasn’t a contender, but Jack was certainly in need of a tidy up. The kit has a nifty clip on pouch so you can wear it all on your belt which cuts out all the getting on and off of buckets to pick up the right grooming tool. I used the rake to pull Jack’s tail, and the brush and comb to do his mane. It was my first…
I came over all Blue Peter this weekend and decided to make a SJ training paddock. I scrounged some fences, that were lying about unloved in the back car park, and cobbled together this little lot! Skinny with guide rails that doubles up as a corner, and the skinny can be made even trickier by taking the rails away and/or bringing it down to just one barrel! Double upright to spread, gate spread fence, and an upright planks. I also paced out a dressage arena and marked that out, it’s a little on the small side which should be an…
Mr Jack Fry is now ready to rock and roll he has had his shoes done, physio checked, and is now about to start his re-schooling. Yesterday I hacked him out for the first time, and he was a poppet. We walked out round the farm, and had a short trot on the way back and he felt great really bold and keen to be doing something again. I plan to take him to do a prelim dressage test in a few weeks to see how he adjusts to less exciting outings! Soap was given his 6 monthly once over…
I came accross Equine Premium on my BE CDT day as they are one of the CDT sponsors. Jonathan from Equine Premium saw my blog, got in touch, and kindly offered to drop in some product when he was in the area. Soap is not on any additional suppliments and with his planned increased work/competition load this year I thought it sounded like a good idea. Jonathan popped round with a pot of “gut balancer” and a syringe of “quick fix”. Equine Premium products are probiotics designed to help horses get the most out of their feed, and keep their…
After all my extensive preparation we set off for Tdown. The ground had recovered really well from Thursday, and was almost perfect going. I picked up my numbers, got my new hats tagged, and walked the XC before my dressage. A few questions on the XC a downhill double of fat bull finches which I walked at 10 paces, so to Soap a short 2. I watched a few go through it with many having a run out if they tried for a long 1 stride, so made a mental note. The only fast option was a corner on top…
…or so the saying goes, so with our first Intro of the season at Tweseldown fast approaching this Sunday I have been preparing like mad! My preparation includes… – Pacing out 1 stride doubles until I know the “feel” for 7yds – Practising tricky sections of the dressage test, working on straightness, rythm, collection, and nice square halts. – Sorting/testing out my XC/SJ bit and being happy with it – Jumping on grass with studs and new bit – Organising my boots, bandages, drink containers, and general gubbins for the day – Ironing shirts and stocks – Making sure I…
As a late Christmas present to myself in January I entered a BE CDT DAY @ West Wilts. The day was hosted by BE accredited trainer Clare Turner, and started with course/line walks, then a mounted lesson where we put what we had walked on the flat into practise. After lunch we discussed fitness, balance, safety, planning our events for the season ahead, and how to overcome any pitfalls that may arise. The whole day was hugely informative, and some of the stuff discussed was a real eye opener. Clare Turner was fantastic she has a really infectious enthusiasm, and…
In response to my sponsorship request the nice people at Charles Owen have sent me 2 new hats! (these will help in protecting my few remaining brain cells!!!) They have given me the new this spring PRO II skull in silver, and the Hampton black velvet. I tested out the PRO II xc schooling the other day. It was a hot sunny day and before my 45min xc lesson I had already been hacking in it for 1.5 hours. It is really light, and the ventilation helps to avoid sweaty “hat head”, and when I took it off because of…
We went to Sparsholt to do 1 or 2 clear rounds and a class of unaff SJ so that we could put our new brakes, and past lessons into practise. The Pelham was a little too strong on Saturday, so I loosened the curb chain and put it in a little sheepskin tube, and this seemed to work nicely. I am still adjusting to the new contact, and think that I need to work on carrying my hands further forward with a shorter rein, but we are getting there. Soap warmed up really nicely so we went to do a…