Confirmation... I'm crocked

Tonight I hopped on Tartine for 5 minutes for the first time since I came off Blitz on Monday, just to see how I felt;  My headaches have all gone, but I've been having some shooting pain in my left leg, and I'm still a bit lame.

Well, I managed to get into the saddle OK, though it was a bit of a stretch.  Walking was OK, but trotting was a tad uncomfortable.  Unfortunately I can't stretch my left leg back behind the girth to do any lateral work, or to ask for a canter :/

One very positive thing though... I got a lovely soft canter on the right immediately upon asking.

I only rode for 5 minutes, just to get this confirmation, so I hopped off as soon as I stopped cantering.

I think a visit to an osteopath is probably in order :/

A timely reminder

After my fall yesterday, I took a look at my hat, and removed it's normal fluorescent cover...

Despite falling into the sand school it was still hard enough to completely displace the front panel of my hat, separate the inner from the shell, and pull the lining away from the harness.

Please take this as a reminder that wearing a safety hat could prevent serious head injury.

A day of firsts

Well, today was a little more exciting than I had planned!

Becky had a lesson on Tartine, which went really well, from what I saw of it.

Then I had another lesson with Blitz.

We started with out routine lunging; this time moving around the carrière much more, so a lot more travelling in straight lines.  He was absolutely fab on the left rein, and we trotted around the entire arena.  On the right rein we did the same exercise, but in walk as he was still a little agitated in trot (though 100x better than other days)

Then I got on and continued from where we left off on Saturday. Walk/halt transitions on the lunge, but on a much longer line, so getting more and more independence from the lunger.

I had another little trot <3 including some work in a straight line; and then for something completely new Becky came back in with Tartine, to give us a lead while we played "follow the leader" first of all with Katia about 6 feet from me, and then without a line at all, but still with Katia walking by Blitz.  Eventually she also moved away, so we were working completely independently.

We had made a couple of turns across the school, and when we came away from the wall Blitz was a bit unsure so he stopped.  It took Katia to walk beside us for a few more steps to unstick us, but he didn't really react at all, just stood still.

Then came the exciting bit...

We were about 1 minute from ending the lesson when a car came hurtling along the track at the top of the school. It made no effort to slow down as they approached the school and when they hit a puddle the water plumed up either side of the car, which spooked Tartine and she took off, and then Blitz took off after her.

The next 15-20 minutes are more than a bit fuzzy, as I came off hitting my head.  I have no recollection of walking Blitz back to his box, or untacking, and when I walked back round to the school I apparently asked which horse I had been riding.

Unfortunately when Tartine spooked Becky came off (she was riding bareback), and Tartine stood on her leg, so an ambulance was called and Beckys leg was splinted and she went off in the ambulance.  Because of my memory issues I was also ferried off to A&E (my first time in French A&E).  After speaking to the attending physician, she sent me for a CT scan, which was really interesting (and thorough!) (my first CT scan!).

After waiting a bit longer, I was told that my scan was normal.  Beckys x-ray was also clear and she just has some deep bruising.

So, apart from a bit of a sore head on my side, and a sore leg on Beckys side we are all OK.

I just hope this hasn't knocked Blitzs confidence at all.

You know you're a horse person when...

... you soldier on with your lesson even though it's raining cats and dogs. I'm not sure I've ever been this wet while clothed before - but I had two brilliant lessons so I'm not going to complain.

First of all, I had a lesson with Blitz

So, because it was raining, we did something new today, and added a waterproof quarter sheet/ exercise rug to his tack.  Now of course, this didn't faze him at all.  TBH, he has been so easy to introduce things to, that when he objected to going into the carrière the first time he really caught me by surprise.

Since my last lesson I've lunged him once, and Becky had a sit on, and nothing else.  Today he really was very good. He has really got the idea of walking and trotting in circles in a nice calm manner with a light contact on the rein. So to build on this, and to build some independence, we are doing lots of walk/trot transitions and do a circle, walk on a bit, do a circle, walk on a bit, so I'm not walking with him very close to his head.

What I also did was to keep the work on the right rein very short, and although it seems counter-intuitive with the right being the difficult side, the aim is to keep everything short and sweet, calm and controlled, and to change hands again before anything goes awry.  So while we are progressing quite a lot on the left rein, on the right rein we are still working on relaxation and cooperation.

After a short time it was time for me to get on again, so I tightened up the girth, and while Katia stood at his head I got on from a step (I use the same length stirrup length for both Blitz and Tartine, and it is a biiiiiit of a stretch to get my leg up that for on Blitz!

So while mounted we did some work on walk/halt transitions, but with me giving the majority of the aids, with as little help from Katia as possible.

Then came the exciting bit - my first trot on Blitz :D

OMG, even with the baby wobbles, he is just so comfortable, and Katia is right I'm going to have to completely relearn how to ride, because his stride length is about three times the length of Tartine.

After a few small circles in trot, we then went for a walk around the carrière  with Katia on the lead rein to give some help when necessary.  We changed the rein and did another circuit of the school before doing a little more trotting :D

We stopped on a good note, when he was really working well, independently on a long rein from Katia, and with me giving the aids.

I then had a bit of a break while I scraped the mud off Tartine, and went out again, into the driving rain.

We did a lot of  very interesting work on bend and counter-bend, both on a circle and on a square.  The counter bend on a square was a really interesting exercise, and not something I've done before.

The remainder of the lesson was spent working on leg yield to canter transition. I've not done much LY in trot with Tartine before, so this was a real test for us both, and Tartine did really well.  Me - not so much, but I'll get there eventually.

Once thing I did learn today was that neither of my ponies have any issues with water!  Our carrière floods very easily, and with it being wet all week, and then with sustained rain today the water was a good 8ins deep along the field fence.  Although Tartine had a good look at it each time, she trotted through no problems and Blitz walked through without any hesitation too.

So, despite the sogginess it was an excellent afternoon for me.

Now, I'm not sure how much I'll be moving tomorrow as my back muscles are seizing up even now!

Slowly, slowly...

I have to say, working with a young, unbroken horse is extremely rewarding.

I have on occasion - and I'm sure I will in the future - had thoughts that I'm just not up to the challenge of giving Blitz the best possible start to his ridden career.  

I've ridden very green horses and well schooled horses, but never started one of my own.

At the moment I'm working with Blitz only once or twice a week, but he improves so much each time I really don't feel the need to do more.

Today I took him into the carrière to do a bit of lunging. Considering it was blowing a gale, with odd squalls of rain, things blowing around and the YO putting together the base of a new storage shed he did really well.

Lots of things were different today, e.g. he hadn't been out in the field first, so he was a little on his toes at first and didn't want to walk. 

He has taught me so much about lunging, and I'm learning a lot about anticipating his movements, and especially when he's going to try something new.

His major improvement today was on the right rein, which is his difficult side. Some days working on the right side has produced some impressive explosions, pulling away and trying to run away or me over. Today I managed to anticipate and head off two stops not he right rein, and focused him on moving forward.  After some nice calm steps we switched back to the left in and worked on some trot/walk transitions, which he did really well.

After 15 mins or so we halted and Becky got on to sit on him a while.  He amazes me how well he stands for mounting.  He will follow me on the  rein without any issues, so I just wanted him to get a little more independence, and work away from me a little today. He did really well, and we managed a few circles around me, rather than right by me.

After 5 mins or so, we stopped for the day.

An excellent days work for Blitz :D

A great lesson

Yesterday did not start well - I had to take one of my cats to the vet after he came home with a broken leg. Unfortunately he's had to have his leg amputated because the break was so bad :( He is tough kitty though, so I have no doubts he will be fine on three legs.

Feisty relaxing before Christmas

After dropping Feisty at the vets, I went to the garden centre to pick up some shavings for Tartines bed.

Tartine, bless her, has a propensity to gain weight right around her barrel, and despite her being in a decent amount of work at the moment she is looking very rotund

Tartine in March 2015

So, stage one is to replace her straw bed with shavings.  She doesn't eat much of her bedding, but I don't think the high lignin fibre agrees with her... so as of yesterday afternoon she has... 

Tartine's new bed 28 Mar 2015

After all that, I had my first lesson of the day - 30 mins with Blitz. He amazes me every time I work with him, as he just seems to improve every time. 

Yesterday he stood brilliantly while I was tacking up, and didn't fuss when I put the bridle on.  He lead brilliantly around to the school, and was also brilliant when we did our "listening check" which is some walk/halt transitions on a long rein.  It may be cheating be we always start on the left rein as it is the easy way, just to establish nice work.  And he did work really well - stayed out on the circle, maintained a nice contact without leaning and with a nice soft head/neck position - even while travelling around the school.  The right rein is much more difficult, and he can have some major strops - but I'm getting much better at anticipating them and heading them off at the pass, so we only had two stops yesterday, no attempts at tanking off, and we kept our front feet on the ground.

After 20 mins we had a break while I sorted out a step, and I got on him (for the 2nd time ever).  This was only the 4th time he's ever been sat on, and to mount he is absolutely perfect.  My instructor just stood at his head while I arranged the step next to him (well, I'm just 5' and he's 16hh, no way can I get on from the ground, I'm just not that flexible!), got my foot in the stirrup and got on. He didn't even take a step.  Then he was encouraged to walk in a circle, while I held onto the reins (and a mighty chunk of mane so I didn't ever catch him in the mouth).  We practiced walk and halt transitions for 5 minutes, and then I got off - and again, he didn't budge.

I then had a bit of a break while waiting for my lesson Tartine

My lesson on Tartine was great - very hard work for the pair of us, but great all the same.

As there was a 40x20 area marked out along the barn wall we kept to that, and it is strange how it feels so small now, when that is all we had before the enlargement. It certainly feels small to canter in! We did a LOT of lateral work, and after the first 5 mins in walk, the entire lesson (a part from breathers) was done in trot and canter.  We worked a lot on mobilising the hind quarters and the shoulders separately, so chasser les hanches and sortir les epaules was on the menu. First one, then the other on both hands, then changing between the two along the barn wall.  Lots and lots of hard work, but by the end of the exercise we did manage really well, the pair of us.

Exercises au galop was another matter all together :/ My hands are too fixed, and far too ready to pull back, so I ask for the transition and I immediately ask for a downward transition, which means we aren't getting anywhere.  Unfortunately Tartine is starting to anticipate this, so even when I have all of my aids, and post correct, she'll do one stride then come back to trot.  So yesterday was all about getting the canter and then maintaining it.  It wasn't pretty.  It did involve a lot of sweat (some of it nervous), swearing and leg flapping.  We couldn't keep to the track (my balance issues again) but we did get there in the end.  Of course for me, any more than a side or two is a step up in confidence, and it's getting better and better every week.

I have discovered I have a new issue... using my schooling whip. Now when I learned to ride in Switzerland, it was part and parcel of my normal riding equipment, and I could use it proficiently.  Then along came Pinto who was so terrified of any type of whip I didn't ride with one for 8 years. Now I'm finding I just need that little bit of extra help with Tartine, and I'm nervous about using it in case she over reacts.  She's a mare, and doesn't like to be "told", so the first time you give her a tap she will hunch and tail swish. She is quite reactive, and will only need telling once - so working on hunches in, just giving her a small tap '"a bit more angle to your haunch please" will cause her to grump, but you won't need to ask again.  A tap to enforce the canter aid does tend to have her anticipating canter at every corner or change in balance, but she isn't strong with it, just a bit too keen. - And the big thing for me was I didn't have a nervous breakdown when she was anticipating and bouncing... bonus!

I now have some time off work, so I'm hoping to ride more than once or twice a week... if my muscle aches subside ;)

Dreaming of Dressage

Hello to everyone out there.

I'll be the first to admit I'm terrible at keeping a diary, or rather I'm terrible at keeping a diary consistently, but I'm going to give this one a great big bash.

First things first, who am I and what do I do?

Well, I'm an (almost) 40-yo British ex-pat who dreams of doing dressage.

I have two Mérens horses, which I'll refer to inconsistently as both ponies and horses, as my mare Tartine (aka Titine d'Alzen) is a petite 142cm (13.3 hands) and my younger gelding Blitz (Blitz von Illmatten) is a stonking 160cm (15.3 and  a bit hands) at rising 4

Tartine in a rather "natural" state

Blitz, just after his 3-yo birthday, all tarted up for the yard show

Despite many set backs due to my lack of self confidence I dream of "doing" dressage.

Tartine is rising 8, and she came into my life 2 years ago as an exceptionally green 6yo.  She is now working nicely in walk and trot, and is finding her balance in canter.  She also does bits of jumping and my hope is for her to get out and about a bit this summer, both dressage and jumping, with an aim of doing a small ODE by the end of the season.

Blitz is rising 4 and is in the process of being backed at the moment, which is rather interesting as my very large dope-on-a-rope is proving to be rather resistant to leaving his life of luxury, and has shown a rather unfortunate propensity of showing his stomach off and waving his front legs around.  Other than having a stubborn streak a mile wide, he hasn't been fazed by anything I've thrown at him so far - though in typical fashion (for me) I backed him before we had any ground work in place - shocking I know

First sit, Boxing day 2014

No real plans for Blitz this year apart from getting him going under saddle.

My over all aim is to go as far as I can, up the levels, of dressage. It might not necessarily mean competing, but certainly working at home.

Tartine is ridden, not only by me, but also by a friend. We both have lessons, and as a result Tartine is progressing very nicely.

Todays lesson: 
Tartine - B riding
Canter and counter canter transitions

Blitz
Manners (whoops!)
B had a sit on and walk around on a lead rein

Tomorrow, Tartine has both a hack and jumping lesson lined up with B.