Hmm... I think that is a basic good summation of today...
Today I "rode" Blitz for the first time since my osteopathic manipulation... or at least I got on him, and found I couldn't straighten up without some pretty severe pain. Nearly pushed on and had a walk around, but good sense prevailed as I was gasping involuntarily with each movement, and it is never really a good thing when you can't sit straight in the saddle :( Will leave a message for the osteo, to see what he suggests. I know now, that is is to do with my sciatic nerve (which was *really* pinchy while it was being manipulated), and stems from when I fell off Blitz last year. The degree of pain I get waxes and wanes. If I do a lot of lateral work, it tends to be a lot worse on an evening (tonight it is very uncomfortable just sitting at my computer).
So, riding was out, I decided to lunge him instead... hmm
I ended up with a new hole in my (doeskin roping) gloves and a friction burn on my rein finger. Blitz escaped three times and took himself for a hooley around the school (at least having a trailing rope doesn't bother him at all) Despite the naughtiness, I can't really blame him. He is in a tiny paddock, without any space to get up a good turn of speed, and since we aren't allowed to free school, he really doesn't have the opportunity to really let rip now... I might have to get sneaky and let him have a blast in the school anyway (and be prepared with a rake to fix any holes!)
I redressed Blitz in his flysheet and mask, and put him back out int he field, and brought Tartine in. She rested in the stable for 30 mins while I had a drink and psyched myself up for my lesson;)
The lesson was GREAT, even though I reduced it down to 30 mins as my hip was really hurting. I spent most of the lesson in sitting trot, and we worked a lot on accuracy of dressage movements within a dressage square. I absolutely LOVE this type of work, and I often school on it by myself when I can have a large bit of school to myself. I do have to remember that the hits have to be progressive, and not direct, so that is quite difficult finding a happy medium for the transition (as we practice a lot direct transitions, and it doesn't take much "hold" for T to go from trot to halt. Ooh, I'd forgotten. I found medium trot :D First long diagonal to change the rein, I had a little too much leg and we made a change to canter (and I was perfect fine with this, didn't faze me at all - go me!), but the second attempt, I got that amazing feeling of the shoulders coming up and the push from the back - it was only a couple of strides, but now I know we've done it once, I know I can do it again.
Canter transitions were a dream today, only one wrong leg, and it was totally my fault for not setting it up properly, but we didn't miss a marker or transition once. As much as I hate to say it, but wearing spurs really makes a bit difference. Not that I'm really heavy with them, but I think they just make everything a lot clearer for T.
Finished with practicing linge brisé/courbe before calling it a day. An absolutely Fab, FAB lesson, with lots of ideas on what to do over the course of the next week before my next lesson.
After I put T back in the field, I made up her nets (we're on 2.5kg nets now, as she get's a lot more hay replacer, but still totalling about 6.5kg total dry weight forage) and left them soaking (can usually do a 1-2 hour soak on an evening, and around 5 hours on a weekend)
Then I put up my self selection trugs for Tartines herbs.
Today we had (as a sample, to try) echinacea root, white willow bark, hawthorne leaf and flower, plantain and goats rue. As far as zoopharmacognacy goes, I'm not sure I'm convinced... T ate everything, one after the other, just moving down the row of buckets. So, she either really is deficient in *everything* or she just isn't fussed and it's just new taste.
Herbes in her dinner consisted of: spearmint, dandelion leaf, cleavers, calendula, burdock root, milk thistle, nettle and chamomile.
And finally... official weigh in today... 470kg
No comments:
Post a Comment