Author: ponydreamer

Dressage in the Rain

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Our dressage competition day dawned very wet and stayed that way all morning.  The idea of a well turned out pony seems a bit ludicrous when faced with a hairy monster covered in wet mud but I did my best and I don’t think we disgraced ourselves.  In fact the weather helped us a bit – the lake had reappeared at the end of our lane so Galahad’s feet got a good clean before he was loaded.  We had to walk over the field through the mud to get to the trailer so I was very pleased with that!

The drive to the event was interesting to say the least.  It was still pouring with rain and there were puddles over most of the road.  The windscreen was covered with water every time we went through one and our main topic of conversation was how mad we all were for going.  That and wondering if anyone else would show up.

When we arrived it took us a few minutes to summon the enthusiasm to actually get out of the car but once we got moving the weather didn’t seem so awful.  The warm up ring was partially underwater so we went for a short hack instead and just spent the ten minutes before my test in the ring.

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Galahad felt much more relaxed than he has done before and he walked straight into the indoor school with no trouble.  He had a bit of a look at the people by the gate but the ones actually in the seats were no bother.  Our first test (Intro A) went quite well.  Galahad felt more forward than last time and my instructor said it was very accurate which was cheering – it is good to make the most of what we have!

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Galahad had a short break (back in the trailer – although the rain was starting to ease off) before we had to be ready for Prelim 12.  This is the one I was worried about as I hadn’t been able to ride it through properly.  I started off by almost forgetting the first trot across the diagonal and then I did actually forget the half circle in free walk.  I was riding two half circles and I knew I would be going the wrong way for the canter but had no idea where I was going wrong.  In the end I decided I must be wrong about the canter, picked up trot and got shouted at by my instructor.  After that I was fine!  Luckily it was quite a low key event and other people had been having tests read for them.

By this point Galahad was rather tired.  I haven’t clipped him yet because I can only ride twice a week at the moment so he was getting a bit warm.  As soon as the mornings get light enough to ride before work he will be having a haircut.  Also, he is not as fit as usual – again because I can only ride twice a week!  He was starting to slow down and our canter work was not all it could be but I was still very pleased with the way he went.

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I was even better pleased when the results were up.  We managed a second in the Intro and fourth in the Prelim with 68.3% and 62% respectively so I was thrilled.  One of the comments was, ‘A cracking pony,’ which I thought was lovely.  We had a brilliant day.

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Galahad Goes Paddling!

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On New Year’s Day my sister and I planned to go for another tinsel ride, this time with half time snacks and hot chocolate.  However, the weather was absolutely vile and the idea of standing about in the driving rain wasn’t exactly appealing.  We scrapped the snacks part but still rode – we are not fair weather riders!

There was a rather large puddle at the end of our lane when we went out.  More of a flood really as there was no way round it.  By the time we came back it had visibly grown and we had great fun splashing through it.  I did anyway.  Galahad wasn’t too sure at first – he thought the main road looked more fun but was persuaded otherwise.

I am actually wearing a riding hat underneath the hood but I didn’t want rain going down my neck!

When we got back I had a go at practising the dressage tests for an upcoming riding club event.  The fields are definitely too wet to do any proper schooling but I ran through both my tests in walk just so we could get the shapes.  The first test is Intro A which we have done a couple of times before but the second is Prelim 12 which I have never actually ridden.  I am a bit concerned about remembering that one.  I run through it in my head all the time and am constantly drawing it in the air but it isn’t the same as riding.  I won’t get a chance to do that until the competition itself so I’ll have to hope for the best.

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Galahad behaved fairly well.  He was a bit cross as my sister’s pony had gone back to the yard and he doesn’t really like being ridden on slippery ground anyway but in general he was listening to me.  There wasn’t much more I could ask of him.

When we got back we had our hot chocolate and mince pies indoors.  It wasn’t quite the same but much warmer and very cosy.

New Year Fireworks

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Fireworks have never been something that particularly seem to bother the ponies much.  We live too far from any displays for them to cause trouble and we have always been careful to only use small, quiet fireworks ourselves.  However,  a couple of months ago one of the neighbouring farms unexpectedly set off a proper display and we looked out of the windows to find both ponies tearing up and down the field in a blind panic.  They had just happened to be in the closest field to the display and as their favourite spot is right up at the far end the fireworks probably went off horribly close to them.  Ever since then we have been extra careful to check on them whenever there are fireworks about.

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I went out just after midnight on New Year’s Day and found that the ponies were absolutely fine despite the celebrations.  They came straight up to me – hoping for food probably – and followed me back to the yard.  Galahad even seems to have got over his dislike of torches which will make checking them in the dark a lot easier!  I did give them a treat each – I like to reward them for coming in.  Besides, we were celebrating the New Year so why shouldn’t they?

Happy New Year!

Tinsel Riding

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Ever since I was small my riding instructor has held tinsel rides at Christmas.  We used to dress up the horses, go for a long ride and if we were lucky we would get mince pies or sweets from parents’ houses along the way.  This year we weren’t able to go on hers but we did hold our own.

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It wasn’t quite as long as her group rides but we had a lot of fun.  We even got a mini canter on a verge which Galahad enjoyed – once I could persuade him off the road.  Apparently the gateway was rather scary!  It was a nice companionable lazy hack and I loved it.

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I did order some glitter for the ponies but forgot to do it in time so we made do with our usual antlers and tinsel which was just as good really.  We had a great time and the ponies were very relaxed about the tinsel.  We even met the alpacas again which the ponies found rather boring this time – very good news!

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Christmas Post

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When I was little I remember riding out with my riding instructor’s daughter to deliver their Christmas cards.  I loved it and it was something I always wanted to do myself.  Last year was the first time I was able to ride Galahad and I of course made sure that our closest neighbours’ cards were delivered by pony post.

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Naturally I wanted to do the same again this year – although I seem to have had less time free to do so.  Galahad and I set off up the hill – me with the cards clutched in my hand.  New this year was my elf jumper with rather noisy bell.  I thought Galahad would object to that but he barely seemed to notice.  He has improved so much in the past year!  Partway up I decided to adjust Galahad’s antlers.  There I was with reins, whip and cards in one hand, leaning right forwards over his ears.  Of course that was the moment a pheasant chose to fly up in front of us.  Luckily Galahad started at it but didn’t really shy properly.  Which was lucky as I wouldn’t have stood much of a chance of stopping him.

As I was on my own this year I had to leave Galahad tied up to post one of the cards – last year my sister held him.  I am fairly sure that it was the first time he has been left tied like that on a ride.  I remember taking his headcollar and leadrope with us before but don’t think I actually used it that time.  He stood quite patiently though and watched the world go by.  This was when the actual postman went past which I found a bit embarrassing – as if I was doing him out of a job!

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We were just finishing our deliveries when it started raining.  Not bad timing!  Except that we carried on riding for about twenty minutes afterwards.  Still – at least the cards were dry.

Lesson in the Dark!

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This week the ponies went away for a few days which meant Galahad and I were able to have our first lesson in months.  It had to be after work which meant Galahad was also ridden under lights for the first time ever.  He has never been particularly keen on things like torches which I have always assumed is because he can’t see anything behind them.  I wasn’t at all sure what he would think of the floodlights but actually he wasn’t too bad.  We had a bit of stopping and staring and quite a lot of bending away from the lights but he settled pretty quickly.

I was very pleased with him.  He was looking at everything very carefully but felt very relaxed and not as if he might explode at any moment.  My instructor was impressed with him too and thought he was moving better than the last time she saw him which was very gratifying.  I was paranoid for a few days before that he would have stiffened up again.  In fact the only problem – and is wasn’t really an issue – was that he is starting to grow more of a winter coat and is obviously not as fit as he was a few weeks ago when I could ride every day.  He did get a bit tired but was working hard.

We even managed a little bit of jumping which of course Galahad enjoyed very much.  Again my instructor could see an improvement in him.  At one fence we saw a really long stride but he now has the strength to keep going and not send everything flying.

It was a very good lesson and I came away feeling very positive.  Looking forward to the next one now!

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Feeling Festive

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It is beginning to feel rather Christmassy around here.  We have a lovely wreath up on our gate which Galahad likes very much.  He hasn’t actually tried to eat it yet but he has been looking as if he wants to!

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I have also been reintroducing Galahad to his antlers.  He wore them for the first time last Christmas and was surprisingly okay about them.  Last year he started wearing them in hand as soon as December started and I gradually introduced them when riding too until he was able to wear them for a whole ride.

They did originally have bells on them but he hated them so much  that I took them off.  I also have a hat cover with bells on it which I was able to wear when riding him, although that obviously was nowhere near as close to his ears!

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This year we have done a little in hand work with the antlers but he has not objected to them at all.  We have now started riding with them on and he still doesn’t seem to mind.  At any rate, he hasn’t reacted to them.  I am even wearing my Christmas elf hat again.  We are having a great time!

Pony Express

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This week I did some shopping for my neighbour and  – as I do when I can – I delivered it by pony express.

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Galahad has got used to me carrying things up the hill by now.  I quite often carry small things – or newspapers – in my hand but this time it seemed a much better idea to use a backpack.  We have done that before too, although only with one book.

This morning we had five books to carry, although it doesn’t  really make a difference.  Galahad certainly didn’t act as if he noticed but behaved very well.  He even barely reacted to a pheasant flying up right next to him.  This time I had my sister with me to hold him when we got there – normally I have to take him into the barn with me which  he did not like at first!  Now he seems to have got used to the idea and walks in quite happily.

We had a lovely calm ride and it was even warm enough to do without a coat.  Wonderful!

Trying our hand at trec

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This weekend Galahad and I went to our first ever trec event and we LOVED it!

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The day didn’t have a very auspicious start as I had to get up early to clean my tack and Galahad came in from the field covered in mud.  He even had mud dreadlocks in his mane.  I hadn’t left myself all that much time so we had to have a very fast, very effective grooming session!  We still managed to arrive in plenty of time which gave Galahad a chance to settle a bit before I actually got on.  He was very spooky though and kept jumping at the slightest thing.  When a rug billowed in the wind (it was very windy!) he shot sideways and caught the side of my head with his lead rope.  Again – not a good start!

However, once I was on he felt a lot better and even walked straight past a pile of wrapped bales – all with wildly blowing loose ends – with barely a glance.  We ride past a flappy set of bales at home and he hates them but that could be because they are hidden behind a hedge.  He was still a bit tense and he was not at all keen on the big doors of the school which were also rattling in the wind.  I took him in the little warm up area and after a few times round he was beginning to settle nicely.  For him the warm up isn’t so much about warming up his muscles – although obviously that is important – but more about warming up his brain and reminding him that he should listen to me because I’m not going to ask him to do anything dangerous.

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Once we were in the school – which he walked straight into with no trouble – we started introducing the horses to the trec obstacles in hand. Galahad was quite happy with them all except the mounting block which he has never liked.  That is something I meant to work on before the weekend but I never got around to it.  I had to mount from the ground this time but I am determined to change that!

Once we were mounted we went back round all the obstacles again.  The bending, tarpaulin, immobility and neck reining were no trouble at all.  The s-bend was sometimes brilliant and sometimes terrible.  It was the first time Galahad had seen it though and he was still working out what was expected of him.  He was definitely trying hard!  The rein back was okay but the gate was not good at all.  We did manage to open it, go through it and close it again but it was not at all stylish.  Something else to work on.

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At the end of the lesson we had a mini competition which was great fun.  We got no points for the gate or the rein back (which started well but then went to pieces) but we did get some good marks  – including tens for the tarpaulin and immobility!  We came fourth out of the four in the lesson but I wasn’t expecting anything else and I was so proud of how relaxed he had been about everything.  He had never been in an indoor school before so I was prepared for him to be terrified and refuse to do anything!

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‘Very calm’ was the judge’s comment for our immobility!

We had a break then, while I watched the more advanced classes, before I got back on board for the newcomers class.  Galahad was a bit worried about things rattling around again but soon settled and was fine once we were in the school.  He had clearly remembered what he was doing in the morning and had improved immensely.  We still got no points for the gate and I had to get on from the ground but this time we got four tens!  Again for the immobility and tarpaulin but also for the led s-bend and the jump.  We hadn’t jumped in the morning and we obviously haven’t at home for a few weeks so I wasn’t sure what he would do but he flew over it.

The newcomers class also contained the control of paces section which we hadn’t tried in the morning.  The idea is to canter slowly and walk quickly.  We got no points for the walk – fast walking has never been Galahad’s strong point.  The canter felt very rushed but the score wasn’t too bad – probably because he only has little legs!  With a bit more schooling to balance the canter we ought not to do too badly with that.

There were three people in my class and I knew I would probably come last.  I thought I knew where we had all come but then this happened:

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Our first first!

Not bad for our first try!

I had such a fantastic day and I can’t wait to try it again.