Exmoor

Enjoying the Haircut!

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I am finding that there are several benefits to having a clipped pony.  Beyond the obvious one that he gets a lot less hot and bothered without his coat.

Firstly, I don’t have this to deal with.

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Not that he lost his coat all at once anyway but he would gradually moult over several months and it is nice not to have all that hair floating around.  Of course, when I ride my sister’s pony I still get covered in hair but at least his moulting is over relatively quickly.  She is getting so much off him when she brushes him that she filled a bird feeder in the hope that it would be taken for nest building.

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I tried to take the picture myself but something – who knows what – startled Galahad and we disappeared round the corner of the house.  It seemed prudent to hand over the camera!

Secondly, I get to use my lovely body brush which I only use on Galahad’s summer coat – so it only normally gets used for a couple of months in the year.

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Lastly, it means that Galahad’s brands are very visible and not surrounded by long hair which means it is much easier to put aloe vera gel on them.

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The aloe vera has definitely improved them.  They will probably never be perfect but anything I can do to make them a bit better for him has got to be a good thing.

I am definitely enjoying Galahad’s new shorn status!

Schooling Excitement

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It is now just about dry enough to school in the field.  Most of the time.  If it rains it is still not really a good idea but I have managed to school twice this week which was brilliant!

In general the sessions went very well.  Galahad was pretty good at listening to me and although he spent a few minutes trying to load his right shoulder so he could go home it didn’t take him long to settle.  We did a lot of circles and changes of direction and he started working quite nicely.  We even managed some fairly decent turns on the forehand which have always been hard for him but are good for helping him to use his hindquarters properly.

The ground still isn’t perfect yet though.  We only had one little slip but it ended up being pretty dramatic.  We were cantering round a corner and it threw me off balance which made him spook and throw me further off.  We went cantering across the field with me practically coming off sideways.  I imagine it must have looked hilarious  but from on top it was bit worrying!   Luckily I managed to hang on, we recovered and the rest of the session went well.  It was a good start and we even got to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

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When Everything Clicks

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Last weekend my riding club ran a fun jumping event and I decided to have a go.  Galahad had never jumped a course indoors before but he has been in several indoor schools so I was not anticipating any trouble.  It was rather chilly and drizzling so we spent a lot of time walking up and down outside still wearing a rug.  A first for Galahad but one he took in his stride.

Our first class was 40-45cm – nice and simple to start.  Apart from a bit of hesitation at the bogey fence by the gate (a lot of horses stopped there) we had a lovely round, although as usual it wasn’t particularly flowing – there was a lot of trotting round the corners.

Luckily the hesitation wasn’t counted as a refusal and we got through to the jump off – our first!  After the first fence the whole jump off course was on the left rein which made it easier to keep the canter and as he had been so good I felt a lot more confident about pushing him a bit more.  Of course we weren’t competitive speed-wise but suddenly it felt like we were jumping a proper course instead of several separate jumps strung together.  It was a fantastic feeling.

Next was a pairs class at the same height but all against the clock.  I now felt a bit of team responsibility so pushed for a bit more speed and Galahad was amazing.  We jumped a lovely clear round which was only slightly spoiled by him shying away from the box at the end and delaying my pair’s start.  It was only when I was back in the box watching his round that I remembered I could have cut some corners but that was just my being over-cautious.  We actually managed to come fourth in the pairs class which I was not expecting.  Another first – a rosette for jumping!

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Lastly we had a speed class, this time at 60-65cm.  We had another really good round with only a few strides of trot for lead changes but sadly one pole down.  We weren’t fast enough to be competitive but Galahad was amazing, clearing the jumps with plenty of room.  We even managed to cut one corner!  I was so proud of him.

I had such a great day and it finally felt like we had really got the hang of riding a course.  It helped that the fences were nice, plain poles with no scary fillers but it seems like a big step forward for us – Galahad is growing up!

Back to School

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When I got on my half clipped pony for our lesson on Friday I was ready for anything.  He had never been clipped before and my sister has vivid memories of a freshly clipped pony throwing her off. In the event I needn’t have worried.  Galahad had a bit more energy  (a good thing) but that was all.  I could feel myself tensing ready for an explosion though which is definitely something I need to try to avoid.  The lesson went really well.  Galahad is perhaps a little stiffer than he was in the summer but that is only to be expected – we haven’t been able to school in months.  He is also still using his right shoulder as an escape route so I haven’t improved much there.  Hopefully as the ground dries out I will get the hang of stopping him.

We also jumped for the first time since before Christmas and I was thrilled with the way he went.  He had a good look at the water tray before he jumped it but he didn’t stop.  In fact,the only stop we had was at the scary fillers in the second part of the double.  Galahad was not at all keen on those but once we got over them once we had no trouble at all.

It was a really good session and clearly demonstrated that the clip was worthwhile.  Galahad had been working hard for an hour and wasn’t sweating at all.

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The next day I again took advantage of the limited time we had access to the school. Galahad was fully clipped by then but still behaving impeccably.  No jumping this time but still a good session and I think we were showing some improvement, even if it was erratic.  My sister was schooling her pony at the same time so we would switch between working in a fairly nice outline to working very hard at escaping through the shoulder towards them.  In general though it was very encouraging work.

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A sunny Sunday jaunt

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For the last few days we have been having some lovely weather.  Pretty cold but bright and sunny.  The fields are starting to dry out – hurrah!

This afternoon I took advantage of the the weather to explore a new direction for Galahad.  We hacked right up the hill and had a little wander through the village.  We set out at lunchtime hoping that everyone would be inside having their Sunday roasts and it seemed to work – we didn’t meet a single car on the way up the hill.  We had to walk quite slowly though – Galahad has been that way before but not very often so he had to make absolutely sure everything was safe.  Very excitingly we met two horses going the other way.  That made us speed up!

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The village itself was a (very) little busier but I was so proud of Galahad.  He wasn’t fazed by the cars or the people and we went past a building site and a bonfire with no trouble at all.  Although he is very nervous he is also incredibly curious/nosy which helps a lot!

Coming back down the hill a man paused in his gardening for a chat.  At first Galahad was very restive and wanted to get home but after a couple of tries he stood perfectly still on a slack rein.  Such a good pony!

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We had some lovely views across the valley and beyond that as far as Exmoor.  It really has been a beautiful day.  Galahad was noticeably faster on the way down though.  He doesn’t care much for the view.

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We had a gorgeous ride and I am so looking forward to my next day off when hopefully we will be able to do it again, or even explore a little further!

Working Hard

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Way back before Christmas when the ponies were away I managed to squeeze in another lesson.  Actually two more – I split my lesson in two and did half on each pony.

This time it was daylight so Galahad was concentrating a bit more and worked really well.  We still have issues with him escaping through his right shoulder but I think it is improving.  My riding and ability to deal with any wobbliness is certainly getting better!  My instructor made the interesting point that Galahad’s trot work is so much freer and looks a lot nicer after he has done some cantering.  Even if it is just halfway round the ring it really makes a difference.   I would have liked to take advantage of this and have a bit of a canter before my walk-trot dressage test but the waterlogged warm up ring made it impossible.  Still, it is good to know for the future.

We also had a jump over what was quite a twisty course my instructor had built.  She was impressed with how Galahad had improved since the summer.  He is now much better able to hold the canter round corners between jumps and the whole course was much more fluid than before.  The jumps were slightly bigger too – this was more of a 2’3″ – 2’6″ course and in the summer we were jumping 2′ – 2’3″.  We even had a pretty decent spread as the last fence – which we probably jumped better than anything else!

in fact, our only trouble was caused by me.  I know that if I look down he is more likely to run out but it can be quite hard for me to act on that.  Something to work on.

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The shorter lesson actually worked out pretty well as Galahad was starting to get tired.  A clip will definitely be in order once I can start working him a bit more consistently.

Show Time

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Sunday was Show Day for Galahad.  He travelled to my instructor’s yard on Saturday so she could take us to the show and we could run through our dressage test.  The test went fairly well and we had a go round the jumps as well which he loved, even with all the scary fillers which we don’t have at home.

Sunday dawned grey and drizzly and stayed that way all day, with the odd heavy shower thrown in by way of a change.  A little water won’t put us off though and we arrived at the show – which was basically in the middle of a cloud – with an hour to spare before my test.

This was the view we had pretty much all day.

This was the view we had pretty much all day.

However, as Galahad had jumped so well the day before I managed to get persuaded to jump a higher class than I had intended.  Which not only meant that I had to hurry to be ready to jump early in the class but also that instead of starting his showing career in a nice quiet dressage field he was thrown right into the middle of all the hustle and bustle.

He was very vocal as his best friend had not come but was surprisingly calm about all the things I thought would scare him.  The tents were not an issue at all and although he was aware of all the people and horses he didn’t really mind them.  We hopped over a couple of practise fences and hurried into the ring for the 2’3” class.

I thought I was in trouble when the tannoy crackled and he skittered sideways but it wasn’t a major spook and he had no trouble with the actual voices.  He jumped really well.  He was backing off some of the jumps with fillers but was happy enough to jump with a little encouragement.  The only real issue we had was with a very scary filler hiding in the hedge which made us knock a pole but he didn’t stop or run out at anything.  Strangely enough the flappy sponsor’s sign at the side of the ring was not scary at all.  He jumped a lovely round and I was so proud of him.DSCF5431

We then dashed along to the next field for our dressage test.  Galahad had a good look at the flowers at A but thankfully decided that neither they nor the boards were actually scary.  He felt really nice during the test and although he got a little distracted and nearly drifted out of the ring he stayed nice and relaxed which was the main thing – I wanted his first showing experience to be a good one!DSCF5442

We had a pause after that, during which I had a complete costume change for the mountain and moorland class.  I sent my sister off in the rain to enter for me and report on the class currently in progress in the ring.  In the end I was still mounted far too early as they split the class into in hand and ridden so we spent a long time walking up and down between the rings.  He was a bit on edge to start with as it was very busy but he did settle down nicely and it was a very good experience for him.

He behaved very well in the ring itself and did his individual show much better than at home.  He wasn’t particularly keen on standing next to the clear round jumping ring as the man in charge was wonderfully encouraging of the riders but he actually let the judge hand me a rosette (a special – we weren’t placed) which was unexpected.  He did win the prize for the best Exmoor (he wasn’t quite the only one!) which qualified us for the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group show at Brendon.  We may not be able to go but it wasn’t bad for his first effort!DSCF5448

I decided that was plenty for him to do so tied him back up with his haynet and went in search of our dressage score.  That was a very pleasant surprise as we got some nice comments and placed third! We obviously have a lot to work on but I was thrilled.DSCF5450

The rest of the day was a lot of waiting around for him but although he was starting at a lot of things he was generally very well behaved.  I had the most fantastic day and I could not be more proud of him.

Dodging the Thunderstorms

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The thunderstorm we have been expecting for weeks finally broke this morning. It came with a proper downpour and hail. The ponies of course decided that it was the ideal time to come out of the stable and stand outside.DSCN3347

As soon as it stopped raining the blue skies were back and we rushed out to ride. I rode through our dressage test which went quite well except for him trying to get back to the yard.

I know my head is chopped off but how cool does his mane look!

I know my head is chopped off but how cool does his mane look!

We also had a little jump. He did get a bit excited then as my sister’s pony had gone back to the yard and Galahad was very keen to go too. Once he settled he jumped very nicely.DSCN3376

He jumped the actual tyres for the first time and that was probably the skinniest jump he has ever tried as well.

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No jumping in this one but do you see how the sky is beginning to get a bit ominous?

Then there was a huge clap of thunder and pretty soon this was happening.

We called it a day then which turned out to be a very good plan – the heavens opened and in the two minutes it took to get to the stable we got absolutely drenched. It was hailing too! My sister came running across the field after us with coat and tabards flapping which nearly caused Galahad to panic. I had to scream at her to stop because the hail was so loud. We survived though and by the time we had finished and were back inside the sun was shining again.

Small Steps and Giant Leaps

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Today has been very hot for us so my planned morning ride didn’t happen – it was too hot for me and it would have been unfair on the ponies too.  Especially as Galahad is still moulting.  Even when I did eventually ride at half past seven it was still pretty warm!DSCN3336

On the bright side though his summer coat is finally starting to show through in patches.  It’s about time!  My best friend at the moment is this rubber curry comb which is amazing at getting the hair off.  My sister got it years ago but until this year Galahad hasn’t been able to tolerate it.  This year I am loving it although it does mean I am covered in hair all the time.

We also have exciting news on the schooling front – he is really beginning to get the hang of clockwise turns on the forehand.  His off side has always been stiffer which we think may be because he used to favour his near side when he was branded and overcompensated so he damaged his off side as well.  This week for the first time he managed turns on the forehand both ways under saddle and it felt like a major achievement.

I have just sent off Galahad’s first real competition entry.  He has done mini training competitions at my instructor’s yard but never an outside show before.  I have only entered the walk and trot dressage test which seems like a good introduction for him.  I’ll see how he feels on the day and decide whether he can cope with a baby jumping class or some showing.  My main worry with that would be when the judge comes to look at him – he doesn’t like strange people approaching him.  Sometimes he isn’t even keen on people he knows!

Two days ago we had an interloper in the field.20150628_191742

This is one of our neighbour’s lambs come for a visit and not able to find his way home.  He started following us and asking for help when we rode through the field.  He wouldn’t let us near him when dismounted though!

Jumping and Being Eaten Alive!

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On Wednesday we jumped for the first time in ages.  We started very small as Galahad can get rather over excited and we hadn’t played with the tyres before.

DSCN3267He stayed nice and calm though and considering our lack of practise he did very well.

DSCN3283The only issue we had was when I stupidly said I would try one more jump and he ran out.  A few times.  We had to lower the fence and start again.  I think (hope) he was just reacting to my sister being straight ahead over the jump.  I do need to get him more used to people being around – I am hoping to take him to his first proper show next month.

We had a nice gentle hack this evening which was lovely except for the FLIES which were awful.  We picked them up at the top of the hill and they followed us all the way back down.  Galahad can react badly to fly bites – not in a sweet itch way but he normally has one bite a year which stays raw for a couple of weeks.  I think it causes me more distress than him though!  So far this year Deosect has kept the flies at bay but if anyone has any tips I would welcome them!

This is our current solution. I'm not sure that it made any difference but it made me feel better.

This is our current solution. I’m not sure that it made any difference but it made me feel better.

Galahad also spends the summer in a fly mask as the flies in his ears can be terrible.  He is sometimes a real Houdini with it though.  He goes for days with no trouble and then it disappears, usually turning up neatly hung on a tree.  Last time it took me two days to find it and then it was here.

DSCN3070Something tells me he didn’t want it found!