Rain

Yet More Rain…

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It has certainly been raining this weekend!  We went out on Saturday morning and when we got back the stream had risen higher than it has for years.  We have a field gate over the stream which we had to fight to open as bits of wood were being swept into it.  We were a bit concerned they would damage the gate!

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I took advantage of the the time when I should have been at the dressage to clean the ponies’ trough and our rainwater tank which is something I have been meaning to do for a while.  I got filthy cleaning the tank and rather wet.  Now I just need to wait for it to refill – which shouldn’t take too long at the moment!

When we got out for our ride we found that the end of the lane had flooded again.  This time however Galahad walked straight through it – I was so pleased with him!  By the time we got back it was already starting to go down and the stream was a bit lower again too.  It is still flowing pretty fast though.

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The good news is that the ponies’ colds definitely seem to be getting better – they got less puffed when we were out and they are coughing less too.  Hopefully they will be over it soon.

Dressage in a Puddle

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I don’t think I have ever seen the fields so wet.  Every so often we get a rain free day or two and things start to dry out a bit.  I get very optimistic about it and then it starts raining again.  At the moment my schooling field  looks like this.

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It makes schooling a bit difficult.  We have another dressage competition soon and this time I am doing two tests I have never ridden before.   Given that I forgot part of the test I was riding for the first time at the last show I am not too confident about this one!  Obviously trot and canter are out of the question but I have managed to ride through the test at walk which hopefully will be enough.  Galahad doesn’t really like being ridden on slippery ground but once we get started he has been settling fairly well.

I am still only managing to ride a couple of times week but it is definitely getting lighter in the mornings and it shouldn’t be long before I have time to ride before work.  In fact, I am hoping to get a couple of sessions in before our competition just to get Galahad’s fitness up a bit.  Fingers crossed!

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.

Cosy Pony

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After the awful weather at Galahad’s first show I  decided it was time to get him a rug.  Obviously as an Exmoor he doesn’t usually need one but spending half a day stood still in driving rain isn’t something a sensible pony would normally do.  Galahad is pretty good at sheltering from the rain but being tied to a horse box limits his movement somewhat!  If it happens again I can at least throw a rug over him to keep off the worst of the weather.

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I just got a fleece rug which should keep most of the rain off him without making him too warm.  He has been practising wearing it for a week or two now and doesn’t seem to mind at all.  If he is loose when I put it on he sometimes rolls his eyes a bit but no more than that.

My sister’s pony is fascinated by the whole thing.  He seems to think that the rug looks good to eat and is constantly sniffing at it.  Certain fabrics have always been irresistible to him.  He always tries to lick my riding jacket but ignores other coats.

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The photograph looks like he is trying to take a chunk out of Galahad which he really wasn’t.  He was mostly just sniffing the rug and I took a very badly timed picture!

Making New Friends

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We had a very exciting time on our ride this morning.  We got to the top of the hill to find two things with long necks peering over the fence at us – a pair of alpacas!  Galahad did not have a clue what they were and wasn’t at all sure that he wanted to stick around to find out.  He spun around but didn’t actually run away and I persuaded him to turn back to have a proper look.  He decided that they might be okay but I didn’t manage to take a photograph because by the time he had settled enough the alpacas were running away themselves.

The weather has also been rather exciting.  Very windy this morning with sudden heavy showers of freezing cold rain.  Galahad was not too impressed that I wanted to keep going when the rain started.  We did have fun paddling in the puddles though – at least, I did!  I do love the wind too – there is something about it which makes it very exciting.

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Windswept pony!

Gate Troubles

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I was rather short of riding time the other morning – I think I have mentioned before that I am not the best morning person!  I decided that it would be a good use of our time to do some work on opening gates or – more specifically – rope pretending to be a gate.  I have booked a trec training day with mini competition in December and I know that one of the obstacles is likely to be a rope tied between two posts which needs to be opened and closed like a gate.

Galahad is normally pretty good with gates but not so great if I try to keep hold of them – which I would need to do with the rope!  One of our gates has a piece of rope tied to it and I have been getting Galahad used to me moving it about.  I have never actually managed to use it like a gate and it seemed  like a good time to try.

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Unfortunately though, I picked a bad day weather wise.  It wasn’t raining that hard but the wind was blowing well and so Galahad wanted to turn away from the rain.  That was unfortunate as it meant he absolutely would not stand parallel to the gate but was determined to face it and so I couldn’t reach the catch to open it.

In the end I got off to open the gate.  Galahad doesn’t really have an issue with gates and I wanted to spend the time playing with the rope.  I finally managed to be in the saddle holding the rope when  Galahad spooked.  It was only a very small spook but it was enough for the rope I was holding to slam the gate hard – right in his ear.  I then dropped the rope – which probably hit him – and we went charging across the field.

I decided to call it a day.  I was already going to be late leaving for work and it was clear by that point that I wasn’t going to achieve a great deal.  We’ll have another go soon but I’ll pick a day when it is neither windy nor raining!

Blustery November

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We have had a blustery few days here.  A lot of rain and pretty windy too.  Luckily the ponies do not seem to react to the wind very much and are quite happy being ridden in all weathers.  I am always more aware that we might have a problem though if it is windy!

The rain has had an interesting effect on the fallen leaves in the lane.  The water has formed into two streams down the road and neatly gathered all the leaves into the middle.

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I thought at first someone had been sweeping the leaves but it seemed rather unlikely.  Then my sister pointed out the streams and it all made sense!

Sadly though, all the rain has made our fields rather soggy.  Unless we have a reasonable dry spell I may have to curtail our schooling a bit.  At the moment I am being very careful in the field especially on the corners and I will keep a close eye on the ground conditions.

Blair Castle Europeans 2015

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I spent last weekend at the European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle.  I have been planning the trip for over a year and it was so good to finally get there.

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We hired a campervan so we could stay on site.  It is the first time I have done so and it was fantastic being able to wander around when most people hadn’t arrived/had gone home.

Obviously we had to show our support for Team GB.

Obviously we had to show our support for Team GB.

That included my nails!

That included my nails!

It also meant that I got to see the opening ceremony which was very exciting.  The two children reading ‘Tam o’ Shanter’ were particularly good.

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I managed to watch very nearly every dressage test, mostly from the top of the stands which gave an excellent view.  It was rather chilly though as it was very windy!

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The first day was especially good as the Brits were doing so well.  I always find it rather comforting when watching the professionals to find that they don’t get all eights and nines either.

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Cross country day was wet.  Really wet.  I loved the course and thought it was very interesting but it was a shame that the weather meant bits had to be changed.  One of my favourite fences was the haggis which I never saw jumped as it had been removed by the time we got that far.

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It was completely understandable though – it was hard enough walking down that slope, never mind riding it.  The neeps and tatties were still good and I loved the fact that there was a baked potato stall next to the tatties (they provided the real tatties on the fence).

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It's a long way down!

It’s a long way down!

There were so many good fences I can’t possibly describe them all but here are a few of my favourites.

The Castle Wall and Cannon

The Castle Wall and Cannon

The Stags Heads

The Stags Heads

The Firth of Forth Crossings

The Firth of Forth Crossings

We waited here to watch a few extra riders in the hope that someone would take the direct route and I was thrilled when Izzy Taylor came along and jumped it beautifully.

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Of course the last fence – the Final Fling – was pretty special too.

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Show jumping day was thankfully dry (we had uncovered seats) and the course was interesting to watch – there weren’t too many clear rounds!

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The Queen came to present the medals which made it extra special.

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It was a shame we didn’t win but the Germans were just too good.  They seem to be unstoppable at the moment!

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I had such a fantastic time and it was worth every bit of planning and the (very long) journey to get there.  I only wish it happened more often and as relatively close to home.

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It is still raining…

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So far this week it has rained.  A lot.  There is no chance of schooling or anything else in the field at the moment – it is far too slippery.  We are doing a lot of hacking.  Which is lovely, plus it has to be hillwork here so Galahad should be keeping nice and fit at least.

We are also getting the opportunity to perfect our puddle splashing technique.  Galahad has never been overly fond of puddles and will normally bend every which way to avoid them.  It is funny though – he will happily walk through a stream.  Most of the time.

'Are you sure this is safe?'

‘Are you sure this is safe?’

The nights are definitely drawing in.  My summertime routine of coming home, having a cup of tea and a chat, wandering out to ride the pony(ies) and still having plenty of light afterwards is not really feasible any more.  On the bright side the stable looks ever so cosy with the light on.DSCN3523

Also, having to rush the riding a little bit has meant I have finally strung up Galahad’s rosettes.  Such a proud moment!DSCN3500