Sunshine

Hacking Happiness

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We have had some glorious weather recently.  There is a bit of a cool breeze but most days the sun has been shining and it has been simply lovely.  Our morning hacks have been pretty good but riding after work has been wonderful – the evenings have felt particularly beautiful.

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The ground is drying out nicely now too and we have managed to go out for a canter in our neighbour’s field a couple of times this week.  The first time this year!  It was very exciting for me but Galahad was very good and not over excited at all which was comforting.  The first time we rode out with my sister but the second time we were by ourselves.  Galahad was maybe a little stronger by himself but was still completely under control.  We had a great time.

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Hail!

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On Easter Monday morning there was glorious sunshine when I let the ponies out.  My sister and I missed the best of the weather for our hack but it was still nice enough to ride without a coat.  At least, I didn’t wear one.  She has no pockets in her jodhpurs and so needed the coat to carry her phone.  It was starting to get a bit warm to be comfortable though.

We collected our neighbour’s paper and set off up the hill.  I have to admit to hurrying Galahad a bit as there was a nasty black cloud off to the right.  Sadly we didn’t hurry enough and before we reached the top of the hill the heavens opened.  Not just with rain – with biting hail which numbed the side of my face and sent both ponies straight into the hedge so they could turn their heads away.  Apparently that wasn’t much relief though as they were soon keen to be moving again  – faster than before! – and we soon reached the postbox which is handily inside a barn.  It gave us a very good excuse for sheltering inside!

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Galahad was quite happy to stay indoors but Cookster prefers moving about so was pretty soon outside again.

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Luckily the worst of the shower was over by then but my sister was suddenly very happy to be wearing her coat!

Scary Traffic Signs

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Recently there were some roadworks not far from our house.  In fact, the end of our lane was opposite the 200 yard warning sign for the traffic lights.  Of course,  to the ponies it was a Very Scary Object.

They were reluctant to go past it but once Galahad had decided it was safe he typically wanted to go over for a better look.  Normally that would be fine but the road is all bends and cars tend to drive rather fast.  We had to satisfy ourselves with a good stare from a distance.

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The rest of our ride was very uneventful  – although the ponies were surprised to see the sign still there when we came back.  We are still enjoying some lovely spring weather and our hacks are consequently very peaceful and rather wonderful.

Playing in the Sunshine

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We have had some simply glorious weather this week.  I don’t think there was any rain at all and although the last couple of days have been distinctly chilly we have had some wonderful sunshine.  The fields are beginning  (touch wood) to dry out nicely and things just seem a lot more cheerful when the sun shines.

The ground is really a bit too cut up for serious schooling but I have taken advantage of the drier ground to vary our rides by hacking round the fields.  It makes things more interesting for the ponies and it means we can have a bit more of a canter than the six strides we can fit on the verge.

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It has also allowed us to have a paddle in the stream which is something we don’t do very often.  Strangely,  although Galahad has an aversion to puddles, he is quite happy walking into the stream.  Granted his head normally goes straight down to play with the water but at least he isn’t worried by it!

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We had a lovely relaxing ride with no pressure to school and no worry about cars.  A perfect afternoon.

Spring, spring, spring!

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It is starting to feel very spring like here.  The birds are singing, the sun  is shining  (not all the time but quite a lot) and the flowers are starting to bloom.  I am very much enjoying the primroses in the hedgerows.

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I went into Galahad’s stable today and wondered why there was moss all over the floor.  Last year some birds started to build a nest on one of the beams.  They never finished it but someone is giving it a go now.  Hopefully they will have more luck than last year.

This week I have been practising mounting from a mounting block – or at any rate the wall which serves as a substitute.  We are going to another trec event soon and since we had so much trouble with this last time I thought we had better work on it.  Typically we had no difficulty all in the yard – if only we could do as well when we go out!  I even managed to get on from the wrong side a couple of times.  That didn’t go quite so well – Galahad moved a little each time – but that was entirely my fault.  I am just very bad at mounting from the off side.  Something for us both to work on.

Making the most of my time

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Since I had a day’s holiday to use up I tacked it onto my weekend off and so managed to ride three days in a row which is a luxury now.  Monday was a glorious day – so warm that I found myself riding in a t-shirt again.

Galahad was feeling the heat rather as well and needed a wash down when we had finished schooling.  We worked hard on our flatwork and then had a play with the jumps so Galahad was happy.  Recently he has started to get a bit overexcited when I turn him towards a fence and it is particularly noticeable if we haven’t jumped for a while so I am trying to do some little and often to keep it less exciting.

He did feel a bit strong on Monday but having watched the video I think a lot of it was in my head as it was what I was expecting.  I was very pleased with both the jumping and the flatwork although I have realised that our right flexion can be rather dodgy and needs quite a bit of work.  Does anyone have any tips for good exercises?

I also took my sister’s pony out on a hack he hadn’t done before.  Cookster can be a bit nappy when he’s out by himself but he only tried to go home once and that was when I had turned back to let a car pass so it wasn’t entirely his fault.

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We had a lovely ride and it was nice for him to be taken somewhere different – I think he can get bored pretty easily.  We also met my sister on her way home from work and walked down with her which was fun.  Cookster liked having someone to follow too!

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Back From Our Holidays

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Whilst I was at the Europeans Galahad had a holiday as well.  Of course, his consisted mostly of standing in his field eating grass but I am sure he enjoyed himself very much.

Being away reminds me just how far Galahad has come in the last year.  Not so very long ago a week’s break would have had him shying away from me in the field and we would have taken several steps backward.  This time however he walked up to me just as usual despite my torch – he isn’t a fan of torches!  When it came to riding him the next day he was quite full of energy but behaved very well.  He really has improved.

We had a lovely hack in the fading light and the sky was absolutely beautiful.  It doesn’t really come out in the photograph  – they never do.

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Sadly in that week the light has changed so much that I no longer have enough of it to ride both ponies after work.  I try to alternate them which means Galahad will only be ridden half as much for now.  Less once it gets too dark to ride at all.

Thursday, however, was my day off.  My sister was able to ride too so we hacked out together.  We had a good gallop in the fields up the hill and the good news is that the hay bales are not really scary anymore.  We canter around the original ones (looking a bit sorry for themselves now) quite happily and although we might roll our eyes a bit at the new ones which have appeared in the next two fields they didn’t stop us cantering there either.  All of which is very good news despite the fact that my sister’s pony makes a beeline for the bales now he has worked out they are made of hay.

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We had glorious sunshine for the whole of our ride even though we had a short drizzly shower too.  The ponies got hot enough to need a wash down and I was back to riding in a t-shirt.  We had a gorgeous time and I think the ponies enjoyed it too.  Galahad certainly enjoyed his galloping, I’m not so sure about his partial bath afterwards!

Sunshine and moulting ponies!

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At the moment it seems that every time I ride after work this is the view I get.

20150610_195855It doesn’t matter where we go, I always manage to be riding directly into the sun and I can’t see a thing.  I was congratulating myself that at least the cars I met would be able to see me when a car behind approached us rather too fast.  It then dawned on me that cars going the same way as me couldn’t see either.  Not very comforting.

We didn’t have that problem today though as instead of riding we had a mammoth grooming session.  Galahad’s summer coat has always been rather slow to come through and I decided it was about time I attempted to do something about it.  I’m not sure I really had much of an effect but hopefully the pony will feel a bit better for it.

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I am thinking of making a horse hair cushion!

I am thinking of making a horse hair cushion!

I also did some in hand work with him.  We have been doing a lot of it recently, particularly turns on the forehand.  He needs to build up muscle in his hindquarters and his off hind is particularly weak.  He really struggled with these at first but is starting to move really nicely now.  He is even beginning to get them when ridden, at least when he is moving away from my left leg.  The other way still needs some work but there is a definite improvement.

The picture doesn't really do him justice, he is doing well with his turns on the forehand now.

The picture doesn’t really do him justice, he is doing well with his turns on the forehand now.