2017 Hacking/ Riding Challenge.... Add your photos too

Virginia and I were supposed to ride today but its going to be a no go.
There was supposed to be slight chance of am rain then thunderstorms tonite.

They got this forecast a bit wrong:(.
Its been raining since 4am and will keep up most of the day.

At least I don't have to water my flowers today;).

Hehehe yes least there is an upside!!
 
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I went out hacking on Sunday afternoon on my own. It was quite hot so I kept to walk for the majority although did have a little canter up a hill. Enjoyed it so much I walked back down and did it again lol.

Yesterday I also had a lunge lesson. I really enjoyed it, I've only ever lunged once before over a year ago so this was really beneficial for me. Also ha a few canters round the school, my instructor says the canter is much improved. I think I might've cracked it but don't want to speak too soon!

Sunday's total - 9.24km in 1hr20mins.

Yesterday's total - 1hr20mins schooling.

Total 139.98km in 23hrs20mins plus 5hrs20mins schooling.
 
Hehehe yes least there is an upside!!

LOL for sure;)

I saw a red fox out by Virginias fence when I walked past the living room window.
7:30 am seems odd time for them to be out and about???
Maybe it slept in with the rain:rolleyes:.

Yesterday I also had a lunge lesson. I really enjoyed it

Lunges lessons are super:);):D.
I have never had that many but loved every one!!!:D
 
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Another stay at home week for Harvey and I as the lorry was showing a brake warning light and I wasn't sure it was going to get fixed by the weekend (As it happened it did, and it was just a broken wire and a faulty sensor). No body else was around on Saturday and it was very humid so we just hacked locally.

On Sunday I went for a short hack with one of the liveries I haven't ridden with before and then I decided it was about time we had another play in the jumping paddock. I set up some of the fences at about 60cm and we started by trotting over them. After a few repetitions we went round in canter which went well. Harvey is still a bit gangly but I am starting to be able to collect him up a bit, and he is realising that he doesn't have to run at the fences (which having them smaller helps with). We finished with a small course of 5 fences.

Amazingly neither of us pulling a face!
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Hacking
8.25 miles
2 hours 30

Schooling
20 minutes

Totals
Hacking
240.25 miles
72 hours 55

Schooling
18 hours 05
 
Sonny unmounted 46.00 hrs
Mounted.45.50 hrs

Andi unmounted 1.25 hr

The play yesterday was lots of fun.

Levi did not mind all the flags and was responsive to play.
Its a little harder to play with some things in the grass.
He was very cute he was inclined to want to push the ball
out of his way to get to the grass.

The narrower cavaletti are better suited to riding since there is not
a lot of room for a person leading a horse.
So Toni played on the wider ones.


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I did do a ride on Virginias trails too yesterday but the deer flies were
horrible and no fly spray seems to deter them ugh.
In her ring it was a bit shaded and the deer flies did not seem bad in there
so I did a little in her ring as well.
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I could not find a horse bench but came up with then next best thing
I am happy with the horseheads next to it.

I am mulching slowly as I put some plants in and put paper under to help with weeds.
On the way for mulch the famous dog agility guy was outside so I finally met him.
I guess he won the agility at Westminster this year and competes all over the world and used to train cutting horses.
And still does a bit of training.
He is thnking aobut putting an indoor in his front yard for dog and horse use
He said hes renting an indoor on an as needed basis for some training.
He's just down the street wow it would be nice if he built that indoor
and possibly rented it out a bit in the winter.
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I was out at 5am planting/transplanting some more plants.
It will be a work in progress. I'm being more methodical and taking it more slowly
to mulch well so it does not get weedy and is easier to maintain.

Last evening we went and bought a bunch more mulch!!!
 
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Went out for my first solo hack on Flash yesterday. Just me, him, woods, cornfields, and bridleways. We saw deer, woodpeckers, dragonflies, and lots and lots of sloes (mmmmm sloe gin for next Christmas).

I even heard his voice for the first time! He's so quiet normally, but was whickering all the way across one of the cornfields and then did the first proper "neigh" I've heard! He has a lovely voice.

I almost had a little weep at one point because I was so happy.

Must add, he was so good, was keen to go forward when I asked him to, but totally listened to all that I asked him, and we even had a lovely controlled canter at one point too.

I truly have got my horse of a lifetime.
 
Well a beautiful sunny breezy day for riding, so OH said knickers to work and hopped onto the Zi man. Wonderful. I walked with them (and got left behind cos you try keeping up with a big long legged horse lol). Only half an hour about our land but it was nice and he trotted beautifully. He is a wonderful horse, and always looks like he's listening. Stormy shouted for him (naughty girl trying to get our attention) but he didn't make a fuss and carried on as normal. Good lad!!
 
On Sunday I went out for a hack with another livery at the yard. Mostly stuck to walk but had a few canters, she wanted to canter with a 'safe' horse as hers has spent a few months coming back from an injury and she didn't want him getting carried away. No issues on the hack itself, all went very well, it was another hot day so didn't push things.

Total 10.56km in 1 hour 35mins

Overall totals 150.43km in 24hrs 55mins plus 5 hours 20mins schooling

On the way back the livery said I could jump on her horse around the track which runs round the fields at the yard and have a little canter as she knows it's something I've found difficult as my share is bouncy (although I think I've cracked it now). I've ridden this chap before once in the school and naively thought everything would be fine. I got on him, put him into canter with no problem, but when I tried to pull him up, he actually sped up and wouldn't stop for ages. Then when I turned him round to walk back to his owner (feeling thoroughly shaken), he jogged the entire way as if to show how proud he was of more or less bolting with me. At the time, I was purely focused on not getting straight off as I didn't want him to think he'd 'won', so I sat there as calm as I could and walked him all the way back to the school before dismounting. In hindsight I feel really stupid for doing something like that and just thinking it would be fine. I've always underestimated my ability as I think there's nothing worse than being over-confident, and whenever people ask what kind of horse I like my answer is always a slow one! So I don't know what came over me and why I didn't think it through more.

At the time I tried to think of the positives i.e. I sat on him fine, didn't completely panic, eventually got him to stop and didn't get off immediately despite wanting to do so. I've since been told that nobody at the yard will ride this horse because he has a habit of bolting and bucking people off, so I'm now really disappointed in myself and also a bit angry at the owner as she never warned me - if she had I would've declined immediately. So all in all, a tough lesson learned. Luckily nobody was hurt, but I think I was too polite to the owner at the time by trying to make light of it. Does anybody think I should mention it again?
 
At the time I tried to think of the positives i.e. I sat on him fine, didn't completely panic, eventually got him to stop and didn't get off immediately despite wanting to do so. I've since been told that nobody at the yard will ride this horse because he has a habit of bolting and bucking people off, so I'm now really disappointed in myself and also a bit angry at the owner as she never warned me - if she had I would've declined immediately. So all in all, a tough lesson learned. Luckily nobody was hurt, but I think I was too polite to the owner at the time by trying to make light of it. Does anybody think I should mention it again?

I think not telling you was not good at all.

I have had a couple instances during lessons and kept my mouth shut.
Looking back I should have said something.

One I was taking lessons for a bit and actually got on well with the horse and one day someone said 'YOUR RIDING POLO'????
No one wants to ride him he bolts off :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Thank god I did not have that happen all the time I rode him.

But the worse was A NEW place I was taking jumping lessons the instructor says go form here to here to there etc etc
cross the center and .....
OK I DID and omg WILLY saw his reflection in he line of mirrors as we cut across and bolted off.
I stayed on and finished the round and I was not a happy camper.
Even LESS SO when Jill the instructor said "OH YOU HADLED THAT WELL"
Her comment told me she knew that was coming !!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

But I guess ignorance is bliss:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
My mother had come to watch the lesson and was totally CLUELESS to what happened.
She never noticed anything but she is not horsey.
(that was probably just as well)

I never really trusted her as an instructor- she did not instill the feeling of safety at all.
 
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I think not telling you was not good at all.

I have had a couple instances during lessons and kept my mouth shut.
Looking back I should have said something.

One I was taking lessons for a bit and actually got on well with the horse and one day someone said 'YOUR RIDING POLO'????
No one wants to ride him he bolts off :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Thank god I did not have that happen all the time I rode him.

But the worse was A NEW place I was taking jumping lessons the instructor says go form here to here to there etc etc
cross the center and .....
OK I DID and omg WILLY saw his reflection in he line of mirrors as we cut across and bolted off.
I stayed on and finished the round and I was not a happy camper.
Even LESS SO when Jill the instructor said "OH YOU HADLED THAT WELL"
Her comment told me she knew that was coming !!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

But I guess ignorance is bliss:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
My mother had come to watch the lesson and was totally CLUELESS to what happened.
She never noticed anything but she is not horsey.
(that was probably just as well)

I never really trusted her as an instructor- she did not instill the feeling of safety at all.

I suppose I'll just chalk it up to experience and be grateful that I wasn't bucked off or hurt. It's worse as the lady who owns him has been SO kind to me since I started sharing and she's really the only person I hack out with. I've never seen this behaviour with him until I got on him myself so didn't really have any warnings. I suppose I should've been more wary in general, I'm usually very cautious! Lesson definitely learned.
 
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Hacked out with a friend M and her mare today.

Tried out Flash's 4th gear (wooooo galloping is fuuuun!) and popped 2 XC jumps (baby ones!) in the woods.

Slightly hairy taking the second XC jump as it was quite clear he fancied the much bigger one 20m after that :eek: (look at your own bum for a minute mate, the answer is NOT TODAY).

Galloping- never done it (on purpose) before. Took him forward into a canter and he clearly wanted to go up to a gallop, but respected it when I said no, and asked for a controlled canter please- once he'd settled into that I thought "ahhh go on let's have it" and asked him to go up a gear. He listened when I asked to put on the brakes, too.

Friend's mare was... erm... mareish. o_O She was fine until she saw me and Flash jump and then got a bit exciteable. We had napping, mini-rearing (front feet about a foot off the ground), and a wee bit of bucking too :oops:. M doesn't rate herself as a rider but seeing her deal with that so positively and actually still get her own way (not letting her mare take the mick) way was a brilliant display of skill. Goodness though I'd have been on the floor.

Finding a fallen log blocking the path was also an unexpected way of discovering Flash does a nice rein back too. I've read how to do it, but never tried it until today.

Gah he just gets better. :)

Actually- I should start saying WE get better. :D:D
 
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