I've not been on in quite a while as have been so busy in the run up to the end of term, with gifts to make with the children, the staff panto, nursery xmas party and lots of family commitments! So it's unsurprising that I've not been riding much either!
But we have managed to fit in a bit! At the end of November I went to an RC club day and had a lesson and competed in the intro class. The lesson was good, P was increadable tense and spooky to begin with and didn't do his best work. I wasn't helping matters as I was feeling very nervous, but started to relax as time went on and we ended up doing some nice 10m circles and slightly more balanced trot at the end. Instructor liked him and said it may not feel like a good thing but it's actually good to have somthing that is so forward as it gives you a lot to work with. The energy is all there, just have to contain and channel it! Lol!
The dressafe test didn't feel like our best. Peds was much more relaxed but I kept on getting tense, catching myself and forcing myself to relax! (My friend said it was funny to watch as she could see me thinking "calm down hannah!") but I didn't forget the test and P did everything I asked of him. My aim going into the test was for P to behave, me to remember the test and to hopefully score 60% (which would have been my highest dressage score ever) we ended up scoring 63.9% and came 3rd. After I finished beating myself up for letting nerve take over me and making some dodgy center lines and circles, I was very pleased with our result!
p is now getting a break from schooling/dressage for the winter, ready to come back to it fresh in the spring.
I started to have a confidence wobble again, as this time last year my confidence was at Rock bottom and I was finding all sorts of imaginative excuses not to ride! So my brain started to tell me that I should be feeling like that again! Had to give myself a kick up the bum and take the pressure off again! So P has had his shoes removed as he is only being very lightly hacked and I am not going to beat myself up if I don't ride much! Having a quiet month will do him no harm, and gives me time to catch up on some of my other interests (Shopping, reading, movies, and being crafty- mainly soap making)
Went out yesterday for our first barefoot hack in a year and a half! Pedro was awesome! He was sooooo forward but keen, not forward and spooky! Normally we are tailing behind my friends horse but yesterday she was having to jog to keep up with us! I think peds really liked the time spent tinseling him up and he really felt like he was showing off when we were out!
Best ride in ages, I was on a high after (although got off to walk him the last five/ten mins home as he felt like he was flagging (thinking it was feet as he had just picked his way up a slightly stoney track, but other than that track he was fine in his feet)
And B is just being his usual super self! Love that pony so much. He started to feel a bit stiff when coming out of his stable in the morning so I might start putting stable wraps on him (he was fine all summer, so I can only think it's the cold) but other than that he is super!
Not taken many pics but here are a few
But we have managed to fit in a bit! At the end of November I went to an RC club day and had a lesson and competed in the intro class. The lesson was good, P was increadable tense and spooky to begin with and didn't do his best work. I wasn't helping matters as I was feeling very nervous, but started to relax as time went on and we ended up doing some nice 10m circles and slightly more balanced trot at the end. Instructor liked him and said it may not feel like a good thing but it's actually good to have somthing that is so forward as it gives you a lot to work with. The energy is all there, just have to contain and channel it! Lol!
The dressafe test didn't feel like our best. Peds was much more relaxed but I kept on getting tense, catching myself and forcing myself to relax! (My friend said it was funny to watch as she could see me thinking "calm down hannah!") but I didn't forget the test and P did everything I asked of him. My aim going into the test was for P to behave, me to remember the test and to hopefully score 60% (which would have been my highest dressage score ever) we ended up scoring 63.9% and came 3rd. After I finished beating myself up for letting nerve take over me and making some dodgy center lines and circles, I was very pleased with our result!
p is now getting a break from schooling/dressage for the winter, ready to come back to it fresh in the spring.
I started to have a confidence wobble again, as this time last year my confidence was at Rock bottom and I was finding all sorts of imaginative excuses not to ride! So my brain started to tell me that I should be feeling like that again! Had to give myself a kick up the bum and take the pressure off again! So P has had his shoes removed as he is only being very lightly hacked and I am not going to beat myself up if I don't ride much! Having a quiet month will do him no harm, and gives me time to catch up on some of my other interests (Shopping, reading, movies, and being crafty- mainly soap making)
Went out yesterday for our first barefoot hack in a year and a half! Pedro was awesome! He was sooooo forward but keen, not forward and spooky! Normally we are tailing behind my friends horse but yesterday she was having to jog to keep up with us! I think peds really liked the time spent tinseling him up and he really felt like he was showing off when we were out!
Best ride in ages, I was on a high after (although got off to walk him the last five/ten mins home as he felt like he was flagging (thinking it was feet as he had just picked his way up a slightly stoney track, but other than that track he was fine in his feet)And B is just being his usual super self! Love that pony so much. He started to feel a bit stiff when coming out of his stable in the morning so I might start putting stable wraps on him (he was fine all summer, so I can only think it's the cold) but other than that he is super!
Not taken many pics but here are a few