I went riding today....

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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For the first time in many years I did some proper riding today. If all goes well (still sorting out details) I have found myself a lovely little 14hh (may be smaller actually) cob to ride a couple of days a week. He is fabulous - nicely forward and responsive, but seems pretty unflappable and is very sweet. I found his trot very difficult to rise to as I am not used to such little legs underneath me and I kept being thrown forward. I am not riding fit and need some time in the saddle to build up my muscles and remember what to do but I felt safe on him and really liked his personality. In due course there may be the option to take this lovely boy out to some shows as well.

After the disappointment of baby pony failing the vetting I had lacked any motivation to go and look at horses, but this little gem came out of no-where, is kept at a lovely friendly yard and it all looks very promising. I have had a few failed share horses which didn't work out, but I have a good feeling about this one. It will only be an interim stop-gap until my perfect horse presents himself, but as I have no idea when that will happen it feels good to be around horses again. I have missed it.
 
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Skib said:
I am so glad. Hope he gives you joy. And a summer of easy riding
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He is the ā€˜nannyā€™ pony at the yard, the one who is safe to go with anyone who is nervous. This is a little bit of quiet roadwork and then 130 acres of off road to play with. Need to do some arena work first to learn how to ride again though.
 
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Jane&Ziggy said:
Sounds fabulous! I hope you enjoy him very much and donā€™t get too much of the old DOMS. Yay!
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I just had to Google what DOMS means! My balance was all over the place, Ben had such a huge slow trot so I learnt to rise slowly, this pony is so bouncy I could barely find the trot and kept being thrown forward. When I next ride him I will get a nackstrap and Iā€™m sure my legs will ache from the constant up and down. Or perhaps I will just do sitting trot instead.
 
Huggy said:
Very often the case! So glad for you, hope you have lots of fun with him.
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Itā€™s funny how ponies come into your life. After owning such a huge horse in Ben, I now find myself drawn to small young ponies! I wasnā€™t even looking for a share but this seems too good an opportunity for to refuse and at the very least will let me know if I actually do want to buy a pony or if in the long term I will go back to horses.
 
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Ale said:
Sounds lovely, I'm sure you will have lots of fun together!
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I hope so! I never realised how much the loss of Ben would impact on me. I even cried about him when I went to ride this new pony. Itā€™s been 8 months since he died and it still hasnā€™t got much easier to cope with.
 
you must wear the proper ridding gear before go for horseback riding. You must have the helmet or headgear, adequate size riding boots, breeches, whisp, gloves, and belts. Every riding gear should be properly fitted to your body, and loose items should be avoided. Adequate riding gear will give you confidence on horseback riding in every moment especially a beginner.
 
Alex786 said:
you must wear the proper ridding gear before go for horseback riding. You must have the helmet or headgear, adequate size riding boots, breeches, whisp, gloves, and belts. Every riding gear should be properly fitted to your body, and loose items should be avoided. Adequate riding gear will give you confidence on horseback riding in every moment especially a beginner.
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Mary Poppins has everything she needs and is in no way a beginner, she's just had a short break since she lost her boy.
 
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Alex786 said:
you must wear the proper ridding gear before go for horseback riding. You must have the helmet or headgear, adequate size riding boots, breeches, whisp, gloves, and belts. Every riding gear should be properly fitted to your body, and loose items should be avoided. Adequate riding gear will give you confidence on horseback riding in every moment especially a beginner.
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Iā€™m well aware of that thank you.
 
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Alex786 said:
you must wear the proper ridding gear before go for horseback riding. You must have the helmet or headgear, adequate size riding boots, breeches, whisp, gloves, and belts. Every riding gear should be properly fitted to your body, and loose items should be avoided. Adequate riding gear will give you confidence on horseback riding in every moment especially a beginner.
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At what point did she say she hadn't or ask for advice on this? A very quick glance back through her posts will show you she's ridden for years and so this is irrelevant and patronising. And for your information you don't actually need breeches, whisp (why would I want to take my grooming kit on a ride?), gloves or a belt - an approved hat, safe footwear and comfortable legwear is perfectly adequate.

@Mary Poppins I'm so glad you're back in the saddle! I would have replied yesterday but I was a bit too busy feeling sorry for myself. I hope you enjoy getting out and about on this lad and it helps to give you some structure and a better idea of what you want.
 
carthorse said:
At what point did she say she hadn't or ask for advice on this? A very quick glance back through her posts will show you she's ridden for years and so this is irrelevant and patronising. And for your information you don't actually need breeches, whisp (why would I want to take my grooming kit on a ride?), gloves or a belt - an approved hat, safe footwear and comfortable legwear is perfectly adequate.

@Mary Poppins I'm so glad you're back in the saddle! I would have replied yesterday but I was a bit too busy feeling sorry for myself. I hope you enjoy getting out and about on this lad and it helps to give you some structure and a better idea of what you want.
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Thanks @carthorse. I hope that you are not in too much pain today.

Iā€™m going to ride him again on Monday and Iā€™m really excited. Just going to ride in the school, pop a neck strap on so I donā€™t pull his mouth if I lose my balance, and just try and get the hang of his choppy little stride and rising to the trot at a million miles per hour. He really is such a happy soul and there is no pressure for me to do anything with him. His owner doesnā€™t ride him but loves him. He is on full livery at an excellent yard where he is ridden daily with a really varied workload. His owner just needs some financial help, so I am going to pay a set amount each month to ride twice a week. I can do whatever I want with him and donā€™t have to do any care (although I will groom him for hours!). Hopefully it will work out well for all of us.
 
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@Mary Poppins I'm a lot more comfortable today, the painkillers and antibiotics have got to the pint where it's just sore and bruised feeling. Managing to eat something last night and get some sleep have helped too. I may try a very short ride today, a plod would be ideal but I'm not entirely sure Luka has that mode šŸ˜‚. That said he's been very careful around me the last couple of days so I'm feeling hopeful he'll at least try to keep his enthusiasm damped down and if not, well at least I still have plenty of painkillers!
 
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carthorse said:
@Mary Poppins I'm a lot more comfortable today, the painkillers and antibiotics have got to the pint where it's just sore and bruised feeling. Managing to eat something last night and get some sleep have helped too. I may try a very short ride today, a plod would be ideal but I'm not entirely sure Luka has that mode šŸ˜‚. That said he's been very careful around me the last couple of days so I'm feeling hopeful he'll at least try to keep his enthusiasm damped down and if not, well at least I still have plenty of painkillers!
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Hopefully the tooth will come out soon and you can be pain free. The first abscess I had was the most painful thing ever.
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
He sounds like Ziggy! When you get the hang of it it's fun, but I am sure that after your great big Ben it feels like being in a cartoon.
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I remember when I first got Ben it took me ages to adapt to his long trot stride. Initially I rose too quickly and kept getting out of kilter with him. Now I have to unlearn my slow rising and adapt to ultra quick rising. It also feels so fast, although I know that he was actually going quite slowly. He does sound similar to Ziggy.
 
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