Sep, Oct, Nov 2017

Yes, the regular readers have noticed that I have missed a bit of blogging but, with the first snow on the ground, it’s time for a catch-up!

There has been lots going on with renovating a bungalow, which has meant me spending all the time I can doing things like ripping out the old kitchen, lots of painting, clearing inside and out etc. Because I still suffer from effects of a head injury, this could all only be done part time and limited what else I have been able to do. If you have ever painted spar-dash first coat from scratch you will know what the hardest job was!

This has meant that Carol has had to do all the work with the horses, so they haven’t been out much. However, Lexi did do her best ever advanced medium test – didn’t get her best ever mark though, as there were errors in the flying changes (usually her favourite bit) which brought the score right down but we were very pleased with her. It was a good reminder that scores are not the most important thing and that they are just a snapshot of a few minutes – they don’t always reflect how the horse is going in general.

Unfortunately there aren’t many/any events for her until next year so she will just be working at home, but hopefully Diva will now have some events to go to. It isn’t as convenient as in East Sussex, with several venues within a short distance, but still some great places not too far away. Lady has also had a bit of down time, but has been working on holding her feet up for longer and longer periods (amongst other general things for young horses to learn). She had an old hoof injury when she came and obviously a bad memory somewhere in her brain – a combination of touching her quarters with your body and lifting her hoof out and back (as a farrier would when trimming) led to a conditioned response of losing her balance and almost falling over. She would bring her hoof forward without any problem, so there was an issue from the past there somewhere. However, with a bit of patience she has now realised that she can keep her balance and not fall over and the farrier was most impressed with how much she has improved.

It is always worth remembering that horses usually try to do as they are asked, so long as they understand what is wanted and have not had bad experiences in the past, so if there is a problem then you should always try to work out why and how to resolve it without upsetting the horse further. I get REALLY annoyed with people who label their horses ‘stubborn’ or ‘spiteful’ when it is really their inability to understand and/or train the horse that is the problem.

Rant over for now – Lol. Have fun riding, even if it is windy, raining, or snowing.

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