Stressage

Since our FABULOUS jumping on Monday night I have been doing some flat work. Last night I was teensy bit sore so I figured Spyke would be too so we had a fairly easy ride. We just did lots of long and low and transitions within the pace (asking for longer and shorter strides) He was very, very good and even did lengthening and shortening in canter really nicely (in the past it proved very difficult to get him balanced again after a longer canter).

Tonight I made him work a bit harder and I really tried to get him forward and up off the forehand. It was quite a mixed evening as he did some fairly hideous stuff (including a good buck when I tapped with the dressage whip). However after the 'tap episode' he picked himself up and was much more forward which was great. I just need to learn to control the forward-ness now.

I wore a pair of baby spurs tonight and I was very excited to actually get, for the very first time, some movement off the leg. The best thing was it was just the back end that responded when asked so we are making some progress. :-) I finished with some halt-trot, trot- halt transitions and he did a couple of really, really fantastic halt - trot transitions. He really used his back end and back. It felt amazing so I stopped at that.

Wahoo!!!

I achieved a bit of a goal today!!! I jumped full barrel height. I haven't jumped that high for a long time. Spyke was BRILLIANT!!! Very relaxed and sensible. I was sooooo lucky the day I got him. He was jumping pretty flat though when normally he has a fabulous bascule so we have a bit of work to do but I can't wait to get on with it. As you can see from the vids I don't think we actually managed to jump without knocking the pole so, as with my dressage, we have to think 'Up and Forward!!'.

Update

This last weekend held a bit of variety for The Spykelet. On Friday evening after work I planned on lunging. I thought that a bit of flat followed by a bit of lunging over a small jump would be good for him. By the time I had got up to the paddock and sorted out my wee jump (half barrel oxer with ‘wings’) the light was starting to go so I had to do a bit less flat than I would have (which is not a terrible thing as he is not very fit). We did our flat (he was noticeably stiffer on the right rein) and then I changed the lunge rein to do some jumping. I gave him a couple of circuits on the flat and then steered him over the jump. He was really keen to jump. Really, really keen. LOL The plan was to pop him over the jump a few times in each direction…..BUT….. he hurtled around like the racehorse he used to be and jumped the jump very flat and from waaaaaay back. Clearly, the jump was just too small. I pulled him up and wopped the barrels up to full height. Three times each way was the plan. He jumped it the first two times beautifully but then jumped through it the third time. I popped him at it again and again he was jumping too flat and jumped through the jumps (ie demolishing it). So I putting a ‘placing pole’ one stride out from the jump so that he would be jumping from the right spot and ‘hey presto’ he basculed beautifully over it, giving it plenty of clearance. I really like lunging him over jumps as I get a good picture of how he is going and the type of schooling we need. I stopped at that point as a) he jumped it beautifully, b) he was getting a bit tired and c) the light was going but mostly it was because of a.

Saturday was exciting (well, in my world anyway) as it was our first trip to the forest this season. It was also our first trip in Martina’s flashy new truck. I was quite nervous about driving a new truck as it is a bit bigger and newer than the old one. However all was well and it is a fabulous truck to drive. Spyke and Oscar loaded happily on to it and appeared to have a comfortable ride. They came off the truck nice and relaxed and stayed that way for the entire day. They were SUCH good ponies. We had a fantastic ride, including trotting, cantering and a wee jump and the boys never put a foot wrong. It was also a beautiful and warm day. I was actually really, really pleased with how Spyke was at the end of the ride. He was not particularly sweaty and had managed Andreas Hill with relative ease. So I think he is actually reasonably fit and we can crack on with the season.

On Saturday night I took the girls for a walk with their buddy Tuskani the dalmation down at Mission Bay where we indulged in some yummy gelato.

Sunday was supposed to be the Cambridge Stallion Parade but the forecast was so awful we decided not to go. Instead I managed to do some schooling with Spyke in preparation for our first outing on September 12th…. Our first novice *gulp*. He did some really nice work for me. We still have lots to work on but if he does his tests as well as he practiced them we won’t be embarrassed.

On the doggie front the girls and I had our weekly walk in the forest and then caught up with Tina for a cup of coffee, which was really nice. Just as I was about to settle down for the evening Martina turned up with a rug for Tai so back to the paddock we went and changed his rugs just in time for the rain to start. The timing was PERFECT and I was able to relax knowing that he was well rugged. I finished my weekend off by cleaning and oiling all my gear, which was looong overdue.

Bring on Daylight Savings!!!!!!!!

Spring

Today was a fabulous spring day!!! After spending the last three days in Christchurch for work (I DO like that city) it was lovely to get out into the country and spend some quality time with the animals.

First up today was the farrier. The Spyklet got his shoes back on.....yay....back to work. It was so lovely that the boys had their rugs removed for the day. Straight after that I took the girls for the usual lovely walk in the forest. It was really, really warm up there and the girls had a few lovely swims.

Next on the agenda was stopping by Kristina's to be her 'pole person' when she rode Oscar. He is such a sweet boy and sooooooo laid back. Kristina is recovering from swine 'flu and I would have to say that she looked pretty awful by the end of the ride (sorry K LOL). Oscar was a wee star though and did a couple of exercises from a book of 101 jumping exercises. They loooked like really interesting exercises so I thought I might try them with Spyke.

After Kristina's I had to race out and get some dog food. Unfortunately, the shop didn't have any so I had to buy a small bag to keep me going for a few days till they could get some in. It's a REALLY expensive way of doing it. :-(

Next on the agenda was a ride on Spyke. He was sooooooo lovely. I am trying really hard to work on my position as Spyke tends to go very 'on the forehand' so I am really trying to open up my front (if that makes sense), keep my shoulders back and think 'forward and up'. It really seemed to work as Spyke didn't drop on the forehand and went really, really well. Once we are going going 'forward and up' I will work on getting him into a better frame. He did some FABULOUS halt to trot transitions and then we did the 2 exercises over poles. They were a LOT harder than they looked. They REALLY made both of us work hard and they showed that Spyke needs some free-ing up on the right rein. They were great exercises and I am now going to invest in the book as well as the 101 flat exercises.

Kristina had a short ride on Spyke (he was a little naughty with her, the toad. Not a lot but a little) and then we called it a day. After the ride, while fiddling about, I managed to get Tai's 'bean' out which was BRILLIANT as it has has been worrying me for ages. For those of you are not horsey, it is a boy thing and it is best not to ask!!!!! Hopefully he will be a lot more comfortable now. :-)

Tomorrow I am going to buy some jump poles (to be followed next week by some drums for stands - very excited!!!), then I will shoot down to Waiuku to get some hay and then it will be another ride.

Any hoo, here are some of the pics from today:

Rodeo on a Rope

Well spring appears to be here. Spyke last night put on a pretty impressive race/rodeo horse display on the lunge. He bucked and yahoo-ed and galloped. It was so funny. I have ridden him a few times now. We have trotted over poles and a small jump. He got quite.... ummmmm.... 'chipper' over the small jump so more exercise is required methinks. He has been really, really good though. He gets his shoes on this weekend and then we will be away. I can't wait to get up to the forest!!! He was supposed to get his teeth done today but his dentist has swine 'flu (call that an excuse Kristina???? Huh?? Huh??? LOL)

I didn't ride at all in the weekend as the forecast was terrible for Saturday so I hads resigned myself to not riding and when the weather turned out to be not too bad I was just not 'in the zone' and figured I'd ride Sunday. Uh uh!!!! The weather was hideous on Sunday.

I did go up and see Tina's herd on Sunday and they are all fab. Biscuit is so ready for education to begin and they all are just such NICE horses.

I get my bonus this week (Yay!!!!!) and the plan is to get some poles, drums and jump brackets so that I will have enough jumps to do some real jumping this season.

Our first outing is early next month. It is a WRC dressage day and it will be our first novice start.....GULP!!!!!!

The girls had a run in the forest on Saturday and then ('nother drum roll please) had a bath!!! They were VERY unimpressed!!! Especially since I used the hose not the shower. They are lovely and soft and clean now though.

I'm afraid there are no photos as I don't even know where my camera is.

I am off to Christchurch for a few days tomorrow so everyone will get another few days off. :-)

We're Ba-ack!!!

Yussssss!!! I had a full on animal day today. I started the day with a walk in the forest, which was luffly.

Then (drum roll please) I rode Spyke!! Yes! Our season has begun. We didn't do very much as the paddock is still very wet (It was sooooooo wet yesterday) so we stuck to a walk and a trot. We also practised a bit of sideways stuff which he DID remember -YAY!!! I walked him over a few poles. He did have the odd 'thought' while trotting but was too lazy to act on it. He is a lovely boy. :-)

After the ride I cleaned the car AND waxed it!!! I know!!! Even I was shocked. LOL

Then I took the girls for a quick cart up the road and back. Sammie screamed the neighbourhood down when I was out with Brina...sheesh!! Brina, as a result, got shut in the house when Sammie went out. My harness has a design flaw, it only has loops for the shafts which means that when the girls go downhill the wagon runs up their bum. I will need to figure out how to fix that.

All in all it was a great but tiring day. I finished it off with macaroni cheese, mmmmmmm, however I am now STUFFED!!!! I can feel a glass of Pinot Gris heading my way soon.

Winter Blues

I have been off line at home for a while but then I haven't had a lot to write about. The weather has been very cold and very wet. I was planning on riding Spyke for the first time in months today but at lunchtime the rain arrived....and boy, was it a LOT of rain so the boy had another day off. I did manage to give him a 5 minute lunge in between heavy showers but tomorrow the forecast is much better so, fingers crossed, I may actually manage to get a saddle on him.