Sneaky Snapshots

To say that I was delighted with Miss Kika this weekend would be an understatement of monumental proportions. Due to a busy social schedule last week I only managed to ride/exercise her on Tuesday evening, but did get to the yard in the evenings to feed her her liver supplement and muesli-nosh. Even if it was after dark feeding by the field by headlights!

Let her loose for a roll after work - she stalked me while I poo-picked after others! Hence wheelbarrow at open door...

I shall try to keep this update brief and I do promise there will be loads of photos scattered throughout - we had a surprising pleasantly warm weekend after the horrible wet week - so I took advantage to be snap happy while sun was shining.

The "when are you going to feed me - I've no interest in rolling" face

Was at the yard early both Saturday & Sunday morning as a friend is away on holidays and asked me to turn out her horse for her at the weekend. Unfortunately I didn't actually manage to put him out in his allocated field at his allocated time-slot as none of his neighbours were turned out and his owner had told me not to leave him out on his own! :(
Sad Times - so he got an hour in the walker each time, which i felt awful about as i know how much horses like their turnout!

"I see the bucket!"

I promise I am trying to keep this short!
Basically that meant I was at the yard a lot earlier then I normally would beat the weekend, Saturday morning is always busy as final lessons of the week are conducted so there was a bit of navigation skills required in the main arena that morning - and I am delighted to say that Kika & I came out unscathed & without causing any havoc! Or at least no one complained to me afterwards about being a nuisance and/or in the way.

Shiny happy post eating ponio

The calmness and willingness to work from Tuesday evening carried over to Saturday and Sunday mornings and we had two wonderful schooling sessions where our canter work has come on immeasurably (or so I think - haven't had a lesson in  while though - so am probably going about it all wrong!).
Our strike off is now correct more often then not, if not we calmly come back to trot and then ask again after a stride or two - and we are better able to hold our shape as I am doing more transitions and less inane cantering trying to coax her into shape. Our trot/walk transition is the next "to-work-on" red flag as she's inclined to be very lazy in walk and flop down into walk from trot completely losing the run of herself & shape. I know this is my fault as I am not holding her together enough in the downward transition and I need to prepare it more - so shall tackle that when I come back from my holidays.

Now on to the rest of the promised photo overload!

Mosying out to the field - enjoying the sunshine on our backs

Fuzzy-Fuzzball as Winter Wollies really evident in this photo

Poor light - but view from the otherside

Was too far away to catch her 'Water-Face'

Stalker-Horse strikes again - aka begging for treats she'd already scoffed while doing her stretches

"But I'm starving!"

Pretending to sulk - and failing due to happy ears

"But I'm really hungry!" (I'm not as mean as she'd have you believe...she had been fed after work!)

Poor starved creature!

And then as the day was so nice, I decided to do another 45mins work on our Winter turnout shifting branches etc. The pile L and I made last weekend had been mostly cleared away so the following pictures are the fruits of 45mins work - I'd have done more & longer but I didn3t have my gloves due to it being an un-scheduled clean up decision ;-)

Thanks to any and all who read my waffle!