Sunday 29 June 2014

D-Day

Tomorrow is D-Day for the ponies, only they've no idea - especially as I haven't seen them since friday...talk about lulling the poor sods into a false sense of security. I got the green light to move them back to a field near my house/the yard + arenas!


The above photo is the reason I haven't seen the little darlings since friday - I have been at Rock a Field a 3 day music festival here in Lux. I was very sorry to miss Bombay Bicycle Club on friday but loved seeing Foster the People, Ellie Goulding, Foals & Skrillex were amazing yesterday. Saw Haim & Chvrches today and we're heading back later to see KINGS OF LEON! We did get drowned a couple of times yesterday, but that's all part of the fun of open air music festivals.

I did get a fun spin in on Friday, despite torrential rain after tacking up & just before mounting and Kika throwing a bitch fit as I ligned her up to mount from the horse box the rain really started hammering and the other two horses in the field started running like lunatics. So rather than get into a fight with her and get us both worked up; I hand-walked into the woods and mounted once she calmed herself - which was about 5minutes later. She is so silly!

Although she settled and we were on our happy hacking way for our last spin in these woods with my baby sister riding Nancy. Kika "accidently" whacked my knee off a tree as we scrambled up a bank following our river crossing. Thems the joys of happenings on horseback. It actually balances things out somewhat as my other knee had a run in with a gate a few years back before we left Ireland - now...who says my horse loves me? ;-)

Which got me thinking about Sprinkler Bandit's (sorry i can't link as am posting from my phone) post about riding alone and trusting our horses. Two years ago, K & i couldn't have recovered from her fit so quickly, nor ridden the rest of our hack on the buckle. She was wonderfully relaxed and led 3/4 of the way including down a trail she historically doesn't like.
I feel like we are finally in a good place where we both trust each other and know how to handle the other ones irrational mood spins. I am now better at handling her meltdowns and getting us back on track aka my agenda.
So far so good with Nancy, although she is now coming into her teen phase (5-7years of age) so i shall keep a closer eye on her under saddle behaviours so that i hopefully don't get caught out like i did with Miss K.
Fingers crossed i can keep us all on track as we get back into arena work with the pair of them.

6 comments:

  1. Every I hear/see Foster the People "Pumped up kicks" gets stuck in my head, lol. Sounds like it was fun, though.

    Time is definitely the biggest factor in getting comfortable with our horses. The more time we spend with them the more comfortable we and they get.

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    1. Foster the People were fab live & I completely agree on time being the best thing when it comes to horses :)

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  2. Ouch! I hope your knee is okay. It's so nice when both horse and rider get into that stage of trusting each other. The music fest sounds like a blast!

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    1. Knee will be fine, it is a lovely shade of purpley-green at the moment so no more skirts or shorts at work for a while ;-)
      Feeling the horses respond to me & know they can trust me is such a rewarding feeling - warms the cockles of my heart!
      The music festival was amazing fun, even though it meant I missed saddle time with the girls and got drowned multiple times on Saturday - but live not want not :p

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  3. Ouch! That sounds painful on the knee. I hate when that happens, but with horses it does lol. I've gotten really good at reaching out to push against the tree with my hand and moving the horse over so my knee doesn't hit it, but that wouldn't work going up a bank I don't think.

    I'm so happy you and Kika have come to an understanding and trust each other. :D I didn't know 5-7 was the teenage years with horses.... I hope Chrome and Nancy are laid back teenagers LOL!!!

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    1. I really hope so too, Kika's teen years were nearly enough to scar me for life - although that is more my fault than hers...I accidentally lulled her into a false sense of "easy" life and she resented being put back to work - really must get back in the saddles asap so that no such memories & abhorrence to work return :p

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