Belated Backtracking

How has another week spirited away from me?!
I may not have managed to post anything since Saturdays video, but i did manage to pack in my fair share of saddle time over the weekend as well as surprise adventures on Sunday.

The two monsters patiently waiting for me
on their last evening on the winter turnout

First up Friday - i managed to get out of work with enough daylight to ride Nancy & lunge Kika in the pessoa before lights out at the barn. I cannot remember the last time I managed to work either horse after a working day let alone BOTH of them on the same day!
I may have cheated slightly in that they didn't go out at lunch time and we're going out on grass the following day so I didn't have to bring them in nor prepare the haynets & water for the wite turnout.

Sunset patience 23.4.15

Saturday was summer turnout day (see previous post for video footage of their "crazy")! Sadly their field buddies couldn't go out with them that day  as one needed vet clearance after a year of handwalking due to a tendon injury :-(
As of right now, it would appear my horses are evil creatures and highly unwelcoming to newcomers after initial turnout...i may manage to address this later in this post pending word vomit describing the weekend.

Nancy being sweet with my mama
before summer turnout
Saturday 25.4.15

I rode Nancy first while Kika spun on the walker to get her head in the game after 3 weeks of super light to no work as I could tell her back was at her and thankfully managed to get the osteo out. Nancy was a very good girl, both Friday and Saturday. We got some lovely w/t/c work on the books without many arguments and no bucking/dolphining. To be fair to Nancy our arguments aren't arguments so much as disagreements over her careening through my aids on corners and bends - less an argument and more of a balancing issue stemming from my inabilities and horsey desires to find the easy way out at all costs ☺

Trying to show Nancy's size
my mama is 5'1 of awesome

Kika was next and i will freely admit to not really knowing which horse would turn up. She had been inconsolable in the first arena i attempted to lunge her in Friday evening - lesson learned. The last three times I have had her in that  small arena she has had an irrational fear (to my mind) but she can obviously see/feel something I am missing and it seriously messes with her mind. Our lunge work was brainless running, she wasn't listening to me at all and couldn't even canter in her freakedness. That was exhibit A-Z for me that it was actual fear frying her brain as if she'd just wanted to mess and have fun cantering would have been a yippee get out of jail free card; but she couldn't even organise her legs to canter! Her hind legs were cantering but her front legs kept trotting - gosh did she look uncomfortable! :-/
We had zero issues when we moved to another arena - she w/t/c (normally) without an iota of fuss including changing between gaits every three strides!

Going to count this as April's awkward
Conformation snapshot taken 26.4.15 

Sorry - Saturday,  she was a very good girl as i clambered aboard in the main arena with another rider already in situ. An adorable kid came in on her tiny grey welshie which Kika loved (Yay small creatures for broodie K). We worked through w/t/c on a circle in the lower half of the arena, with lots of transitions and some leg yielding just to see if we still could as i hadn't tried in months. If she is ouchy she will immediately let me know with that request - so carte blanche for return to our "normal" work.

#conformationfail of Nancy
But sweet Kika & mama moment

Sunday was an early start for me as i offered to accompany a yard acquaintance to her horse's first show as her usual companion (boyfriend) took a tumble a couple of weeks ago and sadly really hurt his back so is laid up at home. The goal for the morning was to make the horse's first outing as stress free as possible, so we left early including plenty time to load him as there were many distractions. He was a super star and wound up winning his first outing (at an admittedly lowish level [E-for anyone who understands Euro dressage levels...i don't :-/ ]. He spent last year recovering from a leg fracture and is a huge beast of an animal,  think 18h+, so slowly slowly is best with him!
He won his test with 72.3% - 10% ahead of the second place horse...oops. The judge said she never wants to see him at this level again, winning wasn't the goal - his rider just wanted a positive experience for him. He was stellar! Cool as a cucumber the whole time - it was an excellent morning.

Soooooooo many dapples!
Sunday 26.4.15

We got back shortly after 2pm and as the weather was good i decided to go for a stroll in the woods on Nancy with Kika on the lead. I asked did my new friend want to come with as she has mentioned hacking together in the woods to help her horses get used to life outside the sandbox - but as she has 3 horses. She wanted to handgraze her oldest  (12) before getting her youngest (5) ready for a training session at the yard she works on. We board our horses at the same place but she teaches elsewhere. ..sorry not pertinent info
Off i went into the woods with my girls. Just as we got to the woods we caught up with another rider i knew to see but had never really spoken to before. I asked was she riding on her own or would she like to join my girls and I, to which she gladly did as she is leasing the horse and doesn't really know many trails in our woods.
My evening was rounded out when I got back and found out that the friend from the morning hadn't yet left for her training session and offered to accompany her for that too for funsies. I learnt a lot watching her ride her hot young mare who reminds me a lot of Miss Kika. Watching others ride & lesson is so instructive!

Mutually beneficial
Tuesday 28.4.15

Right i think i had best stem the word vomit now and hope that I can get in saddle time over this on weekend before my bedroom furniture FINALLY arrives Monday morning - here's hoping I can actually move into my new place next week SQUEE