Exceeding Expectations

Beka from The Owls Approve stopped in for a visit as she and her awesome hubby trailblaze their way through Europe on their epic trip. I stupidly forgot to take a single picture so i guess that is how I exceeded my own expectations this weekend as usually i love taking pictures, unfortunately I think i spent way too much time talking.

Between the ears shot from Fridays hack

Kika and particularly Nancy played a key role in the Luxembourg leg of the trip. Beka, Nancy, Kika and i went for a stroll in the woods together Saturday morning. Unsurprisingly Nancy was her usual stellar self and didn't put a foot wrong for our tour of the greenery & forestry offered by my neck of the woods (no pun intended).
The equine that exceeded expectations was Kika, guuuuurl stepped up & brought her A-game to our meander through the trees. Homegirl not only kept her shiz together for the most part ... we had one minor discussion where B & Nancy kindly took the initiative to hold Kika's hand and give her a lead. She had a couple of Kika moments where she trembled in fear over a patch of sunlight or a leaf or something - what can I say - how her mind works is beyond my understanding. K's overall demeanour and desire to stride out in the lead for a lot of our stroll was what won her my utmost awe and respect yesterday. Especially when we factor in that she hadn't been ridden since the previous Saturday and relapsed into terrified of breeze rustling leaves & a wet patch on the ground today.
I will never truly understand this horse but am beyond delighted that she was on her best behaviour yesterday and probably made Beka question my accounts on the blog, so much so that I doubt she'll ever truly believe Kikas typical carry on when I share it in the future.
Yes folks, K was that good!

Nancy showing that there are two sides
 to every story featuring a cameo from Kika

Apologies for lack of relevant media for this post, as i said I'm an utter muppet and didn't snap a single pony picture to commemorate my blogger meet up.
I truly am a grade-A muppet. *sigh*

I hope R & D enjoyed themselves as much as i did, I fear I talked the ears off them at times and possibly walked the feet off them too. My door is always open & my ponehs are always up for a stroll in the woods for any bloggers that may find themselves in our neck of the woods!

Back where I belong

Title may be a bit presumptive & hoi poloi seeing as I'm hardly gods gift to equestrianism but this is how I feel. Well honestly I feel rather very stiff as odd stroll in the woods at the walk do not help maintain riding fitness. Arena work be mucho màs challenging yo O.o

Apologies for blurry mirror selfie

I located my big girl pants today, tacked up and rode Kika without any preamble whatsoever. No walker, no lunging; just a lap or two of the arena handwalking to check all the corners for boogey monsters and then we got straight to work.
Are we both unfit & out of shape 100%
Did we discuss and negotiate head/neck placement (ie: ears not up my nose) and how being hollow was not going to get things done easier or faster...
Yep the conversation sure was similar between us; that in itself is the best thing about Kika. For all her quirks, she is an open book and has taught me how to read her well.
We didn't do anything fancy (not that we ever do come to think of it), stuck to walk/trot transitions, circles, serpentines and changes of rein.
KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) works best for getting us back on track and hopefully keeping us on the same page going forward.

Another of yesterday's from Nancy 
I didn't manage to snap any new ones today

Nancy brought her A-game today, but that will surprise no one who has read this blog before ;-)
N had been spinning on the walker while i rode Kika, I have taken to working K first in the hope that N walking on the walker helps warm her up but more so open up her airways more gently than when I am in the tack. So far so good and she hasn't coughed under saddle work since I tried this pre-work strategy. Our right rein canter was the most exciting thing she had done in a while if her exuberant upward transitions were anything to go by. No dolphining or bucking she was just happy to speed up. Cantering in circles is much more fun than walking or trotting - PSA from Nancy

Nancy was also a super sweetheart when her potential sharer had a little spin after me. She arrived just as i was finishing up on N, so I asked if she wanted to hop up to try her out. Turns out one of the other horses she rides is also a Friesian cross, although she said she looks nothing like my special girl. Considering the two FriesianX blogs I follow also feature horses that are wholly different from Nancy - i am not at all surprised :-)

Back on Board

I do not know where the time has gone since my last update...nor can I fill you in on exactly what has been going on but that's not down to secretive or dastardly dealings more so that it hasn't been anything eventful & probs why I haven't had anything to post about.
I have been in a bit of a funk and haven't logged much saddle time, to be honest before today I cannot remember exactly when I last clambered aboard; but i do think i squeezed in a couple strolls in the woods since my last post and meant to write about them but they were uneventful and i don't think I snapped any between the ears shots so they'd have been 100% snoozeville.

"Whatcha doing up there?" asked a bemused
Nancy...it's been a while

I did cave and have a bale of hay placed in the feeder in the girls field as the grass really hasn't come back and the autumn chill has kept into the evenings. To be a good owner i figured I'd better help pack on the pounds to tackle the approach of winter doldrums. Speaking of doldrums i can't really explain my lack of equitation motivation. The weather has been good (for the most part a couple of wet days here and there); work has been good not overly stressful and getting out at a reasonable hour with plenty daylight left for shenanigans. However the motivation for horse hauling in, grooming and riding went into hibernation over the last few weeks. I have been presurising myself worrying over costs now that my salary disappears every month between mortgage, livery and loans...but I'm setting things in motion to help with such woes including meeting a potential part-time leasee for Nancy tomorrow. Fingers crossed especially heading into winter & costs increasing as they come off 24/7 turnout for 6 months.

Already shared this on instagram
My two angels - they are such good girls

Sorry, as always this is getting considerably longer winded than I'd intended when I sat down to write this post. I really just wanted to sing my ponies praises for being so forgiving. They eagerly come to greet me every day in the field - even now when they have a bale of hay to stuff themselves silly with! O.o
I rode Nancy today for the first time in weeks, she spun on the walker while i lunged Kika and then I threw the tack on N and hopped up without preamble. The absolute legend that she is she went straight to work, w/t/c without an iota of fuss or bother. It was like she hadn't spent the last number of weeks doing nothing more than strolling very sporadically through the woods with Kika on a leash for company.
We shall see tomorrow if big sis Kika can step up to the plate and be as good for me under tack as she has been on the lunge line. She was a gem last weekend to lunge in just her halter in the outdoor, although some of her trademark sass was on display today as i reintroduced some pessoa work...i may stick to walk and trot work under saddle till I build back up some of her dorsal muscles. We had been having some stickiness in our under saddle canter work prior to this unscheduled break so I'm going to try to get a feel for the lay of the land and see where the spin takes us tomorrow.

She is such a sweetheart - i am truly blessed