WW - Friday Fun Trail Trip

All photos taken by yard friend who was riding Nancy

Kika being a big brave girl & leading

Friend being fancy & framing K + me
 between Nancy's ears

Please ignore my horrific eq

A little blurry but I was so happy with Miss Kika.
 Sadly we haven't had another nice dry day since

Kween Kika

Where and why does time continuously get away from me?! It's been weeks and I've barely posted or ridden for that matter despite my hoping otherwise. There is little point in my trying to remember why I've been such a bad blogger & rider - because I've no doubt the excuses are flimsy. TG for PL keeping Nancy going 3 times a week & sometimes I hop up in between and let's be honest Kika is pretty happy with her lackadaisical lifestyle. Puddin' landed on her feet with me ;-)

Let's see...I think I had a few enjoyable spins on Nancy while PL was away for a weekend training clinic in Germany. PL & Nancy have been getting on great together, I was just glad that I didn't undo all their bonding & partnership building with my spins. We ride quite differently.

Apologies for lonely fuzzy photo
amidst all the verbal vomit

As the title and gross mispelling of the word Queen for alliteration purposes suggests this post is to praise my ould doll Kika; who has turned 12 since my last post. As per usual I had her birthday in mind in the lead up to her special day & then promptly forgot all about it on the day itself.
Such is my memory, sorry Keeks - maybe next year!
K has been an absolute legend of epic proportions considering the lack of work I have been giving her. She has had a couple sessions in the pessoa and I've ridden her in the arena myself a couple of times too. But the majority of the praise for this post comes from her epic big girl panties bad ass handling of my last minute suggestion one Saturday that PL & I take advantage of the good weather (it has been predominantly crappy in mainland Europe this month...not sure if anyone has seen what was going on in France & Germany but we were having similar wet weather) and head for an impromptu stroll in the woods. She hadn't done a tap of work since I'd lunged or ridden (see bad memory strikes again) since the weekend before yet she strode around the trails like a BOSS & BAMF leaving Nancy dawdling in her dust. The only other time she has been so good on the trails was when Beka visited last September and that was such a wonderful surprise for me that day but she had been in the woods the day before that expedition.

She truly is a champion & a completely different girl when she gets to live outside 24/7. Here's hoping I haven't jinxed the good behaviour with this post now as I make my way to the stable to climb back aboard. I did lunge her yesterday the plan had been to rig up the pessoa, but like the last time I rode her in the arena she was struggling with her canter work. Under saddle she had felt disjointed, discombobulated initially and like her 4 legs weren't communicating. However under saddle & on the lunge yesterday she did work out of of it after a few wobbly transitions. I think the osteo may be coming back to check her out as she may have tweaked something getting up funnily from lying down or rolling in the soppy field. I might go for a stroll in the woods this evening if PL has time, otherwise I'll concentrate on walk/trot work with K in an arena and then try her again on the lunge tomorrow or over the weekend to see where her legs be at.

Mostly Mute Monday

Quiet moment with Kika

Nancy being a good girl for a bareback stroll
to the field with Part Leasee for the first time

Cropped the photo as PL is on the other side
 of Nancy and I don't like to post people on
 the blog without their ok when photos are
 closeups/recognisable

Very gently getting up

Fun Friday - Welcome Home

A yard friend captured these sweet moments as the girls mugged me on my return to Lux/the stables after 10 days in Ireland.

Have I mentioned enough how much I love these munchkins ♡♡♡♡♡

They were tickling my palms

I'm pulling such an awkward face

Nancy chats - she's so gentle and
snuffles your face

Jealous/bored Kika

"Talk to me" - Kika / while
Nancy shows off her stretches

Needy-Love-Me Ladies

So many delightful dapples ☺

Throwback Thursday - Poniez in Ireland

I am super blessed that my mother comes from farming stock and that the farm is still in the family (her brother owns it) and that a sister of hers followed their father into horses. Really my mother has only herself to blame for my obsession *giggle*

I have mentioned before that Nancy was bred by my aunt and that I have known N since she was 3 days old ♡♡♡
Although this same aunt closed the riding school side of her business years ago, she now runs what i affectionately call a maternity ward for broodmares. Predominantly Thoroughbreds but some sporthorse & ponies mares too. She also has a couple horses in for livery and a fab arena & XC course which can be rented by the hour for schooling and lessons with any trainer they want.

The photos in this post were taken over the last two weeks. All the foal snapshots are mine and the two of us on horseback were taken by my mam & sister. I had a go on all three ponies, the coloured was the greenest, the dun the most experienced and the grey was a stubborn mare than made me laugh so hard. The coloured was my fave, possibly because I started with her but mostly because she reminded me of Nancy in that she tried so hard to do what was being asked of her but couldn't quite find her legs in canter and trantered.  She was adorable ♡♡♡

I'm the awkward mushroom head on the grey, I'm such a mess having not brought any of my riding gear & riding without stirrups as the leathers weren't long enough *blush*
the others in the photo are my two sisters
and two of my cousins

Being a foal is exhausting

Nap-time in the field

This little guy was such a photogenic cutiepie

This little filly was
adorably friendly

One of the things i miss most about living in Ireland is the family farm and this easy access to this wonderful stream after riding. Also I was so tempted to take their new pooch home. I'm a massive muppet and forgot to take a single photo of him, but see he snuck into this photo. He's a rottweilerXalsatian and has such an amazing personality! Way bigger than I have space for, but he was awesome ♡♡♡ 

Wordless Wednesday - Ireland Edition

04/05/2016

The Towers or "Follies"
in Lismore Co. Waterford

View from the parapets(?)
from the bridge between
 the two towers 

Hopefully the info is somewhat legible
 regarding the "Follies"/Towers

One of the vistas from The Vee viewpoint
 in Co. Tipperary

09/05/2016

Beautiful Bluebell lined strolls in the grounds
around Charleville Castle in Tullamore Co. Offaly

Charleville Castle,
Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Apparently one of the oldest trees in Ireland

Photos of foals and a small riding adventure to follow tomorrow. Apologies for the poor phone quality photos, I wish I was better at photography to properly share these snapshots *blush*

Video Dump

PL very kindly nabbed a few videos of the girls and myself sunday afternoon.
As always I'm a bit of an all over the place shambles,  however both girls are angels to put up with my "riding".

I accidentally deleted the video on this rein so sadly this blurry shot is all I've got of Kika

Kika hadn't been ridden in 3 to 4 weeks, however she did get the odd lunge with pessoa and was still being turned out most afternoons so she wasn't completely idle. You wouldn't know it to see the belly on her mind and I know it won't get any smaller now that she's on 24/7 turnout - oops. She and I are going into Boot Camp when I get back from Ireland on the 12th.

I am pretty disappointed in myself and frustrated to see how much I nag at her with my heels, how rounded my shoulders are and that I am seriously collapsing through my core. Not to mention the length of my reins in all these videos is shocking! I need to get my hands up out of my lap, bring them closer together and give a bit more with them. It looks to me like I am being very heavy handed.
My leg also appears to far back and is tipping me forward so i grip with my knees - negative cycle that one.  Shall have to work extra hard to break the hands/heels/leg axis of suck.
I also cannot get over how much it looks like I am riding a pony! K looks tiny in the dressage saddle, she was sticked at 165cms shortly after arriving in Lux and I know she is quite a compact model, but seriously?! I look like a giant and i am not overly tall at 172cms (roughly 5'7 I think)

Oddly I thought the Nancy videos were going to be an awful lot worse, I felt like she was fighting me a lot on the right rein and as if she was trying to stick her ears up my nose. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it looks nothing like that on the videos. I need to reevaluate my feel & expectations *shameonme*
I just hopped up for these few videos, and bless her she slipped a little in some poop at one stage but valiantly carried on like the good girl she is.

Although my reins are still way too long and my hands are too far apart; my leg & heel seem slightly better. Which is ironic as before when I rode Nancy in this saddle it used to put me in an awful chair seat, I can see it creep back a little with my outside leg when we make a small circle on the left rein but other than that I am much happier with my lower leg & heel on Nancy than in the earlier Kika video *shudder* what an awakening these videos have been.
I also need to sit my @$$ into the saddle when cantering both girls - Yikes!  I'm bouncing about up there like I'm on a trampoline or bouncing castle!