Thursday 6 February 2014

Quick Query & User Updates

I may just be being paranoid, but page views & comments are definitely down since I updated the blog url to pampered-ponies.blogspot.com - methinks people are either no longer being updated or have just lost their way to my blog...this makes me sad!

Google Images

If you do still read, please leave comments as I love to hear from you!

Google Images - how I feel when I get comments

I have joined haynet.co.uk, in the hopes of finding even more awesome people to bond over ponies with! 

I haven't quite figured out how to add the badge to my page yet,
but hopefully soon!

In order to help any newcomers I may or may not get through haynet, I have created two new pages (links on the right-hand tab) for background info About Us & my Equestrian Bucketlist which I hope to update as I get new ideas/actually do stuff and cross things off the list.

Quick Kika snapshot after our spin on Tuesday
Update on the girls:
I had another good lesson with Nancy and the Guru on Monday evening, I felt like some of the tips from Sunday's lesson had stuck and was very happy with both of us.
Obviously there was a lot of repetition from the previous day - i am never going to be perfect (who is, right?!):
- continuous reminders to keep my heels down,
- move my legs forward/back as appropriate,
- turn head to the inside (making me consiredably straighter)  on my bad rein
- softens grip on the reins & DON'T "pull" against her if/when she leans, sadly my instinct when she leans on my hands is to close my fingers on the reins and try to stop her...nasty habit!
An argument I can never hope to come out in pole position as she is so much stronger than I am and I fear making her hard mouthed *blubber*
L wants me to almost throw the reins at her (figuratively of course) when she tries to lean so that she has nothing to lean against and has to pick herself up on her own or fall on her nose. Gotta love horsies testing the boundaries & seeing what they can get away with.


Kika got worked by the Guru on Monday afternoon as she finished work earlier than me and had asked if she could take her for a spin - she said she was very good to start, K got a bit snitty about walk/trot transitions so ended up doing lots of them till they were no longer a big deal - Kika is such a silly billy! Always looking for ways to avoid work only ending up making it worse for herself *roll-eyes*

Tuesday was Nancy's day off & I got a good spin in on Kika, much improved on our Sunday session; in which she got herself a bit hot under the collar about I can't remember what and we ended up cantering till she sorted her brain gremlins out. We worked on the basics, w/t/c calmly & softly in the contact without fussing or blocking/tensing her neck - lots of circles & changes of rein mixing it up with transitions and posting + sitting trot. She was lovely, soft & responsive which left me with a self-satisfied smile and packed me off for a happy evening at home.

Today is Kika's day off and I'm not sure what time (or if the Guru is coming this evening), so I shall play with my Nancy-Belle myself and hope we can continue in the good vein of form from the two lessons. *fingers-crossed*
I am off work tomorrow as flying to Ireland in the evening, so hoping to get both girls ridden in the morning before turning the three gee-gees out for the day and leaving my girls in the Guru's capable hands for the weekend. Hopefully I can snap some pics & get the blog updated with our shenanigans before I jet off!

PS: I hope this post doesn't come across as whiney/attention-seeking...that is not my intention at all. I just love getting feedback, tips & suggestions from readers and am afraid people might be missing out on updates after the url name change. Although admittedly, we don't get up to much exciting LOL!
I don't know if maybe it might be best to "un-follow" and then "re-follow" with new blog url...

12 comments:

  1. Haha! I totally understand what you mean about commenting. Everything is coming through fine for me!

    Ugh. It's the hardest thing not to pull back on those reins isn't it? Can I turn off the little monkey in my brain who just wants to clutch at everything I put in my hands? Annnoying!

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    1. So glad that I am not the only one struggling with rein-gremlins...appreciate any and all tips to help overcome this nasty habit - lets face it I have so many, I need all the help I can get ;-)

      I am delighted to hear that my blog updates are reaching you periodically, had been worried after url name change

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  2. I know how ya feel- sometimes I get a little needy on my blog too haha. I'm just lazy and have been slacking in my commenting.

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    1. You're a very busy bee, can't blame ya for keeping quiet.
      Oops, *blush*, I didn't mean to sound needy haha...although I guess I am ;-)

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  3. Comments make my day!!! Sometimes I just forget :( And you're not needy!!

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    1. Oh gosh I don't mean to guilt trip people into leaving comments. I was just worried in case people couldn't find the blog anymore after the name change as readership seemed well down.
      Perhaps this is more a reflection on content then blog geography ;-)

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  4. I love comments too. :) and I'm getting your updates a-ok. I do notice with my own blog, if I post regularly comments usually go up!

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    1. Love how often you post, I'm trying to be a more proactive blogger, I fact I think I'm out-blogging my own output from autumn last year - I was fierce quiet in blogger land then due to the work exams etc keeping me out of the tack.
      Hopefully between the new features, Friday Flashback & Rider Review as well as logging more saddle time + getting lessons again will all contribute to better blogging from me...although perhaps better is an overstatement - I'll settle for more regular blogging. As it is still me, I think content will always be questionable ;-)

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  5. wiz is always pulling me down (and he's soft mouthed! ah, I'm so weak!) so I'm trying to work on strengthening my core... so hard.

    And I'm pretty sure I was following you on my blogger account but just now it let me refollow you- so maybe it kicked me off when you changed your url and maybe that's the issue? Haha you're like me, SO afraid to come off as whining or attention seeking! I felt terrible asking people to vote for me in that contest (and I jumped the gun-so if you saw that, I set the post to re post tomorrow at 7 when the contest actually opens...) But you didn't come off whiney :)

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    1. *hugs*
      Aw thanks pet! Shall deff look up your post & totally vote if I can get wifi access over the weekend in Ireland. Hopefully deadline for voting doesn't close too quickly and I don't miss out.

      N doesn't pull me so much as she leans against me if I hang off her face - which to be fair is completely understandable. When I remember to release my death grip on the reins she softens right up...funny that eh ;-)

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  6. You don't sound whiny to me at all. Oh and I get that exact same look on my face as Marshall in the gif when I get comments hehehehehe!!!!! I LOVE comments and I LOVE leaving comments. The only time I don't is when I'm way behind and trying to read as much as possible as fast as possible. I was missing your updates though due to the url change, so that's why I haven't been commenting. I'm glad I figured it out. I've been slacking really bad on reading blogs too though so it's kind of a combination! :D

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I love to hear from readers, thank you for your comment :-)