he's not really a horse

It's school holidays and as Cacahuète is back to rude health he has been back to his gymnastic jumping, it makes me happy to see the little man on form again, he really is a superstar!

Friday I scraped the mud off Moo to get a ride and he made me happy too, just sitting up there, playing with some lateral work and then blowing the cobwebs away with a trot up the track was just what I needed, he has become my Mr. Fixit for those blue moments.

Chapiro! Well I'm now pretty sure he's not a horse. Chapiro is more Border Collie than horse. We have returned to playing with some liberty clicker work this last week and as always he seemed to love it. I threw the mat into the school and he literally ran after it to get on it as soon as it landed. I then worked on some new cues to send him to a target (big upturned bucket) and back to the mat and then off to another target, I was pretty impressed with how on cue he was even though I wasn't perfectly clear all the time (note to self about planning these sessions!!). I think fetching a stick will be next, only kidding!

Chaps enjoyed a free jumping play and a couple of in-hand/lunge and ridden sessions too. Thank goodness the snow has gone and lets hope it won't be making a return any day soon.

The Melt

Finally the melt has started. Lydia off school for more than a week due to snow/ice and a poorly pony have made the last couple of weeks somewhat tiresome. Hopefully it has passed for the moment.

Yesterday I finally got to restart work with Chapiro, just  a little in-hand and lunging but it made me feel a much more whole person again, I hate not having play time with the boys.

The right rein shoulder fore is really getting very good, nice and relaxed in the walk and happy to engage the right hand under his COG but the left rein is now the tricky one! The left rein has a 'busier' walk rhythm, more tension and consequently more stopping for a couple of steps of reinback. Will be working on that over the coming weeks.

Reinback in figure of eights to finish, not the most perfect '8' s but hey this is new for him.

I'm all excited about what's to come again, just keep the cold away, please!!

there's more

Last little reminisce (promise) unless I find the ones that are missing at a later date, moving every few years I seem to have mislaid quite a few years worth!

Eite my friesian the day I brought him home, boy did I wonder what I'd bought when he came off the lorry.

   but the boney bum filled out and he turned into a black swan (think I've already blogged these pics but I'll show them again)

and Sam my Gelderlander (seems I 'used' to like big horses)

and Sam and I during a regular lesson with Inger Bryant (list 1 judge and a brilliant trainer) I love how Sam was paying great attention to our feedback!

and some shots of  Fidge my first PRE when I first got him, very grainy as they were never on proper photographic paper and haven't scanned well.

  So that's it for now from a very snowy Aquitaine.

wot plan???

Did I say plan? Ah, what I meant to say was .....

reminisce!

Lydia and I are on a mission to put all our 'photos on disc before we move and today we found some very old ones of me.
Sadly the days of digital arrived too late for my childhood and my early years on horseback are scarcely visible in our family album but what I have I'll share.

Aged 2 and probably the first 'sit on'

Aged 4 (nearly 5) and all turned out for an 'occasion'

Rosettes won, why I had to show them off next to a 'mushroom' is anybodies guess!!

friend and pony....

and 'off out hunting' on a bay NOT a grey (that love must have come later!!)

time to think

I realise many of you bloggers live in cold climes and usually I'm not one to moan but after the mildest winter in the last 8 it's hit me hard to be down into minus figures during the day.

The school is frozen solid and the tracks lumpy and bumpy so real work is out and my fingers just don't seem to work to even get some clicker going in the yard.  I really must invest in some wool, knickers and socks would be a good start.

The problem for me is motivation. The last couple of weeks I've been very motivated and riding most days but then a few days of bitter cold weather and I'm sidelined and frustrated. So this week-end I need a plan. Perhaps the plan should be to make a plan. I'll let you know what the plan is just as soon as I've worked that one out for myself.