Thursday 24 September 2009

sadly no more

Mystery of malakai.
Harvey and I will be reporting of our adventure but i sadly had to have Kai pts last week.

Nothing more really to say about it anymore, I am sad but I had no other choice. He needed more than I or anyone else could give. maybe if I had him years before I did I may have been able to help him but it wasn't to be. It was the 2 year anniversary of sand passing on that day and I like to think he came and took him away to play up high.

So goodbye Kai, I'm sorry but I hope the last gift I gave you meant you are finally at rest. Enjoy your life with Sand and I hope you both are bright stars looking down on harvey and I and looking out for us both.

Monday 31 August 2009

galloping

I am pooped biglaughA.gif

We have moved the whole house into the front room so hopefully when the removals come we can load all the house stuff in one go then all the garage stuff on the second run. That is if it goes through this week, otherwise I am moving to a hotel until we move.

Back been rubbish all weekend and have struggled to do much at all so have lunged both of them. Kai I took out to the cow fields to lunge and although tense to start he settled and worked well. Lunged harv in the school and was a bit of an arse, all either flat out or stop...me thinks someone needs more practice!

Felt a little better today (read that as upped the drug dosage!) so decided to just give Kai a little wander in the school. Started well and he was as chilled as anything and then the cute little shetland sootie came in on the lead rein with small child bareback and whole family armed with cameras. Kai took instant dislike and hurled himself across the school emu style to get to the gate away from the monster. Luckily Mel was leading who is very sensible and asked how I wanted to play it. I asked her to just keep walking round and I would avoid her so managed to get him into canter and literally kicked, smacked and pulled him around the school to stop him from either leaping over the gate rolleyes.gif I was very pleased with my self as he was being full on tit but as I had a huge audience gathering by this stage (not sure they have seen behaviour like Kai losing it there for a while) so I had to stay on! Back was killing but I was not giving up. Mel took cute pony to stand in corner while I finished off and I asked if I could try bringing him a bit closer...he really did seem to think pony would eat him. As he was dripping from head to foot as was I we called it a day and as I got off one of the girls thrust a cup of tea in my hand and took him off me biglaughA.gif now that is a nice touch! bathed him, answered many questions as to why he is such an arse (or didn't answer as i don't know) and came home to lie on the floor and rest back.

Went back up the yard this evening and took harv over the set aside with andy and aero. Got on and he spooked at the missile launcher and went to spin to I belted him...but forgot to get my reins together first so galloped back into the yard much to andy's amusement as I was hanging over his shoulder laugh.gif

Got myself together and with a couple of debates on route he was actually ok. jumped the log in and we went off for a canter and andy followed behind on the shorter route. I decided he is less likely to spook if I sent him faster so we had a lovely working gallop all the round the first few fields and he was very polite and nice and forward. Hit the hill and kicked him on and he just flew all the way up, I have forgotten how fast but how much fun he can be. Met up with dog and Andy and we wandered back to the yard. Andy said we looked like racehorses in training up on the hill ... shows how much he still needs to learn! We are going to video us having a gallop up on the fields next week.We found how to get onto the disused railway from the field and I think I can probably get Kai onto there safely as it is prob 1/2 mile max to get there on the lane.

Had a lovely bhol weekend and now can't wait to get moved goodvibes.gif

Wednesday 19 August 2009

little bugger

day before yesterday Kai embarrassed me by charging out of his stable when I opened the door and galloped flat out to his field causing chaos to all the people in the school and catching there horses blush.gif

yesterday left them out 24 / 7 and when I got him in he was back to super chilled Kai but when I rode he was an tiny but unsound which I suspect was because of galloping flat out up the track.

Tonight han & lorna came for a hack in the sunshine so I could do chores so off they went into the fields. Kai had been in all day and was a little full of himself in the stable before they went but no worse than has dealt with before.

Anyway all was not well by all accounts and Kai amazingly behaved worse than he has ever acheived before, I'm so proud of my boy biglaughA.gif Seriously though it sounded pretty horrific.

I am convinced beyond anything it is to do with the grass, suger levels or something similiar. So I am going to chuck him out 24/7 for a few days and see if it makes a difference.

Sunday 16 August 2009

fields!

Had a chilled morning and left Kai and harv out to lunch time eek.gif I am being cruel aren't I biglaughA.gif

Went and watched A jumping at Onley and came back all keen to do something different so Lorna and I braved went for a mooch around the field biggrin.gif He was very good, a couple of moments when he got tense so I grabbed on and he got worse but luckily Lorna was there to shout at me to let go of his head and it really worked. Calm me meant calm him rolleyes.gif

I even got him to stand at the gate so very very very pleased with us both. Lorna gave me a free pass to go home early while she did chores hail.gif I now have dinner cooked and prepared for the next 3 nights.

Hoping to exchange this week but looking like it may slip by a week but I am surprisingly calm about it for once.

Friday 14 August 2009

very happy!

Kai was great tonight, sharp but I had more attitude than him biglaughA.gif

Took lorna and harv on a mini explore and watched them cavort around the new block with harv throwing his toes around! Sent them off for a gallop while I took a break and they came back with huge biggrin.gif on their faces!

Went for tea at the Orange tree and was lovely, still miss everyone but so nice to catch up with them all..tired now so off to bed!

Thursday 13 August 2009

silly ponies!

this getting up at 6am and getting home at 9pm is starting to wear me down a little.

Not so the boys rolleyes.gif I took harv for a gallop around the polo field tonight and boy was he full of himself biglaughA.gif there was a polo player practicing on the field and a man trying to take off with his microlight plane thing!!! it was a giant kite with an engine strapped to his body and harv was no so sure and to be fair neither was I. We had a gallop down the field and it is lovely with the ground so well maintained, he felt great til I had to stop and the brakes weren't too brilliant. Had a lovely mooch round the cow fields and wandered back big grins on our faces.

Kai also felt well and I had the most amazing trot work, he really took the contact forward and felt just fab, until he suddenly started spooking at everything for no reason and got himself in a real state. banghead.gif I tried everything and failed at everything apart from I didn't get off and give in. I stupidly had taken his martingale off so everytime he charged off I had no control at all.

going to get lorna to video so I can see what we are both doing but I think route cause for both are they are feeling bloody well. Harv gets funny and Kai gets a bit stupid.

Tuesday 4 August 2009

hacking

Today we went exploring but hired a local guide so we had half a chance of actually getting somewhere rolleyes.gif

So Han on Kai, me on harv and our guide M on a very nice 7yo TB called Charlie who belongs to Wes (the eventer) and is for sale.

Charlie looked quite sharp but M managed him well, Kai looked intrigued by it all again but was happy to give it a go, harv thought it was time to show everyone his ability to stop dead at every opportunity irrelevant at what pace we were going. We found quite a good technique to encourage him forward - han gave him a sharp tap with her schooling whip from behind so we could leap past whatever monster he thought was there biglaughA.gif

We had some fab canters across fields (must put gallopy tack on harv next time so we can actually go with some hope of stopping) Kai gallumped away next to us still with his slightly quizzical look and Charlie effortlessy floating along wondering what the hell was wrong with them laugh.gif Harv put in a few talented half pass steps in gallop which was very impressive.

I was so excited to find a road with a pedestrian and equine crossing - the buttons were high enough for horse riders (at 2 heights for big and small ones) and had a green and red horse rider man!!!! This may be normal to most people but just showed me how horsey the world is where we have moved to biggrin.gif There was a man with a strimmer there and Charlie showed his greeness by leaping around and past the post but M was unphased and just dealt with it very calmly. We went through the back of Rugby St Cross hosp and out the back - through an estate and then onto a disused railway which is so clear and perfect for ponies. we had a good trot along there broken up nicely by harv showing his half pass in trot move everytime I relaxed. M then asked if we fancied a gallop around the set aside fields on the way back to the yard but as we had been out for over 2hrs by that point we decided was prob a bit much for my two (and me and han by this point!) She showed us them as we went past and you have to pop a log and then there is acres and acres of fields to go round. One of those fields you see and think I would love to gallop round that .... well we can!!! We then came back on to the road and I realised this was all about 1/4 mile from the yard (had lost all bearings by then) so it is entirely feasible to have a canter round them before work or in winter have a run up the railway.

Showed Han the new house and then went for lunch at the local pub.

I haven't ever had hacking like this and just can't wait to get us all fit enough to be able to enjoy it properly - I may even be brave enough soon to go out on Kaibo biggrin.gif