sad

don't want to leave :(

bad bad me

Kai was colicy / ulcery today and it makes sense with his behaviour yesterday. After being so good until yesterday he did do a little bunny hope when I got on but I ignored it.

I have changed his hay through being to lazy to go and collect the stuff he is used to and had some ordered in with the rest of the yard. It is lovely green new hay all fluffy and tasty. I noticed yesterday he had eaten all hay both morning and lunch by the time I got down at 2pm but thought he was a greedy pig. Anyway it appears it is 1) too rich and 2) he is eating in at a rate on knots so he is going from 2pm with rich grass in his belly and nothing to eat to keep his acid down. So so so cross with myself He was really bloated tonight and had rubbed all his tail out again. YO also mentioned he had been not quite right at lunchtime and she had noticed how much wind he had so it all add up = bad mummy.

To top it off I had run out of pink powder and thought would do a big shop at the weekend for when we move so clearly the combination has made Kai feel a bit poorly again.

So pissed off - was supposed to be having a good last week and getting as much confidence as I can but the best made plans and all that. I'm hoping Hannah may be able to work her magic and get on him and I am chucking as much crap hay down his neck as I can. managed to buy some pink powder so have him on double dose. he gets back to normal soon

eeeeeekkkkk

We have had an offer on ours and we have accepted so hopefully tomorrow it will all go through. They want us out within 6 weeks though

House number 1 (castle mound) that we had been in talks with all week decided to go with original person despite us having offered a lot more. They felt they were a week down the line and wanted to continue - wish we had bloody known but it happens.

House number 2 - pukey sick decor house. We are going to put an offer in so please :goodvibe: like mad that we get as offer accepted. It is over budget so we will have little funds to start to get it decorated thought so pukey will have to stay


Kai went jumping with aunty H and he went really well. Very pleased with him and he got his first clear round. They looked very proffesional together and a few people watching made comments over how stunning he is Han rode him fab too so hopefully he will make a sj'er for her after all. Really pleased how well he kept his head despite hundreds of people all in the cr together.

So tomorrow may be the day - otherwise we may end up homeless

Fran lesson

After a slightly close call leading Phe out to the field and hurting my arm I did actually manage to do my lesson although have a very sore wrist now and def think it is a strain Better than a break though

Anyway got on and walked / trotted round. He feels much more settled in his head and has moments of stretching down without coming overbent. The problem is when he takes the contact he goes over bent but when he stretches on loose rein he doesn't. So just need to perserve and sit very quietly and let him build strength and confidence and it should come. Must remember to test the SI is true by offering the inside rein and pray it all should all stay in place

Leg yield and shoulder in much improved. Got to try and keep the trot swinging and soft through the ly. Worked on slow med trot into shoulder in to get a little more elevation and the SI into Med trot. He tried his little heart out on this one

Canter trans are much more responsive and I was pleased with them today although he still struggles taking the contact forward and the second I over the inside rein to stretch down he falls into trot. Very but it is improving so need to stay calm about it.

Aunty H back so he can have some fun again - will see if she can hack him for me again and we are off to S'hull doing SJ on tues so he will like that.

Only 1 more weekend at the yard until we leave

Outing!

We hired out the school at solihull and took both boys along for a play. It was horrid weather and really windy and spooky even though we were in the covered school at solihull. Kai was a little tense to start off but walked round on a loose rein for 10 mins to let him settle then worked on trot. Kept him nice and soft in an outline but working on stretching. Much harder when he is out but shoulder in and leg yield feel much quicker off my leg.

So on to canter trans. The first few were car crash tv :kopfpatsch:

need to work on .... sitting trot, nice and bouncy - outside leg back and ask for canter - ensure contact remains consistant - keep lower leg long and soft - DO NOT TIP FORWARD AND DRIVE - and if he doesn't take the canter and rushes stay calm slow the trot and ask again......sounds simple doesn't it!!

I actually got some nice trans on the left rein but I just found he couldn't keep the canter forward no matter what I did after. He just runs out of energy it feels like. Can't wait for F lesson on Sunday to work on it again and explain what Ken is getting me doing.

After we finished took him out of school - nearly ended on head when he couldn't coordinate getting his legs over the little step to get out. We led the way with harv behind and then went in outdoor. He was quite spooky but nothing stupid and we had a mooch round.

Left it there - really pleased with him and progress :wub: he really tries sometimes.

Need to get Aunty H to do some fun stuff with him and get him out in the week jumping or something, going to pop a few fences at home tomorrow hopefully to do something different - may do a little gridwork.

House update - well we are after the Castle house and I have had the remortgage approved on this house so hoping if all goes well with Andy's bit we can put a proper offer in on Monday. If not I have fallen upon a lovely 4 bed in the next village along so we are off for a nosey tomorrow. It isn't the perfect home and carpets are :doublepuke: but it looks huuuge from the pics and garden looks really nice so an extra 2 miles from yard but still really nice village and 2 miles closer to work so doesn't make the round trip much further. Had a house viewing yesterday which went well and they seemed to like it - we are on their shortlist anyway. I'm feeling really positive about it all despite lorna reminding me we move the horses in 2 weeks :eek:

Leaving trailer and stuff at yard until we move house, feel happier having it where I know it is safe until I move house.

So thats it for the moment - womdering if I should do a leaving do before or after we leave :dunno: kind of don't want one as it means it is all real!

one step forward

Kai's mouth is much better so worked on a loose contact on canter trans. Still shocking but we got a couple!

really pleased with him so we wandered up track on our own........for those that know this is a massive achievement. Calm and happy!

House has gone bad, perfect house has had an offer put in and accepted so we have had to go down route of investigating buying without selling this one which we didn't really want to do but offer should be put in tomorrow if all going well. I WANT that house!

Harvey looked fab tonight with Lorna, really pleased with them :)

Ken report and Broken poinies

Ok positive first - Friday Ken lesson on Kai.

Ken lesson was hard work. We started working on stretching him in walk and trot and Kai really felt quite flat. None of his usually exuberance for life and really lazy. Then we worked on moving the trot forward and then slowing, not medium . collected but more variation on working trot.

Next some leg yield. Toward the fence Kai is quite good but on the arena long side he just really gets sticky. tried asking for outside bend as we came off the bend and pushing across that way. At one point Kai just stopped and wouldn't move forward again.

Trot canter trans - think we shocked Ken firstly how bad they are and secondly how hopelessly I rode them :kopfpatsch: After about 5 attempts we got it and actually the canter was nice and quite uphill. Ken was pleased with that so we left it at that. I was really pleased with him but felt my riding was poor so Ken agreed to work on the next lesson a bit more on me.

So today got to yard and watched some of the lessons. Lorna rode harv who still isn't right. His feet are really crumbling and we suspect he may have an abscess. Getting top spec for him and farrier to look at his feet if he can this week or will need to get vet to look.

My lesson wasn't til 7.30 so watched a few more then tacked up kai for his lesson. Had put his bridle on and headcollar over the top. Got his saddle and as I did his girth he turned his head round to the side and as he went back caught the ring of his bit onto the bolt hinge bit of the door. He paniced and pulled back and the whole bit and bolt got stuck through his mouth. He slipped over which made it worse but then sort of got up and just stood with the bolt stuck through his mouth. I was shouting for help and just couldn't get him free. Thought it was a fire brigade job. Somehow the headpiece snapped under the pressure but I still couldn't get his mouth free. He was so good and just stood staring at me as if to ask me to help. Somehow I grapped the bit in his mouth and put all my weight onto it to take the pressure of his head and it seemed enought for him to pull free. but as he did there was a huge cracking noise.

Couple of the girls had got to us by then and he was shaking as was I so we chucked a rug on and got some ice packs onto his mouth. I was convinced he had fractured his jaw and when we took his bridle of his mouth would hang but thankfully it didn't. One side was swelling quite badly and Democraatic Diamond was fab holding ice on him for 20 mins while I was just hopeless.

Vet came and he has bad swelling inside his mouth and out but he really seems to have got off lightly. There could be a hairline fracture and he is concerned by the noise we heard and when he is chewing there is a slight crack noise but that could be normal just not listened that carefully before to him eating. Got to see how he is tomorrow.

:bawling: so gutted. He was going so well and yet again something happens to stop it all - and break my lovely new bridle :(

Poles and rising school pony!

Jazzed it up tonight by using poles, practised having 2 on a dog leg to ork on straightness then 2 with a 5 stride distance between. Really pleased with him and although a little keen on occasions it really gave u both something different to concentrate on.

Then Lorna had a ride. So please with him :) You could tell he knew it was someone new on him but he was super chilled and even lazy.

Ken lesson tomorrow - woop woop!

I have a question ....

I decided to practise what we were working on with F on Sunday. So started long and low, stretchy then started picking him up and asking for lateral work and then it all went wrong. I couldn't quite get any of it to work :(

So when schooling is it best to

a) pick one thing and work on it until you get it right

b) work on various different things through the session to get variety but accept you aren't going to get it as good but the horse won't get bored.

c) have a few different things you want to work on but pick different things each session to work?

I just felt like I was accepting 40% of what I know he can do (compared to in lesson) but I do know he was trying hard but just couldn't quite get it right.

I need to get him to move away & more off my leg. He just feels like a block of wood. Also tonight he was getting really strong in my hand - he isn't going anywhere and when I soften my hand and put him on a circle to slow and balance him he responds.

I seem to be expecting perfection don't I and have only been riding him again for a few weeks! I am actually happy I am having this debate!!!!

One little step forward

Decided to go and hack. Now bearing in mind this is how it all went wrong the first time I am clearly stupid. Anyway went off with harry and had to really belt him to get him out of the gate but he went past all the scary wheelie bins no prob so settled back to relax and enjoy. Got 3/4 way up the lane with no issues and we pulled in to let a bike past.

Well that was it and we needed to go home, span and reared not high but enough. I decided I had enough and wanted to get off then got cross so shortened reins, kicked hard, smacked behind saddle and really rode. Heart was in mouth with how he would react but with a small rear and little jump forward off we went again.

Went out for about 45 mins and led the way most of the way with no further issues. I can't say I enjoyed it and he did test me but we got through it so I am pleased with myself.

Hoping to go to the club tomorrow to hire out the school, will have to see if they can get it booked tomorrow

Happy first entry

OK, well it's the first lesson I have had since officially giving up on never riding kai again

Started working in walk doing figures of 8, stretching over his back and then the same in trot. ensuring getting the bend of the next rein before actually going in that direction.

Back to walk and asking for leg yield on both reins concentrating on keeping slight inside bend as he goes and a steady outside contact. Into trot and I felt he was really soft in my hand and right rein we had some really lovely LY. Left rein is always a bit stickier with him and he only gave a few strides but something to work on.

The we did some shoulder in in trot on the long side and asking for a more forward trot on the short sides to sharpen him up again. Then we changed it and did SI on the short side and asked for medium trot on the long side. Kai tried his heart out and managed about 4 or 5 strides of a massive trot then I collected him back up before he lost his balance but it was a real moment.

Then we did some canter and worked on sending the canter forward then collecting it up before letting him ome back into trot. He has a really bad habit of falling into trot and flinging his left shoulder out to balance himself. We worked on really getting the canter as small as possible before asking for downward trans and we kind of managed it but lots more to practise. Trot canter trans = ask then wait for it to happen. Not ask then will him into canter
seems so easy when you are told isn't it!

Fran said he is going a lot better and today he felt so much more uphill and constant in his outline. Only tried to take my nose off on a few occasions.

Really pleased with him Also have a master plan that once we have moved I will bring him back for fran lessons, will do him good to travel, work then go back but where we both feel safe and comfortable.