Reinstalling the right lead

I got a new pony a month or so ago, one who has done several years of Pony Club and ODEs and all the rest – things that involve cantering in both directions. She had been out of work when she arrived, and due to lack of fitness & strength and/or the lapsed schooling, she decided she could really only canter on the left lead.

I’ve had once of my intermediate riders, who adores her, ride her for the past couple of weeks, and with persistence they could get and sometimes hold a right canter, but it was harder than it should have been.

On Monday I had space on the float and spare daylight hours, so took an extra one of the school ponies along for the afternoon lesson, and schooled her myself after my rider had ridden the other pony. My aim was to help her ‘rediscover’ she can in fact pick up the right lead reliably and without fuss. We worked on the lunge first, and she was okay, but didn’t become as consistent as I would like. I got on and rode, and after a few small arguments she did become much more consistent and calm. I still needed to set her up well for each transition though, so we will work away at that until she will do it nicely even if her rider is not pushing the buttons perfectly :o).

Her usual rider rode her tonight for her group lesson, and her right canter was a lot better. She picked it up correctly about 75% of the time (vs 25% before), and didn’t break or cross-canter. [Except when we worked on cantering over a pole – but that was her rider’s issue, and when ridden correctly she was fine :).]

It will be worth squeezing in another couple of schooling sessions, perhaps one a week for a couple of weeks, to make sure she gets well tuned up. In fact, I would like to ride the school ponies more in general… if only it would just stop raining!

A fine weekend

The four-day run of teaching from Friday through Monday can feel just that – a run – when I’ve caved in and booked out my lunch breaks, the weather’s marginal, I’m not as organised as I should be, or I haven’t had a day off in several weeks [pick any two].

This wasn’t one of those weekends. The weather was great, especially for winter. The riders were happy, ponies well behaved, parents easy to deal with ;). And my schedule was well under control.

Saturday found me at a small dressage day with pleasant people and a generous mentor judge. It was an enriching day that refreshed my outlook. I started judge training (at a very low level, of course) for my own education and it has been so beneficial. It’s a bit like teaching something – you really have to learn it in a deep way to apply it to others.

The weekend’s three group lessons went particularly well, with the top group delighting in a new level of independence, the young group doing the best trotting they have collectively done, and a new mix of riders in the middle group lifting their game. There were a couple of new(ish) riders having private lessons, and they were just so thrilled to bits to be there.

Failed dinner plans left me on the couch with tender roast lamb, piles of salad, a glass of wine and some fancy chocolate, secretly enjoying the unexpected downtime. That kind of weekend gives me the energy to face paperwork today… long may it continue!

In brief

In the last year and a half, a lot has happened, and a lot has not happened.

The farmlet is still here, in a temporary state of semi-construction as things get built/levelled/changed all over it. It’s still awesome, and we have 10 extra acres right across the road to graze now too. It has been a huge help – easiest winter ever!

Sadly, my two big girls are gone – one given away, one suddenly put down not long after due to colic. That was a big blow, and a big mental adjustment. I still feel bewildered, but try not to dwell on the ‘what ifs’. Life has hard choices and sudden twists, and you can only make your best call at any given time. There are no guarantees, that’s for sure.

I’m running my own little riding school, four days per week. I have five school horses – and adore them to bits. It’s been running a year now and is going better than I ever imagined. I’m working in an office the other three days a week, so life gets pretty busy sometimes :).

While there are lots of equine sweethearts on the property, I do plan on looking for a horse of my own again in spring. I’m enjoying having a bit of emotional decompression time, and I’m planning on doing a small amount of dressage on one of the school horses in the meantime, but I do want a horse to call my own again. I’m prowling latest listings of horses for sale, but holding off on actually calling – for now ;).

We have an eerie blue moon here tonight – beautiful and yellow, half covered in clouds. The shortest day was not long ago, and sunset is coming a little more slowly, but I was grateful for the moonlight to unload the last of the ponies by.

Dipping my toe back in the water

… Is anyone still out there? :o)

Who knows, but I logged on to the blog to search for an old video and got pulled into re-reading old blog posts. It was surprisingly interesting and useful to have all that past stuff recorded – dates, times, scores, notes. It made me think I might even want to – blog again? Not every day. But enough to keep track of things.

Let’s give it a go.

Horse dealings and farmlet buying

It’s been months, and a lot has happened! Three key bits of news in brief …

1. Elven was sold to a competitive young girl who has had him out and about at local shows. (And CAN I JUST SAY, he’s doing quite well! I’m such a proud mama.)
2. I got a new horse – another bay mare.  This one is a bit special, and I feel rather delighted to own her. More on her later.
3. WE BOUGHT LAND!

Said land

I cannot tell you how EXCITED I am. Capslock cannot do justice to my manic joy. We don’t move in until 31 January, but I guess I can wait. Tomorrow would be a much better move in date!

We will have 5 grazable acres – with a flat 40x70m paddock suitable to ride in – and sheds that will be perfect as a sort of barn once we modify them. There’s also the only good bridle trail in the area and a couple of sand arenas a short drive away. The property efficiently laid out and there are good gardens – at least they will be good when I get my hands on them – and a small greenhouse and a separate garden shed. There are three garages (hello hay storage) and one of my FAVOURITE features –  a ride on lawnmower!

A mile down the road at the village there is a well-stocked garage, a cafe and a good country school  for our future children. The location in relation to town is just what we wanted, too. Oh, and there is a solid house (clearly not my priority, ha), which is totally suitable and in good condition albeit not flash. Basically – it’s perfect for us, and I couldn’t be happier.

We weren’t even really looking … we didn’t even have our house on the market. But it all just fell into place. What a Christmas present!