Just got in from the yard now, and thought I would update straight away. I took my mum with me today as I felt so much better the other day having someone else there. I rode in the indoor for 15 minutes just working on circles in walk, then finished with a 15 metre circle in trot on both reins and turning down the centre line with a trot to halt to finish on. This is the first time in a couple of weeks I felt like trotting, rather than just feeling like I had to.
As we didn't really work on anything in particular I can't really write much about the process or training I did today, I only worked on circles and bends. However this is really useful for Diesel as he still finds circles rather difficult, particularly smaller circles of 10 or 8 metres, so this really helps to improve his balance. Riding circles also encourages young horses to step under with their hind legs more. Mum said there was an obvious difference between a straight line and a circle with regards to him stepping under. As Diesel gets fitter I will work more on circles/bends/serpentines in walk and trot to improve his general balance and impulsion.
And as a final note - I hope everyone has had a good Father's Day!
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
Road safety
Just a quick post to share a link I found in a letter in this months Horse & Rider magazine, regarding horse safety on the roads. This website has advice on safety as well as an incident report centre and a map of road incidents. I think everyone should check this out as road safety is so important. My last horse who I had on loan died in a road accident, so I know just how important road safety is.
Here is the link: http://www.horseaccidents.org.uk/
Please check it out!
Thanks for reading
Here is the link: http://www.horseaccidents.org.uk/
Please check it out!
Thanks for reading
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Nerves again and a shakey ride
Today was another nervous ride but I didn't set an aim for the ride, just to have a walk round on my own until I feel a bit better. As I went into the indoor another rider joined us, so I waited for them to finish before riding myself, as I didn't want a repeat of Tuesday. Diesel stood very nicely watching the mare walk round, however this 10 minute wait just led to me becoming anxious again and working myself up. In hindsight I should really have got on, but hindsight is a wonderful thing!
After the mare left the indoor I mounted and Diesel was very tense from the start as he just wanted to follow the other horse out of the arena, and he spent the entire time I rode him shouting to the others on the yard (several horses were kept in for the farrier). As I was feeling anxious again I just rode for a few minutes, on a 20 metre circle between E and B, with a ground pole at both letters, working on halting square as I crossed the centre line and stepping nicely over the poles without changing the speed or rhythm of the walk.
I really do wish I could get over this nervous block so I can do more work with Diesel and enjoy riding him again. It is my lesson in 9 days, and I am really looking forward to it! Any tips or advice are still appreciated!
There won't be any posts for a few days as I am away at my boyfriend's until Sunday evening, I aim to ride on Sunday, so I will post if do.
Thanks for reading!
After the mare left the indoor I mounted and Diesel was very tense from the start as he just wanted to follow the other horse out of the arena, and he spent the entire time I rode him shouting to the others on the yard (several horses were kept in for the farrier). As I was feeling anxious again I just rode for a few minutes, on a 20 metre circle between E and B, with a ground pole at both letters, working on halting square as I crossed the centre line and stepping nicely over the poles without changing the speed or rhythm of the walk.
I really do wish I could get over this nervous block so I can do more work with Diesel and enjoy riding him again. It is my lesson in 9 days, and I am really looking forward to it! Any tips or advice are still appreciated!
There won't be any posts for a few days as I am away at my boyfriend's until Sunday evening, I aim to ride on Sunday, so I will post if do.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Caldene Crystal Reins Review
I realised today I have only had these reins for about 2 1/2 weeks, so I will do a review of them.
The first point is that these reins look fantastic on. The crystal section is not too big to be overpowering so remains subtle. These reins are certainly not to everyones taste, and seem to inspire awe or ridicule in my fellow horse owners.
On a practical note the reins are very soft and supple, and the pony size is great, not too long to dangle around Diesel's feet, and not too short so as I am riding holding the buckle with no room to give with the reins. The only negative comment I can make on this product is that the reins slip through my gloves fairly easily, and I find myself readjusting them a lot. A rubber backing to add grip would have greatly improved these reins.
This picture shows the full length of the crystal section
I am very impressed with this product and would recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of extra 'bling' on their tack!
The first point is that these reins look fantastic on. The crystal section is not too big to be overpowering so remains subtle. These reins are certainly not to everyones taste, and seem to inspire awe or ridicule in my fellow horse owners.
On a practical note the reins are very soft and supple, and the pony size is great, not too long to dangle around Diesel's feet, and not too short so as I am riding holding the buckle with no room to give with the reins. The only negative comment I can make on this product is that the reins slip through my gloves fairly easily, and I find myself readjusting them a lot. A rubber backing to add grip would have greatly improved these reins.
This picture shows the full length of the crystal section
I am very impressed with this product and would recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of extra 'bling' on their tack!
Shires Elasticated Girth Review
So I tried this girth on Diesel on Monday and I was very impressed with the look and the fit. The padded girth seemed soft and supple and the girth looked smart on Diesel. It fit beautifully and the 44" girth's shaped section fitted perfectly behind his legs. A few negatives came up at this point however, the girth was very difficult to do up, although I think this is because I am used to the extra 'reach' from a humane girth. The girth is also very wide and the width of the 44" is the same as that of the longer girths, so on my 13.2hh pony it does look rather wide, this may well just require some time to get used to the girth. The elasticated segment is cream, which is a major negative for me as it really stands out on my black pony with black tack, and I think a darker elastic would be more in keeping with the girth.
Overall view showing the elastic insert
Close up of elastic insert
Close up showing the width of the girth compared to the saddle
Yesterday and today I rode with this girth. Yesterday as I mounted from the ground the saddle slipped despite the stirrup being held for me, as the elastic grip is not enough to off set the roundness and lack of withers on Diesel, which is a drawback as it makes mounting from the ground impossible. I had a better ride in it today (see my previous blog post), and found the fit to be very good and the girth stayed in place without slipping forwards or back while riding. After untacking I noticed that the girth area was very sweaty, and as we had not worked hard and it was not a hot day I can only think that it is the material that the girth is made from making him sweat.
Overall I am not overly impressed with this girth. It does fit nicely, have a nice amount of padding and look smart other than a few minor concerns. In practicality it makes Diesel sweat, so may rub despite the padding, and the elastic inserts make the saddle slipping a problem. I cannot judge yet how the girth is affecting Diesel so I will reserve judgement on this for a few days.
Overall view showing the elastic insert
Close up of elastic insert
Close up showing the width of the girth compared to the saddle
Yesterday and today I rode with this girth. Yesterday as I mounted from the ground the saddle slipped despite the stirrup being held for me, as the elastic grip is not enough to off set the roundness and lack of withers on Diesel, which is a drawback as it makes mounting from the ground impossible. I had a better ride in it today (see my previous blog post), and found the fit to be very good and the girth stayed in place without slipping forwards or back while riding. After untacking I noticed that the girth area was very sweaty, and as we had not worked hard and it was not a hot day I can only think that it is the material that the girth is made from making him sweat.
Overall I am not overly impressed with this girth. It does fit nicely, have a nice amount of padding and look smart other than a few minor concerns. In practicality it makes Diesel sweat, so may rub despite the padding, and the elastic inserts make the saddle slipping a problem. I cannot judge yet how the girth is affecting Diesel so I will reserve judgement on this for a few days.
Sorry for the late post - complete confidence crisis
I had a very rough day yesterday so didn't get round to posting on here, so today I have a bumper lot of posts, with this, my update for the day, and two (yes two!) reviews.
So anyways, the reason for all the distress yesterday was a complete loss of confidence, to the point I was actually considering giving up horse riding all together. I am unsure as to what exactly happened, but I was riding Diesel yesterday, practicing for the dressage competition with a friend of mine with her horse. After a few minutes of warming up Diesel started to play up, spooking and spinning on the spot in an attempt to get to the other horse. Instead of riding through it (I feel awful and very stupid admitting this), I just burst into tears and got off. I tried to get back on again but couldn't bring myself to get back into the saddle. I had a sit on my friends horse, a very steady and safe mare, and I couldn't even pluck up the courage to do more than walk once around the arena. It was a complete confidence crisis, and I left the yard in tears and remained upset for the rest of the night. After a talk with my very long suffering boyfriend I was convinced to carry on, and taking advice from a comment already on this blog (thanks Carol) I decided to slow things down and take things back to basics while I get my confidence back again. I also decided to remove my entry to the dressage competition until I feel more confident (again on advice from Carol). So that is the news on my random but complete loss of confidence yesterday.
So onto today. As I was feeling nervous I asked my Dad to come and watch me ride. This may sound silly but there is method to the madness, my dad knows me well and knows how to motivate me into doing something. So I got on Diesel and started walking and working on circles and straightness. After about 5 minutes he started to nap and I became nervous again, however my dad would not let me get off and made me ride through it (It's amazing how at 23, I still feel obliged to do what my parents say!), and I instantly felt a lot more confident. I hadn't planned on trotting until I was feeling more confident again, but was told in no uncertain terms that we were not leaving the arena until I had done. This may seem harsh but I am very grateful as I had a fantastic ride and feel a lot better. It is going to take a while for me to get my confidence back properly, but I will keep blogging about everything that happens.
As for the training today (as I really do need to include more about the training on this blog). I continued working on the free walk on a long rein, and now Diesel has stopped upping the pace when I give with the reins I can start asking him to stretch forward and down. I find with Diesel that this is easier to achieve on a bend or circle than across a diagonal. While he still has a habit of taking off I taken to leaning forward and giving with my hands up his neck, although this looks very inelegant it means I can quickly regain control and bring him back to walk without too much 'fiddling' of the reins. I also worked on straightness by aligning the centre a ground pole with the centre line and riding loops along the long sides of the arena and down the centre line over the pole, forming an elongated figure-of-eight. I added random halts around the figure to ensure Diesel was still listening to my aids and not working on autopilot. I always remember a tip I read in a riding magazine many years ago to help straightness and I have always found it works for me. If you visualise a narrow corridor along the line (straight or bending) that you are riding that you and your horse just fit through, then as you ride along it visualise the corridor and that you cant touch the walls, and this encourages you to close your legs on and help keep the horse straight. It has always worked for me!
Tomorrow I am riding early in the morning (oh the joy of early mornings...), and I plan to do a bit more trotting, maybe work on a few 20metre circles in trot to aid balance. I will have to see how confident I am feeling tomorrow. If anyone has any tips on confidence or wants to share any experiences or ask any questions then please feel free! Now onto my reviews.
So anyways, the reason for all the distress yesterday was a complete loss of confidence, to the point I was actually considering giving up horse riding all together. I am unsure as to what exactly happened, but I was riding Diesel yesterday, practicing for the dressage competition with a friend of mine with her horse. After a few minutes of warming up Diesel started to play up, spooking and spinning on the spot in an attempt to get to the other horse. Instead of riding through it (I feel awful and very stupid admitting this), I just burst into tears and got off. I tried to get back on again but couldn't bring myself to get back into the saddle. I had a sit on my friends horse, a very steady and safe mare, and I couldn't even pluck up the courage to do more than walk once around the arena. It was a complete confidence crisis, and I left the yard in tears and remained upset for the rest of the night. After a talk with my very long suffering boyfriend I was convinced to carry on, and taking advice from a comment already on this blog (thanks Carol) I decided to slow things down and take things back to basics while I get my confidence back again. I also decided to remove my entry to the dressage competition until I feel more confident (again on advice from Carol). So that is the news on my random but complete loss of confidence yesterday.
So onto today. As I was feeling nervous I asked my Dad to come and watch me ride. This may sound silly but there is method to the madness, my dad knows me well and knows how to motivate me into doing something. So I got on Diesel and started walking and working on circles and straightness. After about 5 minutes he started to nap and I became nervous again, however my dad would not let me get off and made me ride through it (It's amazing how at 23, I still feel obliged to do what my parents say!), and I instantly felt a lot more confident. I hadn't planned on trotting until I was feeling more confident again, but was told in no uncertain terms that we were not leaving the arena until I had done. This may seem harsh but I am very grateful as I had a fantastic ride and feel a lot better. It is going to take a while for me to get my confidence back properly, but I will keep blogging about everything that happens.
As for the training today (as I really do need to include more about the training on this blog). I continued working on the free walk on a long rein, and now Diesel has stopped upping the pace when I give with the reins I can start asking him to stretch forward and down. I find with Diesel that this is easier to achieve on a bend or circle than across a diagonal. While he still has a habit of taking off I taken to leaning forward and giving with my hands up his neck, although this looks very inelegant it means I can quickly regain control and bring him back to walk without too much 'fiddling' of the reins. I also worked on straightness by aligning the centre a ground pole with the centre line and riding loops along the long sides of the arena and down the centre line over the pole, forming an elongated figure-of-eight. I added random halts around the figure to ensure Diesel was still listening to my aids and not working on autopilot. I always remember a tip I read in a riding magazine many years ago to help straightness and I have always found it works for me. If you visualise a narrow corridor along the line (straight or bending) that you are riding that you and your horse just fit through, then as you ride along it visualise the corridor and that you cant touch the walls, and this encourages you to close your legs on and help keep the horse straight. It has always worked for me!
Tomorrow I am riding early in the morning (oh the joy of early mornings...), and I plan to do a bit more trotting, maybe work on a few 20metre circles in trot to aid balance. I will have to see how confident I am feeling tomorrow. If anyone has any tips on confidence or wants to share any experiences or ask any questions then please feel free! Now onto my reviews.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Another day off for Diesel
So another day today with no riding, this competition is getting closer and closer! The indoor school was being used today and the outdoor school and jumping field were both waterlogged, no use for even lunging in. The good news is that I tried the new girth on Diesel and took some photos, so after I have had a chance to ride in it tomorrow I will post a review.
I found out last night that Your Horse Live tickets are now on sale, and even better, that my favourite rider, Geoff Billington, will be doing a demonstration. So thats something to look forward too, I will have to start saving some money already!
I have booked the indoor school for tomorrow, wednesday and thursday, so hopefully there will be some more interesting blog posts rather than me chatting away. I am planning to ride the test in walk tomorrow, then continue working on the free walk.
I have also booked my first lesson with a dressage instuctor, as I now think Diesel is capable of concentrating for a half hour lesson with a couple of breaks (whether or not I am ready is yet to be seen!). The lesson is at 1pm on the day of the dressage competition, which is at 6, so this will be a very busy day indeed. This gives me time to practice the test, and still gives me time to withdraw my entry if I don't think we are up to it.
Thank you to everyone for reading, and if anyone has any tips for dressage competitions, particularly on picking up marks, then please let me know.
I found out last night that Your Horse Live tickets are now on sale, and even better, that my favourite rider, Geoff Billington, will be doing a demonstration. So thats something to look forward too, I will have to start saving some money already!
I have booked the indoor school for tomorrow, wednesday and thursday, so hopefully there will be some more interesting blog posts rather than me chatting away. I am planning to ride the test in walk tomorrow, then continue working on the free walk.
I have also booked my first lesson with a dressage instuctor, as I now think Diesel is capable of concentrating for a half hour lesson with a couple of breaks (whether or not I am ready is yet to be seen!). The lesson is at 1pm on the day of the dressage competition, which is at 6, so this will be a very busy day indeed. This gives me time to practice the test, and still gives me time to withdraw my entry if I don't think we are up to it.
Thank you to everyone for reading, and if anyone has any tips for dressage competitions, particularly on picking up marks, then please let me know.
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