Luckily I had an easy day before my lesson today, opposed to yesterday's 6 horses to ride. I just had one to hack out which was lovely, then went to pizza hut for lunch which poor Squirrel probably didn't appreciate as I ate at least half a stone worth of pizza!
Luckily the rain and wind had died down slightly when we arrived at Warren's. I popped the dressage saddle on as felt we needed a bit of a push in our flatwork to stop it getting a bit aimless. Well, afterwards I was glad for the easy day as my muscles are screaming at me!
We worked basically on our wonkyness. On the left rain, especially, I have a habit of drawing my inside hand acros the withers to attempt to stop him from falling in. Only this brings my shoulders forwards, Squirrel sets himself against my hand, my knee ends up gripping and I'm falling out to the outside.
So we were working on me keeping my inside hand out. Occasionally he got me to ride with it by my thigh (mainly whilst spiralling in from a 20m circle in trot, then going into canter and spiralling back out) as it kept my posture more open, my inside shoulder back. I had to try and keep my outside seatbone in the middle of the saddle to allow him to move his hind legs under him. Also not forgetting to stop my outside elbow flapping like a chicken! He also got me to ride with "flat hands". Basically holding the reins almost upside down with my fingers on top and thumbs facing his ears. This was interesting as it stopped me doing too much with my hands, and I was surprised to find Squirrel actually stayed in a lovely outline PROVIDED I was keeping my shoulders in the right place, opening my knee and not flapping my elbow. Interesting.
It was hard on me. I felt Squirrel didn't do a lot but when I untacked him he had sweated more than normal. I guess he was having to balance himself which required more effort than just leaning on me! I'm certainly feeling it now, and looking forward to testing it on the horses when I'm working tomorrow!
Thursday 31 January 2013
Long time no post
Well, evidently summer 2011 became a busy, happy one as apparantly I had no time to post!
Time to dust off the cobwebs and bring it to life I think.
A quick recap of the last 18 months. We finished 2011 competing at BE100, with placings at BE90. Unfortunately the rider was sacked at the last event where we had a 29 dressage, clear sj and rider had sat nav problems XC and missed a fence.
Luckily rider was reinstated and we left the comforts at home to work at a competition livery yard full of promises regarding lessons with Yogi Breisner and such like.
I found the transition difficult to say the least. I hated how my horse was kept; minimal turnout and limited hay, my lessons were infrequent and my boss patronising and rude at best. I gave it a good shot and stayed there for 6 months before the other staff began getting sacked left right and centre and so I bode a hasty retreat.
I moved myself and Squirrel to Gubby Leech's yard in Salisbury. This was more like it! It was backbreakingly hard work, a minimum of 60 hours a week and days could be up to 18 hours long, for a measly £50 a week. But I learnt a lot. I learnt how to get a tune out of a variety of horses, I improved my instincts, I learnt how to feed and fitten the event horse. I learnt what was required at the top level; the sweat, the gruelling long days, the dedication and the passion. Weeks I was eventing meant I was on the go, doing horses 7 days a week.
I left at the end of the season as I missed home and quite frankly, although I enjoyed my time there, I was tired of not having a life. When I got home I was a quivering wreck, it was all I could do to collapse on the sofa and not go right to sleep. So enough was enough.
I am now a freelance rider/groom. My clients vary from the family yard who needs to keep the horses fit through to schooling the novice owner's 4 year old. I have a couple of lovely horses lined up to do some unaffiliated competing with. I really hope I will be able to prove myself and perhaps get a ride BE.
Last season Squirrel and I became very established at BE100, our best result being a 30 d/c and close second at Tweseldown. We had a stab going novice but encountered some setbacks. He started throwing in some stops, so we had his hocks x-rayed. He had bone changes so needed his hocks medicated. Once he came back, we still weren't quite right as I had lost confidence and so had he. We dropped down a level and got our form back, although I lost my brain in time for the regionals (riding a terrible line to a skinny at Daunstey leading to a run out, and going wrong in my dressage AND missing out a fence at larkhill), and then had a really pathetic fall at Aldon 3DBE100.
Squirrel had a well deserved month off, with me vowing to get my head back in the game ready for next year.
So here we are. The event season is looming.
Squirrel is going very nicely, we've been out competing twice, winning both our dressage tests a couple of weeks ago with 76.2% and 67.8% (different judges and he was tired in the second test!), and gaining a 6th and 4th at some Arena Hunter trials last week.
We've started training with Warren Lampard and planning our season ahead.
Time to dust off the cobwebs and bring it to life I think.
A quick recap of the last 18 months. We finished 2011 competing at BE100, with placings at BE90. Unfortunately the rider was sacked at the last event where we had a 29 dressage, clear sj and rider had sat nav problems XC and missed a fence.
Luckily rider was reinstated and we left the comforts at home to work at a competition livery yard full of promises regarding lessons with Yogi Breisner and such like.
I found the transition difficult to say the least. I hated how my horse was kept; minimal turnout and limited hay, my lessons were infrequent and my boss patronising and rude at best. I gave it a good shot and stayed there for 6 months before the other staff began getting sacked left right and centre and so I bode a hasty retreat.
I moved myself and Squirrel to Gubby Leech's yard in Salisbury. This was more like it! It was backbreakingly hard work, a minimum of 60 hours a week and days could be up to 18 hours long, for a measly £50 a week. But I learnt a lot. I learnt how to get a tune out of a variety of horses, I improved my instincts, I learnt how to feed and fitten the event horse. I learnt what was required at the top level; the sweat, the gruelling long days, the dedication and the passion. Weeks I was eventing meant I was on the go, doing horses 7 days a week.
I left at the end of the season as I missed home and quite frankly, although I enjoyed my time there, I was tired of not having a life. When I got home I was a quivering wreck, it was all I could do to collapse on the sofa and not go right to sleep. So enough was enough.
I am now a freelance rider/groom. My clients vary from the family yard who needs to keep the horses fit through to schooling the novice owner's 4 year old. I have a couple of lovely horses lined up to do some unaffiliated competing with. I really hope I will be able to prove myself and perhaps get a ride BE.
Last season Squirrel and I became very established at BE100, our best result being a 30 d/c and close second at Tweseldown. We had a stab going novice but encountered some setbacks. He started throwing in some stops, so we had his hocks x-rayed. He had bone changes so needed his hocks medicated. Once he came back, we still weren't quite right as I had lost confidence and so had he. We dropped down a level and got our form back, although I lost my brain in time for the regionals (riding a terrible line to a skinny at Daunstey leading to a run out, and going wrong in my dressage AND missing out a fence at larkhill), and then had a really pathetic fall at Aldon 3DBE100.
Squirrel had a well deserved month off, with me vowing to get my head back in the game ready for next year.
So here we are. The event season is looming.
Squirrel is going very nicely, we've been out competing twice, winning both our dressage tests a couple of weeks ago with 76.2% and 67.8% (different judges and he was tired in the second test!), and gaining a 6th and 4th at some Arena Hunter trials last week.
We've started training with Warren Lampard and planning our season ahead.
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