Elentári update.....

My little fat baby horse was a total star today. She's been going out in hand and doing ride and lead with Gandalf for a while now, and as she's 3 already, we started her long-reining. She was fine with the equipment, although she looked a the white saddle blanket a bit funny, but didn't mind the surcingle being done up round her rather large belly, or the long reins flapping about. We went off down the quiet little lane along with our friends riding the other 2 horses.

Ali was at her head to start with, but it soon became apparent that she didn't really need her there. She was fine with me walking behind her. Took her a little while to work out the brakes, she was in her new sidepull rather than the rope headcollar she's used to, but she picks things up quickly and although it took a while to respond to pressure on her nose the first time, after a few stops and starts she hardly needed a touch on the reins. When the other two trotted off, she listened when I asked her to stay with me.

In fact, the only problem, inevitably, was the temptation of the grass to either side of her, so I had to make sure she didn't start zigzagging along from verge to verge for a snack! She's been wearing a grazing muzzle all the time since the herd went onto the new grazing for the spring and she's still putting on weight. She's figured out how to eat pretty efficiently with it on, but at least this way she can be out with the others getting plenty of exercise.......

I grabbed a branch on the way back to drag it along behind her and see how she'd react to the noise - she just tried to turn round and eat it......I can see if we ever do any logging, the young hazel shoots won't stand a chance ;-)

When we got back, I decided to try something, so I summoned my crash test dummy and we did this:

She really doesn't worry about the strange stuff we do - as long as she's getting bits of carrot! Good girl :-)

Back to the horses....

So enough ranting and messing about with online awards (for now), and back to what the horses have been up to.....

Have done a couple of lungeing/long lining sessions with Sky. It was somewhat noticeable that Sky seems less than impressed with this idea, I'm pretty sure she thinks she should just be a field ornament. So she decided to try and bog off on the lunge, then did some nice airs above the ground when asked to canter. When these cunning plans failed to result in me going away and leaving her alone to eat grass, she grudgingly got with the programme and did some vaguely reasonable circles on both reins.

But, as with Chester, it is painfully obvious she finds going round in circles a bit dull. So do I, to be honest, so I put on some long reins and took her out for a spin. This resulted in very much more in the way of cooperation, in fact she didn't even look back at Tari, but strode out ahead. And didn't stop and try to eat, either, for a change!

Yes, I know, her tail is disgusting, because she doesn't lift it high enough and poos in it. I do occasionally try to wash it, honest!!

Then today I took the old boy out for a ride, for the first time in weeks due to him having had COPD. He hasn't been coughing for a while though so I thought I'd see what he was like out and about. Turns out he was absolutely fine, we only did about 5kms but a good half of that was at trot (his choice) and a couple of times he broke into a canter without too much distress in the breathing department.

We went over the river for the first time in months and discovered that the calcaire track has been resurfaced with new gravel which seems to meet with Gandalf's approval as he walked and trotted along it quite happily without constantly trying to get on to the verge. And Ches didn't even spook at the plastic-festooned tractor ;-)

More baby training

So anyway, back to the horses. Have been out and about with all three despite last weekend's Arctic conditions. On Saturday we went out with G and Kinna and met the owners of two rather gorgeous Appaloosas we've been quietly admiring for weeks. They were curious about Kinna, as people usually are. We talked for a while (until we got too cold to stay still) and the whole time Kinns was good as gold, stood still even when one of the spotty boys got a bit excited and started hooleying round the field.....

Sunday I long lined Sky alongside Ali on Kinna. Think I kept warmer on foot! Sky was pretty good, we practised one going ahead of the other and that didn't pose to many problems.....

Today I was messing about with using a neckstrap on Sky, she was a bit confused at first but she got the reinback straight away. It works so much better this way that hauling on the horse's mouth; I have ridden more than one horse who has learned to brace against the reins and hollow their back instead of going back. So something to work on there......

Polework......

Kinna was very funny today. Got her and Fina out to do a bit of polework. Put Kinns on the long lines, she decided she'd rather hooley around than pay attention for a bit........eventually got her attention and showed her some poles to walk over, in an attempt to get her to work out where she needs to put her feet which isn't always her strong point.......

What's this?

OK, what do I do now?

Got it, I think!

Then did a bit on just one lunge line, when she was paying attention she was great, but she kept trying to take off after Ali and Fina.....

So after I'd got her to listen to me for a bit, I let her off and she was hilarious......

Ali and Fina were practising bending over poles, she is quite stiff through the neck, particularly to the right, she tends to lean in and "motorbike" rather than bending through her body.

Hopefully doing this kind of thing regularly will help, along with some TTouch massage. Ali is purposefully keeping the reins loose and using her hands as little as possible so Fina doesn't do her arguing and bracing through the neck thing. She decided to try her in the Myler today to see if she went better than in the bitless. With very little rein pressure, she seemed fine with it. Will try her jumping in it next.......

She also tried the circle of poles exercise that she's been shown by Louise, kind of like this, but we're not worrying about the number of strides.....

........some work to do there!

Long reining

Decided to try Sky with the long reins today (well OK, two bits of rope, have lent my long lines to Jane) with a bitless bridle, and she was an absolute star. Ali and Fina came along to give her a lead and she was quite happy to follow along, once she'd realised that snacking was not allowed

We did some trotting, she's pretty fast, I need to get fitter!!

We went all round the village, I thought she might be a bit insecure without someone at her head, but she seemed happy to know I was there behind her.....

She was also OK with Fina cantering off ahead, something I always practise, and she would trot on ahead of Fina.

We even went down to the Boulangerie, funnily enough she was less keen to go on ahead of me once I had some still warm baguettes under my arm!!!

Love my spotty girl :-)

Kinna does some long reining.....

The snow is showing no signs of leaving, so I have decided to carry on trying to work the horses regardless. We got out the proper grown up horse stuff today (well alright, the felt saddle we used to have for the pony) and tacked Kinna up.

No problems with that, she's had a saddle on before. Then we added some long lines and went for it.....

And she did really well, I had Ali at her head to start with til she got the idea and then she was fine, despite various distracions and my happy "helper"........good job Kinna knows all about long ropes and how not to get tangled in them!!

Afterwards I took the long lines off and let her wander about witrh the saddle on, so naturally she tried rolling in it, which is why I use the old pony saddle!!! Once she realised she couldn't get rid of it, she gave up and went over to give Chester a hard time......

Quite pleased with that for a first go.