British Dressage Jinxed! - 29th November - 15th December

I’ve had a bit of a disappointing few weeks. I was really excited about having my lesson with Sue on Friday, and doing my first British Dressage competition the following day at Windmill Farm but unfortunately, this wasn’t meant to be! I warmed Guinness up for my lesson only to find that he was a little ‘hoppy’ on his near hind. He is always a little stiff to start with, especially if he has been standing in his box for a while but this improves once he’s warmed up. However, this was different and although most of the time he felt fine, every now and then he would ’skip’ a little with his off hind so that was that!! I was gutted to miss my lesson and this also meant I wouldn’t be going to Windmill the next day. I started to feel I’m obviously not meant to do a BD as 2 weeks ago when I was entered for Oaklands, Guinness had a fat knee the morning of the competition and I couldn’t go to that either.

We think he may have just strained or tweaked something in the field as the stable girls had said the horses had been haring around that day, so I kept him in all of Saturday so he couldn’t make it any worse.

Elaine at Windmill very kindly let me pass my entry to Dawn, so at the last minute we changed plans and I platted up ‘Biggie’ and Martina, Dawn and I took Big instead. Dawn was not really sure what to expect having not practised for the test and Big hadn’t been ridden for 3 days!

Jane with Kenny at my yard was also competing at Windmill in an unaffiliated prelim class and kindly let me ride her horse Kenny in the 2^nd Prelim. It was nice to still be able to compete (and not waste all my money!) and it was good practise for me. Kenny is completely different to Guinness. Apart from being a bit smaller, he is also very tense and I spent 40 minutes before my test trying to get him soft and relaxed. He immediately tensed up when we went into the main arena, but despite this there were a few nice parts and I was pleased. It was also a valuable learning experience for me, as I don’t ride that many different horses these days with all the time I put into Guinness.

It was also Dawns birthday that day and so Biggie got to wear his smart new travel sheet (Dawns birthday pressie!) and we ate lemon drizzle birthday cake. Dawn rode an immaculate test and recorded a new personal best of over 72%!!!

Celebrations!

In the evening Martina, Dave and I all went out for dinner in London to celebrate Dawn’s birthday. Although I’m only 28, I don’t go out much (I’m more of an early morning person!) but I made a special exception for Dawny. We met Dawn’s long time friend Kirsty at her house near Hyde Park where she runs a riding school. It was fascinating to see how horses live in central London. Concealed within a little mews, you have no idea horses live there until you peeped through the grating and see 8 very relaxed horses quietly munching on their haynets in standing stalls. Each stall has excellent drainage so all the muck runs straight out down a gulley and is filled with a straw bed. Although the horses are always tied up, they have their own little space with their haynet and water and some were even lying down snoozing peacefully. I was fascinated by this, but in reality this is how all the horses would have been stabled back in the days when horses were a part of every day life in London, and these horses were certainly very content.

After we’d had a nose around, we walked round the corner and had a lovely Chinese meal together and all of Dawn’s friends were equally as entertaining as she is!

Still lame!

Back to Guinness…. I turned him out on Sunday and popped him on the lunge in the afternoon to see if he was still ‘hoppy’. I couldn’t notice anything unusual but in walk I could definitely hear something clicking in his off hind but only in walk. I did some internet research when I got home and this clicking sound is apparently the tendon or ligaments, clicking as they pass over the joint and if the horse isn’t lame, there’s nothing to worry about. Nether the less, I shall keep my eye on it (or ear!) as I’m sure it has never done this before (or maybe I’ve just never noticed??).

Guinness had another couple of days off and on Wednesday I took him for a walk round the woods. He was clearly not right and disinclined to go forward and un-level in trot so I decided it was best to keep him stabled to see if this helped.

On Thursday I popped up to the yard to see Guinness and give him a bit of attention whilst he’s stuck in his box. I took him to pick at some grass and would you believe it, his head got stuck again! If you follow my blog you will know what I’m talking about but Guinness randomly seems to get his head stuck in grazing position and then cannot lift it. It’s the most bizarre thing to witness and my vets are none the wiser to what could be the cause, but we’ve worked out that walking on circles and encouraging him to stretch sideways means he recovers within about 10 minutes. After an ‘episode’ you wouldn’t know there is anything wrong!

Visit from the vets

On Friday morning, Mark from Park Vets came to see Guinness. We investigated the off-hind and typically, Guinness was sound, even when we did a low level and hind level flexion test. On the lunge in walk the clicking was audible and Mark identified that it was coming from both of his stifles. He explained that a horse has 3 ligaments that run over the equivalent of their knee joint (the stifle) and that when they are at rest the knee cap actually moves to one side into a little nook. When they move it moves into the groove where it sits with the 3 ligaments running over it and the clicking noise is the sound of the knee cap moving against the ligaments. Many horses always click and it doesn’t cause any problems at all.

We discussed the ‘head stuck on the floor’ issue and decided as we are still none the wiser to the cause, that he should be referred to Newmarket for a thorough investigation. Now does seem to be the best time to try to resolve this as I’d rather do it now than leave it and have problems during next years eventing season. So it’s off to the insurance company for approval before Guinness can go to horsy hospital. What I’m going to do with myself whilst he’s away – I have no idea!!!!

A bit of everything ......17th - 25th November

Plan change after poorly knee

After Guinness knee was swollen on Sunday he had 3 days off work and cold hosing on it twice a day. By Wednesday all the swelling had dispersed and I took Guinness for a very sedate walk round the woods with Jodie and Tom before work. Despite not being ridden for 3 days he was very laid back! All the swelling and heat is now gone from his knee and because we missed the British Dressage competition at Oaklands, I’ve changed my plans and I’m now entered for the BD competition at Windmill Farm in Chalfont st Giles on 26^th November, instead of doing the indoor hunter trial at BCA the same weekend. Those who know me well will be stunned to hear I’ve chosen to do dressage over jumping but the truth is I really enjoy my dressage, especially as Guinness is so capable and really seems to enjoy it too.

It has also recently been by birthday and I must say a big thanks to my very generous Mum and Dad as Guinness and I are now a ‘proper’ dressage combination and are now full British Dressage members! I’m really looking forward to mixing my eventing with lots of dressage next year!

Last few early morning hacks of the year!

It’s much darker in the mornings now and I’ve enjoyed the last few hacks I will be able to fit in before work. I took Guinness around the forestry which is a lovely bridleway near my yard and despite not having ridden this route for a long time (and the suspicious fluffy new residents in the adjacent fields,) I was extremely proud of Guinness who looked but didn’t stop once. We had a lovely canter along some of the tracks and I realised how incredibly proud I am of my unbelievably grown up 5 year old thoroughbred.

When I look back at all the difficulties we’ve overcome, primarily confidence when hacking, I find it astounding that I can now take Guinness anywhere and no matter what we come across he is able to process and assess anything he may naturally be frightened of, and overcome it. Plus being able to canter in the wood and fields with only my voice needed to send him forwards and only my breathing required to slow him down, I am amazed at what a fabulous all round horse I own, and it’s nice just to take stock of how far we have come together.

Chloe rides Guinness!

On my birthday Chloe and I went for a hack together, only this time I rode my old boy, Donald (who’s 23 years old now) and Chloe rode Guinness. There was a lot for her to take in as I have taught Guinness on a lot of voice and breathing aids which Chloe isn’t used to but after our hack Chloe was very complimentary about how well I’ve trained Guinness and I felt very proud. I have to say, Donald hasn’t changed much at all and (I’m sure he only does it because he knows it’s me) he bucked several times when we cantered and I couldn’t stop because I was laughing too hard! Chloe is now feeling confident enough to hack Guinness out on her own and will take him out for me once a week in the day time, as it’s too dark before work anymore and weekends are often taken up with competitions and lessons.

Jumping practise

I also did some jumping with Jodie and Tom in the school. I haven’t jumped since the South Bucks Riding Club Hunter Trials back in October, and we are aiming to go to Patchetts in December for some Christmas showjumping. I set up two cross poles, with 2 strides in between, and a placing pole at both ends and practised controlling the shoulder and impulsion in the canter. I used 15m canter circles and loops 5 metres in from the track down the other side of the school to ensure I had the shoulder ‘up’ enough to make the turn without loosing the impulsion and rhythm. A couple of times I turned too early, so I placed a cone for me to go round as part of the training exercise. We then progressed to 2 uprights which made it easier to drift and not stay straight but we managed to stay fairly central. Overall I was extremely pleased with Guinness.

A visit from the dentist (smile!)

Guinness has also had his routine 6 monthly visit from the equine dentist. I had a feeling some of his teeth were getting a bit sharp as recently he has been tilting his head marginally and this is usually his little sign that he needs doing, so I called Kay from Grant Chanter to arrange his appointment a month early. It’s always fascinating watching his teeth being done, and as suspected, a dominant molar on the roof of his mouth had worn a ‘dip’ in to the molars on the bottom of the jaw and consequently there were two quite sharp points. His teeth erupt quite quickly (mostly because he is young) and a 6 monthly visit is appropriate at the moment but when he gets older he will gradually be able to go longer and longer between visits (up to a year).

I think Kay is amazing as she always explains everything so thoroughly and lets me feel around in Guinness mouth so I can appreciate what she means and as always I’m full of questions which she is always more than happy to answer!

Lesson for my Mum

I also enjoyed some teaching this week. My Mum is a very good but nervous rider, and she regular hacks out my old horse Donald, who is a 16.2 Thoroughbred X. Despite being in his mid 20’s he can still be quirky and has ditched her a few times and with the daylight limited she wants to be able to ride in the arena. Donald can be quite lazy in the school and so we worked on getting him off the leg. I took Mum’s spurs away and gave her a schooling whip instead. Instead of nagging him with her leg, Mum was instructed to give Donald a clear kick (backed up with a tap from the schooling whip if he was unresponsive) and then immediately take the leg away. Nagging with the leg is a difficult habit to get out of, but ultimately the horse should go forward at the pace you dictate until you instruct them otherwise, and this is what we’ve started to work towards. We only did about 30 minutes but by the end Mum was doing trot – halt –trot transitions without her spurs or whip! She was beaming and so proud of herself and I was proud of her too!

Monday 14th November – High’s and Lows

Wintry days!

2 weeks since the Chiltern and Thames Champs and winter is well and truly here. Guinness is now clipped and between Chloe (my sister) and I, we managed it without too many problems. Chloe was less inclined to the back end though so I did that part, and Guinness was a superstar and even let me do a half head for the first time. He doesn’t like the area between his back legs being touched but thankfully the lines there aren’t very visable!

Mane pulling success!

I’ve also had a revelation in the form of a mane rake! The most amazing invention I’ve ever come across. Guinness was now allowing me to brush his mane again (progress after the last few weeks) but the second I hold a strand of hair he assumes I’m going to pull it (even when I’ve got the solo-comb at the ready) and rears up and gets himself all hot and bothered. Jayne at my yard kindly lent me her mane rake and it’s been brilliant. It thins the mane and it’s like using a brush and Guinness just assumes I’m brushing it so it’s win win!!!!

Confidence loss and feeling useless!

It’s been a few weeks of highs and lows (isn’t it always with horses?!). After the champs Guinness had a few well deserved days off and enjoyed some early morning hacking. This week, I started doing a bit of flatwork and after being such a superstar at the champs was really looking forward to our first British Dressage (affiliated) competition this weekend. However, I wasn’t able to replicate Guinness brilliant way of going at home and I was having problems with straightness and too much neck bend and Guinness was backing off the contact again.

I found myself questioning everything... Am I sitting straight? What am I doing wrong? I used to be able to do this so why can’t I do it anymore? And generally feeling a little down on myself and wishing I was a better rider. I think we all go through these phases sometimes and it’s important to step away and put it in to perspective (easier said than done).

Guinness was suddenly struggling to come through with his hind leg on the left rein, and I didn’t seem to be able to go anywhere in a straight line! Luckily I had Dawn on hand who took control of the situation and we went right back to basics and practised free walk on a long rein and taking the rein back gently. We did this over and over again until Guinness was actively seeking the contact and not shying away from it every time I picked up the reins. We then repeated this in trot and canter. Another useful exercise for this problem is working on a circle and spiralling in to a 10m circle and then slowly, leg yielding back out on a circle to the 20m again. This helps to control the shoulder and create the “inside leg to outside hand” connection.

If you don’t have some to help you and you can feel yourself get frustrated and in a flutter, my advice would be to stop there, as chances are, you’re not going to fix the problem today. Instead, do something simple you know the horse can do well, give them lots of praise and end there, that way you’ve still ended on a good note, and get your trainer to come and help you with the initial problem.

Lesson with Sue Edwards (x2!)

Sue being Sue, instantly knew the cause of all my problems was my left hand slipping down (my bad habit!) and not only was this creating too much neck bend so he was falling out the shoulder (hence why I couldn’t go straight) but it was also blocking his inside hind leg (on the left rein) and causing Guinness to come quarters in. So we focused on me keeping my left hand up and keeping the bit on the corner of Guinness mouth. We did this in trot and canter on both reins, on a circle, serpentine and across the diagonal, and by the end of the lesson, Guinness and I felt normal again.

I had another lesson the following day and when I kept my position correctly, Guinness knew exactly what I wanted and I was over the moon to know we weren’t permanently scarred but just temporarily muddled (which was as usual all down to me!)

We also went over my warm up routine and all the roles a warm up plays. This can often be overlooked and is so important so that every horse can work well.

1). Warm up!

This literally means to warm up the muscles. Especially now the weather has got colder and horses will be standing still in the stables for more hours a day, it’s important to warm up the muscles and get the blood pumping. Guinness is not a ‘flashy’ mover and can be stiff when he first comes out the stable. 10mins of trotting on a longish, loose rein, maybe 5 mins at a steady pace then 5 minutes more of a working canter will raise the body temperature, get the muscles warm and also, means any messages and signals to the brain (i.e. the riders aids) will get there quicker.

2). Brakes, steering, accelerator

Next part of a warm up is to check that everything is working. When I put my leg on does the horse respond? When I ask for a downward transition does the horse oblige? Can I turn left and right? Sounds simple enough but at a competition if your horse is distracted by something in the distance, or scared of something nearby or just not paying attention to your aids one of the above will not be working (this should be apparent if your galloping across the car park with no brakes!) This tells you if you need to allow the horse to settle and keep it calm, if you need to wake it up a little or if you need to get it’s attention and on any given day the answer could be a different one. At the end of the day no one knows your horse better than you but make sure you give yourself enough time to test all the ‘buttons’. Transitions and circles, changes of rein etc will allow you to test all the above.

3). Schooling

Once all the above are confirmed, your horses is warm, muscles are well warmed up and stretched and your horses is listening and focused on you and your aids, then you’re ready to start working on which ever area of your schooling session you want to work on today and usually, 20 minutes is enough to do all the above.

First affiliated Dressage competition and sod’s law!

After my 2 lessons on the trot I was feeling full of confidence ready for my first affiliated dressage competition. Sadly though, when I arrived at the stables at 6am on Sunday morning to platt up and get ready, one of Guinness knees was twice the size of the other and I knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere (I was glad I spotted it in the dark before I’d platted up though!). He had the smallest nick on the inside of his knee and despite the size of the swelling, was not at all lame (Guinness is a tough cookie) so I cleaned the wound and cold hosed for 10 mins before tucking him back in bed.

I tried to look on the bright side and was glad I managed to have my lessons and that it wasn’t too serious and went back home for some breakfast and to watch the remembrance day service on TV, which put it all in to much better perspective.

So now it was down to Dawn to bring back a rosette for team Widmer and we set off in the lorry (fondly known as ‘Gertie’) with Martina, Jayne and ‘Mister Big Z’, who wore a lovely posy in his bridle. Despite getting terribly lost, Dawn pulled it out the bag with a win with 70% in the Novice and a 3^rd in the Elementary. We also had a giggle with some of our friends ‘Bec’ and ‘Bertie’ who were also there and ate chocolate mini rolls on the way home. All in all a successful day!

This evening, Guinness swollen knee was much improved and all things going well I’ll take him for a walk round the woods on Wednesday morning.

Coming up...

Next dates in the diary are indoor hunter trials at BCA on 27^th November which I’ve never done before but will be a laugh I’m sure! Then on the 10^th December Jodie with Tom and Guinness and I are aiming to go to Patchetts for some Christmas showjumping!

Chiltern and Thames Dressage Champs - Saturday 29th October

Everything was now focused on the forthcoming Chiltern and Thames Dressage Championships looming just a week away.

My lesson with Sue Edwards this week was brilliant. She quickly identified the area where I was likely to loose a few marks is when Guinness drifts slightly through the shoulder when I make a turn away from the track. So we practised my serpentines (which were in my novice test) and began by using a little outside flexion to control the outside shoulder through the turn. Guinness drifts more on the right rein than the left as he tends to fall onto his left shoulder more so than the right. Gradually we reduced the outside flexion until I could control the shoulder correctly, by having Guinness more in my outside rein. It was a small change that made a massive difference and I will continue working on this through the week. Also my left hand has a bad habit of getting weak and dropping down to his withers when I’m not paying attention so this is something else I need to remember. Considering we only started working on a more consistent contact 6 weeks ago, Guinness has improved greatly in this area and this has helped so many areas of our flatwork.

This week I have been taking it easy as not only does Guinness come out better when we haven’t overdone the flatwork in the week before a test, but my son Joshua has been staying through half term week which was thoroughly enjoyable. Guinness had a massage from Ros (www.horseandhand.co.uk) on Sunday and we’ve been on a couple of nice hacks as well as longing to help prevent Guinness getting bored.

His winter coat has finally come through but I decided against clipping the week before the champs so he is going to have to stay fluffy until next week! My friend Charlotte from my yard has also qualified for the Prelim at the Champs so she will coming with us which I’m really pleased about. There are 56 competitors in the prelim and 36 in the novice so I knew it was definitely going to be a tough competition.

Guinness was still very over sensitive about having his mane touched after we tried to pull it 2 weeks ago. Although I’ve made a point of brushing/combing it most evenings to try to get him to relax, when I tried to platt up on Friday evening, every time I took a strand in between my fingers I think he thought I was going to pull it and reared up. Eventually as I was getting no where and he was getting more and more stressed, I gave him a dose of sedation and I managed to start platting up. By the time I finished he was very sleepy and I think he went straight to sleep after I left!

We had a brief panic when the lorry wouldn’t start in the morning (the isolator hadn’t been put on after it’s last use so the battery had gone flat) but thankfully we’d allowed plenty of extra time and after 15mins charging up on the battery booster pack and we were on out way.

I walked Guinness around the warm up arena in hand whilst Charlotte and Mimi were warming up for their test. Guinness doesn’t like being left on the lorry on his own and he is always more settled when he has a chance to absorb the atmosphere and surroundings at a show.

Charlotte did a great job, especially as I know how nervous she was. Mimi did a lovely test but was just a little inconsistent in the contact at times and finished on 62%. A great job for only their 2^nd dressage test together!  Then it was my turn.

Guinness was relaxed and supple in the warm up and I didn’t push him too much or overdo it. The first test was in the smaller of the two indoor arenas and Guinness didn’t bat an eyelid at the flower pots, spectators or mirrors. Overall it was a nice, flowing test with no glaring mistakes. I was so pleased that Ros was able to film the test for me to watch back (videos coming shortly!). When I watched it I realised it was very similar to the test I did back in March when I qualified, and I knew I could add a bit more.

So I decided in the Novice I had nothing to loose by going all out and really asking for more impulsion, more contact and greater connection. I’m not really competitive at this level yet so this was my chance to see if I could be.

I did a shorter warm up for the 2^nd test, as I had no idea how Guinness would cope with the added pressure, whether he would understand and cope or blow up in confusion/frustration.

The Novice was in the bigger indoor arena and once again, Guinness didn’t even look at the flowers, banners, or people watching. I powered round the arena and made sure I started as I meant to go on. I was so pleased with Guinness. He tried his little heart out, he stayed focused and responsive and did me proud. We broke a little early in one of the counter canters and in the second half of the test he felt a little tired but he was amazing and finished with a cracking halt (even if he did rest one leg half way through my salute).

I finished 7^th in the Prelim (out of 28 in my section) with 65.83% and 6^th in the Novice (out of 18) with 61.66%. I was over the moon with Guinness and had two lovely rosettes to show for it. I also have learned a very valuable lesson, in that I can now ask Guinness for as much at shows as I do of him at home, and that he is now grown up enough to cope with this. 

Onwards and upwards! In 2 weeks time I’m off to Oaklands College to do my first British Dressage competition!

Cross Country Success! 19th October

We left the yard at 8.30am to get to Great Westwood in good time, which was good planning as the roads were covered in thick fog and visibility wasn’t much better by the time we arrived at the showground. Chloe and I had walked the course the day before. We were feeling quietly confident, the only question I was concerned about was a bounce of steps in the novice, as the first step required a good amount of impulsion to bounce up the 2^nd step which was made harder by the fact it was preceded by a 90 degree turn in a wooded area.

Pairs

Both Taffy and Guinness were pretty relaxed when we arrived and Chloe and I had to force ourselves to get changed in the freezing cold lorry. Kitted out in our red, black and white XC colours, we made our way to the start. Those of you who have been following by blog for a while will know, warming Guinness up for XC has had it’s difficulties in the past, so I took my time and remained as calm as possible. We walked for at least 15 mins before slowly trotting and then cantering and then popping a few small fences, all the time ensuring Guinness didn’t get over excited. There were several times when another competitor would race up and jump a fence right next to us and too my delight, Guinness didn’t over-react to this. He does not however like hanging around at the start, and I kept as much distance between myself and the other horses near the start line as possible. 

When in was our turn, Chloe and I lined up side by side. I could feel Guinness reluctance to leave all the other horses as he was ignoring my leg aids so I told Chloe to lead over the first few fences. Chloe jumped fence 1 and we followed although she then turned left instead of right and almost missed fence 2! Thankfully I knew where we were going so I called out to her to follow me and I was leading the way. Guinness ears were pricked and he was going nicely forward and we cantered most of the way. Chloe had to take the lead at fence 6, some silver beer barrels that were reflecting the sunlight as I could feel Guinness backing off but after that we took over and lead the rest of the way. Taffy’s little pony stride meant that when I trotted Guinness down the hill, Taffy was still cantering but I could see he was loving every minute of it. Guinness didn’t even look at either of the 2 ditches and before I knew it we were across the finishing line – home safe and clear.

Novice

We walked them around, although both Guinness and Taffy were barely puffing and took them back to the lorry for a brush down and a rest. Guinness was in the novice class an hour later, and I was particularly proud that he didn’t make a fuss about leaving Taffy behind on the box. He warmed up well without any hiccups and although he was resistant at first off the starting line (leaving the other horses,) he was very genuine and popped number one from almost nothing. After that we kept up the impulsion and Guinness had no problems bouncing up the steps. He swerved past a couple of the other fences that weren’t in our course but apart from that he stayed in a pretty good rhythm. He even took a pull a couple of times!!! We trotted down the hill again as I was worried it was a bit slippy (I think this is where we lost a bit of time) but he had no problems with the rest of the course and we sailed home clear! Guinness first (individual) Cross country clear! So that’s the 3^rd of my targets for this year achieved. I was over the moon.

Later we found out that Chloe and I were 8.8 seconds over the optimum time in the pairs and came 5^th so we each had a smart Rosie to take home to top the day off!

Week ahead

This week I had been for a couple of hacks with Jodie and ‘Tom’ and done a few low key flatwork exercises. I’ve got a lesson with Sue Edwards on Saturday morning and I want to use this to practise my dressage tests for next week and see where I can pick up a few extra marks in advance of the Chiltern and Thames Champs in less than 2 weeks time!

Unforeseen issues 11th October

Saddle issues

Having been really pleased with the progress Guinness and I have been making on the flatwork front, I’ve hit a bit of an unexpected problem. My 2^nd hand dressage saddle I bought a few months back is giving me a sore bum!! I’ve literally rubbed a few layers of skin off one cheek! I knew when I got it I’d have to replace the seat at some point but was putting this off until my birthday, however it’s now becoming urgent!

I’m still really struggling with the sitting trot and my canter strike off’s are suffering, which I’m positive is due to my bad position because my bony bum is rubbing on the hard saddle seat! So for now it’s back to schooling in the GP (which isn’t ideal with the Chiltern & Thames Dressage Champs now less than 3 weeks away!)

New liveries

We’ve got some great new liveries at my yard this month. Firstly 2 gorgeous polo ponies arrived from Switzerland, who are absolutely gorgeous and so well mannered. Apparently, where they came from they had to wear muzzles in the stable so they didn’t eat the straw so coming to Widmer with straw beds, all day turnout and no exercise (they’re on their winter hols) they think they’ve hit the jackpot! Along with 2 other new liveries who seem very friendly, my friend Jodie is moving to Widmer this weekend with her horse Tom. She, like me, loves jumping and eventing and I’m really looking forward to going to some events together next year!

 Jodie and 'Tom'

Gale force winds!

The weather has been very windy recently and although Guinness is a million times less spooky than he used to be, considering it felt like gale force winds on Monday night when we rode, Guinness was impeccably behaved. The only thing to suffer was our rhythm when the trees suddenly whooshed or some the school surface suddenly blew in to the air, so this is just another sign of how far we have come together.

Clipping

I also attempted to clip Guinness last weekend but after starting on his neck, nothing was coming off, so I guess I’ll have to leave it a few more weeks, although everyone else seems to have their clips already.

“No I don’t want my mane pulled!!!!”

One area where Guinness hasn’t improved though is having his mane pulled! He gets completely hysterical the 2^nd you hold a strand (like he knows what your about to do) and after that there is no reasoning with him – he simply become wild! My friend Bec came to help me last night but after he went up and almost came down on us both, we decided to leave it for another day and it took me almost an hour for him to let me brush it with a hair brush!! I’ve tried solo combing it but he is just as hysterical about that so I think this is going to be another case of put in a lot of time and patience now, and eventually we will (hopefully) succeed. Oh well – I guess that’s horses for you.

XC practise

On Thursday evening, I jumped Guinness in the XC field (just in case he’s forgotten how to jump!) and despite leaping around a little at the start (when the tractor started up or when a cat leaped out of the long grass) I successfully managed to push him on through it and he jumped very well and very relaxed. I think his new ‘sugar-free’ diet has contributed to his calmer manner and any ‘leapy’ episodes seem to be shorter which is great as I don’t like falling off! 

So I’m going to put the flatwork on the back burner now until next week (and let my bum recover!) and go hacking before the Hunter Trials at Great Westwood this weekend – which I really I can’t wait for. Chloe (my sister) is going to ride our little 13.2 pony in the pairs class with me, although, as he is 24 years old now (not that he thinks it) we’re just going to take it steady, then I’m going to have a crack at the Novice on my own. Fingers crossed for that elusive XC clear round!

Another busy week!

New shoes!

Guinness had new shoes put on last weekend, which he was much in need of. His feet have been growing so quickly recently, and although he has flat Thoroughbred type feet, the walls are quite soft so rarely crack. After 5 weeks and 3 days I’d got a considerable amount of wear out of them and my farrier Fraser always says I get my money’s worth out my shoes as after 5 weeks they are as thin as Kit Kat wrappers!

Massage therapy

Guinness was also very spoilt to have a lovely massage from Ros last weekend. He loves his massages and it was nice to be able to take Ros out for a hack after on my old horse Donald, as a way of saying thank you for all she has done for me and Guinness.

Flatwork

He felt fabulous this week schooling (part of which was down to Ros’s magic hands) and he was really feeling more confident in the contact and it felt amazing. On Thursday we even did some lovely lateral work in trot and his mediums were supple and powerful, he really feels like a grown up horse in the arena now.

Jumping

In the week I also finally got a chance to jump the new XC fences which were recently built at the yard. They’ve made some great permanent fences from telegraph poles, tyres and big plastic tubing. Guinness didn’t look at a single fence and jumped everything first time, and never hesitated even at the skinny fences. I was chuffed.

Lesson with Sue Edwards

At 7am on Saturday morning I had a lesson with Sue and she was really pleased with how much we’ve improved the contact in the last 3 weeks since our last lesson. We worked on 3 key areas this week.

Transitions – a couple of my transitions were a little rushed or unbalanced and Sue said this was because when I go sitting, e.g. before a downwards transition from trot to walk, or upwards from trot to canter, Guinness stiffens his back and hollows so the transition is spoiled. So we worked on some sitting trot and getting the same relaxation and rhythm in sitting trot as in rising. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a lot of sitting trot and I’m sad to say I’m no where near as fit as I was when I was younger, and very quickly got a stitch!!  Once Guinness was accepting of my sitting and I was able to relax and move with him, rather than bracing against his movement, the transitions were easy.

Circles – Occasionally Guinness can drift out through the shoulder if I ask for too much bend and Sue got me to imagine a rope which marked out a 20m circle on the ground and that I was riding along it with 50% of Guinness body on either side, from his head to his tail.

Flexion – We also worked on getting the right amount of flexion on a circle and in the corners. This was fine on the right rein but on the left rein I had a bit of a mental block and kept asking for either not enough or too much. Naturally on the left rein Guinness can slightly flex to the right which means he falls onto his inside shoulder. I also have a bad habit of over using my inside leg which adds to Guinness’ confusion. Couple these 2 things with maintaining the impulsion and rhythm and remembering to not let my hands drop down and as someone who struggles to multi-task, it took me a while to get it together. However, I will practise over the next few weeks until it becomes natural. Guinness doesn’t really have any issues apart from trying to interpret all my mixed signals!!!

Sponsored Ride

On Sunday, 6 of us on the yard and my friend Vanessa were off on to do the South Oxfordshire Sponsored Ride. It was unbelievably hot for October, and we put as much water on the lorry as we could carry. I had been giving Guinness extra electrolytes for the past few days to ensure he had enough in reserve and had plenty of energy. I didn’t give him a calmer either as I didn’t really know how well he’d cope with the 12 mile ride, especially in the heat.

We set off together and Guinness having never been out hacking in a group that big, was expectedly excited. He was bouncing around and leaping and jogging at everything, and I struggled to get him to walk the first mile. Once we’d done some trotting and popped a few jumps he seemed to settle and I did my best to keep his excitement contained whilst trying to stay relaxed. We did a long trot which really helped as he settled in to a nice rhythm and I really enjoyed the rest of the ride. I took the lead for a while which gave my arms a rest as in front, Guinness wasn’t trying to pull or napping to follow the other horses and instead was striding out without any encouragement. He has such a fast walk though I had to stop a few times to let the others catch up and Guinness wasn’t overly impressed to wait.

There were some lovely jumps through the woods and then we were able to jump a couple of the bonus fences. We reached a large open trakhener which a couple of the other horses in my group had stopped at. Guinness was not inclined to canter away from the other horses and jump into another field without them and on our first attempt Guinness slowed right down so I allowed him to look at the question. Then I calmly cantered a large circle and approached the fence again, and without hesitation he popped it. I was incredibly proud as he is the baby of the group at only 5 and ended up leading the other horses over it. By the end of the ride he was still full of energy and after a row of jumps on the edge of a stubble field he even galloped up a big hill of his own accord!

It was a lovely day and there was a nice breeze to keep us cool, and we had the best part of the day as the second half of the ride, it felt like a lovely summers evening and the views were spectacular.

When we got back to the lorry Guinness was so itchy from sweat and kept trying to rub himself on anything and everything and then he broke loose when I tried to wash him down (he’s always hated being washed). So I did the best I could and he drank a bucket of water and was eager to get on the lorry and start devouring his haynet. Back at the yard he had a proper wash down, a dinner with some bran and some extra electrolytes and we ‘like iced’ his legs. The following morning he has well rested and very happy so the thorough after care obviously did the job.

Coming up…

2 weeks to go until South Bucks Riding Club Hunter Trials and after yesterday I think Guinness is more than fit enough. So over the next 2 weeks I will be continuing my flatwork training and fitting in as many hacks after work as possible before it gets too dark. I would like to clip Guinness before the Hunter trials but at the moment he hasn’t got enough hair to clip!

Planning for winter

Since the Chiltern and Thames Showing Champs, I’ve been enjoying doing a few different things with Guinness. We’ve done lots of hacking, making use of the last bit of light in the evenings before the clocks change. I’ve been on some pleasant hacks with my sister and my Mum which is lovely as you can just plod and chat and relax. Guinness is so much more confident now, and I think I’ve reached the point where I could hack him almost anywhere now. We overcame his greatest fear last week, which is pigs and despite a few hesitations a little gentle encouragement and he ‘braved it’ for me. It may seem like a small thing to people who don’t know him but when I think back to the days when he would leap all over the place if I asked him to walk off the yard, I’m very proud of how far we’ve come.

I’ve also been enjoying catching up on my flatwork, as the Chiltern and Thames Dressage Champs are only 4 weeks away now. Guinness confidence to move forward into the contact is ever increasing and fingers crossed, I will come home with a rosette!

We decided to make a last minute trip to South Bucks Riding Club Open Show last Sunday for some Showjumping practise. It was such a wonderful revelation to go to a show without hours of bathing, cleaning and platting and just throw the tack on the lorry and go! 

I grew up with the South Bucks Riding Club Open Shows and I used to hack my pony Taffy (who we’ve still got) up to the show and we’d be there all day. Beryl and Jeff who run the club and all the shows have known me since I was 10 years old and they’re so friendly and supportive. Unfortunately, entries were down and by the time we arrived the jumping classes were almost finished! I didn’t much fancy doing the 3’3” jumping so instead I opted to have a laugh and do the Horse and Hound class with Martina and her German Shepherd ‘Billana’ putting in a brilliant time to secure 2^nd place! Guinness was a bit fresh and kept leaping off the ground in excitement, but once he was going forward he was easier to handle. He gave the tiny jumps a ridiculous amount of air and I’m so glad we didn’t do the 3’3” otherwise I might have ended up in the clouds!!!

The last class of the day was the combined showjumping and XC class. I’ve never done this before but thankfully I had my back protector in the lorry and Guinness did me proud, not even hesitating when it came to leaving the showjumping arena and heading off to the XC course and I was very pleased with my 4^th.

He is very capable and Beryl rightly pointed out that I underestimate him sometimes, so now I need to get on with it and believe we can do it!

I’ve got a few things to look forward to over the next few weeks, I’ve arranged to go on a sponsored ride with some of the other liveries next weekend, which I’m really looking forward to, and then mid- October I will be doing the South Bucks Riding Club Hunter Trails at Great Westwood and finger crossed, I will secure a clear round and achieve my final target I set myself for this year! Then a rosy at the Dressage Champs will be an added bonus.

Other things planned are Guinness is having his massage on Saturday with Ros which I think he is well overdue, and on Sunday Dawn is competing in the Petplan areas at Patchetts so I will going up to watch and support her which I always enjoy.

So as usual it’s busy busy busy!!!!

Hard Work Pays Off, Showing and not letting stress get the better of you!!

Stresses!

Over the past few months, I had been letting several things stress me out and although it’s not like me to lose perspective and get ‘bogged down’, a few things all seemed to hit me all at once and it started to take its toll. One of these was that everything just kept getting more and more expensive and finding the funds to train and compete was becoming increasingly difficult. Guinness was originally intended to be a joint venture ( including joint expense) for Chloe (my sister) and I, but as he was fairly difficult and unpredictable when he first arrived, Chloe was a little put off by this and she hasn’t been able to contribute financially as she’d intended either. So I have had to make the extremely hard decision to look for a sharer for Guinness.

Guinness isn’t your usual happy hacker sharing horse, but there will be someone suitable out there, it just may take a bit of time to find the right person. For a thoroughbred he is surprisingly laid back in the school and will follow any horse anywhere on a hack but he can still have ‘unpredictable’ moments when hacking on his own or at competitions so I’m going to be completely honest with any potential sharers and just see what happens.

Showing around the corner!!

The Chiltern and Thames Showing Champs were now only round the corner, and Guinness and I hadn’t had any practise since we qualified back in June (gulp!). Although showing is something I’ve never really been interested in, as Guinness is only young, I wanted to let him experience as many different disciplines as possible to give him a broader education. However, with the showing I’ve had to seek lots of advice from friends on what was required as I didn’t have a clue!

At the beginning of the year I had set myself 3 goals to aim for by the end of the year…

• To Qualify for the Chiltern and Thames Showing Champs in the Retrained Racehorse Class
• To Qualify for the Chiltern ad Thames Dressage Champs at Prelim and Novice
• To get a XC clear round!

So I’d qualified for the showing champs but was happy enough just to have qualified but now I was actually going to compete at the Champs. I knew the ‘Big Show’ environment would be a lot for Guinness nervous disposition to handle and this would be our main challenge.

Through the week I schooled and hacked in the showing bridle with the Pelham and double reins. Guinness isn’t particularly fond of the Pelham as he doesn’t need such a strong bit but I made sure I left the kerb chain loose and kept my hands soft.

As much as I enjoyed the day and achieving my goal, showing isn’t something I’m going to continue as it is such hard work! I definitely have a much greater appreciation for the showing classes I see at Windsor each year now, as the amount of time it takes to prepare properly for the competition day far outweighs any other discipline I’ve done! There are so many little details which need to be addressed – trimming whiskers, fetlocks, coronets, tails, manes even eyelashes!!! Platts have to be perfect with thread not bands, and white parts have to be gleaming and coats shimmering. Tack has to be immaculate as well as soft and comfortable with buckles at eye level, attire has to be colour co-ordinated and class appropriate, the list goes on and on……..

Anyway, I spread as much of the prep as I could over several days, bathed and trimmed  on Thursday as the weather was slightly warmer (although I still felt cruel giving him a cold bath in September!), sorted all my stuff out on Friday, cleaned all my tack and boots on Saturday morning and groomed and platted Saturday evening. I only left rolling the platts and platting his tail until Sunday morning.

Lesson with Sue – accepting the contact part 2

I also had a lesson with Sue Edwards at 7am on Saturday morning. It was an early start for a Saturday but I always enjoy my lessons and we continued our work on encouraging Guinness to take more of a contact. Guinness is still a little perplexed by this concept of going forward whilst he can feel my hands on his mouth and my job is to make myself as absolutely clear as possible.

When he is fighting my hands and contact, I must maintain the contact (and not give in and soften) so I don’t confuse him, but the second he flexes his poll and softens, or moves forward into my contact I must be instantaneous with my reaction and allow him to seek the contact down and allow the rein to gently slide through my fingers. I also learnt that when Guinness makes a ‘try’ at the correct answer (e.g. softens or flexes a little) I have to show him he is heading in the right direction by half softening. Sue calls it ‘showing him the door is open’ and this is just as important as rewarding him when he gets it right.

It’s just another puzzle for Guinness to solve and it’s my job to make it as clear as possible when he answers the questions correctly. Timing is everything!

Sue has another brilliant analogy which is the ladder in which a horse completes an action.

It goes: Brain – Flexion – Weight – Feet.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense, first the horse’s brain has to be engaged and listening and understand the question (i.e. interpret the aid), second they then flex accordingly, thirdly they transfer their weight to the appropriate place so that finally their feet can follow as instructed.

There was no questioning if Guinness brain was engaged during my lesson on Saturday though. He was concentrating so hard that as I rode down the long side of the school he didn’t even notice when a pigeon that had been dozing on the fence flew almost straight into his face!!

I was very pleased with him and how hard he tried and I was equally exhausted from concentrating on all the things I had to do at once!

Show day

I got to the yard at 5am in the pitch black and pouring rain. We left the yard at 6.45am and were the first to arrive at Herts County Show Ground at 7.30 on the dot, allowing me plenty of time to acclimatise Guinness to the showground (apologies to Dawn, Martina and Joules who had to get up extra, extra early on my behalf!).

Guinness seemed tetchy and tense and was kicking out which is usually his tell-tell sign he’s unsettled. I grazed him in hand in front of the ring our class was in and walked him around for a bit. I tacked up 45 mins before the start of my class and although he was a bit nappy to go away from the lorry, despite bucking a little, I pushed him on and he obliged (begrudgingly). We walked and trotted all around the outside of the ring and soon it was time for my class.  

Guinness was a little lethargic by the time I entered the ring but this was probably for the best as the horse I was behind for the ride round was bucking and going sideways but Guinness didn’t pay attention. I was pulled in 6^th for the line up and then we did our individual show. Guinness had fallen asleep by this time and I had to give him a sharp kick to get him into canter but overall his show was very nice.

Chloe looked very smart in all her gear as my groom and stripped and groomed Guinness beautifully for the trot up.

Eventually I was placed 5^th out of 11 so I was over the moon!

Guinness was quiet tired by now (I don’t think he liked being woken up that early) so I decided to quit whilst I was ahead and withdraw from the Riding Horse Class. In this class the judge rides and the judge was a fairly stocky gentleman and Guinness isn’t overly fond of men so this was probably a good decision. Instead I walked him around the show ground in hand and watched other classes, which is all more good exposure for him.

My friend Joules who was riding Dawn’s horse Big came 3^rd in the ridden hunter out of at least 16 horses so it was a brilliant result all round.

I was very happy and came home with some lovely photos which I will cherish as one of my few Showing experiences and although I’m pleased I’ve done it, I’m also pleased I don’t have to do it again!