All We Need

All we need is the pony!

Little Ideas

So I've ridden a few times since the clinic. My horse is feeling awesome - I feel like our big break from riding and being partners didn't even happen. It's like she's matured and grown up some how over the last couple of years.

She looks very different to how she used to look. I use timehop (an app that brings up social media posts and photos from this date in the past) and some old pics of her popped up the other day and it just struck me how different she is. Even just 3 years ago she looked like a rangy young thing compared to now, and she was in full work then, too.

Our first lesson with Ann about 3 years ago. LOL

Als just before I had Evie, so maybe about 6 months ago? In no work and looking FINE.

She could totally smash a prelim test right now I think, if I had a dressage saddle that fit her and if I had white jods and a jacket that fit me and if my tall boots weren't trashed and if I could get her there with a car that didn't have a gearbox that was about to blow up and if I had a current EFA membership and I could fix all this if I was working at the moment. But my whoops baby kinda put a stop to the whole making money thing so what do you do in this situation?

You dream. Ah well.

But maybe, just maybe... My dad is retiring and he is giving each of his daughters a little bit of money so maybe I can fix the truck and buy the clothes and boots and membership and fit the saddle with that?

Maybe. I hope so! Would love to get her to a comp in the next 6 months or so.

I did some horsey shit.

No, really, I did!!

No photos so this is going to be really boring but Linda ran her very first clinic and I attended. It was awesome.

We ran through some basic exercises, like "stop your feet, give me your head" (or one rein stop), which is where you hold the reins on the buckle, then lift one hand straight up and take the rein with the other hand by sliding halfway down, and bringing your hand to your hip. Then, waiting until the horses are stops moving her feet and gives you the rein, then just drop the rein.

We also yielded hindquarters, played with side passing, rein back, that kinda thing. Then, in the afternoon, she set up a working equitation course and we played around with all the different phases and then out it all together. There was slalem poles, small jumps, poles making an L shape to rein back through (around the corner), poles to six pass over, a very small clover leaf barrels pattern, and a big giant tarp to trot over.

Oh man, I had so much fun.

My husband had Evie all day but she won't take a bottle so the poor bloke had to drive her to me every 3 hours for a feed, but he said it wasn't too much if a pain in the arse. So I was able to concentrate and enjoy the day.

Allie was a gem. Linda has done all the basic exersices with her before, a couple of years ago when I had Allie in training with her. So it was a bit of a refresher course for her, and I got a lot out of it because if that. The only thing was Als would get a bit frazzled if I asked for too much at once. So the rein back was one step at a time, as was the side pass. She was great with the one rein stop, we did it from walk, trot and even canter!

I didn't manage to ride again until today, a whole week later. But she was good (even though I today in the dark). She remembered it all and I can't wait to get on again.

So, I've been very quiet here. I guess it's because this is a horse blog and I've not been doing much more than feeding the damn things. Being a mum to a tiny baby is hard you guys.

But Evie is starting to go longer between feeds. She is very happy being looked after by her dad, so I'm slowly starting to go do more stuff by myself. It is really helping my mental state.

I've tried riding a couple of times but Allie needed/needs so much stuff done to get her right, before she can officially start back in work again. The shopping list:
- Vaccinations
- Teeth
- Body clip (way too hairy and itchy)
- Body work (massage etc)
- Feet trimmed, lucky I know a good trimmer ;)
- Saddles fitted and billets changed on dressage saddle

Of course, hooves were easier than most, I just needed hubby to look after Evie while I did them. Then I had the EMT out for a massage - she's feeling pretty good over all, just slightly tight in the hind quarter. The EMT and I agreed that the jump saddle fits well right now but that the dressage does not. So I'm riding in the jump until next month when we can afford to have the dressage altered and billets done. That works!

My float needed a new loom because we lost blinkers and electric brakes. So that finally got fixed, and we took the horses to the vet to be vaccinated and clipped (and Allie's teeth). The trip over was super eventful, with Gracie not traveling well at all and a bloody truck riding up my arse and holding his horn down honking straight into the float and terrifying the horses again and again to the point where I stopped and got out of the car and had it out with him on the side of the road. I was fucking furious. He didn't give a shit though. Ugh I hate other drivers when I'm towing.

ANYWAY they both got clipped. Even the groomer kept going on and on about how much better Allie looked with a clip! She seriously looked like an unkempt yak (see comparison below). And she feels awful with all that hair, she's too hairy for Aussie winters. It's been pretty mild this year so she's been super itchy from sweating.

So with teeth, body, hooves and coat all done and a saddle that fits, yesterday we went for a fang around the property. She was a lunatic, had so much energy. She started the stupid threatening to rear bullshit again (I guess that happens when you aren't schooled for almost 3 years) so I wore my vest and got stuck into her and made her move FORWARD. And it worked.

We ended up bowling along the gravel drives (it's so wet that we can't ride anywhere else really) and along a high well drained ridge in a big balanced forward canter with me up in two point and her feeling the awesomeness that is her body and she could breathe fine (!!!!!) and I felt like the last 3 years of setbacks didn't matter and it was just my horse and I and and and and yeah. All that good stuff. It was fricking fantastic!!

Next up is saddle fitter, then hopefully we can figure out a way to get to the indoor to school on some footing that doesn't threaten to trip my horse.

Finally!

I rode!!! It felt like I never stopped. She was so willing, so happy to do what I asked. It was really wet so we just did a bit of walk and trot in her yard.

Gosh I love this horse!

Have some borning video (you can hear Evie chatting to Natalie. Naw!):

Question

I've got Casey here visiting at the moment and we are wondering if you can buy vaccines over the counter (even from saddlerys) where you are to give to your horses?

Here in Oz we can get tetanus and strangles vaccines from the saddlery and we just realised that this situation may be a little weird. Input please!!

The Little Things

We had a poosplosion today (not the first). Digging through the drawer trying to fond something to put on her, I found this (the onsie below) - the first piece of clothing anyone bought for my baby. A girl at work, Stacey, bought it for me when I first got pregnant and I was feeling sad about missing out on another almost year of riding.

It really meant a lot to me that she bought this for me. And now it's on my kiddo and I'm super happy.

We fed up the horses together by ourselves for the fist time this morning. She only cried for half of it. Little cheeky. She doesn't like the pram if it's not moving.

<3