Another Trail

Linda and I took Allie and her new cutting horse Connie up to Mulgoa yesterday. We mostly walked, just up to the look out and back.

Allie picked up a stone and sooked about it the whole way home after I flicked it out of her foot. I'm going to order her some boots next payday I think. She didn't have any bruising from it thankfully, but she lost confidence in the rocky footing, thinking she would pick up another stone. I was a bit bummed about that but she was a perfect angel otherwise.

Connie is Linda's new cutting horse, and we don't think she has been off property in the last 7 years except for competition. Linda thought she would be hot, but she took to it like she did it every day. I also got to have a quick ride, and it was cool and bizarre at the same time! To stop, I had to pick up the reins directly up, push my left hand on the pommel, and put my legs on! It was tricky, let me tell you!! We quickly swapped back but I am glad I got to have a little walk and trot on Connie. :)

So now you get a few crappy iphone pics of Allie and I at the lookout.

She has a lovely tail.

I was a bit worried about that ledge - I didn't dare go any closer!

Oh Daylight Savings, NEVER LEAVE ME

I LOVE LOVE LOVE daylight savings. Ah sunlight, it has been such a long time!

We have done some time in the saddle this past week! Saturday we had an awesome schooling session, and then Monday my friend Casey came and took Allie and I up to Sun Valley reserve in Springwood for a ride.

Allie was a mole to get on the float. Honestly, she has been pretty good about floating but she had been in a mare mood the previous few days (just squirting urine while tied up and being a bit grumpy) but it took us an hour and a half to get her loaded up. She either would rush straight back out after walking in or she refused to walk in at all. She is so tall that she even started putting her head on the roof of the float instead of walking in!! She did end up hitting her head a few times but she didn't seem to care! I was so unimpressed with her. She did end up putting a small split in her poll but it's nothing to worry about. The poor delicate flower has been picky with her feed and not finishing it again since the whole float debacle. She even put up a fight going home, and took about 25 minutes to load. Casey said she was being a bit of a warmblood - not getting into a tizzy about the situation, but just being stubborn. >:(

The actual ride itself was awesome. It is mostly sandy or slightly rocky trail that winds through lovely bush with an awesome hill at the end that we had a big canter up! Allie did very well, was a little nappy but not too bad and she got along really well with Casey's horse Harry (a fit endurance arab who was very patient to be honest about babysitting Allie!). I did get off her to walk back down the hill after the big canter as it was pretty steep and she kept stopping because she was a bit worried about her balance. She was a little looky, mainly at holes or drops (I think she believes that I am going to bury her in any big hole in the ground we go near, she must have fallen in one as a foal!) but overall was very good under saddle. We were out for about 2 hours on the ride I think? She seemed a little pooped but as soon as she got her wind back she was happy to trot on again.


Then another schooling session on Tuesday where I mainly rode Gracie and Nat rode Allie because Gracie was in a mood. I was actually thinking twice about getting on her, she was so agitated from god-knows what, with a swishy tail, pawing the ground, snorting and twitching. She can be a bit of a little dragon to be honest, but once I was on she was happy to settle into the job. So I got to see Allie go over the trot poles and she looks so nice. She pauses almost like she is doing passage, most noticeably in her hocks. I must say, she is one nice horse to look at. Sorry to gush! Gracie did really well over the poles and is really starting to get it, she tries really hard and I love that about her. I'll have to move them soon to another spot, they will get bored with them there soon!

THEN today we did the Chain-o-Ponds loop around the block, walk trot and canter in about 50 minutes. Allie seemed to have gotten bit by the speedy-bug (probably caught from Harry!) and realised that cantering up hills is fun after all! She really enjoyed herself. Gracie was an absolute angel, was the absolute opposite of the mini-dragon that she had been the day before. Sweet, relaxed, happy to be tacked up. Stood still at the tie up, not once pawing the ground. I can't keep up with that horse's moods! I think she might be in season right now, we have noticed that she gets all sweet and easy when she is in season. Go figure.

Sorry, no pictures. My phone was too full and wouldn't let me take any but I promise now that I have deleted a bunch of songs I didn't want and have made room, I will take pictures next time.

That is us all up to date now I think.

*edited to add: Nat wanted me to add the below photo of Gracie after our ride. She was a bit pooped, she kept yawning. Cutie.

It's been raining here again.

Reading Sprinklerbandit’s posts about her wondermare Izzy and Karen’s posts about her lovely gelding Hampton and Kate’s awesome jumping photos of Lucy have gotten me inspired. I want to ride, I want this summer to be amazing and fun and I want to get out there on this horse that has such potential.

To be honest, with the tiny bit of shitty schooling we have done over the winter, she has really improved despite all that and looking back I can see what we have accomplished. But I still feel like we are behind. And I know a big part of a horse learning self balance is being confident to move out. At home, we just can’t get that. We have lumpy grassy areas we can do circles in under the flood light but even on the weekend there is not much of a flat area to ride in. I have felt tiny little glimpses of balance but then the poor mare looses confidence and comes back. If we had a float and a car to tow it we could float over to the local indoor once or twice a week. But we don’t, so there is no use dreaming for now. :P



At least daylight savings starts this weekend! I’m pretty excited about having a couple of hours of sunlight to ride in of an afternoon. And seeing as I am so sick of riding in our pseudo-arena at home I am expecting to go on a lot of road rides throughout summer.



Those mares need some serious work now that they are both 5.



In other news, Chakra is still going strong. No sign of the cancer hurting her just yet, so I am hopeful for another month or so with her. She is happy and healthy right now, so that is enough for me.



Sorry I haven’t really blogged in ages. There is just nothing to report!

Out and About!

We finally borrowed a float for a few days and got the girls out!

Yay!

They don't look too worried... yet.

Here Allie is putting 2 and 2 together. "The last time I was in a white box I moved house!"

"Is this our new house?"

We took them back to our old agistment for trail rides, and we took them to a local indoor for some schooling (which was more get-the-pony's-attention than schooling-for-correctness). They were so well behaved! Loaded well, traveled pretty well (except when some arse ran up our bum while we were going slowly around a corner and beep-beep-BEEEEEEEPPPed his horn at us. Gracie FREAKED!) and behaved under saddle. We are so proud of the girls!

See the lip-stick mark on her nose?

Does this horse look worried about her first ever visit to an indoor? Nope!

She has a bit of a trot on her, I can tell you!

Very happy trail-riding ponies!

We thought they would be scared of the crane and junk, but no, they were fine.

Allie was pretty funny - she kept giving the hairy eyeball to piles of rubbish, like she was disgusted  by them and couldn't stand the thought of rubbish touching her. We also tried to have a canter up our old galloping hill, but they didn't know what to do! We tried so hard to get them to go forward but in the end we were kicking them like they were fat naughty school ponies and all they would do was walk! They had no idea what to do with all that space in front of them! We were in hysterics, laughing and not believing it! We are so used to holding our horses back at that hill, then having a leaping start and holding on for dear life so it was weird for us as well. Next time we will go out with an older experienced horse who can teach them the joys of a flog up the hill!

Here is a little video of Allie not caring at all about being ridden in a strange new place with a bunch of strange horses looking at her:

Very very happy with the girls. :)

Trail Ride

Today Casey came over with her arab filly Saaleenh to come out with us in hand while we had a trail ride. All three girls did well, even though Gracie threw a little tantrum after she got stuck in reverse and sat down on a spiky tree stump. Silly mare. The look on her face was funny though, she totally blamed Natalie for that even though it was her own fault.

Allie looking up the trail. She was power walking!

Casey in the backgroundwith Saaleenh, Natalie on Grace in front.

Happy(ish) ponies posing for a photo.

Thanks Casey for coming out!