www.odenhills.co.nz blog

Modding the MX5

2011-03-26T17:55:00.000+13:00

Last week I decided I was going to take the mx5 to a local autocross day - you can mostly take a regular car without anything special, but you do need a fire extinguisher installed. So I headed out to Road & Track in Lower Hutt and got myself an extinguisher! And sorted out where I wanted it to go.

The extinguisher came with it's own metal bracket, so that was a good start. And I started pulling back the carpet in the car so I could get at the floor pan...

Turns out the bracket had holes, but the holes weren't big enough for the bolts you have to use - so I got my drill on!! Then whacked a few holes into the floor pan of the passenger footwell and bob's ya uncle (or something).

Bonus piccies: All mounted up, and the workspace (otherwise known as my grazing!).

Car is now ready to enter autocross!

HoY 2011

2011-03-20T16:42:00.001+13:00

Ok - so this is just a placeholder till I sort out pictures (and I know I haven't updated my blog in forever, but I promise I will). In the meantime, here are a couple of teasers...

Xev's turn

2011-01-09T19:18:00.002+13:00

Dragged Nick out again today for some more photos - it was Xev's turn this time. You can certainly tell that she managed to get rid of her tailbag! Grr, going to be some busy-time with the purple shampoo again for us.

I was also trying her in the leather bit - I've only used it on her a couple of times, and she still seems a bit unsure of it, and got her tongue over it a few times.. but I do like to ride in it. Must buy another one really.

Not much else to report on this lazy weekend. Oh, did get a photo in the mail, from HoY 2010! A showjumping photo of Neo that has only just made it's way to me. Pretty cool.

Canter!

2011-01-08T19:11:00.001+13:00

Well, the first competition weekend of the new year, and instead of out showjumping I stayed at home. It was nice to have a relaxing weekend - and made some awesome progress with Zak too. He went out on the road, and along to the grassed jumps paddock like a grown-up horse!

Then we went for a bit of a trot around, and he was very good - didn't really spook at any of the jumps or tyres or other bits and bobs in the paddock. Did some lovely forward work, but sometimes got a bit sluggy and needed a proper kick to find the go-button again:

After that I put on my brave pants and we did some canter! Right out there in the open, and more than just a few strides - we went halfway around the paddock a couple of times.

I'm really pleased with how he is coming along. Can't wait to get him to the point where he is fully focused on me (and not the other horses around) so that I can take him out to a show - will likely start with a small dressage test somewhere.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T19:29:00.001+13:00

From Zak, Neo, Xev & I.

We trotted!

2010-12-12T20:17:00.003+13:00

We trotted today! I had Nick T come down to the arena so there was someone to call the ambulance if anything went wrong, but Zak was 100% fine to get on

It did take us a little bit of effort to find forward-gear, but then he was happy to walk around calmly

He got a bit tired and nappy after a while, but still gave me a couple of little trots (need to find some rocket fuel to get more go!)

What a good Zak! Need to sort out a smoother transition to trot and then a bit more balance before we try a canter. But all on track so far.

Makara Gymkhana

2010-12-05T14:16:00.003+13:00

Saturday was the Makara PC Gymkhana, held at Battle Hill. Gem lost a shoe the day before, so I only entered her in one class because I know she does get a bit owchy when she's missing a corner. She did great though. It was the 95cm in Ring1 (so lots of fill and some quite difficult lines).

But she really stepped up, and even got me out of trouble a few times when we saw different strides. We had a bit of a cheap rail in the double, but I'm not worried by that at all. She did a super round and was easy and fun to ride. After the show she went back to her owner, and I'm not sure if the plan is to continue jumping or to go back to being a showhack.

Neo was trying out a new shampoo thanks to Wellington Feed & Saddlery. It is Horse Sense White Knight, and it smells absolutely lovely (made me very hungry!). It did a lovely job on his tail, as it is very gentle and left his tail nice and soft and full. It's also a purple shampoo without having the 'blueing' issue that some of them have if you use them too strong or leave in too long. It doesn't repel dirt quite as nicely as the Australian Dressage tea tree shampoo, but I'd say it's about the same in that respect as most of the whitening shampoos I have used. Now if only they could make a shampoo that would stop Neo from pooing on himself, that would be handy.

Neo was an absolute twit for the first two classes (the circuit and the 1.05). He was just too excited and not careful enough. I even tried coming back to a walk halfway through one of my classes to get his mind on task (which only worked for a few fences and then he was back to being distracted by blades of grass and who knows what else).

Luckily he redeemed himself in the 1.10 - but putting in a good clear first round (even if we did have to approach a few fences on an angle just to keep him thinking), and then a stunning jumpoff. I was so proud of him, because he was getting really tight corners and not drifting out at all. I didn't quite push him forward enough into one jump, and we got it a bit wrong and took the rail, which is a shame - but he still came home with a ribbon and paid for most of his entries. Stoked with that.

Thanks to Nick F for stepping in as photographer for the day!

Education continues

2010-12-05T13:50:00.004+13:00

About 18 months ago (March 2009) I started backing Zak. He only had a few rides and only at the walk. Since then he has been over in the Wairarapa eating and growing - his handling has been limited to mostly regular drenching, trims & having his rugs changed. So last night when I went to pick him up I wasn't sure what to expect. He loaded pretty well on the float - needed to see the bum ropes but then walked straight on, and travelled really well.

Today I thought I would see how much he remembered. He wanted to have a good sniff of the saddle, and had a little bit of a worry when I did the girth up - but then worked out it wasn't going to kill him so just went back o sleep. He was perfect to put the boots on as well. I decided against the bridle as it was so awfully windy I didn't want to take ages to get things done.

He was good to tighten his girth up, and was very keen to follow me. Had a bit of a panic when a rogue plastic bag came flying towards him (and henceforth was not that keen on that particular corner of the arena). But really he didn't do anything wrong. Very impressed with him.

He also fits the rug I bought for him perfectly (thankfully). So he is in a 4'9" while Neo is in a 4'6" - poor Neo, how shameful!

A good start to things, will do some more groundwork on him over the week, and if all goes well - hopefully hope aboard next weekend if I can get a helper (just in case of any problems).

500th post!

2010-12-05T12:17:00.001+13:00

Who is this handsome fellow?

Hutt Valley Jumping Day

2010-11-28T20:38:00.006+13:00

Out to Belmont yesterday for the Hutt Valley jumping day. Was quite impressed that it only took around 45 minutes to get there. I was the first person there - so grabbed a nice park and had lots of time to potter around getting all 3 horses ready for the day.

Xev had her first outing for a while. We did a warmup round in the morning and she was very spooky, but was in general quite happy - so that was all good. Then she had showhunter later in the day. We'd entered 2 classes and in the first class I was really pleased with her. The jumps were tiny, but she seemed happy and going kindly.

Then when I came back for my next class she was quite upset - she wasn't napping back to the others at the float, but she was just stressed. Not really sure what was going on. Ended up taking Neo in a round as well (2nd pic below) - and um, it certainly wasn't pretty! He was quite calm, by Neo's standards... but certainly not showhunter standards.

Gem did one showhunter round as well. I think she went lovely, but we did add a stride on one of the lines, so no placing for us. But she looked pretty!

Her showjumping was fantastic though! The first SJ for her was an AM5 - and she did a nice clear round, then came back for a good jumpoff. No speed, but as many tight corners as I could get from her. She's not 'nippy', but she does try very hard to get around those turns. Came away with a red ribbon for her efforts.

Then we had a take your own line class. I got most of the course I mapped out in my head, but had to make a few running adjustments when I landed from one jump past the point where I'd intended to turn for another fence! Again, didn't kick her on or let her go fast at all, just tried to get tight turns and good angles. The second pic below is the last 2 fences I did... they don't look like that tough of a line in the photo (damn!) but it was very tight to ride - she did it beautifully though, and came away with another 1st placing.

Neo had a bit of a mixed day. He was jumping quite well, but in the first class we warmed up far too early and he was very unsettled waiting for his turn - I think that made up both a bit tired and grumpy. He pulled, but it was only a 1-round class (TA2) so I still had arms left at the end of it.

He gave me a super ride in the circuit class though. I put him wrong into the double, so we took a rail there - but overall just stoked with him. He was strong, but not pulling and arguing. Much more fun to ride.

As I was finishing Gem's TYOL class, I looked over to ring1 to see there were no horses going - which is typically the end of the class! So I cantered Gem back to the float (luckily I'd suspected there might be a timing clash, and Neo still had his saddle on), popped the bridle on him and went in stone cold.

Had to ask a friend to borrow her course (it was also a TYOL) as I hadn't even had a chance to look at the fences. Ended up missing one of her turns and had to make up the last 3 fences on the fly, but Neo was awesome. Lovely clear round and 3rd place for him.

By the end of all of that I was actually pretty tired. I haven't had such a busy day in quite a while and after driving home and putting the horses to bed I was more than ready for sleep myself! Thanks to Swifty for the photos again.

Next weekend is Feilding I,A&P - but I haven't entered. Not sure exactly what I will do next weekend - doesn't look like there is anything on locally, so might have to consider driving up to Manfeild and doing late entries just for some Saturday classes.

Review: Jockey underwear

2010-11-22T09:22:00.001+13:00

I saw these knickers while browsing shops the other day, and thought they could be fantastic for riding. They're made by jockey and have little strips of silicon to stop them riding up. So I bought a pair to try out, and promised I would let my horsey friends know if they were any good.

They were a bit of effort to put on- the silicon is quite sticky, so would grab itself or stick to your leg or just not where you wanted it to. As a result, it took about 3 full minutes to get them on and sitting just how I wanted. They felt a bit weird on- but once I out jeans on they weren't even really noticeable.

I did some driving, running up and down hills (horses wanted to play catch!) and general carting things around while I had the jeans on over them without any movement. Then I got changed into jods- I was worried the undies might re-grip in the wrong place while I stuffed myself into the jods, but there were no such problems.

I rode 3 horses, a mix of flatwork and jumping and included some sitting trot. After all that there was not even the slightest hint of a creep up or movement. What I did notice was the synthetic material and silicon strips did make them feel a bit warm. Not sure how pleasant that would be in the middle of summer compared to regular cotton or bamboo knickers.

I was really impressed that they did what they said they would. I think the price is perhaps a bit steep ($25), and I doubt the silicon will stay grippy for long if you machine wash them. But I would certainly recommend them if you like your undies to stay put and not creep up.

Lazy Sunday

2010-11-21T17:26:00.006+13:00

Out to the arena at Grays road today - after it had been raining all morning it cleared for me to get all 3 horses ridden. It even got warm for a little bit (though not sunny). I was also trying out my new jods - which I think are just the cutest things on the planet.

Gem was feeling very full of bounce, and pulled a little while I was warming her up - but she jumped like a star. She has obviously forgotten her confidence knock the other weekend at the show, so I think today with just some low oxers was really great for her.

She always overwhelms me with her attitude to jumping. She doesn't really tank into anything, but is always keen, and doesn't mind fillers or odd-looking fences. I just need to work on riding her more forward to the base of the fence, as I am still putting her on the short stride. I tried today to ride her more positively, and had mixed results - sometimes we'd hit it perfect, but other times I would end up holding her for an extra stride right at the base of the jump. Good thing she is clever!

Not sure what is next for Gem, but she is at least fit and happy - so leaves the door wide open for whatever suitable events are coming up for her.

Neo is still proving to be a mystery. He was very strong on the flat and I couldn't get him to listen well enough to bend around my leg, however when I put him into a warmup crossbar, and also a grid he would happy trot in and land in a lovely calm canter.

The more jumping I did, the more hot he got. He was not reefing in front of the fences, but was still jumping around in front of them. But I don't think he is sore, as he's moving fine, and also jumping nice enough (when sore he tends to not have a tidy front end at all). He was a dude in between times though... happy to walk around on a loose rein and let me cuddle his face from the saddle.

I think I will just have to keep working on the flatwork, incorporate more trotting poles (I have been doing this almost daily, but not really changing the trotting pole setup, nor raising them or doing anything different). Just keep at it and I'm sure he will give me some clues as to if it is the right thing or not.

Xev has been a bit off lately... she is just ever so slightly sore. She was feeling a bit better today, behaving nicely as well - which is hopeful - as her mood is quite tied to how she feels physically.

I didn't do very much on her though - just wanted to enjoy a short ride and have her enjoy it as well and not get pushed until she did feel uncomfortable. I also popped her over a tiny crossbar a few times and she was lovely and calm into it and away from it. Fingers crossed this means that whatever is making her uncomfy is on it's way to getting sorted. Had the farrier out again, can't see any obvious stonebruise or anything, but it could fit with the very low level discomfort.

The rain came in just as I was packing up, which is really quite fantastic timing! Thanks to Swifty for popping out to take some photos too.

Manawatu A&P

2010-11-18T06:41:00.002+13:00

Manawatu A&P show up at Manfeild park on the 6th & 7th. Just Neo and Gem with me, as Xev still a bit off. Saturday was the ring class type stuff, and Sunday the jumping for me. Swifty came up on the Saturday and snapped a few pics.

Neo was well-behaved in his in-hand classes (he always is, I think I need to work out how to wake him up!). A ribbon in one of his classes, but only due to light entries. Still - it is really good for him to go out and not just always do jumping.

Then Gem had working hunters, she was super bouncy for the first class but by the open lightweight she had settled down quite nicely. She jumped great and never worried about the fences at all... however the gallop was a bit hairy (also very slippery! which made for some amusing moments while both ponies and hacks were trying to pull up at the other end). Gem picked up a 3rd, and I was really stoked with how she jumped.

Sunday Gem did showhunters, and was super in the 90cm first year registered class - but then I carried on and did the 1m and just did not give her enough of a forward ride and we had a stop at the last fence. That is so very out of character for Gem and I am very disappointed that I overfaced her and let her down like that. She is such a brave girl and really seems to enjoy the jumping. So she is currently having a couple of weeks with no real jumping, just trotting poles and a few crossbars to make sure her confidence doesn't get dented.

Neo was supposed to do the 1.10m class on Sunday, but after looking at the surface in the crusher dust arena I felt it was just too hard (a lot of horses jumped great on saturday and came out sunday not going very well in that ring, I suspect due to the ground). So I just had him in the 1m & 1.05m. I put the stronger bit on him for the small class, and he pulled a bit in the first round, but was ok... then the jumpoff he was not jumping as nicely so pulled a couple rails. I think that is due to being worried about the stronger bit. So for the 1.05 I came back with his mullen mouth leather bit, and couldn't even get him to listen to me at all over the practise fence. I didn't want to put him back in the stronger bit, so I just scratched him and went home.

Wairarapa A&P

2010-11-03T07:00:00.007+13:00

Wairarapa A&P show last weekend - and though it was forecast to rain, I actually managed to stay dry (if a little cold). Mum had Daniel in the pleasure horses on Sunday, and after arriving and getting him all tidied up to go, a friend came over and mentioned that it was no plaiting and no jackets for the pleasure section! So it was a rushjob of unplaiting!

Can't have been too bad though - as they actually won the turnout! Woohoo! Fairly small entries - maybe 10-12 people max, but some good horses in there with many pleasure championships under their belt. Daniel went really well and picked up ribbons in most of his classes.

He won the best trotting horse too, which was nice. His flatwork is coming along really well and he looked stunning. A few hiccups further into the classes as he was getting tired (and many of the horses were by that stage).

So while they didn't come home with a wide, they had a great time (even got to go for a gallop!). Daniel will be doing the pleasure classes again at Manawatu A&P this coming weekend.

Neo was a huge disappointment. After jumping so well last weekend, I took him in the 1m on Saturday and he was a bit of a toad to warm up, but the warmup jumps were in an area with lots of spooky stuff around - so I figured he might be better in the ring. Well he just didn't listen at all - fighting with me the few times he did realise I was there at all. Leaping and reefing in front of the jumps, then getting over them quite hollow. I even tried coming back to a trot, but it didn't change anything. I don't know if he is sore or stressed? Or just being a piglet? I opted to scratch from my Sunday classes in the interests of safety (and also in case he is sore). He is not working well at home this week either - so maybe there is something owchy, he has his ears back a lot (which is unusual for him), but I can't find anything obvious and it is just so heartbreaking when it gets like that.\

Shante was entered in Saddle Hunters and Colour classes, but they changed the times and they ended up clashing. Mum decided to go for the in-hand stuff, which turned out to be a good choice. Shante didn't put a foot wrong and came home with Reserve Champ adult, as well as a trophy for the colour/markings class.

Mum did hop on afterwards and said that Shante felt a bit grumpy - but they rode around and got some more mileage under her belt. Then we got a chiro to have a look at her, and identified some issues - so hopefully we are on track to sorting that out. Many thanks to Sarah for coming along for the day to groom for the flat classes.

Gem was a dude. She bounced around in the saddle hunters and wasn't really the relaxed type they were looking for, but she didn't really do anything wrong - just a bit full of herself and the spring grass! It also gave me an excuse to use the double bits I bought ages ago for a horse who ended up going far better in a snaffle! Gem does too! But hey, at least I got to use them.. and now I won't feel bad if I sell them, because at least I've had a chance to use them.

Mum led Gem in the mare class and did the district hunter on her, then I grabbed her back for the working hunter. It really is a pleasure to ride Gem. I mean, she put in a wee pigrooty thing after the first fence, and really (really!) enjoyed the gallop! But she is just so fun, and you really can put all of your trust in her.

Xev stayed at home, I'd wanted to do flat classes on her, but have not come any closer to identifying what is making her sore - so thought better of it. I'd hate for her to associate going out with pain. Gutted for her to miss the show though (she was the right colour for the judge too! lots of greys in the lineups).

Thanks again to Sarah for grooming, and Swifty for being cameraman on Saturday. Not really sure what my plans are beyond Manawatu A&P - mostly I need to make sure all horses are feeling 100% happy and healthy! I think I need to register Gem for showjumping too.

Wairarapa SJ&SH Champs

2010-10-28T19:07:00.004+13:00

Last weekend we went up to Masterton (again!), but only for Sunday - so just the one day out of the 3 day show for me. The weather was on fine form, but I remembered my sunscreen so all is good. Mum even brought Dan and Shante along just to have a ride. Shante was looking a bit stiff at the canter, but has since had some massage work done and Mum tells me that it's all looking good to go for the A&P show this coming weekend.

It was a really mixed show for me, but the highlight was Neo's 1.10m class in Ring2. He warmed up quite nicely, a little goey but nothing silly. And I did get quite left behind over fence 1 (pic below!):

But after that he really settled in and was jumping so nicely. He was still a bouncy boy, but he was actually using himself over the fences and just gave me a really great ride. I was absolutely thrilled with him.

We had a plank down - possibly just came in a bit too hot/flat. But I totally didn't care, I was super stoked with him, and so he got lots of cuddles for that.

Then later in the afternoon we did the 1m class and it was just terrible. He was jumping through the fences (first photo below) and I actually felt he was going to hurt himself so I retired. Such a bummer to have to end on that note, as we'd had such an awesome morning. Xev was really off-form in the morning and I am still going through the options to sort out why - feet & teeth first on the list, then back... but she was so different to last weekend (look at the second pic below of her overjumping in the 1.10m and just not being her usual tidy self).

I took her in the showhunters and she was incredibly spooky and not focused on the fences at all, but I just put it down to spring grass (as there were a few horses behaving that way, and I certainly didn't think it was out of the question). But then the 1.10m was even worse and we didn't even make it over fence2. I had no idea what was wrong, and didn't want to even try our afternoon class, but a friend suggested I do it anyway as it was only 1m.

So I put her in a very soft bit and cantered around the 1m - which she went around, but was still very distracted and head high between fences. She got her tongue over the bit too. So while I'm really glad I did the class, as it meant we could finish on a better note, I am gutted that she must be sore somewhere... and the only way to find out where is through a process of elimination.

So the farrier came out today, and Xev is still feeling a bit hollow through the back and fussy in her mouth - so I really need to get the dentist out. I will still do flat classes this weekend, but not sure on the jumping as I don't want to hurt her at all. Gem is being a superstar at home, and Neo spent today falling over trotting poles (not a good start!). Oh well, horses keep me on my toes! Thanks to Swifty for the pics on this blog entry, and also to Louise for taking some extras too.

Plate

2010-10-18T18:07:00.001+13:00

Plate for the float arrived today!

Carterton Carnival

2010-10-17T15:59:00.005+13:00

Carterton / South Wairarapa Spring Carnival yesterday for me. Left Neo at home, and just took the mares along (which didn't prove to be the best move ever, as he launched himself over/through a cattleyard while the grazing owner was trying to move him... oops). Anyway, Gem was great! We did the 80cm class which was an A1 - and did a nice clear round for a pretty purple ribbon.

Gem also did a lovely double clear in the 90cm, but just not fast enough to pick up a placing. Very happy with her though - didn't do any crazy turns, but kept tight and did some nice angles. I did get left behind a bit at one fence that we jumped a bit weird and got smacked in the chest by her wither! I have been making a real effort to get forward over the fences on her, and it seems to be working - but my lower leg is really loose on her (more so than on other horses)... need to sort it out!

We also did the 1m which Gem rocked around happily, a couple rails - but not fussed about that. Happy that she is such a willing horse. I need to stop pussying around with the low classes and move her up the heights a bit I think. No shows for Gem next weekend, but the following weekend she will come up to Wairarapa A&P for saddle hunteres and working hunters.

Xev started off with the 90cm class and a nice double-clear, but over the first few jumps she was distracted by the mini horses on the other side of the fence, not a huge thing - just meant I couldn't get her 100% focused. Again the time wasn't good enough for a placing (there were some fast rounds!).

our 1m start was a bit of a stuff-up! A bunch of walkers in fluro vests (fundraising or awareness raising I guess?) walked past and set the minis into "swarm mode" as we were a few strides out from jump1 - poor Xev was terrified and got over the first fence then made a beeline for anywhere that was not near minis. So we retired from that round and I walked her over to introduce her to the minis (she still wasn't keen on them, but doesn't seem to mind them when they stand still!). Wasn't sure what this was going to mean for my 1.10 class, but it was fine.

She had a good spook at the minis when we came around to that same corner, but she jumped really nicely and reminds me what a pleasure she is to ride. No ribbon for us in the 1.10, but really happy with her and feel it's a great warmup event for the ESNZ showjumping next weekend where she is entered in showhunters and 1.10m showjumping.

Thanks to Swifty for coming over the hill to take photos. And thanks to the Wairarapa for turning on some awesome weather. I did come prepared with sunscreen this time, but am still burnt - it would appear that you need to apply the sunscreen for it to have any effect.

Saddle Up at Foxton

2010-10-17T15:45:00.002+13:00

Mum took Shante over to Foxton on Saturday for the Saddle-up show. There is in-hand in the morning, followed by ridden classes afterwards. Shante travelled really well, and behaved herself beautifully in the in-hand classes, picked up a ribbon in the mare class as well.

When it came time to tack-up for the ridden things were not as easy! Shante was a bit upset and needed to be lunged first, and not as settled as her last few "go along to watch" outings, but she got there eventually. Different saddlepad and different girth sleeve to usual as well, so possibly a lot to take in.

So they did ring classes, Shante's first ever time being ridden amongst other horses like that - in a circle with others trotting around (though they did do their canters alone, but did them nicely and on both reins).

So they came home with a neckful of ribbons, though it took some effort to get them on (and Shante would not have a bar of the judge trying to do it). 1st trotting horse, 2nd mare in-hand, 2nd p&m?, 3rd rider, 4th turnout. Not a bad haul!

Then today they headed out to Solway dressage (though I think that was just to watch again). Busy weekends for Shante! Not sure where she is headed next weekend - but there are lots of things on at this time of year, so I'm sure she will be out and about seeing all sorts of new things.

Belmont Showjumping

2010-10-09T20:42:00.003+13:00

Western Hills show today, at Belmont. The ground was insane (wet/boggy) and there were stacks of people there (35 in my first ring1 class - which is heaps for a local show) - but they sure turned on the weather for us! I think I even got sunburnt again - I really should start putting sunscreen on in the morning again - bliss!!

Gem did a couple classes in ring2 and was awesome. She even picked up 2nd place in the TableC. I tried her in the myler, as she was pulling a bit last weekend, but I think the myler was too strong (because when I came to do my second class she wasn't too keen to go forward - more just cantering on the spot). But very pleased with her.

I do need to sort out getting forward on her. For some reason I feel really unbalanced when I give her a good crest release and sit forward over the fences, so I tend to slip my reins instead. I think I will try her in a more padded jumping saddle, perhaps my hard flat seated ones just don't work well for us a combination? She is really easy to jump, so I want to be able to do better by her. Oh, and bonus cuteness - we picked up our ribbon in-hand as I was already untacked to go home, and she cantered her lap of honour with me huffing and puffing and running beside her, she thought it was super fun!

Neo had an awesome day! Though it didn't start off so great. Because last weekend I got him in the mouth a few times during that bareback round, I thought I would jump his first round in the leather bit (mullen mouth loosering snaffle, but leather mouthpiece) just to give him a bit more confidence. Well, I almost changed my mind pretty quickly as he took off, pigrooted, reefed and was generally a real toad warming up. Then I got in the ring and he was really very good.

I managed to miss a fence in the jumpoff though! So that is twice this season I have got my course wrong (and I am a person who typically never gets their course wrong - so I have no idea what is going on there... I even walked it this time! Must be old age catching up on me). But yes, so pleased with how Neo went in that bit that I came back and did the circuit in it. I was a bit unsure if he was still going to be controllable, or if he'd be a bit more full of himself. Well, he warmed up like a riding club pony just trotting along happily, then did a super round and didn't really pull at all (didn't always wait for me either! but a massive improvement on what we've had lately). I chased him into the double to get the stride and ended up getting too close to the second and clipping the rail - but it was still good enough to get him a placing.

He even went and got his ribbon with a halter instead of a bridle and cantered around with the other horses nicely in the lap of honour! So happy with him. I have tried softer bits on him before with not much luck, so I am absolutely amazed that this bit seems to be doing the trick (especially because at home he totally ignores it). I had entered the final class in ring1 but decided to end on a good note.

Managed to get home and unloaded just before it started pouring down too. Xev had a lazy day today - she is on fitness training at the moment, and will be coming out next weekend for the start of 3 weekends in a row in the Wairarapa! Oh, and thanks to Swifty for taking photos today - as he took some for me, plus a few friends too - so was out getting sunburn all day.

Sunshine! Oh Joy!

2010-10-03T16:39:00.003+13:00

Wow - it's sunny again - this is fantastic! Mum took her mob out to Solway dressage day to look around (Shante not as good as yesterday, but still no problems) and my lot just had quiet canters up the back paddocks and then had dinner in the sun. Bonus pics of Shante waiting at the truck, and Gem eating dinner:

This weather had better stay around, because I am absolutely loving it.

Solway - Jumping

2010-10-03T14:44:00.003+13:00

Last update for the Solway Gymkhana is for the jumping! The jumping was actually held in the morning (before flat classes), but quite nice - it meant that I was finished all of my riding well before lunchtime. Sadley Xev sprung a shoe the night before, so I didn't want to jump her over bigger fences - and got Mum to do the 65 & 80cm classes just so she'd have a bit of an outing. Was all going well, but Mum lost a bit of balance and plopped off the side while turning a corner. Xev is going awesome though - so the farrier will be out hopefully tomorrow to come and sort out that shoe - because Xev has quite a few outings planned over the next month! She is in fab condition too, and her summer coat is coming through really nicely. I am thinking I want to ride her in the sidesaddle classes at Manawatu A&P (but have still not been brave enough to try the canter again! what a wimp I am).

Next up for the jumping was Gem in the 80cm. She hasn't had much work just lately, so was very full of herself! Not being naughty at all - but rather keen, and the french link just wasn't quite enough brakes. About halfway through the round she started listening nicely though and did a lovely double-clear. I got left behind a few times though (first pic below haha). Gem will probably do some showhunter classes next weekend at Belmont/Western Hills.

I was running late for my first class on Neo (90cm), and the judges were certainly in no mood to wait, which was a little unfortunate. But I didn't want to miss out on doing the class as a nice warmup for him, so I ended up heading in bareback. Because I hadn't had a chance to warmup (not even one practise fence) I was a bit mean with my hands - not letting my arms go to his mouth. We did go clear though, which is pretty neat. The next class we came back with our saddle and my arms much better! He was a bit tanky though. Today I rode him in a friend's leather bit, nice and soft, as an apology for my hard hands yesterday and he seemed to really appreciate that.

Thanks to Swifty for coming and taking photos. Oh, and yesterday was also my first time having 3 in the float - and over the Makara, Haywards & Rimutaka hills the patrol was sweet as to tow the 3 hacks, so that is good to know.

Shante @ Solway

2010-10-03T14:35:00.003+13:00

Shante came along to the Solway Gymkhana too - but just to have a look around (not compete). Mum hopped on her in the afternoon for a ride, and Shante went fantastic. It's only Shante's second ride in public (and her first ever canters in public too).
She is a little light in condition - but going great. She had a bit of a 'stiffen up' once when a horse came past her on a circle, and another time when a small child jumped off a fence and the wires made that twang noise. But no big panics and no bucks. All good!

And a video of Mum and Shante too:

What a clever horsey :) I belive Mum is taking her back out to Solway today to watch some of the dressage day, then she will have a few more outings to look at things, before doing the golden horse in-hand classes at Wairarapa A&P.

Solway Flat

2010-10-03T11:26:00.003+13:00

Mum had Daniel entered in a few of the flat classes yesterday at the Solway RDA & PonyClub Gymkhana. I think he's only been ridden at a competition once before? But he settled in really nicely around all of the other horses and never got stressed. He did start off a bit long in frame, but tried hard to work properly. He needs more tail! But that didn't stop him picking up 3rd place in the Maiden hack and putting in a good showing in the Open too.

By that second class he was going really nicely, so Mum finished on a good note and took him back to the truck.

So I'm not sure what Daniel's next outing will be - but he should be making an appearance at Wairarapa A&P in the pleasure ring.

Windmills

2010-10-01T18:51:00.001+13:00

Eating dinner in the sun, with the windmills slowly turning in the distance

Float

2010-09-30T08:51:00.001+13:00

For those of you who haven't seen it yet

Calendar

2010-09-30T08:49:00.001+13:00

I've just been going through my calendar sorting out October. Looks like:
-Solway gymkhana this weekend
-Western hills next weekend
-South Wairarapa spring show
-Wairarapa esnz sj & sh (2 days for me)
-Wairarapa a&p (again just 2 days for me)

Pics from Tielcey

2010-09-29T18:23:00.004+13:00

I finally got around to getting some pictures! These ones are from the last Tielcey Park jumping day - they're taken by Damian Day. Thanks Damian!

You know how when you're riding and schooling, sometimes it feels like nothing ever changes? Well I was stoked to see actual real evidence that my shoulder is coming right. I mean - the first pic below is just awful and hilarious, but I bought it anyway, because I am not locking up my shoulder to protect my collarbone! So I might look like a dork - but I don't care! I'm so happy that I am moving my arms through my shoulder joints properly. I can't believe it's taken so long, it must be about 6 months since I did the initial injury.

I just did small classes on Neo, the 90cm & 1m. I still have him in the Myler combination bit, but am riding with just a single rein now (on the middle ring). Our rounds weren't perfect - there was some bouncing around and not listening to me, but he was also coming back to me really nicely between fences. We picked up 4th in the 90 and won the 1m, then decided to head home before the bad weather hit.

All-up I'm really pleased with the outing, and it's good that Neo is seeming a little more settled. I only took him, so perhaps he also liked that nothing was rushed? Something for me to think about anyway.

QEP xc

2010-09-27T09:22:00.001+13:00

Drive to Taupo thus weekend to pick up my float, then took Xev out for cross country practice on Sunday. More updates when my Internet at home is working again!

Tielcey jumping

2010-09-19T12:44:00.001+12:00

Ribbons!

Storm

2010-09-18T20:32:00.001+12:00

I was feeling very happy that the big storm passed us by, but it did cancel a few events this weekend. Listening to the rain outside, hope at least it's not too yucky for the drive up to palmy. At least I know shows at tielcey don't get cancelled in bad weather!

Waikanae

2010-09-10T20:31:00.002+12:00

Okay - the overdue update from last Sunday! I had my second outing towing a float - the same float as last time, but this time both Xev and Neo on board. When I got over the Makara hill I stopped and checked on the horses and Neo had a bit of a sweat on, and wide eyes! But they were both fine. I stopped again a few kms later and they were both half asleep. The drive to Waikanae took about an hour & 20 minutes - so not too bad at all. The weather was playing nice too.

When I got there it was still pretty early, so I fluffed around a bit and went and paid and got my backnumber then saddled up Xev. She was so full of herself when I hopped on, very excited to be around all the horses and excitement. By the time we got right across the entire park and to the all-weather arena she was feeling far more laid back.

The showjumps were set to whatever height you wanted them - so I did a round at about 95cm and Xev was so cute. She was super keen into the first one, then immediately realised that there were quite a few more jumps to go yet, so got into her stride nicely. I stuffed up a distance into the planks, but the rest of the course was pretty good, and the related distances and the double came up just perfectly for us.
A few others wanted the jumps up, so we stuck around for the 1.05 and did a handful of the jumps - I'd been working her on the flat the whole time so she was pretty sweaty and I didn't want to do too much. Really happy with how she went though. And this week her coat is starting to come through properly and she doesn't look as much like a shaggy bear when you whip her rug off!

So I finished up on Xev and took her back to the float, where Neo had been calling out to her the whole time it seemed! Gave her a lunch and got started on Neo.

When I took Neo over to the arenas he was on his tip-toes and prancing around - I couldn't even get him to stand still long enough to do my girth, so had to do up the girth while he was dancing around in circles. But, to my surprise, he warmed up pretty well. Looking to the outside a little, but not freaking out when I put my leg on to get his bend back, and tidy transitions.

Then we did a few rounds of showjumping - actual calm and laid back rounds. The jumps were small (maybe 80cm?) but I don't really care - it was really good just to have him cruise around nicely. Then I took him back and we were all done for the day!

The drive home was really windy, and by the time I got back to Makara it was a 2-person job to get the rugs on the horses (except I didn't have a second person, so I just had to do everything doubletime and the horses had to stand nicely while I dragged rugs back over them that had blown half off before I could get the straps all done up). A good day though - feeling very motivated after it.

Waikanae

2010-09-05T13:21:00.001+12:00

Ready to head home!

Update coming tonight.

Haybales

2010-08-29T20:16:00.004+12:00

Up to Masterton today to visit Mum (our 2 cars parked beside each other below) and managed to easily fit 4 bales of hay in the car with quite a bit of room to spare! A bit different to last season when I was transporting hay with the bmw!

Torrential rain most of the day today - feels like someone is playing this huge joke on me. As soon as I get motivated again and the horses are all going well, we have another week of unrelenting rain.

Arena Fun!

2010-08-28T21:47:00.002+12:00

Grays road today already has some grids set up, so I took advantage of that and did some practise without reins (as I have been meaning to do - but so far have only been doing on the flat and not over fences). Xev was great and mostly we could corner effectively without the reins too - not perfect, but pretty good. I do notice through the grid I am looking down in the pictures though! There is always more and more things to fix when it comes to riding!

Xev was jumping really well, good big bold jumps and no chipping in which was really great to see. I must say, she looked a bit untrusting when I took the saddle off though...

And then got straight back on her to do a little bit of bareback riding. I do a bit of flatwork on her - still have a bit of trouble with the downward transitions at times (if I get them wrong then her wither can be very unforgiving!)

But today was my first time jumping her without a saddle. I am a huge wimp, so kept her to the very low fences (not quite ready to hit a 1m class like with silly Neo!). I found I got a bit loose in my position on landing a couple of times. Perhaps that is because I'm not really looking where I'm going?

Was a fun ride though - good to get out somewhere and do a bit of jumping. And while it was pouring down half the time, the other half was quite sunny and nice. Thanks to Swifty for coming out to take the pictures, and thanks to Xev for loading and travelling perfectly for my first towing experience.

Tow Car

2010-08-28T21:19:00.004+12:00

On Friday I picked up my new (second-hand, but new to me!) tow car. I took a bus up to Palmerston North, which actually wasn't too bad, however it does make me wonder what we did in the days before mobile internet? As I swear I spent half the journey reading forums.

The car is an '04 Nissan patrol... seems nice enough so far - so pretty pleased with my purchase. Today I borrowed a float from HorsePark and had my first ever attempt at towing. It really wasn't bad at all. Reversing will take some practise, but I got everywhere I needed to and most of my 3-point turns I managed in just the one swing... just a couple that I mucked up and needed to go back and forth a few extra times!

Piccies! First the car with borrow float (and Xev inside!) and then the fuel readings. I'm told they can be expensive cars to run, but I didn't think it's been too bad so far. I took the pic a little earlier, but when I finished driving for today & parked up I'd done over 200kms and was still easily above halfway on the main tank. Be interesting to see how much it changes if I am towing more than 1 horse or a larger float.

In order to make my 'learn to drive' trip worthwhile, I took Xev up to Grays road and did a bit of jumping (not heaps.. she is still a bit fluffy so gets very sweaty!). Will pop up some photos of that later on.

Bouncy bouncy

2010-08-27T08:13:00.001+12:00

'Jumped' Gem bareback last night, okay only over poles on the ground - but great fun (not sure I am keen to try any higher as she is very bouncy with that active back-end of hers). Neo and Xev both in serious work now, and me wishing I had clipped them! Sweaty monsters!

At least Gem is clipped!

Winter Update

2010-08-22T20:03:00.005+12:00

It's been so long since I've done an update... or really had much to update about. The horses are in mud, winter is not very inspiring. But I have sold the truck, and bought a tow vehicle and currently float shopping. I've also got a new job which has (so far) been really great - really giving my brain a bit of a workout.

Today I went up to Masterton to catch up with Mum, and see the new properties up there, and see her new horse. Daniel is a western-trained horse who belongs to a friend - he's going to spend the season with mum doing sporthorse things.

Mum has been getting him fit and working on his schooling and he's actually coming along really nicely. Starting to get his canter strikeoffs sorted out and carry himself a little better.

After Mum had warmed him up, I hopped on him to see what he was like. I cheated and wore spurs, so it was a little easier for me to keep him focused.

He is actually a real doll to ride - just goes around very laid back. And he tries quite hard to please, just sometimes doesn't quite know what you're asking yet.

Also caught up with Shante and Zak while I was over there (Zak has grown again!). Came home, with a trailer of lucerne hay, and spent some time with Neo, Gem & Xev. They are all feeling quite good - and there is the first little bit of spring grass coming through too, which is great news. May mean it's time to buy a bag of equilibrium blue though!

Great sunshine this weekend. I hope there is more where that came from, as it's exactly what I needed to give my motivation a kick up the butt.

Panorama

2010-08-01T19:46:00.006+12:00

Headed up to Masterton today for a bit of an outing - took the horses for a ride at Panorama equestrian. Gem was full of bounce, but as always, happy to be out and about.

She pulled a little bit as I was warming up around the jumps, but was very steady once we started jumping. After jumping I did some stretches/exercises to help with my stuffed shoulder (while Gem tootled around) and then did some bareback schooling on her. She was great bareback and I will absolutely do more work on her that way - I was able to get her to listen to my seat and legs far more effectively.

Mum had a ride on Neo. She's ridden him twice before - but mostly just on a long rein/hacking. So today she had a chance to get to know him a bit better.

After a warmup they popped over a few crossbars and through a double and it went really well. Neo was pretty well behaved, and Mum did very well giving him his head and being soft on his mouth.

Xev had her tootsies attended to and then we got out the sidesaddle. I am still not really sure if I'm 'doing it right' - but hopefully some of my sidesaddle buddies will be able to give me some tips and critique.

Mum did question as to why I wasn't smiling... I couldn't! Too busy concentrating! I haven't attempted another canter yet, so we just stuck to a trot.

Xev has been so lovely about it, and not phased at all by the sidesaddle (or the hilarious antics while I try to either climb on or release myself and slither off).

After riding the weather wasn't looking flash, so no photos of Daniel (Mum's new ride), Shante, Coco, or Zak! But I did manage to grab some feed & hay (thanks Mum) and get back over the Rimutaka hill before it got closed due to high winds. It was 2.5 hours from Masterton central, back to the paddock at Makara - which I didn't think was bad especially considering the weather was pretty awful for most of the drive.

Practice Makes..

2010-07-25T20:22:00.003+12:00

Well, we're a long way off perfect. But practice certainly makes a difference. You can't fix things just by wishing they were better, but there are lots of little exercises that make a big impact. Thanks to all of my buddies on facebook I have gone out to the paddock this week armed with heaps of small things to try in order to work on my jumping position.

The main exercise I've used is putting a hair-tie or plait about two-thirds the way up the mane, and reaching for that over the fence. I found that sometimes I will still 'float' my hands before reaching, so to try and tackle that I've been doing big forward canters around a hill paddock, coming into jumping position, resting my hands on the horse's neck, then moving my hands & body forward as if jumping. Just trying to keep in contact with the neck as much as possible. I still find it more comfortable to do an automatic style release (toward the bit) rather than a crest release (up the mane) - but I want to be able to use either, depending on the horse and the situation.

I have had about three or four rides on Xev with the sidesaddle now. We suspected a bit of thrush in her front hooves, so have treated for that (certainly the weather for such things). She is so kind with the sidesaddle and tries to go very smoothly for me. However I did attempt a canter - on the left rein which I'm told is harder? Anyway, it just resulted in me impaling myself on one of the horns on the saddle and yelping! Poor Xev didn't know what to do and just halted - what a good horse!

Neo and Gem are mostly just working on fitness, so they have been the 2 that I'm using to practice my jumping position exercises. It is quite amazing how different they both feel over fences - and Gem has such powerful paces that she makes Neo feel like a pony when I get on him.

I've also started doing small rides down the road on Neo... we haven't encountered a car yet (thankfully) and he still seems to think drains are spooky, but it's good to have a road that I can ride on if I want - I certainly didn't have that living in Pauatahanui.

Next show for us? Probably up at Tielcey Park again. But the schedules are starting to come out for more events, hopefully the weather co-operates unlike last season when almost everything on grass surfaces was cancelled.

Tielcey Jumping July

2010-07-18T20:30:00.003+12:00

A good day out at Tielcey today - the sun was shining and it was actually warm! Swifty came and took some photos and helped out, and Mum came over from Masterton with some hay and also pulled manes for me! Fantastic. Was only doing the low classes today, as Gem not quite fit enough for much more, and just wanted to do a 'where I'm at' check with Neo. Really happy with the day though, Gem went great and Neo is making progress again. I am still not moving through my shoulder much when jumping, but in some of the pics I can see I'm trying to balance with my arms waving around in the air instead of nesting them into the mane or neck... and it's obviously not working. So now I have something concrete to try and aim to fix - that along with trying to do stretches and things to keep the joint mobile should start to make a difference (hopefully! I guess the next lot of pictures will tell if I'm right or wrong).

Gem did the 70 & 80cm classes and was an absolute dude. She got very excited when I first hopped on and was jig-jogging around and generally not listening.. but once she got in the arena she was great. Very focused and on-task, now just needs to bring her fitness up and she will be good to go!

Neo did the 80cm and was still pulling, but not as badly as last time we were out. He wasn't 'switching off' and running through the fences. I am pleased with him, but still a bit more schooling to do there and I guess just getting him out and about as much as possible again so that I can practise keeping his focus on me while lots of other things are going on.

Xev wasn't jumping today - but Mum dropped off the sidesaddle and we had a quick walk around in it! I need to learn how to actually put it on and sit in it properly and all that.. but Xev coped very well and I think she will be an easy horse for me to try and learn to ride sidesaddle on (just need to find some competitions to get some real practise in!). And a bonus picture of Neo sporting his new haircut thanks to Mum.

Only doing the little classes meant we got to head home in daylight - very awesome! But still really tired and looking forward to getting a good sleep tonight (turns out Neo was just looking forward to a roll, and by the time I got his hay to him in the paddock he looked like a walking lump of mud!).

Cruisy Weekend

2010-07-11T14:43:00.004+12:00

Super weather this weekend - almost a shame to not have any shows on, but at least it meant I had some lovely laid-back rides in the sun and the chance to let the horses have some time with their rugs off too. Xev has dropped a bit of weight this week, so will try changing her feed around a bit (as it seems to only be since I changed their feeds when Gem arrived... though they are getting more now, but perhaps too much energy feed? Maybe she is burning it off being a silly pony in the paddock? Not sure - but will keep an eye on it). She went so sweetly today though - did some bareback riding and she is just so easy and smooth.

Neo has been a busy boy just lately. I've switched his canter aid from mostly inside leg, to mostly outside leg to ask. Hopefully this will help me in being able to use my inside leg to keep him out on the circle as he is a bit prone to falling in. He picked up the new canter aid inside of one lesson this week and has been reponding to it 100% perfect since.

I've also been working on riding him in different levels of contact. Because he has a soft mouth I have previously tended to have a really loose contact - but now I'm actively trying to push him up into a more true contact and switch between that and dropped reins or a lighter contact... just so that he learns to accept those differences without getting stressed out about it.

Yesterday I also spent some time doing what could possibly be called interpretive dance on horseback... trying to do all sorts of funny movements to really loosen up my shoulders. It felt like it was working well yesterday and I even popped him over a few fences while doing it and I was happy with how relaxed I was through the shoulder. I notice today I was stiff again though (and quite bad on Gem while jumping) - but I feel like it's worth keeping at it, at least while I don't have anyone out at the grazing who can put me on the lunge so that I can work on my shoulders that way.

Gem did heaps of crossbars yesterday and was really laid back and nice about everything. Good flying changes too, and by about halfway through the session she was starting to come back to being nice and tidy in front (she knows what those crossbars are for!).

Today she was much stronger though - and not listening to me very well.. but she's only really been back in work such a short time, so can't blame her for getting a bit excited! You can see in these pics below about my shoulders being stiff and me not giving properly over the fence too. I will keep working on it!

A nice day to be out riding though - hopefully more good weather on the way too! And thanks to Nick for taking the photos today.

Sidesaddle

2010-07-11T10:56:00.002+12:00

I realised this morning that I hadn't put these pictures on the blog (at least I couldn't find them when I went to show someone). So, here are some old pics from earlier in winter of Gem's first time with her sidesaddle on, with the help of some of the girls at Mum's grazing.

And the pony trying it on for size!

I forgot to grab the saddle off Mum when she brought Gem over for me to ride, so I think I might have to get it next weekend and have a shot at riding in it (that is just riding, not competing!).

Wintertime Woollies

2010-07-07T15:59:00.003+12:00

Mum wanted some pictures of Gem - so I took off from work a little early today and got Nick to come out in the cold with me to grab a few piccies. It wasn't raining too much, but still very wet and cold so just a quick ride for Xev and Gem (while Neo stood watching). Xev is so insanely fluffy at the moment! and I don't look forward to pulling her mane!

Gem was really well-behaved today - a few days work have got her a bit more supple and focused on her work better. She's still very swishy with her tail though! Seems to think I shouldn't have my legs on - silly horse.

She even did some stretching work at the end of her little 5 minute ride, which was really good - and if I can keep doing a good stretch before & after her schooling I think it will really get her a lot more supple (which is going to be important if she is going to be a dressage horsey for winter!).

Not much else to report. Hopefully get up to Tielcey Park again this month, probably for the showjumping and combined training - but we'll see how it all goes. A bit hard to get motivated in this weather, but the start of the next season is just around the corner!

Gem back in work

2010-07-05T08:24:00.003+12:00

What an amazing weekend - sunny on both days! And some quality time with the horses where I could see them without artificial lights. On Saturday Mum drove Gem over from Masterton so that she could come back into work (as Mum is just too busy at the moment to get much riding in). Was a long & twisty drive for them, but eventually Gem got unloaded and I had a quick ride but I think Gem was a bit too tired from the drive. Sunday we had a proper ride and she was full of beans - no naughties, but my arms forgot what it's like to ride a horse who can be strong. Riding Xev and Neo afterwards was a nice rest!

Coco is settling in well at her new home, and will hopefully get a chance for either Mum or I to pop up there and get some photos of her. Zak not doing much but stuffing his face eating, and Shante is just in light work so that she doesn't forget everything she's learning.

Really it's all a bit boring. Not too many more months of winter though - and then the shows will all start up again and I'm sure I'll be begging to have boring and weekend sleep-ins.

Some answers

2010-06-27T16:25:00.002+12:00

Well - Neo trotted up lame yesterday. Not obviously, but just a little "off" - so I wonder if the other weekend at Tielcey was a combination of whatever soreness was coming through being increased by jumping (well, landing, really!). So I'm actually feeling a lot better about that.

Today Neo & Xev also had their shoes off and got trimmed with the intention of Neo going shoe-less next season and Xev just getting her hooves really well-balanced.

It's been rain, rain and more rain down here. I was supposed to pick up Gem this weekend, but have decided to stay warm and be lazy! Mum has some time off at the end of the week, so she may even deliver her for me which would be awesome. Gem's old owner found her dressage bridle tags too, and has popped them in the mail - so there will be no excuse for us not to be dressage queens for a few months at least.

That annoying question

2010-06-24T11:06:00.003+12:00

All of you other horse-owners and riders have all had it, I'm sure. That horrible time when you are trying to work out - is my horse sore? or is she/he being a twit? Obviously there is always some reason if things aren't going as you expect, but tracking down exactly what that reason is can really be an exercise in getting frustrated and disheartened.

It's no secret that Neo is my "doesn't get schooled" horse. But every now and then I have things I want to work on (and the time to do it) - so this past month or so I have been working quite hard at getting him more settled. The past few shows before that he's gotten a bit tanky and wasn't listening - so I knew it was time for me to pull up my socks and do some real work. And, as always, it paid off. He's always been pretty casual around home, but we're now at the point where we can canter figure-8's over jumps on the buckle and his downward transitions are quick and clean.

So when I trundled up to Tielcey Park on Sunday I was looking forward to seeing how much difference this would make to him in a show situation. I put 2 reins on his bit anyway (as last time I didn't, and he took advantage of that fact!). So I had my brakes, and he'd had his schooling - and we were ready to roll. Warmup was better than normal as well - possibly because we didn't spend much time in the indoor.

Then we had a terrible round. He was sticking his head up and not lifting his front end. Just absolutely not listening. So the next round out I made sure he listened - and I'll be honest, I was very hard with my hands to ensure he was coming back to me. It worked, in that he wasn't tanking off - but he also felt just awful. So I retired before completing the course as I really felt I was just hurting his confidence (he has a soft mouth, and though his myler-combination bit works mostly on his nose - I still don't want him turning into a horse that backs off his fences and lands in the middle of oxers!). Swifty took a few photos for me, and when I got home and had a chance to look at them - Neo's knees were barely coming up to even half the height of some of the fences and bashing out the top rails/s with his front legs! This, from a horse who frequently has a lovely tidy front end.

So I'm now left to wonder - is he sore? I can't find any reason he would be. And he hasn't given me any hints at home that he is. Although I only jump maybe 80cm max at home, and obviously at shows we jump higher. If he's not sore - is he stressed by competition? And if so, what has started that? So I need to take him back to doing some 70cm rounds? Or will that just encourage him to speed around and not listen to me and be able to get away with it?

He's getting his shoes taken off this weekend - so maybe we'll find something niggly there. Or maybe not. I haven't had his back on track gear on him this winter - but at the same time he is looking well and healthy - no puffy legs or anything like that. So do I go down the route of blood tests and thermal imaging to try and work out if there is something not right? Or is it a failing of my schooling that has made him 'freak out' at the shows while being an absolute doll at home?

Coco leased out

2010-06-24T10:35:00.002+12:00

Well - after a lot of work going into Coco and trying different things, it had become obvious to us that although she goes nicely when she is focused, she just doesn't want to be a sporthorse. It makes her uncomfortable to always be going to new places and she was getting more worried each time we went out.

So we have found a lovely farm home for Coco where she will be on a lifetime lease. She will do some on-site trekking and also may be put into a breeding programme for sportponies. Very exciting for her! She is already much more settled - I think she just knows she is going to be happier little pony now. While I'm a bit sad that we didn't get to see her reach any great potential competing, I am very very happy that we found a place for her to be happy and useful.

Something Different

2010-06-15T09:12:00.006+12:00

With winter in full-swing the blog has been a bit quiet. I'm not heading out to many shows, and most of my riding is being done under lights in the arena at night (so not really much in the way of photo opportunities). So I thought I'd do an update on what I got up to last weekend - something a bit different! I went and did some car racing for the first time!

The event was an 'autocross', which is really a lot like showjumping. There is a course that you have to learn (with penalties for knocking or displacing any course elements like cones or tyres) and the whole lot is timed. Unlike showjumping you get a lot of turns (I did the course 4 times) and you put your best time forward for placings. I ended up second-to-last! And something like 18 seconds behind the leader... certainly not what I'm accustomed to in speed classes.

Overall it was pretty enjoyable. I really liked watching how lines taken and risks all made similar impacts to what they do in jumpoffs (at least for the people - not me - who were going fast). I will be back at the next one at the end of July. Gotta keep myself busy between shows at Tielcey somehow!

Speaking of - next outing for my lot is the Tielcey Park combined training day this coming Sunday. No eventing starts for me as Xev is staying home - but Coco and Neo will both be jumping (but I'll have my saddle on this time).

On the Move

2010-06-07T17:15:00.002+12:00

Well it's been very busy times for the Odenhills team. Last weekend I moved myself and the horses that were based in Pauatahanui (Xev, Neo & Coco) to Makara. The other horses are still with Mum up in Masterton. Then this weekend I did the final cleanup and collection of rugs and jumps and whatnot from the Pauatahanui property. Lots of changes - and more ahead too, no doubt.

For the moment I'm grazing at Horse Park in Makara - and I must say it's been nice to have an arena with lights on site. These winter nights aren't getting any lighter for riding anytime soon... so I expect the lights will get a lot of use.

As for competing.. well I tried to get some dressage in this weekend, but it wasn't meant to be - suspect Xev has another absess or something? Got to have a dig around and see if I can sort it asap.

Tielcey Jumping May

2010-05-17T21:31:00.003+12:00

Sunday was a super early start! I ended up being the first showjumping competitor of the day (on Coco) and the last of the day (on Neo) - hence why it's taken me a day to actually get around to updating the blog.. I've just been so tired!

I'd entered the Intro combined training (dressage & showjumping) on Coco. She did some okay parts in her test, but mostly she was very worried about the things going on around her. In the jumping we did a practise and she took exception to the reflections in the cafe windows, and she seemed to just get worse each time we went past. It was quite disappointing to be honest. I tried some other tactics and managed to get her focused on the jumps by holding my whip out by her inside eye. I will try side rolls on her bridle and see if that helps, but I am really starting to run out of ideas as to how to help her become more confident as time doesn't seem to be the key to it. In the end we just had a rail in the showjumping which is fine, but I really have to find a way to address her trust issues or at least sort out what situations she can be comfortable in so she can be a happy pony.

Xev was next up, doing the Novice combined training. And as I was popping her saddle on, a friend casually remarked that there were new eventing tests out! They hadn't been updated on the tielcey website, and I never even thought to look at the ESNZ site - oops! So I managed to locate someone's folder they'd left unattended (haha) and quickly read the test which was for a bloody long arena! Stupid extra letters. Luckily B1(2009) is a reasonably flowing test so able to learn off one read through - but still threw me a bit. Xev warmed up ok, but a little stiff (I think maybe from new shoes the day before). So we did our test (in the short arena! it was a tight squeeze for some of those movements) and came away with a 63% which I was very happy with. As Xev was just a bit uncomfy I elected not to compete her in the jumping phase. But was very happy with her dressage, so that is a good thing.

Neo wasn't doing any dressage - just jumping for him. And we'd discussed doing a round bareback (both for laughs and to continue working on my lower leg position). I entered the 1m class with the intention of doing it bareback, and somehow didn't wimp out before getting into the ring - but it was only my 2nd time jumping him bareback and my first time trying a course. I have to say, it's much harder doing a course than it is to do single fences!!

The round itself went pretty well. We came into one fence all wrong and slid into it, but no harm done and approached again fine. I am very happy with my leg as it seems to not move too much - but my shoulders are getting worse. It's time now to find some poor volunteer to stick me on the lunge so I can go without my reins (I don't think you're going to see me bridle-less on Neo anytime soon!). After the bareback round I came back for the 1.10m with my saddle and actually had a harder time - Neo was pulling heaps more than usual, and I only had the snaffle rein on my bit. So that was a shame, as I'd not expected him to pull. All gives me things to work on and work out - that's what winter series stuff is for I guess!

So a pretty mixed day. Not super in terms of results - but lots of learning and things to get cracking on over the wet, soggy, cold months. Thanks to Swifty for taking the pics and thanks to my mates for egging me on to do a bareback round in public - it was harder than I expected, but it was pretty fun (or is that funny??).

Shante..

2010-05-08T16:33:00.001+12:00

Another Shante update - she has recovered well from her abscess and is putting on weight and starting to look good again. Mum has been lunging her and even went for a short walk around today - so that is good. Now to ensure we have a well-fitted saddle! None of the other horses are as wide as she is.

Tielcey Dressage May

2010-05-05T17:49:00.002+12:00

Last weekend I headed up to Tielcey Park for the first of their registered winter dressage series. I'd only entered the Saturday (though the show was running over 2 days) as I thought 2 days of dressage might be just a bit too much! Got there nice and early, found my park and unloaded Xev - she was a bit warm from the journey, but not sweated up. I've not clipped her yet, so she can get a bit sweaty if I don't have all the windows open for her.

We had entered 3 tests. 1 at prelim (level 1) and 2 at novice (level 2). It was Xev's first registered dressage competition as we'd entered for the registered stuff at Masterton but didn't end up getting to compete. I was really curious as to how it would go - especially as I am certainly no dressage queen!

Turned out to be a great day though - placed (& grading points) in every class! Stoked with that.

Between our tests sheets, and one of my friends giving some advice, I have some good things to focus on before the next dressage day so we can try and edge our scores up a little bit. I was really pleased to see Xev's test sheets all mention she looked very kind and consistent - which is exactly true too.

Otaki PC ribbon day

2010-04-25T20:33:00.004+12:00

Up to Otaki for a ribbon day today. Unfortunately heaps of rain overnight at my place - so the horses were muddy! Tried to give them a bit of a cleanup without hosing too much (too cold) and then set off on our way. Coco was just doing baby classes so I got on her first. She was super timid today - took quite a long time to settle her into her warmup routine, but once we got that sorted she was quite happy. She jumped her first class (50cm) quite cute, but was a little distracted by the people outside the ring.

When we came back for her 60cm class it all fell to pieces a bit. She got a fright from a child biking at her with spokey dokeys on the wheels or something... and then just really lost the plot. She didn't really do anything bad - but it took a kind volunteer to lead her, plus someone behind her, plus a bit of luck to get her past the bike at all. Then when we went in for our round she just really wasn't feeling it at all. I can't complain about the jumping (she does that part great), but it was the 'everything else'. It's a bit of a shame, as she'd been getting braver... but I guess sometimes you take a step backward. At the same time, she got a fright at one point and turned to run and buck, and came back within just a few strides. So there are certainly big improvements - I just have to keep at it.

My 2 'greys' were on after a long (long!) break. I had Xev and Neo both in the 2 last classes in Ring1. I was really pleased with Xev - there were still a few deep spots or missed strides, but overall she is just feeling great again - that abscess is all healed up and the hoof nicely hardened again. So stoked with that.

They both got into the jumpoff for the AM5 class - and Neo won with a nice double clear. No ribbon for Xev as we took the very first rail in the jumpoff by taking it a bit too cheaply. Neo was pulling again, but I managed to do his rounds with the myler on the snaffle ring, so I'm glad about that.

Xev being cute, and Neo with one of his ribbons:

The last class of the day was a TableC, which Neo absolutely tore up - I was stoked with him! Even got a great angle where we approached really only seeing jumpstands (oops), but he is such an honest boy and came home clear and with a time that was about 10 seconds better than the next horse or pony (as they were running over the same track as us). Xev I just took around more sedately (as it was slippery and she doesn't have magic sticky feet like Neo), but I was stoked with how kindly she went, and she came home with 4th place in that class.

Absolutely tired as by the end of the day! Thanks to Swifty for coming out and taking pics, and to Nick for coming down to help me put the horses away and generally ensure I didn't fall asleep before getting back up to the house!

Pink jods!

2010-04-18T18:42:00.002+12:00

I got pink breeches! I'm so stoked. They are HKM brand and super comfy. I even made Pie take some photos of Xev and I modelling them (and my new riding boots too). Then even got Pie to sit on Xev for a pony ride haha - so cute.

ArenaTime!

2010-04-11T14:41:00.006+12:00

Headed out to the arena today to get a little bit of jumping in, seeing as I have no shows this weekend and pretty much have no idea what to do with myself when I have a 'free' weekend. The myler combination is working nicely with Neo - it's not perfect, but I think that combined with schooling we're going to get some really good results with it. Today Neo went without a saddle so that I could work on trying to keep my lower leg steady. His trot is so easy to ride, but his canter can be a bit more bouncy - however with the myler I found it was easier to check him and get his mind back on task if he started to lose focus. I took the curb rein off the myler in case I got left behind or balanced myself on the reins at all as I don't want him to lose any confidence.

He was really kind over his fence and was really giving me a nice steady ride - with his canter not altering once he saw the fence (meaning we were always able to meet the jumps at the stride I had picked and not have an arguement over it).

Into the bounce, and out of the bounce - cute Neo:

I am pretty happy with my legs and stoked with how Neo went today. I still need to do something about the stiffness through my shoulder - I think I will have to see when Mum is next free and get some time on the lunge with no reins. But hey, baby steps and I won't get bored having nothing to work on this winter! There is always more to improve.

Coco was a little superstar today. She has taken to being a little nappy since the dressage day - but after a good growl she was fine. I just need to be mindful of it and give her lots of practise going away from the other horses and the truck so that she doesn't start to think it's ok to try to sneak out the arena gate!

She jumped really well today - I think she is more comfortable in her landing with the front shoes on too. She has rock hard hooves, and can be shoeless without any issues - but with jumping and doing more work it's nice to make them as comfy as possible.

Coco was awesome with all of the fillers as well - she doesn't worry about them at all! I am trying to eye up some eventing starts for her - maybe a run at intro and then into pretraining. Go Cocopony.

Xev didn't do much today. She has been feeling the hard ground, so I've been making an effort to not overdo things. But I wanted to do some jumping and get her jumping from a nice long bowling stride as we've been getting in under things a little just lately. So we did a bit of work through the bounce:

And some related fences just working on meeting the jump at the right spot. I also rode her in the myler combo just to see what it was like on her, but I think she is much happier in her french link or comfort snaffle - all good to know.

So a very easy day for Xev - she didn't even break a sweat! Thanks to Swifty for coming out to take pics and put jumps up for me, and Nick for coming out to pay the arena fee :)

Shoes for the Greenies

2010-04-11T14:35:00.004+12:00

This weekend Coco got her first ever shoes on - just fronts, and she was really good for it. She was a bit over it all by the time we got to the backs though, so we decided to quit on a good note and pop the backs on in a week or two when the farrier is back to do Xev and Neo.

Shante also got shoes on up at Mum's place - a full set for her (very swish). Not sure if she has had shoes on before, but she was perfect for the farrier so that is awesome.

A few random pics - first is Gem last weekend. Mum took her to a show and came 2nd in all three of her jumping events! They are doing so well together. And the other pic is of Lily at her owner's - she is coming along really nicely:

Also - have purchased a sidesaddle! So hopefully at some stage there will be pictures of Gem being a sidesaddle dolly-horse (with Mum, as I am pretty sure I'd fall off if I tried to ride sidesaddle).

Onslow DR - Xev

2010-04-05T21:46:00.004+12:00

Xev had her Novice 2.4 as her first test. She was a little heavy in her transitions, but apart from that I was actually really pleased with the test. She was very willing and kind throughout.

At the end of the test she certainly thought she was finished though! I think she has gone to sleep while I do my salute!

A good 3 or so hours later I was back on board for her Novice 2.1 - sadly this ran late and she was well and truly overcooked by the time I went in. It was a shame as I thought she'd warmed up really lovely. She still did some nice work, but it's always a shame when you can feel things slipping because you've warmed up for just too long.

Xev was very pleased to be done at the end of the test - but even though she was tired and sort of 'over it' she was still making an effort to please which is fantastic. She is such a sweet horse.

Xev is being advertised in the Horse Trader at the moment, and hopefully we can get her out to some registered dressage days on good surfaces and just work on keeping her improving and going up the grades a bit.

Onslow DR - Neo

2010-04-05T21:39:00.002+12:00

Neo's first and only test for the day was Novice 2.1 at around 4.40pm. Poor Neo had been tied to the truck the whole time waiting (though he did have lots of yummy hay to eat, so shouldn't be complaining!). He was a bit of a fool in many parts of the dressage - trying to run off or working on 3 tracks. But when he went nicely he actually did some really cute work.

I am rather tempted to keep him in work over winter - and if the others are going to dressage days he might find he gets loaded up for some as well. It will be a good learning curve for him!

The test sheet had some nice comments, and his score was about 58% which really wasn't bad at all considering he had a few movements where I'm sure he was doing an entirely different test to me! Always good fun riding Neo anyway :)

Onslow DR - Coco

2010-04-05T21:32:00.003+12:00

Coco was entered in 2 tests, the first was PC Test A (just walk & trot) - we warmed up in a quiet area with no other horses around and I was super pleased with the way she went in her test. Her only negative comments on the test sheet were around occasional counter-bend, but that will come so I'm stoked with her result.

A few hours later we got back on for PC Test K (with canter!). The grounds were much busier by this time and Coco had a wee tantrum by the truck not wanting to leave her friends. She was stressed out, and the test we did wasn't very good - but I was pleased that even when she got worried or scared she didn't lose the plot. She is growing up a lot in her brain which is great. And it was also her first time attempting a canter in a dressage arena (it didn't go well!) but a good learning experience for her to give it a go in quite a small space as she is inclined to 'run' into her canters.

Overall I have some good things to work on with her - and I'm pleased to have her out and about again. I think we will target some unregistered dressage days over winter just to get her amongst the atmosphere as frequently as possible.

Onslow DR - Lily

2010-04-05T21:26:00.003+12:00

Lily had both her first outing being ridden in company, and her first little competition today. She warmed up really well, especially as she was amongst other horses and it didn't seem to bother her at all.

We did PC Test A, and while she got distracted a few times and looked around the place she went calmly and kindly with nice marks for her paces.

On the way home we dropped Lily off back with her owner - it will be awesome to see them out and about over the next season.

Waikanae Showjumping

2010-04-05T19:40:00.002+12:00

Sunday was the Horowhenua circuit finals at Waikanae. Only ended up doing the circuit class, as the ground was like concrete up there too - so although Swifty came along we didn't get any photos. Xev jumped really nicely again, still getting a bit close on that hard ground, but did some very clever moves to get us out of trouble especially in the related lines. Neo was trying to find a way to evade the new bit (myler combination used with 2 reins) and went from arguing to halting... I think it's working, as it's really making him think and come back to me, but perhaps I am being too strong with the curb rein so I will play around with which ring I am attaching the curb to on the bit and see if I can continue to get positive results out of it. I'm stoked with both of the horses though as I am seeing the progress I'm aiming for.

On the way up there we got stopped at the weigh station and had a full level 3 safety check (about 15 minutes of faffing around), but flew through which is always nice.

Lily and Coco spent the day at home, as I wasn't sure if I was going to get 'inside' parking at Waikanae, and the road isn't the greatest place to leave unattended horses. I'm sure they enjoyed the day off anyway.

Belmont Showjumping

2010-04-05T19:34:00.003+12:00

Saturday was the Wellington Circuit finals at Belmont, sponsored by Wellington Feed & Saddlery. I took Xev and Neo along to compete, while Coco and Lily came along just to watch. Xev only did the circuit, but did a really nice round and seemed much happier even though the ground was still very hard. Neo did a great tableC in the 'doubles and trebles' event for second place (beaten by 3 tenths of a sec) - check out the video below! And then a clear round in the circuit, but came apart a bit in the jumpoff as we were arguing a bit and took 2 rails because of it.

Video below was taken from my helmet, again - on Neo in his first class of the day:

The horses at the end of the day - very keen to get home and have a snooze!

Easter Vet time!

2010-04-05T19:32:00.002+12:00

On Thursday night Shante had a sore hoof, looked like an abscess - then come Friday it was quite swollen and she looked terrible. Rushed her up to the vet to find that thankfully it was an abscess, but a particularly nasty one. So she is now spending a week with Mum and getting fussed over.

Virtual hacking

2010-04-05T19:28:00.002+12:00

Come for a helmet-cam ride on Neo on the hills out the back of our house:

Lily

2010-03-29T19:25:00.001+13:00

Lily has been here about a week now, being backed. She will only be here for a few weeks, then back to her owner to continue her education. First pic is our first ride, and second pic is today:

HoY - Neo's InHand

2010-03-24T18:29:00.004+13:00

Friday was our no-jumping day (I didn't want to jump them 4 days in a row), so instead of doing nothing I thought I'd enter Neo in the pinto in-hand section. We even did the turnout (though not seriously, just for fun). Neo behaved really well for such a long day - it was something like 9am till 4pm and I didn't even do the last classes.

We certainly came home with more placings than we expected - picking up a ribbon in nearly every class. Very stoked with my little spotty horse.

5th in his age class
2nd in his colour class
4th in suitability for eventing
and he won the suitability for hunting

Sadly we didn't place in the suitability for showjumping!! Though with his behaviour over the previous few days at the show maybe the judge knew something haha.

Random piccies of the truck parked up, and the horses wanting a second breakfast after throwing their buckets around in the yards:

Got home about 3.30pm on Sunday very tired, horses were extremely glad to be off the truck and hanging out with their mates. And I got Nick to drive me to the supermarket to get a quick and easy dinner. Wednesday already and I'm still stuffed! Thank goodness HoY is only once a year.

HoY - Neo's Jumping

2010-03-24T18:19:00.003+13:00

Neo was entered in all the same classes as Xev, and had decided that he knew it all now that he was at HoY. Of course this resulted in crashing through a fence on the first day, and having to borrow a much stronger bit for the rest of the show to even get him to listen. I was pretty disappointed, as I thought we'd been through this stage and got out of the other side of it.

By Saturday he was trying to listen in his jumping, but he was just so amped up. I even trotted him into a few jumps. So it wasn't meant to be in the jumping for us - no ribbons for Xev or Neo, but improvement over the duration of the show (her hoof, his brain) is all you can really ask for once you get up there.

I usually give Neo some time off about now - but I think I am going to stick with it through winter and keep him in light work right through. I don't think he'll be going to the dressage shows with Xev! But I'm sure I can find something to keep him busy.

HoY - Xev's Jumping

2010-03-24T17:57:00.003+13:00

Headed up to HoY on Monday to get all settled in for a very long week up in Hastings. I spent the first day getting sorted, and then got some shopping out of the way. My first jumping classes were Wednesday.

Xev had just recently got over an abscess and had been working well the few days before we left. I rode her around on the showgrounds and she seemed really good, but after a course walk it was quite obvious that our jumping ring was something like concrete so we had to take it fairly carefully. In my first class I could tell Xev wasn't all that comfortable, so headed off to get Kylee from Hot Spots thermal imaging to see if we could see anything obvious. There was still a tiny bit of heat in that hoof - but well on the mend. Not the greatest timing, really, but that is horses sometimes!

So our jumping on Wed & Thurs was a little untidy and we opted not to start in our 1.15 class - but great to be amongst the atmosphere and get our bearings. Friday was a no-jumping day for us - and then on Saturday Xev came out really nicely for a good round in the Gamblers Stakes which was a lovely way to finish up the show.

I was really impressed with how well Xev handled the long week away from home. Especially with Neo calling out and trying to make things difficult whenever I seperated them.

Xev now looks ahead to mostly dressage starts over winter - hopefully getting a lot more registered outings under her belt. Xev's full brother (Farrago Spydekka) was also up at HoY - sadly we didn't manage to catch up with him and his owner, but I did see ribbons for them in the Rising Star results which is fantastic. Farrago have a few younger horses that will be coming out shortly too which will be very exciting to see.

Almost HoY Time

2010-03-14T16:24:00.002+13:00

So it's very almost time for Horse of the Year. The truck is packed with wine & chocolate (and a dozen heavy haybales!). Horses had their pre-travel wash and scrub this morning. We set off tomorrow and won't be home till Sunday... and on our way we're picking up a cute mare for some schooling.

I'm not sure where I'll be parked - but the horses are in the open cattle yards so I will be there several times a day if anyone wants to catch up and can't find my truck.

Manakau Sports

2010-03-07T18:41:00.005+13:00

Up to Manakau Sports this morning, just north of Otaki. I wasn't doing flat classes, so had a bit of a sleep in and still ended up waiting about 4 hours from arriving there to actually doing a class! It was lovely weather though, so that was nice. I did some showhunter practise rounds on Neo just as a bit of a warmup and to see some filler:

He was very spooky in the first round, but seemed to settle a bit in his second go around. I figure if we can keep these tiny little improvements going then that is all good.

Later in the day they were just about to close the showhunter (they'd actually announced that the championship class was cancelled) - so I got over there just in time to go straight in. Judge very kindly let me get away with using my SJ gear too.

He did a lovely round, very calm and just so much more steady. I was stoked with him, and he picked up fourth place. The judge even commented that it was a nice round (not something Neo tends to hear in showhunters very often!).

Showjumping was a little boring - no fillers at all (not even one, or planks, or anything). But we did the circuit and came 6th in that putting some more points on the board.

Then went on and did the TableC. Sadly the course was a little open, not too many options for good tight corners - but we took every single opportunity that there was and Neo set a pretty scorching time (as he tends to! I think TableC is his absolute favourite type of competition).

Nobody pipped his time (we were first out), so we won that class and he easily covered all of his entry fees for the day which is always a nice bonus. By the end of the day he was still a bit tanky at times (look at him chucking his head in his lap of honour, grr!) but he really was continuing with the little improvements so I'm really happy with that.

Thanks to Swifty for coming along and taking pictures - it's been a little while since I've had show pics of my horses, so a nice novelty.

Wairarapa 2* SJ

2010-03-07T18:37:00.002+13:00

Yesterday I headed up to Carterton for the Wairarapa showjumping with Neo and Xev. Mostly I just wanted a run before HoY to see how they are both doing. I had to retire Xev as the abscess she's had was still feeling just a bit tender and I wasn't happy with the way she landed off the fences. Neo tooled around not listening to me much, but a very slight improvement over last time out - so hopefully the toxin binders etc are all starting to work their magic and I will have my old awesome Neo back soon!

Mum headed up to Bideford sports with Gem - just to do 3 flat classes. Got placed in each class, but didn't come home with a wide. She decided to take a detour and come past the show and visit us, but I think it was a bit boring, and then it started to rain... so Gem got loaded back up and taken home (don't blame them, really!).

Pic from Masterton

2010-03-07T18:33:00.002+13:00

Fabio from Actionshots was at Masterton A&P the other weekend - so I bought this pic he took of Neo & I:

Alfredton + Goodbye Alfie

2010-02-28T10:13:00.002+13:00

Alfie sold on Friday, so Saturday was Mum's last show on him - and they really made it a great one. They won the Southey cup for turnout and then went on to win Champion Hack of the show. Alfie had lots of attention too, as Mum had Aki and Doreen with her and between them his tail was well and truly brushed out by the end of the day:

The judge had very positive things to say about Alfie's way of going - and commented that next year he will really shine.

So while it's very sad for Mum to be saying goodbye to Alfie, this will give her more time to focus on jumping with Gem. Alfie's new owner is based in Christchurch - and he will be making his way over the ditch tomorrow!

Masterton A&P

2010-02-22T19:49:00.003+13:00

Up at about 4am on Friday to load up the horses and head up to Solway showgrounds for the first day of Masterton A&P. Friday is dressage day, so Xev was all set to go - but then must have knocked herself or stood on herself in the truck or something? Lucky she has strike guards on her travel boots, but still managed to bruise herself and just make her a bit uneven at trot. So sadly she spent the whole weekend in the yard and eating grass with the occasional hack around. That was a bit of a bummer. Not wanting to waste the day off work I decided to put Neo into 2 of Xev's dressage tests (just prelim). I bet nobody ever expected Neo would be doing registered dressage! His first test wasn't too bad, for Neo, and he came away with 53.75%. By the second test he was well and truly over this 'dressage' stuff and got naughty -I wasn't sure what the judge would have to say (dressage judges can be very scary beings) but the comment at the end really made me laugh: "This test was fun to watch, I hope it was fun to ride." and "When settled shows some attractive movement" - what a good sport that judge is!

Mum came down later in the day and we went off to the saddlery to get some more back on track quickwraps so Xev and Neo could both have them on, then the feed shop, then to get some hay. Took the horses for a pick of grass but mostly had a fairly lazy night as Neo had already been ridden so I didn't need to hack him around the grounds in the evening as I'd planned to.

Neo did showjumping on Saturday and Sunday and did some lovely jumping (and came home with a red, which is always nice) - but was frequently not listening to me. A bit annoying, as I'm doing heaps of schooling at home, but I'm wondering if he needs to do some jumping at home? I don't jump him between shows as I want to save his legs - but perhaps this is making showday too exciting for him? Need to try some different things anyway - and probably need to keep him to slightly bigger tracks than he has been doing, so that he's got a bit more to think about!

In between our 2 Saturday SJ classes we whipped over to the in-hand ring for the pinto classes (literally, like I didn't even have time to get into my in-hand gear or change his bridle). The judge didn't seem very taken by him - so no placing in his gelding class... but a blue in the suitability for jumping. Neo chilling between classes:

Mum was out on Saturday (Saddle Hunters with Gem) and Sunday (Show Hacks with Alfie). Sorry about the really weird picture of Gem - the camera had lots of condensation and I couldn't get it 'thawed out' before I had to run back and get Neo ready. But you can at least see that Gem was there and looking pretty. She got placed in all her classes, and took out the prize for Irish horses (shamrock sash & trophy) which is very exciting! Gem was entered for some showhunter, but didn't finish her flat classes in time. Sunday Mum came back with the truck, with Alfie this time. Pics of Gem warming up, and Alfie in his first class:

Alfie came 2nd in the Novice 0-5 wins, then won his paced and mannered class. He was going so calmly and kindly and standing like a rock even though one of the horses beside him was a bit upset and didn't want to stand still. He also picked up 3rd in his open height class.

Mum was stoked though, he picked up Reserve Champ Novice showhack! He is really starting to do so well at the A&P shows. And what a weekend for Mum - 2 wides!

As I was only riding one horse I had a bit of time between classes every now and then - so on Sunday midday I decided to take some pictures of the stunning ponies doing the FMG Grand Prix. I only took pics of the first half of the class (as then had to go tend to my horses), but have put the pics I got up online at PerformanceEquines Gallery and I tried to put some of the rider's names too - but didn't know them all. I was all done not too late at all on Sunday - and was back in Wellington and horses back out in the paddock by 5pm.

Next weekend is likely to be up at Foxton for SJ & SH and I suspect Mum might be out at Kyrewood doing more dolly classes.

More shopping

2010-02-12T18:25:00.002+13:00

I was so pleased with the supaflow combos that I got from horse-world that I went back and got more! They have been great in this muggy warm rainy weather we're having right now.

Of course Xev has managed to get hers filthy already!

New stuff!

2010-02-10T19:16:00.002+13:00

New cool stuff to buy:

Just a couple of products that have caught my eye recently. First is the Zilco Supaflow rug (from your favourite zilco stockist, whoever that happens to be) - it's like the new version of the cool white / cool blue. Mesh lined and the horses haven't seemed to get too hot. Not sure how the mesh skirting would wear over time - but they seem great for this inbetweenish weather so far - keeps the rain off them without making them sweaty and stuffy. The other thing that has been useful is the Derma Safe saw (from Outlaw imports) - Nick has been bringing these in and they are fantastic for hanging on a piece of string in the shed to cut open haybales and open feed bags - they have a straight blade too, but I'm likely to hurt myself on that.

New cool stuff to make:

I can't really afford to go around buying new stuff all the time - so this week I decided to get a bit creative. I noticed that Neo's ESNZ IP book was getting a little dog-eared already, plus it's ugly as anything. So I made a slip cover for it (Hello Kitty!) and it looks absolutely bangin. I'm gonna make another one for Xev - and maybe something I can put their height certificates in as well, because those always get crumpled in my pockets at shows.

Danneverke A&P

2010-02-06T17:03:00.003+13:00

Set off last night after work to Masterton with Neo & Xev. We stayed overnight at Mum's grazing (got them settled into yards at about 10pm and promptly fell asleep myself) - then up again at 4pm to take my two plus Alfie up the line to Danneverke. It was a stunning day - but heaps of fog to drive through in the morning which is always a bit tiresome (or is it the 4am starts that are tiresome?!).

I did 1m & 1.10m on both mine and was really happy with them. Ended up retiring Neo from the larger class as we stuffed up the double and I didn't want to re-try right then as I didn't feel it was worth it to stress him. But Xev was jumping great! Met a few fences wrong, but she put in some massive leaps to get us out of trouble. Really pleased with them for sure, and even in the warmup rings their flatwork is improving all the time. Got to be pleased with that. Will enter both for HoY this week and that will give me a good goal for both of them. No pics of me as we didn't bring a photographer today - but I did manage to finish my showjumping to get a few pics of Mum.

Mum and Alfie had a fab day, winning a conformation class and the ladies hack - then taking home a wide ribbon for Reserve Champ Riding Horse!

Alfie was a real star - not bothered by any of the noise at the sideshows next to the ring and was very laid back (even for loose-rein work in the ring as requested by the judge). He's also getting heaps better at standing well without fidgeting while waiting, especially when he doesn't have Gem around to call out to.

More pics of pretty Alfie:

We were all finished before lunchtime, and I managed to get back to Wellington by 3pm, making great time even though the roads were very busy. Stellar weather too - Neo and Xev are currently out in the paddock naked and rolling around and grooming each other being very cute.

Battle Hill XC - Xev

2010-02-01T05:43:00.005+13:00

Xev had a good warmup in a nice big space - with only a couple of horses jumping the fences we were close to it was really good (as some areas get quite crowded out at Battle Hill on the XC days).

She cantered around really laid back - even after I got up in a more forward seat - I was starting to get a bit worried that she'd have no energy for the jumps! But a few practise fences reminded her that we weren't here to do dressage.

Skinny fences. A skinny Open rolltop, and the hideous Open corner (cheese wedge) - the rolltop was nice and easy, but the corner had a really strange approach so was actually pretty hard to get a good line to.

Ramp type jumps. The Open kennel and Ramp - both pretty straight forward and Xev just cruised into them really nicely.

Random jumps. Training staircase (3 steps with a skinny at the end) and what I think was a PreTraining fence which we jumped on it's short edge as a corner (looks like it is a new jump as I haven't seen it out there before).

The water. Through the Training combination. It was a bit of a disappointment that none of the Open water, bank, palisade, ditch or trakhener were flagged (as those were the main things that I wanted to go practise and get my eye in for!). Hopefully they will flag them at the next day.

So it was a pretty busy day for Xev, and she got a little sweat by the end of it (but no puffing) so think she is at a pretty good fitness now. After coming home and unloading I popped Edie & her things back on the truck and took her back home as she's finished her introduction to what grown-up horses do and has been really well behaved at her outings. Will be great to see her after she is backed next year.

Battle Hill XC - Princess

2010-01-31T20:49:00.003+13:00

Today there was a cross country practise day down the road at Battle Hill. It was only open for 90 minutes, so I decided it would be a good outing for Princess and Xev - and the others would just have to go another time. Coco and Edie came along to watch though. Princess was a little nappy in the first few minutes as she was warming up, but once I got her onto a trot circle she was fine. Pics of pre-training dog kennels and bank:

Over at the water she was pretty good- needed a bit of a kick to get in the first time but then was all good. Happy to trot or canter in, and did both the Pre-training and Training approaches.

She did think it was fun to drink from the waterjump! Not sure I would have done the same, personally! We did the lotto bank as well and she went off the PT/T as well as the Open drops really happily.

Didn't do any more with her, as she'd had a busy day yesterday and didn't want to make her think that jumping is no fun!

Langdale Sports

2010-01-31T12:13:00.003+13:00

Mum took Alfie & Gem to Langdale Sports yesterday and had a good day all around. Alfie went lovely in his flat classes and Mum was especially pleased with his halt to canter transitions - he picked up a 3rd in the Open Hack. Gem did the Open Hunter and won it! Then they did a bit of jumping where they ended up forgetting the course - so no placing, but still really happy with how kindly Gem was going.

I think next weekend Gem gets a rest, and Alfie comes up to Danneverke A&P.

Pauatahanui Sports

2010-01-30T17:39:00.006+13:00

Headed out this morning in the sunshine (yes, it was already starting to look sunny by 7am!) just down to Battle Hill for Pauatahanui Show. Edie had come along with the ridden horses to have another look at things - so I made sure to park right next to Ring1 where she'd have a lot of things to look at all day.

I took Coco for a ride as soon as I got there, while there were hardly any people around and just got her settled in. She was pretty good after a 3 minute ride so then I put her back at the truck and left her until it was time for practise rounds. It was also my first time having a go at jumping in my new 'at home' riding boots (dublin spirits, with airmesh chaps) - they were really comfy! I'm really happy with them.. and not too untidy for practise rounds either. Coco went around her practise round really nicely - even got into a good consistent canter after fence one and kept it up the whole way around the course.

Once she has a task to focus on Coco seems to be really great and not spooky - just needs more mileage to get her confident in busy situations I think. Stoked with her practise round though.

Took her back later to do the first class in Ring2 and it wasn't as tidy as her practise round - but was still a clear round and I think she coped with the busy entrance area, prams & screaming kids, and loose sheep etc - all of it just like a seasoned pro. I did not enter her in any further classes - I thought this was enough for her right now - just want to do a little bit each time we go out.

Princess did some practise rounds too. She wasn't nappy at all in her practise which is fantastic (as we have been working through some of those issues just lately) - but she was jumping a little inside out, which has been traced back to a few weeks ago when she put her leg in a fence and just had a bit of a struggle. Nothing too bad, just needs a bit more time & massage to get back to being softer in her frame. Straight after our practise rounds we did the first class (same class Coco was in) - it was judged on optimum time (so really pot luck!) but we came out of it with a ribbon which was neat!

Princess was also entered in the 85cm class in Ring2, where she did a stunning clear first round, then such a good jumpoff! Sadly we tapped down the first of the double, but I am really pleased with her angles and response to everything I asked of her - we never went fast - but did heaps of good corners and angles which would have given us avery competitive time.

Neo did a couple of classes in Ring1 and came home with a placing too. He was arguing with me in the first class a bit, but by the second class it was much tidier and he was jumping absolutely great!

Have entered him in 1.15m at Danneverke next weekend... let's see what happens! Hopefully I don't wimp out before then - as when he thinks about the jumps, rather than everything else on the planet, he is making easy work of the current heights we're doing.

Xev had the easiest day of anyone today! Just one class for her - really just to give her a tune up before tomorrow. Tomorrow she's got the farrier coming in the morning - then XC practise in the afternoon at Battle Hill - so really looking forward to trying their insane range of skinny fences and combinations out there.

So after her early morning round Xev spent the rest of the day eating hay and babysitting Neo at the truck in the shade. Hoepfully a nice relaxing day for her at any rate.

Swify came along today to do photos, while Nick dropped in for a little while, and Princess' owner also spent most of the day out there watching which was nice. Not sure what Mum is up to this weekend - it's Langdale sports in Masterton area, so I guess I will get an update from her shortly to put on the blog!

Pippa Sold

2010-01-28T08:11:00.001+13:00

Yesterday Pippa headed off in a truck to Otane. We got word later in the evening that she had arrived safe and sound. She's gone up that way to finish being started and then eventually become a hunter. Her new owner is a fantastic match with her, and they had started bonding really well within the first half hour they spent together when she drove down to view her a couple weeks back. Very excited for Pippa to finally be doing something and getting some good one-on-one attention.

More QEP XC Practise

2010-01-27T21:38:00.008+13:00

After work I headed out to the second of the Eventing Wellington twilight sessions at QEP. Took Xev and Neo to ride - and Coco and Edie came along to watch.

I didn't do heaps of jumping with Xev as she'd flicked a shoe - but I took her for a few good strong canters and I'm pleased to see her fitness is getting back up to where it should be. Xev found 2 big diggers in the middle of the course to have a look at (well, she didn't even seem to notice them! brave pony!), and the second pic is popping over the novice rolltop:

I walked Xev up to the bank to show her (as it had really long grass and was a bit hard to see the jump properly) - well, she launched up it practically from a halt and I got very left behind! (see pic!) - we came around and did it from a canter much nicer next time - but I just thought this pic was too funny to not include it.

At the waterjump (which had splashy water in it this time, thankfully!) I thought I'd be brave until I walked up to the larger drop (I hate drop fences) and even Xev thought I was joking at first. But she jumped off really nicely. I'm really pleased with that as it's her first time jumping over something to get into water rather than just dropping off like a bank. Xev seemed to have an absolute ball out on the XC - I swear she was smiling the whole way around.

Neo is still not 100% after the weekend, with a bit of the runs and being a bit spooky. I think the grass is really lush this year! But I wanted him to have a good hoon (which he loved). Pics below are a skinny to a ramp combo:

And into the water and back out the water. He did this absolutely foot-perfect. Such a dude. The same with the ditches on course too - he doesn't even hardly seem to notice them.

And of course Neo had a play with the diggers too - he looks so cute in between them. He was sweating after his ride but not puffing - I think he enjoyed going for a blast but would have preferred even more hooning around (too much walking according to Neo!).

Coco & Edie stayed tied to the truck while I was riding the others - and they were both perfect. We got a good spot where there weren't too many horses right up in their faces, but they could see lots of horses cantering past.

Cute pics of Coco loading - awesomest pony ever.

Before heading home I took Edie for a lead around and got her a bit closer to some horses jumping and cantering around - she had a good look, but didn't misbehave at all.

And she took the opportunity to have a pick of grass too!

Edie is also now loading really well - easily a one person job to get her up into the truck, turned around, and partitions closed. She is still sweating during the journey - but I think a little less each time. I put her beside a different horse on the way out there & the way back (but left a space on the other side of her so it wouldn't be too many new things). She seems to enjoy meeting other horses... even if they aren't always too impressed with her sniffing and being nosey.

Thanks to Swifty for taking the pics and walking around in the hot sun. It was really stunning weather today! Got a show this Saturday at Battle Hill, then XC practise the following day too (likely take Princess to that one). Then Danneverke A&P the following weekend for Xev & Neo (have finally bitten the bullet and registered Neo!).

Upper Valley Equestrian Day

2010-01-23T17:10:00.002+13:00

Mum came over from Masterton to Trentham for the Upper Valley equestrian day - so with my truck out of action I managed to talk her into hitching her horses to a fence down there, while I drove out in the car and borrowed the truck to get some of mine there. Made for a lot of driving and a long day - but worth it to get out & about.

Coco came along and had a ride around. I'd planned to do a Ring2 practise round but felt she had enough to look at in just being trotted around so I left it at that. Neo did a couple of Ring1 classes and placed 4th in them both (the AM5 2 phase and the Wellington Feed & Saddlery circuit class) - he was a bit off colour though - so didn't take him in the tableC class.

Mum did some showhunter practise on Gem, and a Ring2 class, then a dressage test (& came away with a ribbon!). Then I took Gem in a few classes as well. She wasn't too keen on the showhunter for some reason, but did a really nice round in the AM5 - especially considering the very slippery ground conditions and no studs in!

Mum took Alfie in the flat classes and he trotted around nicely, but wasn't as focused as he should have been and mucked up his workout. Alfie wasn't doing any jumping today as it was just far too slippery.

I took Xev in some Ring1 SJ and a showhunter class - she was a bit speedy in the SJ, but I was stoked with her showhunter round! A lovely controlled pace and making tidy work of it. Sorry no pics of either Xev or Alfie as there was just too much rain to get the camera out (and Mum & I both on horseback most of the day so not much opportunity to take pics anyway).

Next outing for us should be another XC practise day down at QEP midweek.

Edie Comes to Visit

2010-01-21T22:08:00.002+13:00

Went and picked up a 2yo filly tonight (Edie). She's going to spend a few weeks as part of the team and see what the grown-up horses do with their days. Hope to get her along to some shows and other little outings as well.

Annoyingly the truck broke down on the way home (well, luckily in my driveway!). The mechanics are onto it (it was a repair I had done a few months ago by a different mechanic and obviously it wasn't done right.. so will have to sort that out). Anyway, it should be running again on Tuesday - but means most of the shows this weekend won't be possible for us!

Alfie update

2010-01-16T16:43:00.002+13:00

Alfie had his big dentist session the other day and got all his procedures done, so now should be much happier working into a contact. Also one of the girls at the yard decided she wanted to have a ride on Alfie, and Mum got some shots of her:

Such a cute horsey :)

Coco back on board

2010-01-15T07:08:00.002+13:00

We have had a bit of interest in Pippa recently, so I figured I'd better go get her from the neighbours place - Coco has been out there babysitting her too. So now both of them are back here with the team. I snuck a quick ride on Coco last night and she was so good! We only walked, but she was soft and responsive.

Sadly Flip will be heading back to his home this weekend, and it's just become really obvious that he is a horse who needs to make a very strong bond to feel secure with his rider. I was making really good progress with him, but then realised it would probably take a few months - and then it would be so unfair to put him through that stress again when selling him. So between his owner and I we have decided it would be best for him to stay with her, and to find either a sale or lease directly through her. That will also give his new rider an opportunity to begin to develop a bond with him while he's already in an environment he is comfortable and confident in. In some ways it's a shame, because he is so talented and cool... but it is the best option for all (especially Flip!).

So Coco will take Flip's place on the team - which means I need to start digging around and finding classes at local shows that will let me ride a pony (even H/C) so she can get some more mileage under her belt. She is looking great at the moment - really strong and keen.

It has been slow progress with Shante - we really went backwards rapidly after I gave her time off while I was on holiday for Christmas. But working out way back up.

Neo & Xev have started real fitness work this week (interval training on the hills) and they are so funny with it - exact opposites. Xev is little miss lazy, whereas Neo thinks it's the best thing in the world and hoons along farting and neighing!

Princess is staying on for at least a few more weeks - just to go to as many different places and get as much exposure as possible. I will also be competing her in Ring2 and possibly low showhunter classes at the local events.

Thinking about bringing Zak back over this side of the hill from Masterton, just so that Mum only has Gem & Alfie to look after. Still not planning to bring in Zak until after summer when the ground softens up nicely for his baby legs, but will be good to have him close enough to visit more often!