Perfect timing to buy a new horse???

It feels like its been a long winter so far with rain, snow, frozen pipes and show cancellations - roll on Spring! 

Perfect time to buy a new horse.... hmmmmm perhaps not when the big freeze hits.  I have been looking for a little while for a new addition to the team and a week before the severe weather made its appearance I found Flynn.  He is an 8 year old 16.3hh Irish Sport Horse, lovely gent with a super jump and hopefully my next showjumper after a bit of schooling and fittening work, we managed nearly a week of training and he was taking it all in his stride, settled in quickly and it was all systems go.... or so I thought until the great British weather had other ideas.  Hopefully it won't be long until we can get out and test ride him round a few courses :)




The new boy - Flynn




Along with probably the rest of the country we got a good covering of snow making it near on impossible to keep horses in training without the use of an indoor arena, this meant that even if competitions were not cancelled my horses were not prepared due to the wintry conditions so the showjumping shire has had to stay at home and unplanned holidays all round!  Picnic and I did go for a stroll out in the snow but that was about as exciting as it got, apart from a sneaky canter, I couldn't resist being a big kid! 



Picnic dreaming of an
 indoor school

At one point I got so fed up of not being able to get my horses back in work that I went out in the lunge pen and dug a track (I think this was slightly more of a workout for me than the horses) I was very pleased with my efforts and surprisingly I think the horses did too as they worked beautifully without any high jinx at all and even more shocking is that they stuck to the track, I think it's the way forward to assist horses staying even on both reins without falling in or out, but I don't fancy digging through snow every day to achieve this result :)

The thaw has begun so lets get the flooding out the way then fingers crossed for a dry cold end to winter.

A new rug, coaching assessments and early mornings

 

Picnic has been treated to a new rug as she was getting fed up of wearing an old waffle at shows that had a few too many extra air holes in it, she looks rather smart in it and it couldn't have come at a better time after all the bad weather we've had she drys off nicely in her new coolex after a hard workout in the rain.  Rain is the main theme of the week ... or year!!!  but it has its advantages as Picnic has been able to enjoy hydrotherapy sessions right outside the front gate where what used to be the lane once was.  The school has had no chance of keeping up with the amount of water as it is flowing in from the fields and the drainage pipe is submerged under water, thankfully the surface has not floated away but as you can see we have our own water complex that my 4 year old Socks was investigating, but once the water level goes down it drains very quickly so schooling can resume!

This week was assessment time for my UKCC2 and after it beng such a long time since I did my BHSAI or any exams for that matter I was a little nervous to be in front of an examiner again!  After a very early start of half four in the morning my horses were all shocked to see me and even more so when I threw them out in the field when they were tucked up warm in their stables quite happily.  I made my way down to Dorset and had a successful day, I actually enjoyed the assessment lesson and the two riders I had were lovely.  I had excellent feedback from both the assessor and riders which is a real confidence boost for my next step to my BHS Intermediate teaching and UKCC3 which I hope to take early in 2013, now all I have to do is find lots of guinea pigs to practise on over the winter to perfect my lunge lessons :)      

Showjumping Shire jumps well at Hartpury

Arrived at Hartpury along with the rest of the country judging by how many people were there!  I'm not sure if nothing else was on this weekend or events had been cancelled but it was the busiest I'd seen and the first class didn't finish until after midday!!!  (Thankfully Picnic does not mind standing on the lorry as long as she has food she is very happy).  Eventually walked the course got Picnic ready then made our way over to the warm up which thankfully had quietened down as I put us down towards the end of the class.  After out lesson yesterday working on more control of the quarters in canter and changes Picnic felt incredibly loose and elastic right from the work go - I felt like I was sat on a pocket rocket!  Feeling very pleased with the way we were jumping I decided to stop while the going was good and wait until we went down to the main arena warm up before popping over a final couple of jumps.  When we were called down she felt equally as good except she got a little over excited at the tunnel to the arena refusing to go in so we had to make a speedy entrance then get back under control and reset before starting the course.  Aiming for a steady double clear and trying to put into practise everything from our lesson yesterday we set off after the bell, I enjoyed every minute and although at times I knew we could have picked up the pace a little and cut inside some jumps I did have at the back of my mind - if I let her cover the ground and go on between the fences I couldn't guarantee I'd get her back again as she was feeling very 'bubbly' - so I was very happy with a clean and consistent round.  Due to the time it was taking to get through the classes and I still had Socks to exercise on return home sadly we only managed the one class which was a shame as Picnic was feeling so well but we'll be out again next week for the Blue Chip Power qualifier so fingers crossed for a repeat performance!

Snow, floods and training at home

The lovely British weather strikes again and what a long winter ahead is in store when its snowing before we are hardly into November!  I have had a week of getting soaked while trying to do anything be it teaching, riding or just emptying the wheelbarrow however I have used the miserable weather as an excuse to swot up and experiment on some new schooling exercises to keep my horses enthusiastic and build up their strength ready for the winter season competing. 

 

An exercise I'd like to share is one I have found very useful to improve the canter and get horses sitting with more weight behind, waiting for the fences and producing a better jump - it is also great if like me you are working your horses on your own with no ground help it enables you to practise jumping without having to keep getting off to change fences around - for safety keep them small as more cavaletti style if you are on your own, or at a height you are comfortable.  The exercise is simple jumping off a 20m circle, but has a little twist in that the jump is set at an angle on the circle a couple of strides before 'X' one fence as a cross pole at each end of the arena so you have 2 circles and able to swap reins without moving anything - work at one end of the school on one rein then change rein and go to the other end approaching each jump on the curve rather than straight.  Put your horse in shoulder-in on the circle and remain so on approach to the fence and do not adjust the stride sit and wait encouraging the hind legs to step under at all times allowing the horse to get right underneath the jump remaining on the circle line on landing and carrying on, putting the horse back in shoulder-in and approach the jump again, this exercise can be done in trot before moving on to canter.  I then also added a fence on the long side by 'B' so I could straighen the horse out and see if I still had the same feeling on a straight line into the fence of a much more connected canter with the horse up in front without placing the horse just allowing the stride to remain consistent and balanced to the fence.  It really makes both of you work hard and ensures you are working on a powerful canter pushing forward as you have to keep the impulsion and flexion to remain in shoulder-in.  You can vary this exercise to suit your horse, I found by adding in smaller circles, perhaps every other time you approach the fence miss it out by turning inside on a circle to encourage a lazy horse to use its hind leg and overemphasize the 'skip' as its hind leg comes under, maybe try changing to traver on the circle or approaching from the other direction to ensure you have the horse between hand and leg as the angle is such the opportunist may run out, I will try to get some photos or videos of my horses training at home but as I work on my own a lot with the horses I can't promise it will be soon!  I have a lesson this week before I am out competing at Hartpury Saturday so I should have some pictures and videos to share of us out and about.     

 

 

Going back to the bad weather last week, yesterday (Sunday) was by far the worst for a while, unfortunately the lane to our yard floods which means without a 4x4 its always quite nervewracking driving through it in my Ford Focus when you cannot see the road and a bow wave runs alongside as you make your way through (photos below show just how bad the lane can get - and yes the mighty Ford Focus battles on through).  After finally making it to the yard the fields resemble lakes and the sheep looked like drowned rats so I felt so sorry for our ram that I offered him an umbrella for a while - they do have lots of hedges and trees to get under but for some reason animals never use the shelter available and would much rather be out in the open getting soaked!  The horses spennt the day in and were very content munching away tucked up warm in their stables looking out at the flooded fields and watching the snow become increasingly heavier.  Thankfully by the afternoon it all stopped and I was able to ride without getting wet - result!!!

 

 



The training begins ...

A quiet weekend training at home for Picnic and she is looking and feeling great at the moment, the extra time meant we could spend time on some gymnastic work which is invaluable to keep her supple. Socks also was put through her paces down the grid and seems to be getting stronger behind starting to really sit and push but gets tired very quickly so keeping sessions short so she stays keen!

Picnic feeling well and looking good

Earlier this week I visited the TTT in Surrey to watch Herwig Radnetter teach who is one of the most senior riders at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.  There was a good selection of horses and riders of all standards and Herwig makes the training sessions very informative and progressive.  I now have lots of inspiration to try out some of his methods on my clients so watch out!  My horses have already been subjected to being guinea pigs and I have to say Picnic was almost enjoying her flatwork and turning into a dressage shire showing off half pass and changes.  Including this work in my training sessions is really helping loosen her back and the canter is benefitting becoming much more powerful and connected - we will be out jumping Puissance classes at this rate!  (But we'll settle for consistent double clears).

Socks posing!
(Photo courtesy of Fiona Crawford
www.fionacrawford.co.uk)

As promised here are some pictures from Socks' weekend away training at Stockland Lovell earlier in October.  She slept for two days afterwards - being a well behaved model 4 year old takes a lot apparently!


Thats the way to do it!
(Photo courtesy of Fiona Crawford
www.fionacrawford.co.uk)

 

ShowjumpingShire on Animalife Sponsorship, back to school and time out at the pub!

Exciting news I have received an e-mail from Animalife accepting us onto the sponsorship programme not sure what it will consist of yet but very pleased to be working with them and will keep checking my e-mails for further updates.

More news on the mail front is that my course coaching pack arrived on my doormat for my top up course to gain my UKCC2.  Being a freelance instructor I decided I wanted to add to my BHS qualifications with the aim of eventually becoming a BS accredited trainer so first step was to get onto the UK Coaching Certificate path and work towards entry for next September onto the UKCC3 showjumping specific award in coaching.  Having gained my BHSAI many years ago it is going to be a shock to the system 'going back to school' and preparing for exams and building portfolios but I am really looking forward to it as all the hard work and studying will be worth it in the end! 

After all the excitement a well deserved ride in the sunshine was on the cards and of course we had to celebrate with a drink, it would be rude not to!!!

Showjumping shire wondering where the cider is

Summerhouse SJ - the ShowjumpingShire is back!!!

Video from the weekend at Summerhouse

Showjumpingshire enjoys being back out competing

It was a foggy day on Sunday so much so that you could only see half the arena at summerhouse and  horses disappeared for part of the course!  Slowly the sun made an appearance and the conditions improved by the time our classes were up, we took two horses but unfortunately Amber looked out of sorts in the warm up so we withdrew her so hopefully just something minor and nothing a few days rest won't sort out.

Picnic was on top form in the warm up and very keen to be back out as she was taking great delight over-jumping every fence just checking I had a secure seat!  She didn't take too long to settle and in the Discovery jumped a fantastic round only tipping the penultimate fence to finish on 4 faults but other than that I was impressed with her attitude and we had no fighting or snatching and jumped all combinations spot on.  In the 1.05m we were first to go and she jumped a great round coping with the  additional height in the second half brilliantly so relief over we can get back out jumping newcomers, the showjumpingshire is back :)

 

Socks had a very successful outing at Stockland Lovell last weekend, as a 4 year old I am very excited about her for next year as she is showing amazing scope over a fence.  The weekend consisted of a flatwork session, a grid, a course and a xc session but unfortunately the weather had been so awful that the course was too wet to get out there so we will have to wait to find out what she thinks of the great outdoors!  She behaved impecably on day one working beautifully on the flat and then in the gridwork she was foot perfect taking everything in her stride with no hesitation and putting 110% in, very proud!!!  I think a little brain overload and feeling rather full of herself the next morning I had to ensure I had my sticky bum jods on as she was a little full of it but still able to produce a great shape over a fence even if the bits in between were a bit hairy.  By the afternoon she had settled and had a super session jumping a course even managing to throw in some changes! Photos to follow :)

ShowjumpingShire back in action and ready to go!

Apologies for lack of posts but Picnic has been out of action and enjoying life as a field pet for a little while.  Now fully recovered and back in a fitness regime which has been eventful as she is in very high spirits being back in work!  Slowly settling down and getting over the initial excitement of jumping again where brakes and control were a big issue, we are soon to be back out and ready for the winter season and qualifiers :)

Having some time off has given me a chance to spend time refreshing my knowledge and brushing up my skills as I have decided to train towards my UKCC3 next year showjumping specific.  I have attended lecture and demos from various trainers and also taken the opportunity to take my youngster away for intensive training sessions at AM Dressage with Matt Frost in the hopes to really give her the best start and make sure all the basics are in place before we get carried away jumping, my time there also included my attempt at being a dressage rider on one of their schoolmasters that is trained to Grand Prix.  I didn't do too bad for a showjumper and yes I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed playing with piaffe and passage round the arena!!!  However I have not been coverted yet but it did my riding wonders and I can really notice a difference back home riding my horses with a stronger position (also made me realise I need to do more pilates to strenthen my core as my stomach muscles ached for two days after)

Next stop is weekend away with Socks showjumping and cross country schooling - watch this space to see how we get on....




Socks 4 year old - intensive training day one!




Socks - first time jumping away from home



My attempt at dressage - I do have those stomach muscles somewhere...

ShowjumpingShire enjoys a rest

Well our weekend away was very mixed and the great British Weather didn't disappoint, on the first night there were points when I thought the lorry was going to get blown over and woke up several times to howling wind and heavy downpours worrying about whether the stable roofs would still be on!  Thankfully they were but walking past the rings on the way to the stables a definate delayed start would be on the cards as all the jumps had been blown down and in need of a course rebuild.  This was the theme for the whole weekend really but the sun did make an appearance every now and then between showers.  Class one was the most intersting course I've ever ridden, we entered the 1.05m adventurer Scope Qualifer and the course kept moving due to boggy patches of ground and when I left to warm up there was a straight line combination to a two stride double but when we were on route jumping the combination was now a dog leg to a one stride double, which took me by surprise as on approach the jumps we were expecting were not there so added a circle to reorganise as was on completely the wrong stride and angle for the dog leg, at which point she jumped round the rest of the course well albeit a bit slow as she was finding the boggy ground quite hard going, the jumps felt 10cm bigger after sinking so deep on take off :)  Putting that behind us we had a good round in the Regonal Final warm up class jumping double clear and placing 6th but unfortunately had a pole in the main class at the penultimate fence running down hill.  More rain and wind meant jumping was quite demanding, the ground was now very soft and slightly slippery and I was very proud of Picnic still jumping boldly in these conditions, once again we were plagued by 4 faults but she jumped so well I couldn't complain - at least know I know we can jump in all conditions!  Picnic is now having a few days rest to recover and enjoy herself in the field.  

Just woken up!!!