31st March Schooling and A Hack with Clover

A friend came to meet Xaile and ride Clover today.  She used to show arabs so gave me some good tips to make Xaile look his best when I take him out.  Xaile was in a very nibbly mood this morning chewing and licking everything and very bouncy.  Probably because I didn't ride yesterday.

Jan quickly rode Clover in the school to check they got on.  Then I lunged Xaile and for the first time he had a good buck about on the lunge.  He did the funniest leap into the air/ canter transition.  Then I schooled him for a little bit and Jan very kindly took some video.  I think I got a bit tense when I knew I was being videoed and so he was tighter than he was just before.  However I was pleasantly surprised by the video.  I need to slow him down a little in trot.  Also my lower leg forward thing I've noticed in the photos appears to be the result of my not bending my knees as much as I should when I sit in rising trot so that's something to work on. 

Jan and I then went for a hack.  We braved the bridle way today.  Up till now it has been rather muddy and overgrown but we were told it was better so off we went.  It was really pretty and took us through some fields that'll be great for a good gallop at some point.  We then trotted up a hill and I could really feel Xaile's back working so we'll be doing lots of that over the next few weeks.

30th March Plaiting

What a patient little horse I have.  It's less than 2 weeks till our first show so I decided it was about time I worked out how to plait correctly.  This is a photograph I took in Golega of a particularly good looking plait.

I also noticed that some manes were plaited half on each side, and as Xaile has a particularly thick mane I thought this might look good.

So, Ali, our lovely yard manager, and I watched a couple of videos, looked at a few photographs and then got stuck in.

First we gave him a centre parting and we decided that as we were doing the plait on both sides it was important it matched so we divided the mane up as you would for normal plaiting and then took a side each.  That was where the problems started, for me at least.  Ali happily sped down her side and I got stuck at the first turn!  She had to come and do my side as well but that gave me a chance to see what she was doing and I was able to have a go at making the forelock and the tail match. LOL.  Anyway I think he looks ok, though we have rather a lot of work to do (especially me and the tail!).  And I think the sections used need to be rather a lot smaller.

We also decided that it showed off his dandruff rather too well so we took the plait out and I gave him a thorough shampoo.  Poor little boy was terrified of the hose pipe which comes out of an arm suspended above his head on the wall.  All he did was shake and snort, but he was really scared so a good boy to stand and let me wash him.  I then plaited his mane into lots of long plaits in the hope it'll stay relatively clean and tidy till our next attempt at plaiting.

I was then going to ride, but I looked at my watch and it was after 6!  I'd been playing with him since 3!!!!!!!!  Good thing I got lots of work done in the morning otherwise I'd be feeling really guilty.

29th March Xaile learns a Lesson

I've been having problems getting Xaile to stand still for me to get on.  I'm rather stiff and clumsy at getting on.  He just takes one step back every time I go to put my foot in the stirrup.  He's totally fine if there's someone to stand by his head but there's not always someone there to do that.  So today I gave him a chance and he did it again so I got a schooling whip and when he stepped back he got a tap on the bottom and he stepped forward looking rather surprised.  So I tried again and he stepped back again so another tap.  This time he looked somewhat cross and stepped forward.  I tried again and he stepped back and another tap.  This time he stood beautifully for me to get on so he got lots of scratches and cuddles and praise.  I got off and on again and he didn't try to move.

I then let him have his few circuits of happy floaty canter till he felt in a mood to work.  Then we worked on trotting.  I was horrified to see my awful leg position in my father's photographs so I concentrated hard on my straight line head-hip-heal.  Meanwhile I worked on getting him to carry his head a little lower and relaxed.  We also worked hard on going straight across the diagonal and down the centre line.  The first few attempts at straight across the diagonal were awful he swung his quarters round everywhere but after a few attempts we'd worked out what each other meant and he went beautifully.  I'm not entirely certain how but I seem to have managed to spend about 3/4 hour doing this.  Time flies when you're riding Xaile.

I spent a few minutes on Spanish walk which was great with just the right leg on the right rein and less good with just the left leg on the left rein.  However it was really good with both legs on the left rein and we couldn't get both legs at all on the right rein.  I suppose this is because he finds the right leg easier. 

Then he got turned out to spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sun.  I think he's put weight on.  I hope so anyway.

27th March My Parents Visit

My parents came to see Xaile today which was lovely and he was a very good boy for them.  It was lovely to have a chance to show him off to them.  I think he'll be very keen on them in future as he got lots of yummy carrots.  My father used my camera and took a lot of rather good photos.  

Warming up on the lunge

    

A little tight and tense to start with.

Stop for a quick cuddle and a chat with my mother.

I have never had a horse who I'd do this with, partly because they've all been so big I probably wouldn't have been able to reach, but also it never really occurred to me to do it before.

A little lateral work.

Starting to work more seriously.

He has the most wonderful canter I have ridden.  I could sit there all day just going round the school.  I think he wouldn't mind doing it either- he loves cantering.  It is so smooth yet so firey.  A slight squeeze of the legs and you fly and a touch of the rein and he stops.  Wonderful.

26th March. VERY windy schooling and digital art.

Yesterday I logged on to the New Riders forum to discover that an artistic member Abisheridee had done a lovely digital painting of Xaile.  Not only had she the good taste to pick Xaile to paint she also picked my favourite photo of him.  I particularly like the way she's done his nose.  His nose is really special- it's seriously prehensile.

It was even windier today than yesterday but schooling still had to happen.  The wind was definitely upsetting him and he was inclined to walk like a crab to keep an eye on the horse walker that was blowing about in the wind.  It was really hard to keep him straight in walk but easier in trot and canter.  

We started off with a good long canter round the school to settle him.  He really loves cantering and it is so very comfortable that it's tempting to do nothing else.  However he really needs more work on his walk and trot, so once we'd done a little more work on simple/flying changes we concentrated on trot and walk trot transitions.  I also was really pleased to find that I could get him working in a much longer lower outline though I'm reluctant to work him too low as I feel that this would put him on his forehand and I have heard that it can put a strain on their backs and pelvises.  We did lots of circles and increasing and decreasing circle size and quarters in and out.  He was a very good boy and tried very hard and was only a little distracted when the horses in the neighbouring field went charging around.

I then let him have a bit more fun canter work.  There were 2 jumps up in the school so we did a figure of 8 around them and alternated between flying changes and simple changes.

Then I realised that we'd been working for 3/4 hour and it was probably enough as I wanted to get some ground work in.  So I walked him round on a loose rein, or at least I tried to.  The wind had got even stronger and I simply couldn't get him to walk straight up the long side by the walker.  So we had a rather long and frustrating battle about it.  But I did eventually win.

After that we did some work on his Spanish walk.  It is now so consistent and smooth with each individual leg that I thought it was time for me to try to put the two sides together. I found it really hard to convince him to pick the outside leg up but we got there eventually but this just lead to him only doing that side.  Finally something clicked and I managed to get inside leg, outside leg, inside leg I was so pleased with this that we stopped there.

25th March A windy hack

Today my friend Jayne came over and we took Clover and Xaile for a hack.  The weather was not encouraging- heavy showers and strong winds but they're both sensible boys so we went ahead with it.  Though it does have to be said it was Xaile's first hack since coming home and the first time I've taken him near traffic.  

As Jeff has my dressage saddle I had to ride in the Portuguese saddle.  As he's not had it on for a week or so I thought I'd give him a quick spin on the lunge before getting on.  Not a bad idea as he had a few bucks in him!  So once he'd has his whoopee I got on.  With assistance it had to be said.  I really have no idea how people hop elegantly into these Portuguese saddles, I have to lever myself in the cantle is so high.  Once on we did about 5 mins quick schooling, mainly canter circles with flying changes this time, which, following our simple changes were (thank goodness) somewhat less exuberant.

Then Jayne and Clover and Xaile and I headed out onto the road.  We had a lovely hack, the boys behaved beautifully given the weather, only one serious spook at the combination of black bins and a horse galloping around a field.  I have to say I was astonished at how far Xaile can get his quarters under him when he wants to.  I thought he was going to sit down.  

Clover was his normal silly self spooking at nothing yet being saintly about huge lorries.  Talking of which 3 enormous lorries,  2 buses and a tractor and almost nothing phased Xaile.  The only thing that slightly upset his equilibrium was when one of the lorry drivers let out his air brakes just as we were right by the lorry which caused 

him to jump and me to shout at the driver!  We had a nice trot up a few hills- excellent for my tummy muscles as you can't rise in this 

saddle.

Do you get the impression that someone is getting a little bored of having a camera stuck in his face?

Happier now he's been brushed and tucked up in his fleece and had a couple of carrots.

So very handsome.

24th March Jumping and Saddle Fitting

I rode Clover first today and he worked hard so we did some loose schooling afterwards to allow him to let off steam.  Xaile can see the school from his box and found watching Clover run around like a loony very exciting.  So I decided while we waited for the saddler we'd have a play in the school.  I was reluctant to let him off completely as I know he'd roll and the sand in the school is coated in vaseline to stop if freezing which means it sticks like glue to their coats.  Clover rolled in it once and it took me 1 1.2 hours to get it off and imagine getting it out of Xaile's mane..... So I put his cavesson on and we played like that.  

I lunged him quickly first to get a bit of the excess energy out, there wasn't so much there as there has been following two days of quite hard work.  Then I did a bit of NH type stuff with the lunge whip instead of a carrot stick and he was an angel.  He stood there beautifully as I flicked it over and around him.  So he got a good neck scratch as a reward.  We did some backing up and yeilding of quarters which also went very nicely. 

After that I thought we might have a go at running together as we'll have to do that to show in hand.  It was rather fun really- he thought it was a great game and I'm very glad noone was watching as we cantered round the school together.  He's so light on the end of the rope I don't think I really needed one, he was following me and playing.  When I stopped he came and stood shoulder to shoulder for a scratch, sweet boy.  

Then I thought hmmmm, there are two poles in the school and there's noone around so if we make a complete mess of it there won't be any witnesses.  So I went and got a couple of jump blocks and raised one side of one pole and we walked over it together a few times.  No problem.  So then I raised the other side and we walked over a few more times.  The I started him trotting a little further away from me.  We did a few circles and went over the pole on the ground a few times then I sent him over the little (about 1 foot) jump.  He knocked it the first time then concentrated and really elevated his trot and trotted over it- WOW.  He looked wonderful trotting like that.  But I did want him to try a jump so I got him to canter a few circles then I cantered him over it and he jumped- not very tidily, but a definite jump and he really seemed to enjoy it.  So now we've found something else fun to play with in the school and I also think it really loosened the movement in his shoulders.

The Jeff the saddler arrived to check the fit of his dressage saddle.  I was quite pleased with it anyway but I felt that maybe the back was lifting a little so maybe we could do with a little flocking in front.  I was pleased when Jeff gave the same verdict so it's gone off for a little fine tuning leaving me with my Portuguese saddle to ride in!  Jeff also checked the fit of that, they are 'one size fits all' which is hard to believe, but it definitely fits him!  We also checked the fit of Clover's yummy Black Country saddle, which thank goodness still fits, well it ought to, it was made to fit.

The dressage saddle will be ready to collect on Friday, hopefully along with the beautiful double bridle Jeff's making for him.  I also took a quick snap for future reference of how he's looking now.