Lesson day with an EE instructor!

I am rubbish at writes ups so I will appologise before I start but the first thing I want to say is thank you to Lou for giving me confidence in what I am doing with Livvi and I think that is worth a million of anything else The lesson was brilliant, Lou focused totally on the positive and not on what I was doing wrong which was very refreshing not once did I hear her say, don't do something (like I use to much rein in halt) but just suggested how what I am doing might be improved. This made me feel far more at ease, made me more positive and able to ask questions without feeling like I was an idiot!

So, this lady arrives looking round a bit lost and as she was wearing jods, I deduced that this must be Lou! Poor woman had to watch me fumble and try to put a bridle on the wrong way round before we were ready to start, so I confidently tell her that I usually do a couple of minutes in hand just to get Livvi listening (and I think how good she is in hand so Lou will see what a star my pone is!) and she agrees we should start as we normally do.....only Livvi is a little wound up due to Helen and Spirit coming over for a lesson too (well Spirit actually, she has mest Helen before and Helen is human so no worries there! ). So my in hand work is rushed, charging through the bridle and I am totally embaressed!

So I say, I think I will just get on Livvi doesn't stand for me to get on (and she always does, I promise Lou, she is normally a rock! ) and then off we go at motor walk and jig and neigh and I'm thinking "oh s**t" this is it, she is going to do something terrible and I'm going to fall off but despite my wild predictions, we walked a few circles with me chattering nonsense and we soon had plod pony back! So I am VERY VERY VERY about this Livvi hasn't been ridden for that length of time ever so she did get a bit fed up bless her and it didn't help that Lou and I chatted most of the lesson away so Livvi got a bit bored!

We worked on my seat and following with my seat bones and then halt with less rein and discussed that I struggle too because she is not keeping a rythm. The halt was brill, I found that I use too much rein because I try to catch her but if I let her drift into it she does stop so I need to work on this, just giving a light rein aid with a quick release but using my seat in the first instance and hopefully she will stop the drift!Lou said that I need to work on forward the most, Livvi will amble is she can, so that then we can feel each other and she will stop when I stop! We looked at her doing of my leg and if she didn't first time then backing it up with the schooling whip on her hip or my boot, whatever works. But we aren't going to get anywhere unless we have forward! I also said that I was having some problems with steering, especially on the left rein but this was easily solved by never turning in the same place we are so intent on going round on a circle or within boundaries but the answer is just obvious!!!

So we tried a trot to finish and I was again, Livvi had been fab the past couple of days, trot has been forward but what did I get today? Resistance!! and when I asked on the right rein we got hissy fit! Its the worst thing she has done (so I am VERY pleased again! ) but she lifted her back and went all wooden and threatened to buck..cue me yelling don't you bloody dare, giving a bit of a pony club kick and generally making a fuss! I was pleased that Lou said I did the right thing! but I couldn't show off our spectacular trot! Why don't they ever behave in company

I think the biggest thing I will take away from today is that Lou said we all make mistakes and as long as Livvi does as I ask, even if I am not asking in the right way, then thats fine! I need to be positive in what I am asking Livvi even if I am not quite 100% sure its right, and if I ask for it wrong then we can fix that because I won't do it again!

Livvi and Drum!

I'm getting worse at posting on here, there's probably ,loads to tell but I can't remember what!

Tomorrow I am having a much needed lesson with Livvi! I need it for me and livvi needs it for me! lol! We did have some success today though! We trotted a whole circle to the right!! But left, it just wasn't going to happen...its funny cos in hand everything left is easier but ridden its going better left! She is napping and falling through her shoulder and I know that I am battling her and its not working! So lesson is definitely needed! She is great though,very chilled ridden where as on the lunge she sees fit to play up and canter off when she feels like it!

Drummer is his usual star self! We have a strip mown around the edges of the field and we put some XC jumps up and now we have a race track! Its brill fun! :-D Even lazy Drum likes to gallop up it! Wow he felt little today after riding Livvi! lol!

I also have a trial Vogue saddle at the momet which I am in love with, so it looks like the CC is going to take a bashing!!!!!!

Just some musings about both my pones!

I was thinking about how well Livvi has settled in, she is alot more comfortable to be left on her own now and doesn't kick the door down every time someone walks past. Her cheeky personality is starting to show through as her anxiety about being here has decreased and she is more interested in people rather than worrying where Drum is.

In the field she is quite a dominant member of the herd, Brook is still boss but they all follow Livvi when she walks off and she holds her own. She will come and find out what you are doing if you are poo picking is starting to come to me when she sees me.

Handling Livvi has always been quite easy but she is a well mannered mare most of the time...she does have her moments but this is usually when something has upset her and she just doesn't listen to you. She has improved vastly with her feet and will stand to be groomed for hours!

Drummer has also matured, I really noticed it when I schooled him for the first time in months, he just slipped back into it with no problem. He is still my cheeky pony who gets away with blue murder but ridden he is fab....he is much more forward and he carries himself corrctly without asking instead of slobbing along, it only takes a tickle of the rein and a bit of leg to get him to round and come onto the bridle.

Drummer has also found a new liking for speed, something which he has always been too layed back for and for the first time yesterday, we had a controlled gallop without it being a fast canter that fell into gallop as part of a race. It felt AMAZING!! So smooth and balanced.

So all in all, I have 2 fantastic pones :-D

Update for the week!

Things have been coming on well with Livvi. After our disaster monday we had a lovely ride tuesday, she was responsive and listening and we had a trot with my mum on Drummer, right round the paddock.

Wednesday we continued with loading practice and actually shut the back door of the lorry, she jumped 6 foot in the air when it slammed but was quite happy to load again and didn't jump so high 2nd time round! I am so pleased by this as I would really love to take her to Saras at some point to play in a school! And I have all sorts of plans to box out hacking and go to shows :-D

So somehow I got to Saturday without having done any more with Livvi and I had planned to lunge before I got on but Marie was riding and she said come for a walk, so I just got on!!! Well, a total non event, she took it all in her stride and we we went for a walk and a trot following Billy round the big field, she was as good as gold apart from when we were troting towards home and she decided this was definitely the way she wanted to go! lol! If I had let her she would have cantered! So we stopped and walked!

After that warm up I decided some serious schooling was in order and found that we had la la land pony, walking through the bridle and not listening at all.......I am beginning to find that this is the case for the first 10 minutes of every ride (it was masked at first by following Billy) and I just persisted and had to get quite firm a couple of times and suddenly she just clicks......I am trying to get her to halt from my seat but she is listening to my voice and a lift of the rein more but I will keep working on it. She is becoming very responsive to my leg which is fab and the trot transition only needs a quiet reminder. Steering is my biggest issue, if she wants to go a certain way, she is light and responsive, if she doesn't then she will set her neck and kind of locks up or just shoots out sideways through her shoulder but because she is not soft in front the outside rein is inaffective although she does listen to my outside leg and I can push her round the turn.....its a steep learning curve for me and hopefully I have a lesson this week as I am at the point where I desperately need it!

Sometimes I worry alot about getting it wrong but then I look at Drum and although it took me 5 years I do actually have a responsive pony. I forget that when he came he was overbent, napped, couldn't canter and only did straight lines, so not so different really!

Not always and angel!!

Actually I am quite relieved that she is naughty sometimes! lol! I was beginning to wonder...but it wasn't really that bad.

I took Livvi in the paddock whilst Drum was in sight being ridden by my friend and she was soooo norty on the lunge, she napped and bucked and charged off in canter and generaly threw her toys out of the pram! It took me a good 10 minutes to get her to calm down and even try and listen but she was very funny....when we stopped to change rein and I invited her in she came and hid with her head on my chest, so I think some of it was insecurity about the bigger space (although we have been in there before to lunge) and possibly Drummer could save her! lol!

So on I get....mad do you think I am? I did have my doubts after that display but I was determined and she doesn't worry me at all, which I find strange even to myself! She napped constantly, set her neck, walked through the bridle in halt and was a general pain in the butt, but IO persevered until I had her listening and somewhere near a decent halt and gave up and went for a walk round the field with Drummer.

So guess what we did, we had a proper trot, right up the field following Drummer and it was FANTASTIC!!! Her stride is so long, its hilarious after Drummer but she didn't rush and she listened to me and was a little star......we left Drummer watching and tried on our own and she got the idea of the transition but notthat she had to keep going and it didn't help that she was napping to home.

So a mixed adventure...looking forwards to a lesson!!! Its time!

Livvi doesn't like....

....side reins!!

Last night I decided drummer could stay out and be a pony and Livvi could come in on her own. Thats a funny thing with her, she is perfectly happy to come in on her own and mooch, eat hay, be worked etc but if you bring her in with others then leave her on her own she goes ballistic!

So I gave her a good groom tacked up in lunging garb and off we went...she was a bit live to start with so I let her trot round and get it out of her system, which she did and then settled nicely, realy listening and trying hard. After a warm up I attached the side reins on the loosest setting. She was good with them, she softened beautifully and worked nicely but she got so cross!! I don't think she likes the feeling of restriction so I decided to give that a miss for the moment...she was hilarious when I took them off, either think she didn't realise they were gone or she was feeling free but when I asked her to go out on the circle again she proper bronko bucked!! EEEk please never let me be on her when she does that!!

So I got the poles out and we did raised trorring poles...that she seems to really enjoy and she worked beautifully, boy can she pick her feet up! :-D

Riding later! Will report back!

Loaded!!!

Tonight I had a fab ride on Drummer, he is very forward going at the moment and I think it does us both good that he doesn't get ridden all the time, he is more enthusiastic and I am lovin' it :-D I also think he has matured this year (took long enough!) he is definitely more up and off his forehand than he has ever been and he is starting to carry himself correctly without asking. I schooled him on Sunday for the first time in a month and he was fab!

Anyway, what about my title for today!? Well, that relates to Livvi!

Marie had her lorry open and as we were waiting for the trough to fill, I thought I would see what Livvi made of it...I didn't expect much, considering the last time she went in one she was uprooted and dumped with me!

I opened it all up so that she could walk straight through and then I just walked up the ramp as if I was walking down the field with her...just for a second I thought she wasn't even going to hesitate but she stopped with 2 feet on the ramp. I let her stand and sniff and she huffed and puffed with her worried eye look on! But decided it was worth a good investigation and walked to the top of the ramp where she stopped again...she looked at me and I had some treats so I offered them to her, she looked back but I said that we weren't going that way, my way was the way out! So she looked at me again and you could see her think "oh what the hell, mum seems to think its OK" and walked straight on! :-D

I couldn't quite believe it!! I thoughtit was going to take us weeks to get there. She was keen to get off, so we walked carefully down the side ramp at which point she decided it was OK on there and tried to go back on! lol! So we repeated the exercise but this time with no stops and she didn't want to get off, but have a good look round!

Bless her, I am so proud of her and exstatic that she trusted me enough to follow me up there :-D I shall keep this up every few days and gradually build up to shutting her in etc then hopefully when we do want to go somewhere it will be a total non event!

Just like a "proper" horse :-D

I did the same routine as yesterday, except the heavens opened and we had to stand under the shelter between lunge and ride..Livvi then felt that she just had to go with Drummer (my mum was riding!) and we had march towards where Drum was and dawdle away preferably grinding to a halt!

So, as my plan yesterday was to work on impulsion and I cannot bear a napping horse I grapped my schooling whip and off we went...at first Livvi was resistant all round, falling through her shoulder, not listening to me leg and resisting the contact ...BUT... it took a good 10 minutes ...BUT...she started to listen AND respond!!!! Yipeeeeee! It was magic! Suddenly napping pony realise that we weren't going to see Drummer whatever she did and we were definitely going where mum wanted to go and we were going at the speed mum dictated!

I didn't do anything difficult, just calmly and consistantly walked a figure of 8, backing up my leg with a flick of the schooling whip when she didn't respond and I was careful not to drag her round the circle but keep a fiem outside rein and ask for the turn using a pressure and release open rein which she caught on to exeedingly quickly.

I am really chuffed with where we are but I need to know that I am heading in the right direction so I am hopefully having an EE lesson very soon!

First trot, first Buck!!!!

and it was pathetic! lol!

Tonight Jane came over and rode Drummer for me while I lunged Livvi and then had the intention of having a walk round the field following Drummer, but things never quite go as you plan!!

Livvi lunged beautifully, really listened and went over the trotting poles like a pro so on I get and off we go down the field, but 20 yards in and the rain starts, apparantly it is totally unacceptable to do anything at all in the rain! lol! So bum swing round and there we stand! I could agree that it was quite yuck and it was a good lesson in standing around so we stood...for a bit....then we fidgeted then we reversed into Drummer and then we got really antsy when Drum went in front to walk round and we threatened to bite him, then we got alongside and threatened to kick him and then we got in front and all was roses!

This was getting a bit out of my comfort zone so we decided back in the paddock was better. Livvi was great, she was much much better in her mouth and as long as I kept the outside rein firm the steering was great, we had less forward though but it was calm and there was movement so I am not pushing that just yet.

So........I though I might just try a trot!.........1st attempt we stumbled into it and stopped..2nd attempt 2 whole stumbles...3rd attempt might actually have been a stride of trot and final and forth attempt I flicked her with the whip, she bucked and off we went, 3 entire trot strides :-D The buck was totally pathetic so if thats the worst she ever does I will be one happy girl! Bless her, her ears were all over the place, she was definitely giving me the "you expect me to TROT with YOU on my back!! Are you BONKERS! Its just not possible!"

Anyway I decided that I wasn't focused enough on my ridden today (it was fun though!) and I need to plan my sessions more carefully...I am also going to leave trot until I feel I have enough forward in walk to achieve it. I am going to focus on instant response to my leg and improving the impulsion of the walk.

Wahoo, we have forward!

Today I worked Livvi in hand to get her listening before I got on and guess what? She has worked out what my leg means! Not even a hesitation!! So I did lots of circles and halts so she listened to me and we finished off with walk round the bigger field with Billy :-D

Contact is the biggest problem, in hand today she wasn't great but on she was awful, just hanging off my hands and gaping her mouth...I definitely need help with this.

Sorry, short and sweet!

A fab week so far!

Well, Monday night Caragh lunged Livvi for me, we tried the side reins for the first time but she is resistant to them. Its funny how accepting of the contact she is in hand and yet not so lunged or in long reins. Caragh is great at lunging, she has been taught properly but the problem is, she doesn't use the same tone of voice as me...so I watched carefully so that I can get it right myself. Livvi was also a complete loon as we took her in the bigger field but it was nice to see her let off a bit of steam.

So Tuesday after a short in hand session to settle her, I got on again, with dad as chief whip flicker :-D
as you can see it went well, Livvi gives me bags of confidence, she is so chilled and listens to me so carefully. My biggest fear was that she was going to frighten me and that I would not be able to continue with her backing but it is totally the opposite....I know I shouldn't become complacent but this all feels so right!

She is much better with the contact when ridden, stearing is not an issue although I think she can get a little confused between turn and stop...forward is getting better, it takes a second for her to process what I am asking but she is starting to walk on nicely and dad only had to use the whip once or twice....We even ventured out of the round pen and had a walk round the paddock with dad at her head.



So tonight I lunged Livvi myself, Caraghs proper lunging had been a good lesson for both of us and apart from her tendancy to drift in towards me we did fab! Livvi listens to my voice much more than Caraghs and she was definitely more relaxed with me. We had some lovely transitions up and down and she even managed to ignore Drummer leaving her! She is very relaxed working with me and always comes in with a soft eye looking chilled, I wonder how much is me and how much is endorphines released by exercise? I'm starting to worry that my biggest problem will be getting her going! lol!

Then just because I can, I stuck my hat on and rode her bare back around the paddock :-D she took it all in her stride, although a bit more topline is needed before I try that again!!!