La la la loooonnnng weekend
Well, it wasn't quite a long weekend for me. Unfortunately I had to work on Saturday. But that means that I get next Friday off to get the boys ready for the Corrib show!! Preparation is still at hand for it.
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| Where I fits I sits!! |
Like any good athlete, I have a nutritional team behind me. This team begins and ends with Mamma mia who keeps me fed and watered on lovely homemade grub. Without her I wouldn't be able to spend 90% of my home life outdoors. 😀😀
On Monday I had a friend over and we went for a hack on the two boys. She got to ride the fabulous Fred, who of course was a gentleman, as usual. It was a lovely evening, and Rusty came with us for the exercise. CC was great and had a good relaxed stride for most of it, using his back properly. Yay, progress!!
Tuesday I hacked both of them up the road near the house. CC is getting better all the time. Still just on fitness work with Fred. He's enjoying being taken out though, he hates not getting the attention and CC is glad he's not the only one being ridden.
That evening I went on Twitter to join in for #dressagehour. It was really interesting to see what other people are at with their horses and to hear from businesses too. I hope to join in more in the future.
On Wedneday I booked in to do a jump lesson with Fred. We haven't jumped properly in so long and I'm hoping to do unregistered SJI on Sunday to practice jumping a course of 90, which I have never done on CC and I haven't done since October on Fred - which was a disaster! We're doing Working Hunter at the Corrib show, so I want to make sure they're ready.
Fred jumped really well. The jumps weren't big, but it was a course. He took them on well and was confident in his jumping. I think jumping CC has really helped me ride Fred better. He is very sensitive when it comes to SJ and if he feels any doubt in you he gets unsure. With CC he loves jumping and I know he's well able ( I know Fred is too, but my nerves always came into the equation). I found riding Fred the other day I wasn't pushing him too much, kept him steady, gave him a nice squeeze then coming into the jump, and pop. No rushing, no ahhhhhh. This feels promising!!
I rode CC after then, to practice our canter. It didn't go as well as I was hoping, but he can't be fantastic every time. His walk and trot was lovely at least. Rome wasn't built in a day - so they tell me!
On Thursday I only rode Fred. CC deserves a day off and Fred still needs to fitten up. Rusty came with us and I used one of the gifts I got from YourHorse magazine on him. It was a hi-vis strap for your arm or leg, but made a nice collar for him. He was not impressed, but he'll have to wear it from now on.
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| We're both kitted out in hi-vs |
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| Had the road to ourselves at times |
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| Couldn't hack the shtink! |
I've been getting a cold all week, feeling wrecked and zero energy, so had avoided mucking out. But I could avoid it no longer. I drafted in some help because they were in bad shape. There's nothing like the feeling of having done a good job after, and the beautiful bed of straw, which Fred christened straight away - having just come in from the field?!
The cold hit me hard that night and I got SFA sleep.......which led to me being wrecked (and looking wrecked) in work.
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| Impatiently waiting to get in to their stables! |
Friday was a normal work day for me. I printed off my dressage tests and began learning them. One is ok, fairly simple. The other is not difficult to do, but difficult to remember. Especially when you have 4 different tests to do. I decided I'd give the boys and myself the day off, I'd get a few hardcore sessions in over the weekend.. This cold was really starting to take a hold and I hadn't had much sleep the night before. When I got home I had to go straight to bed for an hour. I just mucked out and chilled with Rusty.
Saturday I was working again but was feeling better after a good night's sleep. I got home and let the boys out to the green luscious grass for the first time this year. They were delighted. They didn't waste time running around bucking, heads went straight down to grass!!
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| The green green grass of home...... |
I brought Fred on a decent quick hack, trotting almost all the way. Then myself and CC went on the shorter route, to have a more intense workout. He was great. I had him on the buckle on the way home. It was a great way to finish the day. I tucked into one of my Easter eggs with a nice big mug of tae after to celebrate, along with some sudafed and nurofen plus 😞 - this cold is going bloody nowhere!!
Sunday I woke up almost feeling hungover. This is the worst cold I've had in a long time. I watched my nieces have an Easter egg hunt (very cute) and then locked 'n loaded to go jumping.
I had initially intended to jump them both 80s and 90s, but I don't think Fred is ready for 2 heights yet (fitness-wise). So I decided to only jump him 80s, I knew that it was a nice height and it'd be good to start on a good note. He went very well and only knocked one, which was my fault cos I'd looked at that particular fence before we even started and figured it'd be my boogie fence. I have issues with verticals that have a long run in, I tend to get it all wrong 😕 give me a spread any day!!
CC had a double clear in 80s, he was a bit iffy in the first round, just giving them a slight look and we had no proper flow, but the second round was pretty much hoof perfect! A big thank you to Keith who came over to help us with the warm up, putting up fences and changing them from cross poles to verticals. This is one of the perils of going to shows by yourself. You don't have these issues in dressage! With jumping, you're relying on others to have helpers that put up and down fences for them.
We started well in the 90s, but unfortunately rider issues meant I held him too much and didn't allow enough flow for him to really jump, so we'd a few down, but when we got it together, my god did he give them some height!
Overall, I was absolutely delighted with them both. CC had never jumped outdoors there, so it was new to him and he tried his best, didn't even think about refusing any of them. And Fred jumped really well considering he's pretty much been on hiatus from jumping since early October. My instructor was the course designer and he said they both jumped well, so muchos beaming from ear to ear was had. I then went home to eat and nap. Between the waiting for my heights and warm up, I'd gotten cold and was completely zonked again. I'd covered myself and Fred in his cooler, but too little too late. I needed to regain energy to hit the town with my sister for sista bonding.
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| Dog food or horse food?! |
Monday started with a slight hangover / cold still lurking. This time I'm drowning in my own mucus and I've completely lost my voice. The boys stayed out last night after such a good performance yesterday, so I didn't have to get up to them at least.
I started the process of getting them show ready. I started to tackle Freds feathers and brushed out his tail. I don't need to wash him until Friday, because he's a bay -ah the joys. I've left him without a rug to hopefully get more hair off him.
I gave CC a big bath, shampooing and conditioning his mane, and trying the ketchup experiment on his tail. I have to say, I thought it worked really well!! I didn't give his tail a great clean to start with and didn't put as much ketchup down the ends, but where I did put it, it's noticeable.
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| FILTHY tail!! |
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| Ketchup inserted |
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| Result! |
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| And when it was all dried out - tail defo needs some TLC before Corrib |
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| Fred didn't want to miss out on the action |
Fred was in good form for his dressage, really using himself well. But his music seemed a bit off.
I was drained afterwards and decided I'd come back over Wednesday and set up an arena properly, to see if I could improve his test. I'm going to ask a friend to ride CC as well, to get him used to other riders.
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| Game face |
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| Wrecked after a hard session |
Tuesday morning, when I went to let them out. CC was looking at me with a piece of straw in his mouth. Then as I got closer I noticed he'd had a nice lie down......in a pile of shite..........which was all over the white patch on his neck. Wonderful. Better not happen next weekend!!
Next post will give all the deets of our return to competition; the Corrib show, ie West Fest!!! Cannot wait!! Super excited!! Best of luck to Serena & all involved with the show! Hope your unicorns are flying high 😁😁
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