Still the rain falls – especially when the Farrier called to reshoe! But the sun, that rare and amazing sight has been seen. Not today though and I must away to get the ponies in – swim them in – to the shed.
Go away rain.
The moon is big and bright in the sky and I can see mist filling the valleys below; Continue reading
Askers Judge AKA Buddy was PTS this morning, in the sunshine, under the ash trees, in site of the view that was his home his entire life. Run free my friend . We are all going to miss you. Continue reading
Thoughts drift over a wet day in May.
An old tin-canned Knight sat on Rufus.
October, it was, and I clanked. Continue reading
Unpacked and staying!
Dan re shod him. Bud and I have been doing ground work and pre-ride routines and I have been re discovering the joys of ‘Passenger’ rides – in the ‘safe environment’ of the field – letting self drift with him and in the process finding my childhood somehow again – after I got over feeling like a Nelly and wondering what the folk on the bus thought – it became a mindful – meditative – process – as pony poo picking up is to Yoga – and was cathartic, both he and I were very restful – I suppose I should say at this point he was tacked up, and I did have my hat on, and I did hold the neck strap, and make sure he didn’t step in his reins 🙂 – so it wasn’t quite like going back to my childhood of hopping on the nearest moorland pony and disappearing for the day!
I have been reading the Tao Of Equus Linda Kohanov- which is not an easy read – but IS well worth the effort- and the combo of that, and the unease I have been feeling about taking Bud to the yard – leaving my two ponies at home – suddenly erupted beyond me being shy and became a definite ‘No he is staying here and we will all stay together!’ Equally, I suddenly decided to ask Dan my Farrier to repad and shoe Rufus – both ponies came through the winter extraordinarily fat – both are usually lean fellows – I am not looking to ride Flax but if I did he rides barefoot anyway – Rufe does not.
I found myself once again cleaning kit and washing soft horse furnishings and literally getting the cobwebs and birds nests out of the corner of the barn where such things hang.
It is obviously MY FAULT that the heavens have opened and most horse related activity in the land has ceased 🙁
But I take advice from many folks that if you always get what you have always got- by doing X – then do something else.
So I tossed my to do list, and my time table, and my aims and goals, and thought about why I want to ride – and what I want for them – I ride to feel free – but I have stumbled with them at times, and the upshot has been Rufe and Flax are now ‘Evergreen’ and field bound – OK – it is one of several fields, and they have a view , and they are a long way from forgotten dopes on a rope under a bridge – but really? May be my riding activity is as much about them being free as me – where as before I tended to think
‘ Well it is me that wants to go for the ride…’
I am not sure that was ever all there was to it – they never once refused to go, and they are always keen to move fields, always queued up to see what is happening – I know plenty of folk do have the problem of horses being herd bound/barn sour or nappy – mine never were – but even so they become more confident together than apart – if it isn’t part of their day – and it hasn’t been.
Rather like Linda in her book I have had this feeling that ‘something is wrong’ but have dismissed it thinking that it is largely me – feeling guilty for not being able to carry on their ‘training’ to a higher level, or because they are chubby or because Rufus gets sweet itch and Flax needs me to be a better leader than I am – but actually I think that what is wrong, is that they feel trapped, and left out, and I can feel that – and after reading ALL of Linda’s book -I am prepared to give it more credence as a possibility than I was doing before.
I was very interested in her comments on emotional congruency and how important it is- and I realised that this doesn’t just apply to Buddy and I – ie me putting on a Happy Face which he knows is false and then wondering why he is jumpy! This was also an issue with Flax – where as Rufe is stallion like in his ability to ignore my forcefield, and is confident enough in himself not to worry – if I am there physically that is enough for him – but the other two ask for the whole me and the real me – mad, bad or happy – as long as I am not pretending.
I had a brief session with a friend’s horse back in the spring and she commented that I was looking beyond the horse and out of the arena all the time – and she was right – in an attempt to take pressure off the horse I looked to the horizon – in that case outside the school – and then thought about my problems or what a nice day it was – the disconnect from her old mare on my rope was immediate. With Buddy I noticed last week that when he is trying to canter on line if I look to the horizon he bends to the outside and finds it hard to strike off – if my focus is ahead of him but on the line of the circle he has little trouble maintaining bend and gait and strikes off comfortably enough, for him.
When riding – I am thinking I may also do this a legacy from riding the older horses that I have had for years – OK with Bud – until there is a sudden lack of confidence ,caused by lack of regular riding, failing to top up his innate common sense – but if there is -then there is a ‘turn around and run’ potential – till I snap out of it enough to give him a lead either in the saddle or on foot – until of course last Autumn when I got exasperated while standing by him waiting for some sheep to pass- and he turned around and ran from ME – leaving me face down on the ground… and him lucky to be found ‘uninjured’ – our relationship has taken time to rebuild and is still doing so…
IN Flax’s case it used to be that he would try and get behind me or on top of me which was only noticeable when I rode out alone – it is my guess now it was the same thing – I was thinking over the horizon ‘not looking at the spook’ but over doing it to the point where he felt my absence dangerously, I was then getting scared, and looking away even more -and getting cross with my self , and frustrated with myself at not being able to make him understand me – silly now I think about it of course – he doesn’t have to understand me he just has to trust me and for that I have to be genuine and present – congruent in what I am asking and what I am doing and feeling.
So There Is Much To Think About…
AS for Rufus? The little wise one is beginning to resemble the Laughing Budda statue and it will be good to wander where we will again …:)
Buddy had a tooth problem needing specialist treatment to remove and replant it – that was quite hard for me to get through the organisational waiting necessary when fitting in with busy travelling specialists – Buddy was absolutely fine, in excellent hands at Milton Equine – in their care for the Equine Dentist to do the job on their premises as it all coincided with the major house rebuild we had going on here.
The house rebuild meant we moved into the mobile home ’27’ in the orchard next to the horse field – this made for ‘horse TV’ all day and all night and a night time sound track of galloping hooves…
I didn’t get any riding done this summer – I completely underestimated the demands for me to be here to let folk in etc to fit in with them – but for the huge building project to progress as fast as possible I realised it was necessary.
By Autumn I was trying ground work with Buddy and then I failed to heed my high stress level one morning and took him somewhere we weren’t ready for – result I got off, got myself knocked over and he ran off… I found him with help of bystanders and a local friends – he was a bit battered and bruised and we were able to walk home.
He recovered from that and promptly got a skid injury and infection around Bonfire night and Boxing day he was ‘giving it large’ and skidding about (Again!) and has mildly strained the tendons at the back of his knee…!
My equine year has been one with little riding but great moments with all three of them – Rufus usually comical and Flax playful.
Re join Shipton Riding Club and try to re build my confidence to join in – even if that is watching or helping…
Keep up with my Parelli friends and Intelligent Horsemanship chums.
Keep blogging on Haynet
Have tickets to see Monty Roberts at our old college Kingston Maurwood Dorset (Where husband and I met and he is coming too)
Buddy, Flax and Rufe to be as well looked after as I can, kept active and as entertained as they can be – and if I get to ride out off the farm too I shall be thrilled – it is going to take a while and some daily work – and some luck that no one gets a silly injury(Bud!) (MC!!) :))
Good weather helps get us started – Bud came in mid afternoon and had a groom. I then took him out on one of the old Libbies 16ft driving reins and used that to do some ground work. Those reins are lighter and have better grip than either lunge reins or the Parrelli stuff I have and when wet from the grass are not heavy and stretchy like the other two.
He looks sound to me and found little difficulty in offering walk-trot- canter transitions and down again. All very level headed. The calves lined up along the fence to watch.
After I popped him back out for half an hour while I got
him some tea and then later after he had a snooze he went back out with Rufe and Flax.
Repeat today and aim to try him on a hard surface tomorrow.
I have decided to withdraw from one of my blogging outposts as my BB is failing to cope with it’s many moving parts and the site is undergoing so much development my membership has become meaningless to me – other than as a moan fest – as it has moved away from hard copy for it’s members to all digital . My up dates are not thrilling or interesting reading for anyone as I point out that those of us without BB and top end data packages are unable to keep up. So I want to shift my riding blog over to here – which I always planned to do anyway I just never got around to it!
At the moment then the scene is thus set –
MC and Buddy came apart in a field and got back together again – he has been taking anti inflammatory meds and MC has being wearing sack cloth and ashes and beating herself up for putting us in a situation were failure was likely.
Q. ‘When is the first time you get off your horse?’
A. When the thought pops into your head the first time.
Q. ‘Does this horse look ridable?’
A. Not if you have thought that.
Today is Wed. ( I think ) Sun is out after blustery few days and I am heading out to get Buds rug off – I don’t want him forgetting he is a horse. I will also put him through into the other field. Aim is to get him out on a rope this afternoon on grass to see how he is moving – given new bin day tomorrow I will pencil Fri in for a walk out around the village on tarmac if it isn’t windy etc – not rushing with this or being GungHo – that is what dropped us in this situation in the first place. 🙁
Rufus and Flax look like Hippos after a wallow. Good for them. Not planning on riding either so they can adorn themselves however they choose!
Happy Days.
‘Great ride today following on from yesterday. We had our first canter in ages – been building up to it – and I had a suitable long uphill track in mind up from The Marquis Of Lorne at Nettlecombe and then stopping half way and slithering down to Powerstock I wanted it to be quiet and empty of folk and it was – if I can get a couple more variations in there then we can get out into the more open grass and be fairly sure I can stay with him – more running required to strengthen my legs – but prefer it not to be after the horse has left me behind.’ Said my diary.
He got over excited because I thought it was a nice day for a longer ride to get away from the stress at home, I decided not to duck up a non bridle path track and avoid a good galloping field as Bud was quite happy., it was a nice day, we had done a photo shoot – and Why Not?
Some store lambs were drifting across us and suddenly I realised there was only one way he was going – up. He wouldn’t step forward and was completely bunched. I knew he was sideways on to Hell..
I got off – I always carry a long rope anyway – and I was fine – might have been better if I hadn’t been so stressed I forgot my gloves – he jinxed hard twice and I ended up facing him – he reared and I was lifted up and swung in under – he bolted in fright andI realised if I didn’t let go I would be under his hinds – and with out my gloves my skin came off my hands and I was dropped on my face and when I looked up… he had gone. Silence.
Never happened to me before and the field was large and beyond that the lanes leading to a Dual Carriageway. I couldn’t see him against the hedges in the field but I felt that the field was empty – I could see some people ‘s heads bobbing about by the 5 bar galvanised and high hung gate to the lane. All kinds of things run through your mind – who are they? Has he hurt them? Is he already under a car?
No – they hadn’t seen him – they were thatching a cottage – but they heard him take on the gate…
No – they were sure he wasn’t on the road.
I had a hard job taking that in – Bud was born in the village and I live just the other side – of course he would go straight back to his birth farm!
No – they really didn’t think he had passed them…
One of them thought he had heard a whinny back toward Lodderland – a long track and open fields behind us – I set off with them promising to guard the gate less track…
BT got a new phone line order wrong and we have no phone – I had to get an Iphone 6 to power up my BB – it downloaded all my email contacts and no phone numbers – I had only had it 24 hrs. It was on my To Do List…
The only number I could remember – and I didn’t know whose it was – I rang and amazingly it was the folk who live in the farm I was heading too.
No – their dogs were quiet and their horse grazing – he wasn’t there.
I kept on walking and they stayed on the phone. (Bless them)
I heard a whinny.
No – it wasn’t their horse – he was not whinnying he was just eating.
I rounded another bend in the track and heard it again and there, back to a fence, tack around his knees was a sorry looking Buddy.
Sarah came out and calmly helped me straighten him up – bar marks from the gate on all four and the near hind below the hock looking the worst – no cuts much at that point I realised my hands were bleeding and I felt shaky. Sarah offered to stable Bud while I got a trailer – I don’t have one – and looking at him I figured the walk home would be better for him and me too so we secured the stirrups and I took his martingale off just in case…
It took and hour to walk him back slowly – I was able to give the thatchers a big wave and a ‘Thank You’ as I went past. I am so grateful they had come to see what had happened to me. I was passed in the lane by a group of adult Ramblers – and not one spoke or stopped talking to take in the dishevelled and bleeding horse and rider – that is the second time I have been in trouble and an organised group of Ramblers has walked on by. I said ‘Good Morning’ three times and no one as much as glanced at me.
All things considered Bud is looking better than he could have – no swellings much and the vet thinks no joint damage but we think he skidded into the gate so hit the fronts and fetlocks and then went over trailing one or both hinds – so it will take a week or so at best with anti inflammatory med’ and turn out with the ponies.
I am fine. Annoyed with myself. Horses aren’t stress relief – if you are stressed clean the stable, poo pick, clean tack, wash the lorry, iron the numnahs – ok not that one – but don’t get on your horse! 🙁
Amidst the craziness of living next to a building site – my once and future home – while now living and working in a mobile home – is the fact that the situation is pure Heaven – perched in my orchard next to the horses’ summer field and yesterday I took my desk out side and worked with the horses all day- me writing and them getting on with being horses.
The sky was intensely blue and the’ greens’ this side of the farm still intensely green – the bleached out tips of long grass on the old fort on the horizon cannot be seen from here, neither can the ripening wheat and the start of harvest. Here it is green and blue.
Husband prepared Ghost for the show this weekend – washing and polishing and all the usual pre show stuff – only advantage of showing trucks is no plaiting! Hoof oil is replaced by ‘Tyre Black’ – really:) But they still park in lines and sit next to them and then go for a trot up before the judge in the main ring. It is all huge fun and I kinda wish I was going – but I don’t like ‘visiting’ – go for whole weekend and join in is one thing but to ‘drop in’ feels naff…
They left and the stock, horses, dogs and I settled down to what I HOPE will be a peaceful weekend to write – and between you guys and I – I might get Buddy in tomorrow and ride. I will get the tack out for a check over today and if it doesn’t get too hot give his mane and tail a brush and get him out on a rope to play- then see what tomorrow brings…
It is probably Buddy’s and mine anniversary weekend come to think of it, I must have had him a year exactly – having said I wouldn’t get another one – and he and I are the most unlikely pairing of the small writer and the tall racehorse who hack alone for miles – we get on very well – well we did till he had to have a tooth out and refitted and then I hit lambing and the house project kicked off in April – so I think we have had three rides since New Year…. But he is right there – here – now head and lips resting on the mobile home window giving me that ‘Get up and let’s go somewhere!’ look or it could be ‘Where’s my hay?’
I hope Husband and lorry have a great time polishing at the show but I think on balance I have my prizes here and I very much hope this weekend I can chill out a bit and enjoy them.
Busy week checking out and or moving to new writing groups that seem to have more bells and more whistles than I will ever discover and also new blogging sites and one I have been meaning to check out for a while.
At the moment it looks like Scribophile for the new writing group and Haynet as a new blogging space as I have enjoyed reading that one for years but not added to it.
As usual when doing something new I have to pretty much hold nose and jump in – however many bloops I make – often the fear of changing things is so much worse than actually doing it. I am not sure that you can ever get so used to change it ceases to bother you though the great thing about the internet is friends and colleagues need not be left behind nor lost touch with.
I have managed to hit my typing up of the MS targets for the week and was amused to see another Author informing her followers via email that by publication she could virtually recite her novels – I am with her on that one – though sadly this skill in me doesn’t extend to dictation via Dragon as this week late one night I fired it up only to have my text turn red and be highlighted in green – when this happens I check the room for hidden cameras 🙂
On the horse front this week my farrier re shod a fully rugged Buddy while we braced ourselves against in horizontal July rain. Rufus and Flax used the mud creatively to decorate the fly rugs and style their mane dooz
I escaped to my bolt hole this am – the pier at West Bay.
Bliss. Took Buddy out around the Marquis of Lorne and Powerstock then back via North Eggardon and Spyway and back the long way past Folly Cottage. Very quiet but for the bell ringers who seemed to be clanging away all around. Doubt anyone got much of a lie in today in this corner of West Dorset.
Not having much luck with cropping photos – they reduce and look fine in the thumbnail but not on the post.
Yea! How did I do that?
Okay! Seem to have got over loosing my head so we can get back to riding.
Phew. Back in the saddle for a normal Saturday ride around the valley. Buddy has been off work due to tooth problems – the cheek tooth was removed, root canalled and replaced two weeks ago Monday – and all seems to have been successful.
Smashing ride, bright and sunny, primroses and violets everywhere and birds busy singing. Looking forward to tomorrow already.
Probably should re title this ‘The Headless Horsewoman Rides Again’ obviously this site IS still a Work In Progress.