Kiwi Eventer

Its been a week now

2011-05-22T19:34:00.002+12:00

Spider has had over a weeks solid, continous schooling.

Its going great. He is coming along nicely. We have gone from a cantakerous prick that would kick out, wouldn't maintain his own pace, that you have to WORK to get moving anywhere

to

A horse that is learning to move into the contact, has active paces, maintains the pace he is at (unless he is backing off the contact) but of course you can get up him to move forwards again into the hand and he listens.

Its really exciting. I also clipped him yesterday because he is a sweater, when he gets stressed he sweats. So that made it a little interesting to start with - because obviously the sound of clippers weren't the nicest thing in the world - and he sweated and got damp. Anyone who knows clipping know what a pain this is.... so lo and behold - I canned the big clippers, got out the small one (which were once the husbands shavers) and proceded to do a rough trace clip with them, I rode straight after and promptly decided I didn't take enough off - DOH. Because now it is back to rain and I'm not sure when I'll get another chance to.

So for the next week I'm just working on that - off the leg into the contact, encouraging bend with a open inside rein. And more canter on the circle to get it balanced - potentially more lunging at canter to help with that as well.

On a side note - man I was not impressed today - FIL has put the cows in the next paddock that was for spider - so now its only may and I'm OUT of GRASS. Ekk, so now I have to go and buy hay. Not happy.

Trailer woes

2011-05-19T19:42:00.003+12:00

I had another fantastic ride today, spider really is a cute horse.

But.........

He can also be a mongrel when he wants to be. It started off nothing major, just a simple training blip in trailering that needed to be nipped in the bud, and it came out a full flown battle of wills.

So the deal was after the ride (which I'll talk about more) I hosed off, and packed up. Left the cover off for the trip home (the whole 3 minute drive). Loaded him on as per normal - great. However as soon as I walked back to do up the gate, something I've done everyday this past week - spider walked backwards and off the trailer grrr. Ok no worries I'll quickly make him trot a circle and back in. But the same thing happened - I walk back and he walks back. SOOOO Frustrating.

15 minutes later, I had backed him up substantially, he was refusing to even put a foot on the float - and a major hole in the training is very evident. I can not stand behind the shoulder and get him to move forwards and around me. Essentially lunging a small circle. He would not budge, even flicking with the end of the lead rope got nada.

Meanwhile... time is ticking away that I needed to be back at work. I rang the house up the hill and called someone down to give me a hand. Thats literally all I needed. Someone to close the bum bar for me. Tomorrow I'll be riding over at the arena again and it may crop up. But I'm cheating and taking food with me to occupy him until I get the door closed.

I've already discussed with a friend and we are going to work with him this weekend on leading and things like that.

On to the ride. Pretty good ride today. No wobblyness or kicking out. I started out with a good 6 laps of the arena at walk, asking for more activity with the squeeze, growl/kick technique. The yell has been reduced to more of a low grr in the back of the throat, and that was sufficient to get more movement. A couple of times I wasn't happy with the response so I upped the volume.. it was a tad embarrasing because there were some builders near by (I was planning on videoing the ride today - but they were around and I just felt a little weird). We moved onto trot. At first all I was doing was maintaining a contact and I did very very little work to get moving and active. The bad rein I had to do a bit more. I then went large and asked for more trot down the long side and got it - nice work :)
Canter - I kept it a bit short today. I get the feeling he isn't to happy on shifting surfaces, and someone else had been there before me and the arena was quite chopped up, so in canter he was really swinging around the corners and I could feel a couple of times he didn't quite get his back legs where they should have been....

Back to trot, and I felt that he understands that he has to move out, but not when or in response to leg. Which is fine - so I slowed the trot with rising asked a bit more with the contact for bend and I felt a few nice long strides come through. I then went and worked on response to the leg - he gets forwards and he knows he can move out, so now I think even after this short time it is time to start working on that. So just halt to walk 5 or 6 times, squeeze, yell kick scream was generally the way it went - and by the time I kicked and yelled he was thinking trot - which is fine, great in fact. And he was walking with the squeeze - but dwaddling. Something I need to clarify because I've never been through this exact training on another horse - is if I should be happy with the walk, or should be expecting a promt transition. He does very prompt ones into trot - but to walk... not so much.

I also noted today - I still have the horrible habit of hanging with one rein... its like my arm has a mind of its own. Hate it.

So after that reasonable ride today - it was really dissapointing to have the trailer issue...

Happy

2011-05-18T15:01:00.002+12:00

This afternoon I am happy.

Two things: Sunshine and a forward horse.

Despite the gale force winds today I rode. I took a extra hour and half on my lunch break, went out and picked spider up to drive over to the arena. Not a drop of rain nor a grey cloud in site :)

Just worked on a circle, and he was nice and forwards, and only had minor corrections. It was really nice somewhere in the ride, I applied my leg and he moved forwards - big pats. Other than that one instance the rest were normally followed by a growl. We did a few transitions up using the same thing, squeeze and then growl/kick. And they were coming along a bit moer promptly. I did catch myself a few times where I was keeping on kicking when I shouldn't have been... whoops. I had jods on today that weren't full seat and man did I keep slipping around - I don't like them. Give me my full seat breeches back. The first canter I did we had a little whoopsy though he kicked out a couple of times, I'm not sure why - it could have been from me pushing for more straight out of the transition, or something else, even starting the first canter on the stiff rein. I did make a concious choice to work the first canter on the stiff rein - its a fact that you always spend more time on the rein that you first work on. No one has seen it from the ground or at all so would be interesting to get someone elses view on it. Normally only happens the once. I just cantered the rest of the circle and came back down to a really forward trot.

So happy with todays ride. Happy that I am riding because I was feeling a bit like a dabbler - someone who say that they are a rider, but really only gets on 2 times a year... no offense to anyone who does - thats just not me or my style. I like to ride and to me that means 6 days a week for a hour at a time schooling, hacking and jumping (if the horse is ready for it). So it really is nice to have ridden over the weekend and today. We have sunshine forcast until Monday so I'll ride all this week. In my full seats that is

Decision Made

2011-05-17T12:42:00.002+12:00

I've decided to stick with it with spider.

Quite simply I think I was talking myself out of it before I had even really started. So start I did in the weekend been. 4 solid days schooling in a arena, with some helping eyes (and a ride) on the last day (sunday).

Despite the weather I was lucky to get rides in, its been terrible. The paddock is flooded, and wind has blown down on of our garden sheds (wee insurance companies rock - yeah right), there have been tornado's over the country (one death), thunderstorms every morning for the last 5 days.... oh and side note my cat - spewing 8 times in total last night. Poor mite but I'm so not impressed it was inside on the carpet. Saw her do another two outside this morning. I'll give her until tomorrow and take her to the vets if she is no better. Last time she was like this it was because she had found a old dead bird with maggots inside and ate it... so I'm imagining similar thing.

Anyway - back to spider. A good few sessions after 2 weeks of no work, and little handling he popped straight on the trailer, and popped straight off again.

Saddled up, and I hopped on and we walked off straight away. Took some time to get any response from him, a few clucks, hups growls and good boys... and I think he is getting it, and we starting pinging along nice and forward in trot.
Day two - much of muchness, except we put in some canter. And again just working on getting forward and spider maintaining it with out me working for it all the time... I'm puffed and sore and not overly enjoying this ride. However two laps later with no kicking hupping or growling and just lots of pats i'm pleased.
Day three, I hopped on and warmed up the same as the last couple of days. Small improvement noted he is forward straight off the bat. No diddling around sucking back, not going anywhere with a red faced rider on his back. It really is hard work when you can't use a whip.
Day four, same again and nice a forward walk straight away - that was really pleasing, and he wanted to go forward into trot super pleasing.
Friend jumped on as well today to have a feel/see what she thought of him to help me with my decision. We both came to the same conclusion he just has no idea what leg is, and he has no mouth what so ever. There is a little bit there at walk and trot, and absolutly nothing at canter. So forward plan is to get him off the leg, a bit fitter by cantering circles more (I tend to avoid them because he isnt very balanced).
We do however both agree something is a little off in the hind, one leg isn't stepping through as far as the other, we aren't sure if its pain, lack of balance or something else, so I'll give him a couple weeks work and re-asses the hind end and whether I need a vet out or not. I'll also get shoes on him in the meantime which will do one of two things if its in the foot, fix it (because he is a bit ouchy) or exaggerate it with the extra weight he will be carrying on the feet.

So I'm pleased I came to a decision it was doing my head in and he is cute, not a money maker or a 3 day eventer, but just a nice general hack to do bits of everything on, and you can't fault his nature its good. And how many green/young horses can you leave alone for over a month or more and bring straight back into work with little to no issues or having to lunh :)

Still Useless...

2011-04-29T21:44:00.002+12:00

At blogging that is....

So spider has got me in a muddle. I'm just not sure.

He is super scared of whips. He has bucked quite intensely, he has reared more than once, and he has crooked legs, that I think is the cause of him looking "off" on one rein.

But then again - that could be because he is super stiff, super unbalance and just plain ole does not know how to use his body correctly AT ALL.

He is still struggling to trot a balanced 20m circle... canter is near on out of the question (but he does promt himself to canter at times). Its almost like spider has a switch.... one moment he is calm, relaxed,foward and thinking, does as I ask. The next its like he gets a wind up him and he won't listen, goes far to quick and just doesn't think - this is when he canters and he is clearly not balanced and just about tips himself over for trying to canter, mean while I'm just trying to get him to trot (which does and doesn't help!). SO I really don't know what to do with him...

I do think he has a old injury or something - his shoulders are TIGHT, and he obviously has the tendon injury/scar tissue, the scars from going through a fence (damage to coronet band). So I just don't know if I want to put more then 6 months into him if he is going to break down... he def isn't going to be a top eventer.. he could if I could use a whip and reinforce GO... but I have got NOTHING at the moment it is SO frustrating.

We got saddle check yesterday and thats fine, he has had his teeth done next is a chiro, and last will be some shoes on his toes.... winter is here... so I'll give him the winter I think, and then decide because I just keep thinking I can get a just as nice horse, thats only 3/4 off the track that doesn't have the issue with the whip..... gah its doing my head in.

At the moment he gets work 3 consecutive days in a row or 4, and then has the rest off each week, because I feel the lessons will sink in better for being reinforced several days in a row, rather than every other day. He hasn't been worked this week - the weather is so bad that we've lost one of our garden sheds, roofs have gone and it was hard to stand up outside.. Ive snapped the door arm thingie in my car door - whoops.

At least it looks like I'll be living back at the farm in about 2 months. I'm sick of living in town I hate it, and I hate the fact I've got to drive out to see the horse and goat/dogs.... coutning down the days!

A restart... I really am a useless blogger

2011-03-16T21:15:00.001+13:00

I've got to many blogs.. and all of them are hickle pickle... I'm not a good blogger...

But I have thought I should do one, so I can look back on the progress I'm making with Spider... the new boy. Turbo sold back in Jan.. I spent a month in Thailand.. and here I am...

He is a roughly 16hh if not 15.3 gelding TB, maybe 10yrs old... grey so I need to shave his shoulder to see his brands.. they are currently under cover.

He spent his early years racing on the flat, then won something decent as a steeplechaser.... I wonder why they call it steeple chasing.. I'm mean the jumps don't move so how can they be chasing them....

Once he retired from a tendon injury, rested, re-raced, and layed up again from the same injury.. he went to a home where he lived a good life.. eating to much, and hacking around town... however he was at times i get the impression to much for the rider, so the owners of the grazing took him... and I know her quite well (nakinator on here) she hasn't had time to ride him, and hopped on occasionally in the last few years to ride around the paddock.

Since I sold turbo and was looking half heartedly for a new one - browsing because I don't quite have the $ for what I really wanted.. I took him... and now he has a job for the first time in years.

He has never been on a float... and went on fine first time round... not so good to get off... missed checking that part when we put him on... but thats ok he cameoff eventually albeit sweating and shaking like a leaf from the 20 min trip... so I assume he is only used to trucks and being "closed in" so to speak... next trip 'll close the cover over the back door to see if it goes better.

He has had two weeks to sit in his new location, and get used to being paddocked alone... he has the mini to talk to over the fence which he loves dearly...

He got some hand walks over the farm initially to gauge his reactions to all the scary machines etc... a few puffs and huffs but nothing major...

Then it started.. the lunging lessons...

Day one: how to stay out on the circle....

Day two: trotting

Day three: side reins introduced

etc etc rinse repeat etc etc

Week 2: Canter.. but we won't go into to much detail on that. A few issues, the whip being one, balance and co-ordination another, and understanding what I'm after.

Week 3: the lessons have sunk in, properly adjusted side reins for the trot work, canter voice aid installed, and all the whoas

Week 4: Proper under saddle work starts

That was last weekend. The first proper ride was a hourish hack over the farm with the old owner and mum coming out as well. I decided this was a good option. Given the lack of understanding of the leg aids, and the non-use of a whip (I can carry one but not use it yet) they would give him a incentive to go somewhere if he wasn't sure.. and it was needed a few times he lagged behind they others he would trot to catch up with out to much giddy up's needed. But he was exceptionally well behaved and I can't say a foot out of place was had. No jigging, spooking or launches into space. I was pleased.

The next day keeping in mind the fitness levels a short burst of work on foward and contact followed with a 10min walk abouts.

Monday, I thought we would do our first outing, even if it means we don't get a ride in. But never matter - it went without a hitch, got him in the trailer by myself and a bucket of food, it was a exceptionally short trip. Came off ok, and took a look around and went to completly chilled out - BRILLIANT. Had a short but intense ride in the arena, and did our first serious cantering. Well more than a straight line and letting it happen if it comes. I asked for it and got it, and I felt I had won the olympics YES.

Break yesterday, and I rode today. I have to say I hate the treeless saddle I'm borrowing it make me work against it... need to get a decent one ASAP. One unfortunate thing happened.. the neighbours herd of 2yr old horses were next to the paddock I chose to ride in today... while I was mounting spider was distracted and kept moving off.. so i was making him work each time he moved. Halfway through asking him to backup I got distracted by kids in the house behind me andI got taken advantage of... whoops spider went for a wee canter to meet the neighbours. Finally got on ( and he stood stock still) and more work to occur... contact, foward, leg aids, and attention... attained all of those as well as could be expected, and did a few canters.. all went well - I just have to remember if he leaps foward quickly because I've given him a fright by asking to much/to sharp whatever that I can't pull him up to quick. The first time I did.. and its essentially telling him off for listening to the foward aids - whoops oh well lesson learned.

Tomorrow is another day.. and I do hope to keep updating a blog.. its funny enough reading back through some posts on turbo:wink:

Flying By...

2010-08-23T19:34:00.002+12:00

Just a quick one today - I'm due to eat.

I rode both days in the weekend, and today.

Sat, was a short quick walk down the road, back into front paddock. Trotted around the outskirts twice, cantered half a paddock. Came in did enough schooling on the 30m circle to have him going well and called it quits. I had been working all day at the Pony Club and was stuffed by the end of it, as well as riding near sundown.

Sunday - another quick ride, had places to go/people to see. BUT I did clip him, it isn't a good job I can say that right now. He wasn't the cleanest underneath all that hair, and I was doing it by my self - so every time I positioned the front leg forwards to get in under his elbow he would walk forward - so there are some long bits down there. Not insane enough to be putting my head down low to see what I'm doing under his belly/between his back legs - so that got left as well. A few run marks from the clippers in a few places and you have one rough looking job - good thing he had just started loosing the winter coat last week and the new coat should be through and hiding the bad job. For the ride a brisk trit trot around the paddock and slightly longer canter work. He is looking good under that hair i might add - a little lacking in top line but rounder than I expected - YAY.

Today's ride - long warm up because I was going to start some lateral work at trot - still really shouldn't be doing to much yet - however I do have some people coming to look at Turbo to buy him in a week or so... anyway warm up - little trot, big trot. Its what I call it anyway, then same in canter.
Funny story - coming back from canter to trot - who knows what it was - but I was off falling to the ground - will elaborate tomorrow.
Clambered back on - SI in walk, then in trot and haunches in at trot - long walk around paddock and called it quits.

Busting my guts for dinner... argh!

Doing it wrong

2010-08-20T21:15:00.000+12:00

Another ride today - super stoked that I've managed to ride despite the weather.

HOWEVER: I know I'm doing it wrong and its not in my plan, but sometime life just doesn't work right. I wanted to do at least 10 days of just walking - a working walk, but just walking none the less.

The purpose behind walking when you bring a horse back into work is to prevent injury down the line - its the "hardening" period. Basically turbo is a soft squidgy lax animal right now.. pasture puff - like me. The walking is supposed to allow the horses body to become accustomed to work, the tendons/ligaments to tighten and harden while remaining flexible. All good things can only come of bringing a horse into work slowly.

We had another wee yeehaww moment and well as per yesterday we worked. Big open circles, minimal bend, but insisting on working properly over his back although not "up" more out and over. Roughly 15 Min's of trotting with one break, and then we had a wee little canter once around our big circle (its about 1/3 of the 10 acre paddock) on both reins, a walking lap around the outskirts of the paddock on no contact before heading back to the shed (about a 3 min walk from the paddock). So I'm not doing the walking thing much. I am hoping that because he was really fit when he was turned out, he has kept some of his fitness (appears so for all intents and purposes at this point) and I'm not doing to much damage by skipping the walking.

I'm also going to acquire a electro-acupuncture machine for me, but that I also hope to use on Turbo. The physio has used a similar model on him before with some success. I think with a more conservative longer/lower intensity of the machine will a) prevent the poor boy from almost falling over and b) gain better/longer last results. So I'm off to google the acupoints of the equine and the human. Then to write out that training plan so I can try stick to it - beacuse I know that once I've had another canter or two - I'll be asking Turbo to work that little bit harder because while I'm riding i don't think to much about it and I probably shouldn't.

Oh - one last point to make from todays ride. I re-watched the video's I posted yesterday, bingo got something right. I was sore between my shoulder blades after riding, and today I wasn't because I kept reminding myself to keep the ear/shoulder alignment - funny thing (or not so funny) I wasn't having to think about the elbow/hand so much....

A New Era

2010-08-19T18:29:00.000+12:00

I've called today's blog a new era because - that's what it kinda is.

I've got a pretty bad back, its one of the reasons that I haven't ridden this winter (I normally do the winter dressage series). A herniated disk on the last joint before the tail bone. So as you can imagine it has quite a large effect on my riding - particularily as the pain defers to the front of my hips. I'm in for a Epidural Steroid Injection next week to try get some pain relief and then work on strengthening my back. Most exercise aggravates it, or causes it to spasm and give me tingly toes on calves - never mind the pinch through the bum cheek. So yesterday - my normal physio was away and as always a new set of eyes sees new things - not only that she is qualified in acupuncture. So three needles later, a swear word or two which quote "I know I've hit the spot when I get sworn at" I had a searing cramp through my lower back/hip/groin area. Low and behold - today I felt like a million bucks - and well so did Turbo.

So because of this great feeling - I'm heading back for more, and I rode in a saddle today.

Today's ride was going to be short sweet and succinct... a 15 min power walk, followed by 2 x 3 min trots, and a short burst of canter in the large paddock. However when the back lifted, the ears pointed and the snort came out all my plans went out the window.
I had only been on a mere minute, walked out into the paddock (its about 10 acres), and a house is being built near the front of it, which I had to go around to get to where I wanted to ride.
The person digging the footings of the house through a wad of dirt into the air and low and behold Turbo had his excuse, the bum tucked under and exploded - a quick 1,2 smack had him shooting forwards enthusiastically of which I then asked him to whoa, and he scuttled backwards before I even thought uh oh we had some propping and then what I call the rock and roll horse.
Bum goes up, head goes up, spin sideways, take 2 steps around and start all over again.

So knowing my horse work began. Work settles him quicker than anything. So off we head with a few more spurts farts and warble wobbles in the quickest route around the house to the "flat area" 30m circle started and off we go. Long short long short long short at a trot round and round we go. I must say some good movement out of the extra energy - a bit quick but a nice swinging back, popping active hocks and lovely forwards free movement. A few hard checks every now and then when the back lifted, the canter started and back to the trot we go. One more spazz attack on the way back past the evil man throwing dirt and ride over.

What i find funny about today's ride - Sunday I was out in the paddock planting some golden elms for some shade for twerp and I THREW dirt AT him ON his cover.... would he budge a foot... heck no. And today... well you would have thought he had never seen a man with a shovel.

Fresh as snow flakes and full of beans.

For my own riding - hands still creeping wide, although I feel I did a good job of keeping the elbow soft for most parts, and the legs - well i didn't worry to much about them. Back a little achy today, and def achy in between my shoulder blades so wasn't holding meself right somewhere - I need to go back and watch these video's below.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v281/ryckie/HGS%20position%20videos/

2010-2011 Season Begins

2010-08-11T19:18:00.000+12:00

Well I started this blog some time ago to track my eventing and such.... what happened instead is my grandfather passed away, I decided to sell my horse, competed in my last Horse Trial of the year I could make it to and promptly turned the horse out for the rest of the season until now... so March to August (3 Months).

The beast aka Turbo, turb, porky, lazy bastard, the hairy monster, you ********* hole, twerp and any other name I come up with on a given day is still in my paddock for multiple reasons of which I'm sure I'll cover at some stage.

Given the length of time the boy was off work and living the pasture puff life, I've decided to track and note the process of bring him back into work and what we are doing from here on in.

I still need to draw up some kind of schedule in excel for what I want to do and when, I do it like that because I do fall off the band wagon and lose interest at time (mostly when its pouring with rain and snowing up the mountain and such) so it keeps me on track easily enough.

The fuzzy beast as is his current name got hoiked out of the paddock yesterday for a ride. What brought this on is insane jelousy of looking at current photos of horses america wide on HGS who all look fit and shiny and they are competing. Also that I pre-emptively put my name down for a 2 day SJ course at the end of September.

Do note this beast has had minimal attention and care over winter... he gets a eye over each day at feed time despite the fact its dark as I drive my car along the fence until I find him then turn in to "spot light" him. Weekends he may have got a curious rub under the rug, or a quick unveiling of the rug for a scratch, or a cursory pat on the nose (depending on the weather). He had shoes pulled, and they got a mid break trim, and his twinkle toes were steel plated a couple of weeks ago (it really is to wet for him to not have shoes).

So what I found yesterday under the rug was no surprise at all really - and some people may think its disgusting and negligent - but meh my horse was just a horse for a few months. So the dreaded tail and mane doesn't worry me, the matted coated where some freaking way mud crawled up under the rug to tub a lubs rump and all the rest of the hairy beasties "problems" from his time out were revealed.

The unfortunate thing about yesterdays first ride - I had no time to deal with any of these results of time out. Man did I feel like a slob, I also felt somewhat "hick-ish" or slightly bush/pig pony.

See here I was with this horrid looking beast under my butt who had mud caked all over his face, down his neck, over his rump and a purple surcingle over the saddle blanket (because i did ride bareback or as close to it as possible that I will go) a bridle that had lost its noseband, and me to lazy to drive the extra miles out to my clothes and be dressed appropriate for riding.

Despite all that I took a wonder over the farm, took a look at the new born calves, there is a set of twins (herefords) that are thankfully both feeding. About 20mins all up just walking along the race, 10 minutes of that I asked him to "work".

I have a bit of a policy when riding that if there is contact you work, if there is no contact - move however you may wish sir. Yesterday work consisted of only fowards and focused while using your back.. luckily for me... we were in work time when the ducks flew off the lake... that would have been my butt kissing ground if I had been waltzing past unawares of what my horse was doing below me.

So overall I was quite happy to toodle along for that ride - a long time since I've sat on a horse and it was a pleasure to do so (especially in the sunshine).

Feeling pro-active today I rode again..... opps jumped the gun much(?) in the expectation department.

Another policy of mine HORSES DO NOT EAT while I'm on their back. Don't care whose/what/where/when it just doesn't happen and because of this Turbo isn't a "eater" ever.... until today. I was a bit lost initially wondering what the heck was my pony doing with his nose all the way down there?? We had just toddled up a hill for a bit of exertion... we got to the top and whama HE ATE.. WTF get your butt moving twerp... could I get that pig moving uh no. Kicking was pointless (I felt so pony clubbish) we would go backwards, sideways anyway but his face was still in the grass. I do believe I started to go red about here. I was contemplating getting off now to reprimand that heck out of him and get him back on the race where there is no grass... it must have conveyed to proky that I was pissed.. he started showing signs of moving on (whew I really didn't want to get back on and walk to somewhere to climb on again). A few more whopping pony club kicks and whippeee we are off.

Promptly work began and at least that was a success.. only at a walk we did 5m circles, leg yeild (LY), shoulder in (SI), turno on haunches and forehand, a few halts, rein backs and extended walk. That was workout enough for the day and we toddled off home with a wee little whippee canter and pig root... score 2 for me - I stayed on.

Notes from today:

- must increase sensitivity to leg for lateral movements

- remeber to stop fiddling to much with inside rein

- halts, what are those again?

- a saddle would be nice tomorrow

- clipping must be done pronto (I hate shaggy ponies, and double hate malting ponies)

Last but not least a picture of the beast from April's HT.