poor little monkey, his leg was sooo swollen :( cold hosed it for 20 mins, then gave it a good clean with hibiscrub and sudocream. took him for a little nibble on some grass and then spent ages giving him a good old groom, which he loves. made sure i got all his special scratchy places :)

poor little thing xxxx

poorly pony

my poor pony isnt very well :(

he got kicked in the field on tuesday, fighting with Ernie, and cut his offside hind quite badly. he was totally sound on it though, as had been tearing around the field like a loon, and trotted up fine.

But now its balloned up and infected, and he is acting like his leg is about to drop off :(

He is having daily penicillin injections, box rest and lots of cold hosing-and mostly importantly-lots of cuddles from mum! poor little man xxx

i know noone reads this and i dont care-but really want to say-I LOVE YOU RANI <3 you make me feel so much better :) xxxx

ahh he is SUCH a thoroughly nice person!

spent of time fussing around grooming him, rode around the school for a bit, but wasnt really clicking today, both in funny moods or something, so left it on a good note and spent lots of time having cuddles, which he LOVES. hahaha he through a wobbly in the school and chucked a few bucks in, he makes me laugh when he does his 'i used to a be a showjumper you know' bit!!

lesson

really good lesson today-shoulder in, from a 10m circle then down the long side in walk and then sitting trot, then worked on getting him forward into an outline, and he really started to come round by the end. have to be really careful to not be tempted to fiddle with my hands to get him round, i know its all from the leg into hands, but i keep finding myself squeezing on reins, and getting a bit hand happy. he keeps trying to cross his jaw aswell, which doesnt help. hes quite stiff, so shoulder in will help supple him up, and working correctly will start to build his topline up, and relax the bulk off muscle on the underside of his neck, where he has been worked incorrectly.  he was quite stiff and short in his trot to start with, had a canter and really pushed him to open up, and all the tense muscle on his back just relaxed, and he could move much more freely.

hes such a star!!

im super tired, so wont write much, but he was soooo good today!!did lots of work on transitions, and lots of big circles-on both reins did circle at C, then at E/B, then A, which is one of my favourite exercises to work on bend and straightness. with lots of leg, he came into a really nice outline, and worked beautifully.

Luran doing chase me charlie!

This is a video one of the girls at the yard told me about! its from a few years ago, and you can see Luran in it! Gotta love the fact that a cob won this!!!

first hack!!

yay went hacking today!!!! he was a super star!!!

was just pottering in the school, when another girl asked if i fancied a mooch around the roads with her. after sundays little tantrum with rani throwing his toys out of the pram about leaving the yard, i thought it was a really good idea-i wanted to do something about that anyway, so this was perfect. he was really good, had a couple of little spooks, but was a very good boy :)

napping

I was super sore when i got up this morning-proof that ive been using my tummy muscles to ride then!

Had a bit of a play in the school today, lots of turns and direct tranisitons, then did the 'five and five' exercise i read about in a book. on a big circle, do 5 strides of walk, then 5 strides of canter, then 5 of walk etc etc and repeat it until the horse is anticipating the transition, so he becomes really engaged. then chose random amounts of strides to keep his attention. we ended up doing 10 and 10, as still find it quite hard to go from canter to walk, and it was getting tight. also on the right rein he found it harder, as stiffer this way anyway, so was easier to make it 10.  got some really good turns as well, really using his hind quatres and pivoting, so dead pleased today. now having issue when doing halt-trot in that he is getting wound up and walking backwards, as opposed to halting.

he was a little bugger when i tried to walk down the lane to cool him off though!was really napping and trying to get back to his stable, struggle d to get him off the yard, he was rearing and spinning and being a right git! i think it was naughtiness, as opossed to being scared of something, like he was yesterday-he loosk at everything when we go down the lane to the other school, but never been like this before. like a totally different horse.

so thats something to work on cos i wanna hack!

Lesson

Luran was SUCH a star today!!super pleased with him! He had a bit of a tiz looking at things like they were about to eat him at the begining if the lesson, as we had to go down the lane into the other school, and he is scared of the big wide world haha. He is good though, i dont mind him looking at things, but he isnt to run away, or refuse to go forward. So it took him a few mins to settle, which we spent getting him into the corners of the school properly. He was really together and off my leg today, all the work we've been doing on transitions is def paying off, instructor noticed he's more in front of my leg too. did some wrok getting him to stride out in trot, and then we did some work on how i was sitting to be most effective, using my tummy muscles to pull him up and drive him forwards, and using my hips to "push' him forward. This made such a difference in canter-sitting up properly, shoulders back, chest open, hands carried, and driving him forwards with my hips/tummy muscles meant that i didnt have to chase him so much with my leg. I found him more difficult on the right rein in canter, as he was stiffer this was, i found it hard to use by seat effectively to push him forward, as i just felt like i was being bounced out. Using my inside hip/seatbone to really push done into the saddle helped him go better on this rein. got him to really lengthen out in canter, and he felt really in front of me, rather than feeling like i was dragging him along under me-haha i think he was doing his 'i was a showjumper you know?!' canter for me! he was really starting to come down into a nice outline as well today. did some more work on walk/canter and trot/halt today. def easier to get to canter/trot than it is to walk or halt back from it, so i am going to practise lots of that this week. Bless him got all excited about it! we even got halt to canter, which i was very impressed with him for, it was nice and calm, and not because he was hyped up, so was dead pleased! Think he was having a bit of a talk to himself the whole way through today, was really mouthing his bit and pulling some funny faces! I also seem to have lost the ability to tutn properly at the moment, so we practises lots of E-B and A-C changes of rein, so that there were 'definite sharp' turns, so he was pivoting around rather than just drifting around. oddly difficult! we are gonna get that spot on for next lesson!

super proud of how hard he worked today!

ahhh he was such a good boy today!!! did some lengthening/shortening of stride exercises in walk, trot and canter, counting how many strides down one long side, then aiming for more or less on the other. did a bit without stirrups-ouch, he has got a proper swingy, bouncy trot-well, and then some work on a long rein in w/t/c to get him to have a decent stretch out.

then it was bathtime again!!he's got a few little bald patches on the inside of his stifles, and is generally a bit itchy, so bathed him in skin calming shampoo, and spent ages rinsing it all out. absoultely hates having his mane washed and rinsed, turns into a right strop!

when i first got there, he gave me a 'who the hell is this mad woman and what is she doing calling me rani-pops' look, then i think he clicked and came over for lots of cuddles! he's such a nice person, likes a good chat :)

Love you Luran!! <3

lame

got up to the yard this afternoon (sooo hot today!!!) and apparantly he has been pulled out of lessons this morning cos he was lame. Turns out he was being a wuss, trod on a stone or something and was suddenly totally crippled. i think he's doing quite well-thats 2 sundays in a row that he has escaped being used in the school, crafty sod! My instructor told me to jump on him and see how he felt, that they had had him out an hour previous to trot up and he looked fine, so see how it went.

Anyway, he was totally fine, did lots of work trying to get him to stretch out-so long rein in walk, trot , canter-he really stretched his back out in canter and came under himself really nicely, then played about with leg yield and shoulder in in walk, down the 3/4 line on the long sides of the school-which he did really well. tried turn on the forehand and he just got totally stressed and wound up, so will leave that until my lesson next week, cos i must have been a bit off with how i was asking. Walked him down the lane to cool him off-and now i see why ive been warned not to hack him until ive been out with someone-he's a bit of a nutter! tried spinning back to the yard, and was a bit uphimself and ready to tank back. will have to make sure i always turn around at dofferent points on the lane to come back or he is gonna start bolting back in anticipation, which will not make me very happy. Its a shame, cos he has really made me much more confident, and was hoping that people had just hyped up that he was a bit daft out. i can handle it-and hopefully stay on, but it makes me nervous, and then a bit of a rubbish rider as a consequence.

I felt a bit mean when we finished-he was totally knackered, and was really hot, so spen ages washing him off and making sure he cooled down, didnt drink too much too fast etc, and got him some hay. He's got a bit of a skill of managing to poo in his automatic waterer, so drained it and scrubbed it out, and bedded him down. He couldnt have been too peeved with me though, as he got all clingy and super cuddly when i was about to leave.

Now ive got Rani worked out, i just need to find me some friends down there :) being the new girl at a yard totally sucks.

really wish id been able to have my lesson today! sucks being a pauper lol, hate being a student! was looking forward to doing some lateral work...still i can look forward to doing it next sat :) and can go play with him tomorrow :)

Got back ridiculously late (or early depending upon your view-2am!!) from KOL gig at hyde park last night, so woke up super late today. By the time i got down to the yard it was pretty busy, lots of kids exercising ponies so was pretty tricky to do anything much, and found myself riding around aimlessly trying to dodge kids charging about. was quite frustrating as wanted to have another bash at was i was doing on Tues, and try some schooling exercises i read about in a book, for straightness, to practice getting into corners properly, and to see if i could figure out my canter/20m circle issues. Guess will have to try and get down a bit earlier on fridays. Never mind, still was nice to be down there and had lots of cuddles, and he looked pretty pleased to see me! love that he is starting to gt to know me now :)

Piccies of Rani after he had a bath on tues (he was very not amused!) although this could have been more to do with the pink headcollar! :)

canter 20m circle issues

was soo good to see luran today :) was totally stressed out trying to sort out housing for the next year of uni this morning, so was good to get down the yard and chill out a bit. I think he is starting to recognise me when i show up, which makes me happy!:)

had a really good session in the school today, with lots of transitions and work to get him forward and off my leg. he started to come into an outline after half an hour of hard work, which was really satisfying, but hard to keep him there. I know it needs to come from your leg, into your hands, and he did come nice and light in my hand, and carry himself in a nice shape-but sometimes i feel like he is really pulling me down and forwards. It doesnt feel like he is just being strong, but more like he is leaning, and trying to get more rein. I dont really know what to do, although it did start to come together towards the end. I guess also, he is riden by lots of other people when he is used by the riding school (i only have him 3-4 days of the week), so he knows what he can get away with! still, i was really pleased with him today. Also having issues on 20m circles in canter-he falls out, and and all the bend seems to come from his neck, rather than his body-its like im trying to drag him around a circle when he is trying to go straight. Im pretty sure its an issue with me-but it only happens in canter.  we did hae a few nice circles at the end, with walk/canter transitions at x, the the next circle round, trot at c etc so he wasnt anticipating transitions at x. i think it must be to do with the way im sitting, but i cant figure it out, so im going to talk to cat about it in my next lesson.

gave him a bath after, he was so not impressed. totally like my first pony sam, when i washed him mane, he absolutely drenched me shaking. I love spending time doing jobs like that though. you get to miss the general faffing about that comes wih horses when you dont have one for a while. like the way you can spend whole days at the yard not really doing anything! i miss all that.

help with my canter issues please!!

gaaah silly pony lost a shoe! why do they always do it when you are really looking forward to riding! and i missioned it up in the pouring rain as well. never mind. walked him around the school for about 20 mins so he didnt stiffen up-old man, bless- which was fine minus a shoe, cos sandschool surface was ok, and thankfully not to much of a bog after all the rain.

so spent lots of time having cuddles and grooming, and had a chat with my instructor about him. he was awfully pleased with himself for getting a day off! proper smug he looked when i got there. hopefully the farrier will be up by tuesday, if not will spend the time giving him a bath and poshing him up a bit!

Lesson today :)

ugh im so unfit! did lots of work getting Luran to stop puddle dodging and go into the corners of the school. and trying to get him to bend and engage from behind properly. had a little jump, kept drifting to the left so need to work on straightness. he was better on the left rein than yesterday though. Absolutely belted down with rain today, not so fun. next week we are going to start doing some more lateral work, which im looking forward to. im def more of a flatwork than jumping person!

you can see the rain coming!!!

was soo happy to see my little dude today! was chucking it down with rain, so he was in a bit of grump. pottered around the school doing lots of transitions and bending exercises, but school so boggy couldnt do much. because he has had a lot of ligament issues with his forelegs, i have to be careful with him if the ground isnt to good. still, think he was glad to get out of his box for a bit, and was covered in mud when i got there, so obv had goodtimes in the field earlier!

lesson tomorow, which im looking forward to. hope it gets sunny again now i catually have time to spend hours at the yard!

hurray, exams done (for now!) so can go and see my boy again tomorow, FINALY hurray so excited!!

gutted! i dont get to see luran until tuesday :( and no lesson tomorrow. dislike. instead i shall be holed up in the library until monday when exams start. not happy.

went up to the yard today for cuddles and a quick ride. Lots of transitions, changes of rein/bend etc and played about with trying to change his stride. 13 canter strides down long side of school in normal working canter, and managed to get 11 and 16. Did the same thing in walk and trot also, in trot mostly concentrated on getting him to really stride out and 'bounce' forward rather than lazily drag himself from behind! He worked really well today and was really pleased with him, also noticed def getting better canter transitions now.

i am sooo looking forward to tomorow! i need a break from physiotherapy revision before i lose the will to live! cant wait for Luran cuddles!

stupid revision spoils everything!

meh, in such a bad mood, lovely day and couldnt go up to see Rani, as stuck in doing boring work for my exams. Thought i was being v sensible saying i couldnt go up today, but considering how much ive got done, wish i had!

:( i want pony cuddles!

lesson

Good lesson today. Lots of work within paces-shortening/lengthening down short/long sides of school. actually just getting him to move was effort! he felt really laggy today, but he'd been out in a lesson earlier in  the morning. had a little jump at the end, cross pole, which he mocked and just tried to trot over, so we wacked it up a bit and he refused once, as not enough leg, and then went over really well after that.

And now back to more revision funtimes! sometimes i wish i could have just stayed a working pupil forever!

things to work on in week... playing about with strides. try and shorten/lengthen and get big energetic trot so he comes from leg into hands. same in canter, count strides down long side of school, then try and do more/less.

wohoo!

yay lesson in a bit!def need a break from revising for my end of year exams....hope it doesnt bloody rain! really want to do some jumping today!

27/05/11- schooling sesh

weather was really miserable today, looked like it was gonna chuck it down with rain when  i got to the yard. Luran (Rani) was in his box munching on his haynet and didnt look particulary amused at the prospect of being pulled away from it to go for a ride! Anyway, after he had lots of love, and a groom, went for a bit of a play in the school. Did lots of bending exercises-circles, figures of 8, and worked on trying to get him to go straight, and track up. after about half an hour started to get a bit more engaged, and started to come round to an outline, but getting him to stay on the bit is a mighty tough challenge. I guess the issue with school horses is that they get riders of all abilities on them throughout the week, and get used to working in a certain way-and know what they will get away with!

lesson tomorrow so hopefully can do some jumping! Next week we can start hacking-need to be escorted for our first ride out, as he is known to be a bit of a loon, plus i dont know the routes around that area.

25/05/11: First schooling sesh on my own :)

Today was my first official day as Rani's sharer! got him in from the field, and spent ages giving him a really good groom, and lots of cuddles. He had a bit of a sulk coming in from the field, but was qwuite happy sunbathing on the yard while being poshed up!

So, just kept it quite simple today and had a bit of a play in the school. let him have a good stretch out in walk/trot on a long rein to start, and gradually picked up the contact, then lots of walk.trot/halt transitions, changes of rein and 20m circles. had a canter, and got him going forwards, i think hes a bit on the forehand, and leans a lot on my hands, so need to think of ways to work through that. did a few school figures- shallow loops, 3 loop serpentines, 10m circles, and had a lay with leg yielding, then took my stirrups away for a bit of a trot. Felt a bit all over the place today, but hopefully will start to feel better and more secure as i ride more often. with my last pony, Alfie, i didnt really do much in the way of school riding with him...bought him as a four year old, and backed him 6 months later, so he was almost 5. but was just doing v basic things with him, so my mind has gone a bit blank about schooling, so need a bit of inspirartion, and some goals to work towards. Hopefully on Friday, when im down next i can hack him, apparantly he can be a bit 'interesting' out, so one of the instructors is going to come with me the first time, and that way i can see the routes as well, as i have zero sense of direction!

first/second lesson

So, i rode Rani for the first time a couple of weeks ago, when i first thought i would really like to find a share. Its tricky when you've been riding for a long time to know what to do when its not possible to have your own horse...I get a lot out of lessons, but it gets expensive to ride regulary, and its difficult to get out hacking. And i miss all the stuff that goes with having your own pony, the playing about, and the cuddles, and well, you know what i mean. I guess im also really used to the routine of having horses...turning up at a school to ride in a lesson, with the horse ready, then literally handed back to a groom straight after just isnt what i want.

He's quite an old boy, and an ex showjumper. He's also a total gent and a total sucker for someone getting his special scratchy spot!

notes from first couple of lessons-

• He's quite stiff, so give him lots of time to stretch out and warm up/down
• work on getting him in front of my leg, though he has a bit of a delayed reaction to leg aids-he does exactly what you ask, but it takes a few secs for his head to tell his legs what to do!!
• he likes to have a look at things, but doenst really do anything but have a bit of a look. he gets quite distracted by ponies in the field when you're in the school!
• sit up, on bum, shoulders back, losen through lower back, and stick my boobs out! hes a lot bigger than anything ive ridden before, and also a lot bouncier! because I've had a bit of a break from riding since ive been at Uni, i just need to work on getting riding fit and suppling up a bit.
• He's not likely to refuse a jump, known to do it from a crawl/standstill, but jumps with a much better shape with lots of impulsion.
• lots of transitions to get him listening and off my leg
• need to do some work without stirrups, funtimes!
• had a bit of a jump, nothing too big, need to watch he doesnt try to drift, and SIT UP after fence.

Luran pics

intro :)

Hiya :)

Im 27 and currently a physiotherapy student at a university in London. I had ponies when I was a teenager, and until recently, also had a dartmoor called Alfie, as a bit of a project. I had to sell him when i moved from Cornwall, to London for Uni, which totally broke my heart. Since then, ive done my best to try and convince myself i could survive without a pony to play with, but recently gave in, and now have gorgeous 16.2 TB cross Luran on part loan! He lives at a busy and fab Riding school/Livery yard in Greater London, where i also have lessons once a week, to keep things ticking over.

So i thought it would be nice to keep track of what we get up to, chart our progress and share some schooling ideas!