TCJpart58 Jubilee Celebrations

BUNTING ANXIETY:

And how to deal with it.

Yes, it's Jubilee fever!!  The country has gotten patriotic without a single thought for those of us who have to ride past all the celebratory decorations!!

it's BUNTING ANXIETY!!

Not since England played in the last World Cup has the UK been adorned with this many Union Jacks (and not all the right way up - did you know there's a right way up?).  And I can tell you now, the horses wont like it at all. 

Of course my own village bunting won't be a spectacular as Oxford Street this morning (above), can you imagine riding your horse through the West End??!! Me either, I'd rather stay indoors with a nice cup of tea and some street party inspired cake - what could be more English country village than that?!!

 

    

 











Flags all flapping about in the wind, garden

gates that until now have been a safe place to ride past are now a minefield of movement and colour.

There are a few things you can do to prepare your horse for this madness, namely buy him some bunting of his own and get him used to it, like we have done in our yard.




This is Henry of course, eyeing up the new bunting, he's always the first to go near something.....


.....and we suspect actually Tom sends him in. Much like they did on StarTrek to see how the new monster worked!!

Then of course the next stage in any horse related encounter like this is the 'acceptance of the mouth'.  By this I mean, if they chew it, they think it's ok. 

When I got to the yard this morning Tuesday 5th June, this is what I found.  And this would be the work of Tom - he chews everything as a sign of his acceptance! so eaten, I guessed the boys were happy about the bunting finally. 





Tonight we will take it down, not just because the Jubilee will be over, but they need to get used to the fact that things change, I'll have to get them something else to eat!!

So, lets assume you're happily riding past a house you've been past for years without a second thought - be prepared - there may be monsters lurking, all in the name of Patriotism!! God Save the Queen.

Grace Tully's House: Tom & Henry would have a fit!!

Your horse has spotted something red, white and blue flapping about in the hedge, or like Grace's house above, the whole house could be alive with scary flag activity: he stops of course, because he's still a horse even though he doesn't mind the neighbours steam engine!! Sit still, relax, take a series of long deep breaths, don't make a fuss, wait if it's safe to do so, until your horse has decided for himself that everything is OK.

 

If he still doesn't like it after a few minutes, and begins shuffling about, get off, stay calm and quiet, and lead him past.  Get between him and the foe, and he should be happy that if the worst comes to the worst, you will get eaten before he does - thus giving him time to run away, but of course he wont need to.

If he still doesn't like it, there's no shame to turn around and go the other way, don't take any risks with yours or his safety, it's just not worth it.

Eat cake, drink tea...relax.....

Stay safe this weekend people!!!!

TCJpart44 Riding

GETTING OUT & ABOUT:
...when you might feel worried about getting on and getting out...don't think you're alone, we all suffer from the heebie-jeebies at some point, just take a deep breath, remember all the times you've ridden and had a great time, and take it one step at a time...tack up, go for a short ride, go further each time, until you're back to normal...enjoy xx

Starting to ride again after winter, especially if you've given your horse and yourself some time off, can be quite daunting.  In fact if you don't just do it, you can make all sorts of excuses not to.  But once you start, (that first time is always the hardest), you'll wonder what all the worry was about! 

Will he be fresh?,  forgotten how to stop?, forgotten what the countryside looks and sounds like...but actually, that's just you - your horse remembers everything.  Which is why it's the little things like: when a hedge has been pruned, a crop is at a different stage of growth, or the flowers are out...this wasn't there before, these are the things that will make him look again.

This time of year, most of the hedgerow and trees are at small budding stage, which means he can see everything when your out riding: into fields, across the land, into gardens - nothing is hidden, and I don't think that's a bad thing at all.  Expose them to everything you can, be safe about it, have someone walking or cycling with you the first few times, just so you feel safer, and he will feel that.  and if there's anything spooky, your companion can go first - it's surprising how many times John had 'led' them past something that without him there, I would have had to dismount to lead them past, also not a bad thing.  If I can make my boys feel happier and safer, I will.  When they really don't want to move, I won't make them.  I just sit still and give them time as long as it's safe to do so.  Eventually they'll make up their minds whether somethings worth getting into a froth about - and most often it's not, so tentatively we walk past.  Give your horse time.  No horse is perfect.

Even if you don't have to, practice stopping an getting off, find a place to get back on.  Because you never know when you might need to, and if you've already practiced it, there won't be any problem.  Repetition is key to relaxed horses.

If something goes wrong: don't be hasty or judgemental.  Stay calm and remember he's likely scared if he plants himself to the spot.  If your on your own, try to keep his shoulders moving, even if it's sideways as long as it's safe.  If he falls out through the left shoulder, lift the left rein for example.  If he's stopped, sit still and wait. But don't feel defeated if you have to get off, I never do, use it as practise to find somewhere you can get back on - and the ride is different but no less impressive, because you overcame the 'foe', just you and him.  You have to behave like a team, because most often it's just the 2 of you,  you have to work out a way to get by.

Tom having an after bridle head scratch, it's what the body protector is also for.

Fittening-up: (both your horse and you),  start by doing lots and lots and lots of walking.  Walk at different speeds, across lots of different terrains.  Uphill and down.  This will help build a core strength and fitness, and hill-work will give your horse an amazing arse too - never underestimate how important walking is.  Then I trot for very short bursts, and if I'm on the road, I do a slow up-hill trot for a very short distance, because I don't like trotting on the roads, I worry about the effect hitting the hard ground has on their legs and feet.  So, go slow.

After a few weeks I begin lengthy trotting, I only ever do this around a field I am familiar with, on calm days, never ever on the roads.  I can ask for a trot that lasts for 5 minutes or more, I vary the stride lengths, go up and downhill and round bends and corners too, slowing down and speeding up where necessary.  All these things ask your horse to listen to be relaxed and ultimately get fitter.

Go to the woods.  Bend and swerve around trees and stumps and other objects.  Walk instead of jump over felled logs for a change, walk around them, back-up next to them, it'll make your horse think.

Give your horse something to think about, take him places when stopping and thinking is all part of the experience.  You don't just want a horse that only goes forward and never stops, you want a horse that's always listening and is used to you asking him new tasks.  Stop, turn, go sideways, go back, change your mind, go forward, get off, lead him, get back on and repeat.  All these things mean your horse won't know what to expect and everything will be much more interesting for him and you.  One word of caution though, as this photo could demonstrate, always walk the path first, because there are tracks too narrow for even the best horse to back up from or turn.  I have walked this path, so we did get through, but bending over double to duck under trees and branches is also good practise, and gets you fit too.

Remember, everyone else's view on riding is different, some like a perfect test, or a clear round...me?  I like happy, healthy horses that get me back to the yard in one piece!

Happy hacking xx

TCJp40 New Friends

NEW FRIENDS:
how to make friends and influence people...

Today I rode with Jenny, but instead of Tom & Henry's pin-up pony Amber, Jenny came on Bertie.  We had never met him before, and what a treat he is.  Just gorgeous, and you know how I always say I'm and arse-girl....well Bertie has a gorgeous dappley one!!

Henry needs no introduction.

Jenny and Bertie.

That first meeting, and instantly friends.  Henry had never been so calm on a ride the whole time I've had him.  We think between the two, there may be a great horse to ride, Henry might get a little less manic and Bertie might get a bit more... Henry's disappointment at not seeing Amber quickly forgotten.

Tom called out to Henry and Bertie as they went past.

TCJp26 Riding

Henry

TODAY WE WENT FOR A RIDE: 
...and we loved it!




Today was cold and sunny, a little breezy, but quiet.  Somewhere in the distance the Hunt was offloading their horseboxes and the boys were very alert!

As always I ride Henry first, he is what I lovingly call 'special needs', meaning he is very slightly mental.  I was worried I wouldn't be able to do up their girths (see TCJp25 for that story), but that paled into insignificance with what happened next.

So, picture this, I have boys loose in the yard, I'm trying to brush them (they were covered in mud, rightly so this time of year), I'm following Tom to his haybar and he just stands there whilst I get him presentable (and we never leave the yard looking scruffy - their Mums would not approve). Next Henry.....

He trots around the yard, diving in the stables, one after the other.  Turning on his back legs in a rear-spin...squealing as he goes, and pelts back out.  He repeats this several times, he is just so excited - perhaps he knows he'll be leaving the estate to have a wander around the village?  then, he rolls, squeals, jumps, stops.  

I'm standing there with a hairbrush in my hand (one from Boots I use to get the mud off- works brilliantly, fully recommend it), waiting for Henry to calm down.  

Boots hairbrush

John says, 'you're not going near that horse are you?', he's swinging his neck from side to side squeals and gallops back out and stops dead, with his head high in the air obviously listening to something.

I decided that, yes, I would go near that horse, he cant help being excited, and it shouldn't mean he misses out on getting out and about. 

Tom, just glances over, munching his HorseHage, looking disapproving.

Tom goes out, Henry stays in the yard, gates to the field closed.  He goes mental again, trotting round the yard.  I was starting to wonder if John was right.  But I got him tacked up, it took me ages because he just wouldn't stand still.  If I had been in a hurry I might have tied him up, but this would be a last resort, I like them to be able to express their feeling, and today Henry was saying, hurry up!! I want to go!!

And go we did.  We had a lovely ride, lots of walk/trot transitions to ask Henry to listen to me, this works very well with him, because there's always something interesting to listen to or look at.  We did some short spurts of some very slow bouncy trots and power walking.  Then we came back and went out on Tom.

Tom was very big today.  He was bouncy and held himself tall.  His tail was swishing, and I managed to sit a beautiful floaty trot.  His neck was arched (nothing to do with me, I ride more-or-less on the buckle), his head was concentrating, his back legs were under and engaged, it felt like nothing I could describe here...amazing.

Tom

They were both happy to get back to each other, calling once in earshot.

They went straight out and rolled in all the mud!!!

That hairbrush will be coming out again tomorrow.  I'm riding with my neighbour....hope we have good weather, and maybe, just maybe, the boys will have lost just a few more pounds?

UPDATE: 

They both went down a notch at measuring time, and our ride of walking with short bursts of slow trot was an attempt to begin a fitness regime.  more about that in a separate post.