Ok so I have two bits of news today really. One is that bob is going home :( unfortunately we don't think he is going to work out as well as we thought. He is getting a bit strong and stroppy when he doesn't get his own way and I am spending less time on Millie and I don't want that to happen. Millie isn't jumping as well these days and I think I owe her my attention as seen as she is competing for me.
Secondly, I had my first dressage lesson on Millie today. I am so delighted with her. T sat up on her for the first 5 or 10 mins to get a feel for her. Within two minutes, she had her on the bit. T is on Irish dressage team and is a total guru when it comes to dressage. I was in total shock, looking at her she looked like a total different horse. She rode her in walk and trot for about 10 mins to see how she was. She said that Millie is very sensitive to the leg, a little bit too sensitive, as in when you put inside leg on to help her bend round the leg on a circle, she runs on and speeds up, which she needs to learn that she can't do that. But she was so good, T couldn't get over how well she was. Our plan was to do some work in walk and trot on both reins to get her on the bit and doing some leg yeilding on both reins too. We ended up doing some canter because she was so pleased with her. I was such a proud Mammy because of her good behaviour. I am so shocked at how much I really love dressage and I am definitely going to keep it up. I booked another lesson for next week again. My goal is to get some dressage tests done by the end of this year so fingers crossed we will be able to. I can't stop smiling since the lesson, I am so happy. It was really well worth it, and I would say it will be worth the time and work too. T has set out a regime where I do 2 days of flatwork, 2 jumping and one hack a week and then my show at the weekend. I couldn't get any photo's or video's because I had no one until the end of the lesson as YO and dad spent the hour to catch Bob and failed and ended up leaving him there until tomorrow night. lol. Anyway I have to try and repeat our work today on Millie at home tomorrow so I will try get OH to take a video of me on her, IF I can manage to get her to do it again. Knowing my luck I wont be able now but I am willing to work and stick with it. Hopefully I will be able to add some pic's tomorrow. I have quiet a few video's from the last show I was at so I will add those in the next few days. Finally have my own laptop back so will get them up then, I know its going to be jumbled but I don't want to loose them and keep them up to date. Anyway, thanks for reading if you got this far, or even if you read any of it :) sorry if this got stupidly long :)
Finally got a laptop off the shop until I get my own one back so I think I can attempt to put up some photo's and video's now hopefully. I said pretty much everything up to date in my last post so just going to add loads and loads of video's now in this one to make up for a lack of it. The only think I have to add is I went SJ in Doora yesterday, got a DC in the 80s and I think 8 faults in the 90s. Had a really bad round, Millie wasn't herself all day, she was pure dead in herself didn't want to move at all. So I guess I was happy that we didn't have more faults to be honest. Anyway here is all the videos and
photo's I have missed out on. All video's and photo's got messed up and I don't know how to fix them. Anyway you get the gist. Have loads more I need to upload but will do a Millie update soon. Thanks for reading. :)
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| Bob all ready to go |
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| Rain :( |
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| Waiting to go |
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| Laura on Millie |
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| Millie's Birthday cake |
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| Munching |
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| Happy Birthday Millie |
Okay so haven't been on this in ages which is really annoyed about. Cannot see/add video's because I still haven't got my laptop back after 3 weeks now. Totally ridiculous and going totally mad over it. Have loads of video's to put up but I can't because I can't see them and it takes close on about 2 hours to upload one on this old laptop that I am using.
Anyway, rant over. As it has been non-stop rain down here, haven't been able to do much riding. Took Millie to the Tenner League in Clonshire last Sunday (3rd June). Wasn't a great day, all the mirrors and all really wasn't good for Millie and she stopped at 1st fence in the 80cm. After a slap and a chat she realised I was boss and she was meant to jump it. We got around, with another stop at no. 8 which is very unlike her. Had a clear second round and a clear 1st round in the 90cm. They changed the course in the 90cm and it was horrible. In the second round, got a total wrong line into the double off no. 3 and stopped, but I was happy that she didn't attempt to jump it because we would have got hurt if she did. Didn't have a great day but sure, we all have bad day's and it was just an off day, so what can you do. Couldn't go to Ruan show Sunday gone (10th June) because of the really bad weather and wasn't going to jump and slide around on Mud. Next leg of Tenner League is on this Sunday (17th June) in Askeaton but again its on grass so if this weather keeps up, more than likely will head to local indoor arena for a school around and do some jumping as seen as I haven't rode Millie in nearly two weeks because the field is literally mulch. Its her birthday tomorrow and she is the big 8 years old, will post pics :)
On Bob news, didn't get out on his much the week before last, as it pi***d rain all week, but YO got him out between showers. Text me on last Sunday to say he was much better this week and no coldback. So went up Monday (11th) and rode him. Got on very well, did our usual routine. My saddle fit him too which saved me a few hundred euro thankfully. A lot of schooling and some trotting poles and little crosspoles were added in. Have some lovely video's of last night (Wednesday 13th) of jumping cross poles. Didn't get out on him today and probably wont tomorrow either because we are supposed to have 33mm of rain today and tomorrow and it hasn't stopped all day. Hopefully will be able to ride him on Saturday. Have been doing a bit of thinking and hopefully might do some ODE's on him instead of just showjumping. He is a lovely mover and hopefully will get some dressage lessons in a few weeks off 2nd YO, as she is on Irish international team for dressage and get some XC schooling at the end of the year. Might do schooling and go some dressage tests the end of this year. I have loads of video's and pictures to add on to this, but will add as soon as I get my own laptop back and it won't take as long to upload them onto here.
Thanks for reading, sorry it got long again, but I have so much more to add but really annoyed cannot add my video's and pictures. Will update again soon. Thanks again for reading if you got this far. :)
Was away most of this week so first time I rode Millie this week since last Sunday was Wednesday. Done a little bit of flat-work walking and trotting but not much as there wasn't much give or improvement in our outline situation. So went on to do some jumping. All fine.
Remembered on Thursday that Claire had told me her nose-band had to be taken up because it was down too low, so I thought, no time like the present and went and got the punch. Took it up about an inch or so and tacked up. Started riding as I normally would, sponging inside rein, working on bending on circles, figure of 8's and serpentine's. All of a sudden, I don't know what it was, but something clicked. She completely changed, relaxed her back way more, and put her head down, now it was nothing special and people would probably think I was crazy if the saw her but to me it was such a huge difference. Said here goes, we'll give it a go in trot. At first she had her head up but with some persuasion, she dropped her head little by little. I was so please with my little girl. I could sit into her trot now instead of bouncing around like a headless chicken on her back. As I said it was nothing special but it was a big difference to me because she normally holds her head so high. Parents couldn't get over how much more elegant she looked, even in that bit of a outline. I couldn't get any pictures because working an iPhone to them is like learning Chinese. Will try to get OH to get some snaps or a video if I get riding her tomorrow. Will give her a good scrub tomorrow because of the lovely weather, and she got a brand new fly sheet today so that will go on her, to keep her clean and keep away nasty flies, kill two birds with the one stone. She got her early birthday present. Hopefully she will like her new sheet, it will be grand to keep her clean in this hot weather without having to put a rug on her.
Not much news on the Bob situation. YO has been taking him out and seen a huge improvement in the last week. So he said I should start pottering away with him myself. I'm able to use his bridle as waiting for a new one for him in the post, but have to wait until Monday to take over my saddle to see will it fit him or not. He has a rather deep back with high withers but he is not as broad as Millie, so YO said there is a good chance it will fit. Once I know if that fits, I will have loads more posts with news from him. Sorry for extra long post, but I'm delirious with her new outline. Thanks for reading if you got this far :) Will try get some photo's up tomorrow.
