First Bibliogoth of 2017! We’re reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Perculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
We’ll be in the Parcel Yard at Kings Cross from 14.00 on Sunday 15 January 2017.
We’d love to see some new faces in 2017 so do come along! Bring your friends. We’re a very friendly bunch, I promise 🙂
Right. Well, didn’t get through the plan as hoped but I did learn some things in my laboratory!
Masterson:
– Dino loves the bladder meridian and responds to it well. We get a lot of release, particularly in the areas David identified as being tight
– The lateral cervical flexion is not so easy though. He finds it a bit unnerving and I’m struggling to get him to relax into it. So I think we’ll keep trying with that again this week and see if we can make some headway once he gets more used to it.
ST:
– I think his saddle is making his back sore which is not helping much! We did manage some LFS down a long side without too much push so the longeing is maybe coming a bit? It’s really hard to tell.
– Free-schooling in a non-ST way is helping get him looser and build up some fitness
Plan for this week:
Focus again on:
– longeing touchstone (LO01)
– Masterson: neck release technqiue
Monday: Masterson/ST longeing
Tuesday: day off (OLYMPIA)
Wednesday: Masterson/ST longeing
Thursday: Loose schooling
Saturday: Masterson/ST longeing
Sunday: Hack
Well it’s been a pretty long week and not much pony time really. Work is kicking my butt at the moment! I’ve been trying to get Dino moving with lunging and free-schooling. His canter is beginning to look a bit free-er and more natural so that’s good. I think his saddle isn’t right though. He’s not moving well under saddle at all and now I look closely at his back I think he has some muscle wastage where the gullet is too wide and the saddle is pressing on his spine. Sadly my gullet plates have vanished though!!! I’m really hoping they turn up but I have emailed Debbie to see if I can order a new set. Bloody nightmare. I’ve been in touch with a saddler about coming to see him but not an EE one as there isn’t one covering the area. If it’s not one thing it’s another, huh?
Did some free-schooling on Thursday which was nice and got him proper sweating a bit. But I got in trouble at the end as I forgot his treats. Oops. Thinking about clipping soon! Just a bib maybe.
His new diet seems to be going well. He eats it all in his corner manger and we’re losing less of it. He’s super shiny but a bit upset about his hind end again. Really not sure what to do but for the moment I think I’ll leave it and see if it improves once he’s been in the winter routine for a bit longer.
Two weeks more of work and then a full two weeks off! I get keys for my new flat on Thursday so that will need sorting out and I’ll have to find a flatmate. And some cats. YAY!
Nothing like committing words to ‘paper’ to help keep you on track, no? So. Let’s set a plan each week and then see where we get to?
Focus for this week:
– longeing touchstone (LO01)
– Masterson: neck release technqiue
Monday: Masterson/ST longeing
Tuesday: Ridden polework
Wednesday: Masterson/ST longeing
Thursday: Loose schooling
Saturday: Masterson/ST longeing
Sunday: Hack if time
ST structure:
– work on forward down and stelling
– LFS on a small circle each way
– LFS on a straight line each way [aware of pushiness!!]
– LFS onto a larger circle
– Stopping on a circle
Always right, then left, then right rein to stetch out that lower spine issue.
I’ve been a bit off the whole ST thing recently. Work and home have been stressful and we have some issues we need to sort out that are difficult and I feel like I need to be in the right headspace for. I’ve been struggling a lot myself, with anxiety and the edges of depression which does not make for good horse training!
I went to Marlborough yesterday for a ST social organised by Elaine Coxon. It was really nice and has started me thinking about next year and what we want to do and achieve. There are two things I feel hanging over me a bit at the moment: resubmiting that longeing touchstone and cracking the pushiness. He’s been a bit better since David saw him and he’s using his hind legs a bit better but I feel like we’ve plateaued and need a push to get moving again. Doesn’t help that I don’t have anyone to film us easily but I really need to have a crack at that longeing before Christmas I think.
Winter is certainly upon us. Went up to the yard super early this morning and had to de-ice the car for the first time (usually I go up in the evening so the car de-ices itself!) He’s had a bit of quiet week for various reasons. I really do need to get him to do more work and make a proper ST plan to get things moving again. I’ve been slacking!
The early morning today provided a good chance for a solo hack up round the golf course. There was less traffic about but he was still pretty anxious on the main road. People were mostly good about slowing/stopping when asked though. I should sort the helmet camera out though. But it was a nice ride and I think he enjoyed getting out.
He’s looking really well at the moment and seems to be adjusting to the new routine with very limited mud-paddock turnout. He has got a little bit of a leaky bum though. I shall see if it settles once the new routine is established, and generally he’s been less tetchy about being girthed since he was taken off the grass completely so hopefully it will clear up in a few days. He’s super shiny though! But still scurfy. Not sure what to do about that.
Sunday’s are clearly a hardworking day at the yard for all the animals:
I need to get some more puppy pics!