Clean Legs
It’s been a busy few weeks with Merlin! I decided to push ourselves a bit this month and really try to come out of the Winter well. We entered our first Novice test together…..
It’s A New Year
Happy New Year all!
Well I’m back and I’ve had an interesting few weeks. Firstly, I put my back out due to play time with the gang getting a bit out of hand, followed by a bout of colic………….
Lessons Pay Off!
Christmas has been a bit of a whirlwind! I decided to have a lesson the night I broke up from work so give myself a kick up the backside. The dark nights had really got to me and I was finding it difficult to find any motivation to ride. My instructor, Paul Langford, did exactly that and Merlin was amazing. We worked on collection and then asking for medium after and he was pinging.
Saddle Fitter Solved The Bucking Problem.
Merlin had the saddle fitter a couple of weeks ago and it has definitely solve the bucking problem.
Neither saddle was fitting correctly any more as he’s changed shape so much since he came. I managed to get back on board a couple of days before the local unaffiliated dressage finals at Alnwick Ford Equestrian. I decided to take him just for the experience, knowing we weren’t very well prepared.
From Highs to Lows
From the highs of last time to the lows of this one! October is always a bit of a tough month for me.
I’m a teacher, so the start of a new year is always a stressful time and when the nights start drawing in I always lose a bit of motivation. I hadn’t really ridden a huge amount since I took Merlin to Alnwick Ford, I figured he could do with a bit of an easy time after all the hard work over the summer (that’s what I’m going with anyway!). We’ve been having a few minor issues recently as well, which probably isn’t helping my motivation either to be honest.
Macys Top Tips For A Non Loader
If you have a horse that will not load into a horse box here are my tips to overcome the issue.
1. Groundwork is key- try getting the horse to work through a tunnel of poles- backwards too 😳. Then try waking over wooden sheets so they get used to the noise.
2. I use a dually halter- this rewards horses for good behaviour and schools them for unwanted behaviour. Use the pressure and release system to when the horse moves onto the ramp then pressure is taken away and that is a reward for a horse.
