Come see me!

Hello. In case anyone is keen, I've begun a new blog -

doghearthome.blogspot.co.uk

It would be lovely to see you there :)

Goodbye

About two weeks after my last post I went to do morning check and found Rodney lying down in the field. He didn't get up when I walked over and when I made him stand up his back legs were splayed and not right.

I called the vet and blood tests confirmed he had atypical myopathy. There is a sycamore tree in the field but as the fields weren't over-grazed and I was feeding him, I thought this would be ok.

Rodney was put to sleep a few hours later as he rapidly went downhill. My vet did her best and put him on fluids and rang the Animal Health Trust and Liphook to discuss prognosis but because of the severity showing in his blood tests there was no hope.

I will miss him more than I can say, and have many happy memories, none of which take away the sting of letting him down so badly.

If you do read this and realise your horse is grazing near a sycamore, please take action and avoid this nightmare. There's a lot of good information readily available on the internet and there have been a record number of cases in the UK this year so it is something to be aware of.

I know that standing on this side of it, I feel haunted by what's happened and completely responsible. I won't be getting another horse and so this blog must come to an end.

Thank you for reading, take care, and enjoy every minute with your horses.

 Happy horsing x

Hello Cady Miss

Forgot to include most important info in last blog, namely, went to see Miss Cady Pooo last week to see how she's been...

Answer: totally fine, hurrah! She is too, too fat, but very happy and set to shed the pounds over the winter as she'll be living out. Her tail has been chewed by a naughty friend but she is clearly blissful and missing me not one speckle.

While there I got to feed the orphan calf known as Moo Moo...the temptation to kidnap him was strong, but I resisted.

And for the picture-starved..here's a rather blurry video still of Rodders beasting a line of traffic cones last week. Squeezed an early morning pre-work ride in today. It was like swimming through mud trying to wake up but I was rewarded with a lovely sunrise while I practiced Not Being a Sack of Spuds during transitions. No saddle, no one about, just me and Rodney being swotty :) Though there is def something weird going on  with left side of my body - it is WEAK and uncooperative!

Happy horsing everyone x

Peter or Paul: Part II

In my last blog , I wrote about some ideas in the way we coach/work with our horses. I think its an interesting topic because as owners I think we often turn up at the yard hoping our horses will wow us, without really thinking about what we bring to the table.

It's definitely something I experience. I know I'm somewhere between Peter and Paul, but working to become more like the former. It definitely struck a chord with me a few weeks ago when I filmed my schooling session and left out something really important...praise

I find it really easy to look at what my horse is NOT doing, without appreciating what he is giving me and without considering that there may not be much in it for the him at all...long term food for thought.

Rodney is faring well at the moment. I've given up my little field vigils as it's sooo cold at the moment but he's being good to catch and seems to hang out more these days, rather than just doing a pocket inspection and diddling off, so that feels nice. Work wise we're doing a bit of everything - raised poles, little hacks, bits of jumping - just ticking over and having fun. Or anyway, I'm having fun, and I hope he is too!

P.S, blogginig very sporadic at the moment as computer, phone and camera have all gone to heaven, hopefully will be sorted soon, bear with me :)

Happy horsing everyone x

Which one are you?

Let's build a short story for a second...

Jane and Joanne Doe are identical twins of average health, weight and fitness. They both decide to take up running but have to find someone to run with as they can't run with each other (they work different shift patterns, let's say)

Jane runs with Peter. Peter shows up at the same time every day and he loves to run, so he's always smiley. He makes polite conversation and offers Jane a lot of encouragment, especially when her knees are aching a little or she doesn't feel that she's improving. Peter has been running for longer than Jane, and plans their routes carefully, only increasing the distance and difficulty gradually. He encourages Jane to take part in a fun run, just for the hell of it. They both complete, in average time, and have a lot of fun. The day becomes a good memory for both of them.

In time, Peter is not just a running partner, he calls round for coffee and a chat too. Jane loves to run with Peter and the friendship is really good for both of them both physically and emotionally.

Joanne runs with Paul. Paul turns up when he feels like it, and sometimes he doesn't turn up at all. Joanne never knows quite what mood he'll be in. If he's had a bad day at the office he is rude and sullen and takes it out on Joanne. But if things are going well he wants to run much, much further, which Joanne finds quite difficult. Paul is critical of Joanne's efforts, and often says she puts no effort in, but she notices that he rarely criticises his own technique.

When Joanne picks up an injury from their inconsistent training, Paul says she is just making excuses, but a doctor confirms that she has damaged a tendon.

Joanne gradually loses faith in running as the relationship with her running partner becomes more and more unsatisfactory. Eventually she gives up, and finds through a mutual friend that Paul is running with a 'better' partner now. 

When it comes to your horse, are you Peter or Paul? 

Riding from Within and Wear Your Hat!

I treated myself to a new book recently, James Shaw's Ride from Within, a meaty tomb that aims to bring the benefits of Tai Chi to horse riding.

I'm about half way through now and it's just starting to get really good. The first few chapters lay a lot of important groundwork but I found them quite slow going. Now though it's all starting to glue together a bit more and I am finding the exercises really good for figuring out when I'm balanced, when I'm not and why. 

I've realised I tip my shoulders and spine to change direction instead of turning from my centre (think pelvis) and it's been really useful in our schooling sessions. 

The big emphasis is on breathing - namely right into the abdomen and in a steady manner and while it's quite tricky at first this is something I've known is a weak point in my riding without knowing how to correct it.

My only issue with the book is that none of the people riding in the pics have a riding hat on which makes me really uncomfortable. Needless to say I will be wearing mine as normal. I do think anyone who coaches, whether through lessons, books or dvds, has a responsibility to wear a hat and make students wear one too. The evidence that this saves lives is just too strong to ignore.

Rodney seems well lately and we're getting plenty of rides in while the weather is so beautiful. He's been excellent to catch and lovely to do. I'd like to get his saddle reflocked soon but overall it's all going in a nice direction. Here's to a happy autumn and winter hopefully with lots of riding and not too much snow ;) 

Happy horsing everyone x

Updates ...

Tuesday and Wednesday were work days so I got to the yard early to do a bit of field sitting. It was much harder knowing I was off to work as I felt much less able to relax and read my book. Also, I sort of broke the premise on Wednesday by taking him a carrot which made him pester me for a bit and then leave as soon as he knew the pockets were empty of treasure.

On Monday we did some raised trotting poles, no bother there, and today I took him for a hack and then tried some neck reining in the arena but using a neck strap. It was quite windy on the hack so her felt slightly tremulous but he was forward going and brave as always, though slightly concerned when we found two ladies blackberrying in the woods. I could feel him thinking, "We never find people here!" but a little canter made him forgot about the disruption.

 The neck reining thing was cool. He picked it up straight away and we only lost direction when I forgot what I was doing with my legs or lost concentration.

This was the clip I watched beforehand that encouraged me to try it...I think it's a good video :) Click here if you fancy a look...

Happy horsing everyone x 

How do you eat an elephant?*

Yesterday I had the treat of sharing my afternoon ride with my husband, who brought Nsncy along too. We did the little woodland ride again because it's pretty and not too far. It's so nice to ride with good company and Phil is really good at spotting different plants in the hedge, including the revelation that some cool soul has planted loads of broccoli and flowers along the path as a kind of wild garden. 

Secretly I'm slightly ashamed I never noticed! But hey ho, tasted a teeny bit of the broccoli and it was scrummy, really peppery. Nancy had a great time too as she found a dead bird stuffed with maggots to roll in. Oh, the delight! Phil made her have a bath when we got back to prevent us all contracting the plague and she is now a totally different colour. I thought she was grey, nope, she's a lovely fawn ;) We'll see how long it lasts...

Today I did some pole work with Rodney on the lunge line, just to get his hindlegs moving well. We have some plastic drainage pipes that are quite big and really good for getting them to move pelvis and hips etc. He was fabulous of course, and especially good to catch (possible due to hunger now the weather is colder but I like to think it's the soulful bond we share..) 

It's quite hard sometimes to just do these tiny bits each day with him when part of me just wants to ride for hours, but I'm seeing it as a long term investment in a) improving my patience b) keeping Rodney sound and healthy long term and c) keeping things fresh for both of us. Twenty minutes of nice work has to be better than an hour of boring-ness? 

Happy horsing everyone x

*Answer: bit by bit. (This metaphor is my new/old philosophy on life with Rodders.

Walk the walk

Went to check Rodney and his soon-to-be-new-friend were still on the correct/opposite sides of the electric fence this morning. Rodney stomped over moving super well after yesterday's monster massage. Then he stomped off again and I sat in my spot drinking coffee and pretending not to be a mentalist horse stalker (sidenote- I am officially not the weirdest person hanging around my horse. On Wednesday a man walked past playing his mouth organ)

I left feeling all was well and then got a text explaining new friend had breached the boundary and been thoroughly chased by Rodney who gets angry when people mess with his mares in the next field i.e. look at them, he is like a horrible pimp.

When I brought him in for a ride in the afternoon he had a cut on his left hind from the morning's shenanigans so I took him for a short walk to a nearby copse which turns into a nice loop ride. It was windy and he was cool, a bit looky at first but then forward and walking out well. My plan is to hack his bottom off over the winter, mainly at walk, with lots of hill work, so he becomes very fit but remains (cross fingers) injury free.

Hopefully the field situation will resolve. There has been so much change in his field all summer and I think it melts his brain a bit.

Happy horsing everyone x

Loveliness

I loved my horsey afternoon. I gave Rodney a really long groom before his physio and he seemed to relax and enjoy it. Probably my fault as I never normally spend much time brushing him and he seems indifferent - but today he was a happy monkey with all the fussing and polish.

While we waited for Joanne I pottered about and then read my book in the corner of his stable. Or tried to - he kept nudging me as if to say, "No, talk to me!" So I did, and we had a really nice few minutes where he let me scratch his face all over.

Joanne then arrived and spent two hours making Rodney the most chilled out horse ever. She did loads of work on him while we chatted and he had a very blissed out expression in between yawning and peering round at Joanne to see what she was up to.

I took note of the bits he particularly enjoyed and will try to recreate. So, a truly great afternoon. My week off from work and the extra time I'm spending with him is making a big difference.

Happy horsing everyone x

In praise of praise

Some of you might have seen this new video from Emma Massingale Click Here

And if you haven't  it's is well worth a watch. One of my favourite things in the video (and in Emma's other training videos) is how visibly and enthusiastically she praises her horses.
Those horses know they're amazing because she keeps telling them...

As I often do, I filmed a bit of Wednesday's spell in the school. It's good to work out how I'm doing with my position and if what I feel matches what's actually happening. The riding was ok but at the end I got off with a very stoney face and no pat, no neck stroke for Rodney - all caught on camera. Bad me :(

I feel like normally I do give lots of praise but maybe I often forget, so yesterday's ride was about having fun and rewarding efforts. I built a little obstacle course of oil drums, bending cones and canter poles and we walked round it a few times before I tried it without reins, just for a bit of fun.

More often than not Rodney (sensibly) decided it might be better to just stand at the gate hoping for rescue but with a bit of messing about we had some good moments and he got OD'd on neck rubs. 

He's got some physio booked for today so will be interesting to see how he's doing.

Happy horsing everyone x

Day three - why rushing is no good for horses

Today Rodney showed no visible interest when I took up my perch. I wondered if he had grown bored of the novelty and thought he might just stay on the other side of the field.

Over the next twenty minutes I realised he was gradually grazing his way over to my spot. To me it seemed to show that Rodney's life moves at a very different speed to mine. He can have a direction in mind but take his time getting there. 

Sitting at my perch for the past three days has made me realise that all the horses at the farm move in a much more glacial way than I have ever appreciated. For the 23 hours a day when we're not bothering them, they just take it pretty steady.

I bet they often feel quite rushed by us...

Happy horsing everyone x

"Horses are great equalizers. They don't care who we are, or what we know, or how much money we have, or which trainer we follow, or how new or fancy our tack or training tools are. They only care about how they feel when they are around us. It's one of the only places in horsemanship where we all begin, more or less, as equals."

Mark Rashid

Day two

I cycled to the yard today to give myself some nice fresh air and Nancy the chance of a good blast. 

When we arrived Nancy stayed outside Rod's stable for a rest on her towel and it was rinse repeat for me. I took Mark Rashid's book with me to read, Horses Never Lie, because I just love it and it's very much in the spirit of my experiment.

Rodney came very close to graze today, I could just about see his nose under my book, and then casually grazed his way in a semi-circle. He must like the company. I enjoyed it too and felt less of a weirdo today ;)

Happy horsing everyone x

Day one

Today was the first in my new experiment so once I'd been for a lovely, rainy walk with Nancy in the forest I popped to the yard armed with my waterproof coat, a mat to sit on and a book to read.

Rodney thought it was pretty shocking behaviour for me to set up camp in his field and did some snorty heavy breathing when I unfurled my mat and settled in. 

I was surprised how hard I found it not to just stare at him the whole time, which is where the book came in handy. After deciding that I was just mad rather than harmful, Rodney grazed no more than five feet away the whole time I was there. I think he misses his field friend and likes company.

I loved listening to him munch too, there's something really satisfying about that sound. After ten minutes or so I just quietly left, and he kept on grazing. 

After today's riding lesson (on Hudson -really starting to enjoy riding him and he was super dooper) the girls came to meet Rods for the first time. He was good to catch and stood for a long time while they gave him a really nice fuss. He seemed perfectly calm and happy. A couple of times he started to walk back, as if to say "ok, I'm done now, I'd like to leave," but the friend who had his leadrope was really good and just asked him to come forward again.

All good :)

Happy horsing everyone x

An experiment in better connection

More than anything else I want in my list of horsey wants - is for Rodney to want to be with me. 

In fact, it's the thing I want that eclipses all other wants because without it, there's no other achievement that is truly worthwhile.

If he jumps a clear round because I make him, or I can ride him only by keeping him in his stable (iffy to catch for anyone new) or we can do flying changes but he runs away as soon as he can -then all those things are a fail to me.

In nearly two years there's a definite kinship between us. He lets me touch his ears and is fine with being bridled, he trusts me to hold him for the farrier, he lets me get on pretty much anywhere and anyhow - there are many practical, daily things where he looks a bit worried but shows trust and sees them through.

So I want to build on these good things and hopefully encourage an even better bond. So for the next month I'm going to spend a bit of time in his field at least three times a week. Not asking anything, not catching him, not staring at him. Just hanging around and expecting nothing.

I've chosen this task for two reasons. 1) It was suggested to me five years ago and I never did it yet keep remembering it so my brain is clearly curious and 2) Because I read a nice article on liberty work that suggested just this as a starting point.

It might change things between us, and it might not, but at the very least it will change me - hopefully into someone with slightly more patience, slightly fewer demands and possibly a clearer head with which to go about my day.

I'll let you know how it goes ...

Happy horsing everyone x 

Weekend rides

I've had a busy work week but was greatly boosted at the thought of playing ponies on Friday afternoon with my friend Emma. And against all probability the day rolled around fair and bright.

Rodney's field pal has been sent to boarding school so catching is fine and he even seemed quite pleased to come in and do something different to munching/flirting over the fence with the mares.

We stayed in the arena as Nancy was with us and just did a few transitions, a bit of walk, trot, canter etc. I wouldn't call it schooling, as there's nothing I can teach Rodney, but the sun shone and he was very obliging. We swapped ponies, Emma on to Rod and me on Tia and carried on. 

I really liked seeing someone else on Rodney, I forget how beautiful he is in that rhythmic trot and his rocking horse transitions into canter.

Near the end we did a walk/trot/lead race which was funny and then we cooled them off. Saturday morning was overcast and a little rainy and my engine light came on while I was driving to the farm. Fortunately a garage was open and took pity on me and even gave me a coffee before I went on my way. Before long we were trotting up the stubble fields with the tractor ploughing in the distance - a very English scene.

It was a great ride. The ponies were itching for a gallop and we were too - there's a brilliant hill we can use that's tremendous for that sort of thing - it goes on for ever and we always gallop there so the ponies know it and we know it and everyone's keen to let rip. In between canters we had a good laugh and made half-hearted attempts to stop the ponies dragging us along when they fancied going faster. 

On the way home we passed a bale on fire - they were pretty curious, maybe a bit worried, but no drama. They are two pretty sensible beans when you get down to it. I really enjoyed our hack and I hope Rodney did too. He got lots of praise and a treat or two when we got back and hopefully next weekend we can do a bit of the same.

I'm definitely not an ambitious rider at the moment - the only aim is to ride a little and enjoy it and that's fine with me. Hopefully Rodney agrees.

Happy horsing everyone x

Grateful again

A funny thing happens whenever I choose to vent a bit of misery on this blog - it forces me to take a closer look and separate slightly unfortunate circumstances (horse that's not keen to be caught) from the whingey, helpless feelings that follow (which need not be listened to).

Driving back from work yesterday I still had my blog and its subject on my mind and I was thinking about how little I get to ride (whinge, whinge, poor me with my privileged 'problems'). I realised there was nothing to stop me at least trying to ride on the way home. Sure enough, Rodney was happy to be caught and we went for an amble around the stubble fields. 

It was nice, pony was nice, the sun shone -life was happy :) Tonight I had a good chat with my friend about the catching situation and it was good to clarify what the plan is. In case you're interested it is 1) check teeth 2) book physio 3) continue his weight loss and when he's normal get his saddle looked at. If there's no improvement I may change yards next year (in case it is herd dynamics stressing him out), but hopefully winter will work better as he'll be coming in for a bit of hay and feed anyway which never hurts diplomatic relations. 

On the way home I called in at the farm to see him and he stomped over all handsome and happy and stayed for all his stretching exercises, just like old times, which felt goooood.

So now I'm writing this blog on our big oak table with lots of nice candles and Nancy lying at my feet and feeling that when things don't go your way it's important to not just give up and be sulky because it's easy to stop riding, to stop trying, to stop blogging etc. It's easy but it's not very good for the mind so you do have to keep plugging on until that gratitude returns. I am grateful again - for many things.

Happy horsing everyone x

A little hard to know what to write...I wish I had tales of huge success, giant jumps and rosettes to pass on. But no, Rodney remains variable to catch and my heart's not in it right now.

 

He'll be getting his teeth checked again soon, and some physio, and I may have to think about changing yards..

 

He was good to catch the first 18 months I had him and improved while staying with my friend over the summer so it's possible his current home is stressing him out for some reason?

 

It's where he was when I bought him and he was iffy to catch then. Hard to know why but definitely the dates and the behaviour match up and I'm not riding more or asking more. So we'll get him checked over and see. I don't want to move but if I never get to ride or even spend time with him then it's a problem.

 

Also, having a horse that won't be caught can be dangerous. He was kicked a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't catch him to clean it and get a proper look. He was ok (thank goodness) but it's far from ideal.

 

No riding lessons for a couple of weeks as I'm covering holidays at work so right now, life is low on horse time. Sadness! :(

 

Happy horsing everyone, I hope you're having more fun than I am x

Today the arse end of hurricane Bertha is whipping about outside. I had loose plans to ride Rodney but he's a bit of a tit to catch in the wind so I was fully prepared for that. He did stomp over but was a bit shy about having his headcollar on so I stood still and just kept calling him back till he settled and let me catch him. 

At that point it was very tempting to take him in and tack up but I felt it would be a good moment to let him go and reward him for being canny. So I did, and left the yard feeling that sometimes you've got to take what's offered and be glad of it rather than always wanting more.

In the afternoon I had a riding lesson with my friend. The first horse I rode was lame on her LF so I switched on to Brooke who I've ridden quite a bit. I really like her and we seemed to click quite well today and tried a bit of counter canter which was fun.

Last week I rode a horse called Hudson. He has a giant canter (like sitting on a space hopper) and aged four he is full of try and potential. This pic in no way does him justice.

The photo of Rodney and Tia snogging is from last week at stupid o'clock am when me and my friend decided to go for an early gallop before work. It was so much fun we couldn't stop laughing and the lines are so overgrown we had to practice some stunt galloping to avoid getting wiped out by branches. Tia and Rod loved it too.

Happy horsing everyone x