October 2009 Archives

My first test was at 10.59am last week in the IOM dressage group competition, it was a gorgeous day, really warm. I decided to treat the first test as a practice so B could have a good look around the arena, he was eyeballing everything & wasn't quite in front of my leg, which meant he broke canter a couple of times, so I wasn't expecting a very good mark, I got 58.4%, which put me middle of the class. I felt my second test was a lot better, all though I forgot my way for a second, B was being much more responsive, he could've done with being a bit more active, but it was a lot better than before, and Angela said it was one of our best, it was a different judge than my first test, and I was really disappointed when I got my mark, only 55.83%, and it seemed so much better than the other, it put me in third place. I'll just have to make sure I improve on that score next time I'm judged by the same judge, I find it helpful to be able to compare my marks from the same judges as it's the only way I can tell of real improvement.

I've just had a lesson with Janet, Bernie was being very strong, he doesn't like to make life easy for me at times, I think it's because I gave him a new haircut on Friday & he thinks he's going hunting. We spent the first half of the lesson fighting with each other, he was trying his hardest to get my arms out of their sockets, by the end of the lesson though, after a good few laps of canter on each rein he was a lot softer & we ended on a good note, thank god, otherwise I might still be there going like Joe Ninety around the arena!

I had two lesson's last week with Clive, I really enjoyed them, the lesson I had on Monday he really pushed me, he can see both me & Bernie are getting fitter so he can push us harder. Then I had another on Tuesday, I think we were both feeling it from the day before so it was a quieter lesson, I don't think I could've handled another one like Mondays!

I've booked my flights to go back to Vale View in November for more training. I haven't got any competitions until the 7th November & then the 14th, so I'll be getting B out on a few hacks & having some gallops and a bit of fun, both for me & him, and I'm still hacking George out to keep him fit, he's great in walk but I still feel he's short on his bad leg when he trots sometimes, which is sad as I'd love him to get completely better so I can take him for a canter, I'll just keep hoping. 

My son Shayne got an extension for his hamster's cage last week, it's got tubes & tunnels popping out everywhere, he stays at his dad's at weekends & I went in his room at around midnight last saturday to check on the hamster before I went to bed, I found the cage door wide open & inside no Chunk the hamster, I was double worried as I have the two dogs & his bedroom door had been open all day, I thought there was no chance of finding the little fella, especially when I thought back to Rodney, who had been looking super guilty on saturday morning, & I did wonder why at the time. So there was I crawling round my son's bedroom at midnight searching for little Chunk, or evidence of his whereabouts. After a good while of looking, Jimmy spotted something furry hidden away in a corner behind a chest of drawers, he wasn't sure was it chunk or some sort of cuddly toy, so I had a look under the drawers & sure enough it was his little pink tail poking out from behind the leg of the chest, thank god, so we enticed him out with a blueberry & popped him back in his new house, door closed behind him. I have a feeling Rodney probably chased him & he was too scared to come back out, as he could've gone anywhere in the house if he'd wanted, luckily he was fine after his ordeal & won't be making a run for it anytime soon, and Shayne certainly won't be leaving his cage door open!

I've been feeling pretty rotten lately, it's the time of year that germs are getting passed around, on Tuesday I was having a shower getting ready for work, when I got a dizzy head & fell out of the bath, luckily I can laugh about it because I didn't hurt myself thank goodness, would've been pretty embarrassing if I did & had to go to hospital in a towel, never mind cold! brrr!!

Thursday I had my weekly lesson with Angela, then I took George out for a hack, the weather's been beautiful lately, it was so warm today I nearly thought about a bit of sunbathing! Tomorrow I've got a competition, so Bernie's gone out in the field with his mane in bunches ready to plait in the early hours, he'd just rub them out if I plaited him the day before, I've also brushed his tail so it won't take too much time to go through that in the morning, he's got the biggest, thickest tail ever which seems to take forever to get through, I'm so happy mane & tail detangler was invented.

Next week I've got two lesson's with Clive, Monday & Tuesday, I'm looking forward to them & then the following week Janet is over for more training, phew, I've got a busy couple of weeks ahead!!!

It's definately Autumn now, George has got his rug on, we call it his mini skirt as it just about covers him, it keeps the wind & rain off him though, he was getting quite woolly, I think it's his exmoor coat, it gets really long & furry in the winter, it makes you want to bury yourself in it. Bernie's also getting his winter coat, he's starting to look like a teddy bear, so we'll have to clip him soon so he can carry on with his work & not get all hot & sweaty. Yesterday I had physio in the morning, my lower back has been really tight again so Isla worked on that & on my right knee, because of the way I walk my kneecap twists round to the inside so Isla's going to give me some exercises to strengthen my hip to try and stop it happening so much. In the afternoon I had a lesson on B, Angela took away my stirrups & we did lots of trot, walk, halt & rein back transitions, getting me to really understand how much subtle weight changes can influence B's way of going, it's great to feel how much more sensitive he's getting. Today I went to pilates, I'm starting to feel like a super fitness freak all this riding & pilates, it should really help me to ride better & be alot more stable, I'm hoping anyway, I did feel a bit sore though from my stirrupless riding yesterday when I was doing certain stretches, my walk is not so much stumbalina now but more like John Wayne!

I haven't got any competitions this weekend & no nights out either, last week I was at my works black & white ball in my best frock (from ebay of course) & the week before I was at my friends wedding, so I'll be sitting in by the fire this sat watching X Factor, anyone who says they don't watch it is in denial, Jimmy Afro all the way, just for the hair factor!!

We've had a bit of a sad week this week, my sister Kate, her husband Jay who's australian & my little neice Lissy (Alissia) all emigrated to Australia on Monday, Lissy's just turned one, so next time I see her she'll probably have a little aussie accent & be carrying a surf board. My boyfriend Jimmy, Jay's best mate, volunteered to take them to the airport as we'd all be too whingy & sad, they loaded all the luggage up into the back of the car, jumped in ready to go.....flat battery, so they had to transfer all their stuff to another vehicle & go in that, nothing ever goes smoothly with us!! My other sister Lauren has had an up & down week too, her little dog Bogie has been a bit sad looking for the last few days so she took her to the vet & straight away the vet knew she needed a hystorectomy, they took blood tests first to make sure everything would be ok if they did the operation (kidney etc) as she's quite old (12) When they got the results they decided they had to do the operation straight away, it all went well thank god & she's back home now recovering, it's so sad when somethings wrong with your dog, they're like one of the family, I watched Marley and me a while ago & was in floods of tears & I hardly cry for anything, unless it comes to animals!!! My dragon Ziggy is getting ready to hibernate, I sometimes wish I could hibernate when it get's cold & miserable, but I really can't this winter as hopefully it'll be all go for me & I'll be away competing in all sorts of competitions & plenty of training, so I won't even have time to think about the weather!

My next comp is sat the 17th, so I'll be trying all my pilates moves to sit super straight & super still, but I'll be posting on here before then, to let you know how I'm getting on.