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At the end of last weeks blog, I promised to give you an update on how things went with Jack after he had a two week break, and a play in a paddock with lots of green grass. Well it was interesting to say the least. The silly boy got himself into a tizz even before he got on the float. He decided that he would much rather stay home, so he gave me a little bit of a challenge when it came time to get organised. This challenge consisted of tearing around the yard he was in at a...

  Where is my Jack-pony..who took him???? Well I don’t know who I was riding on Sunday at my riding club rally, but it sure as hell wasn’t Jack!!!! He certainly looked like Jack, and came out of my paddock, but nope, wasn’t him!! My goodness, the horse I was riding, or trying to ride, was a piece of work. This horse, let’s call him “Butthead”, was an absolute monster. Thankfully, the instructor for this rally was my usual instructor, it was such a comfort - super glad I booked her!!   Butthead wasn’t at all calm or attentive, instead...

  What an interesting week it has been! And in so many different ways!  I’ve come to conclusion that I am in fact doing something right. Jack is going amazingly well, even if we still do have our little “bumps” (or as I like to call them “learning bumps”)- I’m learning how to stay balanced and calm and not fall off!! I’ve really made a concerted effort do go back to our groundwork sessions before each ride, and the results have been a real eye-opener. I had really taken for granted the importance of asking him for his flexions from...

  Canter, canter, tango, canter   My goodness it has been a busy couple of weeks, both in and out of the paddock! We’ve had sick kittens, hospital visits, naughty ponies and just plain old day to day “stuff” going on...I’m exhausted!! (Kitten fixed, hospital visits sorted, and “naughty pony plan” in place, so all’s good there!) In between all the “stuff” Jack has been going splendidly well. We seem to have found some real energy (sometimes a little too much energy for Mother), but I’m learning how to really embrace that energy as I mentioned in my last entry....

  Well winter has well and truly hit, and it’s arrived in all its chilly glory! I often drive by paddocks filled with horses that have no rugs and think I should take them home, although I know full well they are happy in their paddock, and enjoying life with their herd. And to be honest, doing my own horses rugs twice a day can become a little repetitious as it is...imagine if I had 300 horses!!! I often hear of people, especially “we” horse riders, that they seem to be lacking motivation at this time of year, and I...