Road trip......

For Joshua and jack.both travelled like rocks to Northampton, after a minor detour ( initially blamed the satnav but was actually the wrong postcode)
Show jumping boot camp has begun!!!!

Good times....

Have been had by all over the last couple of days. The ponies had a day off (apart from the walker) on thursday as i was busy taking the lorry in for it's annual spring clean and dress shopping for the hunt ball this evening!! I have to say i am getting rather good at this whole shopping thing.... 1st shop, 1st dress and not the most expensive dress in the shop either which kept P happy!!!!
Yesterday Joshua worked very well in the school and we played around with some poles.... It is nice to know he hasn't forgotten much over his holidays he was very rhythmic and straight!!!
millie had a daft half hour on the lunge and then settled into some good work, murphy as ever went straight to work and also enjoyed playing with poles...... If only we could say the same about Jack..... Whoa after and hour and 10 mins was still as fresh as he started and was attentive to anything but me!!!!! Better luck today is what i say ........
I have no expectations of tomorrow after the ball this evening .........

Omg.....

Joshua was amazing today.... Yesterdays canter work certainly seems to have done the trick in opening him up!!! The trot was much looser and the canter a lot bigger.... Extra carrots tonight!!!
Millie mare worked well again today and will introduced to George in the morning ( George being our backing dummy!!!)
The lorry is booked in for a long overdue valet in the morning .....

What a day.....

I managed to ride joshua this morning. He was v good. I decided to work on the canter and get him going forward more fom the leg. He has been a little stuffy since his return to ridden work... But by the end of the session he was a lot looser and the trot a lot bigger too!!!
Millie are saw the return of her saddle too!!! She is such a good mare .... It didn't phase her in the slightest and she went straight to work without question!!
Wonder what tomorrow brings?????

Well.......

Despite hurricane Hugo arriving I still managed to work Joshua today; albeit onbthe lunge!!! Not sure he isvterribly impressed I am no longer a fair-weather rider!!!
I also worked Millie mare ( amongst others) on the lunge, she was an absolute star as ever!
P collected George "the dummy" today ready to reback Millie towards the end of the week.... How exciting!!!

Good times......

Had by all today!!!
Joshua was ridden again today and worked very well... We are both beginning to remember where all of the buttons are!!!
Jack was also ridden and worked very well he doesnt seem to have forgotten a lot over his winter holidays.....
Millie worked very well on the long lines and seems to be enjoying life as a working girl.... I can't wait to reback her in a couple of weeks!!!!! ( for those of you who don't know, Millie is a 5yr old grey mare by cavalier two for joy)
p lunged Alfie and he went bizbo for 10 mins before normal service was resumed!!!
I have discovered I am a legend in the kitchen..... It has been a long time coming!!!!
Hope the rain stays away for the pointbto point tomorrow

Lots........

To report!!! Yesterday I had my first show jumping lesson since my accident .... It went very well my back didn't trouble me at all and this morning I had no aches,pains or niggles, I guess this means I am officially fixed!!!
Today Joshua was ridden!!! He was very well behaved despite the wind and rain!!!( I have defo found my motivation and am no longer a fair weather rider, I have discovered neither Josh nor myself dissolve in the rain!!)
I also rode jack ( p's horse) who was surprisingly very well behaved too ( I only had to sit tight the once
This afternoon I drove to Yorkshire and had a good old catch up with a friend I havent seen for over a year.....
Good day all round... just hope this squally wind is gone by morning!!!!

Ok.......

So I promise to try and keep to daily updates..... Dad is just the same but now at home - fingers crossed he is better soon!!!
Joshua and co have once again been confined to barracks due to the frost.... When did i move to Siberia and why did no one try to talk me out of it??? and I am on a mini road trip and endeavor to be back home this evening.......

Hmmm.....

Not much to report...... Father was taken into hospital today so day was spent on ward c34!!!
Josh and co had a day off so must crack on tomorrow !!!!

Bloody hell......

Moet josh and murphy had a day in the paddock. I came back to the yard to find that moet had jumped out of his paddock and into next doors garden he was found checking out the sun house...clearly telling me he needed some shelter from the rain. Mrs G and i managed to knock the fence down in order to retrieve him. At first i was admittedly gob smacked at his achievement but once he was safely recovered from said sun house and garden i was rather impressed with his scopey jump!!!

Apologies........

For the lack of recent updates!!! I have no excuse other than there are not enough hours in the day. Not a lot happened last week... Josh was confined to barracks for most of the week due to the hard frosts and icy yard.
However, the weekend was a rather different story, both Josh and Murphy had a pre season M.O.T on Sunday ( to say neither was impressed is an understatement!!!!) both had to be heavily sedated for P to do their teeth and neither thought much of the electric whizzy things in their gobs!!! For such a trainable horse under saddle Josh is a real pain in the posterior for any form of veterinary work!!
This week has been a busy week...the horses have worked every day and (touch wood!!) have worked v well. I have recently had a few problems with josh striking off on the incorrect canter lead on the right rein on the lunge, he was tilting his head through the transition and falling out through his shoulder, however since P has done his teeth and removed a ramp at the back of his mouth he is much happier and has not missed a canter lead!!!
I have been to see my physio today for a follow up appointment .... The good news is I still appear to be fixed and even the physio was impressed at my hip hop dance moves on you tube considering i couldn't bend to the left or reach below my knees in October lol!!

Good day......

At the office!!!
Both Josh and Murphy worked very well this morning on the lunge with no acrobatic displays from either of them. Josh spent the rest of the day in the paddock..... Unfortunately I didn't have my phone or camera about as Josh and Moet enjoyed synchronised rolls. Josh managed to roll all of the way over and surprised Moet by rolling on top of him.... Moet was so shocked he lay there in disbelief for what seemed like forever!!! Thankfully no harm done!!
New year detox continued with a power walk along the beach for a couple of hours this afternoon...

Apologies.........

For the lack of updates for the past 2 days; Friday was ladies night and Saturday was spent recovering ( least said the better!!!)
Today, however, has been full on spent with the ponies. Joshua worked well on the longlines but he did have a cheeky buck or 10 at the beginning of the sessions ( a hazard of leaving p to do evening feeds, he's a feeder lol)
Murphy has also developed a sense of humour and he decided to show me some dance moves at the start of his lunge session today!! Hopefully normal service will resume again tomorrow.
Murphy spent the afternoon in the paddock with his team mate Moet. Moet went out to play a palomino and came back in as a dark bay lol.
Meanwhile we all settling in at the new yard and spent a few hours unpacking more kit this afternoon......
I am back on the wagon and new year detox resumes tomorrow!!!!

Will.I.Am

As promised!

Jelly legged......

Is how I would describe Joshua after today's long lining session. Josh can sometimes be a little cheeky when coming back into work after a holiday and today was the day he decided to test the boundaries!!!! Despite our little altercation, I was really pleased with him at the end of the session and can't wait to dust the cobwebs off his saddle at the weekend.
Murphy also worked well today, this little horse has been a real surprise so far this year( in a good way)
After working the other horses, the new year detox continued with a street dance session. Not quite sure I will be able to walk in the morning after some of todays break dance moves lol but those of you who know me well know I hate to suffer alone and Michael and Rachael( my dance buddies) must surely ache as much as me!!!!


Ps technophobe as I am I will attempt to upload some pics from today's session later......

Some of Josh's team-mates!

Busy busy busy.......

But not much to report on the Joshua front. He was left in the capable hands of Lauren (our groom)for the day.
I,however, have not stopped today. New year detox continued with an early morning zumba session followed by an afternoon in the horse box getting horses shod ( I still travel to my farrier in Yorkshire)....didn't have time to change after dance so looked like an 80's fame reject at the forge.... Laughs all round!!!!!

Busy but fun........

That is how i would describe today!!!
First up I had a fab street dance session today with Michael( one of my bezzies!!) followed by an afternoon of lunging. Joshua went bizbo at first( no doubt due to his new streamline haircut!!!) but he settled and worked very well. With a bit of luck I will ride him at the weekend if the weather holds.
Murphy also worked well on the lunge.... I am v excited about him this year and cannot believe how he has furnished over winter.
After the marathon lunging session ( we have some rehab horses in too!!!) the new year detox continued with a session in the gym and a swim!! I hope I am fit soon it is exhausting and time consuming trying to get there lol..... And I am still on the wagon!!!

Nothing exciting to report.......

The walker and arena were once again frozen together with the yard making it impossible to box away to the local indoor school. So Joshua has had a duvet day.... No doubt dreaming of warmer days and Dr Green.
I on the other hand was not quite so lucky.... New year detox and fitness regime continues, those of you who know me know that mondays are timetabled beach walking and swimming!!! So that is what I have done today.... Beach walked and swam.
The ice has gone this evening so fingers crossed Joshua and i will be able to play tomorrow!!!

Short back and sides....

Unable to use the walker or arena this morning after overnight snow the morning was spent clipping Josh and his team mate Will.i.am (aka Murphy). P started the clipping but the pager and an emergency colic meant I had to finish it..... For the record I hate clipping!!!
I sometimes wonder about Josh's tb genes.... The amount of hair that camee off him was akin to a native pony!!!!!!
Hopefully the snow will disappear tomorrow and we will have something more exciting to report ......

Prologue

Josh is a 2004 bay thoroughbred gelding by Classic Cliche who raced twice as a 3 yr old in bumpers. I purchased him out of training in 2007. Josh has been produced slowly and carefully with the help of Moray Nicholson with the aim of retraining him into a competent event horse. Prior to my accident in 2009 (horse but not Joshua related!!!) Josh was about to embark on his BE career having had a successful summer of unaffiliated competition. I returned to the saddle in summer 2010 and although Josh and myself had a successful summer od dressage and showing it became apparent I still lacked sufficient strength and flexibility to restate jumping. Josh has had a further break over autumn whilst I have worked hard with my physio to adress this. I am pleased to report I am back to full fitness and Joshua's holidays are over!!!!!!
I hope you enjoy following our adventures over the coming season......