40 Things for 40

This is a bit of a cheat one, as it's going to be a combination of previous goals that turned out to be more ongoing that I first planned, as well as some new ideas that are perhaps not quite enough on their own to be goals. It will also be added to over the year. Clear my overdraft Save more money Do more crafting Learn to speak Spanish Broaden my musical horizons Cook one meal from scratch each week Bake a cake at least once a month Try at least one new recipe each month Get fitter Start playing the drums again Be more organised Watch at least 2 new (to me) films each month Get home improvements done Spend more time with family and friends Get out and about more Learn to knit and crochet

Ok, so I don't really have that many ideas as yet, but what I am going to do this year is not start off with 14 things, but add to the list throughout the year. I will probably have a mix of set goals and progressive goals. Set goals could be completing an online course for example, while progressive ones will be similar to the ones I had for the horses last year. There are some that I want to carry on from last year, but I will try to add some new ones too. Finally, some may be quite big, like going to see a West End show and others not so much like listening to a wider range of music as examples. So here is the list so far! I'll do separate 'explanation'  posts as we go. Be a better me Amber Matti Mia/ Project Horses Blue Huskies - - - - - - - -

 

 

 

 

Well of 2013, so I thought that I had better do a round up of how I did with my 13 things. 1. Get Crafty I did quite well at the end of the year (typical) and made several cards for Christmas, a couple of decorations and am working on a couple of scrapbook pages. There were a couple of things I didn't get done in time for Christmas, but once the New Year has started and I have replenished my crafting supplies, I'll be ready to craft once again. 2. Courses I completed the courses I wanted to do, so that was good. I admit that I have not done any since then, but have a couple more that I am interested in for next year. 3. Matti 7. Amber 10. Blue Now, you all probably realise that I am my own worst critic, and I could be rather annoyed that I didn't achieve as much as I had planned to do with my gorgeous gingers, BUT I am instead going to be very pleased with what we did accomplish this year. Not only that, but they are still here, happy and healthy, and I can't ask for...

Seeing as 2013 will soon be slipping away from us, I have been pondering whether to have any #things for next year. I seem to have developed a pattern where several of those from 2012 have been achieved this year, so maybe next year, I'll have achieved some more from 2013. I am sure that most of my goals will be related to the horses (again), but other than that, I have not really had many other ideas.

I know, I've been rubbish at updating my blogs. I'm sorry. Here is a general update on all my aims, and then I will give more detail on all of them individually. 1. Get Crafty This is possibly the one that has been more of a struggle. My crafting mojo seems to have emigrated the planet. Despite this, I am determined to do a scrap book of the holiday and make a start on Christmas cards. 2. Courses Currently I do not have any courses that I am doing. I am tempted by a photography one that keeps appearing on Groupon. 3. Matti I had a bit of a break from doing much with the horses during September. I still looked after them obviously, but didn't do much riding. Since coming back from Holiday, I've been focusing more on Matti and getting him fit. We're currently hacking out at least 3 times a week for an hour each time and will be starting to up the pace soon. I can now put his bridle on normally too. Over the summer I did a lot of work in the round pen which wa...

It's been a year and a bit since Matti first arrived in my life and he has certainly changed it for the better. I'm now confident to go hacking, done some jumping and dressage and even though he can be a bit of a tit at times (and makes me question my ability and sanity on a regular basis) I wouldn't change him for the world. So, here is a little tribute to him to a song that I think describes him well (it was either this one or Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal) Make a video - it's fun, easy and free! www.onetruemedia.com

On Wednesday, Binky went to Horsepital to have x-rays on his hooves as he has been getting quite stiff, despite his treatment/ management for his laminitus and cushings. The x-rays showed that the pedal bones in his back feet had dropped so rather than try to treat it (which would only prolong the outcome) it was decided that he should be laid to rest with dignity. Binky, you was a very special pony and you were loved very much. I hope in your final years you were happy with us. Run free over Rainbow Bridge with Sirrius, Gypsy and Sceptre little man, you will be missed.  

 

For a while now, I've been feeling pretty down about riding and therefore have not ridden as much as I should be. Even when I do ride (normally just a walking hack), I don't enjoy it like I used to. I've only jumped once since falling off Amber and that managed to knock my confidence even more. And as for schooling, well, the less said about that the better... So, I need to make a decision and have 3 choices: 1. I give in - ie stop riding and carry on with keeping the horses as expensive, demanding pets 2. I give up - ie find the horses new homes and sell everything 3. I give it everything I got - ie riding lessons, regular physio/ saddle checks, start heavily competing, get horse transport and basically invest every penny and second into the horses Now, I am going to be told to go for option 3 but I certainly don't have the money and even time is limited. By the time I do everything else I'm either too knackered or out of time to ride. What about option 1, which is...

So, I was somehow persuaded to enter Matti into a dressage class which was running this Sunday. Only problem was, I had less than a week to practice and learn the test. Gulp! The test was Intro A, a simple walk and trot test, although admittedly it felt like a PSG test when I first had to try to learn it. Practising went well in general- we had a couple of disagreements, but nothing too serious. As it was quite a simple test, I also practised it on Amber and a couple of times she did it better than Matti! On Friday, I loaded Matti into the box that we would be using on Sunday. He messed about for a few minutes, so I just backed him away, then turned round and backed him past the lorry. After that, he was quite eager to get on! Took him on and off a few times, closed the partition and tied him up. He was fine with all of it, so I was confident that he would be fine for Sunday. Saturday was spent finding and sorting all of our kit, including my show hat, jacket and boots and Matti's ...

As Amber did so well yesterday, we decided to try her again in the lorry. The first time we walked up to the box, she stopped at bottom of ramp for couple of seconds, then walked straight in. We closed the doors for few minutes, then took her off and tried twice again. Very good every time. After that, I decided to try Matti, although he doesn't really have any issues, I thought it would be good practice for him too. He was a bit more reluctant at first and tried to back away. So I made him back up the way he wanted to go, the turned him around and backed him past the ramp. Walked up to the box and this time he walked straight in. Gave him lots of praise and some treats, then took him off. When I walked him to the ramp, he went straight on. Like we did with Amber, we shut the partition for a few minutes, then took him off and then tried again. He hesitated for a few seconds, so I backed him up- only for a couple of steps then he walked on again. So proud of him too.

More puppy cuteness

I decided to try loading Amber again today, with the plan of just getting her front feet on the ramp as we did before. I thought that it would be best to try in the afternoon before she had her dinner, so that the treats would be more tempting. Took her up to the box and after a couple of moments hesitation, she walked onto the ramp. All four feet. I was a bit shocked at this, so gave her a couple of treats, then backed her off the ramp. Tried her again and this time she walked straight up the ramp and had her front feet in the box! As she was completely un-phased by this, we decided to see if we could get her to stand in the lorry for a few moments. So, we tried that, and she did it. Took her off and led her round then back to the ramp and she went straight up and in. While she was munching on her treats, we closed the partition and once again she did not bat an eyelid. Decided to take her off, then try once more (without closing the partition) before calling it a day. Super pony went...

Cuteness overload. This is Polo, a week old husky puppy. She fell asleep while I was giving her a cuddle!

Simon's business partner was down for the weekend so we arranged to go on a hack together this morning before she went back home. Got to the yard about 10.30, and groomed and tacked up, then set off for our hack. I rode Amber and we did a couple of the easy routes combined together. This was the first time that the horses had been alone together (when Simon has ridden, we've been with Sue and Jackie), so both were a bit unsure about wanting to go first. After a couple of trots, they were much more settled and so we had a couple of canters too. Both horses were very good and A enjoyed the hack. She was very happy with Matti too and loved the yard so is looking forward to being down more often. What with this and Simon wanting to ride more, I'm not going to have a horse to ride soon!

Thankfully I wasn't feeling too battered this morning, although my arm is still quite sore. As it was my turn to bring horses in, I had to be at the yard early so JJ offered to pick me up. Simon was rather relived by this considering he didn't get in until 3.30am (working). As JJ needed to go early, we decided to hack as soon as we could. Got all of the horses in fine and tied Matti up at the post with a haynet. I managed to sneak Amber's feed past him without him noticing or I think he might have objected to not having any! Gave him a quick groom, then tacked up and managed to get on okay. We ended up going out on a long hack and rather than sticking to the main routes, I managed to remember a lot of the 'off roading' routes and we also would see a side trail and follow it. We had a lot of fun, and managed to do it without getting lost! We decided to pop over a couple of small jumps. Matti ran out at the first jump when I first approached it, then put in a...

Well it had to happen sooner or later. Took Amber out on a hack with Sue, Lisa and Paige. We passed the step jump so popped her up that a couple of times. She jumped great the first time, but not so good the second time (when Sue filmed us!) Carried on and then we got to the little log jump that Matti loves. Lisa and Paige jumped it, and I thought I'd try Amber over it. She could jump it from trot if she wanted too. Trotted round the corner, then pushed her on to canter. She then seemed to start to take off, then changed her mind and put her feet down again. Unfortunately  her back end kept going so she ended up half falling over the jump, resulting in me ending up somewhere by her ears. She then scrambled back over the jump and carried on going backwards. I carried on downwards. Hit the deck and went to get up, then realised my shoulder hurt and should stay kneeling. Managed to get up long enough to grab Amber, felt woozy and knelt back down again. By this...

Whoops, a bit late on updating this one! 1. Get Crafty Haven't done as much in April as I would have liked, but have to get my butt in gear for May as have lots of birthdays coming up. 2. Courses Finished my sage one, although did not do as well as I would have liked. I have also completed the training for PAT testing and Simon will be booking my exam for me soon. Currently also doing well on the Customer Service course. 3. Matti Had a couple of not so good days, but also some very good days. We have hacked alone a couple of times and he was good, done some schooling and jumping - including taking part in a couple of mini comps at the yard. 4. Photo A Week I have been keeping up with this one this month. 5. Do more cooking By this I mean proper cooking meals from scratch as we do not do that very often. So I aim to cook at least one recipe from one of my cook-books each week. 6. Take up Jui-jitsu Ever since I left Plymouth, I have missed Jui-Jitsu, but there are ...

It was another lovely day today, so once again we spent the day at the yard. We took Blue with us and had lunch with everyone of burgers and cheesy chips. Nom! Matti had a bite mark on his side, and although it didn't look too sore, it was right where the saddle would go, so I decided not to ride him today. I did some more jumping with Amber as there was a small course set up in the school. Paige and Lisa also did some jumping. We warmed up in Sue's field. While the others were jumping (I wanted to attempt smaller fences), I stayed in the field and Toni brought Wilf in, ready to be harnessed up to his cart. Some horses freak out at carts, but Amber was not bothered in the least, even once Wilf had started moving. Went into the school with Amber and after trotting around to have a look at the jumps, we popped over a few. She was a little more wobbly, and sometimes forgets what to do with her legs, but this will come with practise. She did some lovely jumping too. Unfortunately ...

Well, actually it was only one. A bloody big one. While finishing at the yard, we watched a hot air balloon in the distance, as it got closer and closer. And lower and lower, until it landed in the field opposite ours. And just because I now have the song in my head... enjoy!

Decided to do a bit of schooling again with Amber today. She was a bit spooky in the top end of the school, so spent a while doing 10m circles and figure 8's until she settled and did not find it so scary. Although she insisted that she be allowed to trot round like a banana and got rather grumpy when I got her to bend around the circle like a normal horse. But mum, I like being a banana Ok, I'll do some proper bending   I can even do a nice profile As she had been good, I took her for a short hack to relax. Simon came along and brought his hat with him (this is getting serious!). We had a short blast, then Simon was itching to get on board. He walked, then decided to go for a trot, until he bounced a little too hard and had to get off. I rode Amber the rest of the way. Weeeeeeeeeeee Simon looking a bit special Trot! Today has been the first day for ages that my hayfever has been playing up, so when the hay delivery was due, I was excused to take Matti out on a hack. As it was ...

As there was a small grid of jumps set up in the school, I decided to have a little go with Amber. Firstly, we headed into the forest for a short hack (with Simon) to warm up. We just did the short loop in walk and trot, then had a little canter up the hill. Amber was very good. Looking pretty - Amber that is, not me! Once we got back to the yard, I then took her into the school to do some schooling . Apart from being a bit spooky at one end of school, she was very good, so I decided to try her over the jumps. After a couple of attempts, she got the hang of it and jumped really nicely. Shame the same cannot be said about my position! Simon then wanted to get on (I may have almost fainted from the shock). He just walked her around to cool her down and did very well.  Next I rode Matti and schooled for about 30 minutes. Did walk, trot and a little canter work. He was quite hard to work correctly, being strong and a bit stroppy at times. However, I carried on until he settled and gave...

For the past few days, some of the horses have been breaking out of the field. It's been repaired  strengthened and despite two trained electricians looking at the fencing, the buggers were still breaking out. It turns out the electricians about as useful as a chocolate teapot and far too wimpy to actually TEST the fence (by touching it) so might as well not have done anything. This morning was my day to bring in. Got to the yard to find only Nicky and Charlie in the field, the rest were milling around the yard. Opened up the barn to grab head-collars and most of the horses sussed what was up so bogged off down the lane to the house's garden. Grabbed Casper and Tonto who remained nearby and chucked them back in the field. Went down and caught Matti and Tatty, with Frankie following us up- chucked him back in field and the other two into their stables. Headed down to catch next two- one of which was Amber who did not want to be caught, so after trotting round the gard...

Simon having a go on Matti

Okay, so I have some gaps that I need to fill in for my 13 things, which could be a struggle as it took me long enough to decide on the original 13! 05. Cooking more 06. Take up Jui-Jitsu again 09. Be come a better horsewoman

Simon's first jumping lesson! Well, we just chucked him on Misty and told him to go over the jump.

Simon had another lesson of sorts today. We agreed that I would ride Misty in the accumulator if he would have a go riding afterwards. I held up my side of the bargin, so then it was Simon's turn. We just didn't tell him that he was going to jump. It took a little while, but eventually we pursuaded him to do this:

Once again we had a challenge at the yard to take part in, this time an accumulator. In this, you have 90 seconds to jump as many fences as possible. Each of the jumps is worth a number of points and the person with the most points wins. Jackie designed the course and it looked really good. The joker fence looked huge, and guess who was the only person to jump it? Yep, Jackie! Lisa went first on Frankie: Then Jackie went on Lady (this is them jumping the Joker): Then Lisa had a go on Lady: And Jackie jumped Frankie Chloe had a little go on Lady I rode Misty, the second time I'd ridden her and my first go at jumping her: Then JJ, who hadn't jumped for 2 years, had a go on her lovely boy. It's safe to say she was very happy! Finally, Jackie rode Marky and wiped the floor with the rest of us!  It was a fun afternoon, and I hope that we will get to do it again soon (and maybe I'll take my guys around). Video is being done, just been having a few technical hitches!

I schooled Matti again today, and took Amber for a hack. Matti did really well and I got him to do some nice leg-yielding work, a bit of shoulder in and turn on the forehand/ haunches. We also did some collection and extending work. He found it harder to collect in canter, but managed to get a few strides every now and again. We also practised flying changes, which he is very good at! I tried to ride without stirrups again today, but my legs were protesting after the amount I did yesterday! Afterwards I took him for a short hack on his own to cool him off. He was a little confused that no-one was with him, but was very well behaved. I then took Amber for a hack with JJ and Jodie. We did the training hack route and mainly walked with a nice couple of trots. Amber was very good, although was a little worried about going across the stream first!

After my confidence wobble, and having a day off from riding yesterday, I decided to work both horses in the school today. Rode Matti first and after warming up, I started to ask him to collect up more and to work in more of an outline. He began to work really nicely, bringing his head lower and working in a nice trot. I found it easier to do sitting trot but because I can't get my stirrups the right length  I decided to be brave and ride without stirrups... for about 10/15 minutes! Next it was Amber's turn. We worked on circles and turns as she has a habit of falling in through her shoulder when on the right rein. She did a couple of nice-ish circles, but still has a long way to go. I am hoping to find some exercises to try with her to help her do 'proper' circles. I was pleased with both horses though and they really did try for me, the only disappointing thing is that I don't have any photos!

After our shopping trip yesterday, we decided to do the same again today. This time, Jodie wasn't with us, but Jackie was. I took Matti and Lisa decided to take both her boys, riding one and leading the other. We set off merrily, but had to wait a few minutes for Lisa's two boys to decide to go through the ford at the same time. Once we got to the green, we took the horses bridles off (they had headcollars on) so that they could have a munch on the grass. Sue and I headed to the shop to pick up wine and ice-creams. Sue was extra prepared today and as well as getting 2 bottles of wine,she also brought some plastic glasses so we could have a sip on the green before heading home! Matti took a while to settle, and tried to have a roll- with his saddle on. Silly pony! When it was time to tack up, he was a right bugger to put his bridle back on, but I finally managed it. Scrambled back on board and we set off home. Matti was not happy being towards the back (even though he had been i...

After our adventure to the shops, I later took Matti out with Chloe and Brook. Rather than going round the forest, we decided to go to the common, which is on the way to the green. The hack started well as we had to first negotiate the horse eating children bouncing on the killer trampoline. After a few minutes of snorting and high speed reversing, we managed to get past. Both were fine on the road, but then we had to go across the ford. Again it took a few minutes to get them to go across- Chloe even got off, but decided that as she'd gone in two steps and the water was 3/4 of the way up her boots that it might not be wise to continue. By this point, both horses were in the water so once Chloe was back on board, we carried on our way. Once we had gotten to the private road, we headed up a bridleway and arrived at the common. We just stuck to the main track and had a nice walk round, before heading back to the yard. This time, both horses happily splashed through the ford.

What happens when you run out of wine at the yard? You hack to the local shops to get some more of course! Although I wasn't the one bemoaning the lack of wine, I may have been the one who joked about hacking to the local shops to get some. So we did. We being me, Sue, Lisa, Jodie and Paige. I decided to ride Amber as I had not ridden her for a couple of days. We set off down the track and were followed by the horses in the field. We then went down the road a short way and along a bridle-path to a ford. I thought Amber might be worried by this, but nope, she walked straight in like a pro. We then had to go along a slightly busier road- the local tip is at the end so we encountered several cars from both directions and a couple of dust-carts. No problems for super-mare. Then we went up a private road, past some decidedly non-scary road closed signs and onto the green. While Sue and Paige went to the shops, the rest of us held the horses while they had a munch on the grass. Sue ...