A Sea of Mud

After the frozen wastes of last weekend when I only managed to ride for half an hour on Sunday afternoon because the mud had turned to concrete with a layer of ice on top, this weekend was slightly warmer but, inevitably, very muddy. I rode yesterday, but I was far too tense and nervous which obviously transmitted to Santana and he spooked and flinched at everything imaginable. I held him too tight and sat too rigidly, it was altogether not very impressive. Poor Santana, he did his best for me but I wasn't giving him clear signals.

Today, after retrieving him from the sea of mud around his field gate, there was an altogether different vibe. Elby held him for me while I mounted from the hay bale. He flinched while I found my other stirrup, but was fine as soon as we walked off. I made a concerted effort to relax, to give with my hands and to sit back. We managed to pass the area in "the pit" where the monsters hide with only a cursory glance. We managed a lovely swinging trot on both reins, we cantered on the left rein and then ... our worst bugbear, cantering on the right rein. The first time he got his front legs right but the back legs wrong. We tried again and he got it right, cantered half a circuit and trotted the rest. Then we had another go, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke and he did it right again. We cantered for a circuit and a half, no leaning, no pulling, just nice controlled cantering. By jove, I think he's got it!

I don't want to speak too soon but I really feel as though he's so much more comfortable in the Pennwood saddle that it could have been the other saddle which was causing the problem all the time.

All in all a lovely, confidence giving ride. Just what you need on a Sunday.

Sciatica - ouch!

Oh the misery of increasing age!

Anyone who has suffered from sciatica will understand how debilitating it is. This is the second time I've had it, the first being about four years ago, with varying degrees of lower back pain in between.

I know that its my fault, I know that I'm unfit and my stomach and core muscles are virtually non-existent. I also know I really should do something about it. Maybe this will be the incentive to get me to that aerobics class I've been promising myself.

However, at the moment I can barely roll out of bed in the morning, let alone prance around the scout hut. Why are your feet so far away from your hands at times like this? I need a long handled implement to get my clothes over my feet. I feel rather foolish when my 19 year old son pops his head round the door and asks what the heck I'm doing when he finds me on all fours on the bedroom floor, attempting to stand up. "Just having a closer look at the rug!" I say blithely. Poor young thing - he has no idea in his strapping youthfulness. One day he'll understand.

I think the only saving grace is that my work might get me an all singing, all dancing chair to use. I wonder if I can put in for a footstool and a massage as well!?

I guess its just as well its still too dark to ride by the time I come home from work.

Enough Snow

Okay, snow is great ...when it only lasts a few days. Much though it looks lovely and picturesque, I've had just about enough now. The horses are all bored and have nothing to do all day except wait by the gate for the tractor to bring the next lot of hay.

With no all weather surface we can't ride. All the farm tracks are treacherous for the horses and the yard, well, don't even go there!

I did manage to ride a couple of weekends ago and we have decided that Santana's sudden aversion to being ridden is mostly to do with his saddle. Although I have always used this saddle on him and it has been fine, we have now come to the conclusion that a combination of having stopped riding him most days due to longer hours at work and dark evenings and also winter setting in with a vengeance has caused him to drop condition slightly. Enough to make his saddle uncomfortable anyway.

What precipitated this conclusion was that when I rode him when the last lot of snow had nearly gone, we came back from riding round the block and I had to dismount to open the gate (I had already done this to go out of the gate with no problem). I turned his head into a corner of the fence to re-mount and Jas stood beside him on her horse. I went to get back on and was past the point of no return when he took umbrage, spun round and took off at a gallop up the only icy stretch remaining on the farm. After about 50 yards I couldn't maintain my balance and landed front first on the ice and skidded for what seemed like miles!

I'm now using my narrower Pennwood saddle which sits well off his withers and although I've only had a chance to use it once because of the weather, he seemed to be much more comfortable in it.

So as there's no riding, here are some pictures instead ...