didn't wake up in time to go out hunting so I just jumped him in the school. We did a 2ft x-pole a few times before moving on to the 2ft 6 triple bar. He was very good except for a little blip where the sleet got too much and he just galloped round and round the arena for at least 20 circuits. Muppet!

sorry sorry sorry I haven't posted in a long long time :) Blogger had an attack and refused to let me log on grr.

Well - we are well and truly into the cold weather, hunting has started and we went out last saturday for hound exercise. He was an absolute star, jumped everything I pointed him at and didn't embarass me at all. He was better than a lot of the experienced hunters.

They say however, that the second or third time out is when they explode...so cross your fingers for me tomorrow :D hopefully I'll still be able to blog from my hospital bed...

Mum had a lesson today, started on shoulder in, and worked on leg yield, turn on the forehand and a nice rhythmical trot. Apparently he was a very good boy :)

In other news, he's filled out and settled down, hunting seemed to chill him out more than anything. I always knew he was a bit weird!

Today we had a jumping lesson. It went really well, he was a good boy, only running out a couple of times when we changed it too much! I think we did about 2ft3, but I forgot to measure it. Anyway, some more photos for you to enjoy x

wheee!
wow - a jump! I never seed one of them before...
thats a bit crap!
backing off a bit

sorry - I haven't ridden in a while due to the absolutely foul weather we've been having. It's rained and rained and rained and rained. The school is out of the question, I think we'd sink, and riding out isn't much fun. He had a day off sunday, monday we had a brisk trot for 30 mins down the bridlepath, tuesday we groomed and that was it and today I cantered down the bridlepath in full weatherproof gear, leapt off, hit a wall, made a BIG SCARY NOISE and landed. Then Muzzy landed. On my toe.

I popped him in a stable, wincing as I hobbled towards my friends tack room. I grabbed a rug off the rail and came back to find Muz on his way out to visit some friends. As I was backing him into the stable he trod on my toe again and then leant on me for a scratch. So I have a lovely black and brown toe and cannot walk, just in time for my holiday - the joys! On the plus side, however, my friend has agreed to exercise him while I'm away and also we did a very nice flying change from good to bad leg on the way down the path.

I will do my last blog on saturday for almost 3 weeks as I have two weeks in Greece followed by Pony Club, but will hopefully have lots to blog about afterwards.

Hopefully global warming will kick in and I'll get some sun for a jumping lesson tomorrow - if the school is looking less like a tropical swamp!

It's such a nice field

sorry - he needed the loo!

counter canter, a little unbalanced but working on it

still from the gallop film - he just loves to run and run

seeing mum for the first time

there was something in the bushes!

gorgeous - just how I like him

not sure what happened here!

i think he needed the loo ;)

PICTURES!

I finally got some pictures yesterday! I shall post them after this. We did some schooling in the field (not the field he is turned out in - it has post and rail in that, not the barbed wire you will see, which is just plain dangerous for horses)
Lots of circles and serpentines, got some nice lowering and listening, and then a quick blow out gallop before back to work. Gallop is on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_vx1B234o8A for anyone interested.

Very pleased with him, on Saturday the 12th of July I have a sponsored ride, and I think mum will borrow a horse so I will probably take some form of camera x

Hope you're all having as fabulous weather as us and enjoying your horses :D

the evil cows

Hacked today (you have probably realised I like to hack!) and we went down the 'big' road - only a B road but fairly narrow. Went down the bridlepath to the side and felt like killing the owner. He had put up lifesize plastic cows, in various colours and threatening 'horns lowered' positions on the entrance to the bridlepath. Cue cantering on tarmac - splinty splinty *sighs*
I mean - what an idiot! What sort of a pillock puts something that scary on a horse right of way? I did manage to get past without dismounting, but it took a hell of a lot of leg and a few taps on the rear. We snorted our way along the hedge and under low hanging branches. After that, he was an angel. The yard owners have fenced of the xc field for extra grazing, but no-ones in it yet, so we had a good old canter all the way down the edge and along the bottom. For those of you with huge trails and wide open plains, that may not sound like much, but in sussex you're lucky to find 5 acres to run around on with permission from the farmer.
Again, no pictures...sorry!!

Today we were good

Today we met up with his girlfriend (grey arab, slightly gaga) and went round the fields. They were both angels, shereeb went through the ford both times no hesitation (she has issues with water) and then muz trotted in a big field without once trying to canter, then i let him canter and we had no bucks, he walked on a loose rein with Shereeb cantering past trying to stop several times. So I currently lurrvvvvee my baby x

Poor Muz

Having jumped out of his field last night, and hoolied around all night, my mum took him out for a decent hack in the morning, and then he slept all afternoon until *drum roll* the crazy lady in a kilt (school uniform) turned up and seemed to think he should work :o! So we loose schooled over some jumps, probably 2ft 6", which may not sound like much, but he is fairly malcoordinated. Then we had a little stroll down the lane to cool off, with him asleep on my shoulder - ahhhhhh. But now I have blisters and an exercise plan as I am so unfit! 35mins of slow trot and a little canter at the end and I'm pooped, without him even breathing hard. grr. So, let the 6.30am jogging program commence!

Naughty Boy!

Yard owner called up tonight. 'Muz jumped out his field and is in with the others' - yes, that's right, 3 foot high electric fence into the field with the possessive geldings. Now why the hell does he not do that under saddle? He's going to be in there till tonight, and if he's good he can stay in there. New horse arriving tuesday night so they need Muz's patch for that. Annnddd...I still have no pictures. sorry!

oops!

Muz has decided he has magical testicle growing powers. Yesterday he was such a stallion! Rearing, bucking, squealing and nipping on our ride whenever my friends 26 year old pony approached 'his' mare (who actually hates Muzzie's guts).

So that was an eventful ride! Luckily, I didn't come off (god bless large knee blocks) and eventually got a collected canter uphill with no funky tricks. Being me, I forgot the camera, which is probably a good thing as his legs were covered in manure stains...

Today he was very strange. He stopped for no reason, then shot forwards occasionally, had eyes on stalks and was just odd. We cantered in the bottom field, and he shot off into the long grass, resulting in me trying to get grass seeds off the saddle flaps. If anyone can think of a reason other than he was being a silly nappy baby (no back discomfort or warm/thick tendons front or back) please let me know! We eventually got a nice canter up the track, so I was pleased when I got off, and he let me hose his legs no problems :D!

So that was our weekend, Mum will have him monday to friday and I'll probably blog again saturday night - if I remember!

hello all...

Having been inspired by fhotd amongst many others, I have decided to write a blog for all those of you with such a horsey obsession that you'll even read about our uneventful life for a fix!
Background first:
Name - Lucy
Horse - Muskateer (Muz)
Age - 8
Height - 15.2
Breed - Selle Francais
Colour - Chestnut and White
Lives - Nr Hickstead, England
Stable - Full livery yard down the road
Riders - Lucy and Jenny (my mum!)
Loves - Food, gallops, hacking
Hates - Steam engines, schooling, fly spray, standing still

We've owned him for just over a year now and are absolutely loving him. Bought as a hack, we are now entering online dressage competitions and he's going to Pony Club camp and a few local shows over the summer. I ride at the weekends and on holidays, mum during the week.

I will remember to get some nice pictures this weekend, as currently I have one (see above) where he isn't looking all horrible and skinny.

So thats us, I'm riding tomorrow so shall get pictures and an update then. Possibly hacking with a gallop, possibly jumping. Something fun anyway!