Niels is healing well! There's been absolutely no weeping or anything that I was expecting to happen, I need to get myself some of that tissue glue.

He is gradually losing some weight. We're measuring his girth and his widest, grass belly, points about once a week, and recording it. He's getting about 3 days of being ridden and then a day off. Two of those days doing dressage, and then the last day some jumping. Haven't been able to ride out because the ground's too hard, can't believe I'm actually praying for rain. Sacrilege!

We have a couple of competitions lined up before the Haflinger Show. Decided against going to Abbey Dressage, it's a bit too long a journey for his first show of the summer. We should be going to Swallowfield on the 10th July to do some unaffiliated dressage and clear round SJ. I've never done a SJ class in my life, so clear round is probably a good way to start. On the weekend after we'll be going to Solihull Riding Club to do combined training. So a bit more serious show jumping, the weekend before the Haflinger Show.

Busy, busy, busy!

First trip of the year.. to the vets.

Thought I'd just update to say that the procedure to remove the cyst went well. He removed only the smallest amount of skin that he possibly could, and stitched it up with 3 sutures. All looks quite neat, and he'll be having the stitches taken out in about 10 days.
He can't be ridden or let out to grass until the weekend, so the next couple of days are going to be boring all around I think! Wish I had my camera to document the healing process...

The vet's also said that he's overweight, and so we're cracking down on it now much harder than before. They're having their field reduced by 2/3 and only out 2 hours a day. We're going to carry on everything else the same, perhaps soak his hay for a bit longer, but he's already being ridden 4 or 5 times a week, an hour each time so we don't think that needs increasing. Hopefully we'll eventually see a change, he's a ridiculously good doer, Benny has lost weight on the diet they've been on the past couple of months, but Niels hasn't changed at all... Fingers crossed.

Guess who left her camera at her boyfriend's house 150 miles away? So no videos or photos for a couple of weeks unfortunately. I'm going to visit again on the 6th July, so I'll get my camera back then I think. I should be going to a show the weekend before though, I might be able to get a crappy quality video of my test using my parents' camera.
I'm planning to go to Abbey Dressage on the 4th July. It's a bit too posh for us really, but I need to get out and doing competitions before the haflinger show and it's the only one available on that weekend I can make.

Niels is doing great. We have an outdoor dressage arena now! It's just in a field, but there's some nice solid markers, and it's quite flat. Brilliant for Niels and I to practice on though, great for his head.
I had a lesson last week which went well. We worked on half halts and showing a distinction between the working trot/canter and the medium trot/canter mostly. I think we'll do ok at the haflinger show in a few weeks! Really excited about it. :)

We've started practicing jumping! I am absolutely appalling at it, I try to stay out of his way as much as possible, although, because of his nature he wants me to tell him what to do... but I don't know what I'm doing either! haha We're working on it. We jumped a 2ft 3" spread last night a couple of times, once very successfully, mostly not so though. :/ It's coming along though.

Niels has to have a cyst removed from his ear tomorrow, so we're traveling to the vets for that. Definitely counting that as one of his trips out! They say that the procedure will take literally 10 minutes, quite a lot of fuss for such a small thing.

We went to the Armscote Show on Sunday to watch and support some people from my yard, Willicote Equestrian Centre, and we saw another Normandy Cob! We were so shocked! He was in the side saddle class too, they looked gorgeous. I spoke to the family that owned him and they were convinced that they only had a 'cob', "just a cob" they kept saying! Hopefully they got back later in the day and googled it. It's funny how some people put cobs into one bracket, the breeds may not be as regimented, but you can still tell the difference between an english cob and an irish cob, so why not a normandy cob?

The horse at 7 seconds is like identical to Benny. Anyone speak french? I'd love a translation. lol





How could you say just a cob?

Started Practicing the Dressage Tests Last Night!

"B or C?" "C!" "C? Here?" xD Probably should have looked at the test before hand... Need to work on square halts, my 20m circles are drifting, trot-walk-trot transitions, give and retake the reins in trot (done in hundreds of times in canter, not so much in trot!), left rein trot to canter transitions... Lots to work on.

We started practicing the Novice test, but that turned out to be more complicated, and we couldn't even run it through because I had to keep stopping to look at the test! I have a video where we were sort of practicing it, although we miss read the test and did 3 loops instead of 4, therefore ending up on the wrong rein as well... That confused us!



There's a few places in the test that we really need to work on. The test starts with a halt on the centre line, which we've never done before, so Niels thinks it's finished, but we then have to proceed in trot! There's also a rein back in the test, Niels tends to want to stick his butt out when he does though so we end up a horse's length back and not on the track. Just have to keep practicing it, it'll come. The medium paces need some work as well. All good fun though. :)

I'm Back Home!

Finally home, and back for good now. (Depending on where I get a job... All a bit confusing at the moment!)

I've only ridden once since I got back, but I bring videos.





In that last video, you just miss a lovely walk to canter. He always does them so much nicer on the right rein, as you can see in the video, it's just a dribble. Used to be better, but he hasn't done them since easter.
The trot video shows that more impulsion is definitely needed, he's looking a bit lazy and distracted. The canter work isn't as controlled as it was before I left, canter's become a big deal to him unfortunately. He'll soon calm down though. :)

My little brother's riding him wonderfully now, he's cantering on both reins and he's started learning a dressage test! So proud.

Haven't got much else to say, I'm riding tonight so hopefully there'll be some more videos!

Quick post. I've been really busy and hardly seeing Niels because of university. I've got a couple of months left, then I'm home and job hunting.

Niels is being treated at the moment for a few sarcoids, luckily not in places that would be bothered by a saddle. The vet has reccommended that we ride him to keep him sane and healthy, so that's what we shall be doing!

Booked in for the Haflinger Show and he's going to be staying for a couple of nights there. I'm entering *deep breath*
Open Prelim Dressage
Open Novice Dressage and thinking about entering the Restricted Elementary...
The Novice Ridden Stallions/Geldings–21yrs & under
Intermediate Show Jumping (not to exceed 2'6")
The Accumulator Jumping class.

That's just what I'm entering though... My Brother's doing:
Restricted Prelim Dressage
Novice show jumping (not to exceed 2'3").

My Mum's doing Restricted Novice Dressage and her and my brother are entering the Family Pony class (one rider over 25 years, and the other between 14 and 18)

Then my Dad's doing two in hand classes. :S The novice handler and then the senior geldings.

I started practicing in hand with Niels over the weekend, he's not the easiest to control from the ground. He trots up so lovely though I'll try and get it on camera next time I'm home.

Can't wait to get back in the saddle!

Look at this canter! :D



He had not been ridden for about a week, and when we went in the school another pony was in there, who then pretty much immediately left. Cue pony abandonment symptoms... It took half an hour after that to calm him down. Usually changes of direction works to get him back to me, but after 30 mins of trying that, I went for the opposite, driving him forwards. The above is the result! I can't believe it! He's never cantered that relaxed before in his life. Look at 20 seconds, he's actually stretching down... wow. Canter used to be his worst pace, now it's quickly becoming his better one, we're working on canter to walk transitions and he's getting really balanced. :)



Quite liking that canter to trot transition, it's definitely been helped by the canter to walk work. He was expecting me to ask for walk, so he went into trot nice and balanced. ♥
This was before the 30 mins of nutty pony were up...



He always gets so tense and distracted by the door to the school. What do we think of my sitting trot? (I love that bit at around 15 seconds when we go diagonally across the school. :)) Communication error at the end of that bit across the school, I over did my half halt, nice to know I have breaks though! :P

FYI wearing my body protector because he's been a bit unpredictable lately. haha