foot balance

Another barefoot post - apologies - I honestly do pay attention to the rest of Sofie as well. I just find the barefoot stuff interesting.

Sofie has been going without her back boots for 2 months now and I was hoping to try her without her front boots after Christmas once the grass is low in sugar. Unfortunately she seems to have gone backwards and become foot sore :(

A friend pointed out that her frogs are not central in her feet and she thought this was unusual. Sofie has always had wonky feet and walks with her left one noticeably turned in. My friend asked if it had got worse since going barefoot. At this point I realised that whilst I thought it had got better - I haven't really checked. I've trusted my trimmer (and still do) so I have not done my homework.

So I went through my old photos and stitched these images together to track her hoof balance. It would have been better if I was better at photo shop and could have got all the images at the same size and rotation. Afraid I have not been so diligent with her hind feet.

These photos are of her front left foot (the dark one) from Feb, May, July, Sep 2015. In Feb her white line was tight, but her wall thin and sole flat and her heals contracted. The lateral-medial balance is out with the toe being longer on inside. By May the white line is stretched and there is significant flaring on the outside wall. The lateral-medial balance is still out, but I think slightly better than before. Her heals have opened up nicely. By July we have a fairly healthy looking foot, the flare is still there but more under control and the lateral-medial balance is better. In September we seem to have gone backwards a step with a bit of flare on the outside edge (probably due to the Autumn flush) the lateral-medial balance looks about the same.

These photos are of her front right foot (the stripey one) from Feb, May, July, Sep 2015. The Feb shot is much like the left foot, except her lateral-medial balance looks ok (hard to tell from the photo as I have chopped off a bit of her foot). May shot shows white line separation, and the balance going as her toe is slightly longer on the inside. July, looks fairly tidy but the balance is still a bit out with the flare on the outside wall and a slightly longer toe on the inside. September and the flare looks better but the balance looks worse. I can't tell if this is just my shot.

So I guess Sof's feet are a bit wonky. Now I need to go away and do some reading to know if this is bad or not.




UPDATE

Trimmer came today and we found the source of Sofies discomfort. A small amount of grit was in the old abscess whole in her back foot. This was probably the cause for her foot soreness. Trimmer also mentioned that hooves should be slightly wider on the outside edge then the inside edge, so Sofs wonky feet are perfectly normal. I shan't panic just yet - but still intend to read the books I have bought because I really ought to know these things.

Bad hair day

Poor old Sof had me as a hair dresser this year. I only own a pair of liveryman harmony clippers, which are wonderfully quiet but unfortunately do not do a very good job of cutting hair. Minor oversight for clippers but there you go.

The net result was it took me 4 hours to Give Sofie this terrible hair cut. 

She was ever so good about it. I gave her lots of breaks so she didn't get too stressed out. She even let me use a hair dryer on her. Afterwards I let her in the school to run off the stress (as Emma was riding later). We had a really nice game of chase and a good stretch and cuddle. She really is a lovely girl.

Next time I'm borrowing some decent clippers, she deserves better!

all clean before clip

stretching our legs

Happy hippies

Just a quick update on the hackamore. After my usual false start of buying the wrong size off ebay, I finally got my hands on a hackamore that fits.

She seems pretty happy with it. Shows begrudging willingness to work in an outline in the school - which is the same resistance she has in a bit. On our first hack she was feeling rather lazy so I didn't really get to test it out on her. She pulled herself up when I sat back without need of the reigns. On the second hack we had a blast with Smee up the hill and she was a bit more fissy. Minimal pulling and she came back. hurray!

Finding that 'perfect' horse

Recently I have been trying to help a friend find her perfect horse. The whole process is terribly stressful, fraught with suspicion, doubt, frustration and disappointment. I used to lament that I have never had the opportunity to pick a horse, they seem to just find me, but now I am beginning to feel grateful.

Funny thing is it has got me thinking. How much is 'the perfect horse' due to the horse and how much is due to the riders attitude? My friend is of the opinion that there is such a thing as the 'right horse' and she will know as soon as she sits on it. I have never found this. My first pony Frodo used to scare me as a child and I inherited him when my sister moved onto a younger bigger horse, but soon he became my Mr right and I could not imagine a better pony. Tonto down right terrified me, I had a year campaign to try and sell the bugger but no one else was stupid enough to by him (we only bought him through pity). Tonto, admittedly via sweat blood and many many tears, became my perfect horse. I honestly wouldn't change a thing about him. And then I thought of Sofie. It took me a few months to warm to her, but now I think she is just what I want.

I don't always get what I want, I get what I need.

I would never have picked any of my horses from a viewing, but over time they have all turned out right. I am not a miracle worker, I don't think I entirely changed my horses. I guess I drew out of them the qualities I liked but I also think they changed me.

I don't have any riding ambition. None. I have no goals or ambitions when I take on a horse, baring enjoying its company. This lack of ambition probably helps me enjoy them for what they are.

Tonto the dressage cob, I love working out
how this cleaver chap ticks and he used
to enjoy flashing his feet in the ring and X-country
back in the day

Mini me on Frodo who was deaf, blind and arthritic but I loved looking after him

Sof and I out in the fields alone on a misty morning, I've been
getting into solo hacking as she seems to enjoy it

But before I commit to the answer that it is all in the riders attitude and nothing to do with the horse I should probably share this little advert that I wrote for the next horse back in January 2014.

I think I would like something 14-15 hands, straightforward, bold and forward going (strong would be OK). I’m not very comfortable with horses that buck. I’m looking for a pony which loves its work, and ideally loves to jump as I can’t enjoy a ride if the horse is not also having fun. I think I would most interested in native breeds, something hardy with a bit of bone and feather, something like a Welsh D would be nice. Afraid I will not take on a cob, though I love them, because of they are susceptible to ring bone and I don’t think I could go through that again. I would like something a little green, 3-7 ish so that we can learn together. However I would not rule out anything under 10. Ideally I would like a mare. I would like the pony to be able to live out happily 24/7 with company and would be interested in keeping the pony barefoot if it has good feet. This is not a purely financial decision, I think it is better for the horse to be allowed to move and barefoot is better for their circulation.

The pony would go to a loving knowledgeable forever home. I have been riding all my life and am kind but firm with horses. I have never ridden competitively – just not something I’m into, and I would describe my riding as more effective than it is pretty. I love jumping, but have always had the benefit of a very honest horse so I don’t think I’m particularly good at it. I have experience with young horses I broke Tonto in and have spent the last few years bringing on just backed highland ponies. I am 5ft 6 and weight 60Kg and am 27 years old. I mainly hack in company, but enjoy the odd sponsored ride and local show. I would also like to try drag hunting and endurance. I plan on getting lessons with the new pony to help with schooling as I am a little rusty. I’ve included some pics and a video of me riding.

Before I had even met Sofie, I had described her. Perhaps I am just lucky that the right horse fell into my lap.

My miss perfect

Scoot boots fit trial

I hired some scoot boot fitting shells from the hoof boutique to see how the fit worked for sof.

Scoot boots are the latest thing to come out from Australia. They have been getting rave reviews on barefoot forums so I thought I would take a look. 

Plus points for these boots is that they are light weight, below the hairline, and entirely made of plastic with no Velcro fastenings so easy to clean. They also come in large, Sofie sized sizes.

However I was not that impressed with the fitting shells. The bit at the back of the boot is very firm, and seemed to be pushing into sof's heals. She was sort of between sizes, size 6 was very snug, size 7 seemed too roomy. In the end I decided not to buy. I plan on waiting until next summer and possibly buying a second hand pair if I need them. You never know, I might not need boots by then (unlikely, Sofie is still a bit footy on stones).




size 6

size 6 bit tight on the bulbs

size 6 bit tight at the front

size 7, bit roomy at the back

Edit: when I am wrong I say I am wrong. I have since bought some Scoots - size 7 is too big but 6 fits. We have gone for a ride, no rubs and good grip in the mud. I am a convert!

Autumn update

Just a little update as I realise I haven't posted for a while.

Autumn colours

Sof is still doing well. In keeping with the seasons, Sof has changed her coat to a rich Autumnal gold. It is very fetching, however it is also very fluffy and she has been getting rather sweaty on her rides - particularly when she has to keep up with Lucky the X-racer.

I am now in a dilema over whether to clip or not, and what clip to get. Emma, her second mum, is clean to clip and rug as she is worried about sof getting a chill. Part of me wants to leave her fluffy and unrugged so I know she can control her temperature in the field, she was very happy last year naked. But now she is in full work I do not think we will get away with this. So what clip to get? Really I should get a trace and pop her in a medium weight with no neck. But this is going to be a bugger when it rains as I will not be able to get her dry enough to turn out when I ride in the mornings. Selfishly I want to go the full Monty and do a hunter (this also a much easier clip to do). I also have more heavy weight rugs suitable for hunter clips as this was the clip I always gave Mr T. She will also not get to grow back her mane (she managed to rub it out within two days of getting her fly rug off). People keep telling me she will get cold. I think this is nonsense. She is a hardy haflinger and I have lots of rugs to keep her warm. I am far more worried that she will be too hot. I hunter clip might make her uncontrollable to ride though.

Wet and muddy Sof making pre-work riding difficult

In other news she broke her old macs by over-reaching. I have taken them to a cobbler for repair. He was most bemused by the concept of horse trainers but seemed confident he could fix the buckle. I managed to sell the floating boots - for far less than I bought them for (grumble). I was so please that I had reduced my boot collection that I celebrated by buying some new ones! DOH! These are replacements for her worn out back renegades so a fair investment in my book. Now I just need to sell her vipers and her red clasics, but I am reluctant to sell as I am a sentimental fool.

'Sorry mum'

Just to confirm my reasoning (not that I need much convincing when it comes to boot buying) Sof got an abscess on her rear hoof the following week. I got a panicked call from Emma when she came in hopping lame on the rear foot. She was hot sore and squishy around the coronet band so I was fairly confident it was about to blow. We stabled her overnight and she came out angry but sound in the morning with puss out of her coronet. My trimmer has since looked at her foot and cannot find a puncture. Looks like a small bit of white line disease, stress from the shoot, and fresh grass culminated in the abscess. Poor old Sof. Still she is on the mend now.

We have had one short trial in the hackamore and she seemed happy enough with it in the school. I just now need to be brave and take her out in a hack in it.

Tor & Sof hoof boot review - Easy treck, old mac, renegades and floating boots

My collection of boots!

I thought I would make a positive out of my terrible boot buying affliction and do a quick Tor&Sof review of hoof boots.

Easy trek trails

I used these on Tonto before he retired. My rating - pants!

Pros: Can put therapeutic pads in, they are easy enough to get on

Cons: Far too easy to get off. I spent most rides collecting these from puddles after they had disappeared off at speed, the Velcro was just not enough to hold them on, they also seemed to spin. They wore quickly and more than one pair broke on me. They also look ridiculous, Sof would not be caught dead in these! I did try these briefly on Sof and she trotted like she was in clown shoes, admittedly they were too big for her. The boots are affordable at least.

Tip: don't buy these

*I should however caveat that this review was based on my experience with T, who is very hard wearing on boots and has a poor gait (twists his feet on the ground and scrapes his toes). A friend of mine borrowed these for her mare and had no issues, baring internal boot wear.

Old Mac G2

Used very briefly on Tonto before he retired and fairly extensively with Sof. My rating -  great all rounder

Old macs on the font, classics on the back

Pros: Can put therapeutic pads in, not too fiddly to get on, the velcro stays reasonable clean despite the mud. They have never come off or moved on either horse! I have galloped and jumped Sof in these and they are fine, Tonto overreached badly in the school on the first trial and the boot stayed put. I use gaiters on Sofie and they have never rubbed her. We have yet to have major slipping issues, but have not done a lot of work in deep mud. Fairly forgiving in fit, can use throughout the trim cycle and can cope with some hoof deformation. With all the padding we can happily canter on concrete without fear of concussion issues.

Cons: They look ridiculous, Sofie knows these as the trainers of shame, they are a very clumpy boot and Sofie thunders along in them which is a bit alarming. I also noticed with Tonto and his ringbone the internal strap was a problem. It was not big enough to go round his fat cob ankles and he did not like the pressure over his deformed joints. These are expensive.

Tip: label these left and right I always put the wrong boot on first and have to switch over.

Floating boots

  

Used twice on Sofie. My rating -  not for us

boots with black setting and gaiters

Pros: they look quite cool, come in different colors. Not excessively clumpy. The grip is meant to be excellent though I have not tried this. They are meant to be reasonably forgiving in fit - though I have not experienced this. They are very easy to keep clean and there is no velcro to get clogged up with mud. On the breif trail Sof strided out in them so I think horses are fairly confident in their footing with these. My friends horse went for one hack in them and they did not budge.

 Yellow Floating on the front
renegades on the back

boots with black setting no gaiters

Cons: they fell off Sof :(. Not sure I had the fit right with Sofie, but they fell off within 2 mins of testing after she forged.  They were also fairly fiddly to put on, I imagine pulling at the rubber straps with frozen fingers would be hard. I got one stuck on after fastening it a bit too tight. Both Sofie and my friends horse who tried it on didn't seem to like the pressure on their heal bulbs - again I might have been putting the boot on wrong. The gaiters do not quite do up properly and rise above the front of the boot exposing the plastic strap to the skin. On the short trials this did not appear to cause any rubbing though. These are expensive.

Tip: get a specialist fitter if you want these.

Renegade Classics

Used extensively on Sofie. My rating - Great specialist boot - these are my favorite boots on the market.

Christmas boots

Pros: they look soo cool, I love all the colours and that they are so streamlined. The Gooche of the hoof boot world. The grip is fairly good in new boots, worn tread does make them treacherous. If you have the fit right they will not budge. If they break (rarely) you can easily replace parts at minimal cost. I have jumped and galloped and span Sofie in these and they were fab. They have never rubbed, and with so little of the boot in contact with the skin I find it hard to imagine how they could. These boots are hard wearing.

Cons: not very forgiving on fit or deformities. Sof tends to wear her toes to a point, and by the end of the trim cycle I notice the boots start to twist slightly as a result. It is also hard to put any padding in these, there just isn't the room and you would need to glue it in. Not a boot to transition with, these are for when your hoof shape has been established. I find them a bit fiddly to put on, you need to get the tension right either side of the front strap and need to get the heal captivator at the right height. The do tend to get muddy and with so much relying on velcro you have to clean them every time you use them in the winter. Twigs and grit have got stuck in the heal captivator on rides. The are pricey.

Tip: better to have the hoof captivator a little roomy, a tight fit will make the boots twist. 

Renegade Vipers

Used briefly on Sofie. My rating - Great boot but hard to fit

  

Vipers on the front
Classics on the back

Pros: similar to the classics, look great, even better grip, replace parts, no rubbing, hard wearing with the added benefit that twigs no longer get stuck in the heal captivator.

Cons: most of the same cons and the classics but even less forgiving on fit. Unless your horse has perfect match to the boot shape these will twist. They were great on Sofies round front feet until she out grew them. They just did not work on her oval feet behind. despite doing custom fit these boots still rely on a fairly symmetrical hoof. It is a shame as these are generally an improvement on the classics.

Tip: check your hoof dimensions before you buy.

Asking nicely

Sofie has been going strength from strength recently. Her behavior is worlds apart from the bardgy headstrong haflinger I was describing last summer. She is increasingly gentle, calm, sensible and sweat. She now nannies nervous horses on roads, babysits small children, and calmly accompanies Mr T on estate jaunts, gamely herding him and standing to hold gates open for him as required. She will wait on the yard without protest, and can be left untied without fear of her charging off.

I have come to realise I was very wrong on my initial assessment of Sofie. Sof is in fact very willing by nature. All of her behaviour issues seem to stem from insecurity not naughtiness. Yes she can be very excitable – but I think it is normally when she is feeling a little worried by something. Using force on her tends to have a negative response – she panics, asking gently seems to work much more effectively. Loading case in point.

She still has a few behavioral issues. The main ones for riding are still her aversion to white lines, and sometimes break failure. I’ve been trying to work out the best way to deal with these for Sofie, in particular the break failure.

When the pace increases, particularly on the way home, Sof can gather pace and does not stop when asked. Sometimes she just stays in a steady canter, but won’t trot, other times she just gets faster and faster. Pulling the reigns has no effect, if anything she just pulls more. It is not frightening, she is not blind bolting – but not helpful when you are with other nervous riders. I bought a Pelham bit thinking that a stronger bit would work – but haven’t had the heart to put it on her. My instincts are telling me this is the wrong course of action.

Sofie does not respond well to force.

Sofie does not stop when you pull harder.

More force and more pulling are perhaps not the answer.

And so I have ordered a bitless bridle to try. It is an unusual response to a strong horse – but my logic is she may well be speeding up because she is nervous in the situation and the pain from me pulling the bit is making it worse. I am a bit worried about testing out this theory – I think we will start in the school then progress to the front field so that we are nice and safe.

You never know, in a few months’ time I may well be a proper barefoot bitless treeless hippy. I’ll keep you posted.

Bringing the past with you

I had a little tidy up the other day. I have acrude a mountain of horse stuff and it desperately needed some sorting. Whilst I was pulling all of my stuff out for re-packing Adrian pointed out Sof has more stuff from her previous owner in a box.

I didn't really need any more stuff, but I was curious so I decided to sift through the box to see what was there.

The box revealed long neglected brides, grackle nose band, overreach boots, lunging lines, side reigns, an old muzel. Adrian said she came with much much more, but it was given away as they had no space to store it. Going through these old belongings from her past life made me really sad. It felt a bit like going through the possessions of someone who has passed away.

Sofie was clearly loved, really loved. I wondered if the grackle was for cross country, did so prefer the linked snaffle for dressage? What adventures did they have together? Did her old owner have the same unbridled joy for buying sofie new things? How must she have felt when she had to give her up?

I sat there holding the old bridles for a while thinking about this. I thought about putting them back in the box, shutting the past away. But that somehow feels wrong. Instead I will restore them. Oil and soap them back into their former glory. Let sofie's old owner help me find what works best for sof. Keep her with us in some way.

GBEC Autumn show 2015

Off on another outing, this time in a box with Smee and her X-racer lucky to GBEC show.

I entered Sof and I for intro A walk and trot test and 2ft 3 novice jumping.

Dressage was a flop. Sof has been stiff in her hocks for the last couple of weeks so we haven’t done any schooling, GBEC is a big hill so no real place to warm up and a lack of marshals meant I was late for my test so I had to argue my way in having missed my time slot. Net result was a very pedestrian test, I got forgot the last bit and messed it up, Sof wasn’t really striding out. I haven’t even read the judges’ comments. Never mind. I’m not sure dressage is our bag anyway.

Jumping however, now jumping is Sofies thing! I haven’t really jumped Sof over the summer due to her ill-fitting GP saddle. I was stupidly intimidated by 2ft 3 (annoying as I would have thought nothing of it when I was 10), so was not hopeful of a good round. But Sof was great. She went from half asleep outside the ring to show jumping pocket rocket. She got us round all the fences bar one triple – which she only messed up because a marshal spooked her and her rider was no use what-so-ever. I desperately tried to slow the whole thing down – I’m a bit too nervous for Sofies speed and bless her, even though she found it frustrating ,she did slow up for me. Only had to crash her into a hedge once to slow up. With a better rider she would have def gotten placed.

Mission for this time next year: jump confidently and not feel the need to hold Sofie back. We might even try the dizzying heights of 2ft 6!

Learning to share

Since been offered Sofie as my own I have been desperately trying to find a way of affording her. Fact of the matter is my salary only goes so far, and with a mortgage, a wedding, and a poorly Mr T to pay for already Sofie is a bit of a stretch.

On top of this the betrothed is not too delighted to hear that I want to get another horse – the first one has been an expensive pet for the last two years so I can understand where he is coming from.

So I have compromised, I will take Sof on full loan (with view to ‘buy’ when Mr T pops his clogs) and I will get a sharer for half the week to help with her running costs. It seems to be the most pragmatic thing I can do given my circumstances.

This does mean I have to share my princess, but it is in her best interests. More riding would help our slimming world efforts. I was a bit nervous about finding the right sharer though. I have put a lot of effort into turning Sof into a lovely horse. It would be horrid to have that undone. On top of this I have to find someone who has the patience to persevere with barefoot.

As luck would have it the perfect sharer arrived almost instantaneously. Emma was looking for a horse to share so she could ride with her daughter who has a little pony at the yard. I’ve known Emma for years, we used to ride together back in the days when Tonto had working legs and she owned a welsh D. Emma is a good rider, perfectly capable of dealing with Sofies strops but not unkind in any way. And as they are mainly going for gentle hacks around the estate there is no real need to put boots on Sofie. Her feet are pretty good now anyway.

Emma is also happy to help me feed Mr T his meds – and she knows all of his quirks which helps. I can have 3 guilt free pony days off a week. Sharing seems positively beneficial in fact.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth

So a very exciting thing happened at the weekend, Sofie’s owners offered me Sofie – for free! This is exceptionally generous of them and I am really touched. Of course I would be delighted to be Sofie’s official mum – but I will be honest I am a little nervous of the commitment.

I realise, I have never actively chosen or sought to buy a horse, except for when I was 11 and campaigned for Frodo – but I’m not sure that counts. Now I am older I am well aware of the commitment I am making.

To me horses are like marriage – better for worse, for richer or poorer (inevitably poorer), in sickness and in health, till death do us part. If I accept this kind offer, I will be paying for Sofie for the rest of her life (the next 16/20 years most likely). I will forsake the bigger house, the nicer clothes, the better car. I will not be able to stop work or work part time because I will have livery to pay. I will always have the responsibility of her welfare, getting cover when I am away, paying extortionate vet fees, being at the yard in dark winter nights freezing my tits off to ensure she is warm and comfortable. Sneaking out at Christmass dinner to give her a carrot.

The timing is a bit pants, wedding next year, lodger moving out, mortgage needing re-negotiating, kids in the near future. Loaning is far more practical and low risk for my current circumstances. I had always planned on loaning after Tonto because of the freedom it affords you.

And yet…

 

 

Look at her, she is my little princess, I can’t just let her go. If I do not take her, her owners will sell her on. She just is not the right horse for them and it does not make sense to keep paying for a horse that you are not using. They are reluctant to do this as they do not want her to continue passing hands – she isn’t for everyone – but they have practical considerations of their own.

Sofie seems to be a bit unlucky with owners. She has been passed from Belgium to the UK, to the RSPCA, to a girl in Manchester, to Adrian and then to me. She is only 9! I’d hate for her to continue this nomadic existence.

But most of all I just want her. If I were to describe my next dream horse after Mr T it would be:

·         Just enough spark to be interesting but not dangerous in any way

·         Cute and cuddly but more independent than Mr T

·         Tough as old boots and happy out in the field so cheap to keep

·         Loves to jump and nice and straight forward comfortable ride

·         Good bone but pretty to look at

That is Sofie! I really could not find a better horse. If I let her go I will be back to riding free horses – who tend to be free for a reason - or paying for shares that I don’t really like. If I wanted to buy later down the line you never really know what you are getting. And lets face it, I would not be me without my horses. Tonto is not going to last forever, having Sofie would make that whole awful process much easier to bare.

Of course I have to think of when I have kids. But Sofie would be easy to put out on full loan should I need to. And if she went permanently lame she would still have value as a brood mare. And basically, I want her to be part of my family.

So I am off to re-mortgage the house, I got livery to pay.

Slipping saddles and soundness issues

Sof and her wonky saddle

Today we had Louise out the check Sofs saddle. Amazingly her back is very similar to her February measurements, but her GP rides all wrong. The saddle constantly slips to the left, it always has, and when I ride in it I get a sore back. Experience tells me that if my back is sore most likely my horses back is as well. I just don't think it is comfortable for us.

I brought Sofie out to show Louise and she was fairly horrified to see how much it sat to the left. After checking the tree and the flocking Louise felt that Sofie was the one causing it to go left. I really respect Louise's opinion, she was the first to spot Tonto's arthritis in his hocks and has always given sound advice. She said she didn't want to alarm me but often saddle slips are caused by underlying mild lameness.

This makes a lot of sense.  Sof takes forever to warm up, does not like to bend or extend, and spent last summer notify uneven. Her right shoulder is much bigger than her left and she holds tension in her neck. I think the problem is in her left hind. Louise pointed out that she tends to stand with it tucked under her body, and thinking about it she is more snatch with her right hind, as if she does not want to stand on the left hind.

So what to do? Well of course I will let her owners know, but I think it is so slight it would not come up on a vet check. She seems fine at the level of work I am asking of her at but might limit what do in the future. Still we were never planning on eventing so probably not really an issue. I guess all I can do is monitor her. Most horses are ever-so-slightly lame, I don't think this is a massive problem but worth being aware of.

Louise is going to see what she can do with the flocking and straps to counter the saddle slip. Just as well we have her flexed in the mean time.

On a different note I was very touched to see Sof refused to be lead away from me today. Yay she does love me after all 😊

Sofie strop on video

A film of Sofie stropping last march, makes me realise how much calmer she now is

Escape and lead tour of the estate

Little Video of my freind Sarah having a try on Sofie

Summer Update

Been a while since I last posted so thought I would do a quick update. Things have been a bit quite on the horse front of late, pesky work has been getting in the way of pony time.

Net result is I have a fat pony. I feel a bit deflated that Sofie has once again returned to sofa status. All that dieting for nothing but I am determined to get her slim again. I suppose the only real positive is that she has not turned lamanitic as I had feared, though she does seem more footy that she did over the winter months. 

Her feet are expanding as fast as her waist line. I have bought her yet another pair of shoes, 2WW but she is already growing out of these. Next stop is the floating boots. She is going to cost me a fortune in foot wear. Still every lady needs a shoe collection.

Her behaviour on the yard is near perfect now. She will happily wait in stables and on the yard with minimal protest. I can leave her untied for short periods and she stays put. A million times better than last summer. Riding wise she is better, less spinning and tantrums but still not perfect. June saw a very overexcited Haffy, with her pulling my arms out of their sockets if we even suggested canter. As soon as she sees a jump she is nearly beside herself with excitement. I’ve been working on the canter in the school since, and the training alongside the extra weight has slowed her down a little. I don’t think we will go drag hunting anytime soon though.

Future plans; well I plan on continuing with the EE lessons, they are going really well, we are getting a lot of nice comments from people at the yard and she feels so much more responsive now that I am stiller. I’m getting her GP saddle re-fitted to fat mode on Monday in the hope that we can then start jumping properly. If I can get some jump lessons over August then we should be ready for some rounds in early September. There is also a team chase and some sponsored rides in September that I would like to have a crack at. I dream of us jumping the big fences.

Tonto seems to be OK, though not very sure of his feet downhill. I find it very difficult to assess how much pain he is in. I’m worried because he is not fat as he normally is in the summer which makes me paranoid something is wrong. Still he strides out up the hills on walks with Sofie (having failed at ride and lead we now opt for the escape and follow method) and seems relatively happy when raising his feet for them to be picked out.

 

So generally very happy with princess Sofie. I fall in love with her a little more each day.

Fat pony in the world of stressage

So apparently it is not acceptable to turn up to a dressage competition in wellies, a rucksack, high vis, primarny jacket, horse trainers of shame, and half a tree in your hair. Also chatting like a lunatic to the horse as you desperately try and negotiate corners is also frowned upon. Still the nice folk at Newlands Riding Club took pity and let us compete anyway.

I’ll be honest, I was expecting to see a field full of fat ponies and kiddy riders when I had signed up for the dressage comp. It is a local club, and the calibre of horses and riders has been suitably low on all the other events I have turned up to. I thought Sof and I would blend in nicely.

Oh how wrong I was. We turn up, un-platted (cause I couldn’t be arsed), sweaty and covered in mud and shrubbery from the ride up - only to find a field full of high quality horses and riders dressed immaculately. Bugger.

Big warmbloods were prancing around the warm up arena fully collected doing half pass. I glanced over at someone doing the test I had signed up for – really bloody well. Oh shit, I haven’t even learnt the test let alone practiced it. I had been a bit ambitious when I signed Sof and I up for Prelim 4. Our canter thus far involves going increasingly fast and doing wall of death around the corners. Sometimes we go in an outline, but most of the time Sofie defiantly sticks her nose in the air in protest of my unsteady hands.

It was also raining, making the wet grass rather treacherous.

I did a quick warm up to try and get Sofie’s attention. Moments of brilliance undispersed with her being nosey/trying to tank off. I studied the sheet stuffed in my pocket and watched a few rounds to try and learn it. Time to line up to go in.

I came across a girl I knew from when I was at another yard with Tonto. She was on her big impressive chestnut horse which was going beautifully. I said hello and she looked down at me on my scruffy fat pony in ridiculous trainers with some distain. She was polite, but clearly disapproving. I think you are meant to take this dressage stuff seriously.

Realising I may have made a slight error with our attire I asked one of the organisers about the hoof boots. Absolutely not. So I hastily removed them. He then also pointed out that wellies were a no-no. White gloves must be worn. The bit can only be a plain snaffle, so our hanging snaffle was out. And I should be wearing a tie. Failure to adhere to the dress code will get you eliminated. He saw the deflated look on my face, then said ‘have a go anyway, just know for next time’, which was kind of him.

We entered the ring, had a brief look at the flowers, and then circled waiting for the bell. Please god let me not embarrass ourselves further. The bell rang and it was on. Thank god for Sofie. I might be an amateur at all this but at least she knows what she is doing. With the bell she transformed into a listening dressage diva. She pranced down the centre line and did a beautiful 20 meter circle for me. We slipped when we changed the reign which through my concentration. After this the contact was less constant, but I think I have myself to blame. Canter was miraculously controlled. I did my best to sit back and chatted steady to her and she listened. I was later told by my friend that talking to your horse is not allowed by mercifully the judges were in a car with the windows wound up so they couldn’t hear me. It wasn’t a brilliant dressage test, but it wasn’t embarrassingly bad either.

Lowest mark was 6 (satisfactory) and highest was a 7 (fairly good). Overall score 61.59. Our feedback was as follows:

Much to like with regular paces. Tends to tilt head to outside at times and needs more suppleness through the poll and needs to constantly accept a soft contact for the higher marks.

 Not bad for an underprepared first attempt.

I think with some lessons and practice we could get good at this. Thing is I’m not sure I want to. I can’t see me enjoying the dressage world. It seems to be a bit overly pompous. Why the hell can’t I wear my wellies! They give me no strategic advantage (in fact they are a disadvantage). Surely we should be judged on our riding not our turn out? Thing is I am also slightly inclined to really get into it to try to beat the snobby warmbloods on my fat pony in my wellies. Time will tell if reason or stubbornness will out.

The trainers of shame

Yet another hoof boot update. It is turning into a saga.

Sofie has got rather good at escaping her muzzle. Every night I put it on and every morning I find it lying forlornly under the tree, whilst the fat haffy is happily scoffing in the distance.

All this rich summer grass is expanding her belly and her feet. Her beautiful new boots now no longer fit. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

this boot now twists because
her foot has flared

 

 

this boot is not a bit too short

 

The front boot have been twisting where her feet are flaring into weird shapes and her toes are so long now that she is beginning to hang out the back of the boot. We have been forced into Tonto’s old mac G2 boots – the trainers of shame. Much to my disappointment these actually fit Sofie fairly well. They are just so uncool. I’m also not sure they will cope with cross country or long distances.

 

So what do I do now? Renegades don’t get much bigger. I need a 140X145 boot but is doesn’t exist. They do do a giant 4WW but they are way too big for Sof.

Recently a lady was raving about ‘floating boots’ on the haffy addicts fb group. These look interesting. Seem fairly sporty, apparently have good traction, have been used for endurance and most importantly come in fun colours. They seem to do Sofie size boots. We might well give these a go.

http://www.bootsforhorses.com/boots-horses-barefoot/english/home_47_1_ap.html

 

Her back boots just aren’t quite right. I had originally bought these boots for the front but they were too narrow. On the back they are too wide and seem to twist. In a desperate attempt to avoid buying yet more boots I used bathroom sealant to try and get a better fit, but alas this did not work and I then had to spend an evening picking the blasted stuff back out the boots. I think I will have to sell them. On the plus front the old 2W classics seem a good fit, but these are pretty balled now so it is only a matter of time before I have to invest in yet more boots for the back as well.
 

Who knew forsaking shoes would be so expensive!

Newlands corner fun show June 21st 2015

It was fathers day, and like so many other times in my life I completely neglected my long suffering father to go ponying again

The days mission, Newlands corner fun show.

Having overslept I only made a pathetic attempt at show gear - a primary tweed jacket, barely cleaned tack and a dodgy running plat in Sofie's mane. Still our turn out could be worse - as we were getting ready to leave a shoot started, upsetting Sof and causing another shit explosion. We did quiet well not to arrive covered in manure.

I hacked there with Smee the no-sense-of-self preservation rider and her cob-trapped-in-a-racehorse-body Doc. We wanted to see if Doc would be relaxed at show grounds. Simply put, yes. He seemed to be nodding off whilst waiting for his classes to begin. He is one chilled chap.

Sofie was less chilled on the ride up there. Having been upset by the shoot and me shouting at her whilst ducking crap she was a bit lively on the way out. A good section of trot settled her down but I was a bit worried that she would be too tired when she got there. I shouldn't have worried, she got her energy back as soon as she saw jumps.



I'm stupidly excited over the rosette, Sof seems less enthused

I think jumping and eating are Sofies favourite activities. She just loves to jump. We did a small clear round course. She was fantastic - I made a few mistakes on striding but she sorted that all out for me. Hurray a clear round and a rossett. I am stupidly proud of this, especially given the jumps were only knee height. But it was a very nice round - best of the day according to the marshal (who may have been sucking up) - and it is only the second time we have ever done a course of fences. I feel confident enough to start entering us for proper competitions now.


Showing Sofie our rosette



We also got a 2nd for condition and turn out - it was a two horse race. The judge had a good laugh at my and sofie's wellies (she was wearing Tontos old trainers of shame - shall update that in another post). We also had our reflective gear on. I asked the judge if I had got anything right when he came to give comment. It was all a bit of fun though, as it should be.

Pyford spring/summer show 2015

When I was a child we would annually attend the Pyford saddle club open show. For me it was an event akin to Easter - happened every year and was guaranteed fun. I have very found memories of their lovely commentator cheering me a 10 year old me and a 30 year old Frodo round the ring, I believe we won minimums jumping on our first outing back in 1997. The cup still has pride of place on my windowsill. Mr T did a couple of rounds in his time and won a few rosettes, I have these stored in a box somewhere, though I have too many to remember when and how we won them.

Needless to say I was very keen to take Lady Sof to Pyford this year.

When we arrived I was delighted to hear the same chap commentating on the show jumping. He sounds like a benevolent old school RAF pilot. Lead reign jumping was first up and it was great to hear him encourage horse, rider and mum:

Mums over but Buttons has had second thoughts. Never mind have another go. Round they come again, keep kicking Katie. Hurray all three are over, well done Buttons, give mum a cheer, isn't she doing well.

Pyford has a wonderfully welcoming atmosphere, it is a great place to start your showing career. So it was very fitting that Pyford was Sofie and I's first show.

 I had done a small practice with Sofie in the jumping field at home in the week leading up to the show. She loves her jumping, and whilst we had no trouble jumping the fences, containing her between jumps was another matter. As soon as she saw the jumps she got excited and she celebrated every fence she cleared by tucking her head to her chest and bucking triumphantly. She also insists on doing everything at 100 mph. This horse knows how to ride a jump off. Unfortunately her jockey is a bit rusty on the jumping front and would much rather a more gentle round. As usual I am going to have to catch up to Sofie's standard.

She behaved beautifully in all her classes. In the ridden coloured she came 4th, having done a lovely little show and behaving impeccably. I think she would have done better had I had the right gear - double bridle and no saddle cloth. In the in-hand foreign breed she came second - pipped by a miniature pony (she was better in my eyes but I am biased). In the clear round we missed one fence. Mainly this was a pilot error, the course was very tight and Sofie likes to go fast, I couldn't keep up with her so missed a turn. Still she was actually very well behaved as she stopped when I asked her to and slowed down for me to right her saddle after it slipped sideways (it too was unable to cope with her barrel racing turns).

Here are some pics from the official photographer. Can't decide which one to buy atm.

In fact the day would have been perfect had Sofie not trodden on my foot that morning. I think she has broken two of my toes. This made competing fairly painful for me, especially in the running section of the in-hand class. Still no pain no gain.

Swollen bruised unhappy toes 

A few days later when the bruise  came out

I should also mentioned that I also lost her into the crowd at one point. This was mainly my fault. I know now that Sofie is not a horse you can rush. If you let her do things in her own time she will behave impeccably, if you rush her she will through her toys out the pram. I know that to lead her into the trailer I should give her time to have a good look first. On the way out, she was a little hesitant to load, and I got comments from others suggesting I should push her. I stood my ground and said just give her time but I think their comments niggled at me. Unfortunately I was not as patient with her on the way home (I guess a sore foot and others disapproval made me hurry). When she hesitated I suggested my friend clapped her hands behind Sof whilst I gave her a tug on the lead rope. Mistake. Sofie reacted by turning round and sodding off into the show ground. That was a Haffy f**k you response. Sheepishly I had to retrieve her from a child who caught her. This time round I went gently with her, but she was now put-out so stubbornly stood on the ramp not moving. I swapped with my friend, giving her the head end and me gently ushering her in. Again she resented the pressure so turned to bugger off. This time however I refused to get out of her way, and after a short stand off she turned and went into the trailer. This might be something I have to practice in the future.

But loading aside, she was perfect. I hope we have many more days out to come.