Training - with photos!!

Sorry I have been quiet for the last few days. I have been at a massive music festival called Womad. Bands from all over the world come and it's a truly awesome time. I will do a post on that when it's over and I get home :)
However I left womad, for training yesterday morning with the team for North Island champs.
Spud was an absolute speed demon. He was very up and exuberant. While we were doing a warm up he was bucking from joy and crazyness, galloping home from one race, my saddle ended up on his neck and I had to jump off.
Asides from that it was really good and we gelled together so well. Here are a few pictures.

 Vaulting on!!

I'm am also planning a post to explain what I do - mounted games. So you guys can understand it better.
I will also catch up on all your lovely blogs tonight!!

Show Recap!!!!

It was an early morning start at 5, but after having a quick breakfast and coffee, I packed up my car and drove down to the horses. Spud got all bandaged up and then we were off!!

Spud loaded well as he always does and both horses travelled well. Because it was such a long journey we stopped twice on the way to let the ponies have a walk around to stretch their legs.
DAY 1:
On the first day it was the pairs event. There were 6 races but the event wasnt very well organised and there was 32 pairs competing, so it was a long day with lots of standing around between races.
Spud was a champ and my pair also rode really well and we ended up 8Th equal.
We would have been in the ribbons except in one race, I had to vault onto Spud while he was galloping and I somehow got tripped up on his leg and he ran over me. Luckily he did his bestest to miss me and all I got was a massive bruise on my leg. However for official reasons I had to spend 20 minutes in the ambulance and we were retired from the race missing out on the points we needed. However 8th out of 32 isn't at all bad!!

DAY 2:
The next day was the teams event. There were 8 races and 14 teams. The day was much more organised and went a lot faster. Our team aced most of the races against some tough competition. There was only one mistake made which was in the flag race. And two of our riders missed the change over but they fixed their mistake quickly and we still had a good time. We finished in 3rd place. Which we were all really stoaked about because we were competing against some really tough more experienced teams!!

Horse show prep/check-list!!

It's turned dark and I just got in out of these gale winds from sorting hay and feeds for this weekends competition. I still have to sort all my stuff and my horse gear, but it's all exciting stuff!!
This post is going to be my check-list for a going away competition.
For the horse:
- Halter and lead
- Polo wraps
- Float boots
- Stable sheet
- Covers/rugs
- Water bucket
- Hay
- Feeds and supplements
- Haynets
- First aid
- Treats
- Electrolytes

For the human:
- Sunscreen
- Food and drinks
- Aspirin
- Phone and camera and chargers
- Medication
- Money
- Caffeine
- Contact lenses
- Personal things
- A book for when things get quiet
- Blankets/pillions

Tack:
- Bridle
- Saddle
- Girth
- Stirrups/stirrup leathers
- Saddle blankets
- Breastplate etc
- Whip
- Spurs if needed

Stable supplies:
- Water buckets
- Feed buckets
- Gloves
- Poo bucket
- Extra leads/ropes
- Torch

Grooming:
- Brushes
- Plaiting kit
- Scissors
- Flyspray
- Buckets
- Towels/sponges
- Coat polish
- Hoof oil
- Shampoo
- Sweat scrapper

Clothing :
- Boots
- Breeches/jodhpurs
- Chaps
- Showcoat
- Show shirt
- Numbers
- Gloves
- Helmet
- Socks
- Casual clothing for between classes
- Night clothing

Paperwork:
- gps/maps
- Class lists
- Games races and orders
- Rulebook
- Membership cards
- Money

Leaving early at 5 am in the morning. Normally when I would be arriving at work. Fingers crossed the trip goes well and the ponies travel safe. Wish me luck!!

What do you take? What would you guys add to this?

Training.

Tonight was the last training session before the big weekend this weekend. As usual Spud was a legend, he is in peak fitness and absolutely loves his job. He had a whole heap of "GO" tonight and lived up to his reputation. Hes a small lil pony but stocky and so fast!! The speed that comes from a pony of his build and size is almost unbelievable. It's super hard for me to keep up with him but if I focus and get my timing and everything right then we are a good team.
Tonight everything came together and it was super fun. Aside from one mishap, when I struggled to lean down and grab the ball off the cone. Spuds speed was too hard for me to keep up with. But I slowed it all down to a canter. Slowed down its easier to see what's going wrong. Turns out my hand positioning was all wrong and I needed to grab the ball more from the top. Sped back up to full speed and nailed it.

Quiet hack ride for spud on Friday, then super early on Saturday morning we are making the 4 hr drive to zone games. Nationals at pony club level.

February Recap!!

I know it's probably a bit late for this but I wanted to do this, but better late than never right?
February started off with some time in hospital. Wasn't the best started to the month.
When I got out of hospital I had my first ride since I dislocated my elbow badly back in January. My arm was still in its massive cast but boy did it feel good to be back in the saddle.

After that first ride nothing could stop me and I was back riding. I was back doing fitness and training rides with Spud and working with all my horses.

I even competed with my arm in the massive cast and by far it was the funnest, most awesome competition this year. We came out first in the teams competition, and second in the pairs. I also got selected to be on the north island team for games. * cue excited squealing here *

Goldrush has come quite far and learnt a lot of new things this month also started jumping little jumps and doing really well!!

Sophie is still learning to accept leg contact. When I'm riding as soon as my leg makes contact with her sides, she flicks her head, and either tries to run off and/or buck. But we have made a bit of improvement and she's still young and confused.
Just a little disclaimer it's not pain or I'll fitting tack that makes her like that. I'd say part of it is she's never been ridden asides from raced so most likely never felt legs there before. Also she is a super sensitive mare and still very green/young.

Goldrushs story.

One day I got a phone call from an older man who had just had 4 wild ponies dropped off at his place. He asked if I would help him handle, start them and then train them up. After which we would sell them onto capable young riders.
After a few months of getting used to human company, and teaching them to lead, load onto a float (trailer), to accept walking over tarps, have sacks and plastic bags on them, to be groomed, long lined and to wear tack and all the things a horse needs to know. Goldrush was ready to ride. Breaking him in was a slow process. We first did it bareback and I got him used to my legs all over his belly, rump round his shoulders etc the day came when I finally got to ride him properly with a saddle.

He was a little bit worried at first and for the first few days I rode him round the yards, teaching him to go forward, turn and back up. After that I rode him out in the open, in big stock paddocks, we only had one moment of terror when he decided to have a bucking fit and tried to run off but I calmed him and we carried on with our ride.
After he was moving forward nicely at a walk and trot and turning both directions and even a little cantering. I decided to buy him for myself. I was impressed with his build. He showed a lot of potential in so many ways, and I fell in love with his character.

I turned him out for a few months as he had only just turned 3 when we started working with him.

When he turned 4 I moved him to my grazing with my other horses and started working with him again. When he first arrived at the grazing he was skittish and worried about all the new horses and things he had never seen before like showjumps, arenas, cross country jumps and games equipment. Now he is calm and chill, and I have even started popping him over small jumps. My little man has such a cute cheeky personality everyone just falls in love with him - even though he does love to chew things and run off with my saddle blankets, prancing away proudly while I try to catch him so I can get it back.
He has come so far and I can't wait for the future with my baby.

Goldrushs big adventure

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile, I haven't had internet. I have been super busy riding and studying and working though.
On Saturday my little man Goldrush had a big day. He had his first experience at pony club.
To say I am super proud of my man would be an understatement. He coped so well with the environment and all the other horses around. He got a little bit antsy when everyone was cantering round for the warm up but was mostly so chill about everything.
On this particular day at pony club we were focusing on mounted games. This was good as he is going to be my future games pony. We only walked and trotted our parts of it because some of the equipment like bottles and flags can be very scary but overall he was very good.
At this stage of his games training it's all about getting him comfortable and familiar with the gear and other ponies running around, also focusing on straightness and the turns. For his first time he was super chill and showed potential.

So much love for my little wild child.