We are alive!

We are here and we are alive! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Sam and I have been working hard. We worked through the Christmas, New Year break and last weekend we had two lessons. Boy did we improve. They were great! I was very fortunate my other half came and videoed both lessons. What was interesting was that when I thought Sam was playing up or about to, you couldn't even really see anything! There was one point in canter where I was commenting out loud that I though something was about to happen and looking at the video all that was happening was that he was tensing a little more through his back! It is amazing how big things feel when you are on their backs.

My instructor commented on his movement and that she thinks the trot has improved - AWESOME!!!! I told her that I wanted to do a competition in March but she advised against it. She believes both Sam and I don't have the confidence yet. I appreciate her honesty but I am allowed to do the training day in February. So I will do a walk/trot test and possibly a Prelim test as well.

I really got cemented in my head to get him going forward first. Once forward to get him into a rhythm and then I can ask for a little more round. When I did things in this order he carried him self very well. On the Sunday we got a 20m circle, soft, round, forward and 'on the bit'! I punched the air and nearly cried I was so proud of him. I did have a few tears of joy at the end of the lesson after I had hosed him down and we were heading back to the float.

The two days were extremely hot and unfortunately both my lessons were in the hottest part of the day. Sam and I coped quite well. We were both buggered by Sunday night but it was so worth the pain!

Of course after awesome lessons Sam went and hit his back leg and gave himself a splint. He has done a good job. I will lunge him again in the morning to see if he is sound yet. I have given him a week off and he seems sound in the paddock at trot in a straight line but we will see on a circle.


As a Christmas present I was very spoilt and we found a lovely wooden saddle rack that will hold three saddles! See below, I love it. Now I just have to find matching bridle hooks.


My arena is under way as well. A friend came out with his laser level and had a look, there is a two foot drop on where I have been riding - no wonder I feel like I am riding down hill! I went in to Country Energy last week (they are the electricity suppliers) and asked them how I can go about getting the old wooden electricty poles they don't use any more. I was told there was up to a 12 month wait. So I started looking around for an alternative. Monday morning I recieved a phone call, asking for my address, they bought out 8 poles! A neighbour down the road also has 6 that they won't need so that should be very closer to being enough! It is a start and I am very excited!