Mine And Ambers Training Journal :)

[twinkle11]

Little bit about myself
My name is kelly im 20 years old and i have been riding for about six years i love horses you could say im horse crazy my favourate breed is the friesian horse which i am very lucky to have.I have 2 horses which i ove to peices.

About my horses
i have a 12.2 hackney pony named Twinkle who is 17 years old i am just bringing her back ino driving. i have had her in my family since she was born will find some baby pics and show you some.she is so cheeky and a little ascape artist who i love to peices.

and i have a 6 year old Friesian mare named Amber
 i got her when she was 2 and half from holland

 and had her backed when she was three and half and started to ride her when she was about four she then had and accident in the field and slipped over and pulled a few major muscles in her groin area and was on box rest for just under a year so that takes me to when she was five and i started having my lessons on her and and riding her mostly on fun hacks and some schooling to find a true bond and build up our trust.

 i would like to do dressage on her and some jumping nothing major just for fun at home have poped her over a few and she has a massive jump but supposibly the beed inst ment to be good for jumping because of the way they are built so i dont do it that often i would love to do a bit more schooling on her but our menage is really bad out or stables so its only worth going in it when it been rolled because she finds it really hard to canter in there it only gets rolled once a week so just go in ther twice a week once for my leson and to practise on my own.so doing alot of schooling in the field.was doing big canter circles out yesturday and she fell over and slipped so we both ended up on the floor rather saken by it but got back on and rode back up the field and she was fine i have a sore neck checked her over and she seems to be fine bless her i fel really bad :( .

i have taken her out five times in the last year first outing was a fun cross country ride which was really fun and she loved it and she was so well behaved


i then took her to a walk and trot dressage show and it was in an indoor school and she had never been in one so it was a big day for her full of new surprises but yet agian was really good but just a bit scared when we was doing our test but thats exsactly what i expected.


i then took her to another ride and like the first one she was really good and she loved it.
I then took her the the Friesian horse Kuering in yorkshire we had a four hour jourey really early start so she was so tired when we got there bless her little cotton socks and we came home being put in the sudbook which i was very pleased with.

I then took her to have a lesson with my instructer to an indoor school with a really nice surface and what a diffrence a surface makes she was so good to ride and she tried so hard for me deffently going to go back agian when i get my on horse box which soon be soon i hope then i should be able to get her out and about a bit more cant wait.
 have another dressage test in december going to do the walk and trot but no sure about a prelim yet really want to but scared we are going to really muck up!

i really need to improve my position as it isnt great need to put legs back and bend elbows a bit more and nedd to rise a little less higher but with ambers big big friesian trot is near anoth impossible.  :blush:

thanks for listen to our little life story any comments or critque to help would be great      

[twinkle11]

forgot to add friesian keuring pics





hope you enjoy

Sorry there so big dont no how to make them smaller :unsure:  

[bertie_m]

Another stunning friesan to drool over

I wish you all success in your new adventure

I guess (from reading Epona's and Shoveltrash's diaries) that the friesan trot is really BIG, so best of luck with that.

Pictures are mandatory :P

[twinkle11]

Another stunning friesan to drool over

I wish you all success in your new adventure

I guess (from reading Epona's and Shoveltrash's diaries) that the friesan trot is really BIG, so best of luck with that.

 

thanks bertie

its not that there massive trots its just they kinda do two trots one relaxed and easy to rise to and the one thats really tense and springy and really forward  :blink: and it just frows you of balance. really hard to explain

(im sure epona and shoveltrash no what im trying to explain)

[epona]

its not that there massive trots its just they kinda do two trots one relaxed and easy to rise to and the one thats really tense and springy and really forward  and it just frows you of balance. really hard to explain
 im sure epona and shoveltrash no what im trying to explain)

BOY!  Do I ever!!  You are right with the 'two' trots!  With the *nice* trot I can feel somewhere near competent but the 'friesian' trot as I call it shows up your incompetences and lack of balance :ouch:  Very frustrating I know!

I am soooo glad you are keeping a diary on here  I am really looking forward to hearing about your progress and am sure we will be able to help each other out a great deal

BTW - for anyone who doesnt know - Amber is Antsje's half sister   They both have the same dad - Rypke, How freaky is that??? :lol:

 

[shoveltrash]

i didn't know that Amber & Antsje were half sisters!  how COOL  

so happy to see you starting a training journal!!!!  if for no other reason, it helps ME to *remember things* that i need to work on, plus you can go back & check on your progress   .  i enjoy reading other people's journals, as i always seem to pick up useful stuff for myself  

Amber's keuring photos are stunning!  too bad she was tired though, poor thing.

GO FRIESIANS!!!!!!!!!!
 

(ditto Vicky's comments on the 'two trots'   )

[twinkle11]

It so freaky that they have the same dad they look so simlar in the flesh its untrue but yet so diffrent if you no what i mean.

i have learnt so much from both your training journals thats why i thought it would be a good idea to add mine  

Vicky when you said to me about antsje being so clumsy was walking amber out to the field yesturday and triped and fell flat on her face talk about having the clumsiest week of her life shes so dippy sometime

riding tonight so will let you no how i get on!

 

[twinkle11]

Took amber out for a hack tonight havent ridin for 2 days as been very busy trying to get christmas shopping over and done with its driving me mad :blink:.

she was really on her toes tonight it was geting a bit dark so that made her a bit worse.only took her round one of the fileds near me very big and as we got to the bottom a little kid on a mini moto (little motorbike VERY loud)scared the c**p out of her so after that she was on a mission to get home as quick as she could i tryed so hard to keep her in walk had to keep circling in canter (ambers choice of speed by the way)to get her to slow down then took her in the little field next to our menage so got the floodlight as well and schooled her a bit she was really good had carmed down alot after that motorbike and she is finally getting the idea of rein back and leg yeild and and only started teaching her rein back last week she is so good at picking up things (sometimes) :blink: there is one thing that she and me cant really get the hang of though thats a free walk on a long rein i mean i let my reins down and she grabs them and slows right down as if we are a big snail and starts walking wiggly any suggestions on how to solve this would be great?

Have just entered a christmas fun 12 mile ride on the 3rd december and you have got to dress christmasy theres 5 of us going cant wait really excited!

     

[toni]

What an absolute dreamboat of a horse you've got there!!

Wow!

Look forward to reading your journal and hearing about your adventures together - the Christmas ride sounds great fun!!    

[epona]

With the free walk, Antsje can be a bit snatchy at the reins too :(   The best thing I have found is to get a really active walk and ask her to really soften and work 'through' and step under with her back end.  Then I very slowly let her take the reins through my hand while at the same time keeping your leg on for forward movement. If she begins to snatch and / or slow I get the nice active walk in a soft contact and try all over again!  I *try* and come out of the free walk before it disentegrates so we always get some good free walk strides.  You have to be quick at this - more forward thinking than the horse  and sometimes you may only get a few decent strides.  In my exeperience though Quality is better than Quantity and once you can set the good work up then the quantity will follow.  Far more difficult tocorrect t'other way round <_<

Obviously this can take a bit of time and therefore not ideal in test conditions but great for practice at home, and like you say Kate, they pick it up quick - so its best to get it right first time!  My biggest worr is inadvertantly teaching bad habits :blush:

Fun Ride sounds like a blast!!!  You must get some piccies  :lol:  :lol:  

[twinkle11]

Thanks toni

Epona will defenaltly give that a try never really thought of doing it that way sounds good they seem to be very simular in the way they ride
i was watching your video of antsje when you was explaining when she puts her head down and hollows and it was like watching amber ahe does the same

looking forward to the ride and will defenatly get some pictures (lots)

going out on the roads today will have to see how she gets on with that.Been out a handful of times and she is getting better she had a bit of a moment last time someone got right up her bum and she span around bloady drivers sometimes


I have just changed her food from cool mix and afla-a lite to Top Spec feed balancer and alfa-a lite and the diffrence in energy and willingness to work is unbelieveable she is just so much more forward when riding but when on the ground nothing has changed still friendly carm little Amber (well BIG Amber)
it ment to improve muslce tone to only been on it a week so not much change yet.

Just booked my lesson for friday will let you no how it goes  

[twinkle11]

Just had my lesson in the pouring down rain  felt really horrible to poor amber we were both soaked through by the end of it and we finished early as rain really started to come down :(  we were working on leg yeild and in out on circles she has really taken to it and only introduced it to her a little while ago.
as for the canter work she is normally quiet bad on the right rein (cantering at the front but still troting behind so really have to push her to use her bum)but today she swaped was really really good uphill forward canter on the bad rein i had to pinch myself to see if i were dreaming  :P but on the other side the good side wasnt really that uphill forward canter that i normally get really had to push her whats going on  :unsure: so if anyone can suggest how to make canter better in any way would be great!


got the back lady coming out on sunday for the both of them (well sports massage)
twinks really sore behind and just a check up for amber in good timing really seeing as amber fell over last week can see if she has damaged herself altough she seems fine

[epona]

Maybe she is a bt stiff from the fall?  What side did she fall on?  Maybe she is just trying something new! :P  :lol:
With Antsje I am just mainly concentrating on cantering out on hacks and just getting her really forward and having a blast!  I really want to improve her confidence in canter and hopefully if she enjoys 'no pressure' canters it will help when we come to school it more   Hope both horsies enjoy thier massage - lucky things  

[twinkle11]

yeah wish i was having a massage  

yeah i mean i proberly school two three times a week and the rest is hacking and when im out i try to canter as much as i can (not bombing it around may i ad) and i must say it has improved her canter but i suppose this kind of thing all takes time and im just so in patiencent and a bit of a perfectionist like yourself  :P  

[epona]

im just so in patiencent and a bit of a perfectionist like yourself

 :lol:  :lol:   it must be a trait of a Friesian Owner!  We all seem to be like it :blush:
I think Friesians do take there time in maturing but on a postive once they 'get' something, rarely do they forget it