Just a little moment

After wasting the morning at the docs yesterday, I didn't have chance to do the horses, and as we needed some stuff for our newly emerging wet room I spent the rest of the day shopping.
It was great weather for riding this morning, slightly overcast, warm, but fresh. I took Remy up to the school, starting with a little in-hand to relax him - small circles, relaxed through his neck with good even bend, rein-back, giravolta, followed by a short ridden session.
I'm pleased with the improvement on the right rein. Today he was offering a nice flexion inside at halt and yielding to my inside leg  on the transition to walk, holding the balance on the outside shoulder and not falling out on the circle. He gave me some nice fluid changes of bend in the figure of eights and nice leg yeild on the left rein. On a large circle (20m) left, he felt nicely balanced, so I asked for trot and he offered it immediately with no tension and good rhythm. I was so happy, but not wanting to spoil the moment, and wanting to ask for the transition back to walk before he started to lose balance, I trotted half the 20m circle and then asked. He gave me a smooth transition, in balance. For our first trot in the school I think it was pretty successful. Just a little moment, but a moment to remember.
Again, Jim brought Bonbon up to the school as I was finishing my session with Remy. He said that she came up quite excitedly, but not silly. When she came into the school they both remained calm and she settled to work as Jim took Remy back to the yard. What a star! I worked her as normal, a very short lunge/in-hand session and then halting at the mounting step where I leant over her back. She was a good girl.

One out, one in

It's been another hot day, the kind that saps your energy. We've put Cindy back with the other hens and she went straight into the nesting box and laid an egg! She's happy to be back. The chicks are fine without her and they've been pecking around their new home and lounging around having dirt baths.
We tried a little experiment this morning with the horses. I went up to the school with Remy, a short lunge session followed by a short ridden session. I was chuffed, the right rein was better again today and we got some nice figure of eights with good changes of bend. A few steps of giravolta on the left rein and nice balanced circle with good bend on the right rein. I gave him a break, walking on a long rein, it needed to be more active so I gave him a small squeeze with my legs and he popped into trot. Not an evasion I don't think, just offering me what he thought I wanted. A good session.
While I was in the school, Jim had been getting Bonbon ready and we'd decided he should walk her up to the school, I could then work her while he brought Remy back to the yard. We thought that they'd handle it ok, but you never know, especially with a little madam like Bonbon.
Remy was quite surprised to see her coming up the field and she was very excited to see him in the school. She started dancing at the gate and when Jim brought her in she turned her back-end on Remy and kicked out at him. He was pretty cool about it all and we swapped over with no problems. She acted up a little as he went back, but settled pretty quickly and I worked her as normal.  I'm hoping they cope just as well the next time as it'll make working them both a little easier.

Hot hot hot!!

As you've guessed it's been HOT today. I rode Remy earlier than usual but it was still too hot, so a very short session. Pleased though, the rein-back is becoming more fluid and the right rein was a little better today. Some nice consistent bend and softness on the left rein.

Jilly has hatched 5 chicks, she seems to have left the remaining eggs, so I think she's decided that's her lot. We've moved Cindy and her babies out of the nursery into their own little pen where they can stay until they're big enough to go with the others. Cindy has had enough of them now, so I think that she can go back in with the others tomorrow.  Jim has made them a little house.

Another broody hen.......with babies

I had two good sessions this morning.
With Remy, I rode him up to the school through the field, a first. Jim walked on ahead, and after a few seconds of hesitation, I think while he was trying to figure out why I wasn't leading him as usual, he went no problem.
He was more focussed today with good bending to the left, some nice halt/reinback/ walk-on transtions and a little shoulder-in work down the long side. He's more reluctant to flex to the right, but again, it became easier today throughout the session. I practiced rein-back/walk on on the right rein, asking for a small flexion inside as I asked him to walk on which seemed to help. I finished by riding him along the lane home and having a little trot.

Bonbon's in-season at the moment and is a little sucky, she was a sweetheart today in the school. A short lungeing session moving her around the school, first at walk getting her to relax with a good, active walk and then asking for the trot transition. She's pretty relaxed in the trot, finding good balance, but I really hope she comes up more in the wither as sometimes I'm not quite sure she knows what to do with her extremely tall back legs. Between changes of rein, we worked a little on moving her quarters and shoulders and she seems to understand exactly what I'm asking for.
We finished with me laying over her back and she was really chilled about it.

Jilly hen, who has been sitting on about a dozen eggs for the last few weeks, hatched the first two today so we've moved her into the nursery with Cindy hen and her 7 babies who are now a month old. Hopefully they'll be going into their own little nursery pen at the weekend, leaving Jilly in peace.
Why are we doing this exactly? I'm not cut out for it, because I can't contemplate eating them. I can't believe the joy I feel watching them grow and develop into little personalities.
HELP.  Good homes wanted for good layers, hmmm, beautiful fresh eggs!!  Anyone?

Back....

..to normal.
It felt strange this morning seeing the empty gite, expecting to see mum and dad sitting on the terrace with a cuppa.
I took Remy up to the school. Understandably after his layoff, he was a little distracted. I walked him around in hand to loosen him up and relax him a little and then got on.
It felt good, but frighteningly it felt like I hadn't sat on a horse for years rather than 3 weeks!! I stayed at halt for a few minutes asking for flexions to both sides- pretty easy to the left, not so much to the right, but it came better during the session. Then moving on to walk/halt transitions, slow and easy trying to keep his attention, halting, waiting, then asking again if we lost the softness in the hand until he started to listen.
A short, simple session. Good to be getting going again.
Jim seemed to think that he looked taller, I'm not sure, can a horse grow in 3 weeks? Don't know.

Success and departures

We've had a good week with my mum and dad. The weather's been ok, we've had some good times with friends and the gite was a complete success.
They're going home today and we're just hanging around now before we go to the airport.
I want them to stay, I always do, but, of course, they have their own busy lives to get back to.
Things will get back to normal, which is ok, and I am looking forward to getting going again with the horses after our couple of weeks off.

Chez Marlene

It's been a while as we've been finishing renovating a small appartment for my mum and dad.
We finally finished it over the weekend - just as well as my parents arrived on monday for a ten day stay.
It's been a bit of a trial with one thing or another, but we're happy with the result.
The horses are going to have another week off, but I'm missing them and really looking forward to getting going again next week.

2 good lungeing sessions today.
Remy was forward and relaxed and we worked at walk and trot with lots of transitions. The trot work is becoming more relaxed now and I think it won't be too long before we can start working on the canter.
Bonbon was brilliant, attentive and relaxed, gave me good trot transitions and stayed really calm.