Post by Chloe on Mar 27, 2010 11:05:03 GMT
I bought Dolly in November 2002. She was 2 years old, I was 17, and she was my first pony 
I'd had shares before and helped at riding schools, but never been solely responsible for a horse before.
We spent that winter doing lots of groundwork, learning together, her teaching me as much as I was teaching her. We went for lots of walks in hand and played with tack, mounting blocks, etc.
I backed her on my 18th birthday. Having spent 2 or 3 weeks setting in place a routine of leading her from her field to a specific tie up point on the yard for her dinner, on the 9th April 2003, I hopped on her bareback at the gate of the field and sat there while she walked up to her tie up point and put her head into her bucket. Taa daa, backed
We spent the next few weeks doing the same thing and gradually incorporated steering and I taught her to trot using the voice signals she learnt in the in-hand work. I then had her fitted with a saddle, did some more riding up and down the yard's driveway and round the schooling field, went on one group hack, then turned her away.
When she was rising 4, I moved her to a new yard which had quieter off road hacking and we managed to ride two or three times a week, always alone though as nobody else there rode their horses at the same times as I was able to get there
We did get to go to a show though where Dolly behaved impeccably.
When winter rolled round again, we'd never intentionally cantered under saddle as I didn't feel safe enough to try as there was generally nobody about who could deal with the consequences if it all went wrong. So I moved yards again, to a very posh place with excellent facilities. For the first time ever, we had an arena to ride in!
Unfortunately though the winter turnout routine didn't suit us at all so we left there before managing canter and moved back to the previous yard. We resumed hacking and in her fifth year, a friend I met online came to visit, bringing a friend of hers with her, and with them on foot, I finally felt confident enough to ask for canter
We had a lovely little canter down the path that's behind us in this photo:
This was the confidence burst we both needed and I managed to convince the farmer to let me school in a small field he had set aside over the summer.
It didn't last long though as he wanted his field back for the winter, but by then I'd gotten the riding bug so moved back to my original yard, who had by then installed an arena We started jumping:
For some reason, when Dolly turned 6, we hit a brick wall. We could not get canter for love nor money. When I asked, she'd buck, spin and skid to a halt. I had every physical cause checked out and we started taking lessons and got really good at walk and trot
but still couldn't get canter without a lot of frustration and fighting.
I put my name down to ride in a Kathleen Lindley clinic, and in early 2007 I got a call! Someone had pulled out and there was a space for us! I took it, and in July 2007 we headed down to Devon for a 2 day clinic.
We started on the first day looking like this
Kathleen labelled Dolly "The pony you can ride wherever she wants to go". She explained that Dolly was napping because she could. I was being hugely ineffective and constantly trying to be sympathetic and kind to her. She told me to catch her quicker, and not to let her stop. It didn't matter if we left the track, trotted faster instead of cantering, or any of the other things I'd tried not to let her do. My only objective was for her not to reach halt unless I asked her to.
She tried stopping
and I redirected the front end before sending her on, which resulted in
At the end of the first day, I wanted to unwind, so we went for a hack. There were some huge hills, so with Kathleen's advice in mind, I kicked her on and we cantered!! She was somewhere she'd never been before so her only evasion was to stop. I didn't let her and we had a super hack. I told Kathleen the following morning that I didn't care if we didn't achieve canter, I knew what we had to work towards. As it happened, we got canter. Lots and lots of canter! Some of them came off the tiniest cue of an exhale of breath
She was soooooo tired after the clinic
but our bond was stronger than ever and the following week, I took her to a show and we did our first (and so far only!) ridden class, coming 4th out of 4 in Best Turned Out.
Everthing was going great until November 2007 when she bolted from a swan out hacking and went lame. We had numerous vet visits until she was finally diagnosed in February 2008 with coffin bone collateral ligament disease and prescribed 12 weeks rest. I was advised that she would never be up to serious work again and to forget the idea of endurance riding.
In May 2008 my boyfriend and I moved to the countryside and the following month, Dolly came back into work.
We spent the summer hacking and building her up again, but then she went down with laminitis in January 2009 Back on box rest!
I brought her back into work again in March 2009 and took on a sharer to make sure she was getting enough work
I brought her in from the field on the 22nd July on 3 legs, with a huge swelling on her right hind fetlock. Cold hosing and box rest didn't bring it down so out came the vet with an ultrasound scanner to check she hadn't damaged any ligaments or tendons. They advised turnout in a small paddock and gradually bringing back into work.
Idiot horse disobeyed these orders, jumped out of the paddock and made herself 10 times worse. I took her up to the clinic where she was subjected to a full lameness workup and more scans. We had a new vet who told me straight - my horse was 70kg overweight. Her ligaments and tendons, luckily, were fine, just inflamed, mostly she reckoned, caused by her weight. She told me to bring her into work, bute her if she was sore, but to keep working her. She said there was absolutely no reason why she shouldn't do a decent day's work and said endurance would be fine if we built up to it properly
So we started work. 4 weeks walking, then 4 weeks introducing trot and eventually caner. By week 2 of introducing canter, Dolly had lost 30kg and was sound! I buted her for most of the first 2 weeks and a few days when we started trot but since then, nothing!
I've now started planning events for 2010 and am determined that the last bout of lameness was the last! Onwards and upwards
-------------------------------------
The vet came out on the 24th December 2009 to do her vaccinations and was very pleased with her weight loss so far but she still has a way to go before spring!
At this point she was weighing in at 372kg and a condition score 3.5. I want her at 350kg and a condition score 3 MAXIMUM when the spring grass comes in.
---------------------------------------
This past weekend, Dolly and I racked up 12 miles and just under 3 hours in the saddle
Rode Dolly round the 3 mile route by me Saturday morning in 40 minutes and Sunday morning we did a 9 mile ride in just over 2 hours.
The girlie is feeling very well and after 8 miles Sunday morning was still very keen so we broke off the main road and cantered the whole small bridlepath that runs parallel to the main road which she adored - little ears pricked the whole way. Got back with only the teeniest bit of sweat on her neck and girth area (she's Irish clipped) and she had her breath back within 5 minutes of returning to the yard so am thrilled to little bits with her
I weigh taped her tonight (25 Jan 2010) at her lowest weight yet - 366kg!!!
---------------------------------------
Since she injured herself during the fateful swan ride in 2007, we've not been back that way - we've done part of the ride but not the full one. Shame as other than the swan, it's a lovely hack.
This morning (31 Jan 2010) we bit the bullet and did it!! And lived!! I did get off and lead from about 50m before to about 50m after as we were both wibbly but she was angelic, bit on her toes and spooky but followed me past beautifully (probably helped that the swan wasn't there today) and then we rode home along the coast road and had a blast along a bridlepath known as the bench (couldn't jump the bench it's named after though due to steering failure - she got a bit excited when she realised how close to home we were 
)
Very, very proud of my pony today
---------------------------------------
8 Feb 2010:
I was browsing the net last night and discovered the riding centre 3 miles away is starting to hold competitions again this year after a nearly 10 year break from it! The first non-dressage one is a showjumping competition on the 28th March - we're so going!!
I've not competed in showjumping since I rode at that centre and hired their horses (over 10 years ago), and Dolly's only been to the two shows in her whole life so it should be an exciting day for both of us. I have absolute faith in her jumping ability though - she's never refused or run out in her life
---------------------------------------
13 Feb 2010
My pony knows our hacking routes better than I do!
Went on a hack we do quite regularly this morning but as we got to a right hand bend, Dolly started asking to go left. Agreed with her as I wasn't in a hurry, it was very quiet out, and she doesn't often get to investigate things out hacking. Rode down a nice path but it had a weird gate at the end - kind of like an oversized kissing gate. Turned Dolly to head back but she started to reverse into the gate, winding up facing the way we wanted to go. She very patiently let me hop off, swing the gate to release us and I got back on and let her carry on choosing the way since she obviously knew it and we popped out on a fab canter track leading back to the ride I'd originally planned. Clever pony!!
---------------------------------------
28 Feb 2010
I know I've said it 600 million times but I am so proud of my Dolly pony. We took one of the youngsters and her pony out on a hack this morning in pretty foul weather. She led beautifully, setting nice sensible paces, and when the other pony got too strong and stroppy for his little rider, we swapped ponies and Dolly took great care of her little rider, getting her home safely. Love my wonder-pone so much
---------------------------------------
6 Mar 2010
15 miles this morning - no record breaking times as we were escorting a youngster and her pony and also stopped to chat to some friends we bumped into but it was a really nice outing. Use of G-Maps Pedometer meant I found a superb route which only involved 2 main roads - everything else was country lanes, farm tracks and bridlepaths Lovely! Ponies loved it too which was nice.
---------------------------------------
14 Mar 2010
Hehe pony's fit and her halo slipped yesterday!
Took her to Blaise Castle for a blast. Had a few speedy canters and she was angelic, nice and quick but pulled up well each time, so decided on the way back to jump a few logs, canter the clearing then walk back...she had other plans, jumped the logs, stuck her head down on landing and took off in full gallop. My she's quick!!! And had total brake failure.
We shot straight through the clearing, through the gap into the big field, and almost ran into the local riding school doing a rideout (leading small children on small ponies). Luckily she saw them, swerved into a hedge and stopped. Got a telling off from the instructor, apologised profusely and walked (pranced!) past them on the way home with Dolly going, "Gallop?" "Now?" "What about now?" the whole way back. ;D
She's such a hooligan and I love her so much!
---------------------------------------
19 Mar 2010
Yippee! Put the weigh tape round Dolly tonight and she's hit her target weight of 350kg!!
---------------------------------------
21 Mar 2010
Come hacking with me and Dolly!
Took Dolly hacking this morning round one of my favourite routes and decided to try out the camera on my new phone at the same time, so now you can join us on our adventure!!
No photos of the first 10 minutes as the road through the village was weirdly busy for a Sunday morning, but we went over the motorway bridge
then onto the little side road where it all became quieter
which leads nicely onto the first canter track.
At the end we crossed the road, slipped behind some parked lorries onto the next canter track (love this one!!!)
Under the railway bridge and walking down the path alongside the railway line
Which leads to the horse sized kissing gate - the technique here is to back the horse in, swing the gate across, then they can walk out
And across the bridge hoping the ducks aren't nesting under it (they aren't at the moment which is good!)
Down the pavement alongside the main road
Look there's the Severn Bridge!
Back down the main road, over another motorway bridge and we're home!
350kg and a condition score 3 - we've done it!!!
Bonkers baby cow
---------------------------------------
27 Mar 2010
Tomorrow's the showjumping competition and I have discovered I no longer own beige jods or long black boots. Luckily it's my birthday soon so OH has offered to treat me. Just waiting for him to wake up then we're hitting the tack shop
I'd had shares before and helped at riding schools, but never been solely responsible for a horse before.We spent that winter doing lots of groundwork, learning together, her teaching me as much as I was teaching her. We went for lots of walks in hand and played with tack, mounting blocks, etc.
I backed her on my 18th birthday. Having spent 2 or 3 weeks setting in place a routine of leading her from her field to a specific tie up point on the yard for her dinner, on the 9th April 2003, I hopped on her bareback at the gate of the field and sat there while she walked up to her tie up point and put her head into her bucket. Taa daa, backed
We spent the next few weeks doing the same thing and gradually incorporated steering and I taught her to trot using the voice signals she learnt in the in-hand work. I then had her fitted with a saddle, did some more riding up and down the yard's driveway and round the schooling field, went on one group hack, then turned her away.
When she was rising 4, I moved her to a new yard which had quieter off road hacking and we managed to ride two or three times a week, always alone though as nobody else there rode their horses at the same times as I was able to get there
We did get to go to a show though where Dolly behaved impeccably.
When winter rolled round again, we'd never intentionally cantered under saddle as I didn't feel safe enough to try as there was generally nobody about who could deal with the consequences if it all went wrong. So I moved yards again, to a very posh place with excellent facilities. For the first time ever, we had an arena to ride in!
Unfortunately though the winter turnout routine didn't suit us at all so we left there before managing canter and moved back to the previous yard. We resumed hacking and in her fifth year, a friend I met online came to visit, bringing a friend of hers with her, and with them on foot, I finally felt confident enough to ask for canter
We had a lovely little canter down the path that's behind us in this photo:This was the confidence burst we both needed and I managed to convince the farmer to let me school in a small field he had set aside over the summer.
It didn't last long though as he wanted his field back for the winter, but by then I'd gotten the riding bug so moved back to my original yard, who had by then installed an arena
We started jumping:For some reason, when Dolly turned 6, we hit a brick wall. We could not get canter for love nor money. When I asked, she'd buck, spin and skid to a halt. I had every physical cause checked out and we started taking lessons and got really good at walk and trot
but still couldn't get canter without a lot of frustration and fighting.
I put my name down to ride in a Kathleen Lindley clinic, and in early 2007 I got a call! Someone had pulled out and there was a space for us! I took it, and in July 2007 we headed down to Devon for a 2 day clinic.
We started on the first day looking like this
Kathleen labelled Dolly "The pony you can ride wherever she wants to go". She explained that Dolly was napping because she could. I was being hugely ineffective and constantly trying to be sympathetic and kind to her. She told me to catch her quicker, and not to let her stop. It didn't matter if we left the track, trotted faster instead of cantering, or any of the other things I'd tried not to let her do. My only objective was for her not to reach halt unless I asked her to.
She tried stopping
and I redirected the front end before sending her on, which resulted in
At the end of the first day, I wanted to unwind, so we went for a hack. There were some huge hills, so with Kathleen's advice in mind, I kicked her on and we cantered!! She was somewhere she'd never been before so her only evasion was to stop. I didn't let her and we had a super hack. I told Kathleen the following morning that I didn't care if we didn't achieve canter, I knew what we had to work towards. As it happened, we got canter. Lots and lots of canter! Some of them came off the tiniest cue of an exhale of breath
She was soooooo tired after the clinic
but our bond was stronger than ever and the following week, I took her to a show and we did our first (and so far only!) ridden class, coming 4th out of 4 in Best Turned Out.
Everthing was going great until November 2007 when she bolted from a swan out hacking and went lame. We had numerous vet visits until she was finally diagnosed in February 2008 with coffin bone collateral ligament disease and prescribed 12 weeks rest. I was advised that she would never be up to serious work again and to forget the idea of endurance riding.
In May 2008 my boyfriend and I moved to the countryside and the following month, Dolly came back into work.
We spent the summer hacking and building her up again, but then she went down with laminitis in January 2009
Back on box rest!I brought her back into work again in March 2009 and took on a sharer to make sure she was getting enough work
I brought her in from the field on the 22nd July on 3 legs, with a huge swelling on her right hind fetlock. Cold hosing and box rest didn't bring it down so out came the vet with an ultrasound scanner to check she hadn't damaged any ligaments or tendons. They advised turnout in a small paddock and gradually bringing back into work.
Idiot horse disobeyed these orders, jumped out of the paddock and made herself 10 times worse. I took her up to the clinic where she was subjected to a full lameness workup and more scans. We had a new vet who told me straight - my horse was 70kg overweight. Her ligaments and tendons, luckily, were fine, just inflamed, mostly she reckoned, caused by her weight. She told me to bring her into work, bute her if she was sore, but to keep working her. She said there was absolutely no reason why she shouldn't do a decent day's work and said endurance would be fine if we built up to it properly
So we started work. 4 weeks walking, then 4 weeks introducing trot and eventually caner. By week 2 of introducing canter, Dolly had lost 30kg and was sound! I buted her for most of the first 2 weeks and a few days when we started trot but since then, nothing!
I've now started planning events for 2010 and am determined that the last bout of lameness was the last! Onwards and upwards
-------------------------------------
The vet came out on the 24th December 2009 to do her vaccinations and was very pleased with her weight loss so far but she still has a way to go before spring!
At this point she was weighing in at 372kg and a condition score 3.5. I want her at 350kg and a condition score 3 MAXIMUM when the spring grass comes in.
---------------------------------------
This past weekend, Dolly and I racked up 12 miles and just under 3 hours in the saddle
Rode Dolly round the 3 mile route by me Saturday morning in 40 minutes and Sunday morning we did a 9 mile ride in just over 2 hours.
The girlie is feeling very well and after 8 miles Sunday morning was still very keen so we broke off the main road and cantered the whole small bridlepath that runs parallel to the main road which she adored - little ears pricked the whole way. Got back with only the teeniest bit of sweat on her neck and girth area (she's Irish clipped) and she had her breath back within 5 minutes of returning to the yard so am thrilled to little bits with her
I weigh taped her tonight (25 Jan 2010) at her lowest weight yet - 366kg!!!
---------------------------------------
Since she injured herself during the fateful swan ride in 2007, we've not been back that way - we've done part of the ride but not the full one. Shame as other than the swan, it's a lovely hack.
This morning (31 Jan 2010) we bit the bullet and did it!! And lived!!
I did get off and lead from about 50m before to about 50m after as we were both wibbly but she was angelic, bit on her toes and spooky but followed me past beautifully (probably helped that the swan wasn't there today) and then we rode home along the coast road and had a blast along a bridlepath known as the bench (couldn't jump the bench it's named after though due to steering failure - she got a bit excited when she realised how close to home we were 
)Very, very proud of my pony today
---------------------------------------
8 Feb 2010:
I was browsing the net last night and discovered the riding centre 3 miles away is starting to hold competitions again this year after a nearly 10 year break from it! The first non-dressage one is a showjumping competition on the 28th March - we're so going!!
I've not competed in showjumping since I rode at that centre and hired their horses (over 10 years ago), and Dolly's only been to the two shows in her whole life so it should be an exciting day for both of us. I have absolute faith in her jumping ability though - she's never refused or run out in her life
---------------------------------------
13 Feb 2010
My pony knows our hacking routes better than I do!
Went on a hack we do quite regularly this morning but as we got to a right hand bend, Dolly started asking to go left. Agreed with her as I wasn't in a hurry, it was very quiet out, and she doesn't often get to investigate things out hacking. Rode down a nice path but it had a weird gate at the end - kind of like an oversized kissing gate. Turned Dolly to head back but she started to reverse into the gate, winding up facing the way we wanted to go. She very patiently let me hop off, swing the gate to release us and I got back on and let her carry on choosing the way since she obviously knew it and we popped out on a fab canter track leading back to the ride I'd originally planned. Clever pony!!
---------------------------------------
28 Feb 2010
I know I've said it 600 million times but I am so proud of my Dolly pony. We took one of the youngsters and her pony out on a hack this morning in pretty foul weather. She led beautifully, setting nice sensible paces, and when the other pony got too strong and stroppy for his little rider, we swapped ponies and Dolly took great care of her little rider, getting her home safely. Love my wonder-pone so much
---------------------------------------
6 Mar 2010
15 miles this morning - no record breaking times as we were escorting a youngster and her pony and also stopped to chat to some friends we bumped into but it was a really nice outing. Use of G-Maps Pedometer meant I found a superb route which only involved 2 main roads - everything else was country lanes, farm tracks and bridlepaths
Lovely! Ponies loved it too which was nice. ---------------------------------------
14 Mar 2010
Hehe pony's fit and her halo slipped yesterday!
Took her to Blaise Castle for a blast. Had a few speedy canters and she was angelic, nice and quick but pulled up well each time, so decided on the way back to jump a few logs, canter the clearing then walk back...she had other plans, jumped the logs, stuck her head down on landing and took off in full gallop. My she's quick!!! And had total brake failure.
We shot straight through the clearing, through the gap into the big field, and almost ran into the local riding school doing a rideout (leading small children on small ponies). Luckily she saw them, swerved into a hedge and stopped. Got a telling off from the instructor, apologised profusely and walked (pranced!) past them on the way home with Dolly going, "Gallop?" "Now?" "What about now?" the whole way back. ;D
She's such a hooligan and I love her so much!
---------------------------------------
19 Mar 2010
Yippee! Put the weigh tape round Dolly tonight and she's hit her target weight of 350kg!!
---------------------------------------
21 Mar 2010
Come hacking with me and Dolly!
Took Dolly hacking this morning round one of my favourite routes and decided to try out the camera on my new phone at the same time, so now you can join us on our adventure!!
No photos of the first 10 minutes as the road through the village was weirdly busy for a Sunday morning, but we went over the motorway bridge
then onto the little side road where it all became quieter
which leads nicely onto the first canter track.
At the end we crossed the road, slipped behind some parked lorries onto the next canter track (love this one!!!
)Under the railway bridge and walking down the path alongside the railway line
Which leads to the horse sized kissing gate - the technique here is to back the horse in, swing the gate across, then they can walk out
And across the bridge hoping the ducks aren't nesting under it (they aren't at the moment which is good!)
Down the pavement alongside the main road
Look there's the Severn Bridge!
Back down the main road, over another motorway bridge and we're home!
350kg and a condition score 3 - we've done it!!!
Bonkers baby cow
---------------------------------------
27 Mar 2010
Tomorrow's the showjumping competition and I have discovered I no longer own beige jods or long black boots. Luckily it's my birthday soon so OH has offered to treat me. Just waiting for him to wake up then we're hitting the tack shop
, tacked Dolly up and we went on our first ever pub ride!!