Currently feel like I'm on cloud 9. I had entered Rory into the Olympia qualifier at countryside live for a bit of experience and to give him a last showing run out for the year. To say he went over and beyond my expectations is an understatement.
Got there and it was quite windy so decided to leave the ramp up and undo partions so I could get ready in the wagon. Rory had calmed down after a major strop setting off and me finding him with no headcollar and the partion partially undone when we arrived. Got ready and went to warm up. I'd usually only do a single canter on each rein to warm up to prevent his head from blowing and him throwing all slower paces out of the window as they aren't as fun but my instructor had said lots of transitions so deep breath and gave him a rather long warm up with him offering wrong legs and flying changes at first until he decided to put a slightly more sensible head on. Bit of a wait whilst judges had a break but just kept him walking and awake. I made the decision to take him into the ring as lead pony and I'm glad I did as he behaved and walked round alert. Group go round was ok bit of overtaking going on which I don't really like but I just blocked that out. Lined up in any order and managed to get into the ride group first rather than confirmation. He went out in front of the judge and just switched on. Did try and preempt me a tad on second canter but I said no and make him wait until I was ready to go got to the top of the longside and just let him go for it. That pony can certainly gallop, did briefly question my brakes at the end but he pulled up and stood nicely. Quick tack off and then confirmation time he was stood like a bit of a lemon at first but straightened up after a quick poke :-p nice trot back and back into line to retack up. Short wait then the started calling numbers, it got to fifth place and they called 151- Drat I thought I must have the wrong number on but nope my name and Rory's followed so a rather stunned rider remembered to ask Rory to walk forward! I am so proud of him it was a very strong class that I wouldn't have been ashamed to come last in so to place was just amazing.

We seem to be rapidly decending into the depths of winter. Ponies are now coming in caked in mud, Rory has been clipped and by the end of Em lesson tonight it was getting past the dusk stage into dark. Boys have got a large hay bale in their paddock now as there is barely any grass for them and it's starting to churn up.
Rory got to have a lesson today and after a rather norty tacking up session where he broke Em's grooming box slamming it to the floor as I told him no to eating the leg paste tub I think he realised I was rather a tad cross and knuckled down to do some nice work. I must remember not to throw my weight forward when asking for canter and to trust my legs and that he will go forwards.
Pait had a quick lunge and her plaits redone but other than that got to have a lazy day.
Countryside live on sunday got to think how on earth I can get the pony clean and keep him that way. Least it's Rory not Pait but it does mean that Rory will have to go in Pait's stable sat night and she will be left out which I can see going down like a lead balloon especially as Duke cries when I just take Rory out hacking.

Opps wrote this on Monday an forgot to post. Well a really good day on Sunday with the ponies. Em and I had booked lessons with Nic Eminson as part of a Yorkshire DPS day. I’d decided to take Rory and had told Em that if she wanted Pait to  go she was riding as I was not riding 2. First up was Rory I had decided to do the lesson in his show Pelham and was trialling his new/old show bridle which is part old sabre and part new made-to –measure noseband so nowt like diving in at the deep end.

The last time Rory had a lesson with Nic is when was a just backed, wired up 5 year old so the difference in him pics wise is amazing. Nic really worked both of us hard and got Rory really powering from behind and using himself. I was riding with a lot shorter and slightly stronger contact than usual (I am very guilty of just letting Rory have his head to avoid a tense battle) he did some absolutely fab work and the difference in his way of going from the start to the end of the lesson was phenomenal.

Next up was Madame P-pot who had been put back onto the wagon by Auntie Em for being a tad impatient. Quick saddle swop as she and Rory share although if she keeps bulking that won’t be for long. I only saw bits of Em’s lesson as I kept going back to check on Rory but again Nic really worked them hard and taught Em a few new tools to stop a few of Pait’s blocking evasions and help with riding a green pony.

Pait was rather wet and glad for a sponge off at the end of her session and stood with Rory at the side of the wagon until she got bored at which point her and Rory both got shoved back on the wagon where they stood good as gold whilst Em and I watched a few more lessons and had a good natter with people.

Little bit of a catchup. Rory seems to have now become my lesson pony after I decided that I was to knackered to convince Pait that forwards is fun. So decided that he may be a nutter but these days he's a sound one so Id try schooling him again and hope he stood up to it. Well you could knock me down with a feather as he's taken to it like a duck to water. Have to be careful not to blow his brain if he starts getting into a tizz about not understanding but he has been trying his heart out and is actually going quite nicely. Started him with lateral work and nearly got shoulder in as well as lots of transitions to strengthen the hind end but the difference in him not only physically but mentally to when I last did schooling work a year ago is amazing. At 8 he's starting to come into his own.
Madame P-pot has had some solo hacking and lunging work as well as been introduced to stubble fields which she is learning are fun to canter on. Still trying to install the forwards button in her before we do any serious schooling but she is coming along and I have to remember tht she's only 5 so plenty of time to mature yet. Speaking of maturing she currently weighttapes at 480 and stands at 14.2 and a half hh. 0.0 This is compared to Rory who at 14.1hh weigh tapes at 370 but he is a lot lighter build and I do struggle to keep his weight on. That being said Pait certainly doesnt need any more weight on her at the mo.
Sunday I got the cart back out with mum as foot solider and went through the village and back. Ditched mum on the way home as I wanted a trot and she wouldn't get in the cart. :-p need to do some more longreining and really enforce the standing though as was a tad impatient at times.

Sometimes you just need a pony day. Took Rory out for a decent fast hack did a lot of canter and transition work. Trying to crack the current habit of wrong legging that I've given him with my weight and balance being off. Trouble is too many transitions blow his brain cell but he was pretty good at keeping calm today. Coming home along the last field he asked to extend and of course I obliged him. I did think he wouldn't have much petrol left in the tank as we'd done a lot of canter work by then and he was rather sweaty but the extension still managed to sneak up into a bit of a gallop. He pulled up and sauntered home on a long rein. He does know how to put a smile on my face.
Did blot the copy book on standing in the yard though as he stole a mouthful of Tally's feed then tried to use me as a rubbing post- both of which are big no-nos in my book.

I really really <3 my pony at times. Got to the yard and Rory and Duke were both laid down asleep. Snuck over and Duke spotted me and got up but Rory was spark out and when I did get to him he just woke up and watched me so we had lots of laid down cuddles with Duke standing over both of us. He got up to follow as I left and pulled the most amusing faces whilst yawning. Moved both boys back to their field and have got them a round bale of hay. Duke had a minor reminder that he doesnt pull when being led especially as I had him and Rory in the same hand whilst doing an electric gate with a knacked shoulder.
Had a lesson with L this evening and given how bad the shoulder has been and that Pait can be hard work to say the least I opted for Rory who hates rein contact so I knew wouldn't pull or lean on me, :-p
Bless him he got straight down to work really relaxing and using himself. Did lots of lateral work to get him using himself now the hocks are decent and he tried his little heart out even nearly managing a shoulder-in when doing flexion work. I really have to get stuck into schooling now hes not as crocked just need to remember to do lots of hacking between sessions and restart using his massage pad which I have fallen out of the habit of using.

Lovely day with  the ponies. Rode Rory out round the fields for an hour and to say that he did nearly all of it in trot and canter he still came bounding back into the yard like I hadn't even worked him yet! Remembered to change bit out of the snaffle so my arms weren't pulled out of their sockets but I put him in a wilkie rather than his other myler which M has "borrowed" and he was not happy about it so I had to keep almost completely off his head in the slower work which lead to a rather high head carriage at times.
Got back and M had arrived at the yard she asked if I was riding Pait but my knee is rather sore at the moment and I didn't feel like another ride so madame P-pot got out of work. Suggested I'd help her with Duke instead so we tried my albion saddle on and its ok with a thick pad as the girth is a tad lng otherwise and took him into the school. M spent a bit stood on the mounting block leaning over and applying weight whilst I held him then she bit the bullet and got on. (So far he's had me sat on once bareback in the large stable whilst M held) Did a few laps of the school including a change of rein whilst I lead him and he was brilliant needs a change of bit and a lot of long reining to introduce steering and breaks as the next step. While we were doing this another livery came into the school and was riding round while Duke showed he truly wasnt bothered!