May to July

Fed up with my bad back!

So, today is day three I’ve been laid up with a bad back again and I’m not a very good patient. The medical system here is more complicated than back in England and the specialist I wanted to see doesn’t take my insurance. My back was much improved by then, so I didn’t prioritise sorting this as I should have and now I’m back where I was 3 months ago. Lesson learned!

I can’t believe we’re already in July! Only 2 weeks until Joshua and Chloe arrive and I’m so excited!!!!

Wrong turn Ranch

I have been busy at Angi and Seth’s working with just a few of the horses that Angi either owns, boards or has in for training. I thought I’d give you a little bit of info on some of the horses I get to work with....

Freddie

Freddie is a 15h chestnut mustang gelding. He has such a great personality and loves to try new things and go on adventures! He also has really lovely rhythm, elevated paces for a mustang with good hind leg action, loves to jump and a great stop! He’s such an amazing all-rounder we’re really keen to find him his forever home but he needs a rider who is confident as he’s still green. I love this little red head!

Alchemy

Is also a mustang mare with a very unusual colour. I’m so pleased she has found her forever home and that I was able to work with her with parts of her training including riding English, learning to accept the bit and going out on trail.

Storm

Storm is only 3 and is a bay mustang mare. She’s super smart and learns things so quickly it’s crazy! She’s also really laid back! The perfect combination. She’s still too young to do lots of ridden worked but she’s fully backed and ready to find a person of her own.

Glenda

Glenda is with Angi for training. She’s clearly had issues in her past and her current owner has enlisted Angi’s help to work through some of these issue. She can be grouchy, sensitive and is very attached to her friends but she’s slowly becoming much more confident. She’s also helped me with becoming more confident riding bareback after I fell off Arianna bareback last year.

Jack

Jack is a male burro rescued by Angi and Rafe. He was far less confident than his sister Jill when he arrived and I’ve been doing some ground work with him and especially working on preparing him for the farrier so he doesn’t kick out.

 

Stella

Stella belongs to Karen Perry. She’s only young at 5 years old but she’s so mature for her age and she loves to work. She will stand at the gate all day waiting to be picked! This mare will do anything for attention! She loves people and going on adventures.

Yaya

Yaya is Angi’s Friesian mare. She has only a handful of rides on her from last year when I started working with her. She has also hugely helped my confidence bareback and there’s something really special about her. I’m hoping that we could may be able to go on to do some dressage together.

Gia

Gia is Seth’s Arab cross mare. Seth has done endurance with her but has let me jump her on a few occasions and now were starting to train for the cowboy challenge at Ventura county fair next month together. I feel very honoured to ride Gia as I know how precious she is to Seth. Gia and I get on really well together.

Progress with Arianna

Arianna is also making great progress. We took her on her first adventure to the beach and she made me so proud. We played in the surf, we rode in the dunes and we had our first canter! We also did our first jump together!

 

I also started riding Arianna in the English saddle as this is what I will ride her in primarily and we haven’t looked back! She makes me so so proud and I’ll probably be ready to bring her back nearer to Los Angeles by the end of the summer so I can spend more than just a couple of days a week with her.

Sagebrook

Sagebrook Farms is also going well and were hoping to do a 6 week “introduction to dressage” course in the autumn for some of the clients which I’m really excited about.

Julie also has a new horse called ‘Steve’ who I’ve fallen in love with! He’s a BFG at over 17h but something about him resonates with me and I’ve been able to ride him a few times.

Life in the Marina

We’ve also moved apartments and are feeling settled now everything is unpacked and somewhat organised. The cats like it too and I’ve started taking them out for short walks on their harnesses which is much easier now were on the ground floor.  4^th July was pretty cool as they have a huge firework display across the Marina ay and we only had to walk outside to watch it! Amazing!!!

 

February to April 2017

So, once again, I'm starting my blog by apologising that it's been so long since my last post!
Time just keeps getting away from me recently and before you know it, months have past!

Let me pick up where I last left off....

Wrong Turn Ranch
Working at Angi and Seth's ranch in Santa nez has been going great! I love the variety everyday brings from starting young horses, groundwork, obstacles and riding to veterinary care, fence building, painting, moving cows and more!!!!

One weekend, David and I looked after the ranch oursleves whilst Angi and Seth went on a beach adventure with some of the horses. We drove up to meet them on the sunday and David and I rode with them to the beach! It was awesome! 

Arianna
Arianna is progressing slowly, but very well. She's very rarely afraid any more and her more confident, dominant and extrovert true nature is coming out more and more! She has lots of movement and is very athletic. I have started riding her also now. The first time I rode her, just at a walk, I was so overwhelmed with joy I couldn't help but cry tears of happiness after. I just love this little mare so much and we have such an amazing bond already.

First ride...

Arianna however, being a thoroughbred, does not have the best feet. They are small and flat and after all the muddy winter weather the ground quickly turned back to rock and she was very sore. Pete the farrier recommended front shoes so after a bit of work to prepare her for shoeing.... she has grown up shoes now! She was so perfectly behaved throughout and I was incredibly proud of her! 

Cats!!!!!
We also have laid down more roots here by adopting two cats! Tony (aka Tony Stark) and Pepper (Pepper Potts) are brother and sister from a rescue near Los Feliz. They are such different characters and do the most hilarious things although Tony has a bad habit of ripping up the carpet and Pepper demands cuddles and belly rubs in the middle of the night! Love them so much x

Easter Trip
At Easter I returned back to England to spend time with Joshua. We had a couple of days in Buckinghamshire, before flying on to France.  Whilst we were in France I enjoyed having the time to do lots of cooking and we all ate very well. 

We also had a trip to Spain for Paella lunch, and Josh and I went to "cite l'espace" which is a big space museum near Toulouse.

Starting Peroni
It was also lovely to spend some time with my baby horse Peroni,although not so baby now as he's meausring 15.1 hands and his 3rd birthday isn't until next month. His Mum was only about 15.1 and his Sire is around 15.2 so it looks like Peroni is going to be bigger than both his parents! We started the beginnings of the backing process with the aim of giving him some positive experiences which will give him confience when we come back to this later in the year.

We practised teaching him to position and stand at the mounting block (very important!) Leaning and lying over his back, and wearing a saddle!

He is so confident about new things, nothing really phased him, but he found it all very interesting ! We also taught him to "ride and lead" or "pony" as they call it here in America, and I taught him the beginnings of spanish walk just for fun!!!
I love my little man so much and I have really high hopes for him in the future!

Also, great to spend time with Taffy, my first pony who's still going strong at 33 years of age and still as fit as ever!

No rest for the wicked!
The time away flew by really fast and before I knew it, we were on our way back to England. I had a few days after Joshua had returned to school to spend with my bestie "Bex" and she took me on an adventure to a farm rescue where she volunteers! There were so many cute animals but as you can imagine, they make a lot of mess so there was a lot of chores and mucking out to do! so much for a vacation!

I also, popped over to BCA to meet up with Minnie Smith, who has taken on Hazel, from Moorwards, as her own for a year now. We had a blast through the fields and a great laugh!

 

Back in California and it was lovely to see all my clients at Sagebrook farm again and lovely to hear that I'd been missed whilst I was away. 

Back issues....
However, over the past months, my old back problems have been causing me more and more grief and I was having to be more careful all the time to ensure I don't aggravate it whilst managing the pain with a cocktail of painkillers. I decided, enough is enough and I need to be proactive so that I can do my job, so after a visit to my GP, I had an MRI scan (the first one I've had since I first started having back issues 17 years ago!!!!!) and I have a few issues to address but I'm off to see a specialist next week so fingers crossed.....

and finally...
As if that wasn't enough, were moving apartments at the end of this month. We've signed a 6 month lease for a lovely, town house apartment in the Marina itself, so I will actually be able to see the sea and all the boats from my bedroom window! I feel very lucky but before I can enjoy it, there's lots and lots of packing to do......

The last 6 weeks!

Ooops! With the Christmas holiday's, time has got away from me and it's been six weeks since my last post!

Christmas Break On the 18th December, I flew back to England where I met up with Joshua before flying on to France. I'm getting pretty laid back about air travel now and I actually quite enjoy the 'down time' on the plane to just relax and do very little. I was so happy when, at the check in, I found out I'd been upgraded to business class! I had a lovely 3 course meal, and a chair that turned in to a fully flat bed to sleep in! I felt so very lucky and slept most of the way.

Joshua just "hangin' out"

Joshua met me at Heathrow and as is becoming tradition, we went to "Wagamammas" for dinner, before flying on to Toulouse where Dad, Chloe and Natalie met us at the airport. David joined us a week later and we had a lovely, very quiet Christmas and New year. The weather was cold but beautiful. It's been quite a while since I've seen frost!

Peroni is growing up big and strong and is fast outgrowing his rugs again! It was lovely to spend some time with him and he's so easy going now, I can't wait until it's time to start more of his training! It's funny to me to think he's already bigger than Arianna!

Peroni doesn't mind the cold in his warm snuggly rug and he likes to eat the ice off the top of his water bucket! He's still best friends with Pedro the donkey!

My cats, Enzo and Gallardo are totally settled in to their life of luxury and spend their days catching french mice or sunbathing! David and I miss them so much but I don't think they miss us at all they are so happy!

Gallardo

Enzo

Before we knew it, it was time to come home. David and I had a couple of days in Buckinghamshire which was great as we not only stayed with Paul and Marcella Kurs, who, as always were amazing hosts, plying us with lovely food and amazing wine, but I got to see the Moorwards ponies and catch up with Lauren, Toni and Sue.

Sue also had a beautiful pencil portrait of Arianna for me and now my little collection is complete! I couldn't leave without having brunch with bestie, Rebecca at Rootz cafe in Chorleywood and we had loads to catch up on!

On landing back in Los Angeles, the immigration officer said "welcome home" to us as we showed our passports and for the first time, it really did feel like we were coming 'home'.

Wrong Turn Ranch
Since then I've been so busy! I enjoy myself so much in Santa Inez with Angi and Seth, that I now work for them 2 days a week! I couldn't be happier as we have so much fun it hardly feels like work at all! 

We been out on long trail rides including a sunset ride up "Figaro mountain" which was spectacular!

Arianna update Arianna is also doing so well and Seth has started riding her. She is going to stay with Angi and Seth as she's so happy there and we can continue her training together.

I can't tell you how much I really love this mare! She's so smart and so desperate to please, and as her confidence in me and in general has grown, she's really progressing with all the things we throw at her! 

Sagebrook Farm Work with Sagebrook Farms is also wonderful, although we missed several days of lessons due to the heavy rain! I know, heavy rain here in Los Angeles!!!! Most people were very pleased as there have been several years of serious drought here in Southern California, however, the arenas here do not have the same drainage our English arenas require and consequently it doesn't take much of a shower for the surface to be totally under water!

New Ride! I'm also very excited to introduce a new ride in Klara, who belongs to Jane McCloud of Jane McCloud dressage. She's a 16.2h 8 year old Polish warmblood mare and she's a left brain introvert which is a new kettle of fish for me, but we seem to get on very well together and although it's very early days for our partnership, Jane is hoping we can do some competitions over the summer! Watch this space!

Anniversary
Last but not least, David and I celebrated our 1st Wedding anniversary on January 14th! We went out for a lovely sushi dinner in the Marina to celebrate! Can't believe how fast the last 12 months has flown!

Sagebrook Farms, Wrong Turn Ranch, Arianna progress and flu!

The past 6 weeks since I came back from France have flown by!!!

New job at Sagebrook Farms
I cannot tell you how happy I am with my new job. It's been quite a while since I've done any proper teaching and it didn't take me long to remember how much I enjoy it. It's easy to enjoy work at Sagebrook though, the horses are super nice, the clients are keen, happy and love the horses more than anything, and Julie who runs it and keeps everything running smoothly and the horses in tip top condition, is possibly one of the nicest people I've ever met.

Handsome Brody

I've become particularly fond of a little bay quarter horses called 'Brody' who's only been with Julie for less than a year but he has so much try in him it makes your heart melt!

Wrong Turn Ranch
I've made several trips up to Santa Inez every couple of weeks to spend time with Seth and Angie of " Murray horsemanship" to see how Arianna is progressing.

Seth and Angi's place is, no word of a lie, like a small chunk of horsey heaven! I absolutely love it there and as well as working with Arianna, I've been able to work with some of the other horses Angi has in for training.

Happy Horses

The View from Seth and Angi's veranda is stunning and so peaceful and serene..(apart from the odd "he haw" from the donkeys!)

Angi has so many interesting things to expose the horses to and groundwork is an integral part of every horses training. Most of all I love their attitude and passion for their work, and how the horse always dictates the speed at which they progress in their training. Often, Angi will detect holes in the horses understanding or an area of fear and the training may even go off in a new direction depending upon that individual horses needs at that moment in time. They truly are both amazing trainers and to top it off, just awesome people as well!!!

Out of trail (American for going on a hack) aboard Stella

Doing the "wocket woy" western style aboard Stella

Cecilia is about 3 months under saddle and we worked on softness to the inside leg, she's super smart and sensitive and learns things very quickly...

"Bug" is full of character and this was his first time in the bit (other than just wearing it over the halter) and he did so good! He likes to "hop" when he gets excited but thankfully he's not very good at it!

Seth's little arab 'Ghia' has bags of talent and could turn her hoof to anything, we did a bit of dressage training (in just a halter!)

All horses are ridden in a halter before they ride in a bit, which is a rare concept to us British but actually it makes huge sense, and even without the bit, they are trained to incredible levels of lightness. Horses are also started in a western saddle which I'm pretty comfortable with now, even if I have on more than one occasion, got off too fast and hooked my clothes (and even one time my bra!!!) over the saddle horn and had to detach myself with much haste!!!!

One horse I'm crazy fond of is Freddie, who's a 14.2 gelding who's in for training through a charity called "return to freedom". He's got a super attitude and amazing paces (technically he's a mustang as he came from a feral herd) with great hind leg action but also huge cuddleability.

Freddie loves cuddles....

....and kisses

check out the size of that stride on a just broke baby!

Arianna
Arianna is doing great!. She's much calmer and more confident generally and is clearer to say when something worries her than trying to hide it or pretend it doesn't exist.

She's done obstacles including the "teeter-totter" bridge, huge blue hanging tarp, fake green grass, inflatable crocodile and huge fluffy monkey whilst she's been there. She confidently learned to wear a rug, the western saddle and we tried the English saddle for the first time also which she took all in her stride. We've taken her up to the arena and Seth has led her up and down some scary steep slopes! And she's been mounted bareback and with the stirrups!!!

The giant hanging blue tarp....

Practising with rugs....

and rugs that make crinkly noises....

working in the Western Saddle....

and the English saddle.

Working in the arena with Mummy....

and playing the "forwards and backwards one foot at a time over the pole" game!

Over the wobble bridge!!!

Down super steep slopes!!!!

and even under a huge flappy blue tarp with a giant fluffy monkey over her back!!!!!

All aboard!

She's going to stay with Seth and Angi until I return fro Europe in the new year to continue her training.

Flu
This last week I've been a bit grouchy as I've had flu the last three days! I'm not a very good patient either and I've been moany and leaving trails off tissue everywher I go and now I think I've given it to David also! I've only 48 hours left until I fly back to France for Christmas so I'm trying my hardest to recover fully before then, or I will feel sorry for who ever gets lumped with sitting next to me!