Motivational Monday

 "Pain is temporary quitting is forever" ~ Lance Armstrong quote

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How's My Riding?

I was doing a bit of flat work yesterday here are some of the photos. As no doubt you can see we've been rather lackadaisical towards getting the ragwort up due to the fact that we will soon be leaving, and our horses and ponies don't have a taste for it anyway. but back to the part of this post about flat work.

  

Niko was a fairly good sport about it, although I would have appreciated having my schooling whip but it seems I've misplaced it again still I was happy with the way it went. I don't currently have a instructor so I've got no one to tell me about the multitude of things I am doing wrong, so feel free to really go for it with that creative criticism.

A few things I am already aware of, one, I keep looking down, two, I haven't got Niko's hindquarters engaged enough, and three, I perhaps lean forward a tad too much sometimes, so any tips or advice would be rather helpful.

  

On a note unrelated to this photo when I try walking Niko on a long rein he is happy to have a good stretch and go nicely long and low but I find it hard to keep him this way, I was under the impression that when a horse is walked on a loose rein his poll should be lower than his withers which Niko's is but never for as long as I'd like, so any thoughts or help on that I would appreciate.

Visibly leaning forward in this photo bad me. I guess I need to get myself a instructor but that won't happening at least till the move so I've got a bit of waiting to do.

And now we come to the end of the post with this last photo, Niko looks nice I think, but he could do with being more engaged, and I am looking down. anyways that's it for my post today I'll have more up soon if all goes to plan.

Sherwood Forest New Derby Boot Review

Today I'll be reviewing my new boots as promised. They are Sherwood Forest New Derby Zip Jodhpur boots, now I quote the tag "Developed for country sports specifically hunting, shooting and equine enthusiasts, the country sports collection from Sherwood Forest fills the void in country wear market." Ok well I am not sure I'd say "fills the void" but on to the review. As you can see the boots have embellished toe caps helping with style and of course boot strength, they also have front zips, elasticated ankle area all adding to a more snug feel and better ankle support, the boots also have pull on tabs if you care to use them.

As you can see here the boot has a fairly standard sole for a jodhpur boot, which is a good thing a boot with too much grip can be very dangerous this boot has just the right amount, also the boot isn't too wide so all in all the boot is quite safe in the event of a fall.

And now we come to the heel of  the boot it's a bit dirty yes but these boots had to be tried and tested, the heel has a spur rest although this photo cuts it off, just, it is there, nothing great but if you should wish to use spurs it's there. So now we come to the final opinion of the boot, it looks quite nice nothing too amazing, it is fairly well made and shouldn't fall apart on you, it is safe, and it is very affordable.

So it's a nice looking boot suitable for everyday use and riding at home with great value, but if you are looking for a boot with all the bells and whistles that will really catch the eye of the crowd at a show this is not it.

All in all the Sherwood Forest New Derby boot is good.

Motivational Monday

 click to enlarge

I've decided to do a Motivational Monday post every Monday with a photo and motivational quote, the image is free for re-use so long as the quote's author and myequstrianworld.blogspot address are left visible

Zoom Pony Jump!

 

Hello all, this post was supposed to come a lot sooner than it did but better late than never, so on to the post.

It's about jumping, I've been doing a lot of jumping of late, sadly I've only got photos of Murphy and I jumping, as you can see we did get some more tires to make bigger jumps. I think this photo shows Murphy has quite a nice jump although he can jump higher than this it's too tough on him for his experience at the moment.

And here's another of him looking quite beautiful over this jump and nicely tucked up too, plus you can see my own fine jumping ability, ok so maybe I won't be going over the bigger jumps with him.

 

I've also been doing plenty of jumping with Niko but I've got no photos of that so you'll just have to see that another day, but as you can just about see in this photo I have new boots! More on this in another post where I shall review said boots.

 

And finally a photo of our three beloved thoroughbreds that I have edited with some good advice. Well that's it for me for now anyway.