Reading the book on Spanish Walk

The Jambettes are coming on so we have started to combine the Jambette with the walk.

With my very inexpert help we tried stringing a few together (Jambette ... walk a few steps Jambette .... etc) on the one leg.

She's really funny in that she sometimes gets 'stuck' on the first one and gets brain freeze.

Once she got herself sorted she did a decent jambette on her 'bad' leg ... step .... and then only went and OFFERED jambette on the other leg (that we weren't asking for!).

She managed a few steps before going 'arrrggghh' and then getting stuck again.

Because she was offering it we started to ask for it :)

The little monkey actually had several decent tries at the SW!!!

Ok, they were only short but we were absolutely gobsmacked. It's like she was saying 'for goodness sake, I've read the book and seen the DVD, why on earth would I want to do it the baby way? Catch up will you already'

More photos ....

Getting a better extension on the Jambette

Canter, Saffy's most favourite gait EVER!

The Importance of Magnesium Supplementation

We've just discovered how important it is to keep Saff on the Mg.


Last weeks 'excitement' at canter was one thing but this Saturday she just completely disconnected under saddle, was spooky and generally had brain fry, it was pointless trying to school her as she was just a spook on legs.


She bashed poor Emma in the lip with her head doing one of her 'levade spins' (too lazy to spin properly) and generally regressed to pre Mg days.


Hopefully trying to get her back onto the Mg consistently will help ... fingers crossed! The awful thing was that she was a complete angel on Thursday but just couldn't cope on Saturday :o

It doesn't always go to plan though .....

Her canter transition can be a bit 'whoopee'

And she doesn't like the 'scary' end of the school

Training the jambette/Spanish Walk

We use clicker training for all of her work which makes it a lot easier to teach new stuff :)

We started off with jambette and then progressed it to Spanish Walk (but more of that later :) ).

More pics and something to test your observational skills!

Now for the test of your observational skills ... why are her ears back in this photo?

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My car accident

Which, unfortunately, has put paid to me riding for a while :(

Was on my way home from the yard today when a drunk driver pulled out in front of me. I hit him side on and completely totalled my car :(

They didn't let me see it (I couldn't anyway) but the front of the car was pushed right back to the dashboard. They wanted to take the top off but I wouldn't let them (that car is ... was ... my baby) though they did have to cut my clothes off which didn't cause quite as much trauma!

Anyway, I was immediately put in a collar, on a back slab with my head completely immobilised and carted off to the hospital. Thankfully it's not half as major as it first seemed (apart from my poor car) but I'm extensively battered and bruised, had to have my knees patched up and may have broken ribs. They didn't want to x-ray me because I already work in x-rays and even if they confirm it they won't do anything about it.

I can't walk at the moment because it's too painful on my knees and my chest is very sore and I'm pretty convinced that my ribs are bust. My neck and back are very painful too :(

My brother, mum & niece came to the scene to pick up the shopping (one of my other worries!) and to see where they'd taken me. The car was so bad that my mum broke down on the spot but as my brother pointed out to her I was very lucky to have come out of it by looking at the damage.

Am back home now feeling very sore, can't walk, can't laugh or breathe deeply and feel very dizzy a lot of the time. Apart from that I'm fine :)