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Borrowed Freedom

Now that I got the saddlefitter out to sort out Delilah's saddle (she stood for two months due to strict lockdown regulations here in South Africa, then it was finding time to get the fitter out) my aim is to get her working again and see if we can get back to the level we were at before lockdown. T...

Borrowed Freedom

Where I keep my horses, they only keep them in or bring them in if there's a thunderstorm. Regular rain they still go out as we only really get any rain in summer. Madam has no issues with rain as she lived out until the age of three. My old man loves the rain, he's the one horse that would stick hi...

Borrowed Freedom

Get Delilah competing in the next level up (Elementary), graded by the end of the year. I already have a plan that at the one venue I compete in, to alternate between novice grade and elementary training/schooling. So one show I will do graded classes then the next show the training or schooling cla...

Borrowed Freedom

Well the past few weeks have not been filled with much riding. First 19-23 November I had a dance event so was at the theatre every night until after 11. Then I managed to injured my foot the last day (Literally during the last show) so was out for another week. I had a jumping lesson last weekend a...

Borrowed Freedom

Okay so my trainer has completely embraced no stirrup November and told me in my last lesson we're going to build my no stirrups fitness up until I can go an hour without stirrups and not get tired. I have to be honest the last time I've ridden for that long without stirrups was 2005 so my legs are ...

Borrowed Freedom

My mare's new favourite thing to do is roll in one of the piles of hay put out for the mares after chasing the other mares away from said pile. She then proceeds to eat from this pile while standing in the middle

Borrowed Freedom

Ok took Delilah to a show yesterday at a venue where we haven't been before. I was really impressed with how she went. We didn't place but our scores improved from the last show. We got 65.4 for Novice 5 and 67.2 for Novice 6, from judges that are both extremely strict with their scores. Some of the...

Borrowed Freedom

Okay so had a lesson last week and we are now working on improving madam's impulsion, as one of the comments was that she tends to lack impulsion in her lateral work. Another thing I need/want to improve on is the accuracy of my transitions. The one judge at the show judges very often at higher leve...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok, so I haven't posted much recently. Delilah was on and off with working as she got her horse sickness vaccinations and there's a period where she's not allowed to have an elevated heart rate so that means if she works then it's only walking. Took her yesterday to her first championships and I was...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok, I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on getting Delilah ready for our next show end of August. This show forms part of a series and after the last show, we are sitting in fifth position overall in Adult Novice. Considering most of the other combinations have two qualifiers scores under...

Borrowed Freedom

So firstly find graded dressage shows in the area, the first one that I can do is in August. All the other shows in the area clash with other things I already have planned. Delilah is going brilliantly, we practised two higher novice tests yesterday and the biggest issues were rider confusion. Secon...

Borrowed Freedom

Sorry for the lack of pics but my current photographer is away on holiday :P Delilah did her first proper flying change yesterday, I still cannot believe it. Most of my lesson involved working on sitting trot (no stirrups) and leg yieldings. Then with the canter after doing a few simple changes and ...

Borrowed Freedom

Had a lesson this morning on Delilah and wow. All our hard work is paying off, especially in the canter. This is a mare who even just a year ago had what I referred to as a steam train canter. We would pick up the canter and she would just go, A LOT of work was put into getting her to collect in the...

Borrowed Freedom

If you can, get hold of zinc and castor oil cream. You should find it at your local pharmacy between the baby products, a gelding at my yard had something similar and she eventually found mixing this cream and an anti-fungal cream together worked like a charm. Add after cleaning her face, the zinc w...

Borrowed Freedom

I'm not sure if anyone remembers me and my mare Delilah as I haven't posted anything in ages. Well just some updates on both of us. Delilah has really progressed, August last year we took her to her second showing show under saddle and she was phenomenal. We won best rider, show riding horse, and sh...

Borrowed Freedom

:oops: I know I haven't posted in ages but things have been so busy recently between work, riding and dancing. So Delilah is officially starting to offer flying changes when asked, my trainer has had us playing around with starting to get her to do flying changes for a while now but generally up unt...

Borrowed Freedom

Jumping in with my own 2 cents. From my own experience I've always struggled with keeping my heels down. I inherited short achilles tendons from my mother that has contributed to that struggle but also here in South Africa the tendency is to focus on the toe pulling up so I've ALWAYS been moaned at ...

Borrowed Freedom

I've been running around like a chicken without a head I work at a primary school as a teaching assistant and it's the last week of the school year here in South Africa. I'm also changing to PE teacher for GR 1-3 next year so on top of my assistant duties I also need to prep for next year as we need...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok so took Delilah to both her first ridden show and her first Novice (First level) show. She behaved brilliantly, was super calm in the warm up and only was a little spooky at the beginning of the first test with the judges gazebo when trotting up centerline. Judge loved her though, only 'negative'...

Borrowed Freedom

Haha I love though how the topic changed :P I end up not getting on the forum due to dancing and suddenly it changes to annoying grocery shoppers. I've just decided to keep doing what I've been doing the past few years which is just ignore her. Never been in a wholefoods since I'm in South Africa bu...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok so Delilah is working amazingly, really need to post pictures of her. Her trot and canter work is really coming along amazingly. Have tentatively set the 3rd of December as a date for her first show (things just keep on happening that we can't enter shows we want to enter). We are going to be doi...

Borrowed Freedom

Okay I guess it got to me more because she is that one person at my yard that will do something that most people would realise is a bad idea. I just generally have a negative attitude towards her partly because she had a tendency to insist on doing groundwork with her one mare that has a tendency to...

Borrowed Freedom

I know I haven't been on in a while, been super busy recently with horse, work, studying and dancing recently. Something that is bugging me recently with one of the other ladies at my yard. Had a lesson today, driving in, past Delilah's paddock noticed one of the other mare's owners has parked her p...

Borrowed Freedom

Started riding in a riding school, after about 4 years of lessons half leased a pony for a few months and started competing in local shows. After a few months of flying lessons my parents decided to rather look for a pony more suitable to me. Found my pony who was seriously awesome for improving bot...

Borrowed Freedom

That sounds like a horrible experience. I'm just confused why the BO didn't leave the vet's number with her husband? Where I keep my horses there is a number for our vet, another vet as back up and both farriers numbers in the office. The stable manager also always gives us dates when she's away and...

Borrowed Freedom

So got a physio out this week for Delilah as my instructor picked up she was pushing out her left hind on the right rein. Physio picked up that she was a bit tight in her left lower back and also gave me exercises to do with her as her right hind is weaker but other than that is super impressed with...

Borrowed Freedom

Yes I am mari, have been out of the competition scene for a bit when I retired my old man and am now prepping my mare for competitions. I'm actually based in Pretoria

Borrowed Freedom

Started recently introducing madam to SI/travers under saddle. She has done it inhand with my previous instructor but only recently introduced properly under saddle. SI she clicked fairly quickly where she needs to step and in our first lesson of doing it, I even got SI in the canter. Travers is ano...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok so joining in. Will leave in a bit to go work my horse, she's been going brilliantly the past few weeks. First official day of a 3 week holiday as I work at a school and yesterday was the last day of the term. I do ballroom and latin dancing, got told Thursday by my dance instructor that I am goi...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok I haven't posted yet this month, but I think Delilah is making some nice progress. Her canter is starting become less like a run away steam train on more like a balanced horse :P. My instructor gave me an exercise to work on her where we ride a 4 loop serpentine in the canter, asking for a change...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok so miss Delilah is back in work and I've had 2 lessons with my instructor this week to catch up on the lessons we missed when she was off with the virus. Tuesdays lesson was a bit hectic as it was the second time I've ridden madam since she's been off so she had a number of tantrums again. Today'...

Borrowed Freedom

Ok so jumping in here. My main goal to take Delilah to a show will probably be move to May just so she can get back into work after being off. I guess other than that is getting her lighter infront and improving her strike off into the canter on both reins. She's got that typical young horse habit o...

Borrowed Freedom

Hi I'm Borrowed Freedom, was on UDBB but never posted anything and can't remember what my name was either :P Just found this board the other day and thought I might as well sign up. I live in South Africa and am currently working as a Grade 2 teaching assistant while busy studying my honours in Psyc...

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