Mega update

Apologies in advance, this is gonna be a long one...

We rode over to Petworth on Wednesday where we met Tess, Joe and Jez at the Black Horse in Byworth. By the time Cognac and I got to the pub we were dried out a little so we tied Cognac up outside to relax for a bit and had a pint. Cognac stayed the night in a field just outside Petworth, with plenty of trees and hedges to shelter from the torrential rain that night, horses next door for company and plenty of green grass to fill his belly (which he was in need off as we had barely stopped for him to graze on the way over as the weather was just so bad).

We had a lovely meal cooked by Tess and arranged to meet back at the yard the next morning. We didn't end up leaving the yard until lunchtime on Thursday,  Tess accompanied Cognac and myself for the first 4-5 miles on Dainty, who was very keen and would probably have been happy to do the full days trip with us! I really enjoyed the company and I felt like it perked Cognac up a little too.

We followed a very similar route back home that we had done a few weeks previously, joining up all the commons on the North side of the Downs between Petworth and Midhurst, and It fascinated me how Cognac remembered the route better than I had. At one point I made a wrong turn and he was very reluctant to take the path I had chosen and when I re looked at my map I realised that we were headed in the wrong direction and that he had been right!


On Wednesday morning, I checked the weather report and as it was due to be raining I decided we need as few new supplies. I brought a load of dry bags for inside my saddle bags, that proved invaluable over the couple of days riding, without them  I think my phone and camera would probably been ruined! I also brought some new hiking boots to ride in, which are absolutlely fantastic! After two days riding in nearly continual rain my feet were snug and completely dry! Up until now I have just been riding in leather riding boots with a zip down the front. The hiking boots really helped to support my ankles and were also fantastic for when I got off and walked for sections, whereas in my riding boots my right ankle tends to ache and the outside of my feet somethings go numb and if I get off and walk I tend to slip and slide as the boots have no grip. I also brought a first aid kit for me, a mountain whistle, a waterproof map holder and midge spray- as I've been told I will be riding through Scotland during midge season.


Yesterday Cognac has the physiotherapist out, I felt he was a bit sore behind the saddle after his original saddle pad had rubbed his back (I am now using a wool polo blanket and have had no further problems). Natalie also had a look at the fit of his saddle and said that I was bridging on the left side and advised me to get the fit checked by a saddle fitter. Natalie treated Cognac just under a year ago and remarked that he had put on alot of topline since she last saw him and said he was looking really well, if perhaps a little lean. So Cognac is to have the next two days off to let his muscles settle down after the physio session, two days of long- lining, three days of lunging on the Pessoa and then we can go back to ridden work, at walk for the first few days. I'll book Natalie to treat him again two weeks before we set off. I the mean time I will book a saddler to see him.

Facebook Page

I have just started a new Facebook page for the ride:
https://www.facebook.com/JogleOnHorseback2012

Thank- you to everyone at Rogate and District Riding Club who have got the sponsorship rolling with the £100 they have collectively donated.

Rogate and District Adult Riding Club Camp

This week Cognac and I are at the Rdrc adult camp, it's a three day things where you can choose to do Sj, xc, flatwork, poles with various instructors. Yesterday we had a Parelli lesson and tonight we have clear round jumping.

Katrina Littlechild

Pannier bags- bird eye view

New rope head collar.

I've been riding out with a head collar under Cognac's bridle (with the noseband removed), this means when I stop I can simply remove the bridle and he can then easily eat. Until now I have just been using a regular bridle, but was concerned about the metal bits catching/ rubbing his face if he wears it for a prolonged period of time. I have now switched to a lightweight rope halter which is great- I just need to keep my eye in it to make sure the knots do not rub his cheek bones etc

Only Nine Weeks to Go!

Training Ride 17th/18th July 2012

When I got to the yard on tuesday morning it was pouring with rain. Cognac lives out 24/7 and although he has a fantastic Weatherbeeta rug and he was dry underneath, he felt quite cold. So I stripped him off, hanging his rug up to dry, and put a dry one back on so that he could warm up a little while eating his breakfast.

The weather report said that it would be raining on and off all day and I was concerned about Cognac getting cold at night, also as he now has his summer coat. So I took his rainsheet with us- laying it over his quarters and wrapping it round my legs so that I could hold it in place with my knees. I took the back straps off of the rug and replaced it with a fillet string- then I just tied the belly straps up in a knot. This worked really well to keep us warm and dry, when we didn't need it on I folded it up into a long strip and laid it over the front of the saddle, again holding it in place with my knees.

Cognac really needed his rug that night! It was a cold night so I also put a opened out sleeping bag under his rug, which worked really effectively and was still in place in the morning.

We covered 27 miles on the first day and roughly the same on the second day, Cognac has loads of energy on the second day and was eager to trot and canter alongside the bike that accompanied us. When we got back to the yard he looked really good and hadn't dropped any weight.

Our new saddle bags!

Slideshow of April Training Rides

You can view the photo album on Picasa web albums, click the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/103914270041301454742/JOGLETrainingRidesApril2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink