September 13, 2011

Vacation's over!





I was about to say that the summer here is too short to spend in front of the computer.
Well, now we are writing September, and the summer never came.
So I can't really blame it on the weather, can I?


We have had a very unstable summer and autumn this far.
It seems as if it's been raining every day.
Not quite true, but the fact is that Oslo in the beginning of September reached the average yearly downpour, with three months left to go.
And I was hoping for a nice autumn as the summer weather was wet...




Have been spending time with the horses though, even if they have been on summer vacation. This year we had them down at a friend's place where they also had a riding arena, about an hour's drive from home.
They had five weeks off, but I rode Fame in average three times a week, so it was not quite the lazy days as we have had earlier.
For which I am thankful.
Having vacation, without riding and a lot of time on your hands to have the Winnie-the-Pooh way of thinking on "time for a smackerel" is not healthy for your body.

One of the nice days this summer.
Fame can splash around forever.



I just love the way the sun lightens up the bottom of the creek,
it is like rays of gold down there.


..and it is grass here too, see?
We can both eat and have a bath! At the same time!



End of August. We have more water and
the path on the left hand side is flooded.
Fame still thinks bathing is a super idea.
I get dizzy watching the fast swirl of water around us.
In September the water level has
increased even more and we cannot cross at all.


Where has the grass gone?


How long time does it take to learn how to ride, I wonder?
I have been trying for the last 42 years, and I am not quite sure weather I have another 42 coming up.
I have to speed up the learning process a bit, I guess.
(Not easy if you are a middle aged, office working person. )

But - the main thing is to have FUN, right?
And it has been quite fun lately.

I have had two super training weekends, one with Andrew Murphy, international instructor and member of TTT together with Stephen Clark, Arthur Kottas, Charles de Kunffy - all real heavyweighters in classical dressage.
It was two very, very good sessions, and something that I feel really boosted my riding.

A week later it was time for our monthly training with Jimmi Sørensen, our Danish trainer.
Fame worked very well. I am so happy that Jimmi is coming over once a month as I feel much is happening every time, and he puts us on the right track for the work ahead.

A pause and some pep-talk with Jimmi.

I decided not to put on shoes on Fame after her summer vacation, and see how she does.
She has good hooves, and so far it has been no problem. (I kept her unshod until she was four.)
I have to take more consideration on where and how I ride though, and the plans to start some X-country competitions this autumn had to be abandoned.
That is a small sacrifice if she benefits from it in the long run.
And I love the soft sound of an unshod horse.



We fortunately have some nice paths that also suits an unshod horse, and last weekend we had a very nice hack, Fame and me.
And - wow! it did not rain!

Hope you all have had a nice summer, and hopefully with some better weather than here.

See? Nice and soft for small hooves...
A canter?

17 comments:

Grey Horse Matters said...

You sound like you've had the same rotten weather as we have. Only we had a hurricane thrown in for good measure and mess and flooding.

I'm so jealous of you that you have all those great trainers to come and work with you.

Your rides look like fun. I like an unshod horse too and do it on the ones that can tolerate it. Hope you have nice weather for your trail rides.

RuckusButt said...

So nice to hear from you! I'm sorry your weather has not been great, two years ago I had a summer just like that - it rained almost every day, usually starting right when I got off work! Not to brag, but this year has been fabulous, although too hot sometimes.

I too am jealous of your trainers. Looking forward to hearing more about the work you and Fame have been up to.

Wolfie said...

Hello! Nice to hear that you had a good summer in spite of the yucky weather. I love your trails!! How long does it take to learn how to ride??? I think I have come to the realization that the learning is ongoing. I am absolutely OK with that because it's all about the fun!

Laura Crum said...

Glad to hear from you and see photos. We had much more rain than usual here in June and lots of cold fog in August so it wasn't the greatest summer here in coastal California, either. Good wishes to you and Fame. Cheers--Laura

The Odyssey Farm said...

So nice to hear from you. Vacations are good for the soul, and it sounds like you and Fame had some wonderful rides together. She is looking through that double bridle with such a proud and happy look on her face!

Do you have access to hoof boots in Norway? My ponies are unshod as well, and I just use the boots when I think the footing will be rough.

Di said...

Nice to see you again, it looks like, despite the weather you had a fun, horsey summer! I love the pics in the water! Lucky you to have clinics available, we don't have that here. I miss it! As for learning to ride, I've been trying for 30 years, and I'm sure I'll need a lot more than that to get anywhere near to where I want to be, but have to say overall I'm enjoying the journey.

Once Upon an Equine said...

Good to hear from you Horse of Course! Sorry about the unstable weather, but it sure looks beautiful there no matter what the season. Very nice pictures.

Equine Mum said...

Great and interesting equine blog. Why not come over and link it to a newly launched Equine Blogging Network http://hay-net.co.uk/ It would be great to have your works featured there too for others to follow!

Anonymous said...

Hi there, sorry if you've already had a post from on this subject but my name is Charlotte from Horse & hound magazine in London. I am writing a feature for our readers about coping with cold weather and i wondered if I could quote some of your comments from last january's Riding in Cold weather blog in my piece. I wiould also need your name.
Would you mind sending me an email? charlotte_white@ipcmedia.com hope to hear from you. Charlotte

mugwump said...

So glad to see you back!

My summer was not so good, but the fall is looking better.

Fame looks lovely, her easy summer didn't seem to hurt hurt her.

Anonymous said...

i LOVE THE PICS THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL :)

The Odyssey Farm said...

Hi HOC, I have missed your wonderful posts this fall and participating in some "virtual" trail rides with you. I hope all is well with you and yours and that you'll have time to share more of your beautiful rides with us.

Priyanka Sharma said...
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