The hunchside of Notre Dame

So not only do I have chicken wings I'm also related to Quasimodo :-) but my crookedness is sided not front to back.

Had interesting discussion on how even obvious asymmetries may not be obvious to the person with them as it is your normal view of you.

My issue seems to be one of feel if I raise mt right arm above my head to me it feels I come off my right seat bone; to SFO it looks as though it puts me on my right seat bone so who knows. Either way raising the arm gives the effect SFO was looking for.

Put gloves under my calves on Blackberry interesting that the right one never moved, not so with the left.

Onto Pooh in rising trot tried moving seat left/right whilst arm raised then swapping arms, in sitting trot no stirrups/reins also moving seat and then emphasizing seat bones.

Was impressed I kept my seat when SFO accidentally caught Pooh with lunge whip and he shot forward.

Pooh becomes more elevated if I sit to the inside and emphasize the outside seat bone.

Doing this in canter gives a much more forward canter and much better transitions. Need to try and loosen off right leg especially on right rein as tendency is to grip up. So tried cantering whilst moving leg from hip.

Pooh very jolly in canter can feel the progress and my hips ache now!

Watched a bit of the lesson after mine L on Crisp, very interesting to see how to activate a stretch to the rein using leg (wiggle legs) and not the hand as so often seen.

Guilty

So Chorrie has been on box rest since 5th May; longer than it should have been because of 'The Great Escape' in August. Looks like another month to go before he can go out in the pen.

He's missed the decent weather and all because I want the possibility of riding him again.

If he was stressing I'd obviously have turned him out and let the injuries take their chance, but because he isn't and he is coping I'm going for the best chance of him returning to work.

Only upside is he can start going out for grass again.

I'm clearly putting my wants above his.

Guilty as charged

One handed canter

So back to Arrow, lovely Autumnal day sun shining what could be nicer?

Arrived to find the hunt 'around' not much of a surprise having driven past two members of the field.

As always started off on Blackberry, legs over front, turn left/right (stay on seat) Connie cushions, then small stool under each foot and canter through the knees/hips. Stools made me much more aware of being connected to balls of my feet.

Pooh

Lots of lunge exercises (now mostly forgotten almost a month later! *doh* ) but highlight was canter transitions with reins in one hand

One handed canter / Pammy Hutton

So back to Arrow, lovely Autumnal day sun shining what could be nicer?

Arrived to find the hunt 'around' not much of a surprise having driven past two members of the field.

Blackberry

As always started off on Blackberry, legs over front, turn left/right (stay on seat) Connie cushions, then small stool under each foot and canter through the knees/hips. Stools made me much more aware of being connected to balls of my feet.

Worked in moving head, then shoulders then pelvis, then back to centre one bit at a time.

Then look right move head then shoulders then pelvis left (found that hard)

Pooh

Started off 'free' doing circles and turns in walk on a long rein. Sue then put a lunge line around my waist (same exercise as we did with Pip on Blackberry) and I had to 'fill' the rein front back and right side, to try and get feel for correction needed for collapsed right side. Not quite lunging the BHS way and would make for a comedy You Tube video :@)

Then onto lunge and worked on no reins in trot, hands above head turn left/right, hands on shoulders tilt left/right, one arm up one arm down.

Onto canter reins in one hand whilst cantering and then for transition.

Walked Pooh off then off to Talland for 'An evening with Pammy Hutton and friends'

Love Pammy such a good egg! Not hugely impressed by student riding in group lesson generally, too much hand not really doing as Charlie asked but then who knows how they ride when not under the pressure of riding in public. Judge not less yea be judged.

Very impressed with the four girls Pammy taught, canter no stirrups whilst doing lunge exercises whilst not on lunge. Very very impressed with their seat and balance.

Can just about forgive Charlie :-) for having James Blunt in his freestyle!

Scan 7 steady as she goes

So mixed visit more GOOD than BAD and for left leg it is still early days.

Feet x-rayed no rotation GOOD
Right check ligament injured 5th May/ 4th August continues to heal well GOOD
Left check injured 15th September has improved but not good enough for pen turnout so GOOD for improvement BAD for no pen turnout.
Shoes to stay off as vet concerned laminae may have stretched and not yet have tightened BAD
Can go out to hand graze GOOD
Another month in box before next scan BAD

Overall it is improvement so am holding tightly onto that. Realistically left is only a month so no surprise really! But I wish it were different.

1/ Decrease bute to 1.5 daily
2/ If 1/ goes OK then on Sunday reduce Sedalin to 2ml / twice daily

Still using laser daily on coronary bands vet did wonder if it would open AV shunts, seemed happy enough when realised was under physio advice.

Need to get a set of hoof boots now