# Honey Tails



## ohmyitschelle (Aug 23, 2008)

Welcome!

I have been thinking about doing this on and off for a few weeks, and hope that even if I'm the only one reading this, I can gain some insight into my riding and equine journey, with my best friend Honey.

An Introduction to Us...

I am a 29yr old from New Zealand and have been riding since I was eleven. Despite the many years in this sport, I would call myself nothing more than an experienced beginner with my own riding. I suffer from anxiety and this has been a huge part of my riding journey and something I push through every time I'm up in the saddle. I also have a partial disability to my right leg that has left me spending more time out of the saddle than in it. However, my main incentive is to remain positive and continue to enjoy what I love doing and that's riding my mare Honey.

Honey is a 2003 NZ Standardbred and is 15hh. She is a dark chestnut mare with a star and I purchased her in 2008. I backed and started her under saddle later that year and in 2009 we had a freak accident that ended with me out of the saddle for a good year. Since then, she's had her own cases of injury, particularly with her right hock. She's finally at a level where she can begin to really start being ridden and regain the muscle and strength she has lost.

The goal to this journal...

Is mainly for me to reflect and find clarity in our journey. I hope you enjoy finding out more about what we get up to!

Our personal goals are simple, to be working CONSISTENTLY and happily in walk-trot-canter by the end of 2015.

Also, I'll be sharing bits and pieces about my best friend and her journey too 

Chelle x


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## ohmyitschelle (Aug 23, 2008)

*28 August 2015;*

Today's ride was less than stellar. It was our second week of work since returning to riding and she's just had the past two days off, so today her riding week began (she's ridden Thurs-Mon). 
Firstly, she wouldn't stop screaming out to her friends out back. The new boarder doesn't seem to have the fencing equipment to keep her two horses in and they break out daily. Yesterday was the first time they could greet our two over the fence properly as for the last month or so, they have been in paddocks away from our outer fence line. It didn't click to me in the beginning that she was in heat, she's not exactly mareish. 
So once up in the saddle, she was half paying attention out back to where Seoul was with the other horses, and half on being ridden when a couple of ducks flew up and away from the tree line they had been hiding in. I wasn't holding my reins and so I am THRILLED that not only did I not fall off at the sudden huge leap sideways, but that I managed to stay calm. Woohoo, point to me! This helped Honey recover from her fright, though the next two passings of that area she was near snorting fire over whether anything else was going to come out and frighten her again, bless.
And then she basically switched off. Never has she ever in the last 6yrs been so distracted under saddle. She was crying out to the others, full on zoning out along the closest fence line to her friends, just being a real pain in the butt. I am a little bitter that we lost our on the buckle, relaxing plod of a ride. I ended up having to bring her attention back to me by working her, and that succeeded for about 90% of the ride. 
As soon as she was back in the paddock though (after a "long" photo session in her books, she's not the fondest of being fussed over), she was straight up to the gelding, squirting away and staking her claim on his heart. 
Mares :icon_rolleyes:
I actually have never had a real problem with her being in heat/loving on geldings before, even when I owned and paddocked her with one. So it was quite a shock for her behaviour, and I was at a loss for most of the ride haha.
Tomorrow I already plan to block her off from being able to greet him over the fence, and set up a few obstacles in the riding paddock for us to enjoy. Hopefully by Saturday she will handle being ridden without screaming at horses again, and we could enjoy a plod with my friend and Seoul. 

Here's a photo of today, I think she looks lovely... of course her attention was on the horses that she could see. Sigh. Please excuse our weights, we have wintered very well here 









Fingers crossed my sane, happy to be ridden and focus on what we're doing pony is back tomorrow! 
Chelle x


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

This journal has been closed due to prolonged lack of participation by the author. Journals that have no active participation by the author for a period of time greater than 18 months will be considered abandoned and will be closed until the author asks for them to be reopened.


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