Tuesday 28 May 2013

[Product Review] Diamond White Shampoo

It's been a long while since I've done a 'products I love' post, but I felt that I should share this product, especially for those who own greys which are a nightmare to get clean! I've recently started using Wahl Diamond White Shampoo and I rather like it! 


Image from Rideaway

The shampoo states to 'enhance, revitalise and refresh the natural white and light pigment within the hair, leaving the coat bright, silky and vibrant, shining with vitality and health' and I have to agree. At first I was a bit worried that it hadn't worked, but the next day Pea was sparkling clean! If he has got rather mucky then I may wash him twice just to be on the safe side, but typically one normally does the job, I think I just get a bit paranoid sometimes! It makes his legs look so white, which always looks a bit funny to me as I'm so used to seeing them orange/brown so it clearly works a treat! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of before and after, but I'll try and remember for next time I give him a bath.

However, one of the best things about this product is that it smells amazing! It's such a nice fragrant, much better than some others and it will make you wish that it was suitable for your own hair rather than your horse! It contains extracts of cucumber, passion-flower, lemon and lime which is probably the reason it smells so divine!

Have you ever tried any of the Wahl showman shampoo range? They do them for all colours, as well as 'dirty beastie', 'oatmeal' and 'aloe soothe'. Or is there another shampoo product you love, or any for that matter? I love to hear about different products people love! 

Thanks for reading, 
Laura x

Sunday 12 May 2013

Competition Report [12.5.13]


Today, Me and Pea ventured over to Long Drove Dressage Centre, Huntingdon for a spot of dressage. I decided to enter us for both prelims as his canter is really starting to come along and so I felt he was ready for two prelims. However, when we turned up there wasn't much space to park and the warm-up arena was about 20x30m so I couldn't give him a canter beforehand as he's a bit funny about cantering with others around and definitely wouldn't manage in such a small arena so I made the decision to leave canter until the test and just see how he went rather than wind him up and me get flustered trying to canter in the warm-up arena. 


Prelim 7:
He went quite nicely overall for this test. We've had issues warming up with picking up canter on the circle and this was half shown today. For his first canter he broke into trot a few times and was really unbalanced, but this was his first canter so it was to be expected, but when it came to the second canter I lengthened my reins a fraction as he works better with a slightly longer rein and he went really nicely. His trot work is really coming along nicely and he's coming a lot rounder, in fact in the warm-up arena for both tests he rode like a dream so I'm really excited about the rest of this year as I can't wait to see what it brings us. Overall we came 6th with 60.5% so I was really pleased and the judge's comments were: "Lots of potential but now needs to work more consistently into the contact to help transitions and balance and develop paces. Quietly ridden."

You can watch the test here.

Prelim 14:
After waiting around for an hour it was time for our second test. Again Pea warmed up really nicely and went straight into a contact which I was so shocked about! We went in and he went nicely with some nice movements. For the first canter, typical Pea form he decided to throw in some bucks - not on the agenda! However, he did keep moving forward and settled down again afterwards and his second canter went a lot nicer though he broke just before the trot so fell into trot a bit. His halt was really nice and he was obedient which makes a change as in practise we were practically at C before he decided to stop! Overall, despite the bucking I was really happy with him and got some nice comments from the judge: "Some very promising moments but he was rather naughty for you! Lots of potential but needs to be working more into the contact to start developing his work now. Well sat!" He scored 55.83%.

You can watch the test here.

Overall I'm really pleased with how today went considering the lack of warm-up and the long waits. He got some really nice comments from the judge, and she put some nice things about my riding which I really need to learn to accept! I'm hoping to take him to Crowland Show at the end of June for the dressage and depending if I can get the day off work maybe another before hand. 

Thanks for reading, 
Laura & Pea x

Friday 10 May 2013

Lesson [4.5.13]


Apologies for the late post, but here's a post about how my lesson went last Saturday. I was hoping to have a jumping lesson, however the weather wasn't the greatest being very windy and rainy so we popped inside and did some flatwork for the majority before venturing back outside to where the sun was making an appearance again to pop a few fences. 

For the flatwork we mainly focused on parts that are in my dressage test this Sunday, in particular our centre lines and canter circles, especially for Prelim 7 where you do a 20m circle and in the second half ask for canter which Pea has been finding a bit difficult. I always feel that our centre lines aren't very straight, however my dressage results and my instructor beg to differ, so fingers crossed they continue that way - though our halt at the end has gone a bit rubbish but we're still working on it and hopefully Pea will eventually understand to just halt straight and quit fidgeting! The first canter we tried was rather shocking, but when we tried again it was much better. He tends to rush down the long side but then finds it hard to keep going to my instructor suggested keeping my outside leg back a bit to help it along and it worked really well and he's been managing a lot better. When we then do a downward transition back to trot it goes a bit wrong as he rushes in the trot or just falls to walk as he's no energy so I've been working on keeping my leg on for the downward transition and to keep the energy there but contained. 

We then popped out to do some jumps and he jumped so well! Think that over the past year all our hard work with the flatwork has really helped our jumping and i'm riding him at jumps more effectively and not holding too tight which caused him to get in too deep and scramble over the fence. He's now really starting to get the striding right and jumps unbelievably and I'm starting to get my confidence back so fingers crossed we get back into the jumping again soon and maybe do a few show jumping competitions next year! We finished by jumping the planks which I was a bit worried about as he's not too keen on them but I decided to be brave and just go for it and remember to ride and he had a look but jumped it (hence in the photo he's giving it a funny look!) so we finished on a good note and I can't wait to jump him again for a change.

Thanks for reading, 
Laura & Pea x