Tuesday 26 April 2016

[Laura Loves] New Look Unicorn Light

New Look: £9.99


How amazing is this light?! I spotted it a few weeks ago on New Look's instagram but unfortunately it was sold out online and I hadn't seen it in one of my local stores. However, the other day I was out shopping with mum and the store we were in had it in stock. There was no way I was leaving it on the shelf!! 

It appears that unicorn things are quite popular at the moment as New Look also had a small chalk board in the shape of a unicorn as well as on many items such as water bottles, air freshener & socks! Primark also seem to have jumped on the band wagon as they also had a unicorn chalk board!

Thanks for reading,

Laura xx

Tuesday 19 April 2016

[Lesson Report] Rather Unplanned!



I set out today with the plan that I was going to get on Pea, handle any of his naughtiness, but hopefully have a half decent schooling session. Unfortunately, as often is the case with horses, Pea didn't seem to be on board with that idea and instead spent five minutes stomping, reversing and nothing was working in an attempt to get him to go forward. I had just dismounted and on my way to grab my lunge line when an instructor popped in with lunging equipment, asking if I wanted a hand. I accepted and I popped him on the lunge to check there wasn't anything physically wrong and to get him moving.



I went to swap reins and Claire stepped in and asked if I minded if she had a go lunging the other way. I passed the line along and she mentioned that it seems like he's not really moving forward enough, just at a mediocre speed and hence it may be why he plays up a bit. She got him to really get going forward and really bring his hind leg under which is something he often avoids. She got Pea to really move forward and flicked the whip every time he started to back off and slow down. It wasn;t long before he was really moving forward and with little encouragement (it was trying to stop that took the longest!). 

I then popped back on board and Claire walked at the side with the lunge whip trailing behind her. She noticed that I often keep my leg on, without really noticing, and so to relax and take my leg away, only giving a squeeze with each heel every now and then in order to get the desired effect of him taking note and picking up the pace a bit. We walked round with a long rein and let him walk wherever he wanted and if he wanted to change rein, then to act as though it was something I wanted rather than try to keep him straight. By doing this, it means that he's normally expecting me to tell him 'no, we're going straight' which causes an excuse to stop, but acting like it was part of the plan takes this away. 

We then progressed into trot, still keeping with a long rein and relaxed body position. Again, I didn't direct Pea in a certain direction and let him go round the arena as he pleased. Typically, he went down to the far end of the arena, away from Claire and I could feel him start to tense to stop. Immediately, Claire shouted to just relax, squeeze a bit with the leg but not make a fuss. By doing this, Pea realised there was no need to misbehave as I hadn't tensed and so carried on quite nicely. Each time he slowed a bit, I popped my leg on and if he didn't respond properly, Claire was there to gently flick the lunge whip as a reminder that he had to pay attention rather than just ignore me which is his usual response. 

We even had a short canter, although not asked for, when Pea didn't quite respond properly and had the lunge whip slightly flick him. This made him take notice and so moved up to canter. My initial reaction was to grab the reins and tense slightly but Claire said to just pat him and relax - something I find rather hard with canter! I explained my reaction as to the fact that he often chucks me off in canter by launching off but she explained how it's harder for them to buck when they're actively moving forward and if they do, it's a fly buck which is slightly easier to sit to but not something Pea is likely to do when he's a lazier horse! I agreed and said he does tend to slam the brakes on to buck! 

So whilst it was an unexpected lesson for me and Pea, I'm really grateful for Claire popping over as I feel as though I may have had a mini meltdown otherwise! She was really nice and did the lesson for free (I've never had her for a lesson before!) and I think I may be in touch with her again to book a proper one! 

Thanks for reading,

Laura xx

Monday 18 April 2016

[Product Review] Rambo Dog Coat



A slightly different post as it's reviewing something to do with the dog rather than Pea! However, seeing as a lot of equestrians probably have dogs, I thought I'd share my review of the Horseware Rambo dog coat. I have a collie x who we rescued last year, and whilst she loves launching into the stream at the yard and running through puddles, trying to take her for a walk in the rain is something she really doesn't like! So, at Burghley, me and mum set out on a mission to find her a nice waterproof coat that suits her nicely and is easy to put on/take off as she can be a bit funny about things going over her head! 

As I am sure many of you are aware, Horseware is an iconic brand, especially with regards to rugs. Therefore, it's no surprise that they also come up trumps with their dog coats! Poppy has a lovely navy coat with red trim that fastens by Velcro at the front and also via a belly flap. The coat is waterproof and has a small filling so it's perfect for chilly days. Poppy has worn her coat out in the heaviest of rain and come back nice and dry (though she now needs a hood and leg warmers but Dad's not quite so keen (; ). 

Whilst the coat does have a bit of a filling, Poppy has worn it on milder days and not come back too hot at all so it's idea for those April showers! The waterproof outer material means it's easy to wipe clean and the reflective back stripes are perfect for winter walks in the dark. 

If you have a dog that's a bit of a diva about walks in the rain, then it's definitely worth having a peak at the Horseware collection! 

Thanks for reading,

Laura xx

Monday 4 April 2016

[Monthly Review] March 2016



March has not been a good month. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you will most probably know that Pea has started to play up again quite badly. It's really frustrating as I felt like we were slowly moving forwards but now we've gone straight back to the beginning where I can hardly get a few strides of trot, never mind anything else. 

At the minute, it's such a struggle to really do anything with Pea. The other day, I went in the arena with the intent of just walking him over some poles and do various exercise over them to engage his hind legs. The first five-ten minutes weren't too bad and then as I went to change the rein, he randomly stopped and played up :( He did it a few other times and a sharp tap on his neck made him behave a bit better (after upping his bucking game first!). 

Therefore, there is very little to report for March as our acomplishments are being able to do 15 minutes of schooling with no stops! I'm not really sure what to do with him now so I think April is going to be a case of seeing how he goes and maybe having another chat with the vet and my instructor to see what the best course of action is. 

Thanks for reading,

Laura xx