Well. What a miserable start to the year. Between the rain and the wind and the storms I have only had about 10 days of ridable weather this month. I really hope we get a good summer because I am very close to investing in scuba gear…if I don’t develop gills first!

The month started with me feeling pretty low to be honest. Grings is still not 100% and our confidence in each other feels like it has hit a low. Luckily I am super stubborn so I have just started his training from the beginning. Yes that means just getting him to stand still, breathe and let me get on…that’s it. I ask no more and just hopped off again and called it a day. Slowly have started to build this up to actually riding a little. I am desperate to get my boy back but I know if I do this properly we will be even stronger than before.

Beauty and Colin are having their winter off. I think they are both a little bored and sulking but with the weather being as bad as it has been there isn’t much we can do safely and time to process last year is not a bad thing (or so I keep telling myself).

Star of the month has to go to Blaze and the MASSIVE achievement and confidence boost we had together this month! He had his first ever lesson and it was away from home!

Not only was he incredible but the instructor was lovely and really gave me the boost I needed…I needed to hear someone say I had done a good job with Blaze. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in your own head that it takes someone to make you realise how much you have achieved! I’ll put a full breakdown of his lesson here.

It really gave me the kick up the backside I needed and has definitely improved my attitude with Grings too. Just gave me a bit of my mojo back rather than feeling sorry for myself! I’m pleased to report that by the end of the month Grings and I have actually been riding again!

It has been 2 months of mounting practice, lunging when the weather has been too bad to ride but not bad enough to stop me, walks in hand, long reining round the field, long reining out on the roads and a little riding…it feels amazing to be actually enjoying riding him a little again.

I would like to take him to the lesson in February if I get a space but I think I will have to decide that closer to the time.