This Time I'm Really Going To Do It

Watty1

Arkers wrote: »

Hi Watty - well jel re your coal scuttle - if it should be down graded as such, sounds lovely . Also lots of polishing the saddle whilst cantering without stirrups. Well done you!

Too funny :rotfl:

Watty1

FloppyDisk wrote: »

Oh well done!! I am jealous, I need to do so much work without stirrups but I'm too scared on the spookster! I know you thought about getting a western saddle and vetoed the cost, but what about a dressage saddle for the same reason? Not sure what you have at the moment but some GPs are a bit too jumpy and have you half out of the saddle as standard!

Well Floppy the baby is not suitable for work without stirrups either so I have been going to a local school for the lessons. I had booked to take the baby to a camp but cancelled after having lost it completely out hacking. They offered me a great 'deal' on the lunge lessons if I went mid-week and allowed a trainee instructor who needed the practice to do my lessons. So it is working all round. And as for saddles ....eeekk :eek:

The baby is currently being ridden in a pony club synthetic saddle designed for ponies of about 11 hh and little legged tots. Baby and I do not fit either description - but - he is very very short backed - which I didnt notice when I bought him:(
and so saddles are a huge issue. We do have a very nice dressage saddle that was made for him by a German company and has spent more time travelling between the UK and Germany than actually on baby :rotfl: It has been built on a tree that fits his back but with a seat more suitable for a small adult rider (me) and is a dressage saddle, as I was thinking along similar lines to you - sit deep as he is such a baby.

It is - as far as I can remember - lovely - but baby grows/changes shape and it has to go back to be altered. This time around its been gone since June I think owing to getting seperated from its templates and instructions en route. I swear it must be the most travelled saddle. Pity its not getting airmiles :rotfl:I am doubtful it will fit when it finally makes it back here this time around. And in the meantime I ride in this funny little saddle which fits baby's back nicely but thats just about all I can say for it! I rang the saddle earlier in the week to ask where exactly it was and all he said was he had the bill for the work but not the saddle and he'd call me when it arrived back at his place.

There more about saddle troubles than you probably wanted to know :rotfl:

x

Watty1

MFW news....all stuff sold on ebay yesterday and everyone paid promptly. How wonderful was that! £69.75 made. Totally chuffed.:j

Have checked spend from last month tho, and 3 weekends away meant that I may need funds for this month rather than just putting straight into overpayment pot as I am a bit short of money for this months budget. So am holding in current account first just to be sure I can make it through this month before filling overpayments savings pot.

Am planning more stuff for ebay from bathroom cupboard clear out and will pop those on ebay when Mr Watty returns from trip away with camera. Don't think this lot will make so much ...but still...delighted with boost to pot.

Need to call mortgage company later as was told on phone could make next repayment without penalty on 14th November but notice letter says 30th.

FloppyDisk

Good god. Yeah I see what you mean about being difficult to fit! Youngsters are tricky, what a shame your efforts have gone to waste if the saddle isn't even with you. Could it be worth selling it and cutting your losses? Someone at our yard rides in a bareback pad thing, that pretty much only acts as something to attach stirrups to, but I appreciates that is unlikely to fix the confidence issues! What a waste of money horses are, but I wouldn't have it any other way! If only they could have a light bulb moment too....

EchoDelta

Watty1 wrote: »

MFW news....all stuff sold on ebay yesterday and everyone paid promptly. How wonderful was that! £69.75 made. Totally chuffed.

Yay!! Well done.

The saddle stuff has gone waaaaaaaaaaaaaay over my head!! But good luck with getting it sorted, all sounds very involved!!

Alchemilla

We have a saddler who comes and reflocks onsite...

Watty1

Alchemilla wrote: »

We have a saddler who comes and reflocks onsite...

Yes, that was my original plan but baby grew too wide and he couldnt alter saddle sadly. He did try - even bringing this really cool piece of kit that would stretch the tree. All to no avail. I kinda knew when I bought it that baby might grow ... but ..would I wait .. no! Not very MSE I admit

Watty1

Ebay packages wrapped and all gone.

Finances checked and yay :j we have - thanks to Mr Watty - getting a bonus and us being frugal - some slack in our household account. For the first time ever we have not rushed out and spent this - but- have put it aside to pay for insurances etc all of which need paying over the next couple of months. So instead of our usual plan of my sticking it on a credit card and then hoping I make enough to clear it at the end of the month we are sorted.

And the mortgage and horses and extras account also has enough to pay for the trips away last month which were on a credit card and has enough in to indicate I might get to the end of the month with £200 for the overpayment pot if I am frugal.

Totally chuffed with the financials :T

And on the horsey side of things another lesson with the new instructor. She is fabulous. Has made some great points about baby's bit (says he needs another one and explained why and offered to lend me one to save me buying) and told me to put a noseband on my bridle. Says it will help baby feel more secure and she fell about laughing when I said I had one but never used it because my last horse was such a git to bridle the less leatherwork the better. Will hunt it out over the weekend.

But best of all was the lesson. I loved it. And baby clearly did too as he went for 40 mins without spooking once, even when she chucked her jacket over the edge of the arena fence. The last time someone did that he had a melt down and refused to go anywhere near it. This time we were both so busy thinking about her exercises that we never noticed it! Plus her exercise was fantastic for helping with the steering. Hope it stays dry over the weekend so I can get out there and practice!

I even bought a book on Amazon to read up on ideas. Its a pony club recommended book so I think I will be able to follow it . Daft really, I've had horses for years but as I'm rebuilding confidence I'm just going to go with the flow and read up once again.

And then I removed my credit card from Amazon. All to easy to put a kindle book on it and it occurs to me that my next declutter is to find all the books I have partially read and stack them up and work through them. And find my libary card. Book purchases via kindle would be a great saving for now.

Thats me. Busy week again at work. And have two files to review as bonus cash this weekend :T Because I'm self employed and all monies earnt go through my company I wont count the money till its out of company and in my account ...but ...still nice to have the chance for a bit of extra work.

Alchemilla

Well done Watty. Sounds like you are on a roll all round.

Watty1

Tired this morning. Busy weekend, it poured with rain Saturday so Mr Watty and I went 'shopping'. Thank goodness for diary helping me keep focus Went off to feed barn to buy a bag of pony nuts and needed bits for electric fence and spent a very nice few mins pottering around the clothing section and was tempted by lots but no purchases made as am sticking with frugal frugal frugal to get mortgage paid off. Think without diary would have spent!

Can report bought 2 buckets, and electric fence bit and bag of horse feed. All much needed. At DIY store bought 1 wallpaper stripper to make steamer for hay and a bucket and tap to make soaker for hay as currently trying to soak hay in buckets with holes in :rotfl:A steamer may be ideal but that will take time to make apparently! (Mr Wattys area). I saw a lovely hay soaking tub in BHS mag for over £120 :eek: and think we can make a similar thing by inserting tap into a DIY shop tub (£28 all in) which might save hay and water all over yard in winter. So experiments begin!

Then home to batch cook inspired by Tilly - 8 rice puddings, 9 chillis, 5 lamb stews, 2 shepherds pies and some cheese flapjacks all safely stashed in freezer.

Sunday, the sun shone, dog to training class where once again he disgraced himself beautifully :rotfl:by bouncing on another german shepherd then home for lamb kebabs and salad and poo-hoovering field and a spot of garden tidying - err...more hacking through overgrown plants and now have hand tingling from many nettle stings despite much anti sting cream Hey ho!

Sadly planned early night did not happen as worried elderly boy had colic at 8 pm but after checking every 20 mins till 10 pm decided was just fine. And by 10.30 he was cheerful and just fine so emergency vet not required after all. Phew!!

And this morning reviewing work diary to discover realistically there is no way I can actually fit it all in. No way whatsoever. Now the sensible thing to do would be to plan a major work day.

And so what I am going to do - well go for a hack with baby of course :rotfl:More later x