John and Thomas' Page.

Hello is this on....

2025-01-09T17:08:27Z

If Facebook goes belly up or becomes unusable this is still here! :D

I may even start using it again but only if people are here. :D

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XC this is what I want to do! Yeah!

2021-12-29T20:57:33Z

Well that was a day, a fun one, but a very long one. Leonne took her young horse out to Wickstead Equestrian Horseplay and took some others including Jay and myself. It was a full service day out with me putting Jay in my trailer and towing him which I am pleased to say went very well and Jay was just a darling to load and unload.

( Read more... )

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Captured in Aspic

2020-09-16T18:26:05Z

Captured in Aspic

by John Sawyer

I was asked recently what a dish served under aspic would have been called in the 14/15^th centuries, so I found some recipes - they do exist - but I thought that the random Facebook comments that I made deserved something of a more considered and consolidated approach, and so here we are.

( Read more... )

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Tumpy Green ODE

2020-08-20T16:29:26Z

So I didn't really write the script this way but Bill The Horse had a different plan.

( Read more... )

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Bill's Excellent Adventure

2020-08-09T16:18:14Z

So Bill The Horse and I had a big adventure yesterday. I would have posted about it yesterday but I was absolutely knackered. :D

( More behind the cut including video )
So big thanks to Sophie and Helen, on wards and upwards.

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Arena XC jumping

2020-07-18T08:50:37Z

So last day of Holiday yesterday but it was my usual riding day.

With all the recent turmoil in my riding world I was somewhat trepidatious about going down. I am really not sure I could have coped with another cancellation but actually it was pretty good.

( Read more... )

Bit sore this morning but coffee and Ibuprofen to the rescue. :D

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Stourhead

2020-07-16T17:12:28Z

Went to Stourhead National Trust property today for a walk in their garden.

Its very nice but not quite to my taste. Still did take a bunch of photos

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Mushroom Noodle Soup

2020-07-15T18:58:27Z

More for the record than anything else;

Ingredients
1 packet of mixed meaty mushrooms sliced
black pepper
slug of soy sauce
slug of mushroom ketchup
1 teaspoon of garlic paste
1 teaspoon of ginger paste
1 tsp of Chilli Oil.
2 tsp of vegtable stock
1 packet of miso soup
1 packet of soba noodles
1 head of Pak Choi
2 handfuls of peas
1 spring onion

Heat some oil in a sauce pan and get it hot.
Add the mushrooms with a grind of black pepper and fry off for a few minutes
Add the splashes off soy and mushroom ketchup and cook out then add the garlic and ginger and the chilli oil followed by 2 pints of stock and the miso soup packet. Cook for about 10 minutes then add the noodles and cook until the noodles are soft and add the pak choi and peas.

Cut the spring oinon and put in bowls for serving and then pour over the noodles and broth.

It was rather yummy and easy to make.

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Back in the saddle

2020-06-30T18:23:58Z

We have been quietly getting back into thing with a bit of hacking and a few lessons but last night it seemed we where back into things.

First of all we recorded our June entry for Novice 3B with HayGrazer E-Rider which you can see at https://youtu.be/MIV-DT4LoSE

Then we had a nice little jump as a reward for Mr B. He loved jumping this thing. Really good to be back in the saddle.

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Beees!

2020-06-24T18:38:19Z

We've been colonised by aliens!

Don't worry the local alien intelligence expert (bee keeper) has a bait hive set up for them.

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Finally a One Day Event! :D

2019-09-16T19:54:51Z

Urchinwood One Day Event.

So, we went out to have fun and we did. It wasn't my best day in the office, but we completed and we were not last. Which was the aim, well the aim was fun and no embarrass myself which I think we nearly did!
( Read more... )
Big thanks to Urchinwood Manor and Hope’s owners for letting me ride her. It was a real blast.

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Another Hope!

2019-07-14T13:51:20Z

So in a change you our regular programming I took a day out today to go and do a clear round cross country ride at Urchinwood Manor.

( Read more... )

She was a champ. Sorry Bill.

It was also really lovely to catch up with people and see how they are all getting on.

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Oh Poo.

2019-07-07T08:24:42Z

Sigh that wasn't the way things where supposed to go. So today has been odd.

First work was nuts with IT being idiots again. Then I busted out and headed over to the stables for a busy day. The Lorry was getting a new screen and I had a lesson lined up for Bill.

Things did not go to plan. Although the lorry got a new screen I managed to leave the lights on so couldn't move it before it was fitted. Still it is in. Forgot to take a picture but will get one tomorrow.

So far so good but when Sophie showed up for my lesson Bill turned out to be lame. Not really sure how but he was sore in his right read leg and had a bit of heat there. :( This suck balls.

Poor Bill, I just can't take a trick right now.

I am hoping he will be sound tomorrow but arggghhhh can I please get to enter a damn competition without something going wrong . PLEASE!

Lorry is going for MOT on Tuesday wish me luck because... Urgh. At least I did learn about cleaning sheaths today so err that is something. :O

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Back to it.

2019-06-29T09:00:01Z

So after two and a half weeks off for both of us Bill and I had a lesson today with the awesome Sophie! It was hard work and I didn't always get it but we worked hard on getting Bill not to pull so hard on the left rein.

Seems the rest and the physio he had worked as he was a lot lot more consistent in his going today. Mostly walk and trot but Bill was up for it and even let me have my left shoulder back after a while.

Going to work little and often this week and hopefully he will be all back jumping again. :D

Missed you Bill, Helen Sinar he is in amazing condition. THANK YOU! :D Looking forward to this week's riding.

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Monday fun

2019-06-29T08:59:24Z

So a quick session with Bill today working on seeing if we can get him to stop leaning on the left rein when he is on the bit.

He was pretty good at the start and was working well but about half way through he started to play up. Not sure what was wrong but he did work to some extent. We will see how he goes on Wednesday. :D

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Poles!

2019-06-29T08:57:40Z

So its been a lovely day and we had dinner in the garden which is why tonight's Special Bill is a bit late. :D Sophie decided it was a bit hot to do real work today so we did poles instead. :D It was lots of fun and after the farrier left from sorting out Breeze's Equato's missing shoe he was a star even with the wind. I think he was happy to be doing something like jumping.

We did poles at normal separations which he lifted his legs up for, then some a closer separation that I had to collect him up for. I didn't get it right first time but it is all about calibration and working our how much impulsion we need and how much speed we need. Got it second time. :D

Then we did some canter poles with some flying changes over the poles. This went well, as Bill is awesome at this, until he slipped on the school and weee over we went. Bless him he tried to keep me on but he was fighting for footing. After hanging onto his neck for a bit it was clear I wasn't staying in the saddle so I leapt off and was standing next to him when got back up. He looked guilty as hell but it wasn't his fault.

We got back on and tried again and as expected he flying changed as you would expect from the machine he is.

He is just so awesome. :D

Thanks Sophie Seymour, thanks Helen Sinar and for the record I was comfortable it wasn't that hot. :D

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Billdozering across the country side.

2019-06-01T08:37:07Z

Well that was a day for Special Billing! It was the inaugural voyage of the Good Ship BillDozer! Raced out of work forgetting to get my lunch DO'h. The I packed the van and got it ready to receive. When Helen Sinar was ready we booted Bill and got him ready to load and on the third attempt this time he went in and we got him all buttoned up. Phew!

Drove up to Leyland Court and were bang on time for our date with the Cross Country Course! :D Thankfully Sophie Seymour was waiting for us and helped us tack up while I got signed in and got my riding gear on and then it was off to the course.

I am pretty sure Bill remembered the place as he looked at everything and was spooking in all the places where he used to be etc.

First it was off to the practice field and a few logs and then a log, ditch and then a log combo which was okay the second time but I really need to watch my reins and straightness which will be the theme for the day. After jumping through the fence (yes there is a jump there) we went to the top water and after an initial reticence Bill went in and surprised me. We did a few drops in which he will do but I need to work on getting it faster. Then Sophie said just ride him at the big bank and jump him out. I was sure he would refuse but bless his little furry socks he just levitated out of the water. Wee! Honestly I was the most surprised one there I think.

Then it was down the long hill and he surprised me again by spooking the whole way down. I don't know what happened to him there but he has never really liked going down it and he spooked a couple of times and one really massive one but I am really pleased with myself because I just took it in my stride and kept him going down then we blasted back up the hill. WEEEE!

Next it was more water, and this time there was a small jump in to the water for him. Again took me twice to get my head round it but then we got it! We did some more dropping off into the water and out again as can been seen in one of the videos. At this point there was when the one sketchy moment happened... he went to jump down a bank into the water and saw some algae. I mean I wouldn't want to jump in there either but I was pretty stern and he went in eventually but it was a big leap and he shot sideways and I had moment where I nearly came out the side but I kept on and didn't end up in the nasty Algae!

After a few more jumps including a few ditches (video shown of a trakehner over a ditch) we tried his old nemesis the bridge and he noticed it but went over easily enough then we did a sunken road (a drop then a bank) and then some drops and jumps leading to a ditch and he was great! He is a legend really.

After a lovely play in the training park including some banks and a skinny I decided that enough today. We where both covered in sweat and knackered!

Then we loaded him on, with one refusal which was understandable as we had forgotten to open the front ramp, and then got him home. Apart from the usual BMW idiots passing at silly places and meeting a car in the middle of the road on a sharp narrow bend which was annoying but we got him back safely and he backed off really well. We wanted to give him a shower straight away but he thought we where trying to reload him so he had to wait until we closed it up and then he got his much deserved wash.

So big lessons and things I need to work on from today. I need to be more careful about keeping my reins short, staying straight on approach to the jump and not letting Bill get away from the centre of jumps etc.

I am pleased with the lovely videos from Sophie and can't want to go again.

You can find them on the following links.
https://www.facebook.com/jpgsawyer/videos/10157437368009306/
https://www.facebook.com/jpgsawyer/videos/10157437368194306/
https://www.facebook.com/jpgsawyer/videos/10157437368569306/
https://www.facebook.com/jpgsawyer/videos/10157437368899306/

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jpgsawyer @ 2019-05-20T20:46:00

2019-05-20T19:51:32Z

Tonight's Special Bill it was a nice cruisy flat session. We did a bit of dressage, lots of transitions and some lateral work. We also did some endurance canter and then as there was a pole in the middle of the school we did some flying change practise, he was a star, with the pole there he just got it. What a good boy.

We also did some rein back and I got him to rein back into a little pen. . What a star!

I also remembered to take a picture of the jump that John Fixed that Bill Broke. Much stronger.

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jpgsawyer @ 2019-05-15T07:33:00

2019-05-15T06:38:12Z

So had a really interesting lesson with Nick Gauntlett on Sunday.
Brigitte Bood made a really good video of it.

>

I don't know why I got super self conscious about all this. I shouldn't have been as Bill was just awesome today. He loaded first time, he jumped everything we put in his path (well except the first where I didn't see the line properly) and even responded well to the instructions to getting him moving properly and to stop messing about. A bit of a flick with the stick and rode out the buck and off he went and was so much easier to jump. Looking at the video they feel much bigger than they look.

I am just happy he didn't keep putting in the kind of stops he can do he was a star. So getting him wound up seems to be the trick. Will have to remember that.

I don't think I would do a shared lesson again though I guess I am just greedy and didn't get a lot from watching the other lady jump bigger than me on a totally different horse. I also need to be braver in saying err I think I can do that. Nick said I probably shouldn't jump the next height up when I was just really starting to hit my straps and could probably have taken it by storm. Still it was a good session.

I also managed to get Bill on the trailer second go and he was very good about it. :D

Big thanks to Brigitte Bood for the lift and videoing me and for the awesome reversing skills. :D

As for the afternoon? Well the padded panels went up well enough and then I thought I would try and sort out the bonnet. I shouldn't have. Even after having the brackets welded on the other way it still doesn't fit and I need another plan. :( Argggh

Still a good day.

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Two parts

2019-04-19T20:35:43Z

So today was a Top Billing of two parts. This morning was riding and it saw Bill and I do some jumping. This is progress and I was always a bit scared of doing that on my own before but I put on my big boy pants and did it.

I added a bit of spice by making the questions a little tricky. The jumps where a nice cross to warm up with a skinny with wings over a single pickle barrel and then a slightly larger jump with fillers in.

Of course Bill hated the nice warm up cross bar, jumping it a few times but then loosing his confidence and just demolishing it. Very nicely the lovely Nicki Colborn put it back up again but then he demolished it again so I gave up on that and tried him on the skinny. After I make it wide enough to be acceptable to him he loved it and just jumped it in all sorts of approaches. Then we tried the slightly larger jump and he loved that too and went into what I can describe as jump anything mode and we jumped it a few more times really well. Sophie we need to work on finding that mode

Then it went a bit pants I dropped a stirrup as we approached the filled jump and was distracted and he jumped it but knocked it the pole off. :(

Then he refused at the skinny and knocked over the wing so I thought we would try it one sided to see if I could get him over. No he said he would much rather jump the wing instead! Strange boy.

So I popped off put it back up and we finished with a couple of brilliant leaps. :D

Then we did the Novice 27 test again but working round the debris in the school. :D He did brilliantly even if he was a bit worked up after jumping.

After all that I just walked him off and we bimbled about for a bit while he got his breath back. Then he got a nice shower before he got put out in his field with the current love of his life Lady. (See the picture.)

Then after a Chips from Helen I got cracking on the van removing the last of the rotten wood and I also filled the rotten bit on the new door. Annoyingly my rattle can of white paint ran out before I could finish painting but hey it is all ready for some welcome help next week.

I am now home and fabulously Jenny has made me a lovely onion tart for dinner. :D Nom.

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Dressage and jumping!

2019-04-17T19:59:57Z

So today was a Special Bill. I managed to get away from work finally and when I arrived Bill was in the field. So I went to get him out, I actually like that I know I am weird, and he was a good boy once I figured out how to get his rope head collar on. I managed to keep him nicely relaxed but then he had been with Lady all day and that does tend to make him nice and relaxed.

After the requisite grooming we went out to the school and did some flat work today. I even managed to get him to follow me at my shoulder without holding on to him and bless him he just followed me to the mounting and stood there waiting for me to get on.

After a nice warm up it was lots of practising transitions without loosing contact. Lots of good work and Bill wasn't perfect but he is improving.

Then we ran through the Novice 27 test that Sophie worked through with me on Monday. Its a good one and I have it memorised, its a good one to remember as it is nicely symmetric. I have no idea if we are getting any extended medium trot but the rest seemed to go well.

I did have some issues keeping Bill from racing. Keeping his trot nice and calm turns out not to be that easy. :D

As a reward though for all the hard work he had done I took him into the little field next door and had a couple of blasts over the little tank trap cross country jump that is in there. Was rather fun and Bill loved it. He was a bit sweaty afterwards but that is good for him. :D

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Dressage

2019-04-15T19:53:29Z

So tonight was a lesson Special Bill because Friday is Good Friday. We did flat work this week and Sophie only had me working on a Novice Test! Not that I every have aspirations of taking such a test but it is good to stretch oneself.

There where things I haven't done before and things I have done once or twice.

There was the fun of giving and taking the reins a canter which Bill didn't mind at all, there was the ever fun medium walk for one length of the horse, which had done a couple of times before and then their was medium trot. I have done it a few times before but can't quite reliably get it and didn't manage it today but did manage to get through the long test as it was being called but it was quite an interesting test.

What became apparent is that somehow I was letting Bill get his head free during corners and transitions and so this week's homework is working on that so I can work out how to keep him all nice and connected and using his arse end and not just dragging himself along. :D

Really looking forward to getting out and about soon but the Lorry is fighting a bit which does make me a bit reticent to hope for too much.

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jpgsawyer @ 2019-04-12T18:49:00

2019-04-12T17:54:52Z

So today was a day of bits and pieces for the Special Bill.

After Sunday's shenanigans I decided we would do some ground work after a great suggestion from Kylie! I set up some squeezes and a bay and we walked round and round and I made sure he minded his manners the whole time. Stopping when I stopped when I stopped, stayed at the distance I wanted him at either at my shoulder or following at an arms length. He just did it.

When I had him turn into a bay I did have to tap him gently with the schooling whip but he did it. He was patient and as long as I talked over the big crane operating in the scrapyard next door, he behaved himself. I think we will do more of that.

Then we went in and got tacked up and came out for a bit of everything. We started with some flat work including some lateral work, lots of transitions and some circles with his head in and head out. Then we did a bit of jumping and Bill jumped okay but then decided no and crashed through and that was that because I was on my own. I made him trot over the mess though.

Then I picked up the new lance and gave it a go. We had a few good passes but there are a couple of issues. Firstly the wires for the lights are a bit too low and I have to remember to angle it down so as not to clip them. I also need to remember to put the sand back on the quintain or it falls over when you get a good strike. I got quite a few strikes before I got a really good one and well yes it tumbled like a strike in another game.

So what to do now well dressage of course. :D I did a great BE97 (2006) Test. I think I have to stop practising it now as he remembers it as well as I do.

I did jokingly charge at Helen which she recorded. I am not happy with how the lance bounces around so something to work on.

Finally I jumped off put the little jump back up and then we did a couple of really good goes at it.. Sophie would have been pleased with the forward canter we got going for that. :D

Rather pleased with all that and bring on starting on the van tomorrow.

The video is here

#SpecialBill

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jpgsawyer @ 2019-04-01T22:45:00

2019-04-11T21:45:30Z

So after a tough day I was really pleased to be able to get out and do my research for tonight's Bill Update. It was very therapeutic. We did start with a massive mysterious spook before I had even had a chance to tight the girth having got on.

After that though he was good as gold, we did some dressage, some practising turning while keeping contact, practise riding one handed, and some hands and heels plus lots of transitions. We also tried again on the whole head in and head out of a trotting circle and we are starting to get it well nearly.

I also did some bare back at the end and Bill looked after me by not trotting too fast or being an idiot when I didn't have a saddle.

Then I managed to get into the lorry and start to take apart some of the decrepit wood work in the lorry, so I could work out how to fix it up.

I feel much much better now.

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jpgsawyer @ 2019-04-05T22:44:00

2019-04-11T21:44:40Z

Friday Special Bill.

So with Sophie out sick we didn't have a lesson but that didn't stop us working hard. I stupidly forgot to put Bills ear defenders on which was a problem given the wind. He spooked at ever rustle of the trees. Especially near the hedge row as it was obviously cover for the laser totting ninja sparrows and perhaps is indicative of them calling up the heavy squirrel cavalry.

He dropped, he turned but eventually I got him listening to me. Literally by talking very loudly at him until he forgot the rest of the world. I think because he was not listening to anything to shut out my inanities.

The main thing I had set out to work on was a particularly dastardly exercise that Sophie had tried with me a few weeks ago that I was rubbish at. Newflash I suck just a tiny bit less at it now. That is progress right? It is a sort of labarynth you walk and trot round. I could walk round it but not quite trot it but I definitely did better than last time.

We also used it as some ground pole to trot and canter over. Bill totally got the bounce thing this week and didn't try to be clever. I need to be brave enough to set up a few jumps for myself soon but I am not confident really enough to do it on my own, even with other people round the stables. Still should get lots of jumping in on Sunday with the revised plan. Not doing the Tytherton ride for various reasons but will be going Cross Country Schooling with Leonne instead.

We also did a bunch of rein back and turn on the forehand and finally he seems to be doing it with a very light pressure on the reins which felt so much better.

As it was Bill's Birthday as I was walking him off at the end I sang him Happy Birthday and sweetly he turned his ears all the way back to listen to me for the whole song. Awwwww. :D He got some pony treats for that.

Bring on Sunday

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