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Av Tina Karlsson - 11 juni 2013 13:34

It has been a while since my last entry. Dinio and I are working on building strength and to speak to each other with very small signals. We are progressing and things are getting better and better, day by day. I am truly a lucky one to have a horse like Dinio.

He has gained a lot of weight and developed his muscles. And he enjoys his stay at Rocksta. And so do I.

Last Sunday Photographer Natalie Lindholm visited us and took a lot of photos. Nice to have photos taken by a proffessional and it is worth every penny. Below you will find five chosen photos. It was very hard to choose cause they all turned out to be so good. But I can buy some more photos later on. Observe that there is copywright on the photos.

Thank you Natalie for wonderful photos!

         

Av Tina Karlsson - 9 maj 2013 19:57

Today will be a day to remember - and I am so happy that my darling mother and sister joined me with the camera.

First of all - the weather was just fantastic today, sunshine, 22 degrees and no wind. When I brought Dinio in from his outdoor paddock he played with me a lot. Today is a good good day, Dinio told me. He was really happy. Gave him his mash and then started to prepare him for our ride. It has happened so much with him since we moved to Rocksta. His stomach is super and he has started to put on more weight and mucsles. He is really looking good.

When I mounted Dinio was eager to move forward - a good sign. We have to walk a bit to reach the outdoor arena - which is really just fine. I took the opportunity to walk him a bit further but then I turned back and we entered the arena. Dinio felt just super from the start. Willing to move forward, listened and felt very soft in his body. So nice!

Today we trained on volts, transitions, shoulder in and half passes along the diagonal in trot. We got a lot of credit from our trainer, and he was a bit surpriced that Dinio was doing so well during this clinic. Much better than he had expected. "You have done some really good work with him" - "Well done". That felt very nice to hear. We still have some problems with the transisitions between the walk and the canter - but we will come around them as well. In the extended canter he is just super, halfpasses in canter are also super. In the extended trot, however, Dinio are lacking some strenght still, but we will find that too. He can really lengthen his trot but he increases his tempo in the beginning. My home work until the next clinic is to work more on the transitions between the walk and the canter.

My  goal is, of course, that they shall not be any problem next time.

Adding som lovely pictures from today - thank you Mammy!

       


Av Tina Karlsson - 13 april 2013 19:24

The endless winter is finally over. It has been a very long, hard and cold one. And due to this Dinio and I have lost 5 months of training. I am therefor happy to write that we moved to a new stable 14 day's ago. Here we have all the fascilities you can wish for. Dinio enjoys his new stable. He stay's between two geldings, Fridolin and Wilmar, and theese three have much to tell each other. Just friendly greetings and I am happy for Dinio. And no more a winter without an indoor arena.


However, the indoor arena isn't Dinios favourite. He gets very tensed there but I am certain that he will get used to it. We really have to train a lot indoors though most competitions take place in indoor arenas here in Sweden.


Earlier this week Dinio got a check up of his chiropractor. She said that Dinio felt just fine in his body, only a bit tensed in his right hip, nothing to worry about. She also said that he really had developed his body a lot. Still have to put on some more muscles on his back. Otherwise tip top!!


Today I rode my first clinic for Jan Schöneman. He comes on a regular basis to our stable and I thought it would be a good idea to try. Took a 30 minutes lesson today and will ride one more early in the morning. My darling mother joined with the camera and here are some photos from today.

         


Av Tina Karlsson - 4 mars 2013 15:13

A tough month is finally over. We have spent it by walking around in the Täljö area, and now and then, we have managed to complete some sessions on our outdoor arena. Due to a lot of snow it has been possible, but you can not say that there has been some serious training. Booth Dinio and I are longing for the spring. Dinio is now ful of energy and really have to start some serious work!

At the end of February I got a very joyful message - Dinio and I got an offer to move to Rocksta, situated in Angarn, Brottby. There they have all the fascilities you can want - and of course - I gladly accepted. So at the end of March we are going to move. Feels at the same time a bit sad though both Dinio and I have really enjoyed our stay at Täljö. But who knows, we might be back in the future.

Now I am waiting for warmer weather and that the snow will disappear. Hopefully that is done in a few weeks.

Adding a photo from March 2012.  

Av Tina Karlsson - 1 januari 2013 09:57

Yes, 2012 was Dinio's second year in Sweden. The year started off with cold weather and of course - a lot of snow. January was spent on daily walks around the Täljö area but during February we could start some serious training on our outdoor arena. Snow - when it is packed -is a good surface to train on. Then March came with warmer weather and everything turned to ice. So we returned to our daily walks around Täljö. Dinio enjoys our walks in the nature - so much to see and to enjoy. Yes, Dinio is a very safe and steady horse - there is not much that spooks him. Nevertheless we experienced two scary rides, one together with my sister on her horse Chilikungen and one when I was out alone. I understand that he is very sensitive to smells. When he smells something that is unfamilliar to him he totally freaks out. The first time I think he smelled a moose or a wild bor, the second time it was newly cut down trees.

 

From April we started up the serious training again. Our work continued during the spring, summer and autumn, together with my trainer Gunilla, who came to me on a weekly basis. Dinio improved a lot during this period. In October we attended our first competition. Dinio was super during the warming up but when we entered the competition arena he lost his willing to move forward. To bad but this things happens - first we nearly never rides in an indoor arena, second he prefer to have horses around him and the possibility to show how handsome he is. But it was a good experience - now I know how he reacts and behaves on a competition. His behaviour was excellent - no stallion manners - just wonderful.

 

 

During 2012 we also attended a clinic for Tiago Albergaria, a dressage trainer from Portugal, one clinic for Mette Henriksen, B-trainer in Sweden and two clinics for Hector Carmona, Grand prix dressage trainer, here in Sweden.


 

     

During November I started to prepare him for the winter and a well deserved resting period. In the beginning of December the winter arrived extremely rapidly with snow chaos and very cold weather. This weather normally arrives in the beginning of January but not this year. This year it has also rained more than usual so one must say that 2012 in that point of view was an extremely odd one.


Regarding Dinio's health we are still struggeling with his repeatingly on going gas cholics. When reducing the amount of hay and introducing straw instead he has improved. One theory is that he is not used to good feeding and therefor I have reduced it. I also introduced Equimins ColEase which reduces the amount of gas in his stomach, which also have improved the situation. But unfortunately this means that he is loosing in weight. And as a working and competing horse he will need to build up a lot of muscles and strength and it enoys me a lot that I can't solve this matter. But I will never give in. Change in weather conditions also results in a gas cholic. Chilly weather is another reason. That also supports one of my theories - that during the summer he never gets any gas cholics - so coldness and change in weather is not good for Dinio.

 


Now we are living day by day and are looking forward to the spring and the upcoming competitions. I have layed a plan for 2013 but it all depends on how fast the spring will arrive and how soon our serious training can start. 2013 will be a very serious year with a lot of competitions, hard training and I will also try to found another stable for us where Dinio is wellcome, even though he is a stallion, and where there are an indoor arena - so we can train during the hole year.


HAPPY NEW 2013 to all of You!!


 



Av Tina Karlsson - 7 december 2012 08:26

since my last entry. After the competition I have started to slowly bring him down in his condition, du to the coming winter. Without Indoor arena we have to adjust our sessions according to weather conditions. Two days after the competition Dinio got a severe gas cholic and I had to bring the emergency vet. This time the cause seemed to be that Dinio had eaten something in his paddock, cause he had diarrea several days efter the treatment. So I had to buy Colicure. After a few days with this treatment Dinio was well in his stomach. A tip from Helen in Spain was to reduce the amount of hay as well and exchange some of it with straw. Did so and it seemed to be the trick. But at the end of October he got another cholic again. Hm! Reduced his hay once again. During November two cholics which I could relate to the change in the weather. But in general the reduce of hay has resulted in feaces that have never looked better and his baloon stomach are shown more seldom. I have also reduced his time spent in his paddock, from 6 to 3 hours. He is very sensitive to change in the weather conditions and there for I also bought a complete new set of rugs. Now he is having the warmest and best rugs ever!!

This Monday the snow arrived. Completely snow chaos! I think it dropped about a half meter of snow in one day. This Tuesday the temperature dropped and I decided to let Dinio inside the stable during the hole day. Took him out for a ride during the evening. He was so alert and played with me. Yesterday the temperature was better, only -1 degrees and he stayed in his paddock for about 3 hours. And yesterday evening it was time again for a minor gas cholic. Probably he had been eaten snow, but I can't be sure of course.

I think that Dinio is an extremely sensitive horse and has still not adjusted to the life in Sweden, if he ever will do so. And that I have to live with this and to be on top of things around him all of the time. But he is worth it!! Adding a picture from yesterday evening when Dinio was coming out of his cholic condition.

   


Av Tina Karlsson - 7 oktober 2012 18:57

Today Dinio and I attended our first competition. Just Low-level, but nevertheless. Our riding club in our community arranged it and I thought it would be good to be there to see his reactions and so on. Also nice to have done one before the winter arrives. My darling mother joined me and she and I just work so well together. Dinio was in the beginning a bit tensed - a lot to check out - a completely new place where he hasn't been before - and a lot of horses moving around. But - as allways - he behaves perfectly. It didn't take long until the saddle was in place and I could start to ride. A bit tensed in the beginning but after just a little while - he was simply wonderful. He was just there and I felt that he enjoyed himself.

Gunilla, my trainer joined me at the warm up area and she looked very happy, I felt very happy. My friend Ingrid, my sister and my niece and my friend Margareta also joined us. They looked happy too. Yes, he was just wonderful at the warm up arena.

Then it was time to enter the collecting ring (indoor). We walked around a bit and then started to trot. He still felt very nice but a bit of his willing to move forward wore lost. Hm, but no catastrofy so far. And finally it was our turn to begin the test. Before the starting signal I tried to show him as much as possible of the arena. Our first problem started after the saluting halt. Trotting straight ahead towards a judge and a secretary sitting on something big at the short end - yak! And then we got problems all the way. Dinio lost a lot of willing to move forward and I sometimes had to carry him around, but some things we did wasn't too bad - after all. We managed to complete our test but with low scores - of course.

What will I take with me - Dinio behaved perfectly and I am very pleased and proud of him. And my goal with this competition was to see how he would react in such an invironment. 100% satisfaction here.

The next thing is that I have to ride him more in indoor arenas so he gets used to them and will be able to maintain his willing to move forward.

Then we need to practice and practice and practice. No new competition this year - we still have some building up to work on.

Addning some pictures from today.

       


Av Tina Karlsson - 23 september 2012 07:51

Time flies fast. It is now two weeks since my last note. So here comes a summary of the recent two weeks.

Week 37

Monday 10th, Dinio felt tired so I took him for a long walk around the Täljö area. He had a little high temp (38.3) before our ride and 37.9 after. It can, of course depend on the thick rug he is wareing but need to have my eyes on this.

Tuesday 11th, still a bit tired. Gave him an easy session, only walk and trot work, temp 37.9

Wednesday 12th, easy work and a short stroll around Täljö, temp 37.9

Thursday 13th, increased his work, felt nice, temp 37.9

Friday 14th, a resting day, temp 37.9

Saturday 15th, dressage session, a happy Dinio with a lot of energy, felt so nice, temp 37.9

Sunday 16th, a cleaning day in the stable, everybody joined and we manage to complete a lot of things that had to be done. Everything looked very nice indeed when we finished. Then it was time for my niece Jennifer to ride on Dinio. She brushed him thoroughly and then I rode him for about 30 minutes. A very happy Jennifer mounted and did very well. She rode about 30 minutes, both in trot and walk. I am not allowing her to gallop yet, but she will be able to in the future. Dinio behaved and took good care of her. Temp 38.0

Week 38

Monday 17th, his stomach was a bit swollen when I arrived to the stable, temp 37.9, took him on a long walk around Täljö. After our ride the stomach was normal.

Tuesday 18th, dressage session with Gunilla. A bit swollen in his stomach, but he did very well during the session. Felt a bit off in the beginning but soon he was full of energy and felt very well again. One thing I have noticed is that after his work he oftens drop loose faeces. Hmmmm. I do have a sensitive horse and I think he takes his stress inside of him.

Wednesday 19th, a loooong walk around Täljö, very nice in his stomach and perfect faeces, but 38.0 ?????

Thursday 20th and Friday 21st, dressage sessions with Hector Carmona. The exercise was and my training for now is to ride him from behind straight forward and out in to my hand, with the nose in front of the verticle. The goal is to get him to take longer steps and not to feel restrained by me. Unfortunately I found a small soft gall on his right front leg after our second session. The surface at the indoor arena was probably not so good so this was the first and the last time I am riding Dinio there. Temp Thursday and Friday 38.0

Saturday 22nd, Temp 38.1, Dinio tired, gave him a massage and a resting day. Stomach OK. I have , since the beginning of this week, removed Hippo grow Alfa from his evening meel and the stomach swelling in the afternoons have disappeard. I am now 100% sure that he is allergic to corn. Poor Dinio. Next week I will by a new concentrated feeding, Primero Total, especially composed for Spanish horses. Will slowly introduce it to him and are hopeing that this will be good for him.

Sunday 23rd - Today I will take Dinio on a long walk in the nature. Bad weather but he loves a good walk around.

Adding som pictures from last weekend.      

Skapa flashcards