Now THAT's more like it!

Ooh I do need to grovel to Superhubby today. I was in such a snappy mood this morning because we were off to take Tia back to the farm ride. I knew that if she had not learned anything from last time, that the whole season was shot to pieces while we waited for her to slowly learn the job. But I've come back with a grin on my face and so has she.

The Boas performed superbly. Never moved a bit and she jumped really happily in them and cantered for miles. Her canter is to die for on a cross country - just rolling along beneath you effortlessly. Pretty useless for dressage but great for a spin!

I had a strategy set out, to let her walk up to each fence and look at it until we were at least 1/3 of the way round. Then to ask her to jump without looking from 1/3 onwards. Pah! Who needs to do that? I had to make her stop and walk to the first one and she still offered to jump it, so that was the last one I did that at! She has jumped every single fence on the course, including all the ones that she would not go near last time. And several that were a really decent height. And four with real or "fake" ditches in front of them. She stopped once only at three fences, all ones she refused to attempt at all last time. And more times at one other (which I have had other horses be very sticky at, so I am pleased that she did it at all).

She is such a sweet, sweet horse. I really can't fault her. It was clear today that with just a little more confidence she is going to be a really, really, really classy little eventer. I got the technique right this time, putting her up in front of me and keeping her dead straight, and as soon as I did that she just stopped any thought of evading the fence and turned all her brainpower to working out how to get over it. In no time at all she was clearly really enjoying herself. She wanted to canter all the way around! 5 miles? No thanks!!

She did launch herself wildly over a few but I have no issue with that at all. She will learn the right take off point and technique soon enough. It is the willingness to get to the other side of the fence by going over the top of it that was there today, and that's all we need to make progress, since she has natural talent.

Tetley? - oh, he's sound. :-)

Saddle - going ace, really like it :-) About to buy another I can jump in too, the dealer has offered me one "ex-demo" at a decent price.

Foot update - I forgot to tell you that because Madam is picky with her food it has taken me a full six weeks to get her onto a proper high magnesium supplement dose. Now that she is there, I hope the feet will benefit from it. Also, typically thoroughbred, her feet are not growing at anything like the rate that Tetley, Scooby and Casper grew theirs. She still has a set of visible nail holes which they got rid of by seven weeks shoeless. And the stuff hitting the floor now is "shredding" around the holes. She may always need boots from time to time but that doesn't bother me now I have got the gaiters working well.

C.

ps next clues about me - I was very lucky to have been born with a brain that works very fast and to have common sense with it. And to have a character that meant I got bored easily and therefore kept changing career direction - which caused me to end up with a combination of experience that was both in demand and as rare as rocking horse droppings in the UK. I was lucky to find a good man to set up with when I was very young (I married at 20). But no relationship is luck, you have to work at them all and we have managed 27 years married so far. And since two can live almost as cheaply as one, that helped the finances too. But the biggest boost to the finances as we are now was not having had any kids. Luck again - I don't like them!

pps Nicola keep your mucky thoughts to yourself! Might have been less hard work that way though ;-) !