Who wants a race?????

Tetley has been making it very clear for a few days now that he would like a real gallop. So I got up early this morning before it was too hot and took him up to our interval training ground. We did 3 1/3 mile spins. The first was supposed to be half spped buthe had other ideas, I only had a snaffle on him and I simply couldn't hold him. We did better the second time, after walking back down for a breather, and the third was flat out. I had alsmost forgotten how addicted I am to his sheer power. He is very fast for a big horse, he has no trouble getting round inside the time at Novice (- 520 metres per minute - try it one day and then imagine 25 jumps too.) And he runs for sheer fun, he doesn't even need to be with someone for a race. It was grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat.

I had to shower him off for ages when we got back, he would not leave the yard until I turned off the hosepipe! Hopefully, that will help keep his waistline in trim for a few days. I know the ground was uneven, but it was impossible at any time on the ride to tell that he had any problems at all.

I am upset with the WOW though. It has marked him, and it is the brand new one :-( Lumps in exactly the same place as the one Tia was getting. I'm going to open up the panels like I did hers, and cut off the hard edge that is touching him. I don't know why they make them like it, it doesn't seem to serve any purpose, or perform any differently when I cut it off.

Interestingly, neither of these saddles marked until I did that particular ride in them. I think that the stresses and strains of the hill path that I go up and down must be very severe. No wonder I was always the first user to find out what the EE saddles did under extreme conditions. I hope that I can cure this, but at the worst case I will use a gelpad with all three of them. Looking at Tia and Tetley's muscle development in the shoulder area in them, there is no way that I will be getting rid of them if I can help it.

Tia's had the day off. Caddy is eating, and eating, oh, and, well, eating. But not putting on the weight you would expect. I conclude from that that he is growing, because it's going somewhere! He's a bucket-smacker food-launcher :-))) You know - when they pick up one forefoot and tap the front edge of the bucket with it and send food fountaining all over the stable? Time for a tyre I think!!


C.