I HATE THAT MOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's back. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
We have some more bad news too. We seem to have lost a cat. Our black one. He is a big hunter but he never normally disappears for more than half a day and he's been gone four days now. He's nowhere around. I know it sounds horrid, but of the three, he is the one we would be least upset about losing. I hope he hasn't been in pain or anything, but if he had a clean end it wouldn't crack me up. He was never really a cuddly house cat. He would come in to eat but rarely wanted a cuddle, about once a quarter. Like I say, if he's gone I hope he had a quick, clean and painless end. He had a fabulous life for 11 years with total freedom and a huge hunting ground full of fun.
I've been in court today with a serial rogue trader. Very interesting. I have to go out now and sort out the people. Caddy needs a rug on in this rain but I'm worried about the stitches catching, they may just have to come out.
I have put Tia on sale at £6,500. This is frankly a daft amount of money and she is extremely unlikely to sell at that. But if she does, it's an amount that I just couldn't turn down. If, as expected, she doesn't sell, then I get to compete her until the end of the season, which I expect to be great fun now that she knows the job and is enjoying it. It took her old owner all of an hour to spot the ad on Horsemart and be on the phone asking why!
I have pretty much decided meanwhile to turn and turn about the three of them, because if Tia is "cooked" she can do with less input, and if Tetley is not competing this year then he doesn't need it either now the grass is all eaten off. So I hope to begin putting some work into Caddy, who this morning appeared to me to be higher in the wither than at the bum. Photo soon, he's a different horse!
C
posted by cptrayes @ 5:53 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I do not blame you about the cat. we also have three cats. two are rescued. They are the friendliest cat, I have ever owned. they are really good company. Somebody gave me the third one. She can't cut it, she is not Oliver-proof ( my son-proof). so she only comes and eats. I hope somebody else will adopte her !!!!
Does it rain ? It was again 31 degrees C, this afternoon, and we live at 900 m high. Don't tell you how much it is down the valley!!
Now where are the pics of Caddy? ;-D
I wouldn't give up hope with the cat, ours does that. It goes and I think I have seen the last of it, and then it appears again. Perhaps it was trying to find somewhere cooler.
How is Caddy's lump on his back? Haven't heard it mentioned lately.
You live at 900 metres! I thought we were high at 1100 FEET. Blimey, do you ski from your front door in winter?
The lump has got a lot smaller, but is still significant. It's a bone callous so it'll never go, and since he couldn't care less about it I've pretty much put it out of my mind. But I think it will shrink a lot more yet, over the next year the bone should remodel now the source of the irritation has been removed.
I put a rug on him tonight that he last had on at least 6 weeks ago. I had to let the straps out by six inches. They were on their tightest and I remember that even on that they were too loose. He's definitely bigger!
C
Caroline following on from yesterday - "spencering"
I find Robin's most effective evasion is not being off the leg. When I have to nag, or the response off my leg is not immediate, then I never truly manage to get him soft and swinging through his back which means he ends up blocked through his shoulders and poll (horrid feeling - like riding a plank of wood!). He's a different horse when he's off my leg.
Spencering (comes from Spencer Wilton, dressage rider) involves demanding an instant response off the leg. He gets asked once nicely, then once more strongly (double kick) and then I do one kick and at the same time smack him smartly behind the leg with both schooling whips (I carry one on either side because I get in a hell of a muddle trying to change hands!).
At this point i'm basically asking for a big response from the leg so get the odd buck and we normally go from dawdle to mach 3. I don't worry about where his head is, he can hollow as much as he wants but i'm essentially asking for gallop and he must respond NOW. Obviously musn't get left behind or catch him in the mouth so be ready for the big reaction. Once we've rocketed off for 4 strides I praise him and bring him calmly back to walk. I then ask for trot again and again if the response isn't immediate and he isn't in front of the leg he gets the same reaction from me.
It normally only takes three times for him to catch on I mean business, although he's such a chancer I normally have to do this at the start of every session!!
It really does work. Nothing nasty or heavy handed about it, just a demand for attention and forward thinking. Once we've done the spencering i've got a horse that's really listening and waiting for instructions : )
Cassie
PS I WANT PICS OF CADDY!!!!!!!!!!
Aha! "Spencering" a term to explain the riding technique I was taught for my hunters years ago. The idea was to get an immediate, correct response from the least aids. I have modified it slightly for my dressage horse as I like to close my legs a bit more before we get a big response.
Still, though, I keep them pretty light to my leg, especially for the lateral work. Just a touch and over they go. No sense thumping around to get every stride.
For the eventing or jumper horse, however, those split second decisions to "GO!" are essential.
Sorry about the cat, but I do understand. I have the opposite situation here trying to catch two elusive strays so I can get them neutered. Wouldn't be a crisis, but Mommycat has already presented me with one litter. She and Poppy are hiding out somewhere nearby and drop in occasionally for cat food feasts. Cats, a constant enigma.
Good move with Tia. Hope no one buys her until the season is over. *G* We want pics of "Big Boy!!"
You people spent months telling me to be more patient when I had Smartie and now you bug me for Caddy photos :-) It'll be worth seeing, I rode him today and he is MUCH bigger.
Spencering - yes, I do that too. Response... move... NOW! Tetley is rocket sharp off the leg. Tia is getting there. Caddy thinks tomorrow will do :-)
The cat is back! Read the blog for today for details.
C
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