A little ramble....

I managed to keep the top door open on Jazz's stable today while I rode Tia in the barn. I tacked her up and put her in there and then went and stood with him for a while until he calmed down. I cautiously tried leaving him and he seemed OK. Then while I was riding her he put himself at the back of his stable and stayed completely quiet. Now that’s progress!

Then we went out for a little hack down the road – howzat! He was super – quiet, interested and swinging along. He was very tired up the hill towards home so I will take it easy with him tomorrow. We were only out 20 minutes, but the field they go out in is on such a slope that they normally start to look very tired after a few days until they are used to it. It’s having the right effect though – his chest is already getting wider. His feet seemed perfect on a really rough piece of road which is the last bit that transitioning horses get used to, so no problems there either. He has a fair amount of fungus in the walls and white line, but I have doused all four feet in bleach today and that will knock it on the head. He was very good to have his feet sprayed, though he can be sticky to pick them up, he simply doesn't seem to understand what you want unless he is tied up. They did everything with him tied up, so he has no concept of standing still for people to work with him unless he is tied. But he's getting there, I managed to do his feet in the barn this morning with him still loose.

Tia was very good today too and did some very nice work. We got the shoulder in that she made such a fuss about yesterday. And some good trot work. It is an interesting contrast how utterly rythmic his trot is at four, compared to hers at seven.

You can tell he's from the continent! It was SO funny. I'm still giggling now .......... he won't walk on the left hand side of the road, he is insisting on walking on the right :-))))))))))).

C.