Horse balloons

I spent from 8.15 to quarter past midnight on the road yesterday, barring a two hour stop with my Dad and a sleep in a motorway service station car park. He's a lot better thanks, out of intensive care and back on a normal ward. I haven't had a lot of energy to do too much today!

But I schooled Tia and she was very good. She is beginning to cotton on to how to really work. Two of the canter transitions were the best she has ever done (they weren't brilliant, but we have progress, which deserves a reward). She had second-rein-itis in the lateral work but I persuaded her to get herself straight, which was the big issue, and then forward, which was easier when she was straight, and then we got the bends right.

Jazz I had some fun with. I decided that I need more brakes and more steering when we are out on a hack and when we are showjumping. So I tried him out in my favourite pelham with roundings with a stirrup leather strap as the curb. It was ACE! Wow, perfect control. He was so respectful of it I was afraid that it was actually too strong. I took off the curb and tried that, but it wasn't half as effective. So for the time being it looks as though he will be in the Scooby combination - pelham for hacking and jumping, snaffle for schooling. I hope eventually to be able to use the snaffle to hack, but I doubt if I will ever be able to showjump, cross country or interval train without more control. I resist stronger bits as much as I can, in fact Scooby is the only other horse I have used one one routinely. But I think for safety's sake I need to use the pelham on him at times.

So, that was five minutes gone. I took off all his tack and put up a jump. Well, I put the poles on the floor between the stands. I thought we'd have some fun teaching him to loose school. Teach him???????????? He took one look at the fence, popped into canter, turned and jumped. I put it up, and up, and up, until it was over 3ft 6 and still he just popped it. He's only ever done it from the left rein, but I didn't even have a lunge whip and he was completely free of tack! They definitely did this with him in Holland at some time.

Now ................ the jump! He "hangs" in the air like a horse balloon. Or basketball players when they jump for the basket. He isn't even thinking of coming down until he has cleared the fence. It's almost like watching slow motion :-) He doesn't get anywhere near the poles, he tucks right up in front, and as his back end hovers over the fence he tucks his hocks right up behind him. What a magnificent horse - I am so lucky that the trainer/dealers who are Ran's normal customers didn't want someone as opinionated as he is, otherwise he'd either have been sold weeks before I got there or he'd have cost more than I would have paid. I've got a star, I'm sure of it, all I have to do is to take the next ten years to work out how to ride him :-) !! (And travel, but we won't mention that today)

C