Incremental improvement

Was he great? No. Was he brilliant? No. Was he absolutely fantastic? No. OK, was he even good? Well that depends on how you define good. The fact is, he was better than last time, and for now, with the amount we have managed to get out and about in between times, that has to be enough.

First of all, today I was able for the first time to sit up with Allan in the cab on the journey home. That was nice for both of us, he has been acting as our chauffeur for far too long and it's no fun for him to be stuck in there all on his own. I am still attached to Jazz via a very long rope and the chifney, and if his pawing gets too violent or too persistent, I jerk the rope and he stops. He's not pawing that much now, and it's all a bit half-hearted when he does. It was a great improvement on last time, and in a different universe from a month ago. We even put him back on the lorry to wait while I went off to thank the organiser for her patience, and he was fine, which is progress indeed! He was roped in, of course, but he didn't fuss at all SH tells me. He also loaded to come home at the first attempt, and that's a first too.

He got very excited by being in a strange place with other horses when I first went in the warm up arena, but he did behave himself very well. He was terribly aerated for 5 minutes to start with but he calmed down. Then he jumped the warm-up fences really well. When I say really well, I mean that his whole attitude had changed. He has started to take canter to the fence instead of staying in trot and to feel as if he really wants to jump it. It's a lovely bit of progress, that.

When he went into the main arena he was, as last time, totally over-awed by the people in it and by leaving the other horses outside. We can hire this arena to school alone and he is perfect. But on a show day with the others around he just can't get his mind focussed on the fences. With a lot of assistance from the arena party, which included putting fences down for us so he could step over them, and at one stage throwing a handful of sand at his bum (worked a treat :-) we got him over the first five. Rather than try another new one, we went back over the same five again (rebult to where they should have been) and he jumped them all very nicely. We called it quits there. So it wasn't "good", but again it was an ENORMOUS improvement from last time when he practically refused to jump a thing. Next time will be even better, and the time after that he should be completely different, particularly if the weather will let us get out and train in between times.

I'm very pleased with him. I'd love him to be making faster progress but I just can't hold it against him that he isn't. I understand him and what's upsetting him and the last thing he has is any problem actually jumping. Once he grows up emotionally he is going to be an awesome showjumper. I can hardly describe how fantastic it feel when he commits himself to a fence of his own free will. I feel like I could jump six feet on him if he does that :-)

I have to go and get them in now. In spite of the rain they weren't interested while it was still light.

C