Bradwall here we come!

Well, what a successful morning. So much hung on it, after his behaviour of the last two days. I had begun to think in terms of writing off affiliated eventing for this year, unless I bought another horse! So I was a bundle of nerves and got really cross with his incessant pawing in the lorry. He has already practically destroyed one of his front travel boots, since mid January (what - four journeys or five?) and they are the toughest set that you can buy!!! In the end I got a rope and hobbled him (tied his front legs together). That worked a treat, he went quiet and started to eat his haynet instead of faffing about. I'll do it again next time. Honestly, he looks like a trussed up turkey when he travels now and if I read about someone doing that to a horse I'd be pretty horrified. But the thing is, when he has the ropes on, he behaves like an angel. He doesn't fight them, even the hobbles. He just gives in and travels really sweetly. He loaded today with no chifney and no whip, too.

Superhubby agreed to walk the first loop of the ride with me because of my nerves. Jazz set off well going away from the stable yard but he refused at the first fence - tyres. Superhubby told me to be more confident when I put him at it again, and this time he did a lovely jump. We did a couple more fences and then Superhubby stopped me and said "He is clearly taking all his confidence from you. You MUST ride strongly and give him the confidence that he can jump these fences, because you know that he has all the ability he needs to do them." That in turn gave me the confidence to really ride positively at the fences and from that point on Jazz was marvellous.

He hardly stopped at another thing. He ran out at a fence alongside a field so full of cows it was overflowing with them. I'll forgive him that one. And again at a tyres set into a pallisade base. (not small by any means). But he did them both second time of asking. I developed a technique of sending him strongly on without losing my steering, and found that he can easily still jump from a fairly short contact - showjumping basically. He also walked through a stream and crossed horrible hollow sounding wooden bridge with no side rails on it with not a second thought. He seemed to be really enjoying himself. His canter is fantastic and his breathing is getting better as he gets fitter.

I currently have him jumping in a pelham with roundings and a curb chain covered with thick rubber. He is settling well in that and I can just about control him. I don't by any means rule out having to go to a bare chain for cross country in the future - he took on several fences with an enthusiasm that made me think I may well need more brakes when he is more experienced and fit!!

So, I can't see any reason not to fill in the entry form for Bradwall. It's one of the smaller Intro courses, with a maximum height on the cross country of 2ft 11 and he is already jumping that with five weeks training time still to go. The plan now is to school over the cross country training course on Monday to give him something new to think about. We think if he does the farm ride again he will either sail round totally confident or use his familiarity with it to start to be stupid (just like he hacked out several times quietly before starting to make a fuss and nap for home). Neither will progress his training, so we'll change the venue. Then if that goes well, on Thursday next week a showjumping session to see if the newfound confidence in his ability to jump fences of decent height and width is going to transfer to the showjumping course. Then we have another month to fine tune, do a couple of combined training competitions that my riding club has organised (dressage and showjumping) and if all goes well there, on to Bradwall for our first outing as "Majistralis".

C