Digging deep
Jazz has spent the morning watching the man digging the trench for the pipes for our geothermal heating system and telling him how to do it. He isn't remotely afraid of the digger, he was only feet away.
I've ridden him indoors because there is an almighty wind outside, and the digger was bringing the trench right up the side of the barn. He hardly batted an eyelid. He just about noticed the shadow of it in a narrow strip coming in at a doorway. He ignored all the grinding and graunching noises it was making. There were also a number of different things about the barn - a hole in the floor where there hadn't been one, with a fork and spade by it. A pile of newspaper shreddings where I have experimented with making my own bedding. A big new mounting block, made for backing Zip. Four months ago those things would have had him hopping all over the place for half the session. Today, he hardly cared. He is growing up fast now and it's wonderful :-)
The session he did was great too. A little sticky to get shoulder in to the right, but I tried travers instead and then got the shoulder in later. The walk to canter was superb. The bends, transitions and everything are just wonderful. He can be unsteady with his head and flick it up and down. It's his main evasion. I counter that by holding onto the rein and then releasing it the moment that he gives and flexes.
I introduced lengthening the trot today. The barn is only 90 feet long, so there's not a lot of room but I thought he could just get the idea of a stride or two. I didn't ask for much and I was very pleased with the result. There was enough of a reaction to make me think that he will be able to lengthen quite spectacularly when he has learnt it and has space. He's such a naturally collected horse that I thought extensions might be his challenge, but it's possible that he'll get them more easily than I thought.
No news from Zippy. So at least there's no bad news, because I'd have got that if there had been any. I plan to go and see him Monday. The plan for Jazz now is the farm ride tomorrow. I am trying to alternate what he does so that he doesn't get stuck in one model of jumping and then get frightened again when we change it.
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 12:04 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
geothermal heating? that sounds very posh and eco friendly, you must tell us more..
and very good jazz indeed! i expect every other horse on the planet would have run a few miles!!!! but i guess the machine was company for him.
occurs to me ... one of the reasons for him not being totally stressed by zip's absence will be the company of the deer, surely?
Ooh your getting the heating thing sorted then..was all over my head when you explained it but remember you saying it was getting done for free cos of 'lecky board being greedy?!
Great it didnt bother him..shows how much his confidence has come on;)
I must admit Polo is completely relaxed on his own..doesnt matter if he's in the stable or field by himself just doesnt bother him.Yet take him out and about with a friend and he kicks off if you try to take him away?Learnt that lesson last summer..show with his pals there=horrendous behaviour,by himself=angel!
Did you get my email about the supplement and lesson?not sure if my emails 100% reliable at the mo?
I agree no news is good news!
Nicola
Tucker was always fine by himself too and I often find the three horse herd here scattered to the winds. Toby is the worrier and doesn't like to be alone.
Fun stuff with the "snoopervision" of the trencher. I am sure Jazz was convinced he could do it better.
At the rate he is settling, in a month or so, your posts are going to be complaints that he is boring....*G* Just wanted to warn you in case that happens.
I love a horse that doesn't get rattled by commotion. Wish I had one. ....well, maybe Chance will be that way.
Geo thermal heating. Cooling too? That's a great way to go. I hope I am on the list to get solar panels here, but I haven't heard anything from my company yet.
Not posh Claire, all mud and trenches! But very ecofriendly - the heat for the central heating will all be supplied by our field, so all we have to pay for then is the electricity to pump it around. We have to by tanker delivered gas at the moment and as well as saving the planet we'll be saving literally thousands of pounds a year :-)
Yes Nicola, the electricity got upgraded for free - serves them right for not quoting us an amount that we would have paid without querying. But when it was £35,000 we just had to research it - andhten found that they had a statutory duty to improve our supply under EU rules. So pleased the EU is actually useful for once!!
///At the rate he is settling, in a month or so, your posts are going to be complaints that he is boring....*G*
It's crossed my mind!
C
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