Less nerves, more progress

This morning I went and fetched the pair from the field. They were, of course, not responding to my call - because they were as far away as it's possible to get in their field. So after a tramp all the way down to get them, and all the way back up again, we were all set for some work.

I tacked Zippy up and took him straight into the barn. His attitude is definitely different since he's been away. Less dominant, more cautious, more actively looking to see what it is that you want him to do. I figure we can crack this riding thing before he gets mentally strong again, and before he is too full of food. He lost a bit of weight while he was away and that will have made him weaker too. Actually, if I'm truthful I don't think he gives any more of a fig about being ridden than he did about me sitting on him in the first place. I just scared him by panicking that time, that's all!

I said to myself that Jonathan would not long rein him this morning, so neither would I. With considerable nerves I went to mount and he moved while I was getting up and the saddle slipped. I stepped back down again, expecting ructions, but there were none. He must have breathed in to make the saddle slip because there was no extra give to buckle up the girth tighter. The second time he also moved off but I got on anyway and he was fine. Just fine. In fact he feels totally relaxed and waiting for instruction. We did figures of eight in walk and then realised that we had forgotten to clip on the breastplate to the D rings and that there was pretty much nothing to stop the saddle slipping back if he was silly - and that there's nothing to beat a girth around the willy to make a horse buck - look at any rodeo!

I practised a couple of halts, got off and clipped it on and got back on again. All trouble free. We did a couple of trots in each direction, which were much better than yesterday. He did a little skip or something when he heard rain on the roof, but my instincts kicked in properly and I raised my hands (to keep any power out of any buck coming) and put on my leg (to send him forwards and stop the buck that was coming). He immediately settled again and was totally calm. That has done my nerves no end of good - he was spooky, I stopped him easily, he settled again immediately. Wonderful progress.

Tomorrow I think I will feel like I used to feel pre-Smartie when I sat on a horse for the first time. Alert, slightly nervous, but basically fairly confident of being able to deal with what might happen. I hope so anyway.

Zippy is a fabulous horse and I am thrilled that it looks as if Iam going to be able to keep him. I could never afford to buy his quality in the state he's in now. He's probably an even better horse than Jazz. I bought him because of his neck and his movement. His neck has fulfilled all its promise - his natural carriage is rounded already. He works all the time with an arch in his neck. His movement is a glorious floating trot. Jazz and Zip's trots are of equal size. But Jazz feels "all power" and you can feel the muscles pushing him off the floor, which is a wonderful sensation. But Zip just floats along effortlessly, with just as much suspension and impulsion, but seemingly as if it is coming from nowhere. It is totally fantastic to have two such glorious horses and have them be so completely different to ride.

Zip also has a wonderful mouth and a great reaction to the leg. He is forward off the leg but not over-reactive. His mouth is like a strong bungie to feel - elastic and yielding. If those are the result of just ten days training then Jonathan knows what he's doing.

Jazz did a session inside then, since it was raining. He did some super work. I focussed on warming up in walk with a progression to lateral work. His half pass is really coming on and he knows how to stay in shape and cross his legs and move forwards and over. Then after a break we did walk/trot transitions. This is to teach him to listen and wait for my aids, which is something that he struggles with, preferring instead to amble about half asleep. It took a few repetitions to get it on one side, but it transferred to the other pretty well. He did work out that if he did not come down from the trot into a balanced walk that he could not do the next transition up. And also that if the transition up was not balanced then he could not get the walk balanced when he came down again. So he had to get it all right to do the exercise. Which he did, and then we stopped.

I am not taking our progress with Zip for granted just yet, but a few more days and I will be very happy.

C