Good timing Zippy

With impeccable timing, Zippy has now shown himself to be perfectly strong enough for my standard 35/40 minute hack including the big hill back up to home at the end. He is coughing and snorting food down his nose much less often as he gets older too, although today he had a snotty nose after our ride so he's been introduced to some bugs by Jazz or on our trip to our friends last week. I haven't heard him cough for weeks, and now only rarely, less than once a week, see him with green nostrils. It used to be every couple of days.

I took him out for a hack. He was very unsettled, I think by the mowing that was going on now we have finally seen some sun. He went happily enough past the water bowser which had been used for showering the sheep. These days, instead of dipping them, they pressure shower them in the field. It's much easier for the people and the sheep not to have to take them to a dip and shove them under the water.

He was less happy to pass the tractor mowing the field by the road and I waited until it was on its run up to and across the top before I went past it. Onthe way back, it lifted its cutters and reversed towards us, and although it was about 30 yards away Zip panicked, turned and ran for it. I lifted my hands so that if he bucked he could get no power in it, and pulled him up with very little problem. It was a typical 3 year old reaction and nothing whatsoever to worry about. What is so pleasing is that although he was completely panicked, he had no intention at all of getting rid of me. He's almost turning into a warmplod (good job Muriel's on holiday :-)))

I decided that it would be really good to test Jazz with the same obstacles. I thought if he was improved then I would be pleased and that if he wasn't I would have another opportunity to prove to him that he cannot win by being a bully. To my absolute surprise, he went straight past the water bowser, which was a nasty big open-top tank thing with hoses and stuff on it with only a little "sit-down" of the back end and a sideways wriggle. I didn't even have to ask him to, he did it of his own choice.

And even more surprising, he was completely unconcerned about the tractor, by now mowing a new field right alongside the road, and us. I turned him around to go home, and again he was unconcerned about the tractor although it was cutting grass and making a huge noise barely 30 feet away. He went to rush past the bowser and I slowed him to look at it. He wasn't happy about that and ran past it. So I turned him away from home again to go past it again. At this point there was an argument, where he turned for home and I stopped him, so he was sideways across the road facing a big stone wall with neither of us able to get our own way :-) I sat there a few seconds - and then Jazz struck out with his front feet at the wall in a gesture of huge annoyance. Then I turned him and was able to walk him up and down past the bowser several times, before praising him and taking him home. He is definitely HUGELY improved in his hacking. He never would have gone past the bowser so easily a few weeks ago. I'm very hopeful that it will translate into jumping when he gets back to it after the op.

We have enjoyed the summer day today.

C