What a clever girl.....
I am. I bought an unbroken horse on Saturday and only seven days later I have him so well trained that he goes and does the farm ride faultlessly. How clever must I be :-) ? More clues that George has already been hunting today - the only fence he spooked at was the tyres, which I am guessing he has never seen before because tyres aren't usual as hunt fences. Everything wooden he just jumped. Even one when I thought it was too big and told him to stop. He just said "oh shut up" and jumped it anyway. I swear he would teach the most nervous rider to jump even if they couldn't steer.
He was surprisingly fit so we did the whole ride. He is indeed no slouch, as SH had said. He has a rangy and powerful gallop that really covers the ground. He was very, very happy to jump, so we jumped pretty much the whole lot, up to 3 feet (and one at a metre). He flung himself at and over a few, but half way round, with some industrial strength half halts, he suddenly found a round and bouncing canter and decided that it was a really nice pace to be in. So his flatwork has gone up a notch today as well, as if I needed a bonus.
His behaviour was impeccable. He didn't try to catch up the horses in front of us on the ride. But when I asked him to, he did it calmly and overtook them and went on by himself without a fuss. He's such a great horse! If Jazz goes unsound again I only need two weeks to get George to Intro performance. Does that put Jazz to shame or what!?!?!
When I got back, the other two were hanging around the gate and wouldn't go away even when George did. They were so obviously jealous of the attention he'd been getting this morning :-) Zippy also continues to show riggy traits. When I left George in the stable, Jazz went off down the field. Zippy alternated between going down the field and out of sight to be with Jazz, then cantering back up again to stand outside George's box - trying to keep his herd together!
I'm dead keen to get on with Jazz's training now - I'm tempted to go and catch him and give him a whizz this afternoon but I know that it makes more sense to leave him until tomorrow. George is absolutely wonderful for his type of horse - he's a top of the range load-carrying 4WD pickup. But Jazz is a 6 litre Mercedes and riding him is just incomparable.
C
ps and Zippy's an open-top Lambourghini!
posted by cptrayes @ 2:07 PM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Oh I can so feel that high after an exhilarating round xc - Go George!!!
What a fab little horse to have as back up!
So, you're not going to sell him on just yet then? Tell me you'll give him a shot at one Intro even if it's on a ticket?
Want more pics please. Preferably one over a fence.
PS any news on a registered name for him?
Cassie
What a honey! Love a horse that makes you want to jump as much as he does. George is a really special boy.
Does SH have any urge to ride at all? Seems to me George would be a perfect prospect as a Hubby Horse. The two of you could go out on hacks together....trying to give George a home with you, you see. *G*
Personally, I love the idea of having an anybody, anyday horse in the barn--hoping that will be Chance. Then, when you don't feel like a challenge or just want to go out and have some fun, you have someone to saddle up and ride.
I truly believe Jazz and zip would be jealous. I know Tucker often glares at us when Chance and I work together.
National Geographic just ran a really good article on animal intelligence and Animal Planet TV had horse ranked well up in the top ten most intelligent animals, so it's no stretch at all to figure there are alll kinds of plots, schemes and emotions running through those equine brains.
OK I'll put you out of your misery :-) I told SH in the lorry that I would do at least one Intro on a day ticket with him. In truth it's because I want to give him a go, but it won't exactly hurt his value, will it?
I won't sell him until Jazz has half a season under his belt, but I'm already getting interest in him. The girl who fits the WOW saddles has a potential buyer who's not in a hurry who she says he's perfect for. And some people who know me at the training place stopped me and were very interested in who he was. He's so eye-catching being so very black and he does have a lovely free rangy walk for a cob.
I'm beginning to think that it would be unfair to register him as Justin Case, even. His eventual owners won't want to feel that he was a standin, will they, and he won't deserve it either.
So now I'm thinking that it should be something to do with him being genuine black (when it's quite a rare colour - most "black" horses are dark brown). Gorgeous George, which I like but SH doesn't, is gone anyway. I do like things that rhyme like that - Oingy Boingy was one of my favourites! His passport is for Nero, which I don't like for at home but what about "Nero My Hero"?
C
Jean are you psychic - SH has already asked if George can carry his weight. Trouble is he's a big lad and fully loaded he weighs in with the saddle at 18 stone. That's rather a lot to ask the little man to do, do you think? I know in the US big men ride smaller horses, does it cause any problems?
I forget now how old you said George is?
I'd have thought that fully fit and muscled up and if SH is light in the saddle (afterall some 11 stone ladies ride like they're 18 stone!!) he would cope fine.
He's bred to carry weight (in the nicest possible way).
Knew you wouldn't be able to resist taking him Intro just once :-) you'll love it so much because it sounds like it will just be fun, not challenging, just out and out fun!
Cassie
justin case is only inappropriate if people know why it was that in the first place. and of course you don't have to say what he was justin case of, do you? i still like it. that's if you sell him of course - if SH starts riding, why would you?
No problem in the US with smaller horses carrying bigger men. There is an article here that offers the calculations for weight carrying ability of a horse. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Much-Weight-Can-a-Horse-Carry?&id=341252
I figure 18 stone is about 282 US pounds, so that is well within the realm of what George could carry for pleasure rides. Too, since he is a sturdy fellow, he is probably more likely to be able to carry a heavier rider.
Is SH tall and muscular--athletic type? If not, the prospect of riding Georgie might encourge him to exercise.
I have known and seen a good number of little Quarter horses happily chugging along with big riders. The rider's athleticism also makes a difference as dead floppy weight is hard on a horse no matter how much of it there is.
Even a light rider can make a big horse sore.
Will look into whether a western style saddle is also an asset.
Have we ever seen a full pic of SH? That would help a lot, especially if we could see him holding George. *G* (The beginning of a bond made in heaven.)
Don't get too excited guys. SH has had two horses in his time and the same thing happened with both of them. I ended up mucking them out, then grooming them, then riding them, then selling them. He's just not got the passion for it, and I'm not paying to keep a horse he rides once in a blue moon.
George will be fine while he still has things to prove and to learn, but after that I can't see myself keeping him as a third horse to play with occasionally. It will be much fairer to let him go playing with someone who thinks he's the bees knees.
C
Cassie my vet ages George as 8 but I reckon he is probably 6. We'll see what the dentist says in a week or so.
C.
That's no fun if SH leaves all the work to you and doesn't ride. Ah, well, it was a thought.
Good thing I've never tried to get into the "train and sell" business myself. I'd have to add a whole new barn to make space for all the "keepers." *G*
"Black surprise", "Diamond Noir",
I need to thing about more names
^-^ well done teh X-C I coudl see you smiling from here LOL!
I agree with Jean about weight carrying. I see plenty QH carrying quite heavy weight without problem.
You are right, you may get "bored" with George being not challenging enough .
well... but SH does other stuff though, like mending the wagon etc etc etc ... but as you say, if there's no passion there, and will to keep it up, there's no real point.... i often with allison would have one but she won't....(and if she did, guess who'd do all the work?...)
Muriel, I think you'd just love him. He's so forward going but so uncomplicated with it. I never sell to people I know too well though - too complicated if it doesn't work out!
Jean it's a state of mind. George isn't really "mine", in my head, he's just someone I'm looking after for a while. And if you think of getting the best home for them, one where they are top dog, not a make do, it's quite easy to part with them really.
Claire there are drawbacks - SH and I spend a heck of a lot of time together and if he rode every day as well we'd be completely sick of the sight of each other!
C
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