Spring fever.

Blimey I've worked hard this morning.

George first. I used shoulder in to calm the walk and that was very suucessful. But the trot was a different matter altogether. I had to run him practically ragged before he would release and give me a decent trot. I tried everything, stopping and balancing him, turning him, half halting him (ignored or resisted!). He knows it's easier for him and me, but it was sprrrrring and he wasn't going to give in that easily! The only thing that worked was to put him on a circle and send him forwards as fast as he wanted to go until he worked out how to keep his balance without running. In the course of pushing on the trot to make him give, he took canter instead and I sent him on in canter several times. I'm pleased to report that although we weren't practising canter, it has improved immensely since last time :-)

Then Jazz gave me the sort of hard time that I thought he had grown out of. There was a muck bucket up the "wrong" end of the arena, where the wind had blown it over the winter. He threw a paddy at it and four times he turned and bolted down the other end, each time feeling as if it was only a matter of time before he went through the electric fence or up the bank and over the wall.

After the fourth time I decided enough was enough and went to fetch a pelham. He pulled away from me when the others incited him to mischief and I was stupid enough to kick him for it. He pulled right away then, and went up the fence line. Then he stopped, summed the situation up and made a conscious decision to go through the electric wire. He didn't do it in a panic, he weighed up the situation in cold blood and then did it.

I caught him after he'd had a lovely whizz with the other two and put the pelham on him. Then he did some really decent work. In fact it helped us with lengthened strides because he couldn't "run" in it but had to lengthen properly. I tried a flying change and got one immediately. Then he got tired, and suddenly the muck bucket which had been forgotten was once again the most evil thing on the planet. Just goes to show how much is kiddology with him, eh?

I fetched a whip and just as suddenly the muck bucket turned back into a muck bucket and Jazz did his best to do a couple of flying changes, so we could stop on a good note. I think he is going to find them quite easy now he is so strong in his body.

Both he and George were so wet and the weather so warm that I showered them off. George was so funny. He wanted to be terribly scared, but at the same time you could see that he was really enjoying the bath! Such confusion in his mind about whether to run away or beg for more :-) No such confusion for Jazz, he just loves his bath!

So, I could have had an easier time, but both horses learnt a lot today. Everyone is moulting like crazy and spring is definitely here today.

C