I'm worn out!!

Well it beats me how George can work himself up into a steaming, dripping state simply be refusing to walk a circle. He drops his back and pulls back behind the contact and starts to rush. I half halt him back and he sets on me. He won't then bend or slow down. I flick him with a whip to make him go forward and he over-reacts as if I have belted him. I settle him down, stand him up and get an outline and he holds it for half the circle and then starts the same nonsense all over again. And again. And again. And again.

I can't remember how long it took. An hour at least. The turning point was yet another mad dash because I had dared to touch him with a whip - and he fell over. Literally. His back feet slipped and he fell on the floor. I stayed on top, he got up, and from that point he was much more prepared to listen to my advice - I wonder why that was!!!! Finally, he accepted that a flick with the whip was a request to stay forward and not a reason to run for it. Finally he accepted that a half halt means "round up and rebalance, baby" and is not a punishment - neither a reason nor an excuse to tense up from head to foot. Finally, he did what he could have done from the moment we started - a circle in walk. So we stopped. He was dripping. I was fed up and sore - I am having to wrap my knees in fleece bandages because they are rubbing so badly on the saddle gripping when he messes about :-0 !

I was cross with him earlier on too - I left the boys out last night for the first time and they didn't come in when I called. I took a bucket out and they all followed me back in until I was right at the gateway and then George decided that he was having none of it and took the others away. In fact Jazz barged me for the first time ever - he never usually touches a human like that. Then they all proceeded to go completely doollally for ten minutes, galloping up and down and up and down and up and down. When they stopped I went out with a bucket again but they wouldn't follow me and George in particular was skirting away.

I went and fetched a headcollar and I got Zippy easily, the little sweetheart. The other two weren't going to come anywhere near me. Zippy followed me in like a little lamb and had his breakfast. I went back out with a bucket, and got the other two by putting the bucket on the floor, waiting for them to come to it, picking it up and moving it ten metres, repeated until we got to the stables. They wouldn't come to the bucket if I was holding it. But eventually everyone was in.

I have news for George. The one thing I absolutely cannot and will not stand is a horse that cannot be caught. If he persists in not being caught, and particularly if he persists in stopping me catching the others, then he'll only be allowed out on his own and then he'll be sold as soon as he's trained and I'm game to try Jazz again. George, you have been warned!

I wonder what on earth he'll do tomorrow. We have Prelim 18 followed half an hour later by 2ft 3 showjumping. It's windy tonight with possible rain, so they'll be in and at least he'll be easy to get clean in the morning.

C