Cor, exhausted.
I've just schooled all three and bathed two and trimmed one complete set of feet and it's very humid out there and now I'm exhausted.......
Jazz did lengthened trot strides and flying change. The lengthened strides are very slow in developing but I am trying not to rush him as he does find it difficult and he is making an effort to do it for me. I'm sure it's less than exhilarating to look at, we get so little change. But he is managing to understand flying change. He can't get it if we do a figure of eight, but if I take a sharper turn and come back to the track with a less steep approach, he gets it then. He is still mostly only changing in front, but he did get one complete one today, so he is making progress.
George was the best he has been yet, in the length of time he took to settle, and in how much tension he was holding. His trot transitions were explosive, but I put him on a circle and repeated them over and over until he realised that he was just throwing himself out of balance. Once he took responsibility for himself, the transitions were fine and the resulting trot really quite good.
Zippy was seriously objectionable for the first time ever. Horrible in the head and mouth, setting his back and going rigid. If he hadn't done such nice stuff yesterday I'd have worried about kissing spines or something. As it was, I think he was throwing a strop about the fact that the other two were in the field watching him.
In the end I had to give him a firm contact and push him up to the bit. He threatened allsorts, and I thought that he would rear, but at the last moment he saw sense and gave me a decent walk. The trot was then excellent and the canter very, very good for a baby. I sat for the first time and he was puzzled but he carried me nicely and he is supremely comfortable!
A friend came to see George today and she said with the way he looks now and his performance, a Pony Club parent will practically give me a blank cheque for him. Isn't that nice :-) The photos are supposed to be being put on the site by 2pm and it's already 4pm, but I hope to have some soon.
C
CHECK OUT THIS PIC!!!!
jtpix.co.uk
equestrian
draycott house 31st May
Camera two
1.30-2.29
page one top row
WOW!!!!!!! Told you it was big!
Others are in:
camera one
12.30-1.30
page 4 top row
I would give you the URL but they don't work, sorry. I think it's disabled to force you to buy them if you want to see them easily.
posted by cptrayes @ 3:43 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Photos going up!
C
The pro shots are fab! I love the way George is "attacking" the fences. Have to laugh, because you look so in control and, I think it's in the camera 1 section, the next rider looks really tense...horse all "bundled up" too.
That hedgy thing does look big! Same rule here in the US. Russell decided if it looked big, he'd have to jump big too as he knew nothing about "brushing" through the brush. George has the same notion as you can tell from those tight knees of his. *G*
So now I have to work three too just to keep up? Hope Zip isn't starting a new "phase" of "I'll do it only if you make me...."
There is a real problem with eventing in this country now Jean. Riders are being taught to be "in control" and to place the horse at every fence as if they were showjumping. The concept of it being the horse's responsibility to keep you safe is disappearing. The problem is of course that if anything goes wrong you're sunk if the horse hasn't got a clue he's supposed to get you out of it. It was listed in Horse and Hound a couple of weeks ago as one of the major causes of the increased death and serious accident rate in eventing in recent years, and I agree totally.
Rant over, isn't George just the bestest horse ever! His second outing and he jumps like that!!
C.
ps didn't mean to ride three, it just happened somehow, SH is at work so I had no-one to play with!
I always thoght it was the horses job to place itself for a jump...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhh I'm lovin the Georgie pics! He's so bold!
Whee! Look at you and George go! And look at those ears - you both look as though you are having a ball!
Louise
I don't know whether you read "saddle-up", but they've got a thread discussing the notorious ditch at fence six. One comment was "A green, novicey horse didn't really stand a chance" So double-double-well-done George!
Interesting about the "control" issue. I always worried about it in the show jumping as you had to do "distances" and striding to fences, but on the cross country, as my former trainer used to teach, it was my job to get the horse to the right fence and his job to jump it. All I needed to do was hang on. (Which I usually did....) That was one of the reasons I eventually retired. Russell faced a fence he couldn't figure out how to jump and I couldn't help him. So I decided we had reached the limit of our potential.
I think, had I pursued it with PJ, he would have been marvelous. He just had that, "I'll get over it somehow. Just let me at it" attitude.
Riding an enthusiastic horse over cross country fences is such a "high" I can't explain it. I know you understand. When the horse wants to jump what's in front of him, and knows how to do it it's like flying!!! *G*
George must be getting a BIG head with all the compliments but i'll add mine anyway:))
He looks fantastic looking at the pics im sure he is capable of going way higher too!
Im no way experienced at xc or jumping but I have ridden a couple of horse's who loved their jumping and it makes a huge difference to 'your' confidence too.
Bold, yeah!
Having a ball, both of us, yeah!
Well done George, yeah! (Can you point me to saddle up I can't find it)
Capable of going higher - I think so!
"Riding an enthusiastic horse over cross country fences is such a "high" I can't explain it."
Me neither. It's as close as I get to taking Class A (or B or C) drugs!!
C
http://www.saddle-up.org/forums/
The thread about Draycott is in the 'jumping' sub-forum of the 'riding and training' forum. You need to register to look at it, but it doesn't cost anything if you just want to read.
Just waiting for my logon to be validated, thanks.
C
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