No thrills today :-(
It was a scrappy meet today. I remembered afterwards that it was the same last year. There were no really long runs, just a lot of one-field canters. Unless you were jumping the hedges, there wasn't a lot of jumping. The hunt fences were scrappy and Radar was not attacking them, which was a little disappointing.
We have arrived at a stage where I can control him, but because I am controlling him he is not really going for his fences. I'm sure he will work out a middle way some time soon, but for today it was just "one for the record" as it were.
On the plus side, at least five different people at five different times told me what a lovely horse he is, and I could see people looking at him from the meet until I put him back on the lorry. At the meet one woman took his photo several times and kept saying how beautiful she thought he was. He's certainly making an impact! One guy asked me how much I would sell him for and I told him "a blank cheque". The look on his face was fun :-)
Also plusses, he stood calmly far longer at the checks; he jogged less than last time and he was completely controllable in the middle of a milling group of 40 riders. In fact it was a big improvement.
SO it was a nice, dry but unexciting outing. Hopefully we will be back to soem long runs and jumping with some verve next week.
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 5:22 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Ah, well. Are these all drag hunts or to you go after live fox? If it was a drag, then, that's a drag. Whoever set the course didn't do a very good job.
However, it does teach Radar to be a little more handy and patient. Might not be as much fun as it could be, but good discipline (for you both, I might add. *G*)
How nice to hear the compliments. Radar is beautiful on his own, but I am sure his being fit and shiny adds to the impression.
So, what was wrong with that guy who wanted to buy him, anyhow? Didn't like the price? *Lol* Should have had your camera out for that one.
we're not allowed to hunt fox, jean, it's illegal.....
So that answers the question...it was a badly designed drag hunt. Too bad.
Personally I wouldn't hunt fox if it was legal Claire. I have done, and I saw the fox running for its life and it seemed to me that it wasn't a civilised way for me to be having fun.
It's more a question of whose land they can get permission to ride over than being badly designed, Jean. Today was just a set of small farms with gates to be opened and shut all the time, so no chance of a really long run.
It was OK. I just set out from home with sky high anticipation and the day didn't live up to it. There will be another.
C
Ah well, that is what hunting is all about, set out with high hopes and see what the day brings.
Interesting what you say about the bitting arrangement. I'm sure you will find that Radar gets used to it, and if you are in a bunch of horses then control is what you need. I remember overhearing a conversation between 2 event riders and the one said she had a horse that was so strong X country is was scarey and she eventually found a combmination of bits that she had control, BUT the downside was that he wasn't the same horse, it seemed that he had to be the one in charge, but in modern eventing I don;t think that is possible.
I had a really nice day, riding a well behaved horse in company across some lovely countryside on the local hunt pleasure ride. It was just long enough, we had some nice canters and we event mananged to jump a few logs, which is just about enough for my horse. He gets confused with poles.
It sounds like you had a lot of fun Judith. I do enjoy pleasure rides if there are a few things to jump along the way.
C
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