9th May 2012

This is a friend riding today as I'm injured so I finally have a chance to take some photos!!

I'm not riding after having surgery on my right hip.

The first 6 weeks he was home he has had to learn how to lunge, have some time off (teeth were bad), long line and start schooling. He started over fences this week - he is a super star who has also already taken in his stride jumping ditches, pallisade, trakhners (I can never spell that), sunken roads, and even been in the water jump - so he will be my next eventer.


Starting the ride.... not going very forward and kept falling behind the leg.



Getting the hurry up.


Fake it to you make it!!!


Thinking about things and trying


Moving in front of the leg, but not really holding himself (not that we expect much as he isn't strong/fit enough)


Now we are in front of the leg!! And listening.


Even better


Nice work!!!


We even got some thrust and spring for the odd few strides!!! What a difference from the start. Good boy!

Then for the fun part



Trying to figure out where legs go... not quite sure yet.



Now he knows what he is doing and put a bit of oomph into the jump instead of climbing over!

And we rinse repeat tomorrow.

He is coming along nicely, and I'm so glad for my friend for riding him for me


I'll be back on in a week, can't wait. And he has some filling out to do - a fair bit really. Everything on him is big, and bigger... Struggling to find a saddle for him, but the one he has is sufficient for now, if he starts growing/filling in I'll have to change it.

He is so funny - love him to bits, he can be so naughty but he doesn't know so when you tell him off, you feel bad about it. And he learns really quick - I don't have a arena so he was really forward for me riding big circles in the paddock, the first day in the arena - he couldn't canter around the ends - this is 4 days later and he is cantering 20m circles (sometime smaller if he doesn't get distracted). He has it all there - its just time a patience to wait for it to come out.

We sticked him at 16.2 and a bit, and he is a Irish Hunter x TB.

And if you didn't figure it out, we had a bit of a job to get him clipped, the body was fine - but jeepers, the neck was a battle.