Right, on a mission now!

Despite trying very hard to sabotage it, I seem to have managed to sneak into Solihull Intro.

Which is in less than two weeks! Hope it flamin well dries up before then!

So, today we went schooling in the new saddle (:whistlesinnocently: its only on trial at the mo....)

He was very good, much more up off the forehand. I had some nice walk and trot work with him OUT onto the contact not tucked in and held in one. His neck was much longer and whereas last time I tried it seemed to put him MORE on his forehand, this time it seemed to free him up and he got big hacking trot even though we were schooling. Whoohoo!

Canter was rubbish. In his defence I have only done fitness canters for months, so the idea of actually SITTING on his arse in canter was a bit foreign to him! He did some great 10m circles and collected, but as soon as I wanted working he fell on his head or towed me round. We did a bit each way, and I did lots of long rein (but not free rein) walks in between.

He's fit enough, felt fine, but he's not schooling fit so his muscles aren't used to working 'up' for any length of time, but 'along' is fine!

Then I did some more trot and practiced medium. Did HP, still marginally stiffer right but not as noticeable. Then tried SI.... and another breakthrough - if I can keep him OUT on the end of the rein then he does perfect SI on a really light contact..... so its the weight of the contact that gets him concertina-ing and trying to evade.... with light and giving contact he's a star!

Did try to run on a bit occasionally, but MUCH easier to feel in this saddle and with him up and out - because to fall on his forehand he literally falls on the rein and tries to drop head and certainly suddenly gets a stronger contact... easy to recognise and easy to deal with (as long as my stomach is engaged and not wobbling around in the breeze!)

Then walked again, thinking what we'd learnt so far.... and decided to try canter again.... as canter is usually round but deep and behind vertical and strong but rideable in that I can keep him up.... OR he's hollow (and I mean REALLY hollow) OR he's running through my hand....

So working on the basis of the trot SI breakthrough - I decided to go for up and out and as light a contact as possible, so then I'll feel when he starts using me for balance.... and

BINGO!

OK, he can't maintain it long, but its hardly like he's EVER had to canter in his own balance... I've always had to hold it all together.... talk about light bulb!

What worked- I did 15/20m circle and just walked to canter. Then I sat UP and lifted hands and on a fairly long rein ensured he couldn't go deep, and only changed contact and asked him to soften if he hollowed (which he hardly did anyway as I've been hacking in this vein in walk and trot and he seems to have 'got' it)

So we had at least a circuit on the right rein of him in self carriage! Loopy reins, but he was OUT and not curled in and he was off the floor and it was lovely. So now we just need to build it up.

Left rein not as good (never is in canter) but he tried (after the initial 'but I want to do medium up the long side' and 'oooh lets jump this puddle and then pee off'' type evasions :sighs:).. but he got at least half a circuit a couple of times so I quit whilst I was ahead and before he tired too much.

I can't believe that this time last week I was in despair of him and the contact, and now suddenly all is well!

Only (large) fly in ointment is if its transferable to competitions...... only time will tell and I think just the fact that today on softer and longer rein he was looser in his trot and able to do really big uphill medium tells me that relaxation is definately the key with him......

Due to both dentist and body worker having concerns over his TMJ joint, I HAVE to take notice and understand that he is tight there for a reason, I need to remove that tightness before he will soften in his back and relax..... and hopefully once he trusts that I will (if he lets me!) ride the same in competition all will be well!

So, heavy week for the man this week. Classical lesson on Tues, jumpies lesson on Wed, then probably SJ schooling on Sun and then XC schooling early next week!!

All systems go for him to be a nappy s*d at Solihull (as usual!) I can't wait!!

Sleet and snow and a bit of adrenalin!

Cross posted = see Dan's blog for details http://rehabofdantheman.blogspot.com/

But leading Magic is interesting - sometimes because he's in freak out mode, but more often now we do it more regularly because he stops to poo - and I nearly dive backwards off the back of Dan..... or because he stops to eat - and I nnearly dive backwards off the back of Dan!

Fortunately the little one pulls up quick, but one day Magic will pull me too far (quite literally!!)

Been galloping!

Lets just say we had an entertaining hack today, dodging herds of deer to avoid Echo going off hunting.... and it ended up with me having to gallop up the steep training hill - and he was still going at a lick at the top - so he's fit then!! Then cantered along to get back to the road, and cantered the verges back to the drive to the bridleway to ensure the dog stayed with me.

Magic is even fitter than I thought and I really need to start doing more work with him! Hopefully going XC training next Wednes so that'll be FUN!!

Well, not quite what I had in mind!

The weather wasn't too bad, but I chickened out of taking both... then got there to find they'd changed the time of the lesson til tomorrow.... arrrgh.

But still, Magic was very fresh so it did him good to be out and about a bit on his own.

Bill managed to sneak out of the house and give me 20mins lesson or so, and kind friend did videos.....

Magic did his usual, 'I've never seen a cross pole before so must give it some AIR' routine. Bill made us jump it over and again until sir calmed down... he was doing ye olde head swinging and trying to gun me round the corners and EVERYTHING!

Got some nice flying changes though whilst he was all boingy, including one using a pole on the ground that he thought he might duck round the side of, til I told him he wasn't allowed, so he boinged it instead!!! Nice clean change though :-)

He started off backing off everything after charging me in, which is most tiresome as he then balloons from 5 mph which isn't pleasant for either of us.... but it actually didn't take long for him to get forward and into boing mode.

First real jumping test in that saddle, and its tonnes better than the other one, although I don't think ANYTHING would really help with the indian rubber ball pony.

Ho hum.

So am all happy and ready to go to the eventer challenge at the weekend, but only if there's no sign of trouble from the splint in the meantime (fingers crossed!).

Bowen and stuff....

Wednes I was going to ride and lead and thank goodness I didn't. There were killer signs at the end of our drive thanks to BT mending the phone line, and lorries, and cranes, and men up ladders.

Now TBH if we'd been on our own we could have just sat it out until he decided to go past.... but we got a lead and then he felt very under pressure to go... and Magic's under pressure tend to make their move like a champagne cork going.....

I knew when he went he'd go at a gallop, so I was ready (he was doing the 'I'm either doing 180 and galloping home or I'll be brave and gallop past' - but when he's like that he kinda sinks his elbows to the floor with his front feet braced....) but when he went he STILL whiplashed me...... we go a hundred yards and I start trying to pull up (no point whilst still in vicinity of killer items).... and he stops so fast I nearly come off the front. Sigh.

That boy is a bit too fit and a bit underworked (understatement of the year!).

Anyway we survived the rest of the ride, thank goodness.

Then yesterday he had Bowen - he still had some tightness in his sternum and his TMJ but otherwise 100% improvement on last one, so he's back onto maintenance only, hooray!

I didn't turn them out til dark last night though as working late... and oh how I paid for it! Magic decided he felt MIGHTY FINE and proceeded to gallop everyone around the paddock.... sorting them all into piles like a sheepdog herding sheep.

He decided Dublin wasn't allowed with the others, so kept chasing him off, and at one point poor Dan had Magic 'saving' him fron Dublin.... given how terrified Dan was of Magic for ages, the look on his face was simply 'oooooh ppoooooo, I'm just going to stand here wincing and hope he's not after me'..... and he wasn't....

So two lots of Bowen later and that's how they repay me. Tsk, horses.

Jumpies monday, I'm soooo excited!!!! He's going to be soo happy to have a REASON to bounce!

More boring non-events....

We've been hackling only. And trying to be good and behave (ahahaaa).

Vet was due out tuesday to sedate him (for the first time in his life!) to have his teeth done as he has got just tooo difficult for us to manage. So decided he could look at splint too.

So I galloped him on Sat, Sun and Monday (woohhhoooo thinks Magic!) to try to make it as obvious as possible for the vet.

Vet arrives, pokes, says its not a splint, its a haematoma under the periosteum of the cannon bone (not splint bone) and that's why its taking longer to settle. I asked if he's going to be ok to event by end march given the ground looks like it might be hard and he said he should be. But don't hammer him on the roads (dur!). Then I told him he'd galloped the last three days and he poked again and then said considering that he'd be fine!

It seems to be fairly finished at the top, but the base of the lump is still sore and hot. So I was right that the 'new' fat leg was a bang on top of the 'splint' that was there already.

So am going back to ignoring it!

He then had to have enough dope to down a dinosaur..... I did warn the vet he'd fight it!!! I think my horse is made of titanium! Ickle bugga.

but the weird thing was I changed his rug after we'd finished and he was still doped (ie had finally gone to sleep after fighting it for 45 mins!) and it was really weird when he DIDN'T react as I approached with the rug. Its odd but he's trained me to accept that he will flinch/shy/or in some way react to me being about to throw rug.... so when he didn't I almost did a double take!

But don't worry, he made up for it that afternoon by running everyone round my pristine summer paddock.... sigh.

Thursday = bowen, hopefully improved.

Monday JUMPIES lesson, woooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooo!

I think spring may be springing and I'm getting my hopes up!! :-))))))))))