Dan, Dan the SuperMan!

I have soooo landed on my feet with my pair of TB's! :-)

Dan went for his first proper grown up jumping lesson. (after some abortive VERY stressed attempts earlier this year.)

He was a STAR! Warmed up beautifully, even managed slow canter (because I was off his back in jumpies saddle rather than on it in dressage one??).

Jumped the cross and he said 'too easy'. So it went up. He jumped beautifully from trot but I explained our tendancy to hurdle once in canter. Told to just keep the steady canter and if he breaks to trot jump from trot. So about 50:50 from trot with a stride of canter (which he learned at SRC the last time he went out!) or canter. Occasionally when he got it wrong we hurdled a bit, but nothing like before. And I could pull up after a bit without him panicking and legging it.

Then the ladder filler on the floor - no sweat, from trot and canter. In fact, he did proper SJy put a little stride in when jumping from canter - if it had been a fence he'd have hurdled it.... so that was quite interesting.

Then a little spread, still fine and relaxed. Then the double. He still can't get his head around 2 in a row. He wasn't stressing today, but he still jumps in then tries to go around.... each time I managed to pull him back in and he jumped second part but he wasn't really improving or understanding - just doing what he was told cos I was quick enough to react.

Then the water tray (!). I nearly fell apart (well after it taking 2 years to get Magic over it consistently, you would!!!!) but I thought, he's not Magic, he didn't even blink at the ladder on the floor.....

And you know what? He hardly blinked at the water tray either :-)))))

SUCH a clever pony! He has an interesting style that got laughed at - when he is worried and reeeeally wants to clear something, he sticks his legs out forwards and 45 degrees with his knees round his ears- like I can SEE his knees stuck out either side of his head!! Very funny. But he was careful and not ridiculous.... can't say much fairer than that.

Then a course. The jumps went up to 2'6"-2'9".... We came round to the first in a lovely soft canter.... and just cantered right on through it!!! He took the rail with his knees and then did a stride and stopped dead so I nearly winded myself on his neck! B said he just didn't look at it/see it. But I do feel that it doesn't compute with a Dan when the fences go up. Whereas Magic jumps 4' over everything, Dan jumps the height of the fence but hasn't got the decency (education!) to notice when they go up!

Came round to it second time and I thought after that he'd be tense and hurdle it..... NO!

He jumped it beautifully out of his rhythm! Yey! So we carry on round the course in a lovely soft canter, jumping out of a rhythm.... then we approach the double, which in fairness went up to twice the height.

We got to it and he went to dive left, so I held him and then at the very last instant he dived right and I did a very graceful exit over his left shoulder! I hit the ground laughing, got told off for ruining a very nice round, clambered back on and came round again....

Sat defensively this time! He jumped in beautifully, then did his "I'm a racehorse" jump through the wing to the left - and then bunny hopped as he panicked a bit. So pulled up, did the circling thing (which he knows about as its my "no naps" method for hacking! He doesn't like it and is rubbish at it,) took a few turns, but then he reeeeaaaaalllly softened! Very good.

So now not only do I have jelly knees, but I'm also dizzy - good skills! I was still positive though and was reallly enjoying it! (I'm getting weirder all the while!)

Came round again. Put a touch of leg on and sat back for the first - - - - - - - - and he popped in and was STRAIGHT as anything to pop out - with NO over riding from me :-))))

Then round the rest of the course, including the water tray and the ladder etc. Very relaxed, not stressed and best of all very rideable!

I was sooo chuffed, but true to form I was made to do it again!

What can I say? He was perfect, he got deep to things, didn't fret, waited for me, allowed me to check him for a short one, saw a perfect one together. OMG it was BLISS! And soooooo much easier than the big black one!

I luuurrrvvve this pone. I might have to take it all back about him not making an eventer!!!



Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I hacked out a Maxwell, who was much more forward and 'with it' today. He's still in his boots for hacking, but not in the yard. And I don't think he'll need them for hacking much longer!

His mud fever/fungal heels (like Magic had!) are doing well, the big splits are healing but he still has the white stuff all over them. So its Immaverol every three days til they are gone. I have to hose his legs when he comes in, cos once the mud dries on the sores its really sore. So I wash, dry, then immaverol if its due, then make sure really dry, then cream for night time. Seems to be working.

He also has sarcoids..... god - he really IS Magic in disguise. They are all flat non-gunky type except one under his belly. I will keep an eye and thuja if neccessary but my feeling is he is sooooo run down and unhealthy that they will sort themselves out like Magic's did as he gets healthier.

Oh, and he's such a nice person!!!


And last but not least, they came in at 3pm - unheard of as its their third night in the barn.... which made doing them tonight easy.... until it came to Magic..... who I had to chase round the barn five times before he'd let me put his magnet wraps on. Honestly, you give the hoss a holiday and he turns totally feral! (plus the fact that he's jealous that the other boys are getting all the attention!!)

Maxwell the wonder horse!

Well, he was wearing through his prolite pads, so as he seems so much more comfortable on all surfaces I butchered my last pair of sole mates and he's got full thickness of them in his boots.

Decided that as I have a couple of folks coming to help me ride next week, that I'd better get on the lad and take him for a trundle, check he's ok for me to plonk others on.

We went out with Ben as nanny. Had all three dogs too.....! Shouldn't have chosen today really - the Buddhists up the road were having one of their celebrations.... which meant hundreds of cars passing us, when we got to the entrance there were flags, people waving brollies, cars dropping people off, cones, you name it. Max was on the side nearest everything, and just sashayed past with a "that's all a bit interesting" look on his face. Mum and I were gobsmacked - clever baby pone!

Then Echo leapt out of the hedge nearly between his legs, which did get a reation - a leap in the air then continue as he was! Met landy with rattly trailer (bit scary but only in a head up/jog kinda way).

Had to go past the entrance of the "do" again on way home, even less reaction this time! Then as we nearly home a bus approached - I decide a step too far and we make it back up 20 yards to our turning - Max wanders past it without even cocking an ear or lifting his head, and Mum goes to great lengths to explain that this is a baby horse's first outing..... as we ride away we take one look at said baby horse and burst into fits of giggles - I can't tell you the last time I sat on something that felt LESS likely to do anything!

His feet were fabby. He is very heel first in boots, and has a lovely long stride and really steps out. I don't suppose he'd be as comfy on the road without his boots on, but even on our rutted concrete he is still heel first- which is a mystery to me - surely if he's got heel pain and was soooo toe first in shoes, he can't immediately go heel first- surely it would hurt?? It doesn't seem to!!

So am very happy bunny about a Maxwell today!

Then took Dan numero uno pone out. Since our lesson he has been soooo easy to get to drop his neck and is working beautifully in walk and trot. Funnily enough, in canter in a field he can go reeeeaaaaaallly slowly and relaxed - work in progress to get that in an arena in a dressage saddle!!

Phew....

I took the bull by the horns and chucked them all out together last night for the first time. I needed to do it before Max felt toooo well as his owners said he could be a bit bossy and I didn't want him and Magic kicking off.

They had all gone out together for an afternoon earlier in the week - but I'd been fence-moving so could supervise.... this was their first solo night and it seems to have gone without a hitch. Phew.


Update on feet -

Max was fine on his rubber mats and fine in the field as soon as the shoes were off. But he didn't like the rutted concrete or the rutted gateways.

I got him some cavallo boots as they were dirt cheap (£66!) and I'm really impressed with them, far neater than G2s, and far cheaper than anything! He's got prolite pads inside them and within 2 days of wearing them in the yard during the day, he's much much better on all surfaces bootless! Now he's walking over the concrete bootless fine, and is MUCH better on turns than he was in shoes.

So the deal is - in his yard with boots and pads daytimes, out with the others bootless at night. By the time he's been here a week he'll be pretty comfy on all surfaces I think. Which is miraculous given his shoes had only been on 3 weeks, and the state of his feet when the shoes came off; very short feet - sole totally carved flat, but very long toes.

And as an aside... anyone got any 6'9" rugs they don't want???!! :-)

Dan does riding club!

This evening was our first rc lesson. Very scary prospect!

Pony was an angel, thought about getting all het up ,but the work really suited him, lots of big trot little trot, six of us all trotting together and getting him settled. Yes there was some I'm a racehorse antics, but he tried really hard.

Then we all did cantering together.....eeek.... on a circle, so 3 each end of the school. Unfortunately the next session were all arriving and unloading right next to us, so we had a small explosion into canter :whistlesinnocently: but the right canter that we did first, was actually really good. He did change behind a few times, but he settled really well and we could vary the canter a bit without losing it. The left rein was far harder, it was either medium gallop on the correct leg and soft in an outline, or skipping front or backs to disunite, or flip top head.

Tis very helpful when instructor says "keep him round, that will stop the skipping"....... yeah, great, HOW???! :-)

I had a fab time. We did 45 mins and had two nice stretchy walks but otherwise were in trot or canter the whole time. The gym is really paying off as I wasn't even too warm! But also even when he's in racehorse mode, he's soooo much easier to sit on than Magic that its much less work for me.

Have booked in for every fortnight, we are going to get this cracked! He's calm about everything else, so he can get calm about cantering in a school!

It was really cool, and dirt cheap to boot. Am going to like this riding club lark!!

And he's such a good boy to do. Loaded in the dark, got off and got tacked up in dark, came home in the dark. Sooo easy, bless him.

And the interesting thing is that sometime in the last few months his ulcers must have self healed, either that or he has so much more muscle- because now he doesn't pull the teensiest evil face when you groom him - just stands guzzling his net/tea/whatever. Plus his new winter coat is lush, not at all like the moptop he grew last year.

So that's all good too!

Am glad I took all the hair off the front half of him - he was literally dripping! He's gone out tonight with his fleece under his LW... he felt plenty warm enough but its going to feel like +1 tonight and I didn't want him getting a chill on his hill!

Dan - passed his rehab-exit test

With flying colours! :-)

Today we did mega stoney tracks, very very steep stoney tracks, COWS, big deep bogs and many many gates.

He was a superstar. Lovely lovely ride, he just floats over bogs (even the one where the other horse went in up to her belly!), he was a very polite well mannered boy at all the gates, he cantered behind, upsides and in front and was perfectly quiet in the mouth (yey grackle!).

The only time he got antsty was when I was trying to stand and read map or when we were standing waiting for other horse to do gates, but even then it was just a joggly wiggle rather than an OMG I can't stand still!

He will stand like a rock whilst I do gates, he just can't stand still if he's not busy 'doing' something.

He was just perfect. Even when we unloaded his new best friend and left him in the trailer he was a perfect saint.

He's gonna make a fab exmoor hunter!! Now if we can get the jumpies bit off pat he's going to be the perfect alrounder.

Am soo soo chuffed with the boy!

I was worried about the leg as some of the bogs were literally bottomless - but when I got them in for tea, both his legs were as cool as anything. :-)))))

So that's it, Dan is official second string and Max is now official rehab case!

Meet the new boy...

Max! New barefoot project (I know, I know) Related to Dan by great, great grand-daddy!!

Max is 4, bred to race but never did as according to trainer "was growing too much to race at 2". So they backed him and turned him away. Sold through Doncaster sales. Bought by an eventer, all went swimmingly, jumping 1.10m at home, then started to come up not quite right.

Diagnosis navicular syndrome, including cysts in the bone. Only one foot xrayed but both feet better when nerve blocked.

He arrived this morning sight unseen, so I was a little bit hesitant as to what was going to come off the lorry.

But they were very honest about him, he's a lovely chap, just really friendly. The ONLY downside to him so far is he is a 6'9" in rugs - and I don't have any of them.... oh, and I'd need a shoe horn to get him in the trailer, but we don't need to worry about that just yet.

He still had front shoes on, so I sat on him and trundled up the drive and back just to test a) how sound he was, and b) whether he was civilised or not. Answer yes to both. He's sound in straight lines, but not on tight turns.

After shoes off, he's still fine on straight lines and still careful on turns. His medial/lateral balance is shocking, even on the xrays. So hopefully sorting that out will help him a great deal at least.

Turned him out in the top paddock tonight and he just floated across the field, just lovely!

The obligatory photos - not the greatest as he was BUSY settling in, so didn't want to disturb him!

Magic's Own Little World - the sequel!

As Dan's rehab is pretty much complete, I've decided to close his blog, and blog everything here.

As the yard IS Magic's Own Little World, and we are all just allowed to frequent it from time to time at his beck and call, I don't think he'll mind the odd cripple getting a post from time to time!

:-)

Moreton Morrell pics

Here's a ponio who's ready to go novice.... shame the jockey's such a chicken.... and no, I'm not open to offers!