30.09.08 - Still sore

Finding it very frustrating that my boy is still lame, and despite two pokes around by the blacksmith, nothing substantial has shown up -must be a deep slow abscess or something...but I wish it would do its thing and then heal!

If still lame tomorrow I will have to bit the bullet and scratch from Te Rapa Horse Trial - so much for the plans etc. Hopefully he will come sound enough to take him to Rotorua (and give me enough time to learn to show jump 1.05 before then!)

In the meantime however, given my frustration - as well as starting to want a greenie to play with, I have been and looked at an OTTB. He is absolutely sweet. However, he is HUGE.

I stood next to him, and he is taller at the wither than I am (I am 6') - work it out ; gave myself a hell of a fright when I did!

He is very light in condition, but is certainly big enough for me - seems to have a lovely temperament. BUT....how do I break it to the other half who is still at me to reduce numbers!?

Anyway, this is the wee boy who I would like to join our herd...If he does come here, he will of course have his own blog to track his progress....

Arghhhhh

Well, so much for giving myself intensive SJ exposure to try to prepare for Te Rapa!

I had planned on doing the St Peter's practice today, however, horse has been sore much of the week.

Tuesday just felt 'off' at end of ride, same Wednesday, in particular left canter lead - although when leading him into the yards for the night he decided he couldnt weight bear at all on the off fore, doing the rear canter thing.

Blacksmith could find little of any note other than a softening perhaps due to a bruise; let us hope it is not a nasty abscess brewing!

So, poor Willie has been inside again at night, being painted with Keratix; and pouticed during the day.

Hmmmm; didnt look too sore this morning when the others decided to have RACES around the paddock....his gallop and passage looked pretty regular to me! May hop on this afternoon for a quiet play if he still looks sound by then (could of course have been pure adrenaline + spring fever that masked his pain).

Taupo Training Trials

Not the auspicious start we would have liked to the Season!

Did an ok dressage test, relaxed and obediant, and for once didnt get tense at Taupo. Scored 70% so can't be too disappointed with that.









Show jumping
Very slippery and he did lose his back end around most corners...I rode him a lot more forward, and put on the brakes as well as the prickles, which definitely made a difference. I did however relax on the last jump (the "dreaded" double) and he took advantage. I then lost my stirrup and simply could not find it, so will have racked up squillions of time faults in addition to the stop. But hey - I got around and I DID NOT FALL OFF!

Cross country
I thought it was quite a technical course, especially for greenies. The second half of the course was also very twisty turny and quite difficult to get into a rhythm.
Two jumps in particular I thought were a bit unfair on young horses. They had a roll top barely one stride from the water and a little dog kennel again just one stride from the two banks down.

The first jump was a lovely jump but maximum height, which I thought was a little silly. Willy of course flew it and then started being a pratt round the rest of the course when he realised the jumps were all smaller than the first one.
Spooked badly at the blue tarpaulin they had put under the baby trakener!
I rode the roll top before the water very cautiously and even then we ONLY JUST fitted a stride before the water. One green horse actually bounced it (along with bouncing the rider into the water!)

Willy also spooked at the kennel before the banks.

At the bounce option I was still having problems with the turning and brakes, so I am afraid I simply missed out the second jump and carried on (Willie had sighted the next jump and I just couldnt turn him away). Ummm ended up with a score and not an "E" though - how strange!

Although it wasnt the prettiest of weekends, I will still aim at pre-novice for Te Rapa - it will be interesting to see if I find Willie easier to ride with the bigger jumps (he normally is, and is often dreadful to ride training especially if he has had a bigger start).

SJ practice Taupo - 13.09.08

Lovely spring day in Taupo.

Started Willie in the 90/95 round and he was VERY naughty stopping several times. It was a bit slippery and we lost our back end around a few corners which made me hesitant and back off. Second round was a little better.

I need to stop totally blaming myself - even if I havent ridden particularly well he could be a little more generous and go anyway, rather than playing games with me!

Knocked off 1.20m

Had a quiet play with jumps at home, Willie popping over nicely.
Then spotted Saarin carrying poles, ... which she then added to the top of two of the jumps.
I was then told that I had to go jump them!
ummm.... ok
Willie jumped them beautifully, and I actually felt him spring a little from behind (which tends to be lacking over anything up to a meter). Then of course I had to measure them, so was very happy to see that we had negotiated 1.20 with very little effort at all.
Just shows that some of us really do need someone on the ground; not just to point out what we are doing wrong (which Saarin is actually very good at), but also to bolster us and push us a little.
XC play tomorrow - last one before the course closes.

XC Play WEC 04.09.08

As the WEC course closes this weekend we took an after school trip to have a XC play. Jumped a few training jumps on Willie, which he just plopped over, finishing up with the big palisade and the sunken road (which are also non events for him). He is just popping over whatever he is asked to, but is a MUCH nicer ride over the bigger jumps.

We had specifically gone to give Dawky a XC school, and what a naughty pony he was! Jumped everything he was asked to very well including ditches and water, but was VERY full of it, initially trying a bit of napping and dragging off with his rider sideways. But BUCK....geeze, he was really going for it; at one stage he bucked so big and high he nearly tripped himself up - but hey, what better reason to have another bucking spree. He is full of high spirits and has reached the point where he thinks 'he is the man' and knows it all - which of course he most certainly doesn't!

A few manners lessons were had during the ride.

I'm really looking forward to Taupo training trial (except for the SJ phase) and feel confident and happy about the XC, although it is yet to be seen how the achilles holds up - although I am probably so unfit that I shall expire before the achilles has the chance to get sore!

Unfortunately still no photos as we were both riding today. So to make blog look a little more colourful have put in photos from April with Gina riding - oh well, may not have been taken today, or be me, but its the right venue and the right horse :)
Hopefully will be able to illustrate a couple of draft entries later once I receive photos. (crossing fingers that the photographers on those occasions havent them from their records)