Autumn Season also off to a flying start- NOT

I had planned to go to Hunua as his first Autumn run. Unfortunately, Sampson's stitches burst on the Wednesday and I did not see how I could leave him for others to care for while he was still inside 24/7....so had to scratch.

OK....Well Hopu hopu is on that weekend, I will just go off and do a day of much needed show jumping. Sampson intervened again, bursting a whole lot more stitches and I was not happy to leave him.

Oh well, there is show jumping practice at Cambridge the following weekend, which turned out to be such dreadful weather that it was cancelled.

Then he managed to half pull a shoe and stand on the toe clip,
being lame even at the walk once it was back on....and we had Rotorua the next weekend.

By the Thursday he was still slightly off at the trot, but I decided to take him anyway...the ground had well softened up and on the Friday although pottery, he wasnt lame.
BIG mistake.
Pottery warming up for dressage and although obediant just wasnt himself to score basically dead last - a first for him.
Onto the sj...not a happy camper warming up, but he was jumping....until we went into the ring that is....I REALLY rode my butt off at the first, to have him slam on anchors. I belted him over it, and he slammed on anchors again twice at number two.
He then jumped the practice jump (X rail and small upright) absolutely dreadfully.

I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was still sore ( and he IS a wuss where his feet are concerned)...yes, he stops and takes the mickey, but not at the first jump....usually at the double, or one he thinks I might find spooky, and having stopped he will usually jump it fine. Only once before has he ever stopped at the first jump like that, and then been eliminated. On that occasion he was on three legs the next day.