We'll start with Thursdays ride- he had a day off Wednesday, when he did stay in the stable all by himself for a good hour or so and behaved perfect- so it was back to work Thursday. Well for whatever reason he was in a horrible mood from the moment I brought him in, he was just being very impatient and doing little mini half rears in his stable half tacked up. So, I decided that enough was enough and sprayed a bit of his calmer on (which he was completely fine about!? Okay.). I chucked him out the stable so he just sulked out there until I'd got myself sorted and then off we headed for our ride.
Since he had the physio recently, the quality of his trot has come on SO much, obviously the issue with his shoulder has been ongoing for much longer than I released and I feel awful for not doing something earlier because the difference is so obvious. For the last couple of years even, his trot has been so rushed and tense all the time but I just put it down to him being un balanced but he's now reverted back to 5yo Jack who does not feel the need to rush anywhere. I forgot just how lazy he actually is, especially when you're used to riding a 13.2hh pocket rocket. Now, add to this the fact that I'd drowned him in calmer and you have a horse that trots slower than a snail (A slug perhaps. No. A deceased slug). So whilst he behaved perfectly and did some, stretchy trot work (not as well as he goes in his kimblewick, but I'm determined to keep him in a snaffle and get him to actually work properly, not just give the illusion of working nice because of the pressure from a curb chain) he was soooo slow and so dead to my leg! I think perhaps I need to purchase some spurs!
So now onto yesterdays ride. Yesterday started as one of those days that I really strongly disliked my horse, however on my long walk home I kind of had a bit of think to myself and actually, I think I was the problem in this situation, not Jack. Because he's got a new bit, it's pinched him just a little bit round his mouth as he has a very sensitive, tiny little mouth so I just wanted to put some vaseline on to soften the corners of his mouth a bit. Well, I have known this horse for 5 years, I know him like the back of my hand, I am fully aware that he makes everything into a big deal and that you have to take things very slowly... so I went and did the complete opposite. Obviously this resulted in a whole tantrum occurring with a broken lead rope and lots of swearing. I realise now that I should have just taken things slowly (he was much better today!) and just seen how far I could have got and then left it on a good note. So, whilst, yes, he was being an arsehole, I definitely did not help and I am on the one more at fault here, so we're going to move on from that little fall out. I think I want things to be perfect straight away and because he's gotten so much better recently I've kind of forgotten what he can be like. So remember how I decided to scrap the get more confidence jumping goal? For the rest of the month learn to be more patient shall replace that! I am the first to admit that I need to slow down and not try to a 100 things at once, that's just my personality unfortunately.
After we'd made friends again, I took him down for a bit of fitness training in the field. All we've done is go in the school recently and I think he just needed a bit of variation to make him slightly more forward thinking. It definitely worked and he seemed to really enjoy himself- I even got a good few gallops out of him! He's definitely not the fastest of horses bless him, but he does cover the ground as he has a really long gallop stride. He's my favourite horse to ride in the field because he's quite happy to move up a gear when you ask him to but he will do as much or as little as you ask of him, he can go from a gallop to trotting round on the buckle end. So in the end we actually had a very enjoyable ride :)
Beth & Jack x
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