Had a wonderful chat with a young girl at Mascal's this weekend who advised me that I really had brought the right horse, and why .... beautiful synchronity of movement as we are schooling? a easy willingnwess of horse to submit to rider request? effortless appearance of rider in action? .... no, we actually look the same! .... my beard is the same colour as his coat and my too long salt n pepper hair the same as his mane ... so apparantly we're twins!! Don't the humourists always suggest that owners end up mirroring their pets. It was a lovely observation, one delivered with the honesty and simple innocence of childhood
Have finally achieved join-up with Ernie, ironically by accident but hey, we got there. After some rather clumsy, slightly over-assertive, body language on my part during a lunging session down at Slades, Ernie decides that we're gonna do join-up, and so proceeds to come-in and stand at my shoulder ..... thankfully I spot the offer and exploit, 15 minutes of free walking and following me around the pen in great sweeping arcs ensues. How many years have I wanted to do that with a horse? I could have cried. Aaah, me and my luvverly pony! This is another example of my increasingly over-used phrase, "Ernie has all the answers and he's just waiting for me to ask the right questions".
So I'm trying to do a lot more jumping with him - lessons and on my own. I intend to have a bash at the August show - probably minimus at least. All this regular jumping is definitely making the big lad happy; this is something that is very close to Ernie's heart you can tell, be it from the interest with which he watches others jump, his willingness to stand quietly in the school while I potter around erecting fences, or to the surge of excitement you feel in his muscles as he locks on to a jump during approach.
At the moment I'm preparing for dressage tests, the last of the MM summer series. Am only doing Intro class at the moment as the Prelims just have too much canter work; we would be setting ourselves up for "a fall" (never a good metaphor in Equestrian circles to which my ongoing physio bares testement). We are definitely making progress, but the competition quality is rising with increasing numbers registering so the rosettes not so forthcoming. Not in all cases what I'd call intro level partnerships, but there you go. Also doing some more Internet dressage courtesy of http://www.interdressage.com/ - my last attempt available for view on my youtube page, going to restrict us too walk and trot.
So I have a very undisciplined approach to a very disciplined sport, I do not do lots of practise runs, just learn it in my head then do it. Could certainly do with some more exactitude around the guide letters and transitions - dressage judges don't seem to be at home to Captain Approximate. Not exactly the Carl Hester way I suspect! Still it keeps Ernie interested and if honest I think he does enjoy it - I just want him to keep moving forward. We need to work on suppleness and I need to focus a little more on contact.
Been getting him out hacking a bit more again - making new friends. In so doing I have decided he really needs to learn some manners! His competitiveness is back in spades with some very high bucking should anyone overtake where he thinks its time for a canter, or should they actually try and lead in the canter. We tried cantering side by side with Nero this weekend, that's shows promise, but first of all you have to stay on through the transition!
Methinks perhaps I let him stretch to the gallop a little too frequently.
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