30/11/25 Stronger, better, faster!

At almost 10months post surgery Jack has been going from strength to strength in recent weeks, he honestly is feeling better than ever and I smile every time I ride him now, it's a pleasure to ride him and with every ride he improves and exceeds my expectations.  With the shorter days we are becoming increasingly restricted to riding in the menage, while I know we are very lucky to have a floodlit menage I have always found Jack rather switches off with too much time schooling in there.  Since his surgery in Feb I have rarely ridden in the school limiting ridden schooling sessions to once a week at most but now if I want to ride in the week it has be the school or nothing.  I was concerned Jack might switch off but with a bit of planning and imagination I've kept our schooling sessions fairly short with lots of variety to keep him interested and listening and so far it's working a treat!  My current weekly winter schedule goes something like this:

Monday - lunge in pessoa sometimes with poles
Tuesday - school
Wednesday - in hand ground poles
Thursday - school over poles
Friday - short hack or short ride in field
Saturday - jump
Sunday - hack

I swap and change days around depending on time, weather etc and I don't want it to become too predictable!

With how well Jack has been schooling we tried 2 more things we had yet to do since surgery, simple changes and lengthened strides.  He tried so hard and even when he got a bit excited and uptight he didn't put a foot wrong.  His walk to canter transitions felt so much better balanced and through than pre surgery.  He used to pull himself forward and down onto his forehand but now he was able to sit wait and step under himself from behind producing a lovely forward, balenced, uphill transition with lots of impulsion, activity and lightness.  He was so adjustable and rideable :)
I have to watch he doesn't try to avoid using his left hind correctly, which he does by pushing his left shoulder in, as long as I keep the flexion to the left and keep him soft down the left rein he is super!
When I asked for some lengthened strides in trot I was thrilled with his response, he felt so strong and powerful.  He's always been able to lengthen but he would end up on the forehand and rushing as he couldn't maintain it.  The biggest difference is in the transition back to collection which was just so much easier because I wasnt having to try to rebalence him from running onto the forehand!!

I also braved the 50mph winds yesterday afternoon to take him for a hack on our own, we've not been out for a couple of weeks due for various reasons so I expected him to be a little lively and had a neck strap ready but I really didn't want to school again!  We didn't go far and there was quite a bit of spooking but with good reason to be fair.  I would never have dared take him out in those conditions on our own a few months ago so it really goes to show the trust between has really improved :)

I have another lesson booked for early Dec and all being well our first competitive outting in over 20months will be mid december - eek!

A picture popped up on my Facebook timeline this week from 4 years ago:

These were our 2011 dressage champions trophies from a local riding club.  We were actually dressage champions of 2 local riding clubs that year, we were unbeaten all year in every test we did plus we were working Hunter champions of one of the club's too!  The following year jacks back problems began although it would be almost 2 years before we got a proper diagnoses.  This just reminds me why through all our troubles I always thought my little horse was worth it and he feels better now than when we won those trophies so the future is very exciting :)

Finally I am truly shocked and honoured to have been short listed for the title of hay net equestrian blogger of the year on www.hay-net.co.uk the winner is picked by public vote and you can vote for me - Hannah Arscott - by following this link:

https://surveyplanet.com/56447ea18535760f1475ecfe

Thank you to anyone who enjoys my blog and takes the time to vote :) we are up against some very strong competition so just to make the shortlist is a big surprise!

20/11/15 - Things are starting to come together :)

In the last few weeks although he has had a holiday Jack has really improved and we have had some great schooling sessions and hacks, we've also been out to a show jumping training evening had a really positive physio session and a wonderful arena eventing style jumping lesson!
I always feel much more positive after Jacks had a session with our fab physio Tamsyn to confirm that he is working better and not in any pain!  She came out to us earlier in the month and while he feels fab but I really like to have that conformation from her that Jack is working correctly and is not hindered by pain!  She said how even he is moving behind now and built muscles back in all the right places :) he did have a little tightness in his hip flexors which is due to him now working correctly from behind and putting them under a bit more strain than in the past but she was able to loosen this off for him and it confirms he is working correctly and using himself properly.  She also said I can start asking for a bit more from him now as he is physically able to do so.

The ulcer treatment/management that I have put in place continues to keep Jack happier and more settled and this really showed when I took him out to a new venue for show jumping training a few weeks ago - he didn't have the usual volume of sloppy stress poos!  While he was not perfectly behaved and we did have a few problems, which resulted in me becoming rather stressed out, over all the evening was a success and we were able to take a lot away to work on.  Jack was quite unsure to begin with about the scary fillers but after a look at a few of them he jumped a beautiful clear round jumping everything with ease.  His jump has really improved since surgery, pre-surgery he was reluctant, had a very jerky jump and would often take poles off with his hind legs as he didn't release behind.  He now has a lovely smooth jump and is generally more keen.  I don't want to tempt fate too much but he's not refused or knocked down anything yet although I've not asked him to do any big fences or complex exercises as I want him to enjoy it!
He has also been schooling really well and he feels so much better in his canter, he is more adjustable, forward going, lighter and freer.  All this is how he feels as I never have eyes on the ground to tell me if he looks as good as he feels!  I really enjoy and look forward to riding him now, he feels easy, how it should be, and he is behaving beautifully and trying so hard to do everything I ask him to.  It is a total turn around and at the moment every time I ride he feels better and stronger.  I'm really excited by how he feels at the moment!  It is beginning to feel like he is going to be able to be the horse I always thought he could be - only time and training will tell if we will ever event but on current form it is looking like it could be a reality!

With things going so well I managed to book myself onto a arena eventing style jump training session with our instructor, who we have not seen in a year, last week.  I was unsure how he would react but felt the time was right to start asking a little more and as Tamsyn our physio had  agreed there was no time like the present.
The day of the clinic it was howling a gale and the rain was thrashing down - great start!  I got Jack ready and he loaded first time without hesitation.  We arrived at the venue to find they were running about and hour late due to the weather but thankfully the rain had stopped.  The ménage was rather water logged but meant for good water schooling!  As I warmed up Sue our instructor commented how much looser and freer Jack was working over his back and from behind even though I didn't feel his was working as well as he had been at home.  Probably due to being somewhere different and all the water!  We did some easy exercises to begin with and Jack found these so within his comfort zone we soon moved on to more complex exercises.  The jumps were kept small but the lines were made tricky to get jack quicker with his feet and thinking for himself.  We ended jumping a line starting with a barrel in water on a curving right turning line 3 strides to another barrel and then another curving left turning line 3 strides to a 3rd barrel in canter with a change of lead over each barrel.  Jack jumped through with confidence making it feel so easy.  He far exceeded my expectations, I really didn't know what to expect but prior to surgery there would have been refusals, spooking and bucking and rearing for sure!!

We have another clinic in a few weeks which will be working on show jumping course riding, in Dec a arena eventing competition and in January we are planning on attending a 3 day camp working on improving the 3 eventing phases.  I can't wait for that, all being well we might even have a crack at a ODE next season :)