27/6/16 Red rosettes!

Following on from my last post Jack enjoyed a chilled out week in the field, eating too much, exercising too little and as a result getting a bit porky while I was away at the beginning of the month!  We had a lovely week away and whilst I wasn't so thrilled to be home to all the washing and back to work I was keen to get back to Jack!
Arriving home at lunchtime on the Saturday gave me time to get him in for a much needed brush and a lunge in the afternoon in the pessoa and he was certainly ready for the attention and work!
He lunged well and had plenty of energy stepping through, using his back and light on his feet.
It was really hot on the Sunday so I didn't ride until later in the evening, I took Jack down to the field by the river and gave him a good long walk, trot and canter round the field for an hour, the ground was too hard to gallop so I had to keep reminding Jack to take it steady!  I finished by taking him down into the river which was pretty low, he even trotted down the bank and straight into the water, good boy!!  A massive improvement as up until recently he would only go in with a lead!

Due to staff shortages I had stupidly agreed to do some overtime at work that week which meant I couldn't do anything with jack until later in the evening's however it was so hot during the day that that actually worked out ok. I lunged him again on the Monday as I was very short of time, hacked on the Tuesday and schooled on the wednesday.  The schooling session was one of our best yet with Jack doing some super trot work, very responsive with plenty of energy and lots of enthusiasm, adjustable and really trying.  I was beaming when I got off!  I then loose jumped him Thursday and was again really pleased with his energy, attitude and enthusiasm with him deciding he was having far too much fun to fit a stride in between my ground pole and the jump so he would just bounce it instead!!  A good way for him to be so positive to his fences as I was planning on taking him to some show jumping Saturday so wanted him thinking forwards!!
He had an gentle hack on Friday as I wanted to keep him fresh to jump the next day.
The jumping I was taking him to Saturday afternoon was organised and run by a local riding club, it was a casual competition not starting until 11am and didn't require bathing, plaiting or even show attire, you could just rock up straight out the field and have a go!  My kind of show!!
I got Jack in from the field at 12.30pm and then as usual had some drama with the trailer, this time it had been blocked in!  Fortunately my friend Cherry was at the farm and able to help me pull the trailer out by hand to hitch up and then with a quick brush we were ready to go.  I got him tacked up ready and then went to load,  Jack did have a bit of an issue loading but it didn't take too long and we were soon underway.  The show was within hacking distance but I needed to be back before 5pm so I took the trailer so I could stay later.  We were there in no time so I parked up and met up with my OH and little boy who came to cheer me on and take pictures.  It was very quiet with only a few people milling around so I quickly went off to find the secretaries tent and see what class they were on.  They were just finishing the 55cm class and I had wanted to start with the 65cm so I quickly paid and jumped on to warm up.  Despite being in a huge open field with plenty of distractions Jack behaved beautifully and was very relaxed, almost too relaxed really so I took him off for a bit of a gallop to get him a bit more excited!  He then warmed up nicely and jumped the warm up fences well.  This was only our 2nd time jumping on grass in open space and the 1st time excitement had got the better of Jack so it was nice to be able to ride and not simply cling on!! We went in to do our 1st round in the 65cm knowing a clear would win the class and managed to jump a slightly sticky but clear round for the win! Lots of pats for Jack but I knew I needed to get a better rhythm for the bigger fences.  We were also entered in the 75cm class so I look him back to the warm up and worked on his canter getting him more open and up to the bridle to help clear the bigger fences and again we jumped the only clear for another win!  The rhythm was there now and feeling confident we entered the 80cm class, this is the biggest class we have attempted so far since surgery and Jack cruised around for yet another lovely clear.  Definitely our best of the day, lovely rhythm, good strides and felt easy!  This time we had to jump off as there was another clear, they went first in the jump off, a nippy little pony who produced another clear with lots of tight turns but I felt the time was beatable.  I took Jack in and we went for it from the off but sadly we went too fast and flat to the now 85cm upright first fence and took out the top rail.  Still I couldn't be happier 3classes and 3clear rounds and just 1pole in the jump off, and 2red and a blue rosette, not a bad day at the office!
I felt elated, we have not jumped clear at 80cm before and now I know it's possible!
Unfortunately Jack decided he didn't much want to go home and took a fair bit of persuading to go back in the trailer, so a bit more loading practice needed!
He enjoyed a well deserved day off on the sunday!
So onto the next week and boy did it rain!  To be fair the ground needed it but not 7days of it!  I still managed to do something with Jack everyday but 1 but I felt our schooling session wasn't quite up to our usual standard of late, however the school was very wet and full of puddles and I put it down to that.  We got in a great fitness session down by the river having plenty of canters and even got some gallops in too now the ground had softened up.  Jack was super and felt fit and ready to go, unfortunately we don't have anything planned at the moment!

This last week started out with a frustrating schooling session where I felt we took a step back and I really struggled to get Jack as soft as normal especially down the left rein, he was falling through the left shoulder going very crooked and even did a few bucks in right canter.  This got me worried, what was the reason for this sudden drop in performance?

The next day it was a nice afternoon so I decided a bit of fun was in order and took him for a gallop round the fields, we were having great fun until some dogs came into the field chasing round jacks legs and upsetting him.  Once they had gone it took a while to settle him back down but we finished by jumping some of the piles of wood and hedge cuttings left by the farmer!  As we headed home I got a distressing call that my little boy had fallen while in the playground and needed to go to hospital so poor Jack got trotted all the way home then flung in his stable and left while I dashed to school and then hospital.  Luckily Claire was on her way to the farm and turned him out for me.  My little boy had broken his elbow and was put in a temporary plaster cast which meant the rest of the week was spent at home playing nurse with no ridding and a happy Jack getting fatter in the field!  

I did mange to ride on Saturday and decided to see if we could improve this left bend issue in the school.  I set out 4 poles on a circle and by the end of the warm up already felt he was better.  We worked on rhythm, bend and yielding to my left leg.  It actually turned out to be a super session and I came away much happier that I was just not riding anywhere near well enough last time and expecting Jack to carry me!  When I rode properly Jack did everything I asked and more!

We've got a couple of xc clinics booked in over the next few weeks and hopefully some more competitions after these.

Having fun, this is how it should be!!

Jack had a session with our fantastic physio last week for the first time in 4months.  I always look forward to Tamsyn's visits hoping she can see and feel the same sort of improvements in Jack as I do.  I really value her opinion and she has been so instrumental in getting Jack right, I don't know where I'd be without her!  With how well Jack has been going for me in the last few months I was keen to find if he has been working and using himself correctly as I think!.  I'm pleased to say the answer was yes! Tamsyn gave him a good check over, working out a few sore and tight spots for him but she was very pleased with his progress since her last visit.  His top line is strong, he's put on muscle evenly on each side of his spine, no problems over his back, a little bit sore behind the saddle (due to now using the muscles in that area properly to collect more on the flat and to jump bigger fences) and a bit tight in his off hind hamstring.  She assured me these are all normal and due to him working harder and using himself better and he should be even better now!

As I lunged Jack the other day I studied his way of going, his stride, how he was using himself etc and I realised something - he has totally changed his way of going, he is much softer through his whole body, is taking more weight behind, much softer in his neck laterally and is freer through his shoulders!  This last week alone he has developed a more uphill way of going, particularly the canter.

I am having so much fun with him at the moment, this is how it should be! He is being such a good boy, working well, relaxed and happy and we are both enjoying ourselves more than I ever imagined possible back in the dark days when Kissing spines were making him a grumpy, unhappy and un-rideable horse.
This week we have enjoyed a couple of really nice hacks, once down to the river where we did about 30mins canter work (didn't gallop coz the ground was a bit hard) and then splashed down into the river to cool off, something we have never been able to do before without a lead but he went in happily all on his own so another big improvement!

I've also managed a fantastic jump session where Jack jumped up to 1.05m with ease as you can see from the pics below!  He was flying!  Such a huge improvement, from knocking down and refusing at tiny fences pre surgery to taking strides out and giving them plenty of air post op!  With a bit of Xc schooling I think we might just be ready for a little ode soon, he's fit and more than capable on the flat and show jumping!  However he has only seen solid fences once since his op so we need to rebuild a bit of confidence there before we try entering anything competitive.  

I love this pic although my lower leg is awful and I got a bit left behind I just love how he picked up a long one and cleared it with so much ease and with ears pricked!


Making nothing of 1.05m 

I was a little concerned as he seems a bit uncomfortable being shod this week, he has had some issues being shod behind since his operation, we think due to si pain, but he had shoes off over winter and when the first set went on 8weeks ago he seemed so much better so I thought we had cracked whatever was causing his discomfort, certainly he didn't seem to have a problem when tamsyn checked him and he's been working brilliantly so I was quite surprised to see him struggling.  It was when the farrier was picking up the near fore he was that seemed to bother him rather than the hinds so it maybe a completely different issue but I will need to keep an eye on it.

I'm now off on holiday for a week so he will be turned out 24/7, it probably won't do his waistline much good but it will do him good to switch off for a week relax and if he does have any little niggle causing him to be a bit uncomfortable hopefully the break will help it settle down.
We will see if there is anything which needs further investigation if he's still not right when I return