PolarSkye
Well-Known Member
Well my stressy boy has chilled out beyond belief. He slipped into the yard routine like he'd been there all his life. He goes out at night with his buddies (pretty much all the horses go out every night) - from about 3.30 p.m. until about 9.00 a.m. From the state of his rugs and the mud up his legs, he spends at least some of the time playing - the rest grazing, rolling and sleeping on good grass. He comes in to a clean straw bed, his breakfast and some yummy haylage. He spends his day mooching through his straw bed for bits of haylage, dozing and generally relaxing - the box walking has completely gone. I don't need to fill his treat ball anymore to keep him occupied. My trainer schools him three times a week - jump, flat, hacking, lunging - and he has improved so much (can now maintain left canter without going disunited at all - that has taken us since we bought him to fix). He's been cross country schooling at Tweseldown and to a training session with my trainer's trainer - and both times he loaded, travelled and behaved beautifully when he arrived. I've ridden him more in the two months since we moved him than I did in pretty much six months at the old yard. The best news of all is that Em is riding him again . . . she had a little sit, walk and trot last Sunday after I had ridden him - and then yesterday she had a lesson with my trainer . . . he went beautifully for her - no spooking, no silliness, lovely and forward (and tracking up) in the trot. She had the biggest smile 
.
He still tests Jen (my trainer) by spooking at silly things (a chair in the arena) and napping in the yard (went vertical with her on Tuesday), but I can't remember the last time he acted the maggot with me
. He's still sharp and still has a very busy brain, but he has learned to trust me and is now learning to trust Em. He's been round the gallop track both on his own and in company and has been polite and well-mannered . . . no pulling, no racing, no silliness. He will always be "looky" but that's just him - but a stop and a "look" doesn't always mean that a spook follows.
When he's finished this batch of Blue Chip (which contains a calmer in a relatively small amount, we're switching him to Farrier's Formula and we won't be giving him a calmer. He doesn't need it.
This is all a far cry from the stressed out, hyper boy we had at that little DIY yard who was unhandleable, jumping out of his skin, unrideable and clearly unhappy. He was happier at our previous yard - but not as happy as he is now . . . long may it last.
P
.He still tests Jen (my trainer) by spooking at silly things (a chair in the arena) and napping in the yard (went vertical with her on Tuesday), but I can't remember the last time he acted the maggot with me
. He's still sharp and still has a very busy brain, but he has learned to trust me and is now learning to trust Em. He's been round the gallop track both on his own and in company and has been polite and well-mannered . . . no pulling, no racing, no silliness. He will always be "looky" but that's just him - but a stop and a "look" doesn't always mean that a spook follows. When he's finished this batch of Blue Chip (which contains a calmer in a relatively small amount, we're switching him to Farrier's Formula and we won't be giving him a calmer. He doesn't need it.
This is all a far cry from the stressed out, hyper boy we had at that little DIY yard who was unhandleable, jumping out of his skin, unrideable and clearly unhappy. He was happier at our previous yard - but not as happy as he is now . . . long may it last
.P
