JenHunt
Well-Known Member
I know you all know how much Ron means to me, but really this horse is one in a million.
Bear in mind that the little monkey wouldn't jump a stick when I bought him, and I reschooled him over a summer until he figured that it was fun. He's now actually unstoppable in front of a fence, but has always preferred to have at least one person go first.
Until, that is, Yesterday.
A fairly uneventful day out with hounds, you know the sort, backwards and forwards, wait a while, backwards and forwards again.... etc. Then we went back the way we'd come once more, then on a bit further. All of a sudden the field came to a halt in a passing place in the road, and OH (and Tom) and Ron and I found ourselves near the front of the field.
The field master crossed the lane, and had a good look at a rough, trappy makeshift post and rail fence (about 5 foot width in the hedge), then turned and asked his horse to pop it. Stopped, and then asked someone else (my friend N) to have a go. They stopped, and field master says to me "On you go".
I turned Ron, trotted him across the lane, one stride of canter on the verge and up and over. He made a lovely job of it, and because we went first I actually rode him into the fence for a change. We were closely followed by the field master, then N, then OH came flying over too. Ron made it feel like every inch the 3'6"-3'9" it was, Tom made it look like 2foot!
The next 'fence' was another where the field master had a look at this bullfinch type hedge, that had a Road Crash Barrier thing at about 2foot. Then a substantial drop on the other side. The field master asked N to go first, but his horse balked a few strides out, and he turned a circle, and the field master waved at me to go next. Ron had twigged that the idea was to jump it, and positively carted me in, clearing most of the brush and then struggling to keep upright on landing due to the drop and sticky ground.
A field or two later and the only way out was over a rill (small drain/stream thing) that was quite congested with debris from the floods, and still running reasonably deep (maybe 18inches compared to 6inches!). The field masters horse took it nicely, but broke up some of the debris as she went, and Ron then struggled to get the take off he was after, and we ended up with 3 feet in it! But we came out all right after a moment's panic!
There ended most of the excitement for the day, and we were back to backwards and forwards, mostly on roads and tracks. But I haven't been so chuffed with my donkey since he twigged that he could jump and it was fun! How many of them actually like to take on trappy fences and lead everyone else over?
anyone know how to make an 18yo younger, or how to clone them? or where I'd find another?
Bear in mind that the little monkey wouldn't jump a stick when I bought him, and I reschooled him over a summer until he figured that it was fun. He's now actually unstoppable in front of a fence, but has always preferred to have at least one person go first.
Until, that is, Yesterday.
A fairly uneventful day out with hounds, you know the sort, backwards and forwards, wait a while, backwards and forwards again.... etc. Then we went back the way we'd come once more, then on a bit further. All of a sudden the field came to a halt in a passing place in the road, and OH (and Tom) and Ron and I found ourselves near the front of the field.
The field master crossed the lane, and had a good look at a rough, trappy makeshift post and rail fence (about 5 foot width in the hedge), then turned and asked his horse to pop it. Stopped, and then asked someone else (my friend N) to have a go. They stopped, and field master says to me "On you go".
I turned Ron, trotted him across the lane, one stride of canter on the verge and up and over. He made a lovely job of it, and because we went first I actually rode him into the fence for a change. We were closely followed by the field master, then N, then OH came flying over too. Ron made it feel like every inch the 3'6"-3'9" it was, Tom made it look like 2foot!
The next 'fence' was another where the field master had a look at this bullfinch type hedge, that had a Road Crash Barrier thing at about 2foot. Then a substantial drop on the other side. The field master asked N to go first, but his horse balked a few strides out, and he turned a circle, and the field master waved at me to go next. Ron had twigged that the idea was to jump it, and positively carted me in, clearing most of the brush and then struggling to keep upright on landing due to the drop and sticky ground.
A field or two later and the only way out was over a rill (small drain/stream thing) that was quite congested with debris from the floods, and still running reasonably deep (maybe 18inches compared to 6inches!). The field masters horse took it nicely, but broke up some of the debris as she went, and Ron then struggled to get the take off he was after, and we ended up with 3 feet in it! But we came out all right after a moment's panic!
There ended most of the excitement for the day, and we were back to backwards and forwards, mostly on roads and tracks. But I haven't been so chuffed with my donkey since he twigged that he could jump and it was fun! How many of them actually like to take on trappy fences and lead everyone else over?
anyone know how to make an 18yo younger, or how to clone them? or where I'd find another?
