khalswitz
Well-Known Member
Picking up where out last report left off, Geoff was due a couple of weeks of light hacking after a busy six weeks of competing. He seemed to really gain a lot of confidence in the ring during his six weeks of going out at least once a week (and some weeks twice) to local low key comps and has really settled down and started to work in a party environment.
Gratuitous photo of Geoff looking ready to party:
However, rest periods don't seem to suit him so much!! He got two days off, then brought him in for a quiet hack, only to find him lame. Kept him in over night, and the thermographer on our yard gave him a quick scan the following morning just to see if there was an obvious problem. Scan looked very like an early abscess (not what I was expecting as he was only slightly lame in trot not hopping at all), so we got the farrier out and she dug in exactly the spot and got the pus coming out.
Scanned him again three days later to see all the heat of the foot, which was great. However, the shoe ended up only going back on TWO DAYS before we were due to go off to RC Camp... he seemed perfectly sound hacking out the two days before so decided to just go for it, and be prepared to take things easy if he seemed sore at all. Thankfully, he never did
We were also heading to camp with a NEW SADDLE. As some of you will know, we've been dithering about our saddle situation for a while. I have an SC event which I like, and which fits a very hard-to-fit Geoff pretty well, but my hip-to-knee is just too long for it which doesn't help when he stops. However, kind of by chance, my instructor was loaning a saddle to try on her horse, and she asked me what I thought, and I made an offhand comment that it would fit a horse like Geoff better as it was quite a curved tree... so we ended up trying it on Geoff. It's slightly wide, but he goes fab in his DR saddle which is too wide and padded up, so I do wonder if with his big shoulders he just likes the space. He was really picking up his back, which he doesn't normally do - but this saddle is designed to curve away from the lower back where he gets tense, so it does seem to suit him. Best of all, being secondhand it is less expensive than my current saddle, so I'm reasonably sure of being able to sell it and even taking a big loss on its value I can still afford to outright buy and ref lock this new one. So we took it along to camp to give it a thorough road test
We were going with two friends from my old yard, so we nipped Geoff over the hers and in a paddock to himself for the night before leaving, to make things a bit easier. Took advantage of their gorgeous hacking on a lovely evening:
And Geoff loved it when we found a lovely 1/4 mile stretch of grassy track where he could have the first good flat out run he's had in a few months. Both came home grinning
Camp itself was at a BE venue about 2 hrs away in the box. We went last year and had a fab time despite being very nervous about going, so with Geoff's improved social skills this year I was really excited rather than dreading being bucked off.
We got our lesson timetable, and I had a flatwork lesson on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and then a SJ lesson Sat afternoon , XC Sunday morning and one more SJ lesson on Sunday afternoon. I was pleased with this as we'd get the concentration while he was still fresh in the flatwork and then the rest of the weekend to concentrate on jumping...
Settling in very happily:
Flatwork lessons went fab. He was a little looky to start, but settled in well and was carrying himself and getting the lateral suppleness which we've been working for. Instructor said that it's all there, I just need to be more consistent and disciplined and clear in what I want and it will come. He is generally pretty eager to please, with the odd disagreement about contact but generally he is trying to give what I ask him for which is lovely. It was also nice to, for once, be on the most established horse in the group!!
We worked lots on transitions, on changing gears within the paces, on using the canter to improve the suppleness in the trot, and on him taking us both forward without leaning on me. There is so much just under the surface with this horse, and whilst he's no flashy WB he feels like when we finally get the consistency he is going to look stunning all the same
Some of the pro pics of the flatwork:
Friday, when all was still a bit exciting, and using the up and down on the XC course to work on balance but the contact suffering a bit for it:
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1365395026&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1365394826&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
Saturday:
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366044626&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366055026&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366056426&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366056626&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366058226&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366058426&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
So came away with plans to work on the transitions and maintaining balance and softness through them (One ESTABLISHED pace to another, Khalswitz), and on using the canter to promote a more supple trot. And with a attitude check (we needed this after lots of BD!!) that perfection doesn't happen, and that I need to appreciate the things he DOES do and improves on rather than worrying about all the things that aren't perfect.
Gratuitous photo of Geoff looking ready to party:
However, rest periods don't seem to suit him so much!! He got two days off, then brought him in for a quiet hack, only to find him lame. Kept him in over night, and the thermographer on our yard gave him a quick scan the following morning just to see if there was an obvious problem. Scan looked very like an early abscess (not what I was expecting as he was only slightly lame in trot not hopping at all), so we got the farrier out and she dug in exactly the spot and got the pus coming out.
Scanned him again three days later to see all the heat of the foot, which was great. However, the shoe ended up only going back on TWO DAYS before we were due to go off to RC Camp... he seemed perfectly sound hacking out the two days before so decided to just go for it, and be prepared to take things easy if he seemed sore at all. Thankfully, he never did
We were also heading to camp with a NEW SADDLE. As some of you will know, we've been dithering about our saddle situation for a while. I have an SC event which I like, and which fits a very hard-to-fit Geoff pretty well, but my hip-to-knee is just too long for it which doesn't help when he stops. However, kind of by chance, my instructor was loaning a saddle to try on her horse, and she asked me what I thought, and I made an offhand comment that it would fit a horse like Geoff better as it was quite a curved tree... so we ended up trying it on Geoff. It's slightly wide, but he goes fab in his DR saddle which is too wide and padded up, so I do wonder if with his big shoulders he just likes the space. He was really picking up his back, which he doesn't normally do - but this saddle is designed to curve away from the lower back where he gets tense, so it does seem to suit him. Best of all, being secondhand it is less expensive than my current saddle, so I'm reasonably sure of being able to sell it and even taking a big loss on its value I can still afford to outright buy and ref lock this new one. So we took it along to camp to give it a thorough road test
We were going with two friends from my old yard, so we nipped Geoff over the hers and in a paddock to himself for the night before leaving, to make things a bit easier. Took advantage of their gorgeous hacking on a lovely evening:
And Geoff loved it when we found a lovely 1/4 mile stretch of grassy track where he could have the first good flat out run he's had in a few months. Both came home grinning
Camp itself was at a BE venue about 2 hrs away in the box. We went last year and had a fab time despite being very nervous about going, so with Geoff's improved social skills this year I was really excited rather than dreading being bucked off.
We got our lesson timetable, and I had a flatwork lesson on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and then a SJ lesson Sat afternoon , XC Sunday morning and one more SJ lesson on Sunday afternoon. I was pleased with this as we'd get the concentration while he was still fresh in the flatwork and then the rest of the weekend to concentrate on jumping...
Settling in very happily:
Flatwork lessons went fab. He was a little looky to start, but settled in well and was carrying himself and getting the lateral suppleness which we've been working for. Instructor said that it's all there, I just need to be more consistent and disciplined and clear in what I want and it will come. He is generally pretty eager to please, with the odd disagreement about contact but generally he is trying to give what I ask him for which is lovely. It was also nice to, for once, be on the most established horse in the group!!
We worked lots on transitions, on changing gears within the paces, on using the canter to improve the suppleness in the trot, and on him taking us both forward without leaning on me. There is so much just under the surface with this horse, and whilst he's no flashy WB he feels like when we finally get the consistency he is going to look stunning all the same
Some of the pro pics of the flatwork:
Friday, when all was still a bit exciting, and using the up and down on the XC course to work on balance but the contact suffering a bit for it:
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1365395026&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1365394826&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
Saturday:
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366044626&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366055026&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366056426&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366056626&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366058226&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
http://www.stephenhammondphotography.co.uk/?Action=VF&id=1366058426&ppp=0&ppwd=31497hpk
So came away with plans to work on the transitions and maintaining balance and softness through them (One ESTABLISHED pace to another, Khalswitz), and on using the canter to promote a more supple trot. And with a attitude check (we needed this after lots of BD!!) that perfection doesn't happen, and that I need to appreciate the things he DOES do and improves on rather than worrying about all the things that aren't perfect.