I took my QHxTB on some gallops today! (Tame) photos...!

[catembi]

Anyway, we got there & had a long walk through fields to get to the gallops. It was windy so trees/hedges all rustling, lots of shadows, & my worst thing is riding past hedges as my other horse used to see monsters & spook/spin! So our first trip up was a bit feeble - only got up to ccanter on the steep bit & the rest was trot or walk past the shadowy/rustly bits. I was v disappointed with myself on the way back down & thought, FFS, you have driven all this way, you're on a 'racehorse', you are on a gallops, surely you can do better than this?

So on my next go, we were straight into canter, then I pushed into gallop...and 4 strides in he went, yippee & chucked in some bucks! He has a serious ejector seat there. I v luckily stayed in the plate & pushed him through it, & cantered to the end. Then for our third go, we hit a gallop almost straight away, then I pushed him on & he suddenly found his extra gear & just went. OMFG I have *never* been that fast. Absolutely blinding, insane speed. I don't think he's probably ever done it before & he was exhilarated to have found 5th gear. He powered up the hill as if it was flat and went on...and on...and on. It was like being on a rollercoaster. I thought I might have to use the straw bale bank at the end to stop, but managed to pull up.

So, yeah! I need to find a longer gallops & really see what he can do. Tomorrow's dressage lesson might be...interesting! O/h took some pictures, and has managed the v unlikely feat of only taking them when I'm barely moving, missing the cantering, rodeo antics & blistering speed.

Pointless post, but I am feeling v satisfied atm.

https://www.facebook.com/tracey.dawson.735/media_set?set=a.10157562866082848&type=3

 

[splashgirl45]

he is now looking really well, and he is just the right size for you IMO.... a good buy considering that you had a few soundness misgivings....have you kept him without shoes i cant remember?

 

[FinnBobs]

He looks lovely - what a gorgeous colour! and it sounds like you had fun together

 

[catembi]

Splashgirl - he failed the vet for being lame in front, but lungeing on concrete is quite a test for a b/f horse. I am quite into my b/f & have a great farrier, so I thought he would probably be okay. He is totally fine b/f, apart from over gravel, which is fair enough.

FB - he is buckskin, which is a fab colour as it doesn't show the dirt like grey does!

 

[ycbm]

I was wondering this morning how you were getting on. Great news. 👍

 

[Mrs G]

Brilliant update! I am very envious, taking my horse to some gallops is on my bucket list. Well done!

 

[catembi]

He's a good boy! He is v inexperienced but is happy to give anything a go. We have been whizzing about to lessons, clinics, comps etc. We've done polework dressage exercises, group lessons & he has jumped a full-up 60 cm course at a show with all the fillers out etc. About to enter our first dr comp! He has a slow walk, which is perfect for hacking out with o/h on foot!

 

[splashgirl45]

glad it has all worked out for you, he looks like a lovely kind horse and from the sounds of it, all that you wanted...

 

[catembi]

I was so scared though, Mrs G! The whole thing looked like one long shadowy spook fest & I don't think I can remember the last time I went faster than an sj canter. Probably when Catembi was still alive (2006) as he didn't really 'do' brakes & we often ended up in gallop when we should have been dr/sj or having a sedate hack. We need to find a longer gallops now as 7 furlongs is nowhere near enough for Mr Speedy. He simply ate up the ground.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Not on FB so it won't let me see.

 

[catembi]

I am sorry. Faracat. If I try to poost the pictures directly from my PC, it says that they are too big & I don't know how to fix it

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Thanks for trying.

I'm glad that it is going so well with him.

 

[catembi]

 

[catembi]

Oh...it worked! This never normally works! I will do some more!

 

[catembi]

 

[catembi]

Some more... No speed or bucking photos whatsoever!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Oh wow they work! Thank you so much for trying again.

He's a gorgeous horse.

 

[siennamiller]

He’s stunning, sounds like fun!

 

[TPO]

Well done! That looks amazing, good to read that you're having so much fun.

He's looking fantastic too 😍

 

[Nicnac]

He's lovely!

 

[splashgirl45]

well if there arent any photos of bucking and speed, it didnt happen !!

 

[catembi]

Yeah, I know! It's infuriating! But I can't say I'm surprised... When I went to an sj clinic, he took extensive photos but hadn't really got the hang of 'action shots' & the end result was a lot of still life photos of jumps, with not a horse in sight... One of his tail disappearing out of shot!

 

[silv]

He is looking really good, glad you are really enjoying him, sounds like he is turning out to be a super horse. Very envious of you having gallops to use.

 

[Mule]

He's very handsome. I love his coat colour too. I'm glad he's working out so well
I remember being shocked by the speed when I first galloped my TB x. The last time I had galloped was years before on a stocky ID. Bit of a difference there

 

[pansymouse]

Nothing beats a good flat out gallop

As a frequent galloper I always find that I get a lovely settled compliant horse the following day.

 

[puppystitch]

You need to find some gallops on a loop so you can keep going! Looks lovely, well done!