Mr G's ROR journey

What a stunning horse, the picture of him loose with the double bridles + saddle really shows how much presence he has. He is everything I look for in a horse, good luck with your next event!
 
I had a look back at the original photos from a year ago and wow, he's really come on! He looks like a very rewarding horse and you're doing a great job with him.
 
Thanks! I'm extremely proud of him, this year couldn't have gone much better. I agree Rosiesmum, I only agreed to an ex racer because he was so cheap!

Leflynn. If you can make a clinic with her I seriously recommend it she was so lovely. Depending on how far north you are, she is doing a clinic with ROR north east May 7th. I want to go but I'll be at badders.

Lanky Loll glad to hear Clare is good! Makes her compliments even better. I have to admit I'm fairly naive on he whole showing celebs apart from the obvious ones!

Thank you ahml100 that's lovely to hear. Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he ls totally stunning.

J1ffy he has hasn't he! So very pleased with him! Hope the upwards curve continues:)
 
Well it's been a while! We actually haven't been anyway much recently because my van is STILL BROKEN. Fingers crossed it'll be back this week. So we went to Northallerton to do G's second BE90. Lunged before dressage this time and he was fabulous, got on and warmed up and thought ****! This is it. This is the 20 dressage I've been dreaming of. Five minutes to go and we turned into a yak. Never mind, we only stood on the boards once. We'll get it one day!
[video=youtube_share;VYY6YO4vLGk]https://youtu.be/VYY6YO4vLGk[/video]
Onto the sj. I'd had a lesson with Ruth edge the week before, what a genius eh? She was all about soft soft hands, steer with seat and legs, no pulling, no firing. Really hard work for me and G! But bearing this in mind we went into the sj and he unfortunately had the first fence down. Doh! such a shame really because he jumped a great round and don't think he deserved it.

[video=youtube_share;heIc9Z5pWwA]https://youtu.be/heIc9Z5pWwA[/video]

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Felt the xc was really soft so for the first time ever I didn't feel nervous! But I was really conscious of the time after being told by Jeanette brakwell to slow down or I'll end up TF (totally **********) so I went round with the handbrake on a bit then panicked a bit and kicked on over the last three and ended up with some time faults! But annoyed at myself for not trusting my gut, I've never had time faults on G before so rode this round badly, too worried about speed! Another learning curve. Ended up 20th overall and pleased with another clear xc. Well done Mr G you're a piece of cake.
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Then G had some down time (thanks to the van) until yesterday we went to a local agricultural show to do a riding horse class. This marks a year since G's first show ring experience and what an improvement. He was pretty much foot perfect and the ring is probably the spookiest you'll find. There is so much going on. And actually out of everything, he was most concerned with the shire young stock next door. Lovely G <3 we were pulled 7th originally then moved up to 4th with some really strong competition. So so pleased he totally deserved it. He does look so thin compared to all the others. Also had to beg borrow and steal a bit from friends as all my showing stuff was in the BLOODY VAN!!!! Next week we have Bishop Burton BE90 then going to try get to some unaffiliated 100cm hunter trials/ODE's then aiming for Skipton BE100! Going to try get out to do some more showing as well, want to get my hands on some RoR prizes!
Photo with thanks from Chameleon Photography.

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Dem plaits,
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Ooh and we got to go to Badders! Amazing time and totally inspired. Pic of the man, the myth, the legend, Mr Jung.

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his looking so amazing what a lovely life you have given him and he just looks so happy you should be very proud of what you have both achieved in such a short time:)
 
The difference in the pictures from last year he just looks like a different horse today just carry on with whatever you are doing it obviously works :)
 
Thank you LadySam! You're right, there is a lot of pressure to get your tb to look like a hunter/warmblood/whatever but I should be proud of him looking like a good thoroughbred shouldn't I?!

Pinkvboots, very kind!! Thank you so much :D
 
June update!
After Otley show we headed over to Bishop Burton to do G's last BE90 before stepping up to BE100. IT WAS SOOOOO HOT. I finally got the van back but all my stuff was spread all over the place. Obviously then got to BB without a shirt, start fee or studs. Got that sorted and headed over to dressage where he was super argumentative warming up and then same old wiggly snakey pony in the test. Have realised now our test performances are entirely down to my nerves. I am totally freezing as soon as I head up the centre line and I'm certainly not doing poor G any justice. But suppose he doesn't really care. 37 dressage, consistent with all my other scores.
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Onto the sj. BB's arena is huge and filled with jumps. I didn't get a chance to walk the course so just watched where people were going and hoped for the best. Apart from taking a flier to an early fence, G jumped well. Then I found out I had TEN TIME PENALTIES!!!!!!! All the practice slowing down and not rushing my fences and we come out with ten time. Could not believe it!

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Cross country at BB is good fun. It was undulating and you go through the woods, it's fun! And we had a blast. G is soooo easy cross country. He flew around galloping through the finish on the time :) clever pony! When we were at Badders we bought some racing goggs as my eyes were watering loads xc. I've had looooads of abuse from yard mates so I proudly put them on my hat when getting ready for xc and as I crossed the finish realised I never put them on my face. Lol.

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Then, In prep for Skipton BE100 we headed to Epworth show cross to do his first 1m class. Knowing that the xc is tough at Epworth I thought any combos here will be great prep for Skipton. Well we showjumped round by the skin of our teeth. But he was honest and he tried really hard on a crap warm up thanks to me being super late. Straight off to xc, fast warm up again, we were the last to go and suddenly G felt really green on me. Chipping in on the first few fences, totally alien to me. After a near miss at a roll top bank combo I got my act together a bit and he jumped the rest of the course like a dream. But It put 'the fear' in me. Was I rushing?! Is he sour?
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Decided to book a lesson with Helen Bell at her place and she had us sussed within the first 5 minutes. He isn't green, I'm not ****ing riding... Duh. Sit up, stop jumping the fences before him, stop looking at the bottom of your fence and actually put your leg on. Because G is so hot, I have got into a weird habit of not using any leg whatsoever....It was so quickly resolved, Helen was really complimentary, said he was a very smart horse and I was a good rider. Nice! Vids to come.

Last weekend we then went to North Yorkshire County show. We had entered the RoR class and the Novice workers in prep for the GYS. The less said about RoR the better. Today, we just weren't the judges cup of tea I guess. Such is showing! Then in the workers we had two down which I was disappointed about. I felt I just misjudged how to react to G's behaviour and they were costly poles. Peeled off my full seat jods and sweaty tweed jacket and went home happy.
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With Grandad, on father's day.
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In our downtime we have been on some pub rides:
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And enjoying the hacking at home:
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And a 'before' summer turnout pic:
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Sadly, on monday G came in with a minor looking cut and by the time I went to get him in Tuesday he was non weight bearing, extremely swollen and very hot. Vet has been and giver 5 day antibiotic course, box rest, no bute so we can monitor lameness and she's asked me to keep her updated. He was fine this morning but this evening super swollen and back to non weight bearing waaaaa :( so sad for him. Withdrawn from Skipton and hoping he is feeling more comfortable soon.
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Obviously not resting the leg that's injured... doooooh
 
Lovely update and pics. Glad you got you jumping mojo back after your lesson. Far too hot for tweed nonsense though haha. Hope his leg heals quickly.
 
So in typical G fashion, a minor cut ended in a trip to the vets for x rays and ultrasounds. Obviously, there was nothing wrong so a week of danilon and antiobiotics and we are good to go! So lots of gentle hacking and then we went off to the Great Yorkshire Show to do the retraining of racehorses class and the novice working hunter. Was massively apprehensive of the WH since we hadn't jumped since North Yorkshire County.
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OMG it was so so wet. It never stopped, look at the vid!

[video=youtube_share;jXJlYLhxlTU]https://youtu.be/jXJlYLhxlTU[/video]

He was such a good boy in the retraining of racehorses class, it had 36 in it and we were nose to tail. We got split to canter and I didn't do an ambitious gallop as it was so wet. Not worth it! Sadly G got his tongue over the bit, which as never happened before!!!! And was really unsettled in his canter and gallop. He went sweetly overall though and I''ve finally got my picture!

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Then onto the workers. It was absolutely massive and had everything in it, a water tray, planks, a gate etc etc. G was awesome though and had a moral clear as he slipped on take off at the first part of the double, put down in the middle of it and I nearly came toppling off - to the many gasps of the crowd!!! Represented and he finished clear. SO pleased. I never thought I'd get round.

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Photos with huge thanks to ES Photography!

Next is physio and then some lessons and Frickley BE90 (I've chickened outof the BE100 after having to withdraw from Skipton!)

[video=youtube_share;yalirYSnocU]https://youtu.be/yalirYSnocU[/video]


PS **** you photobucket!!! All my photos have gone :(
 
He looks great, what a bummer about getting his tongue over the bit, must have been quite a sight 36 horses all going around that huge ring together, the weather looked awful. Some great photos of the working hunter, bad luck once again on him slipping. What a great time you are having together.
 
Thanks all! It was superb to see all those fab horses in their new jobs. They really are something else. Still so proud of my little G he's such a versatile boy. Glad you can see the difference beef wise in him as well :)
 
So G is broken!

Came in from the field in July with a leg like this, the inside nails on the opposite shoe out and pretty much non weight bearing

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Got vet out immediately and was relieved to be told she suspected an abscess. Had a dig, found nothing and suggested farrier come have a lookthe following day. He found a bit of puss coming out his heel so we poulticed and did the usual thing. I called the vet over the weekend to ask for some bute for him whilst he was in as he was just so uncomfortable. And assumed, thoroughbred, swelling and so lame it could only be an abscess. No better over the weekend and. Ow clean poultices I took him straight to the vet on Tuesday and heard back late afternoon that he had an infected tendon sheath which they would try treat medically first. No improvement the next day so off he went to surgery to flush it out. Under scope they found a small superficial change to the DDFT - something he has been extremely unlucky for it to deteriorate into a septic tendonsheath. Surgery went well however and he has been a model patient. We are now into the third week of small pen rest and I'm really proud of him for coping so well being in a pen on the edge of the gallops where racehorses train every day. Prognosis is unknown I suppose. Time will tell but so far so good! Trying to be optimistic and NOT research DDFT injuries. Vets and physio agree that since there wasn't a tear or a hole in the tendon, provided scar tissue doesn't form in there, he may be okay! But it's going to be a long time until we know so I'm having to be super patient and not get carried away. I'm not good at this lol. So for now, until I have an update that's is for the season.

Handsome at the vets.

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Not looking too rough after everything in his pen.

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Starting an uprising at animal farm!
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Thank goodness you were on the ball and took him in! I had a mare get an infected DDFt sheath through trauma, had surgery and recovered well. She came back into full work but didn't have quite the same level of flexion and athletic ability after that so she didn't event again
 
That's really interesting. Did she have a competitive career at all? My initial fear was, oh **** another broken TB gelding. What am I going to do with him? I have no intention of keeping a field ornament no matter how lovely he is and I need to be pragmatic. So we are certainly not out of the woods. I think he would quite happily go hacking, he's a pretty bombproof hack.

I wish I'd followed my gut a bit better, the leg being SO swollen and taken him down straight away. But the vet was so convinced it was an abscess with him having such a strong pulse. Aaaargh hindsight.
 
I think most people would have thought abscess so don't beat yourself up!
She did some low level stuff up to 90cm quite happily and was sound, just didn't have quite the same push and flexion. I think she'd have auite happily carried on but she went off to be a broodmare in the end as I didn't need another riding horse and she was bred nicely
 
I am also going into week 3 of yard rest (smaller than Gs though!) with my TB mare after surgery, and am so impressed with how she's taking it. Fingers are tightly crossed for G, he looks a lovely boy :)
 
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