Trish C
Well-Known Member
YO and I hacked our orange horsies down to the beach this morning. First time I've taken Monty to a sand beach with real sea (have had him on a stony beach by a lough before) and was half-expecting knobberness. Very happy to be proved wrong!
He was pure chilled from the moment we set off - met 6 tractors with huge big scary trailer/attachment things, several lorries, milk tankers, a bus, motorcycle, kite-surfers and a funeral! Didn't bat an eyelid, much to my surprise as he used to be genuinely scared of buses and motorcycles owing to run-ins we'd had with each. I think it's a mark of how happy he is at the new yard though, that he strode out wanting to lead and just stood quietly waiting for scary things to pass. He did, of course, have to find something to have a bit of a stress-attack at, so he chose an innocuous bit of hedge and a small child who obviously looked hungry.
Got down onto the beach, the tide was right in and the wind was very strong but he was as good as gold - we didn't have much sand at all so went for a good paddle. He did a lot of splashing and made sure I was soaking before one rather large wave caught him by surprise and he did a very classy and steep trot halfpass out of the water with much snorting and prancing
Had a bit of a trot along the shallows but no cantering today as the little sand we had was very soft/sinky. Probably a good thing as I don't want him to learn that beach=charge off like a lunatic. But there was no jogging, head-throwing or loss of brakes/steering. So can't wait to go for a good long canter next time! 
Delighted with him, he's been a bit of a star recently. He's found his back-end and has started using it... his extended and medium trots are really coming on, his collected trot is properly collected from behind (not just pretty in front and draught horse behind) and yesterday he did his first proper stepping-under and pushing off canter transitions. Yay! Our fabulous new instructor - who has made more of a difference in two weeks than I think we've had otherwise in two months - even ventured to suggest that he will, eventually, do a stunning dressage test
He is, of course, making sure to keep his 'knobber' label by being an equine wrecking ball on the ground, and is still training to make an appearance on One Man and His Knobber by terrorising the sheep and driving them to all corners of the field. As far as I know he hasn't mastered the pen yet, but I did see him do an impressive shed the other day.
So pointless post, but I'm very happy with him. And liking having a beach so close!
He was pure chilled from the moment we set off - met 6 tractors with huge big scary trailer/attachment things, several lorries, milk tankers, a bus, motorcycle, kite-surfers and a funeral! Didn't bat an eyelid, much to my surprise as he used to be genuinely scared of buses and motorcycles owing to run-ins we'd had with each. I think it's a mark of how happy he is at the new yard though, that he strode out wanting to lead and just stood quietly waiting for scary things to pass. He did, of course, have to find something to have a bit of a stress-attack at, so he chose an innocuous bit of hedge and a small child who obviously looked hungry.
Got down onto the beach, the tide was right in and the wind was very strong but he was as good as gold - we didn't have much sand at all so went for a good paddle. He did a lot of splashing and made sure I was soaking before one rather large wave caught him by surprise and he did a very classy and steep trot halfpass out of the water with much snorting and prancing
Had a bit of a trot along the shallows but no cantering today as the little sand we had was very soft/sinky. Probably a good thing as I don't want him to learn that beach=charge off like a lunatic. But there was no jogging, head-throwing or loss of brakes/steering. So can't wait to go for a good long canter next time! Delighted with him, he's been a bit of a star recently. He's found his back-end and has started using it... his extended and medium trots are really coming on, his collected trot is properly collected from behind (not just pretty in front and draught horse behind) and yesterday he did his first proper stepping-under and pushing off canter transitions. Yay! Our fabulous new instructor - who has made more of a difference in two weeks than I think we've had otherwise in two months - even ventured to suggest that he will, eventually, do a stunning dressage test
He is, of course, making sure to keep his 'knobber' label by being an equine wrecking ball on the ground, and is still training to make an appearance on One Man and His Knobber by terrorising the sheep and driving them to all corners of the field. As far as I know he hasn't mastered the pen yet, but I did see him do an impressive shed the other day.
So pointless post, but I'm very happy with him. And liking having a beach so close!
