Paeon in work

Visited Ryan's at Heatherbrae this afternoon to see Paeon working with Emma. Making sound progress; more consolidated in working into the bridle and learning to maintain shoulder-in off the rider's inside leg, happy in trot but still working out whether to bend/flex in canter, or speed up.
Emma rode him down to the cross-country course when she gave a lesson the other day and he behaved very well; gave him his first look at a range of obstacles. Eyes popping!! He may get his first start at the new Denman ODE at the end of June, in an "encouragers" class.
A really grey, rainy afternoon today so the indoor photos are also rather 'grey'.
It's been too wet to jump in the outdoor jumping arena so far!

Sunny Sunday

A wintry bleak Saturday was relieved by Spring-ish warmth around midday on Sunday. So much so that the mob went for a dash around the paddocks, showing off in grand style. I thought I might get some good action photos so called them up and took their rugs off. Whereupon they settled down and got really stuck in to a mutual grooming session!!
No more running at all!!

Trooper Pan

I floated Pan over to Ryan's at Heatherbrae on Monday evening; my first effort at managing without a back-up for loading, and only his second time on a float (previously trucked...happily);he was brilliant! Straight on, no fuss.Left him with Emma Armstrong, his new, eventing, partner. Went back to see him on Wednesday and witnessed Emma's second ride.
Jeremy has every reason to be proud of him! He'd had 7-and-a-half months off work, since I brought him home at the end of September (for me, for my hip operations!) and he went straight back to work, in a much more pressured environment, without batting an eyelid. Just confirms Jeremy's recognition that these Saddlebreds don't forget a thing.
He's kept fit enough chasing Laddie and Cloud, and has a good eye from managing to coexist with a mob in the paddocks at home. So...when he was cross-tied for the first time, to wait for his turn to work...no problem! When he was ridden in an indoor arena, alongside a 'breaker' on the lunge, and three other, advanced dressage horses (and stallions), he focussed on the job and was beautifully accurate weaving in and out of horses coming towards him, with novel mirrors on two sides...really listening and working for Emma.
Honestl;y, I couldn't have been prouder!!! This was second day in work after months and months in the paddock!! He is just REally wanting to work!!
Today, 2 rides later, I caught up again, and Emma is just progressing his training; asking for more flexion off the leg, and he's already showing some 'adjustable' trot. AND she says he's comfortable.
He's showed some huge, snorty presence 'in hand'(but I'd forewarned Em that he would 'Show', but 'do nothing', so she was just amazed at the high trot action and amused, and then he was his "soft" self immediately.
A great start!
The photos show him lined up with the other "troops in cross-ties outside the arena, after his workout. Looks like an old-hand already.

CRASH!!! Tackle!!

PHEEEW!!!!
Is this relationship with horses a challenge....or not!!!
Maybellene's trainer,and my long-time reality-check trainer (along with breaker/trainer-partner Jeremy Janjic) Christine Crawford, has just experienced a heart-stopper! And I'm at a loss as to what to say to her!!! Her Regardez-Moi son gelding, Kaludah Renoir, (aka "Donkey"), a magnificent black Dressage star partner, competing Prix St George, has just succumbed to colic on the operating table.
Christine and DOnkey were a "beautiful" pair, aiming for the London Olympics in 2012.Years of training and an empathy achieved only due to the talent of the horse, the empathy and skill of the rider, and the investment of tons of humility and hard work in training with the best trainers in the world!!!
Must be devastating to lose such a partner!!!
I'm soooooo! sorry, Christine!
Words cannot express my appreciation of your loss!!

SIEC eventing start

What a start! At the weekend of World Cups, at SIEC, May 8-10, Bloomsbury's May Ssandro got his first eventing start at Preliminary level with new owner Matthew Anderson. He's had two Introductory starts: 8th out of 32 at Berrima at the end of March and then 4th of 24 at Silverhills.
I had a great day acting as a volunteer for the 3-Day event on the Saturday Cross-country. Chugging around the 2* course in a chauffered buggy at the beginning of the day, collecting score sheets, chatting to Megan Jones about her 2* horse's worry at jumping a brush fence into the sun, ending the day coordinating the radio on-course reporting of the Pre-Novice and Preliminary Events....and witnessing Ssandro's performance as he galloped, beautifully, past the Control tent.
Someone "up there" was definitely "looking out for me" It couldn't have been a better day!!!
Unless he'd won,I guess!!
Haven't yet seen the overall results, but a couple of baulks at the Bogie Fence 15, mirrored the overall reaction to the course,...on the most beautiful, crisp autumn day you could ever ask for!!!

Teamwork

Mother's Day 2010 is crisp and clear; time at home to attend to yard duties and the youngsters are bemused by the water hose 'snake'.
Very suspicious!...Laddie has a taste!...Paeon grabs the hose and "fixes it"!
Winter rugs alll on for the first time tonight as the last couple of nights have been decidely wintry.

Great photos on the Net of Lisa and Rocco at Loudoun Hunt pony Club Horse Trials; still waiting to recieve them, though!
And yesterday, whilst acting as a volunteer on coure at the World Cups eventing at SIEC, I saw Ssandro at his first event; preliminary level with new owner Matthew Anderson. Looked great!! Photos to come.

First rug!

I turned Laddie out into the paddock with a rug on for the first time, this afternoon. He'd had a rug on in the yard, without any fuss, once before, about a year ago, but this was his first time "Out". He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, so he tagged along with his Mum and copied all she did...just like a dolphin mother-and-son. Very funny!!
The others let him be!! All rugs still intact by nightfall.

Maybellene is not hogging Cloud's attentions now. This morning she was chatting up Paeon while Cloud and Galahad pottered around visiting Gracie! Family relationships are good aagain!!