Winter
All winter I’ve been dragging my backside out of bed to be to get to the stables at 6am and be on my horse by 6.30am. I have no idea what possessed my to do this, other than the chance to have a quiet hour in the otherwise busy riding paddocks to myself. Towards the end of the winter it got harder and harder to do and I got more and more frustrated with what I felt to be a lack of progress in our work. To be honest, I think Jad was getting fed-up too.
Has it all been worth it? Oh yes!
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is. Actually I’ve been riding so early over winter I’ve been buzzed by the local barn owl as it returned from a nights hunting. Jad is now out in the field getting a bit of grass so he’s a happy bunny. (She’d never make a vet – ed.) This means that I am now able to get out of bed at 6.30 or sometimes even 7.30 and ride in the evening instead. Oh yes, and Jad won another Novice test yesterday :-)
I was more astounded than anyone if truth be told. Jad was not in the mood for competing, he wanted to scoff grass and play with his mates instead. He was like a sulky teenager who has been told to clean his room. He did it, but with as little grace as he could manage and he made life as difficult as possible for all around him. Cue all the usual tricks of leaning on the bit, chucking his head around, sticking a leg out in halt, not wanting to stretch in free walk, etc. Basically, he was being rude.
I left the arena a little grumpy, but chalked it up to experience. We did the usual of giving Jad a net while we grabbed some lunch and waited for the score to go up. Unbelievably, despite sulking he’d still managed 67%. As far as I can make out from the judges comments, he may have been stroppy with his head, but he was still working well from behind. It was good enough to win the section and take 2nd overall.
I had to go and apologise to him for saying he was rubbish! I did it quietly so no-one else could hear.
As another plus, this was the first test I had ridden without a commander. There is a reason for this; Jad has a very long stride. So long that it is nearly impossible for a commander to keep up. We’ve given poor Andrea a sore throat from the effort, so I’m now riding them without. Also this was our first test ever with a halt on entry. We managed OK. We even got a 7 for the rein back that I didn’t realise was included so hadn’t actually practiced until the day before!
So yes, the 6am winter mornings have definitely been worth it.