You'll have seen that as far as jumping is concerned Ziggy has a long way to go.
On the hacking front, however, we seem to have made phenomenal progress just since the start of this year.
When I bought him Lia at Safecobs said that neither she nor any of her girls could prevent him from rushing on the way home or being dangerously competitive when cantering in company. Along with all of his other little foibles, these were definitely true!
I've felt he is pretty much ok on his own recently, and today we went out with Catherine and Romeo, her NF, as a practice for our planned trip to the New Forest in May. I thought now was a good time to try a little canter in company and see how he went.
How did he go? Well - JUST THE SAME! No rushing, no anxiety, just a nice little, calm little, balanced little canter with loose reins and one ear listening to me. He slowed down the moment I asked. And then we strolled round the rest of the hack on a loose rein, including all the way home.
Coloured poles are another matter, but I am confident that if we can cure the hacking foibles we'll get to the point where the sight of a jump wing doesn't turn him into a quivering panicking jelly.
I tend to jump off and walk the last 15-20 minutes or so of a hack. It feels polite to give him a break, loosen his girth and let him cool off. Catherine agrees. All the other ladies we meet out on their big horses think we are mad. They say, "Are you all right?" or even, simply, "Why on earth are you walking?"
I like it though. I like his lovely face next to me. :inlove:
On the hacking front, however, we seem to have made phenomenal progress just since the start of this year.
When I bought him Lia at Safecobs said that neither she nor any of her girls could prevent him from rushing on the way home or being dangerously competitive when cantering in company. Along with all of his other little foibles, these were definitely true!
I've felt he is pretty much ok on his own recently, and today we went out with Catherine and Romeo, her NF, as a practice for our planned trip to the New Forest in May. I thought now was a good time to try a little canter in company and see how he went.
How did he go? Well - JUST THE SAME! No rushing, no anxiety, just a nice little, calm little, balanced little canter with loose reins and one ear listening to me. He slowed down the moment I asked. And then we strolled round the rest of the hack on a loose rein, including all the way home.
Coloured poles are another matter, but I am confident that if we can cure the hacking foibles we'll get to the point where the sight of a jump wing doesn't turn him into a quivering panicking jelly.
I tend to jump off and walk the last 15-20 minutes or so of a hack. It feels polite to give him a break, loosen his girth and let him cool off. Catherine agrees. All the other ladies we meet out on their big horses think we are mad. They say, "Are you all right?" or even, simply, "Why on earth are you walking?"
I like it though. I like his lovely face next to me. :inlove:
