Thursday 28 July 2011

Light bulb moment

She took me to Carla's jumping field at Lidwell today.  There I was presented with a lilac and white cross pole about six inches high.  I had no idea what I was meant to do with it.  In the end I stepped over it a few times, then hopped over it and then did a little jump.  I did the same thing with a blue cross pole - then, I suddenly realised that these things were jumps - just like the ones we have at home.  A light bulb went off in my head!  Then I set off at a brisk canter and soared over all the other jumps, to much praise.

She has been reading 'Equitation Science' by Paul McGreevy and Andrew McLean, and said that I am living proof of the part that says in the beginning phase of learning a new task, reaction is context specific.  Apparently I now have to learn to generalise - in other words, recognise show jumps wherever they are.  That was a lot of learning for one day.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Exercise Video

As I feared, we all had to do exercises from her free DVD.  She said that it contained nothing new and since the running time was only about 15 minutes, She was glad that She hadn't had to pay for it.  
The exercise was just the usual trotting poles only raised higher specifically to trip up the unwary.

Saturday 23 July 2011

A Great Disappointment

That was me at the Cornish Dressage Festival apparently.  She took me up to Duchy College where there was a party going on with lots of horses running around in a small arena and some of them going sideways.  I also went into another arena with flower baskets everywhere.  She was flapping about on my back but I didn't really hear what She was saying for all the noise in my head.  I gather I was meant to be going forward.  I was relaxing afterwards when a hornet stung me and I produced several impressive, energetic caprioles, but She said it was too little too late.

She cheered up when we got home as She found a DVD in the post, that She had won in a Horse Hero competition.  Her winning application stated that She was trying to turn a plodding Shire X into an elegant dressage horse and She needed the DVD.  Don't know what that was supposed to mean, but I do know that a DVD showing Exercises for Horses is bound to be bad news for me.

Sunday 17 July 2011

Another party

I met up with my friend Freddie and we were joined by Carrot, who I understand is Not Very Well Behaved.  We all went to Lidwell where a party had been arranged especially for me.  I spent time hanging out with admiring humans and met some new friends. In the middle of all this I had to trot round a scary arena and I had no idea where I was going - there was so much to look at. 

That was over quickly though and then I hung out with some friends and ate some very nice walnut cake.  The cake made me a bit hyperactive and I wanted to joust with Freddie on the way back.  We think Carrot got back alright since we didn't see his rider walking home.

Saturday 16 July 2011

Five Years Old Today!

To celebrate my birthday, I invited the others to a little come-as-you-are party in the yard. Hanuman arrived early wearing a headcollar.

He is such a baby - he has no idea how to put a headcollar on.

To save him from making a fool of himself at the party, I took it off, just before the others arrived.  I was the centre of attention of course and the nibbles went down well. She gave me a large carrot.