Competing again

I went to another competition today, and following my epiphany at Tall Trees, I now know what to do.  To improve my chances of placing well, I hit upon the strategy of pulling hideous faces at the other competitors in the warm up.  My laid back ears and great bulk sent several weedy thoroughbreds scuttling away.

When it was my turn to go in I did my very best for a while, although I admit to being distracted by a commotion in the lorry park behind the arena and took the opportunity during the 'free walk' part to put my head up and have a good look.  I recovered my poise in time to impress the judge by putting in a very prompt final halt, even if it surprised Her.

I don't know if my tactics of intimidating the other competitors worked or not, because She decided not to hang around for the results.  She was very pleased with me though.

(PS I have now found out that I came a very respectable second (out of 24) with 68%)

New Year's Resolutions

She has proposed that we all resolve to lose weight in 2012, but there wasn't much buy in around the field. She gave us each a different coloured grooming set for Christmas, so perhaps She is hoping that we will also groom ourselves this year. There's no chance of that either.

A good end to the year

As soon as she put my travel boots on I knew we would be going to another of those things where I have to trot about and then there are carrots at the end.  I was right.  We went to yet another place but this time I felt more confident because I had a good idea what to expect.  I put my best foot forward and received much praise for being more forward going at last.  Apparently I should have been carrying my head in a nice outline for more of the time and it didn't help that She asked me to canter when I was busy trying to see what was going on in the canteen or listening to the neighing next door.  Perhaps next time She will prepare better.  Nonethless, I got extra carrot for winning and getting 70%.  The video below is an unexpurgated version including the dreaded trot/canter transitions.

Slow Motion Trotting

She has now received the files from Centaur Biomechanics of me trotting up and down the yard.  Here is a clip of my trotting with my old shoes on:



She says that it is no wonder that I have sprouted a windgall on my near hind fetlock since it is twisting and crashing to the ground.  I gather that my new, radical shoes have improved the situation and here is the evidence:


Here is a still of me trotting with my old shoes on and my near hind seems to be at an angle:

and here is a still of me with my new shoes on:

I gather my hind leg is lined up much better with my foreleg.  She says that I won't morph into TwinkleToes, but when I get the hang of these new shoes I will stay sound much longer.  I think She means work even harder.

Dressaging again

Back into the motorised cabin for another outing, and I have to say that I find it all very worrying.  By the time we got there, I was trembling with the anxiety of it all.  She said that it would be a very nice party but actually there was all sorts of terror with Quad bikes, barking dogs and running horses in surrounding fields.  By contrast, the indoor school felt almost safe.  I admit that I spent most of the time in there scanning the horizon, but did manage to go a bit round very now and again.  I found it all a bit easier with the new shoes on and won praise for being a bit more willing to go forward.  For the record, here are a few video 'highlights'.


Although the whole process is mystifying, there is a pattern emerging, whereby you trot about with other horses and then go into an arena by yourself and trot about some more.  At the end of it you get some carrots.

Tilly Trotting Poles Fail

Her efforts to produce a trim Tilly are not going well.  She thought that trotting over poles would help but that didn't work too well either, as you can see below.  Note that at the end, I demonstrate what can be achieved when you take the slow and steady approach to tasks, even when handicapped by shoes like dinner plates.



Tilly has had shoes put on and is now going to have to pound the roads to get rid of that flab.

New shoes

Here are photos of the new shoes I had put on yesterday.

Now all I have to do is learn to walk in them!