Working Hunter ?

Yesterday it was finally time for Moon to take a trip out to hone his jumping skills around a full course of jumps. Jen very kindly lent us the course at Kirklevington and away we went, rather early in the morning!

Loading is a dream as you just hold the lead rope in one hand and a bucket of chaff in the other and he follows you in. Travelling is 'boring' after 10 mins and necessitates banging the floor every time you stop in traffic and trying to reverse out of the shut trailer. Oh and whinnying a lot and you leave your friends behind!

Travelling all done and Moon wanders out in his own time,( making sure he tidies the floor of any chaff he dropped getting in) and stands quietly in the car park, having grown a good two inches! 

Tack on and leg up and we make our way into the huge arena...

There are jumps everywhere, all beautifully built, and decorated with bits of fir trees completely covering the wings and each fence has its own pristine and horse scaring filler including: little dairy houses, fake sheep, a road closed sign on the Second part of the double, two stiles in a row and just to add to the effect, a cuddly snake woven into the ladder filler on the FIRST fence!

First reaction to a full and rather terrifying working hunter course (did I mention Jen builds the most difficult courses I've ever seen?) is to walk backwards into the 'grooms'. After a little 'encouragement' he realises backwards isn’t really an option and he trots nervously round the edge of the arena making sure the sheep get a VERY wide berth!

After a good trot and canter round in and out of all of the fences it was time to start going over. A quick conversation as to which is the least horse scaring fence (it was a little difficult to find one that had NOTHING scary about it!) and we chose an innocuous cross pole with little houses pushed right out to the wings. A big open space to jump, plain poles, it looks inviting even! So we trot round calmly to begin our first course. All goes smoothly till 2 meters away and we bounce to an abrupt halt. A quick nudge to try and move him forward again results in him snaking his neck in a way that’s only just possible for a horse and running sideways shaping his body into the best impression of a 'C' as he can manage. Those houses are clearly not safe. A quick smack and things get worse, now we are shuffling rather quickly towards the wall, backwards. And back, and back, and back until he suddenly hits bum off the wall and jumps forward again in surprise!  Now miles away from and horse eating houses we stop to asses the situation.

A moment later a little voice suggests that she walk over the fence first. Doubtful of this plan I agree and trot back up to the jump to join the 'groom'. (We have no problem getting to the fence, we can get as close as we like, just not over!) As close as he can to  the shoulder of our 'leader' we shuffle towards the cross pole and with his head all but ON her shoulder she steps over and Moon braces himself and lifts his front legs, and pops over, almost landing on our poor helper!

Laughing we come round again and reluctantly hop over on our own. A few more times and we have some rhythm so we land and aim straight for the next fence, the first part of the double (part b removed!). Its plain rustic poles with viaduct fillers, and a couple of kicks and some tactical steering and he steps right over first time! Yey, he's brave!

Next up is the snake, which requires a lead again, from one of our trusty helpers but again as soon as he has a human to follow he’s straight over. This time a warning call is required mind jump to avoid us actually landing on her! We continue with the walls (moved out to the side) and we feel like we've got some momentum.

So now it’s time to tackle the sheep.  . . The sheep are either side on the wings separated by straw bales and so far have been strategically avoided by Moon even when i try and trick him by Turing at them from a different angle or a very short approach. Overestimating his bravery we head for the sheep in a lovely strong trot and two strides away swiftly run sideways doing his 'c' impersonation. (Head and back legs in one direction - body and neck in another). Time for our trusty helpers again. This time he's been tricked one too many times and one helper going over is not enough. BOTH 'grooms' have to go over and even then we're not taking to the air over THAT. After both humans have been observed stepping over he will do exactly the same, carefully he lifts one leg and gingerly puts it on a bale, leg two is on and leg 3 and four all find their way ONTO a bale before safely stepping off the other side.

So now we're all set for the lead rein jumping! I wonder if they let people run around with 16.2hh horses??

Pseudo Intelligence

So far the posts have been dedicated to the hilarious things Moon does in his adventures into the world of a real riding horse. Today’s post is too, however someone has a new theory on the mind of Moon....

About a week ago, when spring was really trying to spring, Moon was tied up on the yard waiting for the mess he has made in his stable e.g. pulling his swimming pool of a water bucket over and finding the deepest part of the banks and then digging down to the concrete, to be tidied up before he goes in the field for the night. Deep in a stable tiding up after my boy I hear a strange noise and rush back out to make sure no one is stuck or is eating anything they shouldn’t and spy Moon holding the handle of the plastic curry comb in his mouth and 'brushing' the floor, not just in any way, methodically up and down, up and down. Apart from drooling on the brush a bit and getting it a bit dirty he did no harm whatsoever, carefully 'brushing the floor'.

After being informed of his activities a non-horsy friend exclaimed that he was clearly very clever and had seen us use the curry comb to brush him and seen us brush the floor made the connection in his mind and tried t out for himself. In fact "he is like those chickens in chicken run!" So apparently my horse has a secret flying machine hidden somewhere in a corner of my small yard I never visit. .

Maybe he wouldn’t need a flying machine if he worked out how his legs can propel himself of the floor!
 Xx

Laid back jumping

A few weeks after breaking in began it was time to start getting used to some jumps. After all what is an event horse without a good jump?!

After a couple of sessions trotting over poles on the floor very carefully, as if they may explode if he dared to touch them, then the next day pretending he'd never seen such scary objects in all his life and having to jump all over the place to avoid them. Eventually admitting coloured poles will never eat horses, it was time to construct his first jump.

Borrowing from the Germans system we set up a 'jumping lane' down one side of the school blocking off one side with poles and wings and putting a jump in the centre. Now here it may help to explain we have light plastic pole wings and the arena wall is not entirely flat. On the far side there is a double door which although never opens it is set slightly into the wall leaving an alcove about 30cm deep. Starting slow the first run through the 'lane' he only discovered a pole on the floor, which required a good look but no jumping about or stopping. The next time two poles and the third time three. No problem for the laid back Moon.
However after a small rest a very small cross pole was constructed in the lane and back round he comes again in trot. WHOA! An obstacle in his way??! After a slight moment of dithering (and a little encouragement) he climbs very ungainly over the poles, making rather a lot of effort about something that’s only 20cm high. Some pats and praise and back round he trots.

Now this time he has had a little time to engage his brain and some classic Button logic emerges. He trots in confidently, takes a second to asses the fence and promptly squeezes himself into the door alcove, round the plastic jump wing through a gap of about 1.5ft and carries on trotting round. Why go over when you can go round??

Sound, sensible, energy saving, Moon logic but not the mind-set of a first class event horse!

Until the next adventure – take it easy!

Breaking in gets all too much . .

In the summer of 2010 it was time for baby Button to be broken in. After a week of being tacked up and walking very very slowly (under no circumstances is button to be rushed!) to the indoor arena for some lunging practice it was time for some side reins.

Standing in the small indoor arena, moon silently snoozing after only 10mins work, I gingerly attach the side reins, nice and loose. Off he wanders round on the lunge, dragging his feet as usual. No reaction. Fab. After a small trot we turn in to tighten them up a touch. A little twisting of his head from side to side but he seems happy enough and off he goes again, round on his circle. A little more headshaking and a few stops and starts but he gets to the first corner, then it’s all too much, “NO! No! My poor brain cannot take any more of these confusing straps". He stops, paws the ground and starts to lower himself towards floor. "Too much!" he thinks "time for a lie down".  . . .  Not likely with your saddle on! I rush towards him brandishing the lunge whip and he reluctantly trots forward a few steps. Phew!

Once again my laughter is premature; he only makes it to the next corner and starts lowering his body to the floor again! A few circuits chased round and he forgets all about it and just trots round having a nice stretch. So we all know what to do when it gets too much people - have a nice lie down!

Welcome to Blog for Button - and Introduction to Button logic

Welcome to the blog set up for the most amusing horse I have ever had the pleasure to know.

Button (or Moon / 'retard' / 'get off my foot you stupid horse') is a 4 year old; bay would be event horse with a very special brain. His antics regularly have us in stitches so I thought we should have somewhere to share his hilarity with all horsy and non-horsy people out there. Such humour should not be wasted on just a few!

Just as a taster we will start with the story of Buttons first bath. . .
All waterproofed up ready to get soaked, as any owner who has tried to bath a four year old has done we get the hose (snake) out and prepare ourselves to be trampled in fear of the new green reptile. No movement from button, he is quietly eating his hay, unaware. We switch on the water, it sputters and the noise is enough to alert button of the presence of the new killer reptile. Slowly and carefully I aim the water towards his legs, still no leaping around, his legs are getting wet and the hose it still spluttering nosily. A miracle I think, an easy horse to bathe without any training!
Too soon - moments later the 16.2hh giant is stood lowered, front legs splayed, head low to the ground (think bambi on ice and double the size) and he's snorting at the ground with a look of fear in his eyes. I step back carefully and asses the situation; water still hitting his body, hose still spluttering, he’s not bothered by this but he's staring at the ground? Then it clicks, the concrete beneath his feet is changing colour, getting darker with the water, and it might just swallow him up whole. You know, as many owners lose their 16h horses to horse eating concrete!

Laughing, I carefully continue hosing his legs while he snorts at the floor. Suddenly the snorting stops and I quickly check he’s not on the verge of leaping in the air and sending me flying. Nope, he sniffs the horse eating floor and very very tentatively sticks his tongue out, and gives it a lick. Yes, the way to test the floor is still ok is to lick it. The first example of Button logic. . .