Waikanae Training Day

I am mad, drove all the way to Waikanae for a bloody training day :P I really just wanted to be nosey at Hayleys new horse Golly, plus was a good excuse to get out the house for open homes.

I only bought Alberto with me, seeing as JC is for sale. Al loaded great and travelled really well most of the way to Waikanae which was a rather long and boring drive. He booted the ramp a bit when I got over the Haywards hill, but once I unloaded I could see why, they was a huge sloppy mess and pee everywhere! I gave him grass a few nights before :P

Anyway, he was pretty good...nice and relaxed at the float and good to do all the handling with. Jumped on and went over to where they had a little 70cm SJ set up. He decided he was a racehorse for a short while, sideways, backwards and spins all included LOL I wasn't laughing at the time, but its funny now! He soon got that out of his system and did a cute 70cm round and felt pretty good, and no rails :) We went over to the slightly bigger ring at 85cm (looked like a big 85 to me). He surprised me actually, just jumped great! He was cantering into all his fences too, pretty racehorse like, but hey...he did it! He jumps the bigger fences much better!

XC wasn't as good, he didn't know what to do over the first fence and was jumping it like a cat, and it didn't help that I felt awful in my saddle as was so slippery! I couldn't get him near the silly creek thing, poor boy was shaking. I went up the hill and popped over the ramp and then attempted the ditch. I probably shouldn't have shown him it, would have been better just to canter at it. He stopped a few times then jumped it...but I think he caught his leg and scared himself. He was very stubborn about going back over, I tried getting leads but it didn't work. Anyway, me being me...I didn't give up. I had to calm down and so did he...then finally we jumped it nicely and I left it at that! He jumped a few fences like a chevron, palisade and some uprights. He went into the water pretty easily too which was great. I jumped him off the bank into water which he wasn't sure about, but was willing...he wasn't sure about jumping out...was funny! He jumped up and down the banks fine and we finished for the day...we were both stuffed!

I am looking forward to more training days, solway is next for some SJ, then again the week after for SJ and XC. I think he will be a nice little horse with more mileage...he is improving all the time.

Have a bit of interest in JC, but people are put off by his lameness, so hopefully a lower level home may suit! Fingers crossed :)