Once again I've been massively lazy when it's come to updating here. In fact I haven't really updated anywhere else either.

After reading through my last post I realise that I've actually achieved both goals with Magic. He's both much more forward in the school and canter really seems to have clicked in the last week, so much so that he's doing simple changes with trot in the middle of the school and getting the lead right every time until he gets a little tired and walk to canter is coming along nicely too.

He carries himself consistently in walk and trot now but as canter is new to him he still needs a little help. I've been using loose draw reins on him for canter work so that when he comes completely above the bit they come into effect and he drops into a lovely outline, he's not forced there, he's offering a nice relaxed outline with the draw reins loose. He also seems to have grown up a little lately and is letting me use a schooling whip without bucking. I'm no longer using the spurs for now. After the first session of carrying a whip he no longer tries to break canter and now I'm only carrying it to improve his reactions in transitions especially halt to trot and walk to canter. I'm hoping that once he masters walk to canter I can start on halt to canter. I'm also trying for a bit of collection in the canter in corners which is coming along nicely. All in all I'm very prod of the boy this week.

Big update

Argh it's been ages since I updated this *hangs head in shame*

Since my last update Magic has been XC and enjoyed every moment of it. We did the 2ft6 class which is the biggest we've ever competed. He hadn't jumped since October so I was a little concerned but I shouldn't have been worried. My little star tanked me round a very up to height course of fairly scary jumps and didn't look at a single thing. In fact he was too keen and jumped an extra jump getting us eliminated when we would have been placed in the time we finished in but an extra jump is far better than a refusal or run out so I can't complain.

The time off work clearly did him the world of good schooling-wise too. He seems far more flexible and willing to work round and hold himself. His outline is consistent in walk and trot and coming along nicely in the small amount of canter we do.

Out hacking when we aren't doing fast work he is still asked to work in an outline and does a fair amount of collected trot work to build some back and bum muscle. He gets to do short bursts of medium trot too which he enjoys and shows it by getting really strong. The collected work seems to have had an impact on how relaxed he is in his neck in trot. He's always had a tense neck in trot which has meant he's found it very hard to work round but lately when I've asked him to stretch he's offered some nice long and low work in trot while staying round and is super responsive when asked to leg yield in trot backwards and forwards across the road so I couldn't be happier with him in that respect.

He's slightly less forward in the school but he always has been. Canter still needs a lot of work as he struggles to maintain it and also right lead takes a bit of time to get. He's still quite unbalanced and so am I in canter so I'm not really helping him. I realised after my schooling session on Monday that I've never really asked him to maintain canter on the lunge, because I know he finds it hard work I've only ever made him do a circle or two at a time so while he can canter for a good mile at his own pace in a straight line out on a hack, he finds it difficult to keep cantering in a small enclosed area and even more so on a circle. On Tuesday I started work on this by lunging him mainly in canter. He had a good warm up in walk and trot and then did about 15-20 minutes working on canter and walk to canter. He's getting quite good at it after he gets over being a stress head about it.

I'm going to be working on his canter, my balance and getting him more responsive in the school over the next few weeks.

Since Magic was on box rest for his knee injury we really seem to have bonded. I've had him nearly 5 years now and while we've gotten on fairly well the last 3 1/2 of those it wasn't until he spent so much time we me without contact with other horses that we really clicked. Now he's very protective of me in the field and even stands up to horses that are above him in the herd while I'm around. He's become more affectionate and today he let me trim his beard with the clippers when normally he hates being clipped. He even let me trim all his whiskers and above his eyes. When I put him back out in the field I gave him the usual mushy speech about how I love him and how he should try not to get hurt, patted him and kissed his nose and he nuzzled my arm, usually he only does that when I've found an exceptionally itchy spot. After that he watched me walk back up the field before running off bucking. I do love my boy <3

Back to work

Magic is finally back in work after being turned out for just under a week and so far so good. He did 4 days in a row and then I was ill over the weekend so he's just had two days off.

First day I rode him in the school as it was the place with the softest landing, I wasn't sure if I'd be sitting on a rocket. He was perfect though, not a single sign of misbehaving apart from a slight lack of steering and not wanting to canter a whole circle but that's easily fixed. He surprised me and worked really well considering all the time he's had off, didn't take much to get him to work over his back and round.

Second day I took him out for a short hack, he was really well behaved again. Had a short canter because he felt like he wanted to.

Third day I lunged him. Used side reins instead of his pessoa for the first time in almost a year. He seemed to get the idea of what they were for this time rather than ignoring them and did some nice work.

On the 4th day I was going to take him to the station again but he took us in the canter field and walked away from home instead of turning for home which he has been known to do so I knew he wanted to do some fast work. Got to the long side of the field and let him do what he wanted. If he'd just walked that would have been fine with me. He trotted a little then went into canter. We had a nice steady canter along the whole long side of the field with hardly any contact on his mouth so he knew he could do what he wanted. I let him stop when he wanted and didn't push him on at all so we trotted down the short side and cantered back along the other long side. His breathing returned to normal fairly quickly so he hasn't lost too much fitness during his time off. His knee was also normal when we got back to the yard.

I've cold hosed his knee a couple of times after our rides just to be on the safe side but so far he seems pretty normal.

He's also living out 24/7 now and he's loving it. He's started to get a bit snotty in his stable and I was finding lumps of it on the floor so living out is best for him after so much time in.

3 days to go...

... and the knee is still swollen. I also know Magic hasn't lay down for the last 6 days since his knee was first painful for him. Yesterday I added a load of fresh shaving to his bed as I know how much he loves to roll in a new bed and no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get down. He kept groaning in pain and eventually gave up and came to me for cuddles.

He was in a much better mood about staying in today though and even stood still while I gave him a good groom. I think he appreciated the attention and extra treats.

I'll try to remember to get some photos of him tomorrow.

6 days box rest

My poor baby has done something to his left knee. It's hot and swollen and even with 3 days of box rest it didn't go down and he was getting more and more lame and had developed lameness behind and was very reluctant to walk out of his stable which is so unlike him so last night I called the vet. She was concerned that with 3 days box rest and cold hosing the swelling, heat and lameness hadn't gone. What was also worrying was that he was now lame behind and showing signs of tying up including tight muscles on his quarters and muscle tremors even though he's done no exercise for about a week.

She injected him with a strong pain killer and anti inflammatory, said to keep him in for another 6 days and has given me bute to give him in the morning and evening. If, after the 6 days are up, he's still got heat/lameness then he has to go for x-rays to see if they can see what's wrong.

After his bute he's more or less sound but the swelling/heat still hasn't gone at all and he's definitely not right but fingers crossed it goes back to normal before the 6 days are up.

Terrible schooling sessions, lots of fast work and prelim 14

Decided last minute to take Magic to do prelim 14 which left me a week to get his schooling back to where it had been before the bad weather. Whenever he's had a break from regular schooling, even if it's just a week or so, he tends to have a really really bad day. Monday was no exception. He's hanging on the left rein terribly so is constantly looking to the right when he's supposed to be bending left. He also ignores my left leg which makes any attempt to bend him around it impossible.

Decided to give up on the schooling for that week so lunged him once and worked him long and low. He seemed to enjoy himself and was very active and stretched nicely. I knew I was in for an interesting week when his breathing was normal after 20 minutes of mostly trot and canter.

After that we've just hacked out and I've made sure he always gets to canter so he can get rid of some excess energy and burn off his winter tummy. He surprised me with how fit he seems to be, we did a fair bit of fast work and he seemed to find it easy. Took things slightly easier on Saturday and Magic got to play in the ford to wash off his legs and tail since he still doesn't really like the hose and paddling in the ford is much more fun.

I was very proud of Magic on Sunday. He loaded straight away into a lorry he'd never been in before and didn't turn and get back off again. He travelled well and hardly sweated up on the way there. Got him off the lorry and he stood while I tacked him up and then calmly walked to the warm up area. He had a good look about and was strong to canter at first but after a while he settled and worked in an outline for a short while, had a couple of nice canters and then it was time for our test. We walked over to the indoor with a friend and her horse and waited outside while she did her test. Magic was a bit fidgety at first but didn't do anything bad. Went in for our turn and he was a little on edge but didn't show any signs of doing anything nasty like bucking. Didn't spook at the judges in the box or horses walking past the area at head height, the only thing he did was nap a little by the area gate as he could see his friend but he only did it once. His test of a little too fast but he did everything I asked including getting the right canter leads even though he was obviously nervous. Even his circles were quite accurate. To my surprise we came 4th out of 6 and got some helpful comments from the judges.



Since then we've just been having more fun hacking. Magic has been enjoying himself a bit too much and has been very strong and wanting to canter everywhere. I think we are getting spring grass early.

It feels like forever since I've done any proper schooling (where he suddenly perfected rein back) with Magic but I'll have to fit some in between the rain we keep having as we're hopefully off to do two dressage tests on the 23rd. A walk and trot and prelim 14. I can't remember either of them and I've got just over a week to learn them. Should be fun.

I've lunged Magic once since my last update I think, had one very short session in the school and before that he's only been on a short hack. I'm hoping to bring him back into full work this week weather etc. permitting. I want to concentrate on his fitness as well as how he holds himself while ridden.

He still isn't straight while ridden or lunged. On a loose rein while hacking it's hardly noticeable but as soon as he's asked to work properly he hangs to the left quite badly although he did manage some nice long and low work in trot briefly.