Snap!

The mess that greeted me yesterday! I spent a lot of today's poo-picking time replacing the divots they'd hoiked from the ground. Actually, they were more like sods of turf!

The soles of Quadi's hinds look false, and because they seem to cope fine unshod, I booted him up and took him out for a long-rein. Sadly I made the mistake of just putting him in his headcollar and used an old set of long reins (not mine, I've never owned any!) so that I didn't have two reins to contend with. This affected steering greatly. He tried to turn round a few times on the way off the yard and also just after we set off. Only to the left. He got a smacked bum the second time around, he was being a bugger. Whilst I wasn't helping in that I was getting stressed, he knows this stuff inside out and I have to insist he does as asked as I'm fed up being pushed around by these two. They're big, boisterous lads.

He was a little 'up' for part of the walk, I hate to see this because it places his whole physique in the worst frame for the health of his back. By the end he was nice and long and low. I should also have used the roller because when he goes low in front I have a job to stop the reins getting tangled in his forelegs! Next time, bridle and roller.

Fin also got a skelp for jigging at the mounting block. I think in both cases I should have saw what was going to happen and tried to deal with the issue but in Fin's case he was getting hysterical about something he knows very well how to do. I felt as if I was in a good frame of mind, I was wondering if I was causing them to be like this? I think ultimately these things happen because of the handler but the handler has to realise what they're doing wrong?

Anyway, I hopped up, Fin jigged backwards in the yard, then forwards over the front lawn (oops!) but we were off. I managed to get him settled to a walk and tried to ensure I was relaxed. We had a lovely hack except that Fin doesn't like mud or puddles and if he has to go through either he speeds up, and forgets that there's a rider up top whose knees get wiped off of trees! Methinks he needs to do some hunting!

Quadi was better about being left alone than Fin was, and Fin had a small fit about going back into his stable. I dunno, perhaps he and I just don't click? I'm sure he'll be pleased when Kate is home. He has some flaky skin patches on his neck and Quadi has a touch of mud fever high up on his hinds, so will have to get some cream for them both.

Ho hum. I had a good day with them apart from my short fuse...aren't I lucky that horses are very forgiving?