Catch up

Last entry was for Wellington Area Festivals.  Since then we have mostly been schooling at home, working more on taking my stirrups away and improving my core strength.  Done a couple of lunging sessions and he is willing to work in the draw reins again in the right canter which is a good sign.  We did a little jumping session at home, nothing big as struggle to get up enough power in the small school but working on keeping the canter forwards round the turns - I built a corner with a fairly acute angle and an upright to jump on an angle plus a small oxer and he jumped them all well, if a bit lacking in enthusiasm.  Straight as a die at the angled questions though :)

To cheer him up I have taken him out on hound exercise twice with the Kent and Surrey bloodhounds.  This brought back the old Monts - he was bouncing and boinging whilst still managing to be perfectly well mannered.  Today we jumped a few little hunt jumps and he boinged them no probs.  We opted out of a lovely little hedge as others were misbehaving rather a lot and I didn't fancy crashing into someone plus had to keep Llewi company as didn't want him jumping the hedge.   He was very much sound last Monday so fingers crossed he is tomorrow.  The ground was lovely today - really nice amount of give in it.  We did a small stint of steady trot on the road but not much at all.  Crossed some typical hunting country - banks, ditches, streams to jump - all quite exciting but I am sooooo paranoid about his legs/feet now I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as I used to.  Think will be picking my hunts carefully this season.