Almost cooked

The opening meet is a week away and I can't wait! I have just hacked Radar up a hill which is about mile in length and rises inexorably over 500 feet in that distance. It is one heck of a challenge of whether a horse is fit, and he took it on manfully. He got second wind half way up and then towards the top he finished by cantering up the last stretch.  This is where we were - just behind where the photographer stood to take this picture. We came up from the left hand side:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36759493@N07/3875662746/

and this is the climb:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Pym-Chair_profile.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp%3FClimbprofile%3DPym-Chair%26MountainID%3D9749&h=849&w=1660&sz=79&tbnid=-seIKpJ5JxvGjM:&tbnh=68&tbnw=132&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpym%2Bchair%2Bpicture%2B-kinder%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=pym+chair+picture+-kinder&docid=uHE8HePOgW_nzM&itg=1&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gCdZTv78J4Sz8QOkkMCdDA&sqi=2&ved=0CCMQ9QEwAg&dur=484

I think he's almost cooked. Our plan is to get to the Farm Ride on Monday so that we can get his jumping muscles working, not to say mine!

The Liverpool bit is a delight. Riding him in draw reins over the summer has worked a treat and he now realises that it is more comfortable to stay down and round. With the Liverpool, the leverage is so strong that the action of flicking up his head is enough to remind him, even if I have little or no contact on the reins. So we have had a really nice time, with both of us in tune together and wanting the same speed for once :-)

I haven't ridden either of the others, we have my brother visiting. Must go!

C