I haven't ridden either Jazz or Ace in about a week, have I? Anyways, I jumped on Ace this evening without any preamble, which none of my friends would do with their much older horses. He was more relaxed than he has been for a long time! We did some walk, trot and canter and he settled nicely, getting the canter strike offs perfectly. Then I tried walk/trot/walk and he was just totally bemused. He tried to anticipate the trot transition and when in trot he had no thought of when he might be asked to walk again. It took him quite a few goes to understand that you don't trot until you are asked, and you stop whenever you are asked and that might be quite soon. We finished on some nice walk on a long rein and I was very pleased with him.
Jazz was great too. We did some walk and trot to warm up, and after a few fast circuits in trot left with his head bent right out to the right, he realised it would be a lot easier to use the correct bend, and went forward into my right hand. Then I tried some medium trot and he really, really got it. He was powering away down the long side, and rebalancing for the corner without running through my hands. He did try to canter instead, but I brought him back and immediately sent him on and then he got the idea. I hope he is close now to being able to do a gear change into medium trot on demand. It feels like it.
Yesterday I hacked Radar out and he was dripping great blobs of thick white foam all over the road. The copper rollers in that bit certainly keep his mouth wet!
Did everyone recognise where we were in that photo? Surely not Jean and ML?? I wouldn't have thought he was known in the US.
C
ps new arena membrane arrives tomorrow!
Well it's the Eric Morecambe statue so I assume Morecambe? Not sure if they were shown in the states although I know the Two Ronnies had a following so perhaps Morecambe and Wise did as well?
ReplyDeleteLancashire, according to my research--Eric Morcambe. You're right, I never heard of him, but I know about him now. They say the statue is "larger than life."
ReplyDeleteWhat good boys you have now. Ace is certainly learning and seems to really want to try, as does Jazz. Those mediums are going to be really good, I think. And Radar seems to have found the bit he needs to cooperate. Well done all.
Yes, Morecambe, from where he adopted his name. it's a great statue!
ReplyDeleteIt's about life-size I think Jean, but it couldn't be any larger than his personality, he was a one-off. My favourite line of his is, on hearing an ambulance siren going outside, "he'll never sell any ice creams going at that speed!"
C
Just googled it and he was only slightly taller than me, so it's about a foot taller than he really was.
ReplyDeleteC
I am (was) clueless, except that you were near the ocean and I wish I was. Bet there are no bears there.
ReplyDeleteThree good rides - followed by a Sunday afternoon nap?