Anyone for a fight?

Why IS it called Boxing Day? I haven't a clue.  I hope you all enjoyed yesterday.

Woody was still suffering from Christmas hangovers. Well, his stomach is fine now, but he was still a bit of a grump.  Nothing serious, just not relaxed and swinging like he has been. Once again he made the mistake of trying to tell me when we were going to go in the gate to home. He sets his back some way short of the gateway and will not release it. He is so short backed that he thinks this is a good game - for a while. Once he has been made to pass the gate backwards and forwards a dozen times, he realises that he hasn't won the game at all, and lets everything release and walks really nicely. 

I must take a photo of his feet tomorrow, they are quite odd. The toe grows down nicely to under half an inch off the floor, then the bottom bit plummets. This is not wear, it is how they were growing when he arrived. The change line is what he has grown in ten weeks and three days - almost a complete foot. That's the fastest growth I have ever seen in my life, especially in winter. He's certainly in a hurry to get his feet right!

I also managed to find enough energy to work Radar - the first time I have been able to manage two horses for what seems like an age. He was lovely, he has become a really nice hack. He's a great combination of forwardness, unspookiness and controllability. Both hunts are going this afternoon, but I will not be sorry not to  join them. I think that they are going partly for tradition and partly for the revenues. What is certain is that they are not going for the hunting, because the ground is completely impossible to ride at speed safely. On top of that, although I had beautiful weather for my hacks this morning, heavy rain is again forecast for this afternoon when they will be out.

We are fingers crossed now on getting  some drier weather for a week so that we can get out on New Year's Day. I'd say even that is touch and go.

C