Been a bit of a mixed bag lately. Generally he’s been pretty good. The weather has been a fraction drier this past week and there’s been some sun so everyone’s feeling a bit brighter. I’ve been working on transitions and a bit of flexion in the school and still be hacking a bit. He’s very stiff to the right, and I’m feeling pretty stiff and uneven as well so the work in the school is going quite slowly. His osteopath is due back up at the end of the this month and I think we might need a series of treatments to properly ‘un-twangle’ him. I’ve been doing some physio myself which is helping but sometimes it feels like progress is very slow. This month has been the worst for a while personally though so I haven’t really been concentrating on the horses much. A friend of M’s & mine died due to complications of childbirth on the 2nd and the month seems to have gone past in a bit of a fog. Somehow I managed to fill in a job application and have an interview next week 😮 which is terrifying so he’s not going to get my full attention for a short while yet!

On the downside for him, the vet came out last week to do his jabs and have a look in his mouth – he’s still not happy about the jaw 😥 The lump is still growing – not quickly, but it hasn’t stopped. Vet said the lymph node on that side of his face is still active and the gum is slightly swollen so we’re trying 6 weeks of two Bute per day to hopefully sort it out. Really hope this stops it once and for all.

Haven’t had pictures for ages! Snapped these last week:

Not too many updates recently as we’ve both been pretty fed up. He’s been planting when asked to walk in mud which is basically everywhere at the moment and generally been not the most co-operative. And with that and the endless rain and dark and cold it’s been a miserable January. I got really frustrated with him a few times and ended up resorting to a bit of pony-club style kicking to get him to walk down the bridlepath which made me feel really awful afterwards (although he did walk where I asked). It’s just been so demoralising. 😥

So, in a fit of feeling like I should never get on a horse ever again I ordered a copy of ‘Cobs Can’ and it arrived earlier this week. It’s a really interesting read 🙂 I certainly think mentally Dino is a ‘cob’ – it’s a big part of why I love him so much. I’ve always had a thing for cobs – never had any trouble getting to ride my favourite horses at the riding schools I grew up in as they were the big, safe cobs that everyone else hated as they were too slow!! Omar’s book is brilliant though and although most of the information is the same as Heather’s it’s really given me some good things to work on taking Dino’s slightly backwards thinking.

It was such a beautiful day today that armed with my revision of basic aids (I still struggle with that using your legs inwards and forwards thing after owning Heather’s book for 10 years and doing a simulator course!!) and a clear plan we spent 40 mins in the school today working on getting prompt transitions in walk-halt, walk-trot using really small leg aids and backing it up with a tap with my whip if he didn’t respond. I left his head well alone – he’s been really fussy in his mouth lately which I think is just a sign of him being fed up but I mostly left him alone at the front and just concentrated on getting him moving smartly from the leg. It was brilliant! I think we were a bit helped by the wind, but he was really good. We *nearly* got walk to canter, nearly. He was certainly thinking about it. Feeling a bit stupid really that I had to be reminded to do this as I know full well this is what he needs. :withstupid:

After working in the school I took him down the bridlepath and nearly lost all my good work in a disagreement about going through a puddle onto the path in the first place but we got down, went part way down the path and then turned back for home. He’s much more keen coming home so I ask for trot and then a gentle canter. Well. Apparently I had him a little too much off the leg!! Before I know it we’re going flat out gallop up the bridlepath 😮 I think he enjoyed having a good run 😀 I did have to pull him up quite sharply before we hit the road though which I’m a bit unhappy about but he really didn’t want to stop!!!

So I’m feeling very happy with him today and I think a good run might have cheered him up. I’ll have another go with some transitions (ideally with some poles) later in the week if the weather holds but it looks like it’s going to be thoroughly awful again so we might not get much done. It will be spring soon, right…?