Jack is back in regular work now that the issues he had with his feet (which were a result of the long time he spent on box rest) have finally been sorted, so work has begun in ernest to turn him into an event horse! In prep for a dressage competition we have next week I hired the indoor school at the same venue and took him there for some schooling. The last time he went out was May and he came out the trailer at that show in a muck sweat and quivering like a leaf! It took about 20mins of walking him in hand to calm him down enough to tack up and ride, but he remained highly strung and tense for the whole time at the show. This time he was still very hot and sweaty when we arrived, but he calmed down much quicker, and behaved very well (with just one exciting bucking moment!) and produced some really nice work for him. He was not convinced about getting back in my friend’s lorry to go home, but after a while he changed his mind. I am really pleased with how he is progressing, and think that his traveling hang ups will resolve the more he goes out and realises he’s not going to be hitting the point 2 point track as soon as he comes out the box!
Now that Jack is in work I have begun concentrating on building him up and improving his muscles so that he works from his quarters to his shoulders, rather than pulling himself along with his shoulders. Above the first pic is him back in Feb and the next two were from yesterday. I think he looks much better, and you can see his ‘two engines’ (shoulders and bottom) are now much more balanced. Hopefully in another 9 months he will look even bigger and stronger.