Ok, here is the latest news about Pimpao.
To begin with, just a few days after I bought him, the darn bugger managed to hurt himself in the pasture! Six months at the school without a scratch… I buy him and in less than a week he gets awarded a two weeks box rest
! For the past four months it was, by far, the longest period I had without riding him…
After this time, when I went to ride him again for the first time I didn’t lounge him properly, not wanting to stress the injury. He let me mount, waited serenely as I got my feet on the stirrups and adjusted the reins… and proceeded to do the “rain dance” as soon as I nudge him forward! I managed to hold on for a couple of minutes of his rodeo performance, but he only stopped after successfully ditching me. Lounged him again until he was too tired to walk straight – let alone cavort – and rode him again for a few minutes.
Next day, similar story. Got him more properly lounged but still he started with the “dance” as soon as I asked him forward. This time I managed to convince him he was a TB and not a Bronco, and after some half a dozen laps around the arena “Indianapolis 500” style he calmed enough for us to do some half decent work. Since them he calmed down and returned to his former self – thankfully as my wallet could not support buying all those drinks on a regular basis ;D.
Recently I’ve been working at getting him used to hack outside. Now that has been fun. If another horse goes in front he won’t even turn a ear to a bus driving by just two hands from his side, but if he is in front monsters just suddenly appear from every shrub and corner ! Last Sunday we tried to convince him to cross a small bridge close to the school. He would go fine if I led him from the ground, or if someone crossed in front of him, but alone with me on top he wouldn’t for the life of him go onto the thing!
A good news is that I’ve found a nice saddle. I’ve tested it a couple of times, and found it was a bit too bit in seat (only one size), and too deep for my private comfort during bumpier situations. It fits Pimpao like a glove and has an (apparently) good construction, so I was sad it didn’t fit me. Fortunately my recently purchased HM Seat Saver came to the rescue! With it on, not only is the saddle a lot more comfortable but the seat becomes less deep and I seat more to the front, putting me closer to the stirrups, and solving the size problem. It is just hard to believe the difference in posture a half decent dressage saddle makes over the run-of-the-mill GP saddles! Suddenly my feet are parallel to the horse, my legs are longer and my back straighter! All of it without any effort on my part…
Anyway, the two of us are creating a routine, I now ride almost every single day and he is shaping up quite nicely.
I still don’t have any decent photos of him, though…
Pedro Fortunato
P.S.: I now just have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I lost something I previously had… but what was it? Oh, yes – a life!
To begin with, just a few days after I bought him, the darn bugger managed to hurt himself in the pasture! Six months at the school without a scratch… I buy him and in less than a week he gets awarded a two weeks box rest
! For the past four months it was, by far, the longest period I had without riding him…After this time, when I went to ride him again for the first time I didn’t lounge him properly, not wanting to stress the injury
. He let me mount, waited serenely as I got my feet on the stirrups and adjusted the reins… and proceeded to do the “rain dance” as soon as I nudge him forward! I managed to hold on for a couple of minutes of his rodeo performance, but he only stopped after successfully ditching me. Lounged him again until he was too tired to walk straight – let alone cavort – and rode him again for a few minutes.Next day, similar story. Got him more properly lounged but still he started with the “dance” as soon as I asked him forward. This time I managed to convince him he was a TB and not a Bronco, and after some half a dozen laps around the arena “Indianapolis 500” style he calmed enough for us to do some half decent work. Since them he calmed down and returned to his former self – thankfully as my wallet could not support buying all those drinks on a regular basis ;D.
Recently I’ve been working at getting him used to hack outside. Now that has been fun
. If another horse goes in front he won’t even turn a ear to a bus driving by just two hands from his side, but if he is in front monsters just suddenly appear from every shrub and corner ! Last Sunday we tried to convince him to cross a small bridge close to the school. He would go fine if I led him from the ground, or if someone crossed in front of him, but alone with me on top he wouldn’t for the life of him go onto the thing!A good news is that I’ve found a nice saddle. I’ve tested it a couple of times, and found it was a bit too bit in seat (only one size), and too deep for my private comfort during bumpier situations. It fits Pimpao like a glove and has an (apparently) good construction, so I was sad it didn’t fit me. Fortunately my recently purchased HM Seat Saver came to the rescue! With it on, not only is the saddle a lot more comfortable but the seat becomes less deep and I seat more to the front, putting me closer to the stirrups, and solving the size problem. It is just hard to believe the difference in posture a half decent dressage saddle makes over the run-of-the-mill GP saddles! Suddenly my feet are parallel to the horse, my legs are longer and my back straighter! All of it without any effort on my part…
Anyway, the two of us are creating a routine, I now ride almost every single day and he is shaping up quite nicely.
I still don’t have any decent photos of him, though
…Pedro Fortunato
P.S.: I now just have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I lost something I previously had… but what was it? Oh, yes – a life!
