Last year Ziggy and I did an in-hand Versatile Horse competition and he did surprisingly well. My RC offers Trec training every 6 months or so and I thought as the Zigmeister has come so far it was time to take him along and try the ridden.
Sorry about the flat links rather than embedded pics, I don't know how to get the best out of Flickr.
We went with my friends Catherine on her 13.3 New Forest Romeo and Julie on her 14.3 Welsh D, Trooper:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676874395/
Ros from the riding club was our coach and she took us round the obstacles they had prepared: S bend, gate, canter corridor, bending poles, rein back corridor, sideways over a pole, tarpaulin and scary monsters.
Ziggy tried really hard for the whole hour of training. A lot of the obstacles hooked his showjump phobia because they used jump wings or coloured poles: for example I couldn't get him near the gate under saddle (he would do everything if I led him) because it had a wing either side. He found the low branches scary for the same reason and would only do them at trot and with his eyes shut, but he has a lovely flat trot so that was fine! This was at 15hh, we need to go 2 inches lower:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5677495724/
He was very good at the canter corridor and at bending (much better than me, forgive the rubbish riding):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5677445632/
and the scary monsters held no fear for him at all, even on the narrow setting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676944541/
The Maypole would have been fine too if I had had the sense to hold the reins with both hands:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676941327/
On the sideways pole I settled for walking over it because it was coloured and therefore would eat him. The S bend was fine leading but we couldn't do it for toffee ridden! He doesn't really do backwards (as you may remember from the infamous photo of me trying to push him last year):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676918067/
And the tarpaulin contained a scary monster:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676949431/
Our coach Ros said he was really kind and tried his hardest for me, even when he was anxious. You can't ask for more, can you? And when we hacked home (the venue was about 3 miles away) he was totally chilled and relaxed - a far cry from our first party when he jogged home with his eyes on stalks, his ears rotating and his feet on springs :bounce:
A good time was had by all!
Sorry about the flat links rather than embedded pics, I don't know how to get the best out of Flickr.
We went with my friends Catherine on her 13.3 New Forest Romeo and Julie on her 14.3 Welsh D, Trooper:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676874395/
Ros from the riding club was our coach and she took us round the obstacles they had prepared: S bend, gate, canter corridor, bending poles, rein back corridor, sideways over a pole, tarpaulin and scary monsters.
Ziggy tried really hard for the whole hour of training. A lot of the obstacles hooked his showjump phobia because they used jump wings or coloured poles: for example I couldn't get him near the gate under saddle (he would do everything if I led him) because it had a wing either side. He found the low branches scary for the same reason and would only do them at trot and with his eyes shut, but he has a lovely flat trot so that was fine! This was at 15hh, we need to go 2 inches lower:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5677495724/
He was very good at the canter corridor and at bending (much better than me, forgive the rubbish riding):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5677445632/
and the scary monsters held no fear for him at all, even on the narrow setting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676944541/
The Maypole would have been fine too if I had had the sense to hold the reins with both hands:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676941327/
On the sideways pole I settled for walking over it because it was coloured and therefore would eat him. The S bend was fine leading but we couldn't do it for toffee ridden! He doesn't really do backwards (as you may remember from the infamous photo of me trying to push him last year):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676918067/
And the tarpaulin contained a scary monster:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94569746@N00/5676949431/
Our coach Ros said he was really kind and tried his hardest for me, even when he was anxious. You can't ask for more, can you? And when we hacked home (the venue was about 3 miles away) he was totally chilled and relaxed - a far cry from our first party when he jogged home with his eyes on stalks, his ears rotating and his feet on springs :bounce:
A good time was had by all!
