Dickens Diary - November 2007

1st November - Today I schooled Deekie for twenty minutes, his transitions are a lot more balanced and he is travelling forward more into the next gait without falling behind the leg or tipping onto his forehand. I am pleased with the way that the schooling sessions are progressing as I have not spent a lot of time in the school with him, I have very good reasons for this as when working with any horse you must always treat them as individuals and build a programme to suit that horse.

2nd November - Deekie Lunged today. Its good to work your horse from the ground at least once a week as you get to see how they are moving, if they are sore or stiff anywhere and then you can work on many different exercises or movements to help them. This is also some times a good way to introduce lateral work especially if your schooling area does not have mirrors or you don't have some one on the ground to help you.

3rd November - Deekie has a day off and time to take in yesterdays work.

4th November - A hack today for Deekie in preparation for show jumping tomorrow. A good leg stretch and a long slow trot slightly up hill through the village.

5th November - In the school today. With John on the ground to help me we do half an hour of grid work. By the end of the session John has us jumping though a decent sized grid and Deekie is basculing well over the fences - he has plenty of scope!

6th November - Deekie goes onto the horse walker today for 40 minutes and then out into the field for the rest of the day.

7th November - I decide to join Kerry and Dom on a hack today through the village. Deekie likes Dom.

8th November - In the school and on the lunge for half an hour of very good consistent work - what a good boy.

9th November - Back on the horse walker today for 40 minutes and then out into the field. This afternoon John and I decide to introduce Deekie to a Trailer for the first time. Deekie now trusts us so walks straight up the ramp and into the trailer with out a second thought. We spend a good fifteen minutes walking him in and out of the trailer and finish the session off by standing him in there and closing the ramp up.

10th November - Deekie and I join John on Missy for a hack through the village and on the way back we go into the school for a quick pop over some of the fences whilst John and his young mare stand and watch. Deekie jumped the planks, the up rights with fillers and today I introduced him to the gate for the first time - which he jumped first time.

11th November - Today is D day - so after a quick hack around the village with John and his mare we load Deekie into the Trailer and take him for a jolly around the block. Deekie is fantastic and has natural sea legs!

12th November - On the horse walker for Deekie again today

13th November - I lunge Deekie today and then turn him out so that he can chill.

14th November - Deekie Travels to his second Dressage test in his trailer tonight! Evening Dressage at Brockhampton - Deekie came 3rd again with a score of 84%. This was his first competition having travelled there in the trailer and his first ever evening comp where he was asked to warm up under artificial lights with lots of monsters in the shadows (I later explained that the monster he saw was in fact just John!) Deekie travelled very well but was a little stiff when he got out of the trailer at Brockhampton - he will get used to travelling facing forwards after a few more outings.

15th November - A well-deserved day off for the Dressage Diva!! (That's Deekie not me!)

16th November - A hack around the village and a good leg stretch today. All stiffness has now gone so we shall crack on tomorrow.

17th November - John and I decide to start including valley work into Deekie and missy's training programme. This type of work is good as it helps improve balance, encouraging them to stretch over their top line and work from behind up into a contact. Both Horses found this work very hard and were only able to do 10 minutes. We finished the session with a hack through pink well.

18th November - Deekie has an easy day today on the horse walker.

19th November - A long hack around Chedworth with one of the liveries and chance for a catch up on life. (A gossip!).

20th November - A lunge this morning before the Cotswold Hunt meet at our yard, all horses stay in today and are either walked on the walker, Ridden, Lunged or are Hunting. Such a hard life!!!! Deekie is not ready this year to participate I will however cub him next year as I think its good experience for young horses.

21st November - A warm up through Pink well then onto the Headlands for a canter - 2 � miles of headlands to canter on before I have to think about coming back to trot. We are so lucky at our yard as we have all year round canter tracks and very good drainage off the fields so our cross-country course is open all the time.

22nd November - I hack Deekie for approx 20 mins to warm him up and then take him into the school for a jump. John is already in there and has set up a grid for us. By the end of the session Deekie is jumping through a decent sized grid of bounces - 4 months ago Deekie was not strong enough to do this exercise and now he is giving it his best shot and jumping through the grid with ease.

23rd November - A good hack today, I like to ease off slightly with Deekies work the day after he has jumped or cantered partly as he is a little upright through his shoulders in build and so all of the concussion he may have received during his work will have travelled up his front legs into his withers and shoulders and by giving him a gentle hack the day after I am encouraging him to stretch over his top line and iron out any tightness or stiffness that he may have got.

24th November - Deekie has a day off and spends most of his time chatting to his neighbours over the fence.

25th November - Back out on the roads again today with an old friend of Deekies - Butch!

26th November - On the horse walker for Deekie today for 40 mins and then out in the field.

27th November - Today I lunge him for 30 mins and we work on transitions, diminishing circles in walk and trot, and a little turn on the fore hand each time I change the rein - this is a good way to teach a horse " the third leg".

28th November - Kerry and I go out on a hack through the village with Deekie and Dom and between us we come up with a plan for tomorrow!!!

29th November - D Day for Deekie Today I feel like a nervous owner at the start box at Badminton waiting for my horse to start the cross country with someone else sat on board - only today Deekie is at home stood at the mounting block waiting for Robert Bellamy (ex National Hunt Jockey) to climb on board and take him for a canter around the headlands and gallops. I admit it Deekie is my baby!!! I have asked Robert to ride him today for several reasons:

1/ Even though Deekie is a "one person horse" which I don't mind as I have no intentions of ever parting company with the boy - I wanted to know if he would accept a man riding him again. If he does then this would be credit to every one and Deekie who have played a part in his re hab programme so far.

2/ I get to see Deekie working in straight lines in canter and from this I can pick up how he is working and where he may be weak still or where he may be a little tight.

Deekie was a star - Robert had no problems with him - I briefed Bells as he mounted and told him about Deekies eagle eyes when it came to pheasant and Deer spotting!! Deekie and Bells finished by cantering up the gallops and popping over the hurdles - which he now not only jumps correctly like cross country fences but he also now jumps straight!

Deekie had a big cheesey grin on this face when he came back as he had thoroughly enjoyed his work out - I did however put his mind at ease and told him that that was the closest he would ever get to the races and from now on he was going to be a riding horse doing fun things like Eventing.

30th - A day off in the field for my super star. xx

Watch out for my next installment........

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