Solo’s education so far has been pretty much blip free other than one thing. He is inclined to spook at things and when he does, he feels it is his right to stop for as long as he deems necessary. Since we have not eradicated his saying “no” , whilst he is in-hand, I am not in the least bit optimistic that he is going to suddenly decide he will go forward when asked to, under saddle. I would very much like him to grow up a bit.
Here at Hawkridge Farm he lives an idyllic and peaceful life. The most exciting thing to spook at, is his own reflection or a dog in the bushes. It’s time he saw a little bit of the big wide world, he needs to have a great deal more to look at, than a terrier with it’s head down a hole. He is going to go to the Royal Winter Fair in November and show on the line. Just unloading outside the exhibition buildings in Toronto is going to be the most exciting thing he has done in his life to date, that’s before he goes inside. This will be a huge step forward in his education and will help him prepare for next year, as a four year old, when he will be ridden at a variety of different shows.
Showing Solo at the Royal is going to bring it’s own challenges, not least of which will be teaching him how to behave on the line…..Eeeek, November seems horribly close. I will continue with his under saddle training program while he is being prepared for the Royal.
I keep thinking of all the things he needs to learn about, shipping boots, wooden ramps, travelling alone….ugh….that is a big one. We will take him on a couple of short excursions to see how he handles shipping by himself, when we brought him here he had a buddy. I am looking forward to his first show.
