Saturday

Today, I put Jazz in her stable with the mouthing bit because it was raining. She was a bit unsettled because she hadn’t been worked last night. Mandy told me to put the cavesson on her and lunge her with jut the bridle on. I did that and jazz listened to me really well so I brought her in and gave her a few treats.

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Friday

Today, because the school was being used I put Jazz in the stable with her mouthing bit, she stayed in there for about half an hour and then I took her back out and tied her up. Mandy suggested that we walk her down to the green and back to see the traffic so I put her bridle on and put a head collar on over the top and led her with the reins and a lead rope, holding onto the rope more than the reins as I didn’t want to hurt her mouth if she did move suddenly. She wasn’t fazed at all by the traffic and was more concerned about the grass and the ponies in the field. On the way back up and car came behind us and wanted to go in the yard so I trotted Jazz up the road, she did this as soon as I asked and wasn’t worried about a car following her.

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Thursday

Tonight, Mandy said that at the end of the lunging session she would put her weight across Jazz’s back. Jazz did really well and we started trotting over the pole that was on the circle which Jazz wasn’t concerned about. Once she got the hang of it she lifted her legs up well. Mandy put her weight across Jazz’s back and I led her around, then Mandy sat on Jazz properly and again Jazz was fine. At the end we took the reins off and I led Jazz around the school so that she could stretch her neck and back muscles. Mandy saw that Jazz was following me really well and told me to take the rope off which I did. Again Jazz followed me and stopped when I stopped and walked when I walked.

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Wednesday

We introduced a pole towards the end of the session tonight. At first I led Jazz over the pole on each rein then started lunging her over it. We only did it in walk to start with and once Jazz realised it was there she began concentrating and lifting her legs higher in order to get over it.

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Tuesday

Tonight, as usual Jazz was well behaved; I got her in from the field by myself which was a first! I groomed her and when Mandy arrived I tacked her up. I took her into the school and did our usual work then added in a new exercise which was her trotting then slowing to a walk for half a circuit then going back up to trot which she got the hang of really easily!

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Monday

Again, Jazz was well behaved when I groomed, tacked and lunged Jazz. My brother saw me working her for the first time and I think he was secretly impressed!

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Sunday

Today we goy Jazz in from the field and put her mouthing bit on her. She was a bit nervous at first because it wasn’t her usual bit but once she had it in she started to ply with it. I put her in the stable and she started rooting through the straw looking for rats. She had the bit in for about 30 minutes and didn’t stop playing with it once.

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Saturday

Tonight, Jazz was a lot better behaved. She moved over when I asked her to, and stood quiet as a lamb. She only bucked once when I was lunging her and cantered again. She is getting lots fitter now, and is developing a lot more muscle.

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Friday

Tonight, Jazz messed about when I was trying to groom her so in the end we had to get the whip to back up what I was asking of her. She began to listen in the end and was shocked that I did actually use the whip. She messed about to begin with in the school because she thought she could get away with messing about. She listened to me towards the end though, and did her first canter with me lunging her!

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Wednesday

I got Jazz out of the field and tied her up. She was behaving really well, then Pride started calling to her so she got slightly agitated and started doing small rears. I left her, and just down the drive outside Ted’s house a car started beeping. Jazz got unnerved and reared. When she got back down, I walked over to her and spoke quietly to her to calm her down, and she did so I was pleased. I groomed her and tacked her up, she stood quietly. Putting the legs on has become part of the routine now and Jazz doesn’t even bat an eyelid. I knew she would buck a bit when I started working her because she had had a day off. I was proved right in my theory. She did buck. Because I was expecting her to do it came as no great surprise so I just urged her on. She did some really nice circuits in walk and trot. The plan is that Mandy will lean over her when I next lunge her to get her used to having weight on her back again.

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Tuesday

Jazz had another day off today. Mum and Dad and my brother came down the stables to see Jazz, they said she had grown and filled out a lot. Lewis, my brother went back down to get the fly spray and I forgot to tell him about the legs so he got a bit of a fright! She behaved really well so I was really proud of her!

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Monday

Today I lunged Jazz myself whilst Mandy rode Pride in the next field. Jazz messed around although she behaved perfectly when I was tacking her up and grooming her. She kept bucking and wasn’t listening to me and she kept changing direction. I got a few good circuits out of her so I stopped her and took the reins off to allow her to stretch her neck and back muscles. I then stopped her again to take the legs of her but she barged me out of the way so I sent her back out and made her trot around a few circuits. I then asked her to stop and tried to take the legs off. Again she barged into me, so I got her trot around again. We did this a few times until Jazz realised what she had to do. I had to make sure that she didn’t barge me because it would be dangerous if I came off her whilst we were out hacking and she barged me out of the way and ran off especially if it was on a busy road.

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Sunday

Today, again I lunged Jazz. She was working really well, listening to everything that I was asking of her. She was also good to tack up and groom. She was doing the trot-stand transition really well so I asked Mandy if she could get Jazz to canter in the school. I was surprised when Jazz didn’t really listen to Mandy and so was she. Jazz has started listening to my voice, and is now used to the way I lunge her. Mandy managed to get a few steps of canter out of Jazz, she then panicked because the school wasn’t big enough for her to canter properly and she was approaching a corner so she bucked.

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Saturday

Today we gave Jazz a day off because she had been working extremely hard.

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Friday

Tonight, Jazz led in from the field easily but when we tied her up she started messing around and started doing small rears. She broke free from the tie up point so I went up to her got her back and tied her up again. She soon realised that she was going to be tied back up if she escaped. She was still pushing everyone around so Mandy suggested we lunge her from the head collar. Mandy got her working hard and she quickly settled down. After about five minutes I took her back to the tie up point and groomed her. She actually stood quietly. I then tacked her up and took her into the school. She was again like a different horse, nothing like the horse we had bought down from the field. She listened to me really well, so we ended it on a good note.

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Thursday

I went up to the field to get Jazz and again I caught her easily. She led down to the stables like an angel and didn’t even look twice at Gwen or Fizzle. She also walked straight past the tractors and stood quietly to be tied up. It was like she was a different horse again. It took us 15minutes to let her stand and tack her up. She is now expecting what is coming next as she moves sides for you! I led her in to the school and lunged her on each rein before putting the legs (which are now called leggy Laura) on her. She stood quietly whilst we put them on. Jazz was listening to me really well so Mandy suggested I try to get Jazz to stand from a trot. I didn’t think Jazz would be able to do it but we tried anyway and Jazz did it! I was so happy with her so we ended there as it was a good note.

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Wednesday

Today I got down to the yard a bit late so when I got down there Pride was just finishing off the end of his feed. Once he had finished I went into the field and got Jazz. She walked down to the stables really quietly and we only had to do circles near the last gate because Jazz tried to pull me through the gate. I walked Jazz down to the tie up point and she behaved. We could still hear Pride calling to her. Jazz began to get a bit agitated and a lot more restless when she was tied up, for the past few days she had stood really quietly. We watched her, and she started doing small rears and pulling on her head collar until finally the baler twine broke. She trotted off to the gate, where Rosie, Ted’s daughter caught her. I got her back and led her back down, but she kept trotting in front of me and bucking. Eventually we got her tied up again. She was still unsettled so Mandy suggested that we lunge her from the head collar for 5 minutes to get some of the fizz out of her. She led her into the school and the rest of us, Rosie, Maria, Maria’s friend and I stood outside. Jazz was bucking so Mandy drove her on until she calmed down. We took her out again and tied her up. There was no silliness, she stood still. Once she had completely calmed down I brushed her over and put some fly spray on her. I again left her to stand still, then I put on her saddle and after a few minutes I put on her bridle and lunging cavesson. I asked Sonia to lead her in to the school and to lunge her for a couple of minutes. I then took over and the legs were put on. Jazz was a completely different horse. She was quiet and was listening to me and doing as I asked. A couple of times she didn’t stand when I asked so I drove her on and asked her again to stand and she did. We worked for about 20 minutes. I then led her out and she tried to pull me out of the school so we turned around and walked through again, this time she went through at my pace. I un tacked her, washed her down and gave her 4 treats. We went back over the field and it was like leading Tia over the field, she ambled along behind me, and she didn’t bat an eyelid when we walked inches from the cows.

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Tuesday

Today when I got Jazz out of the field she led down as good as gold. She didn’t try to trot off to go and see Gwen; she walked nicely at my side. When we got down to the yard, I tied Jazz up and again left her. After leaving her for about 5 minutes, I went back over and groomed her. When I asked her to go over and put my hand on her hip she went straight over, no hassle at all. I then did the same routine, put the saddle on, left her, put the bridle on, left her and then put the cavesson on and again left her whilst I went to get the lunge line. I put on my hat and I gave the line to Mandy. She led Jazz into the school and this time, I lunged Jazz before the legs went on. She started listening to me a lot more; she constantly had her ear fixed on me. After I had lunged Jazz on each rein we put the legs o. Jazz stood still, and again this is another good lesson because she is learning to stand whilst someone is mounting. Jazz listened to me throughout the whole lesson. At the end of the lesson we took the legs and reins off, and I lunged Jazz on each rein for a few circuits to give Jazz a chance to stretch her back and neck muscles. Once I had un tacked her I again sponged her off and we took her back over the field. She led behind me quietly.

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Monday

I arrived down at the yard and went straight over to the field with Maria to get Jazz. Once I had caught Jazz which was easily done we let Tia out of the field to go and get her food. We left Tia to eat her food, and we began walking back over to the stables. Once we got there I tied Jazz up and left her to stand there for a few minutes so she could get more patient. After I had left her to stand there, I took over a brush and gave her a groom, I then put some fly spray on her. I then left her again. After a few minutes had passed I took over the saddle and did it up, to my surprise Jazz stood still and didn’t move a muscle when I tightened the girth. I then went to get the bridle. I had to take off Jazz’s head collar when I put the bridle on, Jazz thought she would be able to run off but because the head collar had been put around her neck she couldn’t- she tried anyway! I got the bridle on straight away once Jazz had realised that. I then put the lunging cavesson on over the top of the bridle. Once the stirrups had been secured below the girth we were ready. I got the lunge line for Mandy and she led Jazz into the school. She lunged Jazz before we put the legs on. Once Jazz had been lunged evenly on each rein, I took over and we put the legs on. The legs teach Jazz that even if she bucks the rider will stay seated so there isn’t much point in her even trying to unseat the rider. Jazz went really well, we did our usual transitions, walk-trot, trot-walk, walk-stand, and stand-walk. Mandy also managed to get a few steps of canter out of Jazz. Once I had lunged Jazz a few times on each rein we called it a day. Jazz was listening to me a lot more so I was happy. We even managed to do a bit of join up which I was overjoyed with as I had needed to shout a Jazz a few times during the lesson. I led Jazz out of the school and un tacked her, then sponged her down which she wasn’t to keen on as the water was quite cold! I then led Jazz back over the field. She wasn’t too bothered by Gwen like she had been on the way down.

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