The breakthrough just when it's all too late

Selling a horse is usually a bit of a heart-wrenching thing. The decision itself is often made over quite a long time, and the placing of the ad may or may not induce twinges of sadness. But nothing is more devastating than feeling that just as things are coming together you're going to be parted. Yesterday was definitely that feeling.

So my second lesson with Manu was even better than the first. While Assegai still gets quite heavy in the contact, I have ways of mitigating it - slowing him down, doing lots of quick self-carriage tests to stop him really leaning, trot-halt-trot transitions. And by the end of the lesson I felt like I was on the big moving warmblood I've seen him be in the paddock when he's showing off. Amazing. And I could actually sit that trot!

We even pulled off counter canter round the entire short side. Manu was quite confident he'd do a change if I set him up and asked. Might not be pretty but she thinks he'd find it relatively easy.

There we are. After 3 years of work I now have a really nice horse! But even Manu was supportive of my decision to sell him on. If anything were to happen to my kids I'd never forgive myself, and Assegai is still too anxious and aggressive around them to risk it.

So, there's someone coming to try him out on Monday and he goes into Horse Deals in May. Fingers crossed he can go to someone who'll really take him out and about. :) He looks bloody amazing at the moment - clipped, fit, hooves are great. Such a bugger! :)

On a lighter note, we should be moving onto the farm in three weeks or so and the planning of the property has begun in earnest. I'm working on the 'central point system' advocated by Jane Myers (her book is pure gold) and am quite excited to see how it will all work. The idea is that you have a central hub of sorts that horses can access all the time that has the water and shade to bring them in and mooch. The area is covered in gravel or similar to eliminate dust and provide drainage and helps prevent dusty areas being created on the property. This in turn promotes good grass growth and encourages the horses to move around a bit (not that I seem to have that problem!).

I also really like the concept because of the time-efficiency and ergonomics. I work a day job and don't want to waste time traipsing up the other end of the property to haul horses out of a paddock when they could do it for me and be waiting in the yard! I also don't want to have to put them back after they've had a feed or after a ride. So, I've come up with an idea that may or may not work - one-way yard gates. The thought is that if I need to separate the horses for feeding hard feed I have two yards connected by a gate that only opens one way (ie out) by way of a metal plate welded on the gate itself to stop it swinging past the post. I put the horse that is less dominant, and probably has more to eat, in that yard and teach it to push on the gate to test if it will open. When the horses are finished and ready to move away, the horse in the one-way yard can simply push the gate open and leave. I'm dying to try it out. I ran it past Andrew Mclean and he was interested but dubious. :) Worth a shot!

I'll keep you posted!