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There are only 7 weeks to go, and there
is still plenty of organising left to do. So, bearing this
in mind, rather than start from the beginning, I am going
to start from today with some background information to help
set the scene.
Marv was bought mid-January from a yard
near Edinburgh. He is currently being ridden bareback, due
to an operation he had on his girth area back in January.
The resulting scab is getting much smaller, and he should
be able to take a girth soon.
Post op, Marv was moved from his very comfortable
yard at Sunnyside Farm, East Linton to his new and nearer
yard just outside Gorebridge, south of Edinburgh. Fi and I
had visited a great many livery yards in order to find one
perfect for Marv requirements. We luckily found Mount Skip
just by Vogrie Country Park. The atmosphere was relaxed and
the yard friendly. The deciding factor was the amazing indoor
school and the great riding trails literally on the doorstep.
The move thus completed I settled down to the job ahead of
getting the happy go lucky Marv fit enough for the miles ahead.
The past few weekends have seen the scab
getting steadily smaller, but still not able to take a girth
and my backside getting progressively sorer. Although on the
plus side - my seat has undoubtedly benefited from riding
bare back. Marv is remarkably comfortable nonetheless, except
of course when he comes to an emergency halt from a near gallop.
The surrounding area is now becoming very
familiar, with favourite hacks already appearing. Usually
I ride out with Fi and a horse called Malky that she has been
lucky enough to borrow on the weekends. Oh, and Maisie a 5
month old Jack Russell Parson who steals the limelight whenever
she is with us. Perched atop Marv or tucked in to either of
our jackets, she manages to bring a smile to many a face.
Marv loves being out and about and his whole demeanour belies
this. He strides out with purpose, head held high, attentive
to all around him and a pleasure to ride. I am happy to let
him dictate the pace and this seems to suit the both of us.
He is not averse to breaking into trot with no encouragement
and does not shirk hard work. Another great relief is the
fact he seems unflappable; be it a puppy nipping at his heels,
a speeding lorry or a 5ft sheet of black plastic flapping
uncontrollably in the wind - nothing seems to faze him. Not
only is he very responsive to my leg which helps me keep him
straight, he is also incredibly reliable and honest when given
a long rein. Indeed I soon found that riding Marv with no
reins was almost as easy as riding him with them. So map reading
has become one less thing to worry about.
On occasions we have taken out Marv on his
own, as I do not want him relying on the company of other
horses. On one particular weekend, due to the fact I had a
particularly sore backside after a long ride the previous
day, it was decided that Fi would ride and I would take the
bike. This worked well until Fi trotted Marv up a hill. As
she disappeared a round the corner with a willing Marv I had
to deal with an increasingly steep hill and a flat tyre. The
hill seemed endless, and Marv (with Maisie a close second)
tackled it with ease leaving me trailing. The bike got hastily
dumped at the first house and I continued on foot. Marv and
Fi continued to have fun and I am sure at least one of them
derived a little too much pleasure from trotting off and leaving
me run to catch up. We gave Marv the opportunity to graze
whilst out on the hack. He has a voracious appetite and hoovers
grass at any given opportunity, a fact of which I am grateful
and will stand us in good stead on the ride. He will have
only a short time sometimes to re-energise before continuing
with the miles during the day.
As well as riding out, we have been using
the indoor school. Marv has some great paces and can really
show off when he wants. It is not unheard of for him to put
in a few ‘happy’ bucks in as he canters around
the school. There is no malice intended, but rest assured
bareback and bucking do not go hand in hand. One discovery
I was happy to make was Marv’s willingness and ability
to jump. He is full of surprises - so far all of them good.
His joy of jumping was made only too clear by the fact he
was more than happy to jump when let loose in the school or
whilst being lunged, indeed at times he actually pulled towards
the jump.
So all in all the campaign to get
Marv fit is going well, all be it saddle-less at the moment.
I hope to get the saddle on him in the next week or so. Bearing
in mind the amount of time I am going to be in the saddle
I had a very specific idea of what I was looking for. After
a lot of research and many conversations the name that kept
reappearing was Free N Easy.
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