Changing bit by bit ....

Anyway ... having two weeks solid with her when I was on holiday paid off beautifully. She is a changed horse. She's still opinionated but now works nicely most of the time and doesn't cause half as much fuss when she is expressing her opinions. Her movement, when she moves more correctly, is phenomenal especially the movement through her shoulders.

Quite a few people say that she looks a bit like an Andalucian though I couldn't really see it even through my rose tinted specs. I have to say though that when I saw the few 'correct' steps that she did in one of my lessons I have to agree.

She also enjoys jumping the xc fences and even tackled the tyres without batting an eyelid. She's such a good girl.

The thing is that I want to do dressage, she seemingly wants to event ... My ex trainer has ridden her a few times. He wouldn't ride her previously because, as he said, it's his livelyhood and he couldn't afford to get hurt. Although she argued with him she went beautifully. It was nice in a way that she stropped a bit with him too. I'd have been completely mortified if he'd have got on and she'd have been a complete angel

So ... they do get better, it just takes time I love her to bits and she's taught me so much. It must have taken about 18 months to really bond with her. I thought that we'd bonded after 6 months and then at 12 months but each time I found new depths to our relationship. I love my little Saffy Moo

Fast forward to 2006

Through it all she's been a kind and generous soul. A dream to handle, easy to catch (apart from one episode where I couldn't get near to her but later found that there was a very good reason for it :( ) and easy to look after.

We still had the tantrums in the school though.

Saying that, things WERE better, she didn't carry her neck vertically anymore and the strops were shorter and less dramatic.

My trainer recently told me that although he thought that I WAS ready for a youngster he wasn't sure that I was ready for THAT particular youngster. He also said that it was touch and go for a while as to whether I'd come through it or completely lose my confidence. He says that he's very pleased with me and proud at how I came through it all and that a lot of people would have given up on her and sold her on.

I think that I've gained a modicum of respect from him for sticking with it and coming out the other side I refer to those days as my 'darkest hours'. They only lasted a few weeks but boy were they tough. Thankfully what didn't (literally) kill me made me stronger and I'm a lot more confident now than I was even before Saffy.