Jane rode Kipper this morning, as I wanted another opinion on the canter and the is-he-isn’t-he lame issues. She’s a very strong rider, both mentally and physically, and she’s tough enough to hold him together, make him move, and ride out any of the pissy bucks that he was throwing when I was working on canter with him before.
Her opinion? Kip is just pure bone idle. lol…yes, I know he’s extremely laid back and very unmotivated, and it takes an enormous amount of hard physical work to hold him together, get his butt under him, and convince him to get a work ethic. I don’t have that much physical strength, and I end up with shaking legs at the end of each schooling session. It was gratifying to see her panting and sweaty at the end of it. *s* Kip was dripping with sweat by the end, and he’d cantered several circuits of the ring, although it took a whip in each hand, voice encouragement, and lots of Pony Club kicks for her to do it. He didn’t buck like he had before, just kicked back several times which I don’t mind.
I love seeing him ridden by other people…he’s so damn beautiful. Huge, and powerful, and when he gets his lazy butt underneath himself and starts working round, he has a LOT of impulsion and looks like a proper dressage horse.
I swear he’s still growing, too, which is not great. People at the barn, who see him all the time, will stop, look up at him, and say “Jesus, how big IS he?” I’m guessing he’ll easily do 17.2, which is what the vet put on his passport. He may go 18hh, but I hope not. It will make him so much harder to sell.
He’s such a sweetie, though. :)