The arena at the yard is slightly larger than the normal 20x40m affair.
It’s about a 30x50m oblong, give or take, but it’s still marked out with the usual dressage markers:
The gate – the only way in, as the arena is bordered on all sides by post and rail fencing – is at the ‘A’ end.
So where are the dragons?
Lurking behind ‘C’ – or, more accurately, hiding somewhere between ‘C’ and ‘M’.
Of course we mortals can’t see these dragons.
But the horses can.
Vin’s first time in the arena this week was Tuesday (I gave him Sunday and Monday off for being a good boy at his first One Day Event on Saturday).
So on Tuesday evening, I groomed, tacked up and sat on and we began working in.
As far as the H-G-M line.
He wouldn’t go beyond that.
Something terrifying lurked the other side of the post and rail just beyond ‘C’.
I told him there was nothing there.
He ignored me; stood his ground, eyes bulging out of his sockets, ears about to pop off his head.
We had kind and gentle words and harsh words and then a smack but nothing could get him past H-G-M.
I resigned myself to the foibles of Thoroughbreds and schooled in the 4/5ths of the arena that he did permit himself to be ridden in.
That was Tuesday.
Guess what happened on Wednesday?
Yep, more eye-bulging, ear-popping, rooted-to-the-spot behaviour when he came anywhere near the H-G-M line.
This time I didn’t even try and argue with him.
I tried to walk him as close to ‘C’ as possible but when he tried to skitter out from underneath me – putting in a couple of bucks and a little rear just for the sake of good measure – I gave up on the far end of the arena and concentrated on exercises we could ride without going near the dragons.
And then there was Thursday (yesterday).
Except…
When I got to the yard yesterday evening Sue was just walking out of the arena with the grass strimmer.
Every horse, she explained, that’s been in the arena since the weekend has been absolutely mental about going anywhere near ‘C’.
So she’d been outside the arena cutting the grass, trying to see what particular kind of dragons had moved in.
Guess how many she found?
Yep, none.
So when I’d groomed, tacked up and sat on Vin I thought I’d chance my luck.
Yep, you’ve guessed it.
At ‘C’ he had a good look at the space outside the arena between ‘C’ and ‘M’ on his first lap and then…
Completely ignored it for the rest of the session.
Not even a sneaky peek.
So it looks as though the Dragons might have moved out.
And taken the 25m high sign that says ‘Here be Dragons’ in luminous red paint – the kind of sign that only equines can see though – with them.
Horses… Don’tcha luv ’em?
Bless. 🙂
B.