Hes sounds like hes doing well FH Today is a bit of a sad day - Charlotte my oldie has let me know its time for her to cross the rainbow bridge - I always said when she would no longer eat I would know - this morning I found her lying down in the paddock - my heart nearly stopped - I went down to her but she got up and walked up to where she normally has breakfast - when I looked out again she was down - I put the others out and again she got up and came up to the top paddock to be under the trees

I think it has been rather a long time since I have posted - 2011 has been a very tiring and exhausting year! so heres a bit of a run down on the year that was Jan - Qld was hit by massive flooding - my job was displaced and everything was dirupted - Feb - Qld was hit by a cat 5 cyclone that wiped out most of the eastern seaboard - but opened up a new job opportunity for me March - settled in to new job - competing little and riding even less but horses all good April - job is really exhausting and

Knock yourself out JG - ooop! thats right, that no longer applies

Well not much happening for me either - heading into spring only 2 more weeks of winter left - enjoying lovely days - mornings and evenings still a bit "fresh" actually have dry yards and the horses are enjoying being down in the bottom yards - Esha will be going off to the trainer in another 5 weeks or so and I am really excited about that - she has grown up quite a bit now shes nearly 3 (Officially 3 on 1/8/11) The boy is going well - enjoying his full-on training/competition break -

Welcome back - I was only thinking of you the other day when I stumbled on some photos of you riding - thinking mmmm havent seen PR here for a while! So happy to read you are back enjoying the horses - or mule - thats healing in itself ! Your legs will get stronger without you even realising it once you are back consistently riding again - well done and welcome home!

Gailforce perhaps I can answer you - my horse is competing at 3rd level and trains higher - when we are training we do a lot of long and low work to build up the top line and stretch the back muscles so that he works off his hocks - he has a very large shoulder and his neck is quite high set in fact he is very difficult to fit with a saddle - but that in itself is a whole differrent story! So yes once you reach the higher level you would expect your horse to work UP into a frame - the picture is

Ok I'm going to add my input - seeing as I did a critique on your pony - from the youtube you are to be congratulated on the going of your horse - you would fair very well here in Aus at first level no problem at all - I would just say dont let your reins get too long and try not to get behind the movement - on your canter transition you got a little left behind - the transition itself was smooth - he could go a little more forward as he looks a little strung out at times - but the length of

Tis easy to sprout sh*te behind a "name" on the net - on a horsey forum - to someone you dont even know! I see it here (on Aussie forums) all the time - cowardice! FH you have helped me many times, in fact i couldnt care less WHAT your picture looks like - I consider you my friend and sometime mentor! Ange

Its simple to get them fit and muscled up it just takes committment - committment to work them, feed them and compete - fitness comes quickly with all those added together - I have found this year that I havenet been able to give my comp horse the time he needs so we dont compete - even though he is stabled and fed twice a day his fitness has dropped off and his topline is not as strong as I would like - I have just started some consistent work with him again and the second half of the year we will

I think you have done really well to get him looking the way he does - now you just need to finnish him off tone wise - building up and maintaining the top line and rear end is never ending - what do you plan on doing with him?