So Cavi came back this week from his 3 month spell. As I got on him for the first time yesterday, I made a conscious decision to reset.

What do I mean by a reset? And why on earth am I doing this? By doing a reset, I mean that we should start with a fresh page. Not just physically but also mentally.

Cavi had 3 months off. No work, just going from his stable to a grass field and back to his stable. He has come back fat and happy. His hooves have grown stronger and we managed to have him barefoot for 1 month, whilst he was at Ponderosa Spelling Station. Keith has done a great job of looking after him.

From a physical standpoint, he needs to get fitter again and re-build some muscle. He was on a low protein diet throughout his spell, which is what I am going to try and keep him on. The high protein diet could have been why his hooves were weak. David Mangan was here on Tuesday and together with Kamal, Cavi was shod and his feet look really good.

For me, I need to start afresh. I cannot hold on to remembering that he was spooky at this drain, or not wanting to go forward on the right rein, or that any of his previous issues before he went for a spell. I have to pick up the reins and let go off all my preconceived notions and ride him NOT thinking of all the issues we had before. He has had a good long break and maybe things may have changed. I have to give him the chance and the space to show me.

Easier said than done at times! But if we don’t try, we will never know. Am really looking forward to training with Cavi again. Like I said previously, Stanton is cool but I need more of a challenge and Cavi is definitely that!!