Ian has typically been Mr. Consistent. However, since Labor Day he has been very inconsistent. In Hamilton we were 0 for 4, at the Collie Club we were 2 for 3 and last weekend we were 3 for 6. I’ve been wondering about the possibly causes, and I’ve come up with three.
First, Ian was very locked up in the rear when Dr. Bonnie (chiro vet) looked at him 10 days ago. This was likely the cause of Hamilton’s disaster. I think he was sore and distracted (see #3 below).
Second, we haven’t been trialing regularly. I have taken several weekends off to concentrate on Devon’s field work. That’s what I need to be doing since she’s moving into the #1 dog spot, so I have to accept that it will cause us to be less consistent.
Third, he’s distracted. This past weekend it was partly me being upset about trying to find $5,000 to fix my heating/air conditioning unit and him sensing my distress; and he was slipping a lot on the surface. I don’t think I’ll return to the Ft. Wayne venue, because it took him a couple of days to get used to the footing. When he did figure out the surface, he wasn’t running as fast and got fewer MACH points.
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