Tiggers don't jump they bounce

Things have been going well with Wolfie. Over the last month we've started jumping and even jumped a little upright on Tuesday night. He feels very bold over the fences and gives you a lovely feel. He does however find jumping very, very exciting and is extremely enthusiastic about it. I will need to try and do some more pole and grid work with him. The other night we had a canter up one of the fields and Wolfie was jumping clumps of thistles.

On Friday evening I arrived at the yard and he was in his stable. I thought he was standing a little awkwardly. I checked him over and couldn't find anything. I brought him out the stable and walked him up. He wasn't lame, but he wasn't level. I checked him over again and I still couldn't find anything. The flies and midges have been horrendous the last few nights. Black clouds of them everywhere and they are really distressing the horses. I don't think I have ever seen them this bad. I think that he's been haring around on Thursday night, probably to get away from the flies and given himself a dunt or pulled something, the ground is pretty solid and it's quite stoney in the field he's in. The boys have been sectioned off in part of another field the past week as one of the fences in their field was broken. There is no shade and no escape from the flies in there. I kept him in yesterday to let him rest and keep him out of the flies. I trotted him up tonight and he was sound. I wanted him out to walk and as the boys were going into their own field I decided to turn him out. The electric fencing had been moved to allow them some more grass so I had hoped he would just go out and get his head down and eat. I turned him out and led him most of the way down the field. He galloped up to the rest of the horses and started grazing. Around twenty minutes later I heard thundering of hooves and whinnying. I looked down to the field and saw Wolfie galloping around the field on the other side of the electric fencing from the other horses. I ran down and watched in horror as he galloped through the knee deep grass, doing his legendary cork screw bucks, twists, spins, squealing and all at top speed. The yard owner came down and between us we managed to get part of the fence down and get him back through. We then walked the entire fence line to check it. I've seen Wolfie duck under the line of tape if the current is low, but this fence was up properly. There was no loose tape or poles, the battery was on and the current was strong. There is only one way he's got into that part of the field and that is over the electric fencing. He's jumped it. It sends shivers up my spine thinking about what could have happened if he'd caught his feet and it is some height. The other horses had decided even the lure of some fresh grass wasn't enough to endure the flies and they were all at the top of the hill under the trees. I have ordered Wolfie a fly mask and fly rug. I don't think he's particularly thin skinned or overly sensitive to them, I just think the flies are much worse than they have ever been and they really are driving the horses past the point of no return. No amount of fly spray will deter them. So I shall see if he is still sound tomorrow after his shennanigans. I love that horse, quirks and all but sometimes I would like to string him up by the feet. The only one the flies don't seem to bother that much is Buttons. They land on him and you see him swishing his tail and kicking at them, but they don't seem to be able to bite him like they do the others. The yard owner commented on how fast Wolfie can gallop. It is really surprising how he can shift. I remember one of the first times he was turned out after he came home from the vet school and he galloped around the field. Me and my friends just stood there in stunned silence. The farmer who owned the fields was like 'did you know you'd bought a racehorse?'.