Sunday, July 26, 2009
I haven't posted lately because I've been slacking off a little bit on riding. I am just so busy lately with school and work that it's difficult to find time! Also, Freddy cut the corner of his eye open a few days ago and it was constantly oozing so I gave him a few days off to let it heal. It looks MUCH better now and I rode him today finally. He was actually pretty settled considering I hadn't been on him in almost a week. I just flatted him for a few minutes and just wanted to get him stretching and relaxed. After the canter we got some really nice stretchy trot so I ended with that. I'll give him more of an actually dressage school tomorrow when I am off from work and won't be rushing so much.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Today's ride was a bit interesting. I was planning on doing some raised trot poles to work even more on his engagement. I warmed up normally and did some transitions again. He was being really lazy today and I was having a really hard time keeping him in front of my leg in the downward transitions. Because of that I made a little bit of a modification. Rather than walk I would 'almost walk' then go back to trot. This still worked pretty effectively at getting his hocks underneath him. He was a bit inattentive today which was annoying. He kept spooking at everything for no reason. I had to work really hard to keep him working hard enough because otherwise he'd lose his focus completely.
When I went to try the trot poles he seemed like he didn't understand the exercise. He kept jumping over them every time no matter how nice of a trot I had coming in. Then he'd get all upset when I'd try to correct him so I decided it wasn't worth it and just put the rails on the ground. He still wanted to get quick the first couple of times through but then he finally got better and it actually improved his trot some. I would trot him over the poles then do a 10m half circle and come back down over them the other way. The 10m circle forced me to sit up and ride my outside aids around the turn, then the poles forced him to be a little more active in his steps. Then when we went to the canter he started out much lighter in the bridle than normal. I also can tell that I am getting stronger because I can hold him on the circle with just my leg while keeping my hands an "even pair" as Jane says. I also felt like my body was stacked more correctly. I was reading the new ride with your mind clinic by Mary Wanless and there was a rider in there who had a position really similar to my default. She was round in her back with her leg out in front and leaning back somewhat braced against the horse. During my ride today I tried to focus really hard on keeping my body stacked upright. One thing that really helped was dropping my knee down and closing my thigh against the saddle a little bit. I wasn't gripping with my thigh but keeping a little pressure there helped me keep my leg in the correct position. With my leg in the right spot it was a lot easier to control my upper body. Rather than think about sitting up at leaning back I just thought about opening my chest and keeping my shoulders over my hips and my eyes up. I think in the process of opening my chest my ribcage also lifted slightly but not to the point that I was sitting back behind the motion. I could really feel the difference at the canter because it didn't feel like I was pumping with my seat the way it often does, it just felt like I was right with the motion and balanced. I am very excited to continue to improve on this because I think it is going to make a hugeee difference.
I called Boyd today and left him a message. Hopefully we will be scheduling a lessons for next week on tuesday or wednesday since I am off from work those days. Tomorrow I am heading over to the bucks county horse park to meet Rachel and go for a hack/maybe school some XC fences.
When I went to try the trot poles he seemed like he didn't understand the exercise. He kept jumping over them every time no matter how nice of a trot I had coming in. Then he'd get all upset when I'd try to correct him so I decided it wasn't worth it and just put the rails on the ground. He still wanted to get quick the first couple of times through but then he finally got better and it actually improved his trot some. I would trot him over the poles then do a 10m half circle and come back down over them the other way. The 10m circle forced me to sit up and ride my outside aids around the turn, then the poles forced him to be a little more active in his steps. Then when we went to the canter he started out much lighter in the bridle than normal. I also can tell that I am getting stronger because I can hold him on the circle with just my leg while keeping my hands an "even pair" as Jane says. I also felt like my body was stacked more correctly. I was reading the new ride with your mind clinic by Mary Wanless and there was a rider in there who had a position really similar to my default. She was round in her back with her leg out in front and leaning back somewhat braced against the horse. During my ride today I tried to focus really hard on keeping my body stacked upright. One thing that really helped was dropping my knee down and closing my thigh against the saddle a little bit. I wasn't gripping with my thigh but keeping a little pressure there helped me keep my leg in the correct position. With my leg in the right spot it was a lot easier to control my upper body. Rather than think about sitting up at leaning back I just thought about opening my chest and keeping my shoulders over my hips and my eyes up. I think in the process of opening my chest my ribcage also lifted slightly but not to the point that I was sitting back behind the motion. I could really feel the difference at the canter because it didn't feel like I was pumping with my seat the way it often does, it just felt like I was right with the motion and balanced. I am very excited to continue to improve on this because I think it is going to make a hugeee difference.
I called Boyd today and left him a message. Hopefully we will be scheduling a lessons for next week on tuesday or wednesday since I am off from work those days. Tomorrow I am heading over to the bucks county horse park to meet Rachel and go for a hack/maybe school some XC fences.
Monday, July 13, 2009
I've had some verrrry successful dressage rides on Freddy the last 2 days. I decided to give him a day off today to think about it haha.
on Friday I started out just riding forward, abandoning everything else, to generate some energy. Then I took a little bit of a feel. He started out sort of sitting just behind the bit and every time I put my leg on he would quicken his tempo rather than take a contact. The first thing I did was think about my position. My leg always wants to creep forward so I made sure my leg was underneath me, my hands were low and out in front of me and my chest was lifted. Then I did a little bit of counter bend to get him straighter and to remind myself to ride the OUTSIDE of the horse and not just the inside. That helped a little bit and he started to stretch down a little bit more. Then I started to do some transitions. I tried my best to push him forward to a walk, walk a few steps, then go right back to trot. This helped A LOT. What's weird is that he actually did this better to the right which is normally his weaker side. When I would sit up and close my thighs I could feel him bring his butt up underneath himself and push into a walk rather than falling into it. Then when I would ask him to trot again, his butt was already underneath him so I got some really nice trot work out of him. As long as I can hold my position he maintains a balanced trot but the second I tip forward or draw my hands back at all he loses his impulsion and dives down on his forehand.
At the canter I wanted to use the counter-canter to get him sitting a little more. This is something I've done with Jane before. I rode the way it goes in one of the prelim dressage tests sort of. I'd pick up the canter on my 20m circle then do a half circle and go down the long side then transition to a trot before the corner, pick up the other lead and do the same thing the other way. It definitely challenged me to hold my body straight and keep riding him forward. If I tried to steer him with my hands rather than my seat and leg he would break to trot. I thought it really improved his canter after doing that exercise a few times. I think I rode him about 5 minutes too long because towards the end he started to get a little fussy and inattentive. Still overall it was a productive ride.
Yesterday he came out ready to go to work right from the start. This time I started right away in walk trying to establish a connection the way I've worked on in the past with Jane. I bend him a little to the outside until he softened then kept a firm contact on my outside rein and pushed him out with my inside leg so that he was bent slightly to the inside. Then he was giving me a nice swinging forward walk and was stretching down so I decided we were ready to trot. Well the first time I asked for trot he tensed his back a little and raised his head and basically just fell apart a bit. Rather than bring him back and try again I just rode forward. I knew that transitions would just make him more tense so I just rode forward and tried to reestablish the connection the same way I had done it at the walk. To the left it was easier and fairly immediately he softened and stretched over his topline and started opening up his stride a little more. To the right it's much more difficult. He's a bit weaker on his right hind so he tends to hang on my right rein and fall to the inside. Every time I try to give with my inside hand he just swings his head to the outside and falls in no matter how much inside leg I have on. I've realized that he's just really not strong enough to carry himself so I can't just throw away the inside rein altogether. I'll soften for a few strides and push him into my outside rein and when we start to lose it I'll tale a little feel on the inside and reposition him so that he's bent slightly in again. It's just really really hard for me to let go of that right rein because I can't hold him straight without it. I need to get some help with that because Jane would always just yell at me to let go of my inside rein but that's really unhelpful because he can't hold himself up on his own yet.
At the canter I did some canter-walk-canter traisitions on the circle and WOW did that make a difference. After doing it a few times he was jumping into the canter, pushing off his hocks and he felt very very balanced and light in front. We had some lovely transitions to walk and as long as I didn't draw back with my hands he continued stepping under all the way through the transition. It seems that transitions are the thing that really works for him to get him pushing from behind more. I just need to keep working on my position so that I am not getting in his way. I am very excited about this progress.
on Friday I started out just riding forward, abandoning everything else, to generate some energy. Then I took a little bit of a feel. He started out sort of sitting just behind the bit and every time I put my leg on he would quicken his tempo rather than take a contact. The first thing I did was think about my position. My leg always wants to creep forward so I made sure my leg was underneath me, my hands were low and out in front of me and my chest was lifted. Then I did a little bit of counter bend to get him straighter and to remind myself to ride the OUTSIDE of the horse and not just the inside. That helped a little bit and he started to stretch down a little bit more. Then I started to do some transitions. I tried my best to push him forward to a walk, walk a few steps, then go right back to trot. This helped A LOT. What's weird is that he actually did this better to the right which is normally his weaker side. When I would sit up and close my thighs I could feel him bring his butt up underneath himself and push into a walk rather than falling into it. Then when I would ask him to trot again, his butt was already underneath him so I got some really nice trot work out of him. As long as I can hold my position he maintains a balanced trot but the second I tip forward or draw my hands back at all he loses his impulsion and dives down on his forehand.
At the canter I wanted to use the counter-canter to get him sitting a little more. This is something I've done with Jane before. I rode the way it goes in one of the prelim dressage tests sort of. I'd pick up the canter on my 20m circle then do a half circle and go down the long side then transition to a trot before the corner, pick up the other lead and do the same thing the other way. It definitely challenged me to hold my body straight and keep riding him forward. If I tried to steer him with my hands rather than my seat and leg he would break to trot. I thought it really improved his canter after doing that exercise a few times. I think I rode him about 5 minutes too long because towards the end he started to get a little fussy and inattentive. Still overall it was a productive ride.
Yesterday he came out ready to go to work right from the start. This time I started right away in walk trying to establish a connection the way I've worked on in the past with Jane. I bend him a little to the outside until he softened then kept a firm contact on my outside rein and pushed him out with my inside leg so that he was bent slightly to the inside. Then he was giving me a nice swinging forward walk and was stretching down so I decided we were ready to trot. Well the first time I asked for trot he tensed his back a little and raised his head and basically just fell apart a bit. Rather than bring him back and try again I just rode forward. I knew that transitions would just make him more tense so I just rode forward and tried to reestablish the connection the same way I had done it at the walk. To the left it was easier and fairly immediately he softened and stretched over his topline and started opening up his stride a little more. To the right it's much more difficult. He's a bit weaker on his right hind so he tends to hang on my right rein and fall to the inside. Every time I try to give with my inside hand he just swings his head to the outside and falls in no matter how much inside leg I have on. I've realized that he's just really not strong enough to carry himself so I can't just throw away the inside rein altogether. I'll soften for a few strides and push him into my outside rein and when we start to lose it I'll tale a little feel on the inside and reposition him so that he's bent slightly in again. It's just really really hard for me to let go of that right rein because I can't hold him straight without it. I need to get some help with that because Jane would always just yell at me to let go of my inside rein but that's really unhelpful because he can't hold himself up on his own yet.
At the canter I did some canter-walk-canter traisitions on the circle and WOW did that make a difference. After doing it a few times he was jumping into the canter, pushing off his hocks and he felt very very balanced and light in front. We had some lovely transitions to walk and as long as I didn't draw back with my hands he continued stepping under all the way through the transition. It seems that transitions are the thing that really works for him to get him pushing from behind more. I just need to keep working on my position so that I am not getting in his way. I am very excited about this progress.
Volunteering.
Yesterday was the event at DVCTA. I was a fence judge for all divisions. I was at the drop fences for Novice, Training, and Beginner Novice and the little Ramp for elementary. Training and Novice all had no problems with the drop. Lots of people trotted because it was a downhill approach, and most horses confidently stepped right down. The BN division had just a downhill log as their "drop". I had a few stops and it seems as though most were from either the rider getting ahead and taking the leg off or because the horse had already had previous stops on the course and maybe had lost a little confidence along the way. Elementary was pretty horrifying to watch. Several riders didn't make it to my fence and we even had one rider whose horse stopped at EVERY FENCE. It was so obvious that the horse was just taking advantage of her because she wasn't riding forward. She even approached some of the fences at a walk...just asking the horse to stop basically. It was painful to watch and I was happy that everyone finished the day in one piece.
Amanda was also there volunteering so I talked to her for a bit. She said that she just finished up a week at Phillip Dutton Camp. Lucky girl! Sounds like she had a great time and is looking forward to moving up to training level in the not too distant future. She also filled me in on some of the goings on over in sleeper-land. Sounds like it's pretty busy over there but everyone's having a good time and having some success.
Amanda was also there volunteering so I talked to her for a bit. She said that she just finished up a week at Phillip Dutton Camp. Lucky girl! Sounds like she had a great time and is looking forward to moving up to training level in the not too distant future. She also filled me in on some of the goings on over in sleeper-land. Sounds like it's pretty busy over there but everyone's having a good time and having some success.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
schedule
The other day when I was at Bit of Britain Mary Schlachter approached me and asked me if I would be willing to volunteer this weekend at the DVCTA horse trials. Of course I said I would do it so she e-mailed me the details today. I need to be there by 8:30am and I'll be fence judging. They're proving lunch as well. Apparently I will earn "DVCTA dollars" which I can use toward any DVCTA sponsored event in the next year. I went to the website and checked out the calendar and what do ya know there is a Ryan Wood clinic coming up in August. It's only like $100 for a dressage session and a show jumping session so I might just have to sign myself up for that!
I was also thinking about what events and whatnot I want to enter in the next couple of months. I am still unsure about what I am going to be doing as far as lessons (except that I will def get Kate to help with the dressage) but I'm still just going to make a tentative list of things I am thinking about entering
July
29- Cecil County Jumper Show (Hopeful jumper/level II jumper)
August
2- Ryan Wood Clinic
14-16- Waredaca (YEH and maybe also Novice or NT)
September
13- Bucks County HT (Novice)
or
18-19- Marlborough (Novice)
26-27- Serra Valley (YEH)
October
10- Radnor (Training?)
15-16- Fair Hill (YEH Champs...ya know cuz of course we're gonna qualify lol)
or
17- New Jersey HT (Training?)
I guess that's about it. Now I need to quit procrastinating and get back to the real reason I'm up at 3am...writing my paper for International Marketing...ughh.
I was also thinking about what events and whatnot I want to enter in the next couple of months. I am still unsure about what I am going to be doing as far as lessons (except that I will def get Kate to help with the dressage) but I'm still just going to make a tentative list of things I am thinking about entering
July
29- Cecil County Jumper Show (Hopeful jumper/level II jumper)
August
2- Ryan Wood Clinic
14-16- Waredaca (YEH and maybe also Novice or NT)
September
13- Bucks County HT (Novice)
or
18-19- Marlborough (Novice)
26-27- Serra Valley (YEH)
October
10- Radnor (Training?)
15-16- Fair Hill (YEH Champs...ya know cuz of course we're gonna qualify lol)
or
17- New Jersey HT (Training?)
I guess that's about it. Now I need to quit procrastinating and get back to the real reason I'm up at 3am...writing my paper for International Marketing...ughh.
gridwork
_3)
I decided last night that I wanted to do grids with Freddy today so I moved the jumps around and set up a simple grid, x-18 feet-vertical-18 feet-oxer, going across the diagonal. He warmed up pretty well except for spooking violently at ::gasp:: the gate laying on its side! I took down the gate jump but didn't feel like moving it to the side so I just left the gate laying on the ground. He had a fit over it so I made him trot back and forth over it until he got over himself.
He went through the grid a few times with it set at about 2'6-2'9 then I put the back rail of the oxer up and had it set at about 3'. He did that well so I put it up to 3'3. When he breezed right through that I decided to be ambitious and put it up another hole. Mind you I have not jumped this high since I had Cruz. He went right through like it was nothing. He didn't even feel like he was trying! I wish someone had been there to take pictures but I am sure this is the first of many times he will jump a 3'6" fence. Still, I am very excited that he is finally becoming a "real horse" lol. The pic up top is what it looked like the last time I went through.
And here is the man enjoying the hay buffet outside of his stall. It's good to be Fred lol.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I trailered over to Jane's today to trot some hills. Fred was good, no major spooking fits lol. I guess he really is growing up :) We trotted twice up the big hill and I made sure to keep the rhythm the same and not just let him power up it. He was great, he stayed relaxed and stretched over his topline exactly the way I wanted. There were a few times where he wanted to blow through my right leg aids so every time he bulged to the right I would ask for a right shoulder in until he softened and then I would put him back straight. I find that he really needs the lateral work incorporated into every ride. Not only does it help to get his right hind engaged but it helps me get him truly connected and STRAIGHT.
After I was done riding I made a quick trip to bit of britain to get some fly spray and I saw Syd. She congratulated me on our win this weekend :) Mary Schlachter was there working also and she asked me if I could volunteer this weekend at DVCTA. As long as I don't have to work I'm going to do it, I'll just have to give her a call and let her know tomorrow when I get my schedule.
I had e-mailed Doug Payne a few days ago about some lessons but unfortunately he is too busy to take any students right now. He referred me to Sinead Halpin so I might be schedueling a lesson with her sometime in the near future. I've never met her but I like what I've seen on her website so we shall see. I just want to really work on improving my riding so I can give Freddy the best shot possible at reaching his potential (and mine too of course!).
After I was done riding I made a quick trip to bit of britain to get some fly spray and I saw Syd. She congratulated me on our win this weekend :) Mary Schlachter was there working also and she asked me if I could volunteer this weekend at DVCTA. As long as I don't have to work I'm going to do it, I'll just have to give her a call and let her know tomorrow when I get my schedule.
I had e-mailed Doug Payne a few days ago about some lessons but unfortunately he is too busy to take any students right now. He referred me to Sinead Halpin so I might be schedueling a lesson with her sometime in the near future. I've never met her but I like what I've seen on her website so we shall see. I just want to really work on improving my riding so I can give Freddy the best shot possible at reaching his potential (and mine too of course!).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Fair Hill July 5, 2009
I am happy to be starting this blog on a very positive note. This past sunday Freddy and I went to the starter event at Fair Hill. After forgetting my coggins and having to drive home to get it (one time for living 8 minutes from the event!) we had a very lovely day. It was the day after my birthday and my good friend Jac and my parents came out to cheer us on. I was running a little late so by the time I got to the dressage warmup I was only about 3 riders out. We w/t/c in both directions, did a couple of canter departs on the right lead and headed right down to the ring. He was a little bit tense and short strided to begin but I tried to remember to ride him more forward this time than my last test. It definitely helped and after the first canter he was more relaxed in his back and more willing to take longer strides. I wasn't particularly thrilled about my dressage but it was a good challenge for me to have to try and ride him through his tension in the ring.
I had about an hour between my dressage and SJ so I went ahead and got his bell boots and galloping boots on then let him stand on the trailer and eat hay until it was time to tack up. When I was hacking up the road to the SJ area I remembered why I love eventers so much. Every single rider I passed along the way smiled and wished me luck. We have such a great community in this sport and while time are changing a bit it is still about good horsemanship and sportsmanship over competition. Fred was very relaxed all the way up the road until we got out of the woods. I asked him to trot as soon as we hit the grass and his head shot up and I felt his whole body tense up. There was a little dip in the path and he slammed on the brakes and tried to whirl around, the little booger! I kicked him firmly forward, which he ignored, so he got a couple of taps behind my leg with my crop. That made him move forward and just as suddenly as it started his little tantrum was over. I know he wasn't afraid of anything, this is just what he does every now and then to test me. He thinks life's quite funny and wants to see if I'll allow him to misbehave. Once we got up to the SJ warmup area he trotted around on the buckle completely relaxed as if nothing had just happened. He warmed up well although I kept seeing long spots. I didn't worry too much about it though because he was forward and relaxed which were my main concerns. Syd was the ring steward and she called me over and said she was sending Sally in the ring and then me.
When we entered the ring he definitely "woke up" a little bit. He got all wide-eyed and snorty as I trotted him in and picked up my left lead canter to approach the first jump. Once we got over the first fence I think he realized what we were doing and settled right down to business. I still need to work on not pulling him around the turns with my inside hand. To the left we're ok but since he's a bit weaker on his right hind we were sort of swinging around the right hand turns with his shounders drifting left. For the most part he clocked right around the course like it was nothing although he did have a peek at the third fence, a good sized oxer with arches underneath it. We jumped clean and other than sort of gunning him to the last oxer I think we had a pretty smooth round.
We headed over to XC next and I had 3 or 4 riders to wait for before it was my turn. At least 2 of the riders before me had refusals so I did start to get a little nervous as I stood there waiting. That quickly disappeared as soon as I got on course. Fred was on fire! I rode every fence like he was going to stop but there was no question. He clocked right around like a pro! I had several people comment to me afterwards about how smooth we looked going around. He'd never jumped a trakehner before and he didn't even hesitate one bit. He cantered right in the water too. I was very very proud, he made it so easy and fun. Fair Hill's course is pretty straightforward because the terrain is so flat so I think we'll enter a recognized event for his next outing and see how he does with that. I think that Training level by the end of the year is definitely doable. We're also going to enter the last 2 YEH in area II and see if we can qualify for the championship since it's right at fair hill this fall.
As if I wasn't already on cloud 9 after our 2 lovely clear rounds, when I got back to the trailer my mom and Jac informed me that I was in FIRST PLACE! Even though I only got a 37.5 on my dressage that was enough to win my division! Not only did my horse totally impress me but he brought home a blue ribbon, can't beat that!
The next few weeks should be interesting as I'll be trying lessons with some new trainers (my new BO and possibly Doug Payne and/or Boyd), XC schooling, going to a jumper show, and plugging away at our dressage work. Stay tuned!
I had about an hour between my dressage and SJ so I went ahead and got his bell boots and galloping boots on then let him stand on the trailer and eat hay until it was time to tack up. When I was hacking up the road to the SJ area I remembered why I love eventers so much. Every single rider I passed along the way smiled and wished me luck. We have such a great community in this sport and while time are changing a bit it is still about good horsemanship and sportsmanship over competition. Fred was very relaxed all the way up the road until we got out of the woods. I asked him to trot as soon as we hit the grass and his head shot up and I felt his whole body tense up. There was a little dip in the path and he slammed on the brakes and tried to whirl around, the little booger! I kicked him firmly forward, which he ignored, so he got a couple of taps behind my leg with my crop. That made him move forward and just as suddenly as it started his little tantrum was over. I know he wasn't afraid of anything, this is just what he does every now and then to test me. He thinks life's quite funny and wants to see if I'll allow him to misbehave. Once we got up to the SJ warmup area he trotted around on the buckle completely relaxed as if nothing had just happened. He warmed up well although I kept seeing long spots. I didn't worry too much about it though because he was forward and relaxed which were my main concerns. Syd was the ring steward and she called me over and said she was sending Sally in the ring and then me.
When we entered the ring he definitely "woke up" a little bit. He got all wide-eyed and snorty as I trotted him in and picked up my left lead canter to approach the first jump. Once we got over the first fence I think he realized what we were doing and settled right down to business. I still need to work on not pulling him around the turns with my inside hand. To the left we're ok but since he's a bit weaker on his right hind we were sort of swinging around the right hand turns with his shounders drifting left. For the most part he clocked right around the course like it was nothing although he did have a peek at the third fence, a good sized oxer with arches underneath it. We jumped clean and other than sort of gunning him to the last oxer I think we had a pretty smooth round.
We headed over to XC next and I had 3 or 4 riders to wait for before it was my turn. At least 2 of the riders before me had refusals so I did start to get a little nervous as I stood there waiting. That quickly disappeared as soon as I got on course. Fred was on fire! I rode every fence like he was going to stop but there was no question. He clocked right around like a pro! I had several people comment to me afterwards about how smooth we looked going around. He'd never jumped a trakehner before and he didn't even hesitate one bit. He cantered right in the water too. I was very very proud, he made it so easy and fun. Fair Hill's course is pretty straightforward because the terrain is so flat so I think we'll enter a recognized event for his next outing and see how he does with that. I think that Training level by the end of the year is definitely doable. We're also going to enter the last 2 YEH in area II and see if we can qualify for the championship since it's right at fair hill this fall.
As if I wasn't already on cloud 9 after our 2 lovely clear rounds, when I got back to the trailer my mom and Jac informed me that I was in FIRST PLACE! Even though I only got a 37.5 on my dressage that was enough to win my division! Not only did my horse totally impress me but he brought home a blue ribbon, can't beat that!
The next few weeks should be interesting as I'll be trying lessons with some new trainers (my new BO and possibly Doug Payne and/or Boyd), XC schooling, going to a jumper show, and plugging away at our dressage work. Stay tuned!
Introduction
My name is Kaity, I'm 22 years old and a full time student at the University of Delaware. I began taking riding lessons when I was 8 and I started eventing when I was 15. My first event horse was Cruz Control. I got him as an 8yr old from Kim Ziegler and he'd been off the track for a year and had done a handfull of novice events. He raced until he was 7 (64 starts!) and was sound as a dollar. I knew next to nothing when I got him but luckily I had recently joined pony club so I had access to quality instruction. Cruz and I had some serious ups and downs over the years but he took me successfully from Beginner Novice to Preliminary in eventing and from my D2 to my C3 in pony club. He was extremely sensitive and particular about what sort of ride he liked, but once I gained his trust he would do absolutely anything for me. I sold Cruz in 2006 to an AA and he is now happily showing her the ropes at Novice.
After I sold Cruz I decided to look for a young horse to bring along. This is when my parents cut me loose financially on the horse front. The deal was that if I sold Cruz, I could keep the money to put towards my riding expenses. My instuctor at the time told me about a friend of hers who was selling a nice 3yr old Hungarian WarmbloodX named Nick. I went to have a look and was very impressed with him. He'd only been under saddle for 6 weeks but he was W/T/C and trotting over poles and a small X. He was nicely put together, a super mover, and extremely quiet. Although he was a bit small for me (15.3hh and I am 5'10"), I decided to go for it and bought him. Once I started having lessons on him it became evident how little he really knew. He also had a somewhat stubborn attitude when asked to work harder than he really wanted to. I remember clearly one lessons where we were doing a gymnastic exercise and he bucked me off not once but TWICE because I was asking him to use his back end a bit more. I did 2 small events with him and it became evident to me that he did not what to be an event horse. He was such a nice mover that he'd win the dressage, but he just had no interest in the cross country. I could barely keep him cantering on course! After working with him for nearly a year I decided to sell him. A friend of mine who does the hunters suggested that I bring him to her trainer as they specialize in selling young hunters. They loved him so I sent him there and in 6 weeks he was sold. He is now successfully competing in the 'A' circuit hunters and his owners absolutely adore him.
After I sold Nick I decided that I would go back to thoroughbreds. I've always loved them and I just think they make the best event horses. My first stop when looking was at Phyllis Dawson's where I tried 7 horses. All of them were 'nice' but nothing really stood out to me. One day I was just scrolling through the ads on Equine.com and a picture of a big chestnut caught my attention. He was big, clean, in good flesh, and stood up nicely to show his conformation. Right away I was impressed with the owner's professionalism to have appropriate photos for her ads. Even though she didn't have any under saddle photos, something about this horse was calling to me so I made the 2 hour drive out to Harrisburg to see him. The first time I saw him go there were some things that I didn't like about him. He didn't have such an impressive trot and he sometimes kicked out when the trainer asked him to canter. For whatever reason I just saw something there. I came out and rode him a second time about a week later and decided that I wanted to have him vetted. The exam went great so I bought him a few days later. Freddy and I have had some ups and downs over the past year and a half including injuries, bad feet, and weight issues, but everything is coming together now. For a while I questioned if my gut feeling about this horse had been right but he is now proving to me that it was.
After I sold Cruz I decided to look for a young horse to bring along. This is when my parents cut me loose financially on the horse front. The deal was that if I sold Cruz, I could keep the money to put towards my riding expenses. My instuctor at the time told me about a friend of hers who was selling a nice 3yr old Hungarian WarmbloodX named Nick. I went to have a look and was very impressed with him. He'd only been under saddle for 6 weeks but he was W/T/C and trotting over poles and a small X. He was nicely put together, a super mover, and extremely quiet. Although he was a bit small for me (15.3hh and I am 5'10"), I decided to go for it and bought him. Once I started having lessons on him it became evident how little he really knew. He also had a somewhat stubborn attitude when asked to work harder than he really wanted to. I remember clearly one lessons where we were doing a gymnastic exercise and he bucked me off not once but TWICE because I was asking him to use his back end a bit more. I did 2 small events with him and it became evident to me that he did not what to be an event horse. He was such a nice mover that he'd win the dressage, but he just had no interest in the cross country. I could barely keep him cantering on course! After working with him for nearly a year I decided to sell him. A friend of mine who does the hunters suggested that I bring him to her trainer as they specialize in selling young hunters. They loved him so I sent him there and in 6 weeks he was sold. He is now successfully competing in the 'A' circuit hunters and his owners absolutely adore him.
After I sold Nick I decided that I would go back to thoroughbreds. I've always loved them and I just think they make the best event horses. My first stop when looking was at Phyllis Dawson's where I tried 7 horses. All of them were 'nice' but nothing really stood out to me. One day I was just scrolling through the ads on Equine.com and a picture of a big chestnut caught my attention. He was big, clean, in good flesh, and stood up nicely to show his conformation. Right away I was impressed with the owner's professionalism to have appropriate photos for her ads. Even though she didn't have any under saddle photos, something about this horse was calling to me so I made the 2 hour drive out to Harrisburg to see him. The first time I saw him go there were some things that I didn't like about him. He didn't have such an impressive trot and he sometimes kicked out when the trainer asked him to canter. For whatever reason I just saw something there. I came out and rode him a second time about a week later and decided that I wanted to have him vetted. The exam went great so I bought him a few days later. Freddy and I have had some ups and downs over the past year and a half including injuries, bad feet, and weight issues, but everything is coming together now. For a while I questioned if my gut feeling about this horse had been right but he is now proving to me that it was.
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