**NOTE** I wrote this post RIGHT after the show and saved in anticipating adding video - sorry, I'm just not going to get around to posting the video. Besides, it was only about 30 secs before the battery died!
Well, Danny had his first ever Dressage show on Sunday. The good news is that he is DEFINITELY a dressage horse. The bad news is that we need to develop a better prep plan because he was NOT the same horse at the show that he is at home. This is okay though - I just need to know that and be able to plan for it. The fact that he was clipped earlier this week and it was like 27 degrees when I got to the farm did not help things I'm sure!
We went for a lesson on Friday and he was out of the world fabulous. My trainer rode him for the first 1/2 of the lesson. I thought it would be good for her to feel what he does and good for him to get a really good school with correct aids. Lastly I thought it would be easier for me once she set him up. I was right on that plan on all counts. She was able to make him move like I have never seen him move before - I actually had chills at one point. It reaffirmed my thoughts that this is really his destiny. After a while of watching I was really getting antsy to get on. In my head I was thinking - ok, my turn...that's good can I try...come on come on me now , me now. She FINALLY gave him back to me and it was great. He was soft, supple and forward. It was so cool to get a connection and feel his back just springing along. I left feeling really prepared for our first show in 2 days.
I had been having second thoughts that maybe it was too soon - mayby we weren't really ready. If Danny was my own horse I wouldn't care so much, but I'm riding him for his owner. He is for sale and it is my responsibility to make sure he is prepared to be successful. So I had some reservations - was he REALLY ready? Did I choose the correct tests (T-2 and T-3)? Could I actually pull this off? You have to keep on mind - Danny is 8 - sometimes he has the attention span of a 4 year old. He was broken and only ridden by his owner for his whole life. All he really knows is how the huunters go. He had been turned out for a WHOLE YEAR until I started riding him in January. Basically, he has only been back in work for about 10 weeks and he is being asked to do things that he has never been asked to do before. So, not too much pressure right??
Showing posts with label dressage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dressage. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
He's a Rock Star!
I mentioned in my first update that I have been given a great opportunity to ride a really nice horse for someone. This is really an unbelievable opportunity because Danny is a really nice horse and this isn't costing me anything other than lessons and showing expenses. AND, the lessons are with my dressage trainer, not someone picked by Danny's owner.
So here is the low down. Mr. D is an 8 yr old KWPN/TB cross from the Concord/Voltaire line. He is a nice big boy toppping out at 16.3 1/2, and a nice mover. He has a wonderful puppy-dog personality and is really very quiet. His problem? He does not like the jumps. In fact, he is convinced that they will eat him. SO....if the jumps will eat you, it makes it difficult to be a show hunter. The solution? Dressage. That's where I come in being the resident DQ at a all hunter/eq barn.
Danny's owner is a top level adult eq rider. She is consistently #1 in our zone and #3 in the country. She horse shows - A LOT - to keep this rank. When Danny decided he was no longer going to entertain her ideas of a hunter for him, she literally "turned him out" and put him at a farm on pasture board for the rest of the show season so she could concentrate on her eq horse. So there he sat, and sat, and sat. All the while eating lush grass and getting fat! The only problem is that Danny is a "people horse". He LOVES attention and LOVES people. While he had pasture buddies, he did not like being away from people. He would harass the poor farm owner at the pasture farm by standing over him as he tried to do fence maintenance, or follow him around when he was throwing hay. Mr. Farm owner felt threatened by this and sent Danny home from "camp" in December (stupid horse). There was now a perfectly nice horse to ride - that NEEDED to be ridden and to find a job - and me, a horseless rider.
D and I have been together now since the first week of January and things have been going well. He has good basics which makes things easy. AND, he generally like having a job and seems VERY happy with he career change. He's clueless sometimes, but a quick study and things have been great. We went for out first lesson with my trainer a few weeks ago and she really liked him. She said we were a well matched and competent pair. She was also able to help me get some really decent work out of him - much more than I get at home. By the end of the lesson we were both exhausted!
This past week, it seems like we took a step backwards. I know, this happens with horses, but I was starting to get REALLY frustrated. I find it more stressful when it is someone else's horse. I feel the need to show that I am always doing a god job and moving him forward. The ultimate goal is to get him in a really nice place and sell him for a nice chunk of change so I do feel a little pressure - imposed strictly by myself - not at all from the owner - but I still feel it. This week I felt like everything was just a fight and the problems were not going away. I was starting to worry that maybe he was too much horse for me.
While discussing this with my friend, she said that she finally figured "it" out with her horse and that she wanted to come try it with Danny to see if it worked on other horses. She came out today. OMG - At first it was ugly - I mean REALLY ugly. Danny was MAD, his stuck his nose in the air, swished his tail and just refused to give in. Now, in this situation I would have said - "oh buddy, what's the matter you don't like this, here how about if I ask this way?" and he would have gotten away with being a butt. Not this time. my friend took up the contact put her hands in one place and put her leg on - and on and on until he finally figured it out to just accept the contact. Surprisingly, the resistance only lasted for about 5 minutes. It seemed like an eternity to me. I was starting to wonder how long I should let it go on before I stepped in - after all, if she really pissed him off, it would be ME who would have to fix it! But seriously, 5 minutes - maybe 7 tops and then this GORGEOUS dressage horse emerged! He was straight, he was supple, he was forward and he was in the contact. I usually get some of these things, but usually not all at the same time! This was amazing and he looked great.
I got on and by now the resistance was totally gone so all I had to do was look pretty - it was great. All of our issues were gone! We have been having a sticky right lead problem - not today. He has been bulgy and a little unbalanced - not today. It was SO exciting. There is a REALLY great dressage horse in there. I just need to learn how to bring it out!
So here is the low down. Mr. D is an 8 yr old KWPN/TB cross from the Concord/Voltaire line. He is a nice big boy toppping out at 16.3 1/2, and a nice mover. He has a wonderful puppy-dog personality and is really very quiet. His problem? He does not like the jumps. In fact, he is convinced that they will eat him. SO....if the jumps will eat you, it makes it difficult to be a show hunter. The solution? Dressage. That's where I come in being the resident DQ at a all hunter/eq barn.
Danny's owner is a top level adult eq rider. She is consistently #1 in our zone and #3 in the country. She horse shows - A LOT - to keep this rank. When Danny decided he was no longer going to entertain her ideas of a hunter for him, she literally "turned him out" and put him at a farm on pasture board for the rest of the show season so she could concentrate on her eq horse. So there he sat, and sat, and sat. All the while eating lush grass and getting fat! The only problem is that Danny is a "people horse". He LOVES attention and LOVES people. While he had pasture buddies, he did not like being away from people. He would harass the poor farm owner at the pasture farm by standing over him as he tried to do fence maintenance, or follow him around when he was throwing hay. Mr. Farm owner felt threatened by this and sent Danny home from "camp" in December (stupid horse). There was now a perfectly nice horse to ride - that NEEDED to be ridden and to find a job - and me, a horseless rider.
D and I have been together now since the first week of January and things have been going well. He has good basics which makes things easy. AND, he generally like having a job and seems VERY happy with he career change. He's clueless sometimes, but a quick study and things have been great. We went for out first lesson with my trainer a few weeks ago and she really liked him. She said we were a well matched and competent pair. She was also able to help me get some really decent work out of him - much more than I get at home. By the end of the lesson we were both exhausted!
This past week, it seems like we took a step backwards. I know, this happens with horses, but I was starting to get REALLY frustrated. I find it more stressful when it is someone else's horse. I feel the need to show that I am always doing a god job and moving him forward. The ultimate goal is to get him in a really nice place and sell him for a nice chunk of change so I do feel a little pressure - imposed strictly by myself - not at all from the owner - but I still feel it. This week I felt like everything was just a fight and the problems were not going away. I was starting to worry that maybe he was too much horse for me.
While discussing this with my friend, she said that she finally figured "it" out with her horse and that she wanted to come try it with Danny to see if it worked on other horses. She came out today. OMG - At first it was ugly - I mean REALLY ugly. Danny was MAD, his stuck his nose in the air, swished his tail and just refused to give in. Now, in this situation I would have said - "oh buddy, what's the matter you don't like this, here how about if I ask this way?" and he would have gotten away with being a butt. Not this time. my friend took up the contact put her hands in one place and put her leg on - and on and on until he finally figured it out to just accept the contact. Surprisingly, the resistance only lasted for about 5 minutes. It seemed like an eternity to me. I was starting to wonder how long I should let it go on before I stepped in - after all, if she really pissed him off, it would be ME who would have to fix it! But seriously, 5 minutes - maybe 7 tops and then this GORGEOUS dressage horse emerged! He was straight, he was supple, he was forward and he was in the contact. I usually get some of these things, but usually not all at the same time! This was amazing and he looked great.
I got on and by now the resistance was totally gone so all I had to do was look pretty - it was great. All of our issues were gone! We have been having a sticky right lead problem - not today. He has been bulgy and a little unbalanced - not today. It was SO exciting. There is a REALLY great dressage horse in there. I just need to learn how to bring it out!
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