I can’t believe I’ve already sat down to write our May update! What a busy month. The salesman travels everywhere, sees different circumstances, learns more and more about all the fun and difficult things that show his new job and horse life!
This month, a salesman joined me for a USEA horse trial with one of the other mares, taking part in a trip to Texas Rose Horse Park in Lindale, Texas. Horse Park is a big and lovely venue close by with multiple arenas mimicking the environment of Kentucky Horse Park, where the thoroughbred transformation takes place in October. We had no plans to show it, but we wanted him to have time to come out and take it all in.
There were 20-30 horses busing on the dressage warm-up ring. Golf cart, bike – you’re giving it a name, it continued around him. He settled pretty quickly after being able to find a quiet space in the center of the arena. I have to thank the racetrack as I am sure it’s not the first time he’s ever had a loose horse gallop past him. He hacked into every arena and was able to stand quietly to see everything.
On Sunday we went cross country and the salesman relaxed and started jumping things up with a warm-up. There were some other horses that we joined as we headed to the course and jumped over some things at a higher pace. This was the first time I actually lost this boy’s brain. So we took a step back and returned to basics. The rope halter will charge above the fence, and even above the groove. Once I brought his brain back to full, we continued mount and wrapped it in lovely! It was a schooling that was much longer than I wanted, but sometimes that happens, and whether this is a “plan” or not, it is important to be educational and positive about difficult situations for young horses.
I was confident enough how he treated that weekend and handled him to get into him at the end of May. We continued school in and out of the property throughout the month, realising that this boy did not love water. It can be a difficult “boogeyman” for horses to overcome, but it’s not unusual for them to hehe with the water. Thankfully, we have multiple ponds and streams at home.
This past weekend was his first horse trial at Willoughlow in Weatherford, Texas. And he really stepped up to the plate. Was he perfect? no. But there have been a lot of things that have happened!
On Friday we held a school and hacked around the property as we had never been to this facility. He was chatty because he had taken everything in it, but he was his typical “old soul” self and observer, but relaxed. We are local to the show so he goes home on a Friday night and has the usual turnout. Saturday morning we packed back and returned, and he warmed up incredibly for dressage – relaxed and rhythmic, nice stretches and lots of transitions. He went into the ring and was a little more nervous for the most part, but still heard very attentive. He was a bit quick at times, but still great. He got a 34 in his first test and I was excited.
Back in show jump and cross country he felt he was as prepared as possible, but like all the young horses, he really didn’t know what to expect from their first show until they were in the arena. Say: By jumping on the show, this guy surprised me and impressed me! He warmed up so nicely and jumped nicely. And when we started the course it was clear that this boy really started coming to himself on the fence. He jumped better than I felt him jump into the show ring. With the quiet type, it’s always so much fun to feel them get better and try a little harder than the Shawfence. Did he have some leaves? Yes, but overall he stayed in a nice rhythm and jumped very well. You can’t ask for more in their first round!
I had two horses on the same level so there was no time between the jump phase. So we changed his gear and mine and headed for cross country. The boy coming out of the box was a bit impressed that this was a real deal. One and two of the fences were a bit hairy, but as we carried it around, he got more and more games and started roaming around and popping out the fence in rhythm. Unfortunately, his “boogie man” Water has got him. Even with the option to go around the water, we still had to go near the water to reach ten from the water. He was so worried about the water that he had a baby moment because he wasn’t trapped in the fence 10 fast enough. He swung around and jumped out onto it, taking a lot of time to finish the course strong.
I looked back at the event on Sunday. Where will you go from here, what kind of adjustments you need to make, etc. When I saw all the videos, I was very impressed with the jump flats on his show. He was very happy and confident and jumped with such good effort. I’m not at all angry at his performance in cross country, but I’ve only just made a mistake with a young horse and I’ve begun to wonder if he’ll never succeed in the world of straight show jumps. So now we will play in that field this summer too. The salesman will continue to cross country schools and go to another event in a month. But we also add a jumper show to our schedule and let us see what’s best for him to prepare for a makeover! I want to not only have such a lovely horse under me for a makeover this year, but I also want his owners Gary and Audra to trust me and make this boy shine with the discipline he chose.
Supported by the Jockey Club Many aftercare initiatives It includes the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accredited body in Aftercare, and the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (TIP), which encourages retraining thoroughbred retraining in other areas upon completion of a career. See all initiatives supported by the Jockey Club.
