In my experience with young horses, when they have as good first show experience as Maverick and I had, it really helps some light bulbs continue for them. Maverick has definitely followed suit in the weeks since his last update here.
The week after the show I did a bit of veterinary work at Maverick and managed some of the common physical pain that comes from getting off the racetrack and starting a new career. We recommend spending the week focusing on some basics. The boy helped us with some of the attitude issues he had under the saddle. He definitely knew that the foundations were very boring for him, but sometimes going back to basics is the best way to solve almost every problem with a horse.
Since then, I’ve split my focus on improving some things in the flat and getting some exposure to some cross-country jumps as I prepare for my first horse ordeal, the Midsouth Pony Club Horse Trials, two weeks later. He answered all the questions I asked him, and then a few so far! There are plenty of places to go for cross-country schooling in Central Kentucky, and Masterson Station is always a favorite of young horses. There are plenty of fence-type options, water intersections, ditches and banks, which are all very appealing and make for a great place to showcase your cross-country ideas to Greenie.
On the first day I took Maverick there. We stuck to the small jump and had a few friends. He didn’t hit his eyes at one thing, and he would always take me to everything I had directed at him. He still wonders that a little when asked to cross the stream, but it’s very understandable and once you’re a little more confident in the water, it doesn’t matter at all.
A few days later we went to Masterson again. This time we took a photo by ourselves and with my friend Daniela Rich. I was really proud that he was brave and pleased that he had no friends there. We once again managed to get past the smallest jumps and thought about how confident he was with those who made him try with some bigger jumps on the novice side of the course. He had little doubts about his height increase. I think he wanted to show off while we had the camera out there, but what really sticks out to me is how easy it all felt to him. He flew around everything like it was a bunch of cross rails and gave me the feeling that he was saying “OK, what’s next” every time. It gives me the confidence to both enter into his first horse trial and look down on the road even after his transformation.
At one point I stretched him and had a good gallop throughout the course, and the boy showed off why the thoroughbreds were so good at the event! The only downside to it is that he got very strong when I asked him to come back. So we probably can’t hit his high gear in the competition yet, but the boy has a lot of gear out there.
Maverick is the most natural athletic horse I’ve ever had the privilege of riding, and it’s both a thrilling and uncomfortable position. It’s thrilling. And it’s uncomfortable for me, much more for me than he does, so it doesn’t ruin it!
From now on, this weekend we will be running a clinic with 5* rider Jenny Brannigan. This is a very exciting opportunity. And the next weekend is the Mid South Pony Club Horstry. I hope there will be good news to share about it in the next update, but as always, my main focus is to give him a good education and a positive experience. If we do well, it’s just that we put the cake on ice at this stage!
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.
