Going into my Thoroughbred transformation, I could not be extra assured in myself than I used to be with Maverick. My final run at Stableview final week was a near-perfect end of fifth place in Newbie Novice, with simply two additional rails on the stadium, one in all which was positively my fault. And I solely acquired rushing a number of instances cross nation. Most significantly, he was very daring and assured on the cross-country and gave me an important feeling for the transformation.
The climate on the check-in day was positively a giant issue. He had already been displaying on the Kentucky Horse Park all summer season, so I made a decision to ship him for a check-in examination after which carry him again to the ranch for a trip in hopes of a rain break that by no means got here. Wednesday morning I let him go to work and dismount for a number of hours on the corral, then take him to the barn in time for his braids earlier than doing the dressage division within the afternoon.
I can not say sufficient about how nice he was in each dressage assessments. His coaching degree take a look at was probably the most correct and relaxed take a look at I’ve ever had, and he positively appeared to understand the additional area of the bigger area. In our demo trip, he was in a position to showcase a number of the lateral actions we have been engaged on, in addition to a lovely medium trot and medium canter in every path. Each autos obtained very respectable scores and nice feedback from the judges.
Thursday was our major focus and that was the day we did the eventing division. He took one other glorious dressage take a look at within the morning, incomes a rating equal to roughly 30.6 factors on the racetrack. That is his highest rating thus far. We have been so completely satisfied to really feel that every one the onerous work we have put into this house has paid off. However by the tip of it, I may inform he was positively beginning to assume I had misplaced my thoughts and took him to a straight dressage present.
The leaping portion of the afternoon was what we have been each trying ahead to probably the most and on the finish of the day we actually went very nicely, minus the 45 seconds which meant we completed the weekend with letters relatively than numbers. He positively warmed up higher than ever and was prepared to leap out of the beginning field and I used to be actually completely satisfied to really feel that as a result of it reveals that he is actually beginning to perceive his job and is having fun with it.
The primary 5 present jumps have been most likely the perfect 5 present jumps he has put collectively since we began competing. After that, he rapidly entered the cross-country section, however his ears instantly went up. He had an important really feel on all his jumps within the first half and jumped off the drop rather well. Sadly, he determined that day that this ditch wasn’t his factor. This was very tough for me. As a result of it is a downside we have spent a whole lot of time engaged on, and we thought we had it solved. We have been unable to cross the ditch, however the organizers allowed us to complete the course. It was nice that it ended nicely for each of us. After all he completed precisely as he began.
Wanting again, it was positively actually irritating as a result of it was a every year present and there have been moments the place I used to be actually hoping the whole lot would work out. I felt much more so once I acquired his scoresheet and noticed that he had been steadily incomes sufficient scores to qualify for the championship. However that is how life is with horses…it retains us humble.
This second jogged my memory how vital it’s to have the proper individuals round you when issues are going nicely, however much more vital when issues will not be going nicely. I walked again towards the place everybody had come to look at, however I knew I used to be too pissed off to speak to everybody at that second, so I veered away from them and my coach, Morgan Hauberg, adopted. It was crucial to me at that second to have somebody who may perceive precisely what I used to be going by as a rider. And one of many first issues she did was inform me I did not do something incorrect and remind me that I used to be nonetheless rider.
I feel most of us on this sport assume the identical means. It is easy to doubt your self when issues aren’t going nicely, so having the assist of somebody who understands that in that second made an enormous distinction. I did tear up a bit of on the best way residence, however by the point I acquired again to the barn, I used to be already cracking jokes and planning to carry it residence.
The following day we went to the little cross nation faculty at Clearview Farm and naturally he jumped over the ditch there like nothing was incorrect. At that second, the ache from the day gone by sharpened just a bit bit, however I felt a lot better in regards to the future. He’ll end the yr on a excessive be aware with yet one more run on the Virginia Horse Trials subsequent weekend, then take a break earlier than heading to Florida after the brand new yr.
Since Thoroughbred’s makeover, I’ve been engaged on placing collectively a video of our journey from the 8 second video after we bought him to the current day. And it was actually cool to see all of it from the start and see how far we have come.
So, whereas the outcomes in the end weren’t what I had hoped for, ultimately I had per week filled with actually massive positives, with only a few dangerous moments in between. I’m so grateful for this journey we now have been on this previous yr. It introduced us a brand new barn household that we completely could not do with out. And I feel we nonetheless have a reasonably vivid future forward of us.
The Jockey Membership helps Many aftercare efforts These embody the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the one accredited physique for aftercare, and the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (TIP), which inspires retraining of Thoroughbreds into different fields on the finish of their careers. See all initiatives supported by the Jockey Membership.
