I adopted this from Fugly's blog:
The Five Horses We Meet in Life
1. The Intro Horse.
We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited. It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…
I don't think I have just one intro horse. It is a mix of books movies and real life horses. My riding life started over 20 years ago at Widmare stables (now defunct - Jake Weigel retired.). There was Beaver, Pitty Patty, Breeze, Sugar, Scotty, George, Hank (the forelockless wonder), Rusty and my favorite, Lady. Run free friends. You are all missed.
2. The Experimental Horse
Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!” and “Wow! Can I try that?” you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…
This would have to be my little Appaloosa gelding, Hart. I bought him when I was 14. He was a yearling. I could never ever repay this little horse for all the things he taught me. He was the first horse I trained all by myself, and he turned out pretty damn well, if I do say so myself. He not only taught me, but he also taught my best friend in high school how to ride. Last I heard, he was teaching more little girls to ride and giving them a taste of the local show circuit.
3. The Connected Horse
The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…
My connected horse would be Alexander. Al, was a 18.2 hand Percheron stallion. I met him when I worked for Spice Creek Percherons. He was 10 when I met him. Over the 2 years I worked with him, I became so connected to him that I could almost ride with my thoughts alone. Al was bought at auction without papers by a guy named Zane. He owed my boss money, so she got Al. Remember the huge controversy in the Percheron Horse Association about selling a horse as grade unless you paid more for the papers? That who fiasco was over my Al. We did eventually get his registration papers without having to pay any more money.
When we got Al, he was the laziest beast I had ever met. He was broke single and double, but had a nasty habit of bucking in harness if you touched him with a whip to encourage him to pull his share. The easiest way to get him over this was to get on his back. I'm not sure if I was the only on gutsy enough to get on him, or if I was the stupid one. Within 2 weeks the bucking stopped and he was moving forward. Within 4 months we were at our first dressage show, scoring 68% on our first training level test.
When I left Spice Creek, I left part of my heart with Al. One day I got a call that he was bitten by a bear tick and was going downhill fast. I made the 2.5 hour drive in a little under an hour and a half. I only got to spend 15 minutes with him before he was put down, but I'm very grateful for those last 15 minutes with the horse that will remain forever in my heart.
4. The Challenger
Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…
^That whole paragraph is Turbo, to a T! He makes the hard things easy and the easy things hard. He is a challenge everyday, although he is getting better as time goes on. When I got him at 10 months of age, he was very...erm...sheltered. There are still a lot of scary things, but he is getting more and more desensitized. He is the horse that I can teach something and the next day, I get the deer in the headlights look when I ask him to do it. I can leave it alone for a week, and in a stroke of brilliance, it all comes back and he does it perfectly. Although he is the most challenging horse I have ever dealt with, he is also the horse I have achieved the greatest sense of accomplishment with.
5. Your Deepest Heart
There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…
Turbo. I love him as much as I love my own flesh and blood daughter. He is my heart and soul.
And Kim's answers:
1. The Intro Horse.
My intro horse or horses I should say were the drafts at the state fair when I was younger. I was impressed by their size. I have to say if my parents would have let me have a pet when I was younger I might not have liked the big drafts so much.
2. The Experimental Horse
That would be Sky. My first time riding or should I say sitting on him while my (now ex) boyfriends mom and sister explained to me how to ride. Sky had other plans such as food. He took off into the barn with me on his back clinging to his side since it was not high enough for me to clear. Into the barn and into his stall and back out when he realized there was no food in there for him yet. Thanks to horse ladies being able to run fast and catch him before we made it past the second stall on the way out. I learned how to stop a horse shortly after.
3. The Connected Horse
I have not had the pleasure as of yet to spend much time around horses. If I had to pick one as of yet it would have to be Princess. Princess is usually happy to see me and will follow me around the pasture all day if you let her. She doesn't like to work, however, and going on trail rides is a bother with her complaining the first mile out. It isn't always enjoyable.
4. The Challenger
This would have to be Vegas. Although a very sweet horse she needed to learn ground manners. She never cared that you were 3 paces behind, she was like I am going and you better keep up. It didn't help that all she knew before was beauty treatments.
5. Your Deepest Heart
Have yet to come by.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Vegas at 30 days under saddle
I was able to get out to the barn (with my camera!) to watch Vegas work. At 30 days, she is doing pretty well at the walk and trot, and the canter is coming. She is progressing though, so I can't complain. :) These pics are from her first time in a dressage saddle. I think she looks pretty good, yes?
And the video:
I'll be back later with more updates!
And the video:
I'll be back later with more updates!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Last night, I rode the wind....
Last night, I rode Vegas for the first time and it was effin AMAZING. I am still in awe of this mare.
She has been under saddle for a week and a half now with CJ. I stopped out at the barn last night to watch her work. I got on her towards the end of the work out just for shits and giggles. I just can't believe that a mare weighing 1400 pounds can be that light on her feet.
I'm looking forward to riding her full time. And to think, for the last 2 weeks I was contemplating selling her because I didn't like her trot. I changed my mind pretty quick last night when I saw her get pushed into a nice working trot! :)
A few pics to share from last week:
Poor sweaty pony!
Vegas in her cozy new fleece cooler.
She has been under saddle for a week and a half now with CJ. I stopped out at the barn last night to watch her work. I got on her towards the end of the work out just for shits and giggles. I just can't believe that a mare weighing 1400 pounds can be that light on her feet.
I'm looking forward to riding her full time. And to think, for the last 2 weeks I was contemplating selling her because I didn't like her trot. I changed my mind pretty quick last night when I saw her get pushed into a nice working trot! :)
A few pics to share from last week:
Poor sweaty pony!
Vegas in her cozy new fleece cooler.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A dream worth dreaming...
Riding By Torchlight
To show or not to show…that is the question.
Please Note: This article first appeared in Horses For Life in Oct 2009, Volume 46
There was a time when I ate, slept, breathed and trained to compete. I was in my late teens and after years of riding school nags, I finally had a competitive horse of my own, to show on a small scene where I got to be a big kahuna. Around that
time I remember hearing about an apparently excellent rider and trainer who refused to show, and I wondered why she bothered to train at all? It almost seemed like a weakness to me then. That thought form is so very foreign to me now, it seems like
surely it belonged to someone else.
Times and people do change. Today I do relate to this trainer I never met, and today I consider it more of a strength than a weakness to prioritize training for the reward it gives in itself and not(nearly) solely for the possibilities of having the
winning ride on the next show day. Less devotion to showing has balanced my idea of training requirements and my agenda, though I guess that could also leave one trying less hard. As always, finding balance is perhaps the biggest challenge of all.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy competing. It's just that now I have many different reasons for getting up every morning and working my horses, and the prospect of taking them to a show is only one of them.
I have no problem with people who train to show, I can still relate to them also, to needing that goal, to needing that edge, to satisfying that competitive spirit. It's what drives anyone to excellence, and for some it is the backbone of self discipline, just knowing that date with a few gallons of Quickbraid and a judge is looming up ahead.
As always, my problem with riders that train primarily to show is what it drives them to do, what compromises in training and their horses well being become as natural as breathing to them. I touched on that state of mind once upon a time, and it very nearly did not have a happy ending for my horse, Tempo, and thus, for me. Along the way, he was always on my conscience like a little gentle burr, just
scratchy enough to cause me second thoughts, not scratchy enough to make me change course before it was nearly too late.
After a successful season of training and campaigning on less than ideal surfaces, Tempo seemed slightly off in one front leg. A thorough examination showed he was in fact sore on all four legs, and the fact that he had showed as well as he did, with barely a lessening of his gaits until after the show season, was all thanks to his stoic personality, his inherently large heart and the kindness within both. The fact that my vet was also my archenemy in the show ring did not help lessen my chagrin. She left no stone unturned in spreading the word that I had beat her in our championship rides on a horse that was basically unsound, but too kind to show it. Or
maybe the judges were biased? My victory seemed much tarnished, and I lost a perfectly good vet to a sore loser.
Despite her efforts to embarrass me, what I remember best was my shame at what I had done to a horse I claimed to love and adore, and what I had not seen happen to him. Photos show that he carried signs of stress around the time of our last competition - he had lost weight and muscle tone, his face looks oddly tired, his eyes have a far away look. Had I just ignored the signs in my determination to be the best, or really not seen the change that came over him? I'm still not sure. But clearly, being the best came at a price, paid in full by my sweet horse.
In retrospect, pretty much all I had done was train hard without the benefit of good arenas. I trained mostly in a grass field that could be rock hard, but since he never braced or tensed up, I thought nothing of it. I lost my temper at times and was too hard on him, and would go home cringing at myself, berating myself for hours, swearing I would never pull on my horses' mouth again. That is, until the
next time my teenage temper took a spill…
The mistakes I made with Tempo haunt me still, and his memory has helped keep me honest over the years, even though my treatment of him left him with no scars, physical or otherwise. My temper tantrums were blessedly few and far between, though they probably escalated in direct proportion to the approaching show date. Tempo was a forgiving fellow and easily recovered from his soreness with a few months off and was back to showing impeccably that fall with his new owner, his sale necessitated by my move to another country.
But can I really blame competition for my mistakes and lack of judgement? Nah. Human nature would be the basic culprit. I've seen trail riders with no agenda other than lurching down the trail savagely beat their horse in the throes of extreme frustration with whatever it is their horse did or did not do. I've known natural horsemanship enthusiasts to drill a horse to exhaustion as insistently as any competition rider. Human nature is quite simply laced with a need to control and a competitive drive that is at times more prevalent than others, and which is applied according to that individuals' personal history, mental makeup and passions.
For some it is about showing dressage, the ultimate cocktail for control freaks with a competitive drive. Jumping and eventing if they have a need for control, finesse, speed and reckless driving. Then there's something like oh, western pleasure. Hm,
maybe we shouldn't even go there, but let's just say this calls for a special blend of control issues, the need to show, and a penchant and pocket book for bling.
So had you asked me some (rather too many) years ago, I would have told you I wanted to ride in the Olympics. Ask me now and I will mutter unintelligibly and offer a non committal shrug. It may just be that I am lazier now. I think 'show' and I think 'Bathing, braiding, cleaning tack, polishing boots, early morning calls, trailering, memorizing tests….do I really need to spend money to do that?'
Or could it be that I wonder if the price might not be too high for someone with my particular set of possibly impossible values (and pocketbook or lack thereof), unless an extraordinary set of circumstances were to occur to allow to me to reach for that pinnacle or even the surrounding peaks while remaining true to myself and my horses. So it's official - I am looking for a sponsor as devoted to the horse and the classical ideals of dressage as I am…Oh my. I think I might be only half kidding. Hmmm. There are after all, a few out there who appear to be pulling it off. Eh? What's that? Oh - never mind I am not yet a Grand Prix rider, small obstacle that. I did say 'not yet.'
But really it may just be that my competitive drive has been much tempered by passion, rather an odd thing that. Doesn't that usually flow the other way? However, when I consider that the competitive arena today appears to be as much if not more, a
political battlefield as a theatre of the arts, I must admit I'd likely be out there putting flowers in their bayonets and singing "Imagine" - with a little luck only slightly out of tune and inserting 'horses' for 'people'. Altogether now: " Imagine all the horsessss…"
That said, I am happy to think that I will be spending more time in the show ring in the future, because I have a few horses I simply have to take out there. They are just too pretty to keep from the public, you know? But my sights are set somewhat
lower for now, like …schooling shows. Yes, a far cry from the international scene, but Rome was not built in one day either, was it? Besides, they are a hell of a
lot cheaper than the recognized kind, especially when you are not sure if your horse will blow up or show up.
It's been a long time since I really gave it a go out there in the show world. I have dabbled in it, a little here, a little there. It's always been good for a
laugh and now and then even a ribbon. But only now do I really have the horsepower to go at it again, and also have the new and added pleasure of taking students who have the urge. But, yeah, it's been awhile.
After selling Tempo, my life took on a transitory nature, always on the move to somewhere else. It left little room for horses never mind the consistent training necessary for showing. Initially, I pursued the golden dream, and put in some 8 months at a sales barn that very nearly killed my love of riding and showing for good. I walked away thinking "If this it what it takes to make it in this world, I am not cut out for it."
It seemed as much as this place actually tried to give the horses a decent life, the hardcore training dimmed all joy and beat the life out of them, not to mention the staff. At eight months, I had still lasted longer than any other groom they had had, barring the headgroom, who largely contributed to the constantly revolving line of grooms. But worst were the young horses already injured, and already losing the battle with a life that left them devoid of spirit. I just couldn't carry on down that road. I felt lost, my dream dispersed like so much confetti from a burst balloon.
For some years I drifted, at a loss without horses, but unwilling and unsure of how to mend a broken dream. When life finally brought me full circle and back to my true love of training, with or without show, I was almost afraid to get back in touch with
the competitive edge. It actually hindered a full effort the first few times out, as if I thought that if I tried a little less hard to get it right, if I laughed off mistakes and didn't correct them, I was keeping a safe distance from the honed sliver of steel that was my competitive nerve.
Now that I had found a purity of passion in training for the sake of the horse and not ribbons, it seemed a return to competition might tarnish my resolve. In other words, I didn't trust myself to not blow it again and lose sight of the Holy Grail for all the smoke of pride and glory. And along came Torchlight.
In a way Torchlight helped put the last nail in the grander than life dreams, and I am grateful for it. Because hiding behind my fear of the ambitious self was still the core of those dreams, and they were based on pride and glory, fame and exaltedness. The source of those dreams was the raging ego looking for recognition and signs that worthiness was secured. Well, there was no way Torchlight was here
to help me pave THAT road. No matter how many pity parties I threw myself, that would not change.
Instead he forced me to look for alternate routes,along which many lessons, some ad nauseum, have been learnt. Ultimately, by giving up on dreams of his fabulous dressage career, I gave up on my larger than life dreams and got real. And when I got real, I found I could still dream, and the dreams could be as big and tall and grand as I ordered them to be, but at the base was and is always my love for the real thing.
My dreams are now grounded in my love of the horse himself, and in dressage. What real dressage offers and consolidates and creates - a partnership wherein you stumble and you toil and you sweat and hopefully, more times than not you get to dance and even laugh a lot. And climb a great many mountains that may only matter to you, or may play out in bigger arenas under the gaze of many judges, but still, at the end of the day, the only look that matters is still that of your horse as you approach him.
Because a show ride is still just another training ride - with a little more edge and a few nerves thrown in for good measure. But still, the focus is on what do we learn today. Yeah, you got up indecently early, you used spit and polish and your fingers are sore from braiding, you spent money about which you wonder if it couldn't have been better spent, like, say, on a haircut, but hey - it was nice to get out and test your relationship and ride in another ring and wear that expensive show coat for a change, and that's what hair nets are for.
But there is still the big scene out there, to cause me to ask questions as to how big I really want to dream. Now we are all agog at the latest dressage wonder, the fabulous Moorland Totilas and Edward Gal in the saddle. No wonder, what a gorgeous pair. Have we ever and will we ever see a horse like this again? Was there ever a more elegant and technically superior rider? Admittedly, I have been an admirer of
Edward Gals' riding since I first saw him ride Lingh.
But like the grey mare Matinee, I wonder at some signs indicative of gaping holes in Totilas' training, the disjointed and bizarre extended trot for example. It's as if the horse performing up till then is one horse, to be replaced by two for that particular movement. To me, it seems like two different horses come strutting across the arena with only the rider in the middle to keep them still arriving at the corner
simultaneously. I wonder at the always slightly left behind left hindleg, the shortened neck with a clenched throatlatch that rarely sees daylight, the low poll and the curb that never seems to ease up. And I wonder how long this incredible horse will last. And this is all before I consider that last I heard, Edward
Gal was training with Anky van Grunsven. Rollkur, anyone?
I have no doubt whatsoever that Totilas receives the best of everything and no, I couldn't do what Edward Gal does. The point is, would I want to even if I could? That extended trot reeks of Rollkur, with it's disproportionate and overdeveloped foreleg action while the hindleg takes an extended vacation, pun intended.
Somehow, like Anky and others of that ilk, and assuming if one rides with Anky, one rides with Rollkur, Mr.Gal manages to marry the despicable Rollkur with technical brilliance and astounding performances that belie the gaps.
But I have eyes in my head. And they tell me I wouldn't want to have done what it took to get that horse there today, 9's and 10's notwithstanding. They tell me more than sound dressage training is at play here. More than ever, Totilas demonstrates how hard it can be to separate breeding from training, panache from true form. And truly - I'd still really like to be able to look that good on a horse. Any horse.
Yet I wonder, is that really all dressage is about today? Record scores and go for the gold? And could I fall under its' spell again? Nah, even as I write that, I know those days are gone. With Tempo and Torchlights' help I kicked them to the curb and
kicked them good. They were swept up and thrown out with yesterdays' trash.
Now I know 'they' say classical doesn't show and it doesn't win. But there are enough classical riders out there, at the top of their game and making their way to the tops of the ranks to give me hope. And what is classical but a correctly trained horse who stands the test of time? As I was once told, I am painfully patient, and I have time.
A friend of mine told me about her trainer who is also a judge back in Denmark. She is a staunch believer in what would basically be the German classical ideals and a superb technician with a to die for position. Yet she despises being called classical - it's practically an insult to her.
Because to her it signifies a difference between competition dressage and her dressage that should not exist. When a spectator watching her warm up at a
show asked if she was a classical rider, she about spat in her face. 'I am a dressage rider.' she responded through clenched teeth. Did I mention she is
apparently not a very popular judge in her homeland? Because she holds no punches no matter who you are and what you ride, and she does not hold with any political correctness either. A spade is a spade and the horse is trained correctly or it's not, and she will tell you either way. We need more judges like her.
But whoever the judge, I know we need to get out there and demonstrate that yes, classical shows and it succeeds. How else will anyone new to the sport or looking for an alternative know we're here? Classical can't just hide in our back yards anymore. We owe it to horses everywhere to swallow our fears or pride or whatever is holding us back and get out in front, even if it's just a schooling show. And I know
now how I will make it work for me.
When I go to show now, I go to have a day out with my horse, a day to test our partnership and our work to date, a day where I hope and intend to excel but will face the judge with my horse and take it as it comes. I will ride down centerline with my competitive edge firmly in hand (if perhaps, not my horse), side by side with my passion for the purpose of our training, and always with my horses' well being first and foremost in my heart.
Now that's a dream worth dreaming, and one that can take you just about - anywhere…
To show or not to show…that is the question.
Please Note: This article first appeared in Horses For Life in Oct 2009, Volume 46
There was a time when I ate, slept, breathed and trained to compete. I was in my late teens and after years of riding school nags, I finally had a competitive horse of my own, to show on a small scene where I got to be a big kahuna. Around that
time I remember hearing about an apparently excellent rider and trainer who refused to show, and I wondered why she bothered to train at all? It almost seemed like a weakness to me then. That thought form is so very foreign to me now, it seems like
surely it belonged to someone else.
Times and people do change. Today I do relate to this trainer I never met, and today I consider it more of a strength than a weakness to prioritize training for the reward it gives in itself and not(nearly) solely for the possibilities of having the
winning ride on the next show day. Less devotion to showing has balanced my idea of training requirements and my agenda, though I guess that could also leave one trying less hard. As always, finding balance is perhaps the biggest challenge of all.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy competing. It's just that now I have many different reasons for getting up every morning and working my horses, and the prospect of taking them to a show is only one of them.
I have no problem with people who train to show, I can still relate to them also, to needing that goal, to needing that edge, to satisfying that competitive spirit. It's what drives anyone to excellence, and for some it is the backbone of self discipline, just knowing that date with a few gallons of Quickbraid and a judge is looming up ahead.
As always, my problem with riders that train primarily to show is what it drives them to do, what compromises in training and their horses well being become as natural as breathing to them. I touched on that state of mind once upon a time, and it very nearly did not have a happy ending for my horse, Tempo, and thus, for me. Along the way, he was always on my conscience like a little gentle burr, just
scratchy enough to cause me second thoughts, not scratchy enough to make me change course before it was nearly too late.
After a successful season of training and campaigning on less than ideal surfaces, Tempo seemed slightly off in one front leg. A thorough examination showed he was in fact sore on all four legs, and the fact that he had showed as well as he did, with barely a lessening of his gaits until after the show season, was all thanks to his stoic personality, his inherently large heart and the kindness within both. The fact that my vet was also my archenemy in the show ring did not help lessen my chagrin. She left no stone unturned in spreading the word that I had beat her in our championship rides on a horse that was basically unsound, but too kind to show it. Or
maybe the judges were biased? My victory seemed much tarnished, and I lost a perfectly good vet to a sore loser.
Despite her efforts to embarrass me, what I remember best was my shame at what I had done to a horse I claimed to love and adore, and what I had not seen happen to him. Photos show that he carried signs of stress around the time of our last competition - he had lost weight and muscle tone, his face looks oddly tired, his eyes have a far away look. Had I just ignored the signs in my determination to be the best, or really not seen the change that came over him? I'm still not sure. But clearly, being the best came at a price, paid in full by my sweet horse.
In retrospect, pretty much all I had done was train hard without the benefit of good arenas. I trained mostly in a grass field that could be rock hard, but since he never braced or tensed up, I thought nothing of it. I lost my temper at times and was too hard on him, and would go home cringing at myself, berating myself for hours, swearing I would never pull on my horses' mouth again. That is, until the
next time my teenage temper took a spill…
The mistakes I made with Tempo haunt me still, and his memory has helped keep me honest over the years, even though my treatment of him left him with no scars, physical or otherwise. My temper tantrums were blessedly few and far between, though they probably escalated in direct proportion to the approaching show date. Tempo was a forgiving fellow and easily recovered from his soreness with a few months off and was back to showing impeccably that fall with his new owner, his sale necessitated by my move to another country.
But can I really blame competition for my mistakes and lack of judgement? Nah. Human nature would be the basic culprit. I've seen trail riders with no agenda other than lurching down the trail savagely beat their horse in the throes of extreme frustration with whatever it is their horse did or did not do. I've known natural horsemanship enthusiasts to drill a horse to exhaustion as insistently as any competition rider. Human nature is quite simply laced with a need to control and a competitive drive that is at times more prevalent than others, and which is applied according to that individuals' personal history, mental makeup and passions.
For some it is about showing dressage, the ultimate cocktail for control freaks with a competitive drive. Jumping and eventing if they have a need for control, finesse, speed and reckless driving. Then there's something like oh, western pleasure. Hm,
maybe we shouldn't even go there, but let's just say this calls for a special blend of control issues, the need to show, and a penchant and pocket book for bling.
So had you asked me some (rather too many) years ago, I would have told you I wanted to ride in the Olympics. Ask me now and I will mutter unintelligibly and offer a non committal shrug. It may just be that I am lazier now. I think 'show' and I think 'Bathing, braiding, cleaning tack, polishing boots, early morning calls, trailering, memorizing tests….do I really need to spend money to do that?'
Or could it be that I wonder if the price might not be too high for someone with my particular set of possibly impossible values (and pocketbook or lack thereof), unless an extraordinary set of circumstances were to occur to allow to me to reach for that pinnacle or even the surrounding peaks while remaining true to myself and my horses. So it's official - I am looking for a sponsor as devoted to the horse and the classical ideals of dressage as I am…Oh my. I think I might be only half kidding. Hmmm. There are after all, a few out there who appear to be pulling it off. Eh? What's that? Oh - never mind I am not yet a Grand Prix rider, small obstacle that. I did say 'not yet.'
But really it may just be that my competitive drive has been much tempered by passion, rather an odd thing that. Doesn't that usually flow the other way? However, when I consider that the competitive arena today appears to be as much if not more, a
political battlefield as a theatre of the arts, I must admit I'd likely be out there putting flowers in their bayonets and singing "Imagine" - with a little luck only slightly out of tune and inserting 'horses' for 'people'. Altogether now: " Imagine all the horsessss…"
That said, I am happy to think that I will be spending more time in the show ring in the future, because I have a few horses I simply have to take out there. They are just too pretty to keep from the public, you know? But my sights are set somewhat
lower for now, like …schooling shows. Yes, a far cry from the international scene, but Rome was not built in one day either, was it? Besides, they are a hell of a
lot cheaper than the recognized kind, especially when you are not sure if your horse will blow up or show up.
It's been a long time since I really gave it a go out there in the show world. I have dabbled in it, a little here, a little there. It's always been good for a
laugh and now and then even a ribbon. But only now do I really have the horsepower to go at it again, and also have the new and added pleasure of taking students who have the urge. But, yeah, it's been awhile.
After selling Tempo, my life took on a transitory nature, always on the move to somewhere else. It left little room for horses never mind the consistent training necessary for showing. Initially, I pursued the golden dream, and put in some 8 months at a sales barn that very nearly killed my love of riding and showing for good. I walked away thinking "If this it what it takes to make it in this world, I am not cut out for it."
It seemed as much as this place actually tried to give the horses a decent life, the hardcore training dimmed all joy and beat the life out of them, not to mention the staff. At eight months, I had still lasted longer than any other groom they had had, barring the headgroom, who largely contributed to the constantly revolving line of grooms. But worst were the young horses already injured, and already losing the battle with a life that left them devoid of spirit. I just couldn't carry on down that road. I felt lost, my dream dispersed like so much confetti from a burst balloon.
For some years I drifted, at a loss without horses, but unwilling and unsure of how to mend a broken dream. When life finally brought me full circle and back to my true love of training, with or without show, I was almost afraid to get back in touch with
the competitive edge. It actually hindered a full effort the first few times out, as if I thought that if I tried a little less hard to get it right, if I laughed off mistakes and didn't correct them, I was keeping a safe distance from the honed sliver of steel that was my competitive nerve.
Now that I had found a purity of passion in training for the sake of the horse and not ribbons, it seemed a return to competition might tarnish my resolve. In other words, I didn't trust myself to not blow it again and lose sight of the Holy Grail for all the smoke of pride and glory. And along came Torchlight.
In a way Torchlight helped put the last nail in the grander than life dreams, and I am grateful for it. Because hiding behind my fear of the ambitious self was still the core of those dreams, and they were based on pride and glory, fame and exaltedness. The source of those dreams was the raging ego looking for recognition and signs that worthiness was secured. Well, there was no way Torchlight was here
to help me pave THAT road. No matter how many pity parties I threw myself, that would not change.
Instead he forced me to look for alternate routes,along which many lessons, some ad nauseum, have been learnt. Ultimately, by giving up on dreams of his fabulous dressage career, I gave up on my larger than life dreams and got real. And when I got real, I found I could still dream, and the dreams could be as big and tall and grand as I ordered them to be, but at the base was and is always my love for the real thing.
My dreams are now grounded in my love of the horse himself, and in dressage. What real dressage offers and consolidates and creates - a partnership wherein you stumble and you toil and you sweat and hopefully, more times than not you get to dance and even laugh a lot. And climb a great many mountains that may only matter to you, or may play out in bigger arenas under the gaze of many judges, but still, at the end of the day, the only look that matters is still that of your horse as you approach him.
Because a show ride is still just another training ride - with a little more edge and a few nerves thrown in for good measure. But still, the focus is on what do we learn today. Yeah, you got up indecently early, you used spit and polish and your fingers are sore from braiding, you spent money about which you wonder if it couldn't have been better spent, like, say, on a haircut, but hey - it was nice to get out and test your relationship and ride in another ring and wear that expensive show coat for a change, and that's what hair nets are for.
But there is still the big scene out there, to cause me to ask questions as to how big I really want to dream. Now we are all agog at the latest dressage wonder, the fabulous Moorland Totilas and Edward Gal in the saddle. No wonder, what a gorgeous pair. Have we ever and will we ever see a horse like this again? Was there ever a more elegant and technically superior rider? Admittedly, I have been an admirer of
Edward Gals' riding since I first saw him ride Lingh.
But like the grey mare Matinee, I wonder at some signs indicative of gaping holes in Totilas' training, the disjointed and bizarre extended trot for example. It's as if the horse performing up till then is one horse, to be replaced by two for that particular movement. To me, it seems like two different horses come strutting across the arena with only the rider in the middle to keep them still arriving at the corner
simultaneously. I wonder at the always slightly left behind left hindleg, the shortened neck with a clenched throatlatch that rarely sees daylight, the low poll and the curb that never seems to ease up. And I wonder how long this incredible horse will last. And this is all before I consider that last I heard, Edward
Gal was training with Anky van Grunsven. Rollkur, anyone?
I have no doubt whatsoever that Totilas receives the best of everything and no, I couldn't do what Edward Gal does. The point is, would I want to even if I could? That extended trot reeks of Rollkur, with it's disproportionate and overdeveloped foreleg action while the hindleg takes an extended vacation, pun intended.
Somehow, like Anky and others of that ilk, and assuming if one rides with Anky, one rides with Rollkur, Mr.Gal manages to marry the despicable Rollkur with technical brilliance and astounding performances that belie the gaps.
But I have eyes in my head. And they tell me I wouldn't want to have done what it took to get that horse there today, 9's and 10's notwithstanding. They tell me more than sound dressage training is at play here. More than ever, Totilas demonstrates how hard it can be to separate breeding from training, panache from true form. And truly - I'd still really like to be able to look that good on a horse. Any horse.
Yet I wonder, is that really all dressage is about today? Record scores and go for the gold? And could I fall under its' spell again? Nah, even as I write that, I know those days are gone. With Tempo and Torchlights' help I kicked them to the curb and
kicked them good. They were swept up and thrown out with yesterdays' trash.
Now I know 'they' say classical doesn't show and it doesn't win. But there are enough classical riders out there, at the top of their game and making their way to the tops of the ranks to give me hope. And what is classical but a correctly trained horse who stands the test of time? As I was once told, I am painfully patient, and I have time.
A friend of mine told me about her trainer who is also a judge back in Denmark. She is a staunch believer in what would basically be the German classical ideals and a superb technician with a to die for position. Yet she despises being called classical - it's practically an insult to her.
Because to her it signifies a difference between competition dressage and her dressage that should not exist. When a spectator watching her warm up at a
show asked if she was a classical rider, she about spat in her face. 'I am a dressage rider.' she responded through clenched teeth. Did I mention she is
apparently not a very popular judge in her homeland? Because she holds no punches no matter who you are and what you ride, and she does not hold with any political correctness either. A spade is a spade and the horse is trained correctly or it's not, and she will tell you either way. We need more judges like her.
But whoever the judge, I know we need to get out there and demonstrate that yes, classical shows and it succeeds. How else will anyone new to the sport or looking for an alternative know we're here? Classical can't just hide in our back yards anymore. We owe it to horses everywhere to swallow our fears or pride or whatever is holding us back and get out in front, even if it's just a schooling show. And I know
now how I will make it work for me.
When I go to show now, I go to have a day out with my horse, a day to test our partnership and our work to date, a day where I hope and intend to excel but will face the judge with my horse and take it as it comes. I will ride down centerline with my competitive edge firmly in hand (if perhaps, not my horse), side by side with my passion for the purpose of our training, and always with my horses' well being first and foremost in my heart.
Now that's a dream worth dreaming, and one that can take you just about - anywhere…
Monday, November 2, 2009
Turbo goes to the beach!
Ok, well not really. A person I met on one of the forums I frequent did some pretty cool photo editing for me.
Original picture:
There was a lot I didn't like about this picture. I liked how Turbo looked, but I hated the background and the obnoxious white lead rode. I tried editing it myself, but I am truly Photoshop handicapped!
Edited picture:
Check out www.equinewoods.com. She does all kinds of different stuff, including digital painting of your horse.
Original picture:
There was a lot I didn't like about this picture. I liked how Turbo looked, but I hated the background and the obnoxious white lead rode. I tried editing it myself, but I am truly Photoshop handicapped!
Edited picture:
Check out www.equinewoods.com. She does all kinds of different stuff, including digital painting of your horse.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Meet Turbo
I met Turbo for the first time on March 17th, 2008. Ha, I just realized that is the birthday of my first horse, Hart. Coincidence?
Anyway, I got an email out of the blue from his breeder wondering of I had found a suitable prospect yet. I had gone to her barn a year prior to look at another horse she had for sale. I emailed back and told her that no, I hadn't found anything that had caught my eye. She emailed back with pictures of Turbo, and the rest is history.
Here are a couple of pics from when I went to see him a few days later.
And my favorite "Omg what was that?!" look -
Turbo was quite a handful when I got him. He was nippy, pushy and ultra nervous. I found out later that the nervousness was from the owner of the barn he was at back then. He was an old wanna be cowboy who thought it was fun to jump at him and make him flinch. He also was scared of Turbo to the point that he wouldn't lead him into his stall. Instead, he'd open his stall door and chase him in with a whip. He thought the way to handle a scared yearling was to muscle him around. That doesn't work with a draft horses baby that is bigger than your full grown Quarter Horses! The final straw was stopping out one day and finding Turbo in his stall, in 2 feet of manure HOBBLED. And why did he hobble a yearling? Because he didn't like how Turbo moved away from him when he would come in his stall. DUH YOU FLIPPIN' PSYCHO! YOU BEAT HIM WITH A WHIP! End rant.
Turbo with Rachael as a yearling in the summer -
Scary plastic bag!
Turbo moved to his new barn and has come a long way. He doesn't freak out when there is a loud noise, he respects whips without being afraid of them, he is no longer pushy or nippy, and he is just a nice horse to be around.
He had a rough time after his gelding in February of 09. He was already too big to do an on the farm gelding, so it was off to the vet clinic for gelding on the tilt table. On the bright side, he loaded and unloaded like a champ!
Turbo at the vet clinic January 09 -
Turbo in the indoor arena, January 09. Sorry for the blurry pics!
We worked Turbo 2 times a week free lunging in the arena so he could learn voice cues. He also wore a bridle most days to get used to carrying a bit, and he also sometimes wore a surcingle.
Pics from March 09 -
Silly Turbo after a workout -
Enter Vegas:
Turbo was a holy terror to the other horses at the barn. They were scared of him, not only because of his size, but also because of how rough he wanted to play. He towers over the other horses at the barn, which are mostly Arabians, Morabs, and Quarter Horses. He is the tallest, followed by Vegas. The tallest gelding that he went out with is about 15.2 with shoes on. Turbo needed a playmate that was big enough to defend themselves, fast enough to get away if need be, and dominate enough to put him in his place. Vegas is all of the above. :)
Turbo catches on to the excitement in the barn the day Vegas arrives. He likes to chew on the cross ties when he is bored or nervous.
Out with Vegas -
Mom, did you see that? She was mean to me!
Vegas has done her job well. She did more "training" in 2 weeks than I could have done in 2 months. Turbo is a pretty well behaved young horse now. He surprised me the other day. He is usually antsy in the cross ties after about 10 minutes if he is not the center of attention. I had him in the cross ties this week and was having a conversation with the woman who will be starting Vegas under saddle. We talked for about 30 minutes, and Turbo stood like a gentleman the whole time. My baby is growing up!
Here are the most recent pics of took of him in September -
Kim and Turbo share a moment -
We sticked him shortly after her cut his leg at 17.3 hands (and he's butt high, AGAIN!). The vet medicated him using 1800 pounds as a guideline. I'm looking for a new blanket for him, and I'm searching in the 94" - 96" range.
Turbo will soon start ground driving, but for the most part he is just left alone to be a horse while he grows up. Depending on his growth (we expect he will be around 18.2 or 18.3) we may start him under saddle in the fall of his 3 year old year (fall of 2010.) I'll keep updating!
Anyway, I got an email out of the blue from his breeder wondering of I had found a suitable prospect yet. I had gone to her barn a year prior to look at another horse she had for sale. I emailed back and told her that no, I hadn't found anything that had caught my eye. She emailed back with pictures of Turbo, and the rest is history.
Here are a couple of pics from when I went to see him a few days later.
And my favorite "Omg what was that?!" look -
Turbo was quite a handful when I got him. He was nippy, pushy and ultra nervous. I found out later that the nervousness was from the owner of the barn he was at back then. He was an old wanna be cowboy who thought it was fun to jump at him and make him flinch. He also was scared of Turbo to the point that he wouldn't lead him into his stall. Instead, he'd open his stall door and chase him in with a whip. He thought the way to handle a scared yearling was to muscle him around. That doesn't work with a draft horses baby that is bigger than your full grown Quarter Horses! The final straw was stopping out one day and finding Turbo in his stall, in 2 feet of manure HOBBLED. And why did he hobble a yearling? Because he didn't like how Turbo moved away from him when he would come in his stall. DUH YOU FLIPPIN' PSYCHO! YOU BEAT HIM WITH A WHIP! End rant.
Turbo with Rachael as a yearling in the summer -
Scary plastic bag!
Turbo moved to his new barn and has come a long way. He doesn't freak out when there is a loud noise, he respects whips without being afraid of them, he is no longer pushy or nippy, and he is just a nice horse to be around.
He had a rough time after his gelding in February of 09. He was already too big to do an on the farm gelding, so it was off to the vet clinic for gelding on the tilt table. On the bright side, he loaded and unloaded like a champ!
Turbo at the vet clinic January 09 -
Turbo in the indoor arena, January 09. Sorry for the blurry pics!
We worked Turbo 2 times a week free lunging in the arena so he could learn voice cues. He also wore a bridle most days to get used to carrying a bit, and he also sometimes wore a surcingle.
Pics from March 09 -
Silly Turbo after a workout -
Enter Vegas:
Turbo was a holy terror to the other horses at the barn. They were scared of him, not only because of his size, but also because of how rough he wanted to play. He towers over the other horses at the barn, which are mostly Arabians, Morabs, and Quarter Horses. He is the tallest, followed by Vegas. The tallest gelding that he went out with is about 15.2 with shoes on. Turbo needed a playmate that was big enough to defend themselves, fast enough to get away if need be, and dominate enough to put him in his place. Vegas is all of the above. :)
Turbo catches on to the excitement in the barn the day Vegas arrives. He likes to chew on the cross ties when he is bored or nervous.
Out with Vegas -
Mom, did you see that? She was mean to me!
Vegas has done her job well. She did more "training" in 2 weeks than I could have done in 2 months. Turbo is a pretty well behaved young horse now. He surprised me the other day. He is usually antsy in the cross ties after about 10 minutes if he is not the center of attention. I had him in the cross ties this week and was having a conversation with the woman who will be starting Vegas under saddle. We talked for about 30 minutes, and Turbo stood like a gentleman the whole time. My baby is growing up!
Here are the most recent pics of took of him in September -
Kim and Turbo share a moment -
We sticked him shortly after her cut his leg at 17.3 hands (and he's butt high, AGAIN!). The vet medicated him using 1800 pounds as a guideline. I'm looking for a new blanket for him, and I'm searching in the 94" - 96" range.
Turbo will soon start ground driving, but for the most part he is just left alone to be a horse while he grows up. Depending on his growth (we expect he will be around 18.2 or 18.3) we may start him under saddle in the fall of his 3 year old year (fall of 2010.) I'll keep updating!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)