Anyone else had a complete change of direction?

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iconique

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After many years of showing and classical dressage, it looks like my 3 homebreds all want to jump! I'm not a spring chick, so coloured poles is a huge change in direction!
Horses seem to love it, 4yo did really well with prof rider for first outing last week at Weston lawns, recently reschooled gelding looks for jumps and even the oversize pony gets keen when poles go up!
I'm the doubtful, commonly broken rider, who's looking for an excuse not to start jumping and enjoying it - so anyone?
 
I doubt the horses will care about the size of the jumps so just keep it in your comfort zone and have fun. There's a lot you can do just with pole work too.

ETA re the changing direction. I used to wonder at the point of owning a horse just to hack for half hour a few times a week. I went out for hours at all paces, schooled, competed at anything locally just for the day out. Always had goals and plans, and generally worked my socks off. Now I've become one of those who enjoys quiet hacks in beautiful countryside and loves it.
 
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I think we all change direction as our lives change - but this is a change pushed on you by your horses rather than coming to you naturally through the passage of time.

I did have a sort of chnage about 15 years ago when I broke my back - from active competitive riding to being very lucky to be mobile. Not quite the same I absolutely realize but still a change. I think through that and the years that followed I learned that there is always a life with horses even if it wasn't the one you expected or thought you were going to have; and that is you look for positives they will generally find you.

Now - if you have waded through all that cheese first thing on a Sunday morning I guess my point is this... go with it. Have fun and see where it takes you. Perhaps back to jumping yourself. Perhaps to enjoying seeing your horses jump with others. Perhaps somewhere entirely different (Prix Caprilli?). As best you can - enjoy the journey!
 
Pretty much the same as you, I used to go cross country like a bolt of lightning but as the pocket rocket got a bit older we concentrated on classical dressage (other horse was a dressage diva too) now many years later (like 25) a new horse is in the offing and guess what we are going to do? (me now 56) - we are going BE! (but not like a bolt of lightning).
 
Me!!!

In my younger years as a carefree teen I would happily pop a little jump and not think twice. But as an adult having come back to horses I never thought I'd want to do anything but (wannabe) dressage and hacking.

Went to riding club camp last autumn, only booked flatwork lessons. But watched one of the beginner jumping lessons and was seized by a sudden urge!! Managed to get squeezed in to a couple of lessons and before the week was out, was popping little jumps all round the estate farm ride, the xc course and in the ménage. Loved it!!

Since then, for various reasons, we've not been in a position to do any more, but I enrolled for 4 jumping lessons at the riding club arena and had the first one last week. Oh my, what a buzz!!! Other than last autumn at camp it's been 20 yrs since I jumped. My mare has done a very little jumping prior to being with me, but really not a lot. The jumping instructor said maybe we should think about eventing!!

Suddenly whole new horizons have opened up and I'm beyond excited... A picture from our first lesson last week, if I can figure out how to post it...

image_zpsp7z52g28.jpg.html
 
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FrankieCob - thankyou, but how did you do that?? I couldn't even see the link in my post?! I've asked this before but couldn't for life of me get it to work!

OP - great thread, btw..
 
You copy the image address then to post its just

without the spaces

EDITED TO ADD I clicked the failed image in your post and that took me to the actual image on Photobucket :)
 
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