Cudo's continuing adventures in America

[BunnyDog]

I've so enjoyed following your search for a horse, and hearing about the differences (and OMG the prices) between the UK and USA, and following Cudo's epic journey over to you too.

I'm just a few miles from where you found Cudo - what a lovely horse he is- I'm so looking forward to seeing how you do with him once you'e competing, and generally, and wish you every success with him.

Awww that's so kind. Thank you, truly.

We're going to be a bit delayed from showing as of all things, the day after Cudo arrived at the barn there was a normal pony club lesson where there are horses shipped in, to our indoor (never set foot in the barn). Well unfortunately one of those horses came from a barn where another horse in the barn came down with EHV1 (the herpes virus) after that. Now, the sick horse and the lesson horse have never interacted, never been stabled near one another, never turned out near one another. That said, we are all locked down. So Cudo is going nowhere until everyone says we're clear to move about the region safely again. The pluses are that Cudo is vaccinated, has had normal temperatures and is thriving all around. If anything it reminds me to take my time and build our relationship in the peace and quiet of home and set out showing when we're together and more prepared. That said as he's been a bit spooky I'm just wishing to be able to go to a few other farms and let him see things and hopefully get the shock and awe of American jumps, rings and different settings down a few notches. But that can wait.

He's getting shod for the first time here today. We're going to try to very carefully start to give him some heel support as his current shoes are setup with his heels dangling off in space. Now we all recognize that he's sound with these and we don't want to do any massive changes.... just slight tweaks that should help him going forward. Fingers crossed that it helps.

I have a dressage lesson scheduled for next Thursday so that should be fun. And tomorrow I am going to the clinic I was supposed to be riding in with my old coach, Jimmy Wofford, and I will help set fences for a few hours and bring the lessons home to Cudo. No surprise, I sent Jimmy the videos of Cudo and he really likes him. So that's pretty cool.

Em

 

[Chuffy99]

What made me smile was in this metric age all the jump heights in that schedule are in good old feet and inches, loving this journey

 

[McFluff]

He is one seriously nice horse. Wishing you both a fun and successful journey together. It’s lovely seeing your updates and the differences over the pond.

 

[BunnyDog]

So we had a snow day here today. Roughly 6-8" in our area. So John and I didn't have to go to work so eventually we made our way to the barn. Thanks to the great design of the barn (Built by a dressage couple from Denmark) the indoor is attached to the barn. So it was easy to ride....once we got him in from the field. That was heavy trekking in wind blown piles of up to 12".

So today we worked on more trotting of jumps and using small fences to work on consistency and and give me time (and a hubby shooting videos) to work on my position issues.

The video is here:

https://youtu.be/AyWh-Ss1wkg

Still pics to come but I will share those too once I get them online.

It's coming together and he's just a lovely guy. Even if I did fall off yesterday thanks to a loose girth. (UGH)

Em

 

[BunnyDog]

Link to still pics.

Very thankful to my awesome photographer hubby!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/xctrygirl/albums/72157665631111158

Emily

 

[j1ffy]

He looks great, very calm and relaxed over those fences. I still love him! Fantastic photos too

 

[BunnyDog]

Hi Everyone....

I'm trying not to update too much for fear of driving everyone crazy with minutiae amid barely any news.

Cudo is doing well, he gets to meet my trainer/coach this Thursday in a clinic settling (group lessons) at an indoor down the street from us.

Over the past month he has been improving steadily. We have moved from Phillip's barn, not to my barn as planned, but to a barn halfway to my barn. Why? Because we got 9" of snow on the Wednesday of the week we had to leave Phillips!!!! My ring won't hold up for that and with freezing temps every night it's either too wet or too hard to reliably ride in. So we moved Cudo a whopping 2 miles from my barn halfway from Phillips. But before we did, when he loaded on my trailer it was the first time that he'd been able to go anywhere since his arrival and the unfortunate quarantine from the EHV1 exposed horse that had used the indoor. So off we went to play in the indoor where the clinic will be this week. The fences in the ring were built with the small standards and all had jump fillers. That was fine by me. Low and slow confidence building has never been a bad idea. Though he will be in the 1.10m group at the clinic this week.

He shipped like a star, was grand in the ring and really came ready to play. As luck would have it couple friends showed up to school at the same time so it was great to watch him go and then wait and then go again. He's always a star and only had one stop looking at a filler shaped like a fox. All good, stormed right over on the second asking and I don't blame him. I likely under rode it given that he's jumped NO filler in America before this point. Sadly I do not have video of this ride.

We have an album of pics on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ElCuadorHorse/posts/1984159451826311

After we schooled we took him to his new (temporary) home and he settled in quite well. He's turned out with quite possibly the world's cutest mini, "Cassanova." I was told by his owner Lauren that he'd been turned out with a mini in England. And indeed he seems more animated and playful in the field with the mini. I posted 3 pics of the two of them and now I am being 'pushed' to steal the little guy when we move to my barn. LOL. I mentioned this to the barn owner and she said "Oh we could probably make a deal!" Oh lord..... I Attached a pic here: https://flic.kr/p/25u9xGE

I have a friend coming to the clinic to get some video, so hopefully I will be able to throw something on YouTube Thursday sometime.

That's all the news for now. Depending on how the clinic goes, there is a horse show 2 miles away on April 9th. We might go play there. At some point we have to go face the music.

Also... for anyone who is a pro member on Rimondo, Cudo's full brother, Electric Kid, is competing with his new owner in Germany and there's some show videos up. Have a look!!!

Thanks for following us!

Em

 

[splashgirl45]

he is such a dude......love the relaxed way you are schooling him, he seems very happy and is absolutely gorgeous, love reading your updates ....

 

[Orangehorse]

Lovely update thank you. It looks as though you are going to get an addition to your stable, how can you resist?

 

[BunnyDog]

Clinic video from today.

Short version (because I have to get back to work) He's a friggin unreal star.

I'm totally undeserving!!!!

https://youtu.be/-eCAsu1ntKE

Emily

 

[Bernster]

Wowzers, you both look fabulous! Well done. You've really come on together, it's lovely to follow you.

 

[McFluff]

Looking good. This is a lovely journey to follow, thank you for sharing.

I get school envy watching your videos!

 

[BunnyDog]

Thank you both. It's really amazing to feel all the decades of education that I've been fortunate to have actually going in the right directions and everything now clicks and makes sense on a more made horse. Don't get me wrong I love my thoroughbreds but we're on a whole different echelon with Cudo. I really do hope that my time with Cudo will help me better develop future young horses and let me calm down and ride correctly every ride.

Jimmy Wofford ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Wofford) is the trainer I ride with. He absolutely adores Cudo and that in and of itself is a rare feat. Not that he doesn't love many horses, but saying that "he is over the moon" about this one was kind of like a step back and stare moment. And I have worked with him since 1994, he just doesn't say this much.

It really was a great ride today. I stopped by and checked on the boy tonight and he's as happy as a clam and thought the half bag of huge carrots was adequate praise for his efforts today.

Hopefully the show we're eyeing on 4/8 will be a good learning experience also.

Em

 

[BunnyDog]

So we've been a little waylaid from our original plan. Right after the clinic with Jimmy I gave Cudo 3 days off as he'd done quite well and it was a nice weekend of weather. When I got back on him Monday (4/2) he didn't feel right. Farrier came out and it was an abscess, that had popped thankfully, but it was coming out his frog. So we started soaking, wrapping etc. By 4/7 I'd sat on him and he felt ok. The show on 4/8 was too big of an ask for a horse that had been back one day so we skipped it. We did light flat work the week of 4//9-4/14 and I jumped 9 2'9" fences on 4/12 to see how he felt. There was a show on 4/15 that we were contemplating if he felt ok.
All felt good but I kept checking and the very tip of his frog was sensitive to a light prodding from the hoof pick. I discussed with my farrier and vet and we opted to stick to flat work and hacks until he wasn't as flinchy.

So we missed the show on the 15th and kicked on. He was feeling better and better this past week so instead of going to a show this past weekend I took him to a paper chase. Since I am unsure if you all have these I will describe just so all are clear what this is. Essentially it's a pre set course of distance riding over cross country. There are low jumps and all are avoidable. There are water crossings and nice rolling hills of fields to ride across. It was a 7.78 mile track and the footing there was nice with a great amount of give to it but not muddy or boggy.

I had NO idea what Cudo would think of this. I usually do these for fun on my horses that are good foxhunter types as we can run across slow groups in front of us and faster groups that come up on you from behind. I went with a married couple who are my normal riding buddies for the paper chase seasons. So we got to the grounds and he was good. His first priority once I got on was to eat as much of the amazing grass in the field we were parked on. Head down and munching away. Ha ha. Once we set off he didn't necessarily love being 3rd in line but that was where it made sense to start off. Charlotte's Tb gelding is a bit hot the first couple miles normally and this plan always helps him to settle. So we went on our merry way and we hopped a tiny coop and he was grand. My game plan was to jump sparingly and see how he felt. I knew he was pretty fit but 7 miles of our hills is tough on anyone.

So all is going well and we get down to the first water crossing. Downhill approach but a gradual down hill. There's a pair of riders in front of us milling in the water. I would say it's about 10' wide left to right and about a 12' crossing front to back. I hack down to it thinking nothing out of the ordinary... he doesn't even get to the edge...He leaps STRAIGHT up and out about 3'+ high and nearly takes out the second horse as it's walking out of the water.....12' from me. How I stayed on is beyond me, I am surprised and gather my reins up. He's fine. But I am laughing. My friends catch up and on we get laughing all the way. We enjoy a nice gallop up a hill and then walk for a bit down a hill. We do a small road crossing with 2 jumps and are going for a while before we meet the next water crossing. This water crossing is smaller. I am prepared and I suggest that my friends let me go first. Well that doesn't work. He's not thrilled about going before his buddies. So Charlotte (English friend) go ahead but trots through to be out of the way. This crossing is about 7' wide and 9' front to back, he clears it with me lingering by his tail. By this point my laughter is not as funny. Now I am like... well ****... This kind of flying about is not the most encouraging thing and I bet it’s not great for his foot either. But I figure we're out here and screw it. We're riding the horses we have.

So we get to the next crossing. I think "AHA this will sort him." It's a LARGE creek. Not a stream and the embankment we have to go down is over 4' high. And the water has lots of rocks and then a section of mud before you reach dry ground. Only bad thing is the path in.... it's an angled slope down so you can fall in to the right or have them put a foot into the bank and slip to the left. Yay. So again I try to go first... No way.
Let first friend go... he won't follow. Send 2nd friend and tell him to move quickly out of the way. So he does.... we still almost hit him! Cudo Launched from half way down the slope, cleared almost all the rocks sections, lands in cannonball fashion, splashes and then proceeds to BOUNCE over the mud and hits the dry ground. Athletic doesn’t quite describe it. This is not a small creek. It was an enormous effort.

This is not the same section but it shows the size of the creek's natural width bank to bank. http://www.pbase.com/bike50now/image/146569880

Sooooo he survives the paper chase experience but he's probably well suited to being an open jumper as he seems to prefer going over water rather than through.

The proofs from the photographers came out... Have a look at the whole album for a bit of perspective of our fellow riders.

http://www.hoofprintimages.com/p203223754/ea91d04df

http://www.hoofprintimages.com/p203223754/ea91d04e2

http://www.hoofprintimages.com/p203223754/ea91d04e5 (Like this one even if I do make horrendous faces)

So the farrier returns today to shoe him and we'll see how that frog looks. I checked him yesterday and he came out of the experience well and seems quite pleased with himself.

Lord willing if the frog seems in check we might go to a show soon. But first my hubby and I are pretending to be jet setters this weekend. One of the airlines ran a ridiculous promotion so we're flying down to Kentucky on a 5:45 am flight, arriving around 7:30am. Will head to the Kentucky Horse Park to watch cross country and then at 3pm leave and run back to the airport and be back in Pennsylvania by 7:30pm. So just enough time to watch some friends and Michael Jung and hit the trade fair and then come home. Stupidly I might try to take Cudo to a show the next day if he seems alright. LOL. Or I may wait a week and sleep a bit. Depends how tired the travel and walking will make me.

So that's our latest update.

Em

 

[ester]

Clearly he wanted you to get your feet wet first!

 

[BunnyDog]

Clearly he wanted you to get your feet wet first!

Oh believe me... How I didn't.... is beyond me!!!!

He did this for EVERY water crossing on the course. 5 in total. The last one he finally only cleared half of it. LOL.

Em

 

[Bernster]

Lovely pics, that looks like a nice day. They sound like the rides that we have, that are either park and ride or sponsored rides (raising money for charity). They are lovely and I love going out with friends but they do seem to blow some horse's minds so Cudo did amazingly well I'd say.

On the water, I assume that he generally jumps water trays so was baffled by actually going into the water. He was doing his best 'I'm a sj' impression Can't believe you stayed on but it does sound hilarious (to a spectator perhaps!). Glad he's on the mend and good luck with your next outing.

 

[BunnyDog]

Lovely pics, that looks like a nice day. They sound like the rides that we have, that are either park and ride or sponsored rides (raising money for charity). They are lovely and I love going out with friends but they do seem to blow some horse's minds so Cudo did amazingly well I'd say.

On the water, I assume that he generally jumps water trays so was baffled by actually going into the water. He was doing his best 'I'm a sj' impression Can't believe you stayed on but it does sound hilarious (to a spectator perhaps!). Glad he's on the mend and good luck with your next outing.

Funny enough he had done eventing xc schools with water jumps, he would jump in big but still go and he'd been in the sea, but never natural streams (per his English owner) She thinks this is hysterical and we're all sorry there aren't any pics!!!

Em

 

[SpringArising]

Love reading your updates and gorgeous pics!

 

[j1ffy]

He sounds like a real character! What an athletic horse though, well done for staying on!

I’d call that a fun ride, or a sponsored ride if it’s for charity. The ones near me are often organised by one of the hunts, and often run through beautiful parks or countryside that you can’t normally access. I did one last weekend that was 10 miles with lots of optional fences, however some were very randomly built! I stuck to the solid looking logs that couldn’t possibly have nails sticking out or flip over if the horse hit them

 

[BunnyDog]

It was a benefit for the local hunt pony club. And it was on land that you cannot normally ride on. Lots of fun and gorgeous scenery.

Emily

 

[splashgirl45]

he is looking fab, well done for staying on....fingers crossed his foot is ok and you can get out competing soon....

 

[BunnyDog]

We finally did our first show!!!!!

I am pretty tired so I am including what I posted on Facebook so all can see the update. Just to clarify my husband and I flew down to Kentucky yesterday at 5:30 am (up at 3am) to watch XC day at the Land Rover (Rolex) Three Day Event. We were supposed to fly back at 5pm but our flight was delayed 5 hours so we didn't get home until 1:30 am. Soooo we were a bit tired. Nevertheless I woke up this AM and was beyond excited. So no amount of fatigue was going to keep me from this show. It also helped that my classes were the last 3 of the day for the jumper ring.

So there you have it. Here's what I wrote.

Well we finally did it!! We got to a show. Admittedly tired didn't even come close to covering our mental capacity. Me from round tripping to Kentucky and Cudo from playing all night with his 5 pasturemates. All that said he was FABULOUS and I haven't stopped grinning yet. The horse is unreal. How I have him is just so amazing when you consider how I found him. And given how far we've come in a bit more than 2 months... well the future is looking really really good.

First and foremost HUGE thanks to John Salvaggio for driving us, and being willing to spend his day off in the frigid conditions taking pics of us. There are some truly awesome shots in this album and it's all thanks to him. Plus its so cool to see him appreciating the joy coming back into my life by having an awesome equine partner. He has seen some lows and it's about time we aimed for a bit higher moments

Second, I can't stop thanking Lauren for putting that picture of Cudo on that ad. My life has changed in a million incredible ways and I can't stop pinching myself.

I have videos also... I will share them on Cudo's page so go look for them there. They're a bit rough as I had to tweak them with some edit in zooming. But trust me he was AMAZING.

We did the High Child/Adult Amateur (1.10m) and took this opportunity to really play with all the bells, whistles and buttons. He really can turn, accelerate and uses those knees to our advantage.Never dropped a rail and it was so fun to have a plan work out. We finished 2nd, and 3rd in the division classes and 3rd in the classic. As a result we were the reserve champions!!!! Good times. Can't wait for our next show.

Thanks so much to all who volunteered and worked to put on this great show. I had an absolute blast and I couldn't have been happier that this was our first show together.

My position is a bit rough but now we're ready to start getting regular lessons and hopefully we'll polish things back to where they can be. As always thanks for reading my drivel and looking at our pics!!

Facebook Album link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155552874822759.1073741899.528382758&type=1&l=bb6ed112e5

Emily

 

[BunnyDog]

Almost forgot...

Here are two videos of our rounds. I had a lovely lady offer to help video me. Only problem was she didn't zoom in so I had to add the zooming in post production editing. Sooooo it's a bit rough. Sorry.

https://youtu.be/9fjHiDJGDt0

https://youtu.be/q6xVBZ7XVhg

Em

 

[HeresHoping]

Your faces, both of you, say it all! Fantastic!

 

[PapaverFollis]

Wow! That is so awesome. Well done you and lovely Cudo!

 

[BunnyDog]

Thanks!!!!

I am still grinning today. Albeit a bit tired.

Em

 

[Sophire]

Well done to you and Cudo!!

I'm a chronic lurker on COTH, especially on weekends like Rolex, so always see your posts over there too. Thank you for keeping us updated over here on HHO, loving your journey with him.

 

[j1ffy]

What a great first show! You’re looking like a real partnership already

 

[splashgirl45]

wow!!!! you both look great...