JustMe22
Well-Known Member
Hello everyone!
So after I posted the news of my beautiful ex-racer Chester being put down just after his fifth birthday, followed by my OH proposing with the gift of A HORSE (I said yes!) a few people asked to be updated. Of course, I am more than happy to oblige
He's had a good few weeks and has been coming on in absolute leaps and bounds under my dressage instructor, who I started riding with about six months ago. She has revolutionised my riding and really is just incredible. I feel very lucky to have found her and for the first time feel that perhaps there isn't a limit on where we can get to.
When he first arrived he had a huge tendency to want to work downhill and not bend his hocks, just from the way he'd been schooled I suppose and the fact that he is a bit short in the neck so found it easier to go that way. He was also a little lazy, as the trials lasted 6 weeks with up to two different riders trying him per day, so I think he is so well-tempered that he just learned to switch off and not overreact to anything.
We've been doing loads of work to try and get his hocks underneath him and though there is still a LONG way to go, the improvement is already enormous. He's responsive and forward, the croup is slowly getting lower and the wither is coming up. You can see in some of the photos that he still defaults to that but I suppose like anything, it will just take time and practice. We think he still has some growing to do so when that is finished I think it will help too. Hopefully not too much as he's 17.1 already! String test shows he still has 2.5 inches but I struggle to believe that as he is rising 6.
He went to his first dressage show three weeks ago, just for the Prelim. We decided to jump straight in at affiliated seeing as it runs for a calendar year so wouldn't matter if I registered in April or January, fees would be the same and would need to be renewed in Jan 2019 anyway. He was perfectly behaved, though I felt I couldn't quite get him to bend round my leg as he was too busy inspecting the flower pots on the outside of the arena. Not spooking, just cautiously looking
There were some excellent combinations there including a very talented 6yo with a rider who regularly competes at PSG, so I didn't hold out much hope but what do you know? He won the class with a 72.5% and was 1% behind the winner (the talented 6yo obviously) in his second test with a 69%.
We then went jumping the next week. The courses are built wonderfully at this venne, but the warmup is a nightmare. It's small and cramped and the classes often have 90-100 riders so it's packed. A young girl on her pony came careering into the side of me as I tried to go on her left and she tried to cut across me. I felt quite bad as she fell off and the pony was sore literally just because he body-slammed a large warmblood - but luckily 10 minutes later he was fine. Hoshi handled it like a pro all things considered and didn't get wound up about the incident, but I jumped two jumps and went to go and wait at the arena pretty sharpish before things got out of control.
The actual ring is quite buzzy too, with a big judges box and lots of flapping sponsored banners which he was a bit unsure about. Courses, as I said, ride beautifully but there's a lot of very spooky jumps. He was only in the 80cm class but has only ever jumped a course once before when he did a tiny clear round show in December last year and came back to trot every three strides to consider things.
This time was tons better and he jumped out of quite a nice rhythm with only one or two moments where we had to come down a gear to reestablish some balance and steering. The actual jump shape is better too as he's now got a better canter. We did have one stop but to be honest it really was just a green moment. We came down a 5-stride line next to the judges box, and he was focused very much on that so not going straight. It was a big spooky oxer and he only clicked two strides away that he was meant to jump it so just cantered to a halt. Patted him while they rebuilt, approached again with him going straight and he went straight over without hesitation and finished the rest of the course with no issues. I think he'll need to do another 80s to establish some security and confidence, and then we'll look at a 90s in March or early April.
Excuse my awful position over this - I am still learning to sit his jump (he has one of those that makes my leg swing far more than usual) and I hate my show boots because they're so stiff I can't move my leg
Finally, one more dressage show this weekend before I have a minor operation and he has 3 or so weeks off from competing. It was his first time in an indoor arena and he was predictably a bit unsure of himself, but he has such a lovely temperament that he honestly just looks and goes backwards - never gets completely frazzled or ridiculous. We did knock over the arena before we entered because there was a very scary blue tablecloth, and we did have to be led into the arena past a big horse statue (which we entered in full showjumper mode thanks to some rubber matting over the entrance) but other than that he was beautiful and came home with two wins - a 75.5% and a 73.5%.
The plan for dressage now is to keep schooling at home until May or so when he's ready for novice. For now his canter gets too long and the transitions come a bit quickly, but I think in a month or two he will be ready to attempt it. In the interim he'll go to more jumping shows as I think he needs the exposure. Because I'll take any excuse to show him off, here are a couple of schooling pictures! Next goal: Work on my wayward left wrist!
So after I posted the news of my beautiful ex-racer Chester being put down just after his fifth birthday, followed by my OH proposing with the gift of A HORSE (I said yes!) a few people asked to be updated. Of course, I am more than happy to oblige
He's had a good few weeks and has been coming on in absolute leaps and bounds under my dressage instructor, who I started riding with about six months ago. She has revolutionised my riding and really is just incredible. I feel very lucky to have found her and for the first time feel that perhaps there isn't a limit on where we can get to.
When he first arrived he had a huge tendency to want to work downhill and not bend his hocks, just from the way he'd been schooled I suppose and the fact that he is a bit short in the neck so found it easier to go that way. He was also a little lazy, as the trials lasted 6 weeks with up to two different riders trying him per day, so I think he is so well-tempered that he just learned to switch off and not overreact to anything.
We've been doing loads of work to try and get his hocks underneath him and though there is still a LONG way to go, the improvement is already enormous. He's responsive and forward, the croup is slowly getting lower and the wither is coming up. You can see in some of the photos that he still defaults to that but I suppose like anything, it will just take time and practice. We think he still has some growing to do so when that is finished I think it will help too. Hopefully not too much as he's 17.1 already! String test shows he still has 2.5 inches but I struggle to believe that as he is rising 6.
He went to his first dressage show three weeks ago, just for the Prelim. We decided to jump straight in at affiliated seeing as it runs for a calendar year so wouldn't matter if I registered in April or January, fees would be the same and would need to be renewed in Jan 2019 anyway. He was perfectly behaved, though I felt I couldn't quite get him to bend round my leg as he was too busy inspecting the flower pots on the outside of the arena. Not spooking, just cautiously looking
There were some excellent combinations there including a very talented 6yo with a rider who regularly competes at PSG, so I didn't hold out much hope but what do you know? He won the class with a 72.5% and was 1% behind the winner (the talented 6yo obviously) in his second test with a 69%.
We then went jumping the next week. The courses are built wonderfully at this venne, but the warmup is a nightmare. It's small and cramped and the classes often have 90-100 riders so it's packed. A young girl on her pony came careering into the side of me as I tried to go on her left and she tried to cut across me. I felt quite bad as she fell off and the pony was sore literally just because he body-slammed a large warmblood - but luckily 10 minutes later he was fine. Hoshi handled it like a pro all things considered and didn't get wound up about the incident, but I jumped two jumps and went to go and wait at the arena pretty sharpish before things got out of control.
The actual ring is quite buzzy too, with a big judges box and lots of flapping sponsored banners which he was a bit unsure about. Courses, as I said, ride beautifully but there's a lot of very spooky jumps. He was only in the 80cm class but has only ever jumped a course once before when he did a tiny clear round show in December last year and came back to trot every three strides to consider things.
This time was tons better and he jumped out of quite a nice rhythm with only one or two moments where we had to come down a gear to reestablish some balance and steering. The actual jump shape is better too as he's now got a better canter. We did have one stop but to be honest it really was just a green moment. We came down a 5-stride line next to the judges box, and he was focused very much on that so not going straight. It was a big spooky oxer and he only clicked two strides away that he was meant to jump it so just cantered to a halt. Patted him while they rebuilt, approached again with him going straight and he went straight over without hesitation and finished the rest of the course with no issues. I think he'll need to do another 80s to establish some security and confidence, and then we'll look at a 90s in March or early April.
Excuse my awful position over this - I am still learning to sit his jump (he has one of those that makes my leg swing far more than usual) and I hate my show boots because they're so stiff I can't move my leg
Finally, one more dressage show this weekend before I have a minor operation and he has 3 or so weeks off from competing. It was his first time in an indoor arena and he was predictably a bit unsure of himself, but he has such a lovely temperament that he honestly just looks and goes backwards - never gets completely frazzled or ridiculous. We did knock over the arena before we entered because there was a very scary blue tablecloth, and we did have to be led into the arena past a big horse statue (which we entered in full showjumper mode thanks to some rubber matting over the entrance) but other than that he was beautiful and came home with two wins - a 75.5% and a 73.5%.
The plan for dressage now is to keep schooling at home until May or so when he's ready for novice. For now his canter gets too long and the transitions come a bit quickly, but I think in a month or two he will be ready to attempt it. In the interim he'll go to more jumping shows as I think he needs the exposure. Because I'll take any excuse to show him off, here are a couple of schooling pictures! Next goal: Work on my wayward left wrist!
has he Arab/tb in him? 
