I'm back again! How do you focus... (long read, i love to ramble)

[Foxaunt]

Hi all, I'm back again

lots of things going on at the minute, how do you get settled in a discipline and/or manage multiple disciplines for the same horse?

my rising 6 mare and I are showing a few times this year. nothing wrong with showing but its definitely not playing to my strengths and quite honestly I'm not going to persue it. I did make a promise to her breeder to take her out and show her off so I will, but showing is a world of it's own and I know it's not something you can just dip your toe in, apologies if I offend anyone by being so blasé about it!!

other than my favourite discipline of Horseback archery, a bridge I will certainly cross with her in due course, I'm in many minds about what we can realistically aim for as training goals; is it too much to be setting goals across multiple disciplines?

I started off the year pretty dead set on getting out to dressage this year, thinking that was it, we hadn't ever jumped and it was a good target, even at intro level, for a green baby this would be good for us.

Last week we jumped for the first time ever, and she was fantastic, very willing, picking herself up nicely. I'm not about to start jumping her round tracks, but now I'm thinking that she might be able to go to some low level local Show Jumping, clinics or even a competition.

so my question is, amateur riders with green youngsters, how do you find what their "thing" is? Trial and error? Take them out to as much as you can? Stick to one thing for a few months and switch it up?

I'm keen not to burn her out but bless her shes so willing, my little angel. I really do love her quite a bit and want to do her justice, as well as having a small onus on us to be good ambassadors for the breed.

Any words of advice are gratefully accepted, thank you.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

You absolutely can dip your toe in showing and not dedicate yourself to it, you just may not reach the higher levels - which it doesn't sound like you're hugely fussed about anyway. The horse may not have a 'thing', hence the term all-rounder. You will make a better horse from your youngster if you do as many things as possible with her.

Just school/hack/pop a jump and have a bit of fun as you feel like it, enter whatever you like and see which you enjoy most. Lots of things are transferable like lateral work will help you in all disciplines, adjustable paces, good suppleness etc

 

[MuddyMonster]

It's what most people do day in day out, I think I've never over thought it - if something appeals, just give it a go!

In fact, I'd say it's surely encouraged to maintain a varied workload which can only be good for the horse mentally and physically?

I've never had issues mixing our hacking with schooling on the flat, jumping or anything else we fancy - I've mixed it up since I've had my boy as a five year old and he's a pretty solid teenager now. I also made sure I exposed him to loads of 'stuff' - hacking on bin day? Absolutely! A 10k charity run that uses the bridlepaths we would? Great!

I mainly hack but dabble in low level TREC and dressage/jumping but learning basic lateral work like shoulder-in or leg yielding has so many benefits even if I never ride it in a dressage test. Being able to quietly pop a small jump is useful not just for both local jumping competitions but knowing you can jump a fallen log out hacking out or get over a ditch in your way. Being able to trot or canter in a steady rhythm makes a 10 mile hack so much more enjoyable as well as proving beneficial in the dressage ring. Teaching him a really solid immobility is just as useful when you drop your phone out hacking or arrive at the pub mid-hack as it does in a TREC class or in the show ring.

 

[milliepops]

if you enjoy doing all kinds of different things, then as above an allrounder horse is just what you need. so there's no need to focus on any one thing at all. if you then want to take one thing further, your horse will let you know what they are best at.

I have one that has gone the opposite way, i tried making her into an allrounder and she didn't want to do anything except dressage so... that's how I ended up specialising with her.

 

[DressageCob]

I am a big believer in the all rounder. With my little cob I have hacked, hunted, evented, SJ'd, working hunter, games and dressage. Over time I have focussed on dressage, not because that's what he's naturally talented at or that he prefers it, but because it's what I enjoy most. He's the sort that will have a go at anything and give it his all. He isn't naturally built for jumping so when we evented the width of the fences put me off. He likes to jump up rather than forwards. That said, with the work on his canter for dressage, with the little jumps I've done lately he has done a much better shape, so maybe these days it would be more successful.

With my big cob I've hacked, evented and done dressage. He enjoyed the jumping and is bold and naturally able, so a better fit for that discipline than the little lad. But then with his dressage I got more and more stuck in and he's going so well, that again dressage has become the focus.

I don't think there is any harm in dabbling in all sorts of things. And setting mini goals is great. I much prefer it when I have something to aim for and work towards, what ever the discipline. You may find that at some point you start to focus more on one thing than another, or your horse shows talent in one area more than another. There's nothing wrong with then giving that more attention, but I don't think you have to specialise at the expense of the other things you enjoy, if you don't want to.

Of course, there is a place for the dressage horse, the eventer, the polo pony etc. But there is no need to pigeonhole yourselves if you don't want to, particularly at the lower levels or as an amateur.

 

[Bernster]

I’m a low level amateur! Jack of all trades really and we have fun doing lots of things, even if we’re not brilliant at any of it. I think its great for the horse’s education. Over time, I do tend to focus more on what they show a talent for or interest in. I make sure their training and fitness is up for whatever it is I’m doing ofc.