Lovely faces all around
There comes a point in almost every horse’s training where you have to simply wait for time to help you accomplish something. Whether you are waiting for your horse to have the strength to properly carry himself in the canter, waiting for it to stop raining every time you try to ride, or waiting for that big old cut to heal on his leg, the waiting game is part of life. It can be frustrating to feel like you and your horse are stagnating in the same old rut, but it is important to keep your head up and remind yourself that this time, just like all others, is only temporary. As they say, progress is slow, but I’m in it for the long haul!
This is where I am right now with Leo. He’s being generally good. He is starting to explore new geographical areas around my farm without a buddy, he’s working hard on being attentive on the flat, and he plays with jumps once a week. He’s improving in his weight, and he’s starting to be a lot more trustworthy on a daily basis. I feel that I know his warning signs for humping up his back enough now that I can somewhat prepare should some naughtiness come my way.
However, he still has so little strength and fitness that our daily activities are pretty limited before he is exhausted. Twenty to thirty minutes is all it takes, so our progress is pretty darn slow. I’m basically waiting for him to beef up so that he can physically accomplish some of the things I’m working towards. He was well behaved in the arena at his first show, so I don’t feel the need to take him and school him a million times this summer for that, or spend all my money in that aspect.
So while I work on the hills for the foreseeable future, I’ve made myself come up with lists of miniature goals to accomplish along the way. Having goals, even if they are teeny tiny, keeps you on track during the dull times of training. I have no set event debut in mind, but moreover a general level of strength and competency in a few tasks.
I want to work my way up to a 10 minute trot set. On the hills. I want him to walk down the road confidently without curling his neck and fiddling nervously with his bit. I want him to learn to accept a consistent contact with the bit. I want to find the best possible bit for him….this is a continuing quest. I would like him to be able to pick up the canter without running into it from the trot. I want him to embrace the stretchy trot. I would really like it if he stopped kicking out when I put hind boots on him. Ground tying is a work in progress (a necessity for those who forget things in the tack room every day). I want his balance to improve going down hills, as right now it feels like riding a bowl of jelly down a slide. Cantering jumps would be nice, but I suppose cantering on the flat in a semi-organized manner has to precede that. I want him to cross rivers like he’s done it all his life, and then take that to the cross country field.
While these all seem like fairly dull, minuscule things to achieve, think about in a month or so, when I have most of those accomplished! I’ll have a horse that is completely different than the one I have now, and then I can write myself a whole new list of goals, including a real life competition hopefully! We might be absent from EN for a while due to the nature of the waiting game, but when we do, I hope to bring you a whole new horse!
(click the play button below to enjoy “Leo’s Big Adventure”)
