So I know I showed you pictures from my lesson last week, but since I have been away (and am heading out again very soon) I have not had the chance to write what is going on. This guy is the school master at my trainers barn. He is around 14 years old and a registered Hanoverian who has gone though the levels. I think I need a better nickname than school master though because this guy is my new “half”…but not really. Things got way too out of control with Phoenix when it comes to money and time. I lost both balance and perspective. It was all about riding, showing, and horses. I spent the month of June taking one lesson a week, but for the month of July I am picking up my game.
I went from shows every weekend and riding 5 days a week to just one day. And while I spent my time well (and even threw Gen on the lunge line many times) once a week was just not cutting it for me. My lessons are always on Saturday’s so by Thursday I was always starting to go stir crazy. My trainer brought up the idea of a lease and I started to freak out about it. Not only is this horse very hard to ride, I really have zero desire to lease a horse ever again. My trainer could see the panic in my face when she mentioned the L word (lease) so she let well enough alone for a few weeks.
I am have a really hard time half passing. I have progressed on many of the other movements but half passing is just something that I am not getting. After my last lesson when I was so close, but just not there my trainer pulled me aside for a little talk. She wanted to know what my goals were and if I was still happy just being a once a week rider. I told her that I just wanted to be a good rider (that has been my goal for 10 years now and I still have a long way to go!) but I also admitted that once a week was not enough, but I didn’t want to lease again so I still felt totally stuck. My trainer had the perfect solution. Why not just pick up one extra ride a week on the school master? He is already half leased out and she wants to b able to use him for a lesson every now then so a lease would not work for him anyway, but an extra ride would.
I told my trainer my worries about this possible situation, which she listened too, and then once she put all my fears to rest I smiled and truthfully said that it sounded like the perfect situation!
So now I am back to riding 2 days a week which has been pretty perfect so far! I get my butt kicked in my lesson and then use my extra ride to try and figure stuff out on my own. My goal this past week was just to work on being still (which is not easy on a horse whose trot is so big you feel like you are touching the moon) and to work on my shoulder in at the canter (which is still really hard!). It has been REALLY fun so far though. I am smiling after every ride and without a doubt learning a lot.
It can be frustrating at times because my trainer is being very picky with me. Since I am riding a horse that can do I need to learn it the right way from the start. I appreciate it because I want to learn things correctly once instead of having to re-learn things. My trainer is already ready to send me off into the show ring to get my last score for my bronze medal, but I am going to take my time and really make sure that I don’t let the school master down before we enter at A. For now I just want to learn how to ride him and ride him well.
Anyone have any nickname ideas? Let me tell you a little about him. He is very dignified, he can be a total cow sometimes (both on and off the ground), but he is a good egg who really tries to do whatever you are asking of him. He is also a total sweet heart and loves to get attention and love. He can be pretty herd bound and is happy to scream for his friends if he can get away with it. His eyes totally pop out of his big head but that makes him look even sweeter to me…kind of like one of those hairless cats or Phoenix…you know…an ugly kind of cute. He also LOVES treats and carrots seem to be his favorite. His real name starts with an A and is a people name, but it is not a cute name (he really is a cute guy). I will keep racking my brain, but feel free to share if you can think of anything!
Can I just tell you how good it feels to be riding again more seriously…it feels REALLY good.
A Horse and a Half 