What IS he doing?
I check now and then to see if Scooby's current owner is managing to get going again eventing. I have just seen that he was out at the weekend. And his score is a disaster again, with at least 1, possibly 2 refusals SJ and 2 refusals XC. And he has managed to come bottom of the dressage by about 5 whole percentage points too, and that's going some on Scooby - I never managed a score like that in his whole competition history and I'm no shakes competing at dressage when there's showjumping to follow to worry about.
He hasn't completed an event except the dressage element since May. And here's the gobsmacking bit - he brought him out at NOVICE again! What is the man doing? At this rate he'll be lucky not to break his own neck. I'd love to email him and tell him to swallow his pride and go down a height, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be welcome!
What would you peeps do?
C
posted by cptrayes @ 10:36 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Was Scooby a difficult ride at all? It sounds as if his new owner has a really bad trainer, if he's working with one. It's not likely Scoobie would have forgotten how to event in the time he's left you.
You might just give a courtesy call, kind of like you were just thinking about him and wondered how he was doing. Then you could get his new owner's version of the story without seeming prejudice.
Otherwise, I guess the best option is to grit your teeth and bear it. Some people just can't ride and train. My big concern would be that Scoobie is OK and relatively happy. If stopping is making him happy, then then heck with the rider.
Oh dear, it is horrid when a horse that you loved is not getting on well with a new owner. I probably wouldn't contact the new owner - but you might feel differently! What is the story behind this, did he have a fall?
I have seen my previous horse a couple of times and she looked terrible, having been kicked and then had a bad reaction to the antibiotics, and although she got better she is nowhere near the horse that she was - in fact she looked like an old nag when I saw her, but when I sold her she was fit and well muscled and a picture of health. I wanted to bring her back home and put her back in her old stable and look after her. I have hinted that if the owner ever needs to sell she should contact me first ............
Judith
I know Caroline, I look at his results too. Terrible eh? I also feel sorry for the rider, with the results posted like that on BE, there's no hiding the issues!
The best thing would be if you saw he was listed to compete at an event you were doing and then contact him to see if you could meet up for old times sake at the event. Face to face it would be much easier to chat, without making a big deal of it. If you call him out of the blue, the conversation would be more difficult to start.
Like Jean, I just hope Scoobs is taking care of himself and his poor performances are a direct result of poor riding (lack of confidence in is rider) rather than any pain related issues.
I'm looking forward to you and Tia becoming dressage queens in your next event ;o)
Tracey B
Sadly once a horse is sold it's sold and no longer either your responsibility or yours to wonder why. You've just got to let him get on with it difficult though that may be.
Jean Scooby was a class athlete, and like all class athletes he had a mind of his own. He would accept you telling him what to do, but if you did you had to be 100% right. He was happy to have things less than 100% right, but only if the mistakes were his own and not yours. So basically, you leave him alone to do his job and he is superb. You fight him over the jumping and he will refuse to work for you at all. He is a Porsche compared to Tetley's Rolls Royce. He is such a class horse that it is a real shame to see him failing so badly. At five, Tim Stockdale said he was borderline International standard, but at the moment he is performing like an old nag. I feel so sorry for Paul, but I do wish he would swallow his pride and go down a level.
Interestingly, his trainers are both British team trainers, one junior jumpers and one dressage. He wins outside the pressure of affiliated eventing in dressage and showjumping. It has to be nerves at the big events, I can't see what else it can be.
Judith your situation was worse, I am assured that Scooby currently looks absolutely magnificent!
Good idea Tracey, wonderful in fact. Almost good enough to make me travel all that way to "set it up", but he is way, way down south.... food for thought though.
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the Dressage Queen. Drama Queen was more like it today! She insisted for 40 whole minutes that she could not simply trot a diagonal. She dived left, dived right, ran for it, cantered, stopped and did absolutely ANYTHING but trot. We got one in the end, and I stopped to reward her and hope she keeps that connection in her daft little head :-)
I didn't get time for Caddy and Tetley was happy out on a hack but squiffy. About time to acknowledge that he is missing the devil's claw and cider vinegar I think, so he is back on it. Interestingly, the lameness was not severe but appeared to be swapping from one hind leg to the other. Now that's new ...... we'll have to see where this leads, but it may just be him levelling up each leg to the same point of the disease.
C.
Ah, I hadn't looked at the event venues well enough to realise he was down south. That's where I am! Well, if I ever see him and Scoobs on the programme, I'll make sure I watch them and see what's going on and report back.
Your description of porche makes sense, your riding over XC looks like you get into a rhythym and let the horse jump out of that rhythm. Your pictures always show great balance. It sounds like they haven't found a good rhythym together. Like you say, if only he could drop down a level so the fences didn't phase him, then maybe they'd get it back.
Tracey
Thanks for the compliment Tracey. I just worked out a long time ago that the horse seemed to be better at deciding where to take off than I was, and left them to it. I ride to the fence with conviction, but where they jump from is up to them! It works particularly well with a bold and rather opinionated horse like Scooby :-)
C
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