Who, ...... me?
I was all prepared to be really cross with him today for doing what he did yesterday (and getting the organiser to complain about us in public too. Luckily Superhubby was in earshot and politely but stiffly corrected her for saying that I should train him at home and not at a show!)
But I stepped into Tia's stable to pick up poo, stepped out again and there he was, whiffling away because he was so pleased to see me. And later when I worked him I thought it was time for some discipline and he responded really well to precision work. He was very on his toes to start with, as if it was a leftover from yesterday, but he calmed down in a few minutes. He was very resistant to halt from a walk, so I tried a few times. When I was absolutely convinced that he knew what I wanted, could do it if he wanted, but was refusing because he didn't want, I gave him one very strong haul on the bit. From then on, the halts were perfect on the minutest of aids :-) He is such a paradox, he has a mouth like butter as long as we both agree what we are doing. And is as strong as an ox if he doesn't agree. I am having to learn to ride him almost totally from my seat, which is difficult when you have a disagreement about direction! Today tough, we got some super lateral work, walk serpentines and trot/walk/trot transitions too. I just adore riding him, so however long it takes to teach him to go to competitions, is however long it takes. I just hope it's not too many years :-) !!!!
Tia was great today too. She hasn't been ridden since Christmas Eve, but there was none of her usual stiffness and resistance when she has had time off like that. We got some nice walk, nice trot and some decent canter transitions. She also responded to half-halts to get a reasonable canter for a little while on each rein. That's new, she couldn't hold it before now and wouldn't respond to half halts in canter.
I went to see two Dutch imports locally yesterday but one was way way too heavy for me. The other was a nice rangy mare but with none of Jazz's extravagant action, just a huge stride. And they wanted £6,000 for her! They had told me £4k on the phone, but suddenly it went up after they found out that I bought Jazz from Ran Arbel, I wonder why! It was like having 20 questions, in the end I could only have not told them if I had lied, they were quite determined to get it out of me. They said that they buy from the same studs as he does, but all I can say is that he gets there before them :-)
Just to prepare you all, Tia is going to have to be sold to pay for the new one. I will buy it first, so as not to leave Jazz on his own, but she must go. Riding her just doesn't compare with riding these big, big-moving warmbloods and I'm absolutely hooked. She is sweet, lovely, talented and turning into a very nice ride. But her absolute best work doesn't approach what Jazz can already do and I find myself losing interest in the prospect of eventing her this year. I'd rather be training him than competing her. She deserves a home where someone thinks she's the bee's knees. So I'll set about finding that when I've found a horse that turns 3 or 4 this spring of something like Jazz's ability. That may take some time!
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 11:48 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Do you want 2 untrained horses to ride? Isn't it nice just to get on and go for a relaxing ride on a horse that isn't going to come up with another puzzle that day? I think if you have got a youngster it is very easy to get wrapped up in their problems it is a relief to have something you can climb on and go for a chill-out.
As for Jazz - a neighbour of mine used to produce event horses. If she had one that was a bit over the top and excitable she used to give it quite a good amount of work at home before she took it out, to take the edge off it, which worked well! This sometimes meant getting up very early in the morning if she had to travel to an event, so I guess she must have had a groom to help get the lorry ready and loaded.
Judith
I wonder if some of Tia's resistances could have been due to that abscess? How long could it have been brewing? Tucker had a problem with one for two months last summer.
I'll be sorry to see Tia go, but I do understand. Your ambitions need the horses to match them.
I guess Jazz needs a firm hand now and then, eh? It doesn't seem to be a matter of, "I can't," but rather, "I won't." Talent as yet untapped.
How dare the organizer make a comment like that? Just where is a rider supposed to expose a youngster to competition? That was no horsepeople to make a remark like that. Even the best trained and experienced horse can be a twit on any given day. The real horseperson would have complimented your riding and laughed off the rest. I love judges who kind of shrug off a bad ride and say something like, "Well, I guess he just didn't feel like working today," or somesuch. It's infuriating to think of someone taking any other approach where horses, especially young horses, are concerned
jean has already said what i was going to say.
i rather agree with judith on the tia front ... whilst i understand where you are coming from, you will want to be able to go for an uncomplicated hack on somehting without having to think about schooling/whatever ...(she says feelingly looking back to the days when she could just tack up and go out .. pre molly)
Judith, Claire I understand your point completely. All I can say is that because he has such enormous talent, Jazz is already an easier ride in many ways than Tia will ever be. I spend a lot of time and energy with her (and every other horse I have ever owned before) "creating" lift, balance and cadence. I spend no time at all on creating those with Jazz, he just does them automatically and can't help himself. It means that right from the start of a session you are already into more advanced "stuff" than trying to help him find his balance. It's difficult to explain without making Tia sound bad, which she by no means is, she's absolutely lovely (but too small for me, too). And before I owned him, I would not have been able to understand what I am just now writing for you, so I'll understand if you can't quite get on my wavelength with it :-). But he's a class apart (his breeding is literally world class and I'm beginning to be puzzled how come he was available at my price) and I'm greedy enough to want two!
Jean I'm sure the abscess can't have helped Tia at all and could have been brewing for days or even weeks. It's a big one, but not, thankfully, very deep.
I agree with you about the organiser of course, it was a silly uninformed comment and she should have asked me privately and politely, not made a public statement. She was nice enough when I went to thank her later (which was before Superhubby told me what she'd said, so I didn't know). But I was a little miffed to have been criticized when I went to such trouble to get there early and to ask everyone (except her, she wasn't there when I arrived and the listed organiser was someone else) to cut us some slack if things went wrong.
C.
Was that acutally a recongnized event or a "schooling" event. Here in the US, we have schooling shows. They are still full fledged competitions, but people know full well that horses going to them may not be fully trained and are going for experience.
I am glad you thanked the organizer, regardless. She may well have felt a few inches shorter about having made the remark.
I understand about Tia and Jazz. My own mindset is a bit different than your in that I like to take a horse of whatever potential and try to make it the best it can be. I have no ambition to be competitive beyond my horse's ability and just enjoy the training with the competition more of a personal test.
You have other goals and other needs. I am sure there is another "Jazz" out there for you.
Could be all sorts of reasons about Jazz's price. Did they know he was a problem loader? Had they seen a hint of his temper? Was it his unusual coloring? Perhaps, as many people do, buyers overlooked Jazz because he wasn't the prettiest horse in the barn. No matter what, in the long run, you are the real winner....but only because you have the training skills and intelligence to solve the problems you faced with him.
I remember getting a comment in Korskie's first ever dressage test.....first time out only been under saddle for about 4 weeks...
'Horse perhaps needs more schooling'
Thing is, it doesn't matter how much prep you put in at home, the only way they get the kind of experience needed to work at a comp is actually being there!
After riding some of John's W/Bloods I do kind of get where your coming from ..if I had competative aspirations,the time and dosh I'd go for one no hesitations...says she who's stuck with her riggy,excitable and at times out and out dangerous ned:):0
But I understand what you mean they are in a different class to ride!
I hope Jazz learns to behave when out and about Polo is 14 and still struggles...we got asked to leave a show ring this summer cos of his crazy behaviour.The judge was lovely though taking it all in good humour saying she had him in the top two until he started and asking if he was just young:):)!
Hence my lack of competition aspirations.
Fingers crossed should have car back tomorrow!
Nicola (couldnt log in AGAIN!)
It was a Riding Club event Jean, run by my own riding club and that class is normally called “Beginners and Trainers”. It was only the one person and she spoke without thinking.
“Did they know he was a problem loader?”
Interesting question. Yes they knew he was sticky to load and had taken 2 weeks to feed him in the lorry every day. Did they know he travelled so badly? I don’t know. I do know that Ran told me that my lorry was dangerous and that a horse could try and get past the partition – just what Jazz actually did do, so how much did Ran know? It begs the question why he was so brilliant to travel home, and why they told me that they had ridden him the morning that I turned up to pick him up. It seemed a strange thing to do with a horse that you have sold, to me, ride it the day that it’s going ……..
His looks are certainly unconventional with that rolling white eye and the odd roan patches. Plus the four white socks puts off many people. Certainly I thought he was no beauty until I got him home. Now I think he is very handsome!!!
Did they have a hint of his temper – yes, they told me that he was one of the more difficult ones to deal with, and so had his brother been. I’m not at all unhappy with how he has turned out, he’s a lot easier than he could have been, because he has no desire to unseat his rider at all. To be honest, I love a horse that gives me puzzles to sort out, he would bore me to tears if he was dead straightforward.
Mandeigh, too right, you can’t get rid of competition nerves except by competing, can you :-) Personally, I prefer to compete long before the horse is ready to win, then by the time you are ready to win, all the competition nerves are out of the way at the same time.
Nicola, Polo fell on his feet when he met you! He is a good looking fellow though, I can see why you love him – damned handsome!
C.
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