Guest Blog entry # 14: "Back to Basics" by the great Bad Eventer!
Back to Basics
The season was ending.
I had just done my first Prelim with the most difficult horse I've ever started under saddle.
And for the record, I've been starting horses for........cough.......cough........ a long time......
Babies are something I'm good at.................
My 2 year old, isn't she precious??
eventing............not so much........
Nearly every time I ride this horse, I wonder why I keep riding him.
It's a bit odd really because he's sweet......
quiet........
pretty bombproof.......
My husband can ride him in a halter.......
I can ride him without a halter.
He's fearless on cross country.
And he can jump the BIG stuff.
BUT
he doesn't turn well.....
he has no idea what STRAIGHT is.....
he can't do a 20 meter circle at one speed.........
From the start I've found riding him VERY VERY frustrating........
but professional after professional has told me...........
He's the GOOD ONE!
Just wait, you're going to like him more than the others!
This is the fancy one!
Mid season I had to find a new coach..... The timing was pretty damn awful, but we muddled through and managed to find someone that was willing to put up with Bad Eventer.
I had just finished my first Prelim on this horse..... that only large amounts of Tequila and arm twisting convinced me to ride in the first place......
He was second after dressage, clean around XC (we had a few time faults) and jumped fearlessly in stadium with only a few green rails.
I was fairly sure I was going to DIE in the stadium ring, and considered just going home instead.
But the new coach convinced me it really wasn't a big deal, and I went in the ring.
We survived.............
and when it was all over she said,
"He's going to be fantastic......... when he's broke!!"
Sigh.....
Only Bad Eventer would jump an unbroke horse around at Prelim.
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Blog by Bad Eventer @ http://badeventer.blogspot.com