Driving Pics! Thank You Becky!!

[ThreeCFarm]

Becky Schulz of Redrock Miniature Horse Farm is known mostly for showing and training halter horses, but she's great at training driving horses as well! We sent our new mare to her earlier this year for driving training, and although she's only been driving a very short while, she's doing great. Becky doesn't believe in rushing the horses or forcing their heads into position with the checks, and she has excellent hands. I've been up there driving Doll and watching Becky drive her several times, and I like what I see. Doll is also very happy and comfortable in her new job, which is important to me.

Doll is an 8 year old 30.5" broodmare that will begin her show career in driving and possibly halter in 2006. Cammie (Becky's daughter) is driving Doll in these pictures, and Becky was the photographer. They are a little blurry, and Doll is VERY fuzzy (she has one of the longest and thickest coats I've ever seen), but maybe you can see through all of that. It's hard to see in these pictures, but Doll is an awesome mover and we expect to do very well with her. We are also still working on getting a check to fit her. She's a little girl!

Thanks again, Becky, and I can't wait to see how well Ozzy does with you in halter in 2006!

 

[Charlotte]

She's lookin' good Stephanie! I hope one of these days I can get over there to see her in harness.

I'll look forward to seeing both of you in the show ring.

Charlotte

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Better hurry, Charlotte! She's leaving next week, so I can show her in AOTE next year. So far, it looks like Monday is the day I'll drive her one more time under Becky's supervision, then we'll take her home and leave Ozzy.

 

[Becky]

Thanks for the kind words, Stephanie! It's been a pleasure having Doll here and she is great to drive. Such a good mind!!

I expect to see you and her doing some serious winning in the driving ring in 2006!

 

[jleonard]

What a pretty girl! It looks like she has a nice trot too. Good luck in the show ring! Have fun

 

[kaykay]

i thought you couldnt show aote unless you trained your horse yourself?? she looks great in the harness youll have so much fun!

 

[Viki]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong... I THINK as long as the horse is not in a trainer's hands Jan. 1 on, you can show AOTE. The horse must not return to trainer after Jan. 1. You can show in Ammy even if the horse is with or has been with a trainer.

Viki

 

[kaykay]

oh ok i didnt know that! i did know they can be with a trainer for ammy classes but i thought aote was supposed to be different. I thought it really was for ammys that train their own horses. So really there is no difference between aote and ammy except the trainer cant handle the horse after jan 1 of the current year

three C and Becky pls know this is in no way directed at you!! Im just disappointed as I was going to show AOTE for the first time this year. I think ill just stick with ammy classes

 

[Becky]

Kaykay, if I were you, I would go ahead and show AOTE. The horse cannot be with a trainer the year it is showing, so you will be in the show ring with amateurs for sure! The competition will likely be tougher in the Amateur classes with horses that are with trainers. Stephanie's (Three C) mare is going home Monday and I won't touch her again in 2006. Stephanie will be on her own!

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Kaykay, please don't let this stop you. This is the ONLY horse I have ever had professionally trained, and she is by no means finished. I competed VERY successfully with my Bob, for several years, and I trained him all by myself, from start to finish. I qualified for Nationals in Open and Amateur Country Pleasure at my very first show with him. He was also multiple Top Ten in large classes at Regionals, the only year I took him. Bob has never been driven by a professional, and I can count on one hand the number of people besides me who have ever driven him. I've never even driven him under a professional's supervision--he is a TRUE AOTE horse, through and through.

I don't understand why you won't try AOTE now? Why would you forgo AOTE for Ammy? AOTE would give you more of an advantage. An Amateur horse can live with the trainer and only see the owner at the show, as my Ozzy will do next year in halter. I won't have a thing to do with his grooming and conditioning (so I expect him to do much better, LOL!), I'll just lead him in the ring. I have seen professionally trained horses that have spent much more time with a trainer than Doll has, just "go to pot" in the hands of their owner. It still takes knowledge and skill on the owner's part to keep the horse at the level the trainer had it at.

Besides, if it really was for someone that did ALL of the horse's training themselves, the horse would basically have to be in your posession from the time it was born, or somewhere along the line, it "could" have been professionally trained. How else would you police something like that?

 

[kaykay]

hi there!

Please know i am not being crabby or anything like that!! i just was so excited because i thought that now that i can finally show amha (they didnt have any in illinois) that they had a better program for true ammys then amhr.

I really thought that aote meant no one else could ever train the horse except the owner. See what a dork i am LOL. I really took it to literally to mean TRAINED BY THE OWNER.

To me to fill out all the extra paper work and still have to show against horses trained by professional handlers well ughh. Can you see what im saying?? I may as well skip all the extra paper work and just show in the ammy class.

I hope that makes sense! and i have no problem with people sending horses to trainers. In fact im hoping to send one of mine soon to connie ballard. Just never occurred to me that i could send a horse to be trained by a trainer and then show in amatuer owned, trained and exhibited

I just thougth aote was different

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Kaykay, I know you're not being crabby, don't worry about it! However, they started out with the "extra paperwork" this year, but it was only one paper to sign with the horse's name, and then they ended up doing away with that. I just hate to see you skip some classes that would be to your benefit.