Katie Iceton
Well-Known Member
SO I have finally realised, after it smacked me in teh face that my horse is not the type for ring work, like country pleasure etc.
We have been working hard all year for the AMHR show in our area, and I felt like a LOT of progress was being made with my horse and we were working hard. I was so excited to show. So we go and he does just fine in halter and the obstacle and jumping even tho we were sometimes the only one in our classes LOL. We get to the driving and I am all excited because I think we have a chance this year. We have been working on contact, impulsion, and tracking up. I go and drive in my 3-4 classes it was. I consistantly placed second, even though I knew my horse was working for me, he was working his heart out. We just didnt have it. So I get out, and as my trainer mum and I unharness, I lost it, I cried. I couldnt help it, I could not figure out why, when I thought things had changed so much from last year, they hadnt. I knew Shadow had given me his all, I knew but then I thought maybe placing would be different. I did not know what to do, but its not Shadows fault at all, I never thought that for an instant. He is just not built to give the action the judges want to see now a days. It probably didnt help that I had a pretty loose check on because I dont train with one and my horse is really figdgety if he has a lot on his face/head. Anyways, hes a very narrow in the front type of horse and thus doesnt have the room for the long strides they want in Country Pleasure and funny story, we actually did a pleasure class by mistake and the horse we were driving against beat us in a pleasure class as well so that told me he is no pleasure horse either. So we figured out he is not going to be in any more ring classes except the obstacle and games and such.
So after the show I was more than a little down. I was hoping that I would be able to go places perhaps next year, farther away and try the circuit I gues you would call it. This told me it definetly would not be worth it. So I was not much into driving my horse.
So I didnt drive for a while and just recently we moved and we have neighbors who also have minis and love driving and what not. And I took him over one day because my trainer was wanting me to drive again because she knew I was down and we took him over to their house and just played. Shadow and I both LOVED it. We had so much fun, he was so full of himself and really enjoying driving. Our neighbours think he is an amzing horse, and I do too, and it took this little play date to make me realise that he was never going to do a show cucuit, and that was ok. He and I are going to get into CDEs. He may not be perfect for dressage but he will be amazing at the cones and hazards, which is what he loves, get him out on teh trail or a big field and he is just a different horse. I will never put him in a ring class again probably, which is fine by me
Anyway just had to get that out guys, you prob have no clue who I am, but I am just a girl with a horse from BC who is now going to get into the wonderful world of Combined Driving. I said that I would try CDE for years and thought I would pursue a show career but now it is finally time to Shadow and I to try something new
.
We have been working hard all year for the AMHR show in our area, and I felt like a LOT of progress was being made with my horse and we were working hard. I was so excited to show. So we go and he does just fine in halter and the obstacle and jumping even tho we were sometimes the only one in our classes LOL. We get to the driving and I am all excited because I think we have a chance this year. We have been working on contact, impulsion, and tracking up. I go and drive in my 3-4 classes it was. I consistantly placed second, even though I knew my horse was working for me, he was working his heart out. We just didnt have it. So I get out, and as my trainer mum and I unharness, I lost it, I cried. I couldnt help it, I could not figure out why, when I thought things had changed so much from last year, they hadnt. I knew Shadow had given me his all, I knew but then I thought maybe placing would be different. I did not know what to do, but its not Shadows fault at all, I never thought that for an instant. He is just not built to give the action the judges want to see now a days. It probably didnt help that I had a pretty loose check on because I dont train with one and my horse is really figdgety if he has a lot on his face/head. Anyways, hes a very narrow in the front type of horse and thus doesnt have the room for the long strides they want in Country Pleasure and funny story, we actually did a pleasure class by mistake and the horse we were driving against beat us in a pleasure class as well so that told me he is no pleasure horse either. So we figured out he is not going to be in any more ring classes except the obstacle and games and such.
So after the show I was more than a little down. I was hoping that I would be able to go places perhaps next year, farther away and try the circuit I gues you would call it. This told me it definetly would not be worth it. So I was not much into driving my horse.
So I didnt drive for a while and just recently we moved and we have neighbors who also have minis and love driving and what not. And I took him over one day because my trainer was wanting me to drive again because she knew I was down and we took him over to their house and just played. Shadow and I both LOVED it. We had so much fun, he was so full of himself and really enjoying driving. Our neighbours think he is an amzing horse, and I do too, and it took this little play date to make me realise that he was never going to do a show cucuit, and that was ok. He and I are going to get into CDEs. He may not be perfect for dressage but he will be amazing at the cones and hazards, which is what he loves, get him out on teh trail or a big field and he is just a different horse. I will never put him in a ring class again probably, which is fine by me
Anyway just had to get that out guys, you prob have no clue who I am, but I am just a girl with a horse from BC who is now going to get into the wonderful world of Combined Driving. I said that I would try CDE for years and thought I would pursue a show career but now it is finally time to Shadow and I to try something new