Getting Started

Exciting news: the rain finally let up in April and we have been able to turn out in the back grass field. Fancy's been adjusting to turnout, friends, and the spring grass. Overall he is enjoying his time in the sun, having already sacrificed two nice leather halters to the Halter Tag gods (he's now in the most ostentatious, brightly-colored nylon w/breakaway halter that was on sale for $15 through Dover...). He is still a little uncertain about crossing over the little river that cuts through his paddock, refusing to jump it unless someone jumps in before him. Maybe he wants to be a dressage horse?

After a relaxing 6 week vacation, spring shots/deworming, a trim from the farrier, and a massage from our equine therapist, Fancy started back to work two weeks ago. I've been keeping his workouts light and stress-free, only cantering a couple laps the last few times I rode him when he felt good and relaxed through his back. He wants to carry himself in a nice balanced hunter frame - not too high, not too low - so I'm just leaving him be and hacking on a loose rein as much as possible, just riding mostly from my leg. Right now his biggest struggle is the right lead canter (no surprise there, my little OTTB), but I'm not worried about it - he always gets it after a couple tries. He has great brakes; all I have to do is tip forward and roll on my toe and he stops square and puts his head up to catch me. Maybe an adult's dressage horse someday?

I put some calvaletti poles down Friday and trotted Fancy through them in hand before mounting; he could have cared less, staying relaxed and blase about the whole thing, even when I pointed him through them under saddle. There is hope for my jumping horse yet!

We have a schooling show scheduled at the farm this coming weekend, if enough entries are submitted. It's my goal to have Fancy do one of the under saddle classes, since this is the last schooling show scheduled at our farm until the fall. We might not have a right lead canter, but that's OK - I just want him to see some of the chaos of a show for a few minutes, get a cookie, and go back outside to lose another halter.