I gave myself and Frankie two days off. I’ve come to the conclusion that Frankie just wasn’t an event horse. The one day thing was just too much for him. He needs better accommodations and a more structured environment.

When showing him in the jumpers, he always got to the show two days before we even started showing, and even when we rode in more than one class a day, there was usually a break in between. He always had a stall, and even though I was perpetually late for my class, so was everyone else so it didn’t really matter.

Frankie is a jumper. I really want to event, and I think Frankie would excel at it and thoroughly enjoy it. But I don’t think the one day series is his bag.

After much introspection over these two days off, I got out to the barn in a weird mood. Bummed about not eventing Frankie, but excited about getting him back into the jumper ring.

I figured I would keep up the dressage work; it will only help his jumping when we again put up the sticks.

I grabbed Frankie from his paddock and took him into the barn; he was all agitated. Couldn’t stand still, head in the air. He pooped in the isle. Frankie generally likes to poop in one corner in his stall. Outside of that, sometimes when I ride (but very rarely), and if there is a wash stall, always in the wash stall. He doesn’t poop or pee in the isle. Something I really appreciate. Lately he has been doing both. It’s annoying.

Before I had him tacked up, he had already pooped eight times. I would take a load to the manure pile only to come back to another pile. WTF?

By the time I had him tacked up, it had been 11 piles that I cleaned up, only for him to go one more time as we walked out of the barn. This wasn’t my horse.

A short warm up and I started working on transitions, some figure eights, off the rail work, and the collected trot. He was very responsive, doing everything I asked, all with a ton of motor. He was not resistant or tense. However, he did screech to a halt while we were cantering out of no where, swishing his tail. Weird. But he was fine going straight back to the canter.

The ride was actually really good. I got back into the barn and the pooping continued. Two times before I got his tack off, and when I was walking out to the manure pile, he peed.

Grrr.

I hosed him off and put him in his stall. He didn’t have any personality today. There was no Frankie. Sure, under saddle he was pretty good. But I did not enjoy my time out there, nor did I really enjoy my ride. How could I? It was like riding a robot.

What’s wrong with him?

Anybody want to guess in the comments? I’ll give the rest of that story tomorrow.

Ride time: 50 minutes