Today was a new day for me and Frankie. Primarily in what we are as a team.

After yesterday’s lesson, I have realized one thing for sure. Frankie is a jumper. Frankie was bred to be a jumper, he has proven himself as a jumper, and with some work and re-finishing, he will be a successful jumper once again.

My goals as a rider is to get to Rolex. I really enjoy eventing. The atmosphere is so much more laid back and, cross country is a blast. I also have a very personal goal with Frankie. I bred him, raised him, trained him, and showed him through open jumpers. But after getting him into the open jumper ring, I was burned out. I didn’t keep going and I would like to.

The thing is, anyone can go out, buy a very expensive, made horse, to win just about anything. Hunters, jumpers, eventing, and dressage. Through the top levels. Sure with jumpers and eventing there is a certain amount of balls needed and some navigation skills. But if you have a horse that is schooled well to do his/her job, outside of steering and a little (sometimes none) throttle control, you just sit there.

That is not fun for me. I need to feel like I got there, through hard work, talent, and good (and sometimes bad) riding. I always want to feel like I’m learning and adding tools to my belt.

Frankie is not an easy ride. He never has been. For me and Frankie, I think it’s the jumper ring—and of course I want to go big. Since we haven’t shown over the big sticks in a long time, it’s going to take a little bit to get us back there. I’m confident that we will though. The tough part is that jumpers are more expensive to campaign. There just isn’t anything cheap about it. That is going to limit the amount we will actually be able to show.

Eventing isn’t over for me. I need a horse. Once I find a ride, I will be heading to Rolex. I have no doubt.

Determination is on my side and that is always a good thing.

Frankie will continue to be in a training program filled with dressage, as much as we both find it somewhat tedious. It will only help me and Frankie as a team in the jumper ring and help me as a rider once I start back eventing.

Today’s ride was that of my ole’ jumper riding. I always worked on dressagish stuff; with the few dressage tests I have done, I have a new appreciation of what it is and what it isn’t.

We went to the outdoor to ride, equipped with the De Gauge. Frankie was feeling a bit lazy so I started out with some walk/trot and trot/walk transitions periodically throwing in some smaller circles. His focus was, well, all over the place. So I threw in some bending to the inside, giving and taking. This all seemed to help both his motor and his attention.

Once we were in a good spot we started working on some transitions within the trot. Extension, collection, regular (medium)…

Frankie was great, though he does hate collection. Then we moved to the canter. He was doing his old four beat annoying canter he does when he doesn’t want to work forward, especially on a circle. So, we did forward canter once around, collected, then after a bit he would start his four beat shuffle so I would shoot him forward and do the same until he held a nice, collected canter.

Reverse, repeat.

Then I worked on me a bit. I tend to shift my body a lot when I ask for a flying change. Only when working on the flat. I don’t ask for changes when I’m jumping, those are automatic. But on the flat I shift and sometimes look down (terrible habit). So I worked on staying straight, looking forward, and letting it happen. His changes weren’t great, but they got better.

Back to the trot, a little stretching. Then he got tense, mostly because there was a lesson going on and people weren’t giving me a heads up to what the were jumping so I would have to circle without planning. I hate that.

A little more canter and back to a stretching trot.

Pretty good ride.

Ride time: 45 minutes

Health update – Frankie needs to gain lots of weight. He is eating his medication well with a bran mash, he just finished a Panacur powerpac, and with his teeth just floated, all he needs is the groceries.

Equipment update – I need a new saddle. YIKES. I have had my saddle now for almost 10 years. It is a County Stabilizer. It was made for Frankie’s mom. She was a bit broader than him. It’s a medium tree and Frankie needs a narrow. It had fit, then the tree broke, and now somehow with the new tree it seems way too wide. Even when he gains weight I don’t think it’s going to fit him. I have to start researching saddles.