I’ve been struggling with deciding what to do with Frankie. I’m bored right now just doing our thing. I want to compete, but Frankie doesn’t want to event, I can’t afford to compete in the jumper ring, so I decided why not give dressage a try.
I even got a dressage saddle.
My initial plan was to show this fall. I’m not sure if that is going to pan out with my work schedule so I’m going to play it by ear.
Worst case scenario, I work in the dressage saddle a few days a week. Work on me and Frankie and hopefully 1. better our jumping 2. maybe hit a dressage show in the spring.
We’ve ironed out Level 1 test 1. I sucked in the dressage saddle, but am improving every day I ride in it. Long stirrups is an adjustment and sitting Frankie’s very uncomfortable trot is not easy.
It is a challenge and I’m up for it.
Problem is, it’s not nearly as fun as jumping. Saturday Josh came out to the barn to do some camera tests for Live from Lexington and we jumped around fences 3’6″-4’3″ and had a blast…
My rides have been really good lately. Frankie has been a saint and my riding has been improving. Until this weekend.
We have had a handful of really gratifying, eye opening, exciting rides. 3’6″-3’9″ courses that were delightful. Perfect. Pretty. I mean to the point that I was really patting myself on the back and ready to put the sticks back up. Frankie is still going in the loose ring “danger bit”. He has been super ridable and I have managed to let go a little. What I’m finding is that although I’m trying to get off his back a little when he is light, he doesn’t really like it. He tends to be unsure and hesitates a bit which then puts me back in my over controlling mode.
That means I need to keep sitting a little deeper even when he is being light and easy. Not so much to drive, but to continue a “connection”. He seems to get hollow when I get out of my seat a bit and then we fall apart. That’s what happened this weekend.
I couldn’t canter to a fence to save my life. Frankie wasn’t being bad at all. I would get light in…
This is my progress and training blog. It's really the only spot I write about my personal horse journey. Frankie and I are jumpers at heart—though we're trying to find a competitive spot that fits into our budget.
If you you'd like to know what we're up to, you're in the right spot.
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Citizen Horse is where I write about horse industry shenanigans, publish horse magazine-style articles, and dole out advise. Call it the horse world's alternative newspaper.
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