Not as Easy as I Thought

I love Purple Rain, aka Jacco (I always call him Jacco), and I'm having fun riding him--and learning to ride him well--but we're a long way from being ready to show. I'd hoped it would be otherwise, but it's not, in part because I found a whole other trot than what I originally knew was there--a big, beautiful trot that is a real challenge to ride well, but now that I know it is there, I'm not willing to settle for anything less. The same with his canter.

I wish I had the natural coordination that Susan and Emma have, but I don't. In order to ride with enough leg supporting his "super" gaits, I struggle not to tense up in my hips. When I get it right, riding him is sheer heaven. When I don't, it's like driving with the parking brake on, and I'm working MUCH harder than the horse, especially now that the weather's getting hot. If I'm telling him stop with one aid and go with the other, quite reasonably, he picks the one he prefers, and it usually isn't the "go" one.

The biggest obstacle I've had, however, has been consistency in the saddle. I'll just start to get some momentum going, just start to make some progress and something will come up to derail me. First it was wolf teeth. Poor Jacco's mouth hurt him so bad he'd toss his head every time I half-halted on the right, and he'd throw in explosive spooks for no reason. It wasn't characteristic for him, so I had the vet check him and sure enough, he had an inflamed wolf tooth (I figured it was either that or a sharp hook). She pulled the tooth, but because of his age, it took a few weeks to heal, so that kept me off him. Then I moved... and then I started the new gym program and I couldn't manage more than a few rides a week because I was so body sore.

But I got better--and I got back on track--until a series of horse shows interrupted us. I couldn't ride because I was at the shows all day. On track again, things were going great, and then he twisted a shoe and it was 3 days until we could get the farrier out.

This week, only 2 rides because of another show (but what a show! It's the Olympic Selection Trials a mere 45 minutes from home, and the PSG/Int-1 Championships are being held at the same time. Jennifer is riding Susan's horse, Farinelli, in the PSG/Int-1 Championships and he is looking mighty fine right now. We feel like he could place near the top, though we don't expect a win).

Next week, though, FINALLY life should be back to normal and I should be able to get 5 rides in a week. This week seemed to turn a corner for me... and I'm starting to feel good from the gym without too much muscle pain or fatigue, so crossing fingers that we'll see our learning curve shoot skyward. I'm ready to make some real progress. I know we will... it's just filling in those basics and getting the foundation right, and me learning a new horse after having spent so many years with Quila who didn't need aids because she could read my mind.