As I had mentioned in a few posts this Spring I was a bit at a cross roads with where to go with my riding goals next. I had focused so hard on getting my barn up and tried really hard to not push Belle faster than she could go that I kind of got going in circles with my personal goals. I am so proud of the barn and the community that I have built here but I don't want my physical barn or my lesson program to be what defines me completely.
I think that Belle is something special and she has taught me more than I could ever pay a trainer to teach me, but she's still taking time and I need to make some big progress soon. I have always been a rider who is willing to take the horses no one wants (usually because no one can handle them) and turn them into something better. But as Kyle Carter wrote about in a recent article, "Don't just be good at riding bad horses". (click here to read the article) Well, I'm not only good at it... it's all I have known for the past 10 years. So, I decided that competing at the FEI level was my next goal and I needed a horse who was uncomplicated enough to do it. The thing about the complicated horses is that it takes years to sort out the puzzles and teach them to mentally stay with you as you work on harder things. Even when you have a system for them, you're still taking a lot of baggage into each show ring with you and hoping that you've packed it well enough to survive the ride. I enjoy these puzzles and like being able to calmly show a horse who once was explosive, but this wasn't conducive to my new goals and as I have discussed many times, Belle isn't a sure thing. So, my search for a new horse began.
I think that Belle is something special and she has taught me more than I could ever pay a trainer to teach me, but she's still taking time and I need to make some big progress soon. I have always been a rider who is willing to take the horses no one wants (usually because no one can handle them) and turn them into something better. But as Kyle Carter wrote about in a recent article, "Don't just be good at riding bad horses". (click here to read the article) Well, I'm not only good at it... it's all I have known for the past 10 years. So, I decided that competing at the FEI level was my next goal and I needed a horse who was uncomplicated enough to do it. The thing about the complicated horses is that it takes years to sort out the puzzles and teach them to mentally stay with you as you work on harder things. Even when you have a system for them, you're still taking a lot of baggage into each show ring with you and hoping that you've packed it well enough to survive the ride. I enjoy these puzzles and like being able to calmly show a horse who once was explosive, but this wasn't conducive to my new goals and as I have discussed many times, Belle isn't a sure thing. So, my search for a new horse began.
My criteria for a new horse was:
SOUND- like really, really, really sound.
SMART- like you can see their wheels turning in new situations and they come up with super great solutions.
SLIGHTLY PROVEN- one who has done a few events, likes to jump, etc. I didn't want to have to start 100% at the beginning and hope they jumped well (um, like the red mare I already had!)
I took a phenomenal horse on trial, but she was barely broke and didn't quite pass the vet... sadly I had to pass on her. ((See, I tend to break my own rules... barely broke does not equal even slightly proven!))
I vetted a gelding who had been doing the jumpers... he almost passed the vet until we Xrayed his hocks and found a super odd anomaly that would have been detrimental to my whole goal.
After those 2 (and looking at a million more) I had decided to wait and look for one this winter. But then I was scrolling through Facebook one day and saw a post by a young professional who was looking for the exact same thing that I was looking for. There were quite a few responses so I decided to look through them, just in case. I saw a lot of very nice ads with pictures and video links but none caught my eye. Then I saw "I have one" written by Maya Simmons. That was it, she just wrote those few words with no pictures or anything and I was hooked. I replied to her comment and asked her to send me more information. She sent me a message telling me about this little black mare she has who was "the real deal". She sent me a picture of her from a year ago when she was still at the track, a super short jumping video and then a short flat video. Her conformation picture from the track was not one that would have made me lust for the horse but she looked incredibly happy jumping in the video and she looked sound. I looked up her USEA record and saw that her dressage scores were less than impressive (what you'd expect from a fresh off the track Thoroughbred) but she had jumped well at Novice, Training and had just run a Modified. She was located in Southern Pines, NC and next thing I knew I was pricing out plane tickets (oh, did I mention she was priced at $10,000 above my budget? Yea, I don't know what I was thinking either.) But something about her called to me. I had a few other geldings on my list in NY and I had a plan to drive down to see them when Maya sent me a message telling me she was moving the horses to PA to get out of the hurricane. Well, next thing I knew I had re routed my trip and headed to Pennsylvania! When I arrived there was this super bleached out, thin necked horse sleeping on the cross ties with its ears flopped to either side. I almost thought Maya was joking when she said "that's her!". She did NOT look like the vision of my next horse that I had in my head but hey, I had driven all this way so I might as well try her. We had to hack down the road to get to the arena, and she was a peach. I rode this 6 year old OTTB who had just been on the trailer for a day down a main road with one hand on the buckle of the reins. She was like one of those old trusty lesson horses that you let the beginners on for their first trail ride. I thought, "no way is this horse the eventing machine that I'm looking for!". But when we got to the arena and I picked up the reins and put her to work, she came alive! She wasn't nearly as strong in her flat work as she needed to be but she willingly tried to do everything I asked of her and she gave me a super feeling in the saddle. I aimed her at a cross rail and she popped over it like it was cake. I then aimed her at something a bit bigger and she perked up a little, read the jump and sailed over it like it was made for her. I had no idea what to do with this incredibly steady, smart, brave jumping machine! I fell in love with her right then!
SOUND- like really, really, really sound.
SMART- like you can see their wheels turning in new situations and they come up with super great solutions.
SLIGHTLY PROVEN- one who has done a few events, likes to jump, etc. I didn't want to have to start 100% at the beginning and hope they jumped well (um, like the red mare I already had!)
I took a phenomenal horse on trial, but she was barely broke and didn't quite pass the vet... sadly I had to pass on her. ((See, I tend to break my own rules... barely broke does not equal even slightly proven!))
I vetted a gelding who had been doing the jumpers... he almost passed the vet until we Xrayed his hocks and found a super odd anomaly that would have been detrimental to my whole goal.
After those 2 (and looking at a million more) I had decided to wait and look for one this winter. But then I was scrolling through Facebook one day and saw a post by a young professional who was looking for the exact same thing that I was looking for. There were quite a few responses so I decided to look through them, just in case. I saw a lot of very nice ads with pictures and video links but none caught my eye. Then I saw "I have one" written by Maya Simmons. That was it, she just wrote those few words with no pictures or anything and I was hooked. I replied to her comment and asked her to send me more information. She sent me a message telling me about this little black mare she has who was "the real deal". She sent me a picture of her from a year ago when she was still at the track, a super short jumping video and then a short flat video. Her conformation picture from the track was not one that would have made me lust for the horse but she looked incredibly happy jumping in the video and she looked sound. I looked up her USEA record and saw that her dressage scores were less than impressive (what you'd expect from a fresh off the track Thoroughbred) but she had jumped well at Novice, Training and had just run a Modified. She was located in Southern Pines, NC and next thing I knew I was pricing out plane tickets (oh, did I mention she was priced at $10,000 above my budget? Yea, I don't know what I was thinking either.) But something about her called to me. I had a few other geldings on my list in NY and I had a plan to drive down to see them when Maya sent me a message telling me she was moving the horses to PA to get out of the hurricane. Well, next thing I knew I had re routed my trip and headed to Pennsylvania! When I arrived there was this super bleached out, thin necked horse sleeping on the cross ties with its ears flopped to either side. I almost thought Maya was joking when she said "that's her!". She did NOT look like the vision of my next horse that I had in my head but hey, I had driven all this way so I might as well try her. We had to hack down the road to get to the arena, and she was a peach. I rode this 6 year old OTTB who had just been on the trailer for a day down a main road with one hand on the buckle of the reins. She was like one of those old trusty lesson horses that you let the beginners on for their first trail ride. I thought, "no way is this horse the eventing machine that I'm looking for!". But when we got to the arena and I picked up the reins and put her to work, she came alive! She wasn't nearly as strong in her flat work as she needed to be but she willingly tried to do everything I asked of her and she gave me a super feeling in the saddle. I aimed her at a cross rail and she popped over it like it was cake. I then aimed her at something a bit bigger and she perked up a little, read the jump and sailed over it like it was made for her. I had no idea what to do with this incredibly steady, smart, brave jumping machine! I fell in love with her right then!
I decided to stay near by over night since Maya offered to bring her XC schooling the next day. I loaded and unloaded this little puppy dog with ease and then we lead the young horse that Maya had brought to ride over the ditches and up the banks like she was a seasoned veteran. Then she became a rocket ship as I galloped her around the field and launched over some fences. I had to learn how to NOT help her and just stay out of her way. I felt like I could conquer the world on top of this little horse! Maya and her business partner were incredibly generous by dropping her price to make it possible for her to be mine. I can't ever thank them enough for such an opportunity. The last thing was that I desperately needed her to be as solid as I thought she was. Maya was able to help get a vet out while I was still there and that vet was able to send all info to my vet the same day and both agreed that she most definitely was sound for her job.
I then had to work fast to get a trailer to be able to pick her up in PA before they headed back to NC in a couple days. I was lucky to find someone who could do it and she arrived home at 3:30 am three days after I had tried her! I am a firm believer in the fact that horses find you, you don't find them and if all of these stars aligning is any sign of how truly amazing this girl is, she will be more than I could have ever hoped for!
Now that I've had her home for a couple of months, I can't begin to rave about her enough! She is such a wonderful type of energy to be around. The kind of soul that makes you feel at peace even when things are going awry. She is self assured without being pushy. She is quiet without being dull. She is smart without anticipating. She is sensitive without being over reactive. Other horses enjoy being around her, even Belle is happy to share a paddock with her!
Now that I've had her home for a couple of months, I can't begin to rave about her enough! She is such a wonderful type of energy to be around. The kind of soul that makes you feel at peace even when things are going awry. She is self assured without being pushy. She is quiet without being dull. She is smart without anticipating. She is sensitive without being over reactive. Other horses enjoy being around her, even Belle is happy to share a paddock with her!
We are planning to spend the winter getting her stronger and more supple on the flat, luckily Belle gave me such a great education on getting a weak horse supple and elegant that it will be great to take that to riding her. I have no plans to jump this winter but I have no doubt that her jumping ability will only be better the next time I aim her toward a jump!
So, without further ado... meet Maizie May! The calm to Belle's storm, the yin to Belle's yang, and more than I could have ever hoped for in a partner for my new journey!
So, without further ado... meet Maizie May! The calm to Belle's storm, the yin to Belle's yang, and more than I could have ever hoped for in a partner for my new journey!
RSS Feed