I must be off to Maryland for one of my favourite (although exhausting) experiences of every year: helping to run the Waredaca T/N3DE. I have written before about how important the long format is & how much it means to me, so I will let you play around on your own with that.
Photo by High Time Photography. |
Read Part 1 here
I had every intentions of offering some analysis of each section but I will let David's limitless experience & wisdom speak for itself, as he is more than capable of doing so.
One critical point that I will point out as you work through the videos is that, to be truly safe & effective cross country, it is not enough for your horse to merely be fast & game. Encore has that in spades. It is easy to get caught up in the thrill & whoop as your horse leaps over logs!
But it can get you in trouble in a hurry & David explains why. He needs to understand what he is doing, he needs to use the correct techniques, & rider needs to give him the best opportunity possible to succeed (and stay on). Slow it down, break it down, and build a solid foundation.
Even if your goal is to complete a Maiden course or school some Novice fences, it will pay off in safety for you & your horse, not to mention making your partner into a smoother, more confident ride. Everyone likes to understand what is expected of them in their job!
Note: yes, you caught me. I was not wearing my safety vest. In all honesty, we were running late on the way down, I got nervous about holding up David, tacked up my horse quickly & just completely forgot to put it on. I did not even notice until the end of the lesson. You all know that I am the Safety Nazi & gave myself a good mental scolding on the way back to the trailer.
Banks I
Banks II
Banks III
Water I (I would like to note that a year ago, David & I could NOT get Encore to jump over the little log into the water, no way, no how. We spent about 15 minutes trying & then moved on so it wouldn't become a thing. I am very proud of my boy for tackling it bravely this year & I credit that to the passage of time & the building of our relationship.)
Water II
Just as a comparison, here is Encore's attempt at dropping off a bank into water this March when we were under Becky Holder's watch.
Big Banks and Straight (ahem) Lines
I WANT TO DO THIS WITH COURAGE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAhem.
That is all.
Your progress is incredible and Encore looks completely awesome. :-)
I 100% love everything about this entry, but ESPECIALLY the bold text about the horse understanding the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteHee hee, SB, thanks -- and don't worry, it's only taken us two years, so you have plenty of time!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dom, and I agree, it's easy to forget for anyone and I am glad that David always reminds me of that!
Awesome video and insights, as always, and if you figure out the cloning thing, do share...!
ReplyDeleteThanks, squeaks, and boy, wouldn't that be useful!!
ReplyDelete