Discovering the motivation to put in writing this night after a really subpar day at our present in the present day was not straightforward. However such is life with horses … filled with ups and downs. They’re not machines and so they’re all entitled to a foul day right here and there so long as you may put it within the rearview mirror and transfer ahead.
We left off final time waiting for Maverick’s second acknowledged horse trial at Kentucky Summer time. That present went fantastically for us. He was a lot improved in his dressage check as he has been each time he steps into the sandbox. His stadium spherical was lovely — only a child second left us with a rail at fence #2 — however I used to be past impressed with how he dealt with as large of an surroundings as Rolex Stadium.
Cross-country day was a tricky day mentally for me. I had quite a bit on my thoughts exterior of horses and I let it get my quantity, however he made up for it in spades. Minus me taking the lengthy option to fence #2 and a bit of pause on the water, he was practically excellent going round there! He was so daring and assured and actually confirmed us he has the makings of a top-notch cross-country horse.
In between then and now, we actually centered on his flatwork. I’ve been doing quite a lot of work on assortment and introducing some lateral actions. Having management of his rib cage is so useful in all three phases, and I’ve actually observed an enormous distinction in his rideability with that. Maverick undoubtedly has had some large emotions studying new issues however he at all times works his approach by means of it and by no means stays frazzled.
Now to in the present day’s occasion: Dressage went nicely. I felt like we actually improved on quite a lot of features of his check, however he was additionally a bit behind my leg and missing the promptness we would have liked in a few of his upward transitions. In our stadium spherical, he actually simply felt like he was working off with me to half the jumps and never leaping his greatest to the remainder.
With it being a mini-trial, we went straight from that onto cross nation. He warmed up effective and jumped the primary nicely however after soar #2 I had a sense it might simply not be our day. He was too ahead in between the jumps and never coming again to me for the quiet distance but additionally not assured within the lengthy one. He stopped at soar #5 however then got here again round and popped proper over it, and did the identical to leap #7. At that time, I elected to name it a day and go work on issues at residence.
I believe one of the necessary issues you may be taught as a competitor is to know when it’s simply not your day. In the present day was a type of days. The bottom was very laborious and chopped up from being baled earlier this week, and he had nicks on all 4 legs which make me suspicious he might have gotten solid in his discipline final night time. He by no means felt unsound, however he wasn’t ever actually with me. Whether or not it was simply the warmth, not liking the bottom, some soreness, or simply merely a foul day, we’ll do what I stated at first — put it within the rearview mirror and transfer ahead.
Between the powerful moments, he nonetheless had some actually fantastic moments and it doesn’t take away from the large future he has forward of him.
We’ve had just a few schedule modifications in our plans main as much as Retired Racehorse Mission Thoroughbred Makeover, the place I plan to enter him within the dressage and eventing divisions. We’ll go to World Equestrian Heart Ohio for some jumper rounds in two weeks, then the next weekend I’m going to offer him another full horse trial on the Starter degree to construct his confidence again up at Kentucky Classique. He’ll most likely do the newbie novice again at Meadow Lake Equestrian Heart Sept. 21 after which we’ll head to Secure View in Aiken, S.C., the final week of September for our ultimate run earlier than the Thoroughbred Makeover.
The Jockey Membership helps many aftercare initiatives together with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the one accrediting physique in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which inspires the retraining of Thoroughbreds into different disciplines upon completion of careers. View the entire initiatives supported by The Jockey Membership.
