Monday, July 13, 2015

Reality and Redirection

When Quest first arrived about a year ago, my original goal to ready her for endurance rides- my discipline of choice. While she was always honest and never put a foot out of line, the little mare arrived not very confident with limited trail experience and was herd bound. Not knowing her full history, we took things slow and did our homework. Months of trail hand walking on the trails and streets, solo and group rides, leading, following, passing. We encountered a plethora of new sights, smells, and sounds....there were deer, raccoons, rabbits, birds; pedestrians with barking dogs, bikes, baby strollers, power wheels, wagons; ATVs, dirtbikes, semis, dump trucks, cars; construction chainsaws, nail guns, and sanders. We started with walking only, then added trotting, eventually cantering- this past week, hand galloping.

Zoom zoom happy ears

We still have a long ways to go but Quest's confidence on the trails has grown in leaps and bounds. She finishes our 6-mile loop rides easily with energy to continue on for much much more. In my mind this is the perfect time to start getting us out on different trails and off property for more miles and experience but it will not be happening until I figure out an affordable and practical trailer/rig situation.

So for now the plans to get us into endurance riding will be shelved indefinitely. Moving to a barn with access to more trail miles isn't a viable option at this point in time either given the locations/costs coupled with my work hours and current living situation. Options have been exhausted and I've come to terms (somewhat) that this is reality. I'm a go-getter and doer so this has honestly taken me a long time to realize that I couldn't do anything about the situation to fix it or make it better.

But I do have a horse that is sound, fit, and game for anything.

I've decided we will spend our remaining months of summer on the trails and exploring as we go along and redirect our focus to getting started over jumps during the fall and winter. The jump equipment at the barn is extremely sparse but we will make do with what we have to get it done. I'm also hoping tp set up formal lessons at least once a month to get instructor eyes on the ground...finding an appropriate instructor is easier said than done though.

Such is the state of things but I couldn't be happier with how far my horse has come along and I will focus on the positive. It's onwards and upwards.

10 comments:

  1. i love that gif!!! you and Quest have really come so far in getting to know each other, it must be so disappointing to not be able to make the endurance dream a reality right now (especially since it's not for lack of trying!).

    your reassessment sounds super realistic tho - and who knows, maybe you'll discover that you both love jumping too? good luck finding the right trainer - and don't be afraid to play the field a little until you find the right fit :)

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    1. Yeah I intended on getting an instructor sooner rather than later but I haven't had much luck with the trainers at the barn. One girl I actually did set up a lesson with but after chatting with her more, I couldn't shake off a weird feeling I got so I called it off the next day. I later got to observe a lesson she taught and....let's say my instincts were right :/ The main barn did a major staff reshuffling a couple months ago though so I might have new people to talk to- fingers crossed!

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  2. You have done such an amazing job with her, all without an instructor! Congratulations, you have lots to be proud of, even if you have to put your endurance dreams on the backburner for the timebeing. :-)

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement (: We've come a very long way though I'm very lucky that she's such an honest horse- even when I do mess things up she's incredibly forgiving of my mistakes.

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  3. That gif is awesome!!!

    I can understand the need to redirect. When I first got Lily, I had wanted her to be my endurance horse because she initially had such a good brain on trails. But we didn't have a rig, South FL was faaaaar away from the closest rides, which were up in N FL (at least 6 hours away!) and then Lily stopped sweating, and I thought we were done. So we did dressage for 2 years, and then things finally fell into place after moving up here: Lily started sweating once she was in a place with seasons and cool nights (common cure for anhidrosis), we found people that would take us to rides, and eventually got our own rig. :) Things happen when the time is right.

    Best of luck with finding a trainer! You are such a wonderful horsewoman that I always forget that you haven't been doing this for very long! You've done an incredible job with Quest and I will continue reading about your adventures, no matter where they take you. :)

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    1. Patience isn't my greatest virtue haha though I completely agree things happen at the right time- I can say with certainty that Quest coming into my life was one of those happenings (:

      I'm so glad things fell into place with you and Lily in the end! I can't imagine how it felt to realize that a horse might not physically be able to do a selected discipline. Endurance is definitely a dream that I won't give up on though and this hiatus will only make our real start to the sport that much better.

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  4. Redirection is just great as long as everyone involved is happy and healthy =) I'm excited to see where your journey continues with this little mare!

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    1. Yup, that's a very important reminder! Btw we intend to put your jumping 101 tips to good use as distance learning students haha

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  5. the gif is so cool! you have done an amazing job and i think it's even better that you're being realistic about the current situation. who knows.. it could change next year for all you know :) best of luck to you and quest!

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    1. Absolutely agreed, things can change very quickly in a span of time (: And thanks, I hope we figure out what the next step for us is.

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