2 Years

So 2 years ago, post baby#1 I decided that the money taking up space in our savings account needed to manifest into a horse. I wasn't satisfied with my lease horse (boy was I naive I was) and off I went on the hunt.

Enter Holly stage left.

Fresh 5 year old

She was pretty, she was smart, and she was the right price. Her owners were super nice, and I still talk to them. She just needed to stop playing WP pony, and learn to be a hunter...

How did I miss those overly perked ears?
Oh yeah, she's pretty...

So where do we stand today, 2 years later?

I think since I take more lessons than hack, I sometimes get too caught up in all the kinks that still need straightening. But really, like my hair, horses never get perfectly smooth, there will always be little issues.

Oct 2013

-She can be spooky. She has gone from running from the devil to stomping, and often she doesn't jump til I do, so its kinda fair.
-She still is downhill, but I can't fight genetics too much, its her build.
-She is hard to frame up. That's more me being weak legged than her at this point because she does it fine for trainer and WS.
-She needs someone to help her with distances to jumps. Um.. yeah so do I....

I swear I can fit one more stride mom...

 It wasn't until I was idly horse shopping on my 3am lunch break one day that I realized how far we had come.When my trainer gave me a price she'd start her at if I did sell, I thought she was off her rocker. Then I started reading ads in our area... Turns out I'm the one out of touch...


Holly can work in a frame (if you remind her that she's not a WP horse anymore),

June 2014

-she knows her leads, almost to a fault, she auto changes (when asked properly)
- she's picking up counter-canter easily  (ok, well typed that too soon, but she gets the idea anyway).
 -She leg yields, haunches/shoulders in at WTC, also turn on the fore/haunches (beautiful turn on the fore)
- She has a great, adjustable stride, and only I can't sit her canter well ;) (Seriously, everyone loves her canter but me)
-Her trot is smooth, and for us weenies, she's a push horse, she doesn't drag her rider.

March 2015

-She went from doing superman long or worlds tiniest chip to being able to consistently jump nice, Hunter-like jumps up to 3' (and a little schooling at 3'3"-3'6" with rider help). She even humors me by jumping over the little stuff we all know she could canter over.

Summer 2015

-She does all the ground stuff with decent manners, even when I throw new things like the vacuum at her.

Derp

Really when you add it all up, despite being owned by a crooked, nervous, semi-detached owner, she's a great horse.

As much as I often feel we don't quite match up (she needs a more confident, firm rider like our WS), the thought of selling her and starting again is daunting to say the least.

Now remind me to re-read this ny the end of the month when it's cold and windy and she's clipped and she's acting a fool.