My hopes for the future.

Recently, I was offered the chance to take part in a trail challenge at a local horse rescue. I was unable to attend, but man did I want to!!

Eventually, I DO want to show. It may be a few years from now, but I hope that I will show. If I can't show, I will attend parades, random small trail challenges, stuff like that, just to get out there and do stuff. My personal hopes for the future is to get Red back in Western Pleasure and/or possibly do trail challenges. I want to to whichever Red and I enjoy most. If I feel like he hates dragging along in WP, then maybe we'll move onto speedier events.




As of right now, we are in NO shape to compete. Red needs training, but I need even more. My seat needs to improve drastically, Red needs to learn to switch gaits quickly and smoothly. Other than that, he still has a way to go appearance wise.

My seat has already changed a lot for the better since I got him..

In September...oh goodness those feet.

July...don't even ask what I'm doing because I don't know.

early April?? You can see it start to improve...My feet are better, reining is better, posture is better.

Red of course has improved far more than me.. His skin has changed like crazy, and quickly, too, I have high hopes for him, even with his tail. And if his tail continues to go bald in the Summer, that's okay. I wish it wouldn't, but if we ever show, I can always get some form of a tail guard or just a fake tail.His looks obviously matter a lot when you show, especially in blingy WP. One thing I know, is that if I do end up showing in Western Pleasure, his mane will NOT be cropped. Been there done that, bought the t-shirt. Didn't like it. Threw the t-shirt away.

Some horses look good with it. Some look bad. Red is in the latter category...just...yucky. In my opinion, his mane is still too short. Eventually, I would like him to have a similar mane to this girl,

His girlfriend, BayBay. Red and Bay are inseparable.

Really, cropped manes are okay on some horses, I just can't stand it on Red. I love a long mane. They may be hard to keep up, but they are worth it. Besides, I'm out at the barn every day or at least every other day to groom him out and put MTG all over him, why not add mane detangler to the mix?

Since Red is already a trail/pleasure horse, he goes through similar obstacles that would be in a trail challenge every day. Of course, there are occasionally some jumps and etc, which I'd have to work on a LOT, but they are all small and I'd say after a few months of training we could handle it.






Either route I choose to go, I have a large future ahead of training, injuries, setbacks, heartaches and hopefully some winning.. ;)

When I first got Red, I loved him, yes, but part of me was open to, in the future, when I got to be a better rider, getting a better, faster horse and rehoming my slow-poke because I didn't see myself on a bald lazy horse while doing WP or trail challenges, or even Rodoes. I have nothing wrong with started out small and eventually moving on to a better horse, better suited to you, as long as you take the time to find that horse that gave you it's best years a GOOD home where you know it'll be loved and used. Slowly, in those first months, Red turned into a gorgeous Quarter right before my eyes, and I realized something-I never, never, never want to trade him. Our bond blossomed into something every little girl dreams about and I was in love. I loved him before, but now..it's deeper!! I can't go a day without talking about our training, our goals, our future. I can't go a day without seeing him before I go insane. But there was always one issue-this horse won't go. He won't run. He can barely trot without bunny hopping and refusing!! The horse would STOP in the middle of a trail and just huff, like he's saying, "Yeah girl I'm not going any farther, take me home." but soon, that issue was resolved. Too resolved. At a time, Red was so hot and hyped up that even my mother wouldn't get on him.

"Who, ME?"

Red got crazy. We had put him on healthycoat oil to improve his coat and weight, and while I NEVER regretted it because it helped him, man that horse was hyped. But slowly, he turned into a lazy  horse again. Just as lazy as before. So lazy I had to bring a crop everywhere I went because I couldn't have him stumping up while leading other horses on a trail! But somehow, he began wanting to trot. I refused him, I wasn't ready. But then, I turned into a slightly better rider and I said, "alright." and we trotted. Now, he wants to canter. I'm still nervous for that, but occasionally I give in and let him have his fun. WHAT. HAPPENED. TO. MY. LAZY. HORSE. Did you know I haven't had to carry a crop in months? MONTHS. Once I carried one because we were riding with a new horse that Red was extremely fond of-BayBay-and he kept getting too close, so I had one for safety, not because he was being extra lazy. How insane.

Now, I know I want to show with HIM. I don't want to trade. It's him I want to train, it's him I want to show with, it's him I want to ride. I just have to figure out how and where and when I want to show. :P :P Red is probably less eager than I am for these next few years. He just wants a massage and treats but if I let him do that, he'll look like this,

I AM RUNNING BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO RIDE ME!!

And we can't have that. I like his newly acquired muscular-ness.

"I know I'm hot stuff."

SUCH A POSER.

Anyways, my-horse-hopes for 2013, all neatly compiled in a list:

• My seat must improve, I have to learn to post the trot or I'll never be able to canter.
• We need to work on faster transitions from trot to canter. 
• We need to begin working with trot poles to get him to learn how to go neatly over things, not run into them.
• Red is too much of a follower, which is okay, but he needs to learn how to lead in trails if the need ever comes up....

What are you hopes for your-horse-future??? Do you have a list?