There was nothing particularly startling about our lesson yesterday. Ace was a bit jumpy but behaved very well for being in a totally new place, and settled quite quickly.
But the trainer, who rides GP herself, absolutely loved Ace. She had to be careful not to upset the friend who I was in the lesson with, whose horse is nice but not spectacular, but the tone of her voice and what she said made it very clear just how good she thinks he is. There were people in the gallery watching too, who came to tell me after we had finished how lovely they thought he was and to ask all about him.
The trainer did say that what marks Ace out, apart from his wonderful elevation, is just how sensitive he is to the aids. She says that he will be the making of me as a rider, and that his quick reactions and sensitivity will make him a really special horse if we continue to train him correctly. It was nice to know that she does not think that there is anything to undo about what I have been doing with him so far.
And all that in spite of the fact that when I went to take my boots off I discovered that I had been riding with only one spur :-) !!!
I was so thrilled with how both of them behaved yesterday that I decided not to ride today but to bask in the reflection of how successfully things are going. Tomorrow we have the physio coming. That will be interesting.
C
Spectacular! How nice to get the compliments from someone who really knows what it's all about.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that he will "make you as a rider." That, I think, is best of all. A horse like that is one of those treasures far too hard to find.
And again, think of how Jazz helped you with Ace and now, how Ace is inspiring you to train Radar as well. Talk about "paying it forward." Radar will be one tough cookie compared to Ace, but your excitement at every success tells it all. Ace inspires you to be a great rider, and Radar challenges you to be one.
What a great feeling when a trainer (especially one that rides GP) loves your horse! And how nice that she didn't feel that anything needed to be undone. ALthough I am sure that Ace is more sensitive to the aids than Tetley (T being 1/4 ID), still I find Tetley more sensitive to the aids than most other horses. It makes riding a challenge in some ways but also a lot easier in others.
ReplyDeleteHope you found that other spur :-)
The spur wasn't even lost ML, dork that I am I simply forgot to put it on and didn't notice until I bent down to take it off and it wasn't on my foot!
ReplyDeleteI love changing horses Jean, and for me it is almost the same thrill to get Radar to do a free walk for the first time ever after 3 years as it was to get 3 time tempis from Jazz.
Unfortunately Radar has a foot abscess today so we won't be repeating it for a week or so :-(
C
Fingers crossed that Radar will be even better after a week off - sometimes they are.
ReplyDeleteOooo, how exciting to find a trainer like that, you need someone like that to help you from the ground and move you forward.
ReplyDeleteI love the spur dork moment - sounds like something I'd do!
Radar's free walk on a long rein is funny, perhaps it was the brewing abscess that made him so tame??? I hope not, I love him becoming a dressage diva too.
Cheers T