immediate future

I decided to switch to eventing in the spring of 2014, with the goal of being ready for a horse trial by fall. After leasing Izzy for about 2 years by that point, it was time to get us into a program. So we got a truck and trailer and the rest is history (dutifully recorded here on ye olde blog).

more throwback pics of isabel today - except these are from our earliest events together. the above is from our first!!!

We made it to that first horse trial in September, and actually fit in a second HT in October before packing it in for the season. Then the entire winter stretched ahead of us to build on what we learned in those first two events, and we came out swinging the next spring - with one quick run at intro before moving up to BN.

That timeline worked really well for me and Isabel - we had basically a full year of introductions to the sport to settle in and educate ourselves before the competitions began in earnest.

Things are.... obviously a bit different with Charlie haha. Not least because he was only started as a riding horse seven and a half months ago. But I'm banking heavily on the hope that I've retained most of what Isabel and I learned through our ~2 years eventing.

second ever ht, and first ever up bank haha - jenny camp 2014

So at least one of us maybe kinda has a clue lol.

Because we've admittedly got a fairly aggressive schedule this month. I mean, obviously it's horses. Things can change with no warning. The idea of a "plan" is sometimes tragically laughable. But yet we plan. We can't help ourselves, right?

And Charlie's immediate plan for May, as it were, is a bit intense. At least on paper.

back at jenny camp in the spring of 2015, with izzy and her cousin!!

This weekend we are slated for Fair Hill's starter trial with a gaggle of friends. As I've already written, Charlie and I are doing the 18" bc Fair Hill's 2'3 Intro is freakin fantastic in that it is decidedly "baby" beginner novice - same questions just smaller fences. But I'm not convinced Charlie's ready for a ditch / bank / water on course yet, tho my trainer P respectfully disagrees.

I'm expecting the 18" courses to be a nice opportunity for Charlie to "go through the motions" of an event at a level that's super easy for him. And, let's be real, it's also an opportunity for me to practice sitting back and letting the horse do his thang haha. At least they offer an "open" elementary division that uses a BN dressage test, for those of us who want microscopic jumps but still want to canter in the test.

Next on the docket is MCTA's Jenny Camp, an annual tradition and one of only two unrecognized events held by our local eventing association. This is my fourth year entering this HT, and I've got a fairly spotty, storied history with it haha. But it's super close to home. So. Ya know. We gotta go, right?

first bn at loch moy, 2015

The lowest division offered is 2'3, and it'll for sure be a real course (relatively speaking) - likely including a faux ditch, banks, and water. Jenny Camp has been penciled in all along as Charlie's "move up" event, tho he actually got there a little early with last month's Loch Moy run.

Finally, rounding out the month of May is the third and final of Loch Moy's spring starter series. We're mostly aiming for this event bc dammit we love Loch Moy.

The story is that each successive event in the series gets progressively harder so that the 3rd is the biggest and beefiest. This sometimes means that they run the 2'3 course out alongside the BN track instead of sequestered off into its own tiny loop like last time. If that's the case, it should build nicely on the previous week's experience at Jenny Camp.

second bn at waredaca

At least, that's kinda the vision for now. The scaffolding of a plan, if you will. Entries are mailed in for each of these three events, and I'm relatively confident that Charlie presently has (or is very close to having) the skills and education needed to successfully navigate each event. Tho I'm also relying on the idea that the experience from one will add value to how we approach the next.

Mostly what I'm looking for out of this month is a somewhat cumulative effect - a snowball effect. I want each experience to build on the one before it. For Charlie to accomplish each phase of each event in manner that reflects his increasing education. I want him to understand.

Bc honestly three events in one month this early in a horse's training could easily slide in the other direction too. It could easily begin to feel rushed and frantic. Which is like, exactly the opposite of what I want lol.

4th bn, 1st fair hill. also first event in the pouring rain

But Charlie is a thinking, learning horse and it's up to me to help him learn the *right* things. If I can keep each step feeling purposeful and productive, we should hopefully be good. Or who knows, maybe Charlie will thrive in all the repetition of back to back events. Maybe he'll be a veritable pro at intro level eventing by May 31?

We can only hope haha! I mean, experience is experience right? And I'm fond of saying that the only miles a green horse gets are the miles we put on him. So. Here we go.

and, of course, charlie's first three-phase <3 loch moy 2017

How have you approached introducing a green horse to a new sport? Are you one of those who believes that a green horse could benefit from getting out and about every week? Or do you prefer spreading big events out a bit more? Do you differentiate by type of event? Ie, outings for a clinic or lesson or competition might all be considered different intensities? Or does it depend on the horse? Maybe some horses need more or less?