Marion and I went to look at a couple of horses yesterday as potential mounts for my students at home. Unfortunately, neither horse was suitable for my needs, but it was interesting to add two more horses to my riding experience and feel the different ways in which each horse responded to my aids.
One was a twelve year old Hanoverian with a good show record at the M level, equivalent to fourth level and PSG. He was ridden for me first by the trainer at the establishment where the horse was stabled, and looked relatively easy. However, when it was my turn to ride him, I found him very difficult to put in front of my leg, and had trouble getting the half-halts to come through. I then found that he had been ridden twice previously that day, and I should come back and try him when he was fresher. So, my guess is that the person I had in mind for him would also find him tough to ride at a show when he gets fatigued, and for that reason thought him unsuitable.
The second horse was a large six year old Trakehner gelding that was balanced and forward, but conformationally, not really built for collection, and while pleasant to ride now, would not be so easy further along in his training. So for that reason, I rejected him also. Also, I found these particular horses rather expensive for their qualifications and could not really justify adding commissions and shipping to their cost. Comparatively, these were inexpensive horses, between $15.000. and $25,000. A student from here went to look at a horse with a reported price tag of $1.5 million the other day.
So everything is relative, especially among the prices of talented horses!
I was quite happy to come back and ride my little stallion friend who I found out is also for sale. Hopefully, he will be sold to someone who will appreciate his talent and kindness, but maybe not before I leave in December.
Otherwise the days have fallen into a routine beginning at 6:30 AM with the feeding and mucking. My job has become to pull and reroll all the wraps in the main barn from overnight. By the time I am finished, Ellen is beginning her first horse, about 7 AM and I help finish the aisle, and begin grooming horses. They are all groomed every morning and inspected for anything new or different. By the time I have done two horses, it is time for breakfast where there are rolls and coffee waiting for everyone after they have finished the initial AM chores.
Ellen is usually just finishing, making phone calls, and preparing to ride Silvano who is groomed, tacked and waiting
for her. I try to learn as much German as I can and fathom the social landscape while eating, and then watch her school Silvano every morning. Sometimes that social landscape proves to be intriguing and so I miss a little of the beginning. I watch a few more schooling sessions, and roll wraps and clean a few bridles in between, and then it is time for me to ride my buddy.
Staying warm is especially challenging because I also have Reynaud's disease which often accompanies lupus, and my extremities are vulnerable to the cold. I set my boots, socks, breeches, and gloves on the radiator first thing in the morning, and by the time I'm ready to ride, I can put on warm apparel and be comfortable again. Riding and putting up my horse
takes a good portion of the remaining morning, and I try to listen to the instruction that is going on around me as I work my horse. The rest of the morning is filled with either watching or helping in the stable, and by 1 PM it's time for lunch. They have a lovely break between 1 and 3:30 for lunch, and then back to work from 3:30 until 6:30 when the main work of the day is
over.
The afternoon is devoted to lessons, schooling the rest of the horses, and general exercise and maintenance requirements. This schedule goes on with some variation for Tuesday through Friday, and stops at lunchtime on Saturday and Sunday, and Monday is an off day. Students seem to rotate the
off time so that everyone gets a nice amount of time off with some regularity. Life is very orderly, and everyone pulls their weight, so a great deal gets accomplished with this routine. I wonder if I can implement some of this structure and organization back at home? What do you think guys?
We'll see....I spend my evenings fixing my dinner in my room, writing and catching up on email for the most part, and reading. I am grateful to be able to go to bed early and have my reserves in place for the next day. |