Off the Horse, horse related news

I heard back about WEG volunteering and I think I missed the window to be a jump judge, but I was offered a different position be a cross country crossing guard on course. I will be assigned a spot where a human path crosses the course and I get to keep people out of the way of the horses. So up close and personal! While it's not jump judging, I'm still excited to go.

I'll probably be in Tryon for about a week because of the volunteer meeting taking place several days before my actual volunteer date. So if you're local, or if you're going to WEG, let me know and we'll have to meet up!

I can't wait! 

Last week I also met up with a dressage trainer who was recommended to me by a friend's trainer. She's a gold medal grand prix rider whose trained several of her grand prix horses up from weanlings. I really liked what I read on her website and when I called her, she invited me to come watch her teach and ride her horses. 

The drive up to the barn

She gives lessons 4 days during the week (and maybe on weekends?) and trail rides all her horses on wednesday. From that alone I liked her because it's good for their brains to have cross training.

Her farm was very nice with good size paddocks and grass, which isn't unknown for Michigan and all the horses were out, rather than in their stalls, another thing I like. None of them were running around so clearly turnout is a regular thing and not a rare occurrence.

There's an outdoor dressage arena, which I think will be good for Gwyn because there's NO barrier keeping her in so it'll directly address our issues of leaving the arena. There's also a decent sized indoor arena.

Her GP horse she's bringing back from an injury. This horse was SO HAPPY working. He's apparently been really glum because he's been reduced to simple work to help him heal and now that he's better, he's just so excited doing the higher level moves. 

I watched her ride two different horses, one was her grand prix guy who she trained from scratch and another was a horse in training who was also on injury recovery and whose big accomplishment was moving out comfortably and offering a canter. So vastly different skill levels.

She then taught a lesson to a woman who seemed about my age. She'd been riding with this trainer for almost half her life. She's non competitive and just schools because it's likely the one thing keeping her very oddly conformed mare sound. So they ride PSG movements but just don't compete. I liked that there wasn't an obvious push to compete too, which means not a push to move up the levels as her student. Trainer seemed firm but positive, also things I liked.

I asked Kira if she'd heard anything about this trainer, since she is so tuned in with the local horse gossip. Nothing on this lady, which is honestly a good thing. It means no ones been burned so badly that they complain or leave. In this case I'd say no news is good news. 

The farm is right around the corner from Kaylee's school so it'll be a short haul in for lessons, which are $60, totally reasonable, IMO.