Adding a new job possibility to the mix.

The thing that's really fun about a new young horse is that you just don't KNOW what they are going to be good at.

I was watching the juniors and low hunters at RMI (an "A" H/J show series) yesterday. I worked Quattro when I got home, and realized... wait for it... He really, truly MIGHT have the step to do that gig. There were a lot of horses at that show who didn't have nearly as long a stride at the canter and were struggling to get down the lines. When Q is balanced and relaxed, he really does have the long-striding, low, lopey thing going on. He did the same thing when I turned him out this morning, and I found myself thinking, "Man, that is a LONG stride for 15.3!"

So I'm kind of cautiously putting "real" hunters back into the mix as a job possibility. In our ground work, we've been emphasizing relaxation and balance and letting him find the frame that comes naturally. Being an ASB, he CAN of course hinge his neck bolt upright - if there's something outside the round pen he wants to look at, heehee - but the way he naturally wants to go is long, low and relaxed. Which is FINE by me!

I really am blessed to have exactly the right horse for my range of interests. I really don't care which of "A" hunters, ASB hunters, and carriage driving he ends up doing... He may do all three to some extent or another... But for now, I think I'm going to change the training plan slightly to emphasize low, slow, pace, balance. And see how far we get.