I’m glad I wasn’t the only musician in here thinking the same thing 
Sidetrack, but does anyone here follow any of the young kids riding pony jumpers on FB, Insta, etc.? FB has been giving me a lot of Reels of these kids. Some are a total nightmare as far as skills go - more passengers on ponies who know their job.
But there is also Milada Galuskova, from the Czech Republic, who is 8 and an absolutely fabulous little rider. Her parents have the $$$ and are trainers, I think, so she has a lot of resources that most kids don’t. Her early ponies (she started jumping at 4 or 5) are definitely good old souls (who get passed on to her little sister Johu), but more recently she has been taking on some tough ponies, green or naughty or both, and she’s improving them a lot. She’s going in 1 meter+ classes and beating older kids. Before she turned 8 she was not allowed to compete in the Czech Republic, but she’s competed in Ireland and other European countries, and maybe the USA?
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actually our horses raised our four kids, they did just about everything with their horses,
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yes, I’ve seen her! She’s amazing- super tight in the rack and a great eye.
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I think my children were raised by wolves. Hahahaha
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Not much to add here, but don’t forget on the “lease the winner” topic - there’s learning to ride, learning to train and learning to SHOW which is absolutely its own skill set and a huge part of where the value in an experienced packer-type can come in very handy.
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well ours was also, we had a rescue German Shepherd Dog that was 1/4 wolf, he was huge about 140 pounds. He loved the kids and No One that he did not approve was allowed near them.
They taught him to pull their wagon around the pasture, they took a horse halter that they used as a surcingle and two lead ropes as traces. He would pull them around with tail wagging, he was happy to be with them
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Oops. Didn’t mean to post!
Not to PDQ Bach. Love it as much as Strauss.
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That reminds of a story I heard many years ago about someone who put a spare halter on their dog so it would resemble a seeing eye dog when the horse show hotel did not allow regular dogs.
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Seems pertinent, because I am watching the Nick Skelton doc on YouTube. Mr. T was a superstar, but after 2 rides from pros that rode differently from Gail Grenough, he had enough by round 3. Jappeloup, also ridden by an amateur, had a similar reaction.
I can’t find the clip, but I also remember Beezie riding a German? horse on a quite loose rein, nothing like his normal ‘frame’ and he seemed delighted.
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Ooo, I would be very interested to see that if anyone can find the clip.
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Lol, I’m literally watching that doc on Nick Skelton on YouTube myself (it’s linked in the ‘Nick Skelton film’’ thread, though I’m pretty sure there’s a new film about him being made) and I also had to comment - I appreciate that Nick said it was probably his fault and as much as he tried to ride as quietly as Greenough, he couldn’t and also the previous rider had lit Mr. T up.
Just goes to show, as we all know, that chemistry is definitely a thing with riders and horses . And, to your point in this thread, how the horse and rider are trained and what kind of ride they’re used to.
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