not obsessing at all. Only read a couple things that made me think “troll”. sorry. Could care less actually. I’ll take my middle aged self back out to the curb now and try to clean up my look.
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Could we quit responding to the trolling comments? THAT is gratifying the trolls and bringing them back for more. and more. and more … that’s how it works, you see. You are just feeding the beast.
It’s the REPLIES TO TROLLS that are DERAILING THE THREAD. Not the trolls. If they are ignored there is no derail. They eventually go elsewhere because they aren’t having the fun of the replies.
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@Scribbler I’d like for you to publish your comment somewhere, so that I can give it to every parent of a sparkle-eyed lesson kid. And to the kids – and high schoolers especially, and to young adults – who are mature enough to understand it.
Brilliantly said! 
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Oh you can cut and paste and download if you want!
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Thank you, I will! I know some parents who need to see this, this weekend. 
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They aren’t being trolls, they’re being mean girls. We don’t have to shower them with the attention they so obviously crave, but they should absolutely be called out before we move on.
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I called them out too.
But it is enough. They aren’t hearing anything they don’t already know.
The back and forth has added a stupid number of post to an already long thread that otherwise has been very useful.
I’m sick of reading the derails. This is the last I’ll respond to the mean girls, trolls and derails.
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So from what I understand, the OP is riding at two barns–one, a more competitive show barn where she’s progressed to riding 3’3" courses, mainly warmbloods, and another lower-level lesson barn where she’s probably progressed beyond what most of the horses are capable of, but for which she has great affection for because of the trainer. She then asks the lesson barn trainer to help her find a show horse.
To me, that’s the answer right there–it’s not really in the lower-level barn’s interest for the OP to purchase or lease a more competitive horse, period. Now, this may not be entirely nefarious–maybe the instructor hasn’t seen what the OP is capable of, but even unconsciously, she’s got to realize that if the OP gets a more competitive horse, it’s going to be less business for her. She also might not have the connections or even the skills to evaluate the types of horses the OP is interested in.
Sometimes (not saying always) there can be weird envy when someone who is struggling to keep a barn solvent sees a kid they got started out in lessons then progress, because of their family’s financial means, to a higher level. Even kids who end up showing at a high level often start out getting their feet wet as a w/t to 2" rider at lesson barns, and sometimes there is resentment when the kids move on, even though it’s clear they have the talent and they finances to do so (i.e., instructor talks about them behind their back after they leave).
So the lesson is–even though taking advice from skilled professionals is vital, always be aware of bias and objectivity.
I agree with the posters that a lease sounds like a better option. If you can, have fun, lease a great horse until you go to college, then decide what you want to do with horses after that, and keep riding as best you can with college teams or at a lesson barn near your college. If you are a competitive rider, the horse you buy now might not be the horse you want when you graduate, either because you’re too busy working to ride as much, or you’ve progressed.
I have ridden at a bunch of different kinds of barns, and actually did know some kids who did what the OP did–occasionally came back to their “old barn” to take a few lessons because of friends there, and sometimes the social dynamic got weird when they did. It’s not fair, it’s just people being people.
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To emphasize the recommendations of others, please drop the gratuitous discussion of suspicions of the OP being disingenuous. If not interested in devoting time to a thread that you doubt the veracity of, please feel free to skip contributing or reading further.
The advice being given on the topic can be valuable to more readers than just the OP, so detracting from that discussion is not useful and also stands to alienate a new, evidently young poster.
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You should give the jumpers a try if you’re interested! You don’t have to go out to win your first few trips, you can ride at your own pace and focus on adjusting to the new types of courses and add speed as you get familiar with it. I was also a little scared before I tried it. I’m not a very bold rider and I didn’t think I’d be brave enough. The jumper ring is really more about strategy and thinking well under pressure than it is about running at the jumps. You’ll make up more time by making tight turns and choosing strategic lines than you will by galloping between the fences. Turns out I really like the mental aspect of the jumper ring. There’s enough going on that I don’t have as much brainpower left over for overthinking things like I did in the hunters. Now I event - I didn’t get any braver, I just like the mental game that comes with riding cross-country and balancing 3 disciplines in one. It plays to my strengths in a way the hunter ring never did.
I think finding the distances is actually easier in the jumpers because you’re not judged on getting a certain line/number of strides, and you have more options for fixing things if you’re off. You can swing wide, shorten your turn, jump off-center, decide in the moment to add/subtract a stride without worrying about how many you’re supposed to get, etc. As long as you can establish and maintain a good balanced canter the distances tend to sort themselves out.
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Excellent post, Rel.
This should be a sticky at the top of the forum, a reminder of how NOT to do COTH.
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I initially didn’t want to do the jumpers (ever) because I was afraid of going fast and had no real interest in doing that. I ended up there because it was a better fit for my mare than the hunters or the equitation, and I was more attached to her than anything else.
You can make up a lot of time by being smooth, efficient, and neat, rather than flat-out galloping. Some of the fastest rounds look like equitation courses because they’re saving time with their track.
Comfort with carrying a bigger step and pace comes with practice, too. That would be something to work on with your trainer once you’re at that point - but first, you should be focusing on your rounds being smooth and efficient.
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The OP may not “need” Archie Cox, but he is an excellent teacher, and if she can afford it (in time commitment to better her riding and money), even a 3’-1m horse in his program for a couple years, that could be an amazing learning experience with ample opportunities for showing and knowledge to find a suitable horse for the job.
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Also, du sprichst Deutsch und auch Français?
Please forgive the “du” – it’s nearly 50 years since I studied German grammar!
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Oh wow I didn’t even think of the mental aspect! That seems really fun, for me that’s a totally new aspect to it that I didn’t realize before. I like to plan everything I do when riding a course (literally, I write it on paper before my show), so that actually seems really fun!
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Ja! Ich spreche auch Deutsch, aber ich habe vergessen, wie man gut auf Deutsch schreibt, weil ich nur 3 Jahre davon in der Schule hatte haha.
Don’t even get me started on how to spell “excuse me”!
German is so hard, it’s really impressive you can spell perfectly without studying for 50 years!
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I think before you sit down with parents and trainer, you need to sit down by yourself. Do some thinking about your riding and what you want from it.
You have lot of pressure and competitive aspects in your life. It seems like you assumed you needed to push to the top level to “do riding right”. Ain’t necessarily so. There are numerous paths to follow that have differing rewards.
Some people really love the competition and probably wouldn’t ride if they couldn’t compete! For them, it is all about going to shows and accumulating points. They are laser focused and willing to sacrifice many other parts of their life.
On the opposite end, there are people who view their horse as a pet and the riding is secondary. They may ride to various degrees, but the focus is on the connection with the horse and they don’t generally compete at the top levels.
Of course, the majority of us horse owners are somewhere in the middle. It is finding that balance for yourself, your situation and your finances that needs some planning.
So think about why you want to ride and what you want from your riding. If you decide you want to train and show in the Juniors, ask the trainer if s/he has a student currently doing what you want and see if you can speak with them about how they manage and what it is like.
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I mean of course Archie is incredible, thought that went without saying, just think we’re getting a little out over our skis in this particular case. If that is her general location, there are loads of good, great & exceptional trainers in a 90-minute radius that can provide opportunities & creatively source horses. OP is clearly green to the A circuit scene, looking at a mid 5 figure purchase or $30k/year lease, and moving up from the 2’9". She’s not going to be a big fish in any pond, but she can still get a great education without being the minnow. Perhaps if, after a year of learning what it really takes to go gangbusters in this sport (and parents get a taste of what that takes financially), she still wants to aim high and win medals in one of the most competitive areas in the country, that would make sense. But I truly think she can get a stellar education, garner accomplishments, and stretch her money a wee bit further by, perhaps, focusing on the county shows with a few A-rated excursions thrown in this season.
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Oh, yeah?
Do a google maps search of the distance between Los Angeles City Hall and
San Pascual Stables (whose trainers are native French speakers, by the way), The Paddock Riding Club, Arroyo Seco Stables, Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Flintridge Riding Club, I could go on.
I can see City Hall from my deck and have my horse a mile away.
@celine.eq2023, find yourself a trainer that shares your vision of where you want to be, and then have that trainer find you a horse within your budget.
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What is a show lease?
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