The Sport We Love

[huntr_eq_blonde]

[QUOTE=MistyBlue;7549812]
If you’re hung up on wanting to go higher over fences and instructors have told you that you really need more lessons to fill in a few holes before going up in height then maybe look for a horse that can do the height but not the show ring hunter movement and personality. And take the lessons, fill in those holes. (we all have holes)

I don’t think horses that can do it are rare, just the ones that can win in rated rings are. Heck, the little children on ponies in the UK do it. :D[/QUOTE]

One instructor told me I have holes…not many. But it was her way of getting more lessons out of me. Trust me, I know I have holes to fill, but I don’t like to be used. (The Northern Illinois horse world is very crooked. Ever read the book, “Hot Blood”? I’ve [unknowningly at the time] ridden with people mentioned in that book.)

I would be glad to learn on a horse that wasn’t super fancy. I’ve been doing it all my life. But to find those horses that can jump 4’+ IS a rarity and you have to lease to ride them. Lesson barns aren’t just going to let their riding horses jump that height. Too much wear and tear, which I understand. To lease a 4’+ jumper in Northern Illinois, you have to pay through the nose…and it might be an unsafe horse, which is a situation I wouldn’t want anyone to be in.

[PonyPenny]

Don’t lease a green horse. Get your own and train him up yourself. Get your own truck and trailer and meet your trainer at shows. If there is a will, there is a way. Also is there away you could be an assistant or working student either here or in Europe? I see a ton of positions on Yard and Groom. Would your health issues prevent you from doing something like this?

[GoneAway]

We keep talking about fence height, but how’s your flatwork? A lot of the “holes” in someone’s riding in their understanding and application of basic principles of dressage. It manifests itself and is very obvious over fences. So sure, it’s great to jump big fences and want to progress fence height wise, but if you’re not able to get a 4’+ jumper, then perhaps now is a good time to take the pressure off yourself, find something you can really learn and apply GOOD dressage on so that if the right horse comes along, you’re better prepared to learn and progress over bigger fences.

[hj0519]

[QUOTE=PonyPenny;7549843]
Don’t lease a green horse. Get your own and train him up yourself. Get your own truck and trailer and meet your trainer at shows. If there is a will, there is a way. Also is there away you could be an assistant or working student either here or in Europe? I see a ton of positions on Yard and Groom. Would your health issues prevent you from doing something like this?[/QUOTE]

It doesn’t really sound like she wants to be in a working student type position…she wants to have her own 4’ plus jumper that knows it’s job so she can work on herself. That’s probably not something that’s going to get handed to her in a working student position…and even it is, it’s not “hers” and the work she puts into it will be for the benefit of someone else. She seems to want something that benefits just herself.

[IvyHall]

You sound like you love riding so I would recommend you don’t give up!

Maybe just take a break?

I took a break from riding in my twenties (for a lot of reasons, one of which was finances) and then I bought an OTTB when I turned 30. I have been having more fun and more success with him than I ever imagined.
Good luck!

[huntr_eq_blonde]

[QUOTE=hj0519;7549846]
It doesn’t really sound like she wants to be in a working student type position…she wants to have her own 4’ plus jumper that knows it’s job so she can work on herself. That’s probably not something that’s going to get handed to her in a working student position…and even it is, it’s not “hers” and the work she puts into it will be for the benefit of someone else. She seems to want something that benefits just herself.[/QUOTE]

I have practically been a working student my whole riding career, but have paid to do so. As I will probably have to repeat ad nauseam, my parents PAID to lease two green horses for me that I trained and brought along. I also rode someone else’s extremely naughty pony when I was young because it was out of shape and not trained very well. The owner/rider, who was my same age, just wanted to show him. It took years for me to undo the defensive bad habits that pony instilled in me.

So yes, jh0519, sorry I finally want a horse that knows its job so that I can concentrate on myself. It’s a horrific thought to you. My apologies.

[RiderInTheRain]

I’m also a young adult paying for myself and my riding. Luckily, I live in Southern Illinois so it is inexpensive in terms of human cost of living and horse expenses and I can keep my horses (2 greenies, but one w/ a steady enough temperament that my SO can hop and go for a little trail walk and such) in a backyard private barn 5 min down the road from my house.

Sometimes I do feel a bit sad and down on myself that I’m not enjoying the same kinds of success (competitive) that my better funded friends are, but honestly at that point I do my best to not dwell on useless, negative feelings and think about the fact that in pursuing the horsey activities I currently am, I am already “living the dream” of many horse crazy little girls. And my two youngsters should be ready to go, competitively speaking by the time my career (hopefully) will be advancing to fund such things.

I’ve also gotten involved with non-competitive activities (foxhunting and trail riding) that have been great for getting miles on the youngsters and are SUCH a blast. I’d really recommend broadening your horizons a little bit. It is hard to be jealous of a friend who just earned a fantastic dressage score when you’ve had the run of your life after a fast coyote and you and your horse are covered in mud as happy as can be. Or when your previously scared of the water horse has decided that splashing around in creeks on trail rides is the greatest game ever.

I was initially worried that it would be difficult to find trainers and other knowledgeable horse professionals who took me seriously as a DIY-er, but overall I’ve found that if I show up neat, tidy and ready to learn with a well cared for horse that I’m treated the same as any other client.

This approach might not work for you, but I just wanted to let you know that there are other people like you out there who are wanting “more” out of equestrian sport in some way or another and that the more DIY/green horse approach is one that is making at least one of us in that category happy

[pds]

[QUOTE=huntr_eq_blonde;7549822]
I appreciate what you all are saying. I didn’t mean to come off as having a pity party. These are simply my honest feelings and experiences that I wrote down as a cathartic way to express what I just went through.

As far as bringing horses along, I leased two green horses that I brought along and trained or re-trained. (If you remember me mentioning earlier, I rode a lot of horses or ponies that no one else wanted to because I was desperate to ride. After almost 9 years of doing that, I finally wanted a nice horse for me to progress on and finally focus on me. That’s not a crime, is it?) And for me, it wasn’t that satisfying bringing those horses along because I always got used and someone else (the owners) benefitted from it. Yes, I learned how to work through problems and ride tough horses, but it also gave me bad habits and made me more defensive.

And as far as people saying I’m a ribbon-hunter and just want to show all the time, I can count on one hand the number of shows I’ve been to in 18 years of riding. I will admit, as others might as well, that it is nice to show occasionally to see how you stack up against other people and show off your training. But if I were just in it for showing, I would’ve quit ages ago.

And I am grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had. Horses have helped me through my continuing 9 year health struggle. When nothing was and still is going right with my health, I had horses to look forward to. But it has become frustrating that I can’t progress further, and coupled with my equally frustrating, unsolved health problems which have kept me from continuing college, it has become too much emotionally to handle, which is why I quit riding.[/QUOTE]

Well, quiting is the one guaranteed way of NEVER reaching your horsey goals. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your goals and make adjustments. I once had the goal of being a grand prix rider but finances and age caught up with me so I made adjustments and now i find so much joy and satisfaction in working with young horses and showing ocaisionally.

[Ghazzu]

[QUOTE=fourfillies;7549766]
I’ll put on my flame suit and echo the OP. Riding in the big leagues of the H/J world is the realm of the 1%ers. The rest of us work for a living leaving us, even if one should have the talent (not me) and drive, without the time to ride and show enough to accomplish much (other than personal satisfaction). Now I’m on the other side of 40 practical matters like saving for a comfortable retirement have surpassed the importance of that personal satisfaction. As such, my now fabulous but no world-beater A/O horse hasn’t been to a show in over a year and neither he nor I have missed it. Keep your Carplina gold and ponies keeling over in the cross ties at Devon. I’ll bomb around some local B shows or whatever they are now called to further marginalize the base of our sport and when he’s done I’m not buying another one supporting an industry that is increasingly sickening to me. Hoping my 3 yo I bred to horse show doesn’t realize eventing is a second class sport.[/QUOTE]

But there’s a difference–you are willing to play in the sandbox you can afford. You’re not quitting because you can’t play at the top.

[Carolinadreamin]

Do you pay for your own riding?

[hj0519]

[QUOTE=huntr_eq_blonde;7549864]
I have practically been a working student my whole riding career, but have paid to do so. As I will probably have to repeat ad nauseam, my parents PAID to lease two green horses for me that I trained and brought along. I also rode someone else’s extremely naughty pony when I was young because it was out of shape and not trained very well. The owner/rider, who was my same age, just wanted to show him. It took years for me to undo the defensive bad habits that pony instilled in me.

So yes, jh0519, sorry I finally want a horse that knows its job so that I can concentrate on myself. It’s a horrific thought to you. My apologies.[/QUOTE]

It’s not a horrific thought to me. I understand wanting to work on yourself and having bad/defense habits that you want to get rid of. I had several horses that were stoppers and it took a lot to get the instilled defensiveness out of me.

That wasn’t really aimed at you, I was just pointing out that I don’t think recommending that you become a working student is the solution based on what you’ve said.

[huntr_eq_blonde]

[QUOTE=Carolinadreamin’;7549831]
Well, since you’re a young adult, you must be supporting yourself as well as your riding at this point. Perhaps take a break from riding, save up a good amount if money from your job and then revisit your goals and aspirations in a year or two. You must be doing something right, career wise, to be able to support your riding on the side (as well as afford the time away from your job).[/QUOTE]

I’ve been sick since age 15. I have been around the country to the best hospitals and doctors (Mayo, Johns Hopkins, Bascom Palmer, etc.) I had to drop out of college two years ago at age 22, and haven’t been able to go back. Although I’ve tried, I can’t get a job because the economy is so bad that people with more experience are holding on to their old jobs, etc. (Which is why college is so important.) I don’t want to take handouts from the government in the form of disability. I’m lucky that my dad made and saved a lot of money before he retired some 6 years ago, and that my mother has a job with wonderful insurance, which is crucial for all the doctors and tests I need. Finishing school, getting a job, and saving enough money will take me well into my 30s.

[huntr_eq_blonde]

@RiderInTheRain;7549868

but honestly at that point I do my best to not dwell on useless, negative feelings and think about the fact that in pursuing the horsey activities I currently am, I am already “living the dream” of many horse crazy little girls. And my two youngsters should be ready to go, competitively speaking by the time my career (hopefully) will be advancing to fund such things.

You are very lucky to own your own horses. :o That’s always been a dream of mine. (For the foreseeable future, anyways) the closest I’ve gotten is leasing.

[MistyBlue]

![]( would be glad to learn on a horse that wasn’t super fancy. I’ve been doing it all my life. But to find those horses that can jump 4’+ IS a rarity and you have to lease to ride them. Lesson barns aren’t just going to let their riding horses jump that height.

Nah, finding 4’ horses isn’t hard.
Finding 4’ made show hunters? Hard. And expensive! :yes:

But you had mentioned you didn’t care if you were showing or not. So if not interested in showing, then finding a 4’ horse isn’t hard at all.

These are ponies…under 14.2hh. With little kids on them. In the 128 cm classes, which is over 4’:
[IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/MistyBlue5105/993_zpsc78bb3b8.jpg)

IIRC this pony is all of 13.2. Little Harry Charles in the tack:
[IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/MistyBlue5105/Harry_Charles_and_Murkas_Headmore_Little_Lightlning_HOYS_128cm_Championship_2011_-_credit_Roberto_Cubeddu_3_zps085fe9b0.jpg)

If ponies can jump 4’ easily, most horses certainly can. They might not all be pretty doing it, but schooling and grids and practice and definitely making a lot of sweaty saddle pads doing miles of conditioning rides on the flat will get you something safe and effective over the heights you want to reach.

But wanting to be competitive at rated shows in hunters in the 4’ category? Pretty much 90% of hunter riders want the same thing. And only about 1-3% will get there. Maybe.
And yes, it’s tough and expensive, etc. But the same can be said for the people who really really really want to be NFL players. Or a movie star. Or singing star. Almost everybody wants it, but it’s not an easy spot to land. With or without money…although money definitely helps the talent-blood-sweat-tears are all necessary too.

So do what you can and remember to be happy!

[huntr_eq_blonde]

@MistyBlue;7549883

But you had mentioned you didn’t care if you were showing or not. So if not interested in showing, then finding a 4’ horse isn’t hard at all.

If you could find me a lesson horse in Northern Illinois that could jump 4’, I would love you forever. However, it just isn’t going to happen. You HAVE TO LEASE, even an unfancy horse, to jump 4’.

I did do what I could and I was happy. Unfortunately, I topped out financially when wanting to progress 4’+ and that is frustrating and makes me sad when I can’t progress.

[gumshoe]

Yes, living within your means sucks.

Look on the bright side, you could have a career writing fiction or something.

[CaitlinandTheBay]

[QUOTE=huntr_eq_blonde;7549890]
If you could find me a lesson horse in Northern Illinois that could jump 4’, I would love you forever. However, it just isn’t going to happen. You HAVE TO LEASE, even an unfancy horse, to jump 4’.

I did do what I could and I was happy. Unfortunately, I topped out financially when wanting to progress 4’+ and that is frustrating and makes me sad when I can’t progress. :([/QUOTE]

You sound like you have a lot going on in your life in regards to health/education/work. Perhaps, you should find a social worker or counselor who can help you figure out where your priorities are and how you can attain your goals (whatever those may be). Revisit riding when other things stabilize a bit.

[IvyHall]

Maybe you need to travel outside of IL to find what you want. I known of a nice 1.30 horse who just sold in pa for much less than it would have cost you to lease that fancy horse you mentioned.

Also, again OTTBs are cheap and there are some talented ones out there.

[huntr_eq_blonde]

[QUOTE=gumshoe;7549897]
Yes, living within your means sucks.

Look on the bright side, you could have a career writing fiction or something.[/QUOTE]

Since I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt, which is more than most COTHers do on these forums, I’ll pretend that wasn’t a below-the-belt, bitchy comment.

[huntr_eq_blonde]

[QUOTE=CaitlinandTheBay;7549899]
You sound like you have a lot going on in your life in regards to health/education/work. Perhaps, you should find a social worker or counselor who can help you figure out where your priorities are and how you can attain your goals (whatever those may be). Revisit riding when other things stabilize a bit.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your concern. It’s rare on these forums. Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I have sought counseling in the past. Horseback riding was my form of therapy. My goals are to get better, go back to school, graduate with a Masters in Nutrition from a Big 10 school, and become a successful nutritionist. Until my health problems are resolved, I’m in limbo. It could be years before doctors can figure out how to solve any of my many problems.