So Why a Young Horse?

I get this question a lot – “why a young horse?” At first it was the answer you suspect – budget. I did not have the budget to go out and purchase a quality, finished A/O hunter without major “holes” as my second horse. I feel like shopping for horses is a three legged stool – quality, finished and lack of “holes.” Without a healthy budget its near impossible to get all three. What was important to me for my next partner was quality – with the potential to be a 3’6 A/O hunters – and no major “holes.” Add that to the budget I had and you win yourself a VERY young horse – 3.5 years old to be exact. So the reason why I went with a young horse was my budget. My trainer on the other hand knew I was ready to push myself to the next part of my equestrian journey – bringing along a safe, adult-ammy friendly young horse. I did not see it that way at the time. I saw it as me not being wealthy and not being able to afford an upper 5 figure or 6 figure horse that was further along in its training.

Once I took the plunge and bought Enzo – shout out to Horse Show Imports on providing me with not one but two unicorns – I caught the “bug” so to speak. I have started to see how rewarding it is to bring something along yourself. A horse that at first wasn’t balanced at the canter, maybe wasn’t consistent at picking up the correct lead. Then watching it develop into a more balanced, refined young horse. That has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve yet to experience as a horsewoman.

I’ve realized there are things I have done that Ocelot has glossed over for me with a chocolate chip or a drive-by. For example, jumping up the neck. Two years ago, I would get so frustrated. “Why can’t he just leave from the correct distance even though I made a ‘small’ mistake?!” Well, because Ocelot is a teacher. He was teaching me to be a better rider while being safe in his reactions – an actual saint. Enzo forces me to do it the right way, well because he doesn’t know any other way. I have to be definite in my seat, in my aids, which as a result is making me a much more confident rider overall.

Now, I’m not doing this alone. Enzo gets 1-2 training rides a week. I need help, simple as that. He loves my trainer. Seriously, he follows her everywhere. So please do not take this as I’m bringing him along completely by myself – I have help, lots of help. However, something my trainer is great at is knowing when I need to be pushed just a little bit more to do it on my own – like flatting outside of a lesson.

Having a young horse is hard. Its an emotional rollercoaster. There are some days that it feels amazing, incredible even. Then the very next day you can hardly pick up the canter and you want to cash it all in. Equestrians have fortitude I think is unmatched by any other sport, no seriously – our partners have their own brains, thoughts and cannot communicate to us in words. This key aspect of our sport leaves us no other option than to persevere through difficult, stressful times – like two weeks of “baby horse rides.” When I first got Enzo I often had the thought of “I wish I had a bigger budget and could’ve gotten a ‘made’ A/O hunter, this is too hard, I can’t do this.” Now, my mindset is different it is “Wow, I nailed every distance off property and his canter is so balanced, all of our hard work is paying off.” The thoughts of the “easier” route have almost completely exited my brain. Having a young horse and a seasoned horse allows me to appreciate them both for where they are in their lives. The one makes me better for the other and vice versa.

So yes, my why a young horse started as a limited budget but has since turned into just exploring another chapter in my horse girl journey.