I started taking him for "trail walks" down the road at the barn. It was good to boost our confidence and get us both in shape! It helped with some of the novelty, but eventually the driveway became familiar and comfortable. At this time there wasn't many options to compete an awkward adult TWH in-hand. But I found one! A local trainer holds trail obstacle challenges and had 4 different levels in a competition with the first being in-hand trail. We hadn't done anything like it before, but I figured I'd give in-hand a try and then maybe do the lowest difficulty riding level. The actual course went well and we were first in the novice in-hand trail that day! We definitely knew more work was needed because he did not do well at the trailer and skinned his hocks and broke a(nother) saddle. We're still working on this--check out the post on Overcoming Trailer Anxiety. |
Then Cowboy Dressage picked up in my area. I was thrilled to find out they had not only a gaited division, but also an in-hand division called "Partnership on the Ground". In Partnership on the Ground half of the dressage court (20m x 20m) is used for a pattern. The pattern consists of 10m circles, 20m circles, and turns on the haunches. We could do that! The first time I could really get involved was 2018. Even though we had afternoon plans, we went to our first show in the morning and competed in two Partnership on the Ground tests before having to leave. This environment was laid-back and perfect to work on expanding the comfort zone! Cowboy Dressage and the people are truly special and I will remember our first show fondly. |
In order to qualify for Liberty we would need to score a 72% or better in Partnership on the Ground Walk/Jog 2 at a bigger show. 2019 was my first shot at it! The Midwest Regional Finals were in my back yard! This was our first big show. Although it was still a laid back show with amazing people, the atmosphere was much busier and the venue was large and energetic. We weren't really ready to ride to be honest! But our confidence really grew in the time we spent warming-up and showing in-hand. We did really well in our Partnership on the Ground tests! You can see pictures on the celebrating our progress page and watch our best test on the videos page.
We also continued to build our confidence by going on trail walks and trailering to obstacle courses to practice in-hand. I like to leave the option to ride open, but I start with confidence building for both of us on the ground. When I am riding I keep the halter and lead rope on and use a Booma Rein so that I can easily transition back to in-hand. There is nothing wrong with dismounting and going on a trail walk instead! In fact, now you can actually compete by doing trail walks! By joining the Facebook group Top Trail Tracks you can record your walks on a gps app, post them in the group, and see how you stack up against others. |