I left off last time with a lot of anticipation of things to come with Maverick, and boy have they unfolded so well since my last installment.

We’ll start with the Jennie Brannigan clinic we did. I had kind of made the decision to do that sort of last minute, as my original plan had been to do a mini-trial at Meadowlake that weekend. But when I saw this opportunity, I felt like it would be way more beneficial for the both of us in the long run.

Daniella Ricci photo

Maverick has really grown up a lot recently, and the antics of his early days with me seem to be long gone now as was evident in how great he was for this clinic. Day 1 was focused on show jumping and he was a total superstar. Jennie loves to build things up from ground poles with the young ones, and it really seemed to help Maverick actually think about how he was using his body as the jumps got bigger and she introduced more difficult gymnastics exercises through the lesson. There was also plenty to look at in the ring as far as jump fill goes, and he acted like he had jumped it all a million times, earning plenty of compliments from Jennie.

On Day 2 we focused on cross country, and just as he was the first day he was fantastic with all of the new questions again. He had a few spots that he wasn’t so sure about, but he’s the type of young horse that if you slow down and give him the time to fully understand what he’s being asked, he doesn’t get even a little bit frazzled which is a wonderful attribute to have. We did have a little issue with the ditch there but by the end he was popping right over it like it was nothing.

We ended up coming out of that experience with more than just a great learning experience but also a great new barn family to train and compete with. The clinic was held at Celestia Farm run by Morgan Houberg. I had wonderful conversations with her while there for the clinic and ended up deciding to start training with her full time starting with Midsouth Pony Club Horse Trials the following week. It was wonderful how much everyone just welcomed Maverick and I right into the team at my first show with them.

Now for a recap of the show itself: I took Maverick over there Thursday afternoon even though he wasn’t showing till Saturday morning knowing that the Kentucky Horse Park is a very big venue for a young horse. He settled right in without a single issue. On Friday I even took him for a hack down to the stadium and back, and he walked the whole way on the buckle with no issues. I can’t say enough good things about how lovely he was for our dressage test Saturday despite receiving a score that wasn’t quite fair for how nice of a test he put in. There were a few moments where he briefly lost focus but nothing major, and he was so relaxed and carrying himself quite well throughout, which was more than I could’ve ask for from a 5-year-old at his first recognized event.

Our stadium round was even better than dressage, and it was in the Alltech Arena. What a treat it was experience-wise to get to expose a young horse to that environment so early on in his career. He could not have cared less where we were and was so bold and confident the whole way around, while being exceptionally rideable at the same time. We had one rail that was 100% greenness/rider error, but overall it was such a nice round. When we came out of the ring one of the things that Morgan said to me still sticks with me especially in moments of frustration – she said that this horse was going to take me wherever I want to go, and it definitely helps to keep that in the back of my mind when things aren’t quite going our way. This is a horse that going to let me accomplish goals I’d long since given up on if I take my time and do it the right way and it makes the process of getting there so worth it.

Xpress Foto

Cross country day came around and we had to run in 95 degree heat, but in typical Thoroughbred fashion that didn’t faze Maverick one bit. He was so good in the warmup and did not care a bit about what everyone else was doing, and he was confident over the jumps. We had him walk out of the startbox and then pick up a trot to the first jump, trying to avoid creating any startbox anxiety if we can. After that, I let him gallop on and he was so bold and confident until fence 8 which was probably the tallest jump of the course and set in a tough spot between some trees and about five strides after a road crossing. I think Maverick just didn’t quite get his eye on it and we had a slight steering malfunction that led to a run out, but he circled right back around and trotted right over it like it was nothing. He was a little nervous getting into the water, which had soft ground right before the bank, but once he was in it he splashed right through with no problems.

We had another baby moment at jump 13 where Maverick just didn’t quite understand it, but he actually jumped it from a standstill before I could turn him to circle and then galloped off over the last two so beautifully with plenty left in the tank. So while our score didn’t reflect it, it’s safe to say his first horse trial was a massive success and I have a feeling I’m going to have my hands quite full in his next cross country competition now that he knows what he’s doing.

Looking forward, we’re doing one more run at the starter level and the Kentucky Summer Horse Trials this coming weekend. Then we’ll be doing a mini trial at Meadowlake Aug. 10 with the plan to move him up to Beginner Novice there. Two weeks after that, we’ll head up to the World Equestrian Center for a schooling show to get some more miles, I’ll likely do the 2’6” Thoroughbred Hunters with him there and possibly the 2’6” Derby if he’s going well. After that we’ll head to Jump Start Horse Trials as our final prep before the Makeover!

The Jockey Club supports many aftercare initiatives including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accrediting body in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers. View all of the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club.