The perfect opportunity for me to take BOTH of my RRP hopefuls presented itself in May at the New Vocations’ 21st Annual All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show. This show would give me the chance to work out details with my packing list, provide long distance trailering experience, give more show experience for the two horses and prepare me for the Thoroughbred Makeover with two horses. It’s always been in the back of my mind: can I really compete two horses at once? How am I going to do this?!?!
In June, we took Scout to another local dressage schooling show. He was composed and did a great job earning second- and third-place ribbons. More importantly, he improved in every way. He was more relaxed and even more on the aids. He seemed to “get” the idea of what he was doing there, performing both tests smoothly. Kristen rode him again and did a wonderful job.
Not long ago, I was walking through a shedrow and stopped to congratulate the trainer on a gutsy win. They commented that the horse has a ton of try, and anytime it went off form there was a reason.
This was something I was already noticing but hadn’t really thought to put words to or consider what, exactly, it really meant overall.
West Point Thoroughbreds will be represented by not one, but two graded stakes winners at the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover: Cavalry Charge and Decorated Invader! Their Thoroughbred Makeover trainers, Erin Knehr and Mary Termer, will be telling the stories of these two winners in a joint blog entry each month.