I thought I was out of the box with an American Saddlebred sport horse [Support]. Turns out, I’m nowhere near original. Saddlebreds have been and are being used in sport horse disciplines. In addition, the saddlebred world has a growing Hunter Country Pleasure (hunt seat) division at regular saddebred shows.
The kind lady who has been giving me saddleseat lessons has mentioned the possibility of my showing in a few of these Hunter Country Pleasure classes. The downside is that since I would be cantering in the hunt seat classes, I would have to move up to cantering in the Academy (lesson student) classes. The plan had been to show in the Walk-Trot section of the National Academy Championship Show in November. This means I cannot show at a canter in any class, in any show, recognized or unrecognized, all year. I’m torn. I want it all.
I want to show as much as possible, particularly in a young division with classes that might not be wall-to-wall competitors.
AND
I want to win as much as possible, which means staying at Walk-Trot for a better chance during the year and in November. Cantering is just one more gear in which to screw up.
Usually. decisions are between sin and virtue. In this case, it’s greed in every direction.
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Gratuitous puppy photo today, I see!
I love the fact that you’re honest! Most people would say “I’m just doing it for fun” while underneath they’re a seething mass of raging competitiveness.
‘Fess up folks! We ALL want the ribbons, right?
Time to move up. You have been cantering for decades, it’s a transferable skill. Yes, you have a few different sort of things to think about, but, it’s exactly like learning a dressage test. Map it out, have a plan, and stick to the same set of cues every ride, every time. Aiming for the Walk-Trot-Canter finals in November is an awesome goal!
Something different to choose from I think it’s a great choice to have. Glad you have those things to go for!
First off, glad you have a choice! Second thought, I agree with Ellen. You need challenge. Go for the hunter classes.
I trust Kathie. She got me to do a lot of stuff i didn’t think i could. But i did it and survived, LOL. go for the hunter class. You may do a lot better than you think.
[...] appreciate everyone’s high opinion of my fighting spirit [Greed comments]. Walk Trot is gonna be enough of a challenge for a while. I still have a lot to learn [...]