I thought it was about time I shared some pictures of my first horse. He taught me SO much, riding in general, but also what it is like to have that special connection to a horse. I bought him when he was 3 years old, almost turning 4.
I was 14 years old when I got him, and the time with him sure did cost alot of blood, sweat and tears. Before him I had been a helper at the local riding school, and had a privately own pony i rode, so I was quite young and inexperienced. He had not been handled much, and I had to teach him the most basic things, I was told he could lift his legs and get his hooves checked, but the first time I tried to cleanse his back hoof, which resulted in a kick in my belly, but with training, he got alot better.
The next problem that arouse was that he did not want to be alone in the stables, so when other horses were outside and you took him inside, he would freak out. Even if there was another horse inside with him. This resulted in him standing on his behind legs in full length and breaking the lamps in the stable so there was plastic and glass all over (this was a newly build stable with very high ceiling), but that still didnt stop him, but in time I managed to train it out of him and remove his seperation anxiety.
More complications that came up, after he was ridden in, was when he got enough balance, he then started to buck and jump around like a gazelle. The problem was that he reacted to the touch of the legs or the whip on his hindparts, meaning if you placed the whip there gently to request higher pace, he would buck. Or if you required him to stay on the circle and he wanted to break out over the opposite shoulder and run the other way, and you then stopped him, he would also buck and start acting out. But after a year, I changed trainer and stables, and with the help of my new trainer, he stopped it completely.
With the help from my new trainer, we started becoming better and better,and together we learned so much. Next to dressage training I could ride him in the nature alone, I could ride him without equipment, I could take him to the beach and swim together and we even won ring-riding (riding with a stick in gallop, and getting it through a ring) one year and came in second the year before that.
In time the problem was that he definitely enjoyed jumping more than dressage, and when I was 18, I felt time and money was not enough to keep him, so I sold him to a girl and her family, who then after some years sold him to a mom and daugther, which love him just as much as I did.
He was an excellent first horse, and I owe him alot, now he is a "family" horse, where a mother and daughter enjoys him together, and he is their best friend and teaches them so much, which makes me very happy.
Pictures from my time with him (crappy quality, but they are also old ;) ):
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