which_chick | (Reply)

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Coming here from your new post where you linked this. I was at first like, "Wait they went to a clinic, so the horse was ill? But no, it sounds like training...?" So that's how I found out that "clinic" in English also has the meaning of a seminar and similar things. XD Well phew, good the horse didn't need the vet! XD

It seems very common for many people to buy an expensive, handsome horse with impressive gaits and then just sit prettily on it and do nothing with it, because the horse has learned to just hold its head in what seems to be the correct position, but otherwise doesn't do any kind of work, no back, no hind legs.
At least Cardigan Lady's horse sounds like it's overall quite nice and has simply learned to not do any work as the rider doesn't ask it of him.

And you'd bet your ass that that lady with that pretty horse with the big gait will often place higher at a competition than the well-ridden pinto, at least that's how it often happens here. Those horses bedazzle the judges and so they tend to ignore some obvious flaws in how the horse is actually ridden.

Though sometimes that effect can be quite interesting. Last week, I accompanied a friend on her second jumping competition with her new horse. One of the horses competing was incredibly pretty. Dark brown, well-muscled neck, nicely engaged, looked super impressive when it entered the ring. But it refused the first jump two times and when it finally did jump, it looked quite untrained (perhaps it was; it was a starter class) and the rider seemed happy that she'd gotten over all the obstacles at all. Perhaps this actually is a dressage horse and hasn't done much jumping - it definitely looked like the winner of every dressage competition. XD