09/18/2022
otter fall recap:
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i feel like this weekend was a good reminder that horses are still animals that do have a mind of their own. we had a great start in dressage w a 29.7 and going double clear in stadium. our work there has definitely been paying off which is so satisfying to see it finally playing out at shows. we went into xc sitting in 2nd and confident as ever. tucker was amazing. he truly is a horse that loves this sport and that definitely showed on course today. unfortunately, we are still working through some ditch problems which caused me to decide to retire. it’s super frustrating because i’m trying my hardest but he still is an animal, not a machine. he’s stubborn as hell and it just gets upsetting. i’m super disappointed in myself because i feel like i’ve failed us both, but he wouldn’t even get within 25ft of this ditch. i’m really hoping that we are able to redeem ourself at midsouth next month because moving up to novice next year is my biggest goal at the moment.
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it can get really upsetting sometimes seeing everyone else move up and do well at shows, while i just feel stuck. i try not to beat myself up too much and give myself some credit as someone who’s never had horses that were made for this. i’ve put in the work and the effort to make them eventing horses, but that just means i have to go through all the ups and downs of bringing a green horse up the levels as well.
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overall, i am so proud of tucker. this horse has truly shown me how clever & passionate he is. i just hope that we can figure our issues out soon.
