Super, super excited...

I've been working for my boss now for almost 2 years (2 years in June). I clock in 90+ hours a week and ride a TON of horses besides managing the day to day running of the facility, as well as coaching, and a multitude of other things.

Currently, there are a quite a few young, nice dressage horses that I have the ride on for training and ultimately showing, but I've never really had a consistent jumper to ride. Now, I love dressage, but ultimately I want to take my career fully into the jumpers, so while my dressage has been improving my leaps and bounds and I have a few horses I've brought from showing 1st level to getting ready to debut at 3rd/4th, my jumping (especially lately) has felt kind of stagnant and I've been getting frustrated.

2 years ago we had an 8 y/o Holsteiner gelding in the barn that my boss had very recently taken to his first Grand Prix. Shortly after I started working here, his owner took him home and played with him in the 90cm jumpers (she's an older amateur and just wants to enjoy riding and showing over tiny jumps, which is awesome and this horse in particular has a superb character and is really laid back usually). For the past almost 2 years, that's what she's been doing with him, but recently she contacted my boss and asked if they were still tentatively looking for a jumper for me to show and ride. My boss has been casually keeping an eye out for the right situation (something young, but quality with a good head and scope for the 1.40m that I can help produce, show, and ultimately sell in a year or two), but hadn't really found anything. This client suggested that she send back Condor, the gelding I mentioned above, on the condition that a) he not be sold and b) if he came to a point where he needed to retire, she would take him home and let him live out in the field happily for the rest of his life.

Now, when I first began working here, I had never jumped over 3'9" (on a good day) and I really lacked a lot of experience and skills in the jumper ring (I still do, but I'm getting better). Condor was such a saint and took me over some of my first REALLY big jumps at home and gave me a lot of confidence, so I really missed him when he left. My boss accepted the clients offer and on Saturday a big rig pulled up and dropped him off with us! I'm super, super excited to get him back into shape over the next few months and start jumping him again! I also can't believe how lucky it is that I get to ride and hopefully compete him while he's here and I know he has a TON to teach me. This is such an awesome opportunity and one I've been working my butt off for, so I'm totally thrilled and nervous and excited all at once and I really wanted to share it with you guys! Below are some photos of Condor (and me)!

These two riding photos are from almost 2 years ago when Condor was GP fit.




And these are from this weekend after he got off the trailer!

Oh my gosh, he's gorgeous! Lucky you haha! :D Is that you jumping? Those jumps are huge! (But this is coming from someone who's afraid to jump a measly cross pole that is barley off the ground LOL)

Yes, that's me on him!

I don't think either of us will be jumping THAT big any time soon, he's really out of shape right now and I probably won't jump him terribly big for a while, but I'm just really excited to have the opportunity to ride (and hopefully show) such a talented, awesome horse!

Awesome. :0 *secretly jealous of your jumping position >.>*

If I could jump, I'd be terribly excited as well! Whoo, good luck with him. :3

The thoughts of the landing of those jumps makes my back hurt... (I broke my back, so I'm imaging the impact on landing wouldn't feel the greatest to me all the time).

He's gorgeous, and so glad you get a horse you know to hopefully excel your jumping career!

I just traded my mare (who I miss dearly), and as a (sort of) joke I told the new gal to try jumping with her. The reason being is she jumped out of two stall windows, which are about 4' ish, without injuring herself.

Needless to say, the girl took the chance to try jumping her (in a Western as she doesn't have an English) at the moment, and easily cleared 1'9 (believe that's what she said) and while lunging she's jumped at least 2'6. And the mare is just LOVING it. xD

@Tree - Thank you! :)

@Cinch - If you're not strong enough it can definitely make you sore the next day! I still need to get stronger in my core/lower back/legs so sometimes after a long jumping day where I've jumped several horses I can definitely feel it! Thank god for heating pads and yoga. And that's awesome about your mare! Some of them really, really enjoy jumping!

Yea, definitely takes a lot of strength, and I can just imagine if Barrel Racing jars my back, I can imagine jumping would too. Always wanted to actually try it though xD

And right? She just took to it and the girl said she just had to point her in the direction and away she went. She went as far as to ask me if she ever had jumping training ... "Not unless you count jumping two stall windows as training...".

Even funnier (imo that is) ... this mare is a 15hh cowbred Quarter Horse. lol

@Cinch - I've met quite a few QHs and Appendix QHs that were super jumpers!

that's just amazing that all your hard work is paying off! 90+ hours a week i would die haha i used to do 60+ and that was overkill but doing something i hated so i guess that made it worse XD and he looks amazing, such a sweet face ♥

Last time I jumped I was on a 15 hh Dapple grey Quarter horse mare, named Greybird. Our jump was around a foot and a half. Greybird and I were at a trot, approaching it, and she slowed to a walk at the last minute, and collapsed into it. Some how I stayed on. Both of us were fine. This is back when I rode at a fancy riding school. Now I'm just at home with my five horses, and the other animals. Trying to train my Haflinger gelding who is a sweetheart most days, but can become a holy terror others. He's in his early teens.

I wish you the best of luck, with Condor.

@madoka - It's definitely stressful at times, but honestly I don't think I would trade it for the world, even when it's the end of the week and I'm complaining bitterly about how I just want to sleep in for once!

@Sib - Yikes! I've had a few hairy encounters like that myself! Sometimes they jsut totally misjudge the fence! And your Haflinger sounds like a couple horses we have here at work. xD Thank you!

Kate i just wanted to say that you look good on Condor. He looks like a sweet heart. I hope you have fun riding him.

I only ride western but i did have a thoroughbred mare that was trained in jumping so i have only jumped a few times. That was when i was younger and weighed around 190. I had a kid so i kinda weigh more now. Trying to get back into shape.

Thank you so much, Shadow! ♥

He's a pretty boy!

I'm in the process of starting to train my boy to hop over things. Cinch's story of her mare reminded me of a time at the old barn when someone asked me which horse mine was... because there was a little chestnut gelding who would constantly jump the 4'+ paddock fence and wander around.

@vos - That's why our paddock fences are 6'. xD Though we have a had a select few that have still gotten out...