Pony Shopping

So I have to say all this horse shopping has given me a new appreciation for my own horse! When you're training a horse long-term and riding every day it's sometimes hard to recognize how far they've really come. It's like watching the grass grow -- if you sit there watching it, you'll never see it move; but if you go on vacation for a couple weeks, it'll be long when you get home.

For instance, I got on an OTTB (not a school prospect :) who is a much nicer horse than Sienna in terms of conformation, movement, etc. Super quiet. But doesn't understand leg or seat, no bend, very uneven. Basically where Si was a year ago. And it was a great comparison for me, because I vividly recall when cantering around corners on her was a sometimes terrifying -- but she does 10m circles in canter easily now and I'm focused on improving it and the details of the bend etc and forget where she started.

So that was an ok one, because given a year of good training, he'll be a super-nice horse. Fair enough. But the ones who really make me shake my head are those advertised as "made" packers and I get on and ride them around thinking "my greenbean ottb does this significantly better than your made packer." hmmmm And then I wonder if that means the packer part must be true since clearly their rider has no idea what they're doing. hahaha

Only one have I sat on and thought "yup, this horse really will pack everything from a pro to a sack of potatoes around a course and do it with her ears forward." Sadly though, she had all sorts of scary things going on with her hind legs that made me think she won't be packing for too many more years :(

But every other horse I've gotten on has made me think much better of my pony, who I adore but can freely admit she's not terribly exceptional... But she has basic flat work installed and can jump around a 3' course w/o even trying. And I'm amazed at how many I've seen in the last two weeks who can't do that. The only thing my pony's not good at is being a people-pony. She doesn't much like being groomed
Although I will admit that I sat on one the other day who was so much fun I wanted to bring her home for me. Super green and completely inappropriate for the school, but could keep me amused for a year or two. hahaha not shopping for me. Not shopping for me. Has anybody ever proven that if you write something often enough it sinks in?