My OTTB Rose

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Show Debut: Young Event Horse competition for 4-year-olds

Briar Rose competed (with Julia Jesu) in the USEA Young Event Horse competition for 4-year-olds at Greystone Farm in Brookeville, Maryland. We are still working to put weight on her but nevertheless she showed very well!

We have had her less than 70 days. This was her:

First trailer ride away from here (she loaded, trailered, and unloaded like a true professional!)

First overnight at a show

First braids

First show

First dressage test

First time in an indoor arena (fantastic warmup!)

Her scores today:

Conformation: 7.17 (71.7%)

Subscores:

Type: 7.0
Frame: 7.0
Legs: 8.0
Feet: 7.0
Jog: 7.0
General impression: 7.0

Dressage: 6.98 (69.8%)

Subscores:

Walk: 6.8
Trot: 7.0
Canter: 7.1
Submissiveness: 7.0
General impression: 7.0

[Just for context, any score over 6.0 is considered "satisfactory".]

Jumping test: Withdrew (not quite ready for a dozen 2'11" obstacles out in a huge field, but we did get in some good cross-country schooling practice!)

Here is her first-ever dressage test:

Saturday, September 8, 2012

A Work In Progress

Briar Rose has been with us nearly two months now. She lives in a one-acre paddock where she can roam and graze, and even though her coat has been bleached by the sun, she seems much happier there than confined in a stall. She is getting basic dressage and jumping training nearly every day. She's getting as much alfalfa as she can eat and has gained about 50 pounds since she arrived. We've worked over her feet and put four shoes on her, and now she's on the second trim. We fecal-tested her and dewormed her twice. We groomed her and trimmed her up. Her sweet personality is shining through every day and she works very hard in understanding and attempting what her riders are asking her to do. She's coming along beautifully.

Everything is coming together very nicely for her debut at the United States Eventing Association Young Event Horse competition at Greystone farm on September 23, 2012.

Here was her first little jump over a crossrail with me on August 9, 2012:

Over the flower jump with Julia aboard, August 21, 2012:

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Briar Rose's bloodlines

"Dizzy Lizzy", as she was known to the Jockey Club, was sired by Cat Thief, who put his stamp on her:

Her dam's sire was Academy Award, one of the last surviving sons of Secretariat:

Monday, July 16, 2012

How it started

It all started with a brief email on 7/10/2012 8:29 PM from our riding instructor, Julia, with a link to the website of a nearby place that retrains off-track Thoroughbreds, Leighton Farm.

I took a look at the pictures. Four years old, solid bay mare, 15.3 hands tall, retired sound. Not bad, her conformation basics were decent, but I admit she didn't jump off the screen at me.

Then I took a look at the linked videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6HCIaIybGU

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDCFYy8mVss

and I was impressed. She has a lovely trot stride, especially after being warmed up at the canter. She fussed a little with her head, like any green horse, but accepted the directions of her rider nicely.