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Nautica the American Saddlebred Dressage Horse

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Posted on July 15, 2019July 15, 2019

The life changing concept that is the turn on the forehand: Nautica’s clinic update

Lateral work? In dressage??

Posted on June 6, 2019June 6, 2019

Ten Day Photo Challenge (more or less)

More or less

Posted on May 16, 2019May 16, 2019

Moving On Up

Another update on my event horse, Lacy

Posted on May 2, 2019May 3, 2019

Sidetrack–Meet Lacy

The other bay horse in my life

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Peek my personal Instagram for updates on Nautica, Lacy and more.

Airplane mode activated. Low quality pic of a high quality mare! I don't have a ton to post since I've been MIA for the past 9 days, but I'm back and ready to hit the XC field soon! So here's a throwback to River Glen in June... I had thought at the time that this jump felt way bigger than it looked. It turns out Lacy just gave it a little extra room to spare! ✈ This jump was one of my scarier-looking fences from our River Glen BN trip in June. During the course walk it was a pretty nerve wracking fence for me to look at, but once on course Lacy found it plenty inviting and locked on without a second thought. It's crazy to think about the things Lacy and I have jumped on XC since then and how the fences we once found terrifying are now no big deal. Except for Poplar novice. July Poplar novice is still kind of a big deal for me. 😂 #noscopenohope #woodallergy #ottbsofinstagram #ottb #thoroughbred #thoroughbredsofinstagram #horse #exracehorse #eventhorse #eventing #beginnernovice #crosscountry #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #equestrianlife #twohearts #LacytheOTTB
Getting antsy to take miss thing back to another horse show! Lacy's had the week off while I've been on vacation. Nautica hasn't had it so easy as he has a ride-a-test coming up on the 25th, his first official "show" as a dressage horse! Kelly got him for a ride or two this week while I've been gone to re-introduce the idea of bit contact and also to reinforce the leg-means-lateral aids. Nautica and I are going all out on the 25th with full dress and braiding. Intro B is a very serious division! Or at least Nautica needs to think so... #ottbsofinstagram #ottb #thoroughbred #thoroughbredsofinstagram #horse #exracehorse #eventhorse #eventing #dressage #dressagehorse #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #equestrianlife #twohearts #LacytheOTTB #c4ambassador Use code C44X7TT for 10% off!
More from last week: It's still a little rough, but we finally have a true, 3-beat canter on BOTH leads! Nautica is no longer slamming down on his forehand, running, or cantering flat "walking" behind. All of our work in the hackamore working with understanding pressure and release has paid off! Nautica is starting to better understand the idea of half halts as a means to change his rhythm, rather than just balancing against the pressure in a "frame" as was normal for him before. This is still very much a "before" video and I expect the "after" will be even more improvement from here. We're still working with faulty hind end conformation, and I know Nautica will never be 100% correct in his gaits for anything beyond training level, but this little progress is huge in showing just how much consistent, correct training can change a horse! #americansaddlebred #saddlebred #asbsporthorse #dressagehorse #dressage #horse #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #equestrianlife #twohearts #showhorsesporthorse
Once again, dressage is ballet and Nautica is out here doing the Cha Cha Slide. In case you ever wondered what our first runthrough of a dressage test typically looks like, there's always a few added dance moves involved... "F - E free walk. At L spook left 1 meter." "B circle right 20 meters working trot rising, developing RUN AWAY OMG!! between the center line and E. Abandon circle idea, track left. And we're lost." #getfunky #getspooky #dressageishard #americansaddlebred #saddlebred #asbsporthorse #dressagehorse #dressage #horse #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #equestrianlife #twohearts
My adventure buddy. ❤ Nautica's new catchphrase is "he's normal now!" In addition to our dressage training, Nautica is becoming quite the trail horse. Well, he has yet to go out on a full trail ride, but our laps around the pastures have become significantly less life-threatening for me, so there's that. We're hoping to buddy up with one of the school horses soon and attempt to go all the way down to the creek. What a brave man! Last week, Nautica graduated the hackamore after spending a month bitless to reset his mind and focus on non-bridle related aids. We're now working with a kineton noseband in addition to our regular bit, using it as a tool to transition back into a normal bridle set-up. We currently have the kineton set small enough to provide nose pressure before activating bit pressure and Nautica has been responding very well! All of this has been a step in the right direction in terms of improving Nautica's suppleness off of my leg aid and also his responsiveness to the bit, now with a more correct and appropriate response. He's no longer locking through his jaw or neck and is noticeably much more of a "back mover" at the walk and trot than he was previously! One step closer to the goal. #betweentheears #americansaddlebred #saddlebred #horse #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #equestrianlife #twohearts
I've been working at CMF for exactly one year now! It's absolutely crazy looking back. Lacy has not only met but exceeded every goal I've set for her and I am incredibly impressed with my little "nobody" horse from Marion, AL. Since last August, we've gone from being pretty terrifying to watch over crossrails to a sensible and competitive novice team with sights set on training in the not-too-distant future. I've spent 90% of my rides entirely out of my comfort zone, from learning to ride my stadium courses on a loose rein, an impressive feat for a horse like Lacy (The learning curve on Lacy's part was insane as she had to learn for herself not to rush or risk crashing a few fences, and equally as concerning for me as I had to learn to let her figure that lesson out for herself. There were some close calls, but few gray hairs and some slightly alcoholic tendencies later, it did pay off) ...to Lacy and me jumping our first XC training level fence, which for a painfully amateur adult ammy and self-described XC weenie required summoning up every bit of courage I had. But we did it, and that is something I never would have thought I'd be doing with this horse only a year ago. I've learned that this kind of change not only takes discipline and desire, but also sacrifices. Instruction is paramount and I couldn't have gotten this far this quickly without lessons and learning from some of the best of eventing in this area. Instruction like that comes with a price tag and unless you're lucky enough to be able to provide a lifestyle for yourself that meets that price range, sacrifices have to be made. I am lucky that my time as a student worker has been fair, fun and for the most part, the good times outweigh the bad. However, it isn't without my fair share of living below the poverty line, and I've learned to make do with that. Although, I'm sure the sight of box noodles will cause some sort of PTSD later on in life... For people who don't understand the whole horse thing, it sounds crazy to place riding lessons and horse shows over things like food, but for us it's just something you do. You make sacrifices, you get out of your comfort zone and you make things happen.

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