When I purchased Houston we had major work to do. Not only had I recently switched disciplines to Eventing, as a former Hunter/Jumper, but Houston had a past as well. Our trainers had their hands full! Houston and I learned Dressage together and it took close to 2 years for us to be competitive in this phase.
One thing that came naturally was jumping. Houston cleared everything by at least 2 feet. He was tremendous- so athletic! And he loved it. Every turn that led to a jump resulted in ears straight forward, head up (giraffe like) and hind quarters engaged.
We decided to enter our first event, 2 months after becoming a team, at a local farm in the "We Have Just Begun" division. We arrived at the event and Houston traveled like a champ but when it came time to warm up for Dressage- the race horse syndrome kicked in. He trotted sideways, head straight up in the air and called to every horse he saw.
We made it through the test, but did maintain any sort of a frame. Houston was covered in sweat at the end of Dressage, but was less worried than he was before. Cross- Country was phenomenal! We were on time, cleared everything and Houston was calm, cool and confident. Show-Jumping went equally as well and although we received 6th place in our first event- Houston and I had bonded.
It was a huge motivator to work harder and help Houston feel loved and comfortable with me and his new home.
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