It’s nearing the end of the year and my focus at the moment is very much the run up to Lakes & Craters 3DE. Both my geldings are entered for the pre novice, both of them very green at this level, having only done one pre novice each in the past. However, they are both extremely bold horses, so I am confident about their ability to tackle the course at Lakes. I also purchased both these guys as unmade horses, so have done all the work myself in terms of their preparation for their careers as eventers, so know them very well.
I feel this entry is going to be a bit of a ‘getting to know you’ entry, it’s an interesting story of how I came to have these two horses and one that I feel holds some interesting and relevant points in terms of an individual’s mental fitness, which if you know me, you know is an area I’m pretty passionate about!
Archie and I on course in the pre novice at Colac Horse Trials in October 2011
This is the story of Bells Park Archibald Prize. I purchased him from a client of Megan Jones’ while I was a working student at her property in South Australia during 2010. He’s rising 7yo and is by far the trickiest horse I’ve ever had to ride. This horse more than any other has tested me in terms of my mental toughness, determination and commitment to myself and my sport. I was riding this horse when he was at Kirby Park for sale as a 3yo. At that time I was looking for an eventer but had lost a lot of confidence on my last horse in a big show jumping accident, so was looking for something a little more established that I could go out straight away on and get some Pre Novice and 1* runs under my belt and get my confidence back. So we all know, what is the best thing for a rider wanting to gain confidence and experience? Yep, an almost 17hh, gangly and uncoordinated 3yo with heaps of promise and a serious buck! Yep, this thing can contort itself in ways I had not experienced before. He’d bucked Megan off on one occasion and if I was being honest, he scared the crap out of me at times. Yet there was something about this horse, and I’d had a few rides on him that made me say “Wow!” So, it was with the blessing of my coach (Megan) and the extremely generous financial support of my parents that I took on the biggest challenge of my riding life thus far.
Why is this horse so tricky? I’m sure in ten years time when I’ve ridden another 100 or so horses and gained some perspective, I’ll have a fabulous answer for that question. Right now I know he is a big, sensitive and tricky horse that never fails to keep me on my toes. Probably the biggest challenge I face with him is the fact that he has extremely sensitive skin and as a result his mouth cuts when you look at him in the right way (or at least that’s how it feels some weeks!). We’ve got him under control on the flat (finally) but he’s still hard work over fences because he finds it hard to stay soft and balanced. He is super super bold cross country and fortunately he listens to my seat, but I still ride with a rubber-coated dutch gag with two reins, one on the snaffle and one on the bottom ring, otherwise, we have noooo brakes. So with this horse it is a constant balancing act between jumping him to keep him quiet and in the game, then resting him to heal his mouth, then flatting him to make him stronger. This has been a massive challenge and source of frustration over the past almost three years, it feels like we’re getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel with the whole situation though, and I feel optimistic about this horse’s future. What can I say, I love him to bits!
My other horse, Contiki Tour, got his name because of the fact that earlier this year I was booked (and paid!) to go overseas to watch the London Games and do a European Contiki Tour. As it turned out it was not meant to be …
I am a big believer in the idea that ‘everything happens for a reason’ and that the Universe will point you in the right direction. So a few funny things happened early this year. First in late 2011 Archie got a splint (the week before Lakes & Craters 2011, where he was entered for the Pre Nov) and needed at least two months off. Then, my coach here in Melbourne where I’m based now (Jamie Coman’s place in Mornington, Coolart Farm) gave me this little bay horse to ride, called Muz, and said ‘ride him like he’s yours, we’ll sell him when your other horse is back in work and you can have a cut of the deal. Great, I thought, I’m not going to lose my fitness over summer and I’m going to get to ride and feel something different. I started riding Muz and at first, despite him nearly shying me off a few times (there ARE monsters in those flowers you know) really thought nothing of it beyond simply riding this horse to sell and make some money.
Jamie made the very generous offer of helping me jump this little guy once a week while I was working him and we quickly figured out that this little horse has some SERIOUS jumping ability. He wowed Jamie, and I certainly got the feeling for something with natural talent (love you to death Archie, but you’re not the most careful creature going around). The most interesting thing that happened then though was that we discovered some fairly impressive ugly habits that I’d been able to hide on my other horse. There they were, staring me in the face and challenging me to push myself and get better. For anyone who has had a lesson with Jamie Coman, they’ll know what I mean when I say that he didn’t hesitate to tell me, with love of course, to change the way I was riding, and fast!
My ‘Contiki horse’- Muz and I
The next funny thing that happened, was that Air Asia stopped running flights from Melbourne to London, and emailed me to say my flight overseas had been cancelled and they were refunding all of my money. This was unexpected to say the least! Archie coming back into work was drawing near, and Sue and Jamie wanted some people to start coming out and looking at Muz. The day before one such occasion, Jamie and I were jumping Muz and he said to me “you know you would be stupid not to buy this horse.” The rest really is history! Most of my friends nearly died of shock when I told them I’d bought a horse with my 'Contiki Tour' money, but I guess they knew I was a crazy horse person all along!
In that moment, I made my decision that I would purchase this horse with the money I had saved to go overseas. I sold my London tickets to a friend. An interesting thing happened here. I had no idea how I was going to afford to A/ pay for Muz and B/ pay for his agistment and upkeep. The bottom line was though I made a commitment and although I didn’t know HOW I was going to make things work, I just knew that I was GOING to make things work. Here’s a great quote that I absolutely LOVE about being committed:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man or woman could have dreamed would have come his or her way. “ - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
This quote speaks worlds about what an individual can achieve when they are committed to seeing a certain outcome. About two weeks after I agreed to purchase Muz, I had a bank loan approved (despite being completely self employed) and secured a part time job, which gave me the extra funding I needed to be able to support the extra horse! I know without a doubt that believing that you will make something work and following through is more powerful than anything else.
Buying Muz has turned out to be an excellent choice. I have grown SO much as a rider in the last year, this is largely due to the fact that he is a much easier ride, and is teaching me about how things ‘should’ feel. He recently ran his first pre novice at Reynella HT in South Australia and placed 8th!
So we’re off to Lakes & Craters and then I’m looking forward to a well earned break! In the last six months of competing two horses I’ve learnt the importance of a good groom and time management skills. If all goes to plan this weekend I’m aiming both these boys for the 1* at Melbourne in June 2013, so once I’ve got Lakes & Craters out of the way, I’ll be knuckling down to plan the first half of the year and identify what I need to do between now and then to make sure I get there!
Best Riding,
Nicole
Photos by David Kelly
