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| Back in the saddle!; after 4 years at college | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 15 2007, 10:10 AM (131 Views) | |
| Allicolls | May 15 2007, 10:10 AM Post #1 |
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Schooling
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So I'm excited because I just found out I have a horse to ride for the summer. Let me give a little background: As a youth I showed on the AQHA circuit, all-around events with an emphasis on HUS and Eq on the flat. My senior year we moved to a more hunter-focused trainer who does the HUS and also the AQHA fence classes and some A shows. I have limited experience over fences, even though I consider myself a very competent rider on the flat. I have been in college the last 4 years, just graduated, and I'm going to law school in the fall. I did the equestrian team my freshman year but haven't ridden much since. Shortly after I left for college, my 7-years-younger sister started getting serious about riding, bought a 15.2 horse for the HUS/Eq/AQHA fences/Children's Hunters, and she got reeeally good. I was never allowed to ride him during my time at home or the million times I met her at shows, which made sense because he is way too small for me. I was promised that when they got the Big Horse for her to do the 14-18 age division and the Junior Hunters, that I would be able to show in the Ammy HUS/Eq and start jumping some. Well, in December we sold the children's hunter and got the new horse: 4yo Appendix mare. She is everything we were looking for and more...she is already totally automatic in the HUS, and she is intelligent and calm over the jumps. I figured this summer would be a great time for me to show her in Ammy HUS and jump her for about 15 minutes at the end of sister's lesson maybe once a week. Maybe by the end of the summer I could do a Rusty Stirrup class or the Nov. Am HUS (thank goodness they changed the Novice rules in AQHA so I don't have to start jumping with the big guys). Well, my mom called me up last night to tell me that my dad was willing to lease a horse from my trainer for me to show for the summer. The horse is my trainer's mare that has been a broodmare and hasn't been ridden or shown in 3 years, and she was intending to bring her back up to show condition anyway. <VENT ALERT> Now, this offer seemed real exciting until I got the details, which were: parents would pay hauling/stall fees only. Board would be free because the mare is at the barn anyway and I am doing my trainer a favor by getting her back in shape and ready to show. The kicker is that all entries/training fees at shows would be my responsibility, as well as providing myself with a completely new show wardrobe, as I have outgrown everything and my sister lost one (1!!!) of my boots (how does one lose a single boot?!). They know that every dime I am making this summer is being saved for law school so I can't afford to take this deal. Our show plan this summer is 3 week-long AQHA circuits in a row (25 days on the road, wow) in July. They know for a fact that I couldn't possibly make enough money to pay for entries and training fees, much less any show clothes. They even refused to buy me show clothes as a graduation present, instead of the iPod and cash I originally asked for. And there is no way on earth that the lease mare is going to be in good enough form to even not look stupid at the calibre of shows we are going to, much less be in the points. So basically they made this offer to get out of looking like the bad guys for telling me I can't ride our nice mare, when they knew I couldn't possibly afford to show and therefore it was a completely empty offer. So I was pretty bitter about it all last night, and asked why they even made the offer since they knew I couldn't afford it. Why not just take the responsibility of saying, "No you can't ride the new mare" instead of slipping me some backhanded offer in an attempt to cover up the fact that they're really saying, "Hey we're going back on our promise to let you ride." I understand (mostly) their reasoning behind keeping me off the mare - we don't really know her, and if she started acting weird or developed bad habits we wouldn't know if it had anything to do with her having 2 pilots or not. I just wish they'd said that to begin with instead of trying to get my hopes up and then dashing them.<VENT OVER> However, there is an upside to all this, which is that my trainer is going to have me ride the lease mare anyway, even if I don't get to show. It will be nice to have something to ride everyday for the first time in a few years, and I figure we will get back in riding shape at about the same rate. The mare's name is Lizzie, and she is one opinionated lady. She is one of those that you ask rather than tell, and if she feels you are not respecting her opinion then buddy she is done being cooperative. I love a challenging horse like this and I figure she will do alot to make me a more patient rider, and the big plus is that (if she's sound, that's still a big question mark) I will get to finally do a little bit over fences with consistency. So thanks for letting me put my little vent out there and share my good news. I move home this weekend so I should be able to go get Lizzie from the other farm and bring her to my trainer's barn on Monday. Even though this isn't the way I wish it could go, and I feel a little bit like my parents tried to pull a fast one on me (the Ol' Switcheroo, I guess), I'm really excited to get to ride and train and get in shape again! Yay! *Please don't think that I'm a spoiled brat, because I am the farthest thing from it. My parents pay my phone bill and car insurance, and that is it. I never asked for them to finance a show career for me this summer...I just wanted to pay (myself) for weekly lessons and enter the occasional class, on my dime, at shows we were going to anyway, because I've never had a nice horse and would sure like the chance to show this one before they sell her for $$$$$$$$$$. Ok I'm done now and back to being REALLY EXCITED TO GET TO RIDE!!!!!
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| 2hsmommy | May 15 2007, 02:39 PM Post #2 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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You get to ride, that's the most important thing!!
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| Melliebay | May 15 2007, 04:25 PM Post #3 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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Alli, I'm sorry the situation was so stressful, but thank goodness you still get the ride on the mare! You will love it, and who needs the pressure of showing 25 days on the road after being off so long anyway! Have fun!!!
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| OTF | May 15 2007, 04:32 PM Post #4 |
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You're BANNED!
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Well, I sense your disappointment with the whole scenario. You mention that your parents pay your phone bill and car insurance...this is certainly none of my business, but I'll ask anyway, nosey old broad that I am: Do you pay for your tuition, books, food, rent, etc.? |
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| Allicolls | May 16 2007, 09:00 AM Post #5 |
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Schooling
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Yes, I pay for everything else...through scholarships, research stipends, and part-time jobs. And I will pay for law school with student loans. |
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| OTF | May 16 2007, 04:32 PM Post #6 |
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You're BANNED!
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Allicolls, I confess that I anticipated you would reply that your parents pay for your tuition and living expenses, but since that is not the case, I certainly can't call you a spoiled brat or anything. You sound industrious and earnest in your desire to ride and show during the summer and very hurt that it will not happen as you had hoped. I would be too, I guess...no, on 2nd thought, I would be crushed and angry. Not sure what to say at this point, but I do hope you will mend things with your parents when you get back home, that you'll get to ride when you can, and that the summer won't be a total bust. That being said, think about when you are through with law school, you'll probably land a job with enough $$$ to buy yourself a super horse, a new pair of boots for you AND your sister, with enough left over to support your parents in their dotage. (NOT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR, I KNOW!) Forgive me, I'm just an old toot.
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![]](http://z1.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
So I was pretty bitter about it all last night, and asked why they even made the offer since they knew I couldn't afford it. Why not just take the responsibility of saying, "No you can't ride the new mare" instead of slipping me some backhanded offer in an attempt to cover up the fact that they're really saying, "Hey we're going back on our promise to let you ride." I understand (mostly) their reasoning behind keeping me off the mare - we don't really know her, and if she started acting weird or developed bad habits we wouldn't know if it had anything to do with her having 2 pilots or not. I just wish they'd said that to begin with instead of trying to get my hopes up and then dashing them.





6:00 PM Jul 10