Counting down…
I can hardly believe that we have less than 2 weeks before the competition in WI. I really have no idea where the time went. To those of you who were hoping for more information through the blog on Jazz’s weekly progress I appologize for not having kept up with more frequent updates. But as you might guess, I haven’t had a lot of time on my hands and as is evident by the time of this post it is only around this hour that I can finally sit down to compile a few thoughts from the day. And usually this time is consumed by writing out bills or preparing the next day’s schedule and the blog has had to wait. But, I’m just truly so excited about the progress that Jazz has made since his first couple of rides that I surely want to pass it along to you. Jazz is awesome – I don’t know how else to describe him sometimes. From a trainer’s perspective he’s everything a trainer could hope to work with. First and foremost he is smart with a willing attitude which is extremely conducive to learning. In other words, Jazz is extremely trainable. In just less than 2.5 months Jazz has learned so much including now some higher level exercises that I wouldn’t expect most horses to begin until well into their forth or fifth month of training. Everyone asks me if I am ready for this competition. That is a very difficult question to answer because I really haven’t had the chance to evaluate the competitors so I don’t have a good feel for where we stand relative to them. With that said however I do think that Jazz is ready. Will we win the competition? I can’t say for sure but I think it is quite reasonable to say that I expect Jazz to perform commendably. Some of the competitors I’m sure are working with their mustangs probably 2-3 times/day because they have working schedules that permit doing so. Jazz has a once a day workout routine because that is what I can feasibly do. But in the scheme of things I truly feel that Jazz has progressed at a very fast pace. And, as such I think we will be ready. So, what is Jazz doing now? Well, he is very respectful both on the ground and under saddle. He is guiding quite well at all three gaits and is very soft and supple throughout all of his body in response to my cues. He will sidepass over objects and back through obstacles. He will shoulder in/shoulder out, half pass and two-track at multiple gaits and is starting to do lead changes. He will bow and lay down both on the ground and under saddle. He will do certain tricks and maneuvers that I hope will be crowd pleasing when incorporated into our freestyle performance (should we make the top 10). We have tried to expose him to anything we can think of that might cause him to raise an “eyebrow” in an effort to desensitize him to objects or events that are scary to him. But, with Jazz I’ve been hard pressed to find anything that he is not willing to entertain. This is good news for the challenge because you just don’t know what the obstacles will consist of until the day of. A horse that is curious and eager to accept new things is an advantage in that situation.
I have certainly gotten to like this horse in a big way. So much so that it really hit me hard the other day when I thought about the auction following the competition. It dawned on me that I don’t actually own Jazz. Despite the fact that I feel he is mine because we have developed a bond and a relationship over the past several weeks, he is actually still the property of the government via the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). And, as I was thinking about the upcoming events including the auction that is to take place even if I bid on him, which I intend to do, someone in the audience may actually outbid me and I will be left with the reality that he will never belong to me. It was a very awkward moment in my mind but a reality I must face nonetheless.