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[RC] Dressage horses - agilbxrToday I spent the afternoon at the regional dressage finals for the southeast region. I talked to a lot of people, and met more than one $50,000 horse. Scratched a few $50,000 noses too!
There were, out of 200+ horses, exactly 4 purebred arabians, 3 QH's, 2 appy's (both kind of solid with a few flecks for spots), and one hanoverian arab cross that I would have brought home if I could have figured out how. He was gorgeous and had a great personality to boot. He flapped his lips at me until I petted him, then grabbed my shirt and wouldn't let go. It was very cute! Of the 200+ horses there, I couldn't believe the sheer number of bad feet.
If I have a $50,000 horse that I'm afraid to trail ride or turn out for fear he might hurt himself, you could be darn sure that he'd have the best farrier work I could find. I saw long toes, no heals, feet that didn't match shoulder and leg angles, stubby toes...almost to the point of club footed-ness, etc etc. It absolutly amazed me. One woman with a very nice Lipizzan stallion told me she pulled her horses shoes because they made him have suspensory problems, and that he had horrible long toes from the shoes. I would think that would be a farrior problem, not a shoeing problem. Hmmm...
Anyway, we have decided that Spot is going to do our regional dressage shows. Just cause. It'll be pretty cool to stick a blue roan almost leopard appy in with all those brown warmbloods! Of course, first we must find a dressage trainer. That's next on our list.
Oh, and well I'm thinking about it, Spot ground drove yesterday out on the trail, away from the barn, with minimal fussing and no other horses around. I think we are finally about ready to ride away from the barn and out on the trail!! Let the conditioning begin!
Juli and Spot (you want me to do what???)
and Alpine (getting fat, but pretty happy)
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