Aaron started riding four years ago at Helping Hands Therapeutic Riding Center (HHTRC). He went from being led around on a lead rope, to riding on his own, to competing in the show ring. Every Monday night for four years we have driven one hour both ways for a one hour lesson. During these four years Aaron got to know and love Scooter, Skippy, and many of the other great horses at HHTRC. The highlight of the last two years was having the opportunity to work with a truly wonderful horse trainer, Lacie Robinson. Lacie gave her all to helping Aaron improve and she pushed and inspired him to achieve things that he never thought possible.
Sadly, our time at HHTRC must come to an end. In August, Lacie had a falling out with the program manager, and had to leave HHTRC. Since Lacie left, Aaron has worked with other trainers, but it is just not the same. One night as we were riding home from a lesson Aaron told me that he really wants to continue to improve his riding skills and to work on some of the more advanced showmanship skills that Lacie had taught him. I was thinking the same thing, but I was glad that he came to that decision on his own.
So, we started looking in earnest for another trainer. To my surprise it has been very difficult to find a barn that specializes in western pleasure (as opposed to english). After an extended search I finally found a trainer that could work with Aaron. The best part is that the barn is only 20 minutes from our house.
We had our first lesson tonight. I was very impressed with the trainer, Sarah. Aaron really seemed to click with her. Aaron got to ride a retired show horse named Buggs, and he did very well on him. We have agreed to start riding with Sarah twice a week.
While we will miss HHTRC, I really have a good feeling about our decision and I am excited to see Aaron take this next step.
Here is a short video that I took at the new barn.
Aaron had the opportunity recently to ride a beautiful quarter horse by the name of Boo. Boo is only seven years old, but he has had a lot of experience and success showing. I took some video of Aaron at two riding sessions. For those of you with riding experience you will recognize a few problems with Aaron’s form. This is mostly because Aaron is not used to riding a horse with as much get up and go. But, Aaron got the hang of it rather quickly and by his second session he was able to get Boo up to a canter in the arena. This is no small feat given a small arena and a big horse. I was very proud of Aaron, he showed a lot of confidence and control.
Boo is available for sale. I have to say I have not been this interested in a horse yet. Unfortunately, the owner knows what Boo is worth and is asking a premium. Aaron wants to start increasing his training and start showing a little more. So, we might consider getting a horse for him if he continues to progress.
Aaron achieved a great milestone in his horse back riding career – his first show! He has been working on horsemanship and trail for about two years. We decided that he was ready to take Scooter into the show ring. We traveled about two hours east of Kansas City to the Sedalia Missouri fairgrounds for a Novice American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) weekend event. The AQHA has several classes (how term for event) for Equestrians with Disabilities (EWD).
We arrived on Friday night, found our way to the fairgrounds. Fortunatley Aarons instructor Lacie was able to get Scooter to the event, unload all of the equipment and get Scooter settled in all before we arrived. She worked her tail off. So, when we arrived we toured the facility and walked through the Coliseum where he would ride to get Aaron familiar with the environment. Aaron seemed to be very excited to be around all of the horses and other show people. It is amazing to see the serious horse show people; huge horse trailers, beautiful saddles, show garb and very expensive horses.
After a little ice cream at the B&R and swimming in the hotel pool, we turned in ready for an exciting day to follow. We arrived early and put Aaron to work getting Scooter ready for the day. We registered Aaron for his classes and began the hurry up and wait routine which I have learned is a big part of the horse show routine. I was a little worried that so much down time between events would be a problem for both Aaron and Becca.
During our warm up sessions with Scooter we began to get concerned. Scooter has a history as an accomplished show horse. However, he has not been shown in several years and it was clear he was a little freaked out. He was very jittery and would not stay still when Aaron asked him to whoa. Aaron’s first class was Horsemanship which consists of Aaron leading his horse around the Arena following a certain pattern. In the warm ups Aaron was doing everything he could to keep Scooter in position, but Scooter was not following. Lacie worked with Scooter to try to get him calmed down, but it was not really working.
At the appropriate time we all walked over to the Coliseum for Aarons class. Aaron had a long wait until it was time to show. All of the activity with the other horses just made Scooter even more jumpy. Once they were finally ready to go Aaron led Scooter into the Arena. The Coliseum is a huge building that was probably built in the 30s. It was a site I will not forget seeing Aaron leading his horse into the huge arena. It turns out that he was the only one in his class. So, we knew that he would automatically win the class. But we really wanted him to do well and we were concerned that with all of the pressure and Scooter being jumpy that Aaron might fall apart.
At the appropriate time Aaron walked Scooter around the arena to the starting point. He had a little trouble lining him up, Scooter would not stop moving. But, once they started working Aaron was able to lead Scooter up to the judge, perform a 180 degree turn and get Scooter to trot back to the starting point. We all breathed a big sigh of relief. Aaron was announced as the winner and we went back to the barn with the our first challenge under our belt. Aaron felt he did fine, but he said he could have done better if Scooter would have cooperated. We were so proud of Aaron for not loosing his cool and doing the right things to try to get scooter in line. It would have been very easy for him to fall apart in that situation, and he kept his cool. This was a huge victory for Aaron.
Lacie was not happy with Scooter. She immediatly got him into the practice ring, put him on a lead, and proceeded to work some energy off of him. She wanted to get him worn out a little to try to get rid of his jitters. We were talking about how this is the last thing she expected from Scooter. Usually it is all Aaron can do to get him to move.
The rest of the events for the weekend went on in similar fashion. We worked with Scooter between every event to try to get him to calm down. We were able to get him where we wanted him, but then right before each event he would begin to get anxious again. In the walk trot class it was everything that Aaron could do to get scooter to slow down. It was like his throttle was stuck on or something.
Aaron participated in six classes throughout the weekend. Scooter got a little better as the events went on. Aaron was the only entrant, and winner, in each of the classes. In retrospect I think this was a great thing for Aaron because it allowed him to learn the routine and get used to showing without having to worry about competing.
On the ride home all we could talk about what the great time that we had together. Both of the kids were great and they did not get board or restless the entire weekend. I think there were enough new experiences for them, seeing all of the different events, horses and other children that it kept them interested. We also had some great family time together away from the regular weekend distractions at home. To me this was the icing on the cake. Aaron has decided that we wants to continue showing. We have even started to talk about more places we can show for next year.
Today was the first warm day we have had in weeks. Aaron had his Saturday morning riding class at Helping Hands. What a beautiful day at the barn. I was able to get some really good shots with great light. It was difficult because it was a little dark in the barn and I did not want to use a flash as you never know how the horses will react.
One parents thoughts, ideas and experiences while raising two wonderful children, one of which has Asperger's syndrome.
Our family loves to travel. I will use this blog to share our many adventures.
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