Happy New Year folks! Something amazing has happened. It’s been 7 years of riding in the making, but I finally punched through the glass ceiling that has been holding my confidence hostage. Copper and I – we’ve made HUGE strides the last few weeks.
Let me rewind a bit. When I purchased Copper, I vaguely remember his former owner telling me that when she had purchased him, he had shoes on all 4 feet. When I purchased him, he only had shoes on his front feet. Well, in the excitement of welcoming Copper I forgot that one little detail.
Copper has minor scoliosis and because of that, he started to slightly drag his back left foot when trotting. X-rays of his hock revealed some arthritis so hock injections were done as well as him starting a daily pain medication and twice a year joint supplement injections. After all that, he was still dragging that one foot. So it was time to try back shoes to see if that would help.
For the first few weeks after he got his back shoes, his back was sore. The shoes helped give him support in his hind end and back, and once he adjusted, his back pain stopped. What we have now is a horse who takes much less time to warm up and has an incredibly forward trot.
Knowing that Copper is feeling great is a relief. Now, back to that glass ceiling we broke through. Forward motion – it’s crucial to doing anything with horses. Copper has forward motion now. In fact, once he fully warms up, he will easily pick up a canter instead of just a trot.
We have been working on trot to canter to trot transitions, and for the first time ever, I’ve managed to do that for a full lap in the arena! This is HUGE for me as I was afraid of the canter for the majority of the time I’ve been riding.
Copper and I have really become an incredible team. I am now taking 3 lessons a week, and although each lesson isn’t perfect, it doesn’t matter. Every lesson is a learning opportunity. Below are some pictures of us cantering – I can’t wait to see where this journey goes for us.❤️🐴
Confessions of an Equestrianoholic 