Now that it’s been over a month that I’ve leased Frankie, I figured I’d type up a bit of a (lengthy) update. The first two weeks of me riding him were rough. I had no idea how to ride a horse like him and it was quite the learning curve. After that, we got into a groove of riding five days a week and some huge accomplishments were made.
The first consistent week was filled with lots of bridleless riding and pole work. We made some progress and came into the next week stronger. That next week held lots of improved canter work, pole work, tackless/bridleless work, and our first bridleless hack. The canter is becoming much more relaxed and Frankie is now willing to stretch over poles. He’s really taken to fat camp and building up his topline, I guess. Our tackless/bridleless work has already come so far as well. We’ve cantered tackless (it was speedy and a relative death wish, but it’s fine) and worked on spins without the bridle.
Week five, consistent week three, isn’t even half over and we’ve already done some cool things. I jumped Frankie for the first time and he was an angel (for the most part) and he went to his first western gaming event! One thing I think is super beneficial with anxious Thoroughbreds like Frankie is cross-training. It keeps their minds working productively but can be as simple as teaching a spin, going on a trail course, or going to an event that features another discipline. Breaking up the arena work with new and challenging things is also fun for the rider!
Equestrian Insight 