Indy

Indy, also known as Wild Trip, is a crazy cute little thoroughbred that I own now.

I could write a whole book of his quirks - he was more difficult for me to retrain and form a working connection with than my other two horses combined!  As a successful racehorse, Indy won his fair share of races before coming off the track at age seven (too bad I didn't own him then!).  After he came off the track, he went straight to the event world, where he advanced through the levels quickly, because of his inherent talent and athleticism.

Unfortunately, his confidence did not match his talents when I brought him home (at least with me in the saddle).  I had some early rides on him where it would take me more than an hour to get him to walk over a simple ground rail.  A slightly neurotic, pea-brained little thoroughbred, his other bad habit was backing up, rearing, and flipping over.  Obviously we had some trust issues to overcome!  I had to figure out how to establish my role as a leader in his life in a very tactful but also firm way.  With lots of patience, consistency, and, most of all, help from my trainers, Indy slowly started to come around.  I learned how to respect his personal boundaries while, more importantly, I taught him to respect mine.  It's so rewarding now every time he comes galloping up to me in the field, watches me unblinkingly as I bustle around the barn doing my chores, or saves my butt out on course!  About two years later, in 2011, he was ready to take a shot at eventing again.  Amazingly, everything started to click with him and he had a great season, moving up to prelim with me in the summer.

Seneca Valley HT, 4th

first prelim at Loch Moy

rainy Morven Park stadium round

Hello! Do you have treats?

Indy at the second Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy

After about two years together, we finally formed a solid partnership and started to develop his work ethic.  Indy is an uncannily catty jumper and will now get me out of just about any scrape that I put him into.  The other major improvement lately has been his topline!  Indy has always been a small guy, standing barely 16 hands at the top of withers higher than Mount Everest. Lately, though, he's traded in his skinny ewe-neck for a crest more fitting a warmblood.  All his hard work is paying off!

topline: January 2011

topline: January 2012

Just about everything else about Indy has changed too: on the ground now, he is just about as quiet and settled as grandma's horse, and he is a real gentleman to ride now.  Well, unless it's windy, unseasonably warm, or the mood is just right - you get the picture, he still has his certain "pizzazz".  However, special skills now include: cross-tying, allowing himself to be groomed, ground-tying, and recognizing the crinkle of a peppermint wrapper from distances of up to a quarter mile away!