@fromjumpingtodressage #2 - Finding Sambuca

Når beslutningen om at købe en dressurhest så var taget, skulle jeg så bare finde den rigtige hest til mig, og hvor svært kunne det være? Vel, det skulle vise sig at ikke være så nemt. Først og fremmest fordi jeg på ingen måde viste hvad jeg var på jagt efter. Den første salgs stald jeg var i kontakt må ha blevet rimelig opgivet på mig. “Jeg skal have en hest der skal kunne gå noget dressur” er ikke akkurat en precis beskrivelse. Tak og pris traf jeg på nogen der havde solgt hest tidligere, og det blev efter hvert klart at jeg ønsket mig en hest der var tilrid (ja, til at begynde med var ikke engang den betingelse på plads), og at det ikke skulle være det man ofte referer til som en “lærehest”. Så dette har du sikkert helt klart for dig allerede, men vær specifik på hvad du ønsker dig. Ellers så gælder der jo også at have sit budget på plads, hvilket nok var det eneste jeg var ret afklaret i forhold til. Å holde sit budget er så noget helt andet….

Med nogen nye krav på plads (tilrid dressurhest med godt temperament i alderen 5- 8 år) fortsatte jagten på den rigtige hest. Til vanlig arbejder jeg som ingeniør, og en systematisk tilnærmelse til ting er derfor ikke fremmed for mig. Køb av hest ble således intent undtag, og jeg ved ikke hvor mange timer der gik med til research på ridehesten.com. Alle detaljer ble så sirlig skrevet ind i et Excel ark, med det resultat at jeg på en weekend havde den store Nordjyllands tur og fik prøvet omkring 15 heste. Særlig en av disse gjorde virkelig indtryk på mig med sit milde temperament og gode ridelighed. Og så var den i tillæg sort, hvilket på ingen måde var et kriterie, men hvem vil vel ikke ha sin egen “Black Beauty”.

Og det er her jeg igen lærer noget nyt i forhold til dette med køb av hest. Jeg havde på dette tidspunktet blidt fult klar over at dette med at finde den rigtige hest, det havde jeg ikke helt styr på. Og jeg tog derfor kontakt med min underviser på rideskolen og bad hinde om hjælp. Min sorte stjerne havde desværre ikke det som skulle til når det kom til gangarter, og jeg var så tilbage til start. Men jeg havde lært en hel masse så langt i processen, og jeg begyndte så småt at kende navnene på de meste kendte avlshingstene og hvad man skulle se efter for at finde en rigtig “gangartsmaskine”. Så tilbage til hvad jeg lærte, spørg om hjælp! Det er så meget kundskab derude i heste miljøet, og de fleste bliver bare glad for at kunde hjælpe. Og en person som står lidt udenfor processen kan se ting som er vanskelig å se for dig der står midt oppe i det hele.

Nok en gang tilbage til start, men med en masse ny kundskab, var det så min underviser som via sit netværk kom over en annonce på Facebook. Dette var så en rigtig gangartsmaskine, og fuld av forventning drog vi afsted, denne gang til Sjælland. Når vi så kom frem stod Sambuca der, flettet og klar, og var bare helt nydelig. Jeg tror jeg viste at det var den rigtige hest selv før jeg havde prøvet hinde. Igen var jeg heldig og traf på nogen gode og seriøse sælgere, som både så an mit niveau og den hest der skulle sælges. Så langt i processen havde jeg forstået at om mit dressur eventyr skulle blive en success ville jeg behøve hjælp, masser av hjælp. Jeg havde derfor lavet en aftale med min underviser om at hun skulle være med os hele vejen. Dette med valg av træner er noget jeg vil komme tilbage til i et senere indlæg.

Sambuca er en hest med et virkelig fantastisk temperament, og hun er bare den nemmeste at håndtere. Men hun er også en sensitiv hest, der havde været i professionel ridning hele sit liv. Så overgangen til min noget urutinerede ridning, ville blive en stor overgang for hinde. Noget som var tydelig allerede første gang jeg prøvede hinde. Men så længe jeg havde opbakning fra min træner mente sælger vi var et godt match. Og det var både jeg og min træner vældig enig i. Og sådan var det min og Sambucas rejse startede.

I det næste indlæg vil jeg fortælle mere om den første tiden med Sambuca, og da med fokus på det store spørgsmål der dukke op i forhold til hvorvidt hun skulle få en foldmakker.

Tidligere indlæg: #1 Get to know us

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Bedste hilsner fra

Hanne

When the decision to get a dressage horse first was taken, I thought it was just about finding the right horse. And hey, how hard could that be? Well, it turned out to be a little bit more difficult than I had expected. The biggest reason for that, was because I had no clue about what I was searching for. The first sales stable I was in contact with must have gotten pretty upset with me. “I would like a horse that can do some dressage” is in no way a specific description. Luckily for me, the ones I was in contact me where experienced people who had sold lots of horses before, og it became clear that I wanted a horse that was broken in (yes, that was not even clarified when I started my search), and I was not looking for the traditional “schoolmaster”. I guess all of you know this already, but just to be clear, before you start be specific about what you are searching for. Besides that, a budget is a good thing. And that was actually the one thing that I had in place. To keep it on the other hand is something entirely different….

With some new requirements in place (a dressage horse between the age of 5 to 8, that was broken in and had a good temper), my search continued. I work as an engineer, and a systematic approach is the way I am used to tackle obstacles. Buying a horse was no exemption to this, and I do not know how many hours I spent doing research on ridehesten.com. Every detail was then entered into an Excel sheet, and based on that I managed to organize my big tour of northern Jutland, where I tried around fifteen horses during one weekend. Especially one of these made a big impression on me, based on his mild temper and rideability. And not only that, he was also pitch black, which in no way was one of my criteria. But who wouldn’t want their own “Black Beauty”.

And it is at this point I made my next learning. At this time I was painfully aware that I was in over my head and have no clue about how to go about finding the correct horse for me. Based on this I reached out to my instructor at the riding school and asked for help. It turned out that my black star did not have the gaits I was looking for, and I was back at scratch. But it had not been all for nothing, I had learned a lot in the process, and I had begun to know some of the names of the most famous stallions and what to look for to find a horse with really good gaits. So back to what I learned – ask for help! There is so much knowledge in the horse community, and most people are just really happy to help. And a person that is seeing the process from the outside might be able to see things that you can’t see yourself because you are so caught up in it all.

Yet again I was back to start, but with a lot of new knowledge. It was my instructor who through her network came across and ad on Facebook. This horse had superb gaits, and full of expectations we where on our way, this time to Zealand. When we got there we where met by Sambuca standing there braided and ready, and she was just gorgeous. I think I knew she was the horse for me even before I had tried riding her. Again I was lucky enough to come across some experienced and serious people, that surveyed my riding level before they recommended the horse for me. At this point in the process I had become quite realistic about my own abilities, and I knew that if my dressage adventure was to become a success I would need help. Lots of help. Based on this I hade made an agreement with my instructor that she would follow me every step of the way, also after I got the horse. The topic of choosing a trainer is something I will get back to in a later post.

Sambuca has a fantastic temper, and she is just the easiest horse to handle. But she is a sensitive horse, and she had only been ridden by professional riders all her life. Which would be in stark contrast to me, which was obvious already the first time I tried her. But the seller felt that as long as I had the backup of my trainer, Sambuca and I where a good match. And my trainer and I could not agree more. And this is how our journey together started.

In my next post I will cover more around the first time with Sambuca, focusing on the big question that arouse concerning whether or not she would go with other horses in the field.

Previous post: #1 – Get to know us

Best regards,

Hanne