Team Teddy

Sometimes I catch myself wondering how I got here, and then I remember to just enjoy it and not to ask too many questions. 

As mentioned in my first post, Teddy is the second half of my little herd. He is owned by a good friend of mine (who is also the mom of one of my best friends) who we will call C. C is an all around amazing human, and the kind of horsewoman who really listens to her horses and does right by them. I admire her for that, and find her great company in the horse world and in life. 

Ignore the blacked out rider for privacy purposes and focus on Himself.

Teddy is her heart horse. She's had him since he was four, he's now 13, right after he was imported. He's a giant hunk of a 17.2h Oldenburg and has acquired many accolades in his life within the HJ world. He's also earned himself a reputation for being pushy, assertive, unafraid to 'speak his mind', but never mean. He really wants to be a good boy, he just also wants to do it on his terms. Remind us of a certain grey? 

C stopped riding consistently awhile back, but Teddy has been in a professional hunter program in the area with a trainer and various teen riders who have leased him to enjoy the hunter world from his back. C has coined the term #TeamTeddy for his fanbase which I love, especially considering her other horse is Ned so there's also #TeamNed. Teddy has done well, and boy is he fancy, but recently he decided he doesn't want to jump on Sundays and made it clear he wants to take a step back from the showing world and jumping so frequently. C listened to him, so when his lease was about up with his lovely teen, she gave me a call. 

"We both have problems I think I can solve. I have a horse that needs a rider, and you're a rider who needs a horse while Tilly grows up. Do you want Teddy?" 

*Grabby hands*

Took me a moment to lift my jaw off the floor, but yes, I very very much did want Teddy. We shook out the details for a lease situation that makes all parties involved very happy, and discussed what we want for Teddy. 

• Be happy 
• Be healthy
• Be loved and cared for
• Have a purpose outside of the hunter world

Pretty sure I can handle all of that. He's too young to retire but needs a new career path, and I need to get my ass back in shape so I can ride my young horse in a few years when she's ready to get going. I have goals with Tilly, one of them being to work towards my bronze medal in dressage, so why not start with Big Ted? He can definitely still toodle around a course if I so choose, and I do still want to jump in my life, but I also really want to focus on dressage. 

My tentative goal is to get myself back in riding shape, learn Teddy while I do so, and start up lessons with trainer D in the fall, who is also the trainer that will start Tilly next year. I'd love to be able to do a show or two next year at first level and just go from there. The main thing is having fun, improving my riding, and making sure Teddy is happy with this plan. We'll have lots of fun in between too, he loves a good trail ride and adventure! 

Hi Tilly!

Teddy came home July 1 and has been a total delight. He absolutely has Thoughts and Opinions that he makes very clear, and sometimes we have Discussions, but it's in the same way I discussed things with Goose. I draw and hold boundaries, and respect Teddy's, and we find a happy middle ground. Though he is VERY unhappy about the line I've drawn about not eating the trees and bushes on the way to the covered arena. He thinks that rule is bullshit. 

"Stupid human and her stupid rules." Teddy, probably

I've ridden him a few times a week since he got here and damn is he a nice horse. He's very well schooled in that he goes the pace I set and is happy to hold it until I start wheezing where he kindly offers a walk. He has great lateral basics, a lead change, counter canter, and some other fun buttons that we can definitely fine-tune for his next phase of life fancy prancing in the sandbox. He's definitely a hunter-y type, I have no upper-level aspirations with him, but I'm way less concerned about our destination than I am about our journey. I think he is an ammy's dream and I feel pinch-me-lucky to have a horse I feel safe and secure on to actually work on ME for awhile. 

It's been over a year since I've ridden consistently, and last year was... not good for my mental or physical health. I'm fighting my own body-image and fitness demons and trying to do so in healthy ways - getting back to fitness and health through better eating, exercise, and finally figuring out some underlying health issues that have plagued me for most of my life. Gosh is it good to have some answers! I'm trying to take it slow and remind myself that trotting and cantering a few laps at a time is FINE, we already missed the cut-off for this year's Olympic games, and progress can be slow and steady. No one is here to judge me and even though I hate the feeling of knowing what I need to do but not being able to do it, time and consistency is the key to success here. Things are already feeling better after just a few weeks, even if it also feels like it's way too slow. 

Teddy is a dream come true in a lot of ways. There is no way I could ever afford a horse this nice, and the little girl in me is like "GUYS LOOK AT THIS BIG BAY WARMBLOOD HE IS MY NEW PONY AND SO HANDSOME AND SWEET AND AND AND" like I genuinely want to brag about him. Not in a rude way, but in a holy shit this is really freaking cool and something I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have kind of way. He's not perfect but he's got a smooth trot, a rocking horse canter, and a sweet personality that also keeps me on my toes. He's delightful and I feel incredibly lucky to have friends like C trust me with their heart horse. 

Anyone remember Amy from her Work in Progress blog? Love this lady and so glad she came to visit last weekend! 

Teddy has a long history with his owner and other riders, so it's funny to come in to riding him without baggage. I know his history, I'm not scared of it, and I know what to look out for and how to set boundaries from the start. In contrast, I had Goose for 11 years, and we had A LOT of baggage that was carried along with us. I'd laugh when other people rode him and called him easy and delightful, because I had the bigger image of who he was for the entirety of his life with me, not the Goose that was simply there that day. Applying this to Teddy, C sees the horse she's had for the better part of a decade and everything they've been through, and I get to come in and see the horse he is now. It's a treat and a privilege, and one I am so very happy to enjoy. 

As we've gotten Tedward settled in, we've noted that he has some maintenance that is due. His saddle doesn't fit him the way I'd like, and is making him a bit uncomfy considering I'm not a slender teen so a not-great fit feels a bit worse with me in the tack. I've set an appointment with a fitter to get the ball rolling on a dressage saddle for him, and there are a few lovely people at my barn who have offered me the use of theirs that fit a bit better than his jump saddle that I can use in the meantime. He's also very due for his hocks, which can also contribute to backsoreness. C is the best, and we both have the same 'see something say something and fix it' approach to horses, so we have a whole Ted plan together. While that is underway, he gets a few days off this week, I'm going to introduce him to longlining, and we'll keep working through whatever comes up to get him fit and happy to do his new job in his new life. 

Teddy, Tilly (middle), and Forrest on the end. Did I mention my friend Kalyn got a new pony and he's an adorable Welsh Cob?! 

Somehow in the blink of an eye, I ended up with two goofy, sweet bays in my life. Please don't pinch me - I'd like to live in this delusion for as long as possible. 

We'll work on our family portrait skills