So, there's no good hunter/jumper barns in my area. There's only one that I currently ride with, and I don't think she's a good instructor - in the past, she has expected my horse to do things that he cannot do yet, believes getting on the bit uses the whole see-saw thing, which causes my horse to just drop his head like a WP horse and get more on his forehand than he already is. Last year, I had a different horse that she continued to say that he was just being naughty when he ducked out of jumps, not in pain...I had a feeling something was off though, and it turns out my horse had navicular. I know I'm giving vague examples, but I just don't think she knows what she is doing, and my farrier's opinion (which I value more) is that she doesn't know what she's doing either.
The nearest jumping barn is an hour and a half away. There's hunter/jumper and eventing in that area. My horse is probably more suited to hunters, but I would like to give eventing a go, just because I've always wanted to do it, and at the lower levels, I think Rusty would be fine. He's got such a great attitude with jumping. He'll go over anything you point him at. We've never officially schooled xc, but I've built log, tire, and hay bale jumps at home and he is always brave and willing.
Rusty could use some dressage work no matter what way we go, as he does have a tendency to lean on the reins and run through the bit (a problem he's had for years, which gets better as he gets in shape - he usually is like this just on the flat and not over fences). Confirmation-wise, well, here's a picture:
I know he is long in a lot of places, ties in a little low at the neck, and has a steeper shoulder.
And then here's his picture from a show a couple of years ago. He had to take a year off due to injury and then I lacked the funds this summer. So, sorry for something not so current.
So, my question is, how should I proceed? I consider myself an advanced beginner, so I want some training. If I want to event, should I give it a go, especially working on dressage? Do I drive 1 1/2 hours for lessons? How often? Is it worth it? Should I drive that much for H/J lessons as well? I'm not made of money or anything, but I really want to get involved in progressing again. Rusty is a great trail horse, and I would never give up our trail rides, but he seems happiest when he's jumping and has a challenge. I wish you could see how excited he gets (in his ears and eyes) about bounce combos!
The nearest jumping barn is an hour and a half away. There's hunter/jumper and eventing in that area. My horse is probably more suited to hunters, but I would like to give eventing a go, just because I've always wanted to do it, and at the lower levels, I think Rusty would be fine. He's got such a great attitude with jumping. He'll go over anything you point him at. We've never officially schooled xc, but I've built log, tire, and hay bale jumps at home and he is always brave and willing.
Rusty could use some dressage work no matter what way we go, as he does have a tendency to lean on the reins and run through the bit (a problem he's had for years, which gets better as he gets in shape - he usually is like this just on the flat and not over fences). Confirmation-wise, well, here's a picture:
I know he is long in a lot of places, ties in a little low at the neck, and has a steeper shoulder.
And then here's his picture from a show a couple of years ago. He had to take a year off due to injury and then I lacked the funds this summer. So, sorry for something not so current.
So, my question is, how should I proceed? I consider myself an advanced beginner, so I want some training. If I want to event, should I give it a go, especially working on dressage? Do I drive 1 1/2 hours for lessons? How often? Is it worth it? Should I drive that much for H/J lessons as well? I'm not made of money or anything, but I really want to get involved in progressing again. Rusty is a great trail horse, and I would never give up our trail rides, but he seems happiest when he's jumping and has a challenge. I wish you could see how excited he gets (in his ears and eyes) about bounce combos!