Do They Just Happen?

Posted by Sharon Labels: , , , , , ,

I was talking to a friend, a horse trainer, on the phone the other day and he made a statement that I have been pondering ever since.

“I’ve come to the conclusion,” he said, “that futurity horses just happen.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, you have to do the work, of course,” he explained, “But regardless of breeding, conformation and training, there are only a select few who will be great futurity horses and it's hard to predict which ones those will be.”

He couldn’t quite put his finger on why the great ones were great but he thought an undefinable “something” made superstar futurity horses. We discussed the subject a little more and I came to the conclusion he might be right but I think that "something" is the six inches between the ears - the horse's, that is (although it's a given that the space between the rider's ears should not be a vacuum either). Training a horse to competive level for his futurity year as a three-year-old is a huge  commitment on the part of the rider and horse. Of course, the horse does not really commit to the goal - he is talked into it. The staggering mental demands on a young horse in a futurity program cannot ever be underestimated and only the mentally strong horses will accept and even thrive with the challenges. For me that is the undefinable something that separates the great from the good.

I'm just putting the first few rides on my two-year-old filly, Wildwood Mistral. Is she a futurity prospect? Absolutely. Will she be great? Possibly. With a good training program and three older brothers performing opening numbers for her (Running With Wolves, Wildwood Liberty and Walking With Wolves - all futurity horses), she has every chance of excelling, but I don't know for sure 'cause, as my friend says, "Futurity horses might just happen."

Feb 3, 2011 -Wildwood Mistral trying out the saddle and bride.

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