# Thumper's Photo Thread :)



## ridingismylife2 (Nov 4, 2008)

Great pictures! 
Thumper is gorgeous!


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

Thank you! I love him


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

More pictures of Thumper from today . He was great! He didn't go on the bit much, but he was pretty tense to start with so we did LOTS of walking and trotting on a long rein. Lots as in a half-hour of long reins. He was amazing after that, and his canter was actually fairly balanced.

















Checking his legs for cuts- he came in from the pasture one day with this HUGE four inch long gash on his hind leg and after that I always spend like five minutes checking his legs for any cuts, heat, swellings, or tender spots...








































Yeah, I know he looks kind of completely horrendous in this picture but at least he was relaxed ...








And here is his canter- so much more balanced than usual...








Not really looking for a conformation critique (it's fine if you do give one tho) but I love how cute he looks  <3...








Okay that's the end. He has improved so much faster over the last month! For the first two months that I rode him out of lessons and for about three months when I rode him IN lessons, he was tense, nervous, and sped up whenever I asked him for a slower trot. He's the kind of horse that you really need to bond with before he will start working WITH you, not against you . I think he knows when he needs to behave, though, because he has a therapeutic riding student and he is a perfect angel for him . Sorry for the novel but I love love love him and am so so proud of him


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

He is so cute! He looks like you are doing a great job with him, he's got nice movement  And that is my idea of a perfect blaze too


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

Thanks! His trot still needs some work- he is still learning the concept of working from behind but it is much improved .


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

I might get to take pictures of him tomorrow and the day after that . Only if I take a camera out there tho. Monday and Tuesday will be my last times riding him before the show on August 29th and 30th, but only if my mom decides she will let me ride . I'm riding him in Intro tests A and B and Hunter Under Saddle (Walk/Trot). It'll be his first show and I'm really excited!


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## SpiritJordanRivers (May 31, 2009)

He's beautiful!  <3 Thoroughbreds. Is he and OTTB???


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

No- he's a TB/Mini cross so he can't/couldn't race. He did jumpers with his old owner (before he became a lesson horse) and I don't really think she ever taught him much about flatwork and balance . He loves going fast- probably would race if he had the chance lol- but doesn't think much of staying balanced on circles or around corners. Especially to the right- he's heavy on his right side.


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## reining girl (Jan 30, 2009)

Hes handsome. Is he really crossed with a minature horse????


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

haha yes- it's the strangest cross I have ever heard of!


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

More pictures of Thumper from last Saturday . He was okay- not great, but not bad either. He was a little distracted because we were riding in the outdoor arena and there were horses in the rough board pasture, which is right next to the arena. So he didn't entirely pay attention to me. I probably could have done more to try and encourage him to focus on me and the job at hand... Anyway here are the pictures!


























I love his mane in this picture - I put Cowboy Magic Detangler in it the day before so it was beautiful . (I swear by cowboy magic lol)
































































^^I love this picture of Tumps  ^^

My friend brought her clippers out to the barn last Friday, so I clipped his muzzle, fetlocks, and around his hooves. I just got the tufts off of his ears but he doesn't like the clippers near his ears so I just left them for the most part.


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

I forgot to add: when I was at the barn last week, Thumper's old owner came to visit him! She told us the story about the big scar on Thumper's chest. Apparently when he was younger, he was in the pasture and somehow got impaled by a fence board (not exactly sure how that happened :S- she's not either; she said it happened before she owned him). It just barely missed his heart and was poking out one side of his barrel. He had to be in the vet hospital for almost a year! I for one am very thankful that he was okay. I think Tumps wins the medal for most scars on a horse- he's covered in them .

Here is his chest scar...








It's kind of hard to see- it's that darker spot above and to the left of his right leg.


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## jadeewood (Feb 18, 2009)

awww, what a lovely horse and rider match. you really suit eachother


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

aww thanks! I'm excited to show Tumps this weekend . The schooling show has more people this time! I also get to ride my instructor's horse, Bailey, in Training 4, Hunters, and Equitation! I'm so excited- he's a great horse to learn from and is tons of fun . Heehee here are some pictures of Bailey (even though this is Thumper's photo thread)...

He's the horse in this picture...










My instructor rode him on the US team in Sweden and when she was an alternate for the US team in Luxembourg. My instructor's riding him in all the photos.

Here's a couple more from my barn's "photoshoot"...


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

Sorry for the double post but... I might take some pictures tomorrow of Thumper if I just go groom and clip him- he doesn't have a bridle path right now so I'll probably do that if he lets me .


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

Today was the Hunter/Jumper show! I rode Thumper in Walk/Trot Hunters and we got 2nd! I was so proud of him- one of the barn instructors who was watching said he was just looking around like "Am I doing this right? Am I doing it?" I was so so proud <3. Then I rode Bailey in Youth Equitation Over Fences and Novice Hunter Over Fences, and I got 1st in Equitation and 2nd in Hunters. So yeah, it was a pretty good day . Tomorrow I'll do the dressage. Here are the pictures of my beautiful boy...









My attemp at a tail braid lol...
























My running braid, which fell out before our class . Tumps insisted upon eating grass...
























Our Hunters class...
















His 2nd place! Ignore me lol I had been at the barn all day...








My show crew (a.k.a. Mom, Dad, and me)- I had to untack Thumper and get on Bailey right away. I don't know what I would do without them .


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

So today I rode Thumper in Intro Dressage A and B. He was okay for the first test for the most part... until the end when he ignored me going down the long side and went out of the arena . Oh well- the rest of it was good for Thumper standards . The Intro B sucked- he was tense the entire time and REALLY hollow- at least I got some good insight from the judge so I know what to work on for BOTH of us . We were disqualified, or "excused", in Intro A but in Intro B- which was not all that great- we got only 51.60%. Oh well- we'll do better in the October show!








Starting to hollow out...
















I was amazed that he did a nice, SQUARE halt!








I was so proud of him!


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

I rode him again yesterday, and we focused on staying RELAXED. He did one decent leg-yield and one decent turn-on-the-forehand; sadly no pictures of those. Anyway he was great today- he only hollowed out near the end when he his internal work timer went off .

I don't know about anyone else, but I can see a big difference in his muscles from when I first began riding him.








































YAY he stayed relaxed during our sitting trot! That's a first .
































He was great yesterday .


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

Sorry for the double post but... here's a picture of Thumper from when I was first riding him. I think there's a huge difference...


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