Fast Commander Learns Fast!

OTTB Fast Commander wins a first and two seconds in his first horse show. Click on this image to see his photo gallery.

Fast Commander did his first schooling show this last weekend! We trailered about an hour & 45 minutes away and arrived to find a huge attendance at what is typically a fairly small show. As I parked the trailer, Commander started getting antsy in the trailer after riding quietly all the way there. I am convinced he was sure we were at a track with all the trailers. After he walked around & watched from the side of one of the rings, he was calmer but not totally convinced.

We started with two flat classes in an outdoor ring, with at least 15 horses per class. He had to be lead in & then was nervous & about twice as fast as everyone else, but basically did what I asked (except stand in a line up). This was an awful lot for a horse who has been at most getting ridden with one other horse around on my property.

So next, we went into the indoor arena for the over fences classes. Yet another new experience. Luckily, we were able to school in there. He was surprisingly perfectly happy in the indoor with less commotion & suddenly seemed to figure out we were just doing our regular things. We did one pile-of-poles & two crossrail classes. He couldn’t have been nicer or more rhythmic, & I couldn’t have been more proud of him.

We pinned in all three, with two seconds & a first out of 18-20 horses. We then trailered just a few minutes from home the next day to a local stable to ride in the ring with other horses again & he acted like he’d been doing this all his life. What a fun weekend!

Stephanie

Congratulations! Former Thoroughbred race horse Fast Commander pins in all three of his first horse show classes with a first and two seconds! Not bad for a four year old Thoroughbred just ten months off-the-track! We are proud of both Stephanie and Fast Commander.