In The Irons

Most of the time at horse shows we don’t have much time for anything other than what we do, we run from ring to ring, walking courses, riding and training. Every once in awhile a special circumstance arises that gives us “way too much time to think, “and from those moments very often come crazy ideas.

One such occasion came last year during the USEF Talent Search Final in Gladstone, NJ, it was in between phases and my students and I got to thinking,  we basically are just animal trainers, training our four legged friends to jump over sticks, walls and water. What if we trained another type of animal instead of horses?  What if we trained gorillas instead of horses? Would we act as nonchalant about these animals as we do our horses? Would the lingo be similar? We laughed for hours on end, here are some of the most common phrases one might hear at a show, if we rode gorillas instead of horses.

What if we trained gorillas instead?

1. I love your gorilla, where did you get him?

2. Your gorilla is a great mover, huh?

3.  My gorilla was nuts today, he tried to kill me coming down to the ring!

4.  Put a lead shank over your gorillas nose or he will pull away from you and rip your arm out!

5. Heads up at the ingate! Loose Gorilla!

6. Did you see how well Lisa’s gorilla jumped that wall?

7. Are you guys braiding your gorillas for the Eq tomorrow?

8. My gorilla keeps looking at something in the bushes.

9.  Terry is way too big on that gorilla.

10. My gorilla keeps stopping dirty.

11.  We went to Germany and sat on about a hundred different gorillas, my trainer bought six.