Ladies riding trip to Ocala

It was Buck’s original invitation to Ocala at a clinic in Colorado at Volte Farms that sent us to Ocala. Sadly, we were never able to have a lesson with him, likely because he is just too busy training other people (with their own horses) and going to horse shows, and bestowing love and attention on his two little girls, whom he adores. Can’t argue with any of that. Luckily, we were invited to a morning of watching cross-country schooling at his place during which we were treated to observing some intriquing exercises, and met some interesting people. Turns out, many people come from the NE USA to get out of the snow and wind and ice and cold to spend some time with their horses in Ocala. Note to self.

We got to ride in Buck’s golf cart while he zoomed around his cross country course (in the infield of his training track) setting up exercises and watching riders bravely gallop to quite large jumps. Lisa and I only saw a couple of jumps we would be willing to take on our little mustangs. Buck set up a very interesting exercise first off to develop his student’s horse’s “cross country canter.” He set 4 poles up 12′ feet then 9′ apart in front of a coop, and told the rider that he would tell her to either “bounce” or “one-stride” through the poles before the jump. But he didn’t tell her until she had made the turn toward the jump. The idea was to make her horse “adjustable” in its length of stride in front of the jump. The photo below shows a “one stride” so the horse had to take a canter stride inside the poles.

In this next photo, she has been instructed to bounce through the poles

Here is a view of Buck’s lovely infield course with a rider sailing through it

After we watched the lesson, we were treated to a jump school session watching Buck ride his 5* horse Sorocaima, an off the track thoroughbred with 42 starts, mostly in Pennsylvania, jump an amazingly high and complex set up. His friend and student Sian Coleman also got to ride him. Sian competes in eventing for Ireland and runs a yard in Kilroe with 12 horses while her husband runs a dairy farm on the same property (they milk 150 Holsteins, wow). Sian was really cool and of course a beautiful rider and so very nice to us.

As I was lamenting to Buck that we were sad that we did not get to ride with him, and I could probably learn a lot from him just at the walk, he looked at me and looked at Sorocaima (still tacked up) and said, “why don’t you get on this horse?” I am welling up as I write this. So I rode Sorocaima up and down the driveway at the walk, with Sian giving me some hints for how to lift his withers and get him soft and engaged. Worth the trip to Florida right there! Luckily, Lisa thought to snap some photos.