When you do good, new Opportunities comes

Last post on my story ended with me getting two of Francois horses to Danmark, Coup De Cour and Nash!
These two ware special horses, Nash used to be a promising superstar, but after being educated by one of the top riders in Francois team, he had been ridden by a very good but very big man rider and this did not suit Nash so well. Francois had not big expectations, so he thought he let me have a go with him!
Coup as I called her was a very nice horse (6 year old) but with a lot of nerve and had been very difficult. She had been put straight by the same man rider and was now going to be “tested” if she could be ridden by a girl!

Coup:

Nash:

I did well with the both horses, and this lead to Francois letting me ride more of his horses! One of the horses that came to me was my ALL TIME FAVORITE, the beginning of my chestnut love: KANOUK DES ESSARTS 💖 This picture is from the stables in Lemvig, when me and him first met:

Kanouk was older and Francois riders in Belgium had recommended him to let me sell Kanouk cheap as a school master for lower classes. The first day I was going to ride him in Lemvig he was looking at me with a funny and happy look in his face, and as I was about the get up on him he jumped away and started to buck a lot. I thought oh my, do I have to lounge you old fellow before I ride you? I gave him a little lounge and he was jumping around like a young horse. Afterwords he let me get on him! The day after I thought I will try to go straight on and it was fine. But this day he was not motivated, he felt lazy and not very happy. I asked one of the girls to let me out and I took him for a ride in the forest! He woke up and seemed really to enjoy it! He was strong and happy! 

I just rode him in the forest every day for a month, then my trainer Robin was coming to train us so I figured I would jump him on practice. After all, I needed to jump him and show him 130 to sell him as a school master.
When I took the first jump Kanouk galloped trough the turn with great eager also when he saw the jump, he was hot! But the last stride before takin off he hit the brakes, took a weird last stride and jumped it (?) i tried again a couple of times before I asked Robin why the horse was trying to stop all the time?? Robin said he is not trying to stop, it is his way! – so gallop him “hard” in the turn, make him strong in the hand and let him pull you to the jump, sit up and let him keep a strong connection, when he does his little backing off short step before the jump! That riding gave Kanouk enormous confidence 😍⭐️

This worked perfect!!

It was time for our first show, we went to Drammen in Norway! Two weeks, the first week I jumped one time 130, clear, and one time 135 clear. Thursday the week after, without saying anything to the team or Francois, I jumped him in the Grand Prix qualifier! We ware clear and placed! I phone to one of the previous riders and said I rode Kanouk in the GP qualifier, before I had the chance to tell him how good it went he interrupted me with these words: Kanouk was supposed to be finished with that, that is why he came to you. He was going to be sold to a good home, not doing difficult things like that anymore, he was never a good 150 horse anyway. I replied, we ware clear and placed, Kanouk and me!! I had to send the video of the qualifier to him and Francois and we decided I would ride the Grand Prix, and here is the round:

After this, Francois told me Kanouk was no longer for sale, he was going to stay with me and I was going to get experience, learn and have fun together with Kanouk! Me and Kanouk rode up to 155 together! Even though the jump got higher I always kept as priority NR 1 that he was happy and fresh! Not so much jumping at home, and loads of trail rides! Ice machine on the legs after riding, and back on track in the night!

He knew he was “mine” and I was his girl, I think I almost never let anybody else ride on him, it was us two, and we both knew it! 

Tomorrow I will try to get the next post out a little earlier! Please comment on my previous post, the VLOGG and also this one! Tell me what you like and not, I am trying to get the blog TOP for you guys! 
Love, Eva

Ps, for those who follow me on instagram and seen this headcollar on my story, yeah I actually made it to keep the head of Kanouk warm after clipping