6th place award for the 2009 Regional 2 Adult Amateur at Training level
Kristy Hume Ever wondered who that horse and rider on page 81 of your 2009 GLASS-ED omnibus are? Well let me introduce Kristy Hume and horse Toby…
I can’t tell you when the horse craziness began; I think some people are just born with it. My mom started me off with an older, grade, former lesson gelding named Silver. I packed around on him western style from about 5 to 8 years old. I had my ups and downs, and some of those “downs” included broken bones. Poor Silver got quite the reputation, but I was still sad to see him go.
When Julie, my step-mom, entered my life, she convinced my dad to let me get a pony. I was 10 years old when I became the proud owner of Dandy, a cute little dun pony that did it all; English, western, costumes, trail. He was an excellent beginner pony. He literally would not trot or canter until I was a good enough rider to ask him the correct way. I used him for 4-H, but when I discovered the joys of riding English style, I was ready for a new adventure.
The original plan was that I wanted to become a three-day eventer. I got an off-the-track Thoroughbred, Velvet, when I was 13. She was small and stocky for a Thoroughbred, which helped her fit in with the 4-H shows as well (she was outstanding in huntseat pleasure when she was in a good mood). I wanted to jump though! My step-mom told me I needed to learn this discipline called “dressage” first. I thought it looked awfully boring. I was lucky enough to get connected up with an amazing trainer, Deb Drake, when we sent Velvet to get re-trained from her racetrack ways into a proper riding mount. At this point we had also met Bill Maybee at the Michigan Horse Council’s Stallion Expo and learned about GLASS-ED. I learned my basics of dressage and had a few successful show seasons on the GLASS-ED circuit at ITD and Training level with Velvet. She was known for her out-of-the-blue antics. When she was good, she was very good, but when she was bad, oh boy. Some of my more memorable moments on Velvet did occur at GLASS-ED shows: getting bucked off in the middle of my Anything Goes Musical Freestyle at Mystic Marsh while wearing a pair of fairy wings (“Oh look, she’s trying to fly away!”), or my favorite when she bucked me off during the practice jumps at BCEC before Prix Caprilli, yet then went into the ring and performed outstandingly, winning her class with comments from the judge saying how much she loved to jump!
Velvet was a capable mount at the lower levels of dressage and did great with jumping the small jumps. I am not sure what happened or when, but there came a point when I decided I no longer wanted to jump. It very well probably had something to do with the fact that a green rider and a green horse are usually not the best pair when it comes to jumping. Being the natural chicken that I am, it was enough to scare me off – I wanted to stick to the flat! I had also started to appreciate dressage. I had started to watch the upper level dressage riders and my dreams of Kentucky Rolex eventing turned to Grand Prix dressage.
It was clear that my little Thoroughbred mare did not have the natural talent for upper level dressage, but getting a Warmblood didn’t seem like an option. We surely didn’t have the budget to buy anything under saddle, let alone a schoolmaster of any sort. But we started looking at young Warmbloods. It’s been so long, I can’t even remember what all we looked at. But boy does the first time I met Toby still stand in my memories…
We went to a farm where they had 2 potential Holsteiners to look at. I remember one gelding being a bit prettier, more put together… Then there was this scroungy, thin, hammerheaded, wildly naughty, bay gelding but that maybe seemed to move nice when chased around an indoor arena at liberty. I really didn’t know what I was looking at; thank goodness my trainer was there. We went to a restaurant afterwards and talked about the horses. She had really liked the thin bay. My step-mom and I were a little taken aback, but we trusted her opinion. We ended up taking “Fiesty Star” to the vet’s for a pre-purchase exam. He had clean legs and was healthy besides a lack of groceries and a nasty case of lice. The vet thought we were crazy.
We bought Toby in April of 2003 – he was just under 2 years old. He went to the trainer’s for quarantine and was quickly treated to get rid of the lice. We brought him home soon after and let him fatten up and play in the pasture. He needed to be taught a lot. He had been basically turned out in a large group of horses and not paid attention to. Toby thought he needed to fight for his food, he had a nasty habit of biting, he reared in hand, and you couldn’t even touch his hindquarters without him trying to kick you. Oh what fun. Lots of work, a wonderful ground clinic with a natural horsemanship trainer Bob Stearns, and a firm demeanor eventually brought forth a horse with manners, but even I have to admit that even to this day he is much better for me and my trainer than anyone else.
We started Toby young, he learned to lunge and be tacked up. We walk/trotted his 3 year old season. We did show ITD on the GLASS-ED circuit. He was fairly under control that first year, I think he wasn’t really sure enough of his body to trust himself to act out too much. He went through many stages – when he was younger he never wanted to be the only horse in the arena, but now that he is older he much prefers it (a horse cantering up behind him is just the pits, haha). As he grew older and became stronger, he became notorious for acting out at shows. I became “that girl on the big bay” with both positive and negative undertones attached. He would go from spectators commenting on what a beautiful mover he was and doing great in the show ring, to fellow make-up ring riders dodging for cover from our antics. So much happened those first years under saddle, I cannot even begin to explain all the triumphs and wars, the tears, the blood, and the just plain FEAR that I experienced. Toby was not, still is not, an easy horse to get along with. He has tested me beyond what I ever thought I could handle. But I persevered. Sometimes I look back and cannot believe I got back on every time.
Someone once told me that I would learn to love my Warmblood when he hit ages 6-8. That he would grow up, mature mentally. Toby turns 9 years old in June 2010. The past 3 years have not been without battles, but we have gone no where but up. He is learning that getting along is much more pleasant and fun and he has been so much more of a joy in our family. I have grown to love him, cannot imagine my life without him in it.
Deb Drake, Dave Hume, Julie Hume
We are now showing at First level, schooling Second with plans to show it this coming season. I have still been a presence on the GLASS-ED circuit. I have met so many friends for life and experienced so much encouragement from a great group of people. These days I find myself at USDF recognized shows more often. Waterloo still awes me every time I go! This year was the first year I went to the USDF Region 2 Championships. We had qualified the past two years at Training level, but both years health problems with Toby kept us from going. This year we qualified at Training level again and I am proud to say that of the 30+ qualified pairs in the adult amateur division, Toby and I took 6th place, and we were just a smidgen behind 4th and 5th! I got to make my first victory lap of what I hope will be many, and boy what a humbling and thrilling experience!
I can’t thank the people who have been by my side on this journey enough. My dad, Dave Hume, is the ultimate show dad. In my 10+ years of showing I can count on one hand the number of times he has not been there, and it’s usually because I have sent him off to show my rabbits somewhere else the same day! My step-mom, Julie Hume, who many of you know, has helped me tremendously in following my dreams by keeping me mentally on track as well as helping me out financially, not to mention all the cold nights she has watched my lessons and the absolute downpours she has stood in to read my tests! My trainer, Deb Drake, who has spent countless hours with Toby and I, even when I am sure she has wanted to pull her hair out and thought I was a lost cause, but she stuck with me through thick and thin. This journey is no where close to being over, but I wouldn’t have even made it this far without them.
