After I Bought Ace. . .
Ace didn't just look like his fictional father, he also acted like him too! The first time I rode him at my instructor's, I found out just how much work there was ahead of me in the many months and years to come. Simply put, Ace was uncontrollable. He was very spooky, bolted with little warning, bucked, and his canter was about the speed of a gallop. And as time went on, he didn't get much better, but came up with much more creative ways to either get me off or to get out of working. My instructor, Helmut, found out that everyone who had ridden him before had been afraid of him and had let him get away with murder, as Helmut put it. But this didn't phase me. It just made me all the more determined! My parents and Helmut tried to get me to sell Ace, but I wouldn't hear of it. I was determined to work hard at taming this wild and stubborn horse, after all he was my dream horse and I loved him, even when he was at his worst! I have to admit though, sometimes he really DID scare me, but I tried very hard to hide that from my parents for fear that they would sell him!
Even though Ace made me quite nervous most of the time I was on him, I still wanted to prove to all the cynics AND to myself that we could accomplish great things together! One time, shortly after I bought Ace, I even tried cantering on him bareback, just like Alec and the Black would do. Remember, this is when he couldn't canter very slow so I'm sure you can probably guess where I ended up! On the ground, of course! But I never let things like that discourage me so I just got back up on him and I actually cantered, or rather galloped, around!
Everyone firmly believed that Ace was just simply too much horse for me and I constantly was told that I should just get another horse. Helmut was Ace's biggest critic. He never did like Ace from the moment I brought him home, and he really didn't like him after he tried to ride him a few months after we had bought him. He mounted Ace but couldn't get him to walk forward. Ace had a strong dislike for most men, especially rough old school types like my instructor. Helmut asked my Dad to come forward and lead Ace a few steps. Ace refused and instead of moving forward, he reared straight up! The weight of Helmut on his back caused him to lose his balance and he fell over backwards!! Neither horse nor rider were seriously injured, just badly shaken up thank goodness, but that made Helmut believe that Ace was unpredictable and had a mean streak him.
I showed Ace that summer and found out that he can be even more unmanageable at a horse show. He hated all the loud noises and hustle and bustle! I fell off a couple times, though we did manage some thirds and fourths! But unfortunately that July Ace became lame for some mysterious reason that even the vet college couldn't figure out so I couldn't ride him much until the spring. That next show season was a bit better, but not by much since he had had such a long time off during the winter.
In 1997 we finally bought a 10-acre acreage just outside of town. It's so nice to have your own horses in your backyard! It wasn't until we moved out there that me and Ace FINALLY began to make noticeable progress. What made a world of difference was letting Ace gallop full out in the fields. At first I was terrified that he'd bolt. But on the other hand, the more I held him back, the more he WANTED to bolt. So one day I got fed up with him and let him gallop. He didn't need to be asked twice and took off at a mad bolt, but I stayed on! When he was finally ready to start slowing down, I made him keep going. After that long run something just sorta seemed to click in his brain...even though he was ALWAYS up for a run, he no longer was so uncontrollable. I'd let him have his run after we had a good session in the arena. My confidence built with every ride. Me and Ace loved to race my sister and her horse across the fields. For an old guy her boy could move pretty good (after all, he was an Arab too), but nothing could catch Ace, when I let him go full out, he could run like the wind! This is what built up a trust between us. With some work, I had Ace doing collected canters and beautiful extended trots. That summer we showed in quite a few horse horse and even got a few 1st places!
Now me and Ace are an inseparable team. It took a long time for us to get to this point, but I would never trade it for anything in the world. He has made me a much better and more confident rider because of all the struggles and obstacles! Not too many people are lucky enough to ever own their dream horse, but I can say that I am definitely one of the lucky few! And even more lucky that it was my first horse. It was always a dream to own a horse like The Black and it is now a reality :) Just like Alec and The Black, me and Ace share a very special bond and I can even honestly say that not many people can really ride Ace. He's a very high strung horse and can be quite unpredictable because of his spooky nature, but those are the things that make me love him even more! I love how I can harness that wild spirit and have him let ride him bareback around the pasture without even a halter or lead rope. He's my heart horse, my soulmate, and I can't imagine my life without him!!
