​Well, as I am writing this, many of my friends are competing at the Waredaca 3Day Event in Maryland.  I was supposed to be there, too.  Alas, as those of us know who spend our time with these precious animals, things don’t always go as planned.  Handling disappointment is probably one of the greatest life lessons that participating in this sport has to teach.

Like everyone else I assume, even before the snow began melting in the spring, I started planning my show schedule for the year.  Working within my budget, it included a couple of goals that I either hadn’t done in a long time or had never done.  One was to compete at Groton House again since I probably hadn’t been there in ten years, and one goal was to compete at Fitch’s Corner where I had never been.  Seems hard to believe since I have been competing in Area 1 for more than thirty years!  And the third and most exciting was to compete at the Training 3Day at Waredaca in October.  Wiley and I had done two Training level events last fall, but I needed two more to complete the qualifications for Waredaca.  And they both had to be with no xc jump penalties.  No pressure there! I also felt this would be a good stepping stone on the way to Preliminary.

The season started off well with a ninth place finish at GMHA – double clear both jumping phases!  Then, it was on to Groton House.  Second place after dressage led to some high hopes, but it wasn’t meant to be.  Wiley had been feeling a little off, and I found myself wondering if I should take him cross-country.  I told myself I would start out, and if I felt him struggling at all, I would pull up.  I think I was so focused on how he was feeling that I ended up jumping the wrong sixth fence so that decision was made for me, and I finished with a TE.  The TD said I could do stadium, but I opted not to based on the feelings I had had earlier.  Long story short, Wiley was having some foot/shoeing issues and we ended up casting his foot so that the blacksmith would have something to nail his shoe to.  He started feeling better, and I aimed him for our next goal – Fitch’s Corner.  Here he had his best dressage test to date putting us seventh in a competitive division.  He felt great over a big and imposing course to finish clear with a few time penalties and a double clear show jumping over a tough course on a very hot day moving us to sixth and achieving our final qualifiying score.

Our next event was going to be Huntington in August.  We never made it as Wiley started feeling the effects of his cast and we discovered that there was more going wrong with his shoeing and the integrity of his hoof wall.   Unfortunately, this was the end of our season.   My vet determined that he would be ok but would just need some time off and light work as we came up with a new shoeing plan to help him heal and grow back stronger hoof wall.  I was extremely disappointed especially since after our performance at Fitch’s, I had been entertaining thoughts of doing the PT at UNH.  It’s been five years since I even thought about the “P” word.  Not this year.
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The last few months Wiley has been healing and in light work and is starting to feel stronger than he did even before the 2015 season started.  This makes me very excited for next season and the potential that my horse has been showing.  We did manage to achieve two of our goals for this year, and despite his setback, I think he will come back better than ever so look for us out there next year striving towards new goals!

I recently received my fourth NQR (National Qualifying Result) at Fitch’s Corner making me eligible for the training three day at Waredaca in October.  Since I moved Wiley up to training level last year, I have had this event as a goal.  I did two training level events last fall and then started with one novice this spring before moving back up to training.  Wiley has been very consistent in his performances at training level making me believe that the three day is an attainable goal.  My reason for choosing the three day as an end of year goal, is that I believe it will serve as a good “bridge” between training and preliminary.  Although Wiley has been jumping clean at training level, he is still green and would not be ready to move up to preliminary this year or even early next year.  When I first bought him two years ago, I was not sure I would even be thinking about going preliminary again.  I walk around the courses and look at the prelim jumps and think at times “hmmm, some of these look doable.”   And then at other times, I think “these look huge – what, am I crazy?”  Wiley is very athletic, honest and willing but not a fireball.  He still has sticky moments on course and has not yet attained “attack mode” status.  Perhaps he never will.  But it is precisely for this reason that I want to do the three day format.

 I was lucky enough to complete a few CCI * long formats in my younger days and always loved the whole journey that it embodied: the preparation, the planning, the bonding, the hours of conditioning and getting to know your horse on a much different level.  I have always felt that the extra phases (roads & tracks, and steeplechase) could help an excitable horse relax and find his rhythm before heading out on D (cross country).  In the steeplechase phase, the jumps are meant to be jumped out of a gallop with no balancing required.  It is much safer to “miss” over a steeplechase jump (round jumps filled with brush) than over something much more complicated (as one might find out on phase D).  Since I tend to balance too much in an effort not to miss, I think galloping the steeplechase phase will be quite therapeutic for me.   In Wiley’s case, I am hoping the added steeplechase phase will help us open up our gallop and get our “attack” on – help us find our rhythm but more in the sense of letting go, than actually calming down.  Neither one of us needs help calming down!   I also think the three day tends to run a more championship level course which will be a good half step up for us – challenge us both but at the height we are currently most comfortable at.  Plus we get to do a formal jog – what could be more fun than that?  Not sure it will ever happen at the one star level so might as well do it now while the opportunity is available.

 Even though our sport no longer supports the long format at the upper levels, more people should consider competing at a novice or training three day if possible.  It definitely adds another perspective to the sport and allows you to take part in the sport in the format as it intended to be.  For me, I am hoping to end my year with a challenge but one that will also send Wiley and me forward into 2016 with a boost in confidence as I consider a potential future move up to the next level.

Are you thinking of buying a horse?  Here are some thoughts on what to look for and finding the right one for you.

Finding the right horse involves four key aspects:  your goals, your abilities, your time, and your finances.  You need to be realistic about all of them.  Be honest with yourself, and start the process with a very specific list.  Some things, like temperament, will be non-negotiable, but other things like size and color, breed, and even athletic ability may have more room for compromise.  Once it is on a list, it is easier to determine which things you absolutely must have and which things don’t matter as much.

Begin with your goals.  Do you want to compete?  Recognized or schooling?  Eventing, dressage or both? You are going to need a very different horse to do a CC1* than one just to do local elementary or beginner novice schooling shows on and maybe a recognized horse trials someday.   Goals do not have to include competitions. They could be as simple as learning to jump again after a lot of time away from riding or even just to be the best rider you can be.  I work with people who have very specific competitive goals in mind, and I also work with people who just love their weekly lessons and learning how to be a better rider and will never set foot in the show ring.

Next, assess your abilities.  Honestly.  And I include confidence under this heading.  A person with a lot of confidence and natural feel could ride a different horse than one with not much confidence, irrespective of skill level.  Confidence plays a huge role here as it can be ruined so fast (even in just one ride), and needs to be considered very carefully.  Horses require leadership, and if you consider yourself and your horse a herd of two, you need to take on the leadership role.  There are circumstances where a person learning would be best on a horse that will take a bit of a leadership role but not take advantage of the rider’s inexperience.  These horses are called “schoolmasters,” and they have been there and done that and are basically unflappable.  It is not generally a good idea to have a green rider paired with a green horse as this could be compared to the blind leading the blind.  I have seen it work in several cases, but the horses were very sane, even at a young age, and the riders were committed to a weekly training regimen with a competent professional.

Time.  The more time you can spend in the saddle, the better, but this may not be realistic.  Don’t buy a young, green horse thinking you are going to come out late at night after work, be in a rush, jump on and jump off and have a lovely ride with no issues.  It could happen, but it would be unusual.  Again, the success of many equine/human partnerships depends on the nature of the horse in question and the knowledge and commitment of the person in question.  Assess your work and your home life honestly.  Do you really have time for a horse?  I would say they require a minimum of two hours a day/four days per week.  More is better.  Horses thrive on consistency and regular attention.  If you are not capable of doing that, can you pay a professional to do it?  If you have to pay a professional to keep your horse going for you, do you really want your own horse?  Maybe you should lease a horse a couple of days/week or find a horse that is very well adjusted and educated so you can just hop on and hop off, and it won’t affect your relationship with him/her too much.  These situations do exist, but you need to find the right one.

Discuss a realistic budget with the person helping you find a horse.  There are two parts to finances involved in owning a horse:  the initial purchase and the upkeep and monthly expenses.  Do some research, talk to your professional about what is realistic to spend in order to attain your goals and be prepared to prioritize and compromise on certain things.  My priorities always lie with the horse’s brain.  If it is young but has a good brain, it might be ok if you aren’t really confident as long as you have good, consistent help, and you can afford it.  I never compromise on the horse’s personality or willingness to do the job, but I might compromise on certain soundness issues or color or size for instance.   A bigger starting budget does not always guarantee a better horse.  I would take a willing and calm mind, a big heart, and good personality over fancy movement, color, and athletic ability for the average prospective horse owner.  Ask yourself, “Can it be trained?”  It doesn’t matter how good it looks or how much potential it has if it won’t let you train it.  Also be prepared to spend more money on those things that are important to you. 

 

Final thoughts:

·      Trust your gut.  If you don’t feel comfortable, it’s probably not right.  Riding the right horse should produce a feeling of elation, not fear and anxiety.  If you are not comfortable riding the horse alone without professional supervision, it is probably not right for you.  Any feelings other than complete ease should be reason to question if a horse is right for you or not.

·      Be prepared to search for a long time for what is right.  There are a lot of horses out there, and horses are much easier to acquire than they are to get rid of.

·      Be willing to compromise, just not on certain things. 

·      Finally, be HONEST with yourself.  Not only will this help you, but it is only fair to the horse you are looking at as a prospective partner.

Having a kind, intelligent, willing equine partner is one of the greatest joys in the life of those who love horses.  Owning a horse is a big commitment of time, emotion, and money so be patient in your search.  In the end, it will be worth it.  Good luck!

This blog is not a “how to” on lunging, but more a “why.”  In my last blog, I mentioned lunging as one of the things you can do to help get through winter.  Lunging can have great benefits all year long.  However, I do tend to lunge more in the winter simply because:

·      It breaks up the monotony and provides a different way to relate to your horse

·      Very often, due to weather, your horse may have more time off than planned and lunging can be a useful   way to direct excess energy before climbing back on board

·      Sometimes it is just too cold to ride, but you want to get your horse some exercise

·      Lunging gives the horse’s back a break; allows them to warm up without the weight of the rider

·      A good opportunity to observe from the ground the way your horse moves 


If you don’t know how to lunge, I suggest finding someone who can teach you.  I find that most horses have been taught how to lunge somewhere along the way.  If your horse does know how and you don’t, it will be easier for you to learn.  Engage a trusted professional to help you figure out if your horse does or doesn’t know how.  If he or she really doesn’t, it will be worthwhile to teach him or her, but you will need help.  Learning to lunge properly can give you an added sense of confidence when handling your horse leading to a more harmonious relationship.  Pony Club starts to introduce lunging at the C2 level as an important part of horsemanship, and I, too, believe it is a very important skill to have.  Some people think their horses never need lunging so they don’t ever learn, but sooner or later, the need to lunge a horse properly will arise even if it just to help diagnose lameness issues for the vet or as a form of rehabilitation after your horse has been through treatment or time off.  In general, I would not plan to lunge for more than 20-30 minutes at a time, changing directions frequently.  Also, I don’t typically lunge more than a couple of times per week, although some situations require daily lunging, which is fine as long as it is controlled and doesn’t continue long term.  Endless small circles at a frantic pace are definitely not a good idea!

I use lunging very specifically with set guidelines just as I do when riding.  I often see two misuses of lunging.  The first one is someone just letting their horse go careening around at the end of the lunge line bucking and kicking and doing whatever it wants to get its “energy” out.  And the other is not lunging at all due to fear the horse will hurt his/her legs (probably because they have witnessed horses in the former situation going crazy at the end of the lunge or have a horse that does just that).   I never advocate letting the horse “misbehave” at the end of the lunge line.  It is not only dangerous or potentially harmful for them, but it can be harmful to you as well. 

 

Your time spent lunging should focus on calmness and obedience in all three gaits and in both directions.  I like to think of it as riding from the ground.  A well-trained horse can do obedient transitions both up and down and that should be your focus.  Do not let your horse do whatever he/she wants at whatever speed he/she wants (slow or fast) at the end of your lunge line!  Some of them will challenge you to get them moving while others will do endless crazy circles around you as fast as they can.  Neither one of these choices is acceptable.  And it should never be their choice!  You must always be in control of the speed and placement of your horse’s feet.  And that means their tempo as well as size and shape of the circle.  The tempo at all three gaits should be the one that you would ideally want should you be riding them instead.  Most of us have an idea of whether our horses tend to be lazy and unresponsive under saddle or quick and sensitive.  Usually, they have tendencies towards one or the other, and lunging is a great opportunity to help them improve their responsiveness to either the driving or the restraining (slowing) aids.  Improved obedience on the lunge line should lead to improved obedience and respect under saddle (better listening skills).  Who doesn’t want more of that!

Once my horse is listening and calm, I like to vary things by adding in cavaletti and even small jumps.  Doing these exercises without the added weight of a rider to interfere can help a horse learn to find its own balance and gain strength as well as confidence.  I love watching my horses work from the ground as I think it gives me a whole different perspective.  When you are riding, you really can’t see what they are doing and how they like to move.  Some issues that you can’t quite figure out from their back become very obvious without the weight and influence of the rider.  What are your horse’s “natural” tendencies?  What does his or her topline look like?  Does he or she need more muscle? Where? These are questions I ask as I watch my horses on the lunge line, and that can help me figure out how to adjust what I do with them from their back.  If they canter easily in one direction, but have a lot of difficulty in the other, that will most likely be the case under saddle.  Usually it is worse without the “help” of the rider.  This should be a bit of a red flag.  A horse that is even and supple both ways, as well as responsive in all transitions with good tempo on the lunge line will almost always be the same way under saddle.  And this should be your goal.

Have fun!

It is January in New England.  The holidays are over, weather has taken a turn for the COLD, and my friends and contemporaries are flocking south to places like Ocala, Southern Pines, and Aiken.  Yes, I am jealous, but I have a healthy client base up north, and we need to keep riding too!  Although there are some days that are just too miserable to ride, for the majority of the winter we use the indoor arena and just keep plugging along.  Because of the miserable conditions mentioned above, our training for the winter months has to take a different approach.  So if, like myself and my clients, you are forced to stay north in the winter, consider this a good time to change your focus from things you might need to do to get ready for competition such as course riding, dressage test practice, and cross-country schooling (although these are all good) to focusing on building strength and confidence and perhaps working on some of those basics that might get neglected during the hectic show season.

Here is my strategy for getting through the winter in good shape.  I consider the time after the last event (somewhere in October/November) until the end of the year as a sort of “letting down” period.  Workouts are typically lighter and may be less frequent.  I assess the competition year that just finished and think about my horse’s strengths and weaknesses and make lists of what might need to be improved before the next season starts.  I also like to assess their overall veterinary health and soundness.  Competing can take a lot out of a horse, and some people like to give their horses time off which I think is not a bad idea if you are going south and will be competing again in January or February.  However, if you have access to an indoor for the winter (if you don’t, you might want to consider it), I think it is better to keep horses in light to medium work.  Generally, we can keep riding outside off and on through December so although we may need to start using the indoor a lot more, we can still hack outside, and if above 32, continue riding and schooling in our outdoor rings.  Once indoors, I have a number of exercises I like to do with my horses over the winter months to keep them going, and not all of them involve riding because sometimes it is good to give the horses’ backs a break.  Some exercises improve the rider because let’s face it, when we have a competition coming up, we don’t tend to make riding without stirrups a priority!

Position: riding without stirrups, although dreaded, is a great thing to do in the winter.  Just make sure to do a little warm up for your horse first since it is likely to be cold when you are attempting this.  You don’t have to ride the whole time without them, but even just a few minutes in the beginning of your ride (after your horse is warmed up) can help improve your position.  If your horse lunges well, consider taking some lunge lessons or find a horse that does lunge well and invest in some lunge lessons.  A correct position is the foundation of all else!

Lunging/Groundwork: since I hate doing an endless routine in a small indoor, I like to vary my winter work outs.  This helps relieve stress on the horse’s body as well as general boredom.  I like to concentrate on developing my horse’s strength and confidence (as well as listening skills) through lunging exercises and groundwork.  If your horse doesn’t know how to lunge, now is a good time to teach him (or you).  I don’t advocate lunging every day –maybe 2-3 times a week, and it MUST be controlled exercise and not a free for all.  You should teach your horse to act just as politely on the ground (in hand) as under saddle.  I like to use the Pessoa system when lunging to make sure the horse is using itself correctly, or consider learning to long –line.  When you are doing this type of work, you should be thinking of it as “riding from the ground” and have the same expectations as you would if you were in the saddle. **The right equipment and technique are imperative in order to be successful so please have a knowledgeable professional help you if you do not know how to do these things yourself or are not confident.

Cavalletti: Ingrid Klimke has a wonderful book out written with her famous father, Reiner, all about using cavaletti to help strengthen a horse for any level and discipline.  It is called, Cavalletti for Dressage and Jumping, and I consider it my winter Bible.  She describes exercises for the walk, trot, and canter and jumping and how to properly execute them both on the lunge and under saddle.  They are very adaptable, and one of my favorites is to set up walk poles and trot poles in different parts of the ring and just practice transitions into and out of the poles at different gaits keeping the horse balanced and the rhythm good.  Also, just putting trot poles on a circle is quite a challenge!  But when done properly, a great exercise for horse and rider without a lot of added pounding.

Jumping: I don’t like to do a lot of course work in a small indoor as it involves a lot of tight turns so instead, I concentrate on gymnastics and straight line work.  This is another good way to focus on rider position as well as horse strength and confidence.  Jimmy Wofford has a great book out on gymnastics for horse and rider called Modern Gymnastics which I keep very handy for easy reference.

Hacking: In addition to the above three things, I like to keep my horses hacking outside whenever it is possible.  This is good for them mentally and physically.  Even when the snow gets really deep, I will bundle up and hack down the road.  Obviously, your horse needs to be safe to do this, but if it is, don’t be afraid to get out of the ring!  Most horses have winter shoes on so even if things are snow covered, they can negotiate.  Find a flat place (might be your outdoor arena) and do some work in the snow.  Lifting their legs out of the snow acts like cavalletti work and will help to strengthen them.  I will even lunge in the snow provided my horse is polite for this kind of work.

So in conclusion, winter work is all about strength and confidence building for you and your horse so that when the pressure of competition season is here again, you are ready.  Try some new exercises and stay positive and have fun.  It’s possible!  Seek the advice of a confident professional if you think you might need some help.  Spring will be here soon….