Bringing it All Together

There is a lot to being a successful equestrian, but as we have already discussed, it is important to have the right horse as well as a healthy and strong legged one with the right equipment. In my last blog, I discussed the importance of mixing up where you ride your horse and what exercises you do. There is a lot of information out there about equine care, and with the recent wave of "all-natural" equestrians it is often easy to get sucked into using a natural product that has minimal cost, but also minimal results. This blog attempts to show you the importance of changing your riding environment. Doing repetitive action is boring not only for yourself, but for your horse and minimally effective.

Over my 15 years in the equestrian world I have seen a lot of different horses in terms of health and breed, and a lot of different approaches to supplemental care. The tips and suggestions below are a compilation of what I have learned and have seen to work best. 

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The Goal

The time has come! You have put a lot of time, effort and lets be honest, money, into becoming the most successful equestrian. It is now time to put all that you have learned and worked for together in the show ring! Having a successful day at a competition doesn't necessarily mean bringing home 1st place. It means that you had fun and that you are your horse performed to the best of your ability. 

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Getting Ready for a Competition

Two weeks before the show:

• Have your horse's feet done. This allows for mild grow out and natural buffing to occur.

A week before the show:

• Trim your horses forelocks, face and ears (if you can safely do it). 
  • I don't personally like to shave my horse's eye lashes, but that is a personal preference. Some people and judges prefer them to be clipped. 
• If you are going to trim your horse's mane, this is the time to do it. The decision to this based on personal preference, horse breed and show type. Check breeder/show guidelines to see what mane style is suggested. 
  • I personally leave my horse's mane at their natural length, but usually clean up the edges with some mild trimming and texturizing. 
• I also give my horse a deep bath a week before to clean away any old hair, dead skin, or bad stains. I pay special attention to the areas trimmed. 
  • Unless I am washing a horse that is 50+% white I wash them with general horse shampoo such as Mane and Tail. I scrub with a sponge and then a rubber curry comb. 
    • If it is a white horse I use a bleaching shampoo meant for white horses.
  • After a deep rinse I move to the mane and tail where I rinse and shampoo well with my hands. After a second rinse I will run conditioner through the tail and mane only.
  • For the face I use a small sponge with mainly water on it to wipe away what dirty or stains might be there. 
• I usually take my horse outside to graze or for a walk to dry off. During this time I braid their tail and mane to keep them slightly cleaner in the upcoming week. 
• I also throw a clean sheet on my horse the rest of the week until the show. 
• After the horse is taken care of, I clean all of my tack and check my show clothes. This way I can ensure that nothing is dirty, lost or broken and if something is I have time to fix/clean it.

The day before:

• The day before a show I usually repeat the bathing process, paying only special attention to the dirty spots. 
  • If my horse has white fetlocks, or spots I use the bleaching shampoo on these areas to ensure they shine. 
• Unless the mane or tail have become dirty I often don't rewash them. I instead brush them out and texturize/clean up any ends. I will then braid the top of their tail to keep everything tidy and clean for the night. 
• Then I will grab a piece of cardboard out to set their hooves on while I paint them with hoof polish.
  • This is again an optional step. I prefer to do it because I think it brings nice and classy attention to my horses. However, if your horse has poor or unnatural hooves, I would not recommend this as it will draw the judge's attention to their hooves. If it is an equitation class or one that is judged on confirmation you won't want to draw the judge's attention to poor hooves. 
• Once my horse is dry I will lightly polo wrap their legs, put a sheet, sleezy and tail bag on to keep them clean overnight. 
• I will double check my tack and clothes and load them all into the trailer.
• It is important to also load water buckets, water ties, a hose, supplement feed and hay into the trailer.
  • The hay should not only be in the back for your horse to nibble on for the ride to the show grounds, but also in a hay bag for during the show. If it is just a day show I usually bring about 3-4 flakes for them to munch on throughout the day. This keeps them calm and happy while tied to the trailer. 

The day of the show:

• It is important to feed your horse at least an hour before you load them to give them optimal time to wake up and prepare for the trailer ride ahead. 
• The item you cannot forget on the day of the show is TOWELS!
  • You can never bring too many!  You will never go through as many towels/rags as you will on a show day. 
• Before loading my horse into the trailer I often check the polo wraps, sheet, sleezy, etc. to make sure nothing has shifted and their are no new dirt spots.
• Upon arriving at the show grounds it is important to get your horse set up at the trailer with feed and water before checking in. 
• Once you have checked in, if you are allowed, it is nice to hand walk your horse through the warmup and show rings to see if there is anything that looks strange to them. 
• Then take them back to the trailer where I like to "unwrap" them give them a light brushing with a face brush to let the hair liven up. 
• Next is banding their mane and forelock, if you choose.
• If there are any dirt spots or stains this is the time to pull out the trusty green spot remover and a  towel to scrub it away. 
• Now its time for my favorite step, the cornstarch!
  • That's right... cornstarch!  If your horse has white fetlocks you will want to pull out a big handful of cornstarch and rub it into the white of your horse's leg(s). 
  • You will then take a face brush and again lightly brush down the white to brush away any loose cornstarch. Then brush their hooves to make sure no white is staining their polish or hooves in general. 
• And then it is time to tack up! Once your horse is tacked you will want to take a towel to your tack to ensure there is no dust on it. 
• Take a clean, damp towel and lightly wipe your horses face to get rid of any excess dirt or crazy hairs. 
• Once your horse is fully tacked, minus the bridle, you will want to jump in your trailer and change into your show clothes. 
• Use another towel to wipe any snot out of their nose and brush off any gunk that is on their lips.
• I like to throw a towel on the back of my horses neck, next to the saddle. Once they have their bridle on and I mount them I take the towel to wipe any dust off my boots. If I am by myself, I just throw the towel over the back of my truck and head off to the warm up ring. 

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It is time!

It is important to warm up for about 20 minutes and then give your horse about 5 minutes of loose rein walking before going into the show ring. With these steps you and your equine partner should be as successful as possible!

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Wishing you all the best in your equine adventures! Until next time, happy riding!

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Change is Good

There is a lot to being a successful equestrian, but as we have already discussed, it is important to have the right horse as well as a healthy and strong legged horse. In my last blog, the second in a two part series, I discussed the importance of the proper saddle fit. There is a lot of information out there about equine care, and with the recent wave of "all-natural" equestrians it is often easy to get sucked into using a natural product that has minimal cost, but also minimal results. This blog attempts to show you the importance of changing your riding environment. Doing repetitive action is boring not only for yourself, but for your horse and minimally effective.

Over my 15 years in the equestrian world I have seen a lot of different horses in terms of health and breed, and a lot of different approaches to supplemental care. The tips and suggestions below are a compilation of what I have learned and have seen to work best. 

We have all been told more than once the importance of doing things differently when at the gym so that our body doesn't get used to the repetitive motion. If you do the same exercise routine every day, eventually it will have minimal, if any, beneficial impact on you. The same is true when it comes to you and your equine partner. 

As we all know, horses are like children.  They can become bored or impatient easily. In order to avoid this, and to get the most out of your workout, it is important to do different disciplines of riding in different locations. For me this means riding in the arena one day, trail riding the next or maybe a combo of both. When I am in the arena perhaps we will do reining patterns, or just a variety of exercises or maybe work on trail patterns. When I am on the "trail" sometimes we get on the road and do a lot of transitions and distance conditioning and other times maybe we will go on a narrow trail and scale a mountain. No matter what we are doing, we are in the end accomplishing the same end goals. 

We are still achieving haunch turns, bending, flexing, backing, stopping, minimal contact, transitions, etc..  They are just being accomplished in different ways and places. This variety keeps your horse guessing and paying attention to each of your clues. It allows horses to do the same stretches in different size spaces, with different distractions and different obstacles to overcome. This not only makes your horse more versatile but also assists in desensitizing them.

This doesn't mean that on some days one may need to be spent entirely in the arena doing lots of small quick exercises.  Or an entire day working on a slow and easy walk on the trail or perhaps just working on conditioning your horse to pattern for an upcoming competition. I am just stressing that about  80+% of your time should likely be spent doing the things mentioned in the above paragraph changing things up during the ride. 

Below is a list of exercises I like to do in different locations. It is important to note that the levels of these exercises depend on the horse's knowledge, ability and mood that day. All of these exercise last between 2 - 20 minutes and all have at least a 2-minute break of just free rein walking between them. Most rides should last only 40-50 minutes. Some that may include both arena and a short trail ride so may last longer perhaps closer to an hour 20.   A planned 8+ mile trail ride might take all day and consist of only a few of these exercises to keep your partner alert and aware of the new surroundings. 

Arena Exercises (in different patterns):

• Free rein, leg and seat turns
• Circles (big to small and small to big)
• Figure 8s
• Seat stops, backs and turns
• Long trotting
• Poll crossing, passing and backing
• Shoulders in and out
• Hips in and out
• C circles and counter C circles
• Wall roll backs, circle roll backs
• Weaving
  • Shoulder in and out
  • Hip in and out
• Transitions
• Collected both up and down transitions
• Speed control
• One rein stops

Trail Exercises:

• Forward moving side stepping
• Roll backs
• Circles (shoulder, hip and mid-cage control)
• A variety of collection 
• Hill climbing
• Speed control
• Step placement
• Pivots
• Sprint and distance condition
• Collected and non-collected flatland speed condition
• Stopping, backing
• Trust
• Desensitizing 
• One rein stops

As always, thank you for taking the time read my latest blog and I hope you will come back for my next post on how to be the most successful equestrian in preparation of a competition! Happy riding! 

Saddle Fit is Everything

There is a lot to being a successful equestrian, but as we have already discussed, it is important to have the right horse as well as a healthy horse. In my last blog, the first in a two part series, I discussed the importance of leg health. There is a lot of information out there about equine care, and with the recent wave of "all-natural" equestrians it is often easy to get sucked into using a natural product that has minimal cost, but also minimal results. This blog attempts to show you the importance of a long term saddle investment, and why in some cases spending a little more in the beginning will save you thousands down the road. In this second installment, I will discuss the importance of the right saddle and saddle fit. You will be amazed by the number of problems, which may seem completely unrelated to your saddle, that can be solved by the right fit.  

Over my 15 years in the equestrian world I have seen a lot of different horses in terms of health and breed, and a lot of different approaches to supplemental care. The tips and suggestions below are a compilation of what I have learned and have seen to work best. 

No matter if you ride english or western, proper saddle fit, and comfort are everything to being a successful equestrian. If you want your horse to be happy, healthy and focused on the task at hand they need to be comfortable, able to move and not in pain. 

Saddles are an expensive investment, but some of the most rewarding and effective investments you can make in my opinion. The most common problem with saddle fit is a too wide or narrow swell (western) or pommel (english). If this is too narrow it can pinch your horse's shoulders, not only causing muscle and ligament damage, but preventing your horse from being able to move naturally. When a rider is unknowing of this problem it can lead them to punishing the horse for not properly moving which can lead to only further physical damage and miscues. If the swell/pommel is too large the top of the saddle can drive downward on to the horse's withers, once again causing physical damage. When a saddle is riding too low or too high due to ill fit, in the ways listed above, it is not only detrimental to the horse, but also the rider. If the saddle is not sitting correctly on the horse, the rider has to work 5x times harder to stay in the proper position as well as cue the horse. 

Incase you are a little rusty on your saddle anatomy...

Signs of an ill fitting saddle include...

• Dry areas (spots) under the saddle after an intense ride.
• Bruising
• Stiffness and lack flexibility (people often spend hundred or even thousands of dollars on equine massages that would be unnecessary with a properly fitting saddle).
• Behavioral signs of discomfort when tacking up and riding
  • Pinned ears
  • Biting
  • Not moving out, unable to collect
  • Refusal to move
  • Lameness
  • Tail swishing
  • Rearing or bucking when under saddle
  • Etc.
• Swelling on withers (this would be due to the type of ill fit described above)
• Back pain due to contact (if you run your hand across your horses back and flinch, or react negatively)

Now if you come to realize your saddle does not fit it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to go out and buy a $5,000 saddle. There is often a lot of things you can due to adjust your saddle to make it better fitting. 

1. Make sure it is sitting in the proper place (see video below).
2. Adjust with either front or rear raisers, depending
3. Change pads 
   1. You should not only have the appropriate thickness of a pad, but you should have 2 of them.
   2. You should wash your pads every couple of weeks. If your saddle pad becomes too dirty (with dirt, hair and sweat) it can cause skin irritation and disease. 
4. Make physical adjustments. Some saddles have adjustments built into them so that they can be more versatile, but there are also people who can often adjust saddles for you. Having someone majorly adjust your saddle might not be cost effective, unless it has a sentimental value.

Larry Coats of Coats Saddlery addresses proper position of the saddle on a horse.

During my time in the horse world, I could not even begin to tell you the number of horses I have ridden. Over the years I have ridden in many people's saddles and often jumped on someone's horse who has an ill fitted saddle and you can immediately feel the horse's discomfit. When it came time for me to buy my "forever saddle" I did a lot of research on quality, versatility and longevity. I wanted a saddle that would, or could fit the majority of horses I would ride during the rest of my career. In my research, I came across Martin Saddlery (who makes Clinton Anderson's saddles). They have close to 20 styles of saddles from roping, to trail, to barrel to even one they call their "all-around". I spent a long time researching the pros and cons of their saddles and each style. What really caught my eye was the saddles ability to be flexible during movement which to me meant the likely hood of pinching would decrease. They call it the "true fit saddle tree".

What is the Axis Tree? 

I soon found a dealer in a rodeo town about 2 hours away from where I lived. I drove there and looked at the few saddles they had on display. I even had the ability to sit in one of them. It was hands down the most comfortable saddle I had ever sat in. In speaking with the manager she shared that a Martin Saddlery rep lived in the area and that he would be able to get me the style of saddle I was looking for. I soon contacted him and he shared that even though I was looking for a versatile saddle that he'd like to see myself and my horse to best suggest measurements. So I loaded up my horse and drove the two hours to his house where he pulled every saddle I could of ever of dreamed seeing. I even got to sit in his wife's discontinued Ostrich seat saddle (I have never, and probably never will again sit in such amazingly comfortable saddle). 

When I had pulled up to his house I was determined that I would be buying the all-around saddle. Yet, after discussing with him the majority of disciplines I did and planned to do, the horses I usually ride, etc. we concluded that the barrel saddle would be best fit. He argued that most of his clients who don't even game buy this saddle for trail riding and other low key disciplines due to its security and comfort. I was sold and quickly began my customizing experience. 

Martin Saddles are known for their love of shimming saddles to ensure their saddles fit perfectly on the horse. Due to this, the rep argued that I buy a slightly larger saddle then one I would need for my then horse and to shim it to fit her and whatever other horses I rode. I did exactly that and have never looked back. Now I didn't starting shimming without some research. Just like an ill fitting saddle, improper shimming can lead to physical damage and horse discomfort. Yet, with proper shimming a saddle can fit your horse like a glove. 

Sherry Cevi is one of Martin Saddlery's number one clients and even has one of her own saddles for sale on their website. She explains her love of shimmy and how they benefit her in this video. 3-Time World Champion Barrel Racer Sherry Cervi explains why she uses a "Shim" to adjust the fit of her saddle on her #1 mount, "Stingray". Sherry also explains saddle placement and how to check for even saddle fit and why.

I have owned my Martin Saddle for almost 5 years, and 7+ horses later, I am just as in love with it as I was the day I picked it up. Martin Saddles are known for some of their specialties, like adjustable rigging and twisted stir-ups. I highly recommend paying the slight extra for these two things. The adjustable rigging allow you to better fit your saddle to whichever horse you are riding and the twisted stir-ups make mounting easier then you could ever imagine (even for us youngins). I have found that even when shimmed, my Martin Saddle gives me 10x the amount of contact control with my horse. I accredit this to their tree, but I swear my horses can feel my seat cues more often and easier in my Martin Saddle than in any of my others. This is yet another one of the huge selling points for me.   

Watch as Clinton Anderson Tours the Martin shop to see how quality saddles are made. These saddles are still made with hand detail and highest quality standards. 

Proper saddle fit is just one of many necessities to being the most successful equestrian. There are many other aspects and products that can go into making your saddle experience the best possible, this just a snippet of the saddle world. I'd be happy share more products and information with you, therefore please feel free to contact me personally about problems, products or questions that you might have at the link provide, or through one of the below sources. 

Until next time, happy riding!

Leg Health

There is a lot to being a successful equestrian, but the first is having the right horse and the second is having a healthy horse. In my last blog I discussed the importance of adjusting a horse's diet to best fit their needs. There is a lot of information out there about equine supplements, and with the recent wave of "all-natural" equestrians it is often easy to get sucked into using a natural product that has minimal cost, but also minimal results. The next step to becoming a successful equestrian is to have the right equipment and physical care. In this two part series I will first discuss the importance of the right leg support and care. 

Over my 15 years in the equestrian world I have seen a lot of different horses in terms of health and breed, and a lot of different approaches to supplemental care. The tips and suggestions below are a compilation of what I have learned and have seen to work best. 

Leg and hoof care are one of those things that can completely ruin a 1st place duo in a matter of minutes. If one does not take adequate measures to prevent leg damage, or to deal with it in an appropriate amount of time the damage can easily become long term. Long term leg damage can result in the ending of a horse's career and a laundry list of vet expenses. 

Professional Choice Splint Boots: Professional Choice splint boots can be one of the most effective preventive measures that a horse owner can take when it comes to leg support. Few may know horses used to have four toes, not a hoof. As evolution progressed two of the toes grew upward, one became the hoof, and the fourth shrank and grew up into the cannon bone area. Due to this strange bone location it is often common for horses, even those with excellent confirmation to be at risk for splint damage. Splint boots were then created to support this weak and fragile bone. Due to hard compression disciplines (such as barrels racing, poles, keyhole, etc.) it has become common for riders to often ride with splint boots on at all times. 

I have personally found that they are an easy and stylish preventative measure that a rider can take to give their horse a little bit more of support. I almost always slap my splint boots on, whether it just for an easy trail ride or performance drill. The important thing to note is keeping the boots clean and the area between them and the leg clean. Depending on the types of competitions and time of year, I wash my Professional Choice splint boots anywhere from every other ride to every other week. Due to this, I have at least two pairs of forefront boots. Hind support boots I have found are not as important for day to day use (and can take some time for the horse to get used to). When riding on long trail rides or in deep loose dirt (barrel racing, etc.) it is important to take of the boots and shake them out, as well as brush off the horse's legs to ensure there is no irritation. It is also very important to properly apply them (see video below). 

A horse's reaction to splint boots the first time is always funny!

How to apply splint boots. 

Alcohol and Polo Wraps: Alcohol and Polo Wraps can be used in a variety of aspects. The first is for preventative measure. When stalling a horse, especially in small box stalls at competitions it is imperative for a rider to wrap their horses legs (even more so if they are older). Stalking up is often common when horses aren't used to standing in one place for a long period of time. To prevent this pull the horse out of the stall and onto a flat surface such as pavement. It is helpful to pour rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle and then lightly spray one leg from the pastern to just above the top of the cannon bone. Next take the Polo Wrap and with medium tightness wrap the leg from the top of the pastern to the top of the cannon bone. Repeat on each leg. At competitions in which horses are active for a large part of each day, it is usually only necessary to do this in the evening before the horse is put down for the night. If however, the horse will be standing in the stall during the day as well, it would be beneficial to rewrap in the morning with a clean polo wrap. 

If a horse has mild swelling from excessive exercise or stalking up, repeat these steps, wrapping a little tighter to reduce the swelling. The compression of the wrap and the coolness of the rubbing alcohol will help to decrease the swelling. 

How to apply a Polo Wrap properly to avoid ligament damage. 

Quilted Wrap and Polo: A quilted wrap in combination with a Polo Wrap can be used when furthermore dealing with injury. In most cases I use this combination to keep my horse's legs clean, cool, and protected when healing from a laceration. Depending on the degree of the laceration I will clean and ointment the laceration, lightly gauze it and then wrap loosely in a quilted pad and Polo Wrap. 

Wrapping a horse's legs is something that all horse owners may need to do at one time or another, so knowing how to put polo wraps on a horse, how to bandage a horse's legs for trailering or shipping, and how to wrap a horse's legs with quilts are important skills to have.

As mentioned above, a horse's leg health is essential to not only their overall wellbeing, but their rider's career success. When dealing with any aspect of a horse's leg, whether a preventative or reactive measure, it is essential that it is handled properly. Wrapping or handling a horse's leg incorrectly can lead to permanent long term damage. If a rider is questioning whether or not their horse's leg is damaged, it is imperative for them to check to see if the appendage is hot. If that is the case, the swelling can be taken down with cold water and decreased exercise before wrapping. If it is determined that the leg is still hot, and the cold water does not seem to help within 12 hours, I would highly recommend calling a vet for advice. They can recommend anti-inflammatory medication, proper wrapping techniques, and often they will give their advice free of charge over the phone.