MCTA Dersage + Show Jompies

Apologies in advance bc we have lots and lots of photos but not only are they all exclusively cell phone video stills, but they're all a bit zoomed too. But ya know. Photos are photos, right? Esp since I know a lot of you don't watch the videos (which, like, you're totally missin out!).

it's getting easier to find pleasant moments for cherry picking in our videos

Anyway.  In past years, dressage has usually started early enough that riders could warm up in the stadium warm up area too, since jumping started later. I think that was also the case this year, but for whatever reason everyone was warming up in the grass around the two dressage courts.

mostly we still kinda shuffle around, but better more improved moments are happening more often, even if we can't string them together for a full movement yet 

That was fine enough for us, so over we went. Tho Charlie kept tripping in the same downhill section. Which like, bro. C'mon. Pick your feet up!

And somewhat hilariously, when we started circling before our test, I opted to do a full loop around the court to present my bridle tag to the judge. This meant stepping over the rail road tie lining the arena and walking over a slight incline in the terrain. Which Charlie proceeded to trip over in a slow motion stumble that lasted about 5 strides. All throughout which, I assured the amused onlookers that "this is, in fact, a jumping horse, I swear." Ahem.

lol. but don't worry, we still have those other moments too
"dis how dersage, rite?" - charlie, probably

Anyway. It didn't necessarily get much better for our test. In Charlie's constantly evolving level of training and experience, he discovered this very day that maybe, since I want him to put his head down, he could but his head down. Think: diving and curling and generally bobbing and weaving in the contact. Which.... naturally only exacerbates his tendency to get heavy up front, a little downhill, and trip-happy.

the canter is his best gait but it's hard to do justice in a small court. we're figuring it out tho!

We rode BN-B, our second time doing this test (the first being in the schooling dressage show a couple weeks ago) and actually I really like this test for Charlie. It's a lot of unjudged trotting around as we change directions hither and thither, but the test has a very hurried rhythm to it (at least, right up until the very end).

pretending to be fancy lol

With Charlie right now, we are struggling to find the balance of 'impulsion and moving forward from his hind end' and 'running.' Because basically I need Charlie to keep coming forward from his hind end, be a little quicker from behind, but slow down his front end while still giving him enough forward freedom to get his big ass shoulders up out of the way of his hind legs. It's.... a challenge lol.

mostly i'm just looking for any moment where his hind end appears to not only be attached to the front end, but that it's actually actively participating in the ride too lol

I'm actually pretty happy with how he did in this test tho. He was obedient. Did all the things where he was supposed to do them. Our circles looked like circles - even sorta at canter!! Canter transitions happened well enough and he got both his leads. And he was able to turn right at the A-end of the dressage court without feeling like we might jump the chain.

charlie started nodding at the judge in our halt and for some reason i started mimicking him. it's in the video. it's ridiculous. but.... that's how we roll i guess!

The rest of our downwards continue to be a problem tho. And actually the final little "tour" of this test - canter to trot to walk at C, free walk across the short diagonal, then trot at K before turning up the center line - is maybe the hardest part for us. Our transition at C was atrocious, as was the walk that followed. Tho the free walk was ok-ish bc I could push him out a smidge more.

I was late to trot at K tho (whereas like, a better strategy would have been to be early) and... center lines continue to be hard for the big guy.

video here, complete with commentary.

and there are some real gems in there - try to count how often the judge says "labored" lol

I'm happy with the test tho. It's not where I want to be, since we're still very much at an 'in between' phase of Charlie's training. And he very badly needs to develop more strength behind. He's already light years ahead of where he was when I first got him in that regard (and is therefore WAY more sound because of it).

But we still need more. That's always the hardest part about going through a big transformative journey with a horse, right? We've come so far, and the difference is so vast, that it can be hard to see that there's still just so much more that needs doing lol. C'est la vie, tho.

For now, I'll take our 40%s in dressage and be happy with them for what they are.

finally givin the big boy something to jump

Let's move on tho. Let's get to the show jumping phase, easily our strongest test of the day. And the one I had been most nervous about going into the event.

and he was actually a little impressed by the jumps too! we're getting awfully close to 'clearing the standards' territory here!

The jump course was set for N when I walked it in the morning - and it was actually really reassuring to see that it was set such that most of the jumps were the same height Charlie and I had schooled the day prior in our jump lesson with trainer P at OF.

it was also a lot of fill and shapes and decorations that he hasn't seen before

My general rule of thumb for walking courses - specifically xc, but also stadium - is to not get too close to any of the fences on my course, especially if they look big to me. Bc I really strongly feel like I, personally, do not need to know if they're actually pretty big. So I give them a wide berth lol. Obvi the exception there is if there's a related distance that I need to walk.

and naturally we always have to have at least one goofy flyer

Conversely, however, I will absolutely get very up close and personal with the next-level-up jumps. Really trying to objectively measure and familiarize myself with their dimensions. Bc if they look doable - then my own jumps should definitely be doable! And if they look big? Nbd, mine will be smaller! Brain hacks ftw, y'all.

this oxer was maybe one of the biggest on course. charlie apparently wanted to make it bigger

So walking the course set for N, and realizing that it was set pretty softly at a height that Charlie had just snoozed over the day before, well. That was reassuring. And it was a pretty good course too. Lots of turns, tho they all had enough space for us to do what we needed doing. Lots of changes of direction and jumps on bending approaches. And very visually interesting jumps.

My only sadness was that N had a very doable looking two stride, but they took it out for BN. Oh well, next time!

wheeeeeee!!!!!

Anyway - onto actually riding it. Charlie clobbered the vertical once in our warm up - which I was appreciative of bc he then cleared the oxer with gusto haha. Nothing like a good knock to remind the ponies what's up right before going into the ring!

still have a bit of a left drift issue tho.... oh well, all in good time!

Charlie continued to really clear these fences too - he was actually a little impressed by them. It made him nicely rideable tho. I was pleased with how quickly I could get him back after each fence (something we had specifically worked on the day prior in our lesson), while also being able to soften and ride forward to the jumps without running past our distances.

la-la-la-leeeead change!

PLUS. Homeboy nailed all his auto changes. Not a single simple change on course. Yessss! We haven't specifically practiced that - I honestly tend to leave changes alone bc I'm not super coordinated and don't want to introduce anxiety into that equation. 

Plus both my favorite jump trainers tend to be of a mind that it's best to either try to land the lead, or allow the horse to volunteer what it will. I definitely like that Charlie is volunteering tho!

video here (only <2min yo, and it's a good one!)

So all told, I was quite happy with the course. It felt very grown up, very easy for the horse. There are still some bobbles in there - he got major air over 3, and we kinda launched 5 then nearly missed the turn to 6. Plus, after 7 Charlie almost ran straight out the gate instead of turning lol...

Really tho, it was a good round for us and I left the arena feeling pretty satisfied with it. It's basically a brand new height for Charlie - considering how slowly we've been introducing height. But the slow and steady approach has definitely paid off and the horse feels pretty confident in getting over the fences, even when he's a little impressed.

I didn't know it at the time, but after stadium we were sitting 8th of 9. You already know how we finished after cross country, but it wasn't for lack of trying! And actually it was a pretty darn good run, even if it basically only ends up amounting to schooling. Stay tuned for details soon!

MCTA : revisionist history

So Charlie did his first BN this past weekend! This event was kinda looming on my mind for a few reasons... Not least of which bc the last time I jumped around 2'6 in their show ring was the awful no good jumper show with Isabel where I fell off a whole bunch of times.

go charlie, go!!

But much like how Charlie boldly overcame my own personal demons at Fair Hill and Jenny Camp - where I previously had disastrous stadium experiences -  he went into the show jumping ring at Tranquility for his biggest class yet. And nailed it. Good boy!

locked on to that caboose!

And actually - he was pretty damn baller out on cross country too! The course actually felt not-quite-as-soft as the last time I rode in this event (back in 2015) and there were quite a few substantial options for BN.

such a freakin cute train tho! choo choooo!

Which, naturally, Charlie happily took. We continued the theme of "High options, plz, Emma!" bc I really would like to get closer to feeling we're ready for prime time at BN at other venues too.

he jumped some other big stuff too

Suffice it to say - and obviously I'll write up more later - the height itself is not an issue for the big guy. And while some of the jumps impressed him a little bit (shocking, I know) and he's still super uneducated on xc, I feel fairly confident he could get around most of what we would see at BN just about anywhere right now. Most. But not all.

but at heart, he's still a bit of a goon. as evidenced by this baller fly-mask-induced hair style we rocked all day long lol

Because we still have some pretty glaring holes in his cross country training. Mostly since we honestly haven't really been schooling - we've just been getting experience via competitions. But it's time to go schooling asap, I think, bc Charlie really showed his greenness at the water again this weekend (if you're keeping track, this is the second time he's seen water on course).

It ultimately resulted in our elimination (something I didn't know until I had already finished), tho it's possible a different jump judge would have assessed penalties differently (ie, giving us a couple refusals but letting us finish 'with a number'). But whatever. Our dressage still needs enough work that we're not exactly competitive anyway so it's almost moot.

it was a good day for the whole group, actually!

Mostly I'm just so pleased with the horse and feel like we both learned a lot this weekend. There's always more work to be done, but it feels good knowing that certain pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fit nicely into place. Especially since one particular piece - stadium - has given me so much grief in the past.

Anyway. Details coming soon. Hope you all had a great weekend too and are wayyyy less sun burnt than me lol (farmer's tans are cool tho, right?)

a little help from my friends

Writing anything trying to summarize or encapsulate my time with Izzy is honestly very difficult for me. The last post touched on how hard it was to realize we would be parting ways. And that I chose to continue pursuing eventing rather than shift to pure dressage with Isabel - who arguably could have gone quite far.

What it didn't mention was that I had already followed the mare through one discipline change. Remember, I was still ensconced in h/j land when I first met Isabel and she was meant to be a cheap 6 month lease to get my strength back while her owner was on sabbatical abroad.

Mini Iz & Fire-Eyed XC Iz are with me at every event!

Obviously things turned out very differently... A 4 year journey filled with so many firsts as I abandoned hunterlandia to dive head first into eventing with Isabel - a totally new experience for both of us. And the catalyst for buying my truck and trailer and discovering the trainers who continue to influence me as a rider to this day.

Since I'm a bit of a sentimental sap (shocking, I know!), it makes me happy to know that, in a way, we can still bring Izzy along with us to events - and remember what a badass she always was on cross country, as evidenced by that wild-yet-perfect patch on my skull cap cover.

beautiful and striking in his own different way

That's reassuring to me on a few levels, especially as Charlie continues to progress further in his training, taking me ever closer to the place where Izzy and I left off.

the world's least spooky horse spooked at some new spot-a-pots at OF. like, he doesn't even live there, and was like, "omg no those are new wtf run for your liiiiiiives."

Our next little blitz of summer-season shows starts today - Charlie and I will be tackling the beginner novice tracks at MCTA's Starter Trials at Tranquility.

except, well. it's charlie. instead of running, he basically dialed up the wattage to Majestic Level 10. lol. as evidenced by the fact that i was just hangin there snappin pics of his spooking and snorting lol. watch out, y'all, we got a wild one here!

This obviously makes me a little nervous haha.... I haven't competed at BN in over a year, and actually probably hadn't even ridden a full course at that height since around the same time.

poor guy, he tolerates so much from me and my camera

Sure, I jumped around some bigger 3'-ish jumps with both Gogo and Lion last summer, and, uh, ahem, fell off both times.... But we didn't really do full height course work. Which, arguably, at least for me, feels a little different than just jumping the odd 'big' jump or exercise.

he's so expressive tho, i can't help myself trying to catch all his neat poses

And maybe it was a little foolish entering Charlie in BN before he'd done a full height stadium course too.... We've been right around 2'5-ish for a little while now (why yes, trainer P is in fact that precise lol) but still mixed in with lower fences.

Tho the horse did most of Tranquility's BN xc fences at Jenny Camp. And if it's run anything like the last time I did BN at their starter trials, I think we should be fine for xc.

except the phone is typically in the same pocket as the treats.... making it nearly impossible to nonchalantly grab the phone without him noticing lol

Trainer P put the jumps up for us in yesterday's lesson, tho. Charlie's first full course at 2'7 (precisely measured to be sure). With a two stride line, some deviously tight turns, visually interesting fences (oxers galore, barrels, hog's back, and swedish oxer), and a bending line.

And Charlie didn't even blink. Good boy. For the record tho, neither did I. Sure, we made mistakes and whatever, and hopefully I'll write more in depth about the ride later (alas, no media). It wasn't perfect. But I felt fine. Totally fine. And so did the horse.

So here's hoping for a solid, confidence building outing today at Tranquility. Wish us luck! Hope you're having a great weekend too!

whose journey is it anyway?

Over the past few months I've been thinking about writing a post along the lines of "Why Charlie: The case for the war horse OTTB" or some such thing. About why I wanted certain specifications in a horse, and how I prioritized my criteria.

For whatever reason, tho, that post has languished on the back burner. And a recent conversation with a friend helped me to figure out why.

why? bc he's the best, that's why <3

I doubt any of you who have been reading for a while need to be reminded about just how shitty last year was for me as a rider. It's just now been about a year since I threw in the training towel with Isabel - since I realized our journey as a competitive partnership was closing for at least the foreseeable future, but probably for good.

It was.... an educational time for me tho.

I had to tackle a lot of feelings of guilt and self doubt - was I quitting on Isabel? Was I blaming the horse when actually I had reached the limits of my own skills or ability? Was I moving on to an OTTB as a way to hide my own inadequacies behind the shield of "green"?

Which like, obviously those are pretty unpleasant feelings. And probably unfair too.

green horses are their own special brand of fun anyway, right?

This is a hobby, after all. Like, I love riding. I take it fairly seriously, I study it. I invest infinitely more than just time, money and energy into it. At the end of the day tho, it is a hobby. It is intended to bring me joy.

So I had to do a little bit of soul searching about what that 'joy' looks like to me.

And ultimately? I had to realize that for me, it's about more than just the partnership I had with Isabel. My joy in riding comes in large part from my own personal journey as a rider. And it's fairly specifically tied to what I do as a rider.

this picture is so ridiculous in so many ways. but.... it kinda encapsulates the growing partnership lol

In the case of Isabel, we were no longer successful as a jumping pair. But I learned that, actually, jumping is pretty important to me as a rider. I want to jump. More specifically, I want to event. This might not always be true for me - but it is true for me right now.

And therefore, to continue getting fulfillment from my riding habit, I needed a horse who would be happy in doing the things I wanted to do. Right now, that's an event horse.

Thus we get to the "Why Charlie" part, right? Except - not even quite yet. Because there's still more to it, I think.

Superficially, I chose Charlie bc he met fairly broad criteria: OTTB, aged 6-9, good build and sound(ish), and that brain. I specifically wanted something a little bit older bc I wanted something with some life experience. Something that was emotionally mature. That could handle the "do all the things" lifestyle - trailering out twice a week for lessons, shows, trail rides, or whatever.

do all the things? check and check.

And let's be real: your typical sound, well built horse can jump around 3' without issue. That same typical, average horse can probably physically handle 2nd-3rd level dressage too. Sure, some are easier than others - but you don't really need above average talent or athleticism for that, ya know?

But this gets us back to the whole "journey" thing. Because I realized with Isabel that my journey as a rider superseded our 'partnership.' Obviously things were easier in that I didn't own the horse, so I didn't have to make certain difficult choices (tho it's also arguable that, had I owned the horse, she would have gotten different care that may have affected her willingness to jump... but that's an entirely different rabbit hole that is totally moot now).

It meant tho that I had to take better stock of what I actually wanted my journey as a rider to look like - what are my actual ambitions? And what type of horse do I need to get there?

i can promise you each person in this picture has a slightly different answer to that question

For me, right now, the answer to those questions feels a little vague, a little blurry, but also maybe pretty realistic for my purposes. I have ambitions. I want to be the best rider I can be, to be good at what I do and enjoy it. But I suspect that my ambitions have a bit of a ceiling to them - that I may reach a certain level and feel like, "Yup this is good. We can cruise here."

In other words, I don't really feel like I'm "shooting for the top." I don't want to "go all the way." Does that make sense? It's not really clear to me yet where my 'cruising altitude' is, exactly. But it doesn't seem likely to be anything at the upper levels lol. And that's totally fine by me.

So here we are now, finally, at the "Why Charlie" bit. I want to do things, and get... somewhere. But I probably don't need an out-of-this-world athletic or talented horse to get there. Rather, I just need something I can work with. Something that I can enjoy working with. Enter: Charlie, with his emotional maturity and good brain.

charlie needs all the emotional maturity and good brain he can get, bc i apparently have none of my own lol

And back to my earlier comment about figuring a lot of this out during a conversation with a friend. We were discussing this very topic of ambition. Specifically: our conceptions of how we define ourselves as horse people. And what it means to us to be riders. Is it about our journey with an individual horse? Or is it about the attainment of a major competitive goal or milestone?

This whole thought process leads me to believe that I fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. I need to be doing a certain type of riding that includes jumping and lessons and shows (otherwise I'd still be riding Isabel, right?).

But.... within that framework, I do truly love the day in, day out partnership forged with my horse. Because it's those quiet 'in between' moments that can really color our entire perception of our horse experience, after all.

quiet in between moments are nice too tho

At one extreme of the spectrum: you have the professionals who have to sell their big horses in order to continue building their businesses, in order to afford their next big horse. The top riders whose careers are fortified specifically by their ability to succeed independent of the horse.

And the other end of the spectrum - which feels much more commonplace especially among adult amateurs: the riders who often adapt their own goals or ambitions to align with their horse's ability. That the partnership forged with this horse, the journey with this horse, is more important than any other attribute of what the horse can 'do.'

My guess, tho, is that most of us fall somewhere in between. And furthermore, I'd guess that this is one of those things that may change and evolve over time, based on other life circumstances. That how I feel about it today might be quite different from how I feel about it in 5 years. Or 10.

for now tho, there's nowhere else i'd rather be

I'm curious tho - and actually so was my friend, who specifically encouraged me to write this post and solicit opinions from blogland on your own perspectives.

Do you define yourself as a rider by your goals or ambitions? Are they inextricably linked to your specific horse? Or maybe instead, your preferred means of deriving enjoyment are defined by the horse you have currently? Have you had to make decisions about buying or selling a horse based on its suitability for your goals or purposes?

Do you feel like there's something bigger out there, something more overarching in your own journey as a rider, independent of the horses that may come in and out of your life? Or maybe you feel the opposite - that it's less about striving forever for something, and more about enjoying each good moment as it comes?

Have your opinions or thoughts on this matter had to change over time due to different circumstances? Or maybe you've never actually thought particularly deeply about it at all?

poke a dope

A couple weeks ago, Charlie got his second appointment with my favorite equine chiropractic / acupuncture practitioner.

She used to treat Isabel for me, and actually in her former life as a DVM she did the vet work for the breeding program that produced Isabel. Meaning - it's actually pretty darn likely that she had delivered Isabel herself.

dopey ears 4 lyfe

Anyway, you may remember she came out to treat Charlie back in January. That was a useful appointment in getting a deeper understanding of Charlie's current physical condition. And especially in how all his 'little things' kinda combined together to make for a horse who.... Well. Carried the years of track-life around in his body.

see the needle? 

When Charlie first came home from the adoption facility, we wanted to focus on his muscles during the process of letting him down from the track and rebuilding him in a new form. My vet felt like he was predominantly a muscular case, and that while chiro may help him, I'd see the most benefits from massage.

there's another one!

I went ahead and did a chiro appointment anyway bc I was having trouble finding a massage therapist, but already knew this chiro practitioner and was eager to get her professional opinion. Since then, tho, Charlie's gotten into a routine with a new equine massage therapist (whom he LOVES).

and a couple down the back of his hooves

She's been pretty fantastic for him and is generally a cool person all around - even coming out to hang and watch Charlie go at Jenny Camp last month! During her last session with him, tho, she was a little concerned about some of his sore spots and felt like it might be time to bring the chiro back in.

and down his hind legs

Which seemed about right to me - it had been about six months anyway and Charlie has physically undergone pretty significant changes during that time. So we got something scheduled and the chiro was able to give the horse a fresh assessment on how he's doing.

plus the standard slew of 'em around his SI

Long story short? The big guy continues to do well. She was very happy with how much better he looks now compared to January. Which like, me too. Meeee too. lol....

my understanding is that this is a pretty common application for sport horses. also note charlie isn't standing square here - but you can see the definition of his spine in the dust rubbed up by the chiro

And like last time, she didn't really find any major spots of concerns. Charlie's got some stuff, ya know? Some wear and tear, some weak spots. His hind end has a lot of work to do developmentally, and he's got some other issues that you might expect in a horse his size with his history. Nothing serious, nothing that changes our course of action with him.

Just... ya know. Continuing to help him develop in a manner most likely to keep him sound, strong, and happy.

She was also able to rule out concerns about any other nagging worries. Didn't find any evidence at all that the horse is ulcery (always a nice thing to hear), or that there are saddle fit issues. And seemed to think the current hoof game plan (leather rim pads) was solid.

more in the legs!

She was also likewise not particularly concerned about Charlie's status as King of the Dings, as evidenced by his frequently lumpy bumpy legs. Charlie sometimes whacks a leg while weaving - creating big old bumps that take a long time to go down.

Those bumps often freak barn mgmt out (to them, everything looks like a catastrophic soft tissue injury) but the chiro kinda echoed what I and my trainers have thought: if the bumps aren't interfering with his soundness or ability to do what he does, then it's probably nbd.

marinating in his needle soup while watching is buddy Tip get adjusted

So all in all, it was a good check in. The chiro was able to work a bit on the areas that concerned the massage therapist (mostly Charlie's poll). And she was able to provide a solid check-in perspective on how Charlie's doing 10 months post track, and 9 months of being in my care. The verdict? He's doing well!

It's always a long road with these OTTBs, esp for one who was on the track for so many years, but so far, so good.

My game plan is to keep Charlie on a fairly regular massage schedule (ideally that's every month, but sometimes it's more like every 6-7 weeks) with chiro/acupuncture treatments more like every 6 months to a year barring any immediate treatment needs. Personally I just kinda like the idea of managed maintenance through body work, and the horse certainly seems to enjoy it.

Izzy always got more chiro vs massage, but I also didn't really know a massage therapist anyway. Maybe she would have done well with both? Idk. Does your horse need any one form of care over another? Or do you do all the things? Or none of the things?

Only when a need crops up - like a lameness or injury? Or are you more on the maintenance schedule like me? Do you like checking in with the professional practitioners on your horse's condition and care? Or maybe you prefer to forge your own road, or rely on your BM or trainer's opinions?

OTTBs for SCIENCE!!

A cool thing about the equestrian blogging community is that we are all fairly unified in our love for ponies, right? (duh, emma...)

But also within the community there are various sub-interest groups. Some bloggers are into art, or writing, or graphic design. Or history or technology or science. Etc etc, you get the point. Which means that as we get to know each other within the realm of a shared love of horses, we can also find new folks with even more overlapping interests.

this post unapologetically includes fairly monochromatic photographs. bc.... well, mostly bc of the subject matter haha. to go along with the theme and maybe make it feel more 'pretty' than it actually is, here's a "artsy" (snort) shot of charlie biting his beloved fan after a ride on a particularly hot day

Personally, I kinda dig science. And often enjoy talking about ponies from a more scientifically methodological view point with other like-minded individuals.... like, say, Nicole from Zen and the Art of Baby Horse Management.

Most recently, Nicole brought a cool new cutting edge research project to my attention. Paul Szauter, the Chief Scientific Officer at EquiSeq, had uncovered Nicole's velociraptor's OTTB's pedigree through the Bloodline Brag on the Retired Racehorse Project's site and contacted her about collecting samples from Murray for a new study.

a special package!

The team is apparently looking for TBs with some combination of Northern Dancer and Raise a Native, tho I'm not sure about the exact criteria.*

Nicole obviously thought it was pretty darn cool to have her horse specifically sought out by a research team, and furthermore encouraged me to contact the researchers to see if Charlie would also qualify for inclusion in the study.

*Charlie has Northern Dancer x3, but no Raise a Native, and was accepted in the study. Meanwhile, Nicole had a friend whose horse has both but was not accepted in the study.

the letter from package #1

She encouraged me to reach out to Paul directly (pszauter at gmail) with my OTTB's Jockey Club name and year foaled to see if Charlie was eligible for inclusion in the study.

Naturally, tho, before I did so, I googled the ever loving crap out of this Paul fellow haha. Bc. Ya know. I'm kinda a CreepStar3000. Or like, if you didn't know that... well. Now you know. Ahem.

the letter in package #2, actually an envelope. plus included sample baggie

And I actually found a lot of really cool stuff in googling the guy - he personally has been involved in the field of genomics for quite a long time, and has conducted a number of studies specifically relating to horses - the last big one focused on PSSM.

I was even able to uncover some details on what this particular project was all about - and it looked pretty cool. The gist is that they're working on developing genetic tests to identify performance-related genetic diseases (like a predisposition for tying up) in such a way that may positively influence breeding practices and management of affected horses.

instructions to the vet or person responsible for drawing blood

So I emailed him (pszauter at gmail) and was pleasantly surprised to receive a very prompt reply. Charlie was accepted into the study!

Paul let me know that I would receive a few things in the mail:

- a blood sample kit with a vial, shipping container, and instructions
- an informed consent form and health questionnaire
- a hair sample kit with prepaid return envelope

hair sample! apologies for the blur...

The health questionnaire is pretty straight forward - asking some basic questions about the horse's lineage (for OTTBs this is all easily found via pedigreequery.com), siblings, and progeny. And about the individual horse's known history of tying up, a tie back surgery, any heritable conditions, and any other medical issues or special dietary needs.

It takes a couple minutes to complete the forms in a thorough manner - but it also probably won't require any real digging into information that isn't well-known to you.

and.... here's a vignette of my trunk and various pieces of tack. just 'cuz.

So. Charlie's well on his way to benefiting the equestrian scientific community - with the help of a few plucked hairs and some spare blood. Not too shabby!

Personally I'm pretty curious about what may come of this - but even if Charlie's only real contribution is giving them a better base N, that's cool with me too. I'm happy to participate, knowing that there are folks out there dedicated to using science to create better diagnostic tools and methods for improving the quality of life for horses today and the potential horses of tomorrow.

And in the meantime - if you have an OTTB, maybe consider shooting Paul an email too, including your horse's Jockey Club name and year foaled. Even if you're not super into science it's cool to participate!