hot + itchy summer riding

Word on the street is that there's been a bit of a heat wave lately. It's been hot, yo. And plenty humid too, bc why not, right? July in Maryland is .... a swampy jungle-y experience.

are you tired yet of these pictures Austen took from our ill-fated dressage show?? TOO BAD 

We've more or less kept riding tho. To be honest, there really aren't many conditions that I wouldn't ride in if riding is I want to do. Like sure, it's always important to be mindful of the horse's general condition, including baselines for temperature, pulse, respiration etc.

The level of exertion we ask for as riders should stay within a horse's appropriate TPR ranges, for instance. And in very hot, sticky temperatures, you may be likely to hit some of those margins sooner than you would in nicer weather.

meanwhile, it's been the dog days of summer around the barn. and, uh, cat days too apparently. i kinda love the fact that this pup and the cat are basically the same size LOL

Plus obviously in different seasons it's important to consider what type of ground is available for riding. Here in Maryland, during the summer time we often end up with parched, rock hard ground -- with even the arenas becoming hard and dusty. So ya know, footing is often a consideration when trying to plan out my ride on any given day.

Generally, tho, my philosophy when it comes to schooling in sub-optimal conditions is: if I would show in it, I should school in it too. In other words, if I wouldn't want to forfeit an expensive entry for a show bc it was hot outside, then maybe I should put my money where my mouth is and condition myself and my horse to working in those same situations as needed.

i spy with my little eye: a brontosaurus invading his neighbor pony's hay manger. why yes, there is a wall there lol

Per the vet's orders, I shouldn't entirely avoid conditioning Charlie to the extremes anyway. Meaning - I shouldn't only ever ride him in perfect 70*F temps on only the fluffiest most well groomed surfaces. Or, at least, I shouldn't only ever do that if I ever expect him to be physically able to perform in literally any other condition too.

you're a goober charlie, but we love you anyway

Obviously your mileage may vary here -- I know literally tons and tons and TONS of riders who have narrower (or wider, for that matter) limitations for what they will ride in. Some of my barn mates never step foot outside of the arenas, while others never step foot *in* them haha.

There are horses at my farm who were born there and will probably live out the rest of their days without ever leaving. While others are out and about every weekend, or even traveling with the seasons. Diff'rent strokes and such.

aw womp, methinks this bonnet too sma :(

I honestly don't really think there are many wrong answers so long as the horse and rider are healthy happy and having fun, ya know?

So for my purposes, when I feel like riding? And my horse is physically up for it? Well, ya know, I go riding haha.

this one is a bit better. will be better still once we get that fringe off!

Lately I've been starting all my rides with brief hack-abouts in the fields, woods, or pasture lanes. Generally I'm shooting for roughly 15-20min of this, including at least a circuit or two of trot, before heading to a ring for a more proper school.

The benefits are that my horse is fully warmed up by the time we hit the ring. The warm up could be as meandering and low key as needed considering whatever conditions we had. Mostly just wandering along while still taking advantage of hills and slopes and changeable terrain to help Charlie get loose and swinging.

"yes hello i would like to share my boogers with you" - charlie, probably

Then, by the time we reach the actual arenas and I want to do a jump school or dressage ride? I feel like I can get straight to it. Immediately ask the horse to be forward and in front of my leg.

This distinction I think matters more for me than the horse. I'm admittedly notorious for maybe kinda not demanding enough during that warm up period, and then it becomes hard to convince the horse 10-15min into a ride that suddenly now my expectations have changed.

However, if those two phases of the ride (the lazy warm up then the purposeful work) happen in different places, mentally it's easier for me to shift gears. Does that make sense?

if only they made full-body bonnets tho :(

And that way, once we're in the ring and I want to get down to business, we can be more efficient about it bc I'm more clear in my expectations. In a way, I see this as a kindness in hot nasty weather. I don't want to circle around forever and ever and ever in a mediocre, behind-the-leg shuffle.

No no, once we're in the ring, we Go, Sir, Go! And get the job done. Get in, go immediately to work. Insist from the first step into the ring that "now we are doing the things!"

soft ground and a break in the heat wave meant a little speed work in our latest ride! yellow = trot, pink = canter

We're also lucky at my farm to have so many options for where to ride. I've actually taken it a little bit as a personal challenge to keep as much variety as possible in our hacks. Ideally, that warm up phase should be pleasant and relaxing and a nice way to unwind after work and traffic for me, and a day spent in the stall for Charlie.

we're so lucky to have so many options for riding out!

The variety can still be tricky tho, since most of these fields have horses turned out in them. So, ya know. Gates. Plus the one main route out with the fewest gates has a major section totally washed out and eroded away.

This is a real bummer bc it leads to those woods in the top left above, one of my favorite places for trot sets esp when the ground is suuuper hard. There are other ways to get out there tho, including a couple gates that I'm trying to get better about dealing with. Mostly tho we've been in the fields lately, despite the bugs.

so. many. bug bites. so. itchy.

At least with a couple of the main fields, there are jumps in the fence line that Charlie can do no problem. Some of them normally have hot wire up on them, but for whatever reason lately have been opened up. Not sure if that's on purpose or not haha, but obviously Charlie and I will take any short cut we can get!

And so far I feel like I can actually feel a real difference in how the horse is going, even just two weeks into this new approach to our conditioning.

fwiw this will probably be my last sight before being unceremoniously smooshed by horse ass

I feel like the quality of our work in the ring is better, sooner. We waste less time futzing around, and Charlie seems to understand that if he just gets along with it, we'll be done in the ring sooner. This is kinda a nice change of pace from always feeling like we need to spend 40min+ in the ring no matter what, in order to ensure Charlie and I are getting an appropriate level of exercise.

Likewise, the major increase in hacking out has also had major benefits for Charlie. For the first time in basically.... ever, Charlie feels like he can maintain his pace and balance when trotting and cantering down a hill, vs speeding up. Like, it's obviously still a work in progress bc he's always gonna be a big awkward horse, but it's a noticeable change.

He's also getting a lot better about handling slight variations in the terrain. Little dips here, slight pitches there. I've always credited riding him out with helping teach him better footwork... but even now we're STILL seeing improvements just by getting out more often. His increased feelings of confidence on his feet translate directly into my own confidence in allowing him to be more forward on changing ground. Always a bonus haha!

it's a very itchy bum tho!!

More than anything else, tho, we really are already starting to see a difference in his fitness. Charlie was already a fit horse this summer -- definitely plenty fit enough for novice. But in a way it feels like a more holistic level of condition now. Especially when it comes to things like his willingness to pick up and go again after a break. Or his recovery time once a ride ends.

So even despite the heat, I think we've both been really enjoying this new approach to our rides. It's been a little while since our last lesson (the epic xc school at Windurra with Sally Cousins), but I'm eager to get back out there and see if all our work makes a difference there too. We'll see, hopefully soon!

Is there anything you do differently when it's very hot out? Do you still ride? If so, are there any extra steps you take to help your horse either before or afterward? Have you also found that an increased focus on conditioning work improves your horse's ability to do well in the heat? Or do you kinda figure that maybe the worst of summer is sorta like the worst of winter: the perfect time for a little break??