There are a lot of things I like about this equestrian blogging community. A lot.
I could go through the whole litany of what makes this corner of the internet special: easily networking with like-minded individuals, making new friends, and enjoying the community feel without so much of the drama and flaming that's all too prevalent in other social forums.
all photos are from 2016's Fair Hill International 3* cross country bc somehow I never posted them. sorry! hopefully you enjoy the eye candy to go with unrelated content! the above is Will Faudree and Pfun over the giant trakhener
For today, tho, I'm delving into something a little more specific. Namely, the benefit of "shared" experiences.
Phillip Dutton and I'm Sew Ready
You might remember last summer when I conducted a survey on rider safety as it related to gear and equipment. That survey netted some really cool results (posts here and here) but one thing was glaringly clear through the information gathered.
easy in over the A of the first water complex
As I wrote then, we are programmed to learn through experiences. We know what we have lived. And as our individual experience with horses grows, we naturally tend to give more weight to our own experiences, while discounting the likelihood of things that haven't already happened to us.
The more we have seen, the more we think we've seen it all.
then tidily through B and C
The main problem with that (very natural) mindset, as any veteran horse person would say, is that there's more to learn and experience from horses than can fit into any one single lifetime.
Lauren Kieffer up next with Landmark's Monte Carlo
A counter agent to that fact is this existing network of collective intelligence. It's mind boggling how much I've learned about the wider world of horses just from following along with so many bloggers.
For instance, eventing always seemed pretty cool to me - but also an entirely different world from anything I knew. As if it existed in another universe and I just saw the glossy magazine shots.
as expected, they made nice work of this too
But now? Even tho I don't do recognized eventing, I feel reasonably well versed in most aspects of the sport as a whole - and feel pretty confident and competent in my endeavors as a low level eventer. Following eventing blogs made the sport feel accessible, and my knowledge grew from reading all about everyone else's experiences.
Will Coleman & Soupcon du Brunet over the c element
Dressage in general and endurance in its entirety were also sports I knew existed, but nothing more. And now, after following bloggers in those sports for so many years - it feels like I can hold an informed conversation with riders from those worlds, or describe the sport to someone unfamiliar. And hell, maybe I even dabble a little bit myself.
And those are just two examples among many! Being totally honest here, I've actually learned more about the hunter jumper world since beginning to read blogs than when I was actually doing IHSA and all the local h/j circuits in college.
and galloping off with purpose
Likewise, I've learned all about the care of various wounds, illnesses, hoof care issues, or general maladies that tend to befall our beloved 4-leggers, but that I haven't personally had to experience.
Included in this is a surprisingly broad education on the many ointments, powders, tinctures and tonics that keep our horses happy and healthy. Despite having never personally used many of them myself.
Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, pre bloody mouth
And I've learned more about the typical sport horse life cycle too, as it relates to breeding, registries, trends, and types. Including how to research my own horse's pedigree.
Erin Sylvester and Campground into the coffin complex
Of course, we can't forget the gear either. If there's something this community is really truly excellent at, it's expanding the communal knowledge on the various attributes of rider apparel or horse equipment. Where to find a good deal, where to look for unbeatable quality.
over the ditch!
Perhaps most importantly, tho - from this wonderful community of horse lovers and riders, I've learned how to think more deeply about my own horse habit. My own needs and goals. And how to expand that knowledge into making informed choices about my riding - who I train with, how I advocate for my horse, and how to set us up for success.
and easy out over the brush at C
That's really where the rubber meets the road, right? How have I taken this communal knowledge, this equestrian blogger hive mind, and turned it into something real and valuable in my day to day life?
Madeline Backus and PS Ariana dropping into the main arena
Well. I found a team of trainers for my chosen sport. And another team of horse care professionals who are dedicated to keeping my horse in top form. The whole group has evolved over the past few years as circumstances changed - but all in all it's a surprisingly stable system. Even with changes in horses, and changes in farm residences.
They know me. Who I am, why I ride, what I want, and also what I need. And I trust them.
and making easy (if far away) work of those giant farmhouse corners
And that's the A Team, right? The group of actual paid professionals whose explicit purpose in my world is to guide and advise me in my pursuit of horse happiness.
Colleen Rutledge and Escot 6 on an easy gallop
Basically any critical question that I might have, any major decision I might weigh -- those are the folks I go to first. Ancillary to them are the many close horsey friends I've made over the years. The folks I know and trust, who know and trust me. Who understand my own little microcosm of horses. They are often a favorite sounding board as I weigh my options.
then up over some surprisingly tall and surprisingly upright offset vertical brushes
Which brings us back to this wonderful blogging community, and our collective intelligence. There are some things for which this community is invaluable at providing input and insight.
For most big things, tho, by the time I'm writing it out here as my own addition to the shared experience catalog - I've already decided on my course of action. I've already made my choices, determined what I plan to do for whatever outcome I hope to achieve.
more p dutty <3, I think here with Mr Candyman
It's actually fairly rare, then, that you'll find me looking for advice in that regard. Rather, the thing that keeps me coming back for more, the thing I want and enjoy the most from this community, is discussion of those shared experiences, of the various opinions weighing relative merits of different potential courses of action.
Marilyn Little again, this time with RF Demeter
Because we all know that old adage, "Ask two horse people and get three answers," right?
sporting their notorious black fleece bit guard
I kinda relish the knowledge that many of us will make different choices when posed with the same problem or conundrum. Sometimes the difference has to do with the type of horse we have: hot or quiet, sensitive or hardy, seasoned or very green. Or it has to do with our purposes, varied as they are. Or, ya know, our own personal non-horse lives (unthinkable, right? lol).
and the wonderfully named Clip Clop, ridden by Joe Meyer
Whatever the case tho - we all approach our choices with horses on the foundation of our own personal experiences, colored by whatever knowledge we've picked up elsewhere.
And even as I make my own choices based on the input from the professionals in my life, and my own opinions and experiences in my life with horses, I love hearing about how others have handled similar experiences themselves.
For this reason, I often like to end posts with questions for you readers and fellow horse people. Mostly I get really curious about your opinions, your discussion points: Have you had similar thoughts before? Have there been things you've picked up from the collective intelligence of this blogging community? Times when some seemingly random insight completely changed your perspective or gave you a huge 'aha' moment?
Or maybe there were times you felt differently - that to share too much information, or get too much input, actually made it more difficult to decide the course of action best suited to your purposes? Do you actively seek input or advice from the wider world of equestrians? Or do you tend to be more reserved in soliciting feedback from external or unknown sources? Does it depend on the situation?
My new barn is hosting their annual USEA horse trial this weekend and obviously Brita and I were happy to pitch in for all the preparations.
Riley makes sure we didn't miss any spots on this shadowy ditch
I've volunteered at this show a couple times in the past just as a matter of course. But obviously this year it's been neat to actually be around on the grounds such that I can be available to help out with various tasks.
pup's gotta case the perimeter to make sure we're clear to paint!
Like setting up the dressage courts. Obvi not a particularly complicated task. But somewhat fussy and time consuming. Unless there are lots of ppl. An extra set of hands there is always pretty welcome!
and now it's a tired hot pup in the truck's shadow lol
Then I got to enjoy the time previously spent packing the trailer and hauling Charlie over to OF by instead cruisin around the xc course in my truck with Brita and her puppy Riley.
no pup in this pic, but a good mirror shot of the level of buzzing activity
Just goin through, touching up some jumps - particularly sight and reference lines for the horses - and adding whole new coats of paint to others.
added some highlights to ye olde table
Couldn't have asked for a better day either. Mid 70s (waaaat?), strong breeze, low humidity and high sun. freakin perfect!
pup in water + pre-paint job fence
Turns out xc fences are pretty freakin easy to paint too - it's not like fine art or anything. You just slap the paint on and give it some good coverage.
fence after - much better!
I had already hacked around all the courses the evening prior with Charlie and am really excited by how they look. We'll be jump judging for the event itself today, and then fingers crossed everything goes as it ought in Charlieland over this coming week.
too bad Riley hasn't quite figured out the "retriever" part yet lol
Because the plan is to get out and school it all ourselves next week! Eeeee!! It's been so long since I've schooled xc with the horse, and actually something like a month and a half since he's even been to an event.
It's time haha. Who knows, maybe I'll even traipse out there to try out a few things sometime this week too. Ya know. Bc now I can!
Anyway I can also just feel my general excitement growing about being at the new place. Sure, it's farther from home. And sure my horse got us right out the gate with my biggest worry: a fussy injury (that has basically fully recovered already bc Charlie).
But it's SO COOL to finally actually be at a real event barn. To roll down the drive way and see folks doing real dressage in the ring. Or to see other riders wearing colorful gear and unconventional tack. Or no tack! I hadn't realized how out of place I had felt at the h/j place lol.
And now I'm happy to settle in at the new barn, helping out wherever I can, and hopefully making this barn really truly feel like home for me and Charlie. It's a good feeling!
Hope you all are having a good weekend too - any big horsey plans? Anything going on around the barn? Or is it more of a quiet weekend, folks on vacations and whatnot?
I occasionally struggled with Charlie's management team at his last barn. They're a hands on group - he got great care. But... sometimes it felt a tad... alarmist.
Like that time a month into ownership when he came in three-legged lame with a fat leg and the mgmt team were pretttttty convinced he had blown his suspensory. No easy task!
"who, me?" - charlie, probably
Charlie was fine tho - totally fine. Gave him some bute and wraps and stall rest and three days later it was as if nothing had ever happened.
"such woe.... oooh is that a mare?" (also: a couple folks have asked why i clip the cross ties so far back. it's cuz charlie has what i call a "busy head" - he likes to flip and fling it all around, while mostly keeping his feet still. so the clips give him more leeway to avoid any claustrophobic moment that could result in a break, something that's happened before)
And I would kinda get frustrated with the staff for coddling him a little bit. Like, we know he's a sensitive butterfly. We know he's gonna blow up if you look at him sideways. But he's pretty much always fine.
"why u do dis to me?"
So it's my turn to chuckle (ha puns) a little at myself now too. Bc I totally fell for the alarmingly fat leg this time. Zomg but cellulitis!!!
"oooh feels gooood tho bro"
After Charlie's evening of cold hosing, poulticing, wrapping, and drug munching, our new vet tacked him on to an existing appointment the next day. She wasn't really sure why I wanted her to look at him since I was already treating for cellulitis, but when I said the leg was steaming after cold hosing, she got right on board.
#nappin
Turns out tho. It ain't cellulitis. In fact, that whole "boot rub" thing was a total guise, a ruse. A distraction. Misdirection.
Sure the whole thing puffed up in anger.... and sure I noticed the swelling was somewhat localized (which was why I hoped it wasn't cellulitis).... But connect the dots, I did not.
the offending leg. much splint, very drama. or uh, something. MS Paint for emphasis lol
Surprise, it's a SPLINT! Betcha didn't see that coming!! Haha.....
Except actually, yea... this is kinda old news. He first popped that sucker back in February when a miscommunication with barn staff while away for work left him stuck in his box for way too fucking long. And he weaved himself right on into tizzy violent enough to whack his own splint bone.
freedom in a freshly mowed paddock - what's not to love?
He was basically sound throughout, and we only treated enough to get the swelling out before carrying on with life as usual.
ponies for neighbors (get it? neigh?? lol i'll be here all night folks)
This time tho, I had brought out the vet bc ain't nobody wanna fuck with cellulitis. So she gave us some of the good splint stuff. More drugs. Oral. Topical. All of 'em.
so majesty tho. i swear that long mane is super on trend too
But she also deemed him sound (not something I'm used to hearing vets say about Charlie LOL) and better off in turnout. So he got to escape the wraps and get right on back out again!
"yes hello there is a toll to cross these here roads, ma'am"
Naturally not without a little more fussing by me tho - he got lots of icing in our new(ish - bought a while ago but not yet used) Roma ice boots first.
Something he was..... kinda unhappy and almost spooky about. Right up until he started blinking heavily, licking and chewing, and then actually fell asleep. I guess it felt kinda good?
"carrots preferred, will settle for scritches"
Anyway tho, I'm basically equal parts relieved, and slightly humored with myself for falling for Charlie's patented "Zomg I'm dying!" routine. Stoic this horse is not, and I should know by now.
charlie loves dem ponies tho!
It's cool tho. I'll take a splint over some sort of massive infection any day. We'll continue the course of antibiotics I started him on anyway tho, just in case. But I'm pretty sure he's fine. The leg already looks basically back to normal - aside from some slight fill around the old-but-aggravated splint.
and a thistle. 'cuz why not
So he'll live another day! And I'm maybe slightly chastened by my eagerness to cry wolf at another one of Charlie's fat legs. Who knows, I might even pop on him for a congratulatory hack about the property this evening ;)
That makes it a happy Friday for me haha, hope it is for you too! Ever been really happy to be really wrong about your horse's health or care? Or been fooled by an oversensitive horse? Tho of course I know a few of you have the opposite problem of stoicism that never lets on about a problem until it's real bad. Oh horses, it's always something, right?
Charlie's a delicate princess. We know this. When I first got his fly boots, I joked with the staff at his last barn that we needed to keep an eye out for any rubs. Bc Charlie would absolutely be the horse to get some sort of minor rub that bursts into cellulitis.
nobody's favorite sight
Haha. We joked about this. But... Also it's true. Joke's on me, I guess...
yep, that's an angry leg.
The fly boots ultimately weren't the culprit tho. The new farm doesn't do boot duty for turn out / bringing in. But Charlie's also nearing the end of his viable shoe cycle while I still haven't solidified our farrier situation.
So... I took a gamble and left him with his bells on 24/7 for two days (whereas before he wore them only over night during turnout).
blehhhhhhhhh
This..... was a mistake. A poor life choice. Sigh. I'm sorry Charlie :(
still wearing shoes tho lol. but ugh look at that bumpy lumpy puffy RF :(
After wrestling intense traffic on my new and longer commute, exacerbated by heavy downpours, I found myself puzzled at seeing Charlie through his stall door. He has a silhouette on his left suspensory from an old 2011 lesion. But why was I seeing an odd shape to his right leg, not left?
liquid bandage so those rubs can get some air
And then, BAM, it hit me: the leg was fat as fuck. Totally blown up - and immediately I knew it was those blasted glittery green bell boots. Fml.
disregard my terrible wrap job. focus on charlies adorable bewhiskered nose instead <3
Poor guy. He seemed relieved to have me discover his little boo-boo. Tho maybe he didn't love the cold hosing as much. Which... I can't really blame him. The leg was steaming even after 20min with the hose. Like. It's angry.
mmmmm drugs. it's what's for dinner!
I kinda waffled a little bit on the right course of action too. Like sometimes turnout is a good way to help reduce puffiness.
But this leg kinda looks like it wants to morph into full blown cellulitis and ain't nobody want that. So I opted for lots of hosing, gentle cleansing, a liquid bandage over the wounds themselves (which are in reality quite minor), and standing wraps - complete with poultice on the offending leg. Plus, obviously, ALL of the drugs.
actually quite content!
Charlie, in turn, dutifully accepted my fussing and poking and prodding and hilariously deficient wrapping skills. It helps that there were treats involved. And upon receiving his special drug-laced dinner and hay bag? He seemed fully content to spend the evening in his double wide stall.
Poor guy. My fingers are fully crossed that he's just being a delicate butterfly and that tomorrow the swelling will be greatly reduced and he'll be well on his way to healing. In other words. I'm hoping that it's not cellulitis. Bleh.
At least he's still wearing shoes tho??? Ugh lol. Does anyone else out there have a delicate hot house flower that'll blow up if you look at them sideways? Or do you have one of those wonderful indestructible beasts of majesty?? (Isabel - sometimes I miss ya girl! lol).
We seem to talk an awful lot about the canter as a gait, especially for jumping. On one hand, we talk about a horse's natural ability in the gait. For instance: Charlie's canter is by far his best gait. On the other hand, we always hear a lot about developing that "perfect jumping canter" - the holy grail of any jump rider - regardless of the horse's natural way of going.
One of my trainers, Dan, is pretty convinced that nothing matters more for jumping than the canter. And that this canter is itself a product of good flat work. That, if you've done your homework and developed your canter - there are no "long spots" or "chip strides" in jumping.
Rather, the distances take care of themselves bc you've got a canter from which you can easily move up to a going distance, or balance to the base for a closer spot. That you don't need to "see your distance" if you've got your canter (while simultaneously, seeing your distance is 1000x easier from that canter anyway).
not in the bridle; not round overall: not a great picture
As a way of delving further into this topic, I've pulled out a couple reasonably representative photos of Charlie from the archives. None of these maybe constitute the epitome of what I'm trying to say - but they're all obviously quite realistic and hopefully can more or less demonstrate how I try to understand the canter for jumping.
Basically, the terminology that makes the most sense to me is having the horse "in the bridle." This is distinct from being "on the bit" - tho I address that in part somewhat separately as looking at the horse's general shape and way of carrying himself vis-Ã -vis "roundness."
not in the bridle; "round" only kinda joking here... bc round but behind the bridle is a great recipe for bucking lol
To me, the phrase "in the bridle" means a few things. Perhaps most importantly: The horse must be in front of the leg. There must be impulsion. And there should be a certain degree of shifting the horse's weight to it's hind quarters in preparation for jumping. An "uphill" quality.
It should feel, in some ways, like the horse is pulling you to the fence - but that they're not stiff, strung out, flat or rushing on the forehand in the process.
in the bridle; and round(ish) this to me is a very pleasant jumping canter
I bring up "roundness" as a somewhat separate element mostly bc I personally don't see it as a requirement for the "perfect jump canter." But I DO see it as a requirement for developing more lateral and longitudinal suppleness in the horse - something that IS absolutely necessary.
Especially in getting started with Charlie, it took me a while to figure out why the jumping could feel so terrible when he'd get all racey and over-enthusiastic. Finally - it occurred to me that it felt so crappy bc all our flat work (limited tho it was/is) would fly out the window and Charlie would get stiff as a 2x4, inverted and hollow.
And when you're strung out like that, it's basically impossible to see any good spot to the fence. Like, "is he gonna leap, is he gonna chip? who knows!" -- thus the many months of defensive, back seat riding by yours truly.
in the bridle; not classically round this picture, to me, is a good representation of what currently constitutes a good jumping canter for charlie
Once Charlie started really figuring out the whole "going on the bit" thing in our flatwork (something we're still very much working on), he was able to discover a new level of suppleness throughout his body. A way to stay soft in his body, soft to the bridle, even when moving forward and lengthening his stride, and even when I really push him up in front of my leg.
I don't necessarily think that a horse needs to be fully round and on the bit to have the perfect jumping canter - they've got to be able to see the jumps after all lol. But that established ability to be soft and supple, at least for me, is a critical component of being able to push the horse up in front of my leg and into the bridle while maintaining engagement and thrust from the hind end.
Does that all make sense? Do you think about the "ideal" jumping canter similarly? Or differently? Is there different terminology that makes more sense to you, or some other component not mentioned here that is of vital importance to you? Maybe you disagree with some of my examples or evaluations above?
Or perhaps you think this is way too overthought and that you just canter the horse and jump the fence? Or that the "ideal canter" varies widely by each individual horse or discipline?
Do you guys ever get tired of posts that are basically miniature photo albums of screen shots from our latest jump lesson?
I try to write about a broader variety of subjects.... but at it's heart, this blog serves an important role as my record of our training history, education, and progress. So.... especially when there's a lot of media to be had, I catalog basically everything for the sake of posterity haha.
pictured: covering. ground.
And. If I'm being totally 100% completely transparently honest here? I also just reeeeeeally enjoy looking at pictures of my horse looking like a good boy.
wheeeee jompies!
There's not a lot to write about the technical aspects of this latest ride. Charlie was fresh off nearly a full week of vacation while I was in SoCal for work. Plus we had legit just moved into OF about an hour ahead of the lesson.
i love that he's grown quite consistent in his form
Originally my plan was to show up as usual for the lesson - parking in the same place and everything, then just.... never leave haha. But when the forecast called for showers, I decided that trying to convince Charlie it was 'business as usual' was outweighed by my desire to stay under the cover of his new barn roof for saddling up and unpacking the trailer and whatnot.
look who's learning to land and turn!
You already know he settled well - he's traveled a lot with me, so arriving in a new place and saddling up for a ride isn't uncommon. We walked up to the ring with a lesson mate, and it was pretty comical watching Charlie realize as we walked from the barn to the arena that actually he knew where he was --- but just couldn't figure out how he got there lol.
easy over the oxers!
And of course, once we were up at the ring, he was in full on professional lesson mode. Trainer P didn't have us do too much since... ya know... the horse hadn't done anything in a week. But we just went ahead and cruised through the same lines from last week's lesson.
lol but ok, sometimes we still look kinda goofy. you know i can't just cherry pick all the best moments without throwing in some of the .... other moments too lol
Idk if it was the addition of a curb strap to our bridle (omg tho how many fucking straps can I put on this horse's beautiful face?!?), the cooler pleasant weather, or just his general changeable nature as a green horse - but he was an entirely different creature this week from last week.
it's cool tho. we are getting better about being able to *fix* mistakes too!
Actually kinda standing off a little bit from some of the jumps. Borderline behind my leg - but in a way where it felt kinda nice to put my leg on, and pretty easily doing the adds (even when unplanned haha) down the diagonal lines that had so troubled us the week prior.
ahhhhh i just <3 him so much tho!
Just nice simple smooth repetition. The jumps weren't quite as big as last week, but it hardly mattered. Charlie doesn't seem to care (so long as they aren't too too small bc homeboy's got #norespect).
jump huntin'
We then worked on a couple simple bending exercises - jumping over the in jump of a line, only to loop across the arena instead of going straight and catch another jump - basically inscribing a circle. A couple times I got a little complacent and would let Charlie get strung out or rushy - and it turns out that he's not backed off at all despite not actually knowing where he's going lol.
atta boy, charlie. atta boy.
But the moment I would sit back down again and remember to do my job of telling him where I wanted him to be... he'd just.... do it. Ahhh such a good feeling!
So ya know. It was a jumping lesson where we jumped stuff and had fun. I continue to be very pleased with the horse's development. He's often very different from week to week - but there's still a general trend, a consistency to how he goes. Every week he feels a little more confirmed in what he can 'do.'
And I feel a little more secure in my knowledge of what he needs from me as a rider. Obvi I don't always get it right.... but knowing is half the battle, right?
