Ode to warm up rings
Hauled over to the UNH dressage rings to ride in the large warm up ring last night. I don't give that ring enough coverage here. It's large of course, because it's the warm up for various equestrian activities held at UNH, from dressage warm up to cross country warm up and everything in between. It's large enough to handle everyone from the lowliest training level rider practicing up and down transitions on a 20 meter circle, to the upper level divas and divos working the kinks out of their canter zigzags and two-tempi changes. And everyone else in between. When the ring is used as warm up for the cross country phase of the spring and fall horse trials, it's actually less crowded and even slightly less hazardous than for the dressage; at most there are 5-8 horses, riders shortening and lengthening canter and gallop strides, and popping their mounts over the standard 3 warm up fences in the middle of the ring: a cross rail, a vertical, and an oxer, all adjusted to the appropriate height and configuration for the division for which they are used.
Yeah. Pandemonium. But when the one or two or three of us Misfits haul over to the rings to school, the warm up is large and inviting with great footing. Gone is the dry, dusty, rock-strewn footing of a decade ago; nowadays the warm up is watered and has had shredded rubber added in, and the rocks completely removed. With all the nitpicky postural, accuracy and riding minutiae we worry about for the hour or so we school our horses, we never spare the footing a second thought. So there you go, a little appreciation for the UNH warm up ring.
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I think I've narrowed down the possible causes of Clover's extreme fussiness under saddle. At first I chalked it up to me all of a sudden getting on and riding, instead of Katrina, and figuring Clover just preferred Katrina's style. Then I panicked about the possibility of Clover hating the new treeless saddle, which I up til then believed impossible. But after having ridden her both bareback and in the new saddle, as well as my jumping saddle, I think it's down to mare issues. Typically mid-to-late summer is when Clover demonstrates the relative discomfort of her estrous cycle by being hollow, short strided, and cranky when under saddle. Christine brought up the possibility that Clover may be cycling hard as a result of having had two courses of Regumate last month for the two events she was ridden in. When mares who have been dosed with Regumate to suppress their heat cycle symptoms for comptetions are taken off of it, they tend to have a whopper of a heat cycle the next time they cycle.
So, I think it's just coincidence and the result of dosing that I get on Clover regularly again for the first time since early last winter that I'm having these issue with her undersaddle. The good news is that once I get myself organized and suppress any tension-causing frustration, things tend to go better with Clover eventually starting to stretch over her topline, well enough that I'm encouraged to keep trying and working through it until either the cycles lessen in severity and/or the mare herbs I ordered in Clover's Smart Pak kick in and she is more comfortable. I started her on Smart Pak supplements this weekend, and as well as the MSM she'd been on, I put her back on E/Sel and the Regulate herbal remedy mentioned above.
The new saddle helps immensely in that it puts me into the correct, balanced position without forcing me; I just have to sit in the saddle and relax. Now that I'm not fighting to get into proper position, and I can actually start to relax, that comes through and helps Clover become more supple and comfortable under saddle. Also, having ridden Mico has taught me to be more effective with my seat; the legs aids are coming along and believe it or not, my shoulder/arm/hand aids are slightly improved.
All this adds up to me feeling encouraged and motivated to ride again. I'll have at least 2 more years of Keane maturing until I even think of putting a leg over his back; why not see what I can do with Clover in terms of training/nutrition to make her comfortable enough to maybe think about going Novice again with an eye towards Training ... like I have been talking about for years but unable to commit the time and training to achieve. Horses that were in my Beginner Novice divisions three and four years ago are now going Training and even Prelim. Clover may not have the speed or scope for Prelim, but I still believe we can school Training and test the waters in some schooling events to see where we stand.
But for right now, my focus is on staying motivated, or failing that, committing myself to a serious 5-6 day a week training schedule once the weather improves next spring, including conditioning, which has always been a struggle with a heavier built, non-TB. For the winter I'm shooting for 3 days a week.
Yeah. Pandemonium. But when the one or two or three of us Misfits haul over to the rings to school, the warm up is large and inviting with great footing. Gone is the dry, dusty, rock-strewn footing of a decade ago; nowadays the warm up is watered and has had shredded rubber added in, and the rocks completely removed. With all the nitpicky postural, accuracy and riding minutiae we worry about for the hour or so we school our horses, we never spare the footing a second thought. So there you go, a little appreciation for the UNH warm up ring.
*
I think I've narrowed down the possible causes of Clover's extreme fussiness under saddle. At first I chalked it up to me all of a sudden getting on and riding, instead of Katrina, and figuring Clover just preferred Katrina's style. Then I panicked about the possibility of Clover hating the new treeless saddle, which I up til then believed impossible. But after having ridden her both bareback and in the new saddle, as well as my jumping saddle, I think it's down to mare issues. Typically mid-to-late summer is when Clover demonstrates the relative discomfort of her estrous cycle by being hollow, short strided, and cranky when under saddle. Christine brought up the possibility that Clover may be cycling hard as a result of having had two courses of Regumate last month for the two events she was ridden in. When mares who have been dosed with Regumate to suppress their heat cycle symptoms for comptetions are taken off of it, they tend to have a whopper of a heat cycle the next time they cycle.
So, I think it's just coincidence and the result of dosing that I get on Clover regularly again for the first time since early last winter that I'm having these issue with her undersaddle. The good news is that once I get myself organized and suppress any tension-causing frustration, things tend to go better with Clover eventually starting to stretch over her topline, well enough that I'm encouraged to keep trying and working through it until either the cycles lessen in severity and/or the mare herbs I ordered in Clover's Smart Pak kick in and she is more comfortable. I started her on Smart Pak supplements this weekend, and as well as the MSM she'd been on, I put her back on E/Sel and the Regulate herbal remedy mentioned above.
The new saddle helps immensely in that it puts me into the correct, balanced position without forcing me; I just have to sit in the saddle and relax. Now that I'm not fighting to get into proper position, and I can actually start to relax, that comes through and helps Clover become more supple and comfortable under saddle. Also, having ridden Mico has taught me to be more effective with my seat; the legs aids are coming along and believe it or not, my shoulder/arm/hand aids are slightly improved.
All this adds up to me feeling encouraged and motivated to ride again. I'll have at least 2 more years of Keane maturing until I even think of putting a leg over his back; why not see what I can do with Clover in terms of training/nutrition to make her comfortable enough to maybe think about going Novice again with an eye towards Training ... like I have been talking about for years but unable to commit the time and training to achieve. Horses that were in my Beginner Novice divisions three and four years ago are now going Training and even Prelim. Clover may not have the speed or scope for Prelim, but I still believe we can school Training and test the waters in some schooling events to see where we stand.
But for right now, my focus is on staying motivated, or failing that, committing myself to a serious 5-6 day a week training schedule once the weather improves next spring, including conditioning, which has always been a struggle with a heavier built, non-TB. For the winter I'm shooting for 3 days a week.
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