Week 56: When Horses Became a Lifestyle

                

                Riding is the kind of sport that takes over your life because, in all seriousness, it is impossible to truly be prepared for an event without investing a large amount of time. In a month I will be undergoing a surgery to correct a severe jaw disorder called TMJ and because of this surgery I will not be able to ride for up to 3 months. Just the thought of not riding for 3 months pretty much makes me feel lost. At what point did riding stop being a hobby and start being a lifestyle? I go to school because I want to be a horse vet. I go to work because I want to pay for my horse and for college. I spend time with friends because I like hearing about their horses. I online shop because my horse looks good in pink and I like to think I do too. At some point in the last 7 years riding stopped being something I did and started being something I lived. Do I regret that? Do I wonder how things would be had this not happened? I am not sure.

                I look around myself sitting on my high school benches and I realize a strange dichotomy; some sort of self-selecting separation of the students that I see every day. There are those with passions and those with interests. I see kids who play 3 sports a year. They cross-train and switch focuses with the changes in the seasons. When the snow starts to fall, the boys come in from the soccer fields and change into their basketball shoes only to play for a couple months and find their lacrosse sticks in spring. Sure, most of these kids have a favorite sport. They have a focus, an interest, an abiding love for one of the three sports. However, what makes that different from a lifestyle? When does something that you do, something that you love begin to overtake everything else?

                Every grade has a dancer, a horse girl, an actor, a dedicated musician and an ice skater. Please, forgive me for these generalizations but I fear that they do hold true. These students find a way to take their lives and mold them around the one thing they really love. They read books about it, write papers about it, dream about it, skip eating to act on it and they fantasize about a day when they can live it. They spend nights and days and even their time spent sleeping trying to find a way to rationalize why they can’t imagine living without their thing.

                I think back to my room at home: the ribbons on every ledge, the photos on every wall, the dressage tests tacked to cork boards. I think about how horses became the biggest part of who I am and who I will be. Frankly, I couldn’t tell you when the transition happened. When I stopped being a lesson kid and became a barn rat. When I stopped reading princess stories and started reading Heartland. What I can say is that, no, I don’t regret it and, no, this isn’t easy.

                The moment your life becomes horses is the moment that your life becomes both extremely rewarding and extremely difficult. The financial and emotional strain of owning horses can take a lot out of a person. Every day I walk into the barn and I see people that put everything aside to make horses part of their life. They struggle to make ends meet, they miss social functions, and they sacrifice sleeping in on Saturdays. To an outsider these people seem foolish, they seem nonsensical: why would you give up everything for horses?

                As an equestrian you give up a whole lot to gain an insurmountable amount of satisfaction. To those who laugh at your binder covered in horse stickers, to those who say that you will never be able to be happy and have a horse, to those who say that you will never find love, to those who say that you will always be poor, to those who say that you will never be part of the ‘real world’- you’re wrong. Sure, as equestrians we give up a whole lot. We pour every ounce of energy, money and dedication into what we do and at times it may seem like the return, or at least measureable return, is little. But there is one thing that equestrians have. We have horses.

                I am scared to get this surgery. I am scared that three months without sitting on my horse may actually cause me some form of bodily harm. How will I keep my thighs looking toned without my little bay horse? I ask. The reality is that no matter what, horses will still be here. I will be in the barn watching my horse be ridden days after my surgery and I will be every bit the control freak that I have always been (I am sorry Megan). The ribbons, the pictures, the old dressage tests, they will only remind me of what I have done and the person that horses have made me.

So what do you think? Is it really worth it?

Week 54: Humbling

I cant believe that I have owned Corofin for a year. The journey has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. While it would be easy for me to blog about all of Finn’s successes (there are lots of them!) I feel like this is my opportunity to talk about what I need to work on. Last weekend I took Finn to Plantation Field. After hearing that Boyd Martin (yes, that Boys Martin) was my dressage judge, I flew around the trailer with a wet rag, wiping down tack that I ought to have cleaned earlier and attempting to whiten the stains in Finn’s socks. Overall, the dressage went fairly well, giving us a 20.5 and a 6th place position. Then came stadium. It is no secret to my friends, family and trainers that show jumping is my least favorite part of anything. Normally my warm up is filled with nerve-induced exclamations that I am destined for failure. However, this show was different. Finn warmed up beautifully; easily finding the distances and getting his changes. In the ring he was VERY perky. This perkiness was only amplified by a flaw in my riding- my inability to sit down in the saddle and stay sitting. That said, we made it out with only one rail. Coming out of stadium I was super excited! We had made it to the best part and we might actually get a ribbon. Much to my dismay, Finn and I’s water issues returned with yet another elimination.

At first I was angry. I thought that I had let him down and worst of all, I thought maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough. Here is the thing about horses- they don’t care about you. I love Finn, more than anything, but at the end of the day he really loves grass. In the last year Finn and I have grown into a pretty great pair (can you tell that I am bias?) but that does not mean that things are suddenly perfect. OTTB’s are curious creatures. They possess the intellect to both learn quickly and outsmart you. They posses the athletic ability to both jump and stop a stride out. They also have the ability to force you to recognize your own flaws. No rider is perfect. No person is perfect. With horses, the moment you start thinking you are great, the first second that you allow yourself to say, “wow look how great this is” your horse will remind you that you are wrong.

The last year has given me a balanced confidence. I am no longer insecure about my riding (most of the time) and I finally feel like part of the barn team. I also understand that things are not always in my control, and with horses you can’t be cocky. I know that they next season will be a great one, with ups, downs and the occasional sideways. Over the winter I hope to work on my position and fitness (more on that next week). I also plan to make the blog weekly!

Week 46: Draining

                The last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster. There were cross-country schoolings, bit changes and an injury. So where to start? I feel inclined to start this post with a candid tirade discussion on biting horses. We have all been there- it is 98 degrees and you fly out of the start box; your horse is hunting the jumps and carrying a canter that is probably faster than you need. You sit up 5 strides out from fence one and try to half-halt and….crickets. Your horse ignores your leg and then ignores your hand and THEN proceeds to jump fence one out of a balance that sends your stomach rolling. Like many riders who rode dressage and hunters I have been taught that the snaffle is the only way. When I tried Finn out to buy I rode him in a boucher and he went beautifully. However, at that undeveloped stage in his training I made the decision to use a full cheek snaffle instead. For the first couple months of Finn’s training this was perfect! Finn went fairly well in this bit until he started to gain some muscle. I am the first person to tell people how calm my horse is and how well behaved he can be, however; a very fit 4 year old OTTB is a forward going horse. Finn loves to jump-sometimes just a little too much!

example A

                In some of my lessons we started to notice that Finn likes to put his head down and avoid the bit. When he does this, it normally results in him rushing the jumps and becoming very hard to adjust. We worked on gymnastics, half-halting with the leg and using turns to change the balance of my canter. Although all of those exercises definitely helped me, I decided that it was time to consider a different bit. Insert angry people complaining about riders using strong bits on horses. Insert berating comments about my riding ability. Insert people who believe my horse should be taken. Insert opinions that don’t really matter!  I have come to realize that doing anything with horses normally results in hours of questioning your decisions and feeling bad, even though it shouldn’t. If you type in any bit on Google™ you will find a Chronicle of the Horse Forum damning all those who use and enjoy that bit. Of course, being me, when my trainer and I decided to try out The Wonder Bit on Finn, I sat down to do some research. As you can imagine I was faced with a hard reality: many people know how to use the internet and post advice, however; not many people have advice and inputs worth sharing. Also, terms like stronger and softer are very subjective. The discomfort caused by a snaffle can surely match the discomfort of a gag bit depending on who is holding onto the reins.

Wonder Bit

                When I finally decided to try the bit I was happily surprised. Suddenly Finn’s balanced improved and he was more adjustable. Of course a stronger bit can’t replace good riding. I plan to keep using the new bit for jumping and spend more time developing better body position and reaction time in the saddle. Overall, biting horses comes down to safety, jaw/tooth anatomy, age and training (of rider and horse). I think it is very important to get your horses teeth done every 6 months and talk to the dentist about his opinion. I also think that it is unrealistic to expect 1 bit to always work for your horse over time, or Furthermore, for you to expect 1 bit to work for all three phases. Finn is currently ridden on the flat in a KK Ultra Loose Ring Snaffle and ridden over fences in a Wonderbit.

Wonder Bit in Action

                Furthermore, I had the opportunity to cross-country school Finn in the new bit. I can honestly say it felt a million times better. The distances and my riding both seemed much improved. Once I realized that I could set Finn up for a fence with much less bridle, I became far more comfortable letting him canter along without me constantly adjusting. My added confidence combined with his better behavior made the schooling great.

                This Monday Finn went out in the field with his friends like usual. On Mondays I am lucky enough to ride a friend’s horse so I normally give Finn a day off. The friend’s barn is close to BOW so I decided to stop in and give him his daily treats and neck scratch. I was shocked to find Finn with a bloody nose and swollen face. I quickly called the vet to make an appointment for the next day. When the vet got there the next day, she took the time to evaluate the scrapes and swelling to find that he was OK. While the vet was finishing up, my trainer noticed that Finn had a small scab. Upon removing the scab we found that Finn had a pretty serious puncture wound. Finn has been rehabilitating well with the help of a drain and lots of antibiotics, however; the vets are not sure how long it will be until he is able to compete again. I am keeping my Flora Lea entry for the end of September in hopes that things will work out!

Finn's Leg

                Our horses work so hard for us every day. 10 months ago, if someone told me that Finn and I would have completed 5 events and performed 7 dressage tests I probably would have laughed. Horses give us wings and for that we must give them the time to heal and the time to grow. I hope that this week off has provided Finn and I with a great bonding experience. Every day with horses is an adventure; the good, the bad, the scary and the gross- they make us better people.