If you clicked on this thinking I was going to give you some wonderful wisdom about making horses and this sport affordable, you are going to be severely disappointed. And while there are some things that save money it really is all relative and, let's face it, horses are incompatible with a life filled with fine wine, food and travel unless you have a small fortune of your own. And you probably shouldn't control it because it will just result in more expensive horses and equine related purchases. ...
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| no regrets though |
So, yeah, I got off on a little tangent there. Sorry.
Anyway, this is more about riding in this heat and making training sessions short and economical in terms of training. With the heat and humidity resulting in high temperatures I'm finding I can usually one get one ride in and for only about 30 minutes.
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| Cordelia waiting for me to fill the pool |
It's made me more focussed and spending much less time fussing. Instead I get on and we get on with it. Of course Quaid still requires a few minutes of groundwork. Or I do. But whatever. Knowing that we have limited time means that I can pick a few things to work on and so I need to prioritise. With Quaid I'm keeping the focus on forward, straight and our walk/trot transition. It is improving but it takes some concentration. He has a habit now of lifting his front and hopping into the trot rather than pushing. He does it when lunging so it's not just me causing it. I need to make sure we have a marching walk and then ask him to pick up the trot. If he tries to do it fast he'll launch so I let him have the time to sort out his feet and not get after him to respond quicker. The nice thing is that when I correct him he figures it out.
Today I noticed that he was getting distracted and even spooked. I realised that I was not occupying his interest enough so I needed to be asking more. As soon as I did that he flipped his focus back to me and we carried on with a good ride. Quaid minds the heat more than Carmen. And the deer flies really bother him. As soon as they start swarming I try to finish up pretty quickly so I'm not torturing him. I haven't put his fly sheet on because it's so hot.
With Carmen I've been focussing on her responding to my half-halts. A lot of the time she'll completely blow them off and lean on the bit. As soon as Jane dialled in on this for us I realised how much I was letting her decide if she wanted to rebalance or not. So now I'm not and she's not always happy with me even though she's a lot more balanced. Funnily enough, since I've been working on her rebalancing our canter-walk transitions have improved tremendously.
After our rides I hose her off and let her graze while I put her tack away. When she's ready to go back in the field and I'm not done she'll come in and find me.
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| Carmen: I have to do everything around here! |
Carmen doesn't mind the heat as much as Quaid does so we sometimes finish hot and sweaty. Which is why I typically have only ridden one of them. Today I rode both because it was cloudy. By the time I was done with Carmen I had to peel off my breeches.
I've been enjoying the short, focussed rides a lot. No more endless walking and seeing if Carmen feels ready to trot. We walk, and then get on with it. I think she likes it better too, but it's Carmen so I'm reading between the lines here.
How have you been dealing with the heat?
ha! it's like we're on the same wave length! i'm really appreciating having a somewhat external (if not quite artificial) pressure to stay focused and efficient. it's really helping me think more clearly about, "what exactly do i want from the horse?" and then be quick to recognize and reward a good effort
ReplyDeleteExactly. I think it’s a good training approach
DeleteWell.... hiding in the AC in the house during the majority of the day and doing chores/having horse time an the early hours and in the evening. Still have nothing to ride until after Gussie foals so it's all about just spending time with them, lovin' up on Theo who will be going back to kindergarten once Ruby leaves. And endlessly pursuing hay for sale ads. Oh- and having ice cream every day!
ReplyDeleteI like your routine and how the heat has made you and the horses just get down to business.
I love ice cream. Like seriously love it. You forgot to mention playing with kittens.
DeleteIt's been on and off super hot here but that is normal for a Midwest summer. Electrolytes for horse and rider both, early morning rides with Ecovet spray AND regular fly spray, more concentrated rides with longer walks between bigger efforts, and some target training to end things does it for us. Honestly, it's been a good time to drill down into canter work...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a great system in place.
DeleteI've had entire lessons with J that were as short as 20 minutes (not counting cool-down time, obviously). I think shorter, more economical sessions really reduce the mindless drilling that can make dressage so miserable!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteI won't deny that I'm not missing getting dressed up in boots and a helmet in this heat! I've spent a lot of time at my parents house, which my mom keeps freezing cold with central air conditioning, then heading out to the barn at about 8pm to quickly deal with horses. We still have a couple of hours of daylight left at that time so it's still pretty warm but slightly more bearable. The horses haven't been getting much done with them other than food and fly spray, but I don't think they care at all.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure they are pretty happy
DeleteAdmiring you getting out there! I've been getting things done at 7:00am or 9:00pm and pacing myself the rest of the day :)
ReplyDeleteSmart!
DeleteI am not a fan of this heat. I’m working with Tweed in the morning, after his breakfast, every other day. I want our sessions to be short, but they go as long as they go, and it usually causes us to continue into the heat. Once it starts hearing up around here, it heats up fast! We’re coming into extreme heat this weekend, and I won’t work him during that period. The sweat and the flies are just too much, and it’s not fair to him. I’m hoping for a mild August.
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather eases up soon.
DeleteWe've been lucky in that there seems to always be a good breeze at my place despite the heat. Our rides are generally about 30 minutes and that's including extra walk breaks when it's oppressively hot. Oddly enough, my fat horses seem to be handling the weather pretty well, but it's Al that I have to be a little more careful with. He sweats, but not as well as I'd like, and he's so dark that if it's sunny it really bakes on him. But we're making do. I personally prefer the heat to the cold, so I'm not allowed to complain if it's hot out. I whine a lot all winter. A LOT.
ReplyDeleteThe breeze is so helpful. I too prefer the warmer weather.
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