With lockdown still ongoing I really wanted to do something fun. Our options are limited at the moment and that’s fine. We’re luckier than most with lovely fields to be in and horses to care for. But I was still craving a bit of variety. Hence on Sunday morning I got up before Dan made a picnic and declared it Pony picnic day.
We had sandwiches, cake, cookies, fruit, orange juice and crisps while the ponies had carrots, apples for bobbing, Baileys tasty treats and ‘pony squash’ (Aqua aide electrolyte in their water bucket). We took out books and a blanket into the field and enjoyed an hour of relaxing in the sunshine with the horses.
We discovered Qantas likes cheese and pickle, Azid is relentless when it comes to breaking into treat buckets, Tissy is happy just to relax, the geldings would like to learn to read and lying down with your horse is one of the most wonderful experiences ever!
Trotting up is such an important skill to have as an endurance rider. You have to pass a trot up to start the ride, continue out on loops and to complete at the finish. I find getting into a routine with my horses, where I stand, what I do, how I breath, really relaxes them in what can we a stressful environment. With adrenaline running high and lot’s of people around you want to make it as easy and relaxed as possible so that you get the best results.
My trot ups aren’t always perfect, sometimes they just don’t want to expend the energy following a silly human up and down a lane. Sometimes watching the helicopter land outside the vetting is just too exciting to remember to stand still and put their head down for the heart rate to be taken. Nobody is perfect, sometimes we may do the perfect trot up, sometimes it may look like you haven’t got a clue what you’re doing, that’s life.
Here are some of the tips and tricks I have learnt in my 22 years of Endurance riding. I have trotted up shetlands (Yes, an actual 38inch shetland), Welsh cobs, Section A’s and Arabians, they all learnt the same and did the same with a bit of training.
Teach a command to start the trot, I use my voice, some use body language, turning the horse or swing the end of a rope. Although the rope thing isn’t my personal choice I think it looks a little bit unprofessional and like the horse doesn’t want to go, but that’s just my opinion and it works well for lots of people.
Hold the rope long and loose, vets are not stupid, you can’t mask lameness by holding the head and if you’re holding on too tight it turns the horses head towards you, making the trot wonky.
Run beside your horse not in front so that the vet gets a full clear view of the horse and you’re less likely to be asked to trot again because they couldn’t see.
Decelerate quickly at the ends, the last thing you want is to show a slow, lazy horse dragging its feet.
Make a wide turn in walk at the top. It gives you time to collect yourself if you have an exuberant pony on your hands. A tight quick turn at trot can sometimes make your horse look stiff.
Look straight ahead and smile, you’re meant to be having fun after all. The vets are not there to catch you out or spoil your fun. They are there to look after your horse!!!
What are your top tips and tricks and how do you train your horse for vettings?
Because I’ve been riding less we’re doing lots of different things to keep the training going. We have a super steep hill outside the yard and it’s perfect for doing some glute and core work for me and the horses! I’d love to buy a Procore Trainer from Thermatex (https://www.thermatex.co.uk/thermatex/pro-core-trainer-1.html) but at the moment we’re saving money, so I made one of my own with what I already had, just used a sewing machine to add some webbing loops to a numnah and tiny clips to attach some theraband.
I’m keeping myself entertained by getting one random job a day done at the yard, and as usual there’s the poo-picking to be done!
In the UK we’ve been in Lockdown due to the COVID-19 Pandemic for 4 weeks now. Dan, my partner has been furloughed and I’m working from home. Due to boredom and the fact that Youtube videos and blogs have been keeping us entertained we decided to start our own. It keeps Dan entertained videoing and editing and I like the idea of creating the content I wish existed for me to watch. I’m an Endurance rider and there just isn’t very much content out there. I am in no way an expert, what I do isn’t what I think everyone else should be doing. But I love watching equestrian videos, and having an insight into how other people look after and train their horses. So I thought, I love writing, Dan loves filming, we’re always doing something, why not give it a go.
So here is the first of our efforts. I’m only hacking once a week at the moment, instead of the 4-6 times I would under normal non-pandemic circumstances. This is because I want to reduce the risk of injury to myself, so I stay away from A&E. Instead I’m doing lots more ground work, lunging, long reining, liberty and functional training. So our one hack a week has become quite precious and something I really look forward to.
Beth Endurance 