This is me riding Ty in a lesson the other day. Ty is a 19 year old I2 dressage horse, so he knows what he’s doing. I had a 2 hour “seat lesson” with my instructor where we did many exercises and stretches (isometrics) to help me redevelop and improve my dressage seat. Ty is very picky about contact, so we weren’t worried too much about that. This was the sitting trot at the end of my 2 hour lesson. Thank you for any input you have!
Hey y’all, so I’m at college and my mare is at home, so she’s been out of work for a couple months. She loves jumping, but I know she’s not fit to go do a course right now, and I don’t want to risk injury either.
I was wondering what is an effective way to get her fit for jumping? (Note: as far as flat work goes, we do dressage–she’s trained to 2nd level–so I will obviously do all of that to get her in shape on the flat) I’m wondering when I should start jumping her and what I should start out with so she’s fit enough to move up.
Here is a video from a few days ago (a couple days after I got home from college). Sophie was really great for me! I was also able to ride the entire time (a bit over an hour) with out my back brace! All comments and critiques are appreciated, and for those who aren’t familiar with Sophie she is a 2nd level dressage horse with some history of jumping in her earlier years (she’s 12), and I’m thinking of maybe testing out the water in some hunter/eq rings?
Thank you!
I thought I would share this article from The New York Times about drugs in the horse world. I know that all of us on this site are against this sort of treatment of horses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/us/ponys-death-draws-notice-to-drugs-in-show-ring.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
(Skip to :15 seconds)
So here is some video from my ride on Sophie today. She’s a 2nd level dressage horse, and I’m a rider in the middle of a million changes and I don’t know what I am yet/anymore! Pure jumper gone eventer gone dressage gone “hunter/eq”. I’m on the IHSA team at my college, so I’ve been trying to ride Sophie more “huntery” for practice.
What do y’all think? Can she be a hunter? Can *I* be a hunter/eq rider? Thoughts? Thank you!
I’m looking to try out some hunter/eq shows this season, just to dabble in it and continue with what I’m doing in college now. I was wondering if anyone knows of some good trainers in New England who could give me and my horse lessons a couple times a month? I’m located in the seacoast NH area but am willing to travel an 1hr to 1.5hrs.
Thank you!
Sophie was lame for a few weeks, and thus had a few weeks off from being ridden. I have been in college for the past 3 months, so this was my 2nd day of vacation and my 2nd time riding her in 3 months. I spent most of the summer focusing on dressage, but I am on my schools IHSA team and am thinking about trying out the hunter/eq. ring next year. I know my heels are up in this video, I spent the rest of the ride working on that. How do you think Sophie and I would do if we were to try out hunters or equitation?
Thank you!
So my horse, Sophie, is a 12yo OTTB mare and is a very hard keeper. She use to get 3 “scoops” (I believe 1lb. each?) of 3% fat grain per meal and 2lbs. beet pulp per meal, plus 4 flakes of hay (slightly grassier) per meal. This was barely enough to help her maintain her weight. I wanted to put her on a higher fat grain. I went off to college, barn manager did not communicate with me despite my efforts, and I came back the other day to see that she now gets 2 scoops of decade complete diet 13 (13% protein, 3% fat) per meal and 1 scoop hay stretcher per meal. She’s SO skinny. I threw her some extra flakes of hay the past two days, and she has pinned her ears and attacked it like there’s no tomorrow. She NEVER did this before.
Anyway, I’m moving her to my house until a stall opens up at a good friend’s barn. We picked up all the feed brochures today and looked through different options from different brands. I’m thinking about maybe the decade eventer 10:10 from poulin, the equi-pro performance 10:12, or the equi-pro fibre max (12% protein, 14% fat, 20% fiber). Given Sophie’s situation, and your experience, does anyone have any suggestions? I’ll also be talking with the vet. I just REALLY want Sophie to put some more weight on before it gets even colder!
Here’s what she looks like as of today, you can see her ribs even though she’s very fluffy…
So the vet came out on November 2nd to take a look at Sophie because she was lame in her front right. Vet said probably an abscess, so my dad has been soaking and wrapping her foot per the vet’s instructions (I’m 1000 miles away in college). Nothing has come to the surface or burst yet, Sophie is still lame but apparently about 70% better than she was November 2nd. Also, it is possible (though I don’t know for certain) that she had been ridden for a day or so prior to her lesson on October 31st, when the instructor pointed out that she was dead lame and the rider couldn’t feel it at all.
I’m wondering if it’s normal for an abscess to take 2+ weeks to resolve? And if riding a horse with an abscess would make it take longer for it to resolve? My dad has been in contact almost daily with the vet, so we might have her out again and maybe do xrays or something.
Lastly, if it is just an abscess, how long after the horse is no longer visibly lame or sore does it take for them to be 100% sound again?
This is me and my OTTB mare, Sophie, riding back in July. I’ve been at college since August, so I haven’t ridden her in a while, but I’m on the IHSA team at my school and feel like I’ve improved a lot! This summer I spent a lot of time working on dressage (Sophie is trained through 2nd level, and I worked with a dressage trainer who competes at the FEI grand prix level and has a number of school horses at that level, too). IHSA is hunt seat equitation, though, so I’m curious to get some input on that. I’ve always ridden with event trainers, so this is pretty new to me.
Sorry the photo is a bit dark and my lower leg is cut off, but I was hoping I could get some input on my upper body position? Thank you so much!
