If you compete horses, then you've no doubt had this pleasurable experience too.
I've encountered it ever since I started competing at about 6 years old, these people used to scare me back then, and they still do now!
But I also find myself thinking these days, " calm down dear!"
Storm kicked off his season after not being from the farm in over 6 months with a win!
It was an unaffiliated combined training comp (dressage & showjumping), he had the winning dressage score and jumped a lovely clear round showjumping.
This competition was meant as a good warmup for the area 20, combined training qualifiers held at Llanymynech at the end of March.
At 7.30am, my friend Clare and I were trucking our way to our first RoR Wales & Severn training session in Sweet Pea (my lorry), with our 2 x-racers on board!
It was a jumping session, and Alfie had only been from the farm once since September last year, so we were both so happy to be out and about, especially as we were strutting our stuff for the first time in all our new gear from ProSportive!
What bedding do you use?
Since I was maybe 14 years old, rubber matting was the way to go for us, with a teeny sprinkling of sawdust.
It works amazingly well, especially because my mum spent a lot of time, (and had far more patience than I), to train the horses to pee outside!
The stables were extremely clean and smelt lovely!
So naturally, when I had my own stables, and brought Storm with me who was already "toilet trained", I continued with rubber matting and a sprinkling of Shavings.
The difference for me was, i had horses coming and going every other week, therefore I didn't have the time to toilet train them ( or the patience).
Alfie had his first outing a couple of weeks ago after his awful accident, and I was so, so, proud of him, behaving superbly!
First outing since September, and only gradually brought back into work a couple of weeks before our lesson, this could usually spell disaster, in the way of "explosive Alfie", but ProSportive's Chill has done it again!
He was super doopa, a little fresh to start but quickly settled into the job asked of him, which was grid work organised by my local RC club Dolfor, with the fabulous instructior Janet Green.
Hello everyone
Well it's been a while since my last blog, when I told you about my last BE event of the season, and Alfie's accident where his whole future was left hanging in he balance! He had a nasty fall onto the road after jumping a gate when the hunt appeared and a horse rode by, twisting and rolling over, and sustaining bad cuts to his legs!
Hoping to continue Commanche Storm, aka Stormie's, amazing record this year of being in the placings and top 10 at every outing, bar just the one occasion, and I'm super pleased to say that he managed it again!
So Stormie and I kicked off with the quite respectful leaving time for once, of 6.30am, It was extremely foggy and autumn feeling, but luckily dry - and we are thankful for small mercies!!
Monmouth's courses were lovely as always, the ground was softer than it has been of late but still excellent going.
He did what I felt was a good test, we are quite spoilt nowadays, to always be in the top 5 after dressage, if not the top 3, so I was a little disappointed to discover...
Grooming your hose should be an essential part of your daily routine.
It’s a pleasurable experience for both and your horse, and an essential part of bonding, giving you the chance to focus just on him or her and spend time together.
It has a host of benefits too, including helping promote good circulation; it gives you the opportunity to spot any infections, cuts or abnormalities and treat them early and your horse will love the attention.
Grooming helps to encourage a healthy skin and coat and techniques such as strapping helps build muscle tone.
The best time to groom your horse is after you have ridden as the horse is warm and the pores are open and it’s easier to lift grease from the coat and remove loose hairs.
Equine stiffness is the bane of the horse riding world, being detrimental and frustrating for both the horse and its rider. It not only impacts on the health of the horse but is also likely to get in the way of your training and reduce your performance, so you'll no doubt want to tackle the problem and get you and the horse back on form ASAP.
First thing's first: don't panic. While you have every right to be worried, and getting emotional at the sight of your horse in discomfort is only natural, stiffness is actually much more common than you might think and may not be as serious as it looks. Plus, as it is such a big problem that so many riders experience, there is a wealth of useful information out there about how best to treat and prevent it, along with medical aids for quick relief...
Only pure active ingredients are packed into Triflex 100% to minimise clicking or stiff joints. Triflex 100% is a scientifically balanced formula of the 3 best nutraceutical products for healthy joint maintenance.
Pure MSM is a natural form of bio-available sulphur which is vital for the building of joints, tendons and ligaments especially after injury. MSM will aid in general health, flexibility & mobility in both the performance & veteran horse.
Pro-Power 100% helps build muscle, create top line, reduce fatigue and increase stamina. Horses that drop weight and find it difficult to build muscle, significantly improve when their diets are supplemented with Pro-Power.
ProSportive "Chill" helps reduce excitability and stress without detracting from the performance. Containing not only magnesium, but tryptophan and B vitamins this premium product will help reduce stress in all types if horses. Tried and tested from competition horse to cob, "Chill" allows you to get the best from your horse.