Summer in the Saddle

If you've been looking for a sign... this is it: summer is flying by, so go ride!

Another very hot, humid season with several weeks of greenhead fly activity from now until mid-August means our schedule once again changes: early AM turnout and turn in with earlier workouts, and more attention on energy levels, nutrition, and hydration strategies for horse and rider. I decided to forego driving entirely from the beginning of this month until mid-late August, as the potential of a driving wreck due to my poor horse being tormented by biting flies is enough to make me reconsider my training plan. We are already acclimated to hard work in this heat, which is the other big threat, but horses can become desperate to get away from the flies. This farm does not offer night turnout, unfortunately, which could be a good option for maintaining healthy movement. Working only in our indoor arena is no guarantee either, as the flies will find us there as well. Instead of driving, we have been riding almost every day this month. I can fight flies from the saddle, and sit out a fly-induced bolt or buck, but regaining control from the cart in that situation seems like a fast trip to hell: let's not. In late August, when the greenheads finally sweep out to sea to drown in the bay, never to return for the rest of the season, I can dust off the harness and cart and return to driving as planned. I'm sure Levi will remember; he's in great shape right now from all the riding we're doing, and we've made much progress. I can't wait to write about it.

One constant challenge is managing an easy keeper during lush pasture season. I have been introducing changes into Levi's diet carefully; as his fitness improves and training becomes more demanding, his need for specific nutrients and calories in the form of high quality forage is increasing also, but potential insulin resistance is always in the background. He is prone to metabolic syndrome due to breed/genetics, and while fortunately he shows no signs of insulin resistance, he is always rather round and I am vigilant about his condition during this time of year in particular. He was turned out on a low-quality grass paddock with mostly weeds and clover to pick through, and receives second cut hay in a standing slow-feeder when in the barn at night. I learned a while ago that feeding in hay nets can cause the horse to develop imbalanced musculature and mobility in the neck, due to how some horses interact with the nets, and this can create problems for the horse in training. Instead, standing slow feeders allow the horse to eat in a normal position while slowing the rate of hay consumption. He usually has hay left in his feeder every morning, which is a good sign. Since last year, I've also adjusted the ratios of copper, iron, and zinc in his diet via supplementation; the soils in this region are very high iron-content as is the hay we feed, so accounting for iron load is important for metabolic and general health, particularly for horses prone to insulin resistance. Keeping the horse fit is critical, but restricting access to calories by limiting hay and foraging introduces stressors that seem to cause worse problems, particularly behavioral. Instead, I manage his body composition through daily physical work with lots of time (at least six hours daily) and space for movement in turnout, keeping him mostly on grazing spots with poor quality clover (legume) and weeds instead of the nicer grass-filled pastures. I allow selective grazing for brief periods of time after tough workouts.

A tough workout is usually an hour of riding and schooling at all three gaits, covering 3-4 miles or more, which we do several times per week. Afterward, he gets electrolytes in a bucket of water (which fortunately he enjoys - some horses refuse to take electrolytes this way) and about 30-60 minutes of grazing where he likes before going inside or returning to turnout with the herd. He looks round and dappled, but he's strong and fit despite his appearance.

At this point, excluding total time off, Levi has been working with me under saddle for about 8 months, with at least two workouts per week, ramping up to riding several times a week for up to an hour. We started working with an instructor last Fall and have continued, making great progress. He now has a solid foundation with three good gaits, understands transitions, responds to rein, leg, weight, and seat aids (in addition to driving aids that can be translated under saddle), is beginning to understand collection and articulation of movement, and is generally absorbing his lessons under saddle like a sponge. What's missing from that sentence are mentions of higher level training such as dressage-specific movements, performance based metrics or competitions, jumping, and similar. This may not seem like incredible progress compared to other horses at his level, but consider this not a competitive performance training environment but rather the goal is to produce a healthy, happy, well-adjusted equine partner capable of understanding his job and consistency at any level. This approach is for the benefit of my horse. Going this slowly for so long, and being very deliberate and thoughtful even about minor details, I admit that it's sometimes tempting to give into FOMO, particularly when others seem to be achieving so much more with their horses in the short term, but I try to remind myself why I'm doing this, and what it is accomplishing. Ignoring social media has been not only helpful but apparently revolutionary (join the resistance today!).

On that note, I think he's really shaping up to be something special as a saddle horse. Over time, he has become steady enough in executing balanced movement that I can even sneak in a bit of time to work on my own riding, with him! Lately, my workouts have included more stirrup-less work, which both Levi and I prefer. This makes sense considering that this is how I started him last year - in a bareback pad and no stirrups. He responds much better to leg and seat aids without stirrups, as I think my leg is in a more natural position that way. Our jumping saddle, which I do like, puts me in a more forward position while my leg naturally wants to hang straight down, and I am sometimes fighting to not have a 'chair position' with my feet in the stirrups. The video clips below are from a recent workout; I usually ride without stirrups during our warmup and warmdown (warmup shown in the video immediately below) and it is often so comfortable that I lose track of time and may ride for 20 minutes or longer before reluctantly taking my stirrups back. I am proud of Levi's progress in his upward transitions; the responsiveness has really improved, particularly in the trot. Again, this is probably nothing special to brag about considering how many photos and videos on social media are showcasing glossy babies flying over jumps and winning dressage competitions and being fire-breathing over-achievers at ages 3, 4 and 5... if you're thinking so what, I get it. But this is just for us, and these moments are fleeting. Someday, I will look back on them and smile, thinking how willing and kind he was even as a young horse starting his training.

Finally, the best news is that we have conquered the canter! Well, maybe not declared 100% victory, but we are mostly there, and in comparison to where we began, the progress is night and day. Levi still has a hard time picking up the right lead and keeping his balance to the right, and I have to alter my position a bit to keep him from falling in. This is typical young horse stuff. However, he is light years ahead of what this right canter departure used to look like, so I am very pleased with his humble achievements. It's now pleasant to ride his canter, and I look forward to the "thrilling" occasion that he throws a good hand-gallop in my direction. I'm looking forward to the day he's moving at a fast enough clip that I lift naturally into two point and sail right along with him. The most positive change that I like best is of course the shift in attitude that goes along with teaching him that he can do something really difficult for him. Once he owns a movement, it becomes hardwired, although as you can see in these clips below, it takes a lot of motivation and patient repetition to keep the momentum and not break back down into the trot. Even if we only ride for 30 minutes, I always ask for a little bit of canter, even just a lap or two around the arena. Lately we are shortening the break period between canter sets, asking for more energy here and there. Here's how it looks in the clips below; beware, this is not great movement, nor great riding. It's just a reflection of results of the tiny remedial steps in the long process to build up a horse from blank slate to been-there-done-that.

I want to revisit this post later to see if there's anything I forgot - I suspect I have, so will edit this tonight hopefully - but for right now, I'll publish it so I can take my own advice, and go ride.