Tag Archives for grooming

The Latest Show News

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After yesterday’s pre-show antics, I feel I must add another definition to my last post.

Definition #5 – An involuntary spasm of a muscle when one’s horse acts like a fool.

So Sunday dawned with clouds in the sky and a drizzly rain falling – fingers were crossed that we’d have no heavy rain showers.  We headed out to the barn to put the finishing touches on Ike’s braids and to get the trailer hooked to the truck.  Ike was peacefully grazing when we arrived and decided that grazing would be his chosen activity for the day.  When I went to retrieve him for grooming, he decided to be the gingerbread man, as in “Run, run, as fast as you can!  You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!!!”  Aaarggghhh!  Really Ike?!  He trotted, and pranced, and galloped and bucked, and almost ran into the fence as he came to a sliding stop.  The bucket of grain was not even tempting enough to stop the silliness.  Ms. C finally caught the stinker with an armful of fresh cut hay.  As if running wasn’t enough, he had also practiced his Stop, Drop, and Roll technique to plaster mud on the left side of his body.  Cool.  The best I could do was smear it around and wait for it to dry.  I could feel my neck muscles beginning to tighten and threaten to throb and tick.  Deep breath.  The day will get better.

And the day did get better.  We arrived at the show with plenty of time to spare.  Warm up went smoothly and I was lucky enough to meet a fellow blogger Geri who was at the show with a friend!  How awesome was that!  And Geri was kind enough to video our first ride (which was the better of the two), so for your viewing pleasure:  Alison and Ike – Training Level Test 2:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QghrZad7wa4

We received a 65% and fourth place.  Now I need to spend some time comparing the video to my score sheet, but even without that analysis, I can see the difference in the 7 trot and the 6ish trot.  Not quite sure what caused Ike to scoot down the long side after the right lead canter transition, but luckily we recovered soon enough to attempt our circle.  Judge wants more half halts (surprise) – I want Ike to listen to more of my half halts.

Our Training 3 test was not as stellar.  Our canter work was FAST!  Marmaduke decided to pop out for a romp.  Not sure what changed, but such is life.  Still trying to find that magic formula where the stars and planets align and all our work is solid.  Right now we just have bits and pieces of good in each test, but not everything at one time.  Came home with a 62%…the 70% mark seems like it will never come to fruition.  Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Just a Little Off the Sides Please

388Snip, snip, snip.  Less than two weeks away from our first centerline of the year and it is time to get Ike some spring maintenance.  Be afraid, be very afraid.  Hide your horse if you see me with scissors in hand.  These hands are capable of mass destruction of a mane/tail/forelock with a single snip.

Anyone who knows me knows that grooming is not my forte – you need only look at my hair to know that hair styling is not in my genes.  I admittedly have ridden my horse with just enough of his coat cleaned (read: mud clumps removed) to make room for the saddle, girth, and bridle.  Sometimes I just don’t see the point in spending over an hour grooming and then only have enough time to ride for 20 minutes.  Why not do less brushing and get more saddle time?  Who is going to see me?  The other horses?  The birds?  If it bothers you, then just view us from afar.  Think of it like viewing an impressionist painting.  Up close, it is just a bunch of messy brush strokes.  You have to stand back to truly appreciate the full effect and beauty.  Move over Monet.

While spring is in full force here, the horses who were not shaved for the winter are still shedding their winter coats…everywhere.  I did spend almost an hour the other day currying and brushing.  When I was done, I could still see more winter coat hairs mocking me.  “Ha, ha, you missed me and 1000 of my best friends.  Whatcha going to do now?”  Ride, you little hairy fool, I am going to ride.  Can’t improve my half halt timing or Ike’s rhythm while standing in a stall covered in dirt and hair.

Yes, most days I chose to ride, but with a licensed dressage show looming on the horizon, I really do need to address Ike’s winter length hippie mane.  I have not done squat with it since show season ended last year.  It is at least 6 inches long and his cowlick is quite prominent.  Even that length is too much for my “cheater braids,” so we must thin and shorten those locks to make them manageable.  I honestly do try to use a proper metal, mane comb to thin and shorten the mane, but I quickly tire of the task, and just like with my braids, I look for time-saving short cuts to get me to the endpoint faster.  There aren’t any shortcuts in training if you do things correctly, but grooming is one place that I do try to save some time.  Enter my scissors, plastic thinning comb (http://www.bigdweb.com/PLASTIC-THINNING-COMB/productinfo/244041/) and dollar store thinning shears.  Ta-da!  A shorter mane without the fear of overthinning in one place and not enough in another.  I typically leave the forelock alone or risk the crooked bangs look that I use to sport as a child.

After 40 minutes, my arms tired and Ike got bored with me, so the mane will have to be finished on another day.  I look at it this way, in a way we are a Monet painting to the judge for most of the ride.  We are at least 20-25 feet away from the judge and on the move, so they really don’t have much of a chance to study our mane length or braid quality.  Better that we focus on our movement, rhythm, and transitions since last I checked, there is not a score for quality of grooming….thank goodness!!