The Final Countdown!

Last minute preparations for nationals have well and truly begun. We head up to Cavan International Equestrian centre next Thursday and I’m proud to say we will be riding two elementary tests in category 2 (the scores are added together to give your final score), the elementary freestyle class and the medium freestyle class. By ‘last minute preparations’, I mean that I actually timed my music for one of my freestyle tests (yes, yes, I realise I should have done this months ago, not the week before nationals) and figured out that there was only 1 minute assigned to the trot work, 3 to the canter work and the whole thing was over 5 minutes, when it needs to be under 5 minutes. So in true Victoria unorganised fashion I had a panicky couple of days trying to be DJ, cutting and mixing my music and redoing my floorplan. I ordered some additional white goods to ensure we aren’t the grubbiest person at the party by the time I’ve done my fourth test and have upped Romy’s training levels and amended his feed to allow for this.

I went test training last week with Alison Mastin-Moore and found it really helpful. She made me really think about my accuracy, which I used to be pretty good at but I think I’ve concentrated so much on how Romy is going I’m almost throwing away half marks by not really thinking about each movement and what is needed in it. She worked a little on how Romy was going by encouraging lots of transitions and then I rode the test, Alison scored it and then we went through it at the end. Romy got 8’s for both of his halts and another 8 for his rein-back. Embarrassingly I went wrong (learn your test ahead of Nationals Victoria) and I rode a very sloppy medium walk (which looked like an extended walk rather than a medium walk). Alison encouraged me to really think about my corners, to prepare the transitions, and to really think forward with Romy because if I hold him back he gets tight in the back which can result in issues with regularity. We ended up on just under 67% which I was happy with, because without the niggly bits we could have broken the 70% barrier.

I have one more lesson with Sandra on Saturday so I will go through both my freestyle tests with her. I need to be careful not to try throw in tricky movements to get higher technical marks and focus more on Romy being correct, supple and forward. I’m pretty sure I will go from number one Phil Collins fan to never wanting to hear his music again but riding to music always makes me smile so for our first nationals I really want to focus on having a fun weekend and keeping Romy happy and sane.

I’m lucky that there are many friends at my yard who have also qualified so hopefully we can all give each other a helping hand and fingers crossed I get some video footage of our tests. The countdown is well and truly on....wish us luck!

V & R x

 

Rough Times
 

 

You never forget your first Furst first

WE WON!!! My positive thoughts worked and the clever mule went out and won at his first ever medium level competition. Let me bring you back to the scene.

It was raining. It was actually pouring dreaded sideways rain out of the heavens. Apparently some hurricane named Gert was on her way to reap havoc throughout Kildare, which was convenient because guess where our competition was? You guessed it...Gert ridden Kildare.

Romy had been feeling good and I was really looking forward to competing. The nerves that come with not competing regularly have now subsided and I actually adore going out. The early mornings less so and the 04.30am Sunday alarm did NOT make for a chirpy Victoria. Coffee: Check. Croissant: Check. Horse groomed within an inch of it’s life and plaits sewn in: Check (on a side note, I chose NOT to sew in my plaits recently...never again. I heard the THWANG of elastic bands with every stride and by the end of the test Romy looked like he had been hacked at by a teenage My Little Pony lover).

Warm Up

Romy is loading well now, I’m less nervous pulling a trailer and so other than good old Hurricane Gert, we had nothing holding us back. Romy warmed up well and even my yard managers husband saw us and admitted he said to himself ‘who is that lovely horse?'. I DO have a lovely horse *insert smug face*. I’m actually going to talk a bit about his personality for a minute. Romy is the best horse I could ask for when it comes to his temperament. He really is. Sharp enough when ridden so I can get some flicky toe action out of him but on the ground he is an angel who loves cuddles. Sure, he is quite babyish, loves to chew things, likes to pick things up and throw them around but he is a DARLING really. So well behaved. Even if he is scared of something, his spooks come by way of bunching up. But it never explodes. When I ask him to go forward, he does. When I leave him by the trailer, he stays there by himself. When his ditzy owner doesn’t tie him up with a 100 loop knot (he can undo them) he gets himself loose and rambles to the nearest piece of grass without any funny business. So yeah, love ma poneh. I believe a lot of the Furst offspring have good temperaments (Romy being by Furst Romancier) and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them to someone considering buying one.

Counter Canter

OK so test day came.....rain, rain, wind, wind, bright orange burger stand, sideways rain, mud...’Victoria you have five minutes’...gulp...and we’re in. First test was Medium 61 with a tough but fair judge. Romy went well, he lost a bit of rhythm in his medium trot but his canter work was lovely and I was happy with how it went overall. And the judge was happy too. 2^nd place in our section, 3^rd overall and a score of 64.48. Not bad for his first time at that level. Then came the Medium 76 test. There is a LOT in that test and I was a little nervous about forgetting the test (I MAY have been known to go a wrong way or two in tests previously...ahem) and I think I focused a lot on the test and rode relatively safe, although I didn’t ride a couple of the movements particularly well and I was reminded of that by two 3.5’s. But he did feel a little tight over the back to me. I think probably it was to do with the awful weather. Romy does get tight in his lumbar region and I have to be very careful to listen to how he is feeling. I think he did a nice test but I felt him struggle a little in some of the movements and the judge agreed. However, despite all that he still won the class! He was the only horse in our section to get over 60% with everyone else in the section getting scores in the 50’s. I’m not going to say she was a harsh judge but...... I did agree with all her comments on our test sheet though and was delighted with our first ever red rossie!

Champion

A glutton for punishment,I brought Romy out again the following weekend. I hadn’t done much with him during the week to see how he coped with less schooling so I had mainly done some caveletti and lunging on the pessoa with him. Then he threw a shoe so I didn’t get to school before the competition. And it showed. He was tired, I could feel it, which resulted in him getting tight through the back again. We started on Medium 76 and I went in and decided to ride a safe test but not to push Romy too much. He won the section with a PB score of 68.64 and a whopping 9 for his extended trot so I was delighted with him! But I decided to listen to what my horse was telling me and he was quite sweaty after the one test so I made the choice to withdraw from the second test and bring the big clever boy home.

A real life 9!

We went out again the following weekend after upping the training and he had been going much better. Again, drama ensued (not with the horse, of course with the ditsy rider). I was excited about this day. The venue was our nemesis as we had had some sort of drama each time we went there and today was no different. Driving down the road on the way to the yard I realised I had left my show jacket at home. After a quick call to the groom at my yard, Kevin, he found my instructors spare jacket and cycled his little heart down country lanes with the jacket over his shoulder,  the little legs peddling away like something out of the goonies. Now, without going into TOO much detail, lets just say Sandra is about half my size. There was no way I was going to fit into her jacket. Kevin looked at me with a steely stare and said ‘You’re going to have to make it fit Victoria'. So I did.

We got there in plenty of time, the sun was out, I was feeling good, we warmed up, my name was called and I buttoned up the jacket and stood by the entrance of the arena. I took a deep breath to help keep the adrenaline at a steady pace and heard a POP and the top button of the jacked promptly went catapulting through the air. I calmly asked someone to please pick it up for me, slipped it into my pocket and went in to do my test. Romy was super! I really loved how he felt, and actually I would say it was the best he has gone for me and the happiest I have been with a test. I do keep messing up his simple changes at competition though, which is really annoying because they are so super at home. It’s less the canter to walk and more the walk to canter which is the problem. It usually ends up with Romy doing his best Passafino pony impression until he figures out what leg I want him to be on. So I need to figure that one out ahead of  nationals. His second test had less energy in it and Romy starts to bunch up when I ask him to go forward if he is feeling tired so I rode relatively safe again, and other than the simple change mess he did a good job. We ended up in a first overall and 66% in Medium 76 and a second over all and 65% in in Medium 75. He got 8’s for his halt rein back (which he hasn’t been doing for very long) and his medium / extended trots which are his party trick, I just need to keep them steady and rhythmical! Most importantly, the scores meant he qualified for nationals so I will be doing Elementary, Elementary Freestyle and Medium Freestyle at Cavan in two weeks time (TWO WEEKS....AAAGGHHHHH).

Flicky Toe Action

We have a lot of strengthening up to do now because Romy has struggled in the stamina department when he has two tests in a row so we will be doing a lot of gallops work! Plus I need to try get the freestyle floorplans together PRONTO! But heading into nationals with three consecutive wins in our pocket has definitely helped with the confidence levels. WE CAN DO THIS ROMY!!!

Until next time y’all

V&R x
 
 
 
 

Here's to His Health

I think I mentioned that Romy had a sore leg (mild ligament strain to be precise) a while ago and we realised after a LOT of investigation that it was compensation due to him having a sore lumbar region. With a few tweaks, including him now being turned out overnight (in rainy Ireland...shit buzz), he’s back to his amazing self and has finally got his zing back. His physio Niamh has been kept busy with him but has done such an amazing job. Not only has she kept his muscles comfortable, she has been the first to spot anything out of the ordinary and I know she will be my second pair of eyes for a long time to come. It astounds me how many dressage horses out there don’t get regular physio / osteo / chiro appointments. Romy sees Niamh every 4-6 weeks, Rob Jackson when he’s in Ireland and I still use his equilibrium massage pad and heat pad before and after every ride as well as other ad hoc chiro / acupuncture treatements. I’ve now had four separate saddlers check his saddle and have gone through four models in a year to ensure he is comfortable (Fairfax Gareth is where we’re at now) and while I know not everyone can afford this level of attention, it’s important to do what you can to help your horse be the best athlete it can be. I think it’s so easy for owners to focus on what the horse is looking like on the outside and the visual effect it offers and forget what could be going on underneath it all. In my humble opinion, if there’s one thing an owner should do, it’s take care of your horses back, especially if it is a dressage horse.

So, less of the preaching and back to the fun stuff! We went out competing a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to update with photos but unfortunately didn’t get many (really need to hire that minion soon) so this is just a quick update to say Romy was the best behaved boy, a little stiff in the first test but I’m still learning what’s best for him and a longer warm up is most definitely best for him. We still managed just under 65% in the Elementary 43 and then he warmed up beautifully for the second test and did what I thought was a really lovely test. We ended up on just under 66%, which I found it a little odd because we only got 6.5’s, 7’s and 7.5’s throughout the entire test but then got three 6’s in our collectives (with a 6.5 for riding) and as they are double scores they brought the end score down. I’m currently training to be a judge and I thought the collectives should reflect the entire test so it seemed a little unfair to me but I guess that’s dressage for ya! I was really happy with how he went and he was forward, supple and content and to me that’s the most important thing. Apart from winning, obvs...I kid, I kid. But I still see big things for Romy's future and I'm sure his scores will increase along with his confidence and experience (I often forget that he has only been to 5 competitions ever!).

 

 

Our scores meant we have qualified for the dressage summer nationals in Cavan International Equestrian Centre in Ireland this September at Elementary level. This also means we can ride Elementary freestyle so I FINALLY get to whip out my Phil Collins number, wahoooo! And I’m jumping on the great feeling that Romy is giving me and am going to try qualify at Medium level too. We are out this weekend doing M61 and M76 so fingers crossed we get at least one qualifying score. I have 2 more chances to try to qualify after this so NO PRESSURE VICTORIA...JUST BRING HOME THE GODDAMN RED!

It’s definitely annoying me that we haven’t yet won a class but with a suspensory strain that was never going to be easy. Also, the classes in Ireland are bloomin HUGE, my last class had 23 riders in it...NO FAIR. And I find the judges tend to be a bit more stingey with their markings in Ireland, compared to the UK. So all these yellow and blue rosettes are NOT boding well for my competitive streak and love of red rosettes. Still, I feel it in my waters...we’re due one ANY day now. Any day. Twitch.

Keep everything crossed for us this weekend purleeeeeeeeeease!

 

V&R x

 

Product Review: Cryochaps

So after my review of the Ice Vibe boots I had messages from a couple of people asking if I had tried Cryochaps...Cryowho?? I’d never heard of them so hit the google for a bit of research. Cryochaps is a relatively new, small company based in the UK who sell ‘The indispensable ice wrap chap for horses post exercise & post injury for every discipline’ (to read more see http://www.cryochaps.co.uk). As Romy had been mildly lame high up on his suspensory, a couple of people had suggested that Cryochaps would be a better alternative to the Ice Vibe boots because they have a greater surface area which reaches right up to the hocks.

 

At very first glance on the website, the first thing that I noticed was the price. At just £85.50 for a pair, they are very reasonable. And even better, you can buy one for £45 if your horse is recovering from a one legged owie or if like me you’ve had an expensive summer making the most of the sales on Hope Valley Saddlery and Premier Equine so can just about afford one boot at a time!

 

The boots arrived in a lightweight carry bag and felt like good quality that would last the distance. As with any ice boots, I would like the option of buying an ice box / ice bag to transport them to the yard in but having spoken to Tricia at Cryochaps I believe they are planning to offer these in the future. Romy had some time off after the last competition...more on that in my next post, but he had basically forgotten How To Horse. Rolls eyes. Again. And I also had some time away because I had forgotten How To Human so a holiday was needed for us both. So I’ve been trying out the boots for about 2 weeks now, following his time off.

 

The boots are easy to freeze and easy to put on. There is a marker on each boot to tell you if it’s the right or left boot so you don’t have to fiddle about too much and waste precious cooling time. The coverage area IS good, as you can see from the below (Cryochap is closest to the camera in this image, alternative ice boot is furthest away) and the gel that is inside the chap is very malleable so also allows for a closer contact to the leg. As a reminder, my horse is a very leggy 17.2 warmblood so you can see that the boots reach those hard to get places. But one of my favourite things about these boots was the way they are applied. They have four straps which go around the leg and one strap which goes around the fetlock. And it meant that I could really put the chaps on quite tightly. I’ve found with other ice boots that as the ice cools down and turns to liquid, they end up quite loose around the leg but I was able to ensure a very close contact with the ice packs with these. Likewise, some alternative boots offer an additional top boot which helps you to get a close contact with the horse, however they are often big and bulky and from my experience they heat the ice pack up quicker so you have to take them off sooner. The straps on the Cryochaps are incredibly lightweight so I don’t think they had an effect on the length of time the chaps stayed cool.

 

And the big tester was when I took both boots off (I kept them on for 15 minutes), the leg which had the Cryochap on it was much colder from his fetlock right up to his hock and stayed colder for longer, compared to the alternative ice boot. Negatives? I think my biggest negative with these boots involves the straps (which are also my favourite thing about them...go figure!). With other ice boots, which are all plastic and just need a wipe down to clean, the straps on the Cryochaps are material. This does allow for a close contact but it also means the boots need to be properly washed if dirt / horse poop gets on them. However, for a better cooling result I’m happy to give them a proper clean every now and then.

In summary;

Value for money: 9/10 At £45 per chap it means they are affordable for most people and I like that you can buy per chap, rather than having to buy in a pair.

Comfort: 10/10 I’m not sure what could be done to make these more comfy on my horse, they fit him well and he was able to move about freely with them on. There was no pressure points once they were on, unlike some other boots.

Negatives: The material straps mean you would have to properly clean them rather than just give them a wipe down. I also found them a bit twiddley to put on the first couple of times but then got the hang of it!

Positives: Great quality, great coverage area and I think the best price for good quality products that are currently on the market.

Overall impression: Definitely something you should consider if your horses injury is high up on his leg or your conscious about cooling from the fetlock right up to the hock; a good, innovative addition to the ice boot family that ticks a lot of boxes.

Would I recommend: Yes, especially if your horse suffers from PSD or issues pertaining to the higher part of the leg. Even horses that have issues in the fetlock would benefit from these boots because they do stretch down to the fetlock and are secured neatly with the bottom strap.

 

I want to point out that I have no affiliation with neither Ice Vibe nor Cryochaps but if my review helps buyers figure out what is best for their horse then I’ll always give an honest review. I also want to point out that while people asked me to compare them to the Ice Vibe boots, I can’t really as they are a different product. The Cryochaps don’t vibrate. They are a cooling ice wrap so if vibration before (or even after) exercise is something which you think would benefit your horse then the Ice Vibes are a great choice. If you’re more focussed on gaining a better cooling surface area on your horses leg or have limited funds, I would go for the Cryochaps. And as mentioned, horses who have suffered from injury high up on the leg, such as PSD, may find the Cryochaps work better for them. If anyone has any thoughts or comments I’d be happy to hear them!

 

In my next post I will get back to my dressage journey with Romy...who is keeping me on my toes, as always! So for now I will leave you with a couple of photos of our most recent matchy matchy sets (see paragraph 2 above!).

Eskadron Matchy Matchy

 

Secure Men Wear Pink

 

Till next time,

V & R x

　

　

Competition Time (finally)!

It’s been so long since we’ve been out so I thought I’d grab the bull by the horns and enter a competition at the last minute. It was at a very lovely venue, close to the yard and had a relatively easy elementary test on the schedule so it seemed like a no-brainer. Plus, half the yard were going so I didn’t want to miss out on the party! It had been nine months since Romy and I were out, I actually could hardly believe that myself when I counted. I was used to going out at least once a month and the gap meant I was more nervous than I ever was (not difficult, given I’m normally pretty chilled at competitions).

It was like I was going competing for the first time. His white bandages were bleached within an inch of their shiny white lives. I got a new saddle cloth for the occasion. He was trimmed and prepped and painted as if it were nationals. Plaits sewn in. Hooves blackened. Tack soaked and oiled. Game on.

 

 

 

My first mistake of the day was leaving the yard about 17 hours before my test. I’m all for giving yourself plenty of time but Romy is still new to this competing lark and I’m still learning things about him. That day, I learnt that he doesn’t wee when he’s out. I’m sure the grooms at my yard will vouch for me (with anger it their hearts) when I say that Romy drinks water like a fish and pisses like a racehorse so it was a long time to go without wee’ing.




Checking out the 'monsters'

Second mistake of the day came by way of a pair of spurs. I hadn’t been wearing spurs because I need to work on getting him forward and when he feels the spur he bunches up. And he had been going well without the spurs. So why oh why in baby jesus’ name I decided to put them on and dig him in his overflowing bladder is beyond me. Such a rookie mistake, and I don’t consider myself a rookie so there’s no excuse at all.

 

Third mistake of the day happened just as we were about to go in to do our test....I heard 'VICTORIAAAAAAAAA' and looked to see my instructor Sandra doing a billy-go-lightly across the arena. 'YOUR BANDAGES ARE STILL ON'....cue four people frantically pulling at my horses legs and a red faced Victoria sat on board like a ripened tomato.

But to rewind; with a little persuasion from Mr. Leadrope, Romy loaded fine and travelled like a dream. In fact, he behaved impeccably all day. He was a little nervous going into the warmup, but that’s understandable given he hasn’t been out in so long. And actually for only his fourth ever competition I couldn’t be happier. We had a nice bit of communication going on, he was definitely distracted from time to time but eventually got down to it.

 

Me: Good boy Romy, you’re getting to grips with all this dressage stuff.

Romy: Yeah, totes I am…..wait….SQUIRRELL……where was I…oh yeah, I’m enjoying being around all these other…..SQUIRREL

Me: Romy, lets stop looking at the trailblazers classes…I know you don’t know what a pony is, or a small child for that matter, but they’re not that interesting, promise.

Romy: OK, ok, lets try this half pass thing we’ve been working on……how’d ya like them apples?

Me: Yeah, good boy! You’re definitely getting to grips with….oh, what was that…a flying change? Oh, no worries, I think it was clean so lets keep going.

Romy: Yeah, that was good eh? How about THIS one…. (changes, clean, again).

Me: Hmmmm, yeah, that will be good in about two levels higher than this one, lets try the other rein.

Romy: I CAN DO MY TRICK ON THE OTHER REIN TOO…..YEEEAAAAHHHH MEEEEEEEEEEE.

  

Game Face

 

So I gave him a bit of a breather but in hindsight I should have whipped off the spurs. He went into the arena a little tense because of the monster children and monster ponies (actually the cutest things I’ve ever seen) and was tense up the top of the arena. I wasn’t asking too much of him because it had been so long out, I just wanted us both to enjoy it so I wasn’t really riding for 10s. But the second I touched him to go forward into the medium canter he changed about 75 million times along the long side. I eventually got him walking and then back on the correct lead but doing the give and retake across the centre line was also a struggle as I could feel his back legs start bouncing around like tigger behind me. I can’t be angry, can I?!!!!

 

 

 

We got a few 8’s for his collected canter and some 7.5s for him medium trot and the medium canter where he DIDN'T look like a bouncing ball of (not very forwards) energy. In the collectives he only got a costly 6 for his submission and a 6.5 for his impulsion (as Matt put it ‘Romy is like a stallion, he gives you a reaction but not always the one you want!’) but 7.5 for his paces and 7 for my riding. Because of the couple of 3’s for his unwanted fancy moves we ended up on 65.8%. One of my favourite comments ever received by a judge ‘Super big horse, full of power. Just needs to let you ride him’…..that definitely would help matters!

I just did the one test as he’s still coming back from time off but I will try him out again in a couple of weeks if he’s feeling up to it. Apples for pony, wine for moi, lots of lessons learnt and things to remember for next time.

V x

BOOOOIIIING!!

A trip to.......the Equine Aqua Centre

One thing which has been noted by a few of Romy’s many ‘therapists’ was that he had a weak behind, compared to his big hulk shoulders. So in an effort to bulk him up I have been doing lots of pole work but wanted to check out alternatives for helping build up his hindquarters and lumbar region. A quick search on The Google tells me that ‘Working a horse on a water treadmill can help improve the horse’s range of movement and build muscle...the horse takes bigger, longer steps than they would on land. This helps to build up the muscles in the hind quarters and over the lumber area of the back’. Sign me up Scotty. Another friendly Google search lead me to the Equine Aqua Centre, based in racing land, which didn’t have a water treadmill but has the next best thing, a water walker. Essentially this is like a normal walker which is filled with water up to the horses chest, thus getting them to use their hindquarters and hopefully end up with a booty similar to Kim Kardashians in a Herve Leger dress.  Peachy.

True to the fabulous Irish weather we get on this side of the world, the day started out with a downpour and it just got wetter from there. But I guess there’s nothing more suitable than getting into the water when you’re already drenched to the bone...in you get big man! We were met by the lovely Robbie who gave Romy a temporary stable until it was his time to get on the walker. There was a lot of ‘Good JAYSIS the size of him’ from people who saw me take him off the trailer...’What the jaysis is he...an eventer?’

Me: ’Um no, he’s a dressage pony daaaaaahlink’.
‘Jesus, he’s some beasht...what weight is he, do you know’.
Me: ‘Not sure, but I’m trying to put weight on him’
‘Mother ah gaaahhhd he must be some pampered pet, that one’
Me, beaming: ‘Yes, yes he is’

Romy was the best boy and went straight on the water walker with all the little thoroughbreds, half his size. They were doing Paso Fino impressions around the water walker while Romy was taking big long strides and had to pause every now and then to let the walker catch up with him so if we’re going again I’d like to see if he can go on with the bigger ponies and perhaps turn it up a notch to really get his ass moving. I stood in the lashings of rain watching my horse go around in circles, questioning exactly why I chose a life with horses. But who doesn’t like to have mascara dribbling down their cheeks while they watch their four legged pet walk around in circles, hmmm?

 

 

Next up was the hydrotherapy spa. Ala Google; ‘An equine spa allows the horse to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of cold water therapy. This works to minimise heat and inflammation in the lower legs making it ideal for treating soft issue injuries, as well as being suitable to use as a preventative measure’...yah, preventative so long as your horse doesn’t TRIP ON HIS GOD FORSAKEN HEAD ON THE WAY OUT OF THE THING. He went in with a little persuasion but I don’t blame him, it was minus a gazillionty degrees in there* (*true story, between 2°C and 4°C). He stood there for 20 minutes while the Jacuzzi jets did their thing. And then we had to leave. Nope, no, nosiree, aint happenin’, nope. Little persuasion from Kind Robbie finally convinced Romy to make the leap to dry land. And leap he did. Leap and miss. He went half way up the ramp, slipped, and landed on his head. Cue legs flailing everywhere. His legs flailed, my heart stopped. Remind me again why I chose a life with horses? Anyway, Romy dug right down to the bottom of his belly and channelled his inner Big Star. One leap to infinity and beyond and he was on dry land, quivering like a baby and holding his previously sore leg up. FML, seriously?! On quick inspection he looked fine but after bringing him home we noticed a cut on the leg, literally a scratch the size of an eyelash. Biggest drama queen ever.  

So our trip to the Aqua Centre had it’s ups and downs, to say the least. I will definitely be back but think we’ll stick to the water walker for now. Those little thoroughbreds I’m sure can prance up the ramp with the same grace as a woodland nymph. Romy, with his big chest and broad shoulders, was more like an All Black tackling a scrum trying to get out of the thing, the big oaf.

Till next time

V x

 

 

 

 

 

 

A clinic with……Matthew Burnett

One of the things I miss most about the UK is the opportunity to train with different instructors. There is often a bit of a faux pas with riders training with multiple instructors, I know I sometimes felt like I was doing the proverbial dirt on some of my previous trainers if I went off the yard for training but I really do believe in having as many eyes on you and your horse as much as possible. Not only will different trainers pick up on different things or offer you alternative ways around fixing bad habits, it is also great to meet various people in the industry because you get considered for fun hoolies such as team events or additional training.
 

I am incredibly lucky to be based at a fantastic dressage yard with a really super instructor, but I have missed being able to go out and have lessons off other instructors because it’s  something fun to look forward to without having the pressure of competition. So when I heard Matt Burnett was coming to our yard to do a clinic (from my own instructor, I might add...kudos Sandra!) I jumped at the chance.

Matt Burnett and the 'lush' Treliver Decanter

Not to be mistaken with Wikipedias suggestion of who Matthew Burnett is (a multi-platinum selling hip hop and R&B producer from Toronto, Canada), Matt is in fact a professional dressage trainer and Grand Prix rider competing internationally, who has trained with world famous trainers, including Carl Hester and Conrad Schumacher. Matt trained the renowned palamino British warmblood stallion, Treliver Decanter, to Grand Prix and I managed to embarrass myself in the midst of a discussion about palaminos (which I hadn’t caught the beginning of) by saying ‘You know that famous palamino dressage stallion...something Decanter...he’s a bit lush isn’t he’...cue confused faces around the table and a ‘Erm, yeah, he’s my ride’ from Matt. Oh THAT palamino. *Blush*

Romy has been a little on and off over the past week and I realised that he was throwing some shapes because he was pulling a Princess and the Pea situation on me. Except in this instance the princess is him and the pea is his sheepskin saddle pad which we didn’t have on so it made him cranky. Diddums. Washed, dried and fluffed up for our day with Matt, the forevermore needed saddle pad was donned and Romy was on his best behaviour.

I gave Matt a brief run down of Romy’s history and asked to pay close attention to his leg booboo. We had to make sure he was comfy and didn’t work too hard as he is essentially still coming back into full work and is still a little stiff behind the saddle. After the warm up, we started with spiralling in and out of a circle and making transitions between walk and trot. Matt picked up on Romy falling on to the forehand in trot, losing the connection a bit and lengthening too much through the frame so when I felt him get heavy I needed to make another transition down to walk by squeezing inside leg to outside hand but actually releasing my inside hand a bit, rather than let him fall onto it for support. This helped him to lift his back and create more throughness and suppleness. Romy tends to get tense in the walk, I believe because any type of collected walk makes him think passage, so when we made the downward transition we used more of a wide turn on the forehand before picking up the trot straight out of that. This helped him to keep supple and on my aids and the lateral movement meant he didn’t lose rhythm by getting tense in the walk. After a few of these transitions we could go in between walk and trot with a better balance, better rhythm and a better quality walk. The moment he was feeling heavy in my hands meant he was getting too straight in the hind leg so it was time to do a transition. The aim wasn’t necessarily to get him more active but to help him stay supple behind the saddle and carry himself.

Checking our position down the long side

Next came the canter left, which is Romy’s UNparty piece. He is overall more supple and balanced on the right rein and is very, VERY sensitive to the spur on the left rein. I’m also much stronger on my right side so I think his weak left side plus my strong right leg can be too much for him. I need to consider canter left by using my seat and upper body, rather than touch with the spur. He is very ‘stallion-like’ and when I put the leg on he gives a reaction but it’s not always the reaction I want, which was evident by a massive kick out which echoed around the yard when I touched him with my right spur. Matt said I need to direct Romy with the flat side of my leg and my upper body but keep my knees and toes facing straight rather than out so I don’t use the spur for anything other than quickness. We worked on leg yielding along the long side, facing the wall and then going straight but by using my upper body and opening the outside rein rather than using my legs. Keep. Your. Legs. Steady. Actually on that note, I’ve recently transitioned over to hard boots after some mild bullying from friends. I was always a fan of soft leather boots which moulded to my legs but after getting used to the harder boots they definitely put me in a better position, which I think my horse appreciates too rather than have my tree trunk legs flopping about all over the place.

We finished with shoulder out in canter and Matt said I was holding Romy a little in the reins so rather than hold on to him let him cover the ground and use my seat to keep the rhythm (see, I’ve learnt how to spell it from my judging days). If I felt him coming a little too collected in the shoulder out I would use my upper body to straighten him out again before putting him back into the shoulder out position. Romy was so well behaved, there was lots of carrots for him that evening and I parked up at the end of the menage with my nerd book to make some notes on the other lessons of the day. Anyone interested in watching a clip of my lesson with Matt can find it here.

Helen and Felino were next in the ring and straightness and forwardness were the key ingredients in their session. Felino, the wiggly worm, finds lateral work easy so Helen had often used that as a tool to get him forward but Matt tried to bring it back to straightness so Felino could set himself up for a more powerful hind leg. The theme of straightness continued through the up and downward transitions as well as around the corners. Similar to Romy, Felino collects more when Helen used the spur so Helen had to think of alternative ways to encourage him forward. They worked on improving the suppleness over the back by encouraging him forward and out (rather than down) and by the end of the session Felino had a lovely swing through his back.

Last in for the day were Katarina and golden oldie, Jack. They had many of the same corrections as I had with Romy...keep the contact and ride him into it by stabilising the upper body. Katarina was encouraged to turn from the upper body without collapsing the shoulders, which would then mean the leg comes up and that in turn would allow Jack to fall out through the shoulder. So maintain the contact, shoulders back and BOOBS OUT, WHOOP! If he got too heavy in her hand she would make a transition while maintaining that contact. Matt had them work on the shoulder out, straight, back to

shoulder out along the long side by turning the upper body. Use of leg was for forwardness rather than bend so he discouraged her from using too much inside leg for the angle.

They then moved on to canter half pass and Matt asked Katarina to sit tall and open her hands to allow the sideways movement, rather than lock her hands by his withers. To encourage suppleness in the canter half pass they first worked down the long side with transitions from straight to haunches in and back to straight again. It was a tough session and Katarina was matching her burgundy bandages by the end of it but it was accompanied by a big smile and it was the best I had seen them go so I’m sure the rosy cheeks were worth it! A divil for punishment, Katarina had another lesson with Matt the following day but I couldn’t attend because as Donna Summer once described me; ‘She works hard for the money. So hard for it honey. She works hard for the money so you better treat her right’. #truestory

Katie and her lovely mare Polly also had a lesson while I was busy trying to keep the economy together and Matt worked on their overall connection through transitions. Katie commented that Matt was able to relate to the couple as he has a mare similar to Polly...not straightforward so they needed to come up with alternative ways to encourage the connection.

We finished off the first day with beers and a barbeque and I’m hopeful that this clinic was the first of many more to come because I loved Matt's sympathetic way of teaching and he seemed to already know Romy inside out after watching him for ten minutes. These bloomin Grand Prix riders knowing it all. I've had the horse a year and I'm still trying to figure him out! The two words that are ringing in my ears from it are 'transitions' and 'connection' and I think it was a common theme across all riders from the clinic. It made me so excited for Romys future...why can’t I just have a job where I ride my pony every daaaaayyyyy. Oh well, I guess finance is the second best thing...pause...nooooooot.

Till next time,

V x