We are so excited to see so many of our riders take advantage of our half and full lease program to accelerate their riding. Riding a consistent horse or pony that is appropriate for your level helps you gain more strength, balance, and confidence. It also helps you create a bond with your horse. Leasing (and owning) gives you quality time to spend at one of the best places on earth- the barn.
Horses don’t care how much you paid, for them or their equipment- they care about what you do for them, empathy is a huge of riding. They in turn will try harder for you when they trust and like you.
When you are on your own, coming out on a hack day, you can make a prior riding plan to keep it focused, fun, and productive. Instead of warming up at the walk in the ring, maybe walk down the driveway to the lower fields or the front barn. Then start trotting in the ring in two point and posting trot while their back is getting warmed up.
Your girth should be snug when you get on but not tight, As your horse’s back warms up you should then tighten it. When you go to trot, check it again and tighten another hole. Before you canter, maybe one more hole. Tightening your girth in stages prevents your horse from getting sour to the girth and a sore back.
Make a plan to never go a complete circle around the ring without a smaller circle, transition, or change of direction. Shortening and lengthening your stride, at a walk (an underutilized gait) trot, and canter, practicing lateral work with leg yielding, and practicing round circles, spiraling in and out between two legs, working without stirrups, double posting, the list goes on.
Unfortunately we no longer have the great trails that we used to have but it is still important to get our horses out of the ring as much as possible, plan on cooling them down with a relaxing walk through an open field, down the driveway, or down to the lower fields.
Once you are done with your ride spend time, especially when you have a longer time to spend on your horse during the weekend, caring for your horse.
Currying is the most important thing you can do for your horses as it relates to grooming. Currying brings out their natural oils and shine and sheds dirt and hair. It also feels good to your horse! The metal or hard rubber curry is great for their body while the soft rubber mitt is great for their whole body, including their legs and faces.
A bath, should be done less often since it has the potential to dry out their skin. Nonetheless a good bath complete with whitening for their socks and a conditioned tail should be followed up with holding them out on the grass to graze while they dry. They are less likely to then roll (potentially in dirt and mud)
Hoof care is critical. Pick the feet prior to riding to eliminate any rocks and packed dirt that lodges itself into deep crevices. Treat by spraying the bottoms of their feet with a preventative Bleach and Water solution if they don’t have thrush. Treat more aggressively if they do have Thrush- which is apparent when the frogs ( the fleshy triangle on the bottom of the feet) have a crevice. This is where the fungus (thrush) lives, eating away and irritating their feet. Treatments include Thrushbuster, Copper Sulphate solution etc.
When you are out at the barn, pay it forward! We are all guilty of rushing out of the barn, especially on a weekday/ school night, forgetting to sweep up our hoof pickings, and hanging up our halter and lead rope. When you have the time, give the time to keep our barn which we all are proud of as clean and tidy as possible. Put trash where it belongs, that goes for manure as well. Sweep as well as scoop! Wipe your trunk, and maybe even the neighboring trunk ( or two) Condition and hang up your halter correctly. Deep clean your bridle and saddle, and if time, deep clean school tack as well. Offer to hand graze a stalled horse ( ask first ! ) Curry and give a spa treatment to a lesson horse… There are countless ways to help in meaningful and valuable ways to be a part of our Cedarhill Farm Village.