Barrel Work, Podcast Recommendation, Saddle Fit, Conditioning, & THE KENTUCKY DERBY?!

Happy Saturday, 

 

Today was one of those days that you would just like to live every day.

The day started with a trip to my favorite coffee shop to get an iced vanilla latte with one extra pump of vanilla! (Yes, very basic. But also, the BEST!!) Followed by a short walk, and off to the barn. Caught Fury in record time, saddled, and worked the barrels. 

I started our ride with a walk around the hay field. I was listening the Solid in the Saddle podcast with guest, Terry of Superior Therapy. One point of discussion was the importance of walking prior to exercise. I have always understood the importance of a good warm up. However, I did not realize how beneficial and crucial walking is to horses prior to working them out. I highly recommend listening to this podcast if you are interested in how to condition your horse. Instead of walking for 5 minutes today, I made it a point to walk for closer to 20 minutes before getting into our work for the day. My goal is to walk for an hour once a week and walk for a minimum of 15 minutes for each warmup and cool down. 

 Ep. 18 Horse Rehab and Conditioning, and Therapy Tools with Summer Terry of Superior Therapy

 

We stuck to trotting the barrels today. I really focused on getting Fury more comfortable trotting around the barrels in the grass/slight mud. Then we worked on trotting and loping relaxed circles off the pattern. I am noticing that she seems to be less confident on straight aways. Which I will be working on. I am also keeping in mind that she has never been worked on grass much. So, I don't want to overdo it and scare her. However, I have also seen her tear around the grass pastures with a wild sense of confidence. So, I am sure she will be just fine. 

 

We walked out after loping circles and went back to the trailer. I gave her the spring dewormer dose and put liniment on her hocks, knees, and back. 

 

I am working to find a solution for her saddle fit issue. I believe a shim might help bridge the gap by her shoulders. I watched a video that Sherry Cervi did with her mare Stingray. She shims some of her horses because they are narrower in the wither, and wider towards their lower back. Which makes them hard to fit saddles to. I have also heard that when you shim the front of a saddle, often times, it tips the weight on to the back of the horse too much. So, finding balance is crucial. Part of me feels like a thin shim won't fix anything, but I have to remind myself that small actions can help more than massive action in many scenarios. 

Sherry Cervi Explains Saddle Fit & Using 'Shims'

CLASSIC EQUINE Saddle Shims CESSHIMS     I believe these are the shims used in the video. 

I will report back on any improvements, or setbacks. (Because both are part of it.) 

 

In other news, The Kentucky Derby takes place today as well!! So exciting! 

 

 

Happy Saturday! 

 

-LD