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The
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KEEPING IN SHAPE PAYS OFF Holiday time is the time of year when our life is full of distractions. There are so many excuses for not riding. Christmas shopping and holiday dinners and festivities calling for preparation can interfere with our riding schedule. Not to mention cold weather. Breaking the consistency of riding when the weather and life in general interfere, only sets back the development of horse and rider as a team. It's important to schedule your riding time on a regular basis. If you wait until it's convenient, then it is close to impossible to ride consistently. I'm writing this pep talk for me as well as for my readers. Believe me, the only thing that sends me out onto the trail is knowing the price I will have to pay for not keeping my horses "in the loop." But the pay-off is when I'm out there on the trail - and it's wonderful. I'm so happy I fought the urge to skip the ride. One of my best secrets is having a trail buddy. We keep each other "honest." We don't want to disappoint each other - so we make that extra effort to get on our horse and head for the trail. Sometimes I'm secretly hoping she will say she can't meet me at the trail-head; that for some reason she has to cancel. But when she doesn't give me an excuse, I have to go. Trust me, I'm always glad I did. When both horse and rider stay in good shape, there are few restraints on having a terrific time. When winter weather gets too severe for safe outdoor riding, it's time to head for and indoor or covered arena. If that is not possible, working in a round pen will keep the horse exercised. Just the connection of spending time with your horse, and the exercise you will get by working the horse on the ground will help keep the two of you a team that will be ready when the weather clears. Make sure your clothing is warm and close to your body. Your boots must safely fit in - and out - of the stirrup. Scarves are a possible danger if they dangle in brush or get caught on any buckle or horn or other equestrian equipment. I personally use fleece lined tapaderos, a sheepskin seat cover and fleece lined half chaps. If my feet are warm, I can survive a lot. My riding buddy wears a Sherlock Holmes-type hat with flaps that cover her ears. A pair of ear muffs can work well too. The important thing is not to let yourself chill. And for the horse, I do recommend you have two blankets for each horse. One blanket should be medium weight sheet, the second a heavier winter type insulated blanket. In the cold weather, the horses naturally grow a heavy coat that quickly gets wet with the exertion of a ride. For those of us that trailer, the cotton sheet will hold in the body heat to help dry the horse while you travel. The heavy blanket may not be used often, but when you need it, you want it available. The type of blanket doesn't affect the way it is measured. Take a tape-measure or string (that you can measure later) and starting at the center of the chest, run the string across the shoulder in a straight line to between the back legs. This gives you the size of the blanket you need for your horse. (In effect, you're measuring half of the circumference of your horse.) So I hope you all get out there throughout the cold weather and continue to enjoy your horse. Keep in mind the time you spend now, will only enhance your horse's performance when spring and summer present their challenges for riding experiences. Enjoy the process! For more articles: www.BarbaraWeatherwax.com FEBRUARY 2007 The Soft Gaited Horse APRIL 2007 We Are All Trainers September 2007 Why Clinics? MARCH 2007 Easy To Ride or Easy On The Rider? January 2007 Yellow DECEMBER 2006 It Doesn't Have To Be A Bad Horse
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