You just have to control yourself

Charlotte is at horse camp this week at Horses of the Sun in Vars. She missed the day Monday, as we were travelling home from Sharbot Lake.

On Tuesday, Sonja invited me to stay the day. I haven't been to horse camp since I was in Grade 7 and spent a week riding at the Legion Athletic Camp, so I jumped at the offer.

I joined the kids for their morning trail ride. Some kids had never been on a horse before. One girl in particular seemed quite worried, and sat hunched on the saddle hanging on for dear life. Sonja said to her, "Look at me. You don't have to control the horse. You just have to control yourself. The horse will look after you."

This made me think of a recent blog by Christoph Schork about the psychology of riding success. He says, "It never ceases to amaze me how sensitive and intuitive horses are and how they instantaneously are reading the mood and mind of the riders and adjusting their attitude and performance accordingly." 

Control yourself.

I get very excited about travelling to competitions. Luba gets very excited about travelling to competitions. She is a horse that tends to fret when her routine changes, like with travel. Many experienced endurance riders believe that competition and travelling stress causes ulcers to some degree in all horses. Did your horse trailer here? Then the horse probably has an ulcer. The mild spasmodic colic that Luba had when we got home from a few days in the Ganaraska might have been related to the stress of travel, worry about the cows in the paddock next door, the trailer ride home. Her being in heat could have been the icing on the cake.

My friend, Carol, says she does not feed any concentrates or grain at all before, during or after trailering. Just hay and grass. I stuck to this formula for the trip to Sharbot Lake. No grain for Luba the morning we travelled. She did get her regular feed ration with supper the night before the event around 8pm. No grain the morning of the ride. Just beet pulp, vitamins, electrolytes and carrots.  The first loop was 10 miles, so I made sure she had about 6 ounces of Perform and Win in her before we started, giving one or two ounces per hour before the start. I let her eat whatever she wanted at the vet check (hay, grass, beet pulp, grain, carrots, apples).  I have never seen Luba eat and drink so well at a ride.  Granted, it was a perfect riding day (low 20s C, sunny, breezy, low humidity). I fed her grain with supper on Sunday, but only beet pulp and vitamins Monday morning before travelling home.

Like at Ganaraska, I gave Luba 50 cc of Herbs for Horses Ulcer Therapy Plus twice a day, beginning the morning that we travelled to the ride. Another friend, Wendy, says that it can even be given at vet checks to help keep the tummy happy. I have decided to put Luba on UTP daily for a few months to see if it helps her cope with the stress of travel and competition.

Luba had the day off on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I did some bodywork. She had some great releases in the usual spots on her neck and was glad to have her glutes rubbed. She also gave me some nice stretches with her front legs, reaching forward with her neck to the floor by her feet.  Then we went for a 45 minute walk in the fields, grazing as we went along.  Lots of Monarch butterflies.

Can you spot the Monarch?

Yesterday, we did a light ride for about an hour. 10 minute warm up and 10 minute cool down, the rest trotting and cantering around the back field. She felt happy, forward and loose. Had a big drink and a nice roll.

Ahhhh. Life is good.