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I mentioned a couple weeks ago how much I was enjoying reading through the trainwreck of comments on an Eventing Nation post on facebook that featured some 4 year old event horses for sale. I said I would circle back eventually to give my thoughts on the whole thing, so ta-da here we go. It seems I’m not the only one who’s attention was captured by this debate though, as a string of posts on the subject have now appeared on COTH in the past few weeks. I thought that Sarah Lorenz and Lauren Sprieser, who both have extensive experience with young horses, both wrote intelligent, well thought out posts on the subject.

In the comments section of the original facebook post, there were a wide range of different opinions. Some people thought you shouldn’t sit a horse at all until it was 5 or 6, or jump any fences at all until the horse was completely done growing at age 7 or 8. Others had no issue with riding 2yo’s and jumping courses on 3yo’s. Most people probably fall somewhere in between those two extremes, and I think if nothing else we can all agree on one thing: all horses are different. What is the right path for one is not the right path for another.

I think we can also probably all agree that there are a lot of different factors that go into deciding when to start a horse, and how to get it going over fences and in a show career. Some mentally need more work, where others can’t handle it. Some need more time to grow into gangly bodies, where others are already more mature. I think that’s the biggest part of being a good baby raiser and young horse starter – being able to set your own ego and preconceived notions aside and recognize what the horse really needs.

Your opinions on this subject may start out as a personal feeling, or something you read, or something you were told, but over time they tend to become molded more by your own personal experiences. I’ve spent the majority of my life as an equestrian raising or riding young horses. I’ve been the first person to swing a leg over 7 of them, and I’ve owned or worked for a lengthy amount of time with about a dozen horses that were just starting their careers over fences. I’m not saying that to try to prove that I’m right or that I know something, because in the grand scheme of things that isn’t very many horses at all. I’m throwing that out there only to tell you that the one thing I know for sure about that group is that not a single one of them was the same, or followed the same timeline, or needed the same things.

Those horses and my own personal experiences have shaped my feelings on the subject a lot. Most of it, I’m pretty flexible about. On other things, I have developed pretty strong personal beliefs. Most times I hesitate to even say these things out loud (much less put them to paper), because I understand 100% that there is no such thing as a hard and fast rule, that there will always be exceptions, and that my opinions are just that: mine. But, for better or worse, here are my personal philosophies.

• I think that the best time to back a sporthorse for the first time is late 2yo or early 3yo year. For some this may entail taking a few months to put on a basic w/t/c, for others this may just be a handful of rides mostly at the walk, learning to steer. After that they get some time off to let the lessons soak in and keep developing. But I do like to get the job/idea imprinted in their mind relatively early, before they’ve developed strong feelings about a life of leisure, and before they’re ungodly huge. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the two horses I’ve had with the worst work ethic, and the only ones I’ve ever had plant their feet and refuse to participate, are the two that weren’t started under saddle until they were 4/5.
• I think that before a horse can start “serious” under saddle work, it needs to spend a lot of time hacking out and developing the proper muscles to support a rider, learning to go forward and move their bodies freely over varied terrain or footing. I think that’s especially important with a horse that’s still growing. Too many are just thrown into work without being properly conditioned, mentally or physically, and they end up sour and/or sore.
• I agree with Lauren’s general approach of “3yo’s work 3 days a week, 4yo’s work 4 days a week, 5yo’s work 5 days a week”, and I also agree with her that there are certainly exceptions to this.
• I don’t have a problem with a horse hopping over a few small fences under saddle at 3, although IMO “real” jump training shouldn’t begin until the 4yo year, after the growth plates in the hocks are closed. How much jump training I do in the 4yo year depends on the mental and physical development of the horse. I prefer to start jump training using mostly small grids so they learn where to put their feet and how to use their body correctly, right from the beginning. For some horses that might mean a few weeks of grids, for other horses it might mean a few months.
• I think that quality vs quantity of the horse’s training MUST be taken into account. When you put really good quality work and riding into the horse, the quantity of work and the amount of riding it takes to get them to a certain level comes down. A good young horse trainer can get a horse ready for Novice with less than half the amount of jumping than someone who is less skilled.
• I think that the standard of care to which the horse is kept is what matters most when it comes to long term soundness. Good farrier work, good footing, appropriate conditioning, excellent feed, lots of turnout, and proper care on a day to day basis – those things are IMO by far the biggest factors when it comes to longevity.

The caveat to all of these is to repeat: these are my personal preferences, for my own horses, based on my own experiences. It’s okay if you don’t prefer it for your own.

We do know for sure, proven via several studies, that gentle “stress” on a horse’s hard and soft tissues when they’re still developing is proven to help make them stronger as adults. Just like humans, early conditioning (not overuse – there’s a difference!) tends to make stronger adult athletes. For some horses, they might be able to get that kind of conditioning in a pasture. But unless you’ve got a hell of a lot of varied terrain and footing, and the horses are traveling pretty far distances on their own every day, at all gaits, most sure won’t. At that point it’s up to us to help develop the horse correctly, while being careful not putting an excessive amount of wear and tear on them.

I also don’t have a problem with the young horse classes. They are NOT for every horse, for sure. If you have one that is going to be pretty maxed out at 1*, it’s very unlikely to be running that level as a 6yo unless you’ve pushed it a lot, and it’s body would be stretched to it’s limits. If you have one that is very slow to mature, or one that will require a lot more work to get going, the 4yo YEH series is probably going to be too much. On the other hand, if you have one that is a baby genius and can hop confidently and easily around Novice after just a couple of XC schools (and is clearly headed for the upper levels), that’s the horse for YEH. This is where horsemanship and personal responsibility come into play, and knowing what’s right for your horse. Just because a class exists doesn’t mean they have to enter it.

There are countless examples of horses who competed as youngsters that are still out there competing 15+ years later. More than half of the eventing horses at WEG competed in a major Young Horse finals, with almost 3/4 of them competing in at least some kind of young horse class during their early career (of the ones that didn’t, some were still racing). One of everyone’s favorite examples of an event horse with great longevity is La Biosthetique Sam, who competed in young horses classes from the very beginning, most notably coming in 2nd in both the 6yo 1* final and 7yo 2* final at Lion d’Angers. His ensuing 4* career spanned almost a decade, and he retired sound. Sam is not an anomaly in upper level sport, not by a long shot.

Of course, we have to admit that most of us are not exceptional riders. Michael Jung or Doug Payne or Ingrid Klimke are guaranteed to bring a young horse up the levels more quickly and with far less wear and tear than I would. We also have to ask what becomes of the horses who disappear from the radar after the young horse classes. I spent a lot of time looking at horses from our own YEH series from years past and found the vast majority of them carrying amateurs and young riders around the lower levels, or even some in the h/j/equitation rings. Of course, there are the ones that succumb to bad luck, as horses love to do, or the ones that don’t hold up to the mental or physical stress. From my research, they are a small minority.

I’ve had horses that were 4yo and could canter around a 3′ course with a lead change after just a couple months. I’ve also had those that took a year to be able to do a course at 2’6″ with the same training schedule. So I’m careful not to jump to conclusions when I see a 4yo doing Novice. I’d want to know more about the horse’s history, who’s riding it, what it’s day to day schedule looks like, and how it’s kept. In my opinion those things matter a lot more. Are there people out there pushing horses to do more than they’re ready for? Definitely. 100%. Absolutely. Across every discipline and every age, it happens. It’s terrible and it’s sad. But what is “pushing” for one is not pushing for another, nor is it limited to a certain age group. I think it’s just as bad to see a 10yo being run into the ground and used up. I also think it’s more detrimental to wait until the horse is older to start it and then skip through the slow conditioning work, or rush it up the levels, than it is to start them younger and do it more methodically.

At the end of the day, I just don’t think that the idea of when to start a horse under saddle or over fences is a black and white issue, with hard and fast rules. Many roads lead to Rome. But I do think that it’s important to know more about a situation before making an assessment, either way. No matter where you stand on the issue, we can probably all agree that horses in general are better off when we listen to them and adjust our expectations accordingly, whatever that may look like.

There have been a lot of posts going around the blogosphere lately about how people budget their horse stuff for the year, what their total costs are, and how they keep track. It’s strategic, well thought out, and honestly pretty impressive.

I am none of those things.

It probably surprises precisely no one to find out that I’m more of the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type. I can be a bit impulsive, and I definitely live and breathe the “you only live once” credo. I am acutely aware of the fact that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, and with horses especially, you can never count on “next time” being an option. Sometimes the stars only align once. If there are things I really want, or really want to do, and they’re even remotely feasible for me to find a way to afford, I’ll make it happen – budgets or spreadsheets be damned. And I flat out refuse to feel bad about it.

That’s not to say that I just live like gangbusters and run around buying whatever I want, racking up massive credit card debt like YOLO and not saving a dime. That sounds fun, but I’m not that level of irresponsible. I pay my bills on time every month, I have enough of an emergency fund to where I can sleep at night, everything is insured, and I’ve got a 401k. I don’t live on ramen (not that I would necessarily mind, sodium is delicious), nor do I live in a cardboard box.

If I want to go to a bigger more expensive show, maybe I’ll cut out a smaller less important one. Or maybe I’ll pick up another side gig. Sometimes work can also be bartered to help cut down on expenses. I’ve literally never had a trainer that I haven’t worked for, in some capacity, at some point. I once braided 18 horses in one night at a warmblood inspection, so that I could fund an A show I wanted to take my jumper to. I’ve spent more days grooming for people at shows, or cleaning stalls, or body clipping horses, than I can even count. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I do cut expenses where I can though, in my regular life, and I have a lot of side gigs. Doing my taxes is complicated, with all of my 1099’s. I’ve had to get very creative over the years to be able to afford to do a lot of the things I’ve wanted to do. It’s all been worth it, because I’ve gotten to do so many awesome things. And it’s on my dime, so I don’t have to justify it to anyone or feel guilty about it for even a second. I might not have new street clothes very often (and they’re always guaranteed to be cheap), it’s possible that I haven’t had a haircut in a year, my house is not fancy, and my truck might have hand-cranking windows, but these are sacrifices I happily make without a second thought. Everything else meets my basic needs – my indulgence is the horses.

Let’s be real, I know how much I spend. I have a calculator buried deep in the back of my brain, silently adding and adding and adding. Of course I have a good idea of what I spent on the horses every year. Pretty sure we all do. But I also pretty much flat out refuse to put it to paper. Mostly because I can’t think of a single reason why I should. It wouldn’t change a thing except for probably making me feel irresponsible or guilty or whatever else – which I refuse to do. I chose the horse-poor life a long time ago, and I’ve been exceedingly happy with it. I don’t want to find myself taking shortcuts with my horse’s care, or not buying things that I really want, because I feel duty-bound to fit inside of a number on a spreadsheet. If I can make it work, I’m gonna do it, and I’m gonna do it with no receipts attached.

Maybe that makes me selfish, or naive, or reckless… I don’t know. All I know for sure is that I’ve never regretted a single hour that I’ve put in, or a single dollar that I’ve put out. To me there’s a huge difference between the price and the value; the value I get back from horses and riding is astronomically more than the price I pay. I completely understand why people choose to track expenses and budget extensively, or approach things differently than I do, or have different priorities in life than I do. I respect and admire that a lot.

It just isn’t for me.

In the past few (coldish) months I’ve added some things to my line-up that I’m really liking. Or they’re interesting. Or I’m weirdly obsessed with them in ways I can’t quite explain. I talked about my Champion skull cap a couple weeks ago, which I continue to love more and more, but there have been a few other (perhaps less exciting) acquisitions that are worth mentioning too, especially this time of year.

Tough-1 Slow Feed Hay Net

Okay it’s weird that I’m so obsessed with this thing, I admit it, but hear me out. I’ve been hesitant to put up a net in Presto’s stall, because he tends to put his feet in/on everything and turn whatever isn’t firmly tethered into a projectile. But I also didn’t like him eating off the floor, because his hay goes in the outside part of his stall, on the dirt (the inside stall he uses as one giant toilet). I’m trying to minimize how much sand he’s eating, plus that horse can hoover hay like nothing you’ve ever seen. For real, 2 flakes lasts him about an hour. Which meant that on the nights he’s stuck in his stall due to the weather, he was spending the majority of his time with nothing to eat.

Several years ago I had a NibbleNet, which I liked the design of, but the horse (Presto’s mother, actually) destroyed it within a couple months. Considering how expensive it was, I wasn’t thrilled with the longevity. I thought that style might be perfect for Presto though, maybe less likely that he’d put his foot in it or somehow entangle himself in it than a regular hay net. On a whim I tossed in the Tough-1 large size slow feed net on one of my Riding Warehouse orders, since it’s about half the price of a Nibblenet, and I’ve been really thrilled with it. So thrilled that I’m buying another one for Henry, because it’s that awesome.

The net is big, I can stuff 4 flakes in there if I really want to (which I’ve been doing a lot lately, because growth spurt), even though it’s advertised as holding 2-3. The opening at the top has plastic inside the webbing which makes it more rigid, thus easier to open and fill, and lies flatter to stay shut when it’s hung. It has a bunch of d-rings at the top and bottom that give you lots of different options for hanging, which I really appreciated considering that keeping my idiot baby horse’s feet out of it was my #1 concern.

The barn guy loves it because it’s very easy to unsnap and fill while it’s still hanging, no wrestling with a net required. It’s even survived the wrath of Presto totally unscathed so far, which is impressive considering how mercilessly he attacks it with his teeth. It slows down his consumption pretty well too, hay lasts him about 3 times longer than it used to. I generally only use nets in the winter when my horses are stuck inside more, but these are totally worth it anyway. And it comes in purple and teal if you’re into that kind of thing.

 

HUGs

Ok these aren’t really new, Henry has been wearing his HUG blankets for 3 years now, and I’ve sung their praises on here before. They’re the only thing I’ve ever found that doesn’t rub Henry’s shoulders bald, and they’ve held up really well. Presto even got a HUG sheet to wear this year, too, even though he’s only worn it like twice because he’s a walking shag carpet and it’s just not that cold. But they went on sale before Christmas and I was going to grab a sheet and blanket for Presto for next season, then I realized he’ll probably be wearing Henry’s size by then, so why not hand down Henry’s old ones to Presto and get Henry some brand spanking new ones? Especially because they had navy. The new ones are really nice, better quality than the old ones, with a few little upgrades in materials. So it’s possible that now I own 5 HUG sheets and blankets. I was never really sure how I felt about the design until I owned some, but if you have a sensitive or hard to fit horse they’re awesome and I continue to love them.

 

Levade Kentucky sweatshirt

I know, a sweatshirt seems simple, but is there anything better than a soft cozy sweatshirt when it’s cold out? No. No there isn’t. And this one from Levade Kentucky is definitely the softest one I’ve ever owned. Plus it’s horse related! It’s cute enough to not just look like you’re wearing a frumpy sweatshirt, and it’s simple enough to go with pretty much anything, dressed up or down. I’ve worn it to work, to happy hour, and to the barn. It’s quickly become a staple for me, because comfort and warmth rule supreme. Levade is a relatively new, small business, and y’all know how much I like that. Their line will soon be expending to jackets, tights, and a few other items, so I’m interested to see where it goes.

 

Dark Jewel Designs Spiked Browband

Ok this isn’t really winter-related but y’all. I’m obsessed. I’ve been not-so-subtly dropping hints for a while to Amelia at Dark Jewel Designs that she should make a spiked browband, and she did! I’m testing this one to make sure everything holds up well before they’re offered to the public, and so far I’m really impressed. It’s stunning, and really well made, and I freaking love the spikes.

Really it was meant for punk rock Presto (and he WILL be wearing it at some in-hand shows, have no fear) but Henry is wearing it right now to test it out. I might use it on him for XC anyway, because it’s so awesome, how could I resist? I love the shape, I love the snaps (lets make all browbands with snaps, yes? So easy to swap out.), and it fits on my Lund bridles perfectly. You can’t really tell that they’re spikes until you get up closer, which I love. Subtle badassery. This suits me and my horses so much better than rhinestones. None of us are particularly sparkly.

Do you have any must-have items that you’re really feeling this season?

 

Presto has been doing pretty well since his castration last week. He was confined to his stall for the first 20ish hours, and since then has been on pretty much 24/7 turnout except for mealtimes. His stall opens up into his pasture, so at night we’ve just been leaving the stall door open and he comes and goes as he chooses. Otherwise I’ve just been cold hosing and making him move around more everyday with either a pony or a 10 minute walk/trot lunge.

The first couple days he was WILD. Like I texted the vet and asked him to come back out and stitch those things back on, because I was pretty sure we accidentally cut off his brains. Okay, granted, “wild” for Presto really isn’t that wild on the scale of baby horses, but still. There was snorting. There was tail flagging. He morphed into an arabian there for a hot minute.

The vet did warn me that the swelling would likely be worse by the 3rd day, and not to freak out. As predicted, the 3rd day was when things actually started to get puffy. That slowed Presto down a bit physically, but there was still a lot of Chaos, Destruction, and Anarchy running through that little walnut brain of his. Exhibit A:

I turn my back for like 10 seconds and this is the kind of hell that breaks loose. I mean, he’s kinda like this all the time, true, but this was Presto Chaos dialed up to 11. His typically derp-derp-derp brain is moving a thousand miles an hour, making him into a baby horse tornado. Luckily aside from making a general mess of literally ANYWHERE I LEAVE HIM UNATTENDED, the only real casualty so far is his feed bucket.

He ponied on Sunday, and when I walked him up to a puddle he immediately tried to flop down and roll in it. This spurred a lot of arm flailing and “NO PRESTO NO” from me, because I didn’t want him getting muddy gross water in his incision. I stopped him before he got past sitting on his knees in the puddle like a camel (which was a sight to behold), but my goodness, you little terrorist. He didn’t even give me any warning, he just dove right in. I mean I guess I should be glad that he’s not averse to water, but I also have visions of him rolling in a water jump with me at some point in his Beginner Novice career. We should take bets on that.

He ponied without too much mischief otherwise, especially after the first lap of the field when he decided we were super boring because I wouldn’t let him chew on Henry. After that I played a little bit with him in Dobby’s little trailer loading practice chute. I think Presto likes it.

To his credit, he’s been a bit better about the cold hosing than I thought he might be. He’s never been the biggest fan of water near his crotch/butt, which I spent all of last summer working on. It’s like he’s convinced I’m gonna stick the hose up his butt or something, which has literally never happened. At least for now he’s stopped curling up like a roly poly as soon as water touches his hind end, and actually he stands pretty still. Especially considering I’m shooting really freaking cold water onto his junk for 10-15 minutes at a time.

And yes, you may have noticed he’s gotten super awkward and babyish and growthy looking again. He’s gearing up for a growth spurt for sure, because a couple weeks ago he was looking almost like a normal horse. Let’s hope that the growth spurts this spring aren’t quite as dramatic as the ones last year, where he grew a hand in 3 months. He can slow his roll, thanks.

A cold front blew through last night so hopefully he didn’t spend his evening doing more fantastic arabian impressions or destroying his remaining buckets. Or whatever else he could get his mouth on. So far (knock on literally all the wood) his surgery and aftercare have gone pretty well. Hopefully things keep healing as they should, and maybe his brain cells will start regenerating soon.

Or maybe they won’t…

 

Okay it’s not really fair to call Texas winter “Winter”, especially when some of y’all are knee deep in snow. I’ve ridden in a sunshirt 3 times in the past week, and once in a t-shirt. But winter does mean off season for us, in that we don’t have any recognized shows between December and February. That tends to be the time of year when we all buckle down and get to work, gearing up for the show season to come. I’ve noticed that I tend to take more lessons and school XC more in that time of year than probably the entire rest of the year combined. This year is no exception, with a pretty full calendar for the next couple months.

This fall and winter being a lot wetter than normal has put a damper on that a bit, but we still manage to find ways around it much of the time. This past weekend we loaded up early to head down to Pine Hill for our 2nd XC schooling in as many weeks, which feels like a fantastic luxury. The weather was nice, but Pine Hill has continued to get pummeled with rain, so most of the facility was too muddy to use. No problem though. Instead we headed up the highest, driest part of the course and worked on uphill and downhill bank combinations.

This is the kind of stuff I’m really craving right now. The major difference between Training and Prelim (aside from the extra 4″ of height and 9-12″ of width) is the technicality. Combinations are a lot harder, the jumps come up way faster, and there’s significantly less room for error. Technicality is what we really need to work on, so I can start reacting faster, which helps Henry think and move faster too.

After we warmed up, Trainer set up a little vertical at the bottom of the hill, 3 strides to a bank, 2 slightly bent strides to a rolltop. We rode it both ways, up and down. If you rode in passively, or rode in forward but then became a passenger, it didn’t work. Each element required you to keep riding forward in order for the next part to work out. Adding the terrain element made controlling your upper body especially important. I loved all of it, because these are the things that have shown to be so crucial as we’ve started testing the waters at Prelim. When they’re that big, you have GOT to keep coming forward. When they’re that big, you have GOT to be good with your body. I love exercises that make it very obvious when you’ve accomplished those things or not.

It wasn’t a long school, or one where we were jumping a lot of bigger fences, but that’s not what we need right now anyway. We know that we can gallop up to the big wide tables just fine. What we lack is some education and finesse at the technical aspects, so this kind of stuff is perfect for us. We’re knee deep in details, in every part of what we’re working on right now. It’s no longer about getting through the dressage while holding Henry’s brain together as best we can, or getting from one side of the fence to the other smoothly. Now we’re getting down into the nitty gritty, the fun stuff, the hard stuff. The bar has been raised in more ways than one.

It’s not easy, but it’s also really exciting. For the first time in my life I’m in a place with a horse where I really get to concentrate on myself. It’s uncharted territory. Sometimes I’m lost and wandering, other times it feels like a grand adventure. Either way, I love it. Hopefully the weather holds this week, because I’d really like to take Presto out next weekend and let him scope things out, put his feet in the water, and investigate the ditches/bank. He’s overdue for a field trip, I think!

Oh, and Bobby rode Cannavaro for the first time this weekend, just a quick and easy poke around to get acquainted.

He was perfect, of course. Would you expect anything less?