Category: Uncategorized

When Bobby and I were on our way back from Arizona, with only about an hour left to go in our drive we passed a place called Equicare. I was so bored by that point that I was googling everything of interest that we passed, so I plugged Equicare into my phone and pulled up the website. I was pleased to find out that it was a rehab center that offered everything from an underwater treadmill to a saltwater spa and everything in between. I didn’t realize we were so close to a facility like that.

It seems like some forms of therapy are super common- massage and chiropractic for example. Henry has had both, although for him massage is by far the best. He loves it and the difference after a session is obvious, so he gets to see his most favorite massage lady on a regular basis.

But those aren’t the only forms of therapy…I’ve seen a lot of eventers, showjumpers, and dressage riders utilizing many different things to help keep their horses fit and feeling good. The aquatred (aka underwater treadmill aka aquaciser) in particular is supposed to be absolutely fantastic for strength and conditioning. I feel like those of us with sporthorses are always looking for ways to increase our horses’ fitness while keeping the physical pounding to a minimum. I mean… if it’s good enough for Valegro…

About the aquatred at Equicare:

The HydroHorse is an in-ground, submerged treadmill, with 1,400 gallons of heated water and whirlpool jets. It provides a controlled, buoyant environment for low-impact exercise, and speeds the return to fitness and performance.

It is effective in treating bowed tendons, pulled suspensory ligaments, splints, bucked shins, saucer fractures, joint injuries, post surgical recovery and many other conditions. In addition, use of the HydroHorse adds significant tone and conditioning to the back and stifle muscles and forms the cornerstone of a low-stress fitness program for horses that need to attain or maintain competitive condition.

The HydroHorse underwater treadmill builds muscles and cardiovascular strength in a partially buoyant environment that reduces stress and concussion by up to 60 percent. The horse exercises in a controlled environment, in a straight line on a flat surface, using its normal gait, with full range of motion and the same muscles that it uses on traditional surfaces.

Unlike swimming, which uses a different set of muscles and does not replicate the workout that the horse receives on land, the HydroHorse builds topline and leg muscles with the added benefits of the therapeutic effects of the warm water and the Jacuzzi jets.

While Equicare offers a lot of different services, the other one that I found super interesting for Henry was the saltwater spa. I’ve seen this pop up more and more these days and have become increasingly curious. Some blurbs about the saltwater spa:

• The saltwater in the spa is aerated and chilled to a constant 35° F. The hyper-cooled saltwater reduces limb temperature (and hence inflammation) far beyond traditional icing techniques, thereby inhibiting enzyme degeneration of tendons and ligaments post-injury.
• Saltwater at this temperature allows a far greater concentration of oxygen, which, combined with the aeration, greatly increases the overall oxygen content of the spa solution, which is believed to promote healing in the same way a hyperbaric chamber does.
• Exposure to this low temperature results in a significant, drug-free reduction of pain.
• As the legs re-warm after treatment, blood flow is greatly increased to the injury site.
• The aeration massages the horse’s legs, increases oxygen content, stimulates blood flow and cleanses open wounds.
• The Epsom and sea salt solution acts as a hypertonic poultice, which means that it draws inflammation out of the horse’s limbs far more effectively than fresh water. The salt also aids in wound cleansing.

Equicare also has a Theraplate, regenerative laser therapy, Game Ready, and a solarium (we saw several solariums at barns in Europe, so fancy).

Have any of you used therapies like this on your horses, or been interested in them? What’s worked for you and what hasn’t? And if you don’t like them or haven’t used them – why not?

And yes, of course I booked Henry an appointment for the aquatred and the saltwater spa, because how could I not? More about that tomorrow!

How could I not?

Riding Warehouse – 20% off (discount automatically applies at checkout)

Teddy’s Tack Trunk – 10 % off with coupon code GROOM

One Horse Designs – 20% off with coupon code celebrate

Jojo Sox – 40% off with coupon code LABORDAY

Gray & Co Designs – 20% off with coupon code SAVE20

C4 Belts – 30% off with coupon code LABORDAY30

Centerline Style – 20% off with coupon code LaborDay

Bit of Britain – 20% off with coupon code LONGWEEKEND

O’Shaughnessey – 25% off with coupon code LABORDAY

Jeffer’s – 10% off with coupon code LD10

Big Dee’s – 20% off Back on Track

Adam’s  Horse Supplies – 10-60% off

 

 

 

This year with Henry has been a really interesting one in a lot of ways, probably most of which (for me anyway) is the increased trainer involvement. Several of my past horses have obviously had trainer rides, but really only one of them was shown or ridden regularly by a pro, and that was Sadie.

She was a baby, just learning the ropes, and since I had bred and raised her I really wanted her to have the best possible start. Aside from her, though, the rest of my horses have been resale projects, so were almost exclusively ridden and shown by me. This year when I tossed Trainer aboard for Henry’s first couple of Trainings, I wasn’t really expecting it to go much further than that. There was no grandiose end goal, I just wanted him to have a confident ride over some bigger courses before I made the attempt. But I’ve been really surprised by just how much I enjoy watching a pro ride and show him – I really love it. Some of my favorite things about it, for example:

• seeing my horse learn new things
• having his confidence grow, which in turn grows my own confidence
• just being able to watch him compete (damn, he tears up XC, and looks so happy doing it)
• enjoying competitions without actually competing (less pressure)
• getting some good results on his USEA record
• it brings me joy to see my horse bring joy to someone else

The first time she mentioned running him Prelim, my first reaction was “YES!” with zero hesitation. That was never part of the original plan, but I would love to see him do it. And yes, mostly just because it’d be cool as hell – one more notch in Henry’s girth. And also because if he’s run around Prelim (and maybe even a CIC* like we’ve discussed), he’ll be totally golden with anything I half-assedly attempt to point him towards at Training. I’ve literally never had a horse that was more experienced than I was.

On the flip side of things, when you’ve only got one horse and limited budget, playing owner becomes tricky. Really tricky. Especially as you go up the levels and things get more expensive (and not just USEF fees, show fees, etc, but also the increased level of care). I still want to ride and show him, because I’m unwilling to hand him over totally. I’m also unwilling to give up showing him for a while, because we’re finally to the point that I had labeled Wildest Dreams a couple years ago and I don’t want to hit the pause button. That makes it really challenging to try to map out a schedule, especially when both of you want to run around the same venue. And because I just don’t have the money to send him to every recognized show in Area V… not even half of them. To make it work, it’s definitely going to take some compromise (or a sugar daddy. Maybe two.).

I’m just gonna keep my options open and see what road the horse takes us down. In the meantime, we’ll keep having fun with it and re-evaluate things as we go along. Damn, it’s fun playing owner sometimes though. Anyone else really enjoy watching a pro show and ride your horse?

 

 

One of my best friends (who I’ve known since I was 13 and she was 12 – poor thing has survived 2 decades of me and lived to tell about it) just acquired her own little farm. That’s the kind of life-long goal that we often talked about when we were kids, so this is a pretty big “dream come true” moment in her life and seems like a long time coming. The only difference is that we used to talk about having a pony breeding farm, and uh… I’m pretty sure that’s off the table.

It’s been fun though, and interesting, to talk things through with her as she decides how she wants to develop her property. She’s starting pretty much from scratch with the horse facilities, so there have been lots of discussions about barns and turnouts and riding areas and jumps (and yes, XC fences!). Within reason of course, because sadly, unlike we planned when we were kids, she is not independently wealthy yet.

So, out of curiosity, if you were starting with say 10 acres and building up your own horse property, how would you do it? And just to take all the fun out of it, pretend you’re on your normal, regular person’s budget. How would you maximize your dollars but still make a good, usable facility to fit your needs? What things would you put as higher priority and spend more money on versus things you could live without?

For those of you who already have your own place – what are the things you wish you’d done differently? What are the things you’re really glad that you did?

AEC’s start today, and the past month or so leading up to this competition has been interesting to watch. After USPC championships, the inaugural eventing competition at Tryon International Equestrian Center, the eventing community was buzzing. Why? Because at USPC Championships, XC was run 100% on the derby field and in sand arenas.

As soon as pictures and video got out, the internet does what the internet shall always do… they went nuts. Some people liked the format, stating that it was very easy for spectators to see everything. Other people hated it, saying that this isn’t cross country. Rumors continued to spread about the facility not being ready for cross country, not having true XC courses to offer at any point, etc. That sparked another wave of concern over what the AEC courses would look like. Several people scratched, not wanting to travel that far and pay that much money to risk running a derby style XC course.

USEA and TIEC immediately went into damage control mode, assuring the public that the XC course would be ready in time for AEC.  A drone video was even released of the xc course (which is actually only a part of the track, the only part that is outside of the arena areas), and then the provisional AEC course maps hit the web. This pacified some people but absolutely incensed others, depending on whether or not you liked what you saw.

It was interesting to me to watch this whole thing play out. There were those who were so enamored with TIEC as a facility that they didn’t really care what the XC was like (as long as it was safe, of course). They liked the fancy permanent stalls and the built-in tack rooms and the resort feel and the manicured spaces. H/J land gets that a lot, but it’s pretty rare in eventing. The other side was adamant that this was an apocalyptic moment, the beginning of the end of eventing as we know it… here comes the big money and here comes the h/j-ized version of eventing.

Personally, I can see both sides. Who doesn’t love top notch amenities at a show? Super cramped tent stabling and running 15 extension cords to work a fan aren’t exactly dreams come true. Having come from Jumperland, I can say for sure that I went to certain shows because I liked the atmosphere and VIP feel. But what you think about this whole thing seems to depend on where your priorities lie. Some people don’t want 75% of their XC fences to be in arenas or on a flat derby field. Tossing in one manicured gallop stretch with a couple hills on it isn’t enough to get them excited. At least not enough to drive a long way and drop lots of money on one event, regardless of how nice the barns are and how many restaurants you have on site.

Other people think that this is the direction that eventing needs to move in, if it wants to survive – a Wellington Showcase type of format. To be made more spectator friendly, to take up less space, and to be easier to set up at a facility by using mostly portable fences. Some people just really like how pretty and fancy everything is, giving a much “richer” feel to the sport in general. And the fact that, in this format and using this kind of space, you can very closely maintain the footing to near perfection is a huge draw to a lot of people.

I’m curious to hear what others think, and where their priorities lie. Are you willing to acquiesce to a derby style XC if it means perfect footing and world class amenities? Or are you a holdout for the traditional XC courses – imperfect footing, lack of spectators, and bare bones facility be damned?