Stephens Forest CTR

Stephens Forest is beautiful and I love forest riding!!! I was looking forward to this ride, just to get out and ride. I knew my horse wouldn't be ready, but I didn't realize how un-ready he was until we started riding on Saturday, and by Sunday, he was just ansy and mad!

Conditioning is important to me too, and it was obvious that I hadn't done enough of it! My horse was a brat - I guess I shouldn't have given him 3 weeks off in Aug! My horse is a perfect gentleman at home, and you guess it, you never know what horse you have until you get to the show/ride! Not only mares are pissy, I can tell you that!

I trailered by myself so I didn't wait the extra 3 hours after checking out to find out what my scores were. I know, wimp! But that drive home by myself wears me out! I called my friend, Tammy, who I shared the trail with, and she told me I placed 3rd in horsemanship and Finny didn't place at all. I knew he wouldn't place after he came up with sore loins on Saturday check out and was very anxious the whole ride. We had minuses all over the place, starting at check out for Saturday start, and at almost every obstacle he was anxious and chomping the bit if he had to wait for his turn. He was great at some obstacles, where there was no wait turn and you just kept riding forward. That is the horse I have at home. oh, well...

I had a cantle bag with water, which I have used before, and this time I even double tied it so it stayed in place, but the waters must have been hitting him. I know at 1 trot time, a bottle fell out. I took the bag off for Sunday, massaged his back some Sunday morning and Sunday after I got in from the ride, and he checked out with a sound back. He did have some stocking up, but no
matter how conditioned he is, he always does. It may have something to do with his long pasterns, and I am going to research that. His metabolics were good, lost some points to hydration, but we have those gut sounds going!

I knew we didn't have the ride time in that we had in for the spring rides, so I just wanted to improve in some areas. We had some great maneuvers, and some awful ones. He is not a great backer, and we will work on that further. He is gotten terrible with chomping the bit, and at 1 time, I looked at Sheri and said, look at him, I am totally relaxed, not a stiff muscle anywhere as I was trying to sit very relaxed, and he was worse than ever!!! I'm not going to make excuses for his bad behavior- he is pleasure/performance bred and has a little hot blood in him, and it showed. Going down the trail was awesome, and he could have gone a long ways at a trot. Waiting his turn was miserable! what a brat! When he is great, it's great, but awful is miserable! next time, that guy is going to have his butt loped into the ground before we even start! If he doesn't do well at metabolics, at least he is going to stand tired!!!

But I have been working on my Centered Riding techniques, and I worked on breathing to help him stay relaxed, as well as that did for him! But it sure helped me as no matter what he did, I was relaxed and thought oh well, you better be good, because when I get you home, vacation is over! Lol



Some of the judged obstacles were:

Friday afternoon check in, with both the vet and horsemanship judges. We stood still while the vet judge checked metabolics and looked for cuts and marks on the horse’s body. The horsemanship judged checked for cleanliness. We then trotted away from the vet judge, lunged a circle in both directions, then trotted to a cone. I have lunged horses for years, keeping the lunge line coiled in my hand. CTR’s want you to figure 8 the line. Even after 2 years of practicing this, as I sent Finny out to lunge in a circle, he was sluggish, so I shook the line at him. As I did that, I dropped all of the line that was folded in my hand. I quickly picked it all up while lunging him, and had the line loped again before I needed to turn him. Finny checked in clean and sound.

Our first obstacle was 8 am Saturday morning. We were to wait until the person before us trots down the trail, then we were to trot away. The horsemanship judge was checking for balance. Finny wouldn’t stand still, but I kept him from moving around as quietly as I could.

I wanted to do some trotting, but the riders who left before us were still walking, and we would have just caught up to everyone too fast. Finny was anxious. We had to wait at our next obstacle. We were to turn around at the ribbon, and back between a rock and a stump. Finny didn’t want to back, and when he did, he was crooked. The judge commented that he did what he was suppose to, even though he moved against the leg that I was asking him with. Afterwards, I thought to myself, I backed between a stone and a hard spot!” ”! This was an old saying that I have heard from my relatives. It means that something was difficult to do. The horsemanship judge was hiding before this maneuver, and she was watching if we crowded each other as we came up a hill and if we were sitting light and off the cantle.

After a P&R, we also had a judged mount with the vet judge, after she performed a metabolic check. We were to back in hand next to a concrete wall of an outhouse, and mount. Finny backed but wouldn’t get close to the wall. I had to ask twice. He was a little farther than he should have been from the wall, but he stood while I mounted. He was to settle, and I sat a few seconds longer than necessary after he did settle.

For the horsemanship judge, we were to step over a branch with the front feet & counting to 10 before continuing down the trail. We did well as Finny was able to walk right up to the obstacle without any wait time and he wasn’t watching a horse move on down the trail. At another obstacle on Saturday, we had a trot by and the judge was checking for balance and vertical alignment. When I checked the cards Saturday night, the judge commented that I was a little off to one side. The next morning, I had Tammy watch me trot as she was behind me, and she said I looked evenly centered, from the saddle down to my stirrup length. We also had to trot to the judge and was asked to stop. The horsemanship judge was checking for light hands and how well the horse listened to the rider. The last horsemanship obstacle was while we were crossing a bridge and the judge watched if we shifted our weight out of the saddle as we went up a hill

Sunday obstacles started with a trot by the vet judge in the morning while she checked for lameness. Finny trotted out and was ready to go. Obstacles for the day included trotting down a path, and continue at a trot as you approach a log, and either trot over or jump the log. Finny approached the log with perked ears, and smoothly jumped the log. It was a very smooth feeling. I don't think I held 2 point position long enough as I felt I came down into the cantle too soon. At one of the metabolic checks on the trail, I should have dismounted, as Finny wouldn't stand still. Then we were to show where we were on the map and what trail we would be taking. I made the additional comment that we were to be heading west, as I looked at the compass on the map also. But they were actually checking to see if our horse stood still while we checked our maps.

For the horsemanship judge, we were to stay on the gravel path and walk through brush. I kept near the middle of the path and slowly allowed Finny to place his feet among the branches. At another time, the judge was hiding near a tree, watching as we moved up a slight incline. We had a good laugh at this obstacle. We had been on the horses for 3 hours without a restroom break. I told my friend that I needed to get off my horse and to watch the trail. I was already dismounted when the judge said that I should move down the trail and use the restroom that was just beyond the curve in the road. LOL! I almost mooned the judge as I had unzipped my pants by the time she said something! LOL! But I wonder how she jusged me at that spot. I was up and off my horse before she spoke, and then I had to remount, using terrain.

On both days, P & R's were good, but not perfect. After the first P&R, we were to hand walk the horse down the path and around a curve to the judge. We were to mount, using the terrain. I turned my horse sideways, and mounted from the high side. My friend moved the horse closer to a rise in the path, and used the higher ground. Finny did not want to stand quiet at the 2nd P&R on Sunday. At this P&R, we had to trot a long time into the P&R. Finny should have been tired, but he was excited and wouldn’t stand still as he saw other horses move on down the trail. At all the P&R’s, I remained relaxed. I tried deep breathing, hoping that Finny would mimic my breathing and calm down.

We had many metabolic checks on the trail, and I did lose hydration points. The days were cooler, but there was little water on the trail, and Finny didn’t drink much. Finny lost points as he did not stand well for the vet checks. I realize now that I should have dismounted and held my horse at each check. My daughter gave me a good idea and told me that I should have dropped his bit at the P&R’s and metabolic checks. We are allowed to dismount at the checks. I think I would have lost less points from the vet judge if I had held my horse. I also think I will work with a bitless bridle. I could use a bit with a roller, to give my horses something to play with. But that may also get annoying.

The Stephens Forest CTR was a wonderful time with friends, as always! I loved the scenery. Even though Finny wasn’t a calm horse, when we could trot down the trail, without any nervousness, it was glorious. Come along on the next CTR!

Hill & Dale CTR

June 19-21, 2009

This is the 4th CTR this spring/summer that I will have competed in. I won’t have another CTR until September, and I was looking forward to some relaxation time this summer.

I didn’t want to leave too early Friday morning. I had plugged the trailer in the night before and had started the frig. To save time in the morning, I loaded the food and drinking water the night before. The trailer was ready with tack and hay and water. I filled the water holding tanks for shower and toilet water. I got up Friday morning at regular time and did chores and fed dogs. I loaded my horse, and while he ate some hay that was in his manger, I went inside to change and grab my cup of coffee.

I was going to follow my friend down to Hillsdale, but as I was about 15 minutes down the road, I remembered I left a water turned on! So I turned around and headed home, after calling my friend to start without me. I would catch up to her. And I thought I would, but I didn’t catch her until we got to the campground entrance gate.

We found our sites that we reserved. We backed the trailers in and hooked up to electric. As it was a very muggy 90 degrees at 1, it was going to be a good weekend to have air conditioning!



After putting hay and water out for Finny, I went to check in and get our ride info. They didn’t have any of the info ready and we would get it at ride briefing. The flies were terrible and I had to wash Finny’s legs off and put fly boots on him. His whites just drew the nasty horse flies to them, biting him and drawing blood!

Once the vets were ready to check in horses, I went over to the lunging area. With the heat, Finny wasn’t moving fast at all, and he got a score of 2 for movement. They are only checking for way of going, and if he isn’t excited at check out, and he won’t lose points. He was clean and stood well.

With rain during the past few weeks, the trails were still wet and boggy. And rocky in places. And did I say boggy? The ride was 5 mph, but we had a hard time making time. The boggy areas slowed us down. The rocky paths slowed us down. The obstacles went fast, so that didn’t slow us down too much. We can count any of our hold time to our overall time, so if we are held up at obstacles, that doesn’t make us get behind.

Obstacles weren’t too hard to perform. The horsemanship judge was a good ’ole guy, showing and judging for decades, and he was looking for a quiet horse that stood for obstacles. I don’t think he scored actual horsemanship though, as it seemed as he placed riders who sat heavy in the saddle. The horsemanship judge pointed out that he judged on safety, balance, control, and courtesy. The vet judge was thorough and friendly. She would do trailer checks on Saturday night, checking the horse for lameness issues at the trailer.

At check-in, the vet judge wanted riders to trot away from her in a straight line. The horsemanship judge wanted riders to be on the same side as the judge, and not standing directly in front of the horse. We trotted the horse away from the judge, trotted a circled in both directions, and trotted back to the judge. I scored an excellent on this and earned a plus.

Saturday maneuvers included an up and down hill. I thought we did this great. Finny stood quietly while the horse in front of him did the hills. We walked down the hill slowly and picked our way up the stoney hill perfectly, with me up and out of the saddle. Great job, I thought! The horsemanship judge said I needed more control of the horse! And I had upper body sway, going uphill! Uphill? You have got to be kidding! I think it may have looked like sway as I looked from side to side to help pick the best path for my horse. I couldn’t have been slower, so I wonder what the judge sees that I don’t feel? The vet judge scored me an excellent plus going downhill and a very good uphill. That will be on my mind as I will SLOWLY do obstacles during the fall CTR’s.

We had an off-side mount, from the ground! We could use the terrain, and we were suppose to position the horse in the ditch! After 3 hours of riding in the humidity, I just couldn’t get on gracefully! I can always do this at home! My horse took a step during mounting and a step during settling and I lost points from both judges. I need more control so that Finny doesn’t move and he needs to stand still at all times. I’m sure my very ungraceful attempt did not help him to stay steady!

The horsemanship judge was at the P&R, and he watched as we cared for the horses. I got a plus for watering my horse off, as I poured water onto his neck to cool him. I always loosen his girth when I first get off. The vet judged checked our horse and watched us trot away. At the last P&R on Sunday, the horsemanship judge was in hiding, watching as we left the P&R to see if we stayed in a good horsemanship form. And don’t you know it, after I filled water bottles, I mounted on the off side to practice, and my horse stood quietly! Don’t you know it - this time it wasn’t judged!

The vet judge met us on the trail on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Finny was anxious and wouldn’t stand as quiet as he should. I stayed on him and asked him to stand still while the vet checked his gums, hydration, and gut sounds. We lost a point for not standing still well. On Sunday, she met us right before the last P&R. At this point, after riding for 4 hours through the bog and hills, my horse was pretty tired. Even though he was as tired as he was, he was a little anxious.

Sunday morning, we trotted a circle, stopped, turned on the haunches, and trotted a circle in the other direction. Finny did great, but I was marked down for not performing a solid pivot.

We had a log obstacle where we had to step over the log between 2 ribbons, stop and side pass to the tree, stop and pin a ribbon to the tree. Finny sidestepped a little as we stepped over the log, and we ended up on the side of the ribbon. We side passed perfectly and put the pin on the tree. I got marked down for not standing still to tie the ribbon. Sometimes, I wonder what part of the obstacle we gain or lose points on.

We had some creeks on the trail and Finny wouldn’t settle to drink the water. He needs to learn to do this. At one place, we had a large creek crossing and he drank water both days at this place. We had one area where we could go into the lake, and after a few minutes, he drank water.

The days were very muggy and the trail was very boggy. Finny was extremely tired during the last hour on Sunday. I slowed our rate down a lot as I felt he was struggling going up the hills. We did better at the last 2 miles on Sunday, as we had the P&R right at the 2 mile mark.



I knew Finny was tired. The poor guy. After I unsaddled him at the trailer on Sunday, he did not want to move and come with me to get rinsed off. We managed to get there and I’m sure he felt better after he was cooled off. The judges weren’t ready to check out, so we went back to the trailer for another drink of water and more hay. When the judges were ready for us, Finny didn’t want to move! Lol

Finny will have a little break over the summer. He lost a little weight during this last ride and seemed a little sucked up. He will be used for a lesson horse during the remainder of June and through July, and I will ride him 2 -3 times each week. He is getting some fresh grass, and fresh round bales are ready. I will work on settling him more during obstacles. We will work on the Stop, Settle, and Slow obstacles.

Practice, and get ready! Come along on a ride with me!

Perry Lake CTR

After my Centered Riding lesson with Carol, I headed over to Perry Lake for the Competitive Trail Ride. I found where my friend, Virginia, parked and she saved me a spot next to her. After backing the trailer in, unloading Finny, and unhitching from the truck so I could level the horse trailer, I checked myself and Finny in.

It was warm! We were told to expect a lot of ticks! I put Equi-Spot down Finny’s legs and sprayed his body with Pyranha. I put a UV fly sheet on him to keep the heat and flies off his body. With the ride time at lesson, and walking and trotting him at check in, I wasn’t planning on riding him that evening.

Did I say that it was warm? But I didn’t hurry. That is one thing the Centered Riding is teaching me. Just be slow and relaxed. Don’t hurry and tense. Don’t worry about what can’t be helped.

I was going to ride with Kate, who I met at the Centered Riding Clinic. This was her 2nd CTR, with the first one being only a 1 day ride. Up at 5 Saturday morning, for a 7 am start! The first morning usually takes longer, with getting the pommel bag on and adjusted, and filled with food and water! And with the looks of rain and mugginess, I took the cantle bag and carried 2 more waters. The 2nd morning, it was cooler and it really looked like rain, so I removed the cantle bag and tied on a raincoat and a long sleeve shirt. It didn’t rain on us either day, but when the sun came out the 2nd day, I wished I had more water! The P&R check had water at the 2nd stop, so we filled our water bottles. The horses had just come up a long, steep, rocky incline and that were huffing. At the P&R, we watered down their necks. Some riders pulled saddles off to help cool their horse off. My rider suggested bringing the horse’s neck down, as this could lower the heart rate. I also used the Centered Riding breathing techniques to slow my horse’s breathing. I took deep breaths, exhaling slowing so my horse could hear me exhale. Breathing deep and slow can relax your horse. Some riders sing softly or hum to their horses.


The ride was shorter in distance, but more difficult with the hilly, and sometimes rocky, inclines and some wet areas that turned into boggy areas on Sunday after Saturday night’s rain. This ride also had a very thorough vet judge, which is good, but she took longer. She checked metabolics throughout the day, not just at daily check-in and check-out. She checked backs for soreness and legs for swelling. She carefully checked for lameness issues. She also had some obstacles!!! One that Finny and I did not do so good on was the back UP a hill! Finny started backing, felt the ground go UP, and looked for a different route. I straightened him, and started again, but he refused, and I was asked to move on! Oh well… Next time. This taught me to work on slowing down, look at what I am going to do, apply SPECIFIC leg cues, and keep legs on him and keep asking! I will also practice a lot of backing at home. Backing around obstacles, and definitely backing up!!!

This obstacle reminded me to slow down and “breathe”! Through Centered Riding, you are taught to “ground yourself” and “center”. With “soft eyes”, see the whole area, not just the area you are working on or obstacle you are attempting. With your correct “building blocks”, sit tall on your seat bones, relax, and feel what your horse is giving you. Have “clear intent” to what you want to do at the maneuvers.

Our 2nd back was much better. We had to walk up to a person, settle for directions, turn 90 degrees so we were facing away from the path, and back up into the path, going slightly downhill.

We had 2 judged dismounts and remounts, both on the off side! For the first one, we were to come up against a concrete ledge. We did not need to side pass up to it, and there was room to walk up level with it. My horse settled fine for this dismount, as he was turned to face the horses who were in line. At the 2nd mount, we had to walk up to a stepstool after the horses had rested 10 minutes at a P&R,, treat it as a log that could not be moved, and position the horse next to the “log” to mount on the off side. We were to settle before moving off.

We had an obstacle where we had to leave our buddies. One obstacle had us loping to the judge, and stopping at the judge, settle, and lope off and out of sight of our buddy.

Another obstacle that we had to do was to turn into brush, then perform a 90 degree pivot and walk up to and touch a ribbon tied to a tree branch. At another time, the vet judge was on the trail, and we had to dismount, walk between 2 ribbons over a large log, and stand beside her as she performed a metabolic check. At the end of the ride, the horsemanship judge met us and she had us walk to her as she checked tack.

This ride, Finny didn’t eat and drink as much at the first day lunch break. I should have put out a fresh hay bag. I think he would have eaten more, than he would have drank. We only rode for 3 hours, and I left him eat some grass during the morning. He checked out, after an hour lunch break, with a 2 for diminished jugular refill and hydration check. The morning was cool and we had a short ride. He wasn’t sweating or seemed stressed, so it seems odd that we had such a poor score. I will make sure that he always eats when he can! When we checked out after lunch, and the judge thought he was still dehydrated, we went back to the trailer for a dose of electrolytes from a syringe. He seemed better after that and h e checked out better. I did put some granular electrolytes in his feed which he didn’t like! I even watered his feed but he must have smelled or taste the electrolytes. I will work at home on adding some slower to his feed.

The ride was a little boggy, but with some places that were hilly and rocky. The horses had to work hard to pick their way up the paths. This was a beautiful ride in trees, and in some places, could see the water. I look forward to riding here when it is dry!

I will practice more of the Centered Riding techniques. At one point on the trail, I worked on going downhill with “walking knees”. This should help with the upper body sway, as the knees are moving with the horse so that the upper body doesn’t. I had a friend watch me, and she said that helped! I only had a little sway at the end when I quit concentrating on myself and my horse and the trail. I will start to apply more exercises as I ride the trails and perform at more obstacles. Come along on a CTR ride sometime!

Smithville Lake CTR

Smithville, MO
May 16-17, 2009

This CTR, we wanted to get to the campground early enough on Friday to settle in, then ride for a couple of hours before check-in. We wanted our horses to relax, get used to the new environment, and to know the trail and terrain. Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. Less than and hour after arriving at Smithville Lake, clouds moved in and skies got dark. Rain and hail soon after. Later we heard that a tornado was spotted at the area airport, less than 30 minutes away. Close enough for me!

After 5 ½ “ of rain and hail over the next 3 hours, the trails were too wet to ride! So, once again, the horses stood tied at the trailer and didn’t get any excess energy and anxiousness out of their system! The lightening and thunder stopped, so we were able to check in. We were to bring the horses to the vet and horsemanship judge clean, stand still for vet check, and trot a relaxed circle. Right! They are standing in mud and they just stood through 3 hours of a storm. But amazingly, if the horses are allowed to eat grass while they are standing in line, and waiting their turn, they are relaxed! No rain during check in, but there was still some lightening in the sky.

Finny does a great job at check in and check out, standing still for the judge, and trotting in hand well. Since it was very wet out, we only had to trot in a straight line for a short distance out to a cone and trot back, and not trot the circles in both directions. The judge checked for swelling in the legs, a sound back, and for gut sounds.

Check in went well. Potluck was next. We had more friends come and ride this CTR, so we had a potluck together before the pre-fair briefing. We enjoyed a taco bar, with everything including brownies with a “special ingredient” by Virginia,. Do you want to guess what that was? Some of the brownies had jalenpo peppers! I didn’t have any of those!

Pre-fair briefing went well. The ride committee told us that they would wake us up if the trails were ok to ride, otherwise sleep in! Someone would check trails at 7, and if the trails were ok, be ready to ride soon after! Trails were good and we rode out about 8:30. We rode out an hour later than we should have, so after we rode 22 miles, and had an hour lunch break, we got back to camp about 3:30, in time to clean up the horses, and present them to the judges for a soundness check.

With the wet conditions on Saturday, we had muddy and slick hills, and boggy areas. Our first obstacle was within the first ½ hour. We were to wait until the horse in front of us had moved out of our sight and had done the obstacle. Then we were to go up and down a slick hill. The judge was checking to see how much contact and control we had and if we were out of the saddle. Our next obstacle was to trot to the judge, stop, and back 3 steps. That evening, the judge reminded riders to settle their horses before and after the obstacles. We had a trot by for soundness. The horsemanship judge surprised us and told us that evening that she was watching how we handled our horses at the P&R’s!

We were to ride a 3.75 mph. That is pretty slow as most horse walk a 4 mph or faster, especially the gaited horses. But this day seemed really fast. We trotted and even loped on the meadows. The boggy areas really slowed us down. A lot. Some of the areas were 20-30’ feet long, and more than ankle deep. We had slop ½ ways up the horse’s leg. The muck was deep enough to pull shoes off and to make a horse’s stifle sore. Amazingly, the water crossings weren’t deep. I think the rain came quick enough to just run off, but then settled in the low spots. And on Sunday, the boggy areas seemed longer and deeper and stickier. My horse did well, taking the areas slowly, finding the shallower areas.

Once back to camp, we had to clean up the horses and present them to the judge. We literally power washed the mud off the legs! Saturday’s metabolic check and trotting went well, and we had no leg issues or back soreness, and we had good gut sounds.

Sunday morning, we had to trot by for the judge to check for lameness. One of Sunday’s obstacle was to walk down a hill to the judge and stop. As we were waiting in line, we were told not to watch the obstacle. Once we stopped at the judge, she told us to turn facing west, and side pass to the north 3 steps. Ok, now think. It is morning, so the sun is to my east. Turn and face away from it. Now, what is that saying they taught us in school. East is to our right, west to the left, then we face north and south is to our back. So as I sat there facing east, I knew I had to turn completely around. I visualized east at my right, and then I knew which direction was north, which would have me side passing up hill. I figured this was correct, as it would be safer to side pass up hill and not down. Later, we found out that the judge told different people different directions. I assumed this was so everyone has a fair chance at this obstacle. At another obstacle, we stopped at the judge, dismount on the off side onto a log, and remount. While waiting for that obstacle, Finny was anxious and would not settle and stand still. But amazingly, he was perfect at the log. I mounted and remounted as quickly as I could. Then as we walked off, we were to wait for the next rider to perform the obstacle. Finny was still anxious as we waited. We need to work on getting him to settle and to stand still.

P&R’s went well both days. Finny had some of the slowest respirations, scoring a 3 and 4’s. I loosen the girth, wet his neck down with a sponge, and stand back to let him relax. At one spot on the trail, we were to stop as the vet judge checked metabolics. Once again, Finny did not stand still well and wanted to move as the judge placed the stethoscope on his back rib area to check for gut sounds. I have worked on him to move as soon as I touch him with my legs, but now I have to teach him the difference between my leg and the judge’s stethoscope. Next time, I will dismount and stand on the off side of the judge to have my horse stand still.

We left Sunday as soon as we finished checking out, so I don’t have my cards and I can’t remember the other obstacles that we did. I will report later on those and where I lost points. I lost gut sound points at my first ride, so I made sure to stop and let my horse eat grass along the way. And at the water crossings, we allowed them to drink whenever they wanted to. I also dropped my sponge and got it wet, so to wash down my horse‘s neck and to cool him off. I actually did drop it the sponge into the water and my friend Virginia got off and retrieved it for me!

Check out went well. We did our trotting circles as well as trotting in line. Finny does this well and check out was uneventful. I think he was ready to load and come home! After 3 days of rest, we were back to trotting and conditioning for the next clinic or CTR!

Come along on the next ride with me!

Conditioning for my first CTR of the year, Cherryvale CTR

CHERRYVALE CTR

CHERYVALE, KS

APRIL 25-26, 2009

For the last month and a half, I have been conditioning for the start of CTR, Competitive Trail Riding. Lots of field riding and trotting to get the extra weight off of my horse, Finny. Hosting a Centered Riding Clinic, with some CTR friends, to work on correct body positioning. Even conditioning myself with lots of posting and 2-pointing at the trot. The first ride was this past weekend at Cherryvale, Kansas. A beautiful place to ride. Trees and forest. Just like I grew up with. Throughout the ride, we rode next to the lake or saw the lake through the trees.

One area of CTR is P&R's, Pulse and Respiration, checks. The horse needs to come into P&R's and stand quiet for 10 minutes. After that time, the pulse and respiration is taken, and the horse needs to be below a certain number or he will be held for another 10 minutes and another P&R is taken. The horse loses points if he is held for an additional 10 minutes. During the 10 minute rest period, you cool off your horse. Most times, I loosen the girth, and then I stand back from my horse, allowing him to relax. Other riders remove the horse's saddle. Some riders wet their horses down with water and a sponge or water from a squirt bottle. Some riders even fan their horses in very hot weather. The rides have unique ways of tying on their equipment they use to keep their horses cool! Finny had great P&R's this CTR, lower than I had expected.

Another area of CTR's is Obstacles. Both the rider and the horse is judged on how well they perform the obstacle individually, as well as together as a team. Is there a partnership between the horse and rider, or is the horse not listening to the cues? Is the horse rushing the obstacle? Do you, as the rider, have enough contact with the horse? Are you riding centered, or are you heavy in the saddle or behind the horse's motion?

Our first obstacle was a judge mount. Finny knows how to stand still, except on the first day of a CTR! He was heads up and ready to go! He did not stand still at the step stool, but he did stand still as I mounted from the ground. All 15.3 hands! It is so much easier mounting when using a step stool! Other obstacles during this ride were: 1) walking over a large log, 2) walking past the waters edge of a lake, as the waves were lapping at the shore, 3) walking down a hill and stepping between logs, stopping and counting to 5 (which I did out loud, so that there would be no mistake that I didn't rushed the obstacle), 4) trotting a large circle while the vet judge checked for lameness, and 5) handling the horse during check-in and check out.

Another area is making time. You have a 30 minute window to complete X number of miles within a set amount of time. One important area to consider is whether you are giving your horse enough time to graze so that you are keeping the intestinal tract moving. This ride, I had diminished gut sounds. I questioned the vet judge about this. We even had diminished sounds after our 7 hour trip to the CTR, after eating the whole way and for an hour after getting there! She said that there could be numerous causes. One could be the stress of the ride and the anxiousness of the horse. Another could be not enough grazing during the ride. Another cause could be decreased water consumption. After talking with friends Virginia, Sheri and Sandy, all who have competed in this event, they gave me some great advice and their recommendations. I will begin to add electrolytes to my horse's water before and during the ride. I will add beet pulp to his diet to increase fiber and water. I will water down his grain the day before and during the competition. I will try to make up time during the ride to allow for more 5 minute stops to allow my horse to relax and graze.

The horse needs to stay sound and to go through check-in and check-out without any signs of lameness. The vet judge checks for the capillary refill of the gums as well as checking for dehydration. If she presses on the gums, making a white area, and within 1-2 seconds, the area returns to a pink color, the horse has sufficient blood flow. If she pinches the skin of the neck and the skin returns to normal, the horse is hydrated. The vet checks for any fill or puffiness on the legs. The vet judge watches the horse move at the trot in a straight line, trotting away from her and towards her, as well as watching the horse lunged in a circle at both directions

The next CTR is soon. I continue to condition my horse 4-6 miles per day, 5 days a week, at the walk and trot. I ride for an hour to 2 hours at a time. I stop and allow my horse to graze, hoping to develop a habit for him! Which woulde be a great habit! I practice trail maneuvers calmly. I will add electrolytes and beet pulp to his diet, to increase his fiber and water content. I will get him to stand still on the first day! And I will continue to read, learn, and educate myself about a horse's health. I want my horse to be a happy, healthy CTR horse!

Come along on a CTR with me! You'll love it!

What I have learned from CTR this year

The rides have been fun and a great experience! I thought I was a good rider. The rides are making me a better rider. I coach and train others. I teach them how to ride. I get into the minds of horses. What I didn’t realize would happen when I started CTR is how much CTR would get into my mind and make me a thinking rider! I have ridden enough to ride naturally, without thinking about it. Now, I am more conscience of each and every move that I make in the saddle. I am aware of each move that my horse makes with his legs and body. I am more aware of what it takes to get his mind in the mornings so he remains relaxed for those first few miles. Because, more than likely, there is a judge 2 miles out on Saturday morning, just waiting for you to stop your horse and make him wait for 5-10 seconds. That time is an eternity!

I have learned that you have to read a map, while moving! And be able to read the little symbols. I have learned to pack my glasses in my pommel bag. Next year, I will be wearing prescription sunglasses, with antiglare, and hopefully, with non-breakable frames. Also, take into consideration the times! If you are going 4.3 mph, how long should it take to get from point 5 to point 6? Now remember to calculate in obstacles, time waiting for obstacles, remembering to tell the judge your wait time, and, if there is a P&R in that time frame, add in that 15 minutes. Now remember, that is without potty breaks, so if you get off your horse, count that time as your time! Now, get on and move out, because you’re already 10 minutes behind! I’ve learned to be on my horse at least 15 minutes to ½ hour before I ride out, and trot him around in his little pleasure trot. This puts him into a riding frame that I like to ride in. While he gives to the bit, it is a reminder to not pull on that bit during the ride. This warm-up takes the edge off of him, relaxes him, but most importantly, warms him up enough that we can begin trotting after we leave camp, to get 10 minutes ahead of our time! Then, maybe if we meet the judges a few minutes out of camp, my horse will settle and stand without jigging.

During my first ride, I could barely hang on to the map, let alone attach it, somewhere. Oh, my horse isn’t going to like this flapping around. He learned to care less! And I learned some of the tricks of the trade! You attach EVERYTHING to your breast collar or saddle! Next year, I’m going to take pictures of everything I see attached and flopping all around the horse! Maps, sponges, fans, water bottle holders. I loved the step someone made so they could get back onto their horse! I learned to tie everything on tightly, so there is no movement which could potentially cause back soreness.

Oh, and did someone tell me to take notes the night before each ride? That one is an important piece of advice. Was I suppose to turn at this red ribbon, or this red ribbon over here? Why are there 2 red ribbons on different trails? Oh, there is a yellow ribbon in the middle of those 2 red ribbons. What does that mean? What was I suppose to do when I saw the big tree? Where is the cabin where I turn? And where am I on the map? Where is the next P&R? Where could the judges be? Hmmm…

I have learned to look at the map and keep trotting. My horse doesn’t care what that crinkling noise is anymore. I have learned to see how fast I’m moving at the trot with my GPS. But if you look down too much, you better learn to duck fast when you look up and there is a tree branch! Oh, and did I say how much I can eat while riding? You better be able to take your coat off and tie it onto the cantle while riding.

I am learning what the judges are looking for: heavy in the cantle, upper body sway, centered riding, resistance in the horse. Yes, I said body sway. That movement that come naturally after riding for many years. The movement you get when you relax and move with the horse, especially when you ride a “trotter“ and not a “gaited” horse. Well, you don’t move with the horse that way on CTR’s. Oh, you can move your hips independently. Yeah, right! You “try” to keep that upper body from moving side to side going down hill, yet staying light in the cantle, with legs beneath you! Riders on Foxtrotters have it made! They don’t sway side to side because their natural movement is forward and backward. I don’t think that is fair! I have practiced and practiced the last 2 months on that upper body sway. I understand it better, but my upper body doesn’t! I’m practicing and something must be working, because something is starting to feel different going down the field terraces (where do you practice hills in eastern Nebraska unless you trailer an hour away?) Oh, I got it - no upper body movement! Then, in front of the judges, the body doesn’t cooperate with the brain and the horse’s movement. Trying to maneuver the obstacle within a short period of time, legs beneath you guiding your horse, maintaining contact on the reins, now control that upper body sway! We’ll work on that some more! That one is not coming natural. I am planning on participating in a Centered Riding Clinic in the spring. I will conquer that sway!

I am learning what to expect at P&R’s, how to cool off my horse, how to keep him quiet, how to keep him quiet when the horse beside him isn‘t quiet, or to keep him quiet when he sees riders off in the distance, and becomes instantly alert. When that happens, I can just see his heart rate go back up! I just stand in front of him, blocking his view or by distracting him by moving 1 front leg back and forth 1 step. I have watched while riders strip off their saddles, spray down their horse’s necks, pour water into their horse’s mouths from the “horse” water bottle. I have looked at how other riders have connected their sponges, fans, water bottles, and packs to their saddles and breast collars. I am learning what to do that will be an effective style for me and my horse. P&R’s are good for another reason …. knees! Oh, that last ride was cold, I was cold by 10 in the morning, and at that first P&R, I didn’t think my knees would unbend. I have never had that problem when I rode previous winters at my barn. But I probably was on and off my horse more often. I look forward to P&R’s now.

We are having better P&R's. I'm really happy about his conditioning. I'm sure that if the weather was hotter, his P&R‘s may not have been so good. (My rides were September through November). The previous ride was a little warmer, and he did have higher P&R's after rest time, even though they were still below the maximum numbers without losing points. I know we will have to step up his conditioning routine. I am used to conditioning speed event horses and reining horses. I will probably take a different approach than a lot of CTR riders, until I learn what has worked best for those who have done open for many years. I have had horses with strong legs that withstand the torque on the joints on turns. I will have to learn to condition a horse that will maintain soundness on steep hills or on various terrain over 40 miles. I read that it takes 3 months of slow work before adding speed, distance, and hills. Add one at a time. I better have a plan if I want to ride a March or April CTR.

Some of the trails have been sanded, some have been rocky. Most of the trails have been carefully negotiable. There were a few places where you were going up and down a trail that was solid stone with few areas to step in between stone. This ride taught both me and my horse to work on individual foot placing! We had some boggy areas - I like those the least as it could put a lot of strain on the horse's legs. Into muddy/boggy area, then back up (that was not fun - Finny backed up, 1 step and that leg sinks in, next step the other leg sinks in, and when he tried to lift his leg, he almost sat down. These wet areas make you look ahead and plan your path of minimal deep mud. We had a lot of log obstacles, standing over big logs (glad Finny has long legs). This has taught Finny to pick up those legs and quit dragging your toes! I loved trotting through the trees, easily trotting over whatever branch or log is on the path. I have learned to do this on a looser rein, with contact just a ½” away, and let Finny rate his speed for foot placing. Finny has always walked down steep inclines carefully and slowly, but he has had to learn to not rush the hills just because another horse is ahead of him.

Finny has started staying quieter on the ride, without jigging. He is staying quieter riding behind a rider when he can’t see the other horse. He still chomps the bit at obstacles. I'm working on slowing his mind down so he doesn't have to anticipate anything. I don’t feel like I tighten up as I approach the obstacles, yet I try to keep my legs on my horse without holding too tight. Finny is sensitive and he can feel those muscles tighten. He knows something is going to happen. I intentionally make him go slower behind the rider in front of us and keep him at the walk longer. When the horse in front of him starts trotting, I make him wait for me to begin his trot. I have lead more, which was a little challenge because my horse is a chicken! I learned to lead at the trot, and Finny learned to enjoy this as he perked his ears and trotted out. It is amazing to feel that long trot beneath you, and when you check your GPS, your up to an 8 or 9 mph.

I am a competitor and I have been pleased with what I have been able to accomplish with Finny this first year. My goal for next year is to condition a little harder and continue working to have better P&R's. We'll work a little harder on maneuvers over the winter, and I will literally throw things at him to develop a more broke horse. He does not need to move because the slicker hit him on the rump. Some of the simple things, like trailer loading that we do all the time, should be a simple send and go in, now, no hesitation. My ultimate goal with my horse is to make him want to do these maneuvers, and to stand quiet while he waits, without nervous anticipation.
I think a lot of the scoring is how well you and your horse perform the obstacles together. Riders need to ride centered and be up and off the horse‘s back. The horse needs to perform trail obstacles quietly and slowly. A horse can be conditioned and lose points on nervous behavior at obstacles or not performing the obstacle correctly. Your horse can be conditioned, perform obstacles, and if you don’t ride centered, you lose points. I love the partnership that comes between the horse and rider. I love that we are always thinking about the horse and thinking about how to do things better. I love that the care and welfare of our horses come first. And I love that we get to ride at fabulous parks with friends!

I have my plan and I’m ready to go to work. I'm just as excited to continue as I was to start! Thanks for sharing the trail with me and showing me this sport. Come along for the ride! Brenda

Last CTR of the Year

Terrain at Kanopolis CTR, Kansas

Kanopolis CTR was 2 weeks ago. The Last CTR for the 2008 year was the Hill & Dale CTR at Hillsdale, Kansas was the last CTR for the year. We rode this past weekend and we were cold, at least most of Saturday morning! We even had a little ice in the buckets on Sunday morning. The sun didn't show at all on Saturday, and it was brisk. We rode near the lake, and the breeze off the lake was cold! We did have sun on Sunday morning! By the time we got back to the trailers at 1, we could take off coats. But when we left to come home about 3, truck temp only showed 42, but it felt like a heat wave when you weren't in the wind!

Everyone did well. Shari got 2nd in CP and 6th in horse. Taylor, Shari's daughter, did well in the youth division. Robin got 2, 3 or 4 (I can't remember exact placings for her and her horse, but I think they both placed), and I'm not sure if David placed. I got 1st and Finny got 3rd in Novice Lightweight. Virginia, who I ride with, got 2nd and her horse got 3rd in Novice Heavyweight. Shari is bringing our cards home for us since we had to leave early and couldn't stay for awards.

Shari at Kanopolis, KS CTR

The ride was fun! We did have some rocky trails, and most were negotiable, but there were a few places where you were going up and down a trail that was solid stone and few areas to step. This ride taught both me and my horse to work on individual foot placing! We had some boggy areas - I like those the least as it could put a lot of strain on the horse's legs. The obstacles were fun, except Robin did NOT have one fun obstacle and she can share that. We had a lot of log obstacles, standing over big logs (glad Finny has long legs), walking down a steep incline into a muddy/boggy area, then back up (that was not fun - Finny backed up, 1 step and that leg sinks in, next step the other leg sinks in, and when he tried to lift his leg, he almost sat down. Luckily, the judges said that was good enough, and to walk forward, which was easier than backing up!) Finny stayed quiet, but he still chomps the bit at obstacles. I'm working on slowing his mind down so he doesn't have to anticipate anything. He stayed really quiet for the ride, and had great P&R's, so I'm really happy about his conditioning. I'm sure that if it was a hot weekend, that would be different. The previous ride 2 weeks ago was good, but he did have higher P&R's after rest time, even though they were still below the maximum numbers without losing points. My goal for next year is to condition a little harder and continue working to have good P&R's. We'll work a little harder on maneuvers over the winter, as I think a lot of the scoring is how well you, and your horse, perform the obstacles. Riders need to ride centered and up off the horse, and the horse needs to perform trail obstacles quietly and slow. Lots to work on and I'm just as excited to continue as I was to start!

Finny has learned to stay very quiet at the hitching posts. I definitely prefer hitching posts to tying at the trailers. The hitching posts are permanent and well built. The horses are tied long so they can lay down and rest. The posts are high enough that the horse won’t try to jump over it. There is a higher line above the hitching post to tie hang bags from. I have learned to strap, and tape, the water bucket to the upright post. No banging at night. On the trailer, the horse, hay and water buckets are tied to the trailer! Finny lets me know when he runs out of hay during the night. He has a full bag late at night, but he is resting. It appears that he gets his second wind after we go to bed and eats his hay. Then he must get his third wind at 2:30, AM! Very early morning! He has learned to bang his water bucket. I can’t sleep. The neighbors told me that they heard him too! So, I’m up feeding my horse at 3 AM! I have learned to hang 2 hay bags if he is on the trailer at night!

Now, it's time for more coffee. My face was red last night, like I was sun burned, but I know it's wind burned! I am starting to feel really tired! I am going to do a little paperwork today and maybe work on my store website! I need to get my specials on it!!! Have a great day, and drink some coffee - it's Monday! :-)))

I’m taking a week off before the next ride! Come along on the ride with me!
Brenda