Tuesday 22nd November 2011
A disappointing outing with the promising Showstopper, the perils of draw reins and hairy moments for a worthy cause. It’s all in a month’s work for our Dressage star Peter.
My trip to the High Profile Dressage Show at Vale View Equestrian Centre in Leicestershire (11th to 13th November) was a stark reminder that even the best made plans can quickly come unstuck.
I put a lot of preparation into my promising young horse Showstopper in readiness for the show and he warmed up beautifully for his respective class. Unfortunately, when we got into the arena he didn’t like the decor of blue drapes surrounding the manege!
Personally, I thought they looked very nice but he was very tense and spooky. We managed to finish the test but I was bitterly disappointed that he didn’t perform to the standard I know he is capable of. A thoroughly bad day, but, hey, that’s horses!
Draw Reins
I dont know if any of you saw the excellent article recently in ‘Horse and Hound’ on draw reins, with Andrew Day and Adam Kemp both giving there pro’s and cons on the matter. Personally, I tend to try to stay away from draw reins unless truly needed.
They were invented for a reason and used in the right way can be a good tool to assist and help the horse adopt a correct neck habit to stretch its back so the blood can flow along the top line.
To be perfectly honest, they arent often used correctly by amateur riders. I see a lot of riders putting them on to change and force the neck down but that can only do damage, and ill tell you why. If a horse is holding the underneath of its neck, that is usually to help it support a weak back, so forcing the neck down and drawing it in can risk causing a broken neck and even disconnecting the vertebra.
This is why it’s so important for a correct stretch and warm up and down at the beginning and end of each session to allow the horse to release its muscles in a correct way. I could rant on about this subject for ages but it’s a good article and I’d advice you to read it!
Hairy Moments in ‘Movember’
I’m presuming you’ve all heard about ‘Movember’ by now? Well, its the time of year us red blooded males grow facial hair to show our support for the fight against prostate cancer.
Now listen, I’m not a hairy guy, and I’ve been trying to grow some damned hair for weeks now – and its not pretty! My friend Simon is doing it as well and whilst he’s looking like a Cuban drug baron, I’m sporting nothing more than a bit of bum fluff!! But never mind, it’s all in aid of a good cause, and on the plus side it does make me look that little bit more mature (!).
Scarefest
Each year Alton Towers runs a day called ‘Scarefest’ during Hallowe’en and my friends and I thought it would be a good day out, so we all dressed up and went along! I went as Dracula and my friends went as Zombies. It was a nice day out and good to get away from the horses for a change of scenery.
We decided to go into these scare tents where people jumped out of the darkness and screamed at you. My friends were petrified but I was walking through quite casually thinking “you guys have got nothing on my mother!” Actually, there’s a thought – a Helen Tomlinson Scarefest. Now that’s chilling! (Only joking mum!).
Its getting colder
I’ve got to say I’m quite jealous of office and shop workers at this time of year as it heads towards winter. It’s getting very cold outside and it didn’t help when the thermals I ordered on the internet came extra small! I managed to squeeze into them (needs must!) but they’re not a comfortable fit!
My horses are getting their thick rugs on now and seem to be growing hair rapidly but I’m not the one who clips them, so I don’t mind too much. Not that I’m lazy but it would probably look like a creation from the movie ‘Edward Scissor Hands’ if I interfered. Hey, I know my limitations!
