Event Preparation

I’m three weeks away from an event planned 8 months ago. Preparation was well underway until mid-February, when my area was hit with an ice storm so significant that a state of emergency was declared. Besides going two weeks with no power or internet, the horses were of course out of work. Additionally, the ground went from saturated with water, to literally frozen overnight. As this is not my first rodeo, I knew that the likelihood of hoof and postural issues related to the icy ground was significant. 

While I took a very proactive approach to managing the potential issues, I still had two of my three riding horses end up with abscesses. Cue several weeks off each, with treatment and recovery.

My third riding horse is coming back from two years of broodmare status, and has some neural tension and postural challenges from carrying and birthing two big, spectacular foals.

So, here I am, several weeks away from this event, feeling rather unprepared. 

As I brought each horse in to work yesterday, I reflected on my options. Do I train hard, try to fit in as much “work” as possible to be “ready”?

The fact of the matter is, no matter how hard I train, these horses will not be more “trained” in the next 3 weeks. In fact, pushing hard right at the end would likely cause more problems than it would solve. The potential for physical and mental discomfort, and the subsequent backslide in quality of work, is highly likely.

As my big, hypersensitive, emotional hanoverian mare had her first ride back yesterday and was really in her feelings, I made the choice to follow the “the slow way is the fast way” philosophy and spend 25 minutes on walk-halt-park transitions, and on establishing a relaxed, stretchy walk. We walked for the entire ride. While perfectly capable of doing advanced work, there’s simply no point without relaxation.

My less-talented but more emotionally secure mare showed up with good quality work but needs fitness. If I try to push past her fitness level, I will lose the quality I spent years establishing. Instead I did short intervals of harder work, with lots of stretching walk breaks in between. We need fitness, and fitness takes time. I can’t rush that process without sacrificing my principles.

The young, talented, mentally-sound mare needs bodywork. I spent her session working on her body, and free schooling. Developing fitness and helping her release her body will gain me far more than riding time at this point in her development. She’s trained, and not going to get more trained in the next three weeks while her body is in her way.

This is the same approach I take when preparing for horse shows, and especially in the warm-up AT the horse shows. It’s not the time for training, it’s the time to ensure the basics stay correct, the fitness is there, and the details are as clean as can be.

To be honest, for an overachiever like me this is not easy to do. Experience tells me that this is the right choice, hard as it may be. I know that my horses will arrive at the event with relaxation, healthy bodies, and as much fitness as can be had given the circumstances. Accepting the things that are out of my control and sticking to my training principles in preparation will always be the right choice.