After Five Years We Make It to the Ride For Life! (And How 13 Was My Lucky Number)

Getting comfortable together again

In 2008 I entered Cruz in the PVDA Ride For Life, a huge two day, breast cancer benefit show at the Equestrian Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

But a month before we had our terrifying incident at the New Jersey Horse Park. So I switched horses, and took my husband’s grey Irish Sport horse instead. Thanks to sweet C.D. I was able to compete, and some of my self-confidence returned.

Shen-Calmer 

My goal continued to be to take Cruz to the Ride For Life, but for the next four years I was too chicken to even try.  Licensed shows had always ended badly for us.

Then, this year, a friend recommended Shen-Calmer to me. It is perfectly legal for horse shows, and ‘takes the edge off.’ I ordered some and entered Cruz in the competition, at First Level.

You cannot buy Shen-Calmer in stores or online. You need to find a TCVM practitioner to order it for you. TCVM stands for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, and you can find a list of practitioners online.

It turned out that my horse chiropractor, Dr. Ruth Stokes, is on the list, and she was able to get the powder to me within 24 hours!

Shen-Calmer is not cheap, and I would recommend it only for situations where other herbs are ‘illegal.’ You also cannot keep your horse on it indefinitely, which is another reason for using some other calmer as long-term help for your horse.

I use Daily Calm from Springtime Inc. if Cruz ever needs help in other situations. It contains the ‘forbidden’ herb ginseng, so I have to stop using it at least 7 days before a licensed show.

Pre-Show Stress

The ride times were published a week before the show, and I discovered that I would have to ride in Ring 1, the huge indoor arena.

The problem was not the actual arena, it was getting into it. You have to walk down a long ramp, and through a short tunnel between the roar of massive air conditioning machines to reach the cool interior. Cruz was gonna freak!

Just to make matters worse, he was in stall number 13....

The Big Day

It was now Saturday, and time to ride him in that inside arena. I am ashamed to say that I was crying as I put on his bridle.

Here’s the sequence of events:

Friend (poking head over stall door): “What’s wrong?!”

Me: “I don’t know how Cruz is going to behave, and I’m so scared!”

Friend: “You don’t have to ride in there, you know.”

Me: “Yes, I do. I’m in a team competition here in two weeks. What if I have to ride in the indoor again, and I didn’t use this opportunity to get him used to it? I’ll have let my team down.”

By now other friends were gathering round and witnessing my meltdown.

Them: “Group hug?”

Me (sniveling): “Yes, please!”

Group hug.

Now I’m sitting in the saddle.

All my friends: “Group hug again?”

Me (still sniveling): “Yes, please!”

Group hug (including the horse).

Then Hallie Ahrnsbrak offered to lead me into the arena. Hallie is a member of our local PVDA chapter, and rides Grand Prix on the stallion Feintsje, aka Emmitt, the only Baroque Friesian competing at the top FEI levels.

She is wonderfully calm and talked sense into me as I warmed Cruz up. Afterwards she walked beside me down the ramp and through the scary tunnel between the monster AC units.  Cruz was totally unconcerned, even when we had to wait by all that noise for the previous competitor to exit the ring.

Hallie kindly read my test for me. Cruz behaved like a pro, and when we left the arena, I was hugging and patting his neck like crazy.

The Results Are In

I felt like a million dollars. I had faced my fears head-on, and come through triumphant. I was also in love with my horse again.

P.S. We won the class!

A Crossroads in Our Relationship

Recently my horse life has been intensely emotional.

The Problem

Cruz made it painfully clear that he wasn’t enjoying the life of a dressage horse. He didn’t want to go round and his canter was getting four beat/lateral and flat. At our last show he threw his head in the air, his equine equivalent of flipping me the bird.

This caused me to indulge in much weeping and gnashing of teeth while I considered whether we had a future together.

Taking Action

I decided to practice cutting the umbilical cord (remember, I bred, backed and trained this horse) and get used to the idea of saying goodbye to Cruz by trying out new horses for sale.

While I did this, at the suggestion of my trainer I sent Cruz to Steuart Pittman, brilliant local event rider, for a month’s training to re-establish my gelding in his old career as a one-day eventer. And find him a new owner.

Cruz’s Reaction

The very tall Steuart made my 16.2 gelding look like a little pony as I watched him ask Cruz to walk over a teeny-weeny ditch. My previously brave eventer looked at it in horror as Steuart told him to stop being such a woosy dressage horse. Eventually I walked in front to show him it was safe, and Cruz took the exact same route over it as I had done.

After some flat work and a few jumps (which Cruz attacked with gusto) Steuart rode him back to the barn. Cruz was then washed off and put in a stall.

I drove away, listening to his pitiful whinnies but sure I’d done the right thing.

Over the next few days Steuart got him jumping quietly, going on trail rides and being turned out in a big field with ten geldings he’d never met before. In short, Cruz went from spoiled brat to being just another horse. He was treated well, but not as anything special.

Feelings…. (Sound of violins)

I felt uncomfortable on all the horses for sale I tried out, ended up taking an off the track Thoroughbred to an OTTB rescue center instead (more about that in another post) and only felt at home when I got back on Cruz for a couple of lessons with Steuart.

Cruz has become humble: he doesn’t want to be sold.

Progress

After three weeks I brought him home to enter a local dressage show.

For the first time in four years I gave him no calming supplements. Although he whinnied for his buddy CD who was also there, he didn’t do anything naughty. He was a superstar in the warm-up, even when a horse came and kicked out next to him.

His three beat canter was back (he got 7 for his gaits) and despite our recent lack of dressage work, we still came in second!

The CoolStance Feed Factor

The CoolStance feed is a big reason for this. Cruz has quietened down so much that I sometimes take his temperature to make sure he’s not coming down with anything!

He hasn’t become a zombie by any means, but he’s calmer and happier. He’s putting on weight and doesn’t spook at everything. I’m no longer afraid to take him out on trail rides, in company or alone, and I jump him for fun, to vary his work.

What Next?

Cruz was getting bored with pure dressage, and it adversely changed his way of going under saddle. He returns to Steuart next week for his final six days of training, and I’ll have some jumping lessons, too. This will keep him interested in his work.

I’ve changed the way I ride dressage with him with positive results. I'll write more about that next time.

I’m more relaxed on him because I’m having fun with him, rather than only concentrating on riding perfectly. As a result we’re both enjoying a better relationship.

Maybe there’s hope for us yet.