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!

What a Difference a Julio Mendoza Clinic Makes!

After getting 57% at the Fix-A-Test, I took Cruz to a local schooling show for our first outing at Second Level test.

I really wanted to improve our score by at least two percentage points.

Show Number One

We just squeezed into the 60% bracket with our Second Level 1 test – my shoulder-ins were too much like shoulder-fores and received 5s. Then I dipped below that magic 60% in Second Level 2: my sad attempts at travers both received 4s, with the comments ‘not succeeded.’

Ouch!

Then Along Came Julio

However, I was booked into a two day clinic with Julio Mendoza, who’d been invited by a fellow PVDA Calvert Chapter member to visit our humble Southern Maryland area. I am so glad he did. He is a very upbeat, courteous and fun guy who wants riders and their horses to enjoy themselves.

Quick Background

Two days earlier I’d had a second lesson with a new instructor, as my former trainer was getting too busy with her competition circuit to devote regular time to teaching.

We were to ride shoulder-in and travers at walk on a 20 meter circle, punctuating the movements with halts.  This enabled me to concentrate on bending Cruz around my inside leg for the travers, and keeping a strong outside rein for the shoulder-in.

We then graduated to trotting the same exercise, alternating between compressing Cruz and releasing him forwards. His trot improved 1000%.

Back to Julio

So I warmed Cruz up in the same fashion at the clinic, and was thrilled when Julio continued during our session with the same exercises. But he did add some changes.

1. Bit Placement

First, he lowered the bit one hole in my gelding’s mouth. He explained to me that the area of the bar immediately in front of the horse’s teeth is very sensitive. By placing the bit further down, it was now resting on a less touchy part of his jaw.

Cruz immediately began to chew happily (and at our last show was actually foaming at the mouth!).

2. Hand Placement & Rein Function

Julio told me that I keep my hands too far apart. My outside hand should come almost to my horse’s mane and my inside hand should be close to it. The reins should also be held a little in front of the saddle.

One function of the outside rein is to lift the horse - together with the rider’s shoulders, core and lower back. This rein ‘belongs to the rider.’

The inside rein ‘belongs to the horse’ and one of its uses is to relax his top line.

Keeping my hands more together maintains the horse in a more condensed ‘packet.’ Julio had to constantly remind me to do this during the two days of the clinic, but I could feel a huge difference in my horse when I did as I was told.

3. Use of the Reins and Legs

Julio says the inside rein ‘belongs to the horse’ while the outside rein ‘belongs to the rider.’

The outside rein stays constant, supporting - but not holding - the horse. Since the aim is to get the horse to lighten up in front, any time he leans on either rein, release that rein a tiny bit before resuming contact. This takes away the horse’s prop so he has to carry himself.

The inside rein is the more playful rein, which releases as a reward to the horse when he bends, gives, etc. This doesn’t mean constantly messing about with it: just let it be softer/squeezed more than the outside rein so the horse gives to it and bends laterally.

At the same time the inside leg needs to urge the horse forwards and into the outside rein, while the outside leg supports him.

4. Shoulder-In and Travers

In the shoulder-in, I learned to maintain my inside leg behind the girth to keep the horse’s haunches out on the track, while my strong outside rein brought his shoulders in for enough angle. I also learned that I need more forward impulsion to perform a good shoulder-in.

For travers my horse needs to be properly bent around my inside leg, yet not over bent, laterally or horizontally. Again, with correct impulsion, Cruz found it easy to perform a correct travers.

5. Collected Trot

I needed a sharp reminder that ‘collected’ trot does not mean ‘slower’ trot!

My clue to having achieved collected trot was when Cruz moved forwards in a controlled fashion with so much bounce I could hardly sit it out! He became lighter in front, and moved laterally with ease. It was a great feeling. This trot also segued effortlessly into a spectacular medium trot.

The Second Show

Thanks to that clinic, at the following show I got 6s for my shoulder-ins (no more shoulder-fores) and 6.5 for my travers (goodbye to those 4s!).  

With expert guidance from Julio and my current instructor, Cruz and I are on truly en route to becoming a genuine Second Level partnership!

P.S. On the second day of the clinic, before our session began, a clap of thunder and instant downpour of rain on the indoor arena’s roof freaked Cruz out, and he took off!

When I finally brought him to a standstill, I leaped off and stood shaking while trying to reassure Cruz that all was well.

Julio gave me a kind hug, then hopped on Cruz for a while. It was lovely to see the horse go so well with a great rider! Julio was so calm that Cruz settled straight down to work and I was soon able to resume my lesson on him.

It drummed into me how staying calm oneself is vital to convincing the horse that there is nothing to worry about.