This week I am mostly preparing for Gower Riding Clubs annual one day event.  I hope to improve on last years effort which began with Frank pulling off a shoe as soon as I got on him to warm-up. I sort of knew it was serious as he stopped dead from a canter and almost dropped to the ground. I jumped off and Frank limped and winced all the way back to the lorry.  A farrier came out to put the shoe back on but unbeknownst to us he had punctured his sole as he had trodden on the shoe he had cast off . So, £75 down and game over as soon as we got there (£25 entry fee and £50 farrier) . He took six weeks to recover. So, this year we have entered the intermediate  which comprises a Novice 30 dressage test and 90cm jumps.  The showjumping will be OK but the XC jumps at GRC are not the most inviting and the course swings by a pig farm which makes the horse do a bit of a double take.  I’ve left my entry a bit late as the British Riding Clubs showjumping finals are in Lincoln the following weekend and I have been in two minds given Franks ‘glass legs’ status.  We had a lesson with Jonathan Pett yesterday and Frank wasn’t his usual oingy boingy self…. he didn’t buck  or squeal during the lesson and I take that as a sign that he’s either become so indifferent to jumping he finds it all a bit boring or he’s possibly a bit stiff and bit uncomfortable somewhere… more oats in the bucket I think.  JP thought he might be a bit stiff in his back and this did seem to be the case when I massaged his back after the lesson – he’s actually a bit tender on his right ass  – the one that was ‘kicked’ last week which made him go lame behind for a couple of days

Magic

Frank’s feet were hibi-scrubbed clean on being brought in from the muddy field and dried.  Anti-bac applied to nail holes and flaky bits. tea tree oil to frog and bulbs of heel. nettex hoof gloss to stop school  sand sticking. Cornucrescine to the coronet before being turned out again.  The wall of left foot looks awful and is bending around the nails as it weight bears. I look at it in dismay as I wonder how long the Nettex Hoof Builder supplement will take to work its way through – or even if it will work at all…. its been four months now.   I don’t expect to see any effect until after 8-9 months but it can’t come soon enough.  May be next event season he will have tougher trotters. Hmmmm? I wonder. None of these supplements are supported with any research – no randomised placebo-controlled clinical trials so it feels like expecting magic to work… and I don’t believe in magic anymore

Unicorns

I had a flash of inspiration a few months ago – I can’t recall where from – but I didn’t have time to follow it up – due to pressure of work and endless shit shovelling. I think I read an article or someone told me something about unicorns and weddings.  I must have filed this idea away because having bought a unicorn birthday card for  my unicorn obsessed friend recently I had unicorns on my mind.  Then, whilst washing the white boys filthy tail the other evening BLING! I suddenly thought about unicorns again. Yes!  That’s it!  Why didn’t I make this connection before?  Here we have a unicorn – the white boy is made for the job – he has everything a unicorn needs except the corn or is it horn? He’s a very pretty anglo arab and he’s grey – white even when he’s had a bath. He’s never ever liked jumping.  When the white boy went round a course of jumps he didn’t just knock down poles, he’d put feet through fillers and take out wings. It would look like a tornado had been round. He’s a smooth operator on the flat but will canter round an entire dressage test and  immobility isn’t part of the repertoire. Halt at X? more like inability to stand still for a moment a X.  The judge once in a veterans class muttered ‘well he’s very nice but he should really learn to act his age’.

 

 

He’s only on minimum wage I know but it’s about time he started to earn his keep.  He’s 23 and has calmed down somewhat.  He’s good with children, doesn’t bite or kick and likes to party.  I have this saying which applies to both my horses… ‘good on the ground, won’t go round’.  Frank is not good on the ground he stands on me and bites me – he would be no good as a unicorn as he frightens small children  –  so just as well he jumps like a gazelle!

So, the horn/corn has been ordered, along with pink and purple mane extensions, hoof glitter, white bridle.  I have booked a photographer, a venue with a castle backdrop and have a bride and some maids.  Insurance and licence are sorted. Once the publicity shots have been taken we can start to pimp out the white boy as a Unicorn – for weddings, birthday parties and events.  I was wondering what I was going to do with myself  now that I have left work but it won’t be long before we are ready to rock – no point hanging around –  sometimes you just gotta grab the unicorn by the horn.

 

Two days of Ian Wright training. So, what have I learnt and am I  making progress? Frank and I have been out for a 10 minute warm-up circuit around the village so when we get into the school I take up a contact and fairly quickly move towards getting Frank working in an outline.  We establish a good working trot and Franks head looks in the right place. I can see the headpeice of the bridle and I can see his inside eye – so we have some flexion to the inside.  My inside leg is on the girth – to give him something to bend around – every now and then I apply a bit of pressure with the outside leg.  And me – what is my position like? Am I sitting up tall, shoulders back, heels down?  I mustn’t let Frank pull me forward – be ready for it if he tries it on. Valegro would never do that to Charlotte…  Ah Charlotte Dujardin…. think about how Charlotte would look….Oh yes, that visualisation helps.  Hands are a pair – together – thumbs uppermost – are my reins short enough, is there enough bend in my elbows?  Oh Frank’s head is going down now – quickly – raise the hands…. not too much though – ah, it’s OK, beak back in the right place.  Nice.  Let’s change the rein from right (best side) to left (wonky shopping trolley side).  I ask for canter and he strikes off on the correct left canter lead – which is great because three months ago this was almost impossible to achieve.  The very first lesson I’d had with Ian corrected this problem immediately – where all others had failed.   Having cantered on both reins changing the lead across the diagonal I was feeling pretty pleased with Frank. I thought Ian would be pleased  too.  We have been practising since our last lesson six weeks ago.  As I walk over to Ian he tells me Frank is not forward enough.  “He’s not riding into the bridle” Ian pointed out. In other words, he’s not going forward with enough impulsion and as a result he’s not straight.  He’s not taking a strong enough pull on the reins, he’s too light. It’s not just front end problems – he’s not working from behind either – well not enough. Oh God, I thought…. we were going so well? Yes? No? I know what Ian is getting at, I understand what he is trying to tell me – but I thought for a moment that we had it… I thought we were doing OK. … haven’t we made progress?  Lets just rewind and have some deets re Frank’s background…. three years ago I bought this dappled, lanky, handsome creature from Forest of Dean.  He was produced for sale by the brilliant Charlotte Armstrong (Armstrong Equine – see reviews on facebook) he was eight and up until now had been a show horse.  He’s 16.2 bay roan by Pocketed (TB/ US)  out of Robe Westfield Lass (Connie) from Chorley. He was the first horse I went to see and I fell in love instantly.  He’s tall and skinny, like Russell Brand of the horseworld, or if he were a human I reckon he’d be the Fonz. He was a bit Fomula 1 to begin with and used to get quite excited and boil over a bit when showjumping.  I had my hands ( and legs) full.  I found he had a tendency to curl up and go overbent (possibly due to being schooled in draw reins)  and would pull me forwards, then scoot off. He was inconsistent and we lacked rhythm and harmony – I was not much more than a passenger. Since day one I have been trying to ride him from the seat and legs into the bridle, to get engagement of the hind legs, to lift the front end. He still feels the need to to check up on his penis but not quite so often – as far as getting him into the frame goes we are not there yet.

The issue of connection has been discussed elsewhere in this blog and I found this explanation in the free download book from Kathy Farrokhzad Horse Listening blog (How to recognise and improve essential riding skills). This explains very well I think what Ian was trying to help me achieve with Frank.  I can listen to my trainers explanation and get it, I can read about it here in Kathy’s work and get it, I can see it in my minds eye and imagine what it must feel like, I can even feel it in a few strides when I’m riding Frank but feeling it and keeping it there is like trying to hold jelly in place.  Kathy explains below about feeling the forward thrust of energy and letting it come through but as Mary Wanless also explains in ‘Ride with your Mind’ this forward energy has to be contained  –  like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube – once your legs and seat have generated the energy from behind your hands need to contain this energy to prevent it from just disappearing out of the front like the toothpaste out of the tube.   Mary has been writing and teaching now for a couple of decades I have read her books and attended a couple of training courses and incorporate much I what  learnt from her approach into my riding.  Writing this makes me feel I should maybe re-visit her work.  It is helpful to read about riding and instructional to watch YouTube videos (Carl Hester, Emile Faurie, Anna Ross-Davies to name a few). What you read and watch has to be synthesised into what you feel when you ride your horse and lessons and coaching consolidate this. Progress comes with practice.  Trying to remember what the coach said yesterday or last week isn’t easy.  Hopefully, training and lessons complement one another. Often we find ourselves riding at the end of a very busy day or week and this endeavour is not something that can be achieved with just the dog-end of your energy.  This is why, if you are serious about riding and improving,  you have to get fit, keep fit, eat well, sleep enough and try to avoid injury.

“1. Half-Halt
In order to truly “round” a horse – versus “frame” a horse – you want the
energy to come over the topline. You want to feel the forward thrust of the
energy that seems to energize rather than stifle. You want to let that energy
come “through” rather than stop it.
But you can’t exactly let it all go either.
Aye, there’s the eternal rub.
Regardless of your rein length, and your riding discipline, you can’t
“drop the connection” if you want to contain energy. Well, unless both you
and your horse are at a level of self-carriage that allows you to control your
balance with nothing but seat, leg and weight aids.

We will assume that we are not at this level” (Kathy Farrokhzad, Rider Problems book downloaded August 2017).

Frank is less overbent these days but we haven’t eliminated it entirely and every now and again he likes to look and check up on the old chap. As soon as I feel he’s about to curl up then I put my leg on, sit deep, push forward and raise my outside hand. When his head (and neck and back) are in the right position and his he is working from behind then I turn the volume down ever so slightly on the aids always ready to turn them up again. This whole business reminds me of trying to get the correct water temperature out of a shower head attached to bath taps (only older readers may get this). This task was almost impossible as water temperature veered from icy cold to steaming hot completely bypassing the ‘just right’ stage. There was real skill and patience involved in tweaking the hot and cold taps ever so slightly – the real knack was in knowing just how long to wait before making any adjustments and in knowing exactly how much to turn each tap off or on…was so frustrating – thank goodness for invention of the electric shower.  This exercise is akin to that of trying to establish a good and constant contact with the horse – substitute hot tap for legs and cold tap for hands. This crude ‘thermostat’ analogy demonstrates just how tricky establishing and maintaining good contact can be. In response to the thermostat we have to make a number of tiny and subtle (maybe some not so subtle) adjustments – with our hands, upper body, seatbones, and legs. These adjustments have to be made immediately, the level of adjustment has to be just right – feedback from our horse tells us how much is too much and how much is not enough. We have to be able to feel that feedback and know instantly what action to take. When you break it down, there is a complex interaction going on here between horse rider and environment – no wonder riding is so difficult. Add into this mix unpredictable factors as the horse spooking, losing concentration, having an off day and other factors such as rider bio-mechanics, balance, strength, and asymmetry (horse and rider) and the process becomes increasingly complex. The truth is we don’t live long enough to be able to ride our horses perfectly.

Kathy points to the difficulties of making this connection – reading about these difficulties and trying out suggested advice for overcoming these is something I’m going to be concentrating on with Frank.  I’ll let you know how we get on.

Big Glove

Jlz & Frank

 

 

Anyone needing to get fit, have more energy and lose weight just needs to ask if any local stables need help with mucking out. I muck out four or five horses in the winter most days and I  eat what I like, more or less.  I have good energy levels, am pretty fit and yes… I’m what you might call thin.  It helps, I guess, that I happen to like good food. But what is ‘good’ food and how can we define it?  I have been heavier than I am now and I have been unfit and fatigued.  Over the years, though, I have learn’t what works for me and have managed to maintain a fairly healthy lifestyle and I kinda like what I see when I look in the mirror (not first thing in the morning though and preferably clothed).  Bearing in mind that no food or drink is totally off limits, my diet includes mostly ‘good’ food and some food items that would not fall into that category (like real ale and dark chocolate ginger biscuits). .

Vegetable love

When I think of ‘good’ food I’m thinking here of healthy food – mostly high fibre, low fat and low sugar food and drink which would comprise mostly of water – and plants.  this would include lots of cereal, vegetables and fruit . Blimey, this sounds boring….. but wait,  as far as I’m concerned ‘good food’ also includes bread, potatoes, pasta,  rice and lots of healthy tasty food to accompany these  (butter, cheese, pasta sauce, chillies, curry etc).  If you take a lot of exercise, such as mucking out and riding horses every day,  then your diet can also include the occasional whatever you might fancy – in my case this would be a pint of real ale, dark chocolate ginger biscuits, steamed treacle sponge pudding, fish and chips, kebab*, curry*).  Good food is synonymous with home made food  made with locally grown, fresh  ingredients. I have a Cae Tan veg box every week which is £7.50 of pure vegetable luxury. With this I make (mostly) vegetarian curries, soups, pasta bakes, bubble and squeak  etc.  I spend a morning or evening each week cooking and filling the freezer. This suits my lifestyle as I’m too busy burning calories to find time to prepare them and eat them.  It’s really low calorie and nutritious, incredibly filling, ridiculously cheap and easy. To be honest, if I didn’t subscribe to the vege box everyweek I would probably exist on beans on toast and bacon and eggs – which i still enjoy now – but not every day.   Since adopting the ‘box and bake’ system I have lost half a stone and have had to incorporate the odd pork pie or two lest I fade away and disappear altogether.   Generally, I don’t eat processed food or pies but am partial to the occasional slice of quiche or chorizo sausage. I hardly ever eat meat but every now and again really enjoy a good sunday roast after a couple of pints of Gwendoline’s pitchfork.   When I was a kid we had fizzy drinks or pop only with Sunday dinner  –  my favourite was dandelion and burdock.  It seems that  things we used to have as occasional treats people now have every day  so it’s hardly surprising that people are carrying a bit more timber  now than they did in the past.

Cravings and white breeches

I have cravings for things and I almost always give in to them. It might be green and blacks chocolate, salmon and cream cheese, fresh peas, steamed kale, chestnuts with garlic butter, pickled dill cucumbers, fresh pineapple juice, chillies, coco pops, or pinot grigio. Sometimes there’s wine in the fridge but I often forget to buy it when I’m shopping so I often have to make do with a cup of tea. I never get tired of beans and cheese on toast and I love tinned tomato soup. The only craving I deny  myself is crisps… if I eat crisps it’s not long before I can’t get into my breeches.  I like crisps but I like to look good in my white breeches more.  I love cheese too – especially of the non-pasteurized variety – but this is rationed too as its up there with crisps in its ability to turn to fat on my ass.

Kettle chips and chronic vanity

Nothing is out of bounds – even kettle chips  – but I eat small portions. I stop eating when I’m full. How do I  do this people ask? I don’t know if I am exerting will power in these instances or if this denial or deferred gratification comes from an almost overwhelming sense of chronic vanity.  It is a terrible affliction I know – especially in one so young  – but I have learnt to live with it. When trying to stay slim it helps not to have fridges and pantries full of food  – sometimes when I’m feeling peckish – I look in the fridge and find nail polish and mold.  There might be a jar of lime pickle and enough milk for a hot drink but you can’t snack on unhealthy food if there isn’t any.  If will power is weak then try not to buy things you know you should not really eat.  Don’t have these things in the house. I try not to eat late at night. sometimes I go to bed hungry. Sometimes I go without breakfast. There are some days, when I’m competing, when I hardly eat at all.  I can’t eat when I’m nervous or about to get airborne. I get so busy sometimes that I forget to eat.  Sometimes I don’t eat until I’m about to pass out. There’s nothing like tucking into great food when you have worked up a massive appetite. When I’m really very hungry there is very little I wont eat and I have been known to eat other people’s leftovers

I’m size 8/10, weigh between 50 and 55 kgs and am 5’4″.  I have been this size forever – apart from a long stay in hospital when I was 21 after breaking my back.  I left hospital with an ass the size of a small spaceship and I had two double chins.   My arms and legs, however, remained skinny and so I looked like Humpty dumpty.  A similar weight gain happened about five years ago when I broke my ankle. As soon as I was able to walk I went to Cardiff to buy a new wardrobe including a stretchy maxi ‘fat’ dress. The only good thing that happened to my appearance during this time was that whilst the beam became broader the boat race looked a lot less wrinkled (see below)  How cruel is it that fat seems attracted to areas where its not required (hips, thighs, ass) and then when we lose weight it goes from where we need it most (calves, forearms, face, tatters).  Even now – I have the legs of Despicable me – sort of ice-cream cone, parsnip shaped legs – but they’re OK- I’d just like more shapely calves. I’m reasonably fit – I could have better cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure.  I could possibly be more supple and have less achy knees. I’m quite strong and have good core strength which is essential for persuading half a ton of  horse to do the right thing. I am hoping to work on these aspects over the coming months.  When I leave work at the end of September I’ll have more time to get fit and maintain fitness. My plan is to get fit for the 2018 event season. Nutrition and fitness are fairly important as far as I’m concerned  – there’s no way I would expect my horse to carry me round if i was fat,  unfit or both and I’d be worried I might just catch up with that ambulance I chase around at weekends!

 

I often get asked about what I eat or if I follow a diet… well, this is it. There are certain choices I make – they happen, generally to be good choices.  I have some easy recipes I follow  and some staples that provide the basis for these- i’ll add these later if anyone is interested.

*kebabs – check out ‘Baraka’ in Penclawdd – shawarma kebabs to die for – Taufik cooks a pretty mean curry too. Other than this marvellous establishment , try to avoid takeaway curries as these are often not authentic and  are greasy as fcuk. While we’re on the subject, avoid ready meals – especially low calorie  or ‘diet’ meals – these often contain more calories/100gms than the standard ready meals and usually cost more.  I’ll add my own recipe for   curry in a later post on this topic

Breakfast like a king (or a Queen) 

Tea or coffee (preferably in bed) plus x2 dark chocolate gingers .  These are not for everyday…it’s just a treat.  If you have been  saving these for ron then you’ll need to find a good hiding place  or there won’t be any later on.

Competition mix:

Imagine the effect of  putting a few oats in your horses feed bucket –  most of us wouldn’t dare.  We feed horses oats for energy and oats can have the same effect on us. So, if you like getting your oats then instead of having them warm try cold instead – it tastes great!  To make it  a bit more interesting, add some different cereals to the oats such as spelt wheat and barley, add a few seeds, dried fruit and nuts.  For anyone in training for competition  – even if you’re just aiming for a personal best – try this high energy, high fibre, high essential oil muesli mix.  Or just buy a box of muesli.

Cereal: puffed brown rice, organic toasted wheat flakes, spelt flakes, oats, barley – any cereals like these will do in varying amounts – just try different combinations.  This is quite a light base and very crunchy. Try adding coco pops.  These are not for everyday – just competition days when  early starts or nerves leave you with very little  appetite. It is important to eat something as low blood sugar can make you feel weak and lacking in concentration.  Interestingly, Coco pops actually contain the same amount of calories as Special K.  Another reason why you should never eat ‘diet’ food although Special K with red berries is quite lush – it is a pity they have removed all the good oils from the wheatgerm and replaced it with sugar – I love a midnight bowl of special K – i think it might be slightly lower in calories than crisps!

Seeds: poppy, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, linseed, millet.

Dried fruit: – raisins, dates, apricots, papaya, pineapple, goji berries

Nuts:  Brazils, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashew

Fresh fruit – banana, blueberries, raspberries – all taste fab on this cereal

I have recently swapped cow juice for unsweetened almond milk – or milk made from multi-cereal and it tastes better than fresh milk even – it is lower in calories and has less saturated fat – it also lasts longer than dairy and is about the same cost.

 

 

Against advice I decided to return to the scene of the crime with Frank for a XC schooling session at Ynys Y Mond with the lovely Louise Harwood.  We avoided the water complex and any stony areas as Frank’s feet have only just recovered from a bruised sole and a pulled shoe. After warming up and jumping a couple of small practice fences Frank was very oingy boingy and put in a couple of bucks .  This is his way of telling me he’s OK, not in any pain and quite excited which is good and reassures me that I did the right thing in bringing him here.

 

It’s great having a photographer at a training event or competition as being able to reflect on these afterwards really consolidates the learning experience. I don’t get so nervous now but it can be really difficult to be aware of what’s going on and how your body is positioned when in a state of anxiety. You might think that you are sitting up tall, or sitting back going into a fence but when you look at the replays you can see that actually you look like a monkey up a pole. Oh blimey… look at that  – look at me tipping forward – no wonder the horse is finding it difficult to take off. Looking at the replays is like having the lesson all over again in slo mo.