The season ahead....

Over the winter I spend a long, long time musing about the problems Squirrel and I had regarding our attempts at Novice and my ambition to do a 1* on him.

I think there were 3 main factors involves.

Hocks.
Fitness.
My riding.


I'm not sure we got the right balance with his hocks. He was treated with tildren and steroids in April when he started stopping, then Tildren twice more throughout the year as a pre-emptive measure. I only noticed a difference after the first treatment.

I'd already decided I wasn't going to use Tildren this year. At £800 a pop (and his hocks have long not been insured) its frankly too expensive. We were all set to treat him using an ethanol treatment. Ethanol is injected into the joint and basically kills the nerve endings around the joint where he's arthritic. However, there's a slightly higher risk with this so when we realised we only did the steroids once, that's our plan of action.

Sometimes I feel guilty when I think about how much I'm medicating this horse to keep him going. But...he LOVES his work, he loves shows, he lights up when the lorry comes out and he comes alive in the ring. He doesn't look or feel a day over 8 so whilst he's happy to do his job, we'll keep going.


Fitness.

Looking back,  I did not do the canter work I wanted or needed. Life kept getting in the way. There were times I was on a ride where I intended to do canter work and it didn't happen due to a lost shoe or the pony I was out with playing up.

So this year, this is a priority. I've given a lot of thought to this. Whilst my hacking is okay, there aren't many places within a 2 hour ride to do proper canter work. A good long two hour fast ride is ideal BUT some weeks the time just isn't there - especially now I have two eventing. On Friday I tested boxing out to somewhere 5 minutes up the road.  It was perfect - less than an hour start to finish  I left the yard, did my canter work and got back. So if I bribe my girl to keep the other horse company, I could get them both done in an hour and a half or so. Perfect! Plus, an old school friend is riding Squirrel a few times a week which takes some pressure off, plus he may get worked twice those days. So he will be fit fit fit.


My riding...

Now partly, I still want to believe he will jump off any stride any time. News flash. He won't. Especially at novice, I need to be there 100% of the way. I also noticed I pull him in the mouth like mad XC so I need to improve my release. No wonder he stops if I yank him in the gob for 16 fences running....

I also intend to have a lesson or two with a different coach. My regular one is FANTASTIC and I love him on the flat and I LOVE him for Lexi - he suits her to the ground. However, we spent a long time trying to get Squirrel to jump slower and more from power than speed. However, the horse is 18. When we changed this, and I was unable to generate the power (or due to his hocks, he didn't have it), he lost confidence and stopped. Now he doesn't jump like a freight train, just prefers to go on a slightly longer spot and a little quick. When I had a lesson with someone else, we got him forward again and he instantly improved. So I need to follow that vein.


I am also going to run him less. 1 event every 3 weeks or so is fine. I think he gets a little stale. I also think I'll give him 1 or 2 months with no events maybe July/August as I think it will keep him fresh and keen. Maybe a couple of weeks off during that time.


So basically my plan for him this year is;

• Run 2 BE100 opens, if going well, step up to novice
• If still stopping after 2 or 3 runs, call it a day at novice, then just enjoy him at a lower level/play about on him
• If all goes well - ONE STAR!!!

I'm not going to push him if he keeps on stopping. He's getting older and I'd rather enjoy him at a lower level. My only conundrum is I'm not sure whether I will still BE him if he won't do novice anymore. Its expensive and as he has points I can't do grassroots anyway so it may feel a bit aimless....We shall see.


Now for Lexi, my vague plan is..

• 2 or 3 BE80s - I just want it easy for her. I want her to take in the atmosphere, the sights, the sounds, before we add in technicality to the mix.
• Then establish her at BE90, and aim to qualify for regionals and then GRASSROOTS FINALS
• HOPEFULLY do 1 or 2 BE100s before the end of the year
• TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING.
• Figure out what to feed her to finally get some damn muscle on her (any thoughts? She's a good doer and very sharp but despite working correctly, the muscle is taking a loooooong time to come. I mean she only stopped looking like a foal last November, she's a slow developer hence why she's 7 this year and yet to go BE)

I think this mare could go all the way. I've taken it dead slowly, but I need to crack on especially in regards to lessons. I need to improve to do her justice.

As for my personal goals

• Personal fitness - 1 or 2 runs a week and pilates?
• Keep a balance - I normally run myself into the ground and start dying halfway through the season from being on the go 5am-8pm. I NEED, mentally and physically, to spend some time sitting down.