Tires and Stomachs

Lessons with Sally are always a hoot. She has the funniest way of communicating complex thoughts in really simple layman's terms. I was catching her up to speed on Leo's vet adventures and she said she thought I was spending my money wisely. She said she spends all her money on 2 things: Tires and Stomaches. (So that is Sally's management philosophy in 2 words!) She went onto say, 10 years ago she thought riding and training were 50% of the equation, and management was the other 50%. Now, she believes management is 70% of the equation and riding/training make up just 30% of a horse's success. That's some food for thought.

Injections & GastroGard
Leo received his neck and stifle injection last Friday. The neck injection was ultrasound guided which was interesting to see. Stifle was pretty routine. He had 2 days off after the injection and then went back to work. He's feeling great! I jumped him with Sally on Tuesday and he felt great. Sally said I should look into other anti-inflammatory maintenance options, such as Adequan injections, which I could give monthly or right before a competition.

Leo's been on GastoGard for a week now and is eating better and is more settled in the bridle. I take that to mean his stomach is feeling better. Just 3 more weeks to go!

New Bits
I'm jumping Leo in a French link, 3-ring elevator bit now. It seems to be working well and it's a lot easier keeping his head up in this bit. For my indoor jump lesson with Sally, I just kept the reins on the main snaffle ring. Last week I tested out the second ring - he tolerated it well so it's nice to know I adjust the reins for more control if I need it. Sally thought it looked like a good option at the moment though the real test will be riding in it cross country. At competitions, I can see what sort of horse I have in warm-up and then change which ring the reins are attached to as needed. The goal is to find a bit I can hold Leo in so that I can ultimately ride more forward.

On the flat, I'm riding Leo in a Baucher bit now. Specifically, it's the Stubben Sweet Cooper Baucher. It is a mild elevator bit as well so it's a little easier to keep Leo's poll up and head out in front of him. It also has a link in the middle so I can avoid the nutcracker effect of a traditional snaffle. At the moment, Leo seems more settled but it's hard to know if its due to the bit or the GastroGard treatment. 

Shorter Stirrups

Sally had me raise my stirrups a hole in my jump lesson. They feel REALLY short now, but she said the shorter the stirrup the better the leverage. I've been struggling with staying with Leo when he descends from a jump and keeping my hands low, and she explained that the stirrup length will help that as well. And she was right! It was actually a lot easier to be in the correct position on the landing side of the fence with the shorter stirrups.

Next Event

I haven't decided which event to enter yet but it looks like it will be either SureFire or New Jersey Horse Trials, both at the end of June. That will give me some more time to test out the bits and will give Leo's stomach time to heal. Then, I plan to take July off and maybe August too (I don't due well in the heat!). I'd like to hit some jumper shows during that time, and then pick back up again in the fall.