USHJA HQC Week 5: Grooming, Blanketing & History of Equestrian

Grooming, Blanketing and the History of the Sport – USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Week 5

Week five of the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge was a blast (but what’s new). We covered the grooming & blanketing chapter and then had Helen Gould cover current events and history of the sport. Though, much of the history of the spot wasn’t in the study guide, it was a huge hit and so wonderful for everyone to hear how our sport has evolved. Helen has a special connection when speaking with the girls, they absolutely admire her.

Grooming and the importance of a routine

Grooming is a very important activity and should be a part of our everyday routine. Why is this?

• Grooming promotes good circulation which simulates a healthy coat
• It gives you a chance to bond with your horse and develop a relationship
• It is a time to check for and wounds, skin conditions, runs or loose shoes before and after riding

The British Horse Society teaches that the horse should be “quartered” before a ride. Quartering means that you give the horse a 15 minute grooming that includes picking his feet, the removal of surface dirt from the horse’s coat, spot removal and the neatening of the mane and tail. But, a good, thorough grooming takes approximately 45 minutes and is recommended to be done after you ride as your horses pores are still open which allows the natural coat oils to be distributed.

A little elbow grease goes a long way

I don’t know about you guys, but grooming is honestly my favorite part about being Cat’s mom. It’s such a relaxing and intimate time. Cat loves every second of it and what’s not to love than a happy horse? So, where do we begin? Right here:

1. Start with a dry horse and clean brushes (I wash mine out once a week with Ivory soap)
2. Crosstie your horse and start by picking their feet – feet should ALWAYS be picked out both before and after riding
3. Pick up a curry comb and curry your horse in large circles – thoroughly loosen dirt on each area before moving on
4. Use your dandy brush and brush the horse’s entire body in the direction the hair grows
5. Then, go over your horse with a body brush – same as above
6. Use a sub brush or a dandy brush for your horse’s legs – paying attention to their heels and behind the fetlocks. Check for burrs, cuts and skin irritations
7. Clean the horse’s face with a face brush – Cat really enjoys the rubber grooming mitt on her face, too
8. Brush the mane flat – if the horse’s mane doesn’t stay on once side, it can be put into braids to tame
9. Then to the tail. The best way to work with the tail is to untangle it by hand – never rip out tangles! Start at the bottom of the tail and works your way up, very gently
10. Finish by wiping your horse’s eyes and nostrils with a clean rag

Voila! You now have yourself a beautifully groomed horse!

Types of body clips

We body clip our show horses and horses in consistent work in the winter because their thick coat is slow to dry, and it can’t keep a horse warm in this matted state, leaving the horse vulnerable to chills that lead can to illness. We have different types of body clips to fit the type of horse and their training schedule. Here are the most common different types of body clips:

Blanketing Basics

Most of our horses are body clipped so we have the following blanketing chart hanging around our barn. This is a good rule of thumb for the kids to follow when blanketing the horses.

A few things to take into consideration when blanketing a horse:

• Coat – Horses that live in colder climates are and are kept in work may need a body clip – a blanket or combination of blankets is necessary to retain their body warmth
• Climate – Although horses’ coats provide good natural insulation, they may need a blanket when wet or in windy, cold conditions
• Living conditions – A horse living in a warm, draft free barn require fewer blankets than a horse living outdoors
• Internal thermostat – Some horses are warmer or cooler than others. It’s important to know and understand your horses temperature and treat each horse as an individual.

 History of equestrian – through the eyes of Helen Gould

Who would have thought that a history lesson could be so intriguing? Maybe because it’s a topic we’re all so vastly invested in? Or maybe because Helen spoke about it from her perspective? Either way, I’ve never enjoyed a history lesson so much. You should see my notes! I’ll try to recap it as best as I can.

As we all know, riding today has its roots with the military and transportation. But what was the equestrian would like in recent history? What were our trainers competing in? Helen compared hunters to figure skaters and jumpers to speed skaters (very good analogy, in my opinion). They both require a special talent, precision and control – yet they are so different at the same time.

Most influential riders: Vladimir Littauer and Gordon Wright

Vladimir Littauer and Gordon Wright were the two of the most influential riders and teachers throughout equestrian, introducing the forward American seat and American style of riding.

Vladimir Littauer served in the Russian Imperial Cavalry in World War I where the classic style of riding was ineffective in real combat situations. Through his experience, Littauer was inspired to look at riding from a different angle. In 1921 he moved to New York City and where he began to introduce Italian military officer, Frederico Caprilli’s, forward seat with his personal knowledge in dressage; which encouraged riders to find their balance in their legs so they could life their seat for galloping and jumping.

Gordan Wright is known for his book Learning to Ride, Hunt, and Show and is one of the most influential equestrians in America. Wright’s philosophies and work helped shape the American riding style most of us know in today’s trainings. He also trained many famous and influential riders; one of the, being George Morris.

Helen explained two in much simpler terms:

• Vladimir Littauer believed in the forward seat and lateral flexions
• Gordon Wright believed in the forward seat and longitudinal flexions
• They both introduced forward motion, self-carriage and humane practices

Hunters then and now

When Helen was growing up on the show circuit back in the 60s and 70s, hunters were in fields – never in rings. Helen recapped a story of the regular working hunters in Motor City where she was jumping obstacles at 4’6″ up and down hills and all through the fields – replicating field hunting and fox-hunting. This was a time where a playful horse in the hunters was fun – and comical – and never docked points. Helen’s philosophy was why dock points for a horse who is proud of themselves?

Then: Check out this fun video from the USHJA Wheeler Museum on the history of Motor City Horse Show:

Now: 

Jumpers then and now

Then: In the early stages, the emphasis in jumpers was on height and width where rubs were counted – 1 fault for a front rub and 1/2 fault for a hind rub. If everyone was clean, the would raise the jumps. By the time they got to the jump off, the course was set to 5′-6′ and they weren’t technical courses at all. Because of faults from rubs, training tactics included tack rails and electricity. This became prohibited and jumpers began to evolve into what they are today: precision, control and speed.

Now: Video has immensely helped the jumpers evolve throughout history. It shows the horses arch, where the land, take off, etc. and have given course designers the tools to build courses to fit the precision, control and speed that makes up jumpers today. Now, when course designers build a course, a competitor is able to ask themselves “What is the course designer looking for? What is the purpose of the course?”. A good course designer always has a plan of where they’d like to take you and your horse throughout the 4-5 days of competition.

Questions?

The girls always come up with the BEST questions when Helen is presenting. Here are a few:

• Where did you learn everything you know?
  • Helen: I read a lot but mostly learned from watching. If I wasn’t horse showing, I was standing at the ring watching everyone ride. I also spent a summer with George Morris and learned a lot. He let me stand with him at the schooling ring and I would listen and watch everything.
• When you look at a horse, how can you tell and see what he needs?
  • Helen: They have a lot of ways of telling you. You just need to listen.

The moral of Helen’s story; through the history, you can learn from EVERYONE! Even from the bad, you can learn what not to do. No one ever stops learning.

USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge – Week 6

Week six is just about here! This week, we will have Tonya Johnston, Mental Skills Coach, skyping in to talk to the girls about the importance of our mental tactics when riding. We will then be going over the USEF Equitation Tests and Jumper Tables as horse show season is right around the corner! Stay tuned.