Only Ten Weeks Until The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

Last week we discussed planning your competitions and schoolings to arrive at The Classic in top form. This week's post is about conditioning!

There are many ways to arrive at The Classic with a fit horse (and rider!), so work with your coach to develop a plan that works best for you and your horse. Remember that every horse is an individual and there is no one size fits all schedule. Last week we mentioned Jimmy Wofford's book "Training the Three-Day-Event Horse and Rider" as a great resource. Following Jimmy’s guidance, he suggests working back from The Classic about 8 weeks out, planning a conditioning day roughly every 5 days (a one day event or XC school counts as a conditioning day). A paper calendar can be helpful while you map things out, we suggest writing in pencil so edits are easily made. He suggests a 5 day schedule of dressage, jump, dressage, condition, walk hack, and repeat. Obviously this can be altered to suit the needs of your horse, riding schedule, and planned (or unplanned!) days off, but it is a great place to start. His conditioning days always started with a warm up at the walk, followed by three 5 minute trot sets with 2 minutes of walk in between each set. He would then do three slow canter sets (350-400mpm), with 2 minutes of walk in between each set with a walk cool down after the last canter set. Most horses aiming at a fall Classic 3 Day are currently minimally fit enough to be able to start with three 3 minute (BN/N) or 4 minute (T/M/P) canters. He would then gradually increase the length of the canters as he neared the event so he could arrive at the event able to canter the length of the XC course (phase D) three times (roughly BN/N 5-6 min and T/M/P 7-8 min, see here for classic guidelines). If you are able to do that and your horse recovers easily, most likely you and your horse are prepared. See a sample novice level conditioning schedule here.

These long slow aerobic canters build the base fitness so that you can add some anaerobic fitness as you near to the event. Jimmy had been known to say “speed kills”, so ideally you would have a nice hill you can utilize but if that's not possible you can increase your speed the last minute or two of your second and third canter sets. When conditioning, set your stirrups at xc length (or even shorter) to build your fitness in two point as well. A tired rider is less able to help their horse when they need it on endurance day so don't neglect your own fitness. You are half of the team! The type of horse, age, baseline fitness, soundness, and competition level will dictate the lengths and speeds of these canters over the 8 week period as well as the number of times you repeat a length of canter set before adding another minute to each set. A seasoned TB will naturally have a better baseline fitness compared to a draft cross, so know your horse and tailor your conditioning program as needed.

Develop a close relationship with your horse's legs and body so you can notice any changes and be proactive at managing their health and addressing concerns should they develop. Soundness is of course paramount so consider the footing you are training on. You are better off conditioning in the ring if the ground where you live is hard as a rock. You can even add trot and canter poles to help keep it interesting!

Finally, don't underestimate the power of adding more walking to your rides. Building up to walking an additional 30-60 minutes each day (in addition to your normal riding amount) will add fitness without risking injury.

We hope you found this post helpful, comment below if you would like any other topics covered as we enter the fall season. Next week icing and aftercare!

 

Only Eleven Weeks Until The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

Last week we discussed involving your vet and farrier to help keep you on track. This week's post is all about competitions! 

In addition to making sure you have your qualifications in order, talk with your coach now to plan out your competitions leading up to the event. Not every horse and rider needs the same preparation to be successful. Perhaps you or your horse need more confidence with XC or SJ, or maybe you both are jumping machines whose weakness lies in the dressage and some dressage shows may be beneficial. Maybe you are a nervous competitor who knows they need a few competitions to get in the groove in order to arrive at the classic with confidence, or maybe you and your horse are pros who can always deliver and don't require a heavy showing schedule. The age and experience of the horse and rider at the level you choose to compete at the classic is a significant factor in laying out your fall competitions and schoolings. Your coach can help you tailor your schedule for you and your horse's specific needs and don't underestimate the helpfulness of schoolings (such as Taproom Thursdays). 

 

Lastly, and most importantly, now is the time to start thinking about your conditioning schedule and how it will fit in with your schoolings and competitions. Work with your coach to develop a plan that works best for you and your horse, but a tried and true method is Jimmy Wofford's. A great resource is his book "Training the Three-Day-Event Horse and Rider" and many articles can be found online by searching "Jimmy Wofford conditioning schedule." Have no fear though, next week's post will cover conditioning and provide some helpful tips and a sample schedule! 

 

We hope you found this post helpful and look here for more information to be posted in the coming weeks. If you have any specific questions or topics you'd like covered, please let us know in the comments.

 

  

Only Twelve Weeks Until The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

You might be casually enjoying the summer and may not be thinking about October just yet, BUT if you are planning on competing in The Classic (and we hope you are!), here are some helpful tips to be thinking about RIGHT NOW as you prepare. 

Now is a great time to talk to your vet about a routine wellness check to make sure you enter the fall season with confidence. Whether you have a young horse you are bringing up the levels or a seasoned campaigner who might require some maintenance, it is much easier to manage issues when they are caught early so keeping your vet involved can only improve your odds of success.  Your horses well-being and fitness for the job at hand is paramount and having a trusted team of vets with you on your journey to the classic is key.

 

Another thing to consider is if you are traveling from out of state, it is important to make a plan with your vet to get a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) or more commonly known as a "health certificate" done for your horse within 30 days of travel to the competition. Additionally, all competitors need a negative EIA test (coggins) within a year of the competition, and proof of Equine Influenza Virus and Equine Herpes Virus (Rhinopneumonitis) vaccinations within 6 months of arrival to stabling (Rule Refresher can be found here)

 

Lastly, no one wants to have all their hard work spoiled by a close nail or a lost shoe right before or during the competition. Talk to your farrier now to organize your shoeing schedule so that ideally your horse is shod 2 weeks before The Classic. This may involve slightly shortening or lengthening your horse's normal shoeing cycle once or twice so the sooner you talk to your farrier to plan this out, the easier it will be.

 

We hope you found this post helpful as you prepare. Look for more posts in the coming weeks covering such topics as competition schedules, conditioning schedules, icing/aftercare, stud selection, etc. 

 

 

Just One Week Til The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

We are just one week (ONE WEEK!!!) away from the start of The Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event!  I know our competitors are putting the final touches on their dressage tests, possibly getting one last conditioning or XC school in, and/or double (triple?) checking their packing lists.  All these things are important, but we also wanted to mention to take time to appreciate all your hard work.  Just making it to the three day with a sound and fit partner is a huge accomplishment.  Hopefully you have learned a lot along the way about yourself, your horse, and management of these amazing creatures.  Regardless of final placing, possible piloting errors that may occur, and unforeseen circumstances, you should be thrilled!  So, here's to keeping it all in perspective and having a great time at this educational event.  Enjoy and savour every minute.  How lucky are we to get to do this? 

 

If you aren't a competitor but would like to get in on the action, please consider volunteering your time either on the three-day side or the horse trials side.  This amazing competition is nothing without its volunteers and we promise to appreciate you in whatever capacity you are able to help!  When you look at the sign ups, be sure to look at all the days as there are volunteer slots open October 22nd through the 26th!

https://www.eventingvolunteers.com/events/4933/signup

https://www.eventingvolunteers.com/events/4934/signup

 

We cannot wait to see all of you next week.  Everyone cross all their fingers and toes for perfect weather and footing! 

Only Two Weeks Til The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

Things are moving quickly now and before you know it our competitors will be prepping for the first jog.  Have no fear, here are some tips and tricks to help you look like a seasoned classic three-day pro!  

First and foremost, practice jogging your horse in hand if you have never done so before.  A dressage whip can provide gentle encouragement, if necessary, you don't want to be dragging your horse behind you, but you also want to be able to keep up with your horse, so keep control in mind.  When choosing outfit(s) for yourself, consider the weather (October in Maryland can be quite mercurial, so be prepared for anything).  At Waredaca, the jog strip is on grass so also choose your footwear carefully.  During the jog, you want to turn to the right at the end of the strip to better control your horse's movement.  Check out this educational video made by Kelley Williams to familiarize yourself with jog protocol.

Remember that the whole point of the jog is to confirm the horse is fit and sound for the task at hand, so don't forget to make sure your horse is warmed up a bit, and kept warm with a cooler if it is chilly (especially if it is chilly and they are clipped!).  You want to walk (or have a helper walk) your horse before the jog and practice trotting a few times on flat ground to ensure your horse is loose and prepared to jog.  Ashley Adams wrote a great series in 2010 shared by the USEA and she had some great tips for the jog, check it out here!

To help your horse stand out from the rest, you can hot towel their coat after grooming with warm water with a few drops each of baby oil and dawn dish soap.  Swirl a small towel in the mixture, wring it out thoroughly and vigorously towel the coat, rinsing the towel in the mixture as needed.  If the weather is chilly, cover them with a cooler/rug while they dry.  There are also shine sprays, coat conditioners, and oils on the market you can buff into the coat with a soft rag or brush.  For white markings, after cleaning and drying them, you can add baby powder to the skin/hair to really get that pop of white.  Just be sure to do this BEFORE you paint your horse's feet with hoof oil.  A little baby oil is great to add shine to the skin around your horse's nostrils, and even to your bridle!  A tail wrap is a great way to smooth down flyaways or protect a tail braid.  Check out another article from Ashley Adams for more tips on how to make your horse look like a million bucks and look here for some tips from AJ Dyer on how to make perfect button braids.  If you want to really stand out from the crowd, there are several tutorials on you tube (like this one) on how to perfect quarter marks, just be sure to practice at home before the competition if you have never done them before.

 

We hope you found this post helpful as we countdown to the best week of the year!

 

Only Three Weeks Til The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.  Last week we covered an overview of endurance day and this week, as promised, here is a document that helps explain how to nail the timing. We hope with this overview all our competitors will have a successful endurance day! One thing to note, if you chose to tape important information to your arm, make sure you bring the materials to do so. We recommend to pack a fine point sharpie and normal sharpie, electrical tape, and large index cards (see pic below).

 

We hope you found this post helpful as we countdown to the competition. Next week we will share some helpful tips to help your horse shine for the jog. 

 

 

Only Four Weeks Til The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event!

Last week we talked about things to consider if you are stabling for the first time at The Classic. This week is all about being prepared for endurance day! If you have never competed in a classic three day before, read on and have all your questions answered, or hopefully at least most of them!

We all know that the draw of The Classic is endurance day. The thrill of the chase is truly exhilarating but there is a lot to consider and manage other than just galloping and jumping all the things! The morning of, depending on what time your phase A start time is, you may want to consider skipping your horse's grain bfast and restricting/slowing hay consumption. Just think how happy they will be to have an unexpected lunch later in the day! You will also want to have assembled all your items for the assistance area by steeplechase and the 10 Minute box. Suggested items for each are...

Assistance Area by Steeplechase - everything can fit in a 5 gallon bucket for easy carrying

• Halter with number and lead (chain or rope halter if necessary)
• Shoe pulling tools
• Hoof pick/Packing/Rubber glove/Diaper/Vet wrap/Duct tape to wrap foot or hoof boot (test fit before competition on unshod foot)
• Water for rider
• Small towel
• Scissors
• Spare reins
• Hole punch

10 Minute Box

• Everything from assistance area by steeplechase
• 2 buckets/2 sponges/2 scrapers filled with cold water (one bucket can be the one used to carry assistance area items) - I suggest getting ice if the weather is warm
• Smaller bucket and dosing syringe to offer water/rinse horses mouth
• Extra set of shoes with studs already in matching what horse is wearing
• Magnetic dish and wrench
• Towel(s) - multiple if the weather is wet
• Cooler for horse if weather is cold/rain sheet if weather is wet
• Chair/Jacket/Water for rider
• Spare gloves for rider if weather is wet
• Spare bell boots
• Tape for boots (if using)
• Different bit/bridle if needed

No more than an hour before your Phase A start time, you will want to put your things in the 10 minute box. Advise your helpers that they will then move these items to the Vet Box after you leave the 10 minute box for XC (Phase D). You then prepare your horse and yourself as normal for XC as you would at an event. The difference is that you do not warm up for Phase A. Phase A IS your warm up. Do not be late for your start time of A, so arrive (mounted) a few minutes before your start time to walk around and be ready to go. On Phase A, you will warm up yourself and your horse by mostly trotting but you should plan on having a little canter as well. 

Plan to arrive at the start of steeplechase (Phase B) about a minute early so you can take a breath, refocus, and shorten your stirrups if necessary. There is a 1 minute break built into the timing but you don't want to risk costly penalties (1 per second) by being late and this time will be eaten into if you are late (so don't be late!). Have a helper be here (with your assistance bucket) to check your shoes before and after Phase B and to assist you if needed. The end of Phase B IS the start of Phase C, so keep that in mind (next week we will share some helpful endurance day timing tips).

Phase C is recovery from Phase B so it is generally longer than Phase A and you can walk some to allow your horse to catch their breath. The penalties are the same as for Phase A (1 per second) so plan on arriving at the 10 minute box about a minute early (again, don't be late!). Arriving several minutes earlier than this is unnecessary and means you didn't allow your horse the recovery intended on Phase C. If you arrive late, you will still have 10 minutes in the 10 minute box and your Phase D start time (XC) will be adjusted. The 10 minute box is for cooling out the horse and allowing the rider to regroup and focus on the task at hand (XC). 

The vet will check your horse for soundness and fitness when you arrive in the 10 minute box. They may give you some instructions to follow if they have any concerns, otherwise at Waredaca you and your horse are released to your team for cooling down. Reins come over the head, noseband/flash are loosened, halter with lead goes over the bridle, stirrups are run up, and the girth is generally loosened. The team then repeatedly gets as much water onto the horse (avoiding soaking tack) while the horse is continuously walked until you are 4 minutes away from your XC start time. Offer the horse water during this time as well. At 4 minutes our we suggest re-adjusting and tightening tack back up, drying reins, stirrups, etc, so that the rider is ready to put their foot in their stirrup (have a groom dry the bottom of your boots once you are up!) and mount up 2 minutes from the start of XC. This gives you plenty of time to get to the start box so that you are not late. Keep in mind that if the vet gave you instructions to check back in with them before XC, make sure that happens and work it into those fleeting minutes.

A note about cooling the horse, if it is warm (80 degrees or higher, or even in the 70s if humidity is high) ice water is your best friend. Regardless of whether the water is cold (from ice) or just cool (from the tap), getting it on the horse, walking a loop, and repeating as many times as necessary is the fastest way to drop a horse's core temperature. The higher the number of applications of water, the faster your horse will cool down. So in the 10 minute box, keep applying water during those 5-6 minutes you have for recovery (this applies to recovery in the vet box as well). Your horse will thank you. Scraping inbetween water applications is not necessary.

As mentioned above, your helpers should move your 10 minute box items to the vet box while you are out on XC. After a double clear XC round (as I know everyone will have), you will arrive at the vet box and cool out your horse.  Tack comes off, boots can come off once studs are out, and the goal is to repeatedly apply water and walk the horse til they are fully cooled out and a vet has released you back to the stables. You can find helpful tips here for cooling out and recovery.  

Another great reference article on an overview of the day is this one by Cindy Collier Rawson. The second part of the article specifically covers endurance day.

 

We hope you found this post helpful and next week we will share those timing tips from the great Chris Donovan to ensure you have a successful endurance day! Please comment with any questions or if you would like any other topics covered as we count down to The Classic!