Pippa & Ribbo in the Fair Hill CCI*** 2011 (photo by GRC Photo)
As everyone knows, after owning a horse for several years, you get to know all their weird preferences, quirks and habits. Especially with event horses, and even more so with the upper level ones, the list gets pretty expansive. So what happens when this horse passes from your hands into the hands of another? How do you explain that he likes his food to be served at exactly 7:10 AM and will only allow you to blanket him if bribed with carrots? Pippa Moon spoke to me recently about just this situation, and has kindly sent me what she dubs, “The Ribbo Manifesto”, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
From Pippa:
The following document submitted for entertainment, tears of laughter, and snorts of recognition to the EN readership came to pass when I handed the reins of my first CCI*/**/*** horse, Ribbo, over to Sarah Murphy of Athens, GA. She has had Ribbo nearly 2 months now, and so I feel comfortable exposing her for being crazy enough to take his quirky self, and me for being crazy enough to tolerate him for the past 10 years! He is the horse that made it possible for me to dream of the upper levels and attain them and has given me more experience and exposure than I deserved at times. I always believed he would be my first CCI**** horse but my capabilities didn’t catch up with his talent in time and it seems he is meant to give Sarah a chance to experience the upper levels even though she takes over the ride as an already very solid Intermediate rider.
This past spring after deciding not to spend the money to go to Bromont, after having failed to re-qualify for Rolex at Fair Hill ’11 (too slow by 5 seconds xc!!!Gah!!!) I took a hard look at where Ribbo and I were, and what was fair to ask of him at the age of 16. I decided to lease him as a Jumper. He’s rotten in the dressage ring, waaaay strong XC and a freakishly careful show jumper. Easy, right? Wrong. Did some research. Backed out of that idea and decided to just campaign him for fun at OP and OI myself and maybe go do an Advanced or two. Then, by chance at Poplar in Sept, I met the perfect solution to keeping Ribbo sufficiently fit, entertained (he bites every horse I walk by his stall if he’s not in full work. Charming.) and doted upon: SARAH MURPHY! There she was in my aisle running around placating and cajoling not one, but two, cranky pants cribbers into eating only to have to make the tough decision of withdrawing one before SJ. She showed humility, humor and horsemanship at every turn. And she is tall. Ribbo is 17hh of ISH “why slow down when I can go faster?” attitude. (Read the manifesto below for weapons, er, bits needed). So we had a chat, she came to try him, they clicked, I swallowed hard, called her to say she could take him for as long as she could stand him, he left while I was away (perfect solution. I would have gone to pieces completely watching him get on someone’s trailer). I wrote a novel/dissertation/manifesto on his needs/habits, and voila the document below! Read and enjoy. It makes me laugh and cry how much I adore Ribbo.
Preparing for XC battle at Fair Hill CCI** 2011 (photo by Lauren Sumner)
THE RIBBO MANIFESTO
Grain: 3 qts 2x day of Seminole Show and Sport in a pan on floor in his stall next to another pan of beet pulp. He eats them both throughout the day and won’t always finish the beet pulp. He prefers the beet pulp pellets to the shreds. I think he has poor saliva production and will put his grain in his water if he doesn’t have the beet pulp option. Once the grain is in the water he won’t eat it and it’s wasted. This is partly why I don’t give him supplements since you can’t be sure when he will eat or how much or if it won’t just go in the water. The beet pulp works out to about a scoop and a half wet. I put him out alone w his food at night in pans or fence feeders. He eats well at night once settled. If it rains at night before he gets around to eating food he won’t eat it once it’s mushy.
Supplements: Hates salt so don’t give electrolytes in large amounts and really only in extreme heat. Gets a half a Pracend pill at night by mouth like a dog.
- At shows he will likely only eat at night. At shows over many days I bring other types of grain to lure him into eating with. I will add race horse oats to his Seminole or bring other cheap sticky grains to try to get him to eat anything. He almost never goes for pellets but will occasionally eat extruded feed like Blue Seal Sentinel. I also keep him on a half to full tube of Ulcergard at away events and half a tube for day trips.
Hay: As much as he wants but not very much at once since he will waste it. I give him a flake AM and at lunch and another in the afternoon before turnout if he’s finished everything. He won’t eat hay from the day before. I just take it out of the stall and give to others. He will eat 2-3 flakes at night while turned out in winter.
Turnout: Likes the routine to stay the same. Likes to be near mares and will probably become obsessed. Not too neurotic otherwise and almost never uses a shed even in rain. No boots or bell boots. Lots of blankets in winter. He doesn’t stall well at night and his legs and temperament will be better if out at night year round.
Tack: Seems to go about the same in most snaffles on the flat. I’ve been using a KK loose ring double jointed and like it fine for jumping at home too. Use whatever you like. He’s gone in a nathe on the flat, and I tried a double bridle but he was just too overflexed. A slow twist and corkscrew for jumping (wasn’t enough for XC) and a Myler Combination 2 ring w/ nose rope but no port for XC. I used this for 2 seasons before realizing that the double twisted wire was best for me. I don’t ever use martinagles so he’s not had one. Try if you want.
- Weird thing: I use PONY reins with a flash strap from a noseband put in at the buckle to lengthen them. With regular XC reins the leather was too long from the bit to the rubber and his head would be so high and neck so short that I couldn’t get my hands far enough in front of me to pull him up w leverage with out being on the leather. I find that the pony reins work well to get a direct contact to the corners of his mouth while not running out of rubber.
Ribbo having fun in the field
Grooming: He will let you trim whiskers and pull his mane. You can trim, but not pull, his tail if you like. Needs serious drugs for body clipping. Good with a vacuum. Hates to be groomed after being body clipped. Loves face to be brushed. If he wants to get hives or skin funk in winter try a 30% vinegar/water rinse after washing off. Hates liniment other than Sore No More.
- He stands in ice boots like a champ as long as you sit w/ him.
- Really really hates a cold bit in winter!!!!! Will politely be bridled w/ a warm bit.
- Hates his blankets! He will bolt as you pull them off so keep a halter on him to dress or undress in a field and god forbid you forget to undo leg straps and pull . . . . . it’s not pretty!
- Speaking of drugs he has a high tolerance. .8 dormosedan IV if you want to do something serious. I use 3 cc ace IV to shoe him. Then start with hind feet for which he is worst and then drugs will be gone by the time fronts are being done which he is fine for. He’s just a tight suspicious horse who wants his leg back when he wants it.
Speaking of shoes: use big studs behind pretty much at all events. You can use big ones up front but not too sharp as he may grab his belly with them from time to time.
Travel: He’s really good about trailers: loads well stands well likes company. Doesn’t do shipping boots!
Random fact: Don’t trust him to stand while you grab something out of the tackroom. He gets me on this about 3x a year. He walks off and as you go to get him- he bolts and then he runs around giving you heart failure. He walked to the top of the dirt ramp to my manure spreader and I thought he was going to step into the spreader. He has run into car traffic 2x. He’s really bad when loose!
- A chain over the nose goes a long way and I apologize for his lack of ground manners. I’ve never been able to make anything stick.
I have nothing to say about riding him really. Just work that out as you can and feel free to ask about anything. I’ve tried every legal calmer out there on him. None work. Feel free to try again! He’s really unpleasant in XC warmup sometimes. Not always, but can be a jerk about waiting to go in the box. Will wheel and turn circles and jig and trot sideways. I try to just keep turning him and not fight w him bc otherwise he wears me out.
- If you try to move SJ rails while holding onto him he might run backwards. He’s pretty sure I beat him w/ one once. I did not.
- He also doesn’t like jackets removed or picked up off the jump/fence while you’re on him. He groans and runs sideways. Beware. This has NEVER EVER amused me. He has been doing it for 10 years. He is absurd.
- He’s lovely to walk hack. Trot/canter not so much…esp towards home.
- If you do gallops with him (shouldn’t need too many unless doing A) go up a hill. Hard to stop otherwise.
If you hate him, I don’t blame you! He’s always welcome to come back and annoy the hell out of me!
