Photo by Jennifer Rautine

The Horse recently published an interesting article about a study done in the UK with riders and their perception of rein tension. Results from the study revealed that most riders are not very accurate in their awareness of how much contact is between their hands and the horse’s mouth.

From The Horse:

“There is a significant different between actual and perceived rein tension,” said Hayley Randle, PhD, researcher in the equitation science department at Duchy College in Cornwall, U.K. “And this is the most important message: If you’re the rider and someone’s telling you to do something, how do you know what you’re actually doing? And more importantly, as the trainer on the ground, how do you know that the riders actually comprehend what you’re telling them?

“This could give some insight into why there may be some difficulties in training,” she said during her presentation at the 9th International Society for Equitation Science Conference, held July 17-19 at the University of Delaware in Newark.

In their study, Randle and colleagues fitted a dummy horse head with a bit, bridle, reins, and a rein tension gauge at two different national equestrian events in the U.K. There, they asked 261 volunteers (all riders of various levels of experience) to estimate their usual rein tension level on a scale of one to eight (with one being the least amount of tension), for each hand, three times. They then took up the reins to create their “usual contact” with the bit, and the researchers measured the actual rein tension on the same one-to-eight scale.

Most of the participants were amateur riders, and about an equal number of dressage riders and show jumpers. When judging their “normal” rein tension, riders often greatly overestimated their pull — in reality, they had a light contact (perhaps a “1” on the scale) whereas they told researchers it felt heavier (perhaps a “3”). On average, the dressage riders guessed their contact more correctly than the jumping or pleasure riders.

The study also noted that most riders had a heavier contact on their right rein, than their left… not terribly surprising, as most of us are right-handed. However, it is something to note when you think your contact is even — is it, really?

The article continues with more thoughts on the elusive concept of contact:

An Internet search or a look through equitation books will yield a wide variety of definitions for “contact.” In a nutshell, it’s hard to describe, hard to teach, and hard to agree about what it is, exactly, Randle said. And this might be the source of problems related to contact—a lack of shared understanding about this somewhat fundamental part of equitation. “The big question is,” she said, “do riders really understand what we’re going on about?”

The study results suggest they might not.

“The way forward will not only include better training and communication between trainers and riders about what rein tension and contact should mean (perhaps using a rein tension gauge), but also an acceptance that we are not always right,” Randle said.

“Sometimes we like to hold on to our perceptions” she said. “If we do want to improve our riding, sometimes we have to learn to let go in terms of changing our behavior.”

The best riders in the world have an intuitive understanding of contact — it’s just a “feel” that they don’t even have to think about. I’m not even sure it’s possible to scientifically quantify their awareness of this feel … it becomes a reflex reaction, muscle memory, whatever you want to call it. But it is interesting to think about. Read the full article here.

After the overwhelming success of Dodge Ram’s Superbowl commercial (“So God Made A Farmer“), Chevrolet went to the drawing board to come up with a counter punch.  It was released a few weeks ago, and it tells a story about the bond between a woman, her horse, and the truck that takes them everywhere together.   Silly boys… trucks are for girls!

“A woman.  

A woman and her truck.  

A woman, her truck, and a 1200-lb passenger.  

Two bodies with one mind.  

And a ribbon that goes on her wall… not in her hair.” 

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Ella Rak impressed us with her writing ability and fun style so much that she made it to the Final Four of EN’s 2013 Blogger Contest.  She’s 16, is a High School student, Aspiring Lower Level Eventer, and C2 Pony Clubber.  As with the rest of the finalists, we invited Ella to contribute a weekly piece to the site.  Thanks to Ella for writing, and thank you for reading.

From Ella:

The Pony Club Event

 Difficult Run Pony Clubbers helping a fellow member after XC.  Photo by Lee Rouse, used with permission.

If you event, likelihood is that you have been to a Pony Club event. It doesn’t matter where you live in the country, whether it is is recognized or unrecognized, these events are the backbone of many of our competition seasons, and provide a lot more to the community than just another competition. The only way to truly learn is to experience, and when you give Pony Clubbers the opportunity to be involved from maintenance, to set up, to tear down, and everything in between, you can help them experience many of the gears that keep our events running.

My first experience with the sport came from before I had owned a horse or really showed at all, working at the biannual horse trials at Frying Pan Park, and I was hooked. Younger members start out helping hand out awards, running dressage scores, or what started as my personal favorite, pinny collecting. When you are 7 or 8 years old and chasing after your personal black stallion that just finished the prelim cross country, you can’t be happier, and if you have the chance to chase down a big-shot rider, you might as well be meeting a member of One Direction. As you get older and more experienced with how a horse trial works, you get to move on to the high stakes jobs: the scribes, stewards and jump judges. When you are learning on the job, you can absorb the rules and regulations, as well as the good, the bad, and the ugly riding faster than you ever could at home. When show jump scribing or jump judging you watch the same course or single jump over and over again, and you can tell what is working and what isn’t. Was it the riders who sank the weight into their heels before a jump that went clear? Is it legal to hit your horse in front of the breastplate? What are those darn cones there for? But essentially, why did one horse make it around and the other didn’t?

We all crave the scribbled commentary at the bottom of our tests from the judge, so listening to exactly what the judge is looking for 8 hours straight of scribing is better than a hundred scribbled test comments (even if you can’t feel your hands by the end of the day). Again you have the chance to truly learn what they are looking for, without the years of trial and error at competitions. When stewarding, not only do you get to be highly involved behind the scenes, but you actually get to interact with competitors! Though you always get the outlying horse who tries to kill you when you check its bit, overall you get to influence a competitor’s opinion of your event from the very beginning.  I live for the small talk with competitors about their horses and how their day is going, but when the professionals start coming through, I feel like a bouncer at the Oscars. It is not all fun and games though, as everyone at some point makes a mistake and forgets to change their bit, that hunt caps aren’t legal, or one of the countless other infractions. No wants to have to send you back to fix something more the stewards, and by god, they don’t want their ring running late any more than you do. They are probably far more stressed out than you are if things truly start slipping behind, and will do everything they can to give you the best ride possible.

Speaking of rules, working with the TD and Ground jury will help you understand the ins and outs of certain rules. I didn’t realize what a resource these officials are until we worked with them during the event. I used to think that they were the bad guys, just there waiting for you to make a mistake, but really they are one of your greatest assets, answering even your most bizarre questions about the rules. (So bell boots on all four is legal right?) They are there to help you, and will do everything they can to help you have a safe ride. Developing a relationship with the officials is especially rewarding, not only when you are competing, but also for the stories of eventing in every era.

My first recognized event at Difficult Run Pony Club HT, proving that it takes a village to raise an eventer.

The number one thing I love about pony club events though, is the incredible welcoming community they provide. As a competitor, you are some of these kids’ past, some of their competition, even some of their heroes.  The first recognized event I ever did was my Club’s HT, and nothing helps more to get a petrified kid home safely as having every single jump judge on course cheering her on as the trot around a BN course. Humiliation turns to humbling when you hear encouraging statements over the loud speaker, you feel you can do anything. You get to know the regular attendees, talk to people who share your passion, and truly be involved as a positive member of the community you love.

A group of current, former and future Pony Clubbers at the River Bend Pony Club Combined Test, showing the true community Pony Club forms.

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The biggest thing I have learned is how much work it takes to put on an event. You have to start preparing months in advance, and even then it takes an army to run an event smoothly. You have a whole community of your friends and family working together to clean up the cross-country course, to paint an entire course of jumps in a single night, to transform a public park in a highly-populated DC suburb into a true test of equine discipline, agility and endurance. So as you plan the rest of your competition schedule, keep in mind how much attending a Pony Club event can mean for you, for the little Pony Clubber running around your barn, and the event community as a whole. (And my shameless plug, Difficult Run is having a Unrecognized HT August 24-25 if you are in the area.)

In 2012, Marbles the pony traveled to Rebecca Farm to help raise awareness for breast cancer.  She made the trip again this year, and Anni Grandia kindly sent us some photos.

From Anni:

Marbles continues to raise awareness for the Breast Cancer research fundraiser Halt Cancer at X here at Rebecca Farm.  She has been spending her days in the trade Fair with Triple Crown and is happily accepting donations to the fundraiser.  She also made a celebrity appearance at the sponsor party Thursday night, and can be seen around the show grounds.

 

Outriders.  You’ve seen them in the Derby post parade, leading the magnificent racehorses to the starting gate.  Haven’t you wanted that job?  Wouldn’t it be neat to pony a racehorse down the stretch at Churchill Downs?  Being a jockey is a physical impossibility (without Jenny Craig and a tapeworm), but a person of more average size could certainly be an outrider, right?  I mean, how hard can it be, riding a well-trained pony alongside a prancing racehorse with a jockey on its back?

Well, what happens if the jockey falls off?  Here’s an outrider in Canada (thanks for the correction!) who goes after a racehorse who got loose at the gate:

From D. Barroby:

Loose horse from behind the gate pushes my horse into the rail. When their legs tangle I’m crushed between the rail and my collapsing pony. As the loose horse returns my Wife and I try a boxing maneuver. The loose horse then attempts to jump the outside rail forcing my Wife to back off and in so doing placing the loose horse again within my reach. Unknown to me my saddle was damaged in our collision with the rail so as I make the grab my right stirrup breaks away. The loose horse was unharmed but my horse suffered a small puncture wound on his left leg. With bute and a course of antibiotics he should be fine. I received a minor concussion, bruised ribs, and a dislocated finger.

Still want to be an outrider?

If you weren’t a reader of this fine site waaaay back in February 2010, you probably don’t remember a time when EN didn’t have it’s trademark slogan and flags in the header.  Can you imagine a time without insanity in the middle?

Did you know there were other ideas tossed around?  Take a look back at the original post from February 17, 2010…

EN: Just Some Guy with a Laptop and His Smart Friends

One thing I have been thinking about is changing our tag-line: “Eventing news, results, and ridiculous commentary, from horse trials and three-day events.”  This was my first attempt when I was designing the site last year, and I chose it because it was packed with keywords.  Search engines really look at tag-lines as they try to ‘understand’ what a website is about, but Google seems to understand us just fine these days and I am hoping to find something more stylish.  Visionaire and I have tossed around a few ideas, and the good ones are Visionaire’s, the bad ones are mine.

1. Eventing news and equestrian views delivered fresh daily with a twist of humor and opinions on the side.
2. Whatever you do, wherever you go…Go eventing.
3. When is John going to shut up and let the smart people write everything?
4. Come along for the ride.
5. Red on right, white on left, insanity in the middle.
6. Bringing news, insight, and thought-displacing discussion to the eventing community.
7. All courses: Average for readers with some experience at this level.

Actually, all but number (3) are Visionaire’s, mine are no where near good enough to bother posting.  Please let us know your own ideas for tag-lines and which tag-lines you like best in the comment section. Needless to say, your feedback is going to determine what direction we decide to go, and we will be looking at it on the header every single day, so no pressure folks.

We have also chatted about putting red and white flags on either side of the EN title, which I think would look pretty cool, so look for that possibly soon.

The winning slogan that we all know and love was announced the next day.

EN: Red on right, white on left, insanity in the middle

After our highly scientific data gathering poll, Visionaire’s tag-line “red on right, white on left, insanity in the middle” received twice the number of votes as the next highest “All courses: average for readers with some experience at this level.”  The latter was probably my favorite, but a couple of commenters made a great point that our international readers might not get the joke, which is that the line comes from the USEA’s omnibus attempt at rating XC course difficulty.  We also had a couple of great suggestions such as Leslie’s “eventing news and equestrian views in the right stride” and Sarah’s “for those of us who have fallen off too many times.”  So, EN has a new tag-line and complementary flags to go on either side of our name, after all, red on right, white on left…

Ella Rak impressed us with her writing ability and fun style so much that she made it to the Final Four of EN’s 2013 Blogger Contest.  As with the rest of the finalists, we invited Ella to contribute a weekly piece to the site.  Thanks to Ella for writing, and thank you for reading.

From Ella:

Ella Rak, 16, is a High School student, Aspiring Lower Level Eventer, C2 Pony Clubber and Equestrian-procrastinator extraordinare. Defining Characteristics: Strong willed, Easily distracted by horses (I should be studying for final exams right now, but instead cleaned tack and wrote this article), and slightly OCD (that record book WILL be perfect).–

Last week I brought you the story of a rally, and this week I am back with the part of Pony Club I am sure many of us would prefer to forget. Even many of the biggest events fade in comparison to the extreme stress of a rating. Wait, you have to ride well AND be able to talk about what you did?! If my horse has lived 13 years of his life without having his sheath cleaned, why does it need to be spotless now? Next week I embark on an even more frightening prospect: a rating without riding. My first national level rating doesn’t give me the comfort of having a furry friend to lean on. It is entirely knowledge-based and entirely frightening.

Ratings can help you a lot into force-fed effective horse care, but the amount of studying required tests even the most studious eventer’s patience. I am not talking about just skimming through the A manual, hanging around the barn and calling it a day. I currently have a stack of 16 books/instructional DVDs on my bedside table to work through. Conformation, disease, stable management, teaching, conditioning — the list goes on and on and on. You can end up spending more time reading about riding than actually riding, but the feeling of satisfaction you get being able to compare the philosophies of Jimmy Wooford, Phillip Dutton, Sally O’Connor and a slew of others is incredible.

Like the other aspects of Pony Club, ratings make you a very well-rounded horse person, only this time it tests your limits. (Why does this sound more and more like high school?!) You need to be able to teach youngsters, perform basic medical treatments, wrap absurd places you would never need to know until you NEED to know (What the heck IS a spider wrap?!), but most of all, ratings teach you to communicate. The biggest secret to ratings is this: just keep talking. I don’t mean blabber endlessly with no point (I obviously NEVER do that…), but if you can recognize and explain what and why you screwed up and how to fix it, you will be fine. Having trouble telling a horse’s age by his teeth? If you can explain how you do it and make a reasonable guess, you are golden.

Flashcards become your best friend. Oh, you have a final tomorrow? That can wait until you have gone over the equine skeletal system one more time. No matter where you go, any free time must be spent reviewing the nitty-gritty details so you can get the coveted “Exceeds Expectations.” A meaningless check mark is all I ask for (and you thought ribbons were absurd). Yes, I may care a little bit too much about this, but if you are going to drive hours to spend a summer weekend taking a test, why not make it worthwhile?

And just when you think you are done learning everything you can about this animal you didn’t think was smart enough to be so complex, in comes the record book. Sure every horse owner should keep neat and organized records, but do you even want to know the amount you spend on non-essential horse items? I know I don’t. Conditioning schedules, lesson plans, vaccination schedules — that’s all do able. But if you ask me to tally up all that I have spent on horses in the past 18 months and compare it to my net income, that is crossing a line.

As I remove the tack and assorted horse items from my truck and replace them with a plethora of books, binders and flashcards, I slightly question my sanity, but realize what an amazing opportunity this is. I get to go to a new state and talk about horse butt conformation and the life cycle of a roundworm. Go Pony Club!

Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace wjn the CH-Y**

Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace jumped a clear round to win the two-star division at the 2013 North American Junior & Young Rider Championships.  Laying in second place by only 1.3 points, Caroline put the pressure on overnight leader Rowdie Adams and No Money Down.  Unfortunately, No Money Down looked a little tired and jumped just a bit too flat, having two rails down on the Richard Jefferies-designed course.  They held on to the silver medal.  Finishing third was Jennifer Caras and Fernhill Stowaway, who had a smooth, quiet round with just one rail down. Only three of the 11 pairs jumped clear in the two-star division.

[Results]

1. Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace  52.2
2. Rowdie Adams and No Money Down  58.9
3. Jennifer Caras and Fernhill Stowaway  67.6

Team Results:

1. Area  III
2. Area Area VII & VIII
3. Area V

Gold medal Area III Team

Mary Peabody Camp and Rave Review sit in second. Thanks to ivegotyourpicture.com for the photo.

As with the two-star, cross-country shook up the leaderboard in the Junior (one-star) division as well. Overnight leader Lauren Clark and Yosche Bosche suffered a stop at the Head of the Lake; the horse looked incredibly strong and willful all around the course, and I’m guessing the water just caught him a bit by surprise. Quite a few other riders suffered stops and there were two falls, but as far as I know everyone is ok.

Nicole Doolittle and Tops had my favorite ride of the day; the pair looked easy and steady around the whole course, making it appear like a walk in the park– no wonder she sits in first going into show jumping! A few horses looked slightly tired finishing up in the heat, but overall the horses and riders looked fit and prepared. Congrats to all competitors, and it was great hearing the team spirit as cheers followed every rider around the course. Many thanks to all the volunteers, it takes an army of jump judges, crossing guards, score runners, jump decorators, etc to put on this huge event. Best of luck to everyone tomorrow!

[Scores]

Team Standings:

1. Area III
2. Area VII & VIII
3. Area II