March/April 2020
USEA Area 1 News
Quarantine Edition
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From the Chair
Suzanne Adams is an Insurance Consultant by day, a crazy horse girl most of her waking moments and believes strongly in volunteerism. She was the Area 1 Adult Rider Coordinator from 2014 - 2019 before assuming the Area 1 Chair in 2020.
Typically, our snowbirds are happily traveling back to Area 1 and those of us who braved the long winter are eagerly looking towards Spring and the beginning of Eventing Season. Instead, we are all in a holding pattern, waiting to see what happens next and doing what we can to keep ourselves and horses healthy and sane.
My message is just that… do what you can to keep you and your families healthy. Thank your barn owners, trainers and all those villagers that keep our horse’s safe and well for doing the best they can in world that changed almost overnight. And where you can, help others to do the same…
Competitors, volunteers and eventing enthusiasts reach out to farms that host competitions and ask them where they could use help. I saw someone post on Facebook that she was entering events and if they had to cancel, she was going to donate her entry. I know that everyone isn’t in a position to do so but, what if those who could did just that? What a positive statement that would make to our host farms.
We are definitely in unchartered territory… Remember, we will get through this and if we can do it with kindness and compassions, we all win! Let’s stay safe and be well!
Have a great ride!
Suzanne Adams
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Science of Riding - Monthly Column by Sorcha Martin
For the past two months we have talked about using the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning and how to utilize those ideas in Eventing. Please
click here if you missed the first installment, and
click here for the second. Given the seismic shift in all our lives with the outbreak of the Corona Virus everyone’s day to day is no doubt, very different. Some of us are unable to visit our horses at their boarding facilities, never mind worrying about improving your riding. For this edition of The Science of Better Riding, I thought I could address what we can to improve, even if we can’t ride.
For many of us, riding and spending time with our horse is an integral part of our wellness and stress reduction strategies. It’s really nice to go to the barn, tack up, climb on and only worry about the inside leg and the outside rein (again) for an hour! During incredibly stressful times, not having access to our happy place feels like one more thing we don’t have control over. What can we do to remind us that we do have a large four-legged friend just waiting for us to come off quarantine? Are there things we can do in our new found down time? The answer is yes! The Science has some helpful ideas. Also, as equestrians, you might not be familiar with the concept of “down time”. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines down time as: “time when you are not working or busy”. Apparently, it a well know concept outside of the equestrian world, it might be helpful to think of this as rider stall rest.
Modeling as an instructional tool
There is a substantial body of research that looks at the effect of watching images of yourself or others performing tasks as a motor learning strategy. There is strong evidence that watching yourself perform a task, and the imagining yourself performing that same task, can help change the performance of that specific task. Since riding and lessons are off the table for many folks, and you might have some of that “down time” on your hands, it’s time to start looking a video footage of yourself!
Watching video clips of yourself performing tasks well has been shown to help build confidence in performing that task and can lead to changes in the wiring of your brain. These changes over time ,will make that task more automatic. Now is the time to search your phones, Facebook and YouTube for video content of you preforming a task well. Delete any video of things not going well. Those close calls, saves and falls you might have saved to amuse yourself, friends and family should be tossed! Watching them also trains your brain, but not in the way you want. Once you have found that video of you performing shoulder in correctly, or jumping a corner well, or hopping over a cross rail successfully, watch it. Think about what it felt like when you did it, acknowledge that you were successful. Imagine what it would be like to do it again. Then watch your video again!
There is strong evidence that watching successful performance before a competition can have a positive effect on competitive performance. I have a short video of myself and my mare in a clinic with Buck Davidson. In the video she and I “boldly and in good balance soar over a large skinny”, then Buck says “that’s how you should ride every cross-country fence.” Now in fairness it was a novice size skinny that was not very skinny, but italicized self-talk helps you get the idea, framing the concept matters. I watch that 10 second clip in my trailer just before I get on and head to cross country warm up. I set out of the start box with Buck’s specific instructions in my head. That’s how I’m going to jump every cross-country fence!
What if you don’t have any video of you on hand? Great news! You get to scour YouTube to watch other people ride. There is evidence that even watching other people ride well will help build your confidence in your own riding. If you visualize yourself performing that same way the model did, the neural pathways in your brain change for the better. The research suggests picking a “model” who looks like you. If you are a 5-foot 5-inch woman with extra padding like me, using William Fox Pitt as a model is not going to be as helpful as watching someone with a more similar body type. While watching William tackle Burghley is always a sight to behold, I don’t need to worry about the length and position of my torso in the same that way he does. Watching a rider of similar height and build will be much more beneficial. If you are tall and lean then William is of course, the ideal model to look for!
Rider Stall Rest Top Tips:
- Search for video of you riding well, watch and visualize yourself riding just like that.
- Delete all video records of things not going well in the tack, it does you no favors to watch it.
- Find video of riders who look like you riding well, and visualize you riding just like them.
- Forgive yourself for not being able to ride, times are tough and stressful. but chances are your horse will be delighted to see you in a few weeks’ time. Bring carrots just in case.
- Take up other forms of exercise to maintain your fitness, biking, Yoga, or Pilates all will help your riding fitness to some degree.
- Take a look around your home, I recently found I had a spouse sitting on the sofa. So far, he seems nice!
Dr. Sorcha Martin is a Physical Therapist and Faculty Member at Boston University where she treats patients and teaches in the Physical Therapy Program. Sorcha and her mare, So Much to Offer, compete at the lower levels in Area 1.
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Walk It Out!
With our season on hold and the pressure to train and compete off, it might be time to take a look at how you are incorporating walking into you and your horse’s fitness routine. Walking, alone or with a buddy(six feet away, please! And not just for the mares), is one of the best ways to develop fitness and strength in your horse while putting very little wear and tear on their joints and feet, improving their fitness and soundness and saving them for when we actually get to start competing again. For many of us who cannot see our horses during the shut down, walking is going to be key in getting them fit once we can ride again. And, as anyone who follows Denny Emerson on Facebook knows, it has great mental benefits as well, taking some of the stress out of beginning work for a horse.
Many trainers I have worked with include at least one day where horses are worked only at the walk, usually referred to as the “walk hack.” This is 45-90+ plus minutes of just walking, ideally on varied terrain and surfaces: trails, dirt roads, up and down hills. If you don’t have access to trails, walking around a quiet neighborhood can provide equally beneficial, providing both physical exercise and exposure to the activity of daily life off the farm (although, with one of my horses, I ended up training the UPS driver to turn off his truck, rather than training my horse to ignore it!). Even if you just wander your farm, you are getting out of the ring, asking the horse to adjust to different sights and terrain, and developing fitness and strength without putting much stress on their bodies.
Even on the days when you aren’t doing a “walk hack,” consider putting in 10 solid minutes at the walk before you ask for
any faster work. It allows their muscles and tendons to thoroughly warm up, making the risk of exercise-related injuries smaller, as well as building strength. Throw in some walk poles to keep things interesting...but wear a watch! 10 minutes is a lot longer than we all think it is. Use the time to hold your half seat and build your strength for cross country or to do warm up exercises yourself, such as arm circles or swinging your legs to open your hips.
And in these days of quarantine, when we are all spending way too much time on the couch and the gym is closed, consider taking your horse for a walk in hand. You both get the exercise benefits, the strain is even less on your horse, and you can work on ground manners as well. And I don’t mean taking your horse out to graze (although that is nice as well) - I mean 30+ minutes of purposeful walking: a fitness workout for both of you.
So enjoy the spring, go for a walk, and be fit and ready for when our season begins!
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PAY IT FORWARD!
Today, with the world literally turned on its axis and so many of us racing to get accustomed to this "new normal" we can't miss this opportunity to STAY KIND to everyone - we don't know who may be facing remarkable challenges such as having to be out of school, isolated from friends and perhaps your horse, financial uncertainty all around and grave news being shared at every turn.
It is with so much enthusiasm and excitement that I share with YOU a fantastic opportunity that is just for you, an AREA I Young Rider member - between the age of 14-24. Ariel Grald has created the 2020 Carol Rittenhouse Young Rider Scholarship and each and everyone of you who aim to compete at the Training Level or above in the next year are eligible.
Due to the current world affairs, we've EXTENDED THE DEADLINE for this scholarship and strongly encourage each and every one of you to use this time to write an essay about why YOU'D LOVE TO SPEND TWO WEEKS WITH A 5* RIDER and what you and your horse need to learn to up your game! For me, I'd really enjoy learning about how Ariel runs her barn (I'm sure she has 15+ tricks of the trade that would blow my mind, wondering how I survived this long without knowing these horsemanship hacks) and I'd be excited to watch Ariel ride her young horses (a bit easier for me to relate to than a 5* horse)! You might really benefit from help with improving your ringmanship for a better dressage score or confidence at riding combination fences or just understanding what the "day in the life" of a professional equestrian really means.
The ADDED BONUS is that for every single one of you who apply for this scholarship, the Area I Young Rider program is hosting a clinic for you! Now, we are aiming for July - but that may change. What we do know is that YOU NEED TO GET YOUR APPLICATION & ESSAY IN to the Young Rider committee BY THE NEW DEADLINE OF MAY 15 (this gives you an extra three weeks or so to wrap your head around this weeks current events and still complete the work to have a chance to spend two weeks in Southern Pines with Ariel).
So, you might be reading this Area I newsletter and being a bit blue about the start of the 2020 Competition Season - I hope you #bemorelikeAriel and PAY IT FORWARD and use this "down time" to plan ahead, stay fit and don't get discouraged!
If you have any questions, comments or concerns don't hesitate to reach out!
Sarah O’Sullivan, Young Rider Coordinator
** Photo credit Joan Davis, Flatlandsfotos. Please check out Joan's website
flatlandsfoto.com
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AREA I ADULT RIDER NEWS
Greetings from Aiken, I hope you are all able to get out and spend some time with your horses while being socially distant.
While we await further guidance on our eventing season activities, I have a few updates and thoughts to share.
The ARP sponsored Trailering Safety Clinic at UNH is postponed until the Fall. ARP members can attend at a discounted rate. Watch the ARP Facebook group for more information.
The Area 1 ARP Facebook group is going through some change. It is now a private group focused on sharing clinics, events, and volunteer opportunities in the area. It is also good for sharing ideas and getting advice from fellow eventers. We are kindly asking that for sale/lease ads be posted in other forums.
A new ARP program this year is called the Road Less Travelled that encourages participation at some of the smaller events in our Area and across the entire area. The program will have season end awards for Beginner Novice through Preliminary (including Modified). I was planning to share the events included and more details. However, given the current pause on equestrian events, I will be providing more details next month.
Stay safe out there and remember you can’t touch your face if both hands are on the reins!
If you have questions on how to become an ARP member, any comments, new program ideas, or good peanut butter cookie recipes feel free to contact me at adultriders@area1usea.org
We'd like to welcome Amy Winnen as the new Adult Rider Chair for Area 1!
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Area 1 members Jen Bagley and Jen Clapp are looking for your help as they produce the monthly Area 1 Newsletter. Please submit photos, articles, ideas, and event recaps to
USEAArea1newsletter@gmail.com
by the 15th of each month!
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