The Tailoreds and Tails Network

A group of equestrians here to help.

[perrfectly]

[baltatyla]

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Helpful Exercises to do with your horse

So here are some helpful exercises you can do with your horse to get them to listen to your leg, to become more forward and to engage their hind end :

-Transitions: Although this may seem very basic, it's always good to review things and to remind your horse of what you've taught them in the past. Going back to basics can also help with finding the root of the problem you may be experiencing now. Doing many walk-trot, trot-canter, walk-canter transitions help with getting your horse listening to your leg more actively. This will also help them work on their transitions to get them to be not so choppy and helps with engaging the hind end, because the horse will learn to push using his hind end.

-Once you have your horse responding to your leg and aids, you can work on getting him to be forward in his movement. Doing exercises like changing the rhythm of your gait, so going from a slow trot to a medium trot to a working trot for example. Doing this at all three gaits until you get a good flow will help the horse to be more attentive to your aids and to help him be more forward.

-Practicing lengthening and shortening your horse's stride, by using poles or not while making sure that they are listening to your aids. This helps with getting your horse to become more forward by making them stretch forward.

 -The spiral circle is a good exercise to help engage the hind end. So starting at the trot, slowly leg yield the horse into a smaller circle and then leg yield him out. It's a difficult exercise for the horse and will force him if done correctly to engage the hind end. 

These are just a few exercises for to help with your training! Many of them can be found through Evention on youtube so feel free to check their videos out for more exercises! Happy training!

- heartford-equestrian

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Good bandage pads?

I'm not completely sure what you mean by bandage pads, but I use Wilker's Combo-Quilt Wraps under my bandage/standing wraps. Hopefully this answered your question! I also suggest looking on Dover and Smartpak and seeing which ones have good reviews!

-Adriana(flyingoveroxers)

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HAPPY AMERICA DAY TO ALL OUR AMERICAN FOLLOWERS

I hope its not raining where you are like it is where I am. I hope your barbecues produce the best hamburgers and your fireworks don't set any houses on fire. 

Love 

A FELLOW PROUD AMERICAN

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Who should be the Tailored and Tails Network Blog of the Summer?

VOTE HERE!!! 

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Who should be the Tailored and Tails Network Blog of the Summer?

VOTE HERE!!! 

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What does it mean when my trainer says to keep my horse "in front of my leg" while jumping?

My trainer doesn’t say it often, but when I have heard it being said a few times before and I take it as a keep your horse together kind of thing. Like don’t let them become disconnected on an approach to the jump and don’t get too far ahead of your horses movement. You want to keep your horse together because it will make for a much smoother jump. When a horse disconnects and stretches out on an approach that’s when you get funny distances and awkward approaches. I don’t know if that’s 100% correct because I don’t hear it very much, but that’s just what I assume. I’ll let the other members know so one of then can offer some more input! -Bell-boots (Sara)

My trainer says keep my horse “off my leg”, not sure if that’s the same thing, but it basically means to have your horse forward and energetic enough that you don’t have to constantly kick or tap your horse with the whip. It’s important for jumping because you want to have enough energy to go over fences and not knock anything down, plus you don’t want to have a surprise stop right in front of the fence.

~Topper-Esprit (Charlotte)

In front of the leg means going forward with enough energy and impulsion to be able to handle a sticky distance. If you get there on a short stride and the horse is behind your leg, he's not going to jump. If he's in front of your leg on the short distance and therefore coming from behind and is going forward, he has the energy to rock back and clear it. 

Also, don't be afraid to ask your trainer what she means when she says those things! She wants you to understand!

--Otteventer (mica)

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my horse is losing hair at the base of his tail. how do i fix that??

First you need to find out why he is losing his hair. Is he rubbing it because of worms? Is the skin really dry and flaky, causing him to rub it? If it seems to be just falling out you may want to call your vet, there could be something more serious. If you think its just skin related the best thing would be to wash and condition it well and keep something on it to keep it moisturized. Coconut oil works great and MTG is another good product. Another thing to consider is putting him on a multi-vitamin or a skin/coat supplement if dry skin seems to be a constant issue.

-Britni (paint-horse-dreamin)

Your horse is probably itchy. Use mouthwash to kill any bacteria and use MTG or horse hair conditioner to help grow back the hair quickly!

-Maddie (perfeqtion)

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The Tailoreds and Tails Network’s Blog of the Summer!

The TTN are happy to announce our first BOTS!

Rules:

Must be following the Tailoreds and Tails Network 

You must be following at least 5 of our members (list of members here)

This post must get at least 50 notes.

The more you reblog, the more chances you have! (No more than five, to keep it fair)

Likes don’t count, but you can like it to keep track of it.

Reblogging ends on June 25, 2014 at midnight. Voting on the poll will run until July 2, 2014.

10 blogs will be selected to be in the poll by a random number generator.

Prizes:

First place will receive…

A featured spot on our blog for the whole summer! (July - September)

Screenshot promos on the blog and at least 8 member’s blogs

Assistance with any other contests, BOTMs, etc

Additional promotions throughout the summer

A runner up will receive…

Screenshot promos on 8 members’ blogs, as well as the Tailoreds and Tails Network blog

You will be promoted to 14,000+ followers if you should win! Get reblogging!

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A little late- Body Image

Everyone's covered this topic really well now, so I'm just going to make this quick and brief. Also, I don't have much experience about body weight/image situations, so if I make mistakes or say something inaccurate, please forgive me.

Unless you're in the extremes (extremely skinny or obese), I don't think that you should have to worry about your body image affecting your riding 

Eq is about your skill, position, balance etc, not your body image. So when you are showing or having a lesson, the judge or trainer should only be judging the way you ride and not your looks.

About the weight problem- Riding is a sport, so I believe that everyone should try to stay healthy and fit. Just a few sit ups a day could help, you know?

I also believe that a rider should be placed with a weight appropriate horse, so if you're 50kg or so, I don't think it's a good idea to put you on a 13 hand pony. 

But regardless of that, I strongly believe that no one, except for people that are both involved with you and your horse, should be allowed to tell you whether you're too heavy for your horse or too light. It is your own decision.

~Charlotte (Topper-Esprit)

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After winning my first dressage test at prelim level, do you think I'm ready to move up a class? I was thinking of riding in the prelim and novice class, but I don't want to rush it! What do you think? :)

Congrats on winning the class! If you think you’re 100% ready you should move up. If not, I’d recommend staying at prelim until you are completely ready. Definitely talk it over with your trainer and see what they have to say as well! You always want showing to be positive so I’d stick with what level you’re comfortable with until you think you’re ready to move up :) 

-Maddie (perfeqtion)

A lot of people here will actually do two or three tests a show so maybe you could do a prelim test and then do the next level up at the same show so you’d be “warmed up”. Typically I would say just because you win doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to move up but at lower levels of dressage I think you can do multiple tests and work your way up like that! If you have a trainer they will tell you what’s appropriate to sign up for. Also take into consideration the movements and if you can do those accurately for the next level. —Mica (otteventer)

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Week 4: Body Image and Riding

To be totally honest, I never even really put much thought into have a certain body type for riding until I was on a hunt seat equitation team for NYU and until I joined tumblr. Riding is a unique sport in a lot of ways; amateurs and professionals compete side by side just as men and women do. I’ve also always classified it as being unique because there is no one beneficial body type.

Obviously certain things might make it easier and others might make it harder at first, but I’d never say that someone with X weight and X height and whatever other traits is going to have more ability than someone else. Riding is so much more about how you apply an aid and your balance than it is anything else, and irregardless of height or weight or shape you can learn to balance and apply cues to get the same effect (if not a better one) than your peers. No one should ever feel excluded from riding due to their build because it honestly does not affect your ability in the slightest. There are a lot of sports where you could say “I’m not built for that”, like maybe running or swimming, but riding is definitely not one of them. I’ve personally never been a fan of hunters or eq for that reasoning, riding should never be about your prettiness on a horse, but should focus on your ability. It doesn’t matter if you look textbook if you can’t use your aids! The focus should never be on looks before skill and I believe in that 100%.

Another issue I see come up here a lot concerning body image is weight. I am in the group of people that do believe you need to be appropriately weighted to your horse. That being said, I don’t think anybody on this site or anyone that is not personally involved with the rider has a right to even insinuate a rider is not appropriately sized for their horse. Honestly, I believe weight in riding is a much higher concern when you start to enter a field of competition with hopes of being professional or with hopes of being highly competitive. If at that point, your weight is an issue, it should be no one’s business but yours and your trainer’s. End of story. 

My final ideas on body image for riding are going to be about riding as a sport. I see people get offended when a coach tells a rider they need to lose weight, and if it is done in an impolite way I understand. However, riding is a sport. Everything we do, even grooming, requires physical strength and ability and I believe it should be part of the sport to want to be at your healthiest weight. Not how skinny you can be, just being a weight that’s right for you and not risking your health, whether it’s too large or too light. I’m a big believer in staying fit and looking it as well as I tend to be in the more competitive professional side of things. Even when I fluctuate, I can feel a difference in how I ride and I really go based on how I feel on the horse. So for others who are looking to compete or present themselves, I believe that you having pride in your body image is important. You should want to maintain yourself at your optimum build just like you want to maintain your horse! And you should be in the form that allows you to ride the best! 

So to just give a summary:

I don’t think there is a “body type” bill you need to fit. This is riding, that’s the beauty of it! Ability > body looks 100% of the time!  

You should be mindful of your weight and the size of your horse if that is a concern of yours, but it is NEVER anyone’s right who is not directly involved with you or the horse to tell you what you should and should not be on. 

I think it’s appropriate for coaches to be concerned with a rider’s weight if they think they are too thin or too heavy to ride effectively or be healthy. Riding is a sport, and you should try to be at your healthiest weight/muscling if you are looking to be competitive. Do it for your own success though, not because people are being jerks! 

You can feel when your body feels best in the saddle and most capable; focus on that and work on staying in that shape. If someone else things you look too big or too thin, they can shove it if you’re healthy and effective!

--Mica (otteventer)

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Body Image

I think the reason why body image can be such a big issue among riders is because we as riders are scrutinized so much. Firstly in lessons, trainers are constantly analyzing and critiquing, meaning they are always looking at the horse and rider to see if the rider is in the right position, if they need to move their leg forward or backward, straighten their back, bring elbows back etc.(This is not bad scrutiny necessarily, it's more the incessant amount we get as riders).  In order to improve in our sport, most people need someone with a critical eye there to tell them how to improve their position or how to get their horse to do what they want. Besides the trainer, there are always people watching at some point or another, either in competition or otherwise. People always focus in on a horse rider pair and unlike other sports, there are no other team mates, you and your horse are the main focus of attention. And then we get to online photos, with people critiquing left, right and center. It's no wonder many people become self conscious of their body. 

Getting over body image issues is not something that always easy. It's mainly building confidence in yourself and just focusing on what you love doing. The only person's opinion who matters is your trainer, if you have one, and they should only be critiquing how you ride, not how you look when you ride, your weight etc. I firmly believe that anyone can ride if they are paired with the right horse for them. Eq is not about weight, it's about position and balance, something anyone can achieve be they of larger size of not. So don't be turned off from riding because of looks. People will always look, they will always critique and analyze. But if they are already looking,then you might as well wow them with how well you ride. Remember that there is no "riding type", you don't have to be of a specific weight or look a certain way in order to ride. Anyone is allowed to love and be passionate about horses and this sport. There's no rule preventing that.

-heartford-equestrian

Send us your comments on this week's topic!

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This weeks topic: Body image

It's pretty hard to ignore what makes a "good eq" figure when you're on this site, so we want to discuss what this means. Why is it good or bad, do you need a certain body type to ride well, or how to deal with people telling you you're not the correct build. We want to hear your experience or opinions on this!

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Jealousy is an issue in almost every aspect of life. It's hard to not compare yourself to everyone else. In riding, you see a lot of jealous riders and it is very easy to be jealous. When you see a friend getting (another) new horse, a rider being able to afford that fancy lease horse you wanted, or even just watching someone who you think may be a better rider than you ride are all ways in which the jealously can stem. But, how can we stop being jealous? This is my advice. 

First of all, realize that jealously is normal, and, can be a good thing if it is not bad. If you're a little jealous of another rider's equitation, for example, it can push you to work harder and improve. Jealous only starts being negative when it takes over. When all you can think about is how you wish to be like a certain rider, that's when it is negative. So, if you are jealous, remember, a little jealousy can be a good thing, it's like having a little competition.

If you see your jealously getting out of hand, this is what I try and do. First, I remind myself over and over that we are each on our very own journey. Where someone else is doesn't matter. Are you working hard? Are you trying your best? That is what matters. If you can jump 2ft comfortably but you see your friends doing 3ft with ease, just remind yourself, you are your own person on your very own journey. In the long run, your friends journey doesn't matter one bit.

Another thing I do is I remind myself how lucky I am to have what I have now. Yes, someone may be able to afford 2 lessons a week and you only 1 but at least you get the opportunity to ride once a week. Just remind yourself that you are lucky to have what you have and appreciate what you have.

Happy riding!

-Kath / fiercepossum

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A bit late but: Dealing with jealousy

This is a topic that easily spans every discipline. I'll speak about my experience personally here.

As an eventer, money is a huge issue. Getting a horse that will be able to do the levels is only one problem, being able to keep it sound and maintained is another thing all together. It's really hard to watch people run around intermediate courses and know that's so far away from you based on the horse you own and your lack of funds to get it sound enough to jump at all. I'm 20 and I watch girls that are ages 14-19 run around levels that are where I dream of competing.

Those girls have a few things in common, better horses, more money, and way more talent than I have. They also have a lot more opportunities and resources than I think I will ever get in this lifetime. It's so easy for me to sit back and bitch and just be like, well give me a horse like that and I'd be running intermediate at 14 too, but then I get to know the people doing this.

Each one of these girls, yes, has a lot more in front of them than I do, but each one of these girls also works their ass off for it regardless of money and fancy horses. And there are trade offs, some have no family relationships, some have to live away from home completely, they have to essentially take care of themselves. Horses don't make your life golden, they make it hard, and it's not always easy to look past the money and see the struggles that actually lie on the other side. I see how these girls live and the responsibilities that they take on and handle with the poise of a seasoned professional, and yeah I'm still a little longing of their opportunities, but I honestly can't say I don't have anything but respect for them after being on their side of things. 

You never know someone's whole story. You don't know the tradeoffs they make to be in that position. And for most of these girls, even though they have money and the top line everything, they still have to work to take care of their horses and to learn. They still have hard rides and long days. You can't get that far on talent alone; and even more I respect the way these girls handle their nerves as they show at levels where the danger is real and the competition is world class. It's really amazing to watch these young riders progress as they gain experience and I can learn a lot from seeing how modestly they handle themselves. 

I know that I won't have easy funding, but I know I can work as hard as them and push myself to learn. Even if I don't have the horse or the show experience, I can work and become a rider capable of reaching those levels by riding whatever I can until I eventually find or train a horse that can get me there. Push yourself, don't just be stagnant because you'll never be on "that level". Those girls may seem to have it all and it's easy to imagine they're spoiled and there's no work involved, but in reality they are some of the sweetest and most supportive equestrians I've seen and that along with their incredible ability out on the course earns my respect. My jealously has essentially vanished upon looking into their lives and understanding what goes into it. It's still about hard work at the end of the day, and if you want it for real, you will work. These girls are good horse people and that's what binds us together when the day is done.

We're all in the same game with the same struggles, that's what you need to remember; money can't buy talent and work ethic, and those qualities are ones to admire not envy. 

--Mica (otteventer)