Update on Comet!

I’ve been putting a lot more time and work into Comet lately, compared to what I was before.  I really try to ride about 6 days per week, but that still means that each horse only gets worked 3 days a week, as I only ride 1 horse per day.  I’m exhausted by the end of the week, but I still feel like the horses aren’t getting worked as often as they should be!  I try to balance just the right amount of work for them, as Comet is older and Lex has already had a lot of issues in his five years of life.  I think rest days are important, and with how my horses are currently progressing, I do not see riding every day as a necessity.

                I had a barrel racing trainer come to the boarding barn where I keep my horses so she could give me some tips on what to work on with Comet.  I had already noticed some type of stiffness in him, but she pointed out that it was stemming from his stifle area.  She suggested injections and long-trotting as ways to help that stiffness, and I am doing lots (and lots and lots and lots) of long-trotting right now to try to help build up that area of his leg.  I don’t want to jump right into something like injections because it can be costly and Comet does need to be in better shape so I figured the long-trotting was a good place to start.  The trainer suggested 20-30 minutes of long-trotting per day, so I started with 10 minutes and have increased it by 5 minutes a week and we are currently working on 15 minutes of long-trotting.  I incorporate circles, changes of direction, and figure eights into that time to keep both of us from getting bored out of our minds. 

                We are also working on learning how to do rollbacks to help build up Comet’s hind end strength.  We started at the walk and are still working on this at the trot.  This seems to be pretty hard for him, so I only work on this about 5 minutes every time I ride.  I’m trying to do more spirals with him too, to help build that quick turn mentality and to help him turn easier in general.  We’ve incorporated cantering circles around cones or barrels set in a straight line, also.  This has really helped Comet to be able to make turns while cantering and he has started picking up speed between the markers on his own.  His balance has greatly improved and his brain seems to have figured out what to do, but his body just needs to keep up.  When we do the pattern, Comet typically blows right past the first barrel at the canter (going to the right), and refuses to turn.  I’m assuming this is because he is still stiff somewhere and we are working to get this figured out.

                Comet does not seem to enjoy rail work and really comes alive when we start working around cones and barrels.  I’ve added very small ball spurs when I ride and this just helps him to move off of my legs more quickly, whereas before, he was leaning into my legs instead of moving away from them.  I’m really impressed with how quickly he is progressing-he is proving to be a very fast learner and wants to please.  

Even though I am very happy with how Comet is progressing, I'm pretty sure the look on his face here perfectly sums up his feelings about a heavier workload!