Preventative Maintenance & Lessons in Horsemanship

There's been some things on my mind lately. I thought about weaving this into my 2021 goals post, but it's evolved a bit more as I've grown and aged.

Back when I was riding Baby regularly on my own, I started to hand walk for the end portion of my cool outs. That grew into a habit of letting her graze in the sacrifice area after a ride so she could have some time out before going back into her stall.

I started this habit again with Lucie because, frankly, the horses at my barn don't get as much time outside as I would like. While hand walking, I noticed that she would roll consistently after every ride. Like, we would make it maybe 10 feet and she'd be on the ground. I thought it was a funny thing and because she's a big horse and has limited coordination when flipped upside down. I've kept up the hand walking with Liberty, Blackjack, and Satin, and I've noticed that they all roll, at some point, once the tack comes off. This might have to do with the wind/water/air/earth of Florida because Baby never rolled in front of me. It did get my head turning though.

Some people at my barn have commented on this habit of letting the horses roll after a ride. I think it genuinely seemed like just a Lucie thing at first, but it's made me rethink the type of compassion that we have for animals. There's nothing wrong about letting them roll as much as there is nothing wrong about not letting them roll; however, because I now know that it's something the horses genuinely enjoy, it seems inconsiderate to not offer them the opportunity to roll. If it makes them feel good after a ride, then why not?

They're so sweaty after every single ride, no wonder they want to roll

And so that's something that's become a permanent habit for me. In my mind (and I could be very wrong about this) the rolling and hand walking is also a chance to help the muscles recover and prevent stiffness. Often times, they have their heads fully down when I'm on the ground, which gets the type of free walk stretch that they need. I know I'm unbalanced, so if getting off early and letting their muscles "reset" just seems like a good thing? Again, I'm okay with being wrong on that one lol.

I used to read a lot of other adult amateurs (who were double my age at the time) and genuinely wondered what the hype was about with all the different kinds of half pads and switching bits every 6 months and all the Equifit and anatomical bridles. This isn't a jab at adult ammies because I literally am one at this point, but it really takes being in this position to understand it better. Keep in mind, my first trainer rarely used half pads; I'm still incredibly minimalist with horses and take a less is more approach with my tack and riding style. Yet, so much has changed with education and time.

"Less is more" except if I don't wrap all four legs he will surely die once we get to the ring

There's just some things that have steadily become basic forms of preventative maintenance. Hand walking, rolling, carrot stretches, weekly grocery store trips for said carrots, checking almost daily for thrush (I hate Florida), oiling hooves during the winter, and, for now, I'm still cold hosing after every ride. And the only reason I want to get rid of the cold hosing is because it doesn't seem as effective or time efficient as getting ice boots. Also, our wash racks are a flooding hazard.

Life is very hectic and uncertain for me right now. Riding is the one thing that is consistent, challenging, and regularly enjoyable. Horses have given me so much, and while letting them roll isn't a mathematically equivalent gift in return, it genuinely makes them happy. I'm an adult now with the time and a little bit of money to commit to their care. We aren't at the Equifit stage quite yet . . . and never will be because I don't like them, but you get the idea. For now, I'll get some ice boots and keep up the weekly carrot restocks. I want them to be happy and comfortable for however long they're in my life.