I came home from the barn on Saturday with the stupidest grin on my face. When I tried to tell my husband how good Izzy had been, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Speedy did the same thing."

Um ... what?!?!

No, I told him, Izzy was AWESOME.

Again, he shrugged his shoulders and said it was no big deal since that's what happens when a horse gets TRAINED.

Palm to face. How could he not see the miracle that was occurring right before him?

He was right, of course. This didn't happen in just one day. This is one year of work later. A whole, very long year later. It just feels like a sudden miracle.

I had some big AHA moments when I rode in the Christian Schacht clinic last week. That dude is a genius. In reality, it is Chemaine Hurtado, my regular trainer, who should get the credit. She's the one that's been slogging along with me this past year. Christian just helped me pull some things together at the right moment.

So what's going so great all of a sudden? Well, now that I know how much inside leg I need to use to get Izzy soft on the outside right rein, most of his shenanigans seem to have stopped. But again, even those have been disappearing slowly. 

Since last fall, Izzy has tried to dissuade me from working by being a bit of a jerk for the first half of our rides. He went through several phases of refusal: balking, running sideways, kicking out at my leg, rearing, and flinging his head around wildly. Those things are now mostly gone.

On Saturday, I worked the inside leg to outside rein until he softened and engaged his hind end. Once we got the feel I was looking for, I asked for a left lead canter. He gave it immediately, and while it wasn't a perfect canter departure, it wasn't explosive. When I asked for the right lead canter, he offered that one as well.
​
I was able to canter all over my arena. We did squares, straight lines, 15-meter circles, and even some mini-lengthenings. As I was finishing up with the right lead, I looked at Izzy's ears in complete shock - they were floppy. This is the first time that he has cantered with floppy ears.

I feel as though we've summited a huge mountain and are now admiring the view from the top. It's a beautiful view from where I am standing, and I can't wait to get down to the other side!

I am such a sucker for good customer service. I am always willing to pay more for a product if I know with complete certainty that the company is going to treat me as though they really want me to come back. And if they listen to my feedback and try to make whatever "it" is right, I am hooked for life.

The Riding Warehouse and Smartpak are two companies that check off those boxes. And coincidently, both are having really good sales this Memorial Day weekend. At the Riding Warehouse, you can save 15% site-wide today with no code, and SmartPack is offering up to 20% off for USEF members with the code MEM16 at checkout.

But those two companies already have my regular business. I am talking about the folks over at Platinum Performance.

A week or two ago I wrote a blog post about mineral supplements. A few days later, I got a very polite email from Amy at Platinum Performance. She had seen my blog post and wondered if I would like to talk to one of their advisors about equine nutrition. She also offered to send me a free bucket of Platinum Performance if I wanted to give their product a try.

How could I say no? I was clearly interested in the product, and I did have a few questions. I sent a reply back saying I would love to speak with someone and that I would call back the next morning.

To my surprise, when I called, Heather E., the advisor to whom I had been referred, was actually available. And not only was she able to chat, she already knew a little bit about me. Man, these guys know how to reel you in! I love that kind of customer service.

Heather and I talked for a good 40 minutes. I think she would have happily stayed on the phone with me longer, but my recess bell rang ending the phone call. My life revolves around school bells.

My three concerns, all of which she addressed thoughtfully and intelligently, were 1) price, 2) extra energy, and 3) ingredients that my horses don't need. 

Price:
Okay. There isn't a lot she can do about this one. Platinum is expensive, but ... she did point out some things that make the product slightly more affordable. For one, if you already give a bunch of supplements (I don't), Platinum Performance can replace most of them making your supplement regimen cheaper. 

Extra Energy:
An increase in the horse's energy level is was one of the unintended effects of feeding Platinum Performance that I have been warned about. We all know that Izzy doesn't need any more energy. He's already the destroyer of all things. I raised this issue with Heather. Rather than downplay my concern, she tackled the question head on.

Since Platinum Performance works on the whole body, it reduces inflammation and supports all of the horse's systems. The result is that it makes the horse feel really good. Initially, she explained, this can come across as too much energy. She said that once the horse is used to feeling good, the over-energized feeling will fade.

To help deal with excess energy, Heather outlined a plan for phasing in the Platinum Performance slowly while simultaneously decreasing energy sources such as rice bran. I really appreciated this approach as so many products actually use loading doses which add to the initial price of the product.

Ingredients That My Horses Don't Need:
I wholeheartedly subscribe to the KISS method of horse care - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Most of the supplements out there aren't tested by independent labs and they certainly don't have independent research that supports their claims of efficacy. Platinum Performance does. 

So while its ingredient list is bigger and more encompassing than what Dr. Tolley views as the minimum requirement, he doesn"t dislike the product. His own formula targets the specific vitamins and minerals that our hay is deficient in. Platinum Performance goes beyond that providing support for the whole horse through the use of amino acids (which help build proteins), Glucosamine (for joint health), macro and trace minerals (which help the body's systems to function), and vitamins (which along with minerals serve as anti-oxidants).

It's hard to say that my horses don't need any of those. Will they die tomorrow without added folic acid? No, but the added amino acids and minerals found in Platinum Performance are all things that my horses do need. I don't think there is one ingredient that is simply a filler or junk.

You can probably see where this is all going. I decided to give Platinum Performance a try, but I am doing it on the company's dollar. That's right - Platinum Performance is sending me a bucket for free, no obligation. They simply asked me to try it. And since I am going on vacation for several weeks, they've agreed to ship me a fresh bucket so that it arrives just as I come home in late June.

Izzy will get to try it first while Speedy remains on Dr. Tolley's vitamin and mineral supplement. Izzy's needs are a bit more complicated than Speedy's are. Speedy is such an easy keeper that I am going to see how it effects Izzy before I decide whether to put both horses on it. And if it does indeed reduce Izzy's feed requirements, the decision will be much easier to bear financially.

If you're reading this, Platinum Performance, your willingness to reach out to potential customers and chat about our horses' needs without being pushy is very much appreciated. Letting us try your product for free says you truly believe we'll like it. I am looking forward to having you on my team!

I ordered two new fly masks with embroidery ... twice, but SmartPak had some problems with the order ... twice. They're only fly masks, and the truth is they're barely going to make it through the summer as it is. Even so, when I saw how cute Speedy's turned out, I was a bit disappointed that Izzy's doesn't have his name on it too.

My barn owner uses the same brand of fly mask, so I thought it was very opportune that SmartPak offered free embroidery. Speedy's is now clearly marked, but I had to label Izzy's in some way too. It looks a bit ghetto, but I dragged out a Sharpie marker and did my best. Now, there won't be a question as to whose mask is whose. 

If I can find an embroidery shop in town that has a quick turn around, I might try and get Izzy's done too. Hopefully the Sharpie will fade because if it doesn't, the whole thing will look even more ghetto than it already does.

Until it gets dirty and tattered, I am enjoying the cuteness. How could you say no to this face?

It might have been a pain in the neck, but the embroidered pad that I ordered for Izzy turned out super cute!

I tried to get the "ü" done correctly, but SmartPak wasn't able to do it with this font. They called me to say that the ü couldn't be done which caused yet another delay. I didn't want to take even more time trying to find a different font, so I told them to drop the ü.

This is the Union Hill Dressage Pad. I ordered another one a few weeks ago as a show pad. When I saw how well it fit, I knew I had to have another one for schooling. When SmartPak offered free embroidery, I couldn't resist. And at $20, this pad is a total steal.

It fits perfectly, and I love the simplicity of the design. I hope SmartPak doesn't run this deal very often, or I may end up with even more pads that I don't need.

I cannot think of a better way to spend $20. Money well spent indeed.

Riding with Dr. Christian Schacht is a true privilege. He has a remarkable ability to "fix" whatever a rider is struggling with. He is famous for saying What trouble? This is a lovely horse; there's no problem here! This comes 20 minutes into the lesson after you've struggled with whatever for 6 months at home. He just sees what the horse needs you to do, and he makes your body do it.

On Saturday, I learned that what I need to do is persistently kick with my inside leg and build a wall with my outside aids until Izzy accepts my leg. My feel for when to soften is actually pretty good; I just need to be more relentless in the asking phase.

Before riding on both days, I warmed Izzy up in the round pen with the sliding side reins. On Saturday, I cut him slack when he tried to crowd me. He was in a new place and was lacking confidence. I tried to support him by being reassuring. By Sunday, I was over his clinginess. As we walked down to the round pen, he stepped on the back of my heel, tearing it nearly clean away from the boot.

All sympathy for my 1,200 pound cry baby vanished. I jerked him backwards and told him to get the hell off me. When he wanted to crowd me in the round pen, I informed him that I had a whip and was not afraid to use it. While he didn't magically soften and turn into a unicorn, he did look at me with a whole lot more respect.

From the instant that we walked into the ring, I was all business. I shortened that outside rein and dug in with my inside heel, and I never let up.

For every moment of that lesson, I was completely focused on engaging that inside hind leg, and I quit worrying about where his head was.

The more relentless that I was, the deeper that inside leg started to reach. And as a consequence, his front legs also started to really cross over. As we leg yielded out on the circle, I could really feel him stretching over his back as his hind end finally started working. 

Christian helped me feel how much leg I need - and can use, on this horse. It's a lot. I had my baby spurs dug into his sides. He wasn't fearful or resentful, but he didn't want to happily volunteer hard work either.

As the lesson progressed, Izzy finally started to swing through his back and yield to my inside leg. Now that I know what it takes to get him legitimately "through," you can bet that he and my inside leg are going to become the very best of friends.

Unlike the day before, we finally got to leave the 20-meter circle. Christian had us working the 10-meter circles in a figure-eight as well as doing lots of cantering in two-point.

We didn't look like a going First Level team, or even a going Training Level team, but by the end of that second day, Izzy did look more and more like a dressage horse in training. I got some more tools for my belt, some new "feels" to shoot for, and Izzy got a lot of exposure to new and different things. The clinic was a huge success for us.

I am hoping to squeeze in one more lesson with Chemaine before we head off for vacation in two weeks. Now that we're on a roll, I don't want to lose any momentum!

I am a better rider than most of the nearly seven billion people that call Earth home. I should feel awesome about that, but the reality is that when compared to actual riders, not just all of humanity, I am rather mediocre. Riding in a clinic, even with friends and people who I know are rooting for me, only serves to highlight my weaknesses. So while riding with Dr. Christian Schacht always inspires me, it also leaves me feeling somewhat dejected. I have a long way to go.

​But, enough of that. Yes, I'll never reach the end of the road, but I am glad because the journey is so very fulfilling.

For this clinic, my goal was to get as much ring time as possible to show Izzy that working away from home is no big deal. The one thing that I hoped to conquer was the ring itself. There are large mirrors along one side and in two corners. It's also covered which makes it a bit dark. At the C end, the ground drops away immediately, so it looks as though you're going to trot right off a precipice. If Izzy could relax in this ring, he could work anywhere.

The mounting block is just outside A. I got on and pointed Izzy toward the opening and asked him to walk forward. He didn't even blink as he walked under the roof. I don't even think he knew he was in a covered arena. He glanced at the mirrors for a moment, but then he never looked at them again. Neither did I for that matter. Well okay then ... covered arena conquered.

When you ride with Christian, he first asks what you want to work on, and then he tells you to just start riding. After watching for several minutes, he'll start to murmur instructions into the ear piece: lower your right hand ... more inside leg ... MORE INSIDE LEG ... turn with your outside thigh.

He doesn't explain the reason for his instructions. There's no lecture. He essentially rides the horse through you which gives the rider the sensation of what correct work feels like. I am not always sure how we got there, but I always savor the feel that he helps me achieve.

As I knew he would, Izzy came to work very tense with a hollow back. That's his thing. Speedy always starts out flat. Getting him put together is also a challenge, but in a very different way. Izzy gets very short across his top line, almost in a U shape. His head flies up and his stride is super short. We've been working on it, but Christian finally helped me crack the code.

In a lesson with Chemaine a month or so ago, we started tackling the issue of Izzy's lack of throughness. She had me focus on holding the outside aids firmly while using my inside leg to push him to the outside rein. I've been working on it, but Izzy has been super resistant and often refuses to give. Christian challenged me to PUSH him to a shorter outside rein WITHOUT backing down.

It took many circles for Izzy to figure out that life is so much better when he yields to my inside leg and relaxes into the outside rein. Without Christian forcing me to hold it, I would never have had the guts to ask for something for that long. Essentially, Christian had me kick him repeatedly over and over into that shortened outside rein. I don't know how long it took for Izzy to soften the first time, but it was a while.

Once he finally gave to my inside leg and agreed to engage his hind end, I got the magical feeling that I've been struggling with for so long. Every time his head popped up, I shortened the outside rein and pushed him into it with my inside leg. Over. And over. And over. Relentlessly.

Izzy had a few little moments - he balked pretty good at the scary precipice end, but other than that, he didn't do anything naughty. Our work simply focused on showing him that he has to yield to my inside leg. Period. In some ways the ride was pretty boring as we stuck to a 20-meter circle at E/B, but I appreciated having the opportunity to "practice" getting him to soften. 

Besides riding, the other reason that I enjoy this clinic so much is that I get to spend time with some of my very favorite people. Jen, the event organizer, always keeps things so friendly and positive. No snarky people are allowed to participate. I don't know how she weeds them out, but everyone who comes to this clinic is always super supportive and encouraging.

After the clinic, Jen drove me back to her barn so she could gather some more feed for her horse who ended up over-nighting at White Birch with Izzy. While we were there, we hung out with some of her barn mates. Every one of them is funny, witty, and just plain fun to be around. Several ladies insisted that Jen introduce me to Stanley, the barn's head squirrel. There are too many squirrels to count, but Stanley is so large that they all know him on sight.

Of course, the best part of every clinic is Saturday's dinner. This time, our group was smaller than usual, but we had a pretty good time. And like happens every time I ride with Team Symphony, I always meet someone new. This time, a new-to-us rider joined our little group. I hope to see John at future events. Anyone that can make internet failures as funny as he can is always welcome!

Day two tomorrow ...

Even though it seems directed at kids, I perused the description in hopes that the advanced course would allow 45-year old women to participate. Why is it that there are no camps for adults? I would go in a heart beat.  

I am sharing this camp because it is fairly local, and the facility is simply gorgeous. The schooling show that Izzy and I did last month was held here. Even though it was only a schooling show, Marily ran it as professionally as any USDF show can be run, maybe even better. I am certain that her camp will be run just as well. I know the image is hard to read, but here's the gist of it.

For more information, contact Marily at 559-564-2038.

Normally, if I don't have anything nice to say, I keep it to myself. That's really hard to do. I get just as irritated and ticked off as the next guy, but I've found that griping about it doesn't usually make anyone feel better. And believe it or not, that includes me.

In this particular instance, I mean no harm; I am just checking in with you to see what your experiences are. Over the past month, SmartPak, I company that I really like, has offered several items with free embroidery. I don't typically get stuff embroidered because I tend to keep junk forever and use it on the next horse. But, given that it was free embroidery on a fly mask, an item that barely lasts our never-ending summers, I decided to go a bit fancy.

​I ordered both horses my regular Crusader fly mask. After several weeks of not receiving a shipping email, I checked online and saw that the order was being packaged. Okey-dokey. I checked again the next day and was dismayed to find that the order had vanished. I called customer service and was told that there had been some kind of glitch. I gave a frustrated sigh and had the woman just redo the order.

As I was paying bills and balancing my checkbook the next morning. I saw that the new charge was way off in price. I gave SmartPak another call and was told very apologetically that only one fly mask had been processed and sent to the embroiderer (my email confirmation listed both). I remained very polite on the phone, but I was seriously irritated!

How hard is it to get two fly masks embroidered and sent to my house?

Ultimately, I re-ordered Izzy's flymask without the embroidery and was assured it would go out with my Monday order. We'll see.

In the meantime, I had also taken SmartPak up on free embroidery on a dressage pad. I ordered another Union Hill Pad with Izzy's name.

When I asked about that order, I was assured that it was being processed and should be delivered soon. Again, we'll see.

I like SmartPak and have no intention of taking my regular business elsewhere, but I would like to know if getting stuff embroidered is usually this difficult. I have to say that I am disappointed that Izzy won't get the cute little stitching that I had planned for, but it is just a fly mask and it won't last long anyway. But still. Disappointed.

​So tell me, where is the best place to get stuff personalized? Am I better off just taking my stuff to a local shop, or is there someplace that gets it right every time?

While at Bakersfield Vet Hospital for Speedy's most recent appointment, I ran through a few things with my vet, Dr. Tolley. I've worked hard to develop a good relationship with the team that cares for my horses, and that includes my vet. Over the years, I've made sure to ask for and follow the advice that my vet offers. He's been in practice for more than 30 years; he knows his stuff.

Right now, both of my boys are in fine shape, as they usually are. Both have awesome feet, and their coats gleam with good health. They're regularly vaccinated, their teeth are examined at least annually, and they're in excellent weight. Twice a year they're checked for worms with an eggs per gram fecal test and then given an appropriate dewormer. They see the chiropractor as needed, which is at least once a year. There is not much more that I can do.

Even so, I like to check in with my vet to see if he thinks there is anything else I should be doing. The one thing that I felt was missing was a mineral supplement. Izzy already receives a magnesium supplement (Quiessence), but I wondered if I shouldn't be giving both horses something more.

Hay grown in the western part of the United States is well known for being deficient in selenium and vitamin E. Selenium, an essential trace mineral that helps the body deal with stress, and vitamin E serve as anti-oxidants. While I know that our hay is deficient in these essential nutrients, I've never done anything about it. Until now.

Dr. Tolley and I talked about the various supplements from which to choose. He's fairly conservative in his approach to caring for horses and can usually be counted on to choose the simplest and most often, cheapest option. His own horses live on dry pasture with some added alfalfa cubes when the grass gets sparse.

He recommends horses get a good quality roughage, a fat source, and a mineral supplement. He likes my current feed regimen: both horses are fed alfalfa/oat cubes, loose hay (Speedy gets some alfalfa while Izzy gets a grass or stemmy grain hay), beet pulp, and rice bran. Each horses gets fed by weight, and I weigh my feed every now and again to check that it's still right. While the feed was great, he felt that a mineral supplement was indeed missing.

Many years ago, Dr. Tolley created his own mineral supplement that was designed to pair with the hay typically fed to horses in Kern County. He contracted with a local feed producer to manufacture his mineral supplement formula. It comes in a plain white bag, no fancy label, and is sold either at the vet hospital or at a local feed store, Rosedale Farrier Supply. It costs around $30 for a 50 pound bag, and Dr. Tolley recommends a one-pound serving daily.

I bought two bags, enough to try it out for seven weeks. Since it's a mineral supplement only, I won't see any changes in my horses. This isn't designed to shine their coats or harden their hooves. The purpose is to help them at a cellular level. The better their cells can function, the healthier they'll be. And ultimately, they should live longer and have more productive lives.

I should have enough of BVH's formula to last until we get back from vacation in late June. In the meantime, I'm evaluating two other mineral supplements: Platinum Performance and Grand Premium Plus. Both products are highly reviewed and well respected, but Platinum Performance was originally created by the doctors at Alamo Pintado, our area's premier equine medical center.

Both products come in multiple weight bags, but for comparison, I chose the 25 pound bags. Platinum Performance costs $1.69 per serving, while Grand Premium Plus runs slightly less at $1.49. BVH's Mineral Pellets come in a 50 pound bag and cost about $0.60 a serving, clearly the cheapest. While BVH's supplement is a lot cheaper, and remember I'm feeding two horses so cost is a factor, it doesn't come with all of the ingredients that the other two have.

When Dr. Tolley and I discussed my options, he asked if I needed or wanted all of the other ingredients. That was a very valid question and one that I am weighing seriously. As I look at the price of each supplement, I wonder if they're worth it for me right now. Feeding either of the name brand supplements would run me right around $100 per month. If I stick with BVH's supplement, I know I am getting the nutrients that they need without anything extra, but it would come at a price that I can easily afford.

Do you have any experience with either of these supplements? Do you feed something else that was recommended by your vet? If you had BVH's mineral supplement available, would you choose it over the pricier but more inclusive supplements?

​Choices, choices.

I have to keep reminding myself just how steadily Izzy is progressing. It's easy to get discouraged when you're not flying through the levels. I just keep reminding myself that Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a Grand Prix horse. Whether we make it that far is to be seen of course, but it doesn't hurt to aim high.

Less than two months ago, Izzy finally held a right lead canter on a 20-meter circle. That was just eight short weeks ago. Since that time, we've improved so much that holding the lead is no longer an issue. Now we're working on picking it up quietly. He has improved so much that I can now canter the quarter line and even work our way down to a 15-meter circle. We're also able to canter a square.

Our left lead canter is also improving. We've been able to hold that lead only slightly longer than the right. Just a month ago, I could get a canter departure, but then we worked on holding it without exploding. Over the weekend, I was finally able to school multiple trot to canter transitions while on the same circle. There is still some fussing and an occasional temper tantrum, but he can now pick up a left lead, canter as long as I ask, come back to trot, and then pick up the left lead again.

I've stopped using the sliding side reins before every ride, but I am still using them several times a week. One of the things that I was finally able to school with them was adjusting his trot. When I first started lunging him, Izzy pretty much had a single gear, and it was a fast one. It's taken several weeks to show him that he can just trot around quietly. The same for the canter; it's not a race and he's not going to get there any faster.

Now, I can ask for a relaxed trot, slow it down to almost nothing, and then send him forward into a bigger trot. Once he figured out that he wasn't in trouble when I asked for the bigger trot, he happily listens for the cue to slow down and waits for me to send him into the bigger gait. I found that the more I sent him forward and brought him back, the transition to canter was so much easier for him. That's what happens when your hind end is engaged. 

This coming weekend, we're riding in another two-day clinic with the always fabulous Dr. Christian Schacht. I am so excited to hear what he thinks about Izzy. I know that the work I do with Chemaine Hurtado falls right in line with Dr. Schacht's teaching, but it will be great to see how much of her lessons that I've been able to implement.

Izzy needs as many field trips as possible, and while I'll be missing a show hosted by my CDS Chapter, I think Izzy will get a lot more training and exposure at a two-day clinic. This will be his first time stabling over-night, and we'll school in the covered ring which can be scary for a lot of horses.

Our progress might be a bit slow, but it's there, and we're picking up speed. Mighty is not that far away!