Elliot faired pretty well on the journey back south after the disappointment of Fair Hill. He got about a couple weeks of vacation since there was nothing else for he really needed to do this year. It seemed well deserved after all the shipping and competing and general stress of the trip and the season as a whole. We haven't done anything particularly strenuous since coming home. Mostly hacking and some light long and low flat work.
I'm a big supporter of giving upper level horses a break. In the past, the competition season was shorter. The long format three day was the pinnacle of the season. You worked up to it, and then your horse had a vacation on the off season. Now, with short format and more three days, you can run many FEI events in one season. Furthermore, there isn't really an off season anymore. You can travel all over the country and find an event at almost any time of year.
Getting horses fit and ready to run is hard work. Smellie only has a six or seven hour work week, but those can be some hard hours. There's lots of drilling and lots of galloping and lots of jumping.
One night this week we just wandered and watched as a pretty spectacular double rainbow appear over Redbud Farm. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the flowers!
I'm a big supporter of giving upper level horses a break. In the past, the competition season was shorter. The long format three day was the pinnacle of the season. You worked up to it, and then your horse had a vacation on the off season. Now, with short format and more three days, you can run many FEI events in one season. Furthermore, there isn't really an off season anymore. You can travel all over the country and find an event at almost any time of year.
Getting horses fit and ready to run is hard work. Smellie only has a six or seven hour work week, but those can be some hard hours. There's lots of drilling and lots of galloping and lots of jumping.
One night this week we just wandered and watched as a pretty spectacular double rainbow appear over Redbud Farm. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the flowers!
