Living the Dream, part II

Elliot also works hard. Those 6 or 7 hour work weeks are really rough on a guy...


But seriously, Elliot is like any other professional athlete: He works hard, gets treated very well, and is completely adored.

There are different theories on how to condition an event horse. I buy into Jimmy Wofford's theory of riding them pretty much every day (Jimmy has a number of interesting articles on his fitness in Practical Horseman, here's a link to his most recent which in turn links to the earlier). He does not need to get ridden hard everyday, but he goes out and does something each day. It keeps the dust off and also is good for his body to keep loose and moving. The only day Elliot gets completely off is after an event (unless there's an injury or the weather is particularly bad or I have some terrible illness that leaves me hospitalized).

Elliot gallops every fourth day working backwards from cross country day of his next event. Running and jumping is easy for him. He gets fit quickly and stays fit easily so my gallops on him do not need to be as long as some of my other horses (even some competing at lower levels). Currently, Elliot is doing three 7 minute gallops proceeded by a trot. Gallops do not mean fast. These are more or less slow canters. As he moves up the levels he will do more sprint work and more hill work. The trots will also get longer. I worry less about Elliot not being fit enough than I do about Elliot being too fit. He can feel like lit dynamite sometimes.

The days that he doesn't gallop are divided between long walks, long trots, dressage, and show jumping. He works about an hour every day.

We want to make the hard days at home so that when we get to the event he is fit and well. As they say, 'a fit horse is a sound horse'!

Elliot's days, like mine, follow the same basic routine:

In the summers he stays out at night because it's brutally hot in during the day. After the three board fence fiasco, he has been going out by himself. I feel a little bad about that because horses are herd animals, but another injury would also be bad news so we have to weigh the pros and cons. Plus he's got a little bird friend. They hang out.


He comes into his stall in the morning. He gets free choice hay because he is burning so many calories, and we want him to stay round. For the same reason, he gets fed three or four small meals a day versus two large ones. Horses are grazing animals and not designed to digest large amounts of grain. As a result, large meals are not good for their stomach. In an effort to avoid gastric ulcers, especially because of Elliot's history of colic, we do what we can to keep his tummy happy (this also includes daily feed through supplements meant to improve digestive health in horses and GastroGuard when he travels).

Smellie hangs out until about 3pm, when I get there. I groom him, do his stretches, and ride him then he gets dinner and goes back out.

Somedays I also to do extra things like putting 'the lights' on him to help with muscle soreness.


An upper level horse also requires a lot of maintenance. We are lucky to have such a great team keeping Elliot feeling good. Mississippi is not the mecca of English riding let alone eventing so we have spent a long time finding professionals we trust to work on our horses. Elliot gets his teeth done every six months; he gets a chiropractic adjustment and acupuncture every month; he gets his feet shod every five weeks.

You cannot expect them to perform at their best unless you take care of them. All the extras are totally worth it.

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what's in your grooming box?

I take a lot of pride in the way my horses look. There is nothing like seeing a beautifully turned out, good looking horse at a three day. The grooming, however, does not just take place at the event. It has to happen at home.

I have a pretty strict grooming regime that I follow most days.

It starts with a curry mitt. Smellie has sensitive skin and does not tolerate most curry combs (cough...spoiled...cough). Plus, I think the mitt helps get the dirt up better, especially in the legs and face.

The mitt is followed by a relatively stiff brush. Obviously not too stiff as to irritate my favorite boy, but just stiff and long enough bristles to produce a satisfying flicking, swishing action.

Assuming this got the worst of the dirt and dust, I move on to step three. Sometimes I need another go around with the mitt, however. Like on those days Smellie decided to wallow in the pond.


Step 3 is to curry him again with burlap. I also sometimes use a mitt that had cactus cloth on one side and sheep skin on the other. This works just as well. Burlap just happens to be less expensive. Rubbing with a rough cloth like this gets some more of the dirt up and also moves oils about the skin.

I follow the burlap 'curry' with a body brush. This gets any remaining dust and dandruff off. It also really makes them shine.

Finally, I follow with one last towel. This time with something soft. I rub in circles but then whisk off in the direction of the hair.

I brush him before I ride, but I also try to do it afterwards because that when his pores really open up and the oils in his skin are most likely to be spread around. Unfortunately, Elliot sweats a lot so I cannot always just brush him after riding. More often than not, he needs a shower.

Sometimes I pull out the horse vacuum just because I'm lazy, but this routine is pretty effective to make them look good.

About once a week I also check tail, mane, and clipping needs. Each gets attended to as needed.

I pull the top of the tail versus clipping it because I'm old fashioned. I usually just do it with my fingers, but for the short little hairs that need to go, a good set of needle nose pliers is very handy! The bottom I keep short and banged. I like it about half way between his hocks and his pasterns. It makes it look more full. I do not brush it unless I'm going to a show or clinic. His tail is not especially thick, and I do not want any to break off needlessly.

I keep his mane tidy. Maybe a little on the short side at time because he hates having his mane pulled,which is funny because he stands for his tail, though perhaps begrudgingly. Pulling Smellie's mane is a bit of an ordeal. One person has to hold the twitch and one to pull fast and furious.

Clipping includes muzzle, a short (about 1") bridle path, and cleaning out his ears. Again, a twitch is necessary for his ears, but he's good about the rest.


I'm not big into using products. Mostly a good diet, good exercise, and a good dose of elbow grease are the trick for keeping Smellie looking great. These are the things I DO use: Muck Itch for the scurffy patches he gets on his legs during the muddy season, MTG for to top of his tail where he he looses hair in the summer, Tomorrow for his feet to treat thrush, and various antibiotic creams for scrapes and cuts.

At shows I will use Show Sheen to brush through his tail, and I also spray his tail with Pink which adds an amazing luster. Effol Hoof Ointment is my go to hoof dressings. It is a bit of a waxy consistency versus oily so it is less messy plus makes the feet look great!

And of course sun screen is always in my grooming box! Need to protect my skin as much as possible!



*Professional Equine Grooms Website has some great tips about grooming and how to keep you horse looking good. It's worth checking out.

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