I’ve mostly been reading as a fellow adult ammy with a young OTTB who has been just very hard, from the beginning, about every question put in front of her. She’s at New Bolton (University of PA) this week getting workups because it shouldn’t be this hard, honestly. And I completely get it. I think you’ve put this horse first repeatedly and have thought about him and his needs first at every turn. I really admire that. Whatever the next steps are for you and Poe, I think it’s really clear to everyone that he’s lucky to have you on his side. <3
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I am really sorry to hear your week didn’t go as we all hoped. 
Very gently… 
This is what chronic pain does to a horse. It’s not in a TB’s nature to be uncharitable and say no. For whatever reason it sounds like his body just did not show up cooperative those days. 
I really feel for you. I have a KS horse who I don’t do multi-day shows with. He just could not handle the demands of stalling and traveling physiologically. He would try if I asked, but it’s not fair for me to ask. So I keep to local shows, it’s more in both our wheel-house anyway.
I recall you had a wonderful summer and fall show season with him. Is it at all possible he could use a little spring break (full 24/7 turnout), and you also, to hit the mental reset button? There are highs and lows with every horse, even ones without KS. It’s so hard. Days like these, I make sure I look back on my highlight recaps – because when you’re deep in the reeds, sometimes it can be hard to remember to good. You’ve done right by this horse at every turn.
Some days we ribbon, and somedays we’re lucky to just be able to go home with a horse still in the trailer.
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Oh you’re absolutely right. I’ve had a bit of personal attitude adjustment since writing that initial post-show post, my own equivalent of some turnout.
I really think it was the perfect storm of pain and lack of turnout, and to everyone’s point, it simply isn’t fair to ask him to show up and perform through that.
He’s getting fuuuuull turnout this week, magnawave today, and the saddle fitter out Tuesday. I visited with him yesterday and gave him a good groom, or as good as one can with all the dust here!, and he seems in much better spirits already. I’ve read that shockwave can sometimes take as much as a week to “kick in” and I’m sure that, paired with the quiet of the barn versus the grounds and turnout, have gone a long way in showing him we still care about him.
I watched my video from our last pre-show lesson and it was a good reminder of where we are and how far we’ve come, and that most likely this last show was an outlier. Following this May show, if we go, we’ll be sticking with exclusively local shows.
It’s definitely hard but we’ve come so far and I’m excited to see how he comes back into work – he’s a good boy and a teacher’s pet in that he tries so hard, so he’s worth being a little more patient with!
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Ahhh this is the update I was hoping for! Best of luck to you guys!
Signed,
A fellow ammy who also loves the snot out of her less-than-perfect (but always perfect in her eyes) young OTTB.
P.S. I’m super interested to hear how the saddle fitting goes. My horse had one of those “night and day” differences in how he walked when I put him in a different saddle (U-shaped head plate, very wide gullet for spinal clearance and shoulder room). The fitter didn’t hate how my current saddle sat on him (V-shaped head plate but generous/more open with a wider gullet), but he very clearly appeared more comfortable in the other saddle. Yet, the next day I rode him in my saddle and we had no problems. I’m trying to figure out if our problems are saddle-induced or rider balance-induced. When they say TBs will challenge you, they’re not wrong! My guy is a saint all things considered (when he’s difficult, he must be trying to tell me SOMETHING) - and he’s making me do better and be better!
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I feel you on this. My TB mare needs a super wide channel and prefers drop panels/k panels/SR panels whatever the brands like to call them even though on paper she doesn’t need them. It’s tricky to figure all of it out!
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Hullo it’s me reporting in with a much happier update! Following the show, Poe got a full week off, was seen by a body worker (massage), a magnawave practitioner, and an independent saddle fitter. We’ve been predominantly flatting, with one or two days of simple over fences work. He’s been an angel.
Both the body worker and magnawave person noted his soreness, noting that he carries a good chunk of stress in his poll, and the saddle fitter, whew, the fitter! She’s a gem. My saddle needed a reflocking but still fits him perfectly, my trainer’s saddle works with the pad she shimmed, and the pros saddle is unrideable for Poe. It fit Poe quite poorly, with a pressure point that put all of her weight at the base of his withers.
Under saddle, we’ve been really focusing on consistency and straightness, with a special focus on him going long, low, and correct. We’re still planning on attending the show next weekend (May 1) because we want to evaluate how he does at the same venue, with his pain having been addressed. The goals remain chill – get around quietly, get our strides.
After the show, we’re heading into what I’m affectionately calling Topline Bootcamp. We won’t show again until July, so we’ll have plenty of time to really, really focus on developing that topline and weight without the stress of a show.
Anyway, I’m genuinely optimistic. He’s been wonderful. That said, I’m all ears for good under saddle and in hand topline exercises (obviously, we have hill work, walking and trotting in frame, and backing in the bag, but any ground pole exercises would be appreciated). I’m excited!
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He’s such a handsome dude! In the pic it looks like he’s saying “Um, I thought summer vaca was next?”
You probably have heard about many exercises but have you looked into in-hand work like Linda Tellington Jones does?
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Jec Ballou has some really good books on exercises, both in-hand and under saddle, that deal with certain physical issues with horses. Check them out here:
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Jec-Aristotle-Ballou/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AJec%2BAristotle%2BBallou
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And I forgot to mention, he’s cool looking horse. 
Love the ears!
Well, the standard COTH hive recommendation for about the last 20 years is called something like 101 Exercises Over Poles. Author is Linda Allen, a top level course designer including the Atlanta Olympic Show Jumping courses ( and that dam bicycle jump).
Not only are there enough of these to keep you busy and vary your exercises, she has lots of helpful information on setting these properly to help insure a successful learning experience for horse and rider. It’s not just dumping a bunch of poles on the ground and yee hawing through.
This book builds skill, balance and muscle in the horse and greatly improves the riders eye and confidence. Offering modifications to vary the level of difficulty.
And it is FUN. Even the Wheel of Death in a perverse kind of way as once you master it, you feel like you really accomplished something and the horse is ready for anything.
Most trainers/Pros like this book too, keeps them sharp and their lessons interesting. Course it can also be….humbling.
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Ingrid Klimke has some good books using cavalletti as well.
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I love using raised poles and cavalletti’s on some of the lower sides. I use them to trot and even canter through them to get their backs up and working their hindquarters. I work on lengthening and shortening at the trot and at the canter too - some trot poles on 3ft increments, some on 4ft increments, some canter poles at 9 ft, some at 11 ft (pony here), some 2 strides, some 4 strides - depending on what we need to work on, all in different parts of the arena.
Helps my eye and their eye and where to figure out where to put their feet on the greenies. I only work on over fences 1 x 2 times a week but do poles 3-4 times a week. I like to change it up each time and spread them all over the arena. The other boarders here love me for it 
Good luck with your guy, I love seeing your updates!
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Yes! Another good way to do that, if you don’t want to move too many poles around, is to set up the poles in a fan. You can lengthen or shorten strides just by changing your angle or arc. If you ride them as part of a circle, this also allows you to work on straightness on the circle (i.e., no falling in or bulging out). I did an Allison Springer clinic where we used one pole setup for walk, trot, and canter just by varying the arc through the poles. I’ve used it a lot since then because I’m lazy and also like to preserve the other space in my arena. I only have 8’ landscape timbers as poles, so I generally end up with the outside set on a smaller canter stride of 9-10’.
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Like a 9’ base stride distance over ground poles, there is no jump there to eat up any of a longer line, just rides better and you can do more with it…IME.
Thank you! I just bought this one, it looks like the perfect starter and then eventually I’ll snag the 101 Exercises book! I like that this 55 movements one focuses on the physical issues.
All of these comments are SUPER helpful! Thanks y’all!
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Glad we can help. Depending on your barn, you can set up some of these things, like 4 poles
In a cross shape, 2 horizontal 2 vertical with about a 10 foot center hub (does that make sense?) and work with it all week. Countess patterns with loops, straight lines and that dreaded circle, keep you busy for part of every ride.
Keep us updated.
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“Topline Bootcamp” - I love it!!
Currently going through my own “bootcamp” with my OTTB - it’s called “We do work every single day.” It’s a lot of hacking out/walking & trotting hills, but man oh man he is so much more rideable in the ring because of it.
I love doing all the correction activities. It makes me feel like I’m making a well-rounded athlete!
Good luck at the show, keep us posted!!!
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I miss being young and having tb’s to ride! Nothing better than to give them a gallop or a long trail ride to get the “yahoos” out.
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I’m working up to feeling confident to do that!! I’ve been riding in pastures, which I’m telling myself is just a big riding arena - we’ve worked up to getting some canter steps in. I dream of being able to go for gallops one day. I’m very lucky to have such a game horse!!!
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Happy to report back with a wonderful update. Poe was phenomenal. His Thursday classes were the roughest, but not bad, and candidly make sense considering it was the first day back at a venue where he previously was in a lot of pain.
My classes (Low Adult division) were Saturday and Sunday and boy did Poe show up. Our leads weren’t consistent, which I think can be boiled down to green-ness and his adult ammy rider leaning – it’s good homework for us to work on straightness – but even with inconsistent leads we still pinned in almost all of our classes, including an over fences where we got 6th out of 9 and the warm up where he got 7th out of 12. He was even a pro in a Sunday class where I completely missed a distance and landed fully on his neck only for him to recover and for us to still get the strides in the line and carry on business as usual.
Needless to say, I’m quite proud of him. Now, he gets the week off before we turn our sights to our area’s local summer show series in July. I’ve hired a nutritionist to help us build weight and muscle, looking to add about 100 lbs to him, and have spoken at length with my trainer and pro about spending the next month or so really focused on building his topline. I love that we have a plan.
I’m genuinely so excited to see what the next 90 days will look like for him and just so, so thrilled that we had such a wonderful show experience.
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