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With Amber Heintzberger
Part eleven in a series on preparing for your first three-day event.
You now find yourself two weeks form your three day. SO EXCITING! You have got your final preparatory show out of the way and it was a great run. Your horse is fit and trim, you are fit and your trailer is stocked and ready. I typically take a couple of days to do a bit of housekeeping at this point. For example, I will make sure my truck and trailer are serviced and ready and my dressage and show jumping coats are dry-cleaned and ready for the big day. I also make sure that my jog outfit is in order and my plan is set with my team.
At this point in the game you will want to chat with your coach about your final gallops and trot sets. Typically you will plan it so the last few days before the three-day your horse is doing a bit lighter work. This is just so that your horse will go into the event feeling his best, meaning no sore muscles, no frantic “cramming” before the event, and much like his or her rider, with a clear head. At this point it is very easy to want to drill, drill, drill, but you must remember that your horse is just as much an athlete as you are and if you find yourself needing a couple of “mental health” days, your horse needs the same. I fall victim to this all the time.
Often doing a long hack on the bit or two light dressage rides as the event approaches is good for both you and your horse. At this point you are only going to finalize your horse’s fitness; you will not be able to add that much more. Before Rolex I find myself maybe doing one longer, slower gallop, just so that I can stand up in the saddle for that extra few minutes, and it is a rather easy distance training on my horse.
It is also important to touch base with your vet regarding any drug rules. This year the heat has started a bit sooner than typically in the past.That being said, we are looking at getting all the spring three-day horses clipped again one last time before the event. Some horses are more sensitive when they get fit, so clipping is a bit more difficult and drugs are necessary to get the job done. We are now in our final days of being able to use drugs and medications that will be out of their systems by the three-day. This close to the event I ALWAYS touch base with my vet before administering any kind of medication or supplement. Anything that you use, be it topical, oral, I.V., or I.M., MUST be cleared for the FEI rules. The rules have changed as of April 1, so just touch base with your vet. It is always better safe than sorry; you can never ask too many questions!
This is also the time to strategize with your vet about any last minute therapeutic work that you may want to do for your horse. Due to the fact that you have made a plan and have been in constant communication with your vet, coach, and farrier up to this point, it should be a good time to see if you need to do any final maintenance work. Also it is worth having your vet look over your passport or paperwork just to make sure that everything is all in order. You will also want to get a Health Certificate for travel to the location of the three-day.
You will want to talk to your coach about a plan for when you get to the three-day. This is mainly because at the three-day your horse will peak in his or her fitness. Often times people are surprised at how “up” their horses are at the three day, as they should be! That said, you might want to modify your warm up by adding an extra ride in before your test or going to a long hack before your test. Your coach will be able to help with this plan. For Vaunted, I will ride him several times before his test and if my time does not allow that, then I might get on him earlier and take him for a trot or a longer warm up.
It should be in your calendar to have your horse shod approximately 10 days out from cross-country day at your three-day event. This will allow your horse’s feet to be in an optimal state for the event and for the Sunday trot up. When this is done you will want your farrier to put on new shoes and give you the ones that he or she has taken off, to use as spares. Make sure that he or she “marks” them in some way so that you know which side is the outside, letting you know which shoe goes on which foot.
It is also the time to ask your farrier if there are any special things that he or she would recommend for the horse before and after cross-country. For example, I always glue Vaughn’s heels before cross-country if he is not already in glue on shoes. This is just the simple act of putting a small amount of glue under the end of the shoes around the heel area to help prevent the horse from pulling his or her shoes off on cross-country.
When it is all said and done, you can dot all your i’s and cross your t’s, but remember to listen to your horse. If he or she is a bit “dead” one day, maybe go on a long walk the next day or have the massage therapist come out one last time. You have done your homework and you know your horse. Trust your gut, your horse, and your team. This is your time to put those final touches on your dressage test and your jumping technique. Next it is time to start thinking about the three-day protocol and how it all goes down. Next week we will chat about the three-day way of life so that you can put your mind at ease and let it shine! Enjoy your horse and your time in the saddle!
