Mar 31, 2010

Part 9: Organize, Re-Stock, and Communicate

With Amber Heintzberger

Part nine in a series on preparing for your first three-day event.

In this series Ashley Adams, assistant trainer to Bonnie Mosser at Point Above Farm, offers advice to riders preparing for their first three-day event. Ashley is currently preparing her Thoroughbred gelding Vaunted for their second time competing at the Rolex Kentucky three-day event.

It’s roughly a month out from your three-day. Freaking out yet? If the answer is yes, good. If it’s no, good.

At this point in your three-day prep you have got a few shows under your belt and you have your farrier, coach, and vet on speed dial. Your horse looks great, you feel good, and you have made a few changes in your tack and your system. Now you must make a few extra changes in your equipment set-up and start to get your three-day stuff together!

If you have decided to do a long-format three-day you must make sure that you have a few extra items in your trailer. I always like to have one set of stuff like buckets, scrapers, and sponges that I can keep at the barn and another set that I can use on Saturday for the veterinary boxes. If you don’t want to buy doubles this means that you might have to go to your barn neighbors and ask to borrow a few extra buckets and scrapers. I also like to have extra halters and leads to travel around with the groom as they follow the horse around roads and tracks at the event.

The next thing is chatting with your vet and farrier to make sure that they are both happy with your horse’s shoeing. At the three-day you’ll want to have a spare set of shoes. Wait until the last shoeing before the event, which is typically 10 days before cross-country day, to get your spare shoes – you can just hang on to the old ones when your horse is re-shod. This set of shoes will be very close to what the horse’s shoes will look like at the event. You also want your farrier to make sure to “mark” the outside of the shoes. This will allow you to know which side is the outside, naturally, and then when your put your spare studs in you will know which one to put on the outside.

The 10-minute box can be quite hectic… be sure you’re organized well ahead of time! Emily Daily photo.
Speaking of marking, make sure that everything you own is labeled. I like to make sure to put both my competition number and my initials on everything. Obviously you will not know your number until the show but you do know your initials or last name! It is especially important to put your number on the halter that goes around with the horse. There is an FEI rule that the horse must have a number on at all times when he or she is out of the stall, and writing it on the halter is foolproof.

You want to make sure that you have your “ten-minute” or “D” box equipment packed and ready to go with the things that you will need before and after cross-country. I pack the following things in my box: a standing bandage, duct tape, 2 rolls of vet wrap, 2-4 baby diapers, (in case you pull a shoe, these are great for wrapping the foot), scissors, electrical tape, sticky spray, an extra watch, whip, breastplate, stirrup leather and iron, reins, and several towels.

Another recommendation is to have a couple coolers or scrim sheets that you may not be super fond of to throw in the box. Typically people lose stuff or forget to come back and get it at the end of the day, so if your sheets either get taken by someone else or you forget them there is no big loss. That being said you can often times come home with some extra stuff after the event if you raid the lost and found!

If I am doing a long-format three-day I like to have not only my spare shoes, halter and lead, bucket, sponge, and scraper travel with the horse around to the box’s and steeplechase start but I will also send a mini stud box. This will allow me to change my studs if I need to for steeplechase, as you typically have a minute or two before you start steeplechase; then you have the assistance box after you finish ‘chase where you can change your studs back to the ones you want for roads and tracks.

When packing for your three-day make sure you check the weather as you may need to bring rain stuff for your box as well as for your self. I typically have a tarp packed at the bottom of my cross-country box. This can be put over your area so your stuff does not get wet and then serve as a good way to roll up all the wet stuff at the end of the day.

Ashley chats with Coach Bonnie during their course walk at last year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Josh Walker photo.
Making sure you have a plan for your cross-country day is imperative! I will typically chat with my coach about what would be best for the horse. If you are doing a long format then you will need to make sure you have enough people who are aware of what their jobs will be. On any other given day I am not one to make demands about how I want specific little things done, but on cross-country day you get to call the shots! If you know that your horse does not like having his or her hind end touched, you need to tell your team that and tell them how you want them to handle that. If your horse needs more than one person to hold his or her head, make sure you assign someone to do that.

I personally love being in the box and working but if you know that you are going to need to have a moment alone before you go out on the course, communicate this to your team. Obviously all of the best plans in the world need to have some flexibility. This will allow you to make a few changes on the big day.

The most important thing that I do when I start to pack and make a plan for my stuff and my horse for the three-day is not to make any big changes. I have to hold back the nervous jitters and not go overboard with the equipment. I have to remember that I have worked all season to get where I am and use the equipment that I have been working with all season. Trust what you and your coach have developed over the season and maybe go buy some extra sticky spray and get some extra gloves!

After the final order is filled from your favorite tack store and you get your trailer and tack trunks organized, it is time to get your horse’s passport checked and touch base with your vet. Now go label your stuff!

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