SmartPak Ultimate EasyMotion Turnout Sheet Review

Cupid wears a no-fill turnout sheet probably about half the year.  I like to have 2 to be able to rotate during the rainy season.  My favorite brand is Weatherbeeta, but I will generally forgo brand loyalty in the name of a good sale.  Cupid wears a 69-72, a bit of a fringe size so we can get lucky on occasion.  Though I haven't been super impressed with many of SmartPak's house brand products in the past, this turnout sheet was marked down from $240 to 66 so I figured it's worth a try and I'll be happy if I get a year or two out of it.  Though it does have a "10-Year Indestructible Guarantee."

The unique feature of this blanket is the "rollback neck".  So it's a high neck blanket, but you can fold it down and clip it into place to make it a mostly normal neck blanket.  I was intrigued by this, but in the end it kind of feels like when you try to do everything and end up good at nothing.  When it's open (top photo) it doesn't really provide as much coverage as I would like in rain, but when it's clipped down (bottom photo) it's a bit awkward.  To me a blanket with detachable neck hood would be much preferred - but because of the price difference I'm willing to live with this.

Another thing about the blanket is it has a fairly low drop, which is a drawback on a small bodied horse like Cupid but other people may be happy about.  The tail flap is also quite generous.

I didn't notice when I ordered it but the front is kind of unique too.  Per the website: "SmartContour™ cut, a specialized curved cutout at the front of the blanket that allows your horse to move his front legs more freely while the ergonomic front leg gussets are higher up and farther forward than traditional gussets to match the true movement pattern of your horse’s leg swing."  I don't like how it kind of flares out away from the horse's body, but I'm hoping it will relax down with time.  In addition to the shoulder gusset, this blanket also has one in the back, which none of my other blankets have.

I like the hardware on the chest - I prefer clips to just buckles.  The surcingle straps and leg straps are pretty standard. 

At first impression I'd give this blanket 3.5 stars (bows & arrows, for Cupid?) out of 5 because I don't love the neck design and the low drop.  I wouldn't pay the full price, but at the sale price I'm happy enough with the purchase.

More of the Same

My recaps are getting boring because it's just more of the same.  I've gotten to where I know what I'm doing wrong, and feel that I'm doing wrong, but can't seem to get my body to do it correctly (keeping leg long, upper body back, and especially hands closed with proper contact and effectively using the outside rein). 

No horse can resist a pile of fresh shavings!

Saturday Cupid and I enjoyed the nice weather by going for a long (~2.5 hour) trail ride at our favorite park.  We didn't intend for it to be quite so long but got detoured by big pile of manzanita blocking the path.  But this should put us pretty close to getting our first TIP trail badge!  Overall the trails were actually in quite good condition, not muddy or overgrown.  Just one other place were there was a fallen tree across the path but we could easily step over that.  Cupid led the entire second half and was super.  We didn't encounter anything spooky, even when a dog started barking and running behind a fence it that was a non-issue.  I think Cupid did get a little tired though, or just has a bit harder time walking downhill as I could feel him backing off a bit with the declines.

Under the redwoods in Huddart Park

The following day we had a lesson in the outdoor arena.  Cupid was a little distracted by God knows what, and I had to laugh because he was perfect on the trail.  Just something about that arena!  So the roundness was lacking even more than usual but I figure it's good practice since that's probably closer to the horse I'm going to get on a show day.  We ran through the new Training 3 test.  I'm happy we finally get to canter right lead first, in the previous versions it was left for all the Training level tests. 

After our lesson I gave Cupid a much-needed bath, the first one in months.  Well not a full bath just a rinse off and shampoo-ed his tail. 

Finally warm enough for a bath!

Unfortunately there is more rain on the horizon, but it was nice to get this little break.

Pre-pre-pre Intro to Piaffe

Since we had to wait for a lunging horse to finish, we started our lesson last weekend with a little bit of in-hand work.  I don't do it as often as I should, as I find it beneficial for my connection with Cupid, it allows me to actually watch him, and he seems to enjoy it.  But it also makes me feel pretty uncoordinated sometimes! 

The technique my trainer showed me for the shoulder in is to stand at the horse's shoulder but facing his tail, with the hand closest to the horse holding the inside rein just below the bit, and the other hand kind of between his neck and shoulders holding the outside rein and also the whip.  I have a hard enough time keeping steady contact when riding but it's even worst from the ground!  Not to mention walking backwards quickly enough to get a decent walk.  Then bring his nose towards me as I half-turn in towards him so I'm kind of crossing my legs over which is supposed to encourage him to do the same with his hind legs.  He is really good with my trainer, and I really enjoy watching her work!

Afterwards my trainer did a very preliminary step towards piaffe.  Which is crazy (and exciting) for me to think about that some day Cupid and I might there!!  Dressage wasn't really on my radar when I got him, but I am loving the journey (and some days hating it too!)  Anyways, after all that build up this is going to be disappointing, because all she did was use the whip to get him to lift his hind legs, one at a time.  Lol.  Cupid was a bit confused at first, that seemed too easy he assumed we must want him to move sideways or something.  But he got a treat for lifting his leg so he thought that was pretty cool. 

Starting off in hand is also beneficial because then I tell myself Cupid is warmed up and ready for work so I'm not as tempted to dawdle when I get on and start with a few lazy laps.  Though I have gotten better about that recently since I've had less time, but Cupid also feels more mentally engaged. 

The riding portion of our lesson was more of the same, mostly working on improving roundness.  A lot of shoulder in, to straighten and lengthen the trot a bit.  We also did a fairly long canter set, alternating between a working canter and lengthening a bit.  And as usual a lot of prompts from my trainer to keep my right hand closed, to not let my left hand drift over the neck, and to keep my legs long / not brace through the knee and lift my heel!
 

Random staring off into nothing

The New Normal

I've been riding a long time (over 25 years), but unfortunately I've been riding incorrectly for most of it.  Which is a lot of bad habits and muscle memory to overcome!  I was hoping the few weeks off the end of last year would be a bit of a reset, and came back trying to do things correctly and telling myself that's just the way I do it.  I can't say I've been totally successful, but have made a lot of progress since the beginning of the year.  Some of the things I'm working on:

- We can still start on a loose rein, but must be marching forward.

- I don't nag with my heels.  My legs are long and "hug Cupid's sides".  If I want him to move forward I squeeze my calves, and if I don't get the full response I want (not just some reaction) I reinforce immediately with a tap-tap of the whip behind my leg.

- My toes point forward!  And the stirrups are on the balls of my feet, straight not angled.

- Elbows are soft and hands closed, and I maintain a feel of his mouth.  No flapping reins!

Rain, wind, and/or fog have also become the new normal

Baby Steps

The much-welcomed break from winter was short lived, and the wind and rain has returned.  To make matters worse, I'm in a busy period at work, so most of my rides have been somewhat short.  So I just pick one or two things to work on each ride, and this week it's been very basic things to fix some holes.

I like to start with 10 minutes of walking, then sometimes I only get on trot set in before I have to cool down and wrap up.  So I'm making sure, even if we're walking on a longer rein that Cupid is moving out, and responding to my leg if I ask.  As I worked on in my last lesson, I ask lightly and if no response tap-tap with the whip. Cupid is not totally convinced I mean it, but it's been improving!  I feel kind of silly that we haven't nailed down something this basic by now.

We also practiced our halts.  Cupid still has a tendency to swing his haunches right after we halt, and even though I'm trying to keep my leg on I'm not being very effective.

In our shoulder ins and leg yields we've been making sure we aren't overbending through the neck.  A recent lesson in in-hand work with my trainer was very helpful in visualizing a correct shoulder-in - I had always just focused on the front end of the horse and never really thought about the hind legs crossing.  Again, silly I know!

Bundled up for a little visit

Also snuggly and warm in his rain sheet.

I also did a short lunge session this week.  The up transitions are not very prompt.  But I was happy to see that even just warming up, before I put the side reins on, Cupid was looking a bit rounder though still dumped on the forehand.  He naturally overtracks at the walk, but at the trot he has to be warmed up and then pushed to get him to track up.

Back on Track Gloves Review

I've long been a fan of Back on Track's horse products for Cupid.  He has a blanket, leg wraps, and several saddle pads from them.  Though I'm not sure how much they help, anecdotally they do seem to offer some benefits, and even if they don't actually do anything beyond their basic functions as a saddle pad or blanket they are good quality products that have been holding up very nicely. 

As I've mentioned before, I have a poor grip especially in my right hand.  Possibly from years of piano when I was young, I'm not sure, but my joints crack every time I make a fist, like it will crack 20 times in a row if I close my fingers.  I always ride in gloves anyways, so I figured why not try the Back on Track ones.  I got them a while back but the reviews had said they are warm so I didn't start using them until this winter.  And so far I've been quite happy with them! 

Same as with the horse products I can't say for sure if they do anything beyond function as gloves.  There is no magical improvement in my hands.  But what I will say is that before, in just regular winter gloves my hands were stiffer and hurt on the coldest days.  With these gloves on, even though they are a bit thinner, my hands just feel the same as on non-cold days.

I am happy with the grippy-ness of these gloves.  They are not bulky, and I don't have a problem doing up buckles with them on.  After a few months they are holding up very nicely, no loose stitching or visible wear.  (They are reinforced between the thumb and pointer finger, but not between the ring and pinky fingers.  Made of a synthetic material)

Obviously not the correct way to hold reins!

The only thing I don't like is they have built-in liners, and sometimes when I take the gloves off the liner separates from the outer layer, then it is kind of harder to put them on again.  But that's a pretty minor inconvenience.  Oh, and I can't really operate my phone's touchscreen with them on. 

Incidentally last time Cupid saw his body worker when she finished she commented that she forgot to bring her Back on Track gloves.  She said that after doing body work if she wears them her hands feel less tired that evening, whereas without them she has trouble. 

Overall I am quite happy with the quality for the price, and would rate these 4.5 stars out of 5.

Hitting the Trails

It's been four months since I've taken Cupid on a trail ride (or anywhere really), so I took advantage of a little break in the rain to head over to Huddart Park.  I wasn't sure if I should expect some regression since it's been so long, but it turned out I had no reason to worry!  Cupid loaded like a champ and was pretty much foot perfect throughout!  He was a bit giraffe-necked when I first got on but settled down quickly.  On the way to the trailhead we passed by a woodchipper surrounded by cones and he didn't bat an eye.  He was also surprisingly good about not trying to stop to eat grass.

We met up with our friend and her two horses and headed into the park.  The footing was surprisingly good, not muddy or rutted.  Since it was the first nice weekend in a while there were lots of people out, though we didn't see any other horses.  The creek had a good amount of water, Cupid stepped in without hesitation but then started playing a bit, pawing, so I thought I better get him moving! 

Crossing the creek

Cupid felt great during our rides the rest of the week.  Our lesson again was primarily focused on roundness.  Also a bit of back to the basics - Cupid was being a touch lazy so my trainer said put let on, then immediately tap-tap with the whip if I don't get the response I want (and don't settle for something that's not great, but hey I did get some sort of change).  My response time and coordination with the whip are still not great, but after a few times Cupid got the message. 

I went to the whip again when I felt Cupid about to break from the canter, just barely a tap which caused him to kick out, lol.  He's been feeling a lot more balanced going to the left, it feels almost as good as to the right.  My trainer had us doing a bit of counter-bending at the canter, to help keep us straighter. 

We ended with a bit of shoulder in to leg yield, then straighten and increase the trot.  I'm tentatively looking at a dressage show end of next month.  I was hoping to debut First level there since it's at our favorite venue and they won't have another one there until August, but I don't know if we'll be ready, right now we don't quite have the correct frame.  I'm thinking of doing Training level on Saturday, and enter both Training and First on Sunday and scratch one depending on how the previous day goes.  But I have a few weeks until entries are due to decide :)