Cob Jockey

Not sure if BoT works or not, but I almost couldn't get this cat off my hock boots after he laid there my entire ride, so, that counts for something I guess!

Up til now, Connor has had a horse-sized Dover polar fleece quarter sheet.  It had its problems - staticky, too big, attracted dirt like crazy.  But it got the job done and served us well for years.

Really just wanted an excuse to share this cat crouch spook from a year ago.

In December, I decided spend a work spiff on a Back on Track quarter sheet.  I spent a long time hemming and hawing on whether to get the nylon or fleece version.  I knew the fleece would be cozy, but it would also have most of the same issues my current one did.  The nylon shown in the photos Smartpak's website didn't look cozy, but was well-reviewed.  The nylon sheet reviews had one important phrase: NO STATIC.  I decided to take a chance on it.


In short: I love it! 

Likes:

• It is genuinely cozy.  I'd take a human blanket made of the quilted underside and be happy.
• Hay and dust brushes off the top of it
• It works both under my saddle and over my legs.
• The Velcro up front is STRONG and stiff - really gives some structure to the front.
• It's sized like regular blankets, so it fits properly.
• It doesn't get staticky.
• Well-made 
• He did warm up much faster after using it...jury is still out on the ceramic Chinese magic part of it though.  It's really just a good quarter sheet so far.

Dislikes:

• The saddle hole is pretty big, but then again, I have a tiny saddle.
• My saddle isn't a monoflap, but sort of acts like one with flaps that are held together with Velcro and straps.  So the sheet has to go underneath the flaps, and it's just a bit too long on the sides so it bunches up under the billet straps and over the saddle pad.  Connor doesn't seem to mind, but I will probably only put it under the flaps for lunging. 
• Wrinkles like crazy!  Hope they fall out eventually, or I may take my steamer to it once it warms up.

Bottom line:  If you're looking for a warm, well-made, solidly constructed quarter sheet that eliminates a lot of the normal problems with polar fleece quarter sheets, this is worth the money. 
 
What: Back on Track Quarter Sheet
Price: Currently $138.95
Sizes: 72-87", fits like Horseware sizing (Connor is a 69" in everything but a solid 72" in Horseware blankets)
Options: Nylon or fleece.  Mine is nylon.

Thanks to a number of things - work travel, holiday travel, it being so cold my fingers stopped working within minutes of being outside for what seemed like forever - my lesson on Saturday was the first time I'd ridden since my lesson in mid-December.

First thing I did: take off that goat beard!

It was my first time trying out the Back on Track, and I was determined to be as objective as possible about it.  To give it a fair shake and follow their best practices, I put the saddle pad on under his blanket while I groomed him, then put the quarter sheet on once I'd tacked up.

I did end up putting the quarter sheet under my saddle for lunging.

My trainer suggested I lunge since they'd been in for a couple of days due to ice.  Not because she thought he'd be silly (he wasn't, can I just say how much I love not riding for three weeks AND him being stalled for two straight days and him coming out totally normal like nothing is wrong?) but to be fair to him and get him moving.  So he also lunged in the quarter sheet and saddle pad.

I'm so used to seeing massive horse-sized quarter sheets on him, one that fits looks too small.

I did not expect a great ride.  My trainer has ridden him once and lunged him once in the last three weeks, but otherwise, he's just been a bum. 

And...it was one of the best rides we've had in months.  What?!

The second I got on him he was reaching over his back for the bit.  He came onto my aids pretty effortlessly and very early in the ride, especially considering our normal slogfest warmup. 

He felt incredible, and, trying to be fair to him, I requested we quit early because he hadn't done this in so long, AND he was getting the message today.  The Equisense confirmed we quit at roughly the 30 minute mark.  WOW.






So was it the Back on Track?  Lots of people have said they get shorter warmups using it.  I am inclined to say it was not, as tempting as that is.  Two things happened during the lesson that I think contributed:

1. The exercise we did, shoulder in to small circles, really made a point to both of us.  My trainer made sure I was keeping my leg in the right place per my last lesson, using the right parts of my leg to ask for the inside hind to step up, and I figured out the right rhythm in which to ask.  If the inside hind wasn't stepping forward, I was instructed to reduce the angle of the SI and get the inside hind before trying a circle. 

Any time I felt him get flat or grab the inside rein, I applied the top part of my lower leg in the right rhythm to engage the inside hind - and very quickly that had other side effects too, like his poll coming up when I used it like that.  (Big thank you to the blogger, I can't remember who you are, that wrote about that this week.  It helped me a lot!)


2. My fingers were f-r-o-z-e-n thanks to trying out a new glove setup (and white, thanks to the Reynauds).  And I was really focused on keeping my elbows forward.  I think both of those things combined meant I physically could not pull on him.  My trainer said "If anyone could find something positive about this weather, I guess it's you!"

Even just as a quartersheet without taking into consideration the magic Chinese whatever, I really like this thing.  Full review soon.

So, did not expect that ride to be that amazing, but I'll take it!  And it's always nice when the Equisense backs me up after a ride I feel good about - this is tied for our highest symmetry score ever, and definitely our highest score for a ride this short:

Unlike previous years, Connor didn't get a whole lot for Christmas this year.  There will always be things I want for him, but there's just not much that he needs right now. It feels good to be at that point - after six years of collecting horse stuff :-D.  Let's not look at what it cost to get there, eh?

Too cold to ride (and you know I'll ride down into the low 20's so that tells you just HOW cold!) but he got stuffed with treats, got his feet picked and got all bundled up!

He did get in on my Secret Santa present with a stocking of Mrs. Pastures, which I gave to him on Christmas night along with some carrots and an apple.  It was the first time ever that I've been home to see him on Christmas!

The Shires Stormcheeta we won in the Dover contest last year.  It's so heavy at 400g he can usually only wear it a few days a year - except we'll barely break 20F for at least the next week so he may be in it for a while!

He also got four new Himalayan salt licks as a result of me cleaning out our cabinets and finding a pack of them that my husband got as a gift last Christmas.  They're people food but I don't see why they won't work for horses - they are literally just salt - so Connor wins!


Finally, I got another work spiff, and decided to buy him a Back on Track Dressage pad and the Back on Track nylon quarter sheet.  I've never bought him any BoT before (although I've had the glove liners for myself) and I'm a little skeptical about it, but hey. Best case, maybe it shortens his absurdly long warmup a bit, and worst case he gets the nicest saddle pad of his life and an upgraded exercise sheet from his Dover fleece one.

This, but navy.