Is It Spring Yet?

Those of us in the Northeast are SO done with winter. We’ve been dealing with sub-zero wind chills as we’ve dutifully fed horses, picked stalls, layered on blankets and groomed our loyal steeds. It’s been very hard to keep any sort of consistent riding program going – even for those of us blessed with indoor arenas – due to the brutal cold and hard ground making everyone achy and stiff.

However, it’s 35 degrees today, and next week’s forecast promises 40+ degree days in my part of New Jersey. Tack is getting conditioned, boots are getting dusted off, and soon we might be able to trade our coveralls for breeches!

After so much time off and such brutal pasture footing from all of the precipitation and freezing, most of my horses have been stiff and sore on the days that I’ve had the motivation to saddle up. This time of year, it’s vitally important to provide your equine partners with the proper support to help them get back into work, safely.

My dressage mare is quick to become cold backed, and therapeutic saddle pads like the Draper Dressage Pad help her back muscles warm up so that she can stretch correctly and use her hind end as we school back up through our first level movements. While I’m bringing her back into work slowly, I like the Draper Perfect Polo Wraps – they provide more support on thawing ground than traditional polo wraps due to the outer later of Saratoga bandage, and they help her legs recover quicker from the stress of starting a new workout program after time off. The protection they provide from interference makes me feel more confident in revisiting lateral work with a mare who can be clumsy.

I also LOVE the therapeutic polo wraps and Perfect Polos for my older draft cross, who deals with a lot of arthritis in his front legs. The Celliant fabric that makes up the polo wraps provide a temporary increase in local circulation in his leg tissues.

Guest blog post written by Kim M of Central NJ. Kim is an avid dressage rider as well as guest blogger and digital marketer, and of course a huge Draper fan!