Sponging Clinic

[rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)]

>So Angie maybe you could give us a blow by blow on how 
>sponging-on-the-fly is
>accomplished. 

O.K. all, I'm going to take you serious and give you all a lesson.

First:  The sponge is important.  I like an oblong carwash type sponge. 
It's gotta fit well in your hand that's why I don't like natural sponges.

Next: the string.  I like cotton string, nylon comes untied.  I buy mine
at K-Mart in a bag in housewares I think.  Bigger than yo-yo string, but
not as thick as round shoelaces.  Don't know how else to describe it...a
little fatter than spaghetti?

Tie the string around the middle of the sponge, tight.  So that it's
shaped like a figure 8. Makes it good for gripping.  To get the length
right you have to experiment.  It'll make you or break you for the "on
the fly" bit.  Kaboot is 14.2  I'm 5' tall.  I hold my arm straight
slightly raised and that's how long I like my string.  Tie a permanent
loop to go around your wrist that is not a slip knot.  Should be loose
enough to slip on easily.

FIRST RULE of using the sponge efficiently.  Once you start, carry it in
your hand.  If you put it away, you'll spend all your time trying to get
to it and the string will be knotted, etc.  By the time you see water,
you've already trotted by it, gotta be prepared.  A horse that does leg
yields is good for getting close enough to the mudhole at a trot.

NEXT RULE:  Get the sponge wet before you get on the horse in the
morning. It's gotta be wet or it won't sink & soak up water.  The muddier
you get a new sponge the better.  They're much better after they're broke
in...they get a little weight to them.

I don't like a metal snap on mine.  My favorite "attachers" was the
velcro off of an old polo wrap.  I sewed it around the middle of the
sponge and it stayed on my breast collar really well.  I've tried buying
velcro but haven't found any I liked as well.  I don't like rubbing that
metal snap down the horse's neck all day.

READY TO THROW?  I'm assuming your horse has already been introduced to
sponging at a standstill, so, you're trotting by a puddle.  You throw
your sponge at it hard, your horse trots past so the sponge naturally
swings behind you, let it complete that swing to the rear, then swing it
all the way back out in front.  As it hits the farthest point forward,
give your wrist a flip, like a yo yo and snap it back to your hand
quickly...sponge horse, be ready for the next puddle.

I don't recommend throwing to the left until you're really good at the
right.  I don't throw to the left at all on 100's (unless desperate)
because there's a good chance you may sit on the sponge and wet tights
are the pits on a 100.

If you have trouble reaching the puddles, lengthen your string a little.

If you have trouble getting the sponge to come back to your hand, it's
probably too long.

If you're crossing a river, practice throwing it straight down, then
"snapping" it back to your hand with the flip of the wrist.  If the water
is deep, your string will feel too long to do it very well though.  If
it's not up to his knees, you ought to be able to do it.

By the way, take duct tape and tape down all the loose ends on your
breast collar or you'll spend all your time unhooking your sponge string
from them.

I don't recommend sponging on the fly for the first 12 miles if you're
new to it.  A runaway and a sponge wrapped through your reins are no fun.


If I've left anything out, feel free to ask questions.

I actually set out to write a "how to" story when I ended up writing my
"Sponge" story that's lots of people's favorites (only one I've ever sold
twice so it has a special place in my heart too. :-)  It ended up
spending more time documenting all the mishaps I've managed to get into
with it.

Angie & Kaboot (slightly mildewed from constant dampness)  


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