Absolute Horse Magazine - February 2019 by Absolute Horse Magazine

E M K ’M C - I E! PI UP RE

Absolute

FEBRUARY 2019

g n i t n e Ev -up! Round

INSIDE: EVENTS, VENUES GUIDE, RIDER PROFILES, TUTORIALS, FEEDING ADVICE AND MORE

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LOVE IS IN THE AIR WITH OUR VALENTINES BUYER’S GUIDE

WIN THIS ANNABEL BROCKS GILET!

FEBRUARY

2019 ISSUE 330

Georgia Thomson competing Lucky Comeback at Bicton Arena. See The Horse Feed Guru’s new column on page 24. Photo: William Carey Photography

COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & OFFERS 5 Ariat Saddle Snaps 23 Rowen Barbary 30 Robinsons Animal Healthcare 43 Annabel Brocks REGULARS 4 News 24 NEW: The Horse Feed Guru 31 NEW: Clarendon Equine 34 Samantha Hardingham.. Talks Super Foods 49 Rhea Asks...

Though every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, PCD Media Ltd cannot be held responsible for the opinions expressed in the magazine. The opinions and technical information in the articles are those of the authors.

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How to contact and connect with us...

Are you a Goal Digger? Reports Sophie Harris Photography Vets Directory/Classifieds Agroco-sponsored Showdates Diary

FEATURES 6 Eventing Round-Up featuring Jo Williams, James Sommerville, Harriet MorrisBaumber, Austin O’Connor, Alexander Whewall, Sarah Tomkins, Alex Postolowsky and Willa Newton 22 Nutrition

INSIDE

WHAT’S

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Health & Welfare Charity Focus Buyer’s Guide Saddlery & Tack Careers, Education and Training The Professionals - including Lisa Spence, Louisa Milne Home and Pippa Allen

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NEWS

Kimblewick Equestrian Centre, based in Dereham, Norfolk, is holding a special event to mark Disabled Access Day. Disabled Access Day was launched in 2015 to create opportunities for disabled people to try something new, highlighting the fantastic facilities that already exist at venues, as well as a friendly welcome. Taking place on 16th March, Accessibility Mark has joined forces with Disabled Access Day to encourage more disabled people to consider taking part in horse riding activities and learn about the benefits of spending time with horses. As an Accessibility Mark accredited centre, Kimblewick Equestrian will open the event with a 30 minute display by their current Accessibility Mark riders before offering a ‘Have a Go’ session where visitors will be able to meet and greet the horses and experience a short ride. Free tea and coffee will then be available while staff introduce their riding programmes and badge scheme. There will also be a 10% discount for anyone booking four or more lessons on the day. Tel: 01362 858695 www.disabledaccessday.com

50 Years, 50 Faces

2019 DATES ANNOUNCED:

SEIB SEARCH FOR A STAR AND RACEHORSE TO RIDING HORSE HOYS QUALIFIERS

Photo: Credit Steve Dawe

KIMBLEWICK EQUESTRIAN CENTRE SUPPORTS DISABLED ACCESS DAY

The dates for this years SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for A Star and Racehorse to Riding Horse have been announced. 2018 SEIB Search for a Star Champions, Follow Search for a Star is the competition for Her Home ridden by Dr Hannah Moore. aspiring amateur show riders and the Racehorse to Riding Horse series sees the top racehorses turned show horses in the UK compete against each other for this national title. Following qualifying shows held across the country through the spring and summer months, the SEIB Search for a Star and Racehorse to Riding Horse finals will take place at the ever-prestigious Horse of the Year Show in October. The Search for a Star full schedule including classes, times and rules will be released in due course. There are two new venues this year. Search for a Star is purely for amateur riders and this rule is very strictly enforced. The SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse classes are open to professional and amateur riders. SEIB support ethical showing and testing for prohibited substances and tack inspections may take place. 14th April - Osbaldeston Riding Centre, Blackburn, Lancashire BB2 7LZ 19th May - Stretcholt Equestrian Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 4SR 9th June - Bury Farm Equestrian Club, Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire LU7 9BT 7th July - Greenlands Equestrian Centre, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 0RR 11th August - Arena UK, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 2EF 8th September – Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Stamford, Lincolnshire. www.search4astar.org.uk

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is launching a ‘50 Faces’ campaign to highlight the fantastic achievements of its members, volunteers and supporters. The focus of the campaign is on challenging preconceptions about disability, volunteering and equestrian sport, through the inspiring stories of people within RDA. These stories will then form an interactive collage of images, audio content and films. www.rda.org.uk

East Anglian Game & Country Fair

See next month’s issue for your chance to win tickets!

The East Anglian Game & Country Fair will take place on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April at the prestigious Euston Estate, near Thetford, by kind permission of The Duke and Duchess of Grafton. Returning by popular demand are equestrian sensations The UK Horseboarding Team UK, The British Scurry and Trials Driving Championships, Harvey’s Heavy Horses and The Suffolk Hunt. www.ukgamefair.co.uk

Competition Winners: Aniwell - Ally Wright, Suffolk; Eleanor Jane Simmons, Essex; Jo Jacketts, Suffolk; Larissa Mayhew, Suffolk; Sarah Henderson, Essex. Blink XT Tia Rund, Suffolk. Speedi-Beet Judi Thurlow, Suffolk; Lindsey Woods, Suffolk; Lucy Self, Suffolk; Melanie Hurrell, Cambs; Nicola HadenScott, Suffolk; Rosemary Harvey, Essex; Sandra Gittens, Norfolk; Timothy Whitehand, Cambs.

SADDLE SNAPS

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ARIAT BURFORD BOOTS

- Julie Webb

“I’m 21 now, I’ve worked out how to do this myself!”

worth over £130!

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‘Flossie carries her hearts on her bum’

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- Emma Reedman

“Haha I got the last carrot” - Lily Cane

“Mummy, please love me!”

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“Yahoo winter’s here!” - Rebecca Gray “In the jungle, the mighty jungle the zebra… oh wait, that’s a horse!”

Entry is easy, simply email a candid photo of your horse to

snaps@ ahmagazine.com

Don't forget to include your contact details and a caption to your pic! Best pic/caption wins the boots.

Good luck!

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‘Strike a pose’

- Sandra Chaplin

“I’ve mended your puncture!”

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“I told you that’s not my good side!”

- Lucy Howell

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the handsomest boy of all?!”

5 MINUTES WITH...Jo Williams EVENTING rouNDuP

kept my first pony at a racing yard, which was my introduction to the sport! I had a weekend and holiday job there, from an early age, gaining valuable experience and an insight into the running of a professional yard, including riding work at Newmarket on the gallops. “I was also lucky enough to ride a horse called Cheers, who was the first horse to complete the Grand National with a female jockey. “Based on this experience, I decided to follow a career in horses and went to college, in Newark, to study for my BHSAI. I then went to work for an event rider, in New Zealand, grooming

and competing, and then to Switzerland, this time working for a show jumper, gaining a valuable breadth of experience. “After returning to the UK I started eventing and only stopped when I was ‘quite’ pregnant! “I went on to spend seven years riding for a local point to point trainer (more breadth!), and also qualified as a GP surgery dispenser, only stopping when my son was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Horses then became my only job, to give me the flexibility to look after him. “A few key career highlights have been completing my first 1* three-dayevent, at Houghton

Hall, on two horses (Darwin III and Machardo), and coming third on the Sunshine Tour (small tour showjumping), in Portugal. These are both a close second to my son overcoming Leukaemia, though!” How and when did you start riding? “I became interested in horses while watching my Mum

Jo with two clients xc schooling

having riding lessons, when I was 5-years-old. I started riding when I was nine and got my first own pony when I was twelve.” Which horse has been your ‘horse of a lifetime’ so far? “Tough one to answer! But I

Jo with Mac

Jo is based at Groton, Suffolk

2nd-3rd March 2019 • DIARY D March 2019 •DIARY DATE • ISLEHAM ODE 6

Venue Profile

Stratford Hills Horse Trials 15th and 16th June

At Stratford Hills, Stratford St Mary, Colchester, Essex CO7 6PA.

Jo and DJ on the Sunshine Tour in 2009

plan but, at those times, try and remember to take the positives and not dwell on the negatives.”

What are your future plans? You are sponsored by “2019 is looking exciting, with a Baileys, how have they full yard, a new young horse to helped you? compete and some new rides, “Being sponsored by Baileys has plus my established horses who helped me in many ways. The are feeling particularly well! I’m quality and diversity of their still aiming to do a 2* (now the range is outstanding; they have new 3*) and am hopeful my a feed for all horses no matter new rising 5-year-old might be what discipline they’re ready for the 5-year-old classes. competing in, from happy“I am also looking forward to hacking to international continuing my coaching, competition. The unique particularly incorporating the nutritional requirements for skills acquired through each horse at my competition attending last year’s inaugural and livery yard are easily met. Applied Psychology for Their in-house nutritionist Equestrian Coaches (APEC) provides invaluable support and course, run by Charlie Unwin, a is always happy to come out and well known sports psychologist. provide advice.” It’s not just the horse that needs training! I will be coaching at my If you could give one yard, locally and for Tendring piece of advice to Hundred Riding Club, plus Area Absolute Horse 14 and local pony clubs, Essex & readers, what would it Suffolk and Suffolk Hunts, so it’s be? “Dream big, aim high and never looking like another busy one!” give up! It doesn’t always go to www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

DATE • ISLEHAM ODE 2nd-3rd March

Sponsor: Carriagehouse Insurance. BE Organiser: Gillie Cranﬁeld, Stratford Hills, Stratford St Mary, Colchester Co7 6PA. Email: gillie@waterhousefarm.com Mobile: 07768 708637 Entries Secretary: Wendy Evans Email: wendy@bdwp.co.uk Classes: BE80, BE90, BE90o, BE100, BE100o, BE100 u18Q and Novice, oN, IN, NrF. Dressage Facts: Flat arenas with plenty of warm up area. Showjumping Facts: Flat spacious arena with courses designed by Sue Peasley. Cross country Facts: Course will go in an anti-clockwise direction. We will have several new jumps and improvements to the water jump are being made. Additional information: All areas will be aeravated or equivated as required and the event will run even if it is very wet.

Location: Situated just off the A12 between Colchester and Ipswich. In aid of: raising money in aid of Bloodwise, a blood cancer charity. www.bloodwise.org.uk

Photos: Richard Weller-Poley

think it will have to be Sharon Eldred’s De JA Vu VII, aka ‘DJ’. He was the first horse I won a BE Novice on and did my first BE Intermediate and first International 1* on. He could also turn his hand to pure showjumping and I competed him abroad, at 2* level, on the sunshine tour, getting placed every weekend and winning a 1.25m class. It was a special moment hearing the National Anthem; if you’ve never heard it before, it’s moments like that you never forget. Not bad for a horse I got the ride on from going to my local pub!”

Photo: Lorraine Porter Photography 2018 for The Bit Media Services Ltd

EVENTING rouNDuP Keysoe Horse Trials 4th-6th May, 22nd-23rd June, 23rd-25th August

The dressage arenas are all-weather Martin Collins surfaced arenas, with a large working in area. The dressage is sited in a quiet area away from the crosscountry and jumping arenas. The showjumping course is designed by David Conway and takes place on the Martin Collins surfaced International Outdoor Arena. The showjumping arena has excellent viewing and there is good warm up facilities in the indoor arena. Designed by Angus Smales the cross-country at Keysoe benefits from good ground and imaginative course that twists through wooded areas and open fields. New complexes and fences are added each year and a variety of course given at each event.

Saracen Horse Feeds Houghton International, including FEI Eventing Nations Cup 23rd-26th May

A key fixture in Norfolk’s event calendar, Saracen Horse Feeds Houghton International Horse Trials has something for everyone: exhilarating sporting action, a stunning setting, entertainment for all ages, and extensive shopping opportunities. More than 700 horses perform each year across a range of equestrian disciplines, from Eventing, British Showjumping, Burghley Young Event Horse qualifiers and Arena Eventing to unaffilliated dressage and showjumping, not forgetting the ever competitive Pony Club team contest. This offers spectators a chance to watch both up-and-coming talent and multi-medal winning Horseheath Horse Trials Olympians, which is rare at any single event. Held in the beautiful grounds of the 18th Century Houghton Hall, 20th-21st April originally built for Great Britain’s first Prime Minister Sir Robert The Cross Country Course, opened in August 2016 and designed Walpole and situated between Kings Lynn and Fakenham, visitors by Tina Ure, has an open and ﬂowing feel across gently can browse over 70 tradestands, eat at diverse food outlets, refresh undulating terrain. The ability to view nearly all the course and themselves at the licenced bar and keep the children happy, courtesy jumps at once, together with an impressive water feature, gives a of the on-event children's entertainment – all the while great sense of enjoyment. contributing to Musketeer Events’ 2019 charity, Riding for the Further improvement this year include the development of a Disabled. second woodland glade ‘Wren’s Wood’ and a number of new fences For those who would like to totally which, when added to the 25 new fences last year, will further immerse themselves in the improve the fun this year. These courses are designed to be experience, the weekend of the inviting, educational and suitable for horses and riders stepping Horse Trials is also the only time up a level, with the BE80 track being a great introduction to the that Houghton is open to campers. sport. www.musketeer.co.uk The course will be equivated and, if required, irrigated – including all working areas – to ensure the ground conditions are as good as possible. Course walk is from 2pm-6pm on Friday 19th April.

“As it is Easter weekend expect a few Egg shaped surprises!” 8

Childeric Saddles Little Downham Horse Trials

31st May-2nd June, 20th-21st July, 5th-7th Oct

The dressage arenas are run on a large flat grass arena within easy reach of the lorry park. There is a large working in area adjacent to the competition arenas. Designed by Sue Peasley the show jumping is run on a large, flat, grass arena, surrounded by the tradestand and secretariat area. A large working in area is also provided with warm up fences. Designed by Tina Ure and Jonathan Clissold (Advanced) the crosscountry courses are educational at all levels. With new fences and combinations each year, and a fresh looking track at each event. The cross-country runs on Fenland peat and therefore benefits from good going at each event. Each course features multiple water complexes, steps and ditches. Little Downham is a fabulous event for spectating with 80% of the course visible from one central location.

Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials 12th-14th April

Tina Cook, Killadeas

Now in its 21st year, the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market Horse Trials will again entice many of the best event riders in the world to Sussex Farm, North Norfolk. A well established pre-Badminton fixture, these top riders always bring a selection of their most talented horses to contest the big classes, providing an opportunity for autograph hunting. World and British number one, oliver Townend, is a regular – having won the headline class (previously known as a 'three star' but due to reclassification of all international classes now a 'short format four star') 10 times since 2007. The Shropshire rider admits Burnham Market is the first event of the season where he tends to run competitively – as evidenced by his astonishing record. This year's charity is riding For The Disabled – visitors can meet charity representatives and find out more about the invaluable work they do. www.musketeer.co.uk

Venue Profile

Great Witchingham Horse Trials

22nd-24th March / 28th-30th June

At Blackwater Farm (Great Witchingham), Great Witchingham, Norfolk NR9 5PH. Sponsors (1): Diamond Controls Ltd. (2): Diamond Controls Ltd and Tigga’s Saddlery. BE Organiser: Mr robert Sayer, Church Farm Lane, Sparham, Norwich, Norfolk Nr9 5QB. phone: 01603 873187. Mobile: 07789 225416. Email: greatwitchingham@googlemail.com. Telephone number on day of event: 01603 873187. Entries Secretary: Miss Wendy Evans, 2 Netherstead Court, Morton Bagot, Studley, Warwickshire B80 7FG. Mobile: 07775 888546. Email: wendy@bdwp.co.uk. Web: www.bdwp.co.uk/wevans (Please call only between 9.00am and 7.00pm). Event Secretary: Mr David Sayer, Church Farm House, Sparham, Norwich, Norfolk Nr9 5Pr. phone: 01362 688227. Email: greatwitchingham@googlemail.com. Please send all entries and stabling applications to Wendy Evans. Please make cheques payable to D J Sayer. SJ Course Designer: Mrs Sue Peasley. XC Course Designers: David Sayer and robert Sayer. Course Facts: Novice, BE100 and BE90 courses will start in the opposite direction this year. Great Witchingham’s courses offer a good selection of well-built fences, with alternatives aimed at ﬁrst time novice and BE100 combinations. runs over gently undulating permanent pasture and grassland and incorporates three copses and natural water obstacles. The ground is generally light or black peat. Take-offs and landings of cross country fences are prepared. The Intermediate course is separate, educational, up to height, with two natural water complexes, there are alternatives for the more difﬁcult fences. owner-friendly layout with excellent viewing. Classes: 22nd-24th March: BE80(T), BE90, BE90open, BE90PC, BE100, BE100open, BE100PC, BE100Plus, CCI-S2*, IN, N, oN, oNu18, AI, I, oI. 28th June-30th June: BE80(T), BE80(T)rF, BE90, BE90open, BE90PC, 2BE100open, 5Yo, BE100, BE100open, BE100PC, BE100Plus, CCI-S2*, N, oN, I, oI. Location: Held at Blackwater Farm, situated 10 miles West of Norwich on A1067 1 mile West of Lenwade (reepham turning). Great Witchingham is usually referred to as Lenwade on road maps. The A11 is now fully dualled from M11, A14 to A47 within eight miles of Great Witchingham.

Ride like... EVENTING: TuTorIAL

JAMES SoMMErVILLE

IN THIS ISSUE WE TALK TO BRITISH HORSE FEEDS-SPONSORED 4-STAR EVENTER, JAMES SOMMERVILLE (30), WHO IS BASED IN YORKSHIRE. JAMES HAS COMPETED AT MOST OF THE MAJOR COMPETITIONS INCLUDING BADMINTON, BRAMHAM AND PAU. WITH SOME MAJOR EVENTS UNDER HIS BELT JAMES KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE A GOOD WARM UP BEFORE A COMPETITION AND OFFERS SOME HELPFUL ADVICE ON....

WARM UP

A CALM & FOCUSSED

ost riders whatever level will always have nerves to deal with and on competition days stress levels seem to rise, but a good antidote in coping with these feelings is a well thought out, focussed and strategic warm up. This is a great opportunity to ease the tension and more importantly encourage your horse to perform well. It is extremely difficult to accomplish your best if you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t undergone a good warm up. The objective of the warm up is to prepare your horse for the event by getting their body ready for the movements that will be asked for during the competition whilst maintaining

a positive and confident frame of mind. This may seem obvious and simple, but it is easy to forget about the atmosphere, especially for less experienced horses. Flags or trade stands flapping in the wind, children running, other livestock, loose dogs, large number of other horses walking around etc, these all can have an effect on your horse. Relaxing your horse both in body and mind will mean you will be able to access the tools you have taught them and trained so hard for at home. Normally the warm up should work for both you and your horse, be consistent and rehearse a few times before the event as this allows you to get

into a routine. It focuses your mind to get past the distractions and enables you to produce the quality of work you want to achieve. If you are warming up for a dressage test, it is also useful to remember to prioritise yourself. It is not just about your horse

when you want to produce a harmonious and refined test, it is also about your technique, position and how you present your horse which matters to the Judges as well. Depending on your horse and their needs, creating your warm up routine could take time,

practice, trial and error and as a rider have the ability to adjust because your horse could feel completely different and will need support on the day. Progression in the partnership down to your schooling and training will also mean that the warm up routine will alter to suit. A key thing to remember which can be forgotten is that the warm up is not the time to train. As previously mentioned distractions can have a huge effect on your horse, including ones you are unable to control such as windy weather, colder temperatures, other horses in the school, changed routines etc. It is important to still practice these scenarios or be mindful of the situation. For example if you know your horse takes longer to settle when it’s windy or that it takes longer for your horse to become supple in the cooler temperatures. Being this attentive will help you adjust the plan with confidence and still ensure you will get the best possible result. Know the surroundings as some warm up arenas could be next to the competition ring or near the lorry park and for some shows can be quite a distance away. If you need to hack to the area it will need to be factored into your warm up. By arriving in plenty of time and organising yourself this will minimise any stress. Particularly in eventing, the warm up arenas can get very busy and for a young or inexperienced horse it may be unnerving, so keep your eyes up and be aware of what is going

on around you. Always look for space and be aware of the other riders. Choose the furthest away corners were the ground has not been disturbed too much as this will offer a better footing for your horse. Also ask yourself if your horse reacts to other horses riding directly towards them, factor this into your warm up so you avoid these situations. If your horse is excitable, some riders like to ride a long, slow, collected canter to burn off that energy, it all depends what type of horse you have. Do not forget about you, as much the warm up is important for the horse it is equally just as important for you as the rider. The more correct you are with your own technique, the more correctly your horse will go. And finally think about the preparation for you and your horse for the warm up. It could take you 10 minutes to tack your horse up at home, but at an event for some reason it could take you twice as long purely down to nerves. Also remember to keep calm, take deep breaths and stay confident if you have any stressful moments, your preparation and practice in the warm up will pull you through. Remember at the end of the day competitions are meant to be fun for both you and your horse!

JAMES FEEDS....

To keep his horses in top form, James feeds British Horse Feeds Fibre-Beet which is a super-fibre conditioning feed. It is a formulated blend containing all the benefits of the original Speedi-Beet product, with added high-quality Alfalfa for optimum condition and to provide quality protein for muscle tone and function. Fibre-Beet has been carefully designed to help keep the digestive system healthy with a blend of fibre sources that provide gut fill and are easily digested when compared to forage fibre. Fibre-Beet can improve energy intake whilst keeping dietary fibre levels at an optimum providing slow release energy without ‘fizz’. Ideal for all horses when fed appropriately, including those prone to digestive upsets and fussy eaters, Fibre-Beet has added biotin for hoof quality. Fibre-Beet also provides a good range of minerals, trace elements and amino acids and it has a low sugar content. It can also be used as a forage replacer (up to 60% of the daily forage allowance) when turnout is limited. Soaked and ready to feed in only 45 minutes in cold water, or 15 minutes in warm water – ideal for adding extra warmth in winter. rrP is £13.50 - £14.50. www.britishhorsefeeds.com

Ride like... EVENTING: TuTorIAL

HArrIET MorrIS-BAuMBEr

EVENT RIDER, HARRIET MORRIS-BAUMBER, HAS RIDDEN FOR GREAT BRITAIN INTERNATIONALLY AND HAS BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO TRAIN WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST COACHES. HER BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT WAS WINNING TEAM BRONZE AT THE CIC** EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS. HERE HARRIET PROVIDES ADVICE ON ACHIEVING...

our position as a rider has a huge influence on your horse’s way of going and this can mean the difference between a clear round and a costly run out. It could also be the difference between a minor tumble and a serious fall.

It is the rider’s responsibility to establish the appropriate speed, set the right line or direction, whilst maintaining balance. Your position will have a massive impact on all of these things. Where you look will dictate the direction you travel; how upright your

body is will determine the speed, and crucially your balance will directly contribute to your horse’s balance. It is possible for the rider to be in balance while the horse is out of balance but it is impossible for the rider to be out of balance with the horse still

remaining in balance. There are some fundamental golden rules to follow when trying to perfect a good crosscountry position. • Never be ahead of the movement, as this can be dangerous, it is much safer to stay behind the movement.

A forward or racing seat is for when cantering or galloping between fences

THE PERFECT POSITION

WHEN RIDING ACROSS COUNTRY

• Look up and ahead at a point in the distance, this will help keep your body upright. • Be ready to slip the reins through your fingers at any time. Your horse’s head and neck are his fifth leg; allow him the room to use it. • Keep your hips underneath you and don’t stick your bottom out! • Have a secure lower leg as this is your anchor. Keep the weight down into your stirrups without applying pressure against the side of the horse. • Hands should be held low at the withers. Use a longer rein to allow the horse to use his head and neck; this gives the horse no reason to fight the mouth, pulling you out of position. Understanding the different seats and positions in the saddle is important. A forward or racing seat is adopted when cantering or galloping between fences, then as you approach the fence, change to a contact seat by remaining in a vertical position but bringing your seat closer into contact with the saddle or more of a dressage position. As you take off, stay as tall as you can in the air before transitioning into the landing position by pulling your hips underneath you so you are slightly behind the vertical with the hands or fingers slightly open or softer to allow the reins to slip through so the horse is not restricted. A light seat is for preparation mode, when you are preparing for your horse to change down a gear, your body remains light and slightly out of the saddle, almost hovering just above the saddle. Then, there is the ‘what

When landing over a fence pull your hips underneath so you are slightly behind the vertical

TOP RIDER

UPDATES

if’ position, for when things go wrong. The rider’s body should remain well behind the vertical with the reins long to allow the horse to use his head and neck to balance and the rider’s lower leg can be pushed further forward. Different types of fences will require a different approach so your body position needs to reflect this. Approaching a technical fence will require you to give the horse more time to assess the challenge; therefore you will need to adopt the preparation seat and then a contact seat much sooner. If you are faced with a steeplechase-type fence that is made of brush, with a very ascending profile, you will only need to come into a light seat for the final few strides but if you were approaching a combination fence with multiple elements, each seat phase would last longer as you are coming down through the gears to find the appropriate speed. Harriet’s trainer, Christopher

Bartle, believes that position is key to a successful cross-country round and only when the rider is in balance can the horse truly perform to the best of its ability.

Harriet offers lessons in all disciplines using the fantastic facilities at her yard based at Granary Hall, near York. She has also developed the HMB Super Syndicate to make owning an event horse an affordable way anyone can share the risks and rewards of horse ownership. For further information telephone Harriet on 07795 562745 or visit www.harrietmorris-baumber.co.uk

Event rider Richard Jones has renewed sponsorships from animal nutritionists and horse feed manufacturer Dodson & Horrell and awardwinning photographer and digital artist Deanne Ward Photography. Last year ended on two highs. First with a seventh at Burghley CCI 5* Horse Trials in early September with a foot perfect cross-country performance from Alfies Clover, clear and within a whisker of the time and clear showjumping. Then just weeks later he was off to Blenheim where he took his upcoming Kilballyboy Bob with a fourth at Blenheim CIC 3*.

Mary King, the Olympic Champion Event rider has become the first ever Equine Ambassador for national pet charity Blue Cross. She will help to raise the profile of the charity’s important horse welfare work in the UK. “I have immense respect for their welfare and rehoming work,” said Mary.

Ride like... EVENTING: TuTorIAL

AuSTIN o’CoNNor

AUSTIN HAS REPRESENTED IRELAND IN NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS ON THE JUNIOR AND YOUNG RIDER TEAMS WHICH INCLUDED A GOLD MEDAL WIN IN THE YOUNG RIDER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1995. HE WENT ON TO REPRESENT IRELAND AT SENIOR LEVEL SEVEN TIMES INCLUDING TWO OLYMPIC GAMES.

ith the eventing season just around the corner, everyone is busy preparing their horses for competition. Designed to test the accuracy of horse and rider, narrow or ‘skinny’ fences are common questions on the cross country course and, particularly at higher levels, are often placed as part of a combination. These fences

can be harder for horses as they can see less, if any, of the fence in their line of vision at the point of take-off. Therefore, it’s really important to practise skinny fences to build confidence and perfect technique. Introduce skinny fences in the same way that you would ask anything new of your horse, keep the

PERFECTING

SKINNY FENCES

task for them obvious and straightforward so that they can understand what you are asking of them. Where possible, incorporate them into

your horse’s training and education early so that you can introduce them gradually and consistently over time. A lot of work to introduce skinny fences can be done in the school, especially for very young or green horses, you don’t need to go out cross country schooling initially.

Straightness The approach to a skinny fence is hugely influential. Riding a straight line on the approach and landing is vital; being focused on your straight line will help direct your horse to the skinny fence. Keep your hands slightly wider apart on the approach so that the horse is between both hands and both legs. It will also allow you to open the rein quickly to correct any loss of straightness. Create enough energy to give something narrow such as a filler you a controlled, balanced and or barrels. It’s important not to rhythmical approach. Using introduce too much too early, so poles on the floor as tramlines keep the jump (approximately small whilst 1m apart) can your horse gets help you to “It’s important that the used to the new maintain horse has a clear style of fence. straightness. understanding and it’s This will help “Don’t jump your not over-complicated in skinny and give their initial introduction them to understand the yourself a pat on to jumping narrower question and the back! Finish fences. Take a kind build their the jump and approach and give them confidence. maintain the as much direction as Initially for a straightness after possible.” green horse, or the fence – a rider staying straight inexperienced after the fence is with riding skinny fences, as important as staying straight approach the fence in trot. before the fence,” said Austin. Austin is an advocate of jumping Jumping a skinny fence from trot as it gives the horse a Start with a pole that is shorter little bit more time to assess the than usual and then gradually situation and gives the rider a bit reduce the width until jumping more control, plus there is less

tension. If either horse or rider are unbalanced, coming from trot will mean the partnership are much more collected. If you start doing things in canter initially it can allow the horse to get too long and unmanageable. You can use wings or poles to help focus your horse on the fence; keep these either side of your skinny until you feel your horse is very secure jumping the narrow fence. If there is any deviation or a bit of uncertainty might be setting in, drop back a level until your horse is confident at that stage. This will help to eliminate any unwanted behaviour, such as running out. The introduction stage is often the most important in creating positive experiences for horses, so that they can understand and enjoy what they do. “Don’t get over ambitious and keep practising! Once you can happily jump a skinny without any directional aids in the school, don’t automatically assume your horse will make the connection when you ask him to jump skinny fences out cross country schooling,” said Austin. “When you do go out, almost start over again, keeping the question clear for your horse and if you need to use poles to guide you then do!” Take small progressive steps, keeping it manageable and

asking the horse reasonable questions as you go along. Every step is a new task for your horse - all of the initial work in the school with the wings and poles will naturally set you up for the next steps. Once your horse is happy and confident jumping skinny single fences you can progress to adding in other fences to make combinations as you might find in competition.

Austin has fed his horses Connolly’s RED MILLS for several years and is one of their eventing brand ambassadors. He is now based at Attington Sport Horses in Oxfordshire, a state-ofthe-art equestrian facility that includes gallops and an allweather surfaced cross country schooling complex. From here Austin produces, competes and also offers training and clinics. www.attington.com

EVENTING: TuTorIAL

5* ARENA EXERCISES

Photos: Lucy Hall Photograhy

with Alexander Whewall

ALEXANDER ROSE IN PROMINENCE IN 2016 WHEN HE WON THE BRITISH INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE FESTIVAL OF BRITISH EVENTING, TOGETHER WITH CHAKIRIS STAR. THE PAIR WENT ON TO FINISH IN THE TOP TWENTY OF THEIR FIRST 5* EVENT AT PAU IN 2017. ALEX NOW COMPETES A SELECT AND COMPETITIVE STRING OF HORSES FROM 4-YEAR-OLDS UP TO 5* LEVEL, FROM HIS HOME BASE NEAR BRISTOL.

ormer British Intermediate Eventing Champion, and 5* event rider, Alexander Whewall produces horses from their very first ridden steps to the glittering heights of 5* level. Along with traditional schooling and hacking, Alex uses a number of pole work exercises to help develop his horses, all of which can be replicated at home in a standard 20 x 40m arena, or even in a paddock.

Shortening and lengthening “One exercise I use a lot just uses two canter poles. It is probably one of the most

simple, yet effective exercises you can do. The ability to lengthen and shorten your horse’s stride is really important. Whether you are just starting out at Grassroots level or whether you are preparing for a 5* event, being able to alter the number of strides your horse is putting in can be a life saver. Place two canter poles in a line, one towards each end of the arena. Don’t worry too much about the distance between them. “Start by establishing a normal working canter and canter over the centre of the first pole and aim for the centre of the second pole. Keep and even rhythm and count the number of strides between the two poles. Repeat the exercise to get the same number of strides. Here you are looking at maintaining the same even rhythm each time. “Once you have maintained the same number of strides each time you need to collect or shorten the canter to try and get one extra stride. Do lots of transitions before and after the

Engaging the hind end “The simple ones always seem the most effective. This one uses three or four poles on a 20m circle. “Place the poles on part of the circle, at the same distance you would place them on a straight line. “You want to make sure that the horse is bent around your inside leg correctly and that you stay central as you go through the poles. “It will help the horse to engage his hind leg more effectively. “Raised trotting poles is another way of encouraging hind end activity. To add an extra bit of difficulty I place a trotting pole at a ninety degree angle to the first raised pole, you want three or four in a line after that. Trot over the single pole and then ask the horse to bend onto the raised poles. “Both exercises will really help to develop the hind end and encourage more of an athletic and energetic hind end action.”

EVENTING RIDER:

arah Tomkins of Hillside Eventing joined the #RBTeam in 2015 after successfully entering the Rowen Barbary Sponsored Rider competition. She currently has fourteen horses in work, which includes a mixture of event horses, youngsters, sales liveries and her daughter’s two ponies. Her top horse is Coton Rainbow Star who is a 12-year -old bay mare that Sarah competes at Advance. By building relationships with each horse, Sarah gives them the one to one attention and manages to bring the best out of them, whether it is a youngster attending his ﬁrst show or a seasoned campaigner competing at international level. Sarah initially began feeding rowen Barbary Feeds when a very lean event horse moved to her yard that she had difﬁculty getting weight on. After trialling various different products she was advised to use milk powders and began feeding Rowen Barbary ReadyMash Extra, and soon noticed the difference. “He did really well on ReadyMash Extra, not only condition wise but his skin and coat became

Sarah ns Tomki

much healthier and he became less stiff in the short time I had him to compete him.” Five years on and Sarah still feeds her whole yard rowen Barbary products, which not only makes feed time easy but also helps ensure they are getting the key nutrients to perform at their best. “The ReadyMash is suitable for the whole yard which makes my feeding regime easy for all residents. I now have Coton Rainbow Star, my little mare that has stepped up to Advanced on Leisure Plus and my daughter’s two 22-year-old ponies on Senior Support, which are both feeling and looking great on the feed. We also use Supple and all the horses seem good on this including one which is coming back from injury, I have noticed his movement is really improving. In the summer they all have Re Hydrate when they are eventing and this deﬁnitely helped in the heat especially at Barbury International Horse Trials when Coton Rainbow Star ran cross country in the highest of temperature yet recovered incredibly well.” www.rowenbarbary.co.uk

Photo: Vincent Whitehead Photography

poles to help the horse sit on their hind leg and shorten the canter. “Then you can look at lengthening the canter to get one stride less. “This exercise really helps you to practice riding the different gears in your canter.”

#RB TEAM

EVENTING

EVENTING KIT: TOP PICKS WITH...

Alex Postolowsky

“Denver VIII is an 11-year-old 17hh gelding by Numero Uno. I’ve been riding Big D (as he is often nicknamed at home) for two seasons and he has amassed 64 points, going from Novice to Advanced points. “He has been placed in all of his two-stars (now three-stars) and he will make the step up to the new four-star later this season. He finished last year as the leading Intermediate horse in the British Eventing/British Riding Club league. He is a friendly and loveable character who has a cheeky side and a twinkle in his eye. Maybe that’s why all the mares absolutely swoon over him! He’s definitely a ladies’ man!” HyJUMP Compositi Reflex Stirrups 3M Reflective “I recently lost a stirrup on the XC contributing to a run out so I immediately changed all my XC stirrups to these! The tread on them is amazing as it’s broad and has excellent grip. They are light but not too light and the slight shock absorption in the tread makes them so comfortable. The whole tread is fixed so there isn’t too much movement but the pad has some slight movement in it which I find so much more comfortable for an ankle and knee injury I sustained years ago.” HyPERFORMANCE Arctic Softshell Ladies Breeches “I just love these breeches! They are ideal for riding in the colder weather without being restrictive or bulky. They are so incredibly cosy I just don’t want to take them off. If I could wear them in bed I would!”

HyIMPACT Pro Over Reach Boots “I once had a fall from a horse standing on it’s over reach boot so I am very conscious of this. These boots are so snug, compact and sturdy that they have become my most favourite over reach boots to ride in. I feel happy that the balance is right between a slim fit whilst maintaining optimum protection for the horse. I have never come back off the XC with a hole or tear in them which is testament to the strong material and how in my opinion it is difficult for the horse to stand on them, thus improving safety.”

HyCOMFORT Waffle Stud Girth “I think this is a brilliant stud girth as it offers all the protection necessary but isn’t as heavy or stiff, and is more affordable. I’ve used stud girths in the past which are so insulating that the horse has white foam underneath it returning from XC, however that has never happened with this stud girth. It’s so easy to clean and the double elasticated buckles provide an even stretch across the horses back and ribcage.”

HyFASHION Sophia Sleeveless Show Shirt “I wear this shirt for Show Jumping as it has that perfect sprinkle of sparkle! The buttons gently glint and glimmer and I absolutely love the colour. It is a perfect fit and practically is ideal for competing in.”

www.hy-equestrian.com

Product News... Equestic is an easy-to-fit, durable saddle clip that attaches onto the rear of the left saddle flap, behind the riders leg. Within seconds the rider is measuring key stats on their horse’s symmetry, rhythm, elevation, activity on either rein and intensity of work. The Equestic Saddleclip is designed for any rider who is serious about training and improving their horse’s performance. Qualitative analysis such as rhythm or the power of transitions, number of jumping efforts and more advanced elevated work give an insight into the horse’s development over a longer period of time. The data can be used to improve performance, establish correct training regimes and even identify potential causes for future injury. RRP £220. www.thedrillshed.com

otography rt Gibson Ph

Ros is also announced as the new team rider for the Swedish brand Stierna Equestrian Sportswear.

Equipe, well known for their pioneering range of saddles is delighted to announce a new sponsorship agreement with Lincolnshire-based World Champion event rider Ros Canter. www.zebraproducts.co.uk

Photo: Ru pe

Photo: Sebastian Oakley

Haygain are thrilled to announce their sponsorship of Tweseldown. The sponsorship is for the 2019 season as well as title sponsor for the British Eventing event in May. "We have been using the Steamer, Nebuliser and Foragers for over a year now, we wouldn't be without them," say the organisers. www.haygain.co.uk

Cavallo Caja Grip Breeches incorporate a full seat using Cavagrip technology to provide ‘stick-ability’ in the saddle. RRP: £155. www.zebraproducts.co.uk

FreeBute Gel can be used before or after exercise to prepare or soothe your horse’s muscles and tendons. RRP: £28 (200ml tube). www.cavalor.com

Essex’s Adele Fowler, winner of the 2018 Virbac 3D Worming BE80(T) Technical Merit, was joined by Pippa and William Funnell at Virbac’s Dr Rosie Naylor, William Funnell, Olympia, The Adele Fowler and Pippa Funnell London International Horse Show in December to receive her fantastic prize - a £500 training bursary to spend on British Eventing training. The BE80(T) competition is the introductory level into the sport of eventing, with dedicated British Eventing Accredited Coaches on site to help competitors and offer expert advice. Virbac 3D Worming coaches support training across all the BE80(T) classes throughout the eventing season, which in 2019 will include 92 events. “I want to thank Virbac for their support of grassroots eventers”, said Adele. “Whilst extremely enthusiastic, it is unlikely I will ever be winning Badminton, so to have acknowledgement and support at the lower levels is fantastic and gives me such a sense that anything can be possible. The bursary will allow me to continue my dreams and make Badminton BE90 or BE100 Championships a possibility!” www.3dworming.co.uk

EVENTING LEADING EVENT RIDER WILLA NEWTON HAS HAD A YEAR TO REMEMBER WITH TWO TOP-10 FINISHES AT FOUR STAR LEVEL. HERE WE FIND OUT 10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE AMERIGO-SPONSORED RIDER. 1. Willa’s father Joey was a top amateur jockey, having won the Aintree Foxhunters twice.

2. Willa’s sister Chloe also evented up to four star level before opting for a career change.

Junior Europeans in 2008 and together they represented Great Britain at three consecutive Young Rider European Championships, winning Team Gold and Individual Silver at Blair Castle in 2011.

5. At 28-years-old, Willa is one of the most talented young 3. Willa graduated from riders to emerge in the sport of University in 2012 with a degree eventing. As at the start of the in Business Management. 2018 season, she was the 4. Neelix was one of the few youngest British female rider in horses to have taken a rider from the World’s Top 35 Event Riders. Pony Club to 4 star level. He 6. Willa broke her collar bone at took Willa to Team Gold at the

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT

Willa Newton

the beginning of July, but was able to get back riding within 6 weeks, in time to finish eighth at Burghley, thanks to the specialist rehab support at the Injured Jockey Fund’s Jack Berry House in Malton, Yorks.

7. She has notched up two top10 finishes at CCI4* level this year, finishing fifth at Luhmuhlen and eighth at Burghley with Chance Remark.

8. Janet Willis is Willa’s Head Groom and ‘secret weapon’. Janet has been working with the Newton family before Willa was even born. In 2018 her hard work and dedication was deservedly rewarded when she took home the Burghley Groom’s award and the Haddon Training Groom of the Year 2016. 9. Willa is looking to expand her string for the 2019 season and would love to talk to new owners interested to join her ambitious, experienced and friendly team based in Stonesby Leicestershire.

10. Willa is now supported by Amerigo Saddles and rides in a DJ Jump and Classic Siena Dressage. www.zebraproducts.co.uk

NuTrITIoN energy from more ‘gradual’ or ‘slow-releasing’ energy sources such as fibre and oil. Regardless of what type of hard feed your horse needs it is important that the daily ration is divided into several small meals (i.e. no more than 2.5kg for a 500kg horse), this will help to ensure optimum digestion and minimise the risk of digestive disorders. Another major nutrient needed by the performance horse is protein. Horses in hard work need additional protein, which is made up of chains of amino acids, to build and repair tissues including muscle. The horse can synthesise around half of the amino acids they need in the body. The others, known as essential amino acids, must be supplied in the diet. The quality digested relatively quickly in the of protein in the diet is extremely important; a lower quantity of small intestine, provide what is high quality protein feed can commonly known as ‘quick’ or perform better than low quality, ‘fast-releasing’ energy. Cereal high quantity protein feed. based feeds can be immensely useful for horses that tend to be Oversupplying protein should be avoided as this will too laid back. In addition, feeding a “...oversupplying lead to excess urine production, cereal based feed protein should increased ammonia within an hour of be avoided as this in the stable and finishing hard work will lead to inefficient heat may help to excess urine removal. replenish muscle production, excess Meeting the glycogen stores ammonia in the micronutrient more efficiently and stable and requirements of thus may be inefficient heat the event horse is particularly removal...” also imperative as beneficial for horses vitamins and competing over several days. However, for horses minerals are essential for energy metabolism, bone strength and that tend to be overly excitable or suffer from tying-up or gastric recovery. Minerals such as ulcers, low starch feeds are more calcium, and phosphorus are needed to support the bone appropriate. These feeds have remodelling and strengthening been specifically formulated to that occurs during the fittening be lower in starch and provide

FEEDING THE By Connolly’s RED MILLS Nutritionist

Event Horse

venting is recognised as one of the toughest equestrian sports due to the complexity of the three disciplines involved. Nutrition plays a major role in optimising performance, directly influencing speed, strength, stamina and temperament, plus delaying the onset of fatigue and improving postexercise recovery times. Finetuning the rations of hard working horses is a very complex subject and often requires advice from an expert nutritionist. The main component of any horse’s diet should be forage such as grass, hay or haylage. Horses fed too little forage are at increased risk of problems such as gastric ulcers, colic and stereotypic behaviour. Ideally, forage should be available ad lib, but if restricted, should not be

less than 1.5% of the horse’s bodyweight per day on a dry matter basis. Forage provides a good source of ‘slow release’ energy, as beneficial microbes in the hindgut gradually ferment the fibre it provides. Hindgut microbes are also involved in the production of B-vitamins, which play an important role in energy metabolism. In addition, the hindgut also functions as a large fluid reservoir as fibre binds water; each kilogram of forage holds 6-8kg of water, plus electrolytes, in the gut. The physiological demands of eventing mean that the horse will require a suitable hard feed to ensure adequate calories, protein and micronutrients are provided in the overall diet. The most suitable feed will depend on the level of work your horse is doing and their individual temperament. Cereals, which are

process, whilst copper and zinc play a significant role in the formation of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium are also very important for horses undertaking regular work as they help to neutralise the increased free radical produced during exercise. Adequate electrolyte intake is also vital as dehydration and electrolyte deficiencies will negatively affect performance. Feeding a specific electrolyte supplement to horses that are travelling regularly, working in hot or humid conditions or in hard training is often recommended to replenish the electrolytes lost through sweat. Feeds specifically formulated for horses in hard work should provide an optimal balance of all the essential vitamins and minerals when fed at the manufacturers recommended daily rate. However, if you find that your horse in maintaining sufficient body condition on less than this amount, it is advisable to add a nutrient-dense balancer or high specification multivitamin and mineral supplement to the diet. This will provide a highly concentrated source of amino acids, vitamins and minerals, without oversupply calories. As an athlete, the competition horse’s diet needs careful consideration. Not only does your horse need the the right balance of nutrients, but he also needs the right amount and type of energy to perform at his best. www.redmills.com

WIN! WIN!

Product News...

Horse Care 10 - A low starch, oat-free cube with RED MILLS Nutrition Care package, specially formulated to support muscle function, recovery, condition and topline. Contains longlasting gastric acid RRP: £13.50/20kg. buffer yeast and prebiotics, plus antioxidants and electrolytes. www.redmills.com Performance Cubes contain highly digestible cereals to meet the high energy demands of all competition horses and offer a source of good quality protein for muscle development and function. Added oil and linseed help promote a shiny coat and increase energy. www.equerry horsefeeds.com

Four rEADErS To EACH WIN

LEISurE PLuS FEED SETS

FroM roWEN BArBArY! Containing a blend of high quality ingredients Leisure plus is a high fibre feed designed to provide low energy levels through a balance of highly digestible fibre sources and cooked flaked cereals. Linseed and Soya oil are added to help ensure excellent overall skin and coat condition alongside Calcareous Marine Algae to benefit gut health, and natural herbs Chamomile Flower, Spearmint and Nettle. The Leisure Plus Feed Sets include 2 x 20kg bags of Leisure Plus, a rowen Barbary Saddle Pad and a Feed Stirrer delivered to your door. Worth £68.70. www.rowenbarbary.co.uk

Performa Care Balancer Nutrient rich balancer designed specifically for the performance horse with RED MILLS Nutrition Care package. Supports lean muscle mass and topline, gastric and hindgut function plus coat and hoof condition. www.redmills.com RRP: £26.99/20kg.

A liquid supplement containing Panax Ginseng, Cats Claw, Glucosamine, MSM and Vitamin C, Alert helps energy and joints. RRP: from £18. www.animal-health.co.uk

To enter: Visit www.absolutehorse magazine.com and click on the Competitions page. Entries open 1st February 2019 and close 28th February 2019.

NuTrITIoN Located in Newmarket but working both nationally and internationally Donna is the highly experienced equine nutritionist who runs ‘The Horse Feed Guru’, an equine nutrition consultancy. Formerly a Commercial Nutritionist across three brands, now completely independent, she has worked with horses and riders competing at an Olympic level through to one horse owners wanting the very best. Clients can trust the independent advice they receive comes from extensive industry knowledge and experience but is also totally impartial of any feed brand. Her aim is to demystify feeding for the good of the horse and rider.

www.thehorsefeedguru.com Tel: 07901 337826

o be successful an eventer is required to be calm and relaxed in the dressage phase, yet have the energy, power and stamina to get round a cross country course, followed by the focus of the showjumping. Some horses are naturally exuberant and can become over excited and difﬁcult to manage and train. Whilst having presence it is also vital that the horse is calm enough to compete whilst not compromising the overall energy supply. The energy needs to be supplied in a controlled manner to achieve this. They will also need to receive the appropriate vitamin and mineral levels for the competing horse and high quality protein to maintain optimal health and muscle tone. For these excitable types

choose a competition feed based on ﬁbre and oil with controlled starch levels (ideally 12% or lower). using this type of feed will help to keep your horse under control and level headed whilst still providing the energy required to compete all three phases. Some riders have exactly the opposite problem and need more sparkle to excel across the three phases. Horses like this need a carefully balanced diet that provides energy with sparkle but also enables them to have long lasting

Photo: William Carey Photography at Bicton Arena

FEEDING THE EVENTEr:

PoWEr To PErForM

By Donna Case BSc (Hons)

stamina for the ﬁnal phase. Typically, they tend to require a feed slightly higher in starch. Around 20% starch is a good starting point for these horses and you can work up from there if necessary. Just like all eventers they would still require high quality protein for muscle development alongside correct training and a good lysine level is an indicator of this. Do consider any clinical issues the horse may have however. Gastric ulcers or tying-up for example would prevent us from feeding a higher starch diet. Feeding the eventer is a combination of art and science. Each horse needs to be considered on an individual basis. Temperament is a key consideration and feeding appropriately can make a massive difference to performance on the day. If you are in doubt speak to a nutritionist who will be able to help you decide what the most suitable diet is for your horse’s workload and personality.

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Client Georgia Thomson, talented Junior rider competing Lucky Comeback, understands the importance of feeding correctly for power and performance. This year’s goals for Georgia include taking current horses up to the new CCI**L and continuing to train with Juniors.

What are electrolytes?

ome minerals are also called electrolytes. This is because when dissolved in body fluids they carry spare ions which give them an electrical charge. Electrolytes use this charge to help control the water balance in a horse, trying to maintain a sufficiently hydrated status at all times. Electrolytes also play an important role in muscle function and through their role in hydration both temperature regulation and the transport of nutrients and waste products throughout the horse’s body. If electrolytes are not added to a horse’s diet many problems may occur including dehydration or excessive hydration. Dehydration can be lifethreatening and is frequently performance-limiting, with colic and ‘Tying-Up’ the most wellknown consequences. A horse has only to become mildly dehydrated in order to lose performance, sometimes reported as a lack of stamina and slow recovery rates. If the losses of electrolytes are very high a disruption in the balance of electrical charge both inside and outside of a muscle cell can upset normal contraction and

relaxation processes. TopSpec Electrolytes are designed to help compensate for electrolyte loss after heavy sweating. This new additive has a high salt formula, contains wildberry to aid palatability and is recommended by equine veterinary practices and independent nutritionists. TopSpec Electrolytes can be fed to horses to help compensate for electrolyte loss during sweating, with many resulting benefits. The addition of salt to the diet should be sufficient for horses only sweating lightly. TopSpec Electrolytes should always be added in addition to any salt already in the diet and not instead of that salt. www.topspec.com

New Horslyx Pro Digest Balancer contains a combination of ingredients to support the digestive system from the stomach to the hindgut. Slippery Elm and Seaweed Meal are included as a source of mucilage while a prebiotic supports beneficial gut bacteria and a live probiotic yeast helps provide a buffering action in the hindgut. www.horslyx.com

NuTrITIoN

NEW RESEARCH:

MAGNESIUM MAY NOT CONSISTENTLY INFLUENCE REACTION SPEED AFTER ALL

lthough the calming properties of magnesium have been well documented anecdotally, the latest science suggests it may not slow reaction speed responses after all. Evolutionarily the horse is a prey animal and as such is a creature of flight. Today when the flight reaction is felt to be excessive some owners opt to use calming supplements, usually containing magnesium. A previous study of a small number of Standardbreds, published in 2015, showed that magnesium aspartate (a very available source of magnesium) could significantly reduce their average reaction speed response. However, there was a question over whether this would be seen in other animals and even whether the aspartate might have been responsible for this effect because of its action as an amino acid neurotransmitter. The latest study Does oral magnesium aspartate supplementation affect reaction speed in horses of different breeds? was conducted by Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia in collaboration with Waltham Equine Studies Group who provide the science behind the Spillers brand. It aimed to check whether the magnesium or the aspartate was responsible for the 2015 study results and whether these original findings were repeatable.

XTRA Boost Tonic contains a premium grade of Iron and B Vitamins in a palatable liquid, specially formulated to rapidly increase energy and vitality. Can be safely fed at the recommended levels in conjunction with most typical Available 1 Ltr. RRP £39.99. feed regimes when horses need that little extra boost. An extra measure may be offered precompetition. www.equineamerica.co.uk

Eighteen animals (6 ponies, 6 Arabians and 6 Thoroughbreds) were fed three different diets over seven days in a random order. The diets comprised a control hay-based diet providing the National Research Council’s recommendations for Magnesium, this control diet plus the same amount of supplementary magnesium (10g/500kg horse), or aspartate as was fed in the original paper (provided as magnesium aspartate or sodium aspartate respectively). Some animals decreased their reaction speed and others increased it when fed the magnesium aspartate or the sodium aspartate, compared to showing no significant effects when fed the control diet. At no time did the horses demonstrate any characteristics of being either sedated or more excited when being fed the diets. This indicates that neither the magnesium nor the aspartate had a consistent effect. Clare Barfoot RNutr, the research and development manager at Spillers commented: “As it stands these results suggest that magnesium supplementation cannot be relied on to modify horses’ reaction speeds. It may be wiser to focus on training and habituation to stressful situations to help manage reactive behaviour, rather than to rely solely on magnesium-based products.”

New Packaging for British Horse Feeds... British Horse Feeds has updated their classic bags for Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet. In an effort to be environmentally friendly and after customer feedback on the bags, the team has moved the loyalty scheme rosettes from the base of the bag to the top so horse owners can now recycle and re-use the bags. The bags also feature the new Gastric Ulcer Feed Assurance Mark accredited by the British

Equestrian Trade Association. Speedi-Beet - the 10 minute quick soaking beet pulp and Fibre-Beet - the quick soaking conditioning mash are approved by BETA, making them both suitable for horses and ponies prone to equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). www.britishhorse feeds.com

NuTrITIoN

EQUIDIET LIQUOR FIBRE DIET:

AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF EQUINE NUTRITIONAL HYDROTHERAPY

K-based equine nutrition company Equidiet’s range of liquid fibre diet solutions have been recognised in a recent global equestrian technology and product report as important in the field of Equine Nutrition. The Global HorseTech Market Report highlighted Equidiet, which was founded by equine nutritional hydrotherapist Sandra Murphy BSc (Hons) in 2014, as having a wide range of benefits for both sports and riding horses as well as helping to combat some common health issues seen in domesticated equines.

What is Equine Nutritional Hydrotherapy (ENH)? One of the knock-on biological effects of a horse reacting to stress or fear is that they take on less water. This means a horse who becomes stressed at a competition or during transit may not drink as much water as they need to, which can in turn lead to complications such as loss of condition, poor athletic performance and colic. If a horse is not inclined to drink in the first place then traditional methods of rehydration, such as electrolytes or flavoured water, simply won’t help to solve the issue.

Interestingly the instinct to forage does remain even when horses are stressed, and this drive easily overrides the need to drink – perhaps due to the fact that forage is composed of between 40 and 80% water. The concept of ENH is based on this very principle, that horses will still eat even when they are in transit or stressed, so develop products that deliver nutrition and hydration in a fibre and liquid feedstuff.

What are the benefits of the Equidiet products? Sandra Murphy recognised the extraordinary benefits ENH could bring to horse owners in every sphere of the equestrian world, and responded by developing Equidiet, a brand-

new range of high-quality liquid fibre diets that ensure horses are able to stay hydrated. Only structural carbohydrates including soluble fibre have a molecular structure which allows water to be carried inside it, meaning that Equidiet is a high fibre, low starch diet. This means that not only do Equidiet’s products enable horse owners to keep their horses well-hydrated, their solutions may also help those horses prone to gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders caused by high starch feed, such Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome or Laminitis. www.equidiet.org.uk

he latest work on painassociated behaviour in ridden horses, from two illuminating studies, was presented by Dr Sue Dyson at the Saddle Research Trust Conference recently. While one paper showed how heavier riders and unsuitable saddles can cause back muscle tension and pain in the horse, another disclosed that the ability to spot initial signs of musculoskeletal pain is now within the grasp of both trained and untrained assessors. Together the studies give the equestrian world better knowledge and tools to enhance the welfare and performance of ridden horses. Dr Dyson, Head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the Centre for Equine Studies at the Animal Health Trust, was one of 15 eminent international vets, scientists and special guests presenting at the packed-out Saddle Research Trust Conference on the theme of Horse, rider, saddlery interactions: Welfare and performance at Nottingham University’s De Vere Conference Centre. The pilot study, The influence of rider size and saddle fit on equine gait, behaviour, response to thoracolumbar palpation and thoracolumbar dimensions builds on previous work that has shown high rider: horse bodyweight ratios, or a tall heavy rider in a saddle which is too small, can cause temporary lameness and discomfort. Gait, behaviour, signs of stress, forces under the saddle,

HEALTH & WELFArE LATEST KNOWLEDGE SHARED TO HELP IMPROVE WELFARE AND PERFORMANCE OF

RIDDEN HORSES

not undergone specialist training in equine behaviour. The results for the lame horses were compared before and after musculoskeletal pain had been substantially improved using diagnostic analgesia. responses to palpation of the and medium riders, a normal problems often get progressively While the untrained assessors thoracolumbar part of the back response, the width decreased worse and, if ultimately generally awarded a higher and changes in back dimensions with the heavy and very heavy presented for investigation, the number of behaviours exhibited were assessed in horses ridden by riders. This was also associated problems may be too chronic to by the lame horses than the four riders of similar ability, but with an increase in back muscle manage satisfactorily. trained assessor, for all observers different bodyweights. Saddle fit tension for the heavy rider and Dr Dyson’s second presentation there was a highly significant was not ideal for the heavy and increased muscle pain for the showed that even without decrease in overall behaviour very heavy riders, which very heavy rider. training it is possible for an scores after diagnostic analgesia. influenced force distribution and Dr Dyson is keen to point out assessor to use an ethogram “Encouragingly, this study shows magnitude, a commonly that the studies should not be based on 24 ridden behaviours that the ethogram can be used observed clinical scenario. Both interpreted as implying heavy to assess pain and lameness in by both trained and non-trained riders had to sit on the back of riders should not ride. She said: ridden horses. Part of the study, assessors,” said Dr Dyson. their saddles, rather than in the “The key is to ride a horse of Application of a ridden horse “However, training of assessors is middle, in order to suitable size and fitness and to ethogram to video recordings of 21 required for accurate accommodate their size and make sure that the saddle is horses before and after diagnostic interpretation of all features of height on the space available. fitted correctly for both horse analgesia: reduction in behaviour the ethogram.” This altered pressure and rider, to minimise potential scores, expands on the initial The clearly measurable changes distribution, especially for the for pain and loss of work to develop a ridden horse in behaviour after abolition of very heavy rider. performance.” ethogram comprising 24 musculoskeletal pain provide There was a correlation between Identifying low-grade lameness behaviours which are more likely strong evidence of a causal rider weight and mean peak can be challenging, with owners, to be seen in lame horses effect, indicating that the pressures under the saddle, with riders and trainers appearing to compared with non-lame horses. ethogram is not only a good tool the heavier riders inducing have a poor ability to recognise The presence of 8 or more for recognition of the presence greater pressures. signs of pain when horses are behaviours is likely to reflect the of musculoskeletal pain, but is Thoracolumbar dimensions were ridden. As a result, problems are presence of pain. also a potentially good tool for measured using a flexible curve labelled as training-related, rider- The ethogram was applied to monitoring longitudinal progress ruler before and after exercise. related, behavioural, or ‘that is video recordings of 21 horses by after treatment. While the mean thoracolumbar just how the horse has always a single trained experienced “Pain in horses has always been width increased with the light gone’. Consequently pain-related analyst and 10 people who had elusive because, in their capacity as flight animals, they will Ethogram naturally conceal it to hide Weight study - heavier rider weakness or vulnerability,” said Dr Dyson. “As our knowledge of the ridden horse’s inherent weight-bearing capacity increases, the ethogram presents a useful monitoring tool: horses in pain may be silent, but behaviour is their voice and we need to listen and be receptive.” www.srt2018.com

WIN! WIN! HEALTH & WELFArE

SIX rEADErS To EACH WIN A

WINTEr SurVIVAL kIT!

In this issue we have teamed up with Robinson Animal Healthcare to give six lucky readers the chance to win a Winter Survival Kit. The kit contains everything you need to help your horses skin survive the muddy, wet, winter weather, including Activ Scrub antibacterial scrub and cleansing wash, Veterinary Gamgee and Equiwrap cohesive bandages. Activ Scub is a mild and gentle antibacterial scrub, ideal for removing scabs, dirt and contamination on a daily basis. Activ Scrub is effective in seconds and is supplied in a pump bottle for ease of use, especially in colder conditions. For best results, after washing, rinsing and drying the area, apply Veterinary Gamgee to absorb any excess moisture and keep legs warm and dry. Equiwrap self-adhering bandages secures the Veterinary Gamgee in place and provides extra support. robinson Animal Healthcare also has a wide range of products for all your ﬁrst aid requirements. For more information contact Robinson Animal Healthcare on 01909 735000 or visit www.robinsonanimalhealthcare.com

To enter: Visit www.absolutehorse magazine.com and click on the Competitions page. Entries open 1st February 2019 and close 28th February 2019.

WINTER COLIC:

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE SAY HAYGAIN

olic is unfortunately an increasingly common issue with the colder weather, resulting in abdominal pain for the horse. There are many different causes and types, but each is as important to avoid as the other. Colic is actually the leading cause of death in horses so as horse owners, is it not our prerogative to do all we can to prevent this horrible issue affecting our horses? While not all colic episodes can be prevented, avoiding situations which predispose the horse to colic will undoubtedly reduce the incidence so let’s look at how we can help protect our horses from colic this winter. Most commonly related to the cold weather months are impaction-colics. An impaction is a blockage of the intestine with feed stuff. Although impactions can occur anywhere throughout the intestine, some sites are more common. The pelvic flexure portion of the large intestine is a common site of impaction due to the decreasing diameter at this point. There are a number of reasons a horse may get impaction colic. They tend to drink a lot less in the winter months than they would in the Summer. This is

worsened when colder weather means horses are stabled more giving them less access to fresh forage (grass) containing higher moisture levels than conserved forage (hay/haylage). In addition, freezing temperatures may hinder physical access to water for part of the day. Dehydration impedes gut movement and when ingested feed stops moving through the horse’s gut efficiently, the material can accumulate and form a blockage. Feed and gas then back up behind the blockage, causing distention of the intestine and associated pain. To avoid dehydration, you can add water to their bucket feed and steam the hay prior to feeding to help bring more water into the gut. There is an increase of almost 3 x the moisture

COLIC SPOTTING THE SIGNS OF

content when hay has been steamed. If water buckets/troughs ice over make sure the ice layer is broken regularly to ensure constant access to water. Research at the University of Pennsylvania reported horses would drink 40% more water when the water was heated when it was their only source of water, so warming the water your horse has access to will encourage your horse to drink more. Changes to feeding frequency, type, quantity or quality of feed can cause colic due to improper fermentation in the gut or an obstruction. Any changes in the type or quantity of feed (concentrate and forage) should be done gradually without sudden changes to the diet. The horse’s digestive system ideally needs about 1014 days to adapt to different forages and feed types to reduce the risk of colic. Feeding a predominantly forage based diet will help on many levels as forage will hold water in the hind gut and in comparison to concentrate feed, horses chew long stemmed forage more which in turn produces more saliva assisting the transit of the food through the digestive tract.

Poor forage hygiene caused by bacteria and mould has also been identified as a risk factor for colic (Kaya et al 2009). Forage hygiene quality can be improved using a Haygain steamer which steams at a high enough temperature to kill bacteria and mould thereby improving the hygiene quality of the forage. The following stable management practices can help to minimise the risk of winter colic: • Provide clean, fresh water at all times • Have a daily feeding regime with a regular schedule – be extra vigilant for signs of colic if weather conditions force a change in the management and feeding regime • Turn out as much as possible • Feed plenty of clean, long-stemmed forage – the use of a Haygain hay steamer and slow feeding system will assist with providing near-continuous access to clean forage • Regularly check stables and field for foreign objects the horse could ingest. www.haygain.co.uk

n a recent survey of SURVEY UK horse owners, carers and yard CONCLUDES: managers, supported IMPROVING by Spillers in COMMUNICATION collaboration with the WOULD ENHANCE Royal Veterinary College (RVC), three HORSE HEALTH quarters of AND WELFARE respondents said they believe that scientific research has positive impact on horse welfare, yet most find the science difficult to understand and act upon. The online survey was supported by Spillers via Waltham, who provide the science underpinning the brand. Clare Barfoot RNutr, the research and development manager at Spillers commented: “By learning what prevents horse carers from implementing research we can promote evidence-based horse care in better ways, ultimately to help us reduce the risks of nutrition-related disorders and diseases.”

olic – the By Sarah Worley dreaded ‘CBVSc MRCVS word’ – is every owner’s worst nightmare. The term colic covers any abdominal pain. This is most commonly associated with the gastrointestinal system, however pain from other abdominal organs can also be a cause. There are a number of different potential causes, ranging from those which can usually be medically treated such as impactions of the large colon, to those which will require surgery such as strangulating lipomas which can twist parts of the small intestine. The most common signs to look out for: • Dullness • Not wanting to eat • Decreased number/frequency of droppings • Flank-watching • Pawing • Flehmening (lifting the upper lip) • Yawning • Lying down • rolling • Sweating • Increased heart rate and breathing rate It is important to remember that all horses have different pain thresholds, some can be very dramatic and others can be very stoic. If you are worried that your horse may have colic, please contact your vet for advice, and (if safe to do so) walk your horse in an area where they cannot hurt themselves, such as the arena or paddock until your vet arrives. Inflamed intestine

www.clarendonequine.co.uk

HEALTH & WELFArE

CASE STUDY: Mr Malo

ery often lameness can appear suddenly as the amount of pus builds in the foot making it painful for the horse to bear weight. For professional riders like Emma, this can mean months of training going to waste or even missing out on a spot on an international team. Knowing what to do and having the right products and equipment to hand can make all the difference to a speedy recovery and returning to action.

Mr Malo had a 3-week-old, slow to heal, hind hock wound, which he received when kicking out at electrical tape. For three weeks his owner, Kate, was bandaging and using dressings costing £7/day. The wound was not progressing, and he developed a capped hock and pressure sores from the bandages. The owner had already been using FiltaBac as a total sunblock and read up on its other applications as a wound protection cream so decided to To this... From this.... use the product on Mr Malo’s hock wound.

1. DAY 1

2. WEEK 1

3. WEEK 3

Wound continued to become shallower, remained pink, the wound edges drawing together and swelling reduced.

A good thick layer 4. WEEK 5 of FiltaBac antibacterial wound protection cream was applied covering the entire area, no bandaging required. FiltaBac was applied daily over the existing cream cover, and every third day gently washed off to remove old cream, serous ooze before reapplication. “FiltaBac has lasted a good three weeks so great value for money. So far very pleased and it seems to be healing quite well,” said Kate.

6. WEEK 11

What you need

“After 5 weeks of FiltaBac he seemed much more comfortable. The wound was really closing up. I was able to bring him back into light work,” said Kate. Mr Malo's leg continued to improve. Said Kate, “I wish I had used FiltaBac from the start. I could have avoided the bandage sores, capped hock and extra expense.” Mr Malo was back in full work and coping fine with only a small amount of cream to cover the wound.

Emma always keeps Animalintex in her first aid kit: “It is the only poultice we would use on our horses, as being a licensed product I know it is safe and effective. We try to keep a stock of Animalintex Hoof Treatment which is hoof shaped but if not we cut standard Animalintex down to size.” As well as a licenced poultice, you will need a hoof pick, hygienic sponge and a bucket to clean the hoof prior to poulticing. You will also need some form of padding and a cohesive bandage to hold everything in place. Tea Tree Lotion Spray can be applied sparingly without waste. Simply spray onto area and massage in. Tea tree is known for its anti-bacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties, so an ideal spray to have in your tack room. RRP: from £7.80. www.animalhealth.co.uk

If in any doubt always consult your veterinary surgeon.

Perfect Poulticing It is extremely important that the poultice is applied to a clean hoof. “Before cleaning the hoof we always ensure the horse is stood in a clean, dry stable to avoid any more bacteria entering the hoof during the cleaning process,” said Emma. The person applying the poultice should thoroughly wash their hands, and a saline solution or level teaspoon of salt per pint of

previously boiled water should be used to clean the hoof – this is a sterile solution that will help towards preventing further infection entering the hoof. To treat an abscess, the poultice should be applied hot. To prepare a hot poultice, place the unwrapped, cut to size Animalintex in a shallow tray (that has been thoroughly cleaned) with the plastic side facing up. Then, allow boiled water to cool to 38 degrees centigrade and pour the water into the tray around the edges of the poultice, remove from the water when saturated, squeezing out the excess water, so the poultice is damp rather than wet. Place the poultice on the sole of

HERE ROBINSON ANIMAL HEALTHCARE SPONSORED EVENT RIDER, EMMA MCNAB OFFERS HER ADVICE ON...

HOW TO POULTICE

A HOOF the foot with the plastic side facing upwards and then cover with a piece of Veterinary Gamgee that has been cut to shape. Secure the poultice and padding in place using a cohesive bandage such as

Equiwrap, using a figure-of-eight pattern across the sole of the foot. When treating an abscess the poultice should be changed every eight hours for the first 48 hours. www.robinsonhealthcare.com

HEALTH & WELFArE

THE SUPER FOODS OF 2019...

Coming to ‘Save’ Us?

vocados have peaked, kale is overrated and pomegranate juice isn’t going to save you after all. So here’s a quick round up of the new rising superstar superfoods hitting the shelves in 2019…

Irish Heather Honey The humble Irish heather honey has been found by researchers at Dublin City University and Trinity College to contain higher amounts of phenolic compounds (honey’s antioxidant properties) than Manuka honey and more importantly is far cheaper! Honey is known through history for it’s antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties, look out for it in your local health store.

Cannabidiol Cookies Not to be mistaken for hash brownies! These cookies have been made with CBD oil which is the non-psychoactive chemical from the cannabis plant that won’t get you high! CBD oil is rapidly growing in popularity for it’s usefulness as an anti-inflammatory and as a treatment for reducing anxiety. However the sale of it in health shops is legal, and it is largely unregulated.

Moringa Plant Powder This comes from the Moringa plant, nicknamed ‘the miracle tree’ which grows on the foothills of the Himalayas. Just a few leaves of contains seven times the Vitamin C of an orange, four times the calcium of milk and beta-carotene of carrots. Every part of the tree is edible, is packed with vitamins and minerals and is used in India and Africa as a treatment for malnutrition.

Camu Camu Researchers at Laval University have discovered that mice fed an extract of camu camu, a native fruit to the Amazon, gained less weight when fed a diet rich in sugar and fat plus they had improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity as well as lowered inflammation, making it a contender to fight obesity. Scientists in Quebec also discovered that camu camu has 20-30 times more Vitamin C than kiwis and five times more polyphenols that blackberries.

BY SAMANTHA HARDINGHAM

Product News... The Night Rider lightweight, clip-on light, with 9 extrabright LEDs, weighs in around 2 ounces and will be unobtrusive even on hats, rugs, bridles, leg boot, jackets etc. Cleverly designed magnetic closure means it clips on anywhere – no tricky straps, no fiddly batteries – just recharge, clip on and go. Not just for riding though, ideal for popping on when walking the dog, walking to work, or pop one on the children’s coats. White or Red Lights – ideal for front and rear. RRP: £16.98 each. www.equisafety.com

RSPCA: ANIMALS COULD SUFFER

The RSPCA has warned that animals could suffer as councils are being expected to deliver more welfare work with no extra money. Cash-strapped councils are legally obliged to run stray dog services, care for pets belonging to owners in hospital, ensure pets shops and kennels are properly licensed, and they have been tasked to tackle problems with fly-grazed horses. “We’re concerned that councils need more funds or animals could suffer,” said Rachel Williams, senior parliamentary advisor at the RSPCA. The Equihandee Freedom Harness is a cleverly-designed riding aid that helps young or unstable riders to feel safe and confident in the saddle, whilst allowing them some range of movement to find their own balance and seat. The harness incorporates several handles at the back of the rider, within easy reach of the instructor or lead rein helper. This allows them to secure the rider without necessitating the holding or sudden grabbing of clothes or

body protector. The addition of the lightly padded jacket underneath the webbing of the Equihandee Freedom harness makes the product comfortable to wear for riders with sensory needs who may find the pressure and feeling of straps distressing. It can also be used by those who would simply like slightly more comfort and warmth whilst wearing their harness. RRP: £65. www.equihandee.co.uk

DAISY’S HERBAL ANSWERS

Daisy Pri c Herbalist e,

My horse is 22 and although he is in good shape for his age, I would like to give him a little extra support through winter. Are there some herbs that you could suggest to give for general well being ? Hello, Now your horse is in his senior years, there are several ways you can help him to keep him in the good shape he is in. As with humans, when our horses get older things start to slow down or work a bit less efficiently. Herbs can be a gentle way of helping the body. Things that I would suggest, would be herbs that help the circulatory system such as Nettle, Garlic and Hawthorn. These will increase blood flow and so help by cleansing, removing toxins and with stiffness or puffy legs. Nettles are also full of Iron and are high in vitamin C which will help the immune system and they can be used as a tonic. Garlic will also support the respiratory system as it is an expectorant and helps the immune system. Sea Kelp is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals. It is great for all-round good health, skin, coat and hoof condition. Brewer’s Yeast is a rich source of B vitamins, and therefore it is beneficial in maintaining healthy skin and coat and supporting the nervous system. It also contains amino acids and is therefore good for balancing gut flora and helping hind gut digestion. Fenugreek is nutritious as it contains protein and oil as well as vitamins A, B, C and E and is a good source of calcium. It is known to encourage a fussy eater and put on condition. These herbs can be used together to help the body maintain good health. www.champerene bespokehorseherbal.com

HEALTH & WELFArE

LANDMARK STUDY:

steamed hay led to a reduction in the risk.

HAYGAIN STEAMED HAY REDUCES THE ODDS OF INFLAMMATORY AIRWAY DISEASE

reakthrough research has found that horses with fungal elements in their airways have a 2.1 times greater chance of having Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD) than horses with no fungi presence. IAD affects huge numbers of horses and often goes undetected while also impacting their performance. The latest research by Dauvillier et al, published by The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (JVIM) was carried out over a three year period with more than 700 horses being assessed. It revealed that feeding Haygain steamed hay reduced the chance of horses developing IAD by 65%. It also found that horses fed dry hay had a 2.6 times increased chance of having fungi

in the airways and that the degree of lower airway inflammation was significantly higher when horses were housed indoors and bedded on straw. This work is the first to demonstrate a direct link between finding fungi in the airways, and diagnosing IAD. The results indicate that fungal elements are commonly present in equine airways and that horses inhaling aerosolized fungal particles are at a significantly higher risk of having IAD.

What does a presence of fungi in the airways mean for the horse? The presence of fungi in the airways has been directly linked to the development of IAD. Horses with fungal elements on

the tracheal wash cytology, are 2.1 times more likely to develop IAD than horses with no fungi in their airways. A complaint of exercise intolerance was also more frequent in horses with tracheal wash fungal particles (23%) versus horses without. The presence of fungi in the airways is avoidable, meaning that IAD can be largely evaded with correct care and management. This groundbreaking study found the degree of lower airway inflammation was significantly higher when horses were fed dry hay versus Haygain steamed hay. The study clearly identifies straw bedding and dry hay feeding as significant risks for IAD and for the presence of fungal elements in equine airways, whereas Haygain

Inflammatory Airway Disease - all you need to know The symptoms of IAD are nonspecific and can be subtle, which poses a diagnostic challenge and this study showed it is even more prevalent than thought. A cough, poor performance and excess mucus within the airways on endoscopy is a key characteristic of IAD and should never be ignored. This disease differs from cases of Severe Equine Asthma (COPD/heaves), in that affected horses typically do not show increased respiratory efforts at rest. Most, but not all horses with IAD will develop a cough that lingers but have no fever. Affected horses may be training fine but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t perform well in competition and take longer to recover normal breathing but otherwise, horses with IAD appear bright and maintain their usual appetite. The study Several studies have shown that more than 80% of horses have Inflammatory Airway Disease and in this latest study a diagnosis was established in 88% of the cases assessed by an ambulatory internal medicine practice in Europe. The population of 731 horses was composed of 369 (50.5%) showjumpers, 87 (11.9%) dressage horses, 70 (9.6%) Thoroughbreds, 55 (7.5%) Standardbreds, 50 (6.8%) endurance horses, 35 (4.8%) eventers, and 65 (8.9%) leisure

horses. For each case, a clinical examination, an airway endoscopy, a tracheal wash (TW), and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were performed. Data regarding the type of bedding (straw, wood shavings, and other) and forage (dry hay, moistened hay, damped hay, steamed hay, or haylage) were systematically collected. The key findings were: • Horses with fungi in the tracheal wash (TW) cytology, are 2.1 times more likely to develop IAD than horses with no fungi. • The degree of lower airway inflammation was significantly higher when horses were housed indoors and bedded on straw versus shavings or when fed dry hay versus steamed hay. • Horses fed dry hay had 2.6 times more chance of having fungi in their TW and 2.7 times more chance of being diagnosed with IAD whereas horses fed with steamed hay had 65% reduced odds of being diagnosed with IAD. “We are very excited with the publication of the paper,” says co-author Dr Emmanuelle Van Erck-Westergren. “It’s the fruit of long years of research. Unlike papers that deal with small numbers of research horses, this paper reflects what happens in real conditions for our stabled horses. It confirms rational management of the environment is paramount. “When we sample the airways, we can see what the horse actually breathes in in terms of

particles and what response they trigger from the immune system. We relate what we see under the microscope to the symptoms we had in the horse but also to his environmental conditions. Horses on dry hay inhale high amounts of small particles that go deep in the lungs, including active fungal particles whereas horses on steamed hay have much clearer samples.” There is now overwhelming evidence for the effectiveness of Haygain steamed hay in reducing inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and helping to improve respiratory health in horses. “The recent published paper by Dauvillier et al., (2018) has confirmed that steaming hay is best for horse respiratory health. We have proved many times that high-temperature steaming reduces airborne respirable dust in hay by >90% and kills fungi and bacteria, while preserving nutrients, and it is great to finally have this in vivo data to support our work,” says Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer, Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the Royal Agricultural University. This study continually states that bedding on straw and feeding dry hay cannot be recommended for performance horses as they are significant risk factors for IAD. Soaking hay did not decrease the risk of IAD whereas the use of high temperature hay steaming, in a Haygain, not only had a protective effect against the development of IAD but was the only effective way to prevent it. www.haygain.co.uk

CHArITY FoCuS

REHOMED RESCUED PONIES

PUT THEIR BEST HOOVES FORWARD rom dressage and showing success to supporting people with learning difficulties and disabilities, rehomed rescued horses and ponies from Redwings Horse Sanctuary have flourished in their new Guardian homes. And the charity is looking forward to helping even more of its horses enjoy happy and fulfilling lives beyond its paddock fences as it prepares to open two brand-new rehoming centres at its Caldecott and Oxhill visitor centres, in Norfolk and Warwickshire respectively, in 2019. Lynn Cutress, Redwings’ Chief Executive, said: “It’s wonderful to look back on another successful

year of rehoming. Hearing the heart-warming tales of new friendships made and the fantastic things our rescued horses have achieved with their new families demonstrates how rewarding it can be to become a Redwings Guardian. “We’re also equally excited to look forward as we prepare to open our new rehoming centres. These new facilities will enable our teams to train even more rescued horses to find Guardian homes, providing the space to bring more horses, ponies, donkeys and mules in desperate need into the safety of the Sanctuary.” 2018 saw unbacked project horses being promoted through Redwings’ rehoming scheme for

BLUE CROSS: HOME DIRECT SERVICE 38

Redwings Sherlock is enjoying showing success with his Guardian Krisstey

the first time. They provide experienced Guardians with the opportunity to train the horses to be ridden themselves - and Redwings Sherlock has shown just what they can achieve. Sherlock was one of 56 ponies rescued by Redwings in 2013 from dreadful conditions at a site in Caerphilly, Wales. The ponies were named after detectives and villains, hence his famous supersleuth moniker. After years of specialist veterinary care and handling training, Sherlock found a new home with Guardian Krisstey Perryman, from Bungay in Suffolk. Within a year of being rehomed, the 6-year-old Welsh gelding has gone from never being near a saddle, to completing dressage tests and

even enjoying success in the show ring. Krisstey said: “As soon as he settled on our yard, his little character started to shine through and he has proved himself to be a very inquisitive and intelligent little pony. We have been to shows and dressage competitions and received some really lovely comments from the Judges. “By rehoming him as an unbacked project, I got the opportunity to make a real connection with him in training and I can’t believe how easy he has made it for me. He is just such a considerate little pony and only ever wants to please, he loves everyone!” www.redwings.org.uk/rehoming

National Pet Charity Blue Cross is providing a Home Direct service to help owners find suitable new homes for their horses if they can no longer keep them. The charity hopes the scheme, which avoids the need to use the charity’s busy centres, will help provide the horses with a secure future. The system is proving to be very effective with almost 100 horses helped since it was launched in 2015. Every horse is assessed thoroughly by a member of the Blue Cross horse unit team and then advertised on the charity’s website. Once a potential new owner has been found Blue Cross will arrange and oversee initial visits. If it’s a good match, the horse will then be rehomed. www.helpmyhorse@bluecross.org.uk

NEEDS YOU!

he Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society (EHPPS) was founded in 1983, attaining charity status in 1987. EHPPS’ purpose is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome equines. “We do not sell our horses and ponies but look to place them in long term foster homes,” explained Sanctuary Manager Leigh Perry. EHPPS receives no government funding but relies solely upon donations from the public in the form of memberships, grant funding, legacies and special fund raising events. “We hold various events at our sanctuary in Pitsea, Essex including tack sales, open days and horse shows. One way people can support us is to

sponsor a class or two at our horse/dog shows. Classes are £20 each to sponsor, you can have the message of your choice printed on the rosette tail, in the schedule and you’ll also receive a sponsors rosette,” continued Leigh. Those interested in sponsoring a class can do so by emailing leigh@ehpps.org.uk and requesting a sponsor application. The shows are as follows: Showing Show - 16th June; Dog Show and Open Day - 28th July; Children’s Showing Show - 3rd August; Rainbow Showing Show - 7th September; Shetland Pony Fun Show - 21st September. www.ehpps.co.uk

The Racehorse Sanctuary...

he Racehorse Sanctuary is an entirely public funded charity, costing just shy of £250,000 a year to run. They receive no government funding and are completely stretched, sometimes turning away 10 horses per week due to lack of space and funds.

So how can you help? There are a number of ways you can help - with every single act of kindness helping to secure the future of some of the 4,000 racehorses that come out of racing each year. Social media is key for charities like the Sanctuary and can really help with campaigns, promoting

fundraising events and to raise awareness. A simple like, comment and share of a post goes a long way - it only takes just ONE of your friends or followers to make a donation to help buy extra forage or feed or attend one of the Sanctuary fundraising events. Alternatively how about holding a charity tack sale or completing a sponsored walk in aid of The Racehorse Sanctuary? Put the fun in fundraising and know you’re doing something wonderful to help this deserving charity. You can also text your donation. So whatever mobile network you're on, you can simply text HORS20 and an amount of £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070. So, an example text would be: “HORS20 £5” (without quotes), making sure to send this to 70070. www.racehorse sanctuary.org

Rosemary Lang from the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund with Scott Brash

‘It Will Never Happen to Me’

Photo: John Periam Photojournalist 01243 548718

THE ESSEX HORSE AND PONY PROTECTION SOCIETY

adly, accidents DO happen to riders of all levels and when they do, there is one small charity that is there to give you the advice and support you’ll need. That charity is the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund, and to date, they have helped thousands of injured equestrians and their families in their times of need. Rosemary Lang is Administrator and Fund Coordinator for the Charity and explains the importance of their work to Absolute Horse: “We don’t just raise money so we can help equestrians following an accident, we also actively campaign to make life-saving changes that affect all riders. “We were instrumental in improving hat standards after work undertaken by the Charity showed improvements were badly needed to help reduce injuries. We also instigated work for Frangible pins for cross country courses, which was taken over by British

Continued overleaf...

CHArITY FoCuS Continued from previous page...

Eventing and is now used globally on cross country courses.”

So how can we support the charity? “Donations help hugely but even just setting up a standing order for a couple of pounds a month (less than a cup of coffee) will help us. Imagine if everyone at your yard did the same, that could go towards the purchase of a wheelchair, other equipment or physio for example. “Organising a sponsored coffee morning at the yard or selling your old tack and equipment to raise funds for us will make the difference to our work. Even simple things, such as following our Facebook page and sharing our posts to spread awareness all help.” The Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund are the ONLY UK Charity to help ALL people injured in Horse related accidents where no other help is readily available and rely entirely on donations. Rosemary finishes by saying: “We want to ensure that we never have to turn anyone away. Please help support us to ensure that should you ever need our help, we will be there for you. Together we are stronger. Together we can continue to make a difference.” www.mdirf.co.uk

The Horse Rescue Fund...

he Horse Rescue Fund is a long-established equine charity. It has colourful history of pioneering work in changing attitudes towards equine welfare. The focus now is to take in welfare cases large or small, young or old. The charity’s policy is to give them all a second chance to have a happy, safe and healthy life. As a smaller charity within the equine sector the Horse Rescue

Fund is often overlooked for funding. With many horses out in homes and up to 20 on the yard there is a constant need to raise funds to guarantee the horses all receive specialist care and that their individual requirements can be met. Membership, donations or legacies would allow the Horse Rescue Fund to keep on with their cause: rescue, rehabilitate and rehome. “All the rescue horses stay here

at the yard until they are emotionally and physically ready for rehoming, we are not trying to turn over numbers but ensuring as a smaller charity we can make a difference to the individual horse,” explained Kate Nottage, Yard Manager. Those individuals add up and the charity are proud to have changed the lives of hundreds of equines in need. www.horserescuefund.org.uk

THEY CALL HIM THE PUZZLE MAN… Chris Cole, 72, loves jigsaw puzzles and estimates he has completed 7,000 over the last 20 years - but he doesn’t just do it for pleasure. Charity shops such as the Mare and Foal Sanctuary rely on him to let them know if pieces of donated puzzles are missing. Chris totally understands the quiet determination and concentration needed to finish a complex jigsaw – and the disappointment when there’s a hole in the middle. He said: “It’s so therapeutic and it teaches you to be patient. But, if I’m half way through and find a piece missing, it’s straight in the recycling. No one wants that!” Mare and Foal Sanctuary Retail Manager, Dawn Green, said it was great to know the charity was selling the guarantee of a complete jigsaw. www.mareandfoal.org

BuYEr’S GuIDE

SPRING STYLE FOR

Equestrians

ith spring nearly here, we start to think about sunnier skies, and if you’re an equestrian, we all want to peel off those multiple layers and ditch our thermals for those on-trend pieces. We asked Liz Hayman, MD of British fashion label Equetech for her top tips for riders this coming season.... "While winter is all about layers, summer is about keeping cool so look for technical fabrics across your garments. Especially those which deliver on breathable and lightweight properties and also those that wick away moisture from the body.

“As I love fashion, I want my riding wardrobe to echo this, which is why we design fashion pieces that keep functionality at heart but a focus on style. You will also notice a few accents of summer pantones throughout our new collection, including tangerine and teal, hot off the catwalk for summer and is sure to brighten up your uniform of black and grey! “As temperatures rise, choose legwear that is cool, but it still needs to give you shape and flatter your figure. This is sometimes challenging, as fabrics tend to be thin and show every lump and bump! We always like to rise to a challenge,

DISCOVER THE GORGEOUS NEW EQUETECH COLLECTION

launching our new Inspire Riding Tights, to combat many rider issues. Using technical, wicking, quick-drying fabrics, with a supportive waistband and clever seam positions, they allow the rider to move, but feel supportive at the same time! “Finally, don’t forget that underwear is the foundation of your outfit, and that goes for riding wear, and with fewer layers, we all notice VPL and wobbly bits even more so! “Choose underwear designed explicitly for riding as these will have more support and advanced fabric technology to help keep you looking and feeling great this spring in and out of the saddle.” www.equetech.com

BuYEr’S GuIDE Triple Stirrup Necklace. RRP: £45. www.pegasusjewellery.net

Elskling Leather Key Ring. RRP: £30. www.aandreassen.com

s e n i t e l a The V ! Edit

Echo Silver Drop Earrings. RRP: £125. www.emilymortimer.co.uk

Exclusive Valentine’s Love Heart Roller Charm. RRP: £25. www.hihosilver.co.uk

Wine Fedora. RRP: £49.99. www.mackenzie andgeorge.com

Exclusive Sterling Silver & 18ct Rose Gold Plated Cherry Roller with Heart Bead. RRP: £155. www.hihosilver.co.uk

Dubarry Alpaca Wool Socks. RRP: £35. www.farlows.co.uk

Schoffel Lyndon Gilet. RRP: £139.95. www.shopfor shooting.co.uk

Lucia boots. RRP: £450. www.keithscarrott.co.uk Rose Quartz Iris Ring. RRP: £260. www.renne jewellery.co.uk

Burgundy Wine Triple Gloves. RRP: £25. www.welligogs.com Windor Handbag. RRP: £365. www.fairfaxandfavor.com Silk Scarf in Hexaddict Dusky Pink and White. RRP: £145. www.albionengland.co.uk

Heart Cushion. RRP: £39. www.timothyfoxx.co.uk

18ct Solid Yellow Gold Horn Necklace. RRP: £245. www.drajee.com

Elskling Leather Mules. RRP: £149. www.aandreassen.com

WIN! WIN! oNE rEADEr To WIN

NATurAL BroWN WooL GILET WITH A rEMoVABLE FAuX Fur CoLLAr WorTH £155 FroM ANNABEL BroCkS!

The Annabel Brocks Wool Gilet is an absolute wardrobe essential. Designed to be longer in length than a standard gilet, it is guaranteed to keep you warmer in the winter months. With tab side closure on the outer it produces a much more flattering fit and with a fixed faux fur collar it is perfect to keep you cosy. The gilet is fully fleece lined, including the pockets and also includes an inner phone pocket which is useful when you are out and about. The Gilet is available in six sizes and a number of stunning colour combinations. Proudly designed and manufactured here in the uk. www.annabel brocks.com

Lambswool knitted jumper in vino. RRP: £149. www.farlows.co.uk

Luxury Scented Candle in Velvet Oud. RRP: £22. www.albionengland.co.uk

Monogram Book Bag Basket with Guitar Strap. RRP: £200. www.raefeather.com

Interlinked Horseshoe Hearts. RRP: £37.50. www.anvilcottage crafts.co.uk

To enter: Visit www.absolutehorse magazine.com and click on the Competitions page. Entries open 1st February 2019 and close 28th February 2019.

BuYEr’S GuIDE Maxi Heart Necklace. RRP: from Rose Quartz Iris Drop £65. www.rennejewellery.co.uk Earrings. RRP: £220. www.rennejewellery.co.uk

New Tetbury: Shine Edition Belt. RRP: £69.99. www.mackenzie andgeorge.com

Ladies linen shirt. RRP: £59.95. www.oxford shirt.co.uk

Handmade Italian Leather Journal. RRP £39. www.lifeofriley online.co.uk Omura Sweatshirt. RRP: £42.95. www.whaleofa timeclothing.com

Burford Welly Boot. RRP: £120. www.ariat.com

Texa Mood bag in Red. RRP: £395. www.arranfrances.com

Hammered & Plain Hearts Spinner Ring. RRP: £50. www.hihosilver.co.uk

Odette Cranberry Coat. RRP: £249. www.welligogs.com Sterling Silver Dangly Heart Earrings. RRP: £25. www.hihosilver.co.uk

New Newmarket fitted skirt. RRP: £85. www.legerandoaks.co.uk

Flamingo Belt. RRP: £55. www.hicksand brown.com Heeled Regina. RRP: £345. www.fairfax andfavor.com

Cavallo Lilly Jacket. RRP: £269. www.zebra products.co.uk

The Sailsbury Purse. RRP: £155. www.fairfaxandfavor.com

Baker Boy Cap. RRP: £69. www.butler stewart.co.uk

Virtue Bracelet. RRP: £1,200. www.jamesveale.com

Lavenham Rainbow Tote. RRP: £275. www.annabelbrocks.com The pink fox. RRP: £399. www.maude andfox.com

Aztec Diamond Equestrian are celebrating loving relationships between mothers, daughters, grandmothers and sisters in their new campaign. ‘Generation’ features real customers and is a celebration of inspiring female family members. Founder of the brand, Jordan McCabe, had a remarkable 2018 winning prestigious business awards including, ‘Emerging Talent’ and ‘Young Business Person of the Year’. Her own family background and childhood passion for horse riding and clothing design was the inspiration for this new campaign.

Victorious Winter Leggings. RRP: £49.99 inc. Delivery. www.sportinghares.com

Vicolo boots. RRP: £250. www.keith scarrott.co.uk

AZTEC DIAMOND LAUNCHES ‘GENERATIONS’ CAMPAIGN

Silk Scarf in Daub Carousel Coral. RRP: £145. www.albionengland.co.uk

Her fledgling business, which started just four years ago, was made possible by her Grandmother, who left her a small inheritance which helped to set up Aztec Diamond. The hard work and determination has seen her grow the business year-on-year; so much so that her mother, Jane, quit her own job to work alongside Jordan to help build the brand further. Uvex Sportstyle Winter riding glove. RRP: £34.99. www.zebra products.co.uk

“It has been hard work to get to this stage, but I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my mother and grandmother. It goes to show that anyone with a dream and the desire to reach their goals can achieve them, with a little support and inspiration along the way! This campaign is dedicated to just that.” www.aztecdiamondequestrian.com

The Fonzie Jumper. RRP: £90. www.mistamina.com

Peacock Feather Heart. RRP: £105. www.plucking fabulous.co.uk

REINS:

SADDLErY & TACk

AND ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!

HERE THE SOCIETY OF MASTER SADDLERS DISCUSS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DIFFERENT REINS AVAILABLE TODAY.

onnected on either side of the bridle to the bit and attached to one another near the horses withers, this forms a loop to make the reins. Reins are an important piece of tack on the bridle as they are one of the rider’s methods of communication with the horse. Depending if you have a horse or pony, a full size rein should be 1.5m in length and for a pony 1.3m. For jumping or flat racing the full size rein will need to be shorter in length to 1.4m, for when a shorter hold is needed. Most reins now are sold in four sizes: pony, cob, full and extrafull. Rein width is also an area to consider so it matches the width of your bridle, the size of your horse or pony and fits to the size of your hands. There is a wide range and variety of reins all suited for different needs and riding disciplines so it is important to choose something that is comfortable and appropriate. The different types of reins include: Plain – Made out of leather, these reins are smooth with no styling or features like hand

stops etc. Generally the reins are quite thin and flexible, offering a nice connection to the horse’s mouth and present a clean look. Most riders often use plain reins as a curb rein with a Weymouth or as a main rein in dressage.

Full rubber-grip – Favoured for showjumping and eventing, these reins are covered in rubber to provide soft grip without losing durability. Another great feature is that the reins are ideal for all weather conditions, because the rubber does not take on any water therefore drying almost instantly. Because of the rubber covering the reins can come in an array of colours.

Continental – Continental reins are web reins with leather markers spaced out on the reins, which make it easier for riders to hold them or if they struggle to keep their hands even. The web reins are lightweight, soft and flexible because they are made from cotton and are generally used for everyday flatwork/schooling.

Laced Reins – These leather reins are often seen

on hunter bridles because they provide good grip thanks to the laced pattern design sewn in. The overlaid laced leather also gives a nice traditional styling commonly used in showing.

Plaited – Five strips of leather are plaited together to form one single strap which becomes the rein and a natural surface to grip whilst looking smart.

SMS LAUNCH NEW PRESTIGIOUS CATEGORY

The Society of Master Saddlers has introduced a prestigious new category in the form of Master Saddle Fitter. The SMS already has categories for Master Saddler, Master Harness Maker, Master Bridle Maker and Master Saddle Maker and the Executive Committee felt it was a natural step to add Master Saddle Fitter. Explains SMS Chief Executive, Hazel Morley: “The term ‘Master’ should show a high level of experience and expertise. When it comes to the Master Saddle Fitter category we will of course be looking for individuals that have a wealth of knowledge, experience and a high skill level in order for them to be awarded the title.”

Half Rubber – Similar to the Congratulations go to Martin full rubber reins, only one side of Wilkinson who has been the rein is covered in thin awarded the Master Saddle rubber, which is favoured Fitter status. among dressage riders as that provides the grip. They are also thinner to eliminate bulk for a QUALIFICATION FOR close connection with the BIT FITTERS horse’s mouth. An innovative new course www.mastersaddlers.co.uk designed to bring a professional bit fitting qualification to the equine world for the first time has been developed by The Neue Schule Academy. The Lantra-certified course, which focuses on the correct bit and bridle fit for horse and rider, is aimed at those seeking to become a fully qualified bit fitter. www.academy .nsbits.com

SADDLERY

Q&A

TWICE PRESIDENT OF SOCIETY MASTER SADDLERS, LECTURER/ASSESSOR ON SADDLE FITTING COURSES AND MASTER SADDLER LAURENCE PEARMAN ANSWERS SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SADDLERY.

: I seem to get through stirrup leathers rather quickly! One very quickly becomes longer than the other. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to make my leathers last longer? With stirrup leathers it is always best to purchase a good quality pair. They may cost a little more but it is well worth

it. Also it is advisable to swap them from side to side each week, that way you will be hopefully balancing them up if any stretch occurs.

: I am thinking about investing in good second hand side saddle. What factors should I bear in mind before making the purchase? If making the purchase of a

Product News...

second hand side saddle, ideally you will need time to trial the saddle. I would suggest this is with the expert guidance of a Qualiﬁed Saddle Fitter from the Society of Master Saddlers, who has side saddle experience. They can check the ﬁt and safety, and also make any adjustments to it so you and your horse will be able to ride in comfort and safety.

Sprenger System-4 Stirrups are the essence of comfortable riding. Ensuring the riders heel is always in the correct low position. The stirrups relieve pressure on the hips, knees and ankles and soften the impact on cartilage and ligaments. RRP: £212. www.zebraproducts.co.uk

CArEErS, EDuCATIoN & TrAINING

Photos: SMR Photos

L-R: Donna Leavens, Chris Hunnable, Vicky Rice, Katie Jerram Hunnable

PERKS OF THE JOB!

SEIB EMPLOYEES BENEFIT FROM SPONSORSHIP

EIB Insurance Brokers are pleased to announce two new names to their team of sponsored riders. Claims Operations Manager, Donna Leavens and Insurance Technician, Vicky Rice are delighted to have been taken on as SEIB sponsored riders and are now benefitting from help with their competition, equipment and insurance costs. SEIB only sponsors riders that are also employees of the company. Nicolina MacKenzie, SEIB’s

Marketing Manager said: “Our employees along with our loyal customers are our business. We decided to give something back to those who work so hard for both us and with getting out and about with their horses.” Donna Leavens has worked for SEIB for eighteen years, progressing from an assistant role through to her current job of Claims Operations Manager. Donna is delighted to now be supported by SEIB to help with her competing. Donna said:

“SEIB’s sponsorship will be invaluable in helping me and my mare Luna to achieve our goal of competing at British Eventing. The step up from unaffiliated to affiliated eventing feels huge and the SEIB sponsorship will help provide us with some extra training.” Luna is a 15.3hh 5-year-old Connemara x Cob. Donna continued: “I bought her last year as a 4-year-old with the intention of just having some

fun. I’d had a 3 or 4-year gap in horse ownership having lost my first horse, whom I’d owned for 16 years, to colic. In the last year Luna and I have attended 3 weekend eventer training camps with instructors such as Nick Gauntlett, Cara Hayward and Penny Brooks. We have been hunting, competed in unaffiliated and MyQuest dressage, been cross-country and showjumping training and competed in both.” Donna and Luna came eleventh in their first unaffiliated 60cm ODE at Munsted and third in their first 70cm Hunter Trial at Stratford Hills. Donna explained. “Now we have the SEIB sponsorship, we are aiming to try our first affiliated BE80 next month, but it is a big step up!” However, for Donna, horse ownership isn’t just about competing. Donna said: “It’s about spending time with Luna and my friends, enjoying the countryside, improving my riding and having fun experiences. I regularly take my horse away for holidays with my friends, we’ve been to log cabins in Thetford Forest and campsites up on the Norfolk coastline where we can ride on the beach.

My typical day... “My working day is quite variable which is something that I really enjoy,” said Donna. “Generally I am based in the office at ockendon, Essex, and start at 9am. I’ll review the position of the team, log any absences, monitor work volumes and caseloads. I may then carry out team one-to-one meetings, supplier or client meetings, internal file or telephone audits. “Most lunchtimes I go to our local gym. It’s only 5 minutes up the road and is not something I can fit in at any other point of the day! I find the fresh air and exercise helps me stay focussed and motivated in the afternoon.

We hire local gallops, transport to woodlands for hacking, take part in group clinics together and enjoy sponsored rides.” Vicky Rice has just been promoted at SEIB from Administration Assistant to Insurance Technician. She said: “My work consists of anything from uploading correspondence from clients, to renewing policies and assessing documents for horses ongoing cover. I take calls from clients, answering queries and amending details.” Vicky has Queenie a 15.1hh piebald Irish Sport Horse on part-loan from a friend. Twelveyear-old Queenie excels in jumping and cross-country. Vicky said: “Queenie and I currently only compete at unaffiliated level at local shows but with this generous help from SEIB I’m looking to progress to take her to some affiliated shows later in the year.” Leading equine Insurance brokers, SEIB Insurance Brokers provide cover for horses, horse boxes, yards and much more. www.seib.co.uk

Vicky’s routine...

RHEA ASkS...

I’M RHEA FREEMAN...I’M A pR, MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT AND COACH WITH A SpECIALISM IN EQUESTRIAN AND RURAL BUSINESS. I WORK WITH A NUMBER OF THE BEST BRANDS IN THE INDUSTRY AND MANY THAT YOU’LL SEE IN THESE pAGES...

6am: Wake up, get ready to go and do Queenie. 6:30am: Get to the yard, turn out, muck out and make feeds. 7:30am: return home. 7:40am: Shower and get ready. 8:40am: Leave for work. 9am: Start work and go through emails. Assess documents from the work log. 12pm: Lunch. 1pm: Continue to assess work log as well as working through the equine underwriting diary, and chasing any outstanding renewals. 5:15pm: Finish work. 6pm: Get to the stables, skip out and groom. 7pm: ride, rug and feed Queenie. 8:30pm: Go to the gym. 10pm: Home, shower and bed.

“Back at the office in the afternoon I will usually have case referrals from the team, internal meetings and claim settlement payments to sign off. “We finish at around 5.15pm and I head straight to the stables, getting there about 6pm. Luna is kept on DIY livery with flexible services so I have her fed and turned out in winter and brought back in at dusk. That way she is dry and ready to ride when I get there after work. In Summer she lives out. After exercising and mucking out I usually get home just after 8pm.”

oals. Are you sick of hearing about them yet? Well stick with me and I’ll persuade you that a bit of goal setting could change your life. There are different ways to goal set, but here are a few tips I’ve picked up. 1. Write them down. Just writing a goal down makes it a lot more likely you’ll achieve it. Personally, I think seeing it written down in black and white feels a lot more serious. It serves as reminder too. 2. Be specific. You want to grow your following by x (not just grow your following). You want to attend x show (not just a show). See what I mean? Not only does this give you a very clear objective but you’ll know when you get there. 3. Break it down. Set huge scary goals if you like, but then break them down into little steps and start working through them. How are you going to achieve what you want? What do you need to learn/acquire/do to get there? 4. Set a deadline. Similar to the need to be specific, also set a realistic timeline. Having that pressing deadline will help you keep pushing forward! 5. Accept that you may not know how you’re going to get there. If you set a big goal, something you’ve never done before, accept the fact that you probably won’t know all you need to do to achieve it. But you don’t need to. You need to know how to achieve the first step. Say you wanted to run a marathon. That’s a big scary goal. You might not know even how to apply to run a marathon… but I bet you know where to go to get a good pair of trainers? or find an online guide to building up your running (like the NHS’s Couch to 5k). Have a Google, see what works for you, and get goal setting. And if you have no idea where to start, just get a notebook, clear your mind, and do the above. You’ll be amazed at what results these simple steps can bring.

ARE YOU A GOAL DIGGER? Visit www.rheafreemanpr.co.uk • Twitter (@rheafreeman) • Instagram (@rheafreemanpr) • Facebook (/RheaFreemanpR)

CArEErS, EDuCATIoN & TrAINING

ARE YOU READY TO MAKE 2019

The Best Ever?

o, you’ve made the decision you want to set up your own business? Super exciting and by far the best thing I have ever done. But, I’ve certainly learnt some things the hard way. Your first year in business is vital. 8 in 10 companies fail in their first year. How can you ensure you’re not one of them?

The benefits of being self-employed There are many benefits to being self-employed. Setting your own hours, choosing who you work with and having a new found sense of desire for success

are among the many but for me, it’s all about the pride one has for their work. I’ve always worked jolly hard even when I hated my job before I made the big step into the world of self-employment. Working for yourself (and years down the line, seeing it all come together) is what makes this entrepreneurial journey so amazing for me. Yes, I will admit, in the first year, I did say yes to contracts I wouldn’t now, but at that time, you’ve got to just get the work in while you establish yourself and figure out which path you want to go down. Sometimes you have to just follow the route that is paved for you. When I started out, I was on the road 5 days a week as a journalist. Strangely enough I didn’t specifically set out to be an equine PR, the path just led me that way! People were asking for help with their public relations and marketing and I found that wholly enjoyable. So you do have to sometimes follow where the work takes you - and embrace it!

Top tips for someone going out on their own For those 80% of businesses that fail in their first year, the

By Tara Punter, Equestrian and Rural PR primary reasons are cash flow still try to take the same amount and lack of planning. If you fail out of the business because the to plan, you plan to fail. next month, your sales could Set yourself goals and make sure drop immensely - it just you stay on track. Every week, happens! It’s nice (from a sanity you should be looking at those point of view as well!) to have goals, seeing if you’re still on that safety net and it will target for them and to ensure massively increase your chances that the tasks you’re of success. completing are Getting helping you achieve ...”8 in 10 started them. There are a whole companies fail in For me, in that first number of ways their first year. year my biggest you can increase issue was cashflow How can you your chances of and I was only able ensure you’re not success in that first to overcome that year. I recently with working with a one of them?”... launched my own business coach who Facebook group, helped me Superstar PR by Tara Punter to completely realign and work on offer free, impartial and my current offering. I was experienced advice to business invoicing once work was owners who would like some completed and was sometimes help with all things PR, waiting for money for 6 months, Marketing and Social Media. It’s enough to cripple a start up. free to join and a wonderfully I now invoice up front which has supportive, positive community. transformed my business model. Please do come and join! Finally, don’t spend all you have! www.tarapunterpr.co.uk If you have a really good month,

My horse, my inspiration... olly Hickmore says her positive experiences while studying at Hartpury College helped shape her successful career as a professional sculptor. Currently the artist in residence at Sandown Racecourse, Holly makes and casts her own work in bronze at her studio just outside Winchester. One of her sculptures now has a permanent place in the entrance to the Equine Centre at Hartpury. The opportunity to stable her own horse at Hartpury’s livery yard provided Holly with inspiration for her bronze creations. The livery yard, which has room for 260 horses, is among a range of facilities at Hartpury that also include a commercially-run farm supplying produce to major supermarkets, an Animal Management Centre and a state-of-the-art Sports Academy. “I wanted to take my horse to college with me, so what better place than Hartpury?” said Holly, who studied A-levels in art, biology and psychology. “The first sculpture I ever did was in the A-level centre, and it was great because I had my horse here and that’s where I got my inspiration. “After Hartpury, I went to Canterbury University to study fine art and then did an Erasmus year and went to Budapest to the Hungarian School of Art. It was there that I learnt all the traditional skills I use today. I love sculpting any subject but sculpting a horse is like coming home. “I’ve been very lucky to have pieces on the Hartpury stands at Badminton Horse Trials, The Royal Three Counties Show and Countryfile Live. It’s been great for me. I also have a sculpture here permanently in the entrance to the Hartpury Arena. “I love the concept of people trying to harness the power of their horses, and that’s what I try to capture in my sculptures.”

LIGHTING A PASSION FOR

RIDING...

ourwinds Equestrian Centre, based in Spalding, Lincolnshire is hoping to inspire more people to take up horse riding thanks to its Accessibility Mark accreditation. The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), in partnership with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), launched the revolutionary Accessibility Mark scheme to work with riding centres with the aim of opening up more opportunities for disabled people to participate in riding. Owner Paula Leverton runs Fourwinds Equestrian Centre with her team of experienced, qualified instructors and their carefully selected horses to offer the very best tuition. They pride themselves on building a community amongst their client

base, who all share a passion for horses and riding. Paula said: “Spending time with horses is something very special, the benefits of which can transfer into our daily lives. We hope that the Accessibility Mark accreditation can only help us strengthen our services for disabled riders.” www.fourwinds equestrian.co.uk

LAUNCH OF DIGITAL MAGAZINE

DEDICATED TO CAREERS

“I feel a massive parity with the competitors because they are striving for excellence and that is what I’m doing here, just not in the arena.”

The Equine Transition provides motivational, inspirational and actionable career advice to people working in the industry and those looking to get started. The high-quality quarterly publication is free to subscribers and aims to help people in the equine industry start, switch or progress their career. The magazine is founded by Sarah Watson, a lifelong equestrian who’s worked in the industry for over 15-years. Sarah decided to act on her passion of helping others to realise their ambitions. www.equinetransition.com

THE ProFESSIoNALS

Lisa’sLIFE EQUINE AMERICA BRAND AMBASSADOR LISA CLARKE-SPENCE BHSI SM IS A REGULAR ON THE EVENTING CIRCUIT AND TRAINS HORSES OF ALL ABILITIES FROM HER EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, HEMPS GREEN EQUESTRIAN, IN ESSEX. us at 21-years-of-age, it is always very rewarding to see the return of good girls. Ellie is with the Equine Learning Academy and I can say I am very impressed with their dedication to achievement with their students. Ellie attends college once every other week, the rest of her training is carried out at Hemps Green. They all hit the ground running as I decided it was time to up our game and become BHS approved, along with this we also have our establishments license renewal. I am pleased to report we have met the BHS approval for 2019 with ‘highly commended’ in coaching and riding out, and with horse welfare, customer care, tack room and legislative compliance all also ‘highly commended’ and the highest 5-star rating for the new animal activity license. To say I am proud of my team and their achievements for such a short time in their new roles would be an understatement. It looks to be a promising 2019 already! I am pleased to report that along with all the business

achievements the results in the ring have still been forthcoming. The BRC Area 8 Winter SJ Qualifiers at Wix Equestrian Centre, saw two of my string qualify for Bury Farm Winter Championships. The lovely Desert Fox of Paula Twins in the 100cm team, and Nicholai of Luella Bartleys in the 1.10m team. I am already Looking forward to the finals in April, where we will try our hardest to retain our national title. I also ticked off one of my bucket list items by hunting with the university drag at Semer. Believe it or not I had not been with them until this winter! Wow what fun! Buster aka Temple Rexton gave me a peach of a ride. At 17.3hh he is no midget and he can sure cover the ground, the advantage is the big hedges look much smaller on him. A great fun day and I will definitely be going again. My lovely Fidget came back to work from her holiday in November and showed signs of a virus; she has been on the back burner and on the Equine

Desert Fox at Wix EC.

Buster put with the Cambridge University drag hounds.

America product Pro-Pell. I am pleased to report that January has seen a return to her winning form, with her winning a class at Boyton Hall Affiliated BS. Now off the Pro-Pell as she was somewhat fresher and quicker than anticipated. I am so pleased to be brand ambassador for products that really do work. I have never used this product until this winter and I can definitely say it gave her wings!

SPoNSor’S SLoT... With an energy dense glucose-fructose complex to ensure Pro-Pell Plus is appetising and palatable when horses need a pick-me-up, Pro-Pell Plus is a daily tonic, designed to provide vital micronutrients. Wet and muddy conditions can cause the hooves and legs of your horse or pony to be vulnerable to bacteria and fungus. Magic Mud is a safe and soothing anti-fungal and anti-bacterial cream than can be applied regularly to the skin for healthy hooves and legs. www.equine-america.co.uk

Photo: Frances Brown.

inter is so far being very kind to us, and it has brought about many changes for the team here at Hemps Green. We saw the moving to pastures new for my long term staff member Pip Wyncoll; we gave her a good send off at the William Fox Pitt lecture demo held at Bury Farm, and he personally presented her with her leaving gift. It was a good night enjoyed by many of the Hemps Green crew staff and clients alike. We were all sad to see her go, but nothing stands still; I am now able to welcome my new team of staff. Chloe Spalding, younger sister of another previous head girl Becci, has taken charge of the Riding establishment side of the business. She is ably assisted by Kat Whitfield who is now in charge of the competition and schooling livery side. They are both assisted by Ellie King who is our apprentice. Chloe was a Saturday girl when she was at college and she is now back with

iving in Scotland, Robinson Animal Healthcare sponsored event rider, Louisa Milne Home, is used to facing the extra challenges of trying to keep her horses in training during winter, so she is just the person to offer advice on how to cope with the unpredictable winter weather. Louisa tries her best to keep the horses in work throughout winter, so if the weather really does takes a turn for the worse and she is forced into giving them a break, they will still maintain a certain level of fitness. Louisa said: “Preparation is key to keeping the horses ticking over during winter. Arena management is really important having a good surface that isn’t prone to freezing is essential and you should make sure that you keep it harrowed so that it is level. If the surface is compact it will freeze, if it is level and fluffed up, you will still have something you can ride on; even if it is a little bit hard, you can just work on walk exercises, after all, we can all do better halts and pirouettes.” Safety is paramount when the temperature drops and surfaces

TOP EVENT SIRE RAMIRO B PASSES AWAY

Louisa Milne Home

WINTER COPING WITH

become icy. Salt all pathways to the muck heap and the fields, so the horses can be turned out safely. If it has snowed, clear and salt all the pathways, because if the snow gets compacted it will become treacherous. Salt and a snow shovel are vital pieces of equipment in the battle against winter. “We like to keep the horses turned out all year round, even if they are only out for a couple of hours, but this really depends on your fields. If they are really wet it isn’t worth trashing them, also if the ground is frozen solid it could be worth keeping them in, as you risk bruised feet and strains,” advised Louisa. Louisa relies on her heat trace cables on the water pipes to stop

them from freezing which is a massive help if the weather turns bad, as they prevent burst pipes and the need to lug water buckets across the yard. She also swears by her drying cupboard for wet rugs, which means that the horses always wear a dry rug and Louisa doesn’t have to have wet rugs in the house. “We have some heat lamps set up so that helps to keep the horses warm when clipping and grooming and we have invested in a portable hot water shower which is great for getting them ready for shows or if they are really muddy when they come in.” said Louisa. After washing the horse’s legs, Louisa always uses Veterinary

Gamgee and bandages to thoroughly dry the legs, to help avoid any skin irritations. Weather permitting, Louisa likes to hack the horses out as much as possible and she uses traditional Newmarket blankets which are heavy and don’t flap around in the wind and also help to keep their muscles warm as all her horses are fully clipped. As the possibility of snow is more likely where Louisa lives, she likes nothing better than riding around her snow-covered fields: “It is great for the horses as they have so much fun. As long as the snow isn't balling in their feet, it is really good for fitness,” added Louisa. www.robinsonanimal healthcare.com

It is with great sadness that Nina Barbour and the team at Bolesworth announce the passing of Ramiro B, after being diagnosed with irreversible kidney failure at the age of 24. Ramiro B has been standing in the UK since 2011, and has consistently been one of the most popular Eventing Sires in the World, currently standing at number 6 on the World Breeding Federation Eventing Sire rankings. His progeny have had their most successful year to date in 2018, with Cooley Master Class winning the Rolex Kentucky CCI 4* with Oliver Townend, followed by Cooley SRS achieving runner up spot at Badminton Horse Trials also with Oliver later in the Spring. Owner Nina Barbour said: “Ramiro B has been much loved and I am very grateful to both the teams at Stallion AI and Bolesworth who have looked after him beautifully. We will all miss him very much, but it is a comfort that we have frozen semen stored and will be able to continue his legacy.” For all enquiries please contact Stallion AI services on 01948 666295.

THE ProFESSIoNALS

JUMPING A DOUBLE WITH

Pippa Allen

IN THIS ISSUE BRITISH HORSE FEEDS SPONSORED SHOWJUMPER PIPPA ALLEN EXPLAINS WHAT A DOUBLE IS AND HOW IT SHOULD BE JUMPED.

double is two fences jumped closely together usually with one or two strides in between. As a rider, you should know how to stride out a distance between doubles and it’s important that you are consistent with your own stride length when pacing out the distances to measure the number of strides your horse will take. This takes practice and experience. Try measuring out the true distance of a one stride double applicable to your horse and practice striding the distance until you know what length of stride you should take. As a rough guide, for a horse a one stride double will be eight of your strides. A two stride double will be twelve strides. It is also important to know your horse and how they move. Horses’ strides can vary in length and it’s handy to know if the

striding for them is going to be long or short so you know how to approach and ride the combination of fences. You may also need to adjust your horse's stride according to the type of obstacle that must be jumped, and the order they occur. Horses take off and land at different distances from the obstacle depending on its type: usually closer for triple bars, slightly further for oxers, and even further for verticals. For example, a vertical to an oxer will ride differently than an oxer to a vertical. Other factors such as a ‘spooky’ fence may make the horse back off and will result in a change in the stride and the distances between the fences. Here Pippa advises the best way to tackle a double... As you approach a double, you want your horse to be well balanced, on his hocks and in a rhythmical, bouncy canter.

Before you approach the fence use the corner well, looking for your fence, so that you can set your horse up and keep the approach straight whilst keeping them between the hand and leg. It is important for the rider to stay balanced, keeping a contact throughout. When one or more fences are linked together, they require athleticism and power from the horse. He must be presented correctly at the first element so that he is able to jump the following fence. It is all about setting your horse up to jump well over the first part of the double because this determines how he will jump the second element. The more impulsion the horse has on the approach, the more chance he has of meeting the first part on a good stride. This means that you must not over-ride so that you interfere with the rhythm or balance. It’s all about being accurate and in control in order to keep straight and your horse moving forward through the double. Pippa’s horses enjoy Fibre-Beet as part of a balanced diet. Fibre-Beet is a versatile, super-fibre conditioning feed and when fed alongside a balanced diet can improve energy intake in performance horses whilst keeping fibre levels at an optimum. www.britishhorsefeeds.com

SIMON’S GRAND PRIX RIDE

Well-known equestrian wholesaler and the brains behind Zebra products, Simon Middleton was recently invited to ride Gareth Hughes’ Grand prix ride, Classic Briolinca. Together with Julia Hornig, Gareth and rebecca run and own the leading retailer Classic Dressage and Simon has been doing business with them for nearly 20 years. Classic Briolinca is ranked 42nd in the FEI World rankings and scored more than 76% at Le Mans recently. Gareth’s top Grand Prix horse is now 12 but ﬁrst joined the team as a 3-year-old. Said Simon: “The opportunity to ride one of the top Grand Prix horses currently in the uk was an unbelievable privilege and honour.”

Simon Middleton riding Classic Briolinca. Pictured with Rebecca Hughes

ACCESSIBILITY MARK A LOOK BACK AT THE PIVOTAL MOMENTS OF

ovember 2018 marked five years since the revolutionary Accessibility Mark scheme was born. Developed by the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) in partnership with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), the aim was to provide training, assistance and accreditation to riding centres to enable more disabled people to participate in horse riding. As the project was launched nationally it has gone from strength to strength opening up more opportunities and helping to support RDA Groups. Here we look back over some of the pivotal moments of the scheme so far... November 2013 – with the support of Sport England funding, Accessibility Mark was launched as a pilot project following research that showed more disabled people wanted to take up horse riding than there was facility to do so. The initial pilot project focused on three areas of England, Avon, Warwickshire and Surrey. Former

Sport England Chief Executive, Jenny Price explains the Accessibility Mark concept to RDA Groups at the RDA AGM.

March 2014 – Radway Riding School, in Warwickshire becomes the first Accessibility Mark accredited centre, with another four centres having received their initial visit from an Accessibility Support Office (ASO).

December 2014 – at the end of 2014, while still only a pilot project, Accessibility Mark had 13 accredited centres.

November 2015 – Accessibility Mark officially launched and rolled out nationally following a vote of confidence at the RDA AGM.

May 2016 – Accessibility Mark reaches milestone of 30 accredited centres nationally.

March 2017 - Accessibility Mark joined forces with Disabled Access Day, with a number of accredited centres holding special events in support of the national day to encourage disabled people to try

something new. Riders that attended these events are still actively riding today and their lives have been enriched by their involvement with horses.

June 2017 – RDA appeal for more centres to apply for the accreditation in the North Midlands area where unmet demand was recognised to be higher than anywhere else in the UK.

October 2017 – Divoky Riding School was crowned the ‘Best Rural Sporting Business’ at the Rural Business Awards 2017. The school’s Accessibility Mark status formed part of their presentation to reflect their uniqueness, success and vision as a business.

September 2018 – RDA appeals for more centres in the West Midlands area to help meet a growing demand for riding opportunities in the area.

August 2018 - Sparsholt College in Hampshire gained accreditation to become the 50th Accessibility Mark centre.

With rDA celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2019, Accessibility Mark is testament to how the charity has broken down barriers in disabled sport and now provides access to some of the highest quality support and coaching available in the world. As well as the golden anniversary, Accessibility Mark is also looking forward to once again joining forces with Disabled Access Day, on 16th March. Accessibility Mark status is awarded to a riding centre that has been approved by the rDA following training and assessment. The close link with the rDA means that they offer continuous support to the establishment to ensure they provide you with a ﬁrst class service and an experience that aims to be hugely beneﬁcial. There are currently 50 Accessibility Mark-approved centres across the country. www.rda.org.uk

TheraPlateUK Liverpool International Horse Show rEPorTS

28th - 31st December 2018 Charlotte and Florentina take Liverpool honours

ouble Olympic dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin proved the headline act on the opening day of the Show. Charlotte, who earlier in the evening paraded her multiple major championship medal-winning horse Valegro to gasps of delight at the Echo Arena, returned with Florentina VI to win the Intermediate 1 Freestyle Invitational, sponsored by Equitop Myoplast. It was another fine display by Charlotte and the 8year-old mare, with the horse among a string of outstanding young equine talent being developed at her Gloucestershire base. Their score of 81.938% put them a distance clear of the field, although there were also some fine performances that completed the podium places. Britain’s Katie Bailey took second place aboard Boccelli 6 on a score of 77.188%, with this year’s World Equestrian Games para-dressage gold medallist Sophie Wells finishing third. Sophie, riding C Fatal Attraction, scored 76.813%, while fourth spot was filled by Amy Woodhead, riding Branduardi.

Stylish performance from Jack Whitaker to head Equerry Horse Feeds Under 25 Grand Prix ack Whitaker produced a stylish performance to take centre-stage on the opening night of the TheraPlateUK Liverpool International Horse Show. Jack, son of British Olympian Michael Whitaker, won the Liverpool International Under-25 Grand Prix, sponsored by Equerry Horse Feeds. And he did it with time to spare at the Echo Arena, winning the jump-off on 8-year-old mare Scenletha by more than two seconds. Oliver Fletcher, the richly promising 15-year-old from Oxfordshire, took second and third spots on KBIS Caicos and Hello

Disckoboy, respectively. For Jack, it ended a succcessful year highlighted by him winning a silver medal at the Youth Olympics in Argentina. “I think three in the jump-off was just about right,” Jack said. “It was a big enough and technical enough course.

Daniel wins car for a year!

“I didn’t want to go flat out, I just wanted to make sure I was quick and clear. I did quite a quick turn back to the second fence in the jump-off. “She is looking like a nice horse at the moment. “She is really careful, and this would be her biggest win so far.”

his year’s TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show saw two new awards launched at the prestigious event – with lucky groom Daniel Tarpey winning a car for 12 months! The Golden Groom Award and the Peak Performance Award were supported by TheraPlate UK and included the use of a fantastic Toyota Aygo car for the winning groom for a year.

Great Double for Essex’s Claudia Moore ssex teenager Claudia fence down aboard Casino Moore completed a Royale VIII, and Claudia brilliant double on the followed her into the arena, Saturday. clocking 31.49 seconds on the The 14-year-old, who lives near 10-year-old mare Delflip. Brentwood, won the Liverpool And it was a time that proved International 148cms too much for her challengers, Championship, sponsored by with Lila Bremner - daughter of Carden Arms. the television impressionist Rory And in doing so, Bremner, who she repeated her “This is one of the most was among the victory of 12 audience amazing shows. Nina months ago in going closest the same class, Barbour does such a good aboard job with everything, and I Lapislazuli. completing a memorable am really honoured to be Anoushka 2018. able to jump here in that Mauree, riding Claudia was a Miami amazing arena.” member of Moonbeam, Great Britain's finished third, gold medal-winning team at the with Shaunie and Casino Royale Pony European Championships VIII fourth and Jake Myers and this summer, when she also Razorlite II fifth. claimed individual bronze. Reflecting on her victory, And she carried that form with Claudia said: “It was the most her to the Echo Arena, emerging nerve-wracking experience. I triumphant by more than four won this class last year, and I seconds after six combinations really wanted to come first again contested the jump-off. and make it two years in a row. Scottish challenger Shaunie “She has been such a lovely Greig, a prolific winner on the pony for me. She tries so hard pony circuit this year, had one for you.

Singing sensation Beau Dermott and her love for Rescue Pony Prince

oung singing sensation Beau Dermott wowed the audience at the starspangled first evening. Known globally for her spellbinding performance on Britain’s Got Talent, Beau is a massive pony fan thanks to her love of Prince who she rescued. Said Beau: “I spend as much time as I can with Prince, he is at a yard near my home so I get to see him a lot. “I have been to all four Liverpool International Horse Shows, it is just fantastic and a great event with so much to watch and see. It is wonderful to be back.”

Dominic Fox (right) and Daniel Tarpey with his winning car

reat Britain’s Harriet Nuttall won the four star jump-off class, sponsored by Voltaire Design. Twelve combinations from 31 starters made it through to the the jump-off, and it was Harriet who prevailed with Galway Bay Jed in a time of 34.40 seconds. A delighted Harriet said: “The horse has had a bit of a break, and he has come back and feels so good. I wasn’t meant to go that fast, but he was really, really good. He kept working hard and giving it everything, and I feel when you are jumping a fourstar class that you just know the time to push on.”

“I didn’t watch Shaunie’s round in the jump-off because I knew I would change my round if I watched it. I knew she would be extremely fast, so it was just about doing my own thing and sticking to what I was going to do. “There were people to jump after me who are big competitors, so I was nervous as to whether or not my time would be quick enough. “This is one of the most amazing shows. Nina Barbour does such a good job with everything, and I am really honoured to be able to jump here in that amazing arena.”

Harriet Jumps to a Memorable Win

rEPorTS Sula and Harriet top the bill in Mini Major Matt and Michael soar to Puissance success att Sampson has reflected on the ‘amazing’ experience of Puissance glory. Yorkshireman Matt and Irish challenger Michael Pender shared the top prize after they both jumped 2.20 metres (7ft 3in) to clear the famous red wall in a class sponsored by Equitop GLME. And for Matt, it was a remarkable result, given that he only knew about his ride - Top Dollar VI - barely 30 minutes before the start after its regular

rider Essex’s Laura Renwick rang and offered him the ride. Eleven combinations began the class - it could run for a maximum of five rounds - but the final drama was enacted by Matt and Michael, with his 2018 Dublin Horse Show Puissance title winner Hearton du Bois Halleux. And they both delivered the goods, sending a capacity crowd wild at the Echo Arena and bringing an end to day three of the show that no-one could have scripted.

Irish eyes are smiling

Shane Breen ensured that Irish eyes smiled once again at the Echo Arena as he claimed a brilliant victory in the Grand Prix. Shane took top spot this time around on 13-year-old stallion Golden Hawk. Harry Charles underlined his status as one of world showjumping’s most exciting prospects by claiming a victory in the 1.45m international speed class, sponsored by Hope Valley Saddlery, with bay mare Doulita.

Victory for Harry Charles

ula von Bulow and Harriet Nuttall produced a showstopping double act as they topped the bill on the Sunday. They teamed up to win the fancy dress Invitational Mini Major Relay, sponsored by Archco Developments, and they did it in style, beating a quality field with Ha rriet Nuttall more than a second to spare. Eight-year-old Sula, who lives in London and was kitted out in a Bumble Bee from the Transformers costume, said: “It was so much fun. I enjoyed every second of it; I never had an opportunity like this before to ride at such a big show, and it was just so cool to do it on my pony that I love with all my heart.”

Tabitha continues her success story... abitha Kyle took the 138cms Championship, sponsored by Powder Systems, in fine style. Last to go of six combinations in the jump-off, Tabitha timed her run perfectly on the 15-year-old gelding Lissduff Royal. European Pony Championship team gold medallist and individual bronze medal winner Claudia Moore looked to have done enough with the 20-yearold Sonas Barney, clocking 26.42 seconds, but Tabitha had other ideas, posting a time of

25.30. Charlotte Bevan and Rathcoona James took third, with Tom Francis-Jones and Kiltormer Hero finishing fourth.

Explains ATQH Co-ordinator and Founder Caroline Marsh: “This year was probably our best parade to date, with everything working seamlessly. The crowds adore the horse section, and we get plenty of opportunities to ‘meet and greet’ everyone along the route. The horses behaved immaculately including Midas, who was appearing for the first time in the Parade as his owner, Jane Morgan explains:

Tulips and Colour

Photo by Jo Monck

Photo by Equipassion UK

Even ponies get to go big in costume. Photo by Jo Monck

“This was Midas’ and my first year; it’s like no experience you have ever had. It’s a mixture of feeling like a movie star as everyone is looking like you but at the same time you feel so small as the event is so big, it was so much fun. It’s only just sinking in what we did. As for Midas he stood there head high, looked around as if to say ‘OK, this isn’t a show is it?’ But took it all in his stride, with his ears forward looking like he had done it all before. He enjoyed it all. I really cannot say how proud I am of this horse. He’s amazing.”

and has taken place every year since 1987 with All The Queen's Horses participating since 2012. Around 500,000 spectators attend the event every year, and the route runs from Piccadilly near Green Park to Piccadilly Circus, Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall to Parliament Square. www.allthequeens horses.co.uk

The LNYDP is a free family event

Photo by Jo Monck

Showcasing colourful costumes, spectacular showmanship and bringing a distinct equestrian presence which the crowds loved, All The Queen’s Horses delivered entertainment and serious horsepower with over 60 horses attending the event.

“The Parade’s theme was ‘London Welcomes The World’ and celebrated our vibrant, multi-cultural society and the visitors who flock to our capital from all over the world.”

Loving the crowds. Photo by Jo Monck

Complete with Masquered Masks.

Proving that pink suits everyone, this cob looks full of eastern promise.

Baltic beauties

Photo by Equipassion UK

he Capital enjoyed a big carnival atmosphere on New Year's Day with the return of the annual London's New Year's Day Parade celebrating Britain’s diverse multicultural capital with a unique equestrian element, All The Queen’s Horses.

Photo by Jo Monck

Horsing around on New Year’s Day!

rEPorTS Wix EC Christmas Show Sunday 16th December

Easton Region Grass Roots Showjumping Champions St. Josephs College, Ipswich

n the 16th December 2018 the NSEA (National School Equestrian Association) held the grassroots showjumping regional final for 2018. St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college showjumping team were among many keen riders at the event at Topthorn Equestrian Centre. The team of Ema Lewis riding Penny Pocket Rocket, Cherish Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Gorman riding Banagher Lady Cascade and Freya Milner-Moore riding Spikeman went on to win three team classes, one warm up and two finals. Freya and Spikeman This making them the regional champions for the grassroots Showjumping 2018 in two finals. Freya also went on to win the individual final. The girls were thrilled with their results and had a lovely time together as a great team! St.Josephs college have a few showjumping team members now throughout the school and also enjoyed a successful show at Topthorn Equestrian Centre for the qualifying event in November where the older teams were also winning their classes with riders Rosie Hope, Lucy Ablett, Katie Rolph and Charlotte Mann competing for the school. All the team members are hoping to move up to the next level together in the new year.

Third in the Fancy Dress Class was Amelia Ball with her Nativity scene. The winner of the Puissance, Rachel Chisnell from Weeley, got to 1.4m.

L to R: Freya, Cherish and Ema.

Charlotte and Jack won first with their Santa and Sleigh

Photos: Adrian@diss-eventphotography.co.uk

Alanis Baxter came second in the Fancy Dress class with her Christmas Pudding ensemble

Well done!

Winner at the NSEA Plate Championships

elene Kontofrios is 11years-old and rides two ponies, both belonging to her grandmother, Deirdre Hunt. Blackbourne Harriet aka Tiddles is a 13hh Welsh Section C and Chilham Temple Bar aka Liffey is a 14.2hh Connemara. Helene is an active member of the Eastern Harriers Pony Club and has represented the club in showjumping and eventing teams. Helene attends Ipswich High School and has been in numerous NSEA teams qualifying for multiple championships over the past year on both ponies. Helene, Tiddles and her IHS school team were third in the National Arena Eventing Championships 75cm at Hickstead in May, out of around 30 teams. Liffey, who is primarily ridden by Joanne Watts, has qualified for The Mitsubishi Motors Cup BE90 for the last three years, each time producing double clears. Liffey won a Gt Witchingham BE90 last year and has had numerous other placings including third at a Horseheath BE90 and fifth at a Little Downham BE90.

Photos: info@mhphotos.co.uk

LGC T

Suff olk S how 2018

, Ro me

EXCEPTIONAL MOMENTS OF THE MONTH CAPTURED By Sophie Harris

Liffey is the ultimate school master for all the family. She is hacked around the Suffolk leafy lanes by 71-year-old owner (granny) and has recently taken mum Clare around Poplar Park Hunter Trials and qualified for the Horsewear National Hunter Trial Championships 2019 being held at Eland Lodge in Derbyshire. Since becoming a partnership in September, Helene and Liffey have qualified for multiple NSEA national championships, culminating in winning the NSEA Individual National Plate Arena Eventing Jumping with Style 75cm Championship at Keysoe on the 18th November scoring a 9/10 style mark. Helene who is taught by Debbie Edmundson has had a fantastic year with these special ponies and has already qualified both of them along with her IHS team mates for the NSEA National Arena Eventing Championships 75cm and 85cm in Hickstead in May 2019.

Longines Global Champions, Lond on 2018

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good Christmas. As promised in the last issue here are my 3 favourite event images of 2018. From Suffolk Show to the Longines Global Champions tour of Rome, 2018 (and my camera) took to me to a variety of places. I can't wait to see where 2019 leads me. I hope you have a great year! www.instagram.com/seh__photography/ www.sehphotography.co.uk www.facebook.com/SEHphotographyUK/

Well done! Xanthe Goodman, age 13 from the Essex Hunt North Pony Club has been invited to join the UK Polocrosse Player Development Pathway. Xanthe will benefit from UK Squad training.

VETS IN THE SPoTLIGHT / CLASSIFIEDS

Wherry Veterinary Group Bungay, Suffolk

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www.hawkedonvets.co.uk

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Our services include: • 24hr 365 days a year emergency support • Free zone visit scheme for routine work • Full in-patient facilities with CCTV and on-site vets • Fully equipped surgical theatre • Menage and hard trot up area for lameness examinations • Digital x-ray and ultrasound • Endoscopy (mobile and in the clinic) • Castration clinics • Export certiﬁcation • Pre-purchase examinations

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Suffolk Pet & Equine Crematorium

PEACE OF MIND AT A TIME OF GRIEF 01284 810981

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EQUESTRIAN CENTRE

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Based in Norfolk, but covering a wide area. Registered member

Juddpurs Saddlery Specialists in saddle fitting by Society of Master Saddlers qualified saddle fitter. Most ranges of saddles in stock or we can order. 111 Bedingfield Crescent Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8ED

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SHoWDATE DIArY Your Showdate listings for...February/March 2019 FRIDAY 1ST FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Norfolk: Anvil Park Stud: British Dressage. Tel: 07879 881755 SATURDAY 2ND FEBRUARY ARENA EVENTING Beds: Twin Trees EC; Arena Eventer Trial. Tel: 01767 627414 DRESSAGE Beds: The College EC; British Dressage. Tel: 01234 708400 DRESSAGE Essex: Barleylands EC; Team Quest Dressage. Tel: 07545 010770 DRESSAGE Essex: Wix EC; THRC Dressage. Tel: 01255 870744 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Brook Farm TC; Senior British Showjumping. Tel: 01708 687550 SHOWJUMPING Suffolk: Topthorn Arena; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 01449 711962 SUNDAY 3RD FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Beds: The College EC; Affiliated and Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 01234 708400 DRESSAGE Norfolk: Anvil Park Stud: Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 07879 881755 DRESSAGE Norfolk: Lime Kiln Farm EC; Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 07749 951898 DRESSAGE Suffolk: Topthorn Arena; Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 01449 711962 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Harolds Park Farm; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 07775 516945 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Barleylands EC; Senior British

Showjumping. Tel: 07545 010770 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Brook Farm TC; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 01708 687550 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Wix EC; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 01255 870744 SHOWJUMPING Suffolk: Boyton Hall EC; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 07557 091008 SHOWJUMPING Suffolk: The Jays; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 07759 603120 MONDAY 4TH FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Suffolk: Topthorn Arena; British Dressage. Tel: 01449 711962 TUESDAY 5TH FEBRUARY COMBINED TRAINING Beds: The College EC; Combined Training. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Beds: The College EC; Clear Round Showjumping. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Norfolk: Anvil Park Stud: British Showjumping. Tel: 07879 881755 WEDNESDAY 6TH FEBRUARY SHOWJUMPING Beds: The College EC; British Showjumping. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Brook Farm TC; Evening Showjumping. Tel: 01708 687550 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Wix EC; Evening Showjumping. Tel: 01255 870744

THURSDAY 7TH FEBRUARY SHOWJUMPING Beds: The College EC; Senior British Showjumping. Tel: 01234 708400 FRIDAY 8TH FEBRUARY SHOWJUMPING Beds: The College EC; Senior British Showjumping. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Barleylands EC; Senior British Showjumping. Tel: 07545 010770 SHOWJUMPING Suffolk: Topthorn Arena; Novice Evening Showjumping. Tel: 01449 711962 SATURDAY 9TH FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Beds: Twin Trees EC; Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 01767 627414 SDRESSAGE Essex: Barleylands EC; Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 07545 010770 EVENTING Beds: The College EC; Arena Eventing. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Beds: The College EC; Senior British Showjumping. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Brook Farm TC; Junior British Showjumping. Tel: 01708 687550 SUNDAY 10TH FEBRUARY ARENA EVENTING Suffolk: Boyton Hall EC; Arena Eventing. Tel: 07557 091008 DRESSAGE Essex: Brook Farm TC; British Dressage. Tel: 01708 687550 DRESSAGE Suffolk: Centaur

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Trust; Affiliated and Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 07881 802129 DRIVING Essex: Wix EC; Indoor Driving. Tel: 01473 735732 SHOWING Essex: Barleylands EC; Showing Show. Tel: 07545 010770 SHOWJUMPING Beds: The College EC; Senior British Showjumping. Tel: 01234 708400 SHOWJUMPING Cambs: Grey Fern Park EC; Unaffiliated Showjumping. Tel: 07930 356308 SHOWJUMPING Norfolk: Lime Kiln Farm EC; Showjumping for cash. Tel: 07749 951898 SHOWJUMPING Suffolk: Topthorn Arena; Mini Showjumping. Tel: 01449 711962 MONDAY 11TH FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Essex: Brook Farm TC; Evening Dressage. Tel: 01708 687550 TUESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Beds: The College EC; British Dressage. Tel: 01234 708400 WEDNESDAY 13TH FEBRUARY DRESSAGE Beds: The College EC; Affiliated and Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 01234 708400 DRESSAGE Norfolk: Easton & Otley College; Unaffiliated Dressage. Tel: 01603 732316 SHOWJUMPING Essex: Brook Farm TC; Evening Showjumping. Tel: 01708 687550 SHOWJUMPING Suffolk: The Jays; Senior British