21 minute read
Robinson Animal Healthcare set
WHY EVERY FIRST AID KIT SHOULD INCLUDE... VETERINARY GAMGEE
Veterinary Gamgee has been a staple of horse owners’ first aid kits for many years having been originally invented and patented by Robinsons in 1880.
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Veterinary Gamgee consists of a thick layer of superior quality, highly absorbent cotton wool enclosed in a choice of either traditional gauze or a non-woven cover. Veterinary Gamgee can be used in a number of first aid situations including bandaging, protecting a wound, padding over a hoof poultice, swabbing, and compression.
www.robinson healthcare.com
BEAT THE SWEAT:
WITH ACTIV SCRUB
As the temperature rises your horse will build up quite a sweat after exercise, whether they are working hard in training or after a long hack on a summer’s day.
If sweat is allowed to dry on the coat it will attract flies, causing irritation and potentially a risk of infection. Activ Scrub from Robinson Animal Healthcare is an antibacterial scrub and cleansing wash that is ideal for using to remove sweat after exercise. Supplied in a conveniently sized 500ml pump bottle for ease of use, especially when away at competitions.
www.robinson healthcare.com RRP: £10
WIN! WIN!
In this issue we have teamed up with Robinson Animal Healthcare to give four lucky readers the chance to win a Horse & Rider First Aid Kit. The kit contains all the necessary products to deal with minor cuts and grazes, including market leading products Animalintex which is the only VMD licensed multi-layered absorbent poultice available in the UK and Veterinary Gamgee. Also included is an Equiwrap bandage, a 15g tube of Vetalintex, two Skintact wound dressings, tough cut scissors and a range of first aid products for the rider. Robinson Animal Healthcare has a wide range of products for all your first aid requirements. www.robinsonhealthcare.com
The Horse & Rider First Aid Kit RRP: £24.95.
To enter: Visit www.absolutehorsemagazine.com and click on the Competitions page. Entries open 1st May and close 30th June 2021.
A VEGETATIVE YEAR* FOR WESTGATE LABS
Director David Booth
*FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS!
Postal worm egg count company Westgate Labs have been championing sustainable horse health for the last twenty-two years. They haven’t been resting on their laurels during lockdown either, working on wins for the environment by investing in a new range of environmentally friendly packaging.
April 2021 marked a year since the first of their unique compostable retail packs began returning through the post to their base in Northumberland. The innovation is just one of the steps that has contributed to a reduction in their waste to landfill of around 75% over the last three years. The innovative design of their new lab testing kits transforms the biodegradable product pouches into a return envelope to send the animal samples to the laboratory for testing. This enables the environmentally conscious company to be responsible for the full journey of the product from start to end as everything can be returned to source. Twelve months on and thousands of pouches have now come back through the post to be composted on the family farm where the lab was founded. The intention is for the material to be used for new tree planting on a 73-acre nature reserve that the family are establishing on reclaimed opencast land. The site, Fen Letch, combines young mixed woodland, grassland and pond areas and already provides habitat for a wide range of species as well as contributing to important carbon sequestration. “It was really exciting to see the first packs returned through the post in April last year,” commented Claire Shand, Director at Westgate Labs, who was instrumental in the design of the new packaging. “We had all sorts of concerns like would customers get the concept would they find them hard to use and would the special compostable glue be strong enough to re-seal them for going through the post system? I don’t know if anything like this has been done before so it was all a bit of an unknown gamble! “The returns are keeping our chief composter, AKA our founding Director David Booth, very busy in the bins balancing the green and brown waste ratios to help them rot down well. It’s so satisfying to be able to deal with all this waste ourselves and use it for positive means. “Like everything the devil is in the detail – such as ensuring every additional sticker is printed on the right grade of material and with vegetable ink so that no nasties leach into the soil when they go into the bins. The environment is something that’s really important to us here at Westgate so we continue to take every step we can to protect it.” The move has also proved popular with customers who have been universally positive about the steps. “It has been a while since I’ve been responsible for worming my own horse and I was really impressed with the service from Westgate. The test kits have changed a lot since I last used them, I loved the fact they are trying to reduce and reuse the packaging as much as possible and the turnaround was superquick. So convenient to get the results as a text too,” said Vicky Boakes. “I just received my first pack and I really love what you guys are doing,“ commented Megan Ellingworth. Four retail test kits are available in the range; horse worm egg counts, pinworm tests, avian worm counts and faecal sand tests.
www.westgatelabs.co.uk
NEW PRODUCT ALERT:
REVOLUTIONARY NEW EQUINE HEALTH AND FITNESS TRACKER
An enterprising new tech company with over twenty-five years’ experience in developing intelligent technology for some of the world’s leading brands is bringing affordable, smart data solutions to the equine world, to help horse owners better understand their horse’s health, wellbeing and fitness on a daily basis.
Newmarket based, Siametric Systems, established Enduro Labs to introduce their first product, the Enduro Equine Fitness Tracker to the equine market. Based on extensive research and development, the Enduro Equine Fitness Tracker is an easy to use, smart solution that provides health and fitness data insights to horse owners and trainers for use in any equestrian discipline. The Tracker includes a game-changing affordable, simple to use, smart fabric girth sleeve which allows you to reliably monitor the horse's heart rate during exercise and recovery. Real time data is sent wirelessly to the Enduro FIT mobile app. Your ride’s distance, speed and location tracking, along with key health and fitness indicators are seamlessly delivered to the palm of your hand. Enduro Labs co-founders, David Frost and Neil Bailey, have a wealth of hi-tech engineering experience between them, developing and delivering Bluetooth wireless connectivity, GPS and audio solutions to some of the world’s leading mobile and accessory companies including Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Sony and Nintendo. David Frost says, “Our aim is to bring smart technology to the equine industry and offer data insights to every horse owner, not just the equine professionals. Our focus is on creating affordable products that can have a positive impact on our horses’ lives to help us make smarter decisions to manage their health, wellbeing and fitness.” The Enduro Equine Fitness Tracker represents just the starting point for this ambitious company as they focus on bringing further innovative cloud-connected monitoring devices to the equestrian industry, utilising data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
www.enduroequine.com
RRP: £189
Suggested Product...
Zarasyl contains proprietary amorphous silicon, which has a molecular structure which allows sustained delivery of orthosilicic acid to the horse’s skin. Orthosilicic acid is a bioavailable form of silicon which has been shown to support healthy connective tissue growth. Perfect for managing sore or irritated skin and helping to support wound healing, Zarasyl is applied after the affected area has been carefully cleaned and dried. RRP: £29.16/200ml. www.equineproductsukltd.com
Suggested Product...
Eco-savvy horse owners are looking for ways to reduce the environmental hoofprint of horses, and animal shampoo company See Change Now has launched a zero plastic, 100%
biodegradable horse shampoo bar to help. This premium shampoo is non-irritant, naturally antiinflammatory, and made from natural derived non-soap ingredients. www.seechangenow.co.uk
NEW COLLABORATION
Equi-Trek is delighted to be partnering with equestrian insurance specialists SEIB for comprehensive insurance protection for your horse trailer or horsebox.
Equi-Trek has chosen to work with SEIB because of their distinguished reputation for providing tailor-made policies, and extensive experience in the equestrian sector. These qualities allow SEIB to offer Equi-Trek customers insurance protection that’s built around your specific requirements. Benefits of the cover include: • Recovery of you, your horse trailer or horsebox, and horses following an accident • For horse trailers, the policy extends to include up to three weeks' cover for temporary horse trailer hire • Expertise and know-how of Equi-Trek as an approved repairer for horseboxes • Security of being covered by UK based insurers who’ve been awarded an ‘A’ rating by independent credit rating agencies • Reassurance of knowing that 99.8% of claims have been settled in the last five years For complete peace of mind turn to this experienced team for all your horse trailer and horsebox insurance requirements. SEIB have been safeguarding horse trailers and horseboxes for more than thirty years, establishing themselves as one of the market leaders during this time. This new arrangement also brings together many years as horse owners and so combines personal experience with professional knowledge to provide a policy that is centred on your individual needs.
www.equi-trek.com
RESCUE PONY WINS
NATIONAL DRIVING AWARD
When little George came into the care of World Horse Welfare in early 2018 no one then could have predicted that the terrified, nearstarving pony would blossom into a driving star and come out on top at a national awards ceremony.
World Horse Welfare George, known to his friends now as Ted, won the ‘Rescue Horse or Pony’ category at the Carriage Driving Awards 2020 after blossoming in the care of his rehomer, Liz. Handsome 9-year-old liver chestnut Welsh Section C pony Ted arrived at World Horse Welfare’s Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre after he was rescued, along with several other ponies, severely underweight and unhandled. The team at Penny Farm slowly and carefully returned him to health and, once he was able to start his education, he was introduced to driving. Liz already had one rehomed World Horse Welfare pony, Yogi, who she had driven and competed successfully - even appearing at the Olympia International Horse Show when she heard that there was another potential driving pony available at Penny Farm. She leapt at the chance and very soon afterwards, in October 2019, Ted joined Yogi in Norfolk. Liz points out that she hasn’t trained Ted alone, that there was a close-knit team including friends Amy and Bernie all working together to prepare Ted for his driving career. Ted has taken to the driving life with gusto and Liz and the team want to aim him at competitions. Liz said: “He’s at the beginning of his journey but he looks amazing and he’s really got something a bit special. He’s full of character and once he’s got the hang of something that’s it. He’s brilliant!”
www.worldhorsewelfare.org/ rehome
REDWINGS REHOMING:
MEET NICOLE & APPLEJACK
Since 2018 Redwings Horse Sanctuary have been rehoming unbacked project horses and ponies; ponies who have had their basic handling training at Redwings but are rehomed to experienced Guardians who take over ‘the reins’ to continue their training as ridden horses.
Redwings Applejack was rehomed as an unbacked project pony to his Guardian Nicole, from Norfolk, in July 2020. With experience in backing and bringing on nervous ponies, Nicole had the knowledge to take on an unbacked project and approached Redwings as she wanted to take on a rescued horse. And Nicole was so pleased with her rehoming experience that she has since started working for the Sanctuary! Redwings Applejack, a 9-year-old cob, came to Redwings in 2015 from a smaller sanctuary in Northern Ireland who, on occasion, ask for assistance in rehoming some of their horses. By offering them support, Redwings gives them the space to be able to help more horses in need in Northern Ireland. Going through the charity’s virtual application process, introduced in 2020 so that rehoming could safely continue while Covid restrictions were in place, Nicole describes the process: “The rehoming team sent me videos via Whatsapp and told me as much as they possibly could about him and what he was like. They were open about the fact Applejack was a bit of a nervous boy, but I knew I could work with that. “When he arrived, I gave him five weeks to just settle in. He was in a new yard, with a new owner - different to everything he was used to at Redwings - so I asked nothing more of him than coming in to be groomed and get to know us. It might not be the most exciting bit but groundwork like this is so important, you can’t rush them. “After that we started longlining and he took to it like a duck to water. The Redwings team had got him to a good point where he had worn a saddle and bridle and I was building on that. We started off by just hacking and then after about two months of that we started schooling. “I tried to expose him to every scenario I could think of and before long he was the horse leading his friends past the scary things we would meet out hacking!” Nine months after rehoming Applejack, Nicole says: “He has gone from a shy lad to a beautiful boy, and from being quite wary to absolutely loving his humans. I’m proud to say I helped make that pony and helped him show his personality.” Since offering Applejack a home Nicole has been back to Redwings and has taken on Jackson, another unbacked project. Not only that, but she has also started working for the Sanctuary at their headquarters near Norwich within their equine care team. Commenting on her new job Nicole, said: “I love it! It is hard work but so rewarding. I’ve always had a background working with rescue animals and this was a way to continue doing something I love!”
To find out more about rehoming from Redwings, visit www.redwings.org.uk/ rehoming
THE PROCESS FOR TREATING: Bonnie’s Osteoarthritis Written by Manuela Slamanig Mag.med.vet, MRCVS and Daria Coleridge DVM, Dip ACVS-
LA, MRCVS
B
Above: A. Normal Hock with joint spaces clearly evident and no signs of osteoarthritis. B. Osteoarthritic Hock with fusion evident of the joint spaces and other signs of arthritis such as bone spurs and bony remodeling.
Bonnie is a 14-year-old ex-showjumper and is lovingly part of our small herd of teaching horses at the University of Cambridge.
She was competing very successfully until she had a bad fall where she crashed into a jump and soon after presented with severe left hind limb lameness. Radiographs showed a small fracture in her hock which was treated with box rest initially and she was sound after a few months. When Bonnie returned back to work, she started to show intermittent lameness. The injury to her left hind leg caused instability of her hock joints, which lead to osteoarthritis within those joints and a subsequent lameness. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the degeneration and loss of articular cartilage, which is the protective and lubricating layer that lies on top of the bone in joints. It is a common condition of multiple joints in the horse, and in particular the hock, with or without previous injury. Initially she responded very well to steroid injections of her lower hock joints, a common form of medical management for OA, but subsequently stopped responding to treatment. Surgical treatment of OA may be warranted in horses that are no longer responsive to medical management, or have overt damage/pain that may be alleviated with surgical intervention. In Bonnie‘s case, due to the extensive OA present and lack of response to medical management, ankylosis with ethyl alcohol was performed in the distal joints of the hock. Ankylosis is the fusion of a joint. This is accomplished by ridding the bone of its diseased and unstable articular cartilage in order to fuse the bones together, by doing so this alleviates the instability and pain. This is a final salvage procedure that can be accomplished through facilitated ankylosis (destroying articular cartilage) or arthrodesis (destroying cartilage + surgical stabilization). Facilitated ankylosis is typically performed in low motion joints (i.e. pastern and distal hock joints) for the goal of athletic performance, and can be achieved by injection of ethyl alcohol, laser, or surgical drilling/ currettage of cartilage. Arthrodesis can be performed in high motion joints to salvage animals as pets or for breeding purposes (i.e. fetlock joint, carpal joints). Ethyl alcohol is minimally invasive and can result in effective destruction of the articular cartilage within a few months to a year. Horses usually experience minimal discomfort throughout the treatment period and may return to athletic function after this. It typically has minimal side effects, is affordable and relatively easy to perform. Approximately one year after fusion, Bonnie remains comfortable and pasture sound with radiographic evidence of fusion present. She is a beloved teaching horse for the students and enjoys her life in retirement!
Article supplied by:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge www.vet.cam.ac.uk
SURVEY REVEALS:
IMPACT OF COVID
The findings of a new British Equestrian Trade Association survey provide a fascinating snapshot of the UK’s equestrian sector in the wake of the global pandemic.
The survey set out to measure the impact of Covid-19 on riding and equestrian spending habits. It took place in December 2020 and January 2021, with 1,508 horse owners and riders providing input on their activities since the beginning of 2020. The detailed survey, commissioned by BETA and carried out by JDA Research, reveals that online shopping has increased by a staggering 38%, highlighting an increased trend for ‘armchair’ spending. This unexpected boost is thought likely to play an important role in helping to shape the future of retail. Although affiliated and nonaffiliated competition has been impacted, there is only a slight decrease in riding overall, which is expected to recover and return to preCovid-19 levels. Meanwhile, there has been little change in horse ownership. “It has been two years since the last BETA National Equestrian Survey was published and the world has had to contend with enormous challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic,” said BETA executive director Claire Williams. “This new survey offers us a unique insight into the way in which the pandemic has affected our core activities of shopping for equestrian goods, riding and horse ownership –and helps us to shape our response for the future.” Here are the key findings on equestrian spending: • 9% of those surveyed said they were spending more on equestrian goods. • 21% said they were spending less or had stopped spending. Increased spenders tended to be younger, with 23% of under-25s spending more – and on items associated with riding rather than on the upkeep of a horse, with 58% of them buying saddles and 35% investing in general rider clothing. Older riders and horse owners (over-45s) were more cautious with their spending and only 5% of this age group were spending more, compared with 23% who were spending less or had stopped. Top three items bought during the pandemic: 1. 58% bought equipment for horses such as saddles and rugs. 2. 35% bought rider clothing. 3. 34% bought horse feed. Online spending showed significant changes, with 49% of riders and horse owners shopping online more than they did at the same time in 2019, and they were spending 38% more on average than they did before the pandemic. Two in three said they would continue with online purchasing in future. Impact on riding Competitive riding has been severely hit by Covid-19, with only 15% of riders taking part in affiliated events compared with 30% in a typical year. Despite this, six in ten equestrians said they continued to ride the same as or more often than they did before the pandemic. Here are the key facts on riding behaviour: • One in twenty riders said they had stopped riding completely since March 2020. • Hacking remains the most common riding activity and the one least hit, with only a 7% fall from 93% of riders participating in a typical year. The overall impact of Covid on the frequency of riding is generally small, with the following key findings: • 59% of riders were riding more often or at least the same. • 41% of riders have been riding less often since the pandemic • The average frequency of riding days per week was down from 3.9 in a normal year to 3.3 during the pandemic. • Riders under 25 are three times more likely to ride more often than those aged over 45. • The overall number of people riding over the previous twelve months was down from 3 million in 2018 to 2.5 million, while those riding at least once a month fell from 1.8 million to 1.5 million. Impact on horse ownership Overall, there have been only slight decreases in the number of horse owners, from 446,000 in 2018 to 433,000, and privately owned horses, from 670,000 to 650,000.
ASK A Masterminder...
Small & Supercharged Mastermind is an online group supporting small equestrian and rural businesses and, as such, is bursting with amazingly knowledgeable people with lots to share. Each month we’ll be asking them a question and members will be sharing their top tips… this month’s question is… ‘EXPLAIN ONE AMAZING STAND-OUT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE HAD WITH EQUESTRIAN SOCIAL MEDIA?'
Dr Diane Fisher aka All The Kings Horses “I’ve found it’s an amazing platform for education. I use lives and my Rider Clinic to help equestrians deal with all sorts from describing your fall when you arrive at hospital, specialist equestrian physio, basic life support refreshers, inspiring guests, and so much more. “Social media is also fabulous for networking, and it’s helped to raise my profile in the equestrian space, which has led to me becoming the Chief Medical Officer of BETA, meaning I’m now in a position to make our sport as safe as possible in both the equestrian and medical spaces.” www.facebook.com/medicalmare
Donna Case, The Horse Feed Guru “My biggest stand out was being booked to travel to the USA as a result of social media. Not only was my airfare paid for, but my accommodation and food etc for the whole time I was there. My client had never commented on my social media posts, but apparently had been following me for months.” www.thehorsefeedguru.com
Zoe Kiff, Honest Riders “I think the ongoing thing for me is when someone messages us and tells us they’ve changed something to be more sustainable as a result of one of our posts. Or have been prompted to make bigger changes. That’s always lovely.” www.honestriders.co.uk Ruth Chappell, Dressage Anywhere “My social stand out moment is a video of Alice Oppenheimer, International Grand Prix Dressage Rider, ‘riding’ a Grand Prix dressage test with a hobby horse! It was to promote our Hobby Horse Online Dressage Competition, which went on to raise £4k for charity but the video itself had just under 80,000 views and really helped to raise awareness.” www.dressageanywhere.com
Amanda Marshall, 3 Donkeys Clothing “I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing ladies through equestrian social media. Many have gone onto become friends and this in turn has opened many doors for my own business, especially our lovely sponsored rider. Had it not been for equestrian social media I would not have had this opportunity.” www.3donkeys.co.uk
Eleanor Lelliott, SpiceMule “100% the best thing about social media is the connections you get, ones that just don't happen in real life. The most exciting thing that’s happened to SpiceMule is our recent collaboration with Emily Cole. It’s just fab when two businesses have products that are just meant to be together. I mean decadent mug cakes and beautiful mugs. DREAM TEAM!” www.spicemule.co.uk
Emily Cole, Emily Cole Illustrations “I owe most of my business to the power of social media. One of the most exciting opportunities has been teaming up with Equiboodle to design a bespoke Emily Cole edition vixen. Seeing customers wearing something with my design on never ceases to be surreal!” www.emily-cole.com
Find out more about the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group: www.rheafreemanpr.co.uk
