Baroque Horse ~ Issue 10

Educationals with Manolo Mendez, Jenny Rolfe, Barry Stratton

ISSUE 10/MAY-JUNE 2013

&

Beauty, Strength Power

Baroque Horse Magazine $7.95 AUD

Jody Hartstone & Ali Baba pt2, The Mustange Horse, Pedro Torres, Kladruby Breed, Topolcianky Lipizzans and much more

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A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse

“ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE LIVE SHOWS I'VE EVER SEEN!” Richard Wilkins, TODAY

“FROM A CO-FOUNDER OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, A SHOW LIKE NO OTHER.” The New York Times

“A FANTASTIC EQUESTRIAN AND MULTIMEDIA ODYSSEY.” ABC, MAdrid

“THE GREATEST SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN!” Larry King, CNN

“UNBRIDLED BEAUTY. SUMPTUOUS. BEAUTIFUL. VIBRANT.” San Francisco Chronicle

“BREATHTAKING!”

O, The Oprah Magazine AUSTRALIAN TOUR Now Playing in Brisbane Opens May 15 in Sydney Opens August 7 in Melbourne w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag az i nE.com

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e  i e  KFPS Breeding Stallion

Royal CarouselFriesians.com Annette Coester 801.910.5458 2 anncoester@aol.com

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D e s i g n : w w w. L a u r a Z . n e t

Photos: Cally Matherly

aaha FPZV Stallion testing

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contents inside 08. Pedro Torres 16 Cavalia 25. Home Beautiful 26. Casa Cadaval Stud Farm

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90 48 32. The 3C’s of Dressage ~ Barrie Stratton 36. Photographer Katarzyna Okrzesik.

42. ColÈgio Militar

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48. Spanish Mustang 54.

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Kladruby nad Labem,

60. Jody Hartstone my kingdom for a lusitano

86. Understanding Obesity

66. Manolo Mendez

89. Ask Galen

72. Jenny Rolfe

90. Topoľčianky

74. Feeding the Baroque Horse

94. battling mud

85. Magnesium & Laminitis

97. Riz’s Rant

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©Baraque Horse Magazine AU. 2011 All Rigths Reserved. No part of this publication, editorial or advertisement, may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of the advertisements within this publication is the responsibility of the advertiser. Although due care is taken in the preparation and publication for all advertising material, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or for any consequential effects. Opinions and statements made by others in submitted text may not be the same as those held by either the publisher or the editor.

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR Issue 10- of Baroque Horse.

May-June 2013 (next issue out July)

Editor-In-Chief Danielle Skerman

It’s hard to believe that this is our 6th print issue of Baroque Horse Magazine (BHM). For those who are new to BHM, we started as an online magazine with issues 1-4 being available online only! Due to popular demand, we took the big jump into printing the magazine. We have certainly come a long way since we started. . . and we do hope you are enjoying our stunning imagery and articles to match. We’re always happy to hear from you and welcome any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see us incorporate in the magazine.

In this issue, we have our regular breed articles and educationals. We’ve also included a fantastic interview with Pedro Torres where he gives us a glimpse into his amazing life and his horses. For a great read, you must follow Jody Hartstone’s continuing story about her journey to her acquire her dream Lusitano, ‘Ali Baba’ - best have the tissues ready, it will makes you feel sad, happy and proud and all in the one great read!

Another interesting article we have is about the American Mustang and its Spanish ancestry! Looking at them, you can clearly see their Iberian connections. Inside we also look at 3 influential studs from around the world. 1. In Portugal (Lusitano) - Casa Cadaval Stud Farm 2.

In Slovakia (Lipizzaner) - Topoľčianky National Stud Farm 3. In Czech Republic (Kladruby) - Kladruby nad Labem. We also talk to Polish born photographer, Katarzyna Okrzesik, who now resides in the UK. I think we can safely say that we have our international content!

In this issue, we’re very excited to introduce two new columns. Peter Spinder (Ask Pete) is an experienced business strategist who we’ve brought on board to answer all sorts of business questions concerning developing your equine related business, as we want to help you grow and be successful. For all your equine well-being questions, we have the very knowledgable Caroline Larrouilh ( Ask Galen). This column is about exploring the connection between equine wellness and training; between anatomy and theory. We hope you’ll enjoy these two new columns and we welcome all your questions and will certainly do our best to answer as many as possible.

In the next issue of BHM we will be featuring and profiling the stunning black pearls - THE FRIESIAN! We are saving all our great Friesian articles for then. . . We know our Friesian readers will particularly enjoy our next issue. It’s going to be one jam-packed Friesian feast!

Join us in our journey and ... go for BAROQUE!

an m r e k S e l l e Dani Editor in Chief

Follow us on

facebook.com/baroquehorsemagazine

pinterest.com/baroquehorse

www.baroquehorsemagazine.com

Educationals with Manolo Mendez, Jenny Rolfe, Barry Stratton

ISSUE 10/MAY-JUNE 2013

Publisher: Baroque Horse PTY LTD ACN: 159 279 848 PO Box 18002 Clifford Gardens, Toowoomba QLD, Australia 4350 Editor In Chief: Danielle Skerman editor@baroquehorse.com.au +61 404 843 636 Advertising: Patty Taylor advertising@baroquehorse.com.au +61 419 363 635

&

Beauty, Strength Power

Baroque Horse Magazine $7.95 AUD

Jody Hartstone & Ali Baba pt2, The Mustange Horse, Pedro Torres, Kladruby Breed, Topolcianky Lipizzans and much more

On The cover:

For Subscription enquiries: Subscriptions@baroquehorse.com.au General Enquiries: enquiry@baroquehorse.com.au

Editing: Anita Budgeon, Linda Rushbrook Design: Danielle Skerman, Cristian Prutescu Photographers:

Cátia Castro, Antonio Mendonca, Danielle Skerman, Dalibor Gregor, Katarzyna Okrzesik, Bev Pettit, Kimerleee Curyl, Melony Smith, Robert Dawson, Laura Zugzda.

Contributors:

Cátia Castro, Danielle Skerman, Caroline Larrouilh, Manolo Mendez, Riz Ilyas, Jenny Rolfe, Jody Hartstone, Barry Stratton, Patty Taylor, Corina Roberts, Return to Freedom, Dalibor Gregor, Milan Vitek, Mariette van den Berg, Peter Spinda, Severine Tocaven

Photo by Danielle Skerman of Cavalia with rider: Julien Beaugnon on a PRE horse Gaditano.

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Pedro Torres is a reference in the Working Equitation world by being several times World champion, and European champion. In his “pátio” or courtyard as he calls his equestrian home in Cascais, Portugal, it’s easy to be amazed by the beautiful surroundings, the landscape, the magnificent Lusitanos, and excellent riding. These are the reasons so many people from all over the world are attracted to and enticed to come to get to know this master, immerse themselves in the knowledge he delights to pass on and enjoy his relentless respect for the horse.

Ar ticle & Photos by

Cátia Castro

Torres www.cmcequinephoto.com

PEDRO

the person and the rider

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Definitely a mark in the equestrian world, Pedro Torres is an intriguing man because on one hand he is such an energetic character, yet on the other hand, when riding and dealing with horses, he is serene and tranquil.

Let’s get to know him and a little bit of his story...

BHM: Pedro, please tell us about you and how you began riding?

PT: I started as a 5 year old, riding a pony at my father’s house. At the age of 7, I joined the riding school at the Jockey Club in Lisbon (Hipical Society), and from then, there was an evolution of events. When I was 16, I started to ride professionally. Frederick Von Appelem had a farm in Sintra with Lusitanos; we made a team. From there, I went to Quinta da Marinha as a groom, where a horse named Navarro became very important to me. A lot of doors opened for me professionally, and I won a Europe Championship. At the same time, I entered the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art and I was there for 7 years. Then I went to work for a Lusitano stud from Manuel Braga, and then I found this “pátio” or “courtyard”.

We formed a cooperative of breeders 11 years ago with João Pedro Rodrigues, Pedro Passanha, Tomas Kleber, Pedro Y. Oliveira, Henrique Paquete, and we set up this arena for the purpose of developing and training young horses. I invited Gonçalo Carvalho to come to work with me. At the time, Gonçalo was a student of João Pedro Rodrigues in Quinta da Marinha. He stayed with me for 4 years. Over that period of time, this place really developed, and I continued working with other clients.

Our team prepares for performances and internships here and abroad, and for competitions of any kind. I do not set specific tests, I do any kind of competition; it’s what amuses me the most and it is what I do. I like all equestrian disciplines. I choose the one I feel the horse has the ability to do. For example, for several of the disciplines - show jumping, working equitation (WE), dressage - the first thing I do is evaluate the potential of the horse and try to exploit this potential in all these disciplines. People say “Pedro Torres is a WE rider”, but nothing could be

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• I’m a rider, I ride the discipline that my horse tell’s me to ride. • further from the truth . . . I’m a rider and I ride the discipline that my horse tells me to ride. By pure chance, I happened to have a horse that was fantastic in the WE - Oxidado (JGR). In fact, he’s the best in the world at WE and I was very lucky to have him and to be his partner for all of these years. This is what I do - I ride the best I can and develop the best possible horses to reach the maximum that I can achieve with them.

BHM: You mean the horse doesn’t adapt to you, you adapt to the horse...

PT: Yes. The main function of a good rider is to evaluate the horse, and teach the horse the best way to perform their functions. It’s not, “Now I want you to come to my parameters and you must do exactly that,.” No! The horse must be himself. He must be true to his own

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character and we must try to improve on that as much as possible; to develop their skills in order to develop their part, in which he feels most at ease.

I also have Oxidado (JGR) and he has potential but has different characteristics to WE.

BHM: It shows great respect for the horse ...

PT: I think there has to be. There are many riders who have horses and they are all the same profile. Sometimes to see some horses, there’s no need to see the rider. It is obvious that horse is ridden by a certain type of rider, because the horse’s head, type of placement, movement, etc, are all characteristic of that particular rider.

So we have to pick up the horse we have, try to improve it, try to develop their natural characteristics, try giving them gymnastics to be able to move better, in order to perform their functions as best as possible. And what are their functions? That’s where the horse shines. A horse can have a gorgeous trot, great elasticity in their movement, the ability to be a good performance/competition horse, but we must take into account their psychological make up, because there are horses that need more activity, more challenge. For example, as a test of WE, especially the maneuverability and speed, these tests have a lot of things that oblige the horses to be concentrated, and the

My horses are all different.

I now have Ahoto (JGR). He moves in a fantastic way. I’m not trying to get ahead of myself here, but, I think he might have an aptitude for dressage.

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I also have Ulysses, also in WE, but he’s a totally different horse.

horses themselves are focused on the obstacles they are appearing along the way. In a dressage test, for the horse the exercises go/flow by motion. In the case of jumping, it’s different type of horse. It’s interesting to see whether the spirit and character of the horse fits the discipline or not.

BHM: Oxidado, despite being a world champion WE, experienced dressage tests . . .

PT: Oxidado - we thought it would be a fun challenge for him as a 15yo, so we did a dressage Grand Prix in Portugal. We also went to the Sunshine Tour in Spain and managed to score 61%, and this was with a horse that only ever did WE all of his life.

But knowing Oxidado, he is much more comfortable in WE. He is a horse that needs a challenge; he’s a warrior and feels more at ease with speed; his character is to perform, to bend faster, to accelerate. He executes things with coldness and determination, and I think that’s what made him a champion.

Oxidado helped me a lot in my equestrian

evolution. As a rider, I am able to analyze horses better. Oxidado is a horse with such strength of character we dare not go against it; it’s not worth it. If we do go against him, you diminish his potential. With Oxidado, you have to think differently; to think of him as a companion, not to force it. Instead of “Come here!”, the better way is, “Let’s both go this way”. That’s the way to handle him.

So Oxidado has taught me how to deal well with the other horses.

The horses that are fantastic for me, are the ones with a very strong mentality, with a very strong personality, that have great strength and yet are extremely sensitive.

These are the horses I like!

There is an image that I like to see. When a rider and horse are connected, the rider goes unnoticed and I only see the horse.

All the attention is focused on the horse.

I don’t like seeing the horse and rider partnership when really, all I am seeing is the rider. The horse is a means of transport; the horse is an entire painting; we’re just there to encourage the horse to move gracefully.

That is the function of the rider.

My life, my challenge, my passion is to realize the understanding of horses; to ride the horse and feel his personality, his flexibility; to feel the horse move beautifully, recognize a problem with a certain muscle, or see that he has a fantastic back, has good balance. Even when we have a fantastic horse, we can still improve it . . . “Can I do this better? Can these muscles and elasticities be even better?” That is my challenge; to look at the horses, evaluate them, to understand what are the muscles that are working or can still work better, and develop gymnastics.

Then, when it all works, we already have the raw material to work with and we can then decide to do this particular discipline. Until then, we cannot do anything because we don’t know how it’s going to turn out! Even in a competition, at the end of the test we say: “This is what happened today. Will it be the same next time?” In riding, there can never be certainty about the exact results.

Achieving good results can only be done with consistent day-to-day work. The awards we earn are due to practice and

hard work everyday. If the practice that we do is very good, the results will be good.

If the results are bad, we have to assess what is going wrong in our riding or in our training, so we can improve and achieve the goals that we want. It’s important that people don’t get stuck in time saying, “I won!” That moment has passed, and now it is time to look forward. Now we have to continue to work and do not focus on victories or failures; we have to think about the everyday life, and feel the horses; feel the riding, this is a constant evolution.

I think life is made of challenges, and it’s these challenges that makes us evolve. My challenges are all moderate. For example, about 8 months ago, I acquired Ahoto. He corresponds to my way of being; he has a great personality. Horses that have a strong personality, have strong initiative, a “readiness” to take a certain freedom. Ahoto is going to have to show in which discipline he excels. About him I can say, of all the Lusitanos and other breeds, he is the best horse I have ever ridden.

Few breeds show the initiative I see in Ahoto. He has an unusual physique, an outstanding mechanic, and he has an elasticity and fineness that is very unusual. He is undoubtedly the best horse I’ve ridden so far. I’ve been having fantastic experiences with him.

We started with the tests of WE. Last year we went to Golegã Fair, where, luckily, he won the competition. I know Ahoto is able to do well in the WE test. In Golegã Fair we also had the approval of stallions, and I saw his reaction being amongst people. He was really well behaved. I was so pleased with him that I’ve set some goals for this year: to make a jumping competition to 1 meter high; to perform a Prix St-Georges test; and a WE competition.

I’ve released a video about Ahoto on the internet, and in it you can see he’s already sketching exercises of the Grand Prix. Although he will have of a certain equestrian discipline, I’ll always mix the training with some jumping, go around the slalom pole of the WE where he has to do a tight turn and flying changes, because I know that all

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this will help for the dressage exercises. I don’t like to mechanize in some type of movement, otherwise the horse will be too focused, and I like them to be open minded because that way, the rest will come naturally.

BHM: You have a tight schedule. How do you manage your time?

PT: It is not easy. I’m a very active person, always have been since childhood. If I had been analyzed when I was young, for sure I would have been diagnosed as hyperactive - to an extreme degree (laughs). But this energy allowed me the opportunity to do several things at once, but at the same time, calmly, and I was always careful not to leave anything behind, and I never crossed my limits. But I think by managing my time well, I can get to the places and people I need to. I have a really busy life, but I feel good with it, and I’m used to it, and when I have a free weekend without anything to do, I really miss the activity.

A normal day for me starts by coming to the “patio”, riding, helping students, at the end

“ My team is fantastic, they are very committed, I thank God I have the good fortune to meet these amazing professionals..

website is to reach people who want to buy a Lusitano. There they will find a showcase of great Lusitanos to choose from. And that’s not all. We also have a riders section to complete the great need to monitor the horses. People who are used to riding a Warmblood have no idea what an Iberian horse is, they aren’t ridden in the same way. Why? the Warmblood is a horse of 600 kg, that can make the reins feels stronger and heavier for a much longer time. It’s a totally different horse - in balance, in everything. WIth the Iberian horse, you can’t be pushing on the reins for a long time otherwise he will stop and won’t walk. Some people need someone who can help them with this breed that is new to them. People are coming from abroad to try Lusitanos and have lessons to feel what a Lusitano really is. Sometimes people want to buy a Lusitano, and find them cute, but where can they try them first? That’s where the idea for this section of the website came from- people can contact us and have lessons with several riders such as Bento Castelhano, Miguel Ralão, with me, and many more. Most importantly, we don’t take any commissions from anyone!

of the day I pick up my daughters from school, because my wife teaches in the afternoons. Every Thursday, I catch a plane and give clinics abroad. I have no days off, no holidays, my life is dedicated to horses, clinics, competition horses, clients, my students who are going to competitions, my family. It’s very intense work and the people around me respect that, and help me a lot, because otherwise it would be unthinkable. If I didn’t have such a fantastic wife, who accompanies me, and helps me and gives me so much support, it would be impossible to do this.

My team is fantastic; they are very committed, and I thank God I’ve had the good fortune to meet these amazing professionals, who give me so much support because they all share the same ideals as me. I can come home and know the horses are receiving good physical preparation. They have a fantastic groom, and there is a team here that, when I am out, they just keep working the horses, and keep everything, including our clients super excited. I can then have my battery recharged for the next day, surrounded by great people, friendly understanding people, who help us to have this kind of life.

BHM: You have a new internet project that is called Lusitanos Market?

PT: Every day I would get phone calls asking me to come to see a horse that someone is interested in buying. I don’t sell horses, that’s not what I do. So this website is fantastic because we redirect contacts for people.

Today if someone asks me for a horse, I say go to the Lusitanos Market and see Lusitanos, and all the contacts there. The goal of this

BHM: About the Lusitano breed . . .

PT: The Lusitano horse has a lot of history and tradition. The Lusitano breed has remained almost the same since the ancestral Iberian Peninsula Horse to this day, with the same qualities.These horses are very important. They come from the war; they were the best horses; they were used by the Romans to conquer.

Most horse statues and paintings are of Iberian horses. This breed has great value, and we were fortunate to keep this type of horse recently thanks to bullfighters. Today we breed the best horses for several equestrian disciplines, but also we do a lot of good bullfighter horses. 40 to 50 years ago there was no dressage competition in Portugal. We had a little bit of show jumping, so most of horses were bred to perform in the bullfighting arena. WE also selects horses with these characteristics.

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BHM: What do you think about your riding career?

PT: People say that I am lucky, but what happens is you have to work hard in order to achieve good results, and the luck is the opportunity to show those results. Also, all your hard work at home has to match the horse’s physical high performance. I see a lot of people who work hard, have made great sacrifices, try to have good horses, but they lack the fortune star. I try to honor my fortune star the best I can. What I advise riders to do is work as hard as possible, because that “fortune star” day will arrive eventually; don’t try to force it, because when the time comes, it is on that day that you and your horse have to be at their very best; calm so things will go well. Regularity of good work, gives really good results.

Surround yourselves with good people who want to help you, and tell you the truth about

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Curiosity - did you know?

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your work. I have good friends who are very sincere with me. João Pedro Rodrigues is my great master. He is my inspiration as a person and a rider. He is honest, and has great horse analysis; he always tells me the truth. When I finish a competition and I achieve a great result, I think “How am I going to repeat this?” I don’t really dwell for too long on the fact that I have won. My immediate thoughts are, “How am I going to prepare the horse for next year?” I try not to stay stuck in the world of European champion winning; these results are there on the wall, in these photos, in these memories.

These are the memories that gives us the ability to evolve.

BHM: The victory is a recognition of the past.

Exactly, I used to say that when we won, we go home and keep doing what we have been doing until then, because it works. But when you lose, we go home and improve because that’s not what we want, and it’s there where you can see the evolution. I’ve been lucky to have winning horses, and those horses have put me in 1st place many times. We have to have a logical evolution inside the possibilities of the horse. When I make a 60%, I’ll try to make the next test with 62%, but all within the analysis of, is it possible for the horse? Can he make it? If he doesn’t we stay at 4th or 5th place, and it’s good, I’m not going to push him to his limit and break him. Otherwise you end up in 10th place or no place at all.

PT:

Pedro Torres highlights: •

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• BHM: How does your family deal with all of your victories?

PT: When I started riding professionally, everyone criticized me, because it had no future, never thinking I could have a future in riding. I wasn’t really interested in studying. I always was

Pedro Torres’ trajes and competition clothes are kept at his mother’s house. Before any competition, Pedro goes to his mother’s house to pick up his competition clothes.

He says it’s a way for his mother to be a part of his equestrian life.

The most important Lusitano horses in Pedro Torres’ life were: Riopele and Oxidado at WE Hucal, the horse he rode in the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. Hucal made ridden caprioles between the central pillars (few horses in the world can do that).

Oxidado is a Shania Twain fan: One time when Bo Derek and Shania Twain (the singer) visited Cascais, Portugal, they came to see the horses. Oxidado was there. After a while of watching the horses, someone realized that no one had seen Shania Twain for a quite a while. They eventually found her in Oxidado’s box with his teeth in her jacket. He wouldn’t let go.

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Portuguese nationality, DB 20/10/1973, married, 2 daughters.

Rider from the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, 1996 to 2003.

Represented Portugal in the discipline of Dressage, Grand Prix level in 2007.

National Champion of Working Equitation in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011.

Europe Champion by teams of Working Equitation in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011.

Europe Champion Individual of Working Equitation in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011.

World Champion by teams of Working Equitation in 2002, 2006, 2010.

World Vice Champion of Working Equitation in 2002.

World Champion Individual of Working Equitation in 2011.

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a bad student because I was energetic all the time. When it came to horses, though, that was something I learnt with great ease; all the names, all the exercises. For all of these things, I had a good memory. My family is very humble, so I’ve built it all with the friendship and support of my family. My parents saw my career evolution with great concern, now they have a great pride.

Because I was busy all the time, 5 years ago I made a video about my life, with images of them. It is their support and love that has made me who I am today. That video also showed me riding, and that Christmas, I was able to show my family what I really do, because they had no idea (laughs).

BHM: What about your 2 daughters, Leonor and Carmen? Will they have the legacy to ride?

PT: If my daughters wish to follow this life, I’m happy to pass on my experience, my life, the

horse analysis, all of what I’ve done, if they wish, of course.They have all that is needed to be good riders. I would like to pass on this philosophy of life, this way of being, for them to pass on to other people too. Well they have to learn how to ride, that’s for sure (laughs). It’s like learning to walk, to talk, and also they will have to learn how to dance sevillianas and flamenco dance, because their mother is a dance teacher. There will be 2 activities. They will have no choice.

What’s not to like (laughs). Later on they can choose which they like. Life is too short to do anything you don’t like. I think it’s important to be happy in our day to day life. I can say if I die now, I die happy because I’ve done everything I love doing, and I wish them that, that they will be happy in all they do. Leonor, who is one and a half years old loves riding with me. Carmencita is 4 moths old so we can’t tell right now if she likes horses (laughs).

BHM: Do you think one day you will slow down your routine?

PT: I like to be with my family, with my children. I want to follow their

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development, but until they’re 5 years old, I’ll try to keep this routine, then I’ll slow down and try to halve the number of clinics just to be with them more. I don’t know what is going to happen with Ahoto in terms of future sport, whether he’s going to be in national/ international competitions. It may be that there are new horses that I have to dedicate more to the competition. We will have to see. This year of 2013 has a full schedule of clinics. I’m taking bookings for 2014 now. a Pedro Torres 00351-919478794 pedromvtorres@gmail.com www.lusitanosmarket.com

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avalia

The man behind it all,

NormandLatourelle

Photos by Danielle Skerman Written by Patty Taylor

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e met up with Normand Latourelle at a preview of Cavalia in Brisbane and he spoke with us about how this magical encounter between human and horse began. With a career spanning 40 years, Latourelle has occupied every position . . . lighting designer, agent, production manager, director and artistic director.

He is a visionary and has a constant quest for innovation..

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“Cavalia� is a fabricated word inspired by the Spanish and French words for horse, caballo and cheval, and the English word, cavalry.

The Horses - Did you know?

Cavalia only has male horses - Geldings and Stallions Cavalia features 44 horses representing 10 different breeds Each horse’s performance lasts roughly only 12 minutes The stables span more than 1,530 square metres The horses consume annually 17,500 bales of hay, 16,550 kg of grain and 795 kg of carrots 5 spacious showers are installed in the stables The horses are from France, Spain, Portugal, Canada, USA, Australia and the Netherlands The smallest horse is 8 hands and the largest horse is 18 hands There is a team of 20 people in the stables - trainers, veterinarian health technicians, grooms and farriers Every day, each horse is showered, groomed and massaged

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BH How did you come up with the concept of Cavalia?

Latourelle: Well, I have always been in performing arts, and one day I created a show that required one horse. It so happened that the horse was stealing the focus from the performer. It really got my attention and I thought, what’s going on here? That show went on for many years, and I began to include more horses. In Canada, where I live, performing horses don’t exist. I decided to buy more and more horses and then I involved some of my friends, acrobats and riders. I also had a stunt guy who used to do stunts in the movies. The idea built up slowly.

BH: So how long did it take from that initial concept to actually having the whole Cavalia experience?

Latourelle: Ten years. Because I didn’t know about horses and I had to learn. I went through the whole process. I went to horse events, horse shows, rodeos. I’ve seen them all.

Then I started to read and I bought books and videos. I had to learn as I had no idea about horses. I knew when I first saw the horse on stage it was the most beautiful animal on earth.

I was attracted to the aesthetic beauty. That’s what I do for a living. I take care of aesthetics and beauty. I thought the horse was just so magnificent, I knew I had to do something.

At that time, I was with Cirque du Soleil, but I wanted to do something totally different. I realised that bringing an animal to the stage would be totally different, even if I did keep some of the elements and acrobatics similar to Cirque du Soleil.

BH Do you have a favourite part of the show that you particularly enjoy?

Latourelle: This show has been on tour for ten years now and it has evolved a lot with our creational team. We’ve made a lot of changes throughout the years. I think we’re at a stage where I don’t need to touch it anymore. I still do, but only little bits and pieces here and there. Not a lot. I touch it when there are new horses, or new people that have more skill, or a different skill. Even with the horses, because they have different personalities, we do different stuff with them.

Overall, the show is pretty much, I think, at the level where it doesn’t need to be touched. Having said that, to answer your question directly, there is one part of the show that I never really touch. It’s what we call the fly. When the two girls fly over the horses in blue and red colours, and with the off-white horses and the rider - this part I fell in love with from the very first day.

BH: If a rider comes up to you with some ideas do you listen to this and do you encourage people to think about ideas?

Latourelle: Absolutely! Absolutely!

These people are on tour for a really long time. They do 250 shows per year. So when they bring in ideas, they get excited. That’s

also why we do change. The horses don’t get tired, they just get bored. When you change little things here and there, and you try to do something different with the horse, it’s just great.

There’s a lot of improvisation on stage.

We didn’t see a lot today. But you’ll see, if you come to the show, that there’s a lot of time where the horses are totally free on stage.

That’s what it’s all about. This is how you get them in the mood for playing, and that’s how the show evolves. Even from one show to another, there’s always change.

BH: You’re constantly on the lookout for horses. Is there a particular criteria that you’re looking for?

Latourelle: Well, it depends what we want the horse to do. We are always looking for horses. The show opens with two foals. We didn’t bring the foals from North America. We just bought the two babies when we got here. As for the adult horses, it depends on what we need the horse to do.

Right now, we’re looking for a few horses that will do trick riding. We usually tour with about 50 and so we have to have more backups.

Because the trip to Australia was so long, we left the oldest horses in North America. Now we need to find some backups. It’s a long process. Even if we find a horse tomorrow, they might not be in the show for a year.

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BH: What do you do with the horses that aren’t needed for the show anymore?

Latourelle: We retire them to our farm. We also have an adoption program where people can submit an application explaining who they are and what they do, then we do a follow up. For some horses, just to bring them to a farm and do nothing with them is not necessarily good, because they’re in good shape.

We never keep a horse that is over 19 years old, so they still have many years in front of them. We take our time finding the right people to adopt our horses; people who will still ride them, not for show and not professionally, just casually. The horse is happy and is with humans, and that’s very good.

BH: How paramount is it for you that the horses are well fed whilst you travel? How do you know what to feed them to maintain their good condition and keep them at their peak?

Latourelle: Yeah. Well, in the stables, we have about 20 people. Out of those 20 people, we have a stable manager, the equestrian director, all of the riders, plus a veterinarian technician and two assistants who take care of all of the food. The 15 grooms we have are pretty much dedicated to specific horses monitoring them daily. If there’s something wrong, if they don’t drink enough water, if they haven’t eaten enough, they know, because they’re well accustomed to what each horse does.

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avalia

FeedingThe horses Donna Morton is the Stable Manager with Cavalia and has the demanding role of looking after every horse’s need, from their feed and bedding, to transport. Today we look at the feed component of her role.

When they’re in the United States, they feed the horses Timothy Hay, a premium grass hay grown in North America and Canada. Timothy grasses have upright stalks and slender leaves that tend to sheathe the stalk instead of branching out and its seed heads are fat and tight. They did an analysis of Timothy Hay to find out what would be similar to this in Australia. Many phone calls were made and they even found out that Timothy grass has been grown in Toowoomba, but is still only in the testing phase. At the moment, the horses are being fed Meadow-grass which is a rye grass hay grown in Victoria. The reason for this, according to Donna, is that only this type of hay grown in Victoria has a similar protein to that of Timothy Hay. Donna says “It is nice hay and the horses have adapted to it quite well.We knew when we were coming over from the USA to Australia that there would be that transition so we brought plenty of Timothy Hay on the plane with us.We only gave them a small amount of Meadow-grass hay to start with in smaller doses and gradually increased it when we saw there was no reaction to the change of diet.”

Donna comments, “Of

course these horses are seasoned travellers and they know when it’s time to have a nap and when they will be fed. So they’re quite comfortable in their surroundings and are very relaxed and doing well. “ The horses are well looked after and everything, as much as possible, is packed up and shipped from city to city or state to state or country to country. The flooring is rubber flooring and it’s like a jigsaw puzzle it locks in together so that it’s easy to cart; it’s easy to move; and it’s also a soft footing for the horses. It also helps when they lie down because they can get sore at the hocks from rubbing. It’s also good if they push the shavings aside so they’re not lying on anything hard or any hard surface.

The Cavalia horses are given the royal treatment as they have two veterinary technicians, one for night and one for daytime and they keep a check on the feed and their health in general. The discussions between these two are paramount and they keep an open dialog even to the point of monitoring the feed. If they feel one looks like he is getting a bit of a telly tubby then they might say “Okay we’ll need to look at his feeding regime “ but all does depend on the exercise he does in the show. There are also night time grooms and then the whole team looks after them during the day.

They are walked, hosed and given all of the general maintenance prior to their regular veterinary technician health checks. a

“When they came to Australia they monitored the hay for the first couple of weeks when they were in quarantine, keeping an eye on their weight and they actually picked up in there - they even blossomed!”

As the horses weren’t working before they left the USA, they reduced their grain to having no grain whilst in quarantine which didn’t inhibit them at all.

Their main diet normally is 80% hay and the rest grain. The grain is given to provide vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and all the other elements necessary.

The pelleted grain feed has not been a problem in Australia and they are being fed a grain from a major grain company here.

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EQUINE MUSCLE RELEASE THERAPY - EMRT™ EMRT™ was designed by Alison Goward, Human Remedial Body Therapies teacher & practitioner and former Equine Vet Nurse, who has been involved with horses all her life, She developed EMRT® EQUINE MUSCLE RELEASE THERAPY from the understanding that horses, like people, are subject to physical & mental stress. With an Understanding that the horse is a quadruped [4 legs] with a centre of gravity and differing physiology to the Human Biped [2 legs] EMRT® is a very gentle and non-invasive therapy releasing muscle spasms caused by Injury or stress which in turn causes the fascia to harden, reducing elasticity and the flow of bodily fluids. Internally problems in the fascia may show up as contracted muscles which can pull the skeleton out of alignment, the flushing of waste products from compressed tissue is inhibited leading to a build up of toxins and nervous transmission may also be impaired. Externally this is reflected in the restricted movement and lack of symmetry in the horse.

Traumatized muscles prevent a full range of movement, and also compromise the circulation, oxygen, nerve signals and nutrients which are prevented from reaching the cells. This means waste products accumulate and toxicity will build up in the muscles. Trapped nerve fibers will cause constant pain, muscle wastage and reduced nerve function.

EMRT® works to alleviate these problems by putting the body back into balance. By doing so, this allows your horse to resume work earlier than would normally be possible.”

Horses are not designed to carry the weight of a rider, therefore, any horse no matter what level it is competing at is under un-natural stress and strain. This means that the probability of every horse and pony injuring itself during its career is very high.

If we as riders are imbalanced, then the horse has to adapt his way of going so he can keep his centre of balance to carry himself, the saddle and rider. Eventually this may result in the compensation mentioned at the beginning of the article. When both horse and rider are in balance it’s a win, win situation. Happy horses equal happy people and vice versa.

Equine Muscle Release Therapy® could help your horse if it suffers from a number of conditions, including: -

unresolved or intermittent lameness

-

unexplained deterioration in performance

-

stiffness one rein

-

disunited paces

-

sore or cold back

-

uneven shoe wear or dragging of hind feet

-

uneven muscle development or muscle wastage

-

filled legs

-

unexplained resistances including Mental and emotional

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www.equistyle1.webs.com www.facebook.com/EQUISTYLESTOCKS EMRT® does not replace veterinary advise Equine Muscle Release Therapy® is an important piece in the jigsaw of horse care.

The Equus College of Learning & Research (ECL&R) The ECL&R’s mission statement is: ‘Helping horses…………. and through horses……….. people’ Was established in 1998 to deliver courses in the Professional animal therapies EMRT® and CCmrt® [Small animals] throughout Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe , USA and Canada.

We EMRT™ Practitioners have an enormous responsibility to the horses in this world, to ensure that we do our utmost to help them and always, always put the needs and wellbeing of the horse first. This comes through with the essence of the work, the Professional ethics, protocols and codes of conduct.

The 2 year EMRT™ Practitioner Course Comprises of 3 Levels of 15 modules with units covering over 600 hours of study: the Practitioner Course is supported by vets worldwide Worldwide EMRT™ practitioners are dual qualified and registered – enabling them to help horse and rider as a unit.

www.emrt.net.au

EMRT® gentle Holistic Non- Invasive therapy- used by Equine rescue centres to the Olympics EMRT® brings a positive response to musculo-skeletal, respiratory, organic & glandular conditions

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*

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‘Retoque’

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C AS A C A DAVAL ST UD FAR M

The Noble Lusitano Horse Ar ticle & Photos by

Cรกtia Castro

www.cmcequinephoto.com

The Casa Cadaval Stud Farm was presented as the dowry when, in the seventh century, D. Maria de Faro married D. Nuno ร lvares Pereira de Melo, 1st Duque of Cadaval.

For the past 5 generations, it has been the Cadaval women only who control the destiny of this ancient and important stud farm. The Marquise and Countess of Cadaval, Teresa SchรถnbornWiesentheid, has lived in the centennial house since 1982, and she manages Casa Cadaval with great commitment and enthusiasm.

Since 1648 until today, the stud farm as has seen very few changes. The only changes made have been simply to adjust the traditional architecture to the needs of the modern day.

By tradition in this stud farm, the names of the horses and mares are choosen by a purpose and meaning, the mare and the foal have the same theme name, respecting the intitutional begining letter that the Lusitanos all have to have corresponding to their year of birth.

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S

ince 1648 until today, the stud farm as has seen very few changes. The only changes made have been simply to adjust the traditional architecture to the needs of the modern day.

This 5,000 hectares of farm surrounds a village called Muge, in the Ribatejo region of Portugal. This village itself developed because of the great house. It is a quiet village surrounded by green pastures where storks make their nests. The land is fertile and the warmth of the sun produces quality vineyards. The people of Muge are so used to the horses being a part of their peaceful village that it’s not certain where the village land limits end and where the Casa Cadaval farm begins. We asked the rider, André Costa, if they ever feared someone would one day take one of the horses. “That is impossible,” he replied. “The people of Muge wouldn’t let it happen” Muge, Casa Cadaval and the people of Muge are one..

The history behind the development of the Lusitano breed by this stud farm, began in the seventh century when the mares were

separated into two herds. The idea was to develop two different types of horses: one that could handle the heavier work in the fields; and the other to be more sensitive and finer for the saddle. By 1930, the mares were mainly composed of Veiga, Ervideira and Sommer mares.

By tradition, at this stud farm, the names of the horses and mares are chosen by purpose and meaning. The mare and the foal have the same theme name, respecting the institutional initial that the Lusitanos all must have corresponding to their year of birth. For example, one of their mares is a daughter of the Olympic dressage horse, Rubi. She was called Esmeralda (Emerald). The Portuguese word for Emerald is Rubi, the name of a precious gem. In the year of 2009, the names of all Lusitano pure breeds born in Portugal (horses and mares) must begin with the

letter “E”. By naming the daughter of Rubi, Esmeralda, both the theme and tradition of the initial have been respected.

In 2009, Casa Cadaval divided their land into several large paddocks: the 1 year old foals were kept in one field with a Percheron horse taking care of them ensuring no stranger dared come near these young fellows. Other 2 and 3 year old horses were kept in another field. The mares were in a separate field of their own alongside the river. What lucky mares to be in such breathtaking landscape!

All horses and mares of Casa Cadaval are ridden; the mares especially, to ensure they perform well, not only morphologically but also functionally. All are analyzed and reports given to the technical director of the stud farm, Bento Castelhano. Producing horses with great character and nobility is not the only aim of this stud farm. Of extreme importance also is producing good horses that can be ridden by anyone. Bento Castelhano has been working for Casa Cadaval for about 15 years. Before him, Master Filipe Graciosa (former head master of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art) worked as an adviser and later, João Pedro Rodrigues (current head master of the PSEA), gave technical support for some years.

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BHM interviewed Teresa SchönbornWiesentheid about her historical and important stud farm.

BHM: Which bloodlines have you chosen for your breeding?

TSW: In the 1950s, my mother bought mares from Alter Real and since then we have bred with this bloodline. We use stallions from other bloodlines such as Veiga, Andrade, Quina (Paulo Caetano) and also use many of our own, such as Tuisca, Retoque, Zircon, Tejo, among others.

BHM: Do you have a favorite horse from your breed?

TSW: My great love was Tuisca. He was a very good companion and had 72 foals. He was the fastest Lusitano on any racetrack, and for at least 10 years, he was a very safe horse

to ride on a foxhunt. He died aged 33 years. Nowadays, it is Zircon, his grandson.

He is in Germany competing in dressage competitions on Grand Prix Level.

BHM: What do you think about the Lusitano horse in the world?

TSW: We are a very small breeding community in the world, around 6000 mares, producing incredible horses for all kinds of riders. The characteristics of the Lusitano horse can suit nearly every person who desires a beautiful, noble, wellperforming horse in different categories.

The Casa Cadaval has already won world championships in driving, as well as vice champion of the world in working equitation.

BHM: What kind of characteristics do your horses have? What are your breeding goals?

TSW: Our horses have all the characteristics that I have described before. Our main goal is breeding for dressage. This is fundamental for all the other disciplines. Excellent temperament, gaits, soundness, overall rider ability, collection, athletic ability to suit the tastes and needs of both the competitive and amateur riders of today. Casa Cadaval horses are mostly bay colored, but chestnut and black do appear.

BHM: What are the nationalities of your clients? Who most acquires your horses?

TSW: We’ve sold horses to the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, and many other countries. Our main market now is France, but that changes every year. Many people come to visit searching for our horses.

BHM: Besides the good horses, Casa Cadaval is recognised worldwide for its excellent wines. Can you tell us more about your wines and tourism?

TSW: Casa Cadaval wines are like our horses - elegant, fresh, well balanced with very good character. The Marquesa de Cadaval is our top premium wine made only in exceptional years. Under the brand of Casa Cadaval “Padre Pedro”, our best selling wine, we have the Colheitas white, rosé and red, and Reservas Padre Pedro white and red. The most exclusive wines from Casa Cadaval are the single varietals, such as Trincadeira Preta, a native grape and the French grapes as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and the Pinot noir. We export to 18 different countries and achieve many prizes worldwide.

With regards to tourism, we offer a wide range of programs for individuals and groups involving them in the beautiful landscape of the Herdade de Muge doing several activities, such as bird watching, visit to the stud, the vineyards and winery, wine tasting. We have in our several buildings the capacity to host up to 600 people doing team building, meetings, weddings, and many other activities.a

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CASA CADAVAL Horse Highlights: to 2006, also in France.

Carriage Horses: •

1996: Fraque (by Vidago (SA)) and Golias (by Vidago (SA)). These two horses made up part of a set of four horses that won the world champion of four-in-hand in horse driving carriage, with Felix Brasseur, in Waregem – Belgium.

•

The horse, Raio (by Altivo (PC)), ridden by the Spanish rider Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo participating in international dressage competitions.

•

Tejo (by Nabuco (MG)), being ridden by Carlos Pinto.

•

Leonor Ramalho, the rider of Ui (by Onix (OGC)), participated in dressage world championship competition of the young horse category, and also on Rasta (by Altivo (PC)), in Grand Prix, in Spain.

•

Zircon (by Oxidado (JGR)), is ridden by Martina Hannover.

•

Retoque (by Tuisca (OGC)), in Portuguese dressage championship with André Costa.

Working Equitation: •

1998: The horse, Holocefalo (by Capote (PC)), won the European championship by teams.

•

2011: The horse, Santo (by Altivo (PC)), is ridden by Eduardo Almeida, and these two have been given lots of joys to the WE public. They have won the world championship by teams, achieved 4th place in the Portuguese championship, and in 2012 the International in Autricle.

Dressage: •

The horse, Pastor (by Altivo (PC)), ridden in Grand Prix by Isabel Pinto, in France. This horse was trained by Carlos Pinto from 2003

Bullfighting: •

Campino (by Maravilha (MV)) with Daniel Ribeiro Telles.

•

Monge (by Fanático (HO)) with Diogo Ventura.

•

Urbi (by Tuisca (OGC)) with Fermin Bohorquez.

CASA CADAVAL Rua Vasco da Gama 2125-317 Muge - Portugal Telephone: +351 243 588 040 www.casacadaval.pt

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geral@casacadaval.pt

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31.

“Adapting to the horse’s needs.”

The 3C’s of

Dressage

&

Calm, Confident

Connected

Part 3

By Barrie Stratton

Full time international dressage coach and trainer Trained with several master riders including the late World and Olympic Dressage Champion Dr Elena Petoshkova and Maestro Nuno Oliveira National ‘A’ level Dressage Judge for 24 years, Judge Educator and Mentor. As a professional coach and trainer for 33 years, Barrie has guided riders and horses to achieve Grand Prix level dressage.

Many have competed successfully at National Championships, CDI-N and CDI-W competitions.

He also coaches riders who are non competitive and pursue their love of dressage as an art form.

Bar rie Stratton Barrie riding Josh, an Andalusian/Clydsedale cross in the position of leg yield right. He was less comfortable leg yielding on this rein and so his schooling followed the method described.

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art 2 of the series examined how the horse could develop calm, confident and connected qualities only if they are trainable. The trainable horse was then defined. I concluded the article stating, “the key to good horsemanship was, for us as riders and coaches, to adapt to each individual horse’s needs”.

Charles Darwin made a similar observation well before mine.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

A simple formula used to assess and school horses, as well as coach riders.

This article will examine how adapting to each horse’s individual needs assists us to maintain a horse’s 3Cs qualities while schooling an exercise and movement, each of which are situated at each end of the training spectrum. The examples will be of leg yield and piaffe. I will adhere to describing the training processes used for the two horses and examine their specific needs to produce a good leg yield and piaffe.

It is assumed both horses have already been schooled to have a good work ethic and well developed paces appropriate to their level of training. They will have been ridden in the past by a rider who has acquired the skill of harmonising with their horse, and that will contribute to both horses having a willingness to go freely forwards. The rider has already adapted to the horse’s needs by using specific paces and exercises to enhance the horses’ suppleness and fluidity of paces. (This will be the subject of another article in the series.) It is important to understand that the horses being used as examples are being educatedto perform the work, rather than being coerced or forced to do the exercise or movement.

CASE 1: Schooling the exercise of leg yield at working trot.

Description: Leg yield is a training exercise, used to improve a horse’s suppleness and lateral responsiveness. To some degree it also leads a horse to learn to take a little more weight on the inside hind leg, which during the movement comes under the centre of its body. During leg yield, the horse is slightly flexed away from the direction of movement, so the inside hind leg is on the side to which the horse is flexed.

While the horse is laterally flexed and moving in a forwards and sideways direction, they must remain balanced with equal weight on each shoulder. If balance is not maintained, the impulsion and overall quality of the working trot is adversely effected. If the horse is leg yielding from the centre line or three quarter line to the long side of the arena, the horse’s spine remains almost parallel to the long side with the shoulders slightly leading the hind quarters.

Leg yield and shoulder-in are called exercises rather than movements, as they are used to enhance a horse’s athleticism rather than being displayed in a performance by the fully trained horse. In contrast, the half pass is classified as a movement, and unlike the leg yield or shoulder-in, is included in the Grand Prix test.

Barrie on his horse Toolman, being invited to load his hindquarters while remaining supple, elastic and cadenced. The neck is raised and gracefully arched. The rider’s arms and legs are mere accessories to the controlling pelvic and torso regions of the body.

Leg yield is often the beginning of the schooling of lateral work with our dressage horses. From the rider’s own previous experiences, they may know what it looks and feels like to perform the exercise, but they cannot expect the horse to understand what is wanted, even if their aids are accurately applied.

In the following scenario, we find that the horse easily flexes to the right and moves laterally in leg yield to the left.

On circles or through corners on the right rein he can easily maintain a right bend. The problem is that the horse has no concept of what is wanted when being asked for leg yield to the right with a left flexion. He lacks the physical ability and mental desire to clearly bend to the left on circles and through corners, and tends to easily fall into his left shoulder. When that occurs, his balance changes and the quality of the pace suffers.

So rather than using strong aids to try to force our horse into leg yield right, we need to look at how we can adapt to his needs and through an education process give him a concept of what is wanted from us. Strong aids not only stress a horse, but in most cases cause the horse to argue and resist yielding or co-operating even more.

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33.

Adapting to the horse’s needs.

As the horse is ridden in a well engaged working trot on the short side of the arena on the left rein, take the corner so that you arrive parallel to the long side a short distance from the outside track, of approximately 30-60 cm. It may also benefit the process to make the turn a relatively large one, perhaps a portion of a 10 m diameter circle.

During the turn, use the combined effect (as described in part one of this series) of the inside rein and leg to obtain a softening through the horse’s left side. Your left shoulder is slightly drawn back to keep your shoulders parallel to the horse’s shoulders. This will aid the harmony between you and your horse. As the turn is nearing completion and while maintaining a left flexion, open the right rein a little and relax the right leg to give the horse the idea of where you want his shoulders and body to laterally travel. Ensure the quality of the trot is maintained and the horse continues to think forwards while gradually finding its way back to the nearby outside track.

During the attempt to gain a response from the horse, apply some pressure from your left thigh onto the saddle and your lower left leg gently tapping the horse just back a little fromwhere the leg hangs naturally beneath the line of shoulder and hip. Your left shoulder remains back slightly more than your outside shoulder. To assist the swinging quality of trot and suppleness of the horse, it may be wise to ride in a rising trot with your right shoulder and hip rotating forwards more than the left ones each time you rise (see the second article in the series).

By riding this way, not only are your reins and subtle inside leg aids

CASE 2: Developing the piaffe Description:

The final product of piaffe is a highly collected, elevated diagonal movement with spring and an even cadence. The horse’s back is supple and elastic and the hindquarters are lowered. As the horse is further collected for the piaffe, its neck is raised (not by the rider’s hands) and gracefully arched, with the poll at the highest point. While giving the impression of remaining in place, the horse displays an eager acceptance to move forwards when asked, while still remaining supple, cadenced and calm. It is a serious fault for the front or back legs to display jerky or irregular steps.

suggesting leg yield right to the horse, but importantly your entire body is sending the same message through to the horse.

If the horse still shows no inclination to leg yield to the right, then next time you attempt the exercise commence even closer to the outside track. Persist patiently, always remaining consistent with the rein, leg and body language. Alternative methods of education of the horse may be employed to give the horse the concept of what is wanted, which may include work in hand or if appropriate work at walk, as preparation for lateral work. But I have found that by using the educational process previously described with horses that have no initial concept at all of what is being asked for can work very well, while still preserving the quality of the swinging working trot. The horse may eventually simply seek the outside track for its own comfort reasons, and from that moment we can capitalise on that seemingly accidental one or two steps of leg yield, repeating the process until the horse begins to show some real understanding of what is wanted.

The rider’s ability to ride with consistent aids is vital for the horse to gain an understanding. This leads to trust and respect from the horse towards the rider. I have found this progressive method so successful, that a horse which had resisted its rider’s request to do leg yield for weeks or even months in the past, can be performing the exercise in the manner required in a dressage test in just 10 to 15 minutes.

Through education, accurate riding, and giving the horse a concept of what is wanted, we will develop a leg yield which preserves the calm, confident and connected horse we have on a single track.

Outstanding mare Ponderosa Stud Royal Dancer ridden by Ruth Schneeberger. Allowing her to stretch down and out during trot to testify she is ‘over the back’ and in this case exhibiting a perfect ‘connection’. The 3Cs is confirmed.

Our subject horse has been schooled well, and understands and accepts the loading of its hindquarters and lightening of its forehand to satisfactorily perform the Intermediate 1 level movements and commence the education of the movements of the Intermediate 2 and Grand Prix tests. The trot is sufficiently cadenced and has impulsion developed to a degree that allows us to believe it is time to challenge the horse with learning the new movement of piaffe. Once again, the key to the process is the horse’s education, rather than believing we can make or force the horse to perform.

I will explain this example as though I am giving a lesson. The rider and I have already formulated a way to optimise this horse’s warm up period (this will also be the subject of another article in the series), adopting the exercises and movements specific to the horse’s needs. In addition, the horse has reached the point in its schooling where it is starting to understand the beginnings of piaffe and learning to express itself with its legs mobilising and moving in diagonal pairs in a two beat action.During the mobilisation, the horse is advancing forwards very slowly. So begins the concept of a piaffe.

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During this very collected work where the horse is loading the hindquarters more than in any of its previous work under saddle, the rein aids must only be applied softly. During piaffe work, as with riding in general, the rider’s hands must never pull backwards or act in a sharp or abrupt way. Such riding adversely affectsthe calm and supple display of the horse, and he can easily lose confidence in the rider and resist performing the collected movement. In part 2 of this series, I commented that the rider’s pelvic region should control the horse, the torso provide the strength and stability and the arms and legs be mere accessories. This way of riding is paramount when riding the piaffe.

Adapting to the horse’s needs.

The horse had learned to mobilise as described above, in three different ways.

• From the reinback (which is also performed using diagonal pairs of legs) • From the walk • And from progressively shortening the trot When asked from the reinback or walk, the horse lowered its hindquarters well but the movement from the back legs became jerky and irregular. The horse’s mouth also became over active, suggesting that he was becoming stressed. The horse clearly lacked confidence in loading its hindquarters using these methods. The approach seemed to load them more than he was ready for at this stage of his schooling. It over challenged him and compromised his pace and its fluidity.

Flowervale Freereign ridden by Ruth Schneeberger with very good flexion of the near hind suggesting an active extended walk. The nose is positioned nicely in front of the verticle. Following trot or canter paces, this is a very good movement to test if the horse is calm, confident and connected.

The attempt to mobilise from the trot by progressively shortening and slowing the trot down was successful as long as the rider did not over challenge the horse by sitting him into a piaffe that was too collected for his stage of schooling. Fluid and rhythmical steps were maintained as the riderinvited the horse to shorten the steps and load the hindquarters, but only to the degree that the horse could confidently perform the movement.

When doing this work on a 20 m circle or through corners on the right rein, the horse lacked confidence in loading the inside hind leg which resulted in the hind leg steps becoming uneven. He would snatch the right hind up quickly to avoid the extra loading as collection increased. So we tried the left rein 20 m circle instead. The horse was immediately confident in loading the inside hind leg on this rein and the regularity of the hind legs was perfect. To ensure that the horse’s confidence would be developed during the demanding piaffe work, the

Let Nature Be Your Guide.

circle or corners used to perform the slowly forwards moving piaffe were initially kept to the left. As the horse grew in confidence during his sessions of schooling in the piaffe work, he was challenged further by performing on circles and corners to the right, but initially at a more forward going piaffe than had been done on the left rein. a

This method of analysing your horse’s natural abilities and adapting the training accordingly, should be used in all aspects of his schooling. Challenge him, but do not over challenge to the detriment of the quality of the paces.

An old master named Rousselle used to say

“Let nature be your guide”.

By using the approaches I have described above, your horse can be schooled to perform the dressage you dream of, while preserving the 3Cs qualities of Calm, Confident and Connected

Contact details: Email barrie@thestrattonfamily.com Mobile 0400 639 909

Annette Mitchell riding Lipizzaner stallion 224 Conversano Allegra V, aka “the little Emperor” (known as Leo),learning to take weight confidently on his hindquarters during the schooling of piaffe, maintaining calmness and good self-carriage. w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag azi nE.com

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K

Katarzyna Okrzesik

- photographer -

Here at Baroque Horse Magazine, we appreciate great photography! In this issue we talk to Katarzyna Okrzesik. Katarzyna was born in Poland and now resides in England. She studied to be a graphic designer and then followed the natural path to photography. On her 18th birthday, Katarzyna bought her first camera and started the long journey to become a self-taught photographer and says she is still learning more every day. This journey can teach you a lot if you are prepared to learn. Katazyna says

“I am still learning from my mistakes and the observations of others. Maybe that’s why I appreciate everything that I achieve...”

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Baroque Horse magazine talks to Katazyna about photography and horses.

“

Horses are my passion since I can remember. I am fascinated by their beauty and curiosity in exploring the world.

BH: Why horses, how did you get started photographing horses?

KO: Horses have been my passion for as long as I can remember. I am fascinated by their beauty and curiosity in exploring the world. For me, they are magical creatures that can be interpreted in many ways. They are full of majesty, expression and mystery. They arouse strong emotions in me and are a reflection of children’s dreams and human weakness. With my work I would like to introduce you to their world as seen through my eyes. I invite you to my world where horses and photography are my passions. That is the place where I would like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributes to my photography.

BH: What is your fondest memory of a shoot or photo you have taken and why?

KO: It is hard to point out one fondest memory in my six years’ of equine photography.

Almost every session brings some memories and I am sentimental about every photograph because I am reminded of extraordinary horses and great people. But I think I feel the greatest excitement photographing at dusk and at dawn when there is always that sense of a fairy tale.

“

BH: Do you have a aspect of photographing horses that you like best .. eg, portraits, action, costume ..

KO: : I prefer photos of crazy horses, cavorting, prancing or playing horses. I love to play with light.

BH: What gear do you use and is your favorite piece of kit ?

KO: Now I’m working with a Canon EOS 7D Body and a Canon EF 70-200 2.8f. Of course, there is a whole list of gear that I would like to have but my kit is quite sufficient for now 3 8.

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BH: What gear would you have in your ‘dream kit’ ( kit = camera gear)

KO: I would love to have a fisheye lens to allow me to take extremely wide angled images of horses in motion. In a good photograph taken with a fisheye lens, you almost fall into the horse’s hooves.

BH: Do you have wish list on place or horse/breed that you haven’t photographed yet that you’d like to do.

KO: That’s hard to pinpoint because my biggest photographic dream is to take photos every single breed of horse in their native land - purebred Arabians in a sandy desert with dunes; Haflinger on grassland overgrown with dandelions with the background of snowcapped Alps; Akhal-Teke stallion in traditional adornments; Icelandic horses against the background of volcanoes.

BH: Can people purchase your photos and where from

KO: Currently only by direct contact with me via my website (www.photo-equine.com)

K

www.photo-equine.com

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BH. Photographing horses can require a fair bit of patience at times, for someone finding themselves trying to photograph a horse and it just isn’t working or the horse just wont respond, what piece of advise do you have for them?

KO: There are many opportunities to attract or provoke a horse with their specific behavior. First of all, ask the owner.

Depending on whether you want to get the horse to move or just intrigue personally, I will often use bottles with little rocks inside, and recordings of neighing horses or my own voice simulating various sounds.

BH: Who inspires you photographically?

KO: For as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by the photography of Robert Vavra. He created beautiful tales and the main characters were Iberian horses, which I love!

BH: What sort of post editing software do you like to use? and how do you feel about heavily edited images?

KO: For the preparation of my photos, I am currently using Photoshop CS5. I believe that the ability to edit photos is a good way to give photographs the inherent characteristics of a time before digital photography became popular and readily available. But we need to be careful not to make such improvements to a photo that it is no longer a photograph, but a graphic. a

www.photo-equine.com

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“ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE” Ar ticle & Photos by

António Mendonça www.acmendonca.net

The Colégio Militar motto

On March 3rd 2013 suddenly the silence of this fresh Sunday morning was broken by the incomparable sound of horse’s hooves as if they were coming from the past.

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t was the Colégio Militar Horse Escort, young boys in their typical brown uniforms, in rigorous formation and on a concentrated canter ride, with pride Lusitano Horses through the Av. da LIBERDADE, the main Avenue of Lisbon, closing the parade that celebrated once more the anniversary of the Colégio Militar, this year the 210th.

In the beginning of the 19th century, when almost all of Europe, occupied by the imperial army of Napoleon, was swept by the wind of destruction and war, on a small artillery coast fort defending the entrance of the Tagus river, the commanding officer, the artillery Colonel Antonio Teixeira Rebelo, founded on 3 March 1803, the Colégio da Feitoria, the embryo of the future Colégio Militar.

The initial intention of the Colégio da Feitoria was for the education of the sons of the officers stationed on the Fort of S. Julião da Barra near the village of Oeiras, not so far from the capital Lisbon, and using as teachers the officers of the guarnition.

Its original location was in some facilities belonging to the fort, but during those first years it moved to several places. In 1859 the Colégio Militar moved definitively to the ancient Hospital – convent of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres at Luz in Lisbon, where it had once been in 1814, and where it remains to this day.

The escape, in November 1807 of the

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ruling Prince João VI, his mother, the old Queen D. Maria I, along with almost all of the court, to the Brazil colony, running from the first French Napoleon Army invasion commanded by the General Jean Andoche Junot, made very difficult the earlier years of the Colégio Militar.

But the excellent teaching and the good military preparation produced rapid results.

In 1808, the two first cadets who fought with bravery and excellent army skills during the battle of Roliça on the 17 August 1808, left the Colégio Militar. Roliça was the first combat between the Anglo–Luso army commanded by the British General Sir Arthur Wellesley (future Duke of WELLINGTON) and the French army.

Colégio Militar is one of the oldest schools in Europe and the most decorated military institution in Portugal. It started in 1803 with 20 students. About 15,000 students to this day have graduated from there.

In 2013 the Colégio Militar has 345 students from 10 to 18 years of age. They are educated here until their entrance into the universities or military academies.

In the beginning, the teachers were the officers from the fort guarnition but nowadays the staff are a mix of military and civilian teachers.

There is a high military and sport component in the curriculum which includes competition gymnastics, fencing, shooting and horse riding (obligatory since 1825).

The Colégio Militar has excellent conditions

The first parade of the ColĂŠgio Militar Escolta took place on the anniversary of 3 March 1959

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for the practice of riding, an outside obstacles field, stables for 80 horses and a veterinary infirmary and also Siderotechnic facilities.

We can’t forget the important role of the Iberian horse, that, due to his docility and temperament enabled several generations of young boys to practice riding, many of them for the first time in their lives.

Its educational methods are unique. The older students (18 years old) are ranked and put in command of the younger, perpetuating many rich and ancient traditions that keep a tight bond in the student corps that lasts throughout their lives.

“

Former students of all ages can be recognized by the use, with pride and respect, of the C.M. symbol the BARRETINA, on the jacket lapels.

Many former students have influenced the Portuguese society and the armed forces since the mid 19th century. For instance, since 1910, 5 of the Portuguese Republic Presidents were army Field Marshals and former Colégio Militar students.

Several Colégio Militar students have featured in other fields such scientists,

“

physicians, writers, dramaturges, African explorers, musicians, actors, politicians. There is no doubt this is a centenary school with a high level of success.

Former students of all ages may be recognized by their wearing, with pride and respect, the C.M. symbol the BARRETINA, on their jacket lapels.

In 1958 the director, the cavalry general Pereira de Castro and the riding master instructor, Capitan Lopes Cerqueira, decided to create a special unit to display brilliantly the ceremonies of the Colégio Militar, by escorting on horseback or on foot the political and religious dignitaries.

However, the most sentimental ceremony is down the Lisbon main street Av. da Liberdade. This parade is held on the anniversary of the Colégio Militar. and is watched by a multitude of spectators, most of them former students, shouting their war cry “ZACATRAS, ZACATRAS, ZACATRAS”.

The ESCOLTA riders travel along Av.da Liberdade at a concentrated canter handling the reins in their left hand, holding a sword or a spear in the right one. It is an experience of a lifetime.

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The first parade of the Colégio Militar Escolta took place on the anniversary, 3rd March 1959.

It’s a great honor to be part of the Escolta. The students are all volunteers and traditionally it takes place at the beginning of each school year a ridden session called DESPENEIRANÇO, a true examination done by the equitation master and in front of a very exigent public comprising older students. This is where the best riders are chosen. But that is not enough; it is also necessary to be a very

the ESCOLTA 3, march1973

good student with an excellent behavior to belong to this “ELITE” of young boys who are allowed to wear, with pride, the rider’s boots as a part of their uniform.

Students are frequently invited to represent the Colégio Militar in grand public events. For example, recently the Colégio Militar Escolta was invited to escort the Pope BENTO XVI during his official visit to Portugal in 2010.

The Escolta is formed each year by 25 riders and since her formation in 1959 more than 1000 students have belonged to the

the ESCOLTA on is first oficial parede 3, march1959

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I dare to say that the Lusitano horse on the 3 March parade allow the young riders to live an unforgettable experience the experience of their lifetime.

Escolta and many of them continue to ride horses (20 Olympic riders) or in the army (23 Masters of the Mafra) reprise (see the issue #7 of BHM)) or as bullfighters or even as horse breeders (like the author).

Duque of Newcastle once said that the “Iberian horse was the most suitable of all for a king in a day of triumph”. I dare say that the Lusitano horse on the 3 March parade allows the young riders to be a part of an unforgettable experience - the experience of their life.

The Colégio Militar has gone through many governmental changes, revolutions and wars, but the economic and social changes occurring currently in Portugal unfortunately is putting at risk the immediate future of Colégio Militar. a

www.acmendonca.net

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LOOKING FOR BAROQUE TACK.. ?

info@akaquality.com.au

www.akaquality.com.au

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Photo: Chief & Pretty Sky -1Sulphur Springs Herd by Bev Pettit

Chief & Pretty Sky of1Sulphur Springs Herd. By BevPettit 4 8.

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B

aroque in The Americas:

Spanish Influence in the American Wild Horse

by Corina Roberts with contributions from Return To Freedom

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hey are known by a number of names and those names are not always agreed upon. hey are not so much a breed as a type. Their history in the Americas is as diverse as the American people. Each geographical region they hail from represents a different chapter and saga in American history. In today’s horse community, they are quite often unrecognized.

The world-renowned equine production Cavalia uses at least six of them, but ask the usually breed-fluent audience to identify them, and the crowd will fall silent. w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag azi nE.com

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The Spanish Barbowes its genetic legacy to war…to Western expansion…to manifest destiny…to the establishment of the New World.

The Spanish Barb was once the most prevalent horse in the Americas. Today the bloodlines that remain are considered critically endangered. In much the way that the buffalo was spared extinction when a handfull of ranchers kept small herds on private land, individuals and small groups throughout the country have sought to preserve the horse that carried the missionary, the cowboy, the rancher, the Indian and the homesteader across the Americas.

Photo: NANCYHOLLY SPIRIT In Spain, the Spanish Barb is believed to be extinct. It is only in the Western Hemisphere that the lineage remains. Known in the United States as the Colonial Spanish Mission Horse or the Spanish Mustang, the body type and temperament of the horse is very specific; yet there are several registries who are working to establish a breed standard in North America. Still others, like the Costaricense de Paso of Costa Rica, have established a breed standard and stud book in South America which trace Spanish Barb lineage back to the Berber horses and the Moors and pre-colonial contact in the Americas. That is the subject of another article, however.

Many people are confused about the many 5 0.

terms used to describe the horses; what is the difference between a mustang and a Spanish Barb horse, for example? The term “mustang” can be misleading. The word ‘Mustang’ derives from a word, “mesteño” which simply means “horse with no name” or “horse with no home” in Spanish. It is a more general term, in other words. The first mustangs may have been horses of Spanish origin, but not all of today’s mustangs exhibit the physical characteristics of the Spanish Barb.

Blood typing and DNA research has assisted in establishing Spanish or Iberian markers in potential and existing Spanish Barb horses, but it cannot be solely relied upon for choosing breeding stock to carry on the lineage. A horse may carry all of the genetic markers within its blood but not possess the conformation and temperament that are traits

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of the true Colonial Spanish horse.

Therefore, the visual inspection of an animal, its temperament and movement and the history of its ancestry is as important as the blood work, if not more so. With the Spanish Barb, that history often encompasses more than a pedigree. It will include the story of how the horses were hidden from the U.S. government, purchased from missionaries, captured from isolated wild herds, or quietly and selectively bred by tribal people. That history is as vital as any pedigree; it is like the provenance of a famous piece of artwork, as it were.

The people who work to preserve the original Spanish Barb horse do so largely outside of the mainstream horse community.

Scattered across North America are populations of horses which possess and pass

ReturnToFreedom Choctaw Herd by Robert Dawson

on the traits of their breed to their offspring, and through a number of registries, private reserves and ranches, the necessary research, selection and breeding goes on.

The “discovery” of the Wilbur-Cruce herd in 1990 must have been one of the most exciting events in the lives of today’s Spanish Barb enthusiasts. Quietly, for 95 years, the Wilbur-Cruce family had maintained a herd of horses in the Arivaca Valley of Arizona, near the Mexico border. They preserved the horse’s history as well as the bloodline, tracing their ancestors to the 1687 founding of Mission Delores by Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino in Sonora, Mexico.

In 2005, the Wilbur-Cruce herd was formally accepted as the sixth foundation strain of the Spanish Barb, and are believed to be the only pure-in-strain lineal descendants of the original Colonial Spanish Mission Horse.

Eva Antonia Wilbur-Cruce held onto her land and her horses until she was in her eighties, selling the property to The Nature Conservancy to be included in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. The Conservancy did not want the horses, however; they were an introduced species. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy recognized the value of the Wilbur-Cruce herd and was instrumental in its rescue.

Isadora Cruce, the medicine hat mare immortalized as a Breyer horse in 2010, was foaled in 2002 at Return To Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary. She is an outstanding example of the Spanish Barb, possessing the conformation, movement, character, bloodline and history of the breed as well as striking color.

For those who cherish, promote and conserve the Spanish Barb, there is almost always an equal passion for the preservation and intelligent management of wild horses as well. It’s difficult to say what comes first; recognizing the beauty and value of the Spanish Barb as a unique breed, or seeing in a wild herd one or two horses who clearly exhibit Spanish influence and realizing the potential catastrophe of losing this historical and genetic heritage altogether.

Return To Freedom, American Wild Horse Sanctuary, is both sanctuary and conservancy, maintaining over 400 animals, including 26 burros, and working to improve management strategies for wild horses

and burros on the range, including the use of temporary contraceptive measures rather than castration as a means of controlling wild horse populations. Neda DeMayo, the President & Founder, makes a clear distinction between conservation and horse breeding.

“Return To Freedom recognizes that horses as a species originated in North America and dispersed throughout the world over millions of years as part of their ongoing migratory journey. It is commonly believed that those returning to North America after what is in biological terms a temporary disappearance came with Spanish explorers. Those little horses arrived to various locations in the Americas and as they got loose, were stolen, or set free, became the foundation of what was called the Spanish Mustang in America. Larger draft and Cavalry breeds that arrived later interbred with some of these horses over the years and the wild horse of today is as diverse as the American people and reflects our nation’s history.

“Many of the wild horses fighting for their lives on our public lands today are up against a battle over natural resources and land use.

Caught in the crossfire, they face their last stand. Many of today’s wild herds are descendants of the larger draft, cavalry and ranch breeds that helped create the Great Basin Ranches and culture. They have returned to a natural state in these vast remote habitats over the past few hundred years. Return to Freedom recognizes them as a valued part of our history and eco-system and has pioneered natural herd management alternatives, maintaining, whenever possible, intact social bands and administering Native PZP immune-contraception.

“Very few remnants of the original Spanish Barb horses remain,” says DeMayo. “Most of the herds descended from original Spanish Barb horses have been destroyed, and except for few small Herd Management Areas, they no longer exist on our rangelands. In addition to maintaining intact social bands of wild horses captured on our public lands today, Return to Freedom participates in a collaborative effort to conserve some of the older unique and rare blood-lines that are quickly disappearing.”

“We are not breeding Spanish Barb horses for sale,” DeMayo stresses. “We are a conservatory, a genetic rescue, if you will, insuring that there is a small, diverse and healthy population of what little remains of some of America’s early Colonial Spanish mustang strains.

Return To Freedom’s Conservation program includes the Choctaw horses, the Sulphur Springs horses, Wilbur-Cruce horses, and a Cerbat stallion and mares.” Return to Freedom has duplicated the program at w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag azi nE.com

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The Black Hills Sanctuary in South Dakota with both the Sulphur Springs horses and the Choctaw. “These kinds of collaborative efforts across the continent are why these early strains still exist,” DeMayo says.

The preservation of a viable genetic population of Spanish Barb horses depends on the long-term vision of those devoted to these animals, and to this end, Neda has devoted her life and career. Of course, her devotion also extends to the appreciation of the diluted strains of North America’s free ranging wild horses that are fighting for their rightful place on our diminishing western landscape. She feels that they have adapted over the last few hundred years in these remote and challenging habitats. “We recognize the diversity of the horses and think it is imperative that they are valued as North America’s free ranging wild horse of today”. They are being systematically removed today as those with direct Spanish descent were in the not too distant past.

If you’ve ever considered owning your own Spanish Barb, you can apply to adopt a horse at Return to Freedom. But the adoption process is one that creates an obligation for the lifetime of the horse.

Adopted animals cannot be sold; they must remain in the possession and care of the original adoptive owner for the duration of the animal’s life. If circumstances prevent this from happening, the horse must be given back to Return To Freedom. A credit check may be a part of the adoption process.

A significant donation is also part of the process.

DeMayo is a strong advocate for natural selection; allowing mares to choose which stallions to breed with and allowing herds or bands to exist intact. The social structure of horses in the wild prevents in-breeding and insures that the best, strongest stallions

are the ones passing on their genetic legacy.

Disrupting that structure is not only stressful for the horses, it contributes to a breakdown of the natural processes that have created and maintained the blood stock we recognize today as being valuable to the conservation of the Spanish Barb horse.

Lakna, Choctaw colt

by Kimerleee Curyl

“The education that is passed down with in the herd cannot be substituted with any human management program or training technique. The character of the horses is shaped by the herd, the strength and health of the herd is greatly developed over generations in natural environments and through natural selection” DeMayo adds.

After the Wilbur-Cruce herd was originally dispersed, Return To Freedom took on six mares and one stallion from the Heritage Discovery Center. “These horses have great sensibility, beauty and a subtle fire that endures. Isadora is a lead mare born from lead mare ‘Sonora’. She keeps her eyes on everything all the time. I hiked with her for over a year before I rode on her back. We went into town together, through crowds, visited Missions, we went all over.

I trust this horse completely.” Three mares, Ines, Isabella and Isadora, are of a breed-able age today. Neda will secure another WilburCruce stallion who is not a direct relative of these mares, and the horses will be allowed to form their own herd and familial structure. Each of these mares will contribute once to the genetic pool as each of them carry irreplaceable genetic history from the foundation stock. a

Freedom, Hart Mountain - Photo: Bev Pettit

For more information on Return To Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary please visit www.ReturnToFreedom.org For information on the Spanish Barb Horse please visit the Spanish Barb Horse Association (SBHA) at www.spanishbarb.com

Amante, Cerbat Stallion -Melony Smith

ReturnToFreedom Sulpher Springs Herd mares by Robert Dawson 5 2.

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Yeguada Picachos Andalusian Lusitano Azteca

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GIDGEE EYES See the difference

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National Stud Farm

at Kladruby nad Labem

Photos by

Dalibor Gregor www.foto-gregor.com

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Excerpt from the book “National Stud Farm at Kladruby nad Labem” by authors Ing. Dalibor Gregor a Ing. Milan Vítek

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ational Stud Farm at Kladruby nad Labem, one of the largest and oldest stud farms in the world, is still in operation after more than 430 years since its foundation. Situated about 100 km east of Prague, not far from the city of Pardubice in an alluvial plain of the river Elbe, is the small town of Kladruby nad Labem. It is home to the Old Kladruby Horse or Old Kladruber, the prodigy of the only Czech horse breed that remains unique by virtue of its beauty and ceremonial lavishness both under harness and in showing. To understand the stud farm’s importance, it is good to recall some historical associations.

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he name of the municipality is derived from “rubání klád” (virtually meaning “logging”) and the first written records date from the 12th century when a horse park was set up there.

This territory was held by the noblemen of Kladruby in the 14th century. Their coat of arms featured horseshoes and one document from 1401 actually has small horseshoes on its seal. In 1491, the Pardubice estate was acquired by Vilém of Pernštejn, who in 1500, purchased additional property including the village of Kladruby. The horse park gradually evolved into a stud farm with a famous breed and large concentrations of horses.

The family’s last prodigy, Jaroslav of Pernštejn, was an equerry and legend has it that he bred in Kladruby Park horses of Spanish stock he acquired during his travels in 1552.

Roman-German Emperor Ferdinand I had earlier visited the Lord of Pernštejn in Pardubice in 1539 and praised him for his excellent horse breeding. During his subsequent visits he showed his admiration and professed interest in acquiring the estate, especially the Kladruby game reserve.

Under his tenure, horse-breeding was promoted and greatly improved because of the Turkish wars. In the same year his son, King and Emperor Maximilian II, added to Kladruby Park a stud farm, blacksmith’s shop and riding hall. From visits to his royal relatives in Spain he brought horses to Kladruby Park. In 1575 he despatched his son, Rudolf, on a tour of Czech estates and it is thought that the latter actually considered, after his first visit to Kladruby, establishing a court stud farm. He attached extra importance to the complexness of estates and sufficient acreage of meadows and pastures with natural fences.

For the horse park to keep the noblest horse breeds for the needs of the Imperial-Royal Court, it required a firm system, expert management and organisation. To this effect, Emperor Rudolf II issued a decree on 6 April 1579 of the establishment of a royal stud farm and, on 24 April 1579, a royal deed of nomination of Rudolf of Breitenbach as its first director. This date is officially considered the founding day of the Imperial-Royal Stud Farm at Kladruby.

The rule of Rudolf II (1576-1611) was noted for significant improvements of horse breeding in Bohemia and the introduction of Spanish influence.

The emperor used white horses of Spanish blood on his travels. Kladruby horses were part of this influence from Spain and Italy. Along came their

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Kladruby horses were part of this influence from Spain and Italy.

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attendants and breeders, mostly from Milan, and the Italian possessions of the Spanish Habsburgs.

out which destroyed the farm’s archive, presbytery, part of stables and almost the whole village.

The Spanish horses were concentrated in Kladruby where Carrossieres were to be produced for ceremonial heavy coach duties.

They were expected to be sturdier and of bigger build, the requirement fulfilled by some horses not only from Italy but also Denmark, Holstein, Friesland, Oldenburg and the Low Countries, parts of which were occupied by Spain in 1515-1648. All these horse breeds had a certain proportion of Spanish blood in them as many stud farms established in Europe in the second half of the 16th century had this bloodline.

In September 1799 the director of the Kopčany Stud Farm, František Václav Gönttner (son of Kristián Arnošta Gönttner, Kladruby Stud Farm director in 1753-1770) organized a transfer of some horses of Italian descent to Kladruby. Among them were the prodigies of the stallion Pepoli (born in 1774 in Italy) and his most prominent grandson, Generale (born 1787), considered the founder of the present population of Old Kladruby white horses.

Leopold I (1657-1705) extended Kladruby Park to permanently keep several hundred horses. Spanish mares were increasingly mated with stallions imported from Italy, especially Naples’ horses, which were stronger and better able to pull heavy coaches. The selection of specimen stressed the appearance, outstanding performance, sturdy build and flexibility required for court and aristocratic ceremonies. White Old Kladrubers were part of the Habsburg court protocol and a symbol of aristocracy while black horses later emerged as a symbol of the Church hierarchy. In 1661 the Emperor sent 12 Kladruby stallions to Danish King Frederic III of Copenhagen as a gift.

After the victory of the armies of Maria Theresa, a thanksgiving mass took place in the Kladruby Farm church and a fire broke

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The Italian-Spanish black horse Sacramoso was imported to Kladruby from the Archbishopric stud farm in Ries near Salzburg, but this line eventually became extinct.

A second line was sired by Sacramoso of Olomouc (born 1800), hailing from the stables of the Archbishop of Olomouc. Both bloodlines came from the Verona area and were named after the owner of the Polesine Stud Farm, Marquis Sagramoso.

During the rule of Francis I (1792-1835), new stables were erected in 1828-1835) at the Kladruby Stud Farm in Selmice, known as the Franzenshof. In 1826-1827 an English horse breed was moved from Kopčany to Kladruby one of the transports included 142 mares.

Until 1918 all able young stallions from Kladruby were sent to the imperial court in Vienna. They returned within a few years and the best among them were selected for breeding. The favourite horses, which

served at the court, were returned at old age to Kladruby where they continued to receive meticulous care until they died of natural causes. For the duration of the monarchy, the Vienna imperial court always kept approximately 500 horses in its royal stables and two black and two white teams of eight with a reserve numbering 36 animals.

The National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem has kept, since 1992, a stud book of Old Kladrubers at home and abroad which includes descriptions and pedigrees of breeding horses from the present time back to their ancestors born around 1750.

In 1995 the historical buildings of the farm and the basic herd of 65 mares and four white Old Kladruby stallions were declared a National Cultural Heritage. From 1 January 2002, the white Old Kladrubers and their historical compound and native stud stables were also declared a national heritage. For the first time in history, live animals were put on the list along with architectural and cultural sites: 65 mares and four stallions were continuously put on the list.

The black Old Kladruber retained it status of a cultural monument.

The original breeds from which the Old Kladruber ascended, have long become extinct but the horse stands out as a unique breeding and baroque vestige.

The goal is to preserve the Old Kladruby breed with its typical attributes, characteristic typology, exterior and mechanics of movement. Emphasis is placed on genetics, percentage proportion of Old Kladruber genes and meticulous observation of the properties associated with its use and performance. Observation of the breeding program, supervised by the management of the National Stud Farm, utilizes expert opinions of the Stud Book Board as well as veterinary, genetics and breeders’ commissions in classification and performance tests. The breeding program comprises all system measures ensuring the implementation of the breeding objective. The breed undergoes quality training, which is continued in selected horses after performance tests with expert coaching, and participation in significant contests under harness and showing in other disciplines.

This breed matures later, has good longevity, firm build, feeds well and is fertile. Bay and sorrel horses are an exceptional occurrence but white and black horses are generally preferred. The current population numbers eight full-blood strains – white Generale, Favory and Rudolfo, and black Solo and Siglavy Pakra – but both colours occur also in the strains Generalissimus, Sacramoso and Romke.

The world Old Kladruber population numbers about 1,500 specimens, fewer than in many endangered animal species.

Almost half of them are bred in the Kladruby National Stud Farm and it has been ascertained that the breed is not genetically threatened. It enjoys the protection of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO. One of the goals of the stud farm is to include the horse in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Old Kladruber is a versatile, intelligent and docile horse which is used in many types of the equestrian sport. A carriage horse by origin, it is used in various show and ceremonial harnesses and riding competitions. Dressage is presented mostly in group quadrillas but also with individuals and pairs in baroque riding displays or high dressage exercises by hand or long reins. Dressage is individually classified as part of riding competition under harness.

For jumping the horses are mainly used for hunting and in Hubert rides in landscape with natural hurdles. Talented individuals take part also in lower-grade show-jumping events. Because of their calm and gentle disposition the horses are used also for hippotherapy – curative and rehabilitation riding. They are used also in equestrian vaulting and also basic training and recreational riding.

A representative team of Old Kladrubers participated in a series of exhibitions and events in Hamburg, Friedrichshafen, Piber, Neustadt/Dosse, Vienna, Pardubice, Lysá nad Labem and elsewhere. w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag azi nE.com

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On 21 August 2008 Mr. Vozáb presented at a riding day in Kladruby nad Labem a recordbreaking 22 horses under harness, mostly breeding stallions, in eleven tandem pairs. A team of 22 and more stallions under harness controlled by a single person is a work of art emanating from professionalism, training and good breeding.

Baroque riding has been spreading in Europe in the past few years with Kladruby riders appearing in period costumes in the ladies’ side saddles. It is more difficult to control the horse and right shin prompts are substituted for by whip.

Richard Hinrichs, a leading baroque rider from the Institute for Higher Riding Art in Karlsruhe, has presented old Kladrubers all over Europe including the fiftieth anniversary of the Slatiňany Stud Farm in September 1995. On 26 May 2006 he organized a course of baroque riding followed the next day by competitions and a two-hour riding presentation at the Kladruby Stud Farm.

Hinrichs presented his sensational professional conduct and presentation skills before 30 enthusiasts, many of whom had brought their own horses.

master of baroque riding who also owns and rides Old Kladruby horses.

Baroque riding includes the quadrilla usually performed by eight white and eight black Old Kladrubers with riders in livery. Beautiful sets of quadrilla displays with period music rehearsed by coach Mack are an inevitable part of the Kladruby Riding Days and other performances at home and abroad. The quadrillas often unite horses from other stud farms and various breeds (Lipizzaners, Friesians).

Kladruby National Stud Farm keeps a central register of horses comprising all animals in the Czech Republic. The farm is a contribution to world cultural heritage and the Old Kladruber is admired by connoisseurs of live beauty all around the world. It is not only a Czech national treasure but indeed is also unique in the world. a

At the 2006 Horse Day, Hinrichs reappeared in the Czech Republic after an eleven-year break, riding the Old Kladruber stallion Solo Morela VI, saddled and coached

by Pavel Mack. Viewers were jubilant and the Kladruby riders - Dvořák, Hejlová, Urbanová, Macková, Neumanová and others - had an opportunity to consult and see in action a

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Kladruby National Stud Farm keeps a central register of horses comprising all animals in the Czech Republic. The farm is a contribution to world cultural heritage and the Old Kladruber is admired by connoisseurs of live beauty all around the world. It is not only a Czech national treasure but indeed is also unique in the world.

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FOTO & PUBLISHING Ing. Dalibor Gregor

Opava, Czech Republic mobile: +420 603 590 978 / e-mail: fotogregor@o2active.cz / www.foto-gregor.com / e-shop: http://eshop.foto-gregor.com Dalibor Gregor Oldřich Kolovrat

Kladrubáčci

a kolektiv autorů Et al / und Autorenkollektiv

aneb vyprávění aneb vyprávění starokladrubského starokladrubského hříběte hříběte

Little Kladrubers The Story Story of of a Kladruber Kladruber F Foal oal

Fríský kůň - černá perla - II. díl

Ing. Jindra Baudisová Ing. Dalibor Gregor

The Friesian Horse - A Black Pearl -Volume II Das Friesenpferd - Schwarze Perle - II. Teil

Dalibor Gregor Josef Iš

Zemský hřebčinec Tlumačov

Provincial Stud Farm Tlumačov Landgestüt Tlumačov Antonín Č Antonín Černocký ernocký Lubomír Procházka L ubomír P rocházka Dalibor Gregor D alibor G regor

Chladnokrevný kůň

síla, krása, elegance Das Kaltblutpferd

Kraft, Schönheit, Eleganz

Kniha o pejscích a koêiêkách Die Zitate über die Hündchen und die Kätzchen Dalibor Gregor

Kniha o koních a o lásce Zitate über die Pferde und die Liebe Dalibor Gregor

… and many others PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF HORSES w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag azi nE.com

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Z dressage rider Jody Hartstone continues sharing her journey of bringing a Lusitano stallion to New Zealand with the dream of Grand Prix glory...

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My Kingdom

for a Lusitano Written by

Jody Hartstone Photos: Pieter Venter

I

first laid eyes on Ali Baba via some short videos sent to me from Portugal – he was a 6yo, nice and tall with a good talent for the piaffe and passage. He had been trained

by Carlos Thomas, one of the riders from the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, so I knew the training would be correct. I was excited to see nice straight and expressive flying changes and he knew the Spanish Walk which I really wanted to be able to do – mostly so I could show off!

And so, Ali Baba went onto my short-list of horses to try.

When I first laid eyes on him when travelling through Portugal, it was love at first sight. In my mind, I wanted a grey stallion, but this stunning bright bay with a cheeky eye and a “How you doing?” expression really got under my skin. He was much more like a warmblood to ride than some of the smaller and broader Lusitanos I had tried. I felt we clicked straight away and started to make plans to buy him. Unfortunately, the next day things turned upside down when a wealthy buyer turned up and offered much more money than I could, and I walked away from the deal with a heavy heart.

With the London Olympics on the horizon and New Zealand managing to qualify a team spot, I put my dream of an Iberian beauty on hold and purchased another warmblood to compete on the European dressage circuit in an attempt to gain some qualification scores.

However, the horse and I were not the best match and 6 months later, he was sold to the USA and once again, the search was on for my dream horse.

As I had done the previous year, I scoured through Spain and Portugal, really wanting a Lusitano, but with the piroplasmosis issues and the lack of horses for sale that met my requirements, I started looking at PRE horses as well.

Once again, there were vettings and

for my dream horse.

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blood tests and videos being sent home for comment. I looked at some lovely horses but I still had a feeling the right one was around the corner. I made my way back to Cascais, north of Lisbon to have a few days’ break and take stock of things. It was then that I learnt that Ali Baba had not been sold 8 months earlier and he was still on the market – a year older and with more training under his belt. I needed to go back and check him out once again.

I will never forget the day I saw Ali Baba on this second meeting. He looked at me with his deep brown eyes and spoke into my soul “You are back for me – let’s get on with it!” Once I was up on his back, I knew there was no need to look any further. I was where I belonged, sitting astride my dream horse.

“He looked at me with his deep brown eyes and spoke into my soul

Once the decision was made I went through one of the most stressful 12 days of my life. That’s how long I had to get Ali Baba to the UK to start his quarantine. There are only about four flights to New Zealand a year for horses and they all leave from London with the quarantine being carried out in Newmarket, UK. If he missed the flight he would miss the breeding season and I would not see him for at least four months –

I really wanted to crack on with the training of him and get him home as soon as possible. But was it possible to organise everything in such a short space of time?

But was it possible to organise everything in such a short space of time? We needed a full vetting, bloods to be cleared of piroplasmosis and other diseases not found in New Zealand. His passport and vaccinations needed to meet the seriously strict New Zealand importation laws and we needed to get him to England on time to start the Quarantine. Transporters only leave Portugal

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&

Jody Hartstone

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once a week – and at the wrong time of the week from when we needed one – was it even possible to hire a van and private driver just for the one horse? I was about to find out! Added to the stress, I wanted promotional photos taken in Portugal before he was shipped so I could advertise him in New Zealand prior to his arrival, and a video of him to put on You Tube would also be great. He would also need approval to be transported out of Portugal by the Government Vets – even this is not an easy task in Portugal! And the last stress was that I needed to organise the international money transfer so that the money was in Portugal before he was shipped. Sounds impossible, huh?

The vet needed two days before he could make it to do the pre-purchase. The blood tests take a week to come through. But the photographer seemed to be able to come at the drop of a hat, and it seemed we could hire a private driver – at a price. It looked like, if there were no hiccups along the way, the 12 day window might just be enough. In the end it all fell into place. The vetting was OK; the bloods came back good; the photos

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I think I cried all the way to the airport – even though I was excited to have finally found my Lusitano, it seemed so cruel to take him away from his friend and partner.

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were taken and the van arrived in time to get him to England the day quarantine started. I couldn’t have organised all of this in a foreign country without the help of a very special agent, Nicole Giger of PromoLusitano.

Portugal is a very slow moving country and when you are working to a tight time schedule, it is frustrating to say the least.

Couple this with my inability to speak Portuguese and you can see how close to a disaster I was.

I was booked to fly back to New Zealand the day Ali Baba was also to leave Portugal.

Previously when I have bought horses in Europe I haven’t been there to see them leave their home turf, instead just picking them up from the quarantine station in Auckland once they had completed their long flight and final two weeks of quarantine.

But this day was an exception. Nicole and I turned up at the stables of Carlos Thomas about half an hour before the van was due to arrive. The transporter phoned to say he was running an hour late so we headed with

Carlos for a coffee. I felt like he had been given a stay of execution – another hour before the horse he adored would leave him forever. I said to him “Ali Baba has no clue his life is about to be turned upside down, does he?” to which Carlos agreed, saying that when he had fed him his morning grain, he shook his head at Ali Baba and thought to himself, “This is your last meal here boy and you have no idea”. Ali Baba munched on his breakfast blissfully unaware it was to be his final meal on home soil.

I felt terrible taking this wonderful horse away from such a lovely guy. Carlos told me over coffee that he woke up every morning wanting only to ride Ali Baba and that his sale would leave a big gap in the stable there.

When the van arrived and Carlos led his stallion up the hill and loaded him up, he spent a minute or two having a quiet chat to Ali Baba in the transporter. I will never know exactly what was exchanged between the two of them, but when Carlos gave him his final pat, I was in floods of tears. I gave

him a big hug and promised him I would look after his horse and give him the best possible home on the other side of the world. I think I cried all the way to the airport – even though I was excited to have finally found my Lusitano, it seemed so cruel to take him away from his friend and partner. They had a close bond and I was the one to break it.

Ali Baba made the 2500km journey from Estoril to Newmarket without incident. He wasn’t the best of travellers as he prefers company, and had hardly travelled anywhere in his life thus far. There was only one company who ship horses to New Zealand so they were in charge of looking after him in the UK. Here, he needed to be blood tested again to be cleared one last time to be exported. I sweated more buckets over this as the test for piroplasmosis can sometimes yield false negatives – what if he passed his initial test and yet failed the crucial final one?

But it was all good in the end. I heard once or twice from the staff at the quarantine station that he had settled well and was

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doing fine, and after his 21 day stay in the UK he was loaded onto an aircraft, along with 30 other horses of all makes and models, to begin his journey to the far side of the globe.

The flight is a long and arduous one. Firstly the horses head to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Here the plane is refuelled and reloaded with other freight and from there it heads to Singapore. After about five hours on the ground there (the horses stay on board, they are not allowed to be unloaded) they head to Sydney for another refuel. Finally, about 35 hours after they left the UK, the horses landed at Auckland International Airport in New Zealand where they are taken by truck to a quarantine facility nearby to complete their final two weeks.

It was a relief to hear that the plane had landed and Ali Baba was on New Zealand soil at last – but it was torturous not being able to see him for a further two weeks. When a staff member phoned from the horse transport to say he had arrived, she said to me “You should have SEEN the moves your horse pulled on the tarmac when he was unloaded in Auckland!” They are used to racehorses being unloaded looking a little jaded, and perhaps pawing the ground in anticipation of their next move. Not so the Lusitano who came off the plane roaring loudly and proceeding to show the ground-staff a fine display of piaffe that lasted a full ten minutes till he was cleared by the Government vets to be loaded and taken to his stable.

They had seen nothing like it before. What an entrance for a royal horse arriving in his new kingdom!

They had seen nothing like it before.

What an entrance for a royal horse arriving in his new kingdom!

The photos show Ali Baba enjoying his stay in the New Zealand quarantine – eating green grass and being allowed to graze outside for the first time since he was a two year old – life was already very different in his new country.

The day he arrived home to my stables was a great day indeed.

I was so pleased to finally have him home but the responsibility of bringing such a wonderful breed to a new country weighed heavily on my shoulders. How was I to show him off, to do the Portuguese people justice with their cultural icon the Lusitano horse?

Would I be able to stay ranked as one of the top competition riders of New Zealand when riding a baroque horse? What would the judges and the public think of him?

I was so pleased to finally have him home but the responsibility of bringing such a wonderful breed to a new country weighed heavy on my shoulders – How was I to show him off, to do the Portuguese people justice with their cultural icon the Lusitano horse?

The hard work was about to begin... a

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Brent is dedicated to the art of classical horse training, of utilising skilful horsemanship to develop harmonious relationships between horse and rider.

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MANOLO

MENDEZ Dressage

Developing the Basics and Understanding Straightness Better Photos by

Kathryn BaRrett

www.facebook.com/knmdigitalfusion

Manolo Mendez was the first Head Rider, and one of six founding members of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. Based in Jerez, Spain, the school is one of the four classical schools which also include the Cadre Noir in Saumur, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Lisbon. A master horseman with over forty years of experience spanning classical dressage, doma vaquera and jumping, Manolo is dedicated to a soft, sympathetic and thorough training method which prepares horses physically and psychologically for each stage of training from training to Grand Prix and Haute Ecole. For more information on Manolo visit: www.manolomendezdressage.com

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by Manolo Mendez,

Specialist of in-hand and Classical Equitation with C. Larrouilh

Just as we would never pressure a kinder garden child to jump straight into high school and expect them to be able to think critically and produce A+ essays overnight, we should never “jump steps” or rush the levels in the training of our horses.

Know your horse The more our horse understands his work and is confident in his ability to deliver what is asked, the more expressive and elegant he becomes. The horse needs to be able to understand each aid, each request, each exercise that he is asked to perform, in a very simple way.

It is the rider’s responsibility to ensure that the horse is prepared properly before introducing a new request, the next exercise.

This means not only that the horse develops fitness, strength, flexibility and balance to physically do the work but that mentally he is settled, calm and confident. Instead of having a set of rigid expectations based on the horse age, breed, pedigree and the rider’s goals and ambition, the rider should train the horse they have in front of them in an unhurried and uncomplicated manner.

What working routines work better for your horse? What do his muscles look like, feel like before and after work? How does his conformation help him do his job or make it more difficult? How long does it take him to warm up? What are his favorite exercises and what does he find more difficult? What is his confidence level? Is he bold or shy? Trusting or anxious? What does he have difficulties understanding?

with it. Your pelvis should be relaxed so each seat and hip bone can move independently, in time with the horse. Allow your shoulders, elbows and arms to move softly, so as not to obstruct the horse’s movement.

Encouraging a free walk is the foundation for good movement in all gaits. We must remember never to restrict the horse’s natural head nod at walk and canter (there is no head nod at the trot). The rider must have equal contact on both reins, and follow the horse’s normal head carriage, so as not to block the head movement in any way. Once the horse is comfortable and relaxed, we occasionally halt, give a pat, then walk again.

A good trot and canter both develop from a good walk. We can also gradually teach the horse to distinguish between free, extended, medium and collected walk through becoming attentive to the movement of the rider’s body.

When the rider becomes stiller, the horse will learn to still and collect his own movement, and vice versa without the rider needing to pull hard.

Sitting trot makes young horses hollow

Only by knowing his horse and adapting the training to his individual needs will the rider truly be able to forge a partnership with their horse.

When a horse is only three or four, his bones are not completely formed. The young horse is naturally a little on the forehand, muscles are not yet fully developed. The horse has to be able to flex, every single joint in the spine must be supple. This goes for all the joints in the body really. If we sit the trot on the young horse, as some riders do because they believe it makes them appear a better rider, before the horse has developed the correct muscles, we will start to jam the vertebrae together, the pelvis will lock, and stifles and hocks may become sore from too much ’leg action.’The horse will become sore and fatigued, his back, ribcage and withers may hurt - making saddling and girthing unpleasant – resulting in the horse quickly developing into a ‘leg mover instead of a body mover’.

A natural walk is the foundation for good paces

It is a chain reaction that cannot be ignored.

Only when the horse has found his natural balance under the rider, and has found his rhythm and timing, can we start the sitting trot.

Spend time to encourage the walk. It should be relaxed, and graceful. We must not drill or drive too much. Each horse has a different rhythm, find your horse’s and work

This is also true of canter when often times a horse of any level can benefit from a rider using a light seat or even a ride in two points while doing anything from a canter to a hand gallop.

By knowing his horse’s preferences, a rider can customize the training and becomes more effective than if he applied the same exact program daily (and to every horse).

It is the rider’s responsibility to adapt to the horse, not the horse to the rider. Who is the best teacher? The one who can adapt lessons to the different learning abilities of its students or the one who sticks to its lesson plan, word for word, and places the onus on the student to understand them regardless of their ability?

A good rider must be guided by what he feels beneath him and how he can release the horse’s tension and better its alignment.

He should experiment using feel and timing, and analyze his horse’s responses to guide him instead of working by rigid theory alone.

Good breathing leads to good work Riders very rarely concentrate on their breathing, and they often don’t think about how the horse is breathing, either.

The rider must learn to breathe deeply, with “softness in the air”. We must also listen to, and feel the horse’s breathing. A young horse will often breathe too fast, because he may be a little tense about what is expected, and he is not yet completely fit. It is important to give a young horse plenty of breaks to recover his breath. Proper breathing encourages athleticism and mental concentration because it helps supply oxygen to the muscles and brain. All athletes work on their breathing. Your horse is an athlete, too.

We do not want our horse to shallow breathe or simply hold his breath altogether.

A sensitive rider can feel the horse’s ribcage between his legs, opening and closing with each breath. Because of this we don’t tighten our girths too strongly, or the noseband, throatlatch strap or flash. We should make every effort to make the horse comfortable. Tight tack creates tension in the body.

By encouraging the horse’s softness, and following the young horse’s natural movement, rather than enforcing unnatural movement, stiffening or stopping the horse’s movement, we will help the horse develop his natural breathing.

Develop soft transitions early It is of great importance to start to think about our transitions at an early stage. With a young horse, ask for transitions on a straight line only – make sure that the horse is not rushing or running away from the leg. Do not attempt transitions on a circle, he will not understand how to keep the bend and do the transition, and you will create tension and resistance.

Transitions must be done with softness, either with the leg OR with the rein only. To a young horse, the leg means “go forward” and the hand means “slow down”. We must not

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confuse the horse in the early stages by using both at the same time – this would be like driving with the hand break and accelerator at the same time.

However, before asking for the transition, we do ask with the hand for the horse to go a little lower with his head and neck. We want the nose to be in front of the vertical, not on it or behind it as we halt.

Then we give a release with the reins and ask the horse to go forward from our leg.

Recognizing crookedness Do not begin any bending and flexion exercises until the horse is able to walk, trot and canter around the arena in a comfortable rhythm with a light and even contact. Also vital is that the rider learn to use the reins as a pair, of absolutely equal length and the contact should follow the horse and help shape its posture but never constrict the horse’s balance, his self carriage should be independent from the rider.

Manolo demonstrating even contact on even reins while traveling straight.

Note the soft contact with slightly open, sensitive hands. The horse’s mouth has four billion nerve receptors and we must treat it with respect.

Manolo’s arms, hands and wrists are relaxed transmitting no tension or stiffness into the horse via the reins and the bit.

Riders need to look first to themselves when their horse is crooked. Often a rider uses too much inside (or outside) rein, causing the horse’s head and poll to tilt inhibiting the horse’s head carriage and ability to flex throughout its entire body. The poll is no longer supple, the horse’s jaw, tongue and ability to swallow are affected severely, the body holds tension, impacting the contact and transmission of the aids.

Over time, the horse’s muscles begin to set in patterns that can render one side of the body concave and the other convex. The longer the crookedness is left unattended, the harder it will be restore symmetry so that both sides of the horse work with regularity and evenness. It is a challenge to rehabilitate the horse’s body so that it can feel again what it is like to travel straight and free.

A horse can be crooked in different ways, not always to the right OR the left but sometimes both.

Try standing your horse square and comparing his left and right side. If the bulk and height of his croup, hamstrings, shoulders, pectorals, poll and neck muscles are different from one side to the other, you horse is asymmetric aka crooked.

Viewed from the back, standing on a mounting block, a rider may notice the horse’s ribcage bulges out to one direction, one shoulder may appear flatter, the other thicker, one higher or lower, the neck itself may appear more hollow on one side.

These differences in muscles mass and skeleton alignment are clues to the horse’s crookedness, and as you look at your horse with an eye towards symmetry, including the level and shape of your horse’s hooves you may find more clues.

There are simple ways to help with straightness.

For example, ensure your horse’s nose is centered beneath its leveled ears, and aligned with the middle of its chest when riding. Most important to understand when executing lateral work is that the nose should be centered over the middle of the chest and the nose be beneath level ears. Another way to know if your horse is straight is to look at the chest itself from the ground. Is the line that separates the pectorals in the center? Is one pectoral “or chest muscle” much larger than the other?

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Turning left, Manolo has to accomodate the change in Dinamico’s alignment and the lengthening of his right side. He moves his outside hand slightly forward to match the horse’s shoulders on the bended line. The contact on the reins remains even. If he held on to the outside rein or pulled on the inside rein, he would make the horse crooked.

Straightening he horse is something a rider works on every day.

Looking at the horse’s body and comparing his right and left side is helpful in checking for musculoskeletal symmetry. There is a lot to be learned by checking for similarities and differences in muscles’ size and consistency, and the horse’s overal postural alignment.

Turning right. Here again, Manolo is adjusting his contact to mirror the horse’s alignment. His outside left hand is positioned slightly forward of his inside hand.

Note the soft contact, there is not pulling involved in turning.

In the absence of blockages in the spinal chain, a horse can easily coil his pelvis, contract his abdominal wall and raise his back from withers to dock of tail.

Ride evenly on bended lines When the rider is able to ride with both reins even and with the nose centered he will find the circle line travels between the horse’s ears, and exits in the middle of its tail and hind legs. Lateral work which requires a flexion through the horse’s body obeys the same law. Even flexion allows the horse’s shoulder freedom and ability to engage.

The rider can introduce flexion through a very simple exercise by going straight around the arena, and asking for just a little flexion to the inside as they go around the corner. Don’t make the corners too deep for a green horse.

Remember that every time you go around the arena one time, if you ride your corners with correct flexion, you are riding a quarter circle each time in a simple effective exercise that

offers your young horse a chance to learn and understand the beginnings of flexion when asked to go onto 20 meter circle.

All important shallow loop Next we can add the five meter loop. This may seem like a simple exercise, but it is not.

The rider must ensure it is performed softly and the change of flexion (the degree of which depends on the size of the loop) throughout the body of the horse is not asked for abruptly at the apex of the loop but prepared for carefully. We need to take plenty of time to develop our horse’s balance and strength so that the horse can easily bend through every vertebra of the spine equally, from the poll to the tail.

If the flexion is performed abruptly with a rider who is stiffed armed and/or has insensitive hands you are blocking the poll and spine. A common mistake is to ask for too much flexion, or forget to change flexion. It is a subtle movement and not to be overridden.

If a horse is crooked to the right, it will find bending to the right easier and harder to the left. The rider’s task is to work towards equalizing both sides instead of working the “easy” side and getting frustrated to the “hard” side. Become aware, and be guided by the horse’s spinal alignment and the symmetry or asymmetry of its body first and foremost, ahead of any other schedule based on age, breed, discipline or competition.

The five meter loop should be introduced down one side of the arena only, and performed here and there, not drilled

From left to right, Manolo demonstrating a horse crooked right, crooked left and traveling straight. Where are the nose, ears, poll and ribcage of he horse? Look at the chest bone, is it exactly centered or more to the right or left? What do you notice about the rider?

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This may seem like a simple exercise, but it is not. The rider must ensure it is performed softly and the change of flexion (the degree of which depends on the size of the loop) throughout the body of the horse is not asked for abruptly at the apex of the loop but prepared for carefully.

repetitively. The purpose of this exercise is to help us develop SOFTNESS in flexion, and to introduce the horse to the bend that will, over a period of time, get larger. It requires the rider to FEEL his horse’s balance and rhythm and help him meet the change of bend evenly.

It is the rider’s job to not get locked into a conflict with his horse when he cannot perform an exercise.

Too often, I teach riders who will accuse the horse of trying to “get away with something” or of being lazy, of hanging on one rein when the horse is physically not ready

for the work asked, nor understanding what is being asked of him. The rider gets frustrated, sometimes pulling harshly to get the horse to release it, and the horse gets more confused, anxious and reactive. A rider who wants a good partnership with his horse should take a step back and observe what is happening.

Is my horse able to perform this exercise on one side but not the other? Is he crooked or not stepping evenly? Is the bit and bridle fitted properly. Am I asking in a clear, simple correct way? Am I blocking him?

Only when both sides of the horse’s body

are EVEN can the horse travel straight and in balance. The rider should keep in mind that when he works to the right, he is also working his horse’s left side, as you work the horse to the left, you are working the right side. Analyze the horse’s feedback and figure out what patterns and exercises would help him, instead of fighting to “make him” do an exercise. Build up towards straightening and suppling your horse gradually.

If you ride to help your horse, your horse will recognize this and as his trust grows so will he desire to please you.

Whether on a 10, 15 or 20 meter circle, a straight horse travels ON the circle. The circle line travels between the horse’s ears, and exits in the middle of its tail and hind legs. A young horse should work on straight lines first to build up the strength to work on circles and bended lines.

Keys To Training the Young Horse

horse will not be able to develop independent balance, self carriage and ultimately correct collection.

The horse must learn to travel straight very early on. This is where he develops much of his gymnastic ability. A young horse being introduced to training should do more straight work than circle work, and should not be asked for any flexion on straight lines, just to go straight.

Do not hold the body in a frame at these early stages of training. Your job is to guide with sensitive hands. The spine must not be blocked, nor should the tongue “bones” (hyoid joints) TMJ (temporomandibular joint) and poll (atlanto-occipital joints) as they are the first three joints in the body and have a direct impact on the back and pelvis action.

To be able to go straight, the horse’s topline needs to be de-contracted (allowed to stretch forward and out) so that the legs can move with good rhythm and freedom.

Circles should be no less than 20 meter in diameter. The rider’s hands should have gentle, light contact on even reins when traveling on a straight line or in flexion. What one hand does the other must follow to keep horse straight.

Too much unrelenting contact means the

7 0.

Instead of rushing your horse around thinking “drive the hind leg under, more, more” think of riding the whole horse with a soft arch in the neck and energy traveling throughout the whole horse without being blocked. This means not breaking the horse’s neck at the third vertebra to put the horse on the bit or “make him” round with a short, ungiving, restricting contact.

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It is very important not to repeat any exercise too many times and over exert the horse, as it places unnecessary strain on the same muscles, tendons and ligaments again and again, as well as creates boredom and sourness. a Manolo Mendez wishes to thank Alex and Sandra Wolfe for their friendship and patronage; and Wolfe Civil for its support and sponsorship.

Featured in this article is Andalusian stallion Dinamico XII, Dinamico is part of the WolfeMen Stallions stable and is owned by the Wolfes.

For more information on Dinamico and other WolfeMen stallions visit www.manolomendezdressage.com

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www.naturallyclassical.com

Jenny Ro passion lfe has been ate ab out horse s since ch spend ing mu ildhood, ch tim obser ving he e rds of native ponie s, about learning the and wa ir nature ys. Ov er yea she de rs Let Je velop ed a lov for dre nn e ssa breath y Rolfe in the me ge but felt troduc ing. Le thods taugh impo e ar t rtant connect could not conn n to use th you to inno bring ion she ection about As he felt wi that with e power of vative tech r riding th po horses nies as allby Ibe progre ni su rian ho a child ssed, and ha btle ener ques of co Jenny . rses an travel gy be re led to rmon d classi came Portu inspir cal tea train y in ri to find true gal wi ed the ching ding. th he an her pa re. On her return r Spanish sta d th of dis to llions Spanish cover to y. Throu the UK, Jen stallio ny co powe n, De gh list ntinu r of lfin, she ening ed to her the ho breathing – From first as a pro learned the rse. Sh am e belie found changes the Fo Includ connect azing rewor in energ ves that bre langu ion wi es fasc d by Ja y are age of th the ke athing and inatin ne Kidd the he y to subtle ‘My dr rd an g case d harm learning the Durin eam of studie ony in g her life she dancin riding s from experi . ha ences g with ‘Jenn Jenny’s to help s drawn on in tra y’s teac becom a will ining many studen . Years formulate in divers e paren hi g po he ng an spe ts: e r uniqu t, car ssible nt nu has em e conc rsing .’ – Ge d happy ho behavio ing for ch and power epts ildren ural pro mma rse ha with ch as a foster ed me the aw blems s arene allengin , have to ss both believe helpe needed horse d Jenny g to eva s and in mys horse to gai lua stu te dents n respo nor rid elf.’ – . She er recep Rebe believes nses of tive. Th can learn cca that unles e bo family relation nd of trust, s they are neither calm essen and tial ing ships of the sadly missi ng redien foster t for tra children in the Jenny ining is also the ho , is an the rse. (the suc cessfu author of Rid contr l book e From ibu an UK an tor to top eq d DVD) an the Heart d abroa d a reg uestrian ular husba d. She nd lives in magazines in the her sta Barrie, wh ere she north Devo llions n with and tea co come her fro ches stu ntinues to lea stallio m all over dents the wo ns an and cli rn from d study rld to ents, wh work her me o with he The au thods. r thor can www.s be co panis ntacte The au hdres d throu sageh thor wil gh he orses. procee l dona r websi com te part ds fro te: m of the Christ ians Ag this book to For a ainst the ch co Pover arity J.A. Al mplete lis ty (CA t of eq P). len, Cle ue 45–47 rkenw strian Clerke ell Ho book nwell use, s and Green, DVDs , cont Lond act: on EC 1R 0H T

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ny Ro and de lfe looks at the rid mo er a natur nstrates ho al flow w you from ‘top to can rid releas toe’ e tightn of energy. Sh e e provid whilst allow ess cre will he ate lp in es exe rcises and ba you not on d by tensio to n. He ly to rid lan r teach connect ce but als ing o to cu e in good po ion an ltivate sture d feel. a deep Jenny sen se of ’s teach ing me loose work thods to enha inc horse nce the lude the va . The horse an ath will pro athletic ab lue of lete, co ility gre nnect powe ing wi ss with confi of the r of co th the re bre dence, athing rider, as throu .

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Front cover illustra Back cover tion by pho Back flap pho tos: Bob Annie Wh Atk iteley Desig n by Pauto: Bob Atk ins (left), Barrie ins l Saund Rolfe ers

Picture Above: Breathe life into your riding book by Jenny Rolfe. Available in Australia

www.horsebooks.com.au

part three

Warming up Self-carriage is gained through a system of warming-up exercises, which encourage the horse to produce a calm energy in his work.

Our goals will be to achieve steady, submissive work from a highly active horse. I regularly use lateral exercises in a steady walk to create more suppleness and engagement .

These exercises are an excellent preparation for balanced and more collected work.

In my articles we have studied the importance of a sound top-to-toe preparation for the rider. It is equally important to prepare the horse with a thoughtful programme of exercises that will assist in developing his natural, athletic ability. To give this concept a more individual touch, we will look at some of the methods I use with my beautiful strong-minded bay Spanish stallion, Maestu.

Mentally and physically he is not naturally gifted to demonstrate the highest levels of collection. His conformation shows great power in the forehand and neck but his hind limbs and quarters are lighter and less powerful. He prefers to move with minimal effort and mobilisation of his joints. His true nature 7 2.

complements this way of going as he is very steady and laid-back with the attitude that less is just enough! I not only need to enhance these qualities when we are training but also to instil him with some joie de vivre. We have, over the years, however, built a relationship and way of training where we can come together in energetic dance, connected by our core breathing. Here are some of the methods of training I use regularly to achieve this partnership with him.

Work on the lunge is beneficial for building the correct top-line muscles and encouraging work with impulsion. I begin by lungeing Maestu and when he has warmed up in all gaits, I trot him over two or three poles, about 6in (15cm) off the ground. This exercise really promotes active mobilisation of his joints and you can clearly see the stages as he progresses and begins to elevate through his spin. Initially his movement is minimal but after a few minutes he begins to show flexion through his joints which adds both cadence and elevation. This will be the key to advancing collection.

I lunge using the bridle, saddle (or roller) and side reins but I also sometimes just lunge from a head collar. When working over trotting poles I either use loosely fitted side reins or none at all. My aim is for the horse to be able to stretch naturally down and forwards through his top line.

When Maestu initially comes into the school and is standing still,

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nspire d by th e conn breath ect ing te chniqu this fo llow-u es c p to Ri Heart de From is writ ten to teache empo rs and we rider to conn ect with s of all dis a rela the ho tionshi rse an p built d unders on trus tandin t an g. Brea facilit thing ate se lf-cont techn mind, rol, ca stabili lmness ty enhanc and en o ergy, ing ba thus lanc within your rid e and harm ony ing.

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Maestu ridden by Jenny- balance harmony lightnessessence of Collection

his hind limbs are often trailing out behind him. When he comes to halt after the exercises over the poles, his hind legs naturally come underneath him to better support his weight and balance. Because he is not a ‘natural’ the fruits of training are quite pronounced as our exercises help him to engage and collect in a positive way.

I use a variety of different exercises over trotting poles. A particularly useful one is to trot in a circle and then halfway around, come down to walk. As he approaches the poles in

£22.50

walk I ask for an energetic trot about three or four strides away. He then trots over the poles with more elevation gained from the walk to trot transition.

I try to keep him energetic whilst maintaining a steady rhythm. If he is allowed to rush forwards, the true value of the exercise is lost. I am looking for elevation and suspension with every stride.

Impulsion and energy are not only about the forward impulsion but the elevation and cadence, or time of balance off the ground, within each stride. This is the key to building self-carriage as the movement elevates to propel the horse forwards.

There is more power and lift with each stride, which is on the path towards collection.

Collection for the Rider The horse mirrors the rider and so if we are to be successful at riding in lightness, balance and collection we need to understand the posture of collection for ourselves. We cannot expect to suddenly jump into the saddle and be instantly balanced in body, mind and spirit unless we take some time to build more discipline and awareness in our everyday lives. We have looked in detail at various exercises to gain self-awareness and balance, which are fundamental to becoming an effective rider. The time spent in preparation from the ground is of paramount importance.

It is useful to practise walking around the school, visualising the top-to-toe posture described in my previous articles. Begin to feel really tuned in to your core breathing and aware of your posture.

Now raise both your arms and hands, stretching upwards, high above your head. Keep your energy deep and low in your core but feel the elevation and expansion within your ribcage and feel the power of your breathing both wide and full. Soften your eyes and sense the energy flow of the breath creating both space and lightness in your upper body.

Then gently lower your arms and continue walking slowly. Do you feel lighter and more buoyant in your upper torso? This is the feeling a rider should establish when developing collection. When we are totally self-aware, we gain control and influence.

Maestu before work- relaxed with hind limbs trailing out behind him

Maestu being lunged over trotting poles

For instance, the horse may have good energy but his rhythm may be too fast. If we steady our pattern of breathing and slow the rhythm of our seat, the horse will mirror our balance and begin to use his energy with more calm elevation in his gaits.

The breath can be used to strengthen our core or, by using more gentle breathing, we can relax through the core.

HOMEWORK:

There are as many ways to breathe as waves in the sea and so explore and listen to the horse as he responds to your subtle energy. You will become less aware of distractions and disturbances as you build on your connection.

For more information on Jenny’s teaching, books/Dvd’s go to her web site www.naturallyclassical.com.

Learn to observe your horse- when working from the ground to see the benefits of the exercises and his development in self- carriage.

With discipline, exercises and deeper awareness, you and your horse can develop harmonious ‘ collection’ together. a

Maestu after warming up- with his hind limbs beneath him supporting more of his body weight.

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Feeding the Baroque Horse Part 1: Horse health, husbandry and feeding practices

By Mariette van den Berg, BSc. (Hons), MSc. (Equine Nutrition) MB Equine Services – Equine Nutrition Consulting www.mberg.com

Photos by

Laura Zugzda www.lauraz.net

W

e generally acknowledge that Baroque body type horses are “easy keepers or good doers” and gain body weight easily. However, we can not exclude that some baroque horses are lighter build and may experience the opposite – having trouble to gain weight. Nevertheless, if you own a Baroque body type horse, you probably question a lot about what is a healthy body weight, body condition score, neck crest score and what should or shouldn’t I feed my Baroque horse? There are a number of Baroque horse owners that even have to deal with digestive and metabolic disorders such as laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and insulin resistance (IR).

Information about digestive and metabolic disorders and basic horse nutrition is out there but it is generally not tailored to the needs of Baroque body type horses. In the following series on “feeding the Baroque horse” we will discuss these aspects and provide some more information on how to feed and manage the Baroque horse.

Body type & genetic predisposition Baroque horses have maintained the body type and robustness of their early ancestors and therefore they appear to have also retained a highly efficient metabolism, which is expressed on DNA level. Horses

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are initially evolved and adapted to eating prairie (low-quality) grasses and shrubs in semi-arid regions and travelling significant distances each day in order to obtain adequate nutrition. They need an efficient metabolism to be able to gain enough energy and nutrients from these poor quality forages to survive.

However not all domesticated horses have maintained this body type and robustness, due to selective breeding for performance, and so therefore we see differences in how horses cope with modern feeding practices (e.g. improved pastures, high energy and caloric supplementary diets).

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Husbandry & Exercise It’s not only the breed or body type of the horse that counts for easily gaining weight. We should also consider the differences in exercise regimes and husbandry over the centuries. As mentioned earlier, horses are designed to travel large distances for food and water in their natural environment. However in a domesticated situation we limit this migrating behaviour. On top of that we have applied modern “performance based” feeding practices, improved pasture environments and with our busy lifestyles we don’t always provide horses with adequate exercise, which all lead to an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.

For example, during the Middle Ages and Renaissance horses would have been managed in extensive ways, grazing while travelling. Back then there were no “improved pasture systems and the green revolution”.

In this period horses were most likely exercised on a daily basis and may have received accordingly some form of supplementary foods such as whole seeds and/or grains or other products to cover energy demands.

Estimated body weight: Weight (kg)=(girth2 (cm) x length (cm))/11877 Girth is measured around the front part of the body immediately behind the elbow and at the base of the withers (after the horse has breathed out).

Length is measured from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock.

Henneke Body Condition Scoring System There are two scoring systems that can be used to determine the body condition score of your horse. The following scoring system is generally more preferred by veterinarians and equine nutritionists.

Although, digestive (and metabolic) disorders may have occurred during the Middle ages and Renaissance, in all likelihood it was not to the extend we see at present. This all highlights the fact that we are challenging our horses in the current environments we created for them and with feeding practices they can’t really cope with. So by evaluating your husbandry practices and feeding management and by developing a more effective “health & nutrition” plan we can improve the well being of our horses.

To evaluate your horse’s body condition, equine nutritionist and veterinarians use a standard system of checks, developed by Don Henneke, PhD, whose illustration and chart originally appeared in the Equine Veterinary Journal in 1983. The system involves massaging and scoring six main parts of the horse’s body - neck, withers, shoulder, ribs, loin, and tail head – on a scale of 1 to 9 for their fat/muscle content. (see diagram)

Feeding your horse properly starts with evaluating the weight and condition of your horse

The body scoring sheet with the descriptions of each score of each of the 6 body regions can be downloaded for free from the MB Equine Services website (www.mberg.com.au/body-condition-scoringof-horses). To get your horse’s body condition score you record on the body condition scoring sheet the scores of each of these areas separately (you can have 0.5 scores). Once you have recorded all scores you average the scores to get your final body condition score.

We already highlighted that the nutritional needs may differ between breeds but it will also depend on age, growth, activity level (work load and breeding), health and environment. Correct nutrition is important for both health and performance. To be able to get a clear picture of what you should feed your horse, you should first start with evaluating the health and condition of your horse. In the following paragraphs we will discuss; how to estimate the body weight of your horse, body condition scoring and neck crest scoring. These are important assessment tools when evaluating and formulating diets for horses.

Body weight estimation It is important to know the weight of your horse for a number of reasons: •

To calculate your horse’s ration.

•

To accurately identify weight loss and weight gain.

Allowing you to keep your horse or pony at healthy weight by adjusting feed and grazing accordingly.

•

To identify any sudden weight loss that may indicate a health problem.

•

To enable the correct dosage and administration of medication, supplements and wormers.

•

Determining the maximum weight a horse can carry (preventing musculo-skeletal problems, the sum of rider and gear should not exceed 15-20% of the live weight).

There are two ways to calculate the body weight of your horse. The first and most accurate way is to weigh your horse on an equine specific weighbridge, which will provide the correct calculation of the bodyweight. However, these facilities are not widely accessible. The second method is by using a measuring tape and formula (make sure the tape is long enough!). Using a weight formula can be reasonably accurate when done correctly for mature horses. The estimation is not effective for foals, growing horses, pregnant horses and 7 6.

miniature horses. The following formula of Carroll & Huntington (1988) can be used to estimate the weight:

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Main points checked in Henneke Scoring System •

Neck

•

Ribs

•

Withers

•

Loin

•

Shoulder

•

Tail head

Score Condition 1

Poor

Extremely emaciated; no fatty tissue; vertebrae, ribs, tail head, and bones of withers, shoulder, and neck are visible

2

Very Thin

Emaciated; slight tissue cover over bones; vertebrae, ribs, tail head, and bones of withers, shoulder, and neck are visible

3

Thin

Slight fat cover over body; individual vertebrae and ribs no longer visibly discernible; withers, shoulders, and neck do not appear overly thin

4

Moderately Thin

Ridge of spine and outline of ribs are visible; tail head may or may not be visible depending on the breed; withers, shoulders, and neck do not appear overly thin

5

Moderate

Spine and ribs cannot be seen however ribs can be felt; tail head is spongy; withers, shoulders, and neck are rounded and smooth

6

Slight crease down spine; ribs and tail head feel spongy; fat deposits along withers and neck and Moderately Fleshy behind shoulders

7

Fleshy

Crease down spine; ribs have fat filling between them; tail head spongy; fat deposits along withers and neck and behind shoulders

8

Fat

Apparent crease down spine; ribs difficult to feel; soft fat surrounding tail head; fat deposits along withers, behind shoulders, and on inner thighs; neck is large

9

Extremely Fat

Obvious crease down spine; patchy fat on ribs; bulging fat on tail head, withers, behind shoulders, and on neck; fat fills in flank and on inner thighs

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Neck crest scoring; indicator for EMS The prevalence of overweight or obesity has increased considerably in humans as well as companion animals including horses. The reasons that domesticated animals develop obesity and metabolic syndrome are generally similar to those reasons that have been attributed to obesity in humans. Modern-day husbandry practices are characterised by the imbalances between energy intake (energy-rich feeds) and energy expenditure (inactive horses). In humans, obesity is associated with IR, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In horses we also encounter IR, but rarely the other disorders. It is important to realise that obesity can cause IR, but not all IR horses are obese, it can occur in thin horses as well. However, in horses IR has been linked to other specific disorders, such as laminitis, hyperlipemia (hepatic lipidosis), developmental orthopaedic disease (osteochondrosis) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (equine Cushing’s syndrome). IR is a condition in which normal amounts of insulin fail to maintain normal blood glucose because of decreased responsiveness of muscle (glucose uptake), liver (inhibition of gluconeogenesis) and fat cells (inhibition of lipolysis). The high levels of both glucose and insulin in the blood can become toxic, especially to the sensitive tissues in the hooves, which may trigger laminitis – the most common side effect of developing IR. Carter and colleagues scoring system Score

Description No palpable crest

0 1

2

3

4

5

7 8.

No visual appearance of the crest, but slight filling felt with palpitation Noticeable appearance of a crest, but fat deposited fairly evenly from poll to withers. Crest easily cupped in one hand and bent side-to-side.

Crest enlarged and thickened, so fat deposited more heavily in middle of the neck than toward poll and withers, giving a mounded appearance. Crest fills cupped hand and begins losing side-to-side flexibility.

Crest grossly enlarged and thickened, and can no longer be cupped in one hand or easily bent from side-to-side. Crest may have wrinkles or creases perpendicular to the topline.

Crest is so large it permanently droops to one side.

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We are now becoming more aware of these health issues related to obesity and metabolic syndrome. So to avoid these disorders early detection and identifying abnormal fat deposits is important. The most common system for assessing a horse’s fatness is by using the body condition scoring system of Henneke as highlighted above. While it determines the overall body condition, it does not differentiate enough between specific regions of fat. In particular the neck crest fat has been linked to increased risk of IR much in a similar way as abdominal fat in humans.

Carter and colleagues (2009) have created a scoring system to access the fatness or condition of the crest of the horse by using a scale from 0 to 5. This scoring system has been compared with insulin test screenings and show that an increased cresty neck was associated with an increase in circulating insulin and a decrease in insulin sensitivity. So the neck crest scoring system could therefore be a good tool to help identify horses at risk of EMS. We recommended that you always do the initial scoring with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist – as these people have more experience and are more objective.

If you are concerned that your horse is at risk of EMS and laminitis, you can contact your veterinarian or qualified equine nutritionist to perform an examination. Generally diagnosis is based on the history and physical examination but you can do a more extended diagnosis based on blood testing.

In the physical examination we check the body condition score (obesity 7 to 9 on the Henneke Scale), other evidence of regional adiposity (fat deposits around tail head, sheath, mammary gland region), pronounced neck crest (score of 3 to 5 on the Carter scale) and divergent growth rings on the hoofs (founder lines) or lameness associated with laminitis.

Blood testing can be done, but health professionals only recommend this if knowing the result will change how we manage the condition. The major benefit of blood testing is early detection of IR before the horse starts to develop insulin-associated laminitis.

This gives owners the chance to implement a preventive feeding and management plan.

Blood tests can measure the fasting glucose concentration, insulin concentration and leptin concentration. These tests are relatively expensive and time consuming and it is generally recommended to perform these tests in a clinic environment. For more information about this subject contact your veterinarian.

Summary We highlighted that Baroque body type horses, like some other horse and pony breeds, appear to be genetically predisposed to maintain with no trouble body condition even on limited foods. If we challenge these horses with diets high in soluble carbohydrates (NSC) (e.g. cereal based diets and improved pastures) and don’t exercise them enough, then they can develop metabolic disorders such as obesity, EMS,IR and laminitis.

To safeguard the well-being of our horses we need to develop a proper feeding and management plan which starts with assessing the body weight, body condition score and neck crest score of our horses – these are valuable tools for the formulation of your horse’s diet and identifying any health issues such as EMS. These health assessments are not only important for “easy keepers” but also for all other horses “ normal and hard keepers”, because they serve as a reference for all diet formulations and feeding management.

In the next part we will continue with the nutritional needs of baroque horses. In part 3 we will describe hay/ roughage, grazing and pasture for baroque horses and in the last part we go in to more detail about concentrates, additional feeds and exercise. a References Carroll, C.L. and Huntington, P.J. (1988) Body condition scoring and weight estimation of horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 20, 41-45. Carter R.A., Geor R.J., Burton Staniar W., Cubitt T.A., Harris P.A. 2009.

Apparent adiposity assessed by standardised scoring systems and morphometric measurements in horses and ponies. The Veterinary Journal 179; 204-210. Henneke, D., Potter, G.D., Kreider, J.L. & Yeated, B.F. 1983. Relationship between condition score, physical measurements and body fat percentage in mares. Equine Veterinary Journal 15 (4); 371-372.

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+ Maxisoy Low GI Super Fibre Pellets

ENDURANCE | EVENTING | SHOW | RACING | DRESSAGE | JUMPING | PLEASURE | STUD Maxisoy+ is a quality feed that is high in soluble fibre, and provides healthy low GI energy.

Your horses’ diet is a fundamental aspect of horse care, it is a critical factor in horse performance, and it is fully in your control.

Why feed low GI?

LOW GI (less than 5% sugar + starch) Research has shown that the feeding of 'High GI' (starch and sugar rich) feeds such as molasses, sweet feeds, corn and other grains, to be associated with increased blood sugar levels and insulin spikes following feeding.

Scientific studies strongly support that the traditional high grain/starch, low protein/forage diets fed to many performance horses can result in digestive problems including colic, ulcers, tying up and founder. These lead to loss of performance in horses as well as downtime and spelling that could be avoided.

This is turn can be linked to formation of conditions such as cushings disease, laminitis, tying up, obesity, insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome, as well as developmental orthopaedic disease.

Maxisoy+ Low GI Super Fibre benefits:

High GI feeds have also been identified as contributing to behavioural problems such as bucking, pulling, bolting, cribbing and other stable vices as well as general bad behaviour.

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High in Soluble Fibre Weight Gain & Management Low GI (sugar + starch <5%) Slow Release Energy Quality Protein Non Heating Economical Cereal Grain Free Rapidly Hydrates Safe to feed with other premixes

Maxisoy+ can assist in the health as well as safe management of your horse by providing a Low GI Fibre, Protein and Energy source that avoids the insulin spikes and elevated blood sugar levels associated with High GI feeds and supplements.

By both Glycaemic Index (see table) and laboratory carbohydrate analysis, Maxisoy+ is an extremely safe feeding option.

GI Value of Ten Common Horse Feeds

‘SUPER’ FIBRE

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The 'super' fibre found in Maxisoy+ offers superior digestibility over other forage fibre sources (75% digestible fibre) compared with most fibre sources such as hay and chaff (40-50% digestible fibre) These highly digestible fibres are known as 'super' fibres.

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'Super' fibres such as Maxisoy+ are readily fermented in the hindgut, producing volatile fatty acids which in turn provide a steady stream of slow release energy.

Maxisoy+ allows you to feed a high fibre diet with similar energy to oats, that assists in maintaining a healthy digestive tract and a reduction in diet related digestive issues.

The glycaemic response of common horse feeds was evaluated in a recent paper published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

Rodiek. A.v. and C.L. Stull. Glycaemic index of common horse feeds. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2007. 27 : p. 205-211

QUALITY PROTEIN

TYPICAL ANALYSIS (as fed)

A horse needs a daily intake of protein to maintain, grow and repair tissues. Unlike energy, protein is not stored in the body and must be provided in the diet on a daily basis. Improving the protein quality of the ration will assist in improving muscle development in growing, working and aged horses and milk production in lactating mares. Soybeans are widely recognised as the best quality vegetable protein source available due to the balance of essential (limiting) amino acids such as lysine.

Dry Matter 90% Protein 14% ESC (simple sugars) 3.7% Crude Fat 4.8%

Maxisoy+ has a crude protein content of 14% on a DM basis with an estimated lysine content of over 10g/kg (DM)

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Crude Fibre 35% Lysine 9.2 g/kg Starch 0.8% DE 8.41 MJ/kg

www.maxisoy.com.au

ENERGREEN NUTRITION

Low Gi Super Fibre Pellets

Pellets Dry Straight out of bag

Find us on Facebook

Pellets Wet Soaked for 5 min

Sucess Share the Maxisoy+ Low GI Super Fibre Pellets can be used in your horses diet to achieve fantastic results.

Being high in digestible fibre which is fermented in the hindgut and converted to volatile fatty acids Maxisoy+ provides cool, slow release energy.

Maxisoy+ can be used as your base feed, mixed with chaff and minerals to provide a balanced and healthy diet, or it can be used in conjunction with premixed feeds to provide quality bulk.

Why use Maxisoy+

• Laminitis Safe feed

From this to THIS

• High in Soluble Fibre

As an added bonus Maxisoy+ is safe for laminitic horses, horses with insulin resistance, and horses requiring a balanced healthy weight loss feed. Due to its superior crude fibre value Maxisoy+ is a great alternative to feeds such as beetpulp (30-35% verse 16-18%) and chaff.

Whatever your horse feed requirements Maxisoy+ is a cost effective feed addition that will help you achieve the best results you can with your equine partner.

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• Non Heating • Cereal Grain Free • Quality Protein Centor - Iberian Warmblood after 2 months on Maxisoy+

Energreen Nutrition Australia Phone 07 3806 2268 (office) or 0414 459 445 (mobile) w w w. bar o q u e hors e m ag azi nE.com

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BLUE CHIP’S ~

By Anita Budgeon

t c A g n i c n a l Ba There’s a lot of confusion about balancers and their role in the horse’s diet but in a nutshell, a feed balancer is designed to do exactly what it says on the bag – balance a horse’s diet with regards to nutrients, vitamins and minerals and this is what Blue Chip Feed Balancers do – 1) they ‘top up’ and therefore make up for the shortfall in nutrients that a horse may not be getting due to soil deficiencies, poor pasture quality, lack of grazing, or restricted feeding because of laminitis or even box rest due to injury, or 2) if you do not feed the Recommended Daily Serve of your chosen hard feed and if you only feed a fibre based diet anyway then Blue Chip is your ideal accompaniment.

By feeding a top quality feed balancer such as Blue Chip you will be ensuring that your horse receives all the nutritional supplementation he needs for optimum health and well-being in every area of his diet to complement your current feeding regime, and at the same time eliminating the need for multiple individual supplements thereby saving time and money.

We need to remember that horses didn’t evolve to digest large meals and these can bring about problems such as ulcers, colic, stereotypical behaviour, poor digestive health etc – so to keep it simple, why not feed a Blue Chip Balancer alongside a reduced hard feed but high fibre diet to help keep your horse happier from the inside out, and suit his digestive system much better?

The Baroque horse is frequently a challenge when it comes to feeding, often seeming to be able to ‘live on fresh air’ and most are extremely good do-ers.

However, one only need look at the climate and grazing conditions of, for example, Spain and Portugal, to see that grazing at certain times of the year is non-existent and the breeds from the Iberian Peninsula have adapted over the centuries to exist on a very basic diet. Whilst excess weight issues are not applicable to every Baroque horse, overfeeding the Baroque good do-er can lead to problems such as insulin resistance, often seen in the form of fatty, overly cresty necks and fat pads that can be seen on the hindquarters, shoulders and belly, which in turn can then lead on to metabolic disorders such as laminitis or EMS. Blue Chip Lami-light comprises a unique formulation to help address these issues and support those horses on a restricted diet based on natural and organic ingredients. As with all the balancers in the Blue Chip range it is 100% both

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molasses and whole cereal free. Lami-light contains enhanced levels of magnesium scientifically proven to increase insulin response levels in affected horses (and ponies) and assist with dissipating fatty pads and overly fatty, cresty necks. It also contains a quadruple action digestive supplement of prebiotics, probiotics, sepiolite clay and nucleotides. Fed alongside a fibre diet, Blue Chip Lami-light will ensure that those horses on restricted diets will receive the essential nutrients that may be lacking from their diet. Horses with no access to pasture will often lack Vitamin E and Blue Chip’s Vitamin E is fruit derived resulting in 5 times more bioavailability to the horse. All the Blue Chip feed balancer range - Original, Pro and Lami-light further contain Omega Oils, antioxidants, a complete vitamin and mineral package, a hoof supplement, a respiratory supplement and digestive supplements either in the form of just a probiotic or a combination of prebiotics and probiotics depending on the horses’ metabolic requirements, together with a first for feed balancers - Nucleotides. More information on nucleotides and Blue Chip’s range of balancers and joint and bone supplement can be found at www.bluechipfeed.com.au Breeding mares will benefit from Blue Chip Original to promote fertility, lactation, aid digestion, maintain condition through pregnancy, and it will benefit foals and youngstock for bone and muscle development, steady growth rates and preventing stress during weaning as well as helping to reduce foal scours during the mare’s foaling heat.

So care for your horses’ every nutritional requirements with Blue Chip and for further information contact Anita by email – anita@ bluechipfeed.com.au or phone 0408 920707

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Before

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The Original feed balancer for horses

Before

After

Add a feed balancer to your horses regular feeding regime to: Aid skin and coat health, improve digestion and nutrient uptake, promote condition and topline and aid overall health and wellbeing.

Also available

Blue Chip Pro High performance feed balancer for horses competing at high levels in all sports including racing, polo, cross country and more.

Blue Chip Lami-light Feed balancer for overweight horses and ponies and those prone to laminitis. Aids weight loss, hoof health and more.

Blue Chip feed balancers (Original, Pro and Lami-light) and joint supplement (Dynamic) are added to a horses regular feeding regime. Each sack lasts an average horse 40 days. You should expect to see a difference in your horse with 3 weeks.

Blue Chip Dynamic Joint and bone supplement for horses and ponies to ensure healthy joints, optimal mobility and bone strength.

To order or for more info: 040 892 0707 info@bluechipfeed.com.au www.bluechipfeed.com.au

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85.

Understanding obesity

~4 things you have to know!

By Tania Cubitt Ph.D. – Hy Gain Feeds Pty ltd Photos: Danielle Skerman

Obesity has been defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Now let’s talk about equines specifically.

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orses are grazing animals but unfortunately the pastures we have today are not the same as what they evolved to eat. Forages in our pastures today are much higher in calorie content than the types of grasses that horses evolved eating.

They grazed on moderate to poor quality forages, often covering several miles a day to find feed in sparsely vegetated areas. Today’s management strategies have placed horses in unnatural confinement situations that restrict grazing activity within the limits of pasture fences while providing easy to find, high quality forages. The ultimate confinement with limited access to pasture is represented by horses that are stable kept with limited turnout. These horses do not have to travel at all to find feed since it is provided in the stable, and thus are not expending any calories looking for food.

The basic cause of obesity is the consumption of more calories than calories expended, usually from a combination of too much or the wrong type of feed combined with a lack of exercise. Traditionally, working horses needed more calories than they could get from forage alone and were fed grain to make up the deficit. Today, most horses are no longer used for work; many are kept as pleasure and

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recreational horses. Their calorie expenditure is very low when compared with horses in the past.

What is a “Good Doer”?

What makes one horse fat and one thin on the same feed and exercise? To answer this let’s go back to horses in their natural habitat.

During the autumn season, horses ingest increasing quantities of available forage and gain fat in preparation for the winter season when food tends to be lacking. Increased appetite and weight gain at this time, along with the acquisition of a thick hair coat, are stimulated in herbivores by the secretion of specific hormones from the hypothalamus and pituitary glands. These changes represent a critical survival mechanism that allows the animal to use stored body fat throughout the winter months.

In nature, the winter season is set and the acquired fat stores should be depleted prior to the onset of spring and the growth of new grass. Current management practices in horses have removed this seasonal change in forage availability. Horses have constant access to nutrient rich diets and the harshness of winter is all but avoided with the use of conveniences such as stabling and blankets.

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Some horses, through natural selection, have inherited genetic traits that have facilitated their survival through periods of environmental harshness. These animals are said to have inherited “thrifty genes.” The extent to which different breeds of horses have inherited thrifty genes is unknown, but tend to be found most often in breeds originally developed to survive under harsh conditions. Most pony breeds are easy keepers, and smaller, hardy horse breeds such as the Arabian have many representatives with this trait. Many draft horse breeds, such as the Percheron also tend to display a more thrifty appearance as do most mules and donkeys.

We commonly refer to these equids with a variety of terms such as “good doer “or “easy keeper”.

Detecting Obesity The prevalence of obesity in horses is often overlooked; many horse owners deem a degree of obesity as normal, acceptable, and even desirable. In some equine disciplines, horses are judged competitively by their physical characteristics. In these events, a degree of fleshy appearance is often judged to be an advantage in the show ring.

Various methods have been recommended

Balanced - BHM - MAY'13.pdf 1 5/04/2013 9:49:18 AM

for the purpose of assessing the body fat of equines, including the body condition score (BCS), and the use of ultrasonography to assess subcutaneous fat thickness near the tail head. Ultrasonography is not a practical tool for horse owners so we recommend they become very familiar with the body condition scoring system and frequently condition score their animals. By doing this they will be able to proactively manage their animals so that they are always in an ideal, healthy body condition. The body condition

scoring system (http://www.hygain.com.au) uses a 1 to 9 scale where 1 is emaciated and 9 is extremely obese. It is a subjective system so it is important that horse owners look at documented pictures of specific condition scores and carefully evaluate based on the description given for each numeric score Table 1. Using this system, a BCS of 5 or 6 in considered ideal for most equines.

Human studies show that regional fat deposition, such as abdominal fat, is more predictive of metabolic disease than overall body fat. The BCS system determines overall fatness of horses, but does not differentiate between specific regions of fat. Like abdominal fat in humans, neck crest fat in horses has been suggested to be associated with insulin resistance and increased risk for laminitis. Recent research has developed a novel scoring system for grading neck crest fatness. The “cresty neck scoring system” (CNS) is on a scale of 0 to 5 where a score of zero equals no visual appearance of a crest and a score of five equals enormous and permanently drooping to one side.

When dealing with horses with a CNS of 4 or 5 we must be cautious of feeding diets high in sugar and starch as these may make worse any underlying risk for metabolic disease.

Consequences of Obesity The effects of obesity include exercise intolerance, reduced performance, poor body temperature control, decreased reproductive performance and the development of benign fatty tumours within the abdomen that can cause colic.

Obesity contributes to the onset

and increase of insulin intolerance in horses. Some equine conditions that have been associated with insulin resistance may therefore be more likely in obese horses, such as laminitis, cushing’s disease, osteochondrosis, hyperlipemia and inflammation.

Management strategies With equine obesity becoming an increasingly common problem it has led many owners to seek safe weight loss solutions for their horses.

In most cases we advise restricting diet and increasing exercise, but with some horses, for instance those suffering from laminitis, exercise might not be an option.

This often leaves dietary restriction as the only means for weight loss, making it increasingly more difficult.

As we have discussed the horse is a grazing animal and as a result it is extremely important to ensure adequate forage is incorporated into any weight loss program. Without adequate forage the horse will suffer from various other health issues such as gastrointestinal disorders, colic, and gastric ulcers to name a few.

The normal intake of forage for a healthy horse is 2 to 2.5% of body weight (BW), this equates to 10 to 12.5kg for a 500kg horse. When implementing a weight loss program we recommend limiting forage intake to between 1 and 1.5% of BW (5 to 7.5kg for a 500kg horse). If horses are stabled or on a dry lot this forage must be supplied frequently throughout the day to ensure gastric ulcers do not develop. Other practices such as slow feeders and slow feed hay nets can be used to slow down the horses’ consumption rate. Horses that have access to pasture should have limited turnout time and wear a grazing muzzle.

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Forage alone however is deficient in several critical nutrients and therefore must be supplemented to meet the horse‘s nutrient requirements. A low intake vitamin and mineral pellet more commonly referred to as a “ration balancer pellet”, such as HYGAIN® BALANCED® is an ideal product in a weight loss program.

HYGAIN® BALANCED® offers little calories while being highly fortified in critical vitamins and minerals and can be fed at a rate of 0.1% of BW (500g for a 500kg horse).

It is important to note that like people, horses’ metabolisms are all different and therefore respond differently to feed restriction. Weight loss is a slow process and where possible feed restriction should be coupled with increased exercise. a

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Business Advice: In business, image matters ask Pete!

By Peter Spinda - Business Consultant

It is often said that one should not judge a book by its cover. Whilst it may be true for many things in life, the

reality is that this saying is far from the truth in business. In actual fact, image plays a very important role in a business

and can be the difference between that business succeeding and failing.

Todays consumers are bombarded daily by marketing messages from countless businesses vying for their attention, along with the contents of their bank accounts. As a result, consumers are really becoming numb to these messages, which means businesses and advertisers keep having to up the ante when it comes to the ‘external wrapper’ of a product or service, in order to gain the valuable attention of prospective customers.

In addition, with the power of technology such as google, one can easily find and compare multiple businesses offering the same or similar products or services, all with the click of a few buttons. It is thus no wonder that competition is heating up, and no wonder that image (otherwise known as branding), is become ever so important to the small business owner.

Just to be clear, when we are talking about image, we are talking about: - The look and feel of your website - The look of your marketing material - The look of anything that your business produces and the customer sees (this includes not just products, but mundane things such as the look of your invoices, or the way your emails are setout) - You! Yes that’s right – if you are going to deal with customers face to face, then it is important that you are well presented, and that ideally you are wearing clothing that is branded with at least your logo.

So what does this mean for your business? Well, in order to answer that, let me ask you another question: if you owned a stallion that you wanted to make available for breeding, would you not do what you could to make the stallion look impressive and attractive to prospective clients? I am sure most of you would say of course you would. The same

goes for your business. If you want to attract customers, and want to get the best possible price for your services, then you should look at your business and ask yourself: ‘Is my image creating the perception that I want prospective customers to have of my business?’

It is important to understand that customers who have not dealt with your business before, and who are seeing you for the first time, will make judgements and often times decisions based on what they see on your website and other marketing material. This is called perception, and it is this that is created by your image. An example of such perception is bottled water. You can buy a bottle for $1. And you can buy another for $4. The product is the same. The image however is different. The cheaper water will often have a plain bottle with a simple plain label. The $4 one might have a fancy curved bottle, with a fancy name and label that creates a perception of ‘elegance’ and ‘sophistication’, as opposed to the plainness of a cheaper brand. One could argue that the location the water comes from will make a difference, but if you look at the nutrition analysis on the labels you will see that in fact most have similar amounts of nutrients, so this point really doesn’t hold up to the fact that the product is simply water; albeit the expensive one has an image that many consumers justify as being worthy of a greater price tag.

So my advice on image to you is this: be pedantic when it comes to the creation/design of anything from your business that your customer sees. Don’t settle for below average (unless you want to be seen as an average or below average business) and don’t follow the pack.

Differentiate yourself from the competition, think of what the consumer would expect from a business like yours and position your business as the one that is the most appealing to that customer.

Peter Spinda Peter is the Director of Realities of Business, a unique entrepreneurial business consulting and education firm that throws the textbooks out the window, and focuses instead on real world strategies developed over 14 years of starting and managing companies. a

www.realitiesofbusiness.com

Presenting your horse is the same as presenting your business. These two photos are of the same horse. The above photo, the horse is a clean horse and you can see him. However the image quality and presentation isn’t there.

The photo to the right, all effort has been made to present in a professional manner making the horse in the right more appealing - even tho it is the same horse!

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Got a business question for Peter, email editor@baroquehorse.com.au and your question could be published!

n e l a G Ask

by Caroline Larrouilh

This column is about exploring the connection between equine wellness and training, between anatomy and theory. It will explore how, by knowing how our horse’s bodies function, we can, not only help them lead sounder and longer lives, but also learn to ride them more efficiently, more harmoniously and more joyfully.

To give you an example of what to expect, in the next issue, I will be writing about the horses twelve pairs of cranial nerves, their role in balance, hearing, smell, vision, eye movement, face/ lips/tongue sensation, biting, chewing, tasting, tearing, salivation, swallowing, vocalization, tongue movement and much more.

Speaking with veterinarians, dentists, chiropractors, anatomists and bodyworkers I will be taking an in-dept look at how tack and bits, body posture and especially poll and head position can impact these nerves and the functions they support, for the better or worse. I will list red flags and review what steps we can take to ensure our horses are comfortable and can perform their best for us.

Next, I am planning to write about how to use specific movements to test the health of your horse’s neurological system as well as his straightness and balance, and how to help improve both through understanding healthy posture and movement better.

The column is designed to take your questions about the intersection of training and wellness so please write to Galen@baroquehorse.com.au and give us a couple of months to answer in print or online.

I am honored to have been given this opportunity and I look forward to a lot of learning and writing. Please write to me and let me know your thoughts.

Caroline.

Why Galen you ask?

Galen is the horse that changed the course of my life, and I thought it would be fitting to name this column after him.

Galen’s story is not a story of breakthrough and miracle but of hard earned marginal progress which for this horse made a tangible difference in life quality. He never flew over jumps again but his owner had two more years of watching a horse she loved napping in the sun, participating in herd life, his eye liquid and peaceful again.

I got to understand how hard it is to repair horses after they break.

How many signs we can miss, how easily injured they are - by all accounts Galen had a bad fall as a young horse out in a field - and how too often some of us know more about our car then we know about our horse’s bodies and systems.

Severely neurological, nine years old and an eventer about to be euthanized when I met him, Galen set me on a quest to learn about equine wellness, anatomy, rehabilitation and training.

Lanky with a dull coat despite being well cared for and fed, Galen would walk hesitantly, swaying with every step, his entire hind end heavy and lumbering, seemingly disconnected from his body. Worse for him was negotiating turns. Unable to coordinate his limbs and feet, he would stagger and fall down or knock into walls. A formerly strapping bay horse, he was reduced to jutting hips and sad eyes. Seeing his thin neck barely supporting a now too large head, being witness to his vulnerability and yet his determination, his utter lack of giving up, galvanized me into wanting to help him.

With the help of research and equine wellness professionals including the quiet but masterful Tina Hutton we were able to stabilize and improve Galen’s lot sufficiently that he could move without systematically falling down while turning or moving at a faster pace then a very hesitant walk. He gained a little weight, started gleaming, relearned where his feet where and how to lift them so as not to catch them on the dirt and tumble down. Eventually, he became well enough to retire close to his owner, in a smaller pasture with gentle retirees.

His courage and determination touched many hearts. That courage alone would have been reason enough to honor Galen here.

But there is more. Looking his unusual name up, it turned out the original Galen was one Claudius Galen, a Greek man born around 129 AD who influenced 1,000 years of medicine after his death.

A doctor and philosopher, that Galen believed in the power of deduction, dissection, plants and dreams. A scientist driven by a burning thirst for learning, his passion for healing led him to analyze, dissect, observe, research, test and create a body of knowledge that is still relevant today. He approached medicine like a detective, hellbent on understanding the why, how, when, and what of all things, looking for patterns and connections, looking for meaning and sharing his findings in treaty after treaty, over 80 in total and likely more, now lost. By all accounts what he cared most about was alleviating pain and making life better for his fellow human beings.

My Galen could not have been more aptly named if he tried.

If you have a question for Galen, please send an email to Galen@baroquehorse.com.au a

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National Stud Farm Topoľčianky, a state owned company, is one of the most important breeding and crossbreeding centres for warm-blooded horses in Europe.

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opolcianky

Far more than a national stud farm Photos by

Written by

www.foto-gregor.com

delegate of the FFL

Dalibor Gregor

Severine Tocaven

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ational Stud Farm Topoľčianky is a state owned company and is one of the most important breeding and crossbreeding centres for warm-blooded horses in Europe.

The Stud Farm was founded in 1921 and is unique as it is the only one in Europe which specialises in breeding four different breeds of horses; Arabs, Lipizzans, Huculs and sporting horses, of which there are over 500. One part of the National Stud Farm is located in the grounds of the famous Topoľčianky Castle, which was a summer residence of Tomas G.Masaryk, the first President of

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the Czechoslovak Republic. There is also a Museum of Horses displaying a large number of interesting exhibits open to the public. The property is approximately 1000 ha and includes breeding yards and buildings that were gradually added to the property between 1921-1930.

The National Stud Farm Topoľčianky is well known abroad for presentation of Lipizzan horses with Quadrilla and Classical Riding School. They have participated in many shows. One of the most well known was at the International Agriculture Trade Fair “Grüne Woche” in Berlin, in which they were apart of the historical megaquadrilla, this event was recorded in the Guinness Book (of world records).

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Riding hall and Riding Court

Each year, National Stud Farm Topoľčianky organises a select number of National and International sporting events at top levels. These consist of show jumping, dressage, breeding fairs, seminars and presentations. These all take place at the historic Riding Hall and the Riding Court. They also regularly take part in breeding exhibitions in Slovakia and abroad to promote the stud.

The Riding Hall is vital to the National Stud Farm of Topoľčianky. It was built in 1910 and after its establishment, the stud farm took over the formerly Habsburg properties of the riding school building, which was the centre for horse breeding. Gradually other buildings for breeding were added. The riding hall

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was completely reconstructed for the celebration of the establishment’s 80th anniversary. Nowadays there is a main training centre for young horses and also a sport stable. 30,000 tourists visit the Riding Hall each year.

There are about 15 horses in training and performance at the Classical Riding School where there are currently 10 riders who are responsible for the care of these horses. The Chief Rider is Vaclav Macek; he was educated in classical riding in Lipica (Slovenia), where they also have a Classical Riding School.

Two public performances are held every year. The first one is on May 1st, when the stud hosts an Open Day and the second one is in winter, shortly

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From the Lippizaners breeding

to the classical riding school.

Currently the National Stud has about 100 employees and 150 Lipizzaners in its stables. Its Lipizzaners breeding is very traditional , maintaining 6 classical lines, Maestoso, Favory, Neapolitano, Conversano, Pluto and Siglavy. 95% of the Lipizzaners are white and 5% are black or brown. The stallions are tested also in classical riding school. If there are too many horses in some of the lines, or if they do not fulfill their expectations, they can be offered for sale.

before Christmas. The traditional Open Day is the largest event with a visitor rate of more than 10,000 spectators.

The Classical Riding School gives performances at the stud 10 to 15 times a year in Slovakia, as well as abroad. This year, at EQUITANA in Essen, Germany, the Topoľčianky National Stud took part in ESSA (European State Studs Association) tandem quadrille with their Lipizzaner and Hucul horses.

In the classical Riding School at Topoľčianky, Lipizzaners perform exercises like levade, bowing, cavorting, stamping, crossing. The riders ride quadrille, pas de deux or tandems with Lipizzaner stallions, working on long reins with the horses. The quadrille consists of 6 or 8 horses and riders. Usually, the same horses plus others are used for performances of the Classical Riding School. The Classical Riding School also trains many young horses for these purposes.

In 2013, from August 28th to September 1st, the Topoľčianky National Stud Farm has been entrusted with the organisation of the World Pair Driving Championships. For this annual driving spectacular, many competitors and visitors are expected to attend. The whole Topoľčianky National Stud Farm’s team are honoured to welcome attendees and will offer a brilliant show for the closing ceremony of the World Games, thanks to the Quadrille of the Classical Riding School.

With all of the events the Topoľčianky National Stud Farm hosts, all of the performances that they participate in, the seminars they conduct, and the horses they breed, it is easy to see the tremendous importance that the Topoľčianky National Stud Farm plays in the growth, understanding and preservation of the breeds. It is, with out a doubt, far more then just a stud farm. a

www.sk.nztopolcianky.sk/

President of FFL Marie-Françoise Chevallier Le Page

Ing. Michal Horny, PhD Director National Stud farm Topolcianky Président de la Fédération Internationale du Lipizzan

Château de Ménerval 76220 MENERVAL FRANCE Tel + 33 (0)6 16 30 39 90

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DIAMOND GRID

My paddock after excessive rain faill - photo taken in main feed area.

Operation//

Save my horses feet

By Danielle Skerman

Rain. We need it to sustain life; it nurtures our earth and helps our grass grow with the aid of some good sunshine. But what happens when the sunshine feels like it is never going to come! Recently in Queensland, Australia, we were inundated with rain, and more rain and more rain. It felt like it was time to start building a Noah’s Arc II. Times like this can get pretty hard on our animals. The ground gets so saturated that the best of grass just disappears under the water and unearths the dirt! Mud! It becomes muddy water. This is what happened to us and many others with all this rain.

favourite spot becomes one great big toilet! The mud is now fertilized with urine and manure.

Mud itself can have some great aspects but in moderation. It can act as nature’s hoof pick sucking out bacteria from the frog and flicking it out when the mud dries, often getting thrown into the air as the horses go for a run. However, too much mud and water can lead to a wide variety of problems.

Like any concerning owner I moved my horses out of the mud pit that their paddock had become, into their stables and decided that something had to be done to stop this from happening again. Whilst still hoping to regain recognition of what sunlight would look like again I set forth my plans. I contacted Ben from Galahad and organised to pick up some of their fantastic DIAMOND GRIDS and prayed for a break in the weather to commence operation ‘Save My Horses’ Feet’.

Scratches, greasy heel, mud fever, rain scald and rain rot all share something in common: they are horsemen’s terms for one disease, dermatophilosis, caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus Congolensis.

When dermatophilosis strikes the pasterns, horse people often call it scratches or greasy heel; when it affects the horse’s body, layman’s terms for the malady include rain rot, rain scald and mud fever. No matter what body part it affects, dermatophilosis is characterized by scaly, crusty, scabby skin, and it’s a particular problem for horses that are exposed to moisture and muck for extended periods. Horses in constant wet conditions suffer from soft soles and sloughing of the frog, which compromise the strength of the hooves’ support structures and can make the horse more prone to sole bruising.

Ok, so mud is not so great for long periods for our horse’s feet – that’s pretty obvious. What makes it even worse and smellier without a doubt is that not many horses tend to go too far when nature of a different kind calls. Too often they just stand in the same spot and their

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Did you know faeces and urine literally eats away at a horse’s foot and can make their sole choppy and literally flake off? Pretty nasty stuff.

What are DIAMOND GRIDS you ask? Well, they are made out of 100% recycled, industrial grade, UV treated HDPE plastic, and are a diamond shaped grid that you place under your surface to eliminate this nasty boggy situation. DIAMOND GRIDS work by creating a multilayered drainage system that separates your surface substructure from the top layer, stabilizing your flooring. The separation allows water to drain from the surface and prevents the top layer from mixing with the base, putting an end to boggy patches and ‘craters’ that are created by our beloved horses.

To me this seemed like the best idea! So I set my husband to work to create a new day yard where we would lay DIAMOND GRID down and create a great space for the horses and I would no longer fret when it rained!

You can use DIAMOND GRIDS for just about anything; in stables, day yards, wash bays, in round yards, dressage arenas and driveways! Yes, you heard right!

Can you believe that these bad boys can take a load-bearing capacity of 200 tonne per square metre when installed and filled!! My horses and their love for bucking, stomping and all things fun to them are no threat to these super tough DIAMOND GRIDS!! Pretty impressive!

I also like the fact that that they are light and simple to install and are purchasable by the square meter, and consist of 4 simple grids that lock together using a unique interlocking system. All you have to do is place the ends of the grids together and click into place and visa versa to release.

Sadly for us, we have terrible black soil (can be amusing to watch the horses get taller and taller as the mud tends to do that, but that’s where the amusement ends!) so we chose to put down a bedding of road base to give extra stability to our hideous black soil. The most important part is that it is all level with no bumps or lumps on the surface, as the grids need to lie correctly together to do their job. You can have it laid on a sloping angle, which is perfect for extra drainage too - which is good to know.

Next, once the grids were easily laid on the newly levelled surface we had some road base placed in between the grids. Lastly, you will need to decide on what surface you would like the horses to stand on! You can have sand, even lay grass again, stable bedding or whatever you like or suits your needs. We went for sand for the day yard and stable, and inside the stable it was topped with sawdust.

New day yard in progress

Road base layed first with DIAMOND GRIDS placed on top.

Another great aspect about the DIAMOND GRIDS is that they are also relocatable. Yep, you heard right - you can easily remove and relay should you move house or change your area of use. So if you’re in a rental your investment is yours to take with you!

I found Galahad DIAMOND GRIDS to be affordable and not only a great solution but a hygienic and healthy one too. We are thrilled with the results and I can say I now enjoy the sound of rain again!

Without a doubt this is a super result for us, and the horses are pretty happy too. a For more info on the DIAMOND GRIDS go to www.galahadgroup.com.au

Road base being layed on top of DIAMOND GRIDS

Happy horses with new and improved day yard that’ll keep their feet safe from all the problems that come with constant wet weather.

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www.piafferevealed.com

Riz’s Rant

R R

PLEASE BREED RESPONSIBLY These words are often used by us to remind people that they are responsible for the lives they bring into this world and that responsibility should not to be taken lightly.

The Baroque Breeds were here long before we were born and they will be here long after we are gone. I have always believed that we should not treat these magnificent horses as if they belong to us, but rather, we are their caretakers and we have a responsibility to protect not only the horses, but also the integrity of the breed to ensure the next generation can experience the greatness of these splendid horses.

Aside from being beautiful, other characteristics that aptly describe Baroque breeds include, rideable, great temperament, and extremely intelligent! They are living art… so impressive and so powerful, yet even the most amateur owner can ride and enjoy them.

It seems that during the last few years we have started to see changes in the Andalusian, Lusitano and Friesian breeds, and some of these changes, in my opinion, are not for the better.

Due largely to successes in the show ring, some breeders are chasing the dream and breeding for bigger, flashier horses that seem to be born with that “spark”.

I am not one to rain on the dreams of others, but I think we have to be realistic. How many Olympic riders are there? How many Grand Prix riders are there? If everyone is breeding for such a small market, what is going to happen to the horses that don’t make it into the hands of a competent rider? I use the word competent instead of professional because these days it seems anyone can claim to be a Dressage Instructor without ever having trained a horse to the upper levels. To my way of thinking, that’s not dissimilar to someone who, although they themselves cannot do it well, want to teach others to play piano; or teach Karate lessons even though they might only be a yellow belt (yellow is a low level belt). Alas that is next month’s Rant!

Why is it that everyone seems to think that a horse must be at least 17 hands high to be considered as a competitive Dressage horse? I am not saying that a tall horse cannot be a good representative of an Andalusian or Lusitano horse, but it seems that breeders and even the registries themselves are becoming so obsessed with size that they are at risk of losing some of the physical traits that made these horses the legends they are!

The Extended trot was not a gait used in Classical Dressage or in battle nor will not find find a reference to the extended gaits in the Classical Texts.

The Extended trot was not a gait used in Classical Dressage..

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The more powerful the horse the more laid back of a personality I would like them to havE...

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Another breed that I adore is the Friesian. Who can help but love these beautiful black horses with a plethora of hair? But the primary reason I like the breed so much is that they are so easy to work with - maybe even easier than the Andalusian or the Lusitano horse, and believe me, I would not say that lightly! It is a good thing theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re easy to work with, because, the more powerful the horse, the more laid-back I would like their personality to be! The last thing you would want is a hot Friesian, but it seems more and more we are seeing just that.

How many of your clients are going to pay for professional trainers to campaign the horse to the upper levels anyway? The vast majority of the horse market is made up of women aged 55 years and older, as well as, hopefully, young children. What the market needs is horses that are easy to sit, easy to train and fun to be around, and who take care of their rider. The Baroque horse should be all of that.

The icing on the cake is they are stunning, too!

So before you go off and attempt to breed the next Olympic champion, please ask yourself what happens to the 99% of horses that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the cut? Who will be there to ride such hot, big horses with those flashy, and often hard to sit gaits?

Last, but not least, if you want a horse that is as tall as a Warmblood, moves like a Warmblood and is as difficult to be around as a Warmblood, then buy a Warmblood and leave the Baroque Horse alone. This goes for the judges at the revisions/breed inspections as well! a

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