Issue 19 Autumn 2015
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5.
CONTENTS
w h a t ’ s
i n s i d e
ISSUE 20
08
Apassionata
16
Mini Interviews with Portuguese School of Equestrian Art
20
Did You Know
22.
Grand Prix Dressage with Carl Hester
32
Highlight On - Erica Matherly
40.
Royal Stables at Versailles
48
Natural Postures By Jenny Rolfe
56
Lusitano Breed Rules and Regulations
60
Alter Real Stud Auction
64.
Boots and Bandages by Dr John Kohnke, Bree Morgan & Mellisa Offord
68.
Riders Position by Gabrielle and Camille Dareau
70
Herbs and Antibiotics
72.
Connect with a Blending of Spirits by Jenny Rolfe
76.
Keeping Healthy Skin
78.
Static and Dynamic Saddle Fit
80.
12 Tips to Take Photos Like a Pro
84
Lifestyle Section
88.
Q & A's
92.
10 Signs for a Healthy Horse
94.
Mud Fever
Welcome to our 20th Issue!
2015
20 issues later and we're still going strong. It is also exciting to know that on this number we are launching our magazine in USA! We are thrilled, as we now we are selling our print version in four countries - USA, Australia, New Zealand and Portugal. We have had requests for some time and pleased that this is now happening We do hope our new USA readers will enjoy the magazine although there are many have already been subscribing. This issue is a full one again, full of interest articles, educationals, DIY's and horses health issues just to name a few. We have a look at the historic Royal stables of France, at the Palace of Versailles where we visited on our trip in late last year. The stables are now filled again (since 2003) with horses and riders from the Académie du spectacle équestre.
ACADEMY OF EQUESTRIAN ARTS GRANDPRIX DRESSAGE WITH
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ON THE COVER: Emilie Tallet and Marie-Charlotte riding Criollos Palace of Versailles. Photo: Agathe Poupeney
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E D I T O R S The stables currently have 45 horses and some truly lovely Lusitanos and Criollos. It was just delightful for us to visit, and we hope you enjoy the photos and article as much as we enjoyed being there! Also, inside we have another cracking dressage demonstration from the master Mr Carl Hester. There is some great advice for riders and trainers of all levels. Carl's way of training is about understanding the horse and working with him and not being a forceful and hard rider. I think with their recent success of both Carl and Charlotte are proof that kinder is far more effective and far nicer and more pleasurable to watch, and I am sure for the rider too! Those who are regular readers will know how much we try to promote working with the horse and not against it. We are always trying to bring you articles and information that can help you feel more at one with your horse. In this issue, one
N O T E
article I'd like to mention is from Jenny Rolfe on CONNECTION. I hear all so often that people comment on photos or videos about the connection they see and feel that is something they can only ever dream of having. If you want it, then it is possible. In Jenny's article, you can gather some fantastic techniques and information on how to start to do this. We hope you enjoy this issue. Cheers!
erman Danielle Sk Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO BY KIM TOUZEL. HORSE HEAD ROCK, BERMAGUI, NSW
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Editor-In-Chief Danielle Skerman editor@baroquehorse.com.au Sub Editor Ruby Goodsell Ruby@baroquehorse.com.au
ART & PRODUCTION
ACADEMY OF EQUESTRIAN ARTS
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GRANDPRIX DRESSAGE WITH 19 Autu
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Batuta
FIGHTING THE BATTLE WITH
GA CHANME GER Gonçalo Car THE
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PHOTOS AND INFO BY KATARZYNA OKRZESIK-MIKOŁAJEK
A PA S S I O N ATA APASSIONATA is a Europe-organized family entertainment show with horses that is seen annually by about 500,000 spectators. The show is updated every year with a new program, showcasing difficult movements from classical dressage, Spanish Riging Sool, Doma Vaquera, complicated stunts and comedy acts. Elaborate stage designs, lighting effects, video art and dance accentuate the stunning display of equestrian acts. Since 2008, APASSIONATA’s program has entwined the various scenes and acts into a story, told through two acts spanning nearly two hours. A special feature of APASSIONATA is display of various baroque horses, which include Lusitanos, Friesian, Andalusian, Lipizzaner, Menorquin horses and more. Year by year APASSIONATA invites many famous equestrian stars like Equipe Luis Valença, Equipe Petra Geschonneck, Equipe Sebastián Fernández, Lorenzo, the Giona familly, the Hasta Luego familly, Sylvie Willms, who are extremely important partners with great horses and skills. Since its first show in 2003, over 6 million viewers across Europe and North America have enjoyed the artistic performances of APASSIONATA. The show is produced by the APASSIONATA GmbH, headquartered and organized in Berlin since 2002. In 2010, APASSIONATA received the PRG Live Entertainment Award in the category "show of the year".
APASSIONATA got 9x Golden DVD (more than 25.000 sold)… • APASSIONATA – Best of 2003-2005 • APASSIONATA – The very best of • APASSIONATA – Vier Jahreszeiten • APASSIONATA – Sehnsucht • APASSIONATA – Zauber der Freiheit • APASSIONATA – Im Licht der Sterne • APASSIONATA – Gemeinsam bis ans Ende der Welt • APASSIONATA – Zeit für Träume • APASSIONATA – Die goldene Spur and 1x Platinum (more than 50.000 sold) APASSIONATA – The very best of
1 0.
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APASSIONATA’a shows titles: APASSIONATA
2003–2004
Ovations
2004–2005
Hommage
2005–2006
Vier Jahreszeiten
2006–2007
Grand Voyage
2007–2008
Sehnsucht
2008–2009
Zauber der Freiheit
2009–2010
Im Licht der Sterne
2010–2011
Gemeinsam bis ans Ende der Welt
2011–2012
Freunde für immer
2012–2013
Zeit für Träume 2013–2014 Die goldene Spur
2014–2015
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15.
5 MINUTES WITH
THE PORTUGUESE SCHOOL OF EQUESTRIAN ART João Pedro Rodrigues Job/Position: Mestre Picador Chefe (Master Chief Rider) My Roll: rider, coordinator of both horses’ work, riders and performances Length of time at the school: 35 years Favourite part of the school: Performances and training horses Favourite activity to do and why: Training horses, teaching riders, because this is my life What are you passionate about and why: Breeding Lusitano horses, the Luisitano breed and equitation books. Favourite horse at the school: Trenó (late)
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JoĂŁo Quintas Job/Position: Picador (rider) My Roll: Training horses Length of time at the school: 28 years Favourite part of the school: Horses Favourite activity to do: Doing solo during performances. What are you passionate about and why: The challenge of training horses Favourite horse at the school: Niago (21 years old)
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17.
Vasco Pinto Job/Position: Picador (rider) My Roll: Training horses for shows and teaching trainees equestrian art Length of time at the school: 14 years Favourite part of the school: Training horses Favourite activity to do: The preparation and the evolution of horses for shows What are you passionate about and why: Equestrian art. Among the various strands of equitation it is the one I most love because of the “art” part. Favourite horse at the school: Qui-jambo (although it is no longer part of the School)
Nuno Deveza Job/Position: Groom Length of time at the school: 16 years Favourite part of the school: Horses Favourite activity to do: Feeding horses What are you passionate about and why: For me this School and this horse are unique and that’s what I am passionate about. Watching the School performing abroad and feeling the recognition Favourite horse at the school: I have two – Malboro and Jobim
Rúben do Val Job/Position: Picador Ajudante (rider) My Roll: riding and training horses Length of time at the school: 6 years Favourite part of the school: Working in the ring with horses Favourite activity to do: Riding, the challenge of training horses What are you passionate about and why: The pleasure of riding Favourite horse at the school: Dourado
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Lusitano
HORSE ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA
THE LUSITANO HORSE ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA WAS FOUNDED TO PROMOTE ALL ASPECTS OF THE LUSITANO BREED IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND Help is available in a number of areas * ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE OWNERS ON FINDING A SUITABLE LUSITANO * INFORMATION ON PAPERS AND REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIP * LISTS OF BREEDERS INTERNATIONALLY IN PORTUGAL, BRAZIL, U.S.A, AND GREAT BRITAIN * IMPORT RESTRICTIONS AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT
LUSITANO HORSE ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIASIA E-MAIL: info@lusitano.com.au PH: +61 2 4887 1042 PO Box 1857, Bowral NSW 2576 Australia
lusitano.com.au facebook.com/lusitanohorseassociation
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19.
DID YOU KNOW? HORSES IN BATTLE WOMEN WARRIORS Fighting on foot against horses couldn’t have been easy. The Greek soldier shown on this ancient Greek vase from 450 BC struggles against an Amazon warrior on horseback. Stories of these legendary women warriors might have been inspired by Scythian raiders, who frequently attacked the Greeks on horseback. In fact, recent archaeological discoveries indicate that some Scythian warriors were indeed female. RIDING PANTS Amazon warriors on horseback were a common motif on Greek ceramics, perhaps symbolizing the confrontation between Greeks and outsiders. The
source: amnh.org
Amazon warrior battling a Greek warrior on this urn is wearing pants with Persian patterns on them. Historically, trousers were invented for riding horses and were then adapted to other purposes. RIDING INTO BATTLES Horses were probably first used to pull chariots in battle starting around 1500 BC. But it wasn’t until around 900 BC that warriors themselves commonly fought on horseback. Among the first mounted archers and fighters were the Scythians, a group of nomadic Asian warriors who often raided the ancient Greeks. For Greeks who had never before seen a person on horseback, the first sight of these riders racing toward them while
firing volleys of arrows must have been truly terrifying. Some modern scholars wonder if early sightings of strangers on horseback might have inspired the Greek myths about the legendary half-man, half-horse beings called centaurs.
HISTORY OF THE ISABELLA (PALOMINO) HORSES By Allison Tomlinson
I
sabella (Isabelline) refers to a pale grey-yellow, pale fawn, pale creambrown or parchment colour. This is primarily referred to in the plumage colour in birds but also refers to what we now mostly call Palomino, Cremello or Perlino in horses. The first recorded use of Isabella as the name of a colour in English was in the year 1600. Where it was used to describe an item in Elizabeth I of England’s wardrobe inventory: “one roune gowne of Isabella colour satten, cut in snippes and raised up, set with silver spangles.” One of the more famous mentions of the Isabella horse was with Queen Isabelle (Ysabella) de-Bourbon who favoured the majestic pale horses. And it is said that in Remuda Real of Spain, she kept a full hundred of them as the chosen favourites of the crown. She would allow only the members of the royal family and the nobles of the household to ride them and it was against the crown for a commoner to own one. She was so enchanted by 2 0.
these horses that Queen Isabella sent one of her beloved Palomino stallions and five mares to her Viceroy in New Spain, now known as Mexico, to breed and spread across the new lands discovered. During 1599 - 1660 Spain’s greatest baroque painter, Diego de Silva Velazquez used the Isabella horses many times in his romantically extravagant paintings. These also included King Phillip VI and Queen Isabella of Spain mounted on the beautiful golden horses - the most famous included what appears to be an Isabella coloured pinto horse. The paintings of large war scenes captured the dreamy golden Spanish horse with huge flowing manes, beautifully crested necks and strong round haunches. Isabella horses were presented to the Spanish Lord Jaun de Palomino, who marvelled at the beauty of the horses. It is thought that this might be where they later received their name of Palomino which has remained in use over the centuries. The colour appears to have changed and developed over the years with a rich, darker golden hue now being the sought
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after colour in Australia, however, the favoured lighter Isabella horses are still favoured in Europe. Although only recently allowed back into the Spanish Studbook the Isabella or Palomino colour is one dotted throughout history. It is a personal favourite of mine as I just can't go past that golden colour and gleaming white mane and tails almost that of a magical feel. a
FIRST ENCOUNTERS source: amnh.org Although horses evolved in North America, by the time Spanish soldiers invaded in the 1500s, horses had been extinct in the Americas for thousands of years. To the native peoples, the Spaniards' horses must have seemed like frightening monsters. The Spanish made the most of this advantage by spreading rumors that horses were magical beasts. Horses were certainly not the only reason for the conquest of the Americas - disease, civil war and steel weapons were probably more important in the long run. But in early encounters, horses were an intimidating and unstoppable force. Hernn Corts, who led the conquest of what is now Mexico, is said to have claimed that, "Next to God, we owed our victory to the horses." A KING'S RANSOM After the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca emperor Atahuallpa, who until 1532 ruled the largest and most advanced empire in the Americas, Pizarro demanded the largest ransom in the history of the world. The Incas handed over enough gold to fill a large room, piled more than 8 feet (2.5 meters) high - but the Spaniards killed Atahuallpa anyway. Most of this treasure was melted down to make gold coins. SPANISH ONLY The man shown riding on horseback on this Colonial period Inca-style cup from the early 1700s is not an Inca--he is actually one of the Spanish conquistadors. The Incas were not allowed to ride horses for centuries after the Spanish occupation began. The Spaniards wanted to keep the power of horses for themselves--and with good reason. When Native peoples acquired horses in Chile, Argentina, and the U.S. Great Plains, for example, they quickly became superior riders and used their horses to fight off the European invaders for years. a
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21.
GRAND PRIX
DRESSAGE
Carl Hester With
PHOTOS: DANIELLE SKERMAN
It
was a full stadium with all the seats taken with a lively UK audience waiting eagerly for the master Carl Hester to enter for his demonstration on Grand Prix dressage. We see the man himself enter with a lively grin and the charismatic self that endears you to him. He presents the two riders and horses for his demonstration, Amy on Nip Tuck and USA rider Katherine on Alcazar. As Carl begins to speak, everyone quietens down and listens eagerly as he begins to tell us about his horse, Nip Tuck.... "We started Nip Tuck when he was four to five years old. He was a very, very hot tempered. He's very unconventional for a Grand Prix horse. He lives out in the open most of the year, and I have to bring him in the mornings and then I ride him through the field. When he lives in a stable he is hot as hell, and keeping him out seems to keep him relaxed. This is quite unusual, and none of my other horses live out twenty-four seven, but it makes him right." Carl then goes into talking about his training with Nip Tuck. "I didn’t think I could train him to Grand Prix as a four or five-yearold. He didn't have much of a walk, he didn't have much of a trot, and
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Name: Nip Tuck Rider: Amy Woodhead
Name: Alcazar Rider: Katherine Bateson-Chandler
Colour: Bay
Colour: Dark Bay
Sex: Gelding
Sex: Gelding
Breed: KWPN
Breed: KWPN
Year Foaled: 2004
Year Foaled: 2005
he didn't have much of a canter. When we broke him in he was very hot, and we couldn't canter him for four or five months because the faster you went the faster he went. Whenever you would canter and especially if something made him nervous, he would take off… he was a bit of a bolter. So, I still have to be very careful. If I was to take something off, like a jacket, and I was sitting on him and you were standing in front of me he would just mow you down. That's his character. There's something that's interesting when you train horses. You know, you can listen to what everybody tells you. And, everybody used to say why do you bother? He hasn't got any hind legs; he hasn't got a walk, trot or canter. But, he felt like he really wanted to do it. I mean, it's like riding Rolls Royce. He loves work. He can drive it every day, and he still keeps trying. At the beginning of the year, I said to Jane De La Mare, with whom I own him with, and she is also a friend mine. I said to her
that I think I will do a Grand Prix just to say I've done one. And, then I will probably sell him as he's not good enough. So, I did the Grand Prix, and I took him out. He was very hot and smoky and, he got seventy-six percent in his first Grand Prix, which is a very big score especially when you're starting out. So, he just kept shocking me. Last time I said I don't think he can do this, I don't think he'll do that. He just got better and better, then before I knew it I'm riding at the World Games, and on Nip Tuck, and he finished twelfth…. twelfth in the world for him. We were absolutely thrilled. It's like he won his own gold medal because lots of things I've said he couldn't do, and he did. I can tell you now, riding down a tunnel and coming into a football stadium with twenty-five thousand people in it, on a hot horse is not a very nice feeling. And you have to be feeling very confident when you come through the tunnel. As I was going around the edge, I did think I'm never going to get to the end of this test. But, I did, breathing very carefully with my legs slightly stuck out at the side. And, we got there. So, that's him. So, physically not talented, in his body, and I would have thought that he could make it, and you'll see why in a little bit when we compare him to the other horse here." Carl then goes on to talk about the other demonstration horse and rider. "This is Katherine Bateson-Chandler and she rides for USA. She comes and trains with me in the summers, four or five to six months. He's turning nine now and he's done three Grand Prix's this year, and he is a Dutch horse. He is physically very talented, as you will see. And, so they're two very different horses, they've both have got to the top. Hopefully, this one got to the top but for very different reasons. Nip Tuck because he really wants to do it, and he's clever at learning. Alcazar because physically everything is so easy for him. So, that's our two horses …. Nip Tuck, he's probably done about six or seven Grand Prix's, but he has ended up on the top, the top end of the world. And Katherine’s horse has done three National Grand Prix." Now that the introductions are done, Carl starts to enlighten us on the life of a Grand Prix horse. "We try to start at smaller level shows, to give the horses confidence before we go to national. You wouldn't expect a horse to get to Grand Prix before nine, but you do hear of some horses at eight years old doing Grand Prix. You have got to think of how physically strong they are and take the account of their confirmation and temperament. At the Grand Prix level the horses have to be fit. These are hard workouts and these tests, they look very easy for horses that do it well, but they need to be really fit. They don't just do forty minutes work every day. For instance, when we're doing a major championship the horses will be out of their stables two or three times a day. Not always doing Grand Prix work, of course, but hacking, hill work, water treadmill and schooling. Taking into account that sometimes you have to do things differently, for instance, I can't take him (Nip Tuck) to a show and do forty minutes and expect to go in. So, he would have to work maybe two or three times on the day that I would compete. I'd get him out in the morning, stretching for half an hour, just in the snaffle, and then take him out again depending on how he feels. And then, do the test. So, it's always about relaxing the mind and when you do a big championship like the Olympics or European or the Worlds. You have to do three tests, and it is a very demanding week when you're at the championship level. At the end of the week normally most of the horses like Valegro, for instance, although he is obviously a superstar, he does have an amazing temperament. So, at the end of the week, he would just warm up on the last day of competition for his music, for instance for half an hour and then do his test. So, lucky old Charlotte had a lie in on the last day. I was up at six o'clock in the morning, down at the stables stretching Nip Tuck and getting ready for a music class later that day. So, with very different types of horses you have to deal with their temperament differently. You cannot work a horse (Nip Tuck) like this for two hours as you'll just wear him out physically because mentally he always keeps going. " Getting back to the demonstration.
"We are going to look at the differences between these two horses. If you look behind Nip Tuck's saddle, from the back of the saddle to his tail, he is what you would call a long-backed horse. So, therefore, if he's a long-backed horse, his hind legs are going to be farther back. That's how he was made. That's his confirmation. So, therefore, his hind legs have to travel much farther forward under his body than Alcazar. This horse (Alcazar) has a very active hock and a very active fore leg, and he's very naturally engaged. He does that from nature. This one, Nip Tuck, tends to push his hind legs a little bit farther back by nature, so what we have to train him to improve. As he (Nip Tuck) is so hot and if you use too much legs, or you're too strong with your leg, you suddenly get an overreaction and he's suddenly he will flick the left leg out, the right leg, left leg, right leg, and you have to ride it very much from your seat. Alcazar is very rideable from the legs, and this makes such a difference. TROT You have got to think that the trot is just a normal pace really, without suspensions. So, imagine if I said to you look, I found a horse, thinking of buying it for dressage, have a look at that trot for me, tell me what you think. You know, should I buy that? Is that going to be good dressage horse? Well, you know, that's a very normal trot. (The demonstration horse is doing what you would call an average trot, (nothing fancy) You know, it's not really engaged; it doesn't have the suspension….we make that. (Riding on Nip Tuck is Amy). She sits and then; she starts to put her leg back on again, turn her hand over, and she makes a half-halt. So, now that brings him under, there's the suspension, and now she lurches forward again, and off you go there down the long side. That's very correct in the way that she's riding, the horse is up and out to the bit in front, he hasn't got his neck closed. So, in other words, if you ride on your hands, then what's going to happen is you're going to end up balancing the horse. The horse balances itself with its neck. So, if you hang on to the front and shorten the neck, then that's not going to be a balanced horse. You might still get to do the tricks but, it's not going to be in that way self-carried way, which the judges are looking for. So, look W W W. BAR O Q U E HORS E M AG AZI NE.COM
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Pic: Amy on Nip Tuck, working on the half - Halt in trot. "She sits and then; she starts to put her leg back on again, turn her hand over, and she makes a half-halt. So, now that brings him under, there's the suspension"
at the shape there, look at the expression she's starting to make again. A lovely picture. Katherine's horse, look at the difference in the confirmation, she also has to ride him in the correct shape. But he is rounder, more arched of course, and he doesn't have the same length in the neck that Nip Tuck has, but he does have his hind legs well underneath his body. Again think of what I said this morning with the forward hand that the hand stays in front of the saddle. He rides to the bit there, and I can see Katherine just doing her lightness. I think that's something that we should all take away that we would want to ride like because I think she sits quietly, it's elegant to watch. The difference is, of course, with competition riders, we have to do thirty-six movements at Grand Prix beautifully, exquisitely, without mistakes, lots of power and we have to do it in self-carriage and that's really difficult. Don't think that's easy. So, it's very much easier for people that just like to do dressage and don't compete. You got all the time in the world to make it better, make it feel nice. The trick is, or, have you really trained in that well that you can ride a test without making mistakes in self-carriage. But this is how we prepare. You see, what these girls are doing is they are also teaching the horses here to do it with expression. So, it's not just, they mustn't look like clockwork mice, they have to do the movements with expressions. HALF HALTS So, I'm just going to talk about half-halt because the half-halt is something else that we are always told do. Do you know how to do it? Or, do you know what you do? Some people do it very differently. I call a half-halt; it's a momentarily stop for a stride. You'll see that Amy just stopped with her upper body by making it taller, and the horse becomes more in suspension, and they'll ride forward again. So, it should be very supple. When you see Amy here, let's have a look. She drops forward, and now her outside reign takes a half-halt, her body comes up. She elevates, and she rides forward again. The same here again with your body supple, up, stretched, stretch five foot of that body up Amy. Good. And, you can see what that does is it puts the horse back on his hind legs that you can ride forward again. The horse becomes more upheld, and now forward again. It's almost like a forward rhythm, passage. It brings the horse back; he elevates, and you go forward again.
HALF PASS Everything that we do at Grand Prix, or anything difficult that we do has a coefficient of two-one. At international championships, we now have seven judges. Anything difficult has a mark of two-one. So, the half passes are very steep in a Grand Prix. Let's have a look at Nip Tuck. Amy has to look through his ears, and the front of his face has to look where he's going. He has to be parallel to the wall. You can see that, and I can tell you now that's a big sit, you can see the amount of movement here. She has to be very supple herself, and if you notice, her weight is so. When you're going to do a lateral - we look at Amy half pass to the right. She looks down the right-hand side, and that helps her body go to the right. Okay? There's no point sitting out to the left when you're going to the right. You should weight aid down to the right and then that left leg sends it forward and over, forward and over, and the trot mustn't change. If you have this wonderful trot going around the edge, then you do a half pass, and it changes, that shows that you lost that word self-carriage. You shouldn't slow down to make your half pass. You've got to keep this same energy, this rhythm. This rhythm, bounce over, swing, swing, swing and I mean, that makes him look extremely athletic. If you see, he's getting more expression; he's really reaching for his stride then goes over. It shows he is supple. The judge mustn't see the horse get resistant, it has to flow. One side to the other. What people don't realize because we have to have the horses so relaxed, so soft, looking so easy. But they need a hell of a lot of energy to do Grand Prix. It's not just, lazy horses do not do Grand Prix well. These horses have to have a lot of energy.
You shouldn't slow down to make your half pass. You've got to keep this same energy, this rhythm.
CANTER So, the reason I said to you this morning (last issue master class) that the trot is the pace that you should worry about least. This is because in a Grand Prix, you have your two half passes and extensions, and there is a lot more of canter work in the Grand Prix and the passage. Come in the circle Amy. Let's just show the control that you have with the horse in the canter. This horse (Nip Tuck), because he's so hot or was very hot, you couldn't put your legs on him right forward, as I said, if you go forward you'll end up water skiing not doing dressage, as he just used to romp through your hand. So, we did a lot of this teaching him just a canter on the spot. No hands, Half Pass demonstration
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Pic 1: Amy on Nip Tuck, working on control with smaller circles in canter. so I could walk the side. Quiet. Smaller, smaller, smaller, good. Good. Good. And now, you ride forward, put your heel down, deep leg. Good. So, there you could see Amy was able to say 'go forward.' Again that goes back to what I'm saying this morning about something we were always told, you must ride forward. But when you have this forward until he's under control, you'll make him worse. You'll make him stronger; you make him more tense. So, again, bring him on his hind legs again. And this movement must be done without the rider over-working. Let's have a look here, at his inside hind leg as he is cantering. He's taking the weight behind. So, if we photograph that down there now, look at this inside hind. (Pic 1 right) It's not just the hock, you'll see. But look at this fetlock right down bellow the bandage, it has to really come down and take the weight to do this. Very important that you don't do that too quickly. You don't want to injure the horse, and they need to be strong to be able to do this. So, it takes quite a long time to build this sort of workout. FLYING CHANGES So we're going to do some flying changes. This was something that Amy has struggled a little bit with herself. We just want to look at your leg aids. Do a few little serpentines, just do one change. Now your right back to the change, your left leg comes forward. So, there you see she got it right, her timing was right. It's timing when you do a flying change. I always count his front leg when it comes to the ground. So, if we were doing three, so I would do one, two leg aid. So, watch her left leg when she asks him to change, it's going to come back one, two, change. Very good. So, when you have a horse like this that takes over like he does here saying 'I'm going to do ones', there's no point telling you off for it, he's just going to get cross. He just needs to get control, so we just do little turns like we did there and start again. So now, we look at what we have to do in a Grand Prix. We have to do two-time changes, so every second stride. The judges are looking for the horse to be straight, and they have to be even. We get told as riders by the judges then you have to take the risk. So what does that mean in dressage; if you want a 10, then you have to really cover the ground. And what she did, a safe line of changes that would have got a 7.5 because they were nice straight no mistakes. (Talking to Amy) Push on, look out, sit back, that is it, right about the front of you. Now look at the difference in the ground he is covering, now she is right at the other end of the diagonal. Then you can think of a higher mark, because of course there she took a risk, she didn't make a mistake either. We are going to look at now what you have been waiting to do Amy. Amy's party piece, the one-time changes. It took a long time for Amy to be able to move her legs. Her brain said one thing but her legs did another. When you learn one-time changes, you have to not think about the horse because the minute you think has the horse done it, you are behind the horse. So the horse has to fit in with you; you don't fit in with the horse. On that diagonal, ears up hands in front 15 1's; one, two, three ... 14, 15. Amy, you may now have another bottle of wine tonight. She did it. And, of course, doing it at home is one thing, doing it in public is another. That was very well ridden, you saw that she really rode the horse out in front of her and that line at one-time changes there also being a difficult movement as a coefficient of two. So that is something to take into account. So there are a lot of movements that are involved in the Grand Prix and it is, basically as you can see, you need control of your horse tremendous control, but you don't want to kill the expression because you have control. So it is a very fine line to get the control, make it look lovely, all these things and yet still go without the mistakes.
Pic 2: Amy on Nip Tuck, showing flying changes - with visual leg aid lof eft back (right forward) for this lead change. Visa versa for change of other leg.
Pic 3: Katherine demonstrating the flying change, you can see the leg aids of right forward (left is back ) Visa versa for change of other leg. ZIG ZAG Katherine, you are going to show us the zigzag. . The half passes, again, in the Grand Prix; we have to do, it is not just one side to the other. We have to do three strides to the left, six strides to the right, six strides to the left, six strides to the right, three strides to the left, do a flying change and turn right, wave at the judges you go past. It is a very difficult movement or at least smile at the judge. She is warming up with leg yield, so we do a lot of it in leg yield at home because leg yielding helps the horse become much freer at half passes. So if you do four lots of sixes in leg yielding off the wall. In the test, we have to do it on the centre line, and now it is in half pass. So this is where it is really difficult, because again, if I am judging from the front, I want to see the bend equal both sides. He has to cross over the same to the left and the right.
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Pic: Amy on Nip Tuck, demonstrating piaffe.
Piaffe, Passage, they are trotting, and you are either trotting very elevated or you are trotting forward or you are trotting on the spot.. So let's have a look. Straight, change; mistake and down hill, and not very good. Which Katherine knows that. This is the problem, with a young horse, the older the horse gets, the more experience it gets, you tend to be able to do it without mistakes. It is quite normal with a 9 year old learning that he is going to make mistakes. I don't know if you heard him as he went through that, he actually stopped breathing, you can hear him - as it got difficult, he suddenly held his breath and then his body got tense." Katherine then goes on to do an excellent example next time around. Carl then continues to discuss this movement "So there, you know, again, that is considered a difficult move and so that also has a coefficient of two on it. So we are trying to show you the most difficult movements here. 2 6.
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PIAFFE Right, let's have a look at the piaffe, so the piaffe is one of the most difficult things to do at Grand Prix. I have to say when he started learning it, and I thought again, would he ever be able to do it. And of course he did it, and I was like where did that come from?. You know, your hind legs are out here somewhere and yet when I started teaching him to piaffe he clicked it so fast, and he loves it. Back to the demonstration .. …. and walk and walk and relax, and now energy, so you bring both your leg underneath you and again, just bring it up and forth. So at the moment, you can see Amy is riding him just perfectly for how I would want to. I could walk beside him, and he is energetically bouncing in a diagonal. So this time, try and ride, these are called, when you are on the spot, that is a piaffe. When you are travelling forward, that is half steps, it is half-steps, it's piaffe but forward half steps we call it so then he is coming forward, now see if you can bring it back for a few steps. So I think it is on your side, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and now come forward very gently again, quiet, and now think about bringing him a little bit back on the spot again, 2, 3, 4, 5, very good. And he is almost thinking of stepping back. So keep him forward again, good, and now bring him back again, 2, 3, 4, and now go forward again. So look how that energizes him, look what that does to his hind legs, it gives him activity and it brings him under and there's some stretches coming in. You can see he has got this absolute source of a brain that wants to do it. Thank goodness he has that ability now to just go, 'that's it, that was a trick'. That is how we taught him, that was a trick, we taught him, you give him a sugar and so in the end he was very confident with it. So let's see you do a little passage around the other circle. So the passage - Amy is not experienced in this either, so it is actually quite interesting for you to see because again she is feeling her way through. Look at this quality, this lovely - there; if you saw that, we had a double beat behind, this is more from your seat, very quiet, you have to bounce the rhythm in with your seat, good, good, good. Look at that nice, that expression he gets. And again, look how beautifully she is riding him up to the bit there. This is something, you know when you haven't done a passage on a horse before it is a lovely feeling. Piaffe, passage, they are trotting, and you are either trotting very elevated or you are trotting forward or you are trotting on the spot. That is how you have to think of all of your Grand Prix work. And again, look at how much better he is again here in his activity, when he has done a little bit of piaffe and passage, now he starts to, really starts to use his hind legs better. The one thing you can see better for these girls riding without whips, we try to train without whips. The reason is that when you get to the Grand Prix level when you get to championships, then you are not allowed to ride with them anyway. So if you train with them all the time, the horses get used to it. Then when you put your whip down, and sometimes when go in the test they have got so used to you carrying the whip. Then you go in the test and at the end, you need to go on oxygen to recover because you had to do all the work because the horse is not actually in front of your leg. So that is something else that you need to think about in dressage. In front of the leg is when somebody says to you 'is your horse in front of the leg?' That means is he taking you, not are you pushing it. So when do you use a whip? Why do you use a whip? Well, we use it for rhythm, to try and teach the horse rhythm. So you would use a whip not to force him to do it, but it is to try and teach him that the whip obviously helps in finding the rhythm. But you have to have rhythm yourself there as a rider. There is no good slapping a horse out of rhythm and him being nervous about it. You know, he shouldn't be afraid of the whip, but he should respect it. So that is how I always think of it with the whip. They shouldn't be afraid, but they need to allow you to help them with it. " Next we look at Katherine, and she does a Piaffe to passage transition. "So there is a young horse that can't get out. Did you see that, that she went to go from piaffe to passage and he was like, it is difficult because he has to push. So he loses his stride for one or two steps. This is where you have to be knowledgeable as a rider or a trainer and not lie at what you should be able to do. He can't yet, he's still learning. Alright, so he is still
90% of the problems in the front come from the back.......The more you have your horse on the hind legs, the nicer it is in the hand and the more selfcarriage it has. learning to get quick. There the resistance is getting where the horse starts to find that a little bit difficult. So again, we have to make it easy, make it smaller, and now come into a few piaffe steps. So watch her leg change, her leg comes more underneath and now you ride that passage again so now her leg should come forward a little bit. So we have aids; we all have aids. I don't expect everyone to do it the same way because your shape compared to mine or compared to your trainer or developer could be very different. But I do use both legs a little bit further back underneath me for the passage and both legs a little bit forward for the piaffe. And also the way you sit in the saddle." Carl then goes back to Katherine and the piaffe passage transition. "Just go on the back of it a few times, on the back, trot, that is it, trot; put some energy in your trot. Now back to passage again, bring it high a little bit, you have got to be much looser in the reign there. Now tap him again, tap him again, tap him again. That is it, let's get thinking about his hind legs instead of thinking about your hands there, that is it, there we are. Let him think about his hind legs and again, work his hind legs." Carl then goes into talking about addressing problems with your horse. "A lot of people say my horse does this with his mouth. My horse does that with his mouth. Do you use this noseband? Do you use that there? Do you use this? And again, when I was training years ago I remember saying the same thing, 'this horse doesn't feel very nice at the reins or it does this that or the other'. And this old Dutch fella that I was training with would say 90% of the problems in the front come from the back. And I think that is absolutely true. The more you have your horse on the hind legs, the nicer it is in the hand and the more selfcarriage it has. So that is a good way to remember. If you have got problems in the front end, try thinking about fixing them from the back end that will help make a nice feeling with the front. "
Katherine then tries again.. "Look at the difference now with Katherine's horse. Just freshening it up, lighting it up and then look at the difference in the reins. He is now really active behind, look at the reins, they are carried loose, beautiful. That is the picture that we want, the picture that every rider should aim for, that lightness from the self-carriage. These two horses have worked hard, if they were at home, they would have done at least half an hour's work before we work them. They work for 15 minutes, get stretched for 15 minutes before Charlotte and I would get on. Then at the end of the session, the same thing, they are stretched so that you relax them, and then they would go for a hack before they would go back in the stables. This is important so don't forget it... End your training session with a relaxed, happy horse.
You also need to make sure of the basics, even with the Grand Prix horses, as it is something you need to keep on doing all the way through their training. I would like to thank you for having us here. I would like to thank my two riders for hopefully showing you a beautiful demonstration. I know when you see Grand Prix horses you think that sort of horse would be out of my range, but it is not actually beyond your range, this is a 1000 pound horse. So don't give up as it is achievable! a
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Advertorial brought to you by
Floating
SAFELY
BY ALLISON TOMLINSON
When it comes time to travelling with your horse, whether that be a trip to the vet, changing paddocks or on the way to a competition; at some stage in your horse’s life it will need to be travelled in a horse float. This can be a stressful time for not only yourself, but also your horse due to the small restricted space, noise and the movement of the float. Thankfully there are some things that can be done to help reduce the stress and risk when it comes to travelling your horse. FLOAT SAFETY
backwards. In many training techniques, making a horse go backwards is a form of punishment, as it is physically harder for the horses to do this. When a horse is going backwards they don’t have a vision of where they are going, so can be unnerving for them. While a horse is unloading backwards, they naturally want to turn around so they can see where they are going, and one of the first things the horses do when they can is turn their heads to look behind themselves - thus many end up coming off the side of the ramp. If this happens, you run the risk of the horse injuring its leg on the side of the ramp.
Traditionally in straight load horse float in Australia we have the rear ramp, which is used to both load and unload a horse. This can be a real safety issue for many horses and owners for many reasons. Such as:
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Horses that have floating issues may rush in and/or out of the float in fear that can lead to all sorts of potential incidents. Like being rammed in the float by the horse or with the horse racing out, the horse may get loose, or go down the side of the ramp.
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Horses naturally want to go forward not
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Floating on your own. When you're on your own it can be a bit stressful if you have a
horse that is a little impatient on exiting the float. Backing the horse off on your own can understandably be a stressful situation for both owner and horse. When you go to the back to unload them, you need to put down the ramp, then the back strap to the horses rear and hope the horse doesn’t try to pull back and scramble while you untie them. Lets face it we’ve seen and heard that too many times to count. 4.
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Loading the horse. Some horses are difficult to load as they have had a bad experience with the unloading and may refuse to go in. This can be very stressful for both horse and handler. The loading and orientation of a horse within a float/ truck has been identified as a potential source of stress to both animal and handler. Having the horse face a small, dark opening, which they may perceive as scary, they walk into a light, airy space.
When you put it all together like this, it can seem all pretty helpless, but its not. With some simple design changes made by Equi-Trek floats and trucks has made the world of difference and these five common issues can be resolved with two simple yet very effective side ramp and backward travelling.
HOW ? Side Ramp 1.
1. The use of a side door eases the loading of your horse into the vehicle in an open and less claustrophobic manner.
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The horse can comfortably walk into an open space and can look straight down the ramp and to the open space when loaded.
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You can easily and safely do this by yourself with out the fear of being squashed or rammed.
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Unloading - is where the major differences come into place. You can easily and comfortably walk your horse forward off the float with plenty of room. A horse can easily be unloaded on your own with out of any fears of the horse racing off the side of the ramp and causing all sorts of dramas.
BACKWARD FACING: In the rear facing position, the horse’s head is not constantly carried in an elevated position and the horse may use its head and neck to balance more effectively. It may also be advantageous that the forelegs are placed in the rear of the vehicle where they may adapt to the swaying motions of braking and acceleration more readily than the hind legs.
is commonly exhibited during grazing, whereby the shoulder provides better lateral support than the rear legs. Often, the rear legs engage in a side stepping action when responding to lateral pressure, such as experienced in a trailer navigating a sharp corner. These horses also tended to rest more often on their rumps in maintaining their balance. The forward facing horses held their heads in a higher than average position and also moved more frequently due to difficulty in balancing. WHAT DOES THE RE-SEARCH SAY? A study examining the response to travelling forwards or backwards during a one hour journey showed a significant decrease in heart rate in the horses travelling backwards. Interestingly, the forward facing horses vocalised more frequently. Heart rates increased at loading and unloading and decreased during the journey as the horses became accustomed to the motion of transport. The authors concluded that the forward orientation may be more physically
This “buttress” posture adaptation
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demanding due to efforts implemented to maintain balance. Above taken from:-Physiology, Balance, and Management of Horses During Transportation by Dr. Carolyn Stull, Extension Animal Welfare Specialist, University of CaliforniaEffects of transporting horses facing either forwards or backwards on their behaviour and heart rate by Dr Natalie K Waran, Institute of Ecology & Resource Management, University of Edinburgh
tear on it. The float can be set to brake at the same rate, or even stronger the the vehicle. Hydraulic brakes work using the deceleration force present as the tow vehicle stops. When the driver applies the tow vehicle brakes, the hydraulic brake coupler’s internal master cylinder compresses against the coupler body, forcing brake fluid through the brake lines to the wheel cylinders which forces the brake shoes against the drum (or pads against the rotor, if equipped with
OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER: Electric Brakes Vs Hydraulic Brakes Electric trailer brakes work off a brake controller that is mounted in your vehicle within easy reach of the driver. The system needs to be hooked up by an auto electrician but once they are installed they are easily adjusted by the driver. There is also a manual over ride button/slider that can allow the float to brake independently of the vehicle. Electric brakes are triggered the moment you touch the brake pedal as they are generally wired into the brake light switch. By being able to control the strength of the braking through the internal controller, means that your car will have less wear and
the newer disc brakes). Hydraulic brakes require a lot of maintenance with replacing the brake fluid, checking on the brake discs and changing the lines where needed. They also cannot be operated independently by the driver and can only be applied by the pressure of the tow vehicle pushing against the float, which can cause your vehicle’s brakes to also wear out quicker. FLOAT SAFETY / TIPS Regardless of what design you decide to purchase when it comes to floats, there are plenty of ways that you can make sure that your equine stays safe. •
Ensure that your float is regularly serviced - including bearings, brakes and structural checks
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Check that all couplings are correctly fitted before you load your horse - even if you haven’t disconnected your float
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Check that all lights and indicators are working every time you hook your float up
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Ensure that all doors, tailgate and any other openings are secure before departing. a
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HIGHLIGHT ON BAROQUE HORSE
Inspirational YOUNG RIDER
Erica Matherly
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rica Matherly is 11 years old and has been riding horses as long as she can remember and why not with her parents background! Her father Shawn is a farrier and her mom Cally is a Friesian photographer and nurse, Erica has grown up with horses and dogs and became confident in showing both and quite competitively at a young age. She currently lives in Michigan and her family are working on a move to Florida. She has chores on the farm, and she also helps her little brother with his schoolwork. This helps her to keep her balanced and healthy. For such a young rider, she is showing promising results and will surely be one to watch for in years to come. You can find many videos of her on YouTube under Cally Matherly channel and on Facebook as well. We asked Erica a few questions... BH: What do you love most about horses? EM: I love everything about horses! But riding is my favorite. I like the challenge of finding out about each one ...what they are like and then how can I learn to work with them each differently. I am lucky that I have been able to ride so many different horse and this has helped me gain experience. BH: Do you know what you'd like to do when you grow up? EM: I want to for sure work with horses if I can, training and riding but also to be able to barrel race seriously in the future. It will take hard work and a good horse so right now I am training my naughty pony. We will be able to sell him as a nice hunter pony and put the money towards a good barrel horse. I also love to show dogs. People have told me that I have a gift at that too, so maybe I could be a professional dog handler too! I just did a school presentation about this. I showed videos and pictures at first, but then I took my dog in and showed the class how to show in AKC conformation classes, and it was fun. So that is something I could also do while having another profession or going to college too. I was able to show my first Australian cattle dog, Buck, when I was 10 and finished his AKC Championship myself in exactly one year. Now I am on my 2nd show dog, my Australian cattle dog Bella. If I do well at my next show coming up, I will have finished her championship myself in 6 months. I also do junior showmanship now which I will gain experience and will help me to decide if it is something I want to do as an adult. I love horses and dogs and hope to make it my career. BH: What advice would you say to another kid to wants to ride, but are too scared? EM: I have never had any problem being scared or nervous for some reason! But I see other kids that are, and I try to help them when I can. First they watch me ride and when they see I can do it then they ride, and I lead them and run alongside. I go faster and faster and soon they are smiling and more confident and then ready to do it themselves too. So I tell them not to be scared, to trust the horse, (if it is a trustworthy one!) and to start slower and build up to being able to go faster. I like to see other people be able to do it too and see that horses can be a lot of fun and not as scary as they think. :)
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BH: Do you have a favourite horse? EM: My favorite horse is Pod, our 17-year-old Quarter horse gelding. He was my dad's roping horse for years, and he has always been good at that. He is very safe for me to ride, and I have ridden him since I was three years old. My parents have a rule that I can only ride if I wear a helmet and boots! One day my mom looked out the window, and I was in the pasture riding Pod around with no saddle or bridle, but I had on my helmet and boots! I have always wanted to barrel race, and since I have grown up with him, I wanted to barrel race with Pod. My dad taught me what to do from the ground I started to do it, and he got faster and faster. My first race I was when I was six years old. I also have done a rodeo exhibitions in front of maybe 2,000 people; the crowd loved it, and
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BH: What was it like to ride in the Friesian Stallion show in front of all those people this past January? EM: Riding in the Stallion show was a lot of fun and a great opportunity! I first rode a seven-year-old show driving horse that was very big, like 17.2 hands. Bigger than anything I had ever ridden, including the stallions Mintse 384 and Alert 475 that I had practiced on. This horse was even bigger and bouncy to ride! He got sick the day before the show, and we had to change horses. I then was riding a 14-year-old gelding that was much smaller and like our Friesian, so that is how I was able to do my pattern and set my reins down and ride with no hands. He was a bit calmer and trusting. I was glad I was able to do that for everyone because it makes you braver to be able to not ride with your hands and just let your seat take you and your horse and be free! I was not nervous as I have performed in front of big crowds so many times before, and I think there were 10,000 people in the crowd and to me it was fun! I hope I can also encourage other kids around the world to be brave and ride and smile too! People have told me that I inspire them to try, even older people and that makes me happy, that maybe what I do can help others live their dreams too. I am thankful I can share what I love with others too. We would like to thank Erica for talking with us and we look forward to following your bright future. a
Pod was going faster each time. I have also done some racing, and I have gotten a few 2nd and 3rd place in the open division against adults too, so he is doing good! He is getting older and not so fast now, and I am thankful I have had him to teach me to ride, and now my little brother can ride him now too. So Pod is my special horse for sure. :) BH: Who do you look up to in horse riding? Who is your idol? EM: For sure it is my dad. He has been there for me from the start since I was a baby. He takes me with him to rodeos, ropings, to barrel races and I can do what I love. He coaches me too and, even though a lot of times I do not like to hear what he says, he is usually right! I am getting better because he has helped me. He is such a good trainer and understands horses and he very quiet about it. I am sure my talent comes from having my dad to help me. BH: Is there one horse that has taught you the most and why? EM: Well, I have to say my naughty pony Jet. My parents got him for me so I could learn more how to train myself since Pod, and my mom's Friesian Cervantes were a bit too easy for me. There was no challenge, and I wasn't learning anything. So Jet was a pony that a smaller lady had but was a little afraid to canter. But I love to go fast, so we got him, and we have slowly been getting him going, bending more, collecting more, and rounding up instead of his nose out. He would run off with me or try to scrape me off on the fence, but I would make him do it over and over, and now he is so much better. I started taking jumping lessons on him, and he is a very good jumper too. So even though it was frustrating at times, I think he has helped me learn how to train a horse to listen to my cues and not just do what he wants. I think he is going to be a good pony when I have finished training him!
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R oyal Stables THE
France Royal stables
OF FRANCE
ARTICLE PATTY TAYLOR PHOTOS: DANIELLE SKERMAN
France is the destination for many travellers and Paris is on top of this list. And why not it is a beautiful city? Many who visit Paris make the short trip to the Palace of Versailles (Château de Versailles). The Château was mentioned in the history books as early as 1038, and then became the centre of political power in France from the late 1600's. The renowned Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette resided there in absolute grandeur until the French Revolution and then they were forced to leave and move to Tuileries Palace in Paris. The history of Versailles is well documented in the history books and is a fascinating read. What is not as famous but equally impressive is the Grand Écurie (royal stables) of the Chateau de Versailles and is only a
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five-minute stroll from the palace. In 2003, the stables were been brought back to life with horses and riders of the Academy of Equestrian Arts. The Academy of Equestrian Arts was founded by French choreographer and director Bartabas, who is a pioneer in combining equestrian art with music, dance and acting. They have since held residence at the illustrious stables and hold regular performances that are a joy to watch. We had the pleasure of recently visiting the Academy and upon entering the grand entrance we were delighted to see a rider training on a stunning black Lusitano stallion in the
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horses (Lusitanos and Argentines), of which 30 are being used for the show, and all of the Argentines are geldings. There are no mares, and the stallions are not used for breeding. This makes for a more harmonious environment for all the boys.
majestic main courtyard of the stables. This was our first treat of what was in store for us. The courtyard facade is impressive on its own with huge archways, columns that are abundantly decorated with statues. The focal point of the Manège building has three sculptured horses of Apollo's chariot that appear to be leaping forward out the of facade. It is easy to visualise how this would have been a luxurious working stables in times gone by. THE MANÈGE (riding academy) Walking into the arena there is a mixture of history with a rustic feel with the simplicity of raw wood planks
for seating. The walls are endowed with the wonderful chalk and charcoal drawings by Jean-Louise Sauvat. These drawings add to the historic feel and is just delightful to see close up, and we commented on how we would love this in our homes (if only). The large mirrors and long with the opulent lighting (orbs made up of acanthus and oak leaves in Murano glass) are an obvious reference to the Hall of Mirror in Château de Versailles HORSES AND STABLES The stables were originally divided up into two distinct entries: the Petite Écurie, for the dray horses and the Grand Écurie, for the saddle horses. At the stables, there is currently 45
The Lusitano was selected for several reasons. They happen to be the King's (Louis XIV) favorite horses when he lived in Versailles when the stables were at their golden age. The Academy thought it would make a good reminder to have these horses as to pay homage to the history of the place. More practically, they also make great dressage horses and are companions with great abilities. THE EQUIRRIES (Riders) Equerries historically are senior attendants with responsibility for the horses. They are all very passionate and are committed to the Academy of Equestrian Arts, and this is a ‘way of life' for them. The school train riders that are artists in every sense of the word. They train in classical dressage fencing, singing, pilates, dance and Kyudo (the Japenese art of archery).
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THE HISTORY HORSE FACTS: •
Louis XIV had some 700 horses stabled here at the end of his reign.
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Louis XV grew these numbers and at his death (1774) there were 1,700 horses and some two thousand people employed at these stables.
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Louis XVI had even more horses with 2,208 and with this large number being a burden on the royal finances (1787) got rid of the Petite Écurie and reduced the horse numbers to 1,195.
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The dray horses pulled the carriages.
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The saddle horses were indispensable companions of the hunt, the sport of the Kings, and also the actor in the equestrian shows in the Grande Écurie
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The emblem to the Academy are the blue eyes of the cream-coloured (cremello) Lusitanos with their elegant gait and their talent for airs in the classical style. The Lusitanos, for hundreds of years, were the epitome of the warhorse, and were also the glory of the School of Versailles in the 18th Century. In addition to the Lusitanos, the herd also consists of Argentinean Criollos, Sorrais and Quarter Horses.
We were thrilled to witness their expertise first hand ourselves. When they dance, it is beauty in motion, and their singing is gentle, soft and entrancing. The unity of the riders is impressive, and this shows their dedication, training and skills. Throughout the show, we were not only treated to fencing and kyudo on horseback but also their classical dressage skills. For the equerries, the weekdays consists of working with three to five horses of which each are responsible for. They train in dressage and their performances in addition looking after each horses' physical and moral state. Weekends are when you can see the performances. The public can also attend the Academy's morning working sessions, Les Matinales des Écuyers (Riding Matinees). These are not really shows but more like
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working sessions and you can see the Lusitanos going through their paces; shoulder-ins, half passes, piaffes, passage, etc. Following this exercise you will be entertained by the fencing horses (Criollos) and the fundaments of basic combat. Every morning, before the tourists have arrived, the riders take a horse to stroll through the park of Versailles's palace. Being able to do so feels like a great privilege to all of them with such spectacular grounds and such great history. The Academy's philosophy is about their teaching skills and emotions and the development of their rider-artist who are on an endless learning curve. We would like to thank Marine Poncet from the Academy for escorting us through the stables and showing us around this magnificent historic place. A visit to Paris would not be complete without visiting the Academy of Equestrian Arts, and we recommend that this be added to your ‘bucket list'. www.bartabas.fr/en/Academie-du-spectacle-equestre/presentation a WWW.ACADEQUESTRE.FR All photos on this page by AGATHE POUPENEY
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Naturally Classical with Jenny Rolfe
Natural
POSTURES BY
JENNY
COLLECTION OR RESTRICTION? How would you define the word ‘collection’? I looked this up in the dictionary and found words like ‘gathering together’ and ‘pulling together’. I then looked up the word ‘together’ and found such definitions as ‘in sync’, ‘in concert’ and ‘as one’. These last words formed in my mind, the picture of horse and rider performing Classical art, in true collection. When we understand what it means to ‘collect’ the horse, we can study in more depth the way to achieve this goal in our training.
Pic above: work in hand at liberty - Jenny with her Spanish stallion MAESTU.
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A horse in freedom will breathe naturally, attuned to the environment and situation around them. They will respond to the laws of nature as they are at one with their world. We try to control by placing a bit in his mouth, a bridle around his head and reins, ropes and more gadgets. Unless the rider gains feel and sensitivity the horse may feel discomfort and pain through tightness and restriction through the neck and head.. Let us take a look at the reality of the punishment we inflict on the horse when we ask for a ‘fixed frame’ rather than a natural posture. Any athlete, whether human or equine, can only move freely with a lack of restriction to his head and neck, which need mobility to absorb all the movement. Visualize the power and energy as the horse jumps into the canter strike off. The head and neck need to move forward to absorb this movement but if the rider has heavy hands the horse will only feel a restrictive tug in his mouth. For us to build the desire within the horse to step forwards with confidence, we need to build a relationship of trust. This is the true foundation, to ride with more trust and less gadgets!
The head and neck of the horse are not naturally placed over his centre of balance so he will always need to compensate for any change in balance which will be happening constantly in any movement. The head is positioned in front of the withers which is the fulcrum. If the horse has too much weight unnaturally into a constrained head and neck, the whole spine will tighten. The whole centre of natural balance becomes disturbed. The tightness within the spine will not allow the hind limbs to support natural balance and carriage. The horse is also expected to carry the weight of the rider in this totally un-natural stance. The true value of loose work is that we can see the horse moving in graceful balance and posture with no tack at all, we can begin to realize the connection we are looking for is ‘mind to mind’ and ‘breath to breath’. This is our learning ground to connect with the language of the horse and maintain the same language once in the saddle. We communicate through our core breathing, energy and balance.
Have you ever spent timeless moments looking over the gate of the field watching your horse when he is relaxing and grazing peacefully? Suddenly he sees something on the horizon which startles him and he gallops off with his head and neck in the air, full of fear and flight. Then he comes to a halt, understanding that he is not being threatened, but his initial excitement remains. Just as quickly the horse changes from fear to fun and his strides reflects his pride and poise. His movement and balance are reminiscent of the Classical High School, executed
THE WHOLE CENTRE OF NATURAL BALANCE BECOMES DISTURBED
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with perfect grace and self assurance. His neck is arched with pride as he displays both power and elevation. Fear has become fun and the horse is displaying his natural talent – for true collection. When the horse moves in collection, his haunches begin to lower as they become more loaded with his body weight. The hind limbs increase in flexion which gives more propulsion and significant energy is created. This allows the horse more stability and increases his cadence. His spine and rib cage will naturally elevate, enhancing mobility of his forehand and shoulders. When this process happens in a natural way the neck of the horse extends up and away from the wither demonstrating a ‘proud’ lengthened and arched neck. During our training we are trying to emulate this pride, within the horse, to produce the gaits required for dressage. The biggest challenge for the trainer is not only to work towards gaining high marks within competition, but to be working alongside a willing, athletic horse who is feeling both focused and confident. LOOKING AT NATURAL POSTURE When I am teaching, I am looking to enhance a natural ability for both the horse and the rider based on a connection through breath-energy awareness from the rider. Correct posture for the horse will show a proud and confident horse, moving with good energy, through a mobilized spine, with the top muscles of the neck arched naturally with no pulling back. Correct training will ensure the horse looks more beautiful and athletic. The head will align naturally through a relaxed poll, it may be a little in front of a vertical line or on the vertical. Depending on the energy of the movement the head and neck carriage will vary. The correct posture will be longer and lower for a younger horse as collection will build as a result of years of correct training. The first ingredient is calmness, as a tense horse cannot sustain deeper rhythmic breathing and lung function. Also his circulation will be affected and his freedom to move. Tension also restricts the ability of the horse to concentrate on his responses to the rider.
We aim to build: 1.
Flexibility in the muscle structure to support the skeletal system.
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Balance and cadence through steady rhythm – always working towards equilibrium.
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Alignment and straightness through methods of training
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A calm and focused horse who enjoys his work ( movement for the horse naturally is fun and enjoyment and as riders we should seek to keep this feeling of joy in our training)
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The result of a thoughtful programme of training is a horse whose muscle structure enhances his beauty and his pride.
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A focus on steady rhythmic core breathing to enhance fluidity and eliminate tightness and restriction.
CREATING NATURAL SELF CARRIAGE Loose work is so beneficial as you can watch how the horse is moving and influence him with your body language and breathing. I like to begin by encouraging the horse to stretch forward and down. If the horse is not energised this will not naturally happen, so you ask the horse to trot forwards with energy and you will see him engage physically and mentally. The neck and head then lower , relaxing and stretching as the horse becomes more calm and attentive to you. If the horse is lazy or inattentive, it will cause the head and neck carriage to become elevated, but as we ask for more energy within the gait, the horse will produce greater self-carriage and fluidity within his movement. This will result in a natural (not artificial) lowering of the head and neck carriage. Loose work can encourage: 1.
Natural balance with the energy needed to build the correct muscles of the top line.
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Steady core breathing – to enhance fluid movement through a mobilised spine and relaxed rib cage.
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Release of excess tension with a deep sigh.
I use transitions in loose work to build up engagement and also trotting poles. I may ask the horse to walk in a good march rhythm and two or three strides before the poles, (usually two or three poles which can be slightly raised) I then take a deep out breath to ask for trot. When the horse works from walk into trot, the impulsion is taken from the hind limbs in walk and the elevation over the poles helps to enhance vertical impulsion, cadence and suspension. Also in loose work and lungeing I ask for some strides in walk of leg yield on the circle. I ask the
Pic Left: Exercises over trotting poles will enhance engagement and cadenceCharlotte working with my Lusitano stallion Habil. 5 0.
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W W W. N AT U R A L LY C L A S S I C A L . C O M helping the horse to become a healthy athlete. When the body is worked under duress- with tightness and restriction then injury often will follow and problems such as kissing spine will manifest themselves. The joints need space and if the horse is not allowed to move naturally the compression will cause friction which can result in injury. EXERCISES TO IMPROVE SELF CARRIAGE, ENGAGEMENT and SUPPLENESS. One of my favourite exercises was taught to me whilst training in Portugal. It can be worked in hand- at liberty, with a cavesson only, or with side reins- and also under saddle. The exercise is executed in a steady walk – with energy. WORK IN HAND –ON THE CIRCLE -left rein
Pic above: Habil is used to working at liberty so to stretch naturally is easy for him under saddleJenny riding Habil.
horse to look in from the circle, towards me, and then make a larger circle with his hind limbs, just for a few strides. This creates more engagement . I then ask for a forward trot on the circle with the hind limbs looking better engaged. I vary the work from large to small circles and then onto a straight line . These are exercises to develop both forward movement and more collectionwhich is the vertical impulsion which helps to gain cadence and self carriage.
I VARY THE WORK FROM LARGE TO SMALL CIRCLES AND THEN ONTO A STRAIGHT LINE
WHY IS NATURAL POSTURE IMPORTANT? Natural posture is fundamental to the well being of the horse. When we try to force a frame the horse just becomes compressed physically and cannot move freely through his spine and neck. Also horses begin to shut down when they feel tension and tightness and inability to be able to move without constraint. When we focus on a more natural posture we encourage a foundation which will help the horse to support the weight and balance of the rider. It takes time and patience to build a solid structure but this is the essence of
This exercise on the small circle will help to control the shoulders and also activate the engagement of the hind limbs. Prepare for this exercise by standing to face your horse, on the long side of the school. Begin with the exercise in walk and halt as described above. Then, instead of standing to face your horse, move slightly away from the track, to allow the horse sufficient space to be able to come away from the track and begin a circle around you. Prepare to circle left by positioning yourself both in front and slightly turned to face the horse. He will be on your left hand side, ready to move on a circle to the left. Hold the horse with your left hand and ask him to commence a circle to the left, around you. Holding the whip in your right hand, encourage the horse, with your voice, body language and whip, to commence walking a circle around you. He should use his inside limbs laterally to cross in front of the outside limbs. The front legs should cross over as if performing a turn on the forehand. After a few strides ask for a halt then repeat the exercise for just a few more strides. The horse must have sufficient space to mobilize his shoulders, to step forwards then across. If he is given too little room for movement, he may take a backward step which is totally incorrect. The head of the horse should not become tilted but remain in the vertical position. The flexion of the neck will be away from the direction of the movement, as in legyielding. When this exercise is carried out correctly the horse will demonstrate
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Pic: The deep stretch and posture helps to mobilise the spine- rather like yoga stretches for horses.
greater elasticity of movement and his strides will promote more elevation and self carriage. These movements should be carried out with steady precision. The small circle exercise can be executed near the long side of the school. Whilst on the circle, as you reach the outside track again, the horse can be taken up the long-side in shoulder-in, again using the same principles. This work is intense for the horse, so only use these exercises for a few minutes initially. When riding this exercise under saddle, you can work the small circle then continue walking forwards to ride a succession of exercises in steady walk- to flow from shoulder in to the small circle. When we change the rein working from the left rein to the right, we can create equal cadence from both hind limbs and suppleness through the shoulders and body of the horse. If a horse shows more stiffness on one rein do not be tempted to over work that rein- but just equally spend a few minutes on both. Halt regularly- to stand and take a deep sigh so the horse can release tension and take a break from concentration. THE INFLUENCE OF THE RIDER ON THE NATURAL POSTURE OF THE HORSE The rider has a huge impact on the posture of the horse. For instance if the rider is slumped , with an unsupported spine then weight for the horse to support, will be huge. When the rider learns how to carry and support their own weight, then the rider load feels much more balanced and light for the horse. This will give him more freedom to move and will affect the way he carries himself. If the rider can learn to support their own natural self carriage then this will support the
balance. The transformation for the rider will be a focus on core breathing, which will help to support balance, stability and mobility. Riding as an art is two living beings seeking harmony to move ‘together’ as one. Remember the balance is every changing and I find focus on breathing can really help the rider to synchronize with the movement of the horse. For instance if the horse tried to take a stronger hold with the bit- then a deep inward breath will stabilize the rider and momentarily the horse will respond by steadying and rebalancing. This way the rider can bring the horse back to mutual balance. The deeper outward breath will support energy Imagine you are jogging in a steady rhythm and supporting with rhythmic core breathing. This will help to sustain your mobility and flow of energy. It is the same when you are riding. Focus on steady core breathing- supporting the upper body wide and full, will help the rider feel much lighter, more connected with the horse. It is so subtle and so easy to teach the horse. The rider is sitting on the spine and central nervous system of the horse so he will soon learn to respond to breathing rather than strong leg aids which stifle the natural movement of his rib cage. The horse will respond to energy flow through the spine and seat of the rider and in this way , breath to breath- mind to mind and heart to heart- we can connect with our horse to experience both harmony and synchrony- then the music can begin. Jenny Rolfe is a Naturally Classical trainer and author living in UK. Students travel from across the world to work with Jenny and her Iberian stallions to learn the power of breath-energy as a connection with horses. Information on her books, DVD’s clinics on her web site www. naturallyclassical.com. a
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2015 AHAA
PHOTO GALLERY
STATE & NATIONAL SHOWS
MS Carawah Parks Double Black & Carawah Parks Outrageous Fortune. Owner Amber Vernick
Willow of Black Swan - Champion Partbred Friesian Mare 1st horse and handler 4yrs and under 6
Sharryn Jenkinson – Majestic Pandora, Kristen Fleet – Majestic Lobo Oakblue Park Domitila,Reserve Champion Led and Reserve Champion Ridden Partbred Andalusian 2015. Ownded by Lois Wattis
PDC Emilio, AHAA Qld Champion Spanish Entire, Supreme Champion Spanish Male & Supreme Champion Ridden Spanish Andalusian Male - owned by Fiona Strachan
Dianne Baxter and Omaru Dominanto who won Supreme Champion Ridden Andalusian
Dinamico of Impero, 5yr old PRE gelding owed by Karen Wade.
Bodega Park Alita, Victorian Supreme Champion Spanish Female 2015. Owner Cara Burns - DelViento Spanish Majestic Caminante,1st Entire Under 2, Champion Junior Spanish Entire,Reserve Champion Spanish Entire. Owner Courtney O'Grady
Denise Heber and "PDC Diodora"
'Torridon Ruffina' Overall State Champion Partbred, Reserve state Champion Ridden. Owner Leah Bayfield. Photo by Claire Curr
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PHOTO GALLERY
ANZFHS 2015 KEURING
THE FRIESIAN KEURING TOUR 2015
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rom the 15th March until the 1st April the biannual Friesian Horse Keuring was held in six states of Australia and the North Island of New Zealand. The first four keurings in New Zealand, Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales were challenged by the wet weather but despite that, all keurings went well. There were highlights and disappointments, with the Supreme Friesian champion coming from Queensland this time: Gabrielle of Sikisikawa Friesians owned by Chris and Susan Mathyssen and bred by Rising Sar Friesians. This mare is also declared provisional crown which becomes permanent if she obtains 77 points or higher in the IBOP test.
with stallion Jolmer fan Twillens and rider Sarah Ralston, Age B driven in long reins by Sybren Minkema, dressed up with bells and plumes, and Jody Mckeone driving Gumboots of Shepherds Hill in the traditional Friesian Sjees. This last one was extra special as Jody had only recently completed stemcell treatment overseas for a MS related illness and was still in a wheelchair four weeks ago.
A large number of IBOP (suitability) tests were performed, most under saddle but two also in harness. The highest score of 80 was obtained by Markus V., a recently imported stallion. The foalbook stallion Age B, ster with a breeding permit had a high number of offspring declared star and a mare and Afke van de Hamelspoel became the 3rd preferent mare in Australia, which means she has had 4 offspring obtaining the star status.
This tour is always based on the effort by a large number of volunteers which are the local organisers and their helpers, the board of the ANZFHS as well as sponsors. Sponsors included a number of local studs and businesses, overseas businesses and the silver sponsor was International Horse Breeders. A big thanks goes to all, including the members that presented horses.
Some keuring locations included some demonstrations, three highlights were Attaahua, a Friesian gelding ridden “pas de deux�
The jury, KFPS inspector Harrie Draaijer and senior judge Jan Hendriks were very impressed with the tour overall, with the condition of the horses and the results obtained which are much in line with results around the world, including our substantial number of Bbook horses.
The next tour will be held in 2017! For detailed results please go the ANZFHS website ANZFHS.org.au or to our FB page.
Hans Maes - ANZFHS President
'Age B', Van Gelder Friesians, Owned by Grace Lammers. Photo by WildEys photography
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Shepherds Hill Edward receives 2nd premie star with Running Team: Clint Mullin and Luther Matheson
Zwenneke fan wildcroft remained 1st premie in 2015 and is also provisional crown. Photo WildEye
Iisha of IFB owned by Twin Rivers
Tineke of Twin Rivers (awarded a 2e Premie) Photo: Nadeen Davis
Isolina of TK - Owned by Danielle Richter. Ridden by Suzanne Doyle.
Ridden display stallion Ypeus and gelding Xander - Frieisan Dreams
Photo: Nadeen Davis
"Ypeus" owned by Frieisan Dreams
Nenna-Monique van Berkley - 2nd Premium STER and Day Champion of Tasmania Photo: Nadeen Davis
Casparo fan Wildcroft - Photo: WildEye
Elmer Van Gelder from Triple C Friesians who won a third premie
Bart fan Wildcroft. Photo WildEye
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Lusitano
BREED RULES & REGULATIONS
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CÁTIA CASTRO
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he APSL (Associação Portuguesa de Criadores do Cavalo Puro Sangue Lusitano) defines the Stud Book as its objective is to ensure the preservation and improvements to the Lusitano breed. This is done by evaluating its stud horses and helping to improve the breeds' zootechnical characteristics. All Lusitano have what it's called a “blue book” with the name of the horse, their APSL number, genealogy, breeders information, vaccines, among other information.
IDENTIFICATION Name The horses name (proposed by the breeder) must start with the letter corresponding to the year of birth allocated letters. Each year a new set of letters are assigned. These are in sequential order using letters to be found in the Portuguese alphabet, excluding K, Y and W. Brand Traditionally branding with breeder’s brand (iron) on the right thigh and a number allocated by the breeder, both indelibly marked. Today this may be substituted or enhanced by the insertion of a microchip conforming to the international standards. Stallion grading for studbook: Licensing Stallions For a Lusitano have it's descendants registered as Lusitanos in the Stud Book, the Lusitano has to be graded as Licensed Stallion by a committee of the Lusitano Association judges. If the stallion is not a licensed stallion, the progeny can not be registered. This is done to protect the quality of the breed.
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From a zootechnical point of view, stud horses must be purebred and be of expedient age and breeding capacity. The following aspects shall be taken into account for the evaluation of breeding capacity: Previous history; Ease of performance of breeding activities; Morphofunctional integrity of genital organs. What are the requirements to be a Lusitano Licensed Stallion? Animals are to be registered in the Studbook at the request of breeders or owners. Provided that they fulfill the following conditions: 1.
They must be entered in the Lusitano Birth Ledger;
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They must identify with and have the characteristics expressed in the Lusitano breed standard;
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They must have good conformation and development;
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They must not have any blemishes or defects for fear of hereditary transmission;
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They must have “morphofunctional integrity of genital organs” must have been approved for breeding based on the results of a spermogram. Cryptorchid (unilateral or bilateral) animals may not be entered in the Studbook;
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They must originate from breeding stock that complies with the health regulations in force;
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They must have undergone morphofunctional tests.
be used for a study, without at the present time being considered sufficient grounds for any rejection. At the end of this stage, animals may be classified as:
GRADING - HOW DOES IT WORK? The approval for the Studbook shall compromise the following steps: 1.
Horses must undergo morphofunctional tests in which they shall be inspected and be awarded points, in conformity with the APSL regulations;
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All animals whose points score in any of the characters under consideration does not correspond to: three scores of 6 (six), two scores of 5 (five), or one score of less than 5 (five) shall be registered and authorised to commence breeding. (meaning that it's a score based - if the scores in the corresponding areas are all above the required number then a license will be granted)
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Male studhorse candidates must be inspected mounted, in public concentrations to be designated annually by APSL. In case of candidate broodmares, they can be led by the hand, on the breeder’s premises, unless public concentrations have also been designated by APSL for the said purpose; The minimum age shall be three years for a female and four years for a male horse. Any horse may, however, be entered in the Studbook, prior to reaching the referred age, by the special requirement to the Registration Committee's evaluation. Male studhorse candidates shall be X-rayed to identify any signs of osteochondrosis, during the events in which they participate. These x-rays, of whose results only the respective breeder/owner shall be informed, shall
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Studhorse – if obtaining up to 72 points (inclusive)
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Studhorse* – if obtaining more than 72 points, In which cases male stud horses may cover up to 20 (twenty) mares per year
How can I prepare my Lusitano to the Male's grading presentation? We followed the process of the Lusitano Dexeno (JGR), before during and after the presentation. The owner contacted the APSL, filled the APSL form with the attached document of the spermogram and veterinarian report and paid the APSL fee. Preparation In preparation Dexeno along with his rider, Rui Graça received guidance and training from Dexeno's breeder João Pedro Rodrigues, Headmaster of the Portuguese Equestrian Art School. He acted as their knowledgeable eye on the ground, giving his feedback of what he saw and what could be improved in training, in the week before the presentation. We have interviewed Dexeno's rider, Rui Graça, a trainer with many years of experience in presenting and training Lusitanos. BH: How can we prepare our horse to that presentation? RG: Well, there's no specific prior preparation, there is the usual daily training work, that has to be thought aiming to W W W. BAR O Q U E HORS E M AG AZI NE.COM
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the correct balance, amplitude and relaxation of the horse. You present yourself with the correct clothes and tack to what is the functionality of the horse, and in the case of Dexeno this was dressage. But you can go in working equitation clothes and tack or example. In the presentation, we need to focus on the horse, and he is to be as calm and relaxed as possible. This is because it will be a new situation for him, with a lot of distractions, the other horses, the judges and the public watching. It's not about a high level of teaching that is requested to be presented, but the quality of the steps, of the horse's movement, in the three basic – walk, trot, and gallop.
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In the presentation we need to ride the horse in the three basic movements in the two sides (left and right), then we exit the arena and take off the saddle, clean the horse, have him measure by the withers by the APSL judge. We then go inside the arena again for the horse to be judged for his conformation. When the horse is judged for his conformation, you have to put him well “framed” in the ground. You have to stand still in front of the judges; the horse must be calm, well squared, with good expression and bright eyes characteristics of the Lusitano breed. BHM: The higher the Licensed Stallion points, the better the horse?
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RG: No, I don't agree with that, the points are not the best indicators for the choice of a stallion for breeding purposes. The 10 minutes of presentation in the male's grading may not enough to define the quality of a stallion. Imagine if the horse is not having a good day and the presentation was not good for that reason, then the horse will be graded according to those 10 minutes. But I think the accuracy of the evaluation rules, in general, is good. The points only indicate that the Lusitano is more or less according to the Lusitano breeding standards of those judges criteria. I think the best indicator a breeder can have for choosing the licensed stallion for his mares, is the knowledge of the stallion and mare. The breeder, in my opinion, must choose depending the mares he has and according the purpose he wishes to breed: dressage, leisure, show jumping, working equitation, etc. BHM: What about those Lusitanos that are not approved in the male's grading presentation to be licensed stallions? RG: In terms of the market they are devalued, and their
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IT'S NOT ABOUT A HIGH LEVEL OF TEACHING THAT IS REQUESTED TO BE PRESENTED, BUT THE QUALITY OF THE STEPS, OF THE HORSE'S MOVEMENT..
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Photos: 1. Preparation trairing as normal. 2. Preparation with João Pedro Rodrigues. 3. On the day of testing - Ridden. 4. On the day of testing - in hand. 5. During the ridden test. 6. In hand presentation.
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descendants cannot be register as Lusitanos. But the purpose of a stallion, independent of what he is, is to transmit quality to their descendants. The APSL says that: Horse that have not been entered in the Lusitano Studbook may not be referred to as Lusitano Breed. The Supervisory Body does not, therefore, issue certificates of origin for such animals prior to their respective owners’ delivery of proof of registration. Breeders/Owners may apply for Merit Studhorse status provided that the animal: 1. Is more than nine years old. 2. The descendants have already been entered in the Studbook. 3. The following shall be evaluated: Consanguinity; Genealogy; Results as evidenced by descendants; Results of functional activity. BHM interviewed João Ralão Duarte judge and technical secretary of the breed in the Portuguese Association of the Lusitano Pure Breed (APSL), that explained to us that: THERE ARE 3 PHASES: 1.GRADING OF THE BREED STANDARDS. When we approve a horse in the male's grading presentation, we are not saying whether the horse is good or not, we are saying that the horse is more or less according to the breeding standards. Those breeding standards are equal between the morphological part of the horse as well it's functionality. 2. DESCENDANTS. Of the recommended stallions, they are analyzed by their productivity, by the quality of their descendants. That can have unlimited descendants per year. 3. MERIT STALLIONS. Licensed stallions that have been proven in progeny. In summary; THE FIRST PHASE that is a parallel comparison, that the
licensed stallion approval is done to allow that the horses can be parents and have Lusitanos. THE SECOND PHASE that is what the stallion did in terms of morphological and functionality, usually are wellscored sports horses, or with good scores in the model/gaits and movements competitions. THE THIRD PHASE is the merit stallions (*****) on top of the pyramid because they are top sires for passing their best genes to their descendants. They have proven the quality of their descendants, and they have to have at least 12 Lusitanos registered in the Studbook in 3 different years, and 6 Licensed Lusitanos. "We have to protect our Lusitano breed, and improve the breed, but never forget the standards of our Lusitano horse. We cannot have the risk of aiming so much to the functionality and by that mischaracterize our horses. The Lusitano naturally has a forward and elevated gaits and movements. In dressage, the judges are starting to look for that criteria. The Lusitano is a horse for FEI level Dressage (starting Prix St. George level) they excel at the higher level movements, and less in the tests lower levels, because of the scores criteria. If the Lusitano breeder wants to breed great horses, they have to know what is the goal of the horse, what is the type of functionality: dressage, show jumping, working equitation, and so on. The breeder must go and see what is the given proof (best examples) of that horse in that specific area. For example if the breeder want's an exceptional Lusitano, he has to look for the Recommended and Merit Lusitanos." explains João Ralão Duarte. a
In the photos: Dexeno (Lusitano Licensed Stallion. seven-year-old, ridden and trained by Rui Graça) Breeder: Coudelaria João Pedro Rodrigues Stud Owner: Cátia Castro Available for fresh and frozen semen: catia.martinscastro@gmail.com | facebook/dexeno.jgr
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LUSITANO FUSION CREATING EQUUS CONNECTIONS
Gonçalo riding Lusitano ‘Zaire’
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Gonçalo Carvalho @ 2012 Olympics with ‘Rubi’
Gonçalo riding Lusitano mare ‘Batuta’
Have your dream lusitano hand picked for you by an Olympican!
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Dreaming OF OF A
LUSITANO?
Have your dream lusitano hand picked for you by an Olympian!
If you have been wanting to import/purchase a Lusitano but didn’t know where to start or who to trust?
IF THIS IS YOU THEN WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU! Olympian Gonçalo Carvalho and BHM editor Danielle Skerman have teamed up to help you get your dream Lusitano.
Together they’ll find the right partner for you to suit your wants, needs and dreams.
W www.lusitanofusion.com E enquiries@lusitanofusion.com T 0404 84 3636 W W W. BAR O Q U E HORS E M AG AZI NE.COM
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ALTER REAL STUD AUCTION
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ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CÁTIA CASTRO
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n the 24th April every year the Alter Real auction is held. At this auction, the public have the opportunity to view and purchase an Alter Real stallion, mare, or a Sorraia horse. This auction is held in the village of Alter do Chão, Portugal. This auction attracts people from all over the world with the prospect of purchasing a horse or just to see the excitement of the bidding and to keep up with what is happening. The auction was opened with an impressive pas de deux performance by The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, with the riders Gonçalo Soares and Ricardo Ramalho. The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art has exclusively used the AR horses at the school since its beginning in the late 18th century. This year the auction had some special guest being the Minister of Agriculture and Sea Assunção Cristas, the Chairman of Companhia das Lezírias Stud António Saraiva and the Equine Production Manager of the Alter Real Stud Francisco Beja. A tribute was made to RUBI (AR), who represented Portugal at
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Photos: 1 & 3 - AR Stallions being presented. 2. Sorraia stallion in ridden presentation. 4. Opening performance by The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. 5. Rubi AR
the 2012 London Olympics with Gonçalo Carvalho, finishing 16th with a final score of 77.607%. The highest result for any Portuguese team. The Minister of Agriculture and Sea Assunção Cristas delivered the tribute ribbon. A bronze horse was presented by the Mayor of Alter do Chão to the horse that made history in the Lusitano breed: RUBI (AR). The Minister of Agriculture and Sea, Assunção Cristas stated that: “The traditional auction of the Alter Real Stud Farm is always a very special moment around our Lusitano Horses. The oldest Stud farm in the world, founded in 1748 by the Portuguese King John V, and today is a real annual festivity that receives hundreds of people, both national and foreign. This year was also marked by the beautiful tribute to the Lusitano RUBI (AR). A fantastic athlete, who throughout his sporting career had conquered a vast national and international good dressage results. It was very emotional be able to share, along with the many people who were
in the stands, the felted applause of this great ambassador of the Alter Stud Farm and the Lusitano Pure Breed." “The auction presented horse with high selection criteria and with excellent gaits, this is one of the main qualities of the Alter Real horses. 16 animals of proven functionality were presented in the auction with different characteristics to incentive new breeders. With genetics from the best horses has resulted in generations of breed selection and functionality at our stud. ” Commented Francisco Beja.
Crowds eagerly waiting for the auction to begin.
If you are interested in purchasing an AR horse, for a limited time only can be done. All horses presented have videos and vet exams that can be available on request. For further information, please contact the Alter Real Stud. Alter Real Stud: Francisco Beja geral@alterreal.pt phone: 00351 245610060
Photo: (from left to right) Coudelaria Nacional Stud President António P. Saraiva, Portuguese Minister of Agriculture and Sea Assunção Cristas, RUBI (AR) and his owner Christine Jacoberger, and Teresa Abrantes Director of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art.
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By Dr John Kohnke BVSc RDA, Ms Bree Morgan BSc and Ms Mellisa Offord BSc Agr www.Kohnkesown.com
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he use of support bandages and working boots on exercising horses is sometimes a topic of controversy. Many riders use bandages or boots with the aim of supporting the lower limb joints and tendons to withstand additional loading during exercise. Bandages or boots are also used to help protect a dressage horse against the concussive effects of hard or compacted arena surfaces, as well as from knocks due to limb interference, brushing and contact with arena edges or fences. Some riders choose not to use boots or bandages because of the heat that can be generated, or they feel the boots or bandages might interfere with the movement of the joints in the
Open Front Boots
working horse, or that the use of support in training may mean tendons and joints could be weaker when the horse’s legs are not supported in competition. There are no easy answers to these issues and there seems to be no clear ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in regards to the use of boots or bandages for dressage horses. In this article, we will present information on how the horse’s limb responds to exercise, 6 4.
the loading forces of exercise and we will present some of the benefits and downsides to the use of boots and bandages. Reader’s can apply this information when deciding whether to use boots or bandages and also in choosing the type of support most suitable to their needs. How a Horse’s Limb responds to Loading HOOF FUNCTION When a horse’s hoof hits the ground, the heel normally makes contact with the ground surface as the limb is extended forward in the stride. The impact causes a series of high-frequency vibrations and shock waves which travel upwards through the limb. Initially, the ground
Knee Boots
Fetlock Boots
contact surfaces of the hoof act to absorb the landing and ‘shock’ wave with expansion of the quarters, compression of the normally soft, pliable frog (which contains up to 50% moisture) and the internal lamellae stretch to bear the weight. The internal pressure of the circulating blood within the hoof and the highly vascular digital pad above the frog, which acts like a fluid-filled hydraulic shock absorber, all contribute to dissipate the concus-
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sion wave. The downward flexion of the fetlock and the elastic flexor tendons and suspensory ligament, then act to further absorb the weight loading and impact energy. PASTERN EXTENSION As the limb bears weight, the flexor tendons and suspensory ligament begin to elongate or stretch due to their in-built elasticity and the fetlock joint bends downwards to help absorb concussion as it supports the limb loading. At each loading phase of the stride, the fetlock flexes downwards with weight bearing and the front pastern angle increases acting like a pump to help push the blood in the veins up the limb to improve the
Cross Country Boots
circulation and oxygen/nutrient supply to the hooves, bones and tendons during exercise. In a galloping horse, especially one with weak tendons or long pasterns, which increase the mechanical leverage on the fetlock, the rear of the fetlock can touch the exercise surface as the horse ‘goes down on its bumpers’, which can cause an abrasion injury. During extended exercise, fatigue in the controlling muscles, and the core fibrils in the tendon
bundles themselves, increases the extent of the downward movement of the pastern, with a consequent risk of ‘run down’ or bruising of the sesamoid bones at the rear of the fetlock. TENDON STRETCH AND REBOUND The tendons are structurally ‘straps’ of elastic Collagen Type 1 fibres (called fibrils), held together in bundles by Cartilage-like Oligometric Matrix Material (COMP) and proteoglycan compounds as an elastic and highly tensile binding material to increase the strain loading, within a fibrous external lubricated sheath. The amount of COMP increases with training as the tendons are conditioned to bear additional loading forces. The Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon (SDFT), the outer most tendon ‘strap’ down the rear of the limbs accounts for 8-12% of all injuries in racing horses because of excessive loading and fatigue. It flexes the pastern and stores elastic or rebound energy to add spring to the stride and rapid return to its unloaded length when the limb is off the ground during the non-loaded stage of the stride. During exercise, it stretches the most, compared to the deep digital flexor tendon and suspensory ligament, making it more prone to overload. On a hard compacted working surface or when a horse has dry hooves with reduced ability to absorb shock, the ‘shock waves’ with each footfall can potentially lead to the development of joint swelling, filling of the lower limb with soft oedema fluid, also referred to as ‘concussive stocking-up’, and in the longer term, degenerative joint disease, pedal bone, sesamoid and long bone fractures. As a tendon bears weight, the central crimped ‘core’ fibrils provide the initial ‘spring-like’ stretch to 3% increase in length, then the elastic rebound of the collagen Type 1 in the fibrils stretches a further 5% in length. Above 8% stretch, tendon fibrils reach their stretch limit and begin to rupture, firstly in the core, followed by the outer bundle. The small blood vessels that provide nutrition to the fibrils can stretch to 8-10% of their length before rupturing in the core and outer sheath. This results in localised haemorrhage, inflammation and formation of a blood clot that disrupts tendon repair. It is essential to minimise internal haemorrhage and the loss of vital nutrition as the fibrils rupture, which can ultimately interfere with tendon strength. DID YOU KNOW THAT... In horses, the suspensory ligament is on part of the suspensory apparatus of the leg. It consists of a strong band of a tendon-like strap of ligament tissue which lies along the back of the cannon bone between the splint bones. It originates from the top of the back of the cannon bone and continues down to anchor to the sesamoid bones on the rear of the fetlock
TENDON STRETCH DIAGRAM
joint. About two-thirds of the way down the cannon bone, the suspensory ligament splits into two branches (medial and lateral) with each branch inserting onto one of the paired proximal sesamoid bones. The primary function of the suspensory ligament is to prevent excessive extension of the fetlock during the weight-bearing phase of the stride and to maintain the pastern angle.
BOOTS AND BANDAGES There is a wide range of protective and supportive leg gear available to horse owners, such as leg wraps, support boots, skid boots, protective boots, bell boots and splint boots. PROTECTIVE BOOTS Protective boots are available in various designs, including front boots, hind boots,
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galloping boots, splint boots, floating boots, stable boots and skid boots. Many leg injuries are caused by interference of one limb hitting another, as well as environmental factors, such as skin punctures or from sporting equipment, such as ropes, polo mallets or balls, polocrosse rackets or jumping rails. Lacerations can also occur from loose wire from fences when a horse is turned out in the paddock or from bumps and knocks in the stable. The horse’s discipline and competition level determine the type of protective boot that an owner can select for exercise. For example, roping horses may wear splint boots to prevent injury from a loose rope, polo horses wear leg protection to prevent injury from the mallet and jumping horses wear protection to protect against knocked rails. The form and design of protective boots can also depend on a horse’s conformation or environment. Horses that have been known to over-reach can wear bell boots to protect against this type of injury. Young horses, horses that lack balance, or dressage horses performing lateral move-
Float Boots
ments where there is a risk of injury from striking one leg with the other, may benefit from protective boots during exercise. Many owners choose to use stable, paddock and float boots to protect the horse’s lower limbs from damage when playing, rolling and travelling. The decision to use boots in the paddock or stable, is dependent on an owner’s level of comfort when assessing the risk of injury from knocks, against the risk of the lower legs being damaged if foreign objects, such as sand, work their way under the boot, or the risk of chafing or skin infections if boots get wet, particularly under hot conditions. The time and ‘hassle’ of putting paddock or stable boots on a horse and regularly changing the boots for cleaning and checking for foreign objects caught between the boot and the leg must also be considered. BANDAGES Bandages or wraps, are commonly used by horse owners, riders and trainers in many disciplines during exercise and for managing injuries. Bandages and wraps are useful to cover wounds while healing. Specific bandaging methods, such as a Robert Jones splint bandage, have been used by vets to support the limb following 6 6.
soft tissue or orthopaedic injury. The advantage of using bandages is that they can be fitted to all horses of varying leg size, they can provide an even and accurate fit and they can be placed in specific locations depending on the need. Bandages may absorb some of the ‘shock’ energy transferred up the leg during exercise, potentially reducing the repetitive concussive effects on the structures of the lower leg. However, this effect has not been thoroughly researched and the potential protective benefit has not been evaluated. Research has shown that bandages give very little support to the tendons and ligaments of the lower limb. The high elastic stretch of bandages does not restrict over-stretch of the superficial digital flexor tendon, the deep digital flexor tendon or the suspensory ligaments. If bandages are applied with high tension there may be some support of these structures - however - at the point at which support would be achieved, the tightness of the bandages will restrict blood flow. Under no circum-
Brush Boots
Bandages
stances should bandages be applied tightly as the possible benefit of support is greatly outweighed by the dangers of restricted blood flow. Bandages do give some protection against trauma during exercise from knocks and interference injuries. Bandages can be a danger to the horse if placed too loosely as they can slip down, or come undone and tangle in the horse’s legs. Bandages can also cause injury to the lower limb by restricting tendon movement if applied tightly around and under the pastern area. They can retain heat if not removed promptly after exercise to allow cooling of legs. SUPPORT BOOTS Athletic support boots have been designed following scientific studies in an effort to minimise the damaging effects to musculoskeletal structures from the loading forces of exercise. Hyperextension of the fetlock can cause significant strain to the superficial digital flexor tendon, deep digital flexor tendon and the suspensory ligament. Injuries to these structures most often occurs as repetitive strain injuries due to loading of the limb during locomotion. By reducing fetlock downward flexion and limited extension in the for-
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ward swing of the stride, as well as fetlock ‘wobble’ at speed, there is less likelihood of repetitive strain injury. Support boots aim to provide stiffness to the lower leg to reduce both hyperflexion and hyperextension of the fetlock joints. Studies have shown that these types of boots do not prevent normal fetlock extension, but may prevent repetitive over-extension at high loading forces, such as at the gallop or extended trot, or when a horse is fatigued at the end of an exercise session. Many support boot designers and manufacturers claim that their products can reduce the risk of suspensory ligament strain or ‘bowed tendons’, splint bone trauma and fractures, fetlock synovitis and long term risk of osteoarthritis fetlock ‘wobble’ during exercise and risk of ‘ring bone’. A 2002 study reported in the Equine Veterinary Journal, showed that tendon support boots that have a carbon fibre construction gave support to the superficial digital flexor tendon, the deep digital flexor tendon and the suspensory ligaments and that this support helped prevent over-extension of the fetlock joint. In this same study, neoprene
Bell Boots
boots and wrap bandages did not support the structures of the lower limbs and did not provide protection against over-extension of the fetlock joint. Handy Hint: Introduce New or Advanced Movements in a Step-Wise Manner Any new exercises introduced into a training program should be introduced slowly and only initially undertaken for short periods of time. In order to protect your horse from an overload injury, it is important to avoid spending too long performing any single exercise and to not repeat any exercise too many times. This is especially important when the horse begins to tire. The muscles controlling the tendons begin to fatigue and the tendons are likely to be over-stretched by lowering of the fetlock angle. This applies to the extended trot in particular where there is considerable force placed on the limbs and tendons when performing this movement. Therefore, it is important that a horse remains precise, strong and coordinated in its movement. It is safer to avoid performing extended trot at the end of a training session when the horse is likely to be tired and fatigue of the suspensory ligaments
Despite their benefits and uses, bandages and boots do add weight to the horse’s lower limbs. Studies have shown that the horse must perform extra work to pull the limb off the ground into the swing phase of the stride and again to control the weighted leg while it is in flight.
reduces their weight-bearing ability and rebound properties within the elastic collagen fibres bundles. If you detect that your horse is tired or not up to the higher exercise routine on a particular day, then change the training to a lesser challenge. Handy Hint 4: Do Support Bandages Help to Reduce Tendon Overload During Exercise? There are a myriad of tendon ‘support ‘bandages and boots available which claim to help support the increased loading weight associated with fast or suspended exercise in horses. Although cotton or elastic forms of wrap-around bandages provide physical protection of the lower limbs during exercise, the downward forces loaded onto the lower limbs far exceeds the support function of flexible and conforming bandage material, such as polo wraps and lightweight tendon boots. Bandages which are wrapped to include the fetlock joint, such as Protekta Wrap® and Sports Medicine Boots®/ Wraps, provide some support function, but not at full loading, such as occurs during an extended trot or full suspension type movement. If bandages are wrapped tightly in an attempt to provide ‘support’, they may constrict the lower limb, restrict tendon movement and lubrication, as well as reduce normal heat loss, which may all ultimately lead to tendon or suspensory ligament restriction and core fibril failure. Carbon fibre constructed support boots
The pastern area is particularly sensitive to tactile stimulation, meaning that the presence of a bandage or boot can create increased flexion while in the swing phase. This increased flexion and heightened body awareness (proprioception) is not carried through to the rest of the horse and as a result, does not dramatically influence overall limb movement.
Sprint Boots
have been shown to provide support to the lower legs at higher loading forces. Bandages and boots have their place in the management of injuries, as injury prevention in the paddock, stables and during travelling, as well as providing specific functions during exercise to protect the legs from knocks and to provide support. Owners can choose to use boots, bandages, or leave their horse with bare legs, depending on their specific requirements. There is no clear ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ when it comes to this decision and an owner can weigh up the benefits and downsides of the various options to fit their particular circumstances.
While there is risk of injury to a horse’s lower leg during play, travelling, training or competition, there is also a risk of damage to a horse’s lower limb if leg protection is not applied correctly. Exercise conditioning and correct training, along with professional hoof trimming and shoeing, have been shown to be more important compared to leg support in the prevention of injury during exercise. Strength training and conditioning, combined with an awareness of approaching fatigue in an exercising horse are vital in the prevention of injuries due to repetitive concussive shock and over-extension of the tendons, ligaments and joints in the lower legs. a
BOOT TYPE
PROTECTIVE
SUPPORTIVE
PROTECTED AREA
EASE OF APPLICATION
AIR FLOW
DAMAGE POTENTIAL
Splint boot or Brushing Boot
Yes
For light exercise
Inside of the horses lower leg.
Easy Velcro straps
Yes
Rare, but can rub if not conformed to the limb.
Bell Boots
Yes
No
Front heels and pastern
Can be difficult if no Velcro straps
Yes
Rare, but can rub the heels and pasterns if not secured correctly. Non-rotating designs are also available.
Working Bandages
Yes
Possible shock absorbing qualities
Cannon area from below knee to fetlock
Time consuming
No
Can cause injury if too tight or too loose, or skin abrasion if sand is caught on the inside of the wrap. Also poses a tripping danger if unravel during exercise.
Fetlock Ring
Yes
No
Front lower fetlocks
Difficult
Yes
Can cause injury if too tight.
Fetlock Boots
Yes
No
Pastern joint and fetlock areas
Easy Velcro straps
Yes
Rare, but can rub if too loose or restrict fetlock flexion if too tight.
Open Front Boots
Yes
For light exercise
Inside, outside and back of the cannon area.
Easy Velcro straps
Yes
Rare, but can move and rub if too loose or not secured adequately.
Knee Boots
Yes
No
Knees
Difficult to keep in place
Yes
Rare, but can rub the accessory carpel bone area or fall down if secured incorrectly.
Skid Boots
Yes
Yes, very limited
Hind Fetlocks and Pasterns
Buckles and fasteners can be fiddly
No
Rare, but can rub if secured incorrectly, or collect sand during exercise.
Sporting Boots
Yes
Yes, limited
Cannon area from below knee to fetlock
Easy Velcro straps
Depends on the type
Most danger from securing too tightly to avoid them slipping down and restricting limb movement and blood perfusion.
Floating Boot
Yes
No
From hoof to above knee
Easy Velcro straps
No
Rare, but can rub if secured incorrectly, and retain heat if applied directly after exercise without limb cool-out time.
Stable/ Paddock Boots
Yes
No
Cannon area from below knee to fetlock
Easy Velcro straps
No
Rare, but can rub if secured incorrectly or collect debris and sand.
Cross Country Boots
Yes
Yes, limited at slow speed
Cannon area from below knee over fetlock
Easy Velcro straps
Yes
Rare, but can rub if not secured correctly or checked for tightness.
Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this article have been presented as a guideline based on the veterinary experience and knowledge of the author, Dr John Kohnke BVSc RDA. Whilst all care, diligence and years of practical experience have been combined to produce this information, the author/editor, Dr John Kohnke, accepts no responsibility or liability for unforeseen consequences resulting from the hints and advice given in this article. The information in this article, or part thereof is copyright. For further information, please contact
John Kohnke Products: 1800 112 227, info@kohnkesown.com, Facebook/johnkohnkeproducts.
The Development of the
By Gabrielle and Camille Dareau www.happy-horse-training.com
T
he way we sit on a horse naturally, in terms of pelvic orientation, is strongly influenced by our own natural physiology, but most riders will tend towards one of the first two positions in this diagram during the thrusting phase of each hindleg, when the horse's movement exerts a powerful backwards pull on the rider's pelvis. The seatbones are then left pointing backwards upon the following phase of the stride, when the opposite hindleg steps forwards. This position of the seat blocks forward transmission in the horse, causing concussive forces in both the horse's and the rider's backs, as well as creating an important lack of postural connection between the rider and the horse’s haunches - the powerhouse of the movement. Riders with a naturally hollow lower back will often end up sitting with a fork seat, the first position in the diagram, as they have little resistance to the powerful forces of the horse’s movement that tilt the pelvis onto the pubic bone. This in turn emphasizes the horse’s hollowing of its back when each hindleg pushes off. Both horse and rider experience compression of the spinal vertebrae, and the horse is obliged, additionally, to carry the rider’s weight in this weak, vulnerable posture. The second rider position, the so-called 'upright seat' is often proclaimed as the correct seat orientation. It is, however, a passive, neutral way of sitting, which not only lacks a full, adhesive connection to the full cycle of each stride, but has no postural influence on the horse's movement, and therefore no re-balancing capacity. Although it is less extreme than the fork seat, the upright seat still follows similarly into the disengagement of the horse's pelvis with each hindleg thrust, providing no postural resistance to it, and it equally fails to support the carrying phase of the stride when the horse's back naturally lifts. This seat is only appropriate for those riders who are content to disconnect themselves from the power of the horse’s movement, and focus on influencing the horse in other arbitrary ways. It is an easy option, which is pleasing to the eye, as rider’s position appears balanced and aligned, and seems to have a quiet harmony with the horse’s movement. In postural terms, however, it is akin to driving a car in neutral, or free-wheeling on a bike instead of putting it into gear and creating
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real transmission of power. The rider is essentially compensating for the horse’s natural balance, where the hindlegs push out behind and the forehand takes more weight, but this is not a balance that is suitable for carrying a rider in a gymnastically sound way. In order to reverse this situation, the rider must make the radical step of completely changing the orientation of their pelvis, so that the seat comes into the tucked position. The abdominal muscles engage to lift the pubic bone (the front of pelvis) into suspension, the tailbone drops, and the seatbones are now pointing forwards, with the direction of the horse's movement. The rider’s weight is dropped onto the back of the seatbones, cushioned by the buttock muscles, and the lumbar back is stretched and supple, absorbing any concussive forces in the movement, and preventing compression of the vertebrae. In this transitional phase when the new pelvic orientation is first adopted (middle picture), the rider is in a challenging balance, because the core muscles are not yet strong enough to fully support the tucked pelvis, and the hip joints are usually not supple enough to allow the leg to stay back underneath the upper body. Without full support of the core muscles, the rider must bring the upper body well back in order to help the seat stay in the tucked orientation, and keep the weight dropping into the back of the seatbones. This has the effect of making the legs comes forwards, and the rider feels they can no longer control their positioning. Despite the initially awkward feeling and appearance of this position, in this phase the seat MUST be prioritised over the leg position in order to allow the postural muscles to strengthen in the right way. The leg has to be allowed to come forwards until the hips gradually become more supple, despite the frustrating feeling of loss of control of the leg position and function. Once the core muscles have strengthened (4th picture), the rider will be able to start coming more upright in the upper body without losing the pelvic tuck, and they can equally begin working on the leg position to start bringing it back underneath the seat. The thigh stretches back, counterbalancing the upper-body and bringing a stretch to the whole position that generates significant postural leverage over the horse’s movement - drawing the hindlegs under the horse’s body more and initiating
the longitudinal stretch that is the root of all correct dressage riding. From the basis of this support, the lower leg is able to learn to aid in a forward direction, reinforcing the channeling of the horse’s energy from back to front, instead of jabbing up and back with the heels - the form of leg aiding that comes naturally to riders due to the musclememory of our own way of moving. The final result of the rider’s gymnastic evolution is a truly independently balanced but engaged position, where the rider is able to come fully upright (not, however, coming in front of the vertical with the upper body) without losing any tuck
This series of drawings shows the transformation that the rider must go through in order to acquire an independent position that is capable of harmonising with the horse's movement and bringing it into balance.
THIS IS NOT A CHANGE TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY AS IT TAKES YEARS OF HARD WORK TO ACHIEVE. of the seat. This position generates powerful postural leverage over the horse's energy of motion, and is used for work in collection, or any situation where increased engagement in the horse is required. In lengthened work, the rider must take the upper body back in order to allow the seat to have more horizontal travel in accordance with the movement; supple, stretched hips allowing the leg to stay back and maintain the balance of the position. In this final stage of the position’s development, the leg is perfected into a vertical position under the seat, supported by a well-developed rearthigh muscle, and the calf muscles are stretched to allow the anchoring down of the heel, with dynamic, sensitive and subtle aiding. The overall alignment of the body in the first picture is, at first glance, not so far removed from that of the last, but in fact a massive, profound change has taken place within the skeletal alignment, which completely transforms the way the rider's body interacts with the horse's movement. This is not a change to be taken lightly - it takes years of hard work to achieve. Unfortunately, this transformation is rarely undertaken, because almost any riding instructor in the world, past or present, will tell a student that the middle position in the diagram - the crucial transformative stage - is incorrect (it is often described as the 'chair seat'). What is not understood is that this position is the means to an end, as part of a process of gymnastic development. The desire to posses an elegant leg position worthy of a dressage rider forces riders to
sacrifice the correct development of their seat and posture, and to abandon the feeling of truly unified connection with the horse’s movement. The rider themselves will find the transitional phase to be a strange and awkward position at first, although they may well notice that their seat already adheres much better to the horse's movement, and that the horse responds positively by lifting their back, hollowing less and stretching their neck forwards into the contact. Riders who have struggled for years with sitting trot may suddenly find that their seat seems to stay suctioned onto
the bounce of each stride, without the need to hang onto the reins for balance and support. Despite its initial awkwardness, however, this stage is the only porthole to a truly balanced, effective position that is fully connected and interactive with the horse's movement, and does not depend on the holding rein for balance and control. Only riders who allow themselves to be guided by feel, not appearances, will have the determination to stick it out, but the reward is a posture that opens the doors to the wonderful realm of riding in engagement. a
An Innovative Training Tool from Happy Horse Training AudioRide A RIDING INSTRUCTOR IN YOUR POCKET! www.happy-horse-training.com
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Medicine of Mother Nature
AND ANTIBIOTICS
Over-use of antibiotics can be offset with historically-proven herbs by Catherine Cox-McDowell
W
hen considering the use of antibiotics, and the obvious contribution they have made to our ability to recover from life threatening infections, you would be forgiven for thinking that after they were discovered and developed into medicine, we could all rest easy. This is not the case, as we are now finding out. Antibiotic-resistant infections are commonplace, as we are seeing more of a return to the uncontrollable infection that was causing such concern before penicillin was discovered. Our bubble of security has been broken.
was penicillin’s power to kill rather than the antibiotic effect of the enzyme lysozyme, the natural substance in tears and mucus–the evidence of a balanced and healthy system. Their approach assumes that we must isolate, fight, dominate and kill something in order to defend our self against the bigger infection that threatens to consume the organism that is being overwhelmed. This thinking sits comfortably with a culture that believes
A CULTURAL PATHOLOGY Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, pharmacologist and botanist, discovered the enzyme lysozyme in 1923 and the antibiotic substance penicillin in 1928. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain who developed Fleming’s findings and ultimately created the pills used to fight bacterial infections. I find it interesting that what Fleming, Florey and Chain focused on 7 0.
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that the only way to achieve something is by force. The idea of supporting an already established system to be even stronger seems logical now, but not back then. I feel that the reason for this was because the thinking at the time was a focus on war, invasion, power and money. The domination model of existence that we accept blindly as the human condition. HISTORY OF HERBAL MEDICINE Herbal medicine is steeped in history. Compare the organic development of herbal lore to the thinking behind the scientific model, which is based on the dominator cultural paradigm. Medical science is determined to try to find the absolute fixed answer to illness in an environment that is by nature evolving and changing every moment. Because most people assume that we did not have technology to understand things in the past, herbal medicine was thought to be made up, magical or pure mythology. Originally herbal medicine was primarily a women’s art. The classic images of evil witches tricking folk is still widely promoted historically. In fact, herbs are still being used
It’s about observing our diet, our environment and how we respond. Keeping a balance is difficult in the modern era as we are no longer interacting with our environment in the same way as we may have done even as little as a 100 years ago. As a Dorothy Hall graduate working along side the well known Robert McDowell for many years and furthering my education with Dennis Stewart, I have developed my own unique application of herbal remedies.
CATHERINE MCDOWELL
Herbalist I was first introduced to the concept of Herbal Lore when I was very young. I think one of the earliest influences I can remember was from my grandparents, who were very traditional Bathurst farmers of the well known Cox family. My grandfather had the “people’s home library” which was a compendium of all kinds of home cures. Herbal Medicine is, at its core, studying nature and the humanities.
because they work. And, the prescribing of herbs comes from an enduring philosophy that encompasses a true science of repeatedly observable and experienced outcomes. WHAT HERBALISTS USE There are plenty of herbs that herbalists use to support the healing of a diseased organism. Helping the organism shed an infection is no different than helping the organism manage any other illness or imbalance. The only time that conflict arises is when there is a serious imbalance. This results in the system responding and it is the system’s capacity to respond appropriately that is the key. Herbalists will often use the term blood cleanser. What we are referring to is a class of herbs called alteratives which are particularly high in iron and sulphur and work to support the blood in a number of ways. The idea that the organism is a balanced ecosystem that can get overwhelmed with toxic material is not new, but what we now know is that this toxicity is happening even when we can’t see the obvious effects. The metabolism is generating waste all the time, and we know that the immune system is helping the body clean up. But, if no one
BLOOD CLEANSING HERBS Alterative herbs are used to clean the system, encourage elimination of metabolic waste, and support metabolic functions. This stimulates the immune defenses, enabling the natural healing of the system to come back into balance. This list is by no means a recipe for an herbal antibiotic, it is a list of supportive herbs to promote elimination, as well as nourish the system. Some common herbs I use for this purpose are: Garlic, Red Clover, Echinacea, Rosehips, Nettle, St Mary’s Thistle, Violet Leaves, Golden Seal, Horseradish Horsetail.
Working primarily with animals (Horses and Dogs) has been the most rewarding. Having seen herbs work so well in so many cases has proven to me time and again the underutilised power of herbal medicine. It is heartening to see now Vets, and some Medical Doctors seeing the traditional application of herbs as useful. My comprehensive service includes free animal consultations 24/7 via my web site, and face to face consultation in Bathurst. www.mcdowellsherbal.com
is taking out the trash, pretty soon the system becomes overloaded, toxic and susceptible to invading pathogens. USING HERBS WITH PRESCRIBED ANTIBIOTICS One of the benefits of being in fulltime practice for people and animals is the fact that I am working with vets and medical physicians regularly. Prescribing herbs while patients are on medications is commonplace, and I have prescribed alterative herbs for all kinds of frustrating stubborn MRSA (Multi Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), as well as generalised infections, with repeated success. My experience shows me the value of using the alterative herbs alongside antibiotics to achieve the quickest and best results. In many cases, if antibiotics have been repeatedly used with no result you start to overload the system with even more problems. This is where the herbs can help to turn things around. The true use of herbs lies in the art of prescribing. A skillful practitioner will utilise herbs only after broadly discussing the individual issues. Modern science can actually enhance the use of herbs and give us confidence if we are just starting out and rediscovering the powerful effects of herbal medicine. a
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Naturally Classical with Jenny Rolfe B R E AT H E L I F E I N T O YO U R R I D I N G
CONNECT WITH A
Blendingof Spirits THE LANGUAGE of the HERD I have spent much of my life, riding, training and just being around horses and I have become aware of a connection which has the ability to transform the relationship with our horse. Horses are creatures who instinctively respond with fear and flight which tells us they are capable of reacting with a heightened awareness of emotions. Their reactions often exceed the experience of humans. Relaxed herds of horses will be connected by mutual coherent breathing but if the herd is disrupted by anything creating fear, the initial response will be faster, shallow breath rhythm creating chaos of heart rate. The energy field around each animal will change and this will be felt by all the other horses in the herd. Fear and flight suddenly takes over – the energy dynamics of the herd has altered and the emotions have changed from calmness to fright. If the herd decides there is no potential threat, their
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breathing will become more relaxed and the heart rate, more coherent. Calmness will return and the herd will be at peace. When we are training our horse at liberty, the horse is not only aware of our body language, but also our state of mind and breathing. He will be connecting with our surrounding energy field. The whole universe is connected by energy. Life is energy and all living creatures are surrounded by an invisible energy field which radiates around them. This energy can change and is governed by the emotional state of the human or animal. Horses quickly perceive changes in breathing, heart rate and fields of energy and if we are more aware of our own emotions, breathing and body language, we will be more influential as a trusted leader for the horse. We are often not aware of our calmness, coherent breathing or energy field, but the
horse will already be tuned into the subtle energy which surrounds us. Here lies the key to understanding the subtle art of communication. When you enter the stable have you ever stopped to think what messages you are giving to the horse? He will not only tune into your body language but very quickly with your emotional state of mind and your breathing. If you are feeling rushed and tense, your heart rate will be faster. This
THE HORSE IS LOOKING FOR CALMNESS AND LEADERSHIP
state is known as heart incoherence which means we have more thoughts rushing through our mind and less clarity of thought. The horse is looking for our calmness and leadership to gain his trust and friendship. This leaves the responsibility total with us, to be aware of the way we communicate. How can we build our personal awareness to be more calm and intuitive, connected more strongly to our own breathheart-energy? Breathing techniques will facilitate self control, calmness of mind, stability and energy, thus enhancing balance and harmony within your riding. This deeper connection will create both trust and friendship between rider and horse. I am convinced that breath-energy is a natural part of herd language. The horse has a natural connection with the universe along with an intrinsic desire to be part of a secure herd. Have you heard the expression ‘You cannot understand the mind of a man until you have walked in his shoes and trodden his path?’.
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Try to use this concept as you delve into the language of the horse and ‘follow the trail of his hoof prints’. FOLLOW THE TRAIL OF HIS HOOF PRINTS Just for a moment consider your expectations when you first ride your horse. Do you wait for him to respond to your breath energy and thoughts of your mind or do you anticipate using stronger aids with your legs and hands, before you gain a response? Have you built a relationship where your horse is listening for changes in your energy and breathing and prepared to move from a breath? We can be much more influential as both a rider and trainer when we tune into the great sensitivity of the horse. Our human language involves some listening but more often we are busy talking and expressing thoughts and opinions through verbal language. Frequently we give less credence to an awareness of our energy and body language. The herd however responds immediately, in unison, to any slight changes in emotion, breathing and body position. Studies
YET THE HORSE IS HIGHLY AWARE OF THE ENERGY WAVES WE CREATE BY OUR POWER OF THOUGH AND WORD
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have been made relating to the behaviour of elephants, who respond to signals of communication from other animals, over long distances. There would appear to be some telepathy in their language, little understood by humans. I believe horses share a similar language as they respond very quickly to energy changes within their surroundings. We are familiar with the power of radio waves, microwave and mobile phones which all use invisible yet powerful currents of energy to allow connection. It has also been proved the power of the spoken word can send a variety of positive or negative signals which can travel great distances. All living creatures are linked by energy which radiates around them. We can create positive energy waves by the power of positive thought. In other words we have a power similar to the elephants which is potentially untapped. Yet the horse is highly aware of the energy waves we create by our power of thought and word. This power can help to transform our communication as riders and trainers. THE SPIRIT OF THE HORSE Visualize, just for a moment, that you are looking over the gate of a field watching the antics of a spectacular stallion, standing with blazing eyes and crested neck ready to challenge any rivals. He is telling the world that he is a king. Suddenly, there is a sound and he instantly responds with head and tail flying high. He moves in high suspension, his action portrays to the world, his true magnificence of spirit and power. This is the essence of the perceptive and vulnerable horse, the spirit of the creature we try to understand. We want to be true to his nature
W W W. N AT U R A L LY C L A S S I C A L . C O M breath and immediately I felt a change. Delfin was tuning in to ME, listening and responding. He moved forwards from my outward breath and as I inhaled, he came back to halt. I was amazed and then repeated this way of breathing, with the same results. I decided to finish our training on this more harmonious note and wondered if Delfin would ever respond in a similar manner again. I experienced huge anticipation before my next ride as I tried to remain calm and attentive with focus on my core- breathing. Delfin again, responded immediately and I felt a huge feeling of elation as this highly sensitive, intelligent horse was trying to teach me a crucial lesson on how to match his sensitivity. He was well advanced in his dressage training and many people said that they could watch him all day such was his great charisma. within our relationship and the methods we use to teach him. If we allow the horse to become our teacher and spend time listening to his spirit, he has important lessons for us which will enhance every aspect of our life. DELFIN- MY GREATEST TEACHER Many years ago, Delfin my Spanish ex bullfighting stallion began to transform my direction as a rider and trainer. This journey of enlightenment began when we
were training in our outdoor school and Delfin was totally inattentive to my usual aids. Some mares were galloping around in a nearby field and his attention was focused on them. My frustration grew and my aids became much stronger as he was just not willing to listen to me. After several minutes of total inattention, I gave a deep sigh of despair. Then I felt Delfin sigh deeply so I then took a deeper inward breath followed by an outward
Delfin has taught me to build awareness through a connection focused on my breathing and energy. He taught me this concept whilst I was riding but I have explored this connection further through loose work. I have found every horse has connected within minutes to this breathenergy and I now teach riders worldwide, the power of breath energy awareness, beginning at the stable door. BREATH-ENERGY CONNECTION Here is a simple exercise to try, before you walk through the stable door. Take a deep sigh and feel the tension flowing down through your body- then just allow your next inward breath. Spend a couple of minutes with a focus on a deep ‘releasing’ sigh- letting go of your tension and then taking a relaxed inward breath. Feel your thoughts begin to calm, allow your heart rate to steady and the horse will then sense the calm energy around you. As you open the stable door, ask your horse to move back a couple of stepsaway from you. This small request will show him you are his leader and he must walk back away from your space. When he steps back, just stand in your own space and sigh deeply. Very soon the horse will become the mirror of your emotions and seek a secure calm place within your herd. When you then sit on the back of the horse, you connect with his spine and his central nervous system. The breath creates a powerful connection with the highly sensitive nature of the horse. a
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K E E P I N G
HEALTHY SKIN FOR
YOUR
HORSE
IN
WINTER
The colder winter months months can be harsh on a horses skin, but these six tips will help you keep on top of any possible aliments and keep his largest organ in top condition. 1. CLIPPING
3. RUGS
With a clipped horse you can keep an eye on your horses skin condition easier visually. With an unclipped horses (that is very hairy) it can be harder to keep tabs on any skin condition due to his dense winter coat. To keep check on him it is suggested that you feel him every day for any cuts, scrapes or any signs of the common winter conditions such as mud fever or rain scald (if not rugged). The earlier infections are detected, the easier they’ll be to treat.
Managing your horses rugs is important as you mustn’t let him get to hot or too cold. Using rugs in layers will help you keep him at the correct temperature as its easy to remove or add a layer. Please keep in mind that you don’t want too many layers as this can get uncomfortable for the horse. A light rug next to the skin can be asked easily and regular - use a non-biological product like washing soda or soda crystals to avoid skin irritations.
5. SWEAT RASH Can appear as little spots in across you horses body. Biological washing powder (normal fancy smelling human ones), shampoo, feed and too many rugs creating your horse to over head can cause this. Always wash off all sweat after a work out and throughly dry your horse.
6. OVERALL HEALTH INSIDE AND OUT.
4. RUG FREE TIME
2. MUD FEVER You must get on top of mud fever or rain scald as quick as you can. If you leave it, it can become extremely painful for your horse. The best and fastest way is with equi-med wound dressing or boots. www.equimedag.com.au
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Giving your horse time without rugs is vital for his skin during winter. A good way to do this is to set some time for proper grooming season every day if you can manage it, or at lease few times a week. This will stimulate his circulation and remove built up grease that is on the skin - if rugged he wan’t be able to do as well as hey wouldn’t normally do this by rolling or mutual grooming.
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A healthy horse is a happy one. If he’s in a good condition mentally and physically he’s less likely to suffer health problems, including with his skin. So contact a feed helpline to check he’s getting what he needs, keep him at the right weight, maximise time out of the stable and make sure he’s emotionally healthy as well and internally.
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77.
STATIC
AND DYNAMIC SADDLE FIT B Y
JO C HE N
S C HLEES E,
C MS ,
C S F T,
C S E
©2015 courtesy of Saddlefit4life®
S
ome horses are already more than usually difficult to fit properly when it comes to saddles, but fitting statically and dynamically adds a whole different dimension to the considerations! Static fit means fitting a saddle to a horse when he’s standing still, and dynamic refers to fitting a saddle to a horse when he’s moving. It sounds simple, but there are several things that you want to ensure are taken into consideration during fit to both phases, because many times a saddle which has been fit to the horse standing in the cross ties will result in problems once the horse begins to move. The saddle needs to fit properly not only over the withers (and all around the withers) in width and tree angle, but also needs to have enough gullet channel width (3-4 four fingers all the way from pommel to cantle!) and lie within the saddle support area of the horse’s back (which ends at the top of the last floating rib at the 18th thoracic vertebra). This needs to be confirmed for both phases – static and dynamic. There are different opinions in how a gullet plate needs to be fit, but just like buying a properly fitting shoe for yourself - it comes down to comfort and whether or not it works. You don’t want it (or the shoes) to be too tight, pinch, or too big – or you will not be able to walk properly. Same with the gullet plate. Verified long term damage to the horse’s back has been proven to result from incorrectly fitted gullet plates (the plate that fits under and across the head or pommel of the saddle and ends at the tree points). Fibreoptic cameras, MRIs, thermography, laser sensors, 3-D animation, and computerized saddle pads have made it very clear that the A-Frame withers of the static horse becomes an U-Frame in motion. In diagram A this is illustrated with the broken green line representing the wither shape in motion. Symptomatic white hairs will show up at the top of the side of the withers, where the gullet plate gener-
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ally pinches if doesn’t fit. It is necessary to match both angle and width of the gullet plate and tree points to the horse’s conformation at the withers and shoulder muscles. Only in this way will the shoulders have enough freedom to ‘slide through’ the tree points during motion – otherwise they will hit the tree points which can cause damage to the sensitive cartilage at the tip of the shoulder blade. As well, the saddle will slide back over the end of the saddle support area if the shoulder continually hits the tree points and pushes the saddle back or twists the saddle if the gullet plate doesn’t accommodate the larger shoulder. The gullet plate shape and size has to be set to accommodate the moving horse. Many saddle fitters can fit an English saddle to a horse which is standing still in the crossties. There are traditional points of reference for static fit; wither clearance, panel touching evenly all the way down, etc. Where it becomes interesting, and where it becomes difficult beyond the ability of many saddle fitters, not to mention the capability of the saddle construction itself, is fitting the saddle so that it works when the horse begins to move. A tight V-shaped gullet plate results in
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pinched muscles, tight neck, and tight back. (See Diagram B). A gullet plate that too closely follows the shape of the static wither can also cause this problem. (Diagram C).
B
C
out poor behaviour – they can only react to external stimuli!) A crucial point in fitting the gullet plate and tree points properly is to consider the horse’s natural unevenness. Over 70% of horses are muscled more strongly on the left side, which means that this asymmetry should ideally be reflected in the shape of the gullet plate. If the tree does not fit over the wither/shoulder area taking this into consideration, then during motion the saddle will naturally get pushed to the right. The left rear panel will then press onto the sacro-iliac joint, possibly causing problems here – but at the very least, the saddle will be out of balance, which means the rider will try to correct this by altering their position to accommodate this ‘twisting’. This situation becomes even more serious if the saddle is already too long for the saddle support area (which ends just before the lumbar vertebrae at the top of the last rib in the rib cage and is easy to detect by following the line where the two hair directions converge at the flank all the way to the spine). Logically, it then becomes even more of an issue when the horse tries to do circles in all of the gaits – in either direction! If you take your hand and pinch the horse on either side of the withers, in most horses the back will tighten and drop, and the head will come up. This is not what we want to occur when riding – and is another reason why we want the U-shaped gullet plate fit to the moving horse, and not the static V shape. This is where the stallion bites the mare during mating to immobilize her – same effect with a pinching gullet plate, which some veterinarians refer to as the ‘vise grip’ of the saddle. The intuitive reaction of the horse is to stand still, drop the back, and (in the case of the mare) rotate her pelvis in preparation for mating. The rider on the other hand is on her back urging her forward. So what to do? Often times this is translated as being “reluctance” or stubbornness on the horse’s part and is punished with spurs and whips – while it really is only a natural reaction to a pinching gullet plate! (As often noted – horses cannot consciously act
It is important to note that how a naked tree sits on the horse’s withers when standing is not necessarily indicative of how it actually fits when the panel and stuffing are added. Often times inexperienced saddle fitters will attempt to make a point about saddle fit by showing the rider how the saddle tree fits – but without the panel, the tree would crush the withers and the tree points would dig into the horse’s back. With the panel on, the stuffing clears the horse’s withers and lifts the tree higher. It will actually protect the withers and the tree points rest in an area where the side of the withers becomes narrow – behind the shoulder. Suffice it to say that saddle fit needs to work at all times – not just in that moment when you have put the saddle on his back in the crossties. You want to be able to ensure that fit is maintained once you actually begin to ride! a
FIT. for back health your horse will thank you! ‘Odin Interagro’ Davi Carrano, owner
Obrigado!
SaddlesforWomen.com
The Female Saddle Specialist. 80 point saddle fit analysis. miriam@schleese.com 800-225-2242 x 41
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79.
12TIPS TO TAKE PHOTOS LIKE A PRO BY DANIELLE SKERMAN
04. SHUTTER SPEED 03. APERTURE OR ‘F-STOP’ 01. KNOW YOUR CAMERA Cameras can be likened to riding a horse or driving a car. The same theory, but all have their own idiosyncrasies. Master your reaction speed to how quickly your camera takes a photo. Eg. If you are trying to get that special moment in an action shot, try looking for a cue to when to take the photo. If you moment is too soon, then try again, but later and so forth. By mastering, this will greatly improve your action photos.
What is Aperture or ‘f-stop’ and how can it affect your images. Aperture is the size of the opening (of the shutter) in the lens when the photo is taken. The size of the aperture is referred to as the ‘f-stop’ and larger numbers indicate a smaller opening. The larger the opening, the smaller the area of the image that you are taking will be in focus. This is how you can get those photos with the background out of focus. The smaller the number, the larger it opens, and the larger of the area that is in focus. This can be helpful for action shots when the horse is moving fast and gives you more room to get the horse in focus. The lens you have will dictate to the degree to which this can be done.
02. WHAT IS ISO Understanding what is ISO and how that can help or hurt your images. ISO comes from the days of film. It is how the camera is processing the information (image) or sensitivity to light. A low ISO (100-200) will produce a sharp image, but won’t compensate as well for cloudy or dark conditions. A high ISO (400 and higher) will compensate for low light conditions, put the photos will appear grainier (dots to create the image - like grain on it, hence the term grainier).
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What is the “Shutter Speed” and what can that do? Shutter speed is how fast or slow the shutter open and closes to let the light in. For action shots, you’ll need a fast shutter speed as if it is too slow you’ll get movement in the photo. The range of how fast and slow the shutter opens is dictated by the camera.
Above: showing the Aperture at different stops. Below: Don't be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone when taking photos. Think of different angles and prespectives.
07. POSITION
10. HORSES LIMITATIONS
Standing, sitting or lying on the ground. Try to think outside of what you normally do and explore some different angles both in the position of where you put your body, but also in zooming in or even trying a wide angle shot. With a wide angle shot.. do not stand too close to the horse, as it will distort the horse to look like he/she has a bit head and small body! Not a good look!
Understanding the horses limitations. Always keep in mind that you are dealing with animals, and you may have a certain image or result you want to achieve, however, more often than not, it doesn’t happen. If you’re trying to get that flash trot shot and the horse is tired, you’re just not going to get it. There is no point putting a horse into a stressful situation as it will show in the photos, and let’s face it, isn’t very fair on the horse.
08. SUN
Above pic could have been a lot nicer if the horses ears were forward. Little details make all the difference
05. DIGITAL ZOOM What is digital zoom on cameras and why you should never use it? On compact cameras is where this comes into place, you’ll have a normal zoom areas, and then its shows as an extra zoom this is digital zoom. Digital zoom is a function of a digital camera used to make the image seem more close-up. Digital zoom on a digital camera works the same as cropping and enlarging a photo in a graphics program. So it isn’t really zooming in; it’s blowing up and cropping in on the already image. This distorts the pixels, and if you want to do this, you are best to crop the photo afterwards.
06. THE RULE OF THIRDS The rule of thirds is a powerful compositional technique for making photos more interesting and dynamic. The rule of thirds states that an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines that divide the image into thirds (9 equal boxes)— both vertically and horizontally. It gives you eight elements to work with — four lines and four intersections. Placing points of interest along the lines or at the intersections tends to create a more interesting composition.
Where’s the sun? When doing equine photography generally you want the sun on the horses body, turn your subject around to get this. Try not to shoot (photograph) during the middle of the day. The sun is higher and coming from above, and when this happens you get all sorts of shadows on the horse’s coat. Obviously, if an event this can be hard to avoid, try to see if there is a way to get a more flattering light on the horse. Early mornings and late afternoons are considered in all aspects of photography as the best light. In the morning it’s a cool light - meaning it’s more of a blue crisp look, and the afternoons is a warm light, more yellow in appearance. Even though the general desire is to have the sun on the horse, don’t be afraid to get artistic and put the sun directly behind your subject. Getting them to shield the sunlight with their body. Exploring with different options of this and different angles of the sun can create a crisp look or something more artistic.
09. BACKGROUND Check your background - when taking photos, it’s easy to get carried away concentrating on your subject, making sure the ears are pricked, etc., however, do not forget the background. Keep an eye out for any posts or polls or anything that can cause a visual distraction afterwards. Cluttered or busy backgrounds detract from the horse, especially if it’s a bright colour!
11. BODY LANGUAGE It is always more pleasing to see a happy, relaxed horse in an image. Knowing the horses body language can help you with this. A cranky horse with its ears back or whites of the eyes showing isn’t a good look. Keep an eye out on the bit too if you can! If the rider is too heavy in their hands, this can show and effect the final image. I’d suggest getting the rider to do something different to relax the horse and situation.
12. STANDARD SHOTS FIRST Get the standard shots first. If you’re off to do a session of your horse or someone else’s, always get the safe shots or what I call the standard shots first. Get the standing, and portrait shots first as if you plan on doing some free running or ridden the horse is going to get sweaty and not look as nice. If you want to try something artistic with your camera, e.g., lie on the ground or up in a tree, I recommend that before you do, get the standard shot first. That way it’s done, and you have it to fall back on if you run out of time you have those that will still be good. This way you avoid disappointment as you still have them at the very least. Nothing is worse if you’ve been trying to get that arty shot and it just doesn’t pan out, and you end up with very little for your efforts.
Rule of thirds being applied for this image.
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81.
ADVERTORIAL
UNDERSTANDING WINTER RUGS BY ALLISON TOMLINSON
Rugging horses can be a little confusing - there are a wide variety of styles to choose from and the different numbers on the packaging sometimes don’t give a lot of detail as to what exactly is being referenced. If you are looking at a winter synthetic rug then there are two main descriptions that should to be understood to make the correct decision in purchasing your rug - the denier count and also the polyfill.
D E N I E R Denier refers to the strength of the outer shell of the material - or how tightly the material is weaved. Waterproof turnout rugs generally start at 600 denier (600D) for a low cost, entry-level rug. These rugs are great if you have a horse that doesn’t have anything (including friends) in his or her paddock that could potentially rip or tear the rug. From there the denier generally goes up to 1200D which is great for horses that are a little harder on their rugs, have paddock companions who might give a nip here and there or trees to catch their rugs on. These are the three main denier counts and although some brands have different strengths available it’s easy to make an informed choice as the higher the number the stronger the outer shell of the rug will be. In general the denier count does not reflect the waterproof qualities of the rug as this is actually a layer that is applied to the underside of the outer fabric (sometimes also applied to the outside of the outer layer) - however it is thought that a tighter weave will repel water better. WeatherBeeta’s minium standard is 1200D, with an entry level WeatherBeeta Genero 1200D Combo. They have a fantastic rug available for horses that are prone to ripping their rugs with the WeatherBeeta Freestyle 1680D Detach-a-Neck Heavy. Alongside it’s super strong ballistic nylon outer it also has a Teflon coating, which helps to repel dirt and water. This rug is sensational especially in the detach-a-neck version and is jam packed full of WeatherBeeta’s Freestyle features.
WeatherBeeta Freestyle 1200D Combo Medium RRP $259.95 - $269.95
WeatherBeeta Freestyle 1680D Detach-a-Neck Heavy RRP $399.95
WeatherBeeta Original 1200D Standard Neck Medium RRP $149.95 - $169.95
P O L Y F I L L Polyfill refers to the weight of the rug - or warmth. This can vary any where from a non-fill rain sheet to a super thick 350g – 400g polyfill or anywhere in between. Polyfill is a polyester filling that is used between the outer waterproof layer and an inner layer that is sometimes made out of a satin style or cotton lining. Capturing little pockets of air in the polyfill filling generates warmth; so the more polyfill within the rug the warmer your horse will be. The general weights are no fill, 100g , 180g, 220g, 300g and 350g. The weight that you should chose really depends on your horse's normal temperature range, living conditions and how many rugs you are planning on using. If you work off the higher the number, the warmer the rug you should be able to chose something suitable for your horse’s situation. A great medium weight rug is a 220g polyfill, which the WeatherBeeta brand has a great value rug with the WeatherBeeta Original 1200D Standard Neck Medium, available in a Medium weight 220g – this will do most pleasure horses throughout winter and as it doesn’t have a neck rug it will also ensure that your horse’s wont get too hot and rub out their manes.
S I Z I N G Horse rugs are measured in feet in Australia and the UK, which go up in 3-inch intervals. For example you can have a 5’0, 5’3, 5’6, 5’9 and from there it goes up to a 6’0. The rug is measured from the point of the chest where the rug would meet, around the horse and to its quarters where you would expect the rug to finish. Some rug sizes are more generous in the shoulder/neck then others and this must be taken into account when buying your rug. In the USA the sizing is a little different as the size is measured in Inches and usually in 2-inch increments (66”, 68”, 70”, etc) however the method of measuring your horse is still the same. Another measurement is the European way of sizing the rug which is from the point of the wither to the quarters just above the tail – this is measured in centimetres and in New Zealand they measure the same way however it’s in feet.
WeatherBeeta Genero 1200D Combo RRP $149.95
F I T I N G A great fitting rug should be snug around the neck, so not to slip back over the withers and cause pressure sores. Although you do not want the chest to be too tight as this will prohibit the horse from lowering his or her head easily to graze. The rug should also have room in the shoulders to allow the horse freedom and not rub and develop hair loss or even sores at the point of the shoulder. The seam where the rug meets the tail flap should finish just above the start of the horse’s dock. Leg straps should be looped over to form a figure-of-eight to ensure that the rug stays put if the horse rolls or the rug starts to slide, they should not be too tight as they need to allow the horse to be able to walk, trot and canter but also shouldn’t be so lose that they hang over the hock. Most surcingles (belly straps) are also designed to crossover under the horse’s stomach and should be snug (a hand should be able to easily slide in between the strap and the stomach though) so as not to catch the horse’s leg when getting up.
With a better understanding about the different terms used with synthetic rugs and how they should fit, you should be able to easily decide on what strength and warmth would suit your horse best. Now the only hard part is to decide what colour you want to choose – which the WeatherBeeta brand make difficult with a massive range to choose from. Find your HORSE TYPE at weatherbeeta.com and try our online RUG USER GUIDE (R.U.G) to help you find the perfect rug.
If they were all the same, we’d only make one rug.
Got a Rug Houdini? A Rug Wrecker? Or a Rug Friendly? We’ve spent the last 35 years working with and studying horses across the globe. We understand they can behave differently when they’re in their rugs. Which is why we make different ones to suit different characters. All our synthetic rugs are made of waterproof, breathable and tough materials that provide your horse with the ultimate durability, fit and protection they need whatever the weather.
To find out more and discover which is right for your horse weatherbeeta.com.au
DIY 1
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4 DIY PROJECT by
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Helen Taylor
Items Needed 1. Wooden Box (raw unpainted wood) 2. Burnt Umber Acrylic Paint 3. Tube of white & Yellow Acrylic Paint 4. Cloth 5. Firm flat Paint Brush Instruction ( photos 1 - 6 ) 1. Put burnt umber paint on a damp cloth and spread all over the whole box. 2. Using damp cloth, dab some yellow on it and spread out to create the aged look. Use both Umber and Yellow till you get your desired effect. Smooth paint with your finger. 3. Load your brush with white paint. 4. Use your finger to splatter the paint from the brush onto box. 5. Use your finger to smooth and spread some of the splattered paint to give an aged effect. 6. Cut out some pictures of your favourite horses and glue onto top and side of box - or to desired effect. At any point if you wish you can repeat the before steps to create a darker or more rustic appearance to your personal taste. Once you are happy with the finial effect seal it on top with a decoupage glue or clear craft glue. Make sure to give it a full and even final coat.
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7 Photo descriptions - other easy home decor ideas 7. Grab your horsey coffee cups and put them on display in a crate for the bench. You can decorate it with flowers and a horse shoe to give it a more equine decorative feel. 8. Using an old horse shoe you can glue it to an old crate (or new one to look old) to give you that farm yard feel. Can be a great way to display fruit and veggies that don't need to go in the fridge.
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Filly Love Cushion Covers. Cost $19.99 each or $109.99 for the set of 6 www.fillyandco.com.au Pink Polka Dot Bed Bag 5 piece set (Quilt cover, pillow case, cushion cover and bed runner $54.99 www.fillyandco.com.au
Grey Portrait Queen 100% Cotton Doona NAPKIN - HORSE CLASSICS CREAM Paper Lunch Napkin / Serviettes. Equestrian Design on Cream Napkin with aged look. $10.95 www.equestrianhome.com.au
Comes with quilt cover, flat sheet and 2 x pillow cases Horse Lamp www.designfront.org
$109.99 www.fillyandco.com.au
Oversize Tray by Thomas Paul Ranchero Oversize Tray 11.75” x 27” $89.95 www.equestrianhome.com.au
NAPKIN - WESTERN BEVERAGE PAPER Sweet little paper napkins with western print design. Beverage napkin size. Each pack contains 20 - 3 ply napkins. Dimensions : 12.5cm x 12.5cm $9.95 www.equestrianhome.com.au
DECORATIVE - RESIN HORSE STALLION Large decorative horse 63 cm x 23 cm x 64 cm $199.95 www.equestrianhome.com.au
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85.
FENCING BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMACRON
WITH BORDER LINE WIRE What is Border line? Border Line is a white, high strength, specially formulated, solid polymer monofilament (containing no steel). When strained up, it will protect and restrain horses like no other. It is a polymer fencing system that replaces steel wire fences as a safer choice for your horse. STEP
B Y
“My stallion got a fright and misjudged the fence line, running straight into the Border Line fence, it was as if he had hit a trampoline, he just bounced back”
S T E P
WHAT
1 - Pre-mark Fence strand spacing
IN ST RU C T IO N S
YO U ' LL
N E E D
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Wire anchors*
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30mm spade bit
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Long drill bit 10mm
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16mm bit
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Drill
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Tape measure
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Marker/texter
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Clippers ( secateurs are ideal)
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Tensioner*
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Border Line fencing rolls*
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Fence posts
2 - Drill with 30mm spade bit to a depth of 12mm on spade tip to take anchor
On steel posts •
3 - Using centre mark, and 10mm bit, drill right through the post
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Insulators or G5 star post hole liners*
* Available through Amacron web site www.amacron.com.au
4 - It is now rebated and 10mm hole ready for upsizing
5 - Using 16mm bit upsize hole to a depth of 50mm
6 - Put your Border Line product through posts
7 - Slip anchors onto Border Line and press into post
8 - On one end of run, cut off ends, flush with anchor
9 - Put anchors on opposite end, but do not cut to allow for tensioning
10 - To tension: tension to 3% of length of run
11 - Put strand through grabbing point of strainer and pull handle down
12 - Have peace of mind that your horse is safely enclosed
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87.
ANSWERED BY ANTONIO BORBA MONTEIRO SANTO ANDRÉ LUSITANOS WWW. SANTOANDRELUSITANOS.COM
TRAINING
Q.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO RIDE PERFECTLY IN HARMONY WITH MY HOSRE?
A.
Yes, and the horse says it is possible! How - they tell us!
To ride a horse is never easy. We can easily feel lost and not know what to do. The first thing to do is to accept that with humility. If you are an experienced rider, it’s easier for you to feel the moments of harmony. This means that the horse and its nature and behaviour are telling you did well and that was right! Of course we have training technics and methods in all the literature since Xenophon (Athenian historian and soldier c. 430 – 354 BC) and all the scientific support to help us to be better prepared and have a greater understanding of the horse. When working with a young horse, you need to be an experienced and mature rider: “young horse, old (experienced) rider”. You must be very clear to the horse when you teach him something that is out of his nature, such as carrying someone on his back and accepting it! The most extraordinary thing is that he accepts you, and when its done in the way of the classical process that requires that you work together as one. Slowly the horse will start accept a rider. Day by day, they will show you signs of being more relaxed, improving and feeling happy with the gymnastic training that prepares them for future training and builds their fitness. The more energy and fitter and flexible the horse means better health just like us as humans; It'll make
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him feel happier and confident. He'll show expressions of joy like rhythm, passage, round attitude in canter and the capacity to change between exercises with only light aids. Yes , in all training, there are moments of misunderstanding that usually are not well accepted by the rider, but that’s normal when two different natures try to reach harmony. It is important to be patient if the horse does not understand. If we play fair, and fair is classical, and classical respects the horses nature, we wait patiently for the harmony and we find in the horse a partner and a friend. No matter who you are, it is possible for all, here is some guidelines that will halp you achieve this. GUIDELINES: •
An easy horse helps a lot. Good mind, balanced.
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To be an experienced rider or to have a wise instructor around helps a lot. Be schooled and educated.
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To know a lot about horse’s nature helps a lot. Open mind.
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To be humble helps a lot. Selfknowledge
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To have the horse focused on us helps a lot. Be a leader.
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To work him every day helps a lot. Be connected.
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Belief helps a lot. Trust in nature. a
HEAVY AND RESISTANT ON THE RIGHT REIN
CONTACT, WHEREAS THE LEFT SIDE IS LIGHTER AND SOMETIMES THE REIN SLACKS. WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THE CONTACT MORE EVEN?
ANSWERED BY GABRIELLE DAREAU WWW.HAPPY-HORSE-TRAINING.COM
TRAINING
Q.
MY MARE OFTEN FEELS
It is normal for horses to feel different on each side of the rein contact in this way, as it is a result of their natural crookedness. All horses are born with a tendency to bend more easily in one direction than the other. Whether this is to the right or the left is totally individual, although there may be trends within different breeds of horses. It is thought that the source of this unevenness is the foals positioning in the womb, but there may well also be a genetic predisposition. If your horse is heavy on the right rein and backing off the left contact, then her natural bend is almost certainly to the left. Often the mane lies over to the side of the natural bend, so this is quite a good indication. The root of the unevenness in the contact is actually the horse’s pelvic orientation. With your left-bended mare, her pelvis will be turned in to the left, so her right hindleg will be weaker in its carrying phase, and stronger in the push-off phase of its stride. This will make her weight her right shoulder more and also seek to lean on the rein contact on this side for support. Her natural bend to the left means that she finds it hard to turn her neck to the right, which adds even more resistance to the rein contact when you ask for right bending.
Her left hindleg will be stronger in the carrying phase of the stride than the thrust, but it crosses underneath the ribcage more, resulting in its energy getting sent towards the diagonally opposite right shoulder, instead of straight through to the left contact. The horse’s body buckles round to the left, and there is little stretch through the whole left side to fill up the rein contact. When we feel this unevenness on a horse, we instinctively want to compensate for it with the reins, and on top of that, the horse ‘wants’ to use the rein contact as a support on the convex side, and seeks to avoid it on the concave side. If you want to help you mare become straighter in her body so that the contact becomes more even, you have to avoid compensating for the unevenness with your rein contact, and deliberately try to do the opposite of what it feels like you want to do with the reins. Then you have to set about using your postural influence to encourage her bodily alignment to improve, which will allow the energy from her hindlegs to feed through to each side of the contact more evenly. Straightening a horse is a complex challenge, but these are the main steps to take in your riding: Whether you are bending left or right, force yourself to regularly release the right rein forwards in a short yield in order to remove the prop for the horse’s unevenness.
- On the left rein, where she avoids the contact, focus on creating a more steady connection in the rein – not holding, just taking up the slack. Pay close attention to your weight and alignment in the saddle. It’s likely that you and your saddle will be pushed slightly more over to the left side of your mare’s spine, especially during right bending, and at the moment in each stride when the right hindleg pushes off. Try to use postural control to resist this, especially when working on the right rein, by stretching down into your right stirrup, weighting your right seatbone, and making your whole right side like a strong pillar around which your mare can bend. When bending right, stretch your outside leg well back and use it to help guide her haunches round to the right more, to allow the right hindleg to step under more. Use a lot of massaging inside leg aiding to encourage her ribcage to flex. When bending left, make sure to release the outside (right) rein to avoid her using it for support, and try to keep the inside rein contact more consistent. Practice lateral yielding from smaller to larger circles (without using the outside rein) to strengthen her weak left side. Become aware of your own unevenness pattern – which is your weaker side for creating a postural pillar for the bend? Work on strengthening this and correcting any misalignments in your pelvis and upper body. a
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89.
Q.
I HAVE A BLACK HORSE AND HE KEEPS GOING BROWN IN THE COAT
NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY TO RUG OR TRY ON THE OUTSIDE. I’VE HEARD THAT YOU HAVE TO DO THIS FROM THE INSIDE OUT, IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN FEED / GIVE MY HORSE TO GET THAT BLACK COAT ?
ANSWERED BY CATH MCDOWELL MCDOWELL'S HERBALS WWW.MCDOWELLSHERBAL.COM
HEALTH 9 0.
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Coat health is an indicator of the horses internal health, just like in people. There are also many feeds that can change the colour of the coat, but in order to make sure that you’re addressing all the possibilities, I like the diet to be free from as many additives and processed feeds as possible, and is a diverse mixture of whole foods and herbs. There is a significant difference between feeding a whole food, and feeding feed stuffs that have vitamin and mineral isolates in them to make up the ‘balance” as per the accepted scientific formula. Ground Millet and Ground linseed is always an exceptional addition to the diet, filled with essential fatty acids and high in silica. Rosehips is another great addition to the diet, being an excellent adrenal tonic, kidney tonic and liver tonic. This helps the metabolism with its essential elimination, improving health overall, as well as supplying essential vitamins and minerals. I often have clients say their horses look magnificent just on this dietary addition alone. Other ideas may be to actually feed a metabolic cleanser mix, which is very specific in its action. For example: Blood Cleansing herbs The blood cleanser contains a class of herbs called alteratives which are particularly high in iron and sulphur and work to support the blood in a number of ways. Other herbs included in the mixture will break down the walls of cysts, aid the lymphatics, kidneys and liver and assist in driving toxins out through the skin and kidneys. The Blood Cleanser Mix includes:- Garlic, Elecampane, Echinacea, Nettle, Maritime Pine, Yarrow, Kelp, Violet Leaves, Horseradish, Horsetail, Red Clover and Rosehips along with the Bach Flowers Crab Apple and Rescue Remedy. The treatment is to be administered at a dose of 20 mls for the first 10 days syringed over the tongue or mixed with water into feed, twice a day. After the initial booster the dose may be reduced to 10 mls twice per day. Herbs to help tone the GIT and support liver function to improve conditioning overallConditioning Mix This mixture is the primary rehabilitation tonic for horses which have suffered a major health breakdown, been poisoned, bitten by a snake or have, for other reasons, developed liver or kidney damage or are recovering from a major illness, surgery or accident. Even if so severely debilitated that there seems no option but to put the animal down, appropriate treatment for shock along with the Re-Conditioning blend to restore metabolic harmony, can return the horse to health and to work.
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A horse going for surgery should be prepared before and treated immediately afterward, using Rosehips and Rescue Remedy. Then it should be given the Conditioning Blend as a supplement during recovery. This mix will have an animal back on its feed and recovering its condition within days. The effect of this tonic will be to protect your horse from repercussions and relapses during recovery. Spelling time will also be reduced dramatically. The mix includes the following:- Borage Herb, Chamomile Flowers, Dandelion Leaf, Dandelion Root Extract, Fennel Seeds, Garlic Extract, Hawthorn Berry Extract, Kelp Granules, Nettle Herb, along with the Bach Flowers Olive, Rescue Remedy, Scleranthus and Walnut. Diet is important with any recovery program - As a general rule though, I like to feed: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Chamomile flowers ( ½ handful per feed) Nervous system support- P, K, mg in balance Rosehips (2T in 500mls of hot water, divide over 2 feeds) Kidney /liver support, iron, vit c Cobalt. 2-3 cloves of garlic- sulphur, selenium, Vit A /E and various other vitamins and minerals that is excellent for immunity and heart/circulation health. ½ cup of Crushed millet per feed- silica- bone health /hair /connective tissue ½ cup of Crushed Linseed per feed Omega 3, 6, 9 lignin’s for healthy joints and flexible ligaments. 1 T of Kelp trace elements and iodine for thyroid function Magnesium is always good to supplement in Australia, ( prefer a chelated one) Rice Bran – protein/fat/vit A Copra Meal- Protein/ essential fatty acids Soaked Barley or Oats Oaten chaff Lucerne Chaff ( Dry land Lucerne is best) – Calcium
Hay- oaten or meadow 24/7 or pasture- Calcium Extra supplements can be given in specific circumstances to address issues….but the above is very good as a basic. And gives a superb coat and muscle condition. You want the horses strong, good muscle mass, low fat – lean and strong. Most commercial feeds fatten the horses and make their metabolism heavy….can lead to insulin resistance, laminitis and Cushings disease. Also, Speedy- Beet is an excellent feed, with added herbs to make up the balance… With more information I can make further suggestions.a
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FOR A
SIGNS
H O R S E
BEHAVIOUR Is your horse’s behaviour as normal? Most horse owners know what is normal of their horse and whether they are happy or showing signs of lack of interest. They may be lying down more than normal or even not lying down at all. Other signs of problems can pawing at the ground or appearing anxious or sweating for no reason or a lack of appetite.
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MANURE A horse’s intestinal tract is almost 30 metres long so in not surprising that they will pass manure many times a day - 10 – 12 times. Mares usually go less than foals or stallions. Reduced motions could be a sign of gastrointestinal upset. Their manure should be in wellformed balls. No massive pieces of undigested feed and reasonably little odour and fairly uniformed in colour. The colour will also depend on what the horse is eating.
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TEMPERATURE, PULSE AND RESPIRATION It is good to know what is normal of your horse’s temperature, pulse and respiration should be.
Temperature Normal 37.2°C to 38.3°C / 99 - 101 F for adults, Normal 37.5°C to 38.9°C for foals A temperature higher than that may indicate an infection. A healthy horse’s temperature can vary by 3 degrees depending on environmental factors. Horses tend to have higher temperatures in warm weather and during/after exercise, stress or excitement. To take its temperature insert a thermometer into the horse’s rectum using a bit of lubricant. It is a good practice to tie a string to the thermometer with a clip on the end of the string to attach to the tail. Leave in for approximately three minutes. Heart Rate A normal resting horse has a heart rate of 38-40 beats per minute, foals (70-120 bpm), yearlings (45-60 bpm) and 2-yearolds (40-50 bpm). Maximum heart rates can exceed 180 beats per minute, but a rate above 80 should be considered serious in most non-exercising. Using a stethoscope listening to just behind his elbow on the left-hand side, by the girth area. Or you can access his pulse on the underside of the jaw where it crosses the bone (lingual artery). Take the pulse for 30 seconds and then multiply the number by two to determine the number of beats per minute or for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Respiration 10 to 24 breaths per minute for adults, 20 t0 40 breaths per minute for foals You can watch the horse’s flank move in and out, watching the horse’s nostril flare with every breath. Each inhale or exhale is one breath. Ensure that your horse’s breath sounds clear and not wheezy.
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4 GUMS The gums should be moist and salmon pink. If you press with a finger the normal capillary refill time is approximately 2 seconds or less to return to the pink colour. Any other colour you should call a vet. Pale pink can indicate shock, deep red can indicate toxicity, blue/purple can indicate low oxygen and yellow can indicate a liver problem. Toxicity can also appear as deep red dots.
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GUT How does your horse’s gut sound? You can listen by ear or a stethoscope. Listing to both sides of the abdomen high and low. A horse’s gut sound should be gurgling, talking sounds and the occasional roar are normal. A length of silence can indicate an abnormality. Regularly listen to your horse so you know what is normal and you can listen to other horse to compare.
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HOOFS Like us, horses can have many shapes and sizes. What is a health hoof? The horn is healthy, the connection with the coffin bone is tight and strong, and the balance of the hoof matches the rest of the horse’s body and allows for maximum movement. Hooves change all the time due to weather, diet, exercise and the time of the year. Talk with your farrier or vet to determine what is normal for your horse.
HYDRATION You can test your horse’s hydration by pinching the skin on the base of his neck or shoulder. If it doesn’t snap back to normal within one to two second, it may indicate dehydration. In strenuous exercises, horses can lose up to 15 litres of water per hour. Some of the signs of severe dehydration can be excessive sweating, minimal gut sounds, anxiety, no manure being passed and loose stools.
EYES AND EARS As with us again, they should be clear and bright and free from discharge. The eyelashes are perpendicular to the corneal surface – not downward pointing. Weeping or swelling can indicate pain and is best to contact your vet. If you horse is frequently shaking his head or rubbing on rough surfaces, it is most likely a problem with his ears. Common ear issues are ear mites and infection. This can be painful and cause general discomfort and can comprise the horse’s co-ordination. If not treated it can lead to deafness.
NOSE The nostrils should be free of discharge or the discharge should be clear. If you have a greenish, yellow, or white ‘snotty’ discharge, this could indicate that there is a disease or respiratory problem.
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WEIGHT Your horse’s body condition can be checked visually and manually. His condition can be an indication on how he is feeling. Feel the fat covering his ribs, shoulder, withers, neck, loin and tailhead. Has his condition changed lately? Does his coat have a shine or is it dull? All these can be signs of health issues.
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MUD FEVER ‘Equine Pastern Dermatitis’ A bacterial skin condition affecting the lower limbs of horses, also known as ‘Mud Rash’.
FIGHTI NG T H E B AT T L E W ITH
M
ud fever is a colloquial term for a bacterial skin condition affecting the lower limbs of horses and has a variety of presentations (also known as mud rash, cracked heels, greasy heel, scratches, dew poisoning or grapes depending on the severity of the condition).
The scientific veterinary term used for all these conditions is ‘equine pastern dermatitis’. It is a very common condition that affects the pastern, fetlock and cannon region of horses, ponies and donkeys all over the world.
Article by: Cedric Chan, MRCVS of NW Equine Referrals, familiarises us with equine pastern dermatits, better know as 'med fever'. Here he tells us about the recent study he has conducted and reveals some interesting findings
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The bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis is often associated with the condition but we are now finding other bacteria are also present including Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, these are often not the primary cause but are secondary skin infections and reoccurrence is common. CAUSES… If an underlying cause of the condition can be understood and accurately diagnosed before treatment of any mud fever case, this would minimise the
THE STUDY…
BEFORE
As mud fever was starting to become extremely difficult to treat and resolve with conventional treatments, I teamed up with a company, EquiMed Ag Ltd., who had started to trial their products on horses using a new method of treatment and nothing else. Their results were so encouraging we sent the products, a wound dressing which contained activated carbon and nano-silver particles, to Lincoln University to be tested on the bacterium Dermatophilus and Psendomonas aeruginosa, which were known to cause mud fever.
2 WEEKS LATER
frustration of going through several failed treatments.
vasculitis, ultra-violet sensitivity, fungal and parasitic infection.
Although it can affect any breed of horse, it is most commonly associated with horses that have a lot of feather around their heels (Cobs and Draught types). Other predisposing factors can include poor stable/pasture conditions, moisture, sand, alkaline soil, poor fitting boots leading to trauma and poor grooming.
Wet, muddy paddocks and sandy soil certainly worsen the condition, if not contribute to mud fever in the first place.
The condition usually affects the back of the heel and pastern but can spread around the side and the front, as well as over the fetlock and lower cannon. Hind limbs are more commonly affected than the front, and usually both hind limbs will become infected. It also seems to affect more adult horses than youngsters and occurs equally across the sexes. Also, it is often seen to affect horses with nonpigmented skin, but not exclusively. There are also several primary factors that can directly cause mud fever including direct physical or chemical irritants such as blistering, treated bedding, immune contact allergy,
BEFORE
THE SIGNS… Presentation of equine pastern dermatitis can vary depending on the cause, duration and any previous treatments. It usually starts with generalised swelling of the affected area, redness and inflammation and scaling of the skin. This then progresses on to moistness, matting of the hair and scabbing or ‘crusting’. As the skin immune defences lower a secondary bacterial infection is likely, often from the horse itself and/or the environment in the pasture or stable. The skin can become chronically thickened and split due to constant movement and the degeneration of a local healthy skin environment. As you can imagine it becomes very painful with varying degrees of lameness.
The results showed that activated carbon in the Equi-Med Ag products retained and killed 99.9% of the bacteria it was tested on. It contains a unique combination of activated micro-porous carbon and nano-sliver particles which, it is claimed, is extremely effective in drawing out bacteria from the affected skin due to a constant electrostatic charge generated in the fabric surface. Once retained within the carbon structure, the bacteria engulf the nanosliver particles and subsequently die outside the skin. Two years after launching the products the team decided to do a more in-depth trial using actual cases with pastern dermatitis which took place during the summer months. After a nationwide appeal for severe longstanding cases, 30 applicants were chosen randomly from around the UK to take part. All cases had the condition at least six months or was a chronic recurrent condition. Many of the cases had already tried standard veterinary treatments such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids, silver Flamazine and antibiotic-steroid cream, all of
3 WEEKS LATER
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STUDY
CASE which had failed. Other cases had used adjunctive treatments such as Hibi-scrub, Manuka honey, shop bought creams and powders, all with no effect. All the applicants followed the same study protocol for use of the EquiMed Ag wound dressing and preliminary bacterial swabs were taken and sent to Glasgow Veterinary School for analysis. The subjects then had the affected areas bandaged using the Equi-Med Ag wound dressing and were changed every three days. It was important that the studies were carried out in the horse’s natural setting and not removed to a hospital centre to carry out the study to ensure the products worked effectively in a range of different settings in which they would be bought for. There was no change to the horse’s
traditional veterinary treatments, the high costs involved in unsuccessful and/or treating reoccurring cases, as well as reducing the need for long term broad spectrum antibiotic usage. The absence of Dermatophilus congolensis isolated in this study suggests it is not the most common bacteria present in chronic cases of mud fever. However, its role in the initial stages of some cases has not been validated yet. General advice with regard to prevention and on-going management of affected horses include a dry, clean environment, especially in wet weather. If stabled, keep on fresh, clean, untreated bedding that is
HORSE’S NAME: GEORGE ............................................................
BREED: TB X ARAB MARE
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AGE: 17
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COLOUR: CHESTNUT
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RIDER’S NAME: KATIE LEE
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hen I took George on loan I knew she had suffered in the past from mud fever through the winter months, and had previously had veterinary treatment which had failed to clear up the infection. I had tried every cream and topical treatment available but nothing seemed to really work that well. After seeing an advert to take part in the Equi-Med Ag study I thought I would give it a try. We were now into the summer months and George’s condition had worsened and her legs were extremely sore and swollen. Prior to using the Equi-Med Ag Wound Dressing her legs had become so sore and swollen that she hated me washing and touching her legs. I soon realised ‘mud fever’ was a very generic term for pastern dermatitis and that it still could be a threat in the summer months. Through the study we discovered from the swabs that the strain of bacteria present was Staphylococcus aureus.
BEFORE
everyday management including turnout. The results came back and showed that the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus was present in 90% of cases along with Psoudomonas spp and Streptococcus spp. However, interestingly from this initial study the bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis which was originally thought to have been the main cause of mud fever, was not present in any of the cases swabbed. Each of the horses taking part in the study were all cleared within 2-6 weeks of treatment and all of them had no further signs of bacterial skin infections. CHANGING HOW WE THINK… The Equi-Med Ag way may represent a new and ground-breaking approach to treating one of the most common and frustrating skin conditions known in the horse, by removing the need for
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regularly skipped out. If turning out, try to keep horses on drier pasture once the morning dew has subsided. Horses with quite a lot of feather are best clipped over the pastern area to reduce the moisture retention. If ultraviolet light sensitivity is a factor then stabling and daily bandaging may be required. The use of an antibacterial activated carbon and nano-silver dressing or impregnated boot, such as those manufactured by Equi-Med Ag Ltd. should be considered especially in severe and longstanding cases of mud fever. Even horses who become very sensitive to touch and those with chronic swelling benefit from the boots and the dressing whilst making management of the condition and stable management routines much easier. a
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So I ditched the creams and topical treatments and treated her legs with the wound dressing, changing the dressing every three days. It was so simple to use, there was no need to keep washing her legs as I had done when I was using the creams. Straight away after the first dressing change I could see the scabs had started to dry out, they looked darker and the redness and swelling in the affected legs had started to go. As I kept using the dressing the scabs started to fall away and I could see the skin and hair started to look healthy again. After 27 days the scabs were completely gone and you couldn’t even tell where they had been. The Equi-Med Ag products are so easy to use, cost effective and they really did work eliminating the bacterial infection in my case. For more information on the Equi-Med Ag products visit www.equimedag.com.au (Australia and NZ) or www.EquiMedAg.co.uk (Europe)
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Equi-Med Ag Antibacterial Wound Dressing 3 Unique advanced dual action containing activated carbon and silver 3 Accelerates skin healing cutting wound recovery time by half 3 Scientifically proven to kill bacteria associated with mud fever
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Pure Iberian Stallion
Pure Stallion P/SPIberian 003 Chapelhouse CENTAURO. P/SP 003 Chapelhouse CENTAURO
Dk bay/brown black, 16.2hh DOB: 19.01.07 Dk Bay/brown black, 16.1hh Sire: Irreal (imp Portugal DOB: 19.01.07 & competed at Grand Prix Dressage) Sire: Irreal La (Imp Portugal &Pamperita. competed at Dam: Querencia Grand Prix Dressage)
Dam: La Querencia Pamerita.
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