JOINT CARE.
SOUND DECISIONS DRESSAGE PLACES A SIGNIFICANT DEMAND ON HORSES’ JOINTS, SO THE MANAGEMENT OF THEIR HEALTH THROUGH GOOD NUTRITION, CORRECT TRAINING AND CONTINUED MONITORING IS VITAL TO A LONG CAREER, REPORTS BARBARA YOUNG.
W
hen it comes to management, staying sound or the demands o dressage re uires a delicate balance. According to Andy athe, artner at ewmar et s ossdales uine os ital,
riders need to ta e the whole horse into consideration and wor closely with their su ort team to hel minimise ris . It s the whole inter lay between the vet, trainer, arrier, hysio etc who together ma e a ac age, as well as owners not being overly demanding and allowing the horse to have an
off day, rather than utting ressure on the rider to always er orm,” he e lains. oints aren t there in isolation i the sus ensories get in ured which is common , this will ut more strain on the hoc and oints. he most common in ury in dressage horses is the high sus ensory. As the horse goes u the grades, there is more demand on collection and wor ing rom behind which increases loading on hoc s and sus ensories.” Andy also cautions against too much re etition o advanced movements. tatistically, it s grand ri horses which have the highest ris o in ury, although to riders don t ractice movements such as iaffe assage very o ten as horses at this level already have the s illset. owever, or less e erienced riders who are struggling with a s ecific movement, it s better to ta e a brea and move on to doing something different rather than ee re eating. eal with any issues early on i you sus ect something isn t uite right, don t ut your head in the sand.”
STATISTICALLY, IT’S GRAND PRIX HORSES WHICH HAVE THE HIGHEST RISK OF INJURY 40 // Issue 6 2020 // BRITISH DRESSAGE
