Canadian Horse Journal - SAMPLE - Summer 2023

Equine Skin Allergies

A SCRATCH for Every ITCH

By Amy Young, UC Davis Center for Equine Health

Horses scratch for many reasons. They scratch themselves on fences, rub up against posts (and sometimes people), roll on the ground, and groom each other. A natural behaviour usually linked to social bonding, comfort, and relaxation, it can be heightened seasonally by shedding, sweating, or the presence of insects. However, when scratching becomes frequent enough to result in hair loss, broken skin, scabs, or if it disrupts eating or sleeping, it is time to talk to a veterinarian to determine if a skin allergy is to blame so appropriate treatments can be pursued.

Allergies are the result of immune reactions to proteins that the body identifies as foreign (allergens). They are often caused by repeated exposures to pollens, weeds, grasses, molds, insect bites, medications, and feeds (although food allergies in herbivores are rare). Equine skin allergies typically cause abnormal itching (pruritus) and hives (urticaria).

Breaking Out In Hives

Among domestic animals, horses are the most likely species to be affected by hives. These raised, round patches on the skin are not a

disease themselves. Rather, they are skin lesions or reaction patterns that result from certain diseases and conditions.

Frequent causes for hives in horses include:

• Atopic dermatitis (environmental allergy: pollens, molds, etc.)

• Drugs and medications

• Insect/mite bites or stings

• Chemical contact (plants, dyes, detergents, soaps, insecticides, etc.)

Less common causes are:

• Dermatophytes (ringworm)

• Pemphigus foliaceus (auto-immune skin disease)

• Stress

• Vasculitis (including purpura hemorrhagica)

• Pressure or trauma to the skin

• Cold

• Exercise

• Feed

Hives typically appear suddenly and in large numbers. The most distinguishing characteristic is that they “pit” if you put pressure on them. It is important to try to determine the underlying cause of hives by evaluating the horse’s medical history in order to provide proper treatment. A seasonal itch, for example, would be most consistent with atopic dermatitis to pollens, whereas an itch that persists year-round is more likely to be a reaction to molds, barn dust, or feed. Episodes of itching that occur after topical treatments of shampoos, dips, etc. would be consistent with a contact allergy.

Allergy Testing and Allergy Shots

Intradermal tests (IDT) and serum (blood) allergy tests are often used to

Scratches

A Problem No Matter What You Call It

By Amy Young, UC Davis Center for Equine Health

Pastern dermatitis, also known as scratches, greasy heel, mud fever, mud rash, cracked heels, and dew poisoning, has been well documented in horses since the early 1800s. It is commonly characterized by inflammation of the skin on the back of the pastern. Regardless of which name is used, most horse handlers will likely have to deal with it at some point. It is important to note that what can start as a minor skin annoyance can become a painful chronic condition if not treated properly.

Horses with pastern dermatitis usually exhibit multiple lesions in the pastern area. Initially, patchy red skin (erythema),

oozing, crusting, erosions, and ulcerations develop, followed by swelling (edema) of the affected limbs. The skin can be itchy and sensitive. Lameness is observed in some cases and can become severe.

Although pastern dermatitis can

occur in any horse breed, it is most common in draft breeds and others with heavy feathering on the lower legs that can trap moisture. Horses with white

continued on page 18

Equine intradermal allergy test.

A horse with hives due to seasonal environmental allergens.

Clinical signs of scratches include inflammation and lesions in the pastern area.

PHOTO: PAM MACKENZIE

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ANJAJULI

PHOTO: PAM MACKENZIE

PHOTO COURTESY

DAVIS

Buzzing and Biting

Flies are the bane of many horses’ existence from spring through autumn. In Canada, horse-biting flies include gnats (no-see-ums), black flies, stable flies, deer flies, horse flies, and mosquitoes, all of which create painful sores. Non-biting flies include house flies, eye gnats, face flies, bot flies, and warble flies, and can be just as irritating. It’s not just buzzing and biting that’s worrisome; flies may transmit parasites and diseases, can cause a

horse’s immune system to overreact, and some use horses as hosts, all of which impact horse health. Preventing horses from being bitten is key. Before diving into solutions, here’s a summary of the damage that flies can inflict on Canada’s horses.

Flies as Vectors

When a fly bites a horse or ingests mucus from eyes, nose, and lesions, the blood or fluids it ingests may contain dis-

eases that the horse already carries. That fly can then transmit those diseases to the next horse it bites, thereby spreading disease from ill horses to healthy horses.

Equine Infectious Anemia (identified by a Coggins blood test) is commonly transmitted by biting horse flies, stable flies, and deer flies. West Nile virus and Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis (EEE/WEE) are all transmitted by mosquitoes. Flies also transmit anthrax and the virus responsible for equine sarcoids.

Biting insects such as horse flies (right, bottom) and deer flies (right, top) can make summer miserable for horses with their persistent, aggressive pursuit and painful bites. Both horse and deer fly bites make a scissor-like incision, after which they lap up the blood. Their saliva contains an anti-coagulant which can cause a severe reaction in the victim.

How flies spread parasites and disease

By Tania Millen

Flies as Transport

Flies can also transport the larvae of equine stomach worms (habronema). The larvae are inadvertently picked up when flies feed on manure containing the habronema larvae. Then the hitchhiking larvae leave their fly transporters at fly bite sites or wounds on horses, creating infection, irritation, and itch. The resulting “summer sores” — raised, itchy, weeping bumps — are slow to heal and may recur due to an allergic reaction by the horse.

Biting stable flies and non-biting flies

attracted to wounds on horses may also carry fungi that cause local infection or equine granular dermatitis (rain scald).

Flies can also carry strangles bacteria from one horse to another, along with the viral particles of equine influenza, rhinopneumonitis, and vesicular stomatitis.

Fly Irritation

For some horses, fly bites are so irritating that the bite area becomes inflamed, raw, itchy, bare, and/or infected. The result is dermatitis and sweet itch, along with wounds that

PHOTO: ISTOCK/MIRCEAX

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/SARI ONEAL

PHOTO: ISTOCK/DEEPBLUE4YOU

Horse in a Rush? The relationship between hurry and worry.

By Lindsay Grice, Equestrian Canada coach and judge

My first horse rushed his jumps. He never refused. I reasoned that he was a “bold” jumper — he loved to jump and so did I! On approach to every fence, my horse’s head would elevate, his ears would perk up, and his legs would speed up. I figured the jumper ring, with its speed element, was a more natural fit for my eager jumper than the hunter ring. But once I hit the show ring, my horse’s keenness became more problematic. He’d rush past the distances, oblivious to my attempts to regulate his stride. The more I pulled, the more he sped up… and then, the more I pulled. Rails came down and I learned the precept firsthand: haste makes waste.

Years later I came to understand the real reason why horses rush, and why my horse seemed to tune out my aids.

Unplanned Acceleration

Any type of rushing, prancing, jigging, or spooking is an expression of the flight response. Horses hurry through canter transitions, scurry across trail bridges, and back off trailers in a flurry! The motivation to rush is not likely out of the joy of bridge-crossing or eagerness to have arrived at the destination. Rather, it’s to get the experience over with!

A milder version of hurry is anticipation. The ring-wise competitive horse anticipates the next step in navigating the trail gate, anticipates the gait call to canter, or anticipates the pattern in speed event classes. When rushing attempts are thwarted, the horse begins to jig.

Flight Response Explained

Horses, being prey rather than predators, opt for I’m outta here! over a logical analysis of the situation.

When spooked, a horse at liberty flees

to a safe distance and checks things out from there. That scary experience is validated when flight results in escaping the object of fear. So, by increasing the distance between himself and the scary thing, fleeing the scene worked (in the horse’s mind). He eluded the sunbeam in the arena dirt before it grabbed his legs. In the next lap of the arena, he’ll seek to avoid and rush past the spot where that light beam lurks.

If your horse rushes into the stall, finding a safe zone there, he’s going to rush through that door again — Yikes, that was close! He escaped the nip on his rear-end from his stall neighbour reaching over the Dutch door. The associated adrenaline rush and possible skid on the

cement floor only confirm that tight openings are scary indeed.

While most skills are learned by trial and error, it may only take one trial for a horse to learn something through fear. Once learned, fearful responses are not easily erased.

When a horse is frightened by a sound, sight, or sensation, less significant stimuli are ignored. That’s why when a horse is in all-out flight mode, he’s tuned out to almost everything else, even so far as to collide with a fence or scramble until injured to be free of restraint. A handler’s tugs on the lead are unlikely to interrupt a horse dashing through his stall door or flying backwards off the trailer ramp.

Practice waiting when doing ordinary things like walking through a gate or leaving the barn. The benefits of training your horse to wait will spill over into other areas of training.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/FUEN30

IS THIS HARD FOR MY HORSE?

Miscalculating the effort level of exercises for horses often derails the process of gaining fitness. Whether or not a horse finds any given exercise hard is left to a lot of guesswork. And since many riders form assumptions based on their own perspectives of sport and physical challenges, this guesswork is frequently inaccurate. To gauge this better and to deliver beneficial doses of effort, we need to clarify how and when certain tasks are difficult for the horse.

We humans, as it turns out, often misinterpret what individual horses find physically hard or taxing. In large part, this is due to conflating the various ways an exercise can seem challenging. Is it painful or uncomfortable in some way? Is it mentally stressful or worrying to the horse? Is the horse confused due to lack of skill? Lastly, is the horse’s metabolic and/or musculoskeletal system taxed by it? If you find yourself quitting or avoiding an exercise because it seems too “hard” for your horse, really try to clarify which of these you mean. Getting clear on this will dictate whether an exercise should be avoided, modified, or possibly just approached dif-

ferently as part of a conditioning plan.

In the case of pain, an exercise should obviously be avoided. An example is an older horse with arthritic hocks that really struggles to walk down steep hills. In the instance of stress or lack of skills, an exercise can be modified to suit the situation. An example is breaking an exercise down into smaller steps or changing your location; some horses are stressed in an arena but relaxed in an open space, or vice versa.

The case of metabolic or musculoskeletal stress, however, can be trickier to handle. If we deem an exercise difficult in this way for our horses, it does not necessarily mean we should avoid or modify it. To improve fitness, the body does need to perform hard sessions on occasion. This leads to heightened neuromuscular communication, better muscle activation and fueling, and increased resilience to exercise stress. Ideally, harder training days are alternated with lighter days, and strenuous efforts are not repeated consecutively within a week. Within this context, there are numerous variables surrounding any given routine

or workout that makes them more — or less — challenging for the horse.

Understanding and controlling these variables allows you to rate the difficulty of a task more accurately as part of your horse’s fitness training. In other words, the task itself might not be hard but certain variables might be exaggerating its stress on the horse. Recognizing and adjusting these factors allow you to keep useful exercises in your conditioning plan. Rather than avoiding certain exercises because they might seem too hard, you can perhaps alter the variables that raise their effort. Alternatively, you can account for when an exercise that is usually easy for your horse requires a lot more effort.

The most common variables that effect an exercise’s difficulty are as follows:

Intensity

Any exercise becomes harder when performed at higher rates of speed or propulsion. For instance, your horse might perform shoulder-in without stress or challenge at slow paces, but the difficulty increases notably when tackling it at a brisk trot. Likewise, your horse might trot

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/GEZA FARKAS

easily over cavalletti as part of your regular sessions, but adding speed (cantering) or propulsion (jumps) dials up the intensity. Adding intensity is not necessarily negative, but duration of exercises needs to be trimmed when doing so. For instance, if you normally ride in the arena for 45 minutes, asking your horse to climb up and down steep hills for that same amount of time requires a whole new — and greater level of effort. When intensity increases, duration scales back. High effort or hard exercises should not be avoided, but their duration should be reduced. Longer sessions each week should be reserved for mostly low effort work.

Weather and Body Condition

Ordinarily, easy exercises for a given horse become harder when performed in extreme weather — hot, freezing, or windy. The demands of thermoregulation alter the horse’s muscle function, soft tissue hydration, and energy pathways, all of which detract from the ability to perform at a normal level. Weather plays a sizable role in how hard an exercise is on any given day.

Similarly, the horse’s body condition is also a factor. Gaining or losing a large

A sufficient warm-up prepares the horse’s body for the challenges of the training session. Without a proper warm-up the horse will find the exercises more difficult.

Exercises become harder when speed is increased. When exercise intensity increases, the duration of the exercise should be reduced.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ROLF DANNENBERG

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

Pilates for Every Equestrian Why get fit to ride?

By Sandra Verda-Zanatta, Level 3 High Performance Coach

Being fit to ride certainly has benefits for riders but there are also benefits for our horses. The horse-and-rider partnership is unique. We owe it to our horses to be as balanced and coordinated as possible to ensure their comfort and ability to do what we ask with ease. We are not all built the same and not everyone will assume the “ideal” riding posture and position. Still, we can all work towards better posture, balance, and coordination resulting in clearer, more effective communication with our equine partners.

Horses often mirror the rider’s position faults and weaknesses. The rider who is asymmetrical and unbalanced can significantly impact their horse, and easily create or exacerbate crookedness. For example, horses that tend to be stiff on one side, prefer to canter on one lead more than the other, fall in on the circle, or are heavy on the forehand, are often reacting to the rider to some degree.

Habits such as collapsing in the torso, leaning to one side, unequal leg pressure, sitting unevenly on seat bones, or uneven contact in the reins are all common rider issues. Most of the time riders are unaware of these habits; they can’t feel when they are not straight or centered, so the first step is to improve rider proprioception.

Proprioception is awareness of

Balance and Body Awareness Exercises

The following exercises can be done at home to start improving your alignment, balance, and overall body awareness. The weighted ball used in these exercises should be three to five pounds to start, increasing to ten pounds as strength improves.

where our body is in space and how to control its parts and move intentionally. If we take the time to develop better body awareness and control, we can improve our horse’s comfort, straightness, way-of-going, and overall performance.

Pilates is a total body strengthening program focused on core strength that addresses coordination, balance,

Balance Board Squats

Starting position: Stand with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent — try to keep the board level and focus on an even feel in your feet. Draw your belly button towards your spine to connect your core and stabilize your lumbopelvic region. Close your hip angle and take the upper body slightly forward. Keep your shoulder blades flat on your back and hold your arms in the riding position. Once you feel stable, start doing small squats to challenge your balance. Keep your eyes up and on a focal point.

PHOTO: ISTOCK/SIMONKR

PHOTO COURTESY OF SANDRA VERDA-ZANATTA

Have you ever felt like you’re getting in your own way?

If so, you are not alone. As equestrians, we can be at particular risk of “self-sabotaging” when moving up a level in competition. This article will explore why this happens and what we can do to work against our tendency to make things harder for ourselves than they need to be. It is possible to tackle each new level with self-trust, confidence, and effective riding. All we need is the support of some mental skills and strategies.

Self-sabotage can be a confusing term, suggesting that we are acting against ourselves and our priorities. Why would we get in our own way when we want something so badly and have worked so hard to make it happen? The truth is that self-sabotage often comes from misunderstanding what truly creates the opportunity to perform well and progress in sport. We think we are protecting ourselves, or pushing ourselves to be better, but don’t realise that what we are doing is having the opposite effect. To better understand the impact of self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviours, I’ll introduce you to two riders, both of whom are at

the start of a three-day event and about to move up a level from Training to Preliminary. Both riders and their horses are fully capable of competing at this new level and have put in extensive preparation at home. However, each of them is experiencing very different thoughts, emotions, and behaviours in response to their upcoming challenge.

Rider One is George, who is feeling extremely nervous and anxious. His thinking is overwhelmed with self-doubting thoughts such as: I can’t do this. What if I’m not ready? What if I embarrass myself? He feels jittery and tense and is having trouble focusing. When he walks his

cross-country course, he can’t stop thinking that the jumps look enormous. He’s wishing he didn’t know anyone at the event so that there wouldn’t be any witnesses to his potential failure. He’s avoiding thinking about his upcoming rides as he keeps imagining himself having a refusal. In discussion with his coach, he jokes that “my goal is just to survive the weekend.” Unknowingly, George is sabotaging his chances of success.

Rider Two is Sophie. She is also nervous, but her nerves are not overwhelming her. She feels a balance of nerves and excited, positive anticipation for the challenge ahead. Her thinking is very

task-focused, and she is methodically moving through her preparation routine to ensure that she and her mare are completely ready. As she walks her cross-country course, she is completely focused on the technical aspects of the course. I’ll need to make sure to balance early for this jump, so that she sees it. I think this will jump nicely as long as I keep coming forward to it. She is grateful that she knows lots of people at this event. It helps her feel supported and like she has lots of people to ask for help if she needs it. She is taking the time to carefully visualise her test and course, imagining how she would respond to both expected

Many riders unknowingly create self-sabotaging behaviours by holding themselves to a standard of perfection.

PHOTO: DREAMSTIME/SERGII KUMER

PHOTO: ISTOCK/FUEN30

How to Support Your Horse Through Change

How clear communication and great preparation is your best support for an easy transition.

By Alexa Linton, Equine Sports Therapist

I want you to recall one of your last major transitions. It might have been at work, at home, with family, a move, even a birth or death. Estimate your stress levels during that transition on a scale of one to ten. Typically, our stress levels rise during times of transition, even if the change is good and we’ve had lots of time to prepare.

Now, think about your horse’s last major transition. Did you

notice increased stress in the form of tension, health issues, or a change in behaviour during this time? Imagine what it might be like for you to have no time to prepare for a big life-changing transition. What if a move or the loss of your best friend happened with no warning? How would this increase your stress levels?

Most transitions our horses move through happen with little to no preparation of the horse; the majority are human-created

PHOTO: ROLF DANNENBERG

transitions that the horse has no say in. I often work with horses that have been impacted by transitions physically, emotionally, and in other ways. This type of abrupt transition can cause trauma, even if it occurred a long time ago. A good example is the impact of weaning, which often happens with no preparation of the mare or foal and has the potential to create long-term attachment and trust issues for both. It can then be disruptive and destabilizing for the whole herd.

With a few simple but perhaps humbling steps, we can ease transitions for our horses and build trust at the same time. First, let’s look at what makes up a transition.

Essentially an impactful transition can be any event or situation where there is a change to your horse’s environment, whether it involves their herd or their location; an injury, especially one requiring challenging treatment or a substantial amount of pain; isolation or stall rest; introduction of an unknown stimulus, like noisy construction equipment; a new rider, handler, or trainer; and training milestones such as their first saddling, ride, or trailer trip. These transitions affect each horse differently depending on their level of confidence, trust, and sense of safety. A horse that has experienced significant trauma might have a stronger reaction to transitions, finding them challenging and displaying behaviour or symptoms showing their stress.

In order to support our horse with transitions, we need to have an understanding of the nervous system, specifically the autonomic nervous system, which functions in all mammals to keep us safe. Within the context of this nervous system, our view of behavioural responses to transitions changes significantly. (On this topic, I highly recommend the excellent work of Sarah Schlote of Equusoma, www.Equusoma.com). With a more thorough understanding of the autonomic nervous system, we build

more empathy for our horses and their experiences and signs of stress, and connect more easily with their needs for connection and safety.

In the autonomic nervous system we have hyperarousal states, with related sympathetic pathways including flight and fight responses, and hypoarousal states, with the dorsal vagal (parasympathetic pathways), including fawn, freeze, and collapse. In a state of safety and regulation, both parasympathetic and sympathetic are working together to support healthy function. When there is a major stressor, this system supports the horse’s attempt to stay safe, moving him through various survival states depending on the situation. Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing®, defines trauma as “experiencing fear in the face of helplessness.” Essentially, it is an activated and even frozen state that occurs when there is an incomplete response to a threat.

In addition, our nervous system is a mirror to that of our horse, meaning that one nervous system can coregulate with another. This is why being in a healthy well-regulated state yourself allows you to support your horse to feel safe during change; and being stressed and dysregulated yourself, or reactive to your horse’s stress, will often increase his feelings of mistrust or incidence of protective behaviour.

Let’s take the example of weaning to explore the function of the autonomic nervous system. Rather than seeing a mare newly weaned from her foal as overreactive or dramatic, we begin to see a very understandable flight or fight (sympathetic) response, as she attempts to protect herself and her foal from harm. We might also see a collapse (dorsal vagal) response if she appears depressed or resigned once she realizes her actions will not bring back her foal (remember the definition of trauma above). We may see similar responses in the foal.

The first trip in a trailer is an important transition for the horse and a stressful experience can cause lasting trauma.

PHOTO: ADOBESTOCK/ANNABELL GSÖDL

Four Symposiums Across Canada

By Tania Millen

“Riding is a lifelong learning process,” says Christoph Hess, a retired FEI 4* dressage judge and Level 3 eventing judge. “After riding one horse, you might think you’re a hero, but then you ride another and wonder whether you can ride at all.”

That was just one nugget that Hess shared with over 40 Canadian riders and approximately 800 spectators at four two-day symposiums in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island in May 2023.

“Fasten your seatbelts; Hess is a firecracker,” said Leanne Binetruy when introducing the classical dressage maestro in Blackfalds, Alberta on behalf of the Western Canadian Dressage Symposium organization.

Riders representing all levels and abilities — FEI Children’s, Young Riders, U25, adult amateurs, para-equestrians and professionals — rode green threeyear-olds to late-teen grand prix horses.

Some of Canada’s top dressage riders participated including Carmie Flaherty, Claire Robinson, Colleen Church McDowell, Jacqueline Brooks, Jamie Irwin, Maya Markowski, and Pia Virginia Fortmüller. Other icons of Canada’s dressage community audited.

“It’s an honour to teach these symposiums,” said Hess. “Not just to explain how to ride better or present the horse better in a test but to explain the horse’s point of view.”

Hess has been involved with the German Equestrian Federation and German Olympic Committee for almost 40 years and is a highly regarded coach worldwide. He judged five- and six-yearold dressage classes for 20 years and is deeply committed to the classical principles of correct training.

The writer attended the symposium on May 6, 2023 at Horse in Hand Ranch in Blackfalds, during which Hess emphasized the importance of doing what’s best for horses. He consistently focussed on basic principles, while encouraging rid-

ers to work harmoniously with their horses and maintain a correct position.

“We have to train the horse to use its body in a biomechanically correct way so that it’s mentally and physically relaxed and supple and able to do the work,” says Hess. “From an ethical point of view, it’s our responsibility to consider what the horse is capable of and not ask for more than that.”

Hess began every lesson asking the rider to share their horse’s history and what their goals are. Then the rider did a short warm-up, was assessed by Hess and the spectators, and shared how they felt the horse was going. Regardless of the horse’s level — from young horses to well-established grand prix horses — Hess focussed on how to help the horse do what was required while understanding their needs.

“Balance is one of the most important things,” says Hess. “Horses use their neck to balance their body in dressage, show jumping, and cross-country. The whole discussion about short necks is wrong. Low, deep, and round? Forget it. I’m

Christoph Hess with Jenneke Hoogendoorn riding Hampton.

happy that we’re now judging and training in a horse-friendly way, with an open throat latch that allows the horse to balance itself. In the old days, I think most judges didn’t know how bad it was to ride the horse with a short neck.”

“There are many brilliant horses around the world that are too ‘easy’ in the contact — they’re not stretching into it,” says Hess. “We need to stretch the horse’s neck and open the throat latch so that the horse can use its whole body to balance.”

Hess also emphasized rider balance.

“Good riding starts with a well-balanced position,” says Hess. “If you don’t have a good position in the saddle, then your riding will be weak. Whenever we use the reins [for balance] we’re working against the horse and it will feel unhappy. Then the horse will run away [push into pressure], curl up, get tense, or other things. Too many riders use the reins to find their balance in the saddle.”

Hess also emphasized rising trot rather than sitting, so the horse can use its body.

“Rising trot helps you get into better balance,” says Hess. “In Germany we call rising trot ‘easy trot’ — it’s easier for the horse. We need to do things in a way that makes the horse more comfortable.”

Hess encouraged many riders to canter in two-point position to encourage free movement and relaxation in their horses.

“Two-point seat is like a piece of sugar for the horse,” says Hess. “It’s useful for riders to find their balance, especially for amateurs who sit in an office in front of the computer all day.”

“When you have a problem, don’t fight with the horse or force it,” he says. “Ask yourself whether the horse understands. Think about how to have better communication with your horse. Cooperation and harmony are key.”

“We have to point the finger at ourselves,” says Hess, “and not say My horse has to be better at this, that, or the next thing. We have to ask ourselves What can I do better? How can I have a better position, better balance, more relaxation? What can I do so that my horse will understand my communication?”

“Riders need to reflect on what they’re doing,” says Hess. “That’s how you jump up the levels. You can’t just look for answers from your coach.”

Riders were encouraged to garner more impulsion and consistent contact through transitions, going forward, longer reins, and two-point position.

“Grand prix is basics, basics, basics,” Hess says. “Get the paces and basics

Pia Virginia Fortmuller riding Calisto, her mother’s homebred four-year-old CSHA gelding by Casparo out of a mare by Christ. Fortmuller and Calisto work on engaging the inside hind leg by doing shoulder-in. Calisto has been started over fences as well as on the flat and may event this summer. Fortmuller is based in Priddis, Alberta.

Jenneke Hoogendoorn shares information about Hampton, her 2012 KWPN gelding by Rousseau out of a Flemmingh mare. Hoogendoorn operates an equestrian centre in Stoney Plain, Alberta and has brought Hampton up through the levels herself. She plans to show Prix St Georges this year.

Hoogendoorn and Hampton warm up prior to riding ten lines of flying changes.

Farm Dogs, Barn Cats

ESSENTIAL WORKERS

By Tania Millen

Farm dogs and barn cats are indispensable team members at many horse farms. Dogs protect the farm, help round up livestock, keep predators away, tell their owners if a horse is in trouble, and are cherished companions. Meanwhile, barn cats prevent mice and other rodents from taking over the grain bins and hay storage, plus entertain their owners with funny antics. But not every dog or cat is suitable for a horse farm.

Which Dog Breed is Best?

Farm dogs must be reliable, smart, athletic, happy to be out in all weather, keen to participate in human activities, and well-behaved around horses and other animals. Some breeds — and individual dogs — are more suitable than others.

“Ting is a great ranch hand,” says Genie Lynch, whose dog Ting helps her ranch cattle in Valleyview, Alberta. “I ride the community pasture and if I need to move critters, Ting is my gunslinger.”

Sometimes when Lynch is doctoring a calf, the momma cow gets irate and having a dog in the mix really heats up the situation. At times like these, Ting will jump up on the saddle of Lynch’s ranch horse to stay safely out of the way.

Lynch got Ting as a puppy, free with a load of roping steers. He’s three-quarters Blue Heeler and one-quarter Border Collie, and is smart, tough, and fearless.

“The only thing he lives for is my partner and me… and chasing cows,” says Lynch.

Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, Australian Shepherds, and Blue Heelers like Ting are well-known for their herding abilities — a trait many cattle ranchers find useful. But other farm owners may find them too high strung, or overly

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/CHRISTY BERRY