Photos: Steve Davies/Racingfotos.com, Gavin James/Racingfotos.com and Frank Sorge/Racingfotos.com
horse world
Grand plans Can this year’s Grand National be the best yet in terms of horse welfare? H&R’s Lucy Cursons investigates
T
he 2012 Grand National was Walsh came third riding Seabass, the certainly a race to remember highest placing for a female jockey for many years to come. Not in the Grand National. But sadly, only did it end with the closestall the exciting achievements were ever Grand National finish, but it was overshadowed by the fatal falls of two won by a grey horse, Neptune of the horses – Synchronised Collonges, the first to win and According to Pete. the race for 51 years and Run over four miles and only the third grey horse four furlongs, with 40 to win since it began in runners and 30 fences of Horses have to be 1839. And there was a up to 5ft 2in (157.48cm), six years old or over record for the girls – Katie it’s no wonder the Grand to enter the Grand
Did you know? National.
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National is the most famous race in the world. Becher’s Brook, a 4ft 10in (147.32cm) fence with a drop of up to 7ft (213.4cm) on the landing side, is probably the most formidable fence on the circuit, and it is jumped twice during the race. Over the years, Becher’s has been modified to reduce the size of the drop, but it is this fence that was involved in the falls of Synchronised and According to Pete. Last year’s race has been investigated
Did you know?
Katie Walsh (in red silks) set a record for the girls
Nine-year-old horses are the most successful age group.
Becher’s Brook, where Synchronised and According to Pete both fell
s HORSE & R IDER 7
H&R video link To watch Valegro in action, visit www.horseandrideruk. com/videos.php and have your say on what you think makes him great at www. facebook.com/ HorseandRiderMag
Photos: FEI/Kit Houghton, Bob Atkins, Kevin Sparrow and Bob Langrish
horseandrideruk.com
“Valegro and Charlotte have the same kind of characters. They both know what they want and enjoy what they do. They don’t like an awful lot of attention, but they appreciate attention at a show which brings out the best in them.” Carl’s Head Groom, Fiona Lawrence 14 H O R S E & R I D E R
In the saddle
Valegro’s recent test results Olympia 2012 World Cup Freestyle, first with 87.975% New Grand Prix world record at Olympia 2012 – first with 84.447% Olympic Freestyle world record (and an individual gold-medal) with a score of 90.089% Olympic Team Dressage, second test. Contributing score of 83.286% to British team gold medal Olympic Team Dressage, first test. New Olympic record with 83.66%.
In a
class of his own
Dressage star Valegro is one of the most iconic equine celebrities of the moment. H&R’s Soraya Abdel-Hadi talks to his part-owner, Carl Hester, to find out what he’s really like
F
or a horse with a reputation for smashing world records, Valegro is very unassuming. Known at home as Blueberry, when I met the 16.2hh Dutch Warmblood at top dressage rider and trainer Carl Hester’s yard in Gloucestershire, he could have just been the horse in the next stable at your local yard. That’s not to say he’s not a good looker, because of course he is. But standing, completely chilled out, not held by the reins while a groom
tightens his girth, is not what you expect from any top-level Grand Prix horse – let alone one who regularly breaks records with his 27-year-old rider, Charlotte Dujardin. There is no denying his presence in the show ring, though. Over the last two years, Valegro and Charlotte have made their mark on the dressage world, culminating in winning two gold medals at London 2012 and breaking another world record in the process. But what’s the history of this
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Last year, when Valegro was given time off, Carl asked for him to be hacked in a bitless bridle. “I didn’t want him to have anything to do with training – I thought it would be a nice change for him”
Stop the strops I bought my mare about a year ago and after a few initial lameness problems, we had some success showjumping and she was very chilled. Then later in the spring, she got very moody, biting me, not settling in the stable and being a nightmare to lead. She would also buck when I asked for a canter transition, although this happened only in the school and not on a hack. During the summer, she was well behaved, but then became a nightmare again in the autumn. What’s wrong with her? John Jones answers: The most important thing to do is eliminate any sources of pain. You say she had a few lameness problems – did you get to the root of the problem? Sometimes, intermittent lameness can be a sign of an old injury that may have occurred before you had her. The fact that she is fine when hacked out, but not when schooled, could be due to the fact you are asking her to do more physically challenging things. She may, for example, find it difficult to work in tight circles in an outline if there is an underlying physical issue. Also, any cold, damp weather could be affecting her joints.
Help at hand?
Obviously without seeing your mare, I can only make
suggestions. Ask a friend to walk her up in-hand to see if you can see any uneven strides. Do her hips rise and fall equally? Does her tail swing evenly? Can she cross her hindlegs when asked to turn tightly on each rein? I suggest getting her tack, back and teeth checked. Ask an equine vet and equine physio to assess her, but ensure they work in conjunction with each other. Once you have eliminated any causes of pain, you can then go down the behavioural route to see if the cause is due to her having negative associations with being schooled badly in the past. When all’s said and done, schooling should be a fun thing for horses, but if it becomes a battle of wills, it is neither enjoyable nor safe for horse or rider.
Follow the leader…
Top tips
l If you have a moody horse on your hands, bear in mind that a change of diet can sometimes affect behaviour. Take into account any change of diet he may have had, incorporating more high-energy food that could potentially contribute to his behaviour. l Make schooling more fun by combining in-hand and ridden work. Try schooling on and off while out hacking. Remember, too, to end sessions on a good note and reward him when he is soft and responsive.
Make schooling fun by doing it out hacking
My horse is awful to lead. Sometimes he’ll pull, other times he’ll hang back. Any suggestions? Perry Wood answers:
All horses should be taught to lead in a mannerly way, as it sets the basis for your communication – it’s saying, you are the leader and your horse is the follower. To teach your horse to lead well, have some slack in the rope and walk forward. Vibrate the rope as you go, so he’ll be encouraged to come
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with you. Once moving, stop but without pulling on the rope, so if he doesn’t stop, he’ll bump himself into the end of the rope which should stop him. Repeat the exercise when needed to see how your horse becomes more attuned to your signals. Ultimately, he should follow your body language to go and stop, so that you don’t have to do anything with the rope or your hands.
Ask the experts
Separation solutions I have recently moved my mare and gelding to a new yard, but he has suddenly developed severe separation anxiety whenever I take my mare out of his sight. He has always been very laid-back, but now he weaves, box-walks and calls out. How can I manage this?
Perry Wood answers: Although some people think of horses as ‘commodities’ that we own, buy, sell, move around and change homes – with no desires of their own – they actually form meaningful and long-term close bonds with one another, sometimes for life. And this is not dissimilar to us – they have friends, associates and family in their natural state, just the same as we do.
Building bonds
The horse’s sense of safety in the world is largely dependent upon his bonds with his close buddies in the herd, since those bonds keep the herd together and, therefore, ensure the safety of its members. So it is more surprising that in most situations, horses are willing to adapt to changes without much complaint. It is quite possible that your gelding has, at some time in his past, been kept
totally alone. But horses kept totally without other equine company often become overly attached to other horses for the rest of their lives or, more often, become overly attached to a single horse.
Solutions
You need to find some solutions to your problem. For example… ● wait another week or two to see if things improve – he may just need a bit more time to settle. ● change the horses to other stables on the same yard, so they have different neighbours and outlook. ● try a calming additive in his feed. ● move one horse to a different stable out of earshot of the other. ● move both horses to a new yard (different yards have different atmospheres). ● lead your mare away and then bring her back
immediately. Repeat this ‘advance and retreat’ exercise until your gelding learns that his friend is coming straight back, then you can extend the time she is away, hopefully without any stress. ● find another horse on the yard that your gelding can happily form a bond with. ● build your horse’s confidence in you by being a kind and firm leader when you are with him. In particular, keep his mind on you when you ride, so he begins to relax. That way, he’ll hopefully accept he doesn’t have to be the leader and take responsibility for the mare, you and everything else in the world.
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