Horse&Rider Magazine - December 2018

In this feature. . .

➤ Cross-country

school from your arena

Nick Gauntlett’s

cross-country TOOLKIT

Words: Tilly Berendt. Photos: Bob Atkins. With thanks to Ariat for their help with this feature, ariat.com

Want to practise your cross-country skills, but don’t have a course to school on? Top eventer Nick Gauntlett helps you tackle every type of cross-country fence using just one arena-based exercise Our trainer

Our models Nick Gauntlett is a top-level eventer, British Eventing Master Coach and a Fellow of the British Horse Society. He also produced Badminton winner Chilli Morning to four-star level.

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Sky High Morning, known as Helen, is a six-year-old mare by Chilli Morning, out of a Grade A showjumping dam. She’s jumped double-clears around 1.15m and 1.20m tracks, and contested her first BE event this season.

In the saddle

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Plan the perfect warm up ➤ Tackle every fence with confidence

W

hether you’re preparing for your horse’s first cross-country course outing, looking to sharpen up your technical skills before your next event or you simply don’t have consistent access to cross-country schooling facilities, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to bring your training sessions into the arena.

Practising the concepts of cross-country over showjumps is a useful way to develop boldness and build your understanding of technical questions. I like to use it as a precursor to the real deal with many of my horses.

A shift in power

One of the biggest mistakes riders make on course is they try too hard. We all want to find the perfect stride and place our horses in it, but it’s not always possible and nor is it safe to set the precedent that striding is the rider’s job. Not even the top riders get it right all the time, after all.

For cross-country to be as safe as possible and for quick, clean rounds, it’s crucial that your horse takes some of the responsibility for assessing and answering the question himself. Your job is to make sure he has enough power in his stride and that he’s travelling rhythmically, and once you’ve shown him the fence, it’s his job to make it to the other side.

That’s why practising over fences that fall down easily is so useful – it gives you both the chance to build confidence in one another and in your own abilities, with much less risk. Start as small as you need to and build up to bigger fences once it all clicks into place.

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Our experts

Ben Hobday is an eventer and young horse producer.

He’s had double clears around Burghley and Badminton with the partClydesdale Mulry’s Error.

Rise and shine Tired of trying to cajole your lazy horse around the arena? Inject some enthusiasm into your schooling sessions with tips from top riders

Willa Newton is one of eventing’s rising stars.

This year she’s had top-10 finishes at both Burghley and Luhmühlen.

Words: Tilly Berendt

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Alex Bragg is an eventer and was long-listed to represent Team GB at the World Equestrian Games.

He also won the Jardy leg of the Event Rider Masters series this season.

Francis Whittington is a British Eventing accredited trainer, has completed Burghley and Badminton numerous times, and represented Team GB at the European Eventing Championships in 2015.

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ou’re working harder than your horse is right now!” Sound familiar? If you’re the rider of a lazy horse, it probably does.

While it’s true that riding horses well is hard work – and a terrific calorie burner – it shouldn’t be exhausting. If you find yourself having to nag, kick or push your horse through the majority of a ride, it’s time to make some changes.

Laziness might not manifest itself in the most obvious way. Some horses make it very clear – they force you to work twice as hard to accomplish an upwards transition and you find yourself out of breath just trying to complete a circuit of the school in canter. Others disengage in more subtle ways – they may be naturally fluid, rhythmical movers who hold themselves in an easy outline, but they’re tricking you into thinking they’re working from behind when they’re not.

Whichever type of horse you find yourself sitting on, there are triedand-tested tricks and exercises you can incorporate into your DID YOU rides to transform your KNOW? horse from backwards to An engaged, forward-going brilliant – forever.

horse doesn’t necessarily move quickly. Instead, he maintains a steady stream of energy that allows you to direct his movement in a variety of ways – forward, backward, longer, shorter – and make adjustments easily.

In the saddle

TOP TIP

It might feel necessary to keep your horse moving, but constant nagging with your leg, spurs or stick will only make him tune out the constant flow of communication.

Isolated, clear aids are much more effective and they conserve your energy, too.

Missing motivation

There’s a variety of reasons why your horse might be lazy to ride. Sometimes, it just comes down to who he is but, in many cases, sluggishness is symptomatic of something more, such as…

• the wrong diet Check whether your horse is getting the correct balance of vitamins and minerals. There are plenty of feeds, supplements or oils designed to encourage a bit more energy, but it’s best to speak to a nutritionist before making any additions.

• rising temperatures It’s important to pay close attention to your horse’s hydration levels and adjust his work as necessary. Feed an electrolyte supplement after a sweaty schooling session or competition to ensure essential salts and fluids are replaced.

• a lack of understanding An inexperienced horse can respond in a variety of ways when faced with a question he doesn’t know the answer to, which may include backing off or shutting down. Finding ways to simplify what you’re asking can help to build his confidence.

• pain or discomfort Your horse may move conservatively to avoid overexerting a sore area. Ensure his saddle is correctly fitted, his teeth are in good shape and there’s no pain throughout his body before you tackle laziness as a training issue, particularly if the problem has come on suddenly.

EXPERT ADVICE TO... sort out your management Francis Whittington...

If your horse isn’t particularly forwardgoing, the first thing is to be honest about his management routine. He’s an athlete and should be kept at an appropriate weight. However, you need to make sure you’re fit for the job, too, and not creating an extra load for him.

Otherwise, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.

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weighty issue

Equine metabolic syndrome can be life-threatening, but vet Roly Owers, from World Horse Welfare, explains how you can protect your horse against this very preventable condition

L With thanks to World Horse Welfare for their help with this feature, worldhorsewelfare.org

ittle is known about the prevalence of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) in the UK’s horse population. However, obesity is the main risk factor for the condition and, with overweight horses continuing to be a rising problem, it seems likely that we’ll see EMS affecting more and more of our horses. Worryingly, it’s possible that humans have caused EMS through creating the equine obesity epidemic.

The most important thing to remember is that EMS can be prevented simply through careful management of your horse’s weight. So not only is it important to understand the condition, it’s even more vital to know what your horse’s optimal weight is and how to achieve it as a preventative measure.

Our expert

DID YOU KNOW?

Roly Owers MRCVS is Chief Executive at World Horse Welfare. He qualified as a vet in 1992 at Cambridge University and was Veterinary Officer at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London before joining World Horse Welfare in 2003. Roly became the charity’s Chief Executive in 2008.

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Equine metabolic syndrome was first recognised as a condition in 2002 by veterinary surgeon Philip Johnson, who drew similarities between horses at risk of laminitis and the human form of metabolic syndrome.

Ask a vet

What is EMS?

EMS is a hormonal disorder but, given the fairly recent nature of its discovery, there’s much discussion about exactly how to define it. The simplest definition is that it’s a collection of risk factors associated with an increased risk of laminitis.

Obesity or regional fat deposits, current or previous laminitis and insulin dysregulation are all factors that play a role in the condition.

The term dysregulation means that the cells in your horse’s

body are failing to respond to the hormone insulin, known as insulin resistance. As a result, his body may also struggle to regulate the levels of insulin in his blood, leading to abnormally high levels. This is known as hyperinsulinemia.

In addition, horses suffering from EMS often experience other metabolic problems, which may include altered energy levels, changes in fat composition, inflammation, clotting disorders and damage to blood vessels, too.

Signs of the condition

If you think your horse might be at risk of EMS, it’s important to look out for the following signs...

• obesity is one of the key symptoms, as well as a primary cause, of EMS • abnormal fat deposits, which are most likely to be seen above the eyes, in the neck and crest, behind the shoulder and at the top of the tail • evidence of current or previous laminitis is a sign that your horse may be suffering from EMS, but it’s vital to stay vigilant to other signs of the condition before it gets to this stage • difficulty losing weight despite a careful diet and exercise regime • lethargy can indicate a dip in metabolic energy levels • excessive drinking and urination

DID YOU KNOW?

There is limited research to understand why EMS causes laminitis, but in humans high insulin levels have been associated with narrowed blood vessels and a heightened inflammatory state, so this may explain the link.

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