Horse&Rider Magazine – February 2018

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flatwork Nurture your confidence

9 Simple Steps BUYER’S GUIDES:

• Horse high-vis • Therapeutic rugs

Mud

fever

YARD POLITICS

Avoid the drama

JUMP-OFF

SUCCESS

Tips from Tim Stockdale

Tendon injuries Treatment & prevention

Get to grips with

lungeing

All the kit demystified

Bucket list

50 horsey things to try in 2018!

IPN Consumer Magazine of the Year

Issue number 575 February 2018 n Five exercises to boost your flatwork n Say goodbye to mud fever n Get to grips with lungeing n Tendon injuries explained n Jump-off success with Tim Stockdale

exercises to boost your

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Feb 2018

In this feature. . .

➤ How

to achieve an elastic contact

5 STEPS TO

better flatwork Set yourself up for success with easy-to-follow exercises from dressage rider Alice Oppenheimer

As told to Jo Browne. Photos: Olivia Berry. With thanks to Dengie for their help with this feature, dengie.com

Our expert

Alice Oppenheimer is an elite British dressage rider who breeds and trains horses at her family’s stud in Hampshire. She’s won 10 national and 24 regional dressage titles.

Our models

Heidi Reed rides her own 11-year-old, 14.2hh Welsh Section D Ilar Vincent.

They compete in dressage at Elementary level and event at BE90.

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I

t can be hard to stay motivated in winter but if you identify areas of your horse’s flatwork that need a bit of polish, then come up with ways to improve them, it’ll give you the inspiration you need to saddle up and head

1 Improve

into the school. Key areas to work on are contact, bend, suppleness, straightness and transitions, which will all help you to build a better ridden partnership with your horse.

Here are some great exercises to get you started...

The more accepting your horse is of an elastic contact, your the easier it is to contact communicate with him and the more of a pleasure he’ll be to ride.

And while you can’t force him to accept the contact, you can ask him in ways that encourage the right response. The core principle is that when you use a leg aid, your horse should respond by going forward and seeking a contact with the bit. If this happens, great – however, there are two common problems that many riders experience...

• if he drops the contact and slows down, focus on getting him in front of your leg. If he ignores your aid, apply it more strongly,

backing it up with a tap with the whip if necessary. When he’s moving forward in a good rhythm, sit quietly and focus on maintaining still, soft hands and allowing him to find the contact. Avoid the temptation to fiddle with the reins • if he pokes his nose and runs away, shorten your reins and encourage him to be rounder in his outline by squeezing gently with your fingers. Keep applying a leg aid to push him into the contact you’re creating Transitions are a great way to test your horse’s acceptance of the contact, and improve it, too.

Begin with simple walk–trot–walk transitions to shorten his frame and encourage him to engage his hindquarters before progressing onto transitions within the pace and direct transitions – for example, from walk to canter.

In the saddle

➤

Get the right bend ➤ Improve straightness and suppleness

TOP TIP

Establish a soft contact by bending your elbows and keeping your thumbs on top of the reins.

Hold your elbows just in front of your body, rather than right by your sides, so you can move your hands independently of your body.

➤

HORSE&RIDER 29

Our expert

Laura Quiney BVSc MRCVS is Junior Clinician at the Animal Health Trust. She’s particularly interested in lameness, poor performance evaluation and equine diagnostic imaging, especially radiography and magnetic resonance imaging.

With thanks to the Animal Health Trust for their help with this feature, aht.org.uk

TACKLING

tendon injuries

Injuries to tendons can be tricky to heal, but with early detection and the right treatment, the outcome can be significantly improved, as vet Laura Quiney, from the Animal Health Trust, explains

W

hen your vet diagnoses a tendon injury, it’s never welcome news. It could mean a long period of time off work and an increased risk of reinjury and, in severe cases, may be career-ending. Unfortunately, a tendon injury can affect any horse, but arming yourself with the knowledge of how tendons work and can be damaged will help you to manage injuries and take steps to prevent them, too.

Plus, knowing what signs of injury to look for will help you spot problems early so they can be treated promptly, increasing your horse’s chances of a good recovery.

64 HORSE&RIDER

What is a tendon?

Tendons are strong bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones and transmit the forces generated by a contracting muscle to the skeletal system, which results in movement. They’re made of long strands of collagen that are organised into parallel bundles. This gives them their high tensile strength, which means that they’re able to resist great pulling forces, and they’re also slightly elastic.

Ask a vet

DEEP DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDON

Breaking point

Tendons have a limited capacity for coping with strain. Beyond that point, they can’t continue to stretch elastically and the fibres are damaged. Interestingly, in a galloping horse, the strain experienced by the superficial digital flexor tendon is very close to the strain at which fibre damage can occur. This is why tendons are said to have a small safety margin.

DID YOU KNOW?

single It’s unusual for a result to t traumatic even jury. in on nd in serious te , ive tit pe re s it’ , Usually ad low-grade overlo e that ag causing mild dam ries. ju in or aj leads to m

EXTENSOR TENDON

TENDONS OF THE LOWER LEG

Your horse’s body is full of tendons, but the most important ones are in his lower legs. They’re named according to what they do… l the extensor tendon runs down the front of your horse’s leg and extends (straightens) it l the flexor tendons run down the back of your horse’s legs and flex (bend) it.

There are two – the superficial digital flexor tendon and the deep digital flexor tendon. They’re easy to feel at the very back of your horse’s lower leg, with the superficial digital flexor tendon the furthest back, just underneath the skin.

The superficial digital flexor tendon divides into two branches at the pastern, and crosses either side of the deep digital flexor tendon to attach onto the back of the long and short pastern bones. The deep digital flexor tendon continues further down into the hoof, passing over the back of the navicular bone and

attaching to the pedal bone.

Both flexor tendons have their own check ligament, which anchors the back of each tendon to the underlying bone, preventing them from overstretching.

➤

SUPERFICIAL DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDON

HORSE&RIDER 65

horsey things

you should do at least once From great days out to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, we’ve compiled the ultimate equestrian bucket list. Tick off each one you achieve – what are you waiting for?

1

Ride on the beach

Whether you take your own horse or book a beach ride at a local stables, there’s something magical about riding across the sand. Lots of beaches around the UK are open to horse riders, particularly in the winter, but choose a quiet time of day if you want to take the handbrake off.

2 86 HORSE&RIDER

Attend Royal Ascot on Ladies’ Day

Horse racing may be the sport of kings, but Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot is all about... well, the ladies!

So, grab your largest hat, don your poshest frock and try not to get so distracted by all the outlandish outfits that you miss the actual racing. You may even spot some royals in the crowd, so keep your eyes peeled.

Management know-how

3

Go on a riding safari

This was top of nearly everybody’s list in the H&R office. Being on horseback allows you to get close to some of the most magnificent animals on the planet, including zebra, giraffe and elephants, and to cover terrain inaccessible by vehicle.

4

Have a lesson with a top rider

There’s nothing like learning from the best, whether you’ve got lofty competition ambitions or just want to improve your general riding. Keep an eye out for clinics at local equestrian centres or cross-country courses. Alternatively, if you can’t take your horse, go along to a demo and pick up some great training tips.

6

5

Lakeside picnic parking at Burghley Horse Trials

Prepare the canapés, put the champagne on ice and shake out your tartan blanket – not only can you enjoy your lunch in style, but you’ve also got the perfect viewing spot to enjoy all the action.

Watch a polo match

Polo is fast, furious and impossibly glamorous, especially when enjoyed with a glass of bubbles in one hand. If you’re looking for something a little different, try beach polo or snow polo.

7

Camp at Badminton Horse Trials

From the first horse inspection to the final presentation, watch every minute of what’s considered by many to be the world’s most difficult four-star event. Plus, you may bump into past winner Michael Jung trying to buy carrots for his horses in the local corner shop – true story!

8

Have a lesson on a schoolmaster

Whether you want to tackle bigger fences or get a feel for more advanced dressage movements, a schoolmaster has the expertise to help. Riding a horse who knows what he’s doing will give you the chance to focus on your own position and confidence.

HORSE&RIDER 87

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