Horse&Rider Magazine – July 2018

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Issue number 581 July 2018 n Engage your horse’s quarters n Summer hoof care n Create stunning quarter marks n Improve his response to your aids n Loading problems solved n Guide to your horse’s spine

FINE-TUNE YOUR HORSE’S

ENGINE

WIN!

A WARDROBE FOR YOU AND YOUR HORSE

Exercises to engage his quarters

FABULOUS FEET

Super-strong summer hooves

CREATE STUNNING

VET’S GUIDE

TO YOUR HORSE’S SPINE

QUARTER MARKS

ways to reduce back pain

QUICK REACTIONS Improve his response to your aids HOLIDAY WITH YOUR HORSE Where to go and what to take

EQUINE PHYSIO What to expect from a session

LOADING PROBLEMS

SOLVED

BUYER’S GUIDES

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JULY 2018

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In this feature. . .

➤ The

benefits of pressure and release

release, reward

Teaching your horse to respond to pressure and release can fast-track his schooling. Showjumper Holly Smith explains how

T

Words: Kelly McCarthy-Maine. Photos: Bob Atkins

raining your horse involves teaching him new skills, then practising and refining them until he’s really good at them. In showjumping, the fences are huge and the courses are technical, and we often ride against the clock, so my horses need to have lightening-fast reactions to the subtlest aids.

There may be moments in a jump-off where I need to make an adjustment, but too much movement would disturb my horse’s balance. This is where my training is really tested.

No matter what your preferred discipline, you’ll feel safer and more confident if you’ve taught your horse to think and react quickly to your aids, and it’s something anyone can do.

OUR EXPERT

OUR MODELS Holly Smith is an international showjumper and has represented Great Britain on Nations Cup teams. Leicestershire-based Holly is also a Puissance specialist, having won classes at Horse of the Year Fruselli is an eight-year-old Show and Olympia riding stallion who showjumps up Quality Old Joker. to 1.50m.

34 HORSE&RIDER

Black Jack is a 17hh, dark bay gelding who’s used for hunting.

In the saddle

➤

Create a more responsive horse ➤ Improve your hacking skills

Clear and simple

TOP TIP

When training my horses, I follow the principle of pressure, release and reward. This is a really clear, simple way to teach your horse something new or refine what you’ve already been working on.

If I want my horse to make a halt–walk transition, for example, I’ll apply pressure with my legs to ask him to move forward. If he walks forward, that’s great – I’ll release the pressure, which is his reward for doing the right thing. However, if he doesn’t respond I’ll keep applying pressure until he walks on. Sound simple? That’s because it is.

It’s my belief that less is more and I don’t go over the top with my praise. I don’t even tend to pat or speak to my horse when he’s responded in the right way – I’ll simply release the pressure and do nothing, letting him enjoy the peace and quiet.

Don’t rush your horse or do too much too soon. I only ask a horse a question he’s ready to answer and I’ll only ask him to solve one problem at a time.

Timing is everything

The most important factor with this training approach is your timing – you need to be spot on and release the pressure at exactly the right moment so your horse understands that he’s done the right thing. How much pressure is also key and with repetition, you’ll find that you get the right results with lighter pressure.

Reward your horse by doing nothing

Don’t be a nag

Many riders get into the habit of constantly nagging their horse’s sides with their legs. But if you just keep kicking and kicking, it’s annoying and confusing for him, and he’ll just switch off and ignore you.

Using pressure and release is a much clearer way of communicating with him – you put your leg on, then you take your leg off. With this method he’ll soon grasp what you want and you’ll find he picks up new things much more quickly.

➤

HORSE&RIDER 35

spine

Your horse’s

Designed to support your horse’s weight and protect his spinal cord, it’s vital his spine is in good health so he can carry you in comfort. Vet Laura Quiney, from the Animal Health Trust, takes a closer look

Our expert

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

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

64 HORSE&RIDER

W

e’re all aware of the importance of our horses being free from discomfort in their backs, but how much do you know about the complex spine beneath?

It runs from the back of his head to his tail and is divided into five sections – the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal regions. Any problems with his spine can have a big impact on the rest of his musculoskeletal system, but understanding more about how it’s put together and how it works will help you keep your horse comfortable.

Ask a vet

Thoracic vertebra Spinous process Facet joints Lamina

Vital vertebrae

Vertebrae are the basic units of your horse’s spine and they protect his spinal cord while allowing movement of his back. They’re stacked together to form the vertebral column.

Pedicle

Vertebral arch

Transverse process Vertebral canal

l the largest part of a vertebra is the vertebral body Vertebral body and they’re separated from adjacent vertebral bodies by an intervertebral disc, which Intervertebral foramen forms a joint that allows slight movement and acts as a shockabsorber l on top of the vertebral body is the vertebral arch, which is formed by the joints on your horse’s legs the pedicles and laminae, and this creates the and they help to keep his spine stable vertebral canal, through which the spinal l most vertebrae have a spinous process and cord runs left and right transverse processes, to which l there are bony prominences on the left and the surrounding muscles and ligaments attach right sides of the vertebral arch, which form l nerves branch off the spinal cord and exit facet joints between the vertebrae. These facet through holes between two vertebrae, joints have fluid-filled joint capsules similar to known as intervertebral foramen

➤

HORSE&RIDER 65

MAKE

your

mark Shine in the competition arena this summer with Fizz Marshall’s guide to creating eye-catching quarter marks

T

he perfect finishing touch to your horse’s turnout, quarter marks will help you catch the judge’s eye for all the right reasons. They’ll transform the look of your horse and can enhance his conformation, too.

Although they’re usually seen in the show ring, quarter marks are popular in dressage and eventing, too, and range from simple, straightforward lines What to detailed designs. you’ll need If you’re after clean body brush that has something intricate closely populated bristles you’ll probably need small metal mane comb to use a stencil, towel but achieving eye water or fixing spray catching quarter something safe to stand on marks freehand isn’t so you can see the top of as tricky as you might your horse’s quarters think. All you need to do is break the process down into stages and put in a bit of practice to perfect them.

90 HORSE&RIDER

Our expert

Fizz Marshall worked with all types of horse in her six years as Centre Manager at the Equine Therapy Centre at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. More recently she’s worked for racehorse trainer Jonjo O’Neill and as Yard Manager for Carl Hester.

Management know-how

Suits you

As well as highlighting good conformation, quarter marks can be used to create the illusion of well-muscled hindquarters. For example, if your horse lacks muscle tone, a half moon mark will improve the definition of his hamstrings.

Remember, though, that all horses are different and not every quarter mark will be right for yours. For example, if he’s long in the back, he may look even more so if you put vertical stripes on his quarters.

The best thing to do is try out different designs, then stand back and look at them carefully to work out if they suit him.

TOP TIP

If you’re at a show on a cold day, apply your horse’s quarter marks as close to your class as possible to avoid putting a rug over them, which could rub away all your hard work.

Getting started

To give you the best chance of creating stunning quarter marks, groom your horse, then wipe a soft towel over his quarters to remove any remaining dust. Make sure you brush and polish the hair in one direction.

Slightly wet your brush in a bucket of clean water and give it a good shake, then run it over the towel to remove any excess water. If your brush is too wet, the hair will set as it dries and it’ll lose its shine.

You’ll probably need to dampen your brush after every two or three sweeps across his coat.

If you’re using a fixing spray rather than water, spray this where you’ll be creating your design.

➤

➤ HORSE&RIDER 91

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