Horse&Rider Magazine – May 2017

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Carl

BRITISH DRESSAGE

Hester

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EASY FEEDING

Dressage made simple NEXT-LEVEL HACKING

FOR PERFECT PERFORMANCE

31

SPRING GEAR GUIDE

Have fun + build his skills

WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HORSE HAPPY HAVE THE SMARTEST HORSE ON THE YARD Makeover secrets!

126 horsey essentials!

Gilets for every occasion XC boots on test Accessories 26 you need PAGES!

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May 2017

JUMPING EXERCISES

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Issue number 566 May 2017 n Train with Carl Hester – dressage made simple n 31 ways to make your horse happy n Makeover secrets n Jock Paget’s jumping exercises n Easy feeding n Spring gear guide

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As told to Tilly Berendt. Photos: Jon Stroud. Venue: Leamside Equestrian, County Durham, leamsideequestrianltd.co.uk. With thanks to Piaffe Presents for their help with this feature, piaffepresents.co.uk

In this feature. . .

Our expert

Carl Hester MBE is one of Great Britain’s preeminent dressage experts. As a rider he has a multitude of honours to his name, including gold and silver Olympic medals and World silver medals. As a trainer he is in demand internationally, and he has coached riders and horses from grassroots level through to Olympic success.

26 HORSE&RIDER

Our models

Annie Cowan rides First Pitch, a five-year-old Westfalian gelding by First Selection.

➤ Analyse your horse’s movement ➤ Teach

In the saddle

him good habits ➤ Build a solid foundation ➤ Create a winning walk

Formulas

future for the

with CARL HESTER

Bringing on a young horse can be a daunting prospect. In our new series, dressage superstar Carl Hester shows you how to best navigate your horse’s formative years for future success

W TOP TIP

I don’t do a lot of sitting trot on my youngsters. I teach them lateral work in rising trot so that they can learn to use their backs without the added pressure of a rider’s weight, which can compromise their movement.

hen schooling your own horse, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that top riders are able to produce their horses without any major problems. This simply isn’t the case. Charlotte Dujardin and I have the same problems as anyone else with our young horses, it just happens at home where the cameras are off and people don’t see it! Equally, the ways we work to resolve them are achievable, no matter what level you’re riding at. Young horses grow, change, learn and develop at different rates, and you have to constantly re-evaluate how you approach their training as a result. The horse world is rife with conflicting opinions about how best to start a young horse’s formal education and, for the average rider, this can be overwhelming.

I work to identify my horses’ strengths and weaknesses early on so that I can structure schooling sessions around making the difficult things easier for them and developing the things they find naturally easy, all in a pressure-free learning environment. I’m a firm believer in short, sweet sessions – incorporating lots of transitions and gently introducing new concepts in a halfhour slot, before the horse gets tired and starts to shut down.

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HORSE&RIDER 27

Make

your horse’s

day

52 HORSE&RIDER

Mind matters

Could your horse be happier?

Whether he behaves like life’s offering him a raw deal or he seems blissfully content with his lot, there’s plenty you can do to help improve his quality of life and boost his happiness

W

e spend every spare moment working to make sure our beloved horses are happy and healthy – for example, giving them immaculate beds, cosy rugs and huge piles of hay to tuck into. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the things that make us happy make them happy, too.

While the thought of being tucked up in a warm, comfy bed at night feels like bliss to you, does your horse feel the same? Or would he be happier wandering around his field with his mates? It helps to think about the three key things that horses need – plenty of forage to eat, access to companions and freedom to roam. Horses have all these things in their natural habitat, so it makes sense that providing them in their domesticated environment will make them feel more content.

Give some thought to your horse’s routine and whether it provides these basic needs – could he get out in the field more or perhaps buddy up with a companion rather than have individual turnout?

Unfortunately, we’re often restricted by things such as livery rules or the amount of land available for grazing, but if it’s possible to make even small changes, your horse will feel the benefit.

Your horse is an individual

Although tweaking your horse’s lifestyle so it’s more natural is ideal, it’s worth bearing in mind that some horses have become so used to their domesticated routine, or negatively affected by living in this way, that these basic needs might fall outside their comfort zone.

For example, while being out 24/7 is most natural for horses and makes many feel more content, we all know at least one horse who paces the fence line to come in every evening and would hate to be left out all night. And there are some horses who just

can’t tolerate others being near them.

In these cases, you need to think carefully about your horse as an individual, and what he needs and can cope with. It may be that with careful introduction and time to adjust, small changes towards a more natural lifestyle will have a positive effect on him. Equally, it may be that introducing some of these changes would cause him unnecessary stress, which would be unfair. You know your horse better than anyone else, so go with your gut feeling as to what’s right for him.

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HORSE&RIDER 53

Inside your horse’s Our expert

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

Annamaria Nagy DrMedVet DipACVSMR PhD FRCVS is Senior Orthopaedic Clinician at the Animal Health Trust.

She has a keen interest in investigating lameness and poor performance in horses, and in advanced diagnostic imaging.

82 HORSE&RIDER

Collateral ligament

Medial trochlear ridge Lateral trochlear ridge

stifle

Ask a vet

How much do you know about the largest joint in your horse’s body?

Vet Annamaria Nagy, from the Animal Health Trust, takes a close look at the stifle

Anatomy of the left stifle

Quadriceps muscle Femur Patella

Lateral patellar ligament Middle patellar ligament Medial patellar ligament

Collateral ligament

Tibia

I

t might be well-hidden within your horse, but the stifle is the largest joint in his body. It’s the equivalent of your knee and it helps to pull your horse’s hindleg forward, enabling him to move. The stifle is a complex joint and is composed of...

l three bones...

• the lower end of the femur (thigh bone) • the patella (knee cap) • the upper end of the tibia (shin) l two large joints...

• the femoropatellar joint between the femur and the patella • the femorotibial joint between the femur and the tibia, which is divided into medial (inside) and lateral (outside) compartments l two crescent shaped discs of fibrocartilage called the menisci, which sit between the femur and tibia.

They have a shock-absorbing role, reduce concussion, provide cushioning and ensure the two bone ends come together consistently. l several ligaments that provide stability...

• two collateral ligaments – one on either side of the stifle between the femur and the tibia • three patellar ligaments, which attach the lower part of the patella to the tibia. The top of the patella is supported by the quadriceps femoris muscle • small cruciate ligaments, which are inside the joint and prevent abnormal movement l a joint capsule that surrounds the joints. Inside the capsule, synovial fluid provides lubrication and enables smooth movement of the bones when the joint is flexed and extended. It also provides nutrients to the cartilage within the joints.

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