Horse&Rider Magazine – October 2016

KELLY MARKS: Use Join-Up to improve your bond

F R E E DETAN

GLER

for every reader!*

The UK’s best-selling equestrian monthly

Mouthpiece materials to suit your horse

31

OF THE BEST JOINT SUPPLEMENTS  Key ingredients  Cost per day

Avoid autumn

LAMINITIS

JUMP

COURSES

to build at home

happy horse HOW TO CREATE A

TEACH YOURSELF

LATERAL WORK with Gareth Hughes

October 2016

Issue number 558 October 2016 n Bitting materials explained n Perfect your lateral work with Gareth Hughes n Kelly Marks’ guide to Join-Up n Create a horse-friendly yard n Jump courses to build at home

BITTING GUIDE

HARRY MEADE’S XC TIPS

£3.99

* TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY

PART TWO In this feature. . .

Our expert

Eventer Harry Meade has tasted success at the highest level, riding for Team GB at the World Equestrian Games and completing Badminton nine times. He’s known for his quiet, sympathetic style across country.

As told to Louise Kittle. Photos: Bob Atkins. With thanks to Airowear for their help with this feature, airowear.co.uk. Find out more about Harry at harrymeade.com

Our models

Julia Hoskins rides her six-year-old gelding, Max. They aim to begin eventing this season.

Anastasia Robinson rides her own Kilfearagh Lady.

They’re aiming for a CCI* this season.

Kimberley Marshall rides her own Jaguar. The pair have recently stepped up to BE100 level.

Jo Hickman-Dunne has owned Jamaica Man for 10 years, competing in Pony Club teams.

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➤

Harry’s XC schooling kit essentials

In the saddle

➤ Developing straightness ➤

Sympathetic riding over steps and down drops

Crosscountry made simple

Unfocused across country?

Eventer Harry Meade explains how to get on the straight and narrow

H

orses learn the most when they’re going steadily and are given time to think about the task at hand. This is true whatever discipline you’re doing, but especially across country. However, go to any cross-country schooling facility and you’re likely to see people zooming around way too fast. As a rider, your priority should be giving your horse the most sympathetic and supportive approach possible to a fence. This means ensuring straight approaches and minimal interference.

Forward focus

Some horses lack focus across country and are prone to spooking between fences. This happens when your horse isn’t truly in front of your leg. This is a significant problem because you can’t control the direction if he’s not in front of your leg.

It’s like driving at 25mph in fifth gear – you’ll always be labouring. His engine has to work for Straighten up you, so drop down to third gear and suddenly Pick a point in the distance, but you’ll have much more power. don’t ride straight from where you are It’s also important to remember that to it, because your horse will just switch impulsion comes before straightness – off. Instead, identify intermediate markers you cannot have straightness without and ride a few straight lines between them impulsion. If you turn off a boat engine, it en route to your end point. Make shallow doesn’t matter how you steer – it will just turns between points to stop your horse drift around with the current. As soon as you from simply drifting about and falling put in some forward momentum, you through his shoulder. can steer. It’s the same with your horse.

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PART ONE In this feature. . .

As told to Lucy Turner. Photos: Bob Atkins. Find out more about Gareth, hughesdressage.com

Our trainer

Gareth Hughes was born in Britain, but grew up in Australia competing in a variety of equestrian sports. When he returned to the UK, he focused on dressage and was based with Stephen Clarke before setting up his own yard. In the last 10 years, he’s won more than 30 national and international titles.

Our model

Samba Hit III is a 13-year-old German stallion who’s competing at Small Tour level. He has won at Intermediare II at the Premier League and will move up to Grand Prix this year.

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➤ How to teach lateral movements

In the saddle

➤ Problem-solving tips ➤ Improve the quality and correctness of your lateral work

Lateral thinking Lateral movements not only look impressive, they have numerous benefits for your horse, too. Dressage rider Gareth Hughes explains a simple way to introduce them

L

ateral work is important because it helps to keep your horse supple. There’s no getting away from the fact that none of our horses are getting any younger and with age comes stiffness. But if you make lateral work a regular part of your horse’s exercise programme, it’ll help to keep him supple and moving freely.

The movements can seem a bit daunting if you’re new to them, but if you break them down into manageable, bite-sized pieces, they’re achievable for anyone. Whether you’re learning lateral work yourself or introducing your horse to it, it’s advisable to introduce leg-yield first, followed by shoulderin, then travers and finally half-pass.

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HORSE&RIDER 27

Wellbeing: Autumn laminitis

Laminitis is usually associated with a flush of new spring grass, but mild, wet autumn weather can also spell trouble for your horse.

Rachel Dyke explains what you can do to minimise the risk

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hen we think of laminitis, the image that usually comes to mind is a chubby pony up to his knees in spring grass. However, this debilitating condition can affect horses and ponies of all shapes and sizes, and can strike at any time. Autumn sees a seasonal spike of cases. The warm days and cooler nights are ideal conditions for the grass to start growing again after going dormant over the hotter summer months – in a similar way to the flush of spring grass after the cold weather of winter.

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What is laminitis?

Laminitis is the inflammation and weakening of the sensitive laminae that join your horse’s pedal bone to his hoof wall. This causes pain, because the hoof can’t swell to accommodate the inflammation. In some cases, laminitis can cause the pedal bone to detach from the hoof wall and rotate or sink towards your horse’s sole. There are two different types of laminitis...

• acute laminitis refers to the early stages of the disease, where there are clinical signs but the pedal bone hasn’t rotated or sunk.

If treated promptly and effectively, acute

cases can be prevented from developing into chronic cases.

• chronic laminitis is where the pedal bone has moved within the hoof. Affected horses may suffer ongoing problems, such as lameness or recurring abscesses, and longterm changes to the hoof structure.

If your horse has had laminitis once, he is more likely to get it again in the future, and his care and management could be lengthy, timeconsuming and expensive. Therefore, prevention is paramount.

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Management know-how

FEATURE SPONSORED BY

KBIS.CO.UK SEE PAGE 121 for KBIS tip of the month

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