Horse&Rider Magazine – October 2017

HORSEWARE WARDROBE FOR YOU + YOUR HORSE !

WIN The UK’s best-selling equestrian monthly

ATHLETIC

HORSE Classical dressage with

Sylvia Loch

Atypical myopathy

ROAD SAFETY CAR

STICKER

Bedding choices EXPLAINED

Buyer’s guide:

COMPLETE FORAGE FEEDS

Keep your horse safe

SPECIAL REPORT:

how the emergency services are being trained to save our horses

transitions

IPN Consumer Magazine of the Year

Issue number 571 October 2017 n Hack your way to an athletic horse n Atypical myopathy n Classical dressage with Sylvia Loch n Emergency horse rescue n Ride perfect transitions n Complete forage feeds

HACK YOUR WAY TO AN

FREE INSIDE!

Ride perfect

Sandy Phillips shows you how

£4.20

Oct 2017

In this feature. . .

Our models

Nick Bertelli, from South Carolina, began riding for Sandy 15 years ago.

What initially began as holiday cover work became a permanent role last year when he sold his farm in the USA to base himself with Sandy. He rides six-year-old Fürst Design, a homebred by Fürst Romancier and out of a Rohdiamant mare, who is yet to make her competition debut.

26 HORSE&RIDER

➤ Improve

your transitions ➤ Increase his

In the saddle

responsiveness ➤ Master half-halt ➤ Lighten his front end

Tune up your TRANSITIONS

T

ransitions are something that can be worked on and improved at all stages of training, from just backed to Grand Prix. You need to adjust the degree of difficulty to suit the level of the horse that you’re riding, but at any level, you can refine the amount of control and nuance. Transitions between and within gaits are often ridden incorrectly, with too much hand and not enough seat. By simplifying the way you ask for a change in stride, you can cut out a lot of the confusion and mixed signals that overcomplicate many riders’ schooling sessions.

As told to Tilly Berendt. Photos: Bob Atkins

Dressage rider Sandy Phillips rode for Team USA at two World Equestrian Games and one Olympics before changing to British nationality, after which she competed at the 1998 and 2006 World Equestrian Games, and the 1999 European Championships. She also acted as a senior selector for the British Dressage team from 2008 to 2012 and was part of the Eventing Ground Jury at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sandy is an FEI judge for eventing and dressage, and trains horses and riders of all levels.

Our expert

In the second part of our series, international judge and dressage rider Sandy Phillips shows you how to improve your horse’s transitions for a flawless test

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HORSE&RIDER 27

Hack li k e a p ro!

As told to Kelly McCarthy-Maine. Photos: Bob Atkins. With thanks to Lucinda Fredericks for her help with this feature, lucindafredericks.com

Hack like the professionals and use your time outside the arena to build strength, power and flashiness with Olympic eventer Lucinda Fredericks

Our expert

Lucinda Fredericks has won some of the world’s toughest four-star events, including Burghley, Badminton and Kentucky, all on her 15.3hh chestnut mare, Headley Britannia. She now competes on Brit’s offspring, Sport Horse GB stallion Britannia’s Mail and fiery chestnut mare, Little Britannia, as well as sourcing and producing horses for sale.

Our models

Seven-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Bumble is a compact, correctly built horse with good paces. With a bit of strength-building out hacking, Bumble is sure to give someone a lot of fun.

46 HORSE&RIDER

Eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Spirit is naturally light on his feet with a big, swinging movement. The prettiest horse on the hunting field to date, Spirit is developing his strength and power for jumping and dressage.

In the saddle

T

here’s an art to riding a horse up a hill and it’s something I’m very particular about. There are times when I’ve been riding side-by-side with an inexperienced student on horses of equal training and fitness, but by the time we get to the top of an incline my horse is sweaty and working hard, where the student’s horse hasn’t made a stitch of effort. Inevitably, though, I coach them into working their horse harder as we go along, subtly moving him into lateral positions such as shoulder-in or legyield, flexing and bending, and adding in short bursts of medium paces.

I can’t stand to see horses dribbling uphill or pulling themselves along with their front legs.

To get the benefit of working on slopes, horses need to be ridden in a rounded outline and, as a rider, you need to be conscious of creating equal swing and push from both hindlegs. This takes concentration and discipline, but developing

even musculature and strength is hugely beneficial to your horse’s long-term soundness and development. A horse who works evenly from his hindlegs will find his training easier than one who is crooked or has a weakness on one side.

Likewise, there’s an art to riding a horse down a hill. Travelling downhill in good balance requires strength and tactful riding.

The agreement with your horse has to be that he’s allowed to come above the bridle if he holds his own balance and stays light on your contact. Running on his forehand downhill is uncomfortable and puts you both in a vulnerable position if he trips or stumbles.

Use the terrain around your yard to your advantage and develop progressive training and fitness plans for your horse. Here’s how I use the hills and slopes around Salisbury Plain to build strength, power and flashiness into my schooling.

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Use the terrain around you to your advantage, and develop progressive training and fitness plans

HORSE&RIDER 47

Seeds

of change

When atypical myopathy strikes, the consequences are usually devastating. Dr Richard Newton, from the Animal Health Trust, explains how you can protect your horse against this deadly disease

A

Our expert

Dr Richard Newton BVSc, MSc, PhD, FRCVS is Head of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance at the Animal Health Trust. He also advises the equine industry on disease prevention and control.

lmost always fatal, atypical myopathy is a muscle disease that’s caused by eating a substance called hypoglycin A, which is found in the seeds of some species of acer tree – the best known among horse owners are sycamore seeds, often called helicopters. Hypoglycin A is highly toxic to horses and, once ingested, it interferes with the function of the muscles, causing severe muscle damage and kidney failure.

It has taken 10 years to discover the cause of this devastating disease, but there are still many unanswered questions, such as how much hypoglycin A is required to cause illness and the potential cumulative effect of the toxin.

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

Toxic damage

Hypoglycin A prevents the breakdown of fatty acids within muscles and causes muscle cells to break down, which leads to muscle damage, particularly the cardiac and respiratory muscles. When muscles are broken down by the toxin, a component called myoglobin is released into the bloodstream. The blood then flows through the kidneys for filtering, but the kidney’s cells can’t cope with high concentrations of myoglobin, so the kidneys become damaged, too.

Damaged muscle fibres

Normal muscle fibres

DID YOU KNOW?

Myoglobin causes the urine of affected horses to turn brown.

Did you know?

Autumn 2014 saw the greatest number of cases reported through the Atypical Myopathy Alert Group in the UK’s history. With almost 200 cases, the UK had more occurrences than anywhere else in Europe, although the true figure may be well above this, as many cases go unreported.

80 HORSE&RIDER

Ask a vet

Looking out for the signs When horses first come down with atypical myopathy, they often display...

The disease usually progresses rapidly, leading to...

Mild to moderate colic-like signs

Panting

Depression

Dark urine

Reluctance to move

Inability to stand

Weakness

Inability to raise the head

In severe cases cardiac and respiratory arrest can happen, causing sudden death before the horse has shown signs of disease.

Race against time

Call your vet immediately if your horse shows mild signs of colic and depression, and is in a field near sycamore trees. They will be able to confirm the diagnosis by looking at your horse’s clinical signs and taking a blood test to measure the level of muscle enzymes, which are released from damaged muscle cells.

Once atypical myopathy has been confirmed, your horse will require a large amount of intravenous fluids to dilute his urine, which will help to clear the myoglobin through his kidneys with minimal damage. He’ll also need intensive nursing and lots of pain relief to help keep him as comfortable as possible.

Although in most cases atypical myopathy is fatal, time is crucial when dealing with this disease, because prompt treatment may help to prevent this devastating outcome.

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HORSE&RIDER 81

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