Horse&Rider Magazine – Spring 2019

In this feature. . . ➤ Build engagement in your warm-up

As told to Rebecca Philpot. Photos: Jon Stroud. With thanks to Connolly’s Red Mills for their help with this feature redmills.co.uk

Our expert

Tina Cook has a wealth of experience at major eventing championships – standing European champion in 2009 and having won three Olympic medals, two World team golds and four European team golds.

Our model

David Cricket is a sevenyear-old ex-racehorse by Shirocco and out of Lady Cricket. He commenced jump training with Alan King, running three times before retiring as a four-year-old. He’s now established at Novice level.

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Get better

connected Is your horse lacking connection in his schooling? Tina Cook helps you get him engaged and going better than ever

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t’s one of the main aims of every rider’s schooling session – to get your horse working comfortably and correctly – but to really get him going well, you’ll need to have the basics firmly locked down.

One of these basics is establishing engagement, but in order for your horse to bring his hocks underneath his body and work in this way, he must first be relaxed and supple over his topline. If you find he’s not working through correctly, it may be that there’s a disruption somewhere along the way. While this is common in many types of horses, it’s seen a lot in ex-racehorses coming out of training as well as horses who are young or inexperienced.

It’s so important that you establish some exercises to help him to strengthen up his lumbar muscles that support his topline and improve suppleness. Here are some straightforward exercises to get your horse moving better than ever.

Warm up well

Begin your warm-up in walk with some figures of eight to ensure your horse is working evenly in each direction. Many horses have a stronger side, but you should make sure he’s working evenly before moving up into trot.

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In the saddle

➤ Exercises

for suppleness ➤ Revamp your schooling with polework

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In this feature. . . ➤ Perfect your cross-country position

As told to Rachel Dyke. Photos: Jon Stroud. For more information about Harry Meade, visit harrymeade.com

Improve your

cross-country partnership with Harry Meade

A cross-country course tests you and your horse’s ability to do just that – successfully cross the country. Harry Meade explains how to prepare for a positive round

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ood cross-country riding is made up of several key components – the ability to age your horse to travel forwards from A to B, being able to jump efficiently out of a galloping rhythm, and being able to change his speed and power independently of each other.

Another important skill is teaching your horse to problem-solve by reading a question and then independently answering it. Skilled cross-country riders allow their horses to think and process the questions they’re faced with on course. A

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quiet style enables this, but any aids you use should be truly effective, which means you’re able to generate maximum effort from you horse using minimal aids.

Being able to ride in this way happens through a number of different factors.

You need to consider your position on your horse, how you apply your aids and how you prepare him mentally for the fences he’ll come across. These can all be developed in training, and you don’t necessarily need regular access to crosscountry schooling facilities to create a confident horse and an efficient riding style.

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In the saddle

➤ Understand

the role of the rider ➤ Give your horse confidence Our expert

Harry Meade has completed Badminton 10 times and finished 6th at Burghley in 2018 with Away Cruising. Alongside competing, he’s often found in the commentary box for the BBC’s eventing coverage.

Our model

Monbeg Medlar (Gus) is a nine-year-old gelding owned by Mandy Gray.

He spent the 2018 season competing at Intermediate and 2* level, including five top-five finishes.

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Our expert

An owner’s guide to

lameness Are you confident that your horse is 100% sound?

Vet Lucy Meehan, from Langford Vets, explains how to spot even the most subtle signs of lameness and what to do if you detect a problem

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ameness is something that affects most horses at some point in their lives. It occurs when your horse is unwilling or unable to use his leg properly and most of the time it’s caused by pain, but on very rare occasions it’s an issue that physically prevents him from using his leg normally.

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Sometimes the lameness causes an obvious limp but, unfortunately, not all lamenesses are easy to see and many milder cases can easily go unnoticed. Therefore, it’s vital that you’re aware of what you should be looking for so you can spot the earliest signs of a problem and get your horse the help he needs to feel comfortable again.

Lucy Meehan BVSc MSc CertAVP(VDI) DipECVDI MRCVS is Senior Teaching Fellow in Equine Lameness at Langford Vets, University of Bristol. She is also an RCVS and European Veterinary Specialist in Diagnostic Imaging (Large Animals).

Ask a vet

Identifying lameness

Most lamenesses are mild, which can make it trickier for you to recognise that something’s wrong. However, there are a few tell-tale signs to look out for. For example, sometimes the lameness can appear as stiffness rather than limping, especially if your horse is experiencing pain in more than one leg. Some mild forelimb lamenesses can cause your horse to stumble or trip more often, too.

If you suspect your horse is lame, you’ll need to watch him move from the ground to try to assess the severity and decipher which leg is affected. Unless he’s obviously lame, it’s best to assess him in trot, as this is the easiest gait for spotting lameness.

Ask a friend to trot your horse up for you, both away from you and towards you, on a flat, firm surface. It’s important that they allow some slack in the leadrope so you can see your horse’s natural head movement. Here’s what to look for when trying to identify which leg the lameness is affecting…

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foreleg Your horse will lift his head when the lame leg strikes the floor.

Then, when he’s bearing weight on the sound limb, his head will move into a more normal position, which will make it look like he’s nodding his head on the sound leg hindleg Hindlimbs are much trickier to assess, but you’re looking for differences in the movement of his hips (sometimes known as hip hike). Watch your horse trotting from behind and look at the overall degree of movement of each hip. The hip with the greatest degree of movement is the lame leg. Horses with pain in their hindlimb are also often reluctant to flex the limb to carry it forwards, which may cause them to drag their toe. They may be reluctant to bring the limb forward, too, which may result in a shortening of the stride, and this can be seen when watching your horse from the side

When lameness strikes The severity of the lameness will determine what you do next. If the lameness is…

Severe

Know the signs... Your horse is struggling to bear weight on the limb or may only be able to touch his toe to the floor.

What to do... This is an emergency and you should call your vet immediately.

While waiting for them to arrive, keep your horse confined, but if he’s in the field and unable to move, it’s usually best to keep him there until your vet has assessed him. Feel his leg for any obvious heat or swelling and check his foot for any obvious abnormalities. Try to keep calm as this will help your horse remain calm, too.

Moderate

Know the signs... Your horse has an obvious head lift at walk or is obviously shortening his stride with his hindleg.

What to do... Call your vet as soon as possible. Feel the entire leg from the hoof upwards, noting any swelling, heat, changes in shape or wounds. It usually helps to feel the opposite limb and compare them. Check the hoof, especially the sole, and use a brush to clean it so you can get a really good look at it. While waiting for your vet to arrive, keep your horse confined and don’t give him any pain relief unless your vet asks you to do so. Giving pain relief may mask the problem and lead to a delay in diagnosing the cause.

Mild

Know the signs... Lameness can be seen in trot, but not in walk, or you can’t see any lameness but you’re concerned that he doesn’t feel right when ridden, or he’s stiff or stumbling.

What to do... Arrange for your vet to come and examine your horse over the next couple of days. The lameness may resolve with a period of rest, but if not, further investigation may be needed.

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