Horse&Rider Magazine – November 2015

HorseworldNews European Championship

Photo: Dirk Caremans/FEI

round-up

The European Championships for dressage, showjumping, reining, vaulting and driving were held 11–23 August in Aachen, Germany. For many European countries, this was their last chance to qualify for the dressage and showjumping at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The strongest British team performance came from the dressage riders – Charlotte Dujardin, Fiona Bigwood, Carl Hester and Michael Eilberg – who finished in second place just 1.4 points behind the Dutch team. Charlotte and Valegro topped the tables with their individual score, and again in the Spécial and Freestyle to clinch both individual gold medals.

The showjumping proved a nerve-racking four days for the Brits, with Olympic qualification looking uncertain at the start. However, the team of Joe Clee, Ben Maher, Jessica Mendoza and Michael Whitaker pulled it out of the bag. Largely thanks to Joe Clee’s consistent performance, the team finished in fourth place and clinched the all-important Olympic qualification, giving Team GBR the chance to defend their Olympic title next year. The current world

TEAM RESULTS Dressage 1 Netherlands 2 Great Britain 3 Germany champion and reigning Olympic gold medallist, Dutch rider Jeroen Dubbeldam, was also crowned European Champion.

For the non-Olympic disciplines – reining, driving and vaulting – Britain also fought strongly, finishing seventh in team driving, fourth in the team reining and ninth in team vaulting.

Eventing was the only discipline not to feature at Aachen, but it was contested at Blair Castle in mid September (results in December Horse&Rider).

Showjumping 1 Netherlands 2 Germany 3 Switzerland (4 Great Britain) Driving 1 Netherlands 2 Germany

3 Hungary (7 Great Britain) Reining 1 Italy 2 Germany 3 Netherlands (4 Great Britain) Vaulting 1 Germany 2 Switzerland 3 France (9 Great Britain)

Think your vet’s the best?

See us at The Dressage Convention If you’re coming to The Dressage Convention at Bury Farm 17–18 October, don’t forget to say hi to team Horse&Rider!

We’ll be there all weekend.

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Nominations have opened for the Petplan Veterinary Awards. It’s the 16th year that the Veterinary Awards will have recognised members of the veterinary community who have gone above and beyond in their daily roles. You can nominate members of your veterinary practice who you feel are deserving of one of these coveted awards.

Head of Marketing at Petplan Equine, Isabella von Mesterhazy, said: “At Petplan Equine, our customers are constantly telling us remarkable stories about veterinary staff who have provided vital support to their horses, often going to extraordinary lengths to do so. The Veterinary Awards provide an opportunity for owners to say thank you to their practice and the members of the team.”

For more information or to make a nomination, visit petplanequine.co.uk/vetawards

Horseworld

Will you slow down for me now?

British Young Breeders battle it out British Young Breeders sent four teams to represent the UK at the International Young Breeders Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire (8–9 August). The British teams represented four studbooks – The British Hanoverian Horse Society, Warmblood Breeders UK, Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain and the Anglo-European Studbook. The teams competed in two sections – Junior (16–19 years) and Senior (20–25 years). Each competitor was assessed in breeding theory, loose jumping and paces,

conformation and in-hand presentation.

The Warmblood Breeders UK team was the best of the British in the senior division, taking 11th place. This very experienced team scored consistently across the sections and took first place overall for turnout. Becca White, who finished 7th individually, said: “I am thrilled with how well we did. The team score was brilliant and I am delighted to be 7th in the World. I am hoping to further my experience over the next two years for the 2017 World Breeding Championships.”

You may have seen the cheeky campaign on social media aiming to get the attention of motorists, urging them to slow down for horses. The campaign, started on Facebook

by Lauren De Gruchy from Jersey, has encouraged hundreds of riders to strip off for a picture with their horse and post their pictures online with the caption ‘Will you slow down for me now?’

To donate Jane’s just to g page, visit iving bit.do/ onedayeve nt

British Riding Clubs abroad

Historic horsey hero

A lock of mane from Copenhagen, the mount of the Duke of Wellington in the battle of Waterloo in 1815, has been sold at auction for £2,600. Copenhagen allegedly carried the Duke for 17 hours during the battle 200 years ago.

The hair was found by Lady Arran within family papers while she was clearing out the family’s stately home, Castle Hill in North Devon. With the lock of mane was a handwritten note from 1836

by Lord Fortescue of Castle Hill, declaring it to be Copenhagen’s.

Six British Riding Club members fought strongly to take the team silver medal at the European CIC** Riding Club Championships in Helvoirt, Netherlands.

Vale of Arrow Riding Club member, Francesca Reid-Warrilow, also managed to claim the first British individual gold medal at the event, and two other British riders finished in the top 10. The competition format differs slightly to normal eventing, as the team of six also has to ride a team dressage test in the arena together. Team GBR scored the highest in this section, before riding their individual tests.

Return from retirement

The first female eventer to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, Jane Holderness-Roddam, was part of the gold medal winning team in Mexico, 1968. The 67-year-old came out of retirement in aid of The Brooke and World Horse Welfare, competing in the BE100 Open at West Wilts in August. Jane finished in 17th place on a double clear with 12.8 cross-country time faults to add to her leading dressage score of 23.8. So far, Jane has raised more than £10,000 for the two charities.

HHH Rate H&R and win!

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Visit tinyurl.com/RateNov15 to give our features a star rating and one lucky reader will take home this versatile, lightweight and waterproof fleece-lined jacket, ideal for all-year-round wear.

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➤ HORSE&RIDER 9

Training the

young

eventer

As told to Ashleigh Henwood

The foundations of a successful cross-country round are laid down in the arena, with attention to detail in your horse’s flatwork and over poles, says eventer Sim Kann

W

Our expert

Our models

Sim Kann is an advanced eventer and trainer. She specialises in competing and producing horses through the grades.

Vicky Browne-Cole rides her young horse, Eli, who is a six-year-old Australian Thoroughbred by Snitzel.

hether you’re planning to work on your horse’s fitness, pop a showjump or go cross-country, it’s essential to begin each session with flatwork, making sure your horse is responsive to your aids. This is the foundation of creating a well-schooled horse and is essential for eventing, as for all disciplines. As you walk around the arena, think about your position.

Check your heels are down and that your horse’s walk is active. He must be responsive to your aids. If he’s not, now’s the time to correct him.

When you move into trot, keep thinking about

Check your horse is in self-carriage...

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your position and make sure your horse is going forward into the contact. Test his response – does he go forward as soon as you ask and come back, too? If he makes a mistake – for example, offering to canter when you ask for a bigger trot – it doesn’t matter. The response itself doesn’t have to be perfect, just so long as he reacts to your aid in some positive way.

It’s important to teach your horse to be adjustable on the flat if you want him to be adjustable on the cross-country course and in the showjumping arena, too. He must be able to rebalance and listen as you approach a fence, and it’s essential that this happens when you ask and that the transition is smooth.

...and responds to your aids to move on...

...as well as to collect

In the saddle

Testing self-carriage

Begin by asking your horse forward and back within the pace before moving on to test his self-carriage.

While you do this, check your contact – don’t allow a stronger contact and him to lean on the bit. Imagine he’s like a car – it’s important not to burn out the brakes by riding them. You wouldn’t think it’s acceptable to

ride on the flat with a really strong contact and it’s the same when you’re jumping.

To test his self-carriage in canter, release your rein contact to check that he remains in the same frame.

If he collapses onto his forehand or the rhythm changes, then you have work to do! Change into a two-point position and open the canter up

along the long side of the arena, then switch to a three-point seat and shorten his canter on the short side.

Repeat this until the upward and downward transitions are smooth. It’s important that he listens to your aids and that he stays straight in his body.

Once you’ve practised using the whole arena, move on to testing the transitions on a circle, too.

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HORSE&RIDER 19

PART TWO In this feature. . .

➤ Discover your horse’s natural reactions

Speaking his language

Our expert

Anna Saillet is an Equine Behaviour Consultant.

She gained a BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour from Liverpool University, and an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare from Newcastle University, in which she specialised in equine behaviour. She has competed in dressage, showjumping and eventing.

Our horses constantly communicate with us through their body language when we are interacting with them, but are we listening? Anna Saillet explains how to tune in

A

good understanding of equine body language and natural behavioural responses is essential for you to be able to develop a positive, harmonious relationship with your horse, and will help you to create the perfect partnership that every horse owner, carer and rider wishes for. Last month, we looked at the subtle behavioural indicators that our horses use to communicate with us (Horse&Rider October p64). This month, I’ll examine why your horse may demonstrate certain behaviours at certain times and how you can use this information to learn more

Photos: Bob Atkins

Spend time with your horse, getting to know him and discovering his favourite scratchy spot to help to improve your relationship

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about what he is trying to tell you.

When thinking about your horse’s behaviour and body language, it’s important to remember that each horse is a unique individual and you should never expect one to respond exactly the same as another might in the same situation. Just as we humans are all different and have our own unique personalities and learning styles, so too do our horses. This is why it’s essential to understand your horse’s behaviour and to consider it carefully each time you interact with him to learn how he is feeling, and why it’s also important to understand that there is no one size fits all solution to behaviour problems.

➤

Mind matters

➤ Understanding unwanted behaviour ➤ What’s in a yawn?

HORSE&RIDER 45

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Tie-breaker: In 50 words or fewer, tell us why you and your horse deserve to win Horseware wardrobes.

To enter: 104 HORSE&RIDER

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