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July 2016
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Photo: Kit Houghton
Horseworld Look back on
London I t seems like only yesterday that Britain was flooded with Olympic fever, but four years on and it’s already time to start again. London played a fantastic host to the biggest sporting event on the planet and Team GB brought our whole country together, making us more than proud. The equestrian teams triumphed in all disciplines, bringing home two team golds in the dressage and showjumping,
and a team silver in the eventing, as well as individual gold and bronze in the dressage. The Paralympic team once again topped the tables, scooping team gold along with an impressive four individual golds, five silvers and a bronze. Most of the preparation is complete and all we can do now is cross our fingers and tune in to support our team when they take centre stage in a few weeks’ time at the Rio Games!
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HORSE&RIDER 7
My first
endurance ride Last month, we followed Helen Nakielny as she prepared for her first endurance ride. As the big day dawns, she documents her first experience of the sport
F
or some reason, last spring I decided to tackle a new equestrian discipline – endurance. Living in the heart of mid Wales, surrounded by stunning scenery and, after some years away from horses but being back on the wagon as the proud owner of 14.2hh Spice, it seemed like a good idea. So, I entered the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance, then set about working hard to prepare myself and Spice for the challenge. The dragon of the name isn’t, as it turned out, only a reference to Wales, but also to the scale and might of the challenge I had set us both up for. Gulp. There are hills, and then there are Red Dragon hills. I may have opted for the shortest, 36-kilometre (22-mile) GER (Graded Endurance Ride), but even this covered three big climbs.
I would love to report that all my careful preparation led to us sailing through every aspect of this first ride, but that would be far from the truth – and far from fun. I had practised trotting up (Spice wasn’t too keen) and our sloshing technique (amateur, but effective), and followed the route on a map, working out distances, calculating times and memorising our allotted time for the first vetting. Even completing the vet sheet wasn’t as complicated as I’d feared. But that was before horses and humans came into the equation. Our vetting times arrived in the post with the ride information – 11.30–12.00. Arriving an hour early seemed sensible, leaving plenty of time for both of us to relax, register and, hopefully, return to a good heart rate at the first vetting. Not since the night before Pony Club camp had I packed so carefully, and we were only travelling 10 miles and riding 36km. Paperwork, saddle, bridles, haynets, grooming kit, lots and lots of water for both of us, buckets and sponges, feed, stethoscope (to check her heart rate before the vettings) my hat and her rug.
For some reason, last spring I decided to tackle a new equestrian discipline – endurance
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In the saddle
TOP TIP
We all know the importance of making sure our horse’s tack fits perfectly, but long hours in the saddle can inflict considerable wear and tear on you, too. It’s worth investing the time and money to find clothes that really are comfortable, and not waiting until ride day to try them out.
Best-laid plans With everything neatly packed the night before, all I had to do was get Spice in from the field, give her a quick groom and load up. Except that she lives out and, despite not having had a drop of rain for at least a week, she had somehow found the only mud left in the field and plastered it all over herself. Scrubbing at clumps of mud was not the best or most relaxing way to begin our adventure, but with the worst removed, we could finally set out. Fortunately, we didn’t have far to travel and in under an hour we were at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, host to the British Horse Feeds Red Dragon Festival of Endurance, which was teeming with a variety of horses and riders in various states of readiness. Some were corralled on the field, happily grazing and totally relaxed, some were waiting to see the farriers, and others were already tacked up and ready to go. It made for an inspiring, if slightly daunting, sight as we made our way to the registration building. On paper it had seemed so easy – arrive at the venue, register, have Spice’s feet checked and signed off by the farrier and go, then in for the vetting. But in reality, with the hustle and bustle and an ever-so-slightly on her toes horse, coupled with a large venue and my own nerves, it was a very different matter. Once again, I benefitted from the guiding hands of my mentor, Karen Cadman. After being (literally) steered to the right building, registration was simple. Armed with our bright green bibs and two stickers with the name of the ride and an emergency number (one for my hat and one for the saddle) it was time to get the horses ready. Poor
Spice, fun rides were one thing, but none of these had involved quite so many horses or such extensive use of bright white electrical tape. Walking her around only seemed to confirm her fears that this was indeed a very scary place and she was still decidedly wary when we reached the poor farriers. Despite the rapidly growing queue for their services, they couldn’t have been more patient with my, by now, prancing pony. Somehow, they managed to check her shoes, and with all present and correct, signed us off. For very good reasons, not least that the weather in Wales in October is far from reliable, the vetting is carried out in a shed. Despite the fact that the sun was glaring down, the vets and their volunteer writers were still trapped indoors. Remarkably, Spice behaved impeccably, despite the distractions of an echoing building complete with strange horses and stethoscope-wielding vets. The only sign that she wasn’t an old hand at the trot up was a heart rate of 54bpm. But there was no time to dwell – in half an hour we had to cross the start line. Back to the trailer, tack on and checked, stickers attached, checkpoints confirmed with our crew (Karen’s experienced partner and my baffled husband) and we were off to the start line.
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HORSE&RIDER 37
Balls up!
Does your gelding behave like a stallion? He could be a rig, explains vet Sinéad Kenna from Calweton Veterinary Group
Y
ou may have heard some male horses being described as riggy. This means that they show stallion-like tendencies, which can make them tricky to handle and difficult in the presence of other horses. So is this just a behavioural trait or a medical condition? Well, it can be either, but often it’s a medical problem, caused by the horse being a rig.
Our expert
Sinéad Kenna BVM BVS MRCVS is assistant equine veterinary surgeon at Calweton Veterinary Group, a member of XLEquine. Her particular interests lie in lameness, musculoskeletal disorders and equine behaviour.
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Ask a vet
? What is a rig?
A rig is a male horse whose testicles have failed to descend properly. The veterinary term for this condition is cryptorchidism, and it can affect one testicle (unilateral) or both (bilateral).
In normal horses, the testicles develop close to the kidneys and migrate through the abdomen, down through the inguinal canal to their normal position in the scrotum. This usually happens before birth, but can occur at any point during the first year. In a rig, the testicle can be retained anywhere along this passage to the scrotum. The reason why testicles are retained is unknown. When the testicles are in the scrotum, it allows them to develop and cool properly, enabling them to produce fertile sperm, but retained testicles are often incapable of producing fertile sperm due to inappropriate testicular development. However, rigs can produce sufficient sperm to impregnate mares, particularly if only one testicle is affected. Even if they aren’t able to produce fertile sperm, retained testicles still produce all of the sex hormones associated with being a stallion, so the most frequently noted sign of a rig is stallion-like behaviour. They can be aggressive and difficult to handle, and will often show interest in mares, particularly through the summer months.
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Testicle stuck in the abdomen Bladder
Prostate gland
Kidneys
Kidneys
Penis
Abdominal wall
Urethra
Path of descent of testicle
Testicle
Abdominal wall
Scrotum
Testicle stuck in the inguinal canal
Kidneys
Abdominal wall
HORSE&RIDER 103
With thanks to XLEquine for their help with this feature, xlequine.co.uk
Reproductive system of a normal colt