ETN - Equestrian Trade News - October 2012

Equestrian Trade News

October 2012 T h e Vo i c e o f t h e E q u e s t r i a n I n d u s t r y

Volume 36, No 10 Monthly

YULE PROFIT! Gifts to go this Christmas

WET SUMMER WILL BOOST WINTER SALES

Hoof rescues Mud fever solutions Supplements that sell

2013 17-19 February 2013 NEC, Birmingham, UK

ETN is the official media partner of BETA International

... the magazine for the industry, about the industry, by the industry

CONTENTS

Comment SO often with horses, it’s the knock-on effects that count. It’s not what you do with them today, but what you did a week, a month or a year ago.

And that was never truer than this autumn as owners feel the effects of some of the weirdest weather on record. 2012 will be remembered not only for the London Olympics, but for being the wettest summer in living memory.

Horses’ feet, for instance, have a nasty habit of coming back to bite – or should that be kick – you when conditions have been difficult. Ask any farrier, and they’ll tell you that shoes have been flying off left, right and centre this autumn.

As Alex Fell of Keratex told me, sales of hoof hardeners and gels have been through the roof to the extent that stocks were running low and extra had had to be ordered from the [British] manufacturer. “I just wish people would put prevention before cure,” he said, “although of course it’s all been very good business for us.”

Another uncertainty following the wet summer is the hay situation – and that’s something which will have a knock-on effect for feed merchants. There was plenty of grass about this year, but was there sufficient sunshine to make good hay? Did more producers take the ‘safe’ option and switch to haylage instead? And what are the implications for feed value?

Just how much will the wettest summer on record affect consumers’ buying habits – and how should retailers react?

Leaf through this issue of ETN for some answers...

INTERNET shopping will be big again this Christmas. But no matter how slick the website technology, how wide the product choice and how keen the prices, goods still need to reach customers – and meet the 25 December deadline.

As last-minute shoppers get ever more jittery, there’s nothing like walking out of a shop with a present safely tucked away in a tightly gripped carrier bag – especially if it’s ready giftwrapped.

Switched on retailers are realising that stocking a good selection of ‘something small and meaningful’ needn’t be confined to Christmas. Valentine’s Day is only six or seven weeks later, then there’s Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and endless birthdays and reasons to say ‘thank you’ to be catered for in between.

Yes, it’s definitely a good time to get a grip on gifts...

The shows have been a bit like buses this year. None for ages, then Burghley, Blenheim, British Dressage National Championships and Horse of the Year Show all seemed to come along at once.

Then next month, we have the fascinating showdown between veteran campaigner Your Horse Live in the blue corner and, in the red corner, the new kid on the block, HorseWorldLive. It’s all to play for...

Liz Benwell

OCTOBER 2012

NEWS.........................................................................4 NEWS FEATURE Dengie and vets work together on equine gastric ulcers .....10 PRODUCT NEWS .....................................................14 NEW SADDLE FITTING COURSES COVER STORY .....16 PEOPLE ...................................................................17 SUPPLEMENTS & BALANCERS FEATURE COVER STORY Product gallery..........................................................18 A wet summer will boost winter sales .......................25 Meet the dope testers................................................28 RETAILER PROFILE Ingatestone Saddlery Centre .....................................30 BETA MEMBERS’ PAGE ..........................................32 VIEW FROM AMERICA What was new at AETA? ............................................33 CHRISTMAS GIFTS FEATURE COVER STORY Product gallery..........................................................34 How to fill your till.....................................................40 Whips: always undersold? .........................................41 SADDLERY MATTERS .............................................42 WINTER AILMENTS FEATURE COVER STORY Product gallery including hoof rescue packages ........44 First aid for your staff................................................47 LEGAL DIGEST ........................................................48 COUNTY COURT JUDGMENTS................................50

FRONT COVER: Christmas gifts and winter ailments are featured in this month’s ETN. This delightful snow scene featuring equine and canine friends is courtesy of Horseware Ireland.

OBITUARY John McGowan JOHN McGowan, the founder of Aerborn Equestrian and one of the trade’s greatest innovators and most popular figures, died on 14 September. He was 67.

He had undergone surgery in the cardiac unit at Nottingham City Hospital earlier the same week.

John started his career in the textile industry. With his brother Peter McGowan, he started a Nottingham company in the late 1960s, originally making men's clothing. They later acquired the Aerborn Equestrian name and manufacturing rights from the swimwear brand, Speedo.

Aerborn’s original product was the cotton mesh, anti-sweat sheet, many thousands of which were made and exported all over the world. While the Aerborn product range expanded over the years into many other textile equestrian items, John will perhaps be best

remembered for creating the soft, washable CushionWeb range which revolutionised headcollars and girths.

Over the years, Aerborn was a generous sponsor of equestrian sport, from dressage to endurance riding. John would often personally attend competitions to congratulate the winners and share the organisers’ enthusiasm for their event.

He always had time for everyone.

Aerborn was sold in January 2009, and manufacturing ended at the Sneinton Dale, Nottingham site. Although John retired from the equestrian industry, he continued to work in his other company Eco Filters which makes filters for the concrete industry.

Kath Harpley worked with John at Aerborn for many years. “He was a very social person, happy to share his knowledge and enjoying the lighter side of life,” she

said. “He always had a crowd around him and would be the first to tell a joke.

“Several people have phoned to say how John had helped them with advice or passed on business, and how he had been a mentor to them.

“I know that John will be missed by everyone who knew him. On a personal note, he was a very kind employer, even when he had to make difficult decisions. He was a good friend and would be there to help whenever I picked the phone up with a problem.”

John leaves his wife Lorraine, who also worked in the equestrian industry, and his son Ben.

OLYMPIC CELEBRATION: Olympic silver medallist Nicola Wilson joined staff and customers at R & R Country on 13 September to celebrate the unveiling of refurbishments at its Selby store.

The North Yorkshire retailer invited its top 250 loyalty customers to meet Nicola, who rode Rosemary Search’s Opposition Buzz on the British eventing team at London 2012. The evening became quite a party with drinks and canapés plus homemade ‘Olympic silver’ buns for all.

“Nicola was lovely. There was a queue of people waiting to meet her the whole time she was with us,” said Katherine Robbins of R & R Country. “But she made time to speak to everyone and even let them all hold her Olympic medal.”

The silver theme continued when Sue Moxon (pictured right), managing director of R & R Country, presented Nicola with a silver-coloured saddle stand and a bouquet.

ADVERT INDEX

Equestrian Trade News Stockeld Park, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 4AW Tel: 01937 582111 Fax: 01937 582778 – Sales Email: sales @equestriantradenews.com Website: www.equestriantradenews.com Publisher: Equestrian Management Consultants Ltd Editor: Liz Benwell Email: editor@equestriantradenews.com Tel: 0845 6185007 Advertising Sales: Nicki Lewis Email: sales@equestriantradenews.com Tel: 01937 582111 Fax: 01937 582778 Advertising Copy: Nicki Lewis Email: sales@equestriantradenews.com Tel: 01937 582111

4 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

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Editorial views expressed in ETN are not necessarily the official view of any organisation or group.

Copyright: All material is copyright Equestrian Management Consultants Ltd. Design & Print: G.H. Smith & Son, Market Place, Easingwold, North Yorkshire YO61 3AB Tel: 01347 821329 Fax: 01347 822576 Email: etn@ghsmith.com Web: www.ghsmith.com ISSN 1462-9526

Abbey England ...................................................12 Academy of Master Saddlers .................................6 Animalife..............................................................3 Bedmax/Littlemax .........................................9 & 11 Beris.....................................................................8 BETA International ..............................................27 Breyer ................................................................35 Brinicombe Equine..............................................20 Buffera Ltd..........................................................34 Carrots UK Ltd ....................................................37 Classified............................................................49 Dengie ...............................................................19 Eurohorse ........................................................OBC Exo2 ...................................................................14 Gray’s Of Shenstone............................................36 GWF Nutrition ......................................................7 Horslyx...............................................................25 B Jenkinson & Son ..............................................39 Keratex/Penleigh Irving Ltd ..................................44 Kevin Bacon .......................................................45 Life Data Labs Inc................................................20 Magic Brush .......................................................31 Mars Horsecare ..................................................IFC Maxavita Equine Health Ltd.................................23 Natural Animal Feeds..........................................21 Pelgar.................................................................30 Sherwood Forest Ltd ...........................................13 Snowhill Trade Saddlery .....................................IBC South Essex Insurance Brokers...............................5 Spartan Equestrian..............................................36 TopSpec .............................................................22 Waldhausen GmbH & Co KG ...............................15 Web Directory ....................................................50 www.britishequestriandirectory.com ......................6

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“Positive conclusion” for Spoga A TOTAL of 392 companies from 29 countries exhibited at spoga, the trade fair held in Cologne, Germany on 2 – 4 September.

Traditionally Spoga runs in parallel with the gardening and leisure fair Spoga+Gafa. The organisers said the combined events attracted 36,300 visitors.

The strongest product categories this year were clothing, saddlery and equipment.

"We have come to a positive conclusion for this year's Spoga,” said Tilman Meyer zu Erpen, of BSI [Germany Sporting Goods Industry representative and conceptual sponsor of Spoga]. “The great demand for products of a high quality confirms for us that equestrian sport continues to be in line with the [upward] trend.”

Klaus Reinken, managing director of German wholesaler Waldhausen, reflected: “The fair again attracted a lot of international visitors this year and [I was] particularly impressed with the level of decision-making authority the visitors had.

Innovation awards There were 68 entries for Spoga’s Innovation Awards. Each day, five finalists in the ‘horse’, ‘rider’ and ‘stable’ categories each had 100 seconds to present their new products to an innovation forum. Votes cast by visitors combined with the judges’ views produced the results.

The winner of the ‘horse’ category was EQUIscan with its EquiScan Online Platform. In the ‘rider’ category, Komperdell Sportartikel won with the Protection Vest Cross Light. And Waldhausen took the honours in the ‘stable’ section with its safety lead-rope fastener, DAVIS.

BETA in export drive THE BETA Showcase – a feature promoting British companies’ expertise and products – made its debut at Spoga.

Sited next to the BETA-led group of exhibitors, the showcase will also appear at future overseas shows attended by the trade association. “It was an extremely positive initiative for those wishing to develop their export markets,” said BETA’s executive director Claire Williams.

British companies exhibiting at Spoga as part of the BETA trade mission included Ryder Saddles, Kanyon Outdoors [whose stand is pictured], Carrots UK, Frank Baines Saddlery, Cedar Clothing, Blue Chip Feeds, Clayton Leather, The Animal Health Company, Abbey England, Equine Products UK, Patrick Saddlery, Supreme Products, Pampeano and Emma Wyatt Gifts.

“It resulted in a fantastic deal with a large Australian distributor, giving us the penetration there that we really wanted,” said Sarah Turnbull, managing director of grooming specialist Supreme Products.

Things were a little quieter for Oxfordshire-based polo specialist and first-time spoga exhibitor Pampeano. “We didn’t really go expecting to get huge orders,” said owner Jenny Ferrarese, “but we had hoped for greater footfall. The show was really very quiet.”

Emma Wyatt Gifts, another company making its Spoga debut, was pleased with the interest in its English bone china. “Being part of the BETA group was a super experience and it made every aspect so much easier. We had a translator to hand and our area was so smart and coordinated – it really stood out for the crowd,” said Emma Wyatt.

Many of the participating British companies benefited from a £1,000 grant from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for allowable expenses. The funding was secured by BETA to subsidise its programme of trade missions to shows around the world.

BETA trade missions are open to members and non-members.

BETA leads mission to China BETA attends the China Horse Fair in Beijing next month (18 – 20 November – postponed from 16 to 18 October), with a group of British exhibitors. ETN’s publisher, Equestrian Management Consultants (EMC) which also organises BETA International, will be among them.

Other participating companies include Racewood (riding simulators), Bliss of London (saddles and bridles), Science Supplements (equine feed supplements), Martin Collins Enterprise (equine arena surfaces), Wellington Riding (riding holidays and training), Horse First (equine feed supplements), Lewis Harding (equestrian publisher), Haygain (hay steamers), Shires Equestrian (equestrian products) and RB Equestrian (equestrian retailer).

The trade association will help to promote British companies and their products, skills and expertise during the show, as well as providing information and contacts for others that are unable to attend.

Further trips are planned to Equitana Asia Pacific Fair (which now clashes with the China Horse Fair), Melbourne, Australia, in midNovember, the Dubai International Horse Fair next March and Equitana, Essen, Germany, also next March.

Limited availability means that potential participants should register their interest as soon as possible by contacting Tina Rogers in the BETA office, telephone 01937 587062 or email tinar@beta-int.com

Manufacturer favours beet over cubes and mixes BRITISH Horse Feeds has ceased manufacturing cubes and mixes to concentrate on its sugar beet based fibre feeds, Speedi-Beet and FibreBeet.

Since October 1, the mixes and cubes – Cool ‘n’ Calm, Veteran Care and Ultimate www.equestriantradenews.com

Performance - have been transferred to the parent company’s Majestic brand.

They are now said to be “less easily available” to consumers.

"As Speedi-Beet and FibreBeet are by far our most popular feeds, it was decided

to focus all of our efforts on them," said Will I’Anson of British Horse Feeds.

Fibre-Beet combines alfalfa with fast-soaking, unmolassed Speedi-Beet.

Both feeds are approved by The Laminitis Trust.

FEI to launch branded clothing collection GERMAN company euro-star has signed a three year merchandise licence to produce the first FEI branded clothing collection.

A Spring/Summer 2013 range will feature sports and leisurewear for men and women, plus horse rugs and saddle cloths.

The FEI, the governing body for international horse sports, says the range will be sold through retailers via euro-star’s network in almost 40 countries. It will also be available via the FEI’s online store, due to be launched early next year, and on sale at FEI events.

“Licensing partnerships are a key part of the FEI’s long term commercial strategy,” explained Carsten Couchouron, FEI executive director, commercial.

“This is the first of a number of FEI brand merchandising agreements that will be announced over the coming 12 months.”

The FEI’s agreement with euro-star was brokered by The Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG).

For more licensing and merchandising opportunities, contact the FEI Commercial Department on licensing@fei.org HIGH FLYER: Westgate EFI's Bruno Goyens cleared 1.80m to take second place in the AmTrust Eventers’ High Jump Challenge at Blenheim Horse Trials last month. While Bruno is familiar to WEFI's customers in a business environment, he has competed in international eventing for many years and represented Belgium in the 2000 Olympics. A serious cross country fall earlier this year ruled out London 2012 and Bruno has since focussed on show jumping - obviously to good effect!

Join the rush for MagicBrush WHOLESALER Trilanco is distributing MagicBrush – the grooming sensation that’s taken Europe by storm – in the UK. Unique triangular and conical shaped bristles enable the Magic Brush to cleaning, grooming and massaging, while the back makes a great sweat scraper.

Virtually indestructible and machine washable, the brushes are supplied in three sets. Classic comprises red, blue and yellow brushes; Pink contains fuchsia, pink and purple, while turquoise, light blue and green come under the Green heading.

MagicBrush also works well on hairy numnahs and rugs, dogs, cats, car seats and clothes.

More farm buildings for business?

A relaxation of planning laws could make agricultural buildings more readily available for conversion to workshops, offices, storage and leisure uses.

A Government consultation is looking at reforms to the planning system to streamline the often lengthy and complicated planning process, says property consultant William Young (pictured) of Fisher German.

Changes to permitted development rights could eventually see agricultural buildings within certain categories being developed without the need for planning permission.

6 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

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Fat-busting feed on vet-only sale SPILLERS has formulated a weight control product for vet-only sale.

Equine vets Andy Durham from Liphook Equine Hospital and Duncan Harrison from Priors Farm Equine Veterinary Surgery consulted the manufacturer to develop products to be sold under a new brand, Equine Veterinary Feeds.

A product called Weight Control is the first to be launched.

It’s described as a low calorie, fibre based balancer designed to balance a restricted forage diet, enabling calorie restriction whilst maintaining adequate levels of other essential nutrients.

Andy Durham said the vets were introducing the range in response to the growing problem of equine obesity. “Many horse owners struggle to recognise that their horse is overweight, yet they may listen more readily to a veterinary diagnosis of obesity and take on board the benefits of feeding a specialist diet to tackle the problem effectively,” he said.

Spillers’ research and development manager Clare Barfoot added: “Horse owners tend to have immense respect for their vet and are thus more likely to be receptive and compliant when a weight loss diet is recommended. It’s extremely exciting to have been involved with this project.”

Confirming the vet-only status of the new range, vet Duncan Harrison said: “The diet will only be sold via vets as it is important that the weight loss programme is monitored professionally. We expect vets to offer this diet to their clients as part of a broader weight loss plan including blood testing, portable weighbridge sessions and general management advice.”

When ETN asked why the new range was not available to feed merchants, Clare Barfoot of Spillers explained: “Equine obesity has serious welfare implications but in many cases all that’s needed is a restriction in turnout, a suitable, low calorie feed and an increase in exercise. The problem is that sometimes this may not be as possible or as effective as desired.

“Where dietary intake needs to be restricted to less that 1.5% of bodyweight to achieve the required weight loss, it is important so safeguard the health and welfare of the horse or pony involved with appropriate veterinary supervision.

“Spillers would not recommend that owners should restrict their horse or pony’s dietary intake to less than 1.5% bodyweight without veterinary monitoring. This is why we were happy to support Equine Veterinary Feeds in formulating a feed that can be used with veterinary supervision to nutritionally support horses and ponies that, for their own welfare, need further dietary restriction.”

ETN asked if Spillers was manufacturing Equine Veterinary Feeds, but the company declined to comment.

Model horses on show MORE than 1,000 model horse enthusiasts converged on Newmarket in August for Utterly Horses’ inaugural festival, the Utterly Horses Hullaballoo.

During the threeday fixture held at the National Stud, ticket holders attended workshops, talks and demonstrations, painted models and took part in a model horse show.

Model horse collectors were well catered for with more than 3,000 lines available from the Utterly Horses retail store. Visitors also raised £1,600 in a charity auction of rare models. A repeat festival is planned for next year.

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Olympic fan has room with a view HAVING scheduled a nightly Olympics highlight show during London 2012, Horse & Country TV faced a dilemma.

“It became clear that we weren’t going to be allowed access even to the few minutes of sport action each day that news channels are permitted,” said Richard Burdett, managing director.

“So we decided to make a virtue of necessity and produce a show providing the one thing we knew our audience would value as much as the action; genuinely in-depth, expert analysis and comment on each day’s events.”

The proposition to the viewer was simple. Watch the BBC’s coverage during the day then, at 10pm each evening, come to H&C TV for a dedicated half hour of insight. The show was to be hosted by Jenny Rudall who usually fronts the fortnightly Rudall’s Round-up.

“We knew that the entire equestrian world would be descending on SE10, so to get the best possible line-up of guests we had to be there too,” said Richard. “But without either Olympic accreditation or the resources to hire or build a studio, where to film?”

And that’s where H&C TV viewer Frances Davies came to the rescue.

“Frances heard of our predicament and bravely volunteered her own home, a javelin’s throw from Greenwich Park, as our base for the duration of the Games,” said Richard. “We had a set built in Frances’ kitchen/conservatory and the edit suite and production office in the adjacent dining room. Frances even put Jenny up for the entire time too.”

With Frances’ children as runners, a tight production routine was worked out while the Olympic equestrian events were on.

“This involved watching the sport during the day on the red button, arranging pick-ups for guests coming out of Greenwich Park, filming as live in the early evening, selecting stills from that day’s action and editing them in alongside packages we had pre-produced showing each rider and horse combination at earlier events.

“Finally the finished show was uploaded via Frances’ domestic broadband line to Arqiva, the company that sends our channel to the satellite for broadcast. All in time - just, and many thanks to Arqiva for their support - for transmission at 10pm each evening.”

Each day Jenny was joined on the sofa by one of H&C TV’s resident experts; Sharon Hunt for eventing, Andrew Gould for dressage and Trevor Breen for showjumping. Special guests making appearances included Jane Holderness Roddam, Francis Whittington, The Lords Kirkham and Harris, Tim Stockdale, Alex Hua Tian and Maria Eilberg.

Team GB member Richard Davison popped in for a chat with Jenny and there was a telephone interview with [Team GB performance director] Will Connell.

“Ultimately, the lack of access to footage worked to our advantage,” said Richard. Commercially, the show was a winner too. “We attracted a new sponsor for Rudall’s Round-Up in HorseWorldLive, we sold centre break ad. slots at premium rates and, as well as broadcasting the programme in the UK and on our new Dutch service, we also sold it on to broadcasters in the Middle East and the US.” Horse & Country TV is on Sky Channel 280.

UK made supplements in US deal PURINA Animal Nutrition is to market own branded equine supplements in the United States that are manufactured by Science Supplements in the UK. “This relationship is forging new inroads to the US supplement market and is not only about supply of product but about joint development and education,” said David Marlin, managing director of Suffolk based Science Supplements.

Purina Animal Nutrition has more than 50 patents for equine products.

8 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

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Fence builder nails award DAVID Evans, who designs and builds BETA International’s distinctive Horse Demonstration Arena fencing, was presented with the Bill Thomson Memorial Award at Blenheim Horse Trials last month.

The accolade, a tribute to the late, great Burghley coursedesigner, is presented to a designer who has contributed significantly to the sport. Previous winners include Captain Mark Phillips and Philip Herbert.

"I consider myself very lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to get chosen to work in stunning parks such as Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth, Bramham and Luhmühlen,” said David whose work will be on show as usual at BETA International 2013 next February.

Country Fashion gets Innovation Award BETA International has introduced a new category to its 2013 Innovation Awards – Country Fashion.

The move is a direct response to the increasing number of exhibitors in this sector, say the organisers.

The Country Fashion category will join seven others: Saddlery & Tack, Rider Clothing, Safety & Security, Feed & Supplements, Horsecare Products & Equipment, Pet Products and Other. All entries are considered by a panel of judges, all experts in their fields.

“Country fashions are an increasingly popular part of the trade fair mix and it seems highly appropriate that we should include them in the Innovation Awards, which are regarded as a high point of the equestrian trade’s year,” said Claire Thomas, commercial manager of BETA International organiser EMC. The BETA International Innovation Awards are open to any exhibitor who wishes to enter a product, provided that it has been introduced to the market no more than 12 months preceding the show. Entries should feature truly original elements, a breakthrough in research and development or be a new invention.

Judging of the awards takes place on Sunday 17 February – the first day of BETA International 2013. Winners are announced on the second day, on stage and in front of an industry audience. There are trophies to be won, along with the right to use the Innovation Awards logo.

To find out more about exhibiting at BETA International, contact James Palmer on 01937 582111.

NEWS IN BRIEF Merial Equine Health is to run a one hour AMTRA accredited • ‘webinar’ to enable SQPs to earn CPD points. ‘A Practical Guide To Strategic Worming Of Horses’ will be delivered by Hannah Lester of the Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, on Thursday, 11 October at 7.30pm. Hannah will take questions, followed by a 15 minute presentation by Louise Radford MRCVS, the Smartworming marketing manager at Merial Equine Health THE American Equestrian Trade Association (AETA) board has • appointed Calabrese Management to run the association on a dayto-day basis. The company took over from Equine Resources International.

Two Fair Mares - manufacturer of the Equine Scratcher and Neigh • Station equine play centre - has changed its name to Fair Mare

•

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Products. The company, which was founded in Ontario, Canada, has also moved to new headquarters located in Southern Florida.

HORSECARE products supplier Supreme Products has joined the business initiative, GrowthAccelerator. The scheme, which offers business development coaching, is a partnership between private enterprise and the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. GrowthAccelerator works in England with small and medium sized businesses with potential for growth.

THE Saddle Research Trust (SRT) needs an honorary fundraiser to help progress scientific research on the influence of the saddle on the welfare and performance of horses and riders. Sue Dyson, head of clinical orthopaedics at the Animal Health Trust and a member of the SRT advisory committee, said: “Back and saddle problems are major factors associated with loss of performance and lameness and have serious welfare implications.”

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Having the guts to work together...

Gastric ulcers are the new equine epidemic, causing tummy-ache for horses and heart-ache for owners. ETN finds out how feed company Dengie has collaborated with a veterinary practice to put a solution onto retailers’ shelves.

Stress is an important risk factor. Yet 40% of leisure horses are believed to have gastric ulcers.

atrick Martin, a partner at the Essex based Blaircourt Equine Veterinary Clinic, believes many horses are suffering pain from equine gastric ulcers and that their owners are ignorant of the fact.

Bearing in mind that his practice doesn’t see any racehorses, the group most

P

usually associated with ulcers, how many is ‘many’?

Up to 93% was his shocking verdict. Indeed, recent research indicates that up to 40% of leisure horses and 60% of competition horses could be affected by equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS).

“Ulcers need to be taken seriously,” said Patrick. “They are associated with weight

Worth knowing about equine ulcers • High risk factors are 23 hour/day stabling, high cereal diets, intensive exercise and stress. Stress can be environmental or induced by pain. “Horses are good at hiding pain but it shows as stress,” said Patrick.

• Ulcers form when acid is sloshed around the horse’s stomach with insufficient buffer to dampen its effects.

Useful buffers are fibre and saliva which horses produce from chewing. An ulcer can appear within 24 hours.

• Ulcers are graded, a one being the lowest with grade fours frequently seen to be bleeding. The only way to prove conclusively that a horse has EGUS is by endoscopy.

• Phenylbutazone [‘bute’] is strongly linked to ulcers. “A horse on box rest being given ‘bute is one of the worst scenarios,” said Patrick.

• Ulcers can be cured within three days when diet and management are corrected. “Ideally I like to see 24/7 grazing with no stressful situations,” said Patrick. “I recommend high-fibre diets regularly and frequently ask owners to consider whether they really need to use cerealbased feeds.”

10 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

loss, poor performance such as reluctance to jump or reduced dressage scores, bucking, rearing and the sudden onset of behavioural issues like grumpiness when saddling up – all because they hurt the horse.

“Horses presenting with chronic colic often have ulcers too, yet they can nearly all be treated easily and cost effectively. That’s why we need to make owners more aware.”

Four years ago, the Blaircourt clinic invested £8,500 in a three metre endoscope which enables vets to view the horse’s digestive system on a screen to confirm the presence of ulcers.

‘Scoping’ with the horse under standing sedation takes 15 – 20 minutes and costs the owner a total of around £250.

The vets then give advice on treatment and, crucially, management adjustments to prevent recurrence. Treatment of ulcers is achieved by feeding a consistent, high fibre diet, reducing cereal intake and removing sources of stress such as competing and travelling, a hectic stable routine or even bullying in the field. Pain such as lameness the practice always investigates horses for muscular-skeletal problems before ‘scoping – also causes horses significant stress.

Ulcer sufferers are often treated with the licensed veterinary medicine Gastrogard [a proton pump Healthy Tummy includes Protexin InFeed Formula which supplies antacids, live yeast and probiotics.

Dengie hopes its launch will raise awareness of equine gastric ulcers.

inhibitor] at £200 a week.

Although this is something wealthier owners routinely sanction for their top race horses, it removes the symptoms and not the cause of EGUS, making it “pointless without addressing the management” according to Patrick.

Industry first Around the same time as Patrick was starting to ‘scope more horses and finding the ulcers he suspected existed, Katie Williams, technical and product development manager at Dengie, began working on the idea of a feed to address EGUS. She had a head start because Dengie is the UK’s largest producer of alfalfa, a legume known to buffer the effects of acid sloshing around in a horse’s stomach – the very thing that causes ulcers in horses [and humans too].

For the last 18 months, Katie has been conducting trials on a new product. Healthy Tummy had its consumer launch at Burghley last month and is now available to the trade. It’s a genuine industry first in that it’s a complete fibre feed created to address a specific aspect of equine digestive health.

“Ulcers have always been there in horses - think how often people in racing used to say that a horse ‘has a virus’ because it was a bit off colour or had run badly; but now we can detect ulcers and measure the scale of the problem,” said Katie. “I wanted to simplify things for owners and make a solution available. It seemed there was a need.”

Dengie has marketed Healthy Tummy for wide appeal. Katie admits she would love to see every horse on a fibre only diet, preferably fed ad lib as nature intended with the stress of set meal

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Vet Patrick Martin ‘scopes a horse. He was demonstrating the technique to journalists at a media day organised by Dengie.

times removed. But she acknowledges that in many cases this is neither practical nor commercially viable. Get too evangelical and you soon spook your customers!

“People can add a balancer or other feeds to Healthy Tummy but, if it’s fed at the recommended level, it will still have the desired effect. And when people see their horses looking and performing better, that’s the best possible proof that they should convert to a fibre based diet,” she said.

“I also hope that by launching this product, we are helping to raise awareness of EGUS and how good management can help overcome it. Retailers can play an important part in that respect.” Dengie is currently running yard visits, involving a weigh-bridge and information-

laden nutritionist, and is keen to involve retailers in the campaign.

Curiously, the management of horses prone to ulcers, particularly the advice to encourage ad lib forage intake, would appear to be at odds with current warnings about equine obesity.

“It’s not how much they eat but for how long they eat,” clarified Patrick. “You can mix hay with straw, use triplenetted hay, leave horses out on not-too-good grass...and of course give them more exercise.

“But I’m no nutritionist,” added the straight talking vet, “that’s why the Dengie helpline and their advice sheets have been a revelation for us. I’m always referring clients to them. It’s turned into a great partnership.”

What’s in Healthy Tummy?

• Alfalfa coated with soya oil (no molasses) with a premix of vitamins and minerals for use as a complete feed.

• Katie says she will “hang my hat on the ability of range of B vitamins included to make a difference to the horse.” B vitamins [important for hoof and coat condition as well as energy metabolism] are normally produced as a by-product of fibre fermentation, so their levels are compromised when fibre is restricted as is often the case with the ulcer prone horse.

• Healthy Tummy includes Protexin In-Feed Formula which supplies antacids, live yeast and probiotics. The antacids heavy calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate which bind acidity – are similar to those found in Rennies.

• The palatable herbal blend of oregano, ginger, rosemary, thyme and cinnamon in HealthyTummy is similar to that currently being used in poultry farming to deal with the increase in campylobacter without using antibiotics.

• Healthy Tummy has an RRP of £10.99 for 15kg and is launching with £2 off. 10,000 promotional bags are available. The average working horse needs a minimum of two scoops a day to get the benefits while five scoops per day is the recommended feeding rate for a 500kg horse.

• Dengie has produced a leaflet about managing EGUS; supplies are available to give to your customers. The company can also supply details of published research into equine gastric ulcers. t Dengie 0845 345 5115. www.equestriantradenews.com

Saddle tree promises freedom THE new Butterfly saddle from German manufacturer Design & Technik Saddlery is said to fit a wide range of horses - regardless of breed, size and shape.

Inside the leather saddle is a flexible tree with no head iron which, says the maker, is what makes the Butterfly so adaptable.

Flocking adjustments are no longer necessary, it’s claimed, because the absence of a head iron allows freedom at the horse’s shoulder and withers, and prevents pressure points at the thoracic trapezius.

The Butterfly offers a closecontact seat for the rider, while the panels are stuffed with semi-elastic Memoform foam. The cut of the panels is said to be suitable for short-backed horses.

It’s available in dressage, jumping and evening styles with a monoflap option. t Design & Technik Saddlery +49 (0) 80 20/90 599-33

iPhone ‘app’ for owners PFIZER Animal Health, manufacturer of Equest and Equest Pramox wormers, has launched an ‘app’ to help owners manage their horses’ healthcare regime.

The Stable Mate App is an organiser and time saver, bringing together each horse’s records and management requirements together under one virtual stable roof. It also provides Track My Ride, a GPS mapping and exercise planning service, as well as a Horse & Hound news feed.

Stable Mate can cater for up to six horses. The user fills in information about worm control, vaccinations, dentistry, farriery and feeding; the App then automatically creates a calendar of events, appointments and reminders.

“We have tried to develop an app that makes it as easy as possible for owners to keep their equine health care on track as well as add to the fun and pleasure with their horse,” said Paul Blanc, Pfizer’s equine brand manager.

Stable Mate is currently available only for iPhone with Android and Blackberry coming soon.

High five!

FLY Away & Groom Away has launched five new products into its first aid and grooming range.

“After 12 months of testing and development, we firmly believe we have continued with our ‘best in class’ ethos for all new products launched under our brand,” says Simon Lloyd, director.

“We continue to look at market leading brands and continue to strive to develop products which outperform them.”

The new products are Wound Care Cream, Aloe Vera Gel, Sun Protection Cream (UVB30 and said to be one of strongest on the market), Healthy Hoof Conditioner Cream (black) and Healthy Hoof Conditioner Cream (natural). t Fly Away 01384 877857. www.equestriantradenews.com

Safety aid for treeless and side-saddles

Cooler than ever

A NEW RS-tor rider safety aid has an extra long strap for use on treeless and side-saddles.

The product, designed to arrest a fall, is held in the hand like a whip. Side-saddle debutant Janet Walsh says it’s invaluable: “It’s very easy to hold; you don't know it’s there after a while. I’m certainly feeling safer in the saddle.”

The RS-tor is manufactured by PolyPads. The RRP is £44.99 and it comes in child’s, small and medium/large sizes. t PolyPads 01842 752020

SPILLERS says its new Cool Mix is cooler [more non-heating] than ever.

The fresh formulation has carefully controlled levels of starch, contains soya oil and includes magnesium which is associated with calming properties.

Clare Barfoot, Spillers’ research and development manager, said: “It’s especially difficult for riders during this time of year to find the balance between providing their horse with enough energy and condition while keeping him cool, calm and enjoyable to ride.

“Choosing a non-heating product with controlled starch levels, together with added magnesium should help [your customers] reduce the risk of unwanted excitability.”

Spillers is running a Facebook competition for six people each to win a month’s supply of Cool Mix. t Spillers 01908 226626

Three new flavours LIKIT PRODUCTS has added three new winter flavours to its range of Likit and Little Likit refills.

Candy Cane, Cinnamon and Gingerbread will be available to the trade in cases of single or mixed flavours.

The company has also given its website a make-over to include more product and research information, informative articles and links to its social media activity, as well as a stockist finder. t Likit Products 01655 750523

www.equestriantradenews.com

Autumn worming promotion MERIAL Animal Health, manufacturer of Eqvalan and Eqvalan Duo, has launched a new mobile version of its SMART worming planner.

Free to download at mobile.smartworming.co.uk, the app allows customers access to their horses’ worming planner while discussing health issues with their vet or SQP. Merial is also repeating its autumn special offer of a free Dodson & Horrell weigh-tape with purchases of Eqvalan Duo. Retailers purchasing at least 40 tubes this month (October) will receive eight tubes free plus 20 free Dodson & Horrell weigh-tapes while stocks last.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 13

Foldable welly launched HUNTER has introduced a welly with flexible rubber legs for folding.

Designed for travelling, the Original Hunter Tour boot can be rolled, folded or squeezed into a suitcase or backpack.

It’s lighter in weight (50 grams less) than the conventional Hunter, but retains the side buckle and cuff top. Available in red, green, navy and black and sizes 3 – 12, the RRP is £79. t Hunter Boot 0131 240 3672

Galoshes to be seen in GOLLY Galoshes has introduced a smart, plain navy version of its equine gaiters.

It’s also re-styled its fluorescent Hacking Collection to include longer range visibility reflective strips and the latest technical fabric.

Earlier this year the brand, which sponsors Paralympic dressage heroine Natasha Baker, launched Patriotic Gaiter (pictured).

Breathable and waterproof Golly Galoshes keep horses’ legs and boots clean and dry when schooling, competing or hacking; they can also be used to over medical bandages to keep dressings prestine.

The product makes a great add-on buy for customers purchasing equine protective leg wear, hacking attire or first aid products.

Retailers can set up an account with a minimum order of 15 pairs on pro-forma. t Golly Galoshes 01465 861274

New bit range from Germany THE HORSE Bit Shop is the new UK distributor for German bit brand Beris.

The range’s designs and various densities enable it to suit the mouth conformation of many modern horse breeds, says Ema Odlin, senior bitting advisor at The Horse Bit Shop.

Beris bits also come at a price people can afford, she added, with attractive retail margins.

The non-metal bit brand encompasses mullen and ported mouthed snaffles, full cheeks, gags, pelhams and tandem (pictured) bits plus a curb gag design.

The Horse bit Shop introduced the Beris range at Burghley last month. “We were blown away by the response, taking a sizeable number of orders for the bits, and receiving some excellent feedback,” said Ema. The Beris Tandem Combination retails at £120. Bespoke bits are available. t The Horse Bit Shop 01405 861800 www.equestriantradenews.com

Brighten up autumn sales WITH shorter days upon us, your customers should be thinking about being seen and staying safe while out riding on darker mornings and evenings.

Nicky Fletcher of hi-viz specialist Equisafety has some tips on what to stock and how to display it.

• Decide where you are going to site the range. These products are designed to be seen, so don’t tuck it away in a dark corner. Place samples of the range you’re stocking near the front of store. If possible, shine lights on them to encourage the reflective tape/piping to stand out.

• If you have a display horse, kit him out in a rug, leg boots, martingale, tail guard and noseband. Then place a mannequin next to him wearing a waistcoat or jacket and hat with hatband. Have signage explaining the products and tell your customers where in the store they can find them to purchase.

• Make use of Be Seen, Be Safe posters and alike to remind customers to buy the items.

• Invest in products with packaging that explains the benefits to the customer. This helps customers make a choice with confidence.

Equisafety’s products come with descriptive information to help you and your staff. We also include images of our other products on the packaging to encourage more sales.

• Retailers can boost sales by investing in plenty of stock and making a feature out of it. Just buying a couple of tabards and a pair of leg boots is not going to promote the benefits of high visibility products. Investing in varied products such as jackets, rugs, hatbands etc will make it more interesting for your customers.

• The more stock you display, the more money you can make. The Equisafety trade stand used to be quite small, as I was of the mindset that I would lose money if I paid for a larger trade stand, but was

I wrong! The bigger the selling area, the more it draws customers in and encourages them to buy the items.

• At Equisafety, we help our national, international, trade and wholesale customers by promoting the ranges in publications, website and social media and via paid advertising, give-aways and tried and tested features. We also sponsor events and top riders such as Mary King. Constantly being seen gives end users the confidence to buy in the shops.

• If you are going to stock just one range, consider the POLITE collection.

100,000+ riders can’t be wrong! t Equisafety 0151 678 7182.

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The science of saddle fitting Shorten your stirrups and tighten your girth…we could be about to ride another saddle fitting storm. Meet Gerry van Oossanen who’s just launched “the most comprehensive saddle fitting course in the world.”

Study from home

MSFC courses have run successfully in Holland since 2006 and are now open to UK retailers.

Dutch saddle fitting course that combines practical experience with academic study has opened its doors to UK retailers, saddlers, physiotherapists, vets and trainers.

The Academy for Master Saddle Fitting Consultants (MSFC, also the name of the qualification to be gained) and Equine Studies, is directed by veterinary scientist Dr Gerry van Oossanen who also runs a horse and rider rehabilitation centre in Dwingeloo, Holland.

The academy runs training courses in saddle fitting, saddle making and degree level equine sports therapy. The saddle fitting courses have been popular in Holland since

A

“So I decided to do something about it.”

With the emphasis on understanding the science behind saddle fitting, the courses aim to enhance retailers’ skills.

“A saddle fitter is much more than a saddle salesman,” said Gerry. “To become a good salesman you need good commercial skills. To become a good saddle fitter, you need indepth knowledge of the anatomy and biomechanics of the horse, of training influences, of pathology, of rider influence.

“You need to recognise the differences in trees and saddles and their fit. And of course, you must understand how a

The MSFC course puts into context all the new ideas and techniques that are constantly arriving in the saddlery world.

2006, but a quest to educate more people about saddle fitting and how it relates to back problems and horse welfare has prompted Gerry to promote them internationally.

“In my daily practise [as a therapist, see below], I see so many horses with extreme back pain and sometimes even neurological disorders caused by ill fitting saddles,” she said.

saddle is built, which alterations are possible and how a saddle should fit the horse as well as the rider to prevent serious back problems.

“The MSFC saddle fitting course is unique and the most comprehensive in the world. It puts into context all the new ideas and techniques that are constantly arriving in the saddlery world.”

16 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

MSFC training is designed to be combined with a full time job and is suitable for retailers, vets, physiotherapists, trainers, stable managers and horse people considering a career change.

Helpfully for those with a busy job and/or family, theory study can be undertaken at home in your own time over the internet. The examination can also be done via computer at a time to suit each candidate.

The all-important practical element is achieved by candidates choosing to attend on any one of a number of planned weeks.

Subjects covered on the MSFC course include anatomy of horse and rider, biomechanics and scientific research, conformation, pathology, back and lameness checks, nutrition for condition,

different type of trees and saddles (including Western and treeless), saddle construction, influence and use of different girthing systems and therapeutic pads, recognising saddle faults, measuring horses by templates and weight tapes, finding the best fitting saddle or deciding when best have one made.

“Every subject is taught in theory and in practical lessons,” said Gerry. “Candidates learn to read a horse's signals, conformation and condition; how to check a back for damage and a gait for lameness and when to call a vet.

“Recognising the influence of saddle fit is fundamental to understanding the subject.”

Candidates who pass the theory and practical assessments receive the official diploma and can use the registered title and logo of Master Saddle Fitting Consultant.

“Recognising the influence of saddle fit is fundamental to understanding the subject,” says Gerry van Oossanen.

About Gerry van Oossanen Dr Gerry van Oossanen, director of the Academy for Master Saddle Fitting Consultant (MSFC) and Equine Studies, studied at Antwerp University and Utrecht University. She graduated in equine movement science (research subject: the triangle horse-saddle-rider) and has a Masters degree in equine physical therapy science. She is also a chartered animal physical therapist, certified acupuncturist and certified equine thermographer (Ohio State University).

A specialist in equine back and neck disorders, particularly in relation to saddles and bridles, and neurologic movement disorders such as ataxia, stringhalt and hypermetria, Gerry developed a ‘back friendly’ horse and rider rehabilitation training programme. She also teaches saddle fitting in relation to back problems to veterinary students at Utrecht University. www.equestriantradenews.com

• Heidi Cheadle has joined The

Mad Cowes Clothing Company as promotions and development manager for the Derbyshire based brand. She previously worked in the print industry.

“The Mad Cowes range is so comfortable, especially for riding in. It’s great to be supporting a brand designed in the UK by local people. It’s going to be the next big thing!” said Heidi who has just broken-in her four year old Irish Draught x Thoroughbred mare, Abney’s Lily Midge, and is pictured with her dog Dylan.

• Becky Whitcombe, a Hereford based

Sue Carson Saddles distributor, has become an FEI Eventing judge. Becky previously rode to CCI 4* level and is a List 2 dressage judge.

“I did the FEI Official course at Houghton Horse Trials last year and – talk about in at the deep end - my first Ground Jury invitation was to the CIC 2* European Championships at Aston le Walls,” said Becky who has judged at CIC 3* events this season.

“I really enjoy being involved in the eventing world after so many years’ concentrating on pure dressage. There are great people to work with and they have all been so helpful and encouraging.”

• Fast expanding own-brand rugs supplier Rugs-R-Us Ltd has appointed Jeff HarrisonTurner as sales director. With more than 20 years’ experience of building profitable businesses, Jeff has a keen interest in riding and eventing in particular.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the many hardworking owners and business managers out there,” he said, “and helping them to build better businesses by supplying quality products at competitive prices with exceptional customer service.”

Rugs-R-Us provides a variety of horse rugs that can be branded for individual businesses. “It gives you the opportunity to sell and market your own business, improve margins, build customer awareness and much more – all hassle free,” said Jeff.

• There’s been a reshuffle of key people at the equine division of Tangerine Group, home of Carr & Day & Martin and Day, Son & Hewitt.

Geraldine Shannon is UK sales manager for Carr & Day & Martin, while Sue Taylor has a similar role for Day, Son & Hewitt. Nicola Slater was recently at the US trade fair AETA and Spoga in her role as Carr & Day & Martin international sales manager. Laura Dagg is the department’s equine business advisor. Florencia Arrambide has left her job as Tangerine Group’s equine division director.

• When The Spanish Riding School of Vienna returns to give a series of shows in the UK next month (November), the line-up will include its first female rider, Hannah Zeitlhofer.

Hannah (25) joined the famous school as an ‘eleve’ in September 2008, gaining promotion to assistant rider in May. She previously competed in dressage competitions up to levels L and M (equivalent to medium level in the UK). Hannah has also studied equine science.

“Being the first female to take part, I know that people are particularly interested in watching me - so I have to be sure I perfect my performance,” she said.

• Paralympic dressage gold medallist Sophie Christiansen features on one of a series of celebratory stamps issued by the Royal Mail. A red post box in Sophie’s hometown of Sunningdale, Berkshire has been painted gold to mark her success too. Fellow British gold medal team para-dressage riders Deborah Criddle from Taunton, Lee Pearson from Stoke-on-Trent and Sophie Wells, who hails from Newark, also got the same golden-stamp-and-postbox honour.

• Lizzy Wadey has joined TopSpec as an equine nutritionist. A biology graduate from the University of Nottingham, she has been involved with horses from an early age coming up through the Pony Club where she gained her B test.

Lizzy has two horses, a Belgian warmblood and a Connemara/Irish Sport Horse who are eventing at intermediate and BE100. She also enjoys cross country running and photography. “As well as eventing, I enjoy team chasing, dressage, side-saddle and competing on riding club teams,” said Lizzy. “I’m looking forward to the new opportunities my role at TopSpec will bring and feel very fortunate to have gained the position in such an experienced and forward thinking team.” www.equestriantradenews.com

• Keira Goodwin, Horslyx sales representative for the north of England, has bared (nearly) all for the Help for Heroes charity.

The Hotties Calendar brings together 11 ‘normal’ girls prepared to pose in the bare essentials, with Keira featuring as Miss June.

The calendar is available from www.hottiescalendar.co.uk. Or if you’d like to support Help for Heroes and sell it in your store, contact Keira through the website.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 17

Above and beyond ETN looks at what’s on the market in supplements and balancers, an important sector for tackshops as well as feed merchants.

Totally topical trio IN The Pink Powder, In the Pink Senior and Haylage Balancer help save time and money while adding value to feed regimes, says NAF. Haylage Balancer makes the most of the benefits of roughage and helps maintain a healthy gut environment.

Its role is to neutralise and absorb excess acids in the gut, while slowing down the rate of passage of partially digested food, thus maximising the digestion of roughage.

Many users of Haylage Balancer are able to cut back on the quantity of hard feed given, says NAF, and find that their horses are cleaner in their stables, saving time and money on bedding.

In The Pink Senior is formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of the older horse.

By balancing the diet and the digestive system, it enables horses to maximise the value of their feed intake. Pre and pro-biotics are included, plus vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and herbs to support joint health.

Feeding horses that struggle to maintain condition due to a busy lifestyle, anxious disposition or change of environment or workload can be tricky. NAF’s In The Pink Powder is designed to get the balance right.

Formulated using live yeasts and probiotics, it also offers vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients to help support general health and vitality. t NAF 01600 710700

18 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

Winter best-sellers

COLD, wet weather and restricted turnout lead to more equine joint stiffness. So it’s not surprising that winter is when owners start investigating supplements.

When deciding what to stock, to meet this demand, retailers need to do their homework, says the team at Maxavita.

In cases of stiffness, a natural anti-inflammatory such as green lipped mussel (GLM) can be recommended. For long term joint health, glucosamine, chondroitin and HA (hyaluronic acid) can be beneficial.

Therefore with key ingredients including GLM, glucosamine, MSM and (HA), MaxaFlex offers short and long term support for joint health. It’s just one of a range of Maxavita lines that sell well during the winter.

As Rosey Groombridge of the Cambridgeshire based company explained: “Popular products during the winter months are our joint care supplements MaxaFlex and Pernamax Equine. Sales of MaxaBreathe also tend to increase in autumn and winter when dusty bedding and hay can aggravate the airways and respiratory problems are more common.”

MaxaBreathe is designed to combat the signs of respiratory disease and help maintain clear and healthy airways. The key ingredient in is SuPerna, a patented GLM extract with a potent soothing action.

Anti-oxidant ingredients are added to help fight infection and support the immune system, allowing for clear, comfortable and natural breathing inside and outside the stable. t Maxavita 08450 752754 www.equestriantradenews.com

Keep it simple FEEDING equines should be straightforward not stressful, says GWF Nutrition, manufacturer of Equilibra 500 + Omega 3 feed balancer.

Owners should remain true to their horses’ natural way of being, be kind to their stomachs and mindful of overfeeding. Yet feeding has become complicated and expensive.

Owners are emotionally blackmailed into stocking up on unnecessary items and paying more than they should, claims GWF Nutrition.

Just because a feed is expensive, it is by no means superior.

Merchants should urge their customers to take a step back, look at the work their horses are in and how they behave - and ask what do they really need?

Horses benefit from a fibre based diet. Eating fibre slows food intake, increasing chewing and the production of saliva. This is important because the saliva, which is produced in substantial quantities, helps neutralise acidic gastric acid that horses produce 24 hours per day.

Horses are prone to gastric and colonic ulcers which can be very uncomfortable and cause erratic behaviour. Discomfort can also be caused by the feeding of low quality, indigestible fibre or indigestible sugars from uncooked starches that can affect the microbial population in the hindgut.

The proliferation of harmful bacteria in the hindgut can lead to colic, loose droppings and extensive gas production, warns GWF Nutrition. A menu of low starch and digestible fibrous products fed with a feed balancer such as Equilibra 500 + Omega 3 to maintain a healthy, functioning digestive tract is ideal for most horses in light work.

Feeding Equilibra 500 + Omega 3 guarantees a horse is getting the optimum amount of vitamins and minerals it needs, as well as a balanced diet. This applies to any age, size of horse or pony; regardless of their workload. All equines digest their feed the same way.

A 20kg bag of Equilibra has a RRP of £23.99. t GWF Nutrition 01225 708482.

In the pink THINK Pink from Brinicombe Equine ensures a horse gets a balanced source of vitamins and minerals for just 32p a day.

The product also includes live yeast for a healthy digestive system with added linseed oil for coat condition. Fed daily, Think Pink will help maintain the natural micro-flora of the gut for optimum digestion.

A 2kg container will last a 500kg horse up to 40 days at an RRP of £12.99. Larger, even more economical sizes are available.

Meanwhile, Think Mud is a unique supplement that cuts out the hassle of having to apply daily barrier creams in wet, muddy conditions.

The natural ingredients are said to help maintain a healthy immune system, support blood circulation and help promote skin healing - making the horse more resistant to further attacks.

Available in 1.5kg and 4kg tubs with RRPs of £30.95 and £65.95 respectively. t Brinicombe Equine 08700 606206.

20 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

www.equestriantradenews.com

Going comprehensive TOPSPEC Comprehensive Feed Balancer is a palatable, ‘nonheating’, pelleted concentrate that contains no cereal grains and low levels of sugar and starch.

It does, however, contain several supplements combined with a feed designed to promote muscle development and function.

A top-specification, broad-spectrum supplement is backed up by others including a hoof supplement, generous levels of anti-oxidants and digestive aids.

The formulation allows horses to utilise more nutrients from the forage and straights in their diet, which usually means that their hard feed intake can be reduced with many resulting benefits.

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is a flexible, nutrient-rich feed designed to balance the rations of most horses and ponies simply by adjusting the rate at which it is fed and the products with which it’s fed.

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains: • Micronutrients to balance feed and improve its utilisation, even in the most demanding or stressful situations.

• Vitamin E and selenium - vital anti-oxidants at ‘powerful’ levels - to neutralise the presence of excess free-radicals and, together with high quality protein, to optimise muscle development and function. Important for broodmares, horses on high oil diets, and horses recovering from ‘tying-up’.

• The level of biotin (15mg/500kg horse/day) that is scientifically proven to improve hoof quality, plus the levels of methionine, cysteine, lysine, calcium, zinc, copper, iodine, vitamin A and oil known to improve the efficiency of biotin alone. Many of these nutrients also promote supple skin and a shiny coat.

• Effective levels of protein, vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, copper, zinc and manganese to develop and maintain strong bone.

• Constructive levels of amino acids, complex carbohydrates, anti-oxidants plus MSM to help maintain healthy joints.

• Raised levels of copper, zinc, B vitamins and associated nutrients to optimise haemoglobin levels in blood.

• Generous levels of B vitamins for efficient energy metabolism, vital for horses with compromised hindgut function.

• Two advanced probiotic substances to create a healthy gut environment, optimise fibre digestibility and maintain a healthy immune system.

• Organic chelated minerals for improved availability.

• Many factors to help calm certain horses.

TopSpec can offer advice to you and your customers via its multi-award winning helpline. t TopSpec 01845 565030 www.equestriantradenews.com

Harnessing the media EQUINE Products UK says its new website and digital marketing offering will support stockists and consumers alike.

Along with a presence on Facebook and Twitter, the company is producing a monthly ‘ezine’ with product features, sponsored rider updates and competitions.

“We have customers from all over the world using our products across all equestrian disciplines and we want to enhance the communication channels we have with them,” said commercial director Justin Ridley (pictured).

Popular lines include Selenavite, Restore-Lyte, Haemavite B Plus and Relax Leg Coolant. t Equine Products UK 0191 264 5536

Choosing is easy THE five strong range of Spillers’ balancers makes it easy for your customers to choose the right one to suit their horses’ individual needs.

Spillers Lite Balancer is perfect for a very good doer or the overweight horse or pony that is on a restricted diet but must still be provided with a balanced regime even if it is calorie restricted.

Spillers Original Balancer has a wide application, from horses that don’t require the full amount of compound feed to those that would benefit from additional supplementation.

When the competition horse’s diet needs a top-up, there’s Spillers Performance Balancer; while Spillers Senior Balancer is for older horses that may not need the recommended amount of compound feed.

Spillers Gro ‘N Win Stud Balancer is specifically for brood mares, stallions and youngstock that don’t require the extra calories and protein traditional stud feeds provide. They might include natives and warmbloods or late foaling Thoroughbreds that have access to good spring grass.

With clear point of sale material and easy-to-use product guides, Spillers makes it simple for your customers to make the right feed decisions in-store. t MARS Horsecare UK 01908 222888.

For sale: good all-rounder ALOERIDE is a pure, organic aloe vera supplement, which offers a natural approach to horses’ and ponies’ well-being.

Aloe vera has long been recognised as an important plant in human holistic supplements with regards to supporting a healthy immune system and digestive system, as well as helping to promote healthy skin, hair and nails.

Now these benefits, plus numerous others, can also be offered to your customers’ equine friends via taste free, easy to feed Aloeride powder sachets.

30 sachets (30 days’ worth) contain 12 litres of aloe vera juice.

Alongside a glossy coat, healthy skin and strong hooves, Aloeride can also help assist in accelerated rejuvenation and recovery, as well as offering anti-inflammatory properties.

Aloeride aloe vera has been tested by an accredited Newmarket laboratory and does not contain any synthetic compounds. The RRP for one box of 30 sachets (one month’s supply) is £55.20.

Fans of the product include para-dressage rider Bert Sheffield and showing name Loraine Homer. t Aloeride 01858 464550

www.equestriantradenews.com

When the going gets tough COMPETITION horses need dietary supplementation of B complex vitamins and iron, says supplements supplier TRM, as these nutrients are required for red blood cell formation and other important metabolic functions relating to exercise.

Higher seasonal workloads - often with increased carbohydrate in the diet and reduced access to grazing lead to increased hind gut acidity, compromising correct microbial activity and B vitamin absorption.

B complex vitamins are water soluble and therefore not stored in the body for any length of time, so ideally should be supplemented on a daily basis. TRM’s IronXcell, an iron enriched B vitamin syrup with Sorbitol, is said to provide an excellent nutritional tonic and effective appetite stimulant.

IronXcell also provides nutritional support following treatment with antibiotics and can be valuable for horses affected by a number of different seasonal ailments. t TRM 00 353 45 434 258.

Hooves affected by wet conditions?

LIFE Data Labs offers your customers a complete hoof care package, headed by its ‘gold standard’ Farrier’s Formula supplement.

Farrier's Formula provides the nutrients needed to build healthy hooves, and is recommended by vets and farriers.

A strengthened hoof wall means less shoe loss, reduced hoof sensitivity and increased comfort on hard ground. Positive results can be seen within eight to ten weeks - and horses love the taste, says Life Data Labs.

For the ultimate in hoof care, your customers should apply The Right Step Hoof Conditioner to protect the horse’s foot from excessively wet environmental conditions while retaining natural hoof fluids.

The Right Step does not foster harmful microbial invasion because the hoof can breathe through the resin coating which creates a barrier to moisture, thereby protecting the hoof capsule form softening during wet conditions.

Yucca plant extract is an ingredient in The Right Step. Urine and faeces produce high levels of ammonia which is detrimental to the hoof capsule, particularly in stabled horses. Yucca binds with this ammonia, reducing its harmful effects. t Life Data Labs EU sales 07535 151022

24 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

Is your supplier on your side?

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SUPPLEMENTS being a busy marketplace, it makes sense to believe that suppliers are competing hard for your business. But just how should they support their stockists?

It’s a subject about which Tom Barrett, TRM vice president Europe, North America feels strongly. In fact, he says, the need to ensure excellent retail support is fundamental to success.

“The obvious requirement is for us to ensure that the full TRM range is readily available to retailers through the three major wholesalers, Battles, Trilanco and Westgate,” said Tom. TRM also does a considerable amount of advertising in the UK to the professional and semi professional markets.

“We’ve always believed that if the market can be driven by top equestrian riders and trainers in the UK, then individuals in these sectors will collectively tend to select products based on merit and effectiveness, rather than an unquestioning belief in often superficial marketing communications,” said Tom. “To create this network of peer recommendation, TRM has built perhaps the largest global ‘stable’ of international riders and trainers who are successfully feeding its range of products to achieve highly visible results on the world stage.”

The policy appears to have worked in the modern Thoroughbred industry. “Wherever Thoroughbred horses are raced, TRM products can be found,” added Tom. “This strategy allows trainers and competitors easy access to products, primarily through a confident retail network.”

TRM has worked in the UK for the last 15 years with Farm & Stable Supplies which can offer a next day service to any retailer within the UK. “For any retailer to successfully sell a range, it’s essential for us to provide detailed product information,” said Tom, referring to the TRM brochure in print and digital format.

Assisting with nutritional enquiries from retailers or their customers is another important service a supplements supplier should offer its stockists, says Tom. “And finally,” he added, “clear, concise labelling is a necessity, so that even in a busy store when staff are unavailable, customers can compare and choose the product that best suits their situation.”

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Grass, hay and weird weather A wet summer will boost winter sales, says Nicola Tyler, nutrition director, TopSpec Equine.

Owners need to know about the quality and quantity of grass, fresh or conversed, their horses consume.

rass, whether fresh or conserved, is the major part of the diet for most horses in the UK (leaving racehorses aside). It therefore should make sense for horse owners to know as much as possible about the quality and quantity their horses are eating.

In practice, it’s very difficult accurately to assess what a horse is grazing and so pasture analysis is best forgotten except when horses are relying on it 24/7 for their nutritional needs e.g. broodmares turned away with foals at foot.

The hygienic quality of hay is very important and is one aspect that can be assessed by horse owners to some extent. It is best to avoid feeding hay that is even slightly dusty but if circumstances enforce it, then soak the hay in ample, cool fresh water for 30 minutes, or better steam it, to reduce the chance of irritant spores entering a

G

horse’s lungs.

Significantly dusty hay can be analysed, but there is little point, it should not be fed.

Is it worth nutritionally analysing conserved forage i.e. hay or haylage? Whilst the estimated calorific content of hay (referred to as DE or Digestible Energy) can be considered no more than a guide, the protein, mineral and trace-element levels can help inform feed choices and allow horse owners to be aware of potential problems when e.g. copper or selenium levels are low.

The estimation of ‘sugar’ content by NIR (Near Infra Red Spectroscopy) is what is says and where knowledge of the sugar content of hay is important for the individual horse or pony (e.g. if they are prone to laminitis), then I would recommend asking for wet chemistry analysis for both WSC

(Water Soluble Carbohydrate) and ESC (Ethanol Soluble Carbohydrate) which will cost about £25.

Several reputable feed firms provide an NIR forage analysis service for a nominal fee and TopSpec provide this service free of charge to their clients.

Remember that the analysis will only be as good as the sample, so as representative a sample as possible should be taken.

The gross feed value of forage is usually best demonstrated by how horses do on it i.e. the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If a horse does well on a particular batch of hay it almost certainly has a good protein and energy value whatever the analysis says; and vice-versa.

Hay quality You don’t need me to tell you that this year there has been very little sun and a great deal of rain. The result of this is that

whilst plenty of haylage has been made, a good deal will be of lower than average quality.

Very little hay has been made, especially in small bales. Most of the hay that has been made was made much later than normal, towards the end of July. The mature crop has resulted in lower protein and energy values and higher fibre values than average.

The forage analyses carried out by TopSpec so far this year indicate that protein levels are 1% below average, sugar levels are also down whilsefibre is up.

These result in DE being depressed by about 10%. This is actually good news for owners of overweight horses and ponies and also those that are prone to laminitis. The poor crop is less good news for working horses and others that rely on its nutritional input into their diet.

For example, a 500kg horse fed 10kgs of 8% protein hay over 24hours would eat 800g of protein. At 6.75% protein, that horse would only receive 675g of protein. The shortfall of 125g of protein could be addressed by adding 500g of TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer to his ration (providing 125g top quality protein). The TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer will also improve the utilisation of the horse’s hay to compensate for the reduction in DE value. continued overleaf

An alternative approach could be to increase the nutrient density of the feed offered. If the horse received 2.5kg hard feed per day, the new feed would need to increase in protein level by 5% and about 3.5MJ DE/kg. 1 kg of a 12.5% protein cube could be added to the horse’s daily diet to make up the protein and energy deficit but care must be taken not to make his individual feeds too large with this approach.

The retailer is clearly presented with sales opportunities from all approaches.

Where the quantity of hay or haylage offered to the horse has to be restricted, hay replacers need to be introduced. It’s worthwhile considering what benefits forage provides and how much an individual horse needs each benefit before deciding on what to use as a hay replacer.

Forage benefits: • An important source of nutrients. Horses have evolved to utilise roughage by being able to hold cellulosic materials in their hindgut for long enough (approx. 48 hours) for the symbiotic microflora to ferment the fibre to VFAs (or 'Non-Heating' energy).

Overweight horses can do with less of the calories this benefit provides!

Working/growing horses in correct condition cannot.

• A healthy digestive process. The fibre in forage stimulates peristalsis [muscle contractions that transport feed].

• Eating forage promotes relaxed behaviour. Horses need to chew for a long time in order to get feed particle size down to <2mm, the average particle size found in droppings. 1 kg hay takes about 4,000 chews, which takes a horse about1hour. Therefore 15kgs of hay will occupy a horse in normal behaviour for approximately 15 hours.

Add another hour for eating 3kg of hard feed (balancers, blends and/or compound feed) and he is close to the 16hours/day he would spend grazing in his field if left to his own devices.

Adding some chop to his diet

will slow down his rate of eating because chop takes as long to eat as long fibre. BUT care should be taken to avoid adding more than a handful of chop to large feeds (just 2kg dry weight for a 500kg horse qualifies as large i.e. 1 Stubbs scoop of cubes!) as the chop increases the rate of passage of feed through the small intestine, reducing digestive opportunities and risking starch overload into the hindgut with resultant problems.

As 1kg cubed feed takes about 1200 chews, 20 minutes instead of the hour needed to chew hay, replacing say 3 kgs of hay/24 hours with e.g. a highfibre cube will reduce eating time by 2 hours, time for boredom! Boredom can lead to stereotypical behaviour.Perhaps an opportunity to sell stable toys etc.

• Prevention of gastric ulceration. Up to 15litres of saliva, containing sodium bicarbonate, is produced daily by a 500kg horse whilst chewing ad lib forage. Reducing forage intake compromises the antacid effect the alkaline saliva has when washed over the stomach lining. A 500kg horse fed just 1.2% of his bodyweight as forage will only chew for six hours a day (less than 40% of ideal eating time).The long periods without chewing/saliva production will result in a drop in stomach pH and an increased risk of gastric ulcer formation and possibly stereotypical behaviour (again).

In my opinion, this is not an opportunity to sell in-feed antacids as they reside in the stomach for only 1-2 hours each feed time, not long enough to have a significant effect in horses which secrete acid into their stomachs for 24 hours a day.

The addition of unmolassed alfalfa chop e.g. TopChop Alfalfa, to a horse’s diet when forage is reduced out of necessity, will not only increase chewing time but as alfalfa has been shown to have a mild protective effect against ulceration of the stomach lining, will have a double benefit, possibly due to the buffering effect of its high protein

26 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

content. Unfortunately the generally lower protein content of this year’s hay crop (and much haylage) will not help.

Any chop added to the diet to bulk out restricted forage intake should not be fed with hard feeds but offered separately at a different time. We generally advise a maximum intake of 2kg alfalfa per day for a 500kg horse, especially important for elderly geldings in order to

The poor summer, with rain interspersed with more rain, has also caused hoof quality to take a hammering this summer, with many owners reporting poor hoof quality largely due to the state of the ground.

A clear sales opportunity for hoof supplements, or more cost-effectively for products containing hoof supplements e.g. TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer for horses

Forage analyses carried out by TopSpec so far this year indicate that protein levels are 1% below average, sugar levels are also down while fibre is up. avoid stimulating the production of urinary calculi.

Twice this quantity of an unmolassed alfalfa/oat straw mix e.g. TopChop Lite, could be fed in a 24 hour period and will supply three times the chewing time. How useful is that!

TopChop Lite is an ideal hay replacer for average hay on a weight for weight substitution where hay is not obtainable or is priced at over £8 per small bale.

• Hydration. Fibre helps to create a reservoir of fluid in the hindgut, this is important for all working horses, especially endurance horses. This reservoir does need to be reduced when horses race. It may be appropriate to recommend salt, electrolyte preparations etc.

• Warmth. The process of fermentation in the hindgut literally warms a horse up from the inside out. That is why a horse in a field in winter will be warmed far more by a flap of hay than by a warm hard feed. A sales opportunity for good winter rugs?

requiring extra muscle development and topline or TopSpec All-in-One multisupplement for horses that do not require weight gain. Topical hoof preparations which are micro-porous are another good type of product to recommend in these circumstances.

Although we can generally say that on average haylage has a better nutritional quality than hay, this year there will be much more regional variation than normal. Whether the forage your client wishes to buy, or has to use, is a rare batch of good hay, poor hay or, heaven forbid, a wet green haylage, there are teams of nutritionists in feed companies around the UK that you can recommend your customer contact for help.

This year that help should result in more sales opportunities than normal.

Perhaps every cloud does have a silver lining for someone…..and that someone could be you! t The TopSpec multiple award winning helpline (01845 5650300) can be used by retailers in their shop to help customers to get instant nutritional advice.

Stocking appropriate products and encouraging your customers to use feed companies’ helplines should result in more sales opportunities than normal this autumn.

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Meet the dope testers...

The company that provided drug surveillance services at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games also works with feed and supplement manufacturers. Catherine Judkins, business sector manager at HFL Sport Science, explains.

Please tell us something about your company.

HFL Sport Science evolved from HFL Ltd (formerly Horseracing Forensic Laboratory) and became part of the LGC group in late 2010. We are based in Fordham, near Cambridge, and provide drug surveillance, doping control and research activities to all sports.

We have half a century’s continuous experience in the science of sports doping control (equine, canine and human), including testing within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and testing human and animal food supplements for substances prohibited in sport.

Our scientists deliver both operational screening services and innovative research into prohibited substance detection. The work we have

undertaken in horseracing has helped shape the Rules and Regulations of racing, and we have worked with the regulators and organisers of many major international sporting events.

In addition, our scientists have published more than 300 scientific papers through the years and have pioneered innovative bioanalytical techniques.

How many horses did you test during the Olympic Games – and how many failed dope tests were there?

We were very proud to have played a role in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The equestrian events at the Olympic Games have recently been declared “clean”. FEI President, HRH Princess Haya, announced: “We had a rigorous and

At the HFL laboratories, from left Robert Sturdy MEP for East of England and lab director Steve Maynard.

28 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

comprehensive testing programme in place. These were the most tested Games ever and we also tested for more substances than ever before. We worked hand in hand with [HFL] in Newmarket and thank them for the speed with which they processed all the Olympic samples so that we could maintain a level playing field throughout the Games”.

As well as carrying out the doping control testing for the Games, we also tested a record 4,500 supplement products for banned substances in the lead up to, and during, London 2012.

Even regular foods intended for the Olympic Village have been sent in for analysis, to help ensure that no inadvertently contaminated products were available.

More broadly, this year has also seen an increased number of performance horse feeds undergoing testing for naturally-occurring prohibited substances including morphine and caffeine, as part of our commitment to helping reputable feed companies ensure their products are safer for use by the equine athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The number of different samples we have been testing underlines the dedication of reputable supplement manufacturers to providing top quality products to human athletes and clean equestrian events at the Games.

LGC tests animal food supplements for substances prohibited in sport. What does this involve? Is the service available commercially to manufacturers and how do they access it?

We have been testing performance horse feeds since the early 1990s.

When a horse in competition tests positive for a banned substance, the blame is sometimes directed towards the feed that the horse has been given. Contamination levels in the feed need only be extremely low, but the consequences of the horse consuming the tainted product can be huge.

Although feed products could become contaminated via cross-contamination from another product made in the same factory containing a banned substance, the most common form of contamination is naturallyoccurring (i.e plant base.) contamination of a raw ingredient. For example, an abundance of poppy seeds in feedstuffs has been found to be the cause of a number of positive findings for morphine in horse urine.

Other potential natural contaminants that have been found in equine feeds include atropine – a substance derived from Atropa belladonna, commonly known as deadly nightshade. Atropine is banned by the UK horseracing regulatory authorities due to its stimulating effects. A related substance, hyoscine – similarly derived from the nightshade family (for example, jimson weed or Datura stramonium) - is also prohibited.

We carry out regular testing of supplement and equine feeds on behalf of manufacturers. We look for naturally occurring prohibited substances (NOPS), helping minimise the risk of their product giving rise to a positive doping test. All our screening services are carried out to high international standards (ISO 17025) and are designed to detect a wide range of banned substances in a variety of supplement and feed formulations. www.equestriantradenews.com

We work with over 50 manufacturers in Europe, ensuring that their testing requirements are met. We liaise regularly with the sporting authorities and other laboratories to keep abreast of the latest findings regarding banned substances, regularly updating all our supplement and feed screens to keep them as current as possible.

We would advise any trainer worried about horse feed contamination to ask their feed manufacturer if the product they are selling has been tested for prohibited substances. Similarly, any feed manufacturers who would like to provide an extra level of quality assurance to their customers, please speak to us!

Does LGC test products applied topically as well as given orally?

We test orally taken performance horse feeds and human supplements on a routine basis. Occasionally we are asked to test topical applications, but this is nonroutine.

Does LGC recommend that any new supplement is tested before it’s marketed?

For both human supplements and horse feeds – yes, always test before use. As we pointed out just now, particularly so in the case of feed, many of the contaminants we look for are naturally-occurring and can, in fact, be found in a wide range of cereals, grasses, seeds, etc.

And as far as human supplements are concerned, it has been known for inadvertent contamination to occur. For example: • Cross-contamination within the manufacturing process (e.g. if equipment isn't cleaned thoroughly between batches) • Impurities within the raw material (particularly herbals) • Cross-contamination between raw materials within the supply chain Our Informed-Sport programme is a quality assurance programme for sports nutrition products, suppliers to the sports nutrition industry, and supplement manufacturing facilities. The programme certifies that all nutritional www.equestriantradenews.com

supplements and/or ingredients that bear the Informed-Sport logo have been tested for banned substances by our world class sports anti-doping lab.

Athletes choosing to use supplements bearing our logo can be sure that their chosen products have been through this rigorous certification process.

Is it a mistake to believe that because a supplement is ‘natural’ a popular adjective used in marketing - it is automatically ‘legal’.

For human supplements, ‘natural’ often means supplements containing botanical ingredients. We tend to see a higher incidence of inadvertent contamination with banned substances in botanical ingredients than non-botanical.

How much of LGC’s work involves devising tests to stay ahead of the dopers?

Lots! We do a lot of research to ensure testing is as up-todate as possible, with past examples being research into gene doping, detection of EPO etc.

We no longer test human athletes, as such, although we did from 2004-7, when HFL was only the 34th laboratory in the world to be accredited

by WADA/IOC. As WADA now prohibits any of its accredited labs from providing testing services to supplement companies, we voluntarily withdrew our WADA accreditation in 2007, in order to ensure that a high integrity service could be provided to address issues of quality assurance within the trade.

However, HFL remains very much a part of the WADA community, undertaking WADA-funded research contracts into drug detection in sport.

There is definitely a welfare element to the testing of equine athletes…not just about performance enhancing substances, but about medications such as painkillers etc, ensuring that horses only compete when they are fit. It

all helps to uphold the integrity of the sport What will be the ‘next big trend’ in anti-doping in equestrian sports?

Good question. I don’t know if anyone can really predict something like this, simply. Currently we’ve noticed that ‘doping’ is tending towards the use of biological drugs (proteins, etc). For example, we mentioned EPO earlier; this was initially produced legitimately to treat anaemia and is also a naturally-occurring protein – and the trend has really been that way for a number of years.

We, and the whole industry, are aware of this and it’s very much something we have to keep an eye on. Breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals and medicine produce drugs that aren’t developed for doping but for legitimate use – however, abuse can follow.

Presumably many dope test failures in equestrian sport are due to the likes of cross contamination of feed utensils and other accidents rather than deliberate...Do you think the industry needs to be more careful?

I don’t think we could really say ‘many’ …but certainly there have been past cases of a failed doping test in a horse that has been traced to an inadvertently-contaminated feed. So yes, manufacturers need to be aware of the issue and ensure they have appropriate controls in place to minimise the risk of this happening.

LGC tests human athletes as well as animals. Is there a different ethical stance between the two, based on the fact that humans have a choice whereas with animals, doping can be a welfare issue?

Human and equine athletes in all equestrian sports at London 2012 were ‘clean’. HFL was commended for its speedy testing of hundreds of samples.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 29

“Big store with small tackshop ethos”

It’s known fondly by local riders as ‘the naughty place’ because when they go there, they spend more money than they intended! But that’s exactly how Barrie and Lynda Mortlock planned Ingatestone Saddlery Centre, writes Penny Richardson.

This Essex-based brother-andsister combo joined forces in 1974 and their award-winning business just hasn’t stopped growing. It was Lynda who first had the idea of working together.

“We were already involved in the horse world. I’d passed my BHS exams and was working in a competition yard, while Barrie had trained in farriery and leatherwork,” she explains. “He was doing mobile saddlery repairs and taking a unit to shows at weekends.”

Lynda noticed an empty shop in the centre of their local village of Ingatestone and B & J Saddlery was born. The business ticked along nicely and the Mortlocks became regulars with their tradestand on the show circuit until 1998.

By this time they had moved to larger premises and had decided to concentrate on their core retail business. This was still growing fast, so another move was in the offing. In 2001, they found the perfect spot.

“When I arrive to open up on Sundays, I usually find a queue of people waiting to come in for breakfast.”

“We were so lucky to be able to buy this place,” says Lynda. “It was a riding school that lost a lot of land when the A12 road was built. That meant it wasn’t suitable for lessons any more, but it couldn’t have been a better location as far as we were concerned.”

She’s not kidding.

Ingatestone Saddlery Centre is just off junction 15 of the A12 and very close to the city of Chelmsford, making it easy to reach people from all over East Anglia and the south of

England.

The immaculately maintained main shop is situated in what used to be an indoor school — “Our café was the old viewing gallery” — and an adjacent building houses the feed shop.

There’s also an on-site saddle fitter, whose job was made much easier when the Mortlocks installed a 20x40m all-weather arena, so that

horses could travel to him for fitting. “We had 25 acres of land sitting there doing nothing, so it seemed silly not to have an arena,” says Lynda.

Subject to planning permission, Lynda would now like to increase the arena’s size, but she has no plans to run any events.

“Good grief no,” she laughs.

“We’re trying to make a profit!”

Lynda and Barrie Mortlock from Ingatestone Saddlery Centre collect their award from Nicky Mackenzie of SEIB.

marquee up and had a big clothing sale. It was very successful.”

Farriers’ wholesale

From the impressive equestrian statue to the restaurant, Ingatestone Saddlery Centre is a popular destination for horsey folk.

Early days Things have certainly changed since the early days.

“Then, there was just the two of us. Now, we employ almost 50 full- and part-time staff and another 40 come in on weekends,” says Lynda.

“I’ve had no management training, so it’s been a big learning curve. I’ve just picked things up on the job.”

One problem Lynda and Barrie are trying hard to solve is that of quick staff turnover.

“People used to say that they loved working here, but that there was no opportunity for progression, so we’ve made departmental managers in clothing, saddlery, customer service and our warehouse. An outside company has been brought in to train some assistant managers, which should give staff a chance to move up through the ranks,” explains Lynda.

The idea seems to have

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worked. Those on duty when I visited were non-pushy, but happy to help when customers needed it. And one longserving member of staff is still working part-time on the shop floor despite having passed her training as an airline pilot!

The Mortlocks have six SQPs on the staff and three more staff members have just completed a BETA hat fitting course.

“We’ve made a conscious decision to support the BETA courses. I do think workers feel better when they have a certificate in their hand,” says Lynda.

The centre is open seven days a week, including Bank Holidays.

“I had a choice to make for the [Queen’s Diamond] Jubilee weekend. Should we close or stay open and do something special to celebrate it?” remembers Lynda. “I decided on the latter and we put a

In conjunction with the centre, the Mortlocks run a mail order business, as well as acting as wholesalers for farriers.

“Due to Barrie’s background, we’ve always sold horseshoes, so we decided to offer all the supplies farriers need. It’s a separate business and they do have to be qualified and registered farriers to buy from us,” explains Lynda.

The main store is divided into smaller units housing various brands and is signposted clearly, so that customers can find what they are looking for easily. The popular restaurant is situated at the back of the shop.

“People love being able to spend time in the shop and then enjoy a coffee and something to eat,” says Lynda.

“When I arrive to open up on Sundays, I usually find a queue of people waiting to come in for breakfast. I always joke with the regulars that I wish they were as keen to buy from the store too!”

Winning awards Barrie and Lynda’s hard work has resulted in many BETA Business awards, including in the mail order/internet retailer category.

“That’s nothing to do with me. I’m a total technophobe, although I am hugely proud of the fact that I’ve tried to drag myself into the 21st century by buying an iPad,” jokes Lynda.

The mail order side is managed by Lynda’s former PA, Jacqui Stedi. “It’s her baby and I don’t know what we’d do without her. She’s a very valuable member of staff,” says Lynda.

So why do the Mortlocks think they’re so successful?

“We do pride ourselves on personal service — we’re a big store with a small tackshop ethos,” says Lynda. “We have more staff than many other equestrian shops and we try to keep things friendly.”

Lynda and Barrie aren’t ready to sit back just yet and are still planning improvements to the store they call “the shed in Barrie’s back garden”.

“We’ve always got plans,” says Lynda. “The problem is that there aren’t enough hours in the day.”

The beautifully presented Ingatestone Saddlery Centre is housed in a former indoor riding school.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 31

A BUSY BLENHEIM

B

ETA welcomed thousands of visitors to its stand at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, in Oxfordshire. The trade association spent four action-packed days at the event, promoting rider safety, the work of its members and the benefits of equestrian sport, with the help of Queenie, the mechanical horse from Take up the Reins, a national campaign organised on behalf of the British Equestrian Federation.

The luxury BETA hamper prize draw, filled with £2,000 worth of equestrian goodies, attracted a huge number of entries and many people signed up to take part in the trade association’s online equestrian panel, designed to gather consumer feedback.

BETA goody bags were as highly prized as ever, as were the red, white and blue BETA bandanas that quickly become the show’s most popular doggy

accessory, as canines – from small Jack Russells to large Rhodesian Ridgebacks – wore them with pride in exchange for a donation to Riding for the Disabled.

Blenheim provided an extremely successful tour stop for Take up the Reins as it tempted many visitors to sample life in the saddle – including some former riders, convincing them that now might be just the time to enjoy a gentle ride once again.

“The show was an extremely positive experience for BETA on all counts,” said executive director Claire Williams. “It allowed us to meet some really interesting, knowledgeable people from all walks of life and of all ages.

“You really can’t beat taking the BETA brand out to key events such as Blenheim, highlighting our work and letting everyone know just what BETA can do for them.”

Overseas promotion with BETA Showcase

C

ompanies wishing to benefit from a presence at Equitana Asia Pacific Fair, in Melbourne, Australia, on 15 November, but not wishing to exhibit, are invited to take part in the BETA Showcase.

This attractive feature is organised by BETA as part of its trade mission to the show, allowing companies to display

product samples and literature to a potential export audience. It will be situated adjacent to the BETA stand, where representatives from the trade association will deal with enquiries and pass on any leads.

Anyone wishing to find out more about this service – for which there is a fee – should contact Claire Williams or Tina Rogers at the BETA office.

32 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

Conference call DON’T forget that the BETA 2012 Conference is set for Monday 29 October at Whittlebury Hall Hotel & Spa, near Towcester, Northamptonshire. The day offers an inspiring and informative programme of topical presentations by key industry speakers and plenty of prime networking opportunities.

Speakers include Guy Blaskey, marketing director of Blue Chip Feeds and owner of Pooch and Mutt, focusing on growing sales through online media, dressage rider Sophie Wells talking of her Paralympic experience, Felicity Hails, of Lloyds TSB, giving tips on how to improve relationships with banks, Paul Kelly, of Blacks Solicitors, explaining what employers need to know about social media, Todd McCully, of Government Grant and Tax Consultants, asking who’s missing out on funding for research and development, and Michael McNally, a partner at Warners Solicitors, advising how to avoid the pitfalls of distance selling.

The conference runs from 9am to 3.40pm and costs £45 plus VAT for members and £60 plus VAT for non-members. Preferential rates are available for those wishing to take advantage of a pre-conference overnight stay with dinner.

Those in need of a little pampering are invited to take advantage of the spa’s Heat & Ice Hydrotherapy Experience, available at a special conference rate of £27.50 per person.

To book a place or for further information, contact Tina Rogers in the BETA office.

Your trade association needs you!

BETA is run and directed by its council – a group of 20 individuals from the equestrian industry who share a passion for the sector in which they work. They, along with their ideas, views and experiences, are the lifeblood of BETA and the voice of its members, and work to ensure that the association continues to grow and prosper.

We are currently looking for new council members to bring fresh ideas and a different approach to topics and issues. If this is something you are interested in and would like to find out more, contact Claire Williams at the BETA office.

CONTACT TINA ROGERS AT BETA Tel: 01937 587062 Website: www.beta-uk.org Email: tinar@beta-int.com Stockeld Park, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 4AW www.equestriantradenews.com

A VIEW FROM AMERICA

Pennsylvania show packs in new products Just when you thought there was nothing new under the sun, the recent American Equestrian Trade Association (AETA) show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania proved otherwise. Laurel Scott, senior editor at AIM Equine Network, reports.

Among the most intriguing innovations this season were products containing liquid titanium, an antibacterial, biocompatible metal believed to stimulate circulation (think fewer aches and pains) and reduce equine anxiety.

Studies on products made with this element are reportedly underway, but consumers needn’t wait to try the technology themselves. Intec Performance Gear is developing a seven-micron titanium-plated bit with a brushed steel finish to be sold under the Marcel Toulouse brand later this fall.

And at Fenwick Equestrian, a South Carolina-based company specializing in high performance fabrics, titanium enhances everything from ear nets, blankets, neck covers and leg wraps to saddle pads and (come spring) knee and hock boots.

"Our liquid titanium fabric is unique to other therapeutic fabrics in that there is no dilution of technical qualities during the wash-and-dry cycle,” says Fenwick Equestrian cofounder Wilhelmina McEwan.

“When we are stressed, [the]

body becomes imbalanced and needs more titanium to regulate serotonin levels … the liquid titanium in the fabric produces the FIR effect (far infrared rays), which produces warmth, [and] with warmth, oxygen develops in the blood stream, which improves blood flow. With improved blood flow, healing begins to occur.

When the body begins to heal, the immune system is improved, the body is detoxified and you begin to feel better.”

Other health products gaining ground here in the States include the Back on Track back pad, hock boot and saddle pad; the Horseware Ireland Ice-Vibe Circulation Boot; the EquiFit GelCompression Therapy Boot; and Fisher Wallace Laboratories’ Happy Halter, designed to reduce cribbing and anxiety.

The quest for comfort in performance-driven apparel continues, with stain-repellent, anti-odor and waterproof fabrics showcased in many spring 2013 lineups.

Add to that technical

One of a series of new products containing liquid titanium.

www.equestriantradenews.com

innovations such as cooling, expandable powermesh around the ribcage (FITS’ Whitney dressage coat) and featherweight sweat conversion capability (Kerrits’ Ice Fil shirts) and you’ve got both fit and function covered to a T. “Kerrits’ newest Ice Fil collection will help lower riders’ skin temperature up to five degrees as sweat is absorbed and effectively converted to cooling energy,” explains Kerri Kent, president and CEO of Kerrits Performance Equestrian Apparel. “This moisture-control technology provides an everfresh feeling with UPF 30+ sun protection.”

Also of interest: RJ Classics’ show shirt with wrap collar and magnetic closures; Cheval Fashions’ new user-friendly belt for side-zip breeches; and Ariat’s new paddock/half-chap combo, which features a Velcro cuff on the boot to eliminate that pesky strap under the heel.

Talking tack, high-tech saddle pads that promise to wick away sweat, release heat, provide concussive relief and improve fit still dominate both the English and Western trail/performance markets.

(They can even be customized, as with Toklat’s T3 System pads, reportedly worn by US Olympic team mounts in London.)

In another nod towards comfort, poll-centric variations on the Micklem bridle (an Innovation Award winner at BETA International 2008) are everywhere, with cut-out, contoured and integrated crowns among the offerings.

But what about style, you ask? Bling is making a quiet comeback on the hunter/jumper catwalk, with belts and browbands sporting

Red tack from Cactus Saddlery stood out at AETA.

more subdued sparkle than in previous years. It’s even showing up in boots by the likes of DerDau, DeNiro and La Mundial.

There’s no limit to the glitz at the Western Nationals and Worlds, where women’s stretch jeans, shirts and square-toed boots are all embellished to the max this season. Meanwhile, cowboys are trading plaid and checked shirts for solid-hued toppers with relaxed jeans that ride lower on the waist.

What-ho, retro? Western tack with buckstitching, a trend from the '60s and '70s, is making a comeback amid a sea of silver— and saddle skirts are getting longer, with larger saddle blankets and pads.

Some collections are getting downright spicy this autumn.

Especially memorable are Dublin Clothing’s attitudedrenched Dare to be Dublin red patent footwear, gaiters and half-chaps; and a fiery new Cactus Saddlery collection crafted from embossed red leather with Swarovski crystals.

Kick on!

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 33

for giving...

A time

Get those till bells ringing with ETN’s stunning selection of Christmas gift ideas.

Stocking fillers galore

Entertainment for horses

CARROTS is famous for its unique and fun take on equestrian items and this Christmas is no exception.

Stocking fillers such as Bang on the Door mug and sock sets, calendars, wall clocks and notepads make the perfect addition to any pony mad girl’s wish list, with boys’ hat covers and socks offering something for the lads.

Featuring popular designs and characters from Bang on the Door, these items are reasonably priced (RRPs from £7.50) giving them cutesy, cost effective appeal.

Carrots has something for the grown-ups too. Last year the Carrots Country Collection arrived, this Christmas sees an influx of beautiful, chic and elegant accessories designed for the outdoor girl.

Baker Boy hats and matching country gloves provide the perfect present for trendy teens and grown up gals; while furry boot liners and matching gloves turn practical items into something fashionable and fun. RRPs start at £17.50. t Carrots UK 01245 445362

IF horses are stuck in their stables over Christmas, the Stubbs Rock ‘n’ Roll Ball from Abbey England makes a great gift idea. Dogs like them too.

The attention grabbing toy is hard to roll in a straight line and incorporates a trickle treat feeder. Durable and safe, it has no removable parts. The dispensing hole is 30mm diameter, ideal for most treats.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Ball comes in red, blue, green, purple and pink with an RRP of £17.99. t Abbey England 01565 650343

Cards are witty and pretty GREETINGS cards by Church Mouse Press feature lively characters and quirky situations.

Each design is based on an original painting printed on white 300gsm paper.

Inspiration comes from nursery rhymes, outrageous puns, whimsy and wit, dogs and country themes. The trade price is 89p per card, supplied with red or cream envelope. t Church Mouse Press 01303 237554.

Seasonal sizzlers AS always, Gray’s of Shenstone has a great selection of gifts.

There’s a new watch range - 12 designs supplied in an attractive counter display pack – ready to sell at SPRs of £11.95 each.

Soft nappa leather is the tactile material used to create hand-stiched i-phone holders, SRP £12.95, with magnetic pull-up straps. And for the girls, there’s a delightful pink purse with equestrian themed lining at SRP £34.95.

On a patriotic note, who can resist these union jack knee-high socks, one of six designs in adults’ and children’s sizes at SRP £5.95. t Gray’s of Shenstone 01543 483344.

34 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

www.equestriantradenews.com

Dear Santa, what I’d like for Christmas...

CHRISTMAS wouldn’t be Christmas without a touch of sparkle.

This beautifully soft Rhinegold Crystal Body Brush is decorated with gleaming diamantes, has a real wooden back and genuine leather strap.

Priced to the trade at just £3.50, it’s a lovely impulse buy. And there are more glittering ideas from Snowhill Trade Saddlery.

How about this Windsor Sparkle Leather Headcollar? In genuine leather with diamante cheeks and noseband, it’s available in classic havana or black finishes. Santa can arrange just the right size from the choice of Shetland, pony, cob or full; priced at just £16.50 each to the trade, he’ll want to stick a few extra on the sleigh too!

For a practical, neatly presented gift, check out the Rhinegold Soft Touch Grooming Brush Blister Pack. This high quality set includes a soft touch flexi body brush, mane/tail brush, dandy brush and hoof pick/brush. Available in smart grey, navy or red finishes, sets are priced to the trade at £7.50 each.

First riding lessons for Christmas? The charming Rhinegold Little Tots Jod Boots are made especially for little people.

Just like Mum’s, they’re genuine leather and classically styled with a slightly wider, elastic top for easy fitting on wriggling tots that can’t wait to be on their ponies. With black or pink finishes and infant sizes 4 to 10, volume discounts are available, so prices start at just £8.95 per pair. t Snowhill Trade Saddlery 01243 672323.

Keep the flag flying IT’S been a great year to celebrate being British. Keep the theme going in-store by offering patriotic, limited edition Timothy Foxx Earwarmers.

Stylish, warm and tweedy, they also help disguise après-riding ‘hat hair’. Available in five different tweeds and two sizes, the RRP is £28. t Timothy Foxx 01296 423399.

In very good taste LOOKING for different gifts to stock? How about Spanish Passion, a new range of attractively packaged, well priced foods?

The Deli range comprises the likes of spicy Mediterranean vegetables on skewers in mild vinegar. The Artisan Collection, made in Spain using traditional recipes, stretches from orange preserve with chocolate to caramelised onions with sherry vinegar.

RRPs are from £2.79 through to £4.49. t TSL Foods 01925 767584

How to crack those Christmas sales

RETA IL TIP

FIVE top tips from Mary Hart of Carrots UK. 1. If you’re struggling for inspiration, walk down your local shopping high street and take ideas from the big window displays.

This will help you identify what is ‘on trend’ and see how other retailers appeal to their customers. Visit your local Hobbycraft and purchase display boxes, tissue paper, ribbon, baubles, etc, and put your own creative spin on displays.

2. Merchandise to allow customers to make add-on purchases.

Use point of sale material and display areas to show how the items you are selling can co-ordinate and work together.

3. In this industry, gift buying is a very broad category! It’s not just about low priced, impulse items; it’s often clothing, tack and more specialised products too. So if non-equestrian friends or family are buying gifts for their horsey friends and family, helpful, well informed staff can make all the difference.

4. Keep a neat and tidy appearance in your store. If customers can find the correct size and colour option quickly and easily, they are more likely to buy and return. Make sure all signage and pricing information is clear.

5. An appealing atmosphere will encourage customers to come in and spend. Keep the place clean, maintain a comfortable temperature, welcome them into your store and even look at little details such as background music. All of these will help encourage custom – especially from customers beyond your regulars.

36 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

www.equestriantradenews.com

Inspirational ideas PRACTICAL, luxury or fun...Spartan has gifts for every category.

UK woven tweeds feature in a range of ear warmers, scarves, and handbags along with some classic sporting hats. Hand knitted and silk scarves complete the country look.

If bling is your customers’ thing, then crystal word key rings and Lycra hat covers with crystal horseshoes will definitely dazzle them.

Other ideas include soft toy ponies, stickers and stationery plus new loaf soap with pictures of horses or wellies running through it. Fleece is strong this winter with new saddle cover designs and blankets.

Spartan also offers stock pins, brooches and other equestrian jewellery – not to mention horse designs in light-up crystal blocks, and horse-shaped wooden fruit and egg baskets. t Spartan Equestrian 01474 705065.

Counting down THE popular Lincoln Advent Calendar has been treated to a decorative re-design this year.

With 24 individual opening windows, calendars contain tasty Lincoln Horse Bix and are available in packs of 12.

Other ideas from Battles include the HyCLASS Curved Diamante Brow Band with two rows sparkles in cob and full sizes. And how about the Silly Moo Gift Basket containing hand cream and lip balm? t Battles 01522 529206.

Dunse Slasher’s seasonal joy CHRISTMAS morn could have been the same old dull affair; the handkerchief, the smelly stuff...

But wait! Imagine your customer’s thrill as his hands tear away the holly festooned paper to reveal an item of a truly useful nature, something to last for years...a dunse slasher!

That unruly hawthorn hedge had better look out. Those brambles are going to suffer! By the very nature of their chosen lifestyle, practically all horse and pony folk have a yard and land to maintain.

So why not stock what your customers really want this Christmas – and what a wonderful solution for hard-tobuy-for men too.

Faulks & Cox carries the full range of William Faulks Tools, all neatly presented in Profit Pack stands. Even the person who claims to have everything surely hasn’t got a dunse slasher...yet!

Photo courtesy E.L.F. Worldwide. t Faulks & Cox 01455 848 184.

Famous horses for your store BREYER, distributed by Hornby Hobbies, is releasing three new model horses to the UK and Irish market.

The first is dressage star Mistral Hojris, ridden by Laura Bechtolsheimer to team gold and individual bronze at London 2012. He’s available now in Breyer Traditional Series scale (1:9) with a RRP of £29.99.

Another dressage superstar, Totilas, joins the Breyer Traditional series with an RRP of £32.99.

Also new is Zenyatta’s First Colt. Born in March this year, his mother was the first filly to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and 18 other races in her 20-race career. Zenyatta’s First Colt has a RRP of £15.99.

Black Caviar, the Australian racehorse who raided Ascot this summer and remains unbeaten in 22 race starts, is the subject of a 1:9 Breyer model limited to 250 pieces in the UK and Ireland. This collector’s piece has an RRP of £42.99. t Hornby Hobbies 01843 233500

www.equestriantradenews.com

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 37

In Toddy’s own words SECOND Chance, Mark Todd’s autobiography, tells the great eventer’s remarkable story from his boyhood in New Zealand to Olympic gold medals; from retirement from competition to training racehorses – and back to eventing again.

Publisher Orion Books has allowed ETN to use an extract. Second Chance (RRP £20) is distributed by Westgate EFI, tel 01303 872277.

“At Badminton, I parked the lorry in my usual spot in the field beside the vicarage. The year before, I had invited the vicar and his wife, Christopher and Mary Mulholland, for a drink and Christopher started apologising that the grass was so long.

I flippantly asked if he had a lawn mower and at 7.30am the next morning, I heard him delivering it. I mowed around my lorry and, next thing, Zara Phillips had stuck her head out and asked if I could do hers as well. Then Alice Fox-Pitt appeared in her pyjamas wanting to know what the din was, so I did the area around William’s lorry, which was parked next door to mine, and then around the ‘passion wagon’ of Mary King’s owner Gilly Robinson.

This year, the vicar lent the mower without prompting, and it’s become a tradition. Gilly took a photo of me mowing and stuck up a poster saying: ‘Lawn mower, competitive rates, no job too small’ and stuck it on my lorry.” Mark Todd, an extract from Second Chance.

Why we’re still printing a catalogue

Gifts in the spotlight at BETA International 2013

2013

GIFTS are set to be big news at BETA International 2013 with a number of big names signed up to 17-19 February 2013 exhibit. Here’s a taster...

NEC, Birmingham, UK Emma Wyatt, owner of Emma Wyatt Gifts, has been exhibiting at BETA International for eight years.

With no reps or agents on the road, the trade fair presents her with the perfect opportunity to make plenty of trade contacts over three days.

“We always pick up lots of new accounts at the show and meet many new customers,” she said. “Next year, we are launching a new fabric and soft furnishings range made from Scottish linen and featuring gorgeous country inspired prints.

“The Christmas gift market has always been extremely good for us, although as a giftware company we do brisk business all year round. This is such a great sector and I would urge any retailer to give it a go. The trick is to buy enough stock so that you can produce a really good-looking display and then order extra bits from us if you need them.”

Christmas stockings wouldn’t be the same without a pair of socks tucked inside. Long-time BETA International exhibitor House of Cheviot, makes fine woollen contemporary and traditional hosiery.

The company’s range – made in the Scottish Borders – includes country socks, shooting stockings, kilt hose and a collection of cashmere gloves, scarves, lambswool knitwear and tweed caps.

Said sales and marketing manager Keith Barker: “At next year’s trade fair, we will be bringing all our traditional bestsellers, as well as showcasing some new styles for 2013.”

Woollen jumpers and gloves are always popular gifts.

Alan Paine’s country collection will be exhibiting at BETA International for the fifth time.

“The trade fair is the only show of its kind in the UK and, as it falls at the start of the selling season, it gives us a perfect platform to showcase our new product ranges,” said Kam Sahota. “Our product range has continued to expand. So, too, has our floorspace at BETA International and 2013 will be no exception.”

Alan Paine’s extensive product range includes gift items such as silk ties, micro-fleece gloves, silk waistcoats, lambswool scarves and jumpers.

Annabel Levaux is only the third owner of Julip Horses since the brand was established in 1945.

“Julip Horses are very much toys,” she said. “They’re tough, they’re resilient and they are extremely high-quality.

They are aimed at girls aged between five and nine, and are perfect for any retailer offering an equestrian giftware range or considering doing so.

“Consumers nowadays really seem to like the convenience-store experience where you get a bit of everything; adding giftware can help to develop this.”

Country-themed fine English bone china from Emma Wyatt Gifts.

www.equestriantradenews.com

RETA IL TIP

MANY retailers run an e-commerce site alongside or instead of a shop these days. But what about good, old fashioned mail order catalogues? Have they had their day – or are there still advantages to the printed page?

“There’s nothing quite like the catalogue for circling products [your customers] like and leaving pages strategically around the house, in sight of loved ones as Christmas approaches,” says Angela Clark of Ride-Away.

The Yorkshire based retailer has just released a 250 page mail order catalogue featuring nine sections: country clothing, riding wear, footwear, horsewear, horse and stable care, saddles, saddlery, dog equipment and giftware.

“We look for innovative design but practicality and price are key when we decide what lines to carry,” said Angela.

Ride-Away customers order by telephone, fax, online, through the mobile website, by post or by visiting the store. This retailer also distributes bi-monthly e-mail promotions featuring latest products and special offers, and has an active Facebook page where more than 2,000 fans interact with the company.

“Our catalogue remains a staple in many people’s tack rooms and houses,” said Angela. “We know lots of customers like to shop online, but sometimes, you just want to sit down with a brochure and look at what’s available.”

Silk ties with a country theme from Alan Paine

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 39

Happy Christmas from Plod

Ahoy there!

PLOD the rotund cob features on a new collection of greetings cards from Tirus Equestrian.

Drawn by Gary Daynes, the launch marks the birth of Plod as a likeable new equine cartoon brand.

“We hope Plod can do for horses what Garfield has done for cats and Sponge Bob Square Pants has done for .... well, sponges,” said Gary.

The cards are 8" x 6" and come individually sealed in poly-bags with envelopes to fit within existing promotional displays. RRPs are £1.95 to £2.50. t Tirus Equestrian 01603 720148

THE Unisex Hoody from Mad Cowes is in a soft cotton fleece with front pouch pocket, contrasting drawstrings, chest badge and branding along the arms.

The cosy garment comes in festive poppy or nautical marine, to match other garments in the collection such as ladies’ joggers, ladies’ polo shirts and ladies’ and unisex gilets. t Mad Cowes Clothing Company 0844 441 1699.

Tip top treats

Something sparkly

TAGG Equestrian’s diamante browbands come in patriotic red, white and blue; other choices being white or gold and white diamante. Each is set in black or Havana leather.

The browbands are lined, stitched and padded and come in a choice of pony, cob and full size at a trade price of £5.95 t Tagg Equestrian 01636 636135.

You can’t beat a good book DRESSAGE the Light Way by Perry Wood (£22.50) is one of a new collection of books published by J.A. Allen in time for Christmas.

Offering training tips galore, the advice from this classical horseman is succinct, practical and thought-provoking.

How to Speak Horse by Andrea and Markus Eschbach (£9.99) is an introduction to natural horsemanship for six to ten year old children.

With easy lessons in ‘horse speak’ for pony-mad kids, this book is full of colour photographs, explains the basics of horse body language and offers safe but fun ideas for groundwork. t J A Allen 0207 251 2661

40 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

BEAUTIFUL packaging makes these tasty treats from Heavenly Horse a highly saleable pre-Christmas stock idea.

The perfect impulse buy opportunity to display near the till, the candy-topped treats enable your customers to say: “What the hell? It’s Christmas!” while remaining within a budget.

The other big bonus is that Heavenly Horse treats won’t be redundant after Christmas – they make the perfect horsey Valentine’s Day gift too. t Heavenly Horse 07766 664441

Many happy returns

RETA IL TIP

IT’S the first day of opening after Christmas and a long queue has formed. Not people wanting to spend their money but customers desperate to return or exchange a Christmas present that didn't live up to their expectations.

Wrong brand, wrong size, wrong colour – or they had already got one – or they simply don't like it!

The professional retailer is hardly going to upset a valued customer by arguing whether or not the reason for the return is entirely 'valid' according to the statute book. Far better to reduce the hassle and retain the customer's loyalty and confidence by paying up - or exchanging the goods (after a quick check to make certain they aren't damaged).

'Returns' can seriously topple Christmas sales figures, but something else to consider; dealing with them effectively has a hidden cost in relation to time. And time is money.

www.equestriantradenews.com

How to whip up extra sales Nearly every horsey person uses one, and most retailers stock them. So why is the whip possibly the most undersold item of equestrian equipment?

YOU have to feel sorry for whips, forever associated as they are with equine cruelty or sexual perversion.

Maybe this is why you rarely read anything about them and how to use them in the consumer equestrian press, save the odd mention of a ‘flick with a schooling whip behind the leg.’

Sometimes, in an effort to avoid mentioning the offensive things at all, whips are incorrectly referred to as ‘crops’ - actually something you don’t ride on.

Yet for retailers, whips are an enormously valuable stock item.

Almost everyone rides, drives, handles or lunges horses with one; they are always getting lost, broken or borrowed.

In fact, the whip is the perfect repeat sale item to encourage customers to come back time after time. They can be cheap and cheerful, bespoke and beautiful or totally technical – with price tags to match.

“Whips are used in every discipline and stocked by every retailer.

But we all sometimes miss a trick with them,” says Simon Middleton of Zebra Products, distributor of Fleck whips.

“I think it’s because no-one likes talking about whips.

I mean, how do you promote them? Do you say that this one whacks the hardest or this one makes the most noise?”

Funnily enough, one of Zebra Products’ best-selling Fleck whips in the UK is the eventing bat which makes a lot of noise but doesn’t mark the horse.

“You wouldn’t believe how many types of whip Fleck do,” said Simon of the German made brand.

“There are even special whips for vaulting, for instance. Used by the lunger, they’re very long and white and the horses are highly trained to them.

“There are many types for show jumping and dressage of course; and whips for in-hand work when the trainer wants to give the horse a signal to, say, piaff.”

The various disciplines all have rules relating to whips, and your customers would be wise to do their homework before shopping. The Fleck Vario dressage whip neatly gets round the problem by extending to the length allowed for warming-up, then retracing to the legal length for the test.

Whip fashions So what are the latest trends in whips? From leather braided to Swarovski crystal encrusted, Fleck can produce anything your customers desire. RRPs start at £6 – and go as high www.equestriantradenews.com

as you like.

The company presented Zebra Products with a holly whip, enamelled with black and white stripes, as a thank you for promoting the brand in the UK. And for a dressage rider friend’s 40th birthday, Simon and his wife asked Fleck to create a long whip with his initials engraved in its silver top. It went down a storm...

At this time of year, the canny retailer might well be thinking that whips could be a hitherto unexplored line in Christmas gifts....But they are the perennial practical purchase too.

“People want beautifully balanced whips that feel good in their hand and are effective without being cumbersome,” says Simon.

“Fleck has borrowed technology from golf clubs to create ergonomically shaped handles that fit the hand comfortably.

That’s the great thing about stocking whips in a store – people get the chance to feel, touch and weigh them up.”

So how does Zebra Products suggest displaying whips effectively in-store? “The usual way is in a dump bin with the flicky parts uppermost, but it’s not ideal because people want to see and hold the handles which actually end up being hidden,” warns Simon.

“The perfect way is to display them is on wellilluminated Perspex shelving. I appreciate that’s not always economically viable as far as space is concerned, but any means retailers can find to display whole whips will really reap benefits.”

Fleck has created special spinning display stands on which whips are attached by their handles to generate maximum customer interest. These are available free with each £1,000 order. t Fleck UK distributor, Zebra Products 01352 763350.

About Fleck The Frankfurt based company was founded in 1871.

From the start, Fleck produced whips and also had its own tannery producing leather for its own use as well as to sell to the shoe industry. In the early 1960s, ecological and economical reasons forced the tannery to close. Nowadays Fleck concentrates solely on the development and manufacture of whips.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 41

From grooms to gold medals...

If our industry is to generate extra customers, we need to make more of the ‘Carl and Charlotte effect’, says Ken LyndonDykes.

Some years ago, a lot of money and effort were put into initiatives designed to encourage more people to take up riding – obviously with the hopes that a percentage of them would subsequently convert to horse ownership.

I thought the ideas behind the initiative were forwardthinking and just what the industry needed – but I wasn't so certain about the implementation. So much publicity and information was directed through the equestrian-related media and, in my opinion, it smacked of preaching to the converted.

The Olympics opened a window to a massive audience and there is a fair chance at least some of them will have been inspired to investigate taking up riding.

The fact that dressage double gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin doesn't have a particularly privileged background can help to allay the perception that 'riding' and 'horses' are only for the wealthy. I’m certain that investigation of the backgrounds of the other members of the GB equestrian teams would reveal some similar stories, surely something that should be promoted?

I hope that riding schools and training establishments are ready to welcome potential clients, many of whom may have had little or

no previous involvement with horses. It's important they perceive staff and instructors as welcoming and friendly – a point I make because I have witnessed instances when complete beginners have been patronised and certainly not treated with the respect clients deserve.

There’s another potential benefit relating to Charlotte's success; she began as a groom and that could inspire a lot of young people to follow her route into the industry.

Years ago, people who trained as grooms were dedicated individuals who maintained really high standards; in fact, British grooms were regarded as the best in the world. Although their pay rarely reflected the degree of responsibility attached to their work, grooms often remained with the same employer for many years.

However, the increase in DIY services has impacted on the professional status of grooms.

Being manager of a DIY yard is not the same as having total control of a yard. The role of a groom needs to be recognised for the very important part it plays.

Carl Hester, also part of the British Olympic success story, began his riding career in Sark, riding a donkey – bareback!

Without a moneyed background, Carl came to England, trained for his BHSAI

and then went to work as a groom for Dr Bechtolsheimer whose investment in dressage is well documented.

Carl's personal progress in the discipline and his mentorship of Charlotte – and others – is the stuff of which best sellers are made.

Where was the British saddlery?

During London 2012 I carefully studied the tack used by competitors in the equestrian events. The number of British saddles was dismal – and I’m not just referring to riders competing for other countries.

Members of our own team were certainly not all flying the flag as far as using UK-produced tack is concerned. Such a pity – and I don't know why! I probably have as much knowledge of saddlery as anyone in this country, and I can categorically state that we make some superb saddles. Our medal-winning riders making use of tack produced in this country could have proved to be the biggest boost ever for British saddlery. Where did that go wrong?

Now an unrelated – but very relevant – story. I recently went to fit a dressage saddle for a very nice horse. Money no

object, I took a range of saddles with me including some priced at £3,000 plus. I also took a couple made by that supreme craftsman Patrick Keane, whose saddles, in my opinion, are undervalued.

I went through the fitting processes and short-listed four saddles, one of which was a Patrick saddle, which would suit the horse/rider admirably.

I gave the client the prices and, having a degree of discretion, increased that of the Patrick saddle to a more realistic – more deserved – level. I backed this up by telling the client about the many national competitions Patrick has won with his saddles and how much his work is revered in the United States.

Which saddle did the client choose? With no hesitation, it was the most expensive – the Patrick saddle!

Many, many times I have advocated that we should charge more for top British craftsmanship and quality. We should align the prices of our elite saddlery to the prices of the leading continental manufacturers.

Very few customers are prepared to believe they get more than they pay for – and therein is the dilemma related to undervaluing!

About the author Ken Lyndon-Dykes is a saddle designer, Society of Master Saddlers' Qualified Saddle Fitter and former international three-day event rider.

42 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

London 2012 double gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin began as a groom.

Her story could inspire more youngsters to join the industry.

www.equestriantradenews.com

• Fresh from winning Olympic dressage team gold and individual bronze at London 2012, Laura Bechtolsheimer contacted ETN to ask us to thank her sponsors – Albion Saddlemakers and euro-star as well as Visa - for all of their support.

"Of course my first thoughts after the Olympics were to get Mistral Hojris [her medal winning horse] settled back at home. He is in great shape and is enjoying a break,” said Laura who recently became engaged to polo professional Mark Tomlinson.

She’s also launched a new website, www.laurabechtolsheimer.com • This year’s South West Christmas Equine Fair, run by Contour

Exhibitions, takes place on 8/9 December at Westpoint in Exeter.

Stockdale and Lucy Wiegersma will be appearing along with natural horsewoman Emma Massingale. Around 150 companies are expected to exhibit in the shopping village, including BETA with its mechanical horse, RoboCob.

• British Horse Feeds sponsored Jodie McGregor represented Britain at the Junior European Eventing Championships in Poland last month. North Yorkshire based Jodie rode her Connemara X Appaloosa gelding Spot On XII who is fed on Speedi-Beet.

“We are so proud of Jodie, her hard work and determination has really paid off,” said Will I’Anson of British Horse Feeds.

In a different discipline, British Horse Feeds has title sponsorship of the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance running this month [October 5 to 7] at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.

• There were record numbers of

applications for 2012 TopSpec Scholarships in dressage, eventing and show jumping. The feed company devised the bursary based awards to help and support up and coming riders.

The dressage scholarship went to 20-year-old Bobby Hayler from Chelmsford, pictured riding Active Walero. Nottingham-based Zoe Brenan (18) won the eventing scholarship and Amy Platts from Derbyshire is the recipient of the show jumping award.

Each scholar won £500 worth of TopSpec feed with advice from a TopSpec nutritionist, £500 to spend with an accredited trainer and £500 worth of TopSpec horse and rider clothing.

• Ariat is sponsoring 16 year old eventer

Emily King. The daughter of Olympic medallist Mary King, Emily joins fellow Ariat sponsored event riders William Fox-Pitt, Iris Pemen, Mary King, Nicola Wilson, Vittoria Panizzon, Tina Cook and Laura Collett. “I can honestly say that no boots I have ever worn are as comfortable as my Ariats,” said Emily.

www.equestriantradenews.com

• The BETA International 2013 organising team will be kitted-

out in Toggi clothing for the third year running when brand owner Finest Brands International returns as official clothing supplier.

Pictured is the team in last year’s official outfits, along with War Horse puppet Joey which appeared at the trade fair.

“Corporate clothing plays a key role in generating a polished and professional edge to the trade fair,” said Claire Thomas, commercial manager of BETA International organiser Equestrian Management Consultants (EMC). “It is really important that the entire team – those taking their place on the front line and others working behind the scenes – sports a smart, corporate appearance that marks them out clearly to our visitors and exhibitors.”

Finest Brands International joins fellow sponsors Caldene, Redpin Publishing, TopSpec and Virbac Animal Health, which returns as main sponsor of the 2013 show.

BETA International 2013 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 17 to 19 February.

• Clothing brand Equetech is sponsoring rising dressage star Charlie Hutton. Based at The Talland School of Equitation, Charlie will be appearing in the Equetech Mounted Fashion show at Horse World Live next month. “I’m pleased to be working with Equetech,” he said, “to have my jackets made to measure gives me a really good feeling when I ride into the test arena. It’s so important to make a good first impression and with Equetech clothing I’m happy to say that I can focus on my horse and performing to the best of our ability.”

• Baileys Horse Feeds has become an official partner of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy. The deal gives Baileys exclusive marketing rights for its feed range.

“We are looking forward to continuing our close relationship with Alltech through the continued inclusion of the Alltech Equine Advantage in our feeds and to bringing the various exciting marketing campaigns to our customers,” said Jane Buchan of Baileys.

Pictured from left are Jane Buchan of Baileys, Isla Browne of Alltech UK and event rider Polly Stockton.

• FMBs Therapy Systems is making its products available to the

horses appearing during HorseWorldLive at ExCel, London next month (16-18 November). The equine stars of the new show will also have a hot shower and solarium on hand.

“We like to ensure that the riders and their horses receive the utmost level of care during their time at HorseWorldLive,” said show director Karena Cooper. The organisers are predicting an attendance of 30,000 visitors.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 43

Mud-busters ❆

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Will it be a mild, warm winter or a cold, crisp one? Whatever the weather, your customers will be grateful to find your shelves well stocked with products to wage war on wintry conditions.

Mini marvel NET-TEX has made its Muddy Marvel series available within its Mini range, the reasonably priced collection that encourages customers to sample products.

Muddy Marvel De-Scab softens scabs allowing them to be removed easily. 100ml has an RRP of £3.60.

Muddy Marvel Disinfectant can then be applied to kill the bacteria on exposed skin and promote rapid healing. 100ml has an RRP of £3.60.

Designed as a preventative tool, Muddy Marvel Barrier Cream lasts for up to seven days. Breathable and moisturising, 300ml retails at around £8.99. t Net-Tex 01634 257150

New! Skin care for horses…

NAF has launched a skin care range for horses called ‘Love the SKIN he’s in’.

The collection is led by the ‘Love the SKIN he’s in’ Skin Wash – a natural, effective wash that offers gentle, yet effective cleansing to damaged and/or challenged skin.

It can be used as a hot towel wash following clipping, as a cold wash for a refreshing cleanse to lift sweat, grease and dust from the coat or applied directly in concentrated form to an affected area of skin.

Every one litre bottle of Skin Wash comes with a free Deep Cleansing Towel.

‘Love the SKIN he’s in’ Skin Wash is supported by ‘Love the SKIN he’s In’ Skin Supplement. Rich in anti-oxidants, this additive is especially useful at times when seasonal irritations are likely to occur.

Next up is ‘Love the SKIN he’s in’ Skin Spray for gentle misting over irritated areas of flaky skin, lumps, bumps and rashes, to soothe, comfort and help relieve any itching sensation.

Finally, there’s ‘Love the SKIN he’s in’ Skin Salve which soothes and comforts irritated areas of skin, itchy flaky patches and minor abrasions. This light, water based salve absorbs easily and leaves no superficial residue.

Says international dressage rider Emile Faurie: “I cannot sing the praises of ‘Love the SKIN he’s in’ highly enough, the products totally transformed Corbiere’s (Charlie’s) skin.

“The poor horse had an allergic reaction to clipper oil, which lead to him break out in sore patches, lumps and bumps and caused him a great deal of pain and sensitivity all over. We simply couldn’t touch him or even attempt to put on any tack or rugs.

“We made a call to NAF for help, which proved very timely as they were in the latter stages of bringing the ‘Love the SKIN he’s in’ range to market. We used the products in combination, fed Charlie the Skin Supplement and treated his skin topically with the Skin Wash and Skin Spray.

“The products worked so well that within one month, Charlie’s skin was soft and his coat took on an amazing shine. The results speak for themselves!” t NAF 01600 710700.

A new stable mate NEW therapeutic stable wraps from horse boot brand Kentucky Horsewear offer a safe and easy alternative to bandaging.

Kentucky Horsewear Recuptex/Texishield Stable Wraps comprise an anatomically shaped outer, incorporating removable, breathable wraps in an intelligent material called Recuptex.

Recuptex is made from Inox yarn, a stainless steel fibre said to preserve magnetic fields created in the body and which is also heat conductive.

The stable wraps have an RRP of £130 per pair. They come in black and one size only. t UK distributor Equiport 01565 723525 44 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

www.equestriantradenews.com

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A wet summer’s legacy...

FOLLOWING the wettest summer on record, horses’ feet are suffering like never before.

While horse owners get frustrated by unsightly splits, lost shoes and lameness, farriers and vets are seeing more fungal and bacterial infections, says Handmade Shoes UK. Ideally, hydration levels need to remain balanced within a hoof. Too dry, and the rigid keratin within the wall becomes brittle, losing the flexibility to perform under the pressures placed upon it. Too much moisture, and the hoof walls and sole become soft and lose strength.

This summer’s high rainfall, combined with relatively warm conditions, has enabled bacteria to thrive - further exasperating the assault on horses’ feet. So how should your customers act?

In addition to regular farrier appointments, topical applications once or twice daily can help promote consistent hoof moisture content. The damage has already been done in many cases, but hooves still need support over the coming months to promote good new, healthy horn growth.

Kevin Bacon’s Hoof Dressing, available as a solid or a liquid, is designed for year-round application. Formulated to apply moisture in dry conditions and to protect the hooves from becoming saturated in the wet, it helps protect the hooves from bacterial infections too.

For an intense antibacterial and fungicidal formula with antiseptic properties, Kevin Bacon’s Hoof Solution dries and cleans infected keratinized tissues. It can be applied daily for specific problems or periodically for protective purposes.

Your customers should ‘stipple’ [apply with dabbing strokes] the hoof dressing or solution to clean, dry hooves, going into nail holes and cracks, and coating the wall, sole and around the frog. t Kevin Bacon’s is distributed in the UK by Handmade Shoes (UK) 01296 662473.

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RETA IL TIP

“I NEED IT, and I want it now!” is so often the case with lotions and potions.

The customer discovers a problem and needs a solution today. And if you haven’t got it in stock, they’ll go elsewhere. It goes without saying that carrying a good, comprehensive stock of topical, seasonal products is the answer.

The consumer’s need to have something ‘now’ – to walk out of your shop door with it - also gives bricks and mortar stockists an obvious advantage over their internet based colleagues.

Take a deep breath RESPIRATORY Horslyx is a lick containing menthol, eucalyptus and aniseed, all of which assist in keeping airways clear of mucus while soothing respiratory irritation.

The ingredients are designed to help horses breathe more easily and reduce the stress caused by respiratory compromise – something that’s all too common when horses are stabled for long periods.

Respiratory Horslyx features a vitamin, mineral and trace element package with generous levels of the antioxidants selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E, plus a healthy hooves package. The result is a cost effective, all-year-round forage balancer.

Respiratory Horslyx is available in 5kg and 15kg weatherproof tubs, priced around £12.85 and £24.90 respectively. Re-usable 5kg or 15kg holders are available. t Horslyx 01697 332592.

Pine bedding benefits LOTIONS and potions aren’t the only products to consider when it comes to combating winter ailments. Choosing the right bedding can help considerably too.

Take mud fever, a bacterial infection of the skin. Scientists are confirming that pine has natural antiseptic properties. So a bedding made predominantly from pine with no additives should reduce the likelihood of horses being affected.

Then consider thrush, a fungal infection caused by moisture and think about absorbent bedding that provides a supportive, cushioning effect.

Respiratory problems are a common winter ailment, usually caused by continued contact with dust through long periods of stabling in winter. So it makes sense to offer your customers a bedding that's been screened to remove dust.

Bedmax fulfils all of these requirements. Predominantly made from British pine, it’s absorbent, easy to use and available in distinctive 20kg yellow bags.

In short, Bedmax provides a clean, dry environment that will help strengthen horses’ resistance to the winter weather and associated ailments. t Bedmax 01668 213467

www.equestriantradenews.com

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 45

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2012 hoof rescue

Winter skin care worries

THIS wet summer has been damaging to the feet of all hoofed animals, says Rosie Fell of Keratex.

The main factors behind hoof deterioration - assuming the diet is nutritionally adequate and a farrier is used regularly - are instability of internal moisture content and levels of bacteria. So a wet, warm summer with heavy rainy spells, followed by dry, sunny spells, is an adverse environment as far as the quality, integrity and strength of the hoof is concerned.

As excess ground moisture soaks into the hooves and saturates them, the internal structures stretch and expand to accommodate surplus water molecules. Before they are able to ‘acclimatise’ to excess moisture, the weather dries out - sometimes in the space of a few hours - and as water evaporates out through the hoof wall, the internal structures contract in response to losing water too quickly.

The problem is, the structures don’t fit back together quite as they should; and when this happens on a regular basis, cracks, flaking, soft soles, lost shoes and infections appear.

To prevent the wet-dry cycle from affecting hooves, Keratex recommends applying products to keep the weather out. A waterproof hoof gel will prevent moisture from bombarding the hoof in a damaging way, while still allowing beneficial air circulation.

For hooves that have already suffered water damage, moisturising is not necessary; owners should apply a hardener instead to toughen them and make them less susceptible to breakage.

Keeping hooves as clean as possible is also vital because bacteria thrive in warm, wet weather. Scrubbing with a hoof-specific disinfectant daily goes a long way towards improving hoof quality and preventing infections.

Building a mud fever prevention plan into the daily routine is also important; it’s already on the rampage this year. Legs should be kept as clean as possible using products which allow the skin to breathe and moisture to circulate.

Brands such as Keratex provide strong after-sales service for the trade and consumers, and offer products that work in conjunction with each other. t Keratex 01373 827649

MUDDY, damp conditions are perfect for bacterial and fungal conditions to thrive.

The skin around the backs of the heels may become weakened, split and sore. Some horses, especially thin skinned and white-legged horses, seem to be more prone to problems.

Prevention is better than cure, says Barrier Animal Healthcare, so your customers should think ahead and protect these areas. Its Heel to Hoof Soothing Cream can be used regularly as a barrier against water, dirt and grit and to soften scabs while soothing and calming sore areas.

Anti-bacterial Skin Spray, containing tea tree, is handy to keep in the first aid box for minor scrapes, cuts and irritations and is suitable for use in conjunction with Heel to Hoof Soothing Cream.

For all-year-round protection of hooves, there’s Natural Fungicide Hoof Oil, available in natural or black. t Barrier Animal Healthcare 01953 456363.

Fresh from the USA HOOFLEX Frog & Sole Care, a firm favourite in the USA under the Absorbine label, has arrived in the UK. It’s designed to help smelly, damp, winter hooves and eliminates odours caused by bacteria and fungi.

The liquid formula penetrates the frog and sole tissue and does not sting, stain, or dry the hoof. It’s applied with the squeeze applicator provided; 335ml has an RRP of £13.50.

“Hooflex Frog & Sole Care is proving very useful for horses prone to thrush,” said Absorbine sponsored rider Jo Bates.

It’s a wrap WARMWICK Leg Wraps, in sets of four from Harpley Equestrian, are made in a thermal fabric.

They are designed to wick away moisture, making them ideal to warm and dry legs after winter activities such as hunting.

Secured by wide Velcro straps, they come in pony/cob or full sizes at an RRP of £57 per set. t Harpley Equestrian 0115 9611537

46 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

Best of both worlds THE EASIDRI Grooming Towel is ideal for drying those hard to reach areas such as heels and legs.

Super absorbent, its action is similar to that of a sponge; yet it’s as pliable and easy to use as a towel.

After use, Easidri is folded up damp, and placed into its plastic storage container. It can be machine washed or disinfected as required.

It’s available in small, medium and large sizes, retailing from £9. t Trilanco 01253 888188

Thoughtful approach to mud IF YOUR customers are concerned about the effects of mud, they may wish to support their horses nutritionally by feeding Think Mud from Brinicombe Equine.

This unique supplement cuts out the hassle of having to apply daily barrier creams and can even provide support in cases where mud fever has already taken hold.

Think Mud approaches the condition from within, supporting the horse’s natural defences to give the best chance of fighting off the bacteria present in mud.

The ingredients maintain a healthy immune system, support blood circulation and help to promote skin healing. Think Mud is fast acting and may also be used to help prevent an outbreak, says Brinicombe Equine.

Available in 1.5kg and 4kg tubs with RRPs of £30.95 and £65.95 respectively, 1.5kg lasts a horse for up to 50 days – and 4kg for more than four months, or most of the winter. t Brinicombe Equine 08700 606206

Wipe out winter woes ALONG with winter come mud fever, rain scald, thrush and hoof abscesses, all of which need immediate attention.

Robinson Animal Healthcare has a range of products available to help prevent and treat mud fever and rain scald; Activ Wash, Veterinary Gamgee, Animalintex and Equiwrap are all suitable.

Also available from Robinson Animal Healthcare, Animalintex Hoof Treatment is ideal for the treatment of hoof abscesses and thrush when advised by a vet.

The only veterinary licensed poultice on the market for equine treatment, it’s absorbent and extremely versatile as it can be applied either as a wet, hot or cold poultice, or as a dry dressing. t Robinson Animal Healthcare 01909 735000 www.equestriantradenews.com

First aid on the ❄ front line ❄ ❆

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Health and safety cover at equestrian events and businesses isn’t just required by law, it can mean the difference between a life lost and a life saved, says Isobel Kearl from St John Ambulance.

Horses are fun – but they are also unpredictable.

ou don’t need to be jumping big fences to get hurt around horses. Many a saddle fitter has suffered squashed toes, backs get strained picking up water buckets and tripping over a stray leadrope on the shop floor can all too easily result in a fractured wrist.

While injuries aren’t always preventable, there are a number of ways that you can prepare yourself for them. And if horses are your business, in any shape or form, you can’t afford not to.

For starters, it’s essential that you are compliant with the health and safety regulations enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). These standards ensure that you are protecting your staff and visitors who spend time in an occasionally dangerous and frequently unpredictable environment.

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Training approved by the HSE demonstrates that you have met the required standards for your business, which can help put clients and customers at ease when on your premises.

Whatever your business, whether you work directly with horses or in a retail environment, we recommend that you all complete appropriate risk assessments.

These can be tailored to ensure that you are meeting the individual requirements of your business.

Risk assessments are not just red tape. They help you to identify any hazards your business and employees could face, so you can discover ways to minimise them.

If you don’t have regular contact with horses, your level of risk should significantly reduce and consequently what is required of your business by law. The potential risks will be

different, however, if you work with horses at a yard.

No matter how much you work to minimise accidents, they can still happen. What is important is that you are prepared for them and have the necessary people, training and equipment in place to help your employees when they occur.

The results of your risk assessment will help you identify what actions you need to take in terms of equipment and training. If your staff are doing lots of heavy lifting, for example, there are steps you can take to ensure they know how to do it in a safe manner.

First aid training is one such essential area that cannot be ignored. When someone is injured, first aid can be the difference between life and death, so it is vital that you have trained first aiders present on your site.

“If you are found to not have a first aid kit available, you could face fines of up to £5,000.”

It is also a requirement of the HSE that first aid cover is available at all times someone is at work. Whether that be access to a first aid kit or to a fully trained first aider with a first aid kit, will be dependent on the level of risk identified by your first aid needs

assessment.

However good your first aid training is, it’s very important to have an in-date and fully stocked first aid kit that meets the minimum recommended guidance laid out by the HSE. If you are found to not have a first aid kit available you could face fines of up to £5,000.

A standard HSE first aid kit would usually suffice in a tack shop (quite a low risk environment). But for those who regularly work with horses, say fitting saddles etc, a better option could be to purchase a kit containing additional items suited to a sports environment such as ice packs to soothe sports related injuries such as pulled muscles and bruising.

Understanding health and safety management needn’t be a daunting task, it can help to reduce the number but also the impact of injuries in the equestrian industry.

St John Ambulance supports a number of equestrian events including Burghley and Blenheim horse trials, as well as many local shows. By working closely with businesses and event organisers, St John Ambulance provides professionally trained and equipped volunteers at these events, helping thousands of people to receive first aid when they need it most.

• For more information about St John Ambulance’s first aid training courses, visit www.sja.org.uk or 0844 324 5535.

EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 47

Facebook faux pas, show cancellations and should I let dogs into my store?

Everyday issues can easily escalate when you’re running a busy retail business. Solicitor James Teagle is here to help.

Q. Since social networking has become so popular, do I need to ask my employees to sign an agreement to prevent them from discussing their work and other employees on Twitter and Facebook? In any event, I don’t particularly want my customers to see my employees in a ‘state’ at a party!

James Teagle is a solicitor specialising in Dispute Resolution for Blacks Solicitors LLP. James advises businesses of all sizes, from public listed companies to sole traders, but has a particular interest in advising small and medium sized enterprises on complex legal issues. Specific areas of expertise include contract disputes, franchise matters, financial services disputes and insurance claims, partnership disputes, professional negligence claims and property-relates issues.

For more information or advice on these and related matters, please contact James Teagle on 0113 2279298 or by email at JTeagle@LawBlacks.com

A. Many firms (including my own) have embraced social media/networking because it’s a very powerful (and free!) marketing tool if used correctly.

However, it is also widely recognised that inappropriate personal (or indeed business use) of social media could damage a company’s reputation and lead to breaches of confidential information. Therefore it’s sensible to consider introducing a social media policy for your staff.

A social media policy doesn’t need to be particularly legalistic or formal, but it sets out your expectations regarding your employees’ use of social media both in and outside of the work place. For example, you may wish to restrict the personal use of social media during work hours and prohibit your staff from affiliating themselves with your company other than by certain means.

It would be impossible to strictly regulate every single photograph and post published by employees; however your policy must make it clear that anything published by your employees is not inconsistent with the professional image that you present to your customers.

Ultimately, I would hope that when using social media the common sense of your employees will prevail and that your social media policy is simply there as a safety net.

48 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

Q. I regularly take a trade stand at local shows and country fairs. Can I sue if the organisers cancel because of wet weather or for another reason?

A. The first step is to review the terms and conditions that you signed up to when reserving the stand. In the absence of any terms and conditions, you may well be able to establish a claim.

A well-drafted set of terms and conditions should include a clause stating what will happen in the event of the show/fair being cancelled or postponed. Such a clause should give you some indication of what you can expect in the event of a cancellation.

However, each show/fair will have its own set of terms and conditions and your rights are likely to vary according to grounds giving rise to the cancellation or postponement. More often than not, the terms and conditions will seek to exclude all liability where the event is disrupted due to circumstances outside of the organisers’ control.

I would also suggest that you check your existing insurance policies as they may provide cover against losses arising in these circumstances. If not, a specialist broker will be able to assist you with finding a suitable “exhibitors’ insurance” policy.

Q. We’ve always had a relaxed attitude to dogs coming into the shop as we are a feed merchant that sells dog food and coats as well as equestrian products.

However, a customer’s dog recently bit a member of my staff resulting in a visit to hospital and a day off work.

How should I take up the matter with the dog owner?

A. I am sorry to say that this is more common than you would expect. Let’s start with your injured employee. As you will be aware, a dog’s owner can face criminal charges in the event that it attacks somebody. It is, of course, a matter for your employee to consider whether to refer the matter to the Police, but they may anyway be entitled to bring a personal injury claim (which would include a claim for time off work – for which the employee would then be accountable to you) directly against the dog’s owner.

However, this incident does also have implications for you. You owe a duty of care to both employees and customers to ensure that they are reasonably safe whilst in your shop (and permitted to be there). In other words, you are under a duty to identify and minimise any risks in order to ensure that your employees and customers remain safe.

Cases such as this will turn on their own facts but it may be argued that, by allowing dogs into your shop, you have breached this duty.

That would mean that you too bear some liability.

I would suggest that you check your employers’ liability and public liability insurance policy to ascertain the extent of your insurance cover and, in any event, that you notify the insurer of a potential claim.

It is a harsh reality that often as an employer or owner of premises you can be held liable for incidents which you may not feel were directly your fault. I would therefore suggest from a practical perspective that you encourage customers to leave dogs outside (save for guide/hearing dogs – which you cannot sensibly exclude) unless your insurer is comfortable with the present arrangement.

•Do you have a question for James? If so, please email editor@equestriantradenews.com www.equestriantradenews.com

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EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS OCTOBER 2012 49

County Court Judgments from England and Wales and the Scottish version, which are called Court Decrees.

The judgments listed are those recorded by the Registry Trust Ltd and appear to be of a commercial nature. Judgments/Decrees can be for damages rather than debts, and their listing here does not imply an inability to pay.

WYVERN EQUESTRIAN LTD, 11 WOODLANDS ROAD, BROADCLYST, EXETER, DEVON EX5 3LP £7,336 MR KIERON MAJOR T/A LINCS EQUINE CLASSIFIED, CHERRY HOLT COTTAGE, FIELDSIDE, MAREHAM-LE-FEN, BOSTON, LINCS PE22 7RS £1,311 MS DEBORAH BURRILL T/A GLEBE FARM SADDLERY, CREAKE ROAD, SCULTHORPE, FAKENHAM, NORFOLK NR21 9NF £361 GREAT YARMOUTH RACECOURSE, JELICOE ROAD, GREAT YARMOUTH, NORFOLK NR30 4AU £1,102 MS JAN DARWIN, RICHMOND EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, BROUGH PARK, RICHMOND, NORTH YORKSHIRE DL1 7PL £5,876 EQUIBOX, HOME FARM, MAIN STREET, STRELLEY, NOTTINGHAM NG8 6PD £1,088

MISS NATALIE JONES T/A AFFORDABLE HORSE BOXES, THOMPSON STREET, CHESTERFIELD, DERBYSHIRE S41 9AR £686 OLYMPIC HORSE FEEDS LTD, SUITE 812 ANDOVER HOUSE, GEORGE YARD, ANDOVER, HAMPSHIRE SP10 1PB £2,060 BYRON MOORCROFT T/A MOORCROFT EQUINE, 7 LLANHARAN GARDENS, BRYMA, PONTYCLUN, MID GLAMORGAN CF72 9PR £970 MR IAN FRANKLIN T/A EQUINE QUALITY CARE, 181 HUTHWAITE ROAD, SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE NG17 2HB £4,237 MS ROSSALYND BENNETT T/A ROSETTE SADDLERY, WATH ROAD, ELSECAR, BARNSLEY, SOUTH YORKSHIRE S74 8HW £604 & £1,540 ALTERNATIVE EQUESTRIAN SOLUTIONS LTD, 3 PENDALS CLOSE, HAMPSTEAD NORREYS, THATCHAM, BERKSHIRE RG18 0TY £237 BIGLAND HALL EQUESTRIAN LTD, BIGLAND HALL, BACKBARROW, HAVERTHWAITE, ULVERSTON, CUMBRIA LA12 8PB £2,056 DOUGLAS BOWMAN T/A LOWTHER EQUESTRIAN, 27 THE GREEN, HOUGHTON, CARLISLE, CUMBRIA CA3 0NF £399 DR SILKE LINDRIDGE T/A SAFE HANDS VETERINARY CLINIC, 13-15 MEDOMSLEY ROAD, CONSETT, DURHAM DH8 5HE £1,564 MRS B THOMPSON, MARICOT EQUESTRIAN CLUB, BENSKINS LANE, NOAK HILL, ROMFORD, ESSEX RM4 1LB £458

G BROWN HORSE RACING, LODGEDOWN RACING STABLES, LODGEDOWN FARM, ERMIN STREET, LAMBOURNE, HUNGERFORD, BERKSHIRE RG17 7BJ £237 SAM HITCHCOTT RACING LTD, 8 KING EDWARD STREET, OXFORD OX1 4HL £147 MRS L HAYES T/A LITTLE WISHFORD EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, LITTLE WISHFORD FARM, WARMINSTER ROAD, STOTFORD, WILTON, SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE SP2 0JA £973 MR KEVIN JOHNSON T/A M & J SADDLERY, 1 THE OLD SCHOOL, STATION ROAD, KEADBY, SCUNTHORPE, SOUTH HUMBERSIDE DN17 3BT £974

List your website here For more information call 01937 582111

HEREFORD RACE COURSE CO LTD, ROMAN ROAD, HEREFORD HR4 9QU £348 ELLIOTT EQUESTRIAN SERVICES LTD, HILTON MOOR FARM, EVENWOOD GATE, BISHOP AUCKLAND, DURHAM DL14 9NS £237 MR SIMON WALKER-HANSELL T/A AAQUINE HORSEBOXES, MORTON RETREAT, MORTON CARR LANE, MIDDLESBOROUGH, CLEVELAND TS7 0JU £9,778 & £2,006 MR VINCENT AVES T/A HINDERCLAY ANIMAL FEEDS, UNIT 4 HOLIDAY FARM, FEN ROAD, HINDERCLAY, DISS, NORFOLK IP22 1HS £1,819 MS JULIE HARDEN T/A SPINDLE POINT STABLE, MOSS LANE, KEARSLEY, BOLTON, LANCS BL4 8SE £927 BAY ANIMAL HOUSING, UNIT 3 LADIES WALK ENT PARK, CATON ROAD, LANCASTER LA1 3AX £6,736 MR NICK COULDRIDGE, LANSBURY STUD, SCATTERDALES, RUCKLERS LANE, KINGS LANGLEY, HERTS WD4 9ND £225 SEAN KERR T/A FIRST CHOICE FOR PONIES & HORSES, CLEVEDON, THE BROYLE, SHORTGATE, LEWES, EAST SUSSEX BN8 6PH £2,735 MR COLIN ELLISON T/A ELLISON EQUESTRIAN & LANDSCAPING SERVICES, 3 SAINTBEDES CRESCENT, CAMBRIDGE CB1 3TZ £1,0258 WINTERBOURNE VET CLINIC, 72A BRADLEY AVENUE, WINTERBOURNE, BRISTOL, AVON BS36 1HS £221 HILL PARK VETERINARY GROUP, 89 CORONATION DRIVE, ELM PARK, HORNCHURCH, ESSEX RM12 5BT £308 MR ADAM WINBOURNE T/A OAKPARK EQUESTRIAN, WINCHESTER ROAD, FAIR OAK, EASTLEIGH, HAMPSHIRE SO50 7HD £569 WINNING LINE BLOODSTOCK LTD, 1 TYDRAW CRESCENT, PYLE, BRIDGEND, MID GLAMORGAN CF33 4AN £237 RICHARDSONS POLO LLP, SMITHERS HILL LANE, SHIPLEY, HORSHAM, WEST SUSSEX RH13 8PP £480 50 OCTOBER 2012 EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS

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