Targeted Nutrition for World-Class Performance
For over 30 years Kentucky Equine Research has continually developed innovative solutions to the health and nutritional challenges inherent in modern equine management. The results of studies conducted at its research farms, as well as advances in equine nutrition from institutions around the world, are applied and thoroughly tested in the creation of KER products.
Proprietary ingredients and science-based solutions characterise KER Targeted Nutrition. Top equestrians worldwide in a variety of disciplines know they can rely on KER to fuel world-class performance.
Discover science-based products or your closest retailer at ker.com
Editor Amanda McWhinnie amanda@equestrianhub.com.au
Advertising
Fiona Todd 0414 760 067
fiona@equestrianhub.com.au
Website equestrianhub.com.au
info@equestrianhub.com.au
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Kim Thompson
A horse lover from her earliest years, Kim is an international coach, performer and trainer specialising in Liberty work, and bitless and bridleless riding. She owns Heartland Equestrian and is passionate about foundational connection and lightness, helping riders from all disciplines create harmony and partnership with their horses. For her fascinating story, turn to The Joy of Connection in this issue.
Dr Clarissa Brown-Douglas
Amanda Mac
As editor of Equestrian Hub Magazine, Amanda’s two longstanding loves, one for horses the other for writing, come together perfectly. Although much of her time is spent busily editing away behind the scenes, in this issue she speaks with Kim Thompson of Heartland Equestrian about her passion for connection, lightness and Liberty, before taking a quick look at Equimillion 2024.
Christine Armishaw
Christine is a qualified EA Level 1 Coach and horse trainer who specialises in building confidence in women returning to riding and young riders getting started on their equestrian journey. Based at Otford Valley Equestrian, she runs clinics in NSW and NZ, and is a keen show jumper. Her expert tips for preparing your horse for their first show jumping competition are not to be missed.
Charlie Brister
An all round horseman and trainer, Charlie is currently eventing at 3* and developing a team of future international champion eventers. Riders of all ages and abilities participate in his coaching programs, and he's helped many of them achieve their goals. Why is adjustability of canter speed and stride important when we navigate show jumping and eventing courses? Charlie explains in this month's article.
Clarissa has ridden all her life. Her career as an equine nutritionist has taken her around the world, working with horse owners, breeders and trainers to provide nutrition advice for their equine athletes. She is now a member of the Kentucky Equine Research team and in this issue offers some expert advice on ways to overcome those all to common Thoroughbred feeding difficulties.
Dr Caitlyn Mittelstadt B.V.Sc.
In 2021, Caitlyn graduated from James Cook University with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. She now works at Apiam Animal Health’s Clermont Surgery as a full-time mixed practice vet with a passion for everything horse. Toxic plants, mould, and contaminants in the environment are all possible threats to our horses’ health. In this issue, Caitlyn identifies some of the most common toxins.
Nicole Tough
An EA Level 2 Dressage Specialist Coach and National A Level Judge, Nicole has over 30 years experience in training, competing, judging and coaching. She enjoys presenting seminars and masterclasses, has trained in Germany, Spain and The Netherlands, and has produced nine very successful FEI horses. This month it's on to elementary in the second article of her fivepart training series.
Michelle Terlato
Michelle grew up with horses and has always loved them. When she’s not travelling the globe photographing the world’s top equestrian athletes, she’s home riding her own horses. It’s the behind the scenes and the unexpected shots that she likes the best, and in our Behind the Shot feature, she shares her favourites and explains what makes them so special.
BEHIND THE SHOT
Hilary Scott
One of Australia’s top equestrian photographers, MICHELLE TERLATO travels the world capturing equestrian athletes in action. Each month she shares one of her favourite shots.
Rider: Hilary Scott
Horse: Oaks Milky Way
Event: 2024 CHIO Aachen World
Equestrian Festival CSIO5* Show Jumping
Location: Aachen, Germany
Camera & Settings: Canon EOS-1DX Mark II EF 300mm lens, f/3.2, ISO 1250, 1/1600 sec
Challenges: Aachen is a fabulous arena. However, it is very large. This, combined with the CSIO5* being held in the evening, made for a few photographic challenges and I had to dial up both the shutter speed and ISO. On a sunny day
with good light, I usually have an ISO of around 200 - this image was shot at 1250, which helped balance out the very fast 1/1600 sec shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds are needed in poor light to avoid blur or ‘softness’ of focus, which although sometimes good for effect, was not what I wanted here. Due to the arena’s size, it was important to find the right location to shoot from and my 300mm lens was perfect for the distance.
A wonderful positive of Aachen is that the lighting at night is fabulous. Despite being summer and the sun not setting until
around 10:00pm, the lights were turned on early in the evening so that the stadium was well lit, which helped enormously.
Why this shot is special: For me, this image is special for several reasons. It was my first visit to CHIO Aachen and the facilities, competition, professionalism, and European crowds were fabulous. Also, Hilary Scott was the only Australian show jumper competing at Aachen that year, so I was very excited to see her and Milky, her homebred mare, at the absolute top level of the sport, representing Australia, and warming up for the Paris Olympics.
This image captures so much athleticism and impulsion: with Milky's ears pricked, all her hooves off the ground, and both horse and rider focused on the jump ahead. It also encompasses Aachen: the huge grassy arena, the fabulous crowds, and of course, the Rolex clock in the centre. I recommend you put CHIO Aachen on your bucket list, you will not be disappointed!
Michelle is available for event, commercial and private shoots. Visit Michelle Terlato Photography to view her impressive portfolio.
It's elementary
Elementary – it’s the kindergarten of the tough stuff! In the second of her five-part series, NICOLE TOUGH looks at a horse’s training as they progress through the dressage grades.
The education system requires us to pass exams at the end of each school year to test our understanding of certain principles, to determine if we are either ready to graduate to the next year level or
repeat. Likewise, the dressage levels are there to reflect the schooling of the horse, and the importance of each level cannot be underestimated.
Moving on from consolidating our basics, where our horses are going
reliably and lightly on the bit in walk, trot and canter, elementary is where we start to systematically develop a more difficult balance point.
The step up to elementary is crucial, and a lot of riders are disheartened by a drop in their scores when they first dabble in the tests. I’ve even heard riders say they prefer to skip elementary. But it is hard for a reason. Elementary is where we begin to ask the horse to lower their haunches, engage a more rounded posture, and travel with greater uphill tendency, in other words, it’s the beginning of collection.
We should undertake this level with the goal of improving the horse’s strength through systematic exercises requiring a basic level of collection, which is a vital pre-condition for a higher stage of training. Without taking the time to increase their physical strength, they will eventually demonstrate an inability to perform the more difficult movements by becoming tense or resistant.
Collection requires progressive training, encouraging the hindlegs to step further towards the horse’s centre. Imagine a straight line from the girth to the ground. This is where we want to direct the hindlegs. The more successful we are, the more we relieve the forehand by redistributing the balance point and achieving greater collection.
We use the movements and exercises of the elementary level to systematically enable the horse to develop in a way that allows them to reach FEI confident in their mind and strong in their bodies. If we take the time to physically build the horse, they will mentally cope with the demands of the higher level tests. Below are some gymnastic exercises we can undertake at elementary level to achieve this goal:
Straightening/bending: Through the use of lateral movements such as shoulder-in, travers and renvers, straightening and bending exercises enable the horse to develop greater suppleness and engagement. In
HANGING TOUGH
shoulder-in, for example, the inside hind leg should step more under, and the correct angle will push up the outside shoulder enabling more lift and expression.
Repeated transitions: Repeated transitions to and from trot and walk through four or five shortened steps, while ensuring we maintain the same energy regardless of the size of the steps. The purpose is to encourage the hindlegs to step nearer to the front through increased dorsal flexion of the spine. This idea is also the beginning of ‘short steps’.
Opening and closing the canter: This exercise can also strengthen the horse. The repetition of these transitions within the pace are crucial to developing the horse’s throughness in canter, which is key to further collection. Introduced on the circle, the rider invites the horse to make smaller steps with the seat aids, whilst maintaining and increasing energy with the leg aids. This is achieved through trial and error. Find out how much seat aid is required to make smaller steps, how much leg is needed to keep them active and how much rein is required to manage the frame - and always reward correct balancing moments and steps with less pressure and a pat.
Canter to walk transitions: These are of the highest gymnastic value if they are ridden with three to five smaller canter steps before the actual transition to walk. For the horse to do this, we invite them to make smaller more energetic steps. Should they evade the exercise by resisting, canter on and refresh the horse’s energy and improve the quality of their canter before trying again.
Counter canter: This exercise should be undertaken on gradually more difficult lines. The balancing and suppling effects of counter canter can help straighten a crooked horse and achieve greater engagement. Counter canter is also a necessary precursor for flying change training.
ABOVE: In elementary, the horse learns to engage in a more rounded posture (Image by Rodney's Photography). LEFT: Shoulder-in helps the horse develop suppleness and engagement (Image by Christie Baker).
The halt and rein-back:
Introduced at elementary level, this is key to understanding the half-halt. It also improves our connection and helps with readjusting balance thereby lightening the forehand.
Added to the above exercises, all the movements at elementary level are precursors for further training. The shoulder-in and travers are necessary for half-pass, the walk turn on the haunches for walk and canter pirouettes, the counter canter for flying changes, and the collection required for simple changes is a stepping stone for the canter half-pass, pirouettes and flying changes introduced in later training. Collection involves a greater compression of the spine, which increases the ability for spring. If you compress a slinky, it has more spring. Ergo the more compression (carrying ability) we have, the more spring we get
(pushing power). The ultimate carrying ability is required in piaffe, whilst the ultimate pushing power is required in passage.
These movements take many years to develop, with multiple layers of engagement, impulsion and collection all requiring a steady increase of the horse’s strength so that one day they may be able to perform the movements of the Grand Prix.
Without the necessary muscular strength, the rider will be forcing underdeveloped muscles and holding the horse in position. Correct systematic schooling, and working on the requirements of each dressage level are preconditions for all other training stages. Compromise is simply not possible.
For more information on lessons or a clinic with Nicole, visit Nicole Tough Dressage.
The importance of an adjustable canter
To be successful in show jumping or cross country, you need to be able to adjust your horse’s canter speed and stride. CHARLIE BRISTER explains why
In both show jumping and cross country, each course has a set optimum time that has been calculated by the course designer in relation to the length of the course. Obviously, the distance of a cross country course is going to be longer and the speeds are going to be faster, and it's very important that riders train
their horses at those canter speeds so that they develop a feeling for them, as well as getting their horses fit enough to have the appropriate canter for that level of competition and height of jump. There's a reason that in advanced eventing the canter speed is faster. You can't go around a high level cross
country course with the same canter speed that you would have in a 1.0m show jumping course. For example, to avoid time penalties, the speed required for a 5* cross country course is an average of 570 meters per minute over a distance of approximately 5.7 to 6.27 kilometres. The reason 570m/pm is an average speed is that there will be times when you're going to have to collect the horse and be a lot slower (such as when you’re jumping a hollow combination, or a big drop fence), and then go faster than the average speed to make up for it.
What is by far the best is if you can make these transitions as smooth as possible for the horse, which quite often saves the most time. So, by having efficient transitions and a really responsive horse, you can make those changes in speed much more easily. [For more on downward and upward transitions, see Charlie’s article
‘Clear lines of communication’ in our September 2024 issue.]
When a horse is really strong in the bridle and dull to the leg, it takes a lot longer for you to make the change between being slower and then a bit faster, and that’s where you waste time. By improving those transitions and the communication between you and your horse, you'll speed up your time without necessarily being faster, or by riding dangerously.
So how do you work out your canter speed? It can be very helpful if you’ve got a pre-training facility nearby, or somewhere that has a track where you have a really big area and you know the distances on the track. If you don’t have access to either of those facilities, but you do have a big paddock, get a trundle wheel and measure out a loop ideally of 570 metres. You can then practice riding this track at 570 meters a minute, and once you have an idea of what that speed feels like, practice speeding up and slowing down within the loop, but still finishing within your set time.
You don’t have to have a jump set up on the loop at this point, but once you’ve got a feeling for the time, put up some small fences then canter around, rebalance, jump the fence, speed up again and see how that affects your time.
This is certainly going to be a lot easier if you have a friend timing you, or ideally, your eventing coach. An
eventing coach can also help with your position and give you pointers on how to improve your horse's transitions within the gallop and the canter. But it can be done on your own if you know the distance of the track, and use an app on your phone to time it.
In show jumping, the required speed is not as high. At the Olympic level, we're looking at only 400 meters a minute, but I can guarantee you that when you're riding a course of 1.6m show jumps at up to 400 meters a minute, things come up very, very quickly.
It's a lot harder to have this canter speed without the horse getting too strung out. And that's something to think about. Sometimes you need to lengthen the canter, but other times you need to increase the RPM, on a bigger horse for example, without the canter stride getting longer. This is often the case in show jumping, whereas on cross country we will want to lengthen the canter in a galloping part of the course.
In show jumping, the speed is faster at the higher levels because you need a bigger, stronger canter to jump those Grand Prix fences, while at the lower levels it's a bit easier to get around at a slower canter. However, at home, most people train in a 60 by 20 metre arena, and work on getting their horses collected, listening and relaxed. Quite often they’re not training at competition speed, so when they get out to a
competition and suddenly their horse is flying around with no brakes, their surprised reaction is ‘But they’re not like this at home’.
So it's important that you ride in a big, strong competition speed canter at home. You have to adrenalise the canter a little bit to practice doing downward transitions from an adrenalised canter. Make sure you figure out what speed that canter is and how you're going to measure it, so that you're actually practicing the correct canter at home. You don’t want to be getting to the competition and then saying ‘Oh, my horse is too strong, I need a bigger bit’. That may need to happen at some point in a horse's career, but it certainly should not be your first port of call.
Consistency of the canter is very important in show jumping. You will still want a slightly bigger or quicker canter for an oxer than for say, a vertical or a skinny triple bar, but by improving the consistency of your canter and making the transitions smoother, you'll make it a lot easier for the horse to stay in balance and jump the fences. And if they listen, understand and respond to the aids as soon as they are applied, they’ll be able to focus on the fences rather than having to listen to you pulling and kicking all the time.
ESI International’s Dr Andrew McLean has analysed the number of rails horses had down in competitions in
ABOVE: A two stride combination. LEFT: Charlie and Bellhaven Cordino competing at the 2024 Willinga Park Futurity Spectacular (Image by Shelle Smith Photography).
relation to the speed they're travelling and the consistency of that speed. He discovered that the consistency of the canter at the correct pace leads to less rails down – another very good reason to work on your canter!
Within a course of jumps, whether show jumping or cross country, there are combinations on related lines and unrelated lines. You might have a combination of two or three fences, very rarely four (although at the high levels of eventing, you will sometimes see it). A combination is generally going to be either one or two canter strides between each fence. Three stride combinations are rare in show jumping but you’ll often see them in cross country. Generally, a related line would be anywhere from four to eight strides between the two fences, while an unrelated line is more than eight strides with some show jumpers going up to 10 strides, maybe even 11, but rarely more than that.
In show jumping, the course designer generally builds the course to a 12 foot canter stride. If there's a one stride combination, they're going to
allow for the take off and landing at approximately 1.6 to 1.8 meters, and then a 12 foot canter stride before taking off again. So it's important, especially for show jumping, that you practice riding in this 12 foot canter stride.
RPM, ground speed and length are all slightly different, but all very related. So if you walk a four stride related line, you’ll then know what canter you need to get four strides. If you have a small pony, you might do five strides, and that's fine. But if you have a 16.2hh horse and you're riding five strides in a four stride line, you're probably underpowering the canter for a fence of that height, making it harder for the horse to clear the obstacle while probably collecting time penalties as well.
While adjustability and rideability exercises where you vary the number of strides between small fences, poles and cavalettis are very helpful in training, at a competition it's very important that you try and get the correct number of strides. However, you might be on a 17hh Warmblood and jump in a bit too quickly over the first
fence, and instead of pulling really hard on the horse's mouth to get the correct number of strides, you land, keep going, and with one less stride in the six stride line the horse is going to be fine. But you can't do that all the time, otherwise your horse will become a bit too fast and strung out.
In a cross country combination with related lines, course designers will quite often build the stride a little longer than 12 feet to account for the horse galloping and being a bit more strung out. But it's important to note that when they do build a shorter stride, or a correct stride length, you have to pay a lot more attention. You’ll need to spend a little bit longer setting your horse up to have them balanced on the hind end so they won't get too close to the front of the second obstacle, risking a rotational fall if they're on the forehand, too strung out, and going too fast.
Charlie Brister of Brister Equestrian is an all-round horseman with expertise in retraining problem horses and coaching riders in all disciplines. You can follow him on Instagram.
ABOVE: In cross country, canter speed is variable.
Complete Feed
Redefine Equine Wellness
in Springtime with PONYPLUS
PonyPlus is a low sugar, low starch feed that has been specifically formulated for easy keepers and horses/ponies with metabolic conditions. It is a nutritious and filling feed that will provide your equine with good quality protein, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids (Omega 3 & 6) and bulk without oversupplying calories, starch or sugars.
FORMULATED FOR HORSES WITH:
+ Laminitis
+ Insulin Resistance
+ Obesity
+ Equine Cushing’s Syndrome
+ Equine Metabolic Syndrome
+ Tying Up
Shaping Tomorrow Responsibly...where innovation meets sustainability
TOP TIPS
Seven tips to prepare for your first competition
Want to take your horse to their first jumping competition? CHRISTINE ARMISHAW recently had the experience of doing just that.
Taking your inexperienced or young horse to their first jumping competition may cause you some sleepless nights. Wondering how it will all unfold and how they’ll react can make the whole thing seem pretty daunting. So here are seven of the things I focussed on in the leadup to taking Myal High Omega (Melman), my five-year-old, 18hh off the track Thoroughbred to Equimillion, his very first jumping competition:
1. Have a goal: Having a goal is the golden key. It's one thing to decide you’ll take your horse to their first competition when they’re ‘ready’, but it’s another thing altogether to pick the event, pay the entry fee, and begin working towards a looming deadline. But, like tearing off a band aid, it has to be done. So, pick your event and work towards it.
2. Your horse can do more than you think: I'd been working Melman with
the plan of entering him in the lowest class at Equimillion. I figured we'd be able to steer around a 65cm course, but exactly three weeks out from the event, I discovered we weren’t eligible for the 65cm. So we had to enter the 80cm class and suddenly I had to get him ready to ride a course much bigger than we'd planned.
The point is that in those last three weeks, I doubled down and rode every single day bar three days – in one of those I gave him an in-hand session, and the other two days he had off. Many riders think you've got to take it easy, you shouldn’t overwork your horse –and I agree. You shouldn't overwork them, but you can work them more than you might think. They’re horses after all, they're designed to roam for miles a day as part of a herd. And I know that if I hadn't worked Melman as I did, it would not have panned out well!
3. Train them higher at home: Train higher at home than the height at which you're planning to compete. At the beginning of those three weeks, when Melman was still spooking at cross rails, 90cm felt daunting. But slowly and
progressively, day by day we built the jumps up, and I can tell you that I took great delight in measuring them!
As we got higher he didn't stop and he didn't knock them down. Finally we were actually jumping rounds of 90cms at home, with even the odd 1.0m fence thrown in for good measure. Then, on the day, with all the nerves, excitement and adrenaline, when I went into the ring to walk the course, the 80cm jumps didn't actually feel that big - and the psychological impact that has on you is really positive.
4. Train for the worst case scenario: I had no idea what the course designer for Equimillion, which is quite a high profile competition, would come up with. I thought they might get creative and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
So I pulled out all the scariest things I could find at home and trained Melman over them until he felt comfortable with them all. We had an orange and yellow brick wall, a double sided filler painted white on one side and covered in green plastic foliage on the other, a tarp on the ground acting as a Liverpool, and the scariest thing of all, the big black planks that petrified him. It took him until four days before the competition to become comfortable to the point where he took me over to have a look at them rather than me taking him!
On the day, in the 45 seconds you have in the ring before you ride the course, I showed Melman all the ‘scary’ jumps and he was completely nonchalant. All the scary stuff at home had made the jumps on course significantly less scary. It really is all about repetition, repetition, repetition.
5. Train in a smaller space: I trained Melman in a space smaller than the one we expected to compete in. If you don’t have access to an indoor arena, peg off a small area in the paddock and train over courses with really tight turns and short approaches. Then on the day, it will be much easier to ride the course in a full size jumping arena.
6. Get off property: You must get off property and ride somewhere else so you have an idea of what your horse is likely to do. Before Equimillion, I took Melman to Pony Club several times to practice jumping off site and to see how he would react to being away from home – and he actually did get better with each outing.
But what I learned, which I wouldn't have otherwise known, was that being off site hotted him up and he had to be lunged before being ridden, even though we'd passed that stage at home. So now we knew we needed to make time for lunging to be part of our competition warm up routine, and that was a game changer.
7. Enjoy the moment: While this may be your first ever event together, as with every competition you should take it seriously. Do your best, enjoy the moment, and view the whole thing as training for your young or inexperienced horse. However, once it’s over, relax – because the only thing
that matters then is what you learned from it. Whether you come home with a ribbon or not, you did it.
Christine Armishaw Equestrian offers a variety of coaching and other equestrian services at her Otford Valley Equestrian Agistment & Training Centre
ABOVE & LEFT: Christine and Myal High Omega placed 4th in the first class and 9th overall in the Equimillion 80cm Open Two Phase. BELOW: With Melman in the Equimillion New Star Led class (Images by Rodney's Photography).
Toxic threats to horse health
Certain plants, moulds, and contaminants in the environment pose a threat to our horses. DR CAITLYN
MITTELSTADT
identifies some of those most common.
Toxic is a word that brings fear to the minds of all horse owners.
Plants, mould, environmental contaminants, so many factors to consider when planning how to keep our equine companions safe in their paddocks. A toxin is a product containing
or is itself a noxious material capable of causing death or serious debilitation to the health of an animal or person.
Plants are the first port of call when considering the safety of your horse’s environment and becoming familiar with toxic plant species and signs of the
toxicity they cause is key to creating a safe paddock environment. Toxic plants are generally ignored by most horses. However, in paddocks short of feed, in new areas or in back yards, with curious young horses, or in times of drought when they might be tempted to try less palatable paddock plants to appease hunger, toxicity is a very big concern with the potential to cause the death or illness of your beloved companion.
In Central Queensland, where I currently work, there are a large number of toxic paddock weeds which can be detrimental. However, every locality is different. When moving into a new area, talk to your local veterinarian and horseowning neighbours to find out which toxic plants are common. You need to be proactive when it comes to your horse’s safety, as unfortunately many of these plants have no cure except supportive therapy, so avoidance is key.
For example, mother-of-millions is a stalky succulent that has pencil shaped green leaves with dark green patches, and groups of bright pink/orange belllike flowers on a single tall stem. It’s a hardy weed that when ingested causes heart failure in horses and livestock.
Heart-leaf bush, a shrub with clusters of small red flowers and green teardrop shaped leaves, and Gidgee trees, with their crescent shaped blue-green leaves, can occasionally be palatable during drought. But if any part of these plants is ingested toxic levels of fluoroacetate (1080 poison) can cause rapid death, especially when stock are moved or stressed.
Common backyard plants can also be a huge risk. A patient recently presented to our equine hospital with very poor appetite. His blood work told us his body, especially his kidneys, were under severe stress. After light sedation so we could insert a urinary catheter to investigate the cause, he passed out in our horse crush. He then passed out twice in the grass yard, and
VET VIBES
an ECG (which measures the heart’s electro cardiac waves) and extensive investigative blood work showed he was suffering from life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and heart muscle damage. His heart was stopping for seconds at a time, impairing blood flow to his kidneys and other organs, and requiring multiple rounds of CPR as well as several days of intensive medical management before he was stabilised and safe to go home. The likely cause? Oleander, a beautiful ornamental plant with long thin leaves, varying pink, white or yellow trumpet shaped flowers, and lethal levels of cardiac glycoside toxins. We’ll never know why he took a nibble when he’d never shown interest before, but he is very lucky to have survived.
Rubber vine, frangipani, foxglove, and native jute also contain cardiac glycosides. Avocado, including the seed, skin, leaves and tree, are toxic to the heart when ingested, as are potato plants containing solanine toxins.
An often overlooked paddock toxin is oxalate, of which there are three types: acute oxalate, calcium oxalate raphide, and calcium oxalate nonraphide. Arguably the most common in this region is calcium oxalate nonraphide, with the clinical signs of toxicity commonly known as Big Head. Buffel, Signal, Guinea, setaria, Mossman River, Para, elephant Napier, and Pangola grasses can all cause this toxicity, which is severely debilitating to horses
When ingested, calcium oxalates bind the calcium in the body causing a severe deficiency. Calcium is so crucial for basic bone repair, muscle, organ and even brain function, that the body needs to draw it from the bones when blood concentrations get too low, resulting in bone weakness, joint deterioration, arthritis (ringbone), or fractures leading to chronic lameness, as well as enlarged facial bones, muscle tremors, depression, incoordination, colic and even death.
Pregnant, lactating, growing, and performance horses are more sensitive to low calcium due to their higher
ABOVE: Mother-of-millions; Heart leaf bush (Image by Mark Marathon).
ABOVE: Oleander; Rubber vine.
ABOVE: Foxglove; Native jute. FACING PAGE: Wild verbena.
Equi-Jewel®
Equi-Jewel® is the ideal conditioning supplement to increase body condition, topline, and coat quality in breeding horses, performance horses, and horses being prepared for sale.
Equi-Jewel is a high-fat, cool-energy supplement that provides a safe source of calories for horses requiring a lowcarbohydrate diet or horses that are intolerant to grain due to tying-up or gastric ulcers.
Equi-Jewel contains KER BMC™, research proven to double the acid-buffering capacity of the stomach, which moderates stomach pH and reduces the risk of gastric ulcers. KER BMC also increases the buffering capacity of the hindgut by 54% to promote improved digestion and feed utilisation.
Learn more about Equi-Jewel at ker.com
ABOVE: Blue sow thistle; Rattle pods; Marshmallow
nutritional requirements for growth and repair, and are therefore more commonly affected. Horses in areas with the grass species previously listed must be given daily calcium supplementation in the form of a pellet or lick.
In warm regions, plants with pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxins are common, causing oxidation in the liver, and sometimes also the lungs and kidneys when ingested, resulting in mass cell death. This toxin has a delayed onset and the toxic dose is cumulative, eventually resulting in liver failure, chronic weight loss, photosensitivity (in which large patches of what appears to be severe sunburn peels the skin off in patches across the body), and hepatoencephalopathy, a neurological brain disorder that causes horses to wander aimlessly, stagger, drag their hind legs and walk into obstacles. Species with this toxin include fireweed, ragwort, wild verbena, Paterson’s Curse, billygoat weed, blue sow thistle, the fungi trichodesma, and rattle pods. Lantana, originally ornamental but now a widespread noxious weed, also causes liver damage and photosensitivity in horses and cattle.
Nitrate toxicity is an issue among livestock and camp horses, or horses kept in outdoor stables. High nitrate levels impair the blood’s oxygen carrying ability, which results in severe weakness and even sudden death. A few common weeds containing nitrate include pigweed, marshmallow, Siam weed, Amaranths, button and liverseed grass, caltrop, Mexican poppy, salt bushes, and common tomato bushes.
Common crops that are usually safe for livestock and horses can develop toxic levels of nitrates when stressed or wilting. These include sorghum, oats, young or recently fertilised rye grass, and even lucerne.
Other environmental toxins to guard against, especially if horses have access to garbage dumps or scrap materials, include lead toxicity from licking old batteries, machinery, paints and pesticides, which can taste quite sweet to animals. Fungal toxicities like aspergillosis from mouldy hay or endophytic fungus spores on tall fescue seed heads, can cause fevers, rapid breathing and rough coats, as well as placentitis, weak foals and abortions in pregnant mares.
Bacterial botulism toxicity from horse feeds contaminated by animal carcasses can cause flaccid paralysis, inability to eat, colic and death. Cattle feeds containing monensin/rumensin ingredients are also highly toxic to horses, leading to lifelong heart damage, and feeds containing urea cause aimless wandering, incoordination, head pressing and sudden death. Always keep horses away from cattle feed and check the environment, pasture and hay quality to avoid these preventable toxicities.
It’s vital to know what is around your property, what plant species are common in your area, and what garden plants are harmful. The good news is most paddock plant toxicities occur only with prolonged exposure, and removing the horse from the pasture is the best option to prevent clinical signs from developing. If you think your horse has been exposed to an environmental toxin, call your equine veterinarian.
Dr Caitlyn Mittelstadt works for APIAM Animal Health at Clermont Veterinary Surgery in Queensland.
VET
FEATURE
The joy of connection
Heartland Equestrian’s Kim Thompson is a Liberty work coach, performer and trainer. AMANDA MAC spoke to her about the things near and dear to her heart.
When Kim Thompson, based in Buln Buln in Victoria’s east, began training in Equine Therapy, her relationship with horses underwent what can only be described as a profound shift.
Influenced by her mother, Kim grew up around horses. They have always been her passion and some of her earliest memories are of trail riding in the bush
with her mum. “I went to the local Pony Club too, and I was quite competitive in eventing with a horse I’d bought at a market when I was 13. She was an off the track Thoroughbred who hadn’t been retrained and was the craziest horse there.”
Kim’s mother, concerned for her daughter’s safety, initially vetoed any idea of bidding on the mare, but Kim’s
determination eventually won the day. “We went to find the buyer and I had to offer him $100 more then he’d paid to buy her from him,” Kim laughs.
After retraining her new and somewhat self-opinionated mare, together they went through to Pony Club’s top eventing levels. But despite her success, Kim, recognising the intense competitiveness of the sport, decided not to pursue a career as a competition rider. Although she knew horses were always going to be a part of her life, she had to make a living and opted to follow up on another interest by studying orthodontic therapy at Melbourne University – at which point horses had to take a bit of a back seat with riding a weekend-only occupation.
After graduation, Kim worked in orthodontics for around 16 years, eventually launching Heartland Equestrian as a part-time venture in 2017, and shifting to it in a full time capacity when COVID changed life as we knew it.
Over the years, she had remained a keen competitor in eventing and show
jumping, but it was after a personal trauma and the realisation that her horses had played a pivotal role in helping her to heal from that experience, that she felt prompted to study Equine Therapy.
Having never been previously involved with Liberty training, the course was her very first exposure to being able to work with a horse free of any equipment. It was the understanding and the lightness of that experience that shifted her perspective of why we do things with horses and how much gear we use on them. “I started to understand a different way to be with horses,” Kim explains, “and that's why I started Liberty training and bitless and bridleless riding. Up to that point I had been very traditional in my thinking, but seeing a horse work at Liberty made me think outside the square and I began to love that aspect of being with a horse, creating a connection with them that for me, was magical.”
Feeling as if this was the missing piece in her horsemanship, Kim started investigating Liberty more deeply - and
her progression from that initial first experience is an interesting one. It began here in Australia with natural horsemanship, which was Kim says, mainly based on the Parelli approach: “But that didn't completely resonate with me because I was trying to achieve lightness, and I found that some of it wasn't as light as I'd have liked,” she says.
Next, she contacted a number of Liberty practitioners in Europe. “One of my biggest mentors was Frenchwoman Alizée Froment, an internationally recognised Grand Prix dressage rider. She was working in both Liberty and bridleless and I started to implement some of the concepts I learned from her,” Kim tells me.
Next there was Melanie Ferrio-Wise, a bridleless rider competing in America, and both she and her then husband became mentors on Kim’s journey. She also connected with New Zealand’s Alycia Burton, another advanced level bridleless rider, and while she wasn’t formally trained by any of these experts,
she learned enough to start working out a system that suited her situation. “Because I have nine horses, all with different personalities, I had to figure out the best approach to connection training for each of them as individuals,” Kim says.
As her understanding of Liberty and bitless/bridleless riding grew, it began to have a significant influence on her involvement in competitive riding, which by then was predominately show jumping. “I started taking my ego out of it and questioned why I was competing. I really had to have a hard look at myself.”
At the time, Kim had just bought a horse to compete with at a high level, but after being ridden by his previous owner in an extremely strong bit, when she got the horse home she found she couldn't control him. “So I decided I had to find a better way, and I ended up being able to ride that horse over big jumps bridleless. It took quite a lot for me to understand that it was relationship that mattered, and not the gear,” she explains.
ABOVE: Among other disciplines, Kim specialises in Liberty training and bridleless riding. LEFT: Always her great passion, Kim knew horses would forever be part of her life (All images by Louise Sedgman Equine Photography).
Apiam’s equine veterinary credentials are well-founded with a growing number of purpose-built dedicated Equine Vet Clinics and Referral Hospitals located in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, working alongside our network of mixed practice clinics in delivering quality equine veterinary care.
Scenic Rim Veterinary Service
Beaudesert QLD
Agnes Banks Equine Clinic
Agnes Banks NSW
Hunter Equine Centre
Scone NSW
Victorian Equine Group
Bendigo VIC
Gippsland Equine Hospital
Maffra VIC
Southwest Equine Veterinary Group
Warrnambool VIC
Find out more by visiting the Apiam Animal Health website & view the equine product range on Country Vet Animal Supplies
For Kim, working at Liberty and bridleless riding is all about our connection with our horses, and that in turn comes down to our energy. "It’s the selfmastery of our emotions and how we're feeling. If we're in a positive space and emitting emotions like love, calmness and relaxation, the horse feels secure. Conversely, if we’re anxious or fearful, it creates an atmosphere in which they feel unsafe," she says.
This foundational understanding proved to be a game changer when she purchased Yardan, a Friesian who had put his previous owner in hospital. "Because he was a bolter, I need to be calm and confident for him to allow me to ride him in the way that I now can."
And that's the approach Kim instils in her clients: "I don't just teach physical aids, I also teach mental and emotional aids. So, although I don't work specifically as a therapist, Equine Therapy coincides with what I do. Liberty and the connection training all blend together. My clients all have different stories and horses help us to heal naturally, no matter what we have gone through. I
believe that the connection side of it is part of that healing,"
Kim loves to showcase what's possible and regularly gives Liberty and bridleless performances at Kryal Castle, renowned for its Baroque Horse Festival and jousting tournaments. Her first performance there was with Yardan followed by one with his half-brother Wylder, another rebellious Friesian who she rehabilitated. But the connection she achieves with her horses is, she believes, possible for everyone, and the moment when one of her clients first makes that magical connection with their own horse is pure magic for her too: “It’s just incredible, I can't begin to tell you. And for that rider, they're on a high for days sometimes, completely overwhelmed with the changes that they experience. It's just such a beautiful thing to witness.”
But there’s another issue that’s very close to Kim’s heart. When she first presented as an educator at Equitana in 2022, she noticed that those headlined as ‘Star’ presenters (as opposed to those in the lesser paid Educator roles) were predominantly male, and that the situation was much the same in that
year's Outback Spectacular. “I was really surprised, because this is a female dominated sport, so why weren’t there more women in these roles?” And, Kim notes, nothing much has changed over the intervening years.
Wanting to seek guidance on how to correctly and appropriately advocate for positive change, she contacted Dr Emma Fulu, Director of the Equality Institute at the International Women's Development Agency, and has now launched an awareness campaign designed to work towards addressing these gender imbalances. “I have absolutely no objection whatsoever to male presenters,” she stresses, “but in a female dominated sport, surely we should see more women in those star presenter roles – particularly when there are so many amazing female presenters in Australia. For me, it’s all about showcasing women’s talents to help and inspire other women to be their best selves.”
And who would argue with that.
For more information, visit Heartland Equestrian, or follow Kim on Facebook
ABOVE: Kim says it took quite a lot for her to understand that it was relationship that mattered, not the gear.
LIFE AFTER RACING
Thoroughbred spectacular
Designed to showcase the off the track Thoroughbred's many talents, this year's Equimillion was a huge success, writes AMANDA MAC
Back bigger and better in its second year, Equimillion, a Racing New South Wales initiative, is designed to showcase the versatility of off the track Thoroughbreds, and to demonstrate their suitability for a fulfilling life and career outside of racing – and the event does that in spectacular fashion.
Held over the October long weekend at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, there was an absolute feast of dressage, jumping, eventing, and showing. It’s an event you should definitely pencil into next year’s diary if you haven’t already.
Over $1 million in prize money was distributed over forty classes, including
junior, amateur and open professional competitions - and with a prize purse totalling $30,000 allotted to each class, it’s little wonder competition was fierce.
An estimated 520 horses (70% up from entries at last year's event) competed over the four days. With a great atmosphere, free admission and parking nearby, there was no shortage of spectators either.
Of particular interest were the New Star Thoroughbred Classes, added this year to cater exclusively for Thoroughbred racehorses who had retired from the track in the 12 months prior to the event, with free entry for eligible horses
ABOVE: Cassandra Schmidt and Concave took 1st place in the ridden Show Hunter. TOP RIGHT: Shenae Lowings and Kanmoreu winning the CCN1*-S Open. BOTTOM LEFT: Hazel Shannon and Just A Nickel AMC came 1st in the Preliminary New Star dressage. BOTTOM RIGHT: Clem Smith and Where’s Cameron, 1st in the 1.2m Open Two Phase (All images by Rodney's Photography).
ABOVE: Louise Ryan and Daisy Patch Queen of Hearts won both Amateur Ridden Horse and Led Mare. RIGHT: Yoni Wardropper and Call Me What You Want secured a 2nd in the EVA80 Amateur class. BELOW: Wayne Crompton and Double Impact tidying away 3rd place in the 1m Open Two Phase (Images by Rodney's Photography).
Feeding your Thoroughbred
Highly regarded for their athleticism, Thoroughbreds can prove difficult to feed – but these are problems that can be overcome,
writes Dr CLARISSA BROWN-DOUGLAS
The Thoroughbred is one of the most popular breeds in equestrian circles and they are highly regarded for their athleticism, endurance and skill beyond the race track. However, these qualities can go hand in hand with a tendency to be
more excitable, difficult to keep weight on, reactive, and sensitive.
Because off the track (OTT) Thoroughbreds are often a readily available and affordable option, they are a popular choice for equestrians, including taller teenagers coming off ponies. However,
their ‘hotter’ nature can cause them to get a bit of a bad rap, especially in inexperienced hands. Correct nutrition can significantly help with ensuring that they are happy, healthy, and calm in their equestrian careers. So, here is a guideline to feeding the Thoroughbred sport horse.
First things first
A Thoroughbred fresh off the track will require some let down from the rigours of racing, but as with all horses, ensuring their digestive tracts are healthy is a good place to start when planning their diet, especially if they are lean. Certain health problems, including poor teeth, parasite overload, and hind gut imbalance, can make weight gain challenging. A faecal egg count will determine parasitic load and whether targeted treatment is needed. Horses with a high worm burden can have reduced nutrient absorption and difficulty maintaining body condition.
An equine dental specialist should also examine the horse’s mouth to ensure no dental anomalies are causing pain or malocclusion (a misalignment of the teeth), which could make grinding feed difficult.
Stomach health is really important in Thoroughbreds and it is estimated that 90% have some level of gastric ulceration due to the stress of racing and limited free choice roughage when in training. Veterinary endoscopic examination of the stomach may reveal gastric ulceration, and your vet will prescribe the necessary treatment. Once any ulcers have been treated, stomach and hindgut health can usually be maintained with correct feed choices, including targeted supplementation.
Diet detail
The most common dietary concerns for Thoroughbred sport horses are maintaining their weight and managing
behaviour. In general, the breed has a fast metabolism, which means they burn significant amounts of energy just to maintain body condition – add in work and their calorie requirement escalates. Many Thoroughbreds are underweight, either through a poor diet due to owner ignorance, or by design to keep them calmer – an underweight horse has less energy to burn. But achieving optimal body condition without the fizz is possible! So, what should you feed?
Forage first: as with all horses, the Thoroughbred’s diet should be built around high-quality roughage including pasture and ad lib hay. Roughage provides fibre, protein and calories, and works to keep the digestive tract happy. It is recommended to feed at least 1.5% of a horse’s body weight in fibre (dry matter) per day, so a 500kg horse should be offered a minimum of 7.5kg hay, or ad lib access to good pasture. Higher calorie fibre sources include lucerne
hay/chaff, grass hays with lots of leaf, and super fibre sources such as beet pulp, soy hulls, stabilised rice bran, and legume hulls.
Add controlled calories: Most Thoroughbreds will require supplementary feeding to maintain body condition in their equestrian careers. There are many feeds on the market which provide calories for weight gain and performance. Traditionally, high calorie feeds contain cereal grain, the starches and sugars in which provide readily available energy for speed. This rapid energy may not be as desirable in the OTT, so it might be sensible to select a feed formulated with slower release energy sources including digestible fibre and fats/oils. Ingredients in these feeds include beet pulp, soy hulls, vegetable oils, and stabilised rice bran.
That being said, cereal grains provide good calories for performance and
LEFT: Olympian Amanda Ross and OTT Thoroughbred Romeo (Image courtesy KER). RIGHT: Thoroughbreds are highly regarded for their athleticism, endurance and versatility.
weight gain - but ideally, the grains should have undergone a level of processing to ensure they are properly digested. Cooking, cracking, steam flaking, extrusion and pelleting are all methods of processing grain to improve digestion.
Quality protein: Quality protein is needed to build muscle and topline, and lean Thoroughbreds will require good amounts in their diet, especially if they are still growing (under four years of age). Forage such as lucerne contains protein, but additional protein is usually needed – look for feeds containing soybean meal (a fantastic source of lysine, threonine, and methionine – the three most important amino acids) and/or legumes such as lupins.
Balanced nutrients: Be sure your Thoroughbred’s feed contains a complete vitamin and mineral premix, or that a vitamin and mineral supplement is added to the diet. Deficiencies in macro minerals including calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, or trace minerals such as copper, zinc, selenium and iodine, can result in many issues including poor coat, poor immunity, weak bones, and spookiness. Feed manufacturers provide recommended intake rates on feed bags to meet requirements; underweight horses might have to be fed at the top end of these recommendations. Keep individual meals at less than 2.5kg, and if necessary, divide the daily allowance into two or three meals. Many horse owners coming off those easy-keeper ponies and onto a Thoroughbred are shocked at the amount of feed that may be required to keep them in optimal condition.
What about supplements? It is recommended to supplement based on needs, so work with your equine nutritionist to ensure that you are not wasting money on unnecessary or unbalanced supplements. Your OTT will require salt in their diet – 30 to 50g per day plain sodium chloride (white salt) depending on workload and level of sweating. If they are in hard work and
ABOVE: Olympian Megan Jones and OTT Thoroughbred Allofasudden (Image courtesy KER).
sweating a lot, they will likely need a targeted electrolyte.
Thoroughbreds are notorious for having bad feet with poor hoof wall quality. Support hoof quality and growth with additional biotin in their diet – 20mg per day is recommended on top of a balanced diet containing quality protein and balanced vitamins and minerals.
Thoroughbreds also have the reputation of being ‘hot’, This can be genetic, but is usually exacerbated by poor diet and poor digestive health. There are many supplements on the market targeting gut health (unfortunately, most are lacking research and efficacy trials), but common products include antacids and buffers which reduce the acidity of the stomach and hind gut, and prebiotics such as yeast metabolites which support
the microbial population. There are also many calming supplements on the market, but scientific support of these is limited.
Summing it up
Feeding for tractable behaviour in the Thoroughbred can be as much about how you feed, as what you feed. Working with your equine nutritionist to design a diet around quality fibre sources to keep the stomach and hind gut happy, balancing calories with lower starch ingredients including digestible fibre and fats/oils, and only supplementing as needed, will go a long way to producing a well-covered and calm Thoroughbred partner able to perform whatever task is asked of them.
Visit Kentucky Equine Research and Equinews™ for information on all equine nutrition related topics.
WHAT WE'RE LOVING
Seeking a super bra
Finding a bra that's comfortable yet gives you the support you need isn't always easy. We thought some of these showed promise.
Berlei’s ProElite Contour Crop is a high impact Support Factor 3 bra with encased underwire for added support. The front clasp allows easy conversion for cross-over, while the racerback design gives you greater freedom of movement. Encapsulated cups minimise bounce and banish the mono-boob.
Ideal for high impact activities, Panache’s Sport Power Underwired Sports Bra has wide padded straps that disperse pressure from the shoulders. Smooth moulded inner cups reduce friction, the adjustable straps ensure a secure fit, and the racerback option offers more freedom of movement.
The Tripple Layer Support Racer Sports Bra by Bfree is designed for medium to high impact sports. Style, comfort and function come together in this seamless sports bra. Three layers of fabric over the bust offer comfortable, secure support. Available in a range of colours.
Triumph’s Triaction Performance Wired Sports Bra offers extreme support with maximum lightness, making it ideal for high impact training. Ideal when you need serious bounce control, this nonpadded sports bra is engineered from innovative eco fabric for breathability and sweat reduction.
The Pro Indy Plunge Padded Sports Bra by Nike has minimised coverage yet still delivers a snug hold that helps keep everything in place. The bra features convertible straps and removable pads, while Nike Dri-FIT technology moves sweat away from your skin for quicker evaporation.
Lorna Jane’s Full Coverage Support Sports Bra is fully adjustable with a super breathable, bounce-limiting mesh panel, and a supportive bonded hem band for under-bust shaping. Wear it with regular straps or clip them together for a racer look.
Triaction Performance Wired Sports Bra by Triumph
Sport Power Underwired Bra by Panache
Pro Indy Plunge Padded Sports Bra by Nike
Tripple Layer Support Racer Sports Bra by Bfree
ProElite Contour Crop Bra by Berlei
Full Coverage Support Sports Bra by Lorna Jane
PROPERTY
Stables on Songline
Located in the beautiful NSW's Southern Highlands, 4 Songline Place, Burradoo, is the epitomisation of excellence.
Opportunities to own a 10acre estate in Burradoo are exceedingly rare, especially one that offers luxurious bespoke living and world class equestrian facilities, all set within an idyllic landscape.
This 450sqm home spans two sumptuous wings that feature spacious,
open-plan living, including a beautifully appointed dining area, a designer chef's kitchen, soaring ceilings with exposed beams, and expansive glass doors and windows.
Exquisite Italian stone floors, designer lighting pendants and multiple fireplaces are all set off to perfection by the
warmth and character of wall coverings, textiles, and furniture curated and crafted by Sue Robbie of Natural Fibres Studio and Zig n Dot.
The luxury master bedroom with walk-in robe and ensuite opens to the outdoors, and ideal for guests or a teenager’s retreat, the self-contained second-floor
loft includes a bedroom with fireplace, kitchenette, dining space, living room, and a balcony offering sweeping rural vistas
Indoor living flows effortlessly into outdoor entertaining spaces, where an alfresco patio, fitted with a new BBQ kitchen, bar fridge and open fireplace, promises memorable gatherings year-round.
Recent property updates include tastefully renovated bathrooms and laundry.
The equestrian facilities are equally impressive, featuring four barns with stables, wash bays, shelters, fully equipped tack room, four paddocks, and an Olympicsized OTTO dressage arena with auto irrigation. Additionally, the property has DA approval for a nine-car shed
Renowned for its charming villages, wineries, restaurants, cafés, and cosmopolitan shopping, the Southern Highlands are an easy drive to the Sydney CBD and to Canberra.
For further information visit Horse Properties, or contact Bradley Cocks on 0432 300 193.
Spacious light filled rooms are the hallmark of this exceptional property.
The Olympic-sized OTTO dressage arena is fitted with auto irrigation.
Sweeping rural vistas from the self-contained second-floor loft delight the eye.
