Equine Online July by Equine Online NZ

Equine Online July 2017

ADVERTISE WITH US Want to advertise with us here at Equine Online? Go to equineonline.co.nz to view our Rate Card or email hayley@equineonline.co.nz

2 EQUINE ONLINE

INTRODUCING

some exciting new sections

PAGE 37 - EO Buy & $ell - Looking to sell horses or some gear or trying to find something inparticular? Use our Buy & $ell page to do just that. Free for the first month then $2 per listing per month after that. You can sell multiple items in one listing. Pictures and info must be supplied, Email hayley@equineonline.co.nz

COMING SOON - Check it out - Wanting to advertise your small business but not wanting to spend a heap of money? We’ve got the solution for you! Advertise in our ‘Check it out’ section for just $20 a month. Additional costs will apply if you are wanting us to produce your advertisement. Get in touch at hayley@equineonline.co.nz for more details.

Your advertisement here

EQUINE ONLINE 3

EDITOR Hayley Clarke

From the Editor

CONTRIBUTORS Courtney Clarke Ashleigh Davis Hayley Clarke NZ Harness Media Grace Gray Kaitlin Feast Ashleigh Sanderson

COVER IMAGE Harness Jewels - Hayley Clarke

The nights are finally getting lighter

We also catch up with Kaitlin Feast

which means there’s more time to spend

who has just been over to Australia to

with our horses and ponies! We’ve got

represent New Zealand with the Junior

something very special planned for

Riders team. That’s all from me... enjoy

September. Equine Online are holding

the slightest bit of warmer weather

an inhand show in Canterbury for

starting to creep in!

Maddie Collins who is in need of a kidney transplant. Keep an eye out in the magazine for more information on this! If you want to help out with judging, stewarding or sponsoring contact us. Details are to your left. Also in this

x y e l ay

issue we have got more from our Kuda Gura, a piece that I just love reading each month! We also have more foaling advice as foaling season sneaks up on us.

4 EQUINE ONLINE

Courtney is back to give us a heads up on how her riding lessons are going, along with an update on her horse Poppy and we have all your latest news and reviews from the past month!

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in this issue? 6

Courage Under Fire passes away

We have all the results from the HRNZ awards

Kaitlin Feast talks us through her trip to Aussie with the Junior Riders

Check out the photo spread from around the world with our Kuda Guru

Monthly Madness is back!

EQUINE ONLINE 5

news

DRIVER SAYS COURAGE ‘PERFECT RACEHORSE’ By- NZ HARNESS NEWS

Photo by Race Images

Veteran Kiwi reinsman Colin De Filippi

sized colt in his unbeaten first 24 starts.

was racing at two and three.

says Courage Under Fire, who died at the

“He was a special horse to me, he would

“He could maintain his high speed and

weekend in Australia, was the “perfect

just give you confidence when driving

there just didn’t seem to be a bottom to

racehorse’’.

him.

him.“

“He was by far the best two and threeyear-old I’ve ever driven. “His manners and his attitude were

“He could really do anything – he had

De Filippi is just two wins away from

speed, he had stamina and he could

joining the exclusive club of reinsmen to

sprint two or even three times in a race.

have driven 2000 winners in New Zealand,

excellent and his gait was flawless.

“It really didn’t matter where you settled,

“He was the perfect racehorse.”

or what you drew, you just knew he was

For him, Courage Under Fire, later a

The Canterbury veteran drove the pint-

going to be too good for the horses he

champion sire, ranks at the top of the tree

6 EQUINE ONLINE

in a career spanning more than 40 years.

for any young horse he has ever driven. Courage Under Fire won six derbies in a record-setting three-year-old season for trainer Bruce Negus, but it was a Group 2 race at Addington on Show Day in 1998 that sticks out in De Filippi’s mind the most. “The race at Addington, it wasn’t the

Check out this FACEBOOK page for the inspiring journey of a girl who wants to become a Para-olympian.

ONE GIRL, ONE PONY, 101 DREAMS

Derby or Sires’ Stakes Final, but it was on Show Day and they went 3.12 for 2600 metres. “I was five back and one out, then I came

https://www.facebook.com/onegirlonepony/

out three-wide at the 1400, entering the straight with a lap to go. “Bob Cameron [driver] was sitting in the one-one and he looked around just as I came out and he came out in front of me and pressed on. “So I had to stay three-wide from there to the finish and I still knew I was going to beat them at the top of the straight. “I don’t think he won by a lot, but he still won without being knocked about. “That was an outstanding effort and one that sticks with me.” Of his six Derbies, De Filippi looks to the last one, the 1999 Australian Derby as the best performance. “It was his last race as a three-year-old, at Moonee Valley, and the track had just been done up and wasn’t real quick. “He led up the whole way and got attacked I reckon at least three times. “He went a 1.56 mile rate which I think was a world record for anything over 2400m for a three-year-old. “I’ve watched every Derby over there since and nothing’s come close to it.”

EQUINE ONLINE 7

8 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 9

10 EQUINE ONLINE

NZ RIDERS CLAIM THE VICTORY OVER AUSSIE KAITLIN FEAST

Junior rider team: Grace Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan,

to wait a couple of hours for our rooms

we packed our gear ready to head to the

Kaitlin Feast, Florence Tapley and Jaimee

to be cleaned. Once we got back to our

showgrounds, we stopped for breakfast

Bird

accomodation we headed into our rooms

at a pancake restaurant on the way out

and got settled in. On Friday night we had

to the Showgrounds where everyone

a team dinner with the other teams at a

over indulged. As predicted, the weather

We arrived in Melbourne around 8.30am

restaurant just down the road from our

was looking less than ideal for jumping

local time on Friday 28 July after an early

accomodation. At the dinner the pools

with extremely high winds. We made our

start having to be at the airport at around

of horses were allocated to each team

way out to the Showgrounds and waited

4.30am our time. From Melbourne we

and the welcoming speeches were made.

around until we were due in for a meeting

drove through to Werribee, found our

Once dinner was over we headed back to

with the other teams. At this meeting

accomodation then headed into the

our rooms for a much needed sleep before

we were told due to the bad weather

town for a bit of a look around as we had

another early start. On Saturday morning

conditions the competition, that was due

Young rider team: Harry Feast, Luci Askin, Kim Bird and Steffi Whittaker.

EQUINE ONLINE 11

to start at 2pm in the outdoor arenas, would be moved to the indoor arena starting at around 6pm. This obviously wasn’t ideal however it was a decision that had to be made for the safety of the horses and riders. At around 12pm each team was allowed a 20 minute “trial ride” on the horses the coaches had allocated the riders. This was the last chance for any changes to be made. Luckily, our coach, Fiona Gillies, selected our horses perfectly and no changes were necessary. I was matched with a 17.2hh bay mare, Kendalee Ratini. After the trial ride we headed back to the stables, plaited the horses up ready for competition and then waited around until we were told the course was ready to be walked. The course was the same for both the junior rider and young rider teams and so all of the teams walked at the same time. The only difference being that the jumps were set at 1.05m for Juniors and 1.15m for the Young riders. The course was well set with a few challenges however with the added element of having to jump indoors this was going to make things a bit trickier. After we’d finished the course walk, the Young Rider team captains did a coin toss to decide which team would jump first. South Island won the coin toss and we elected to jump second. This gave us a chance to see how the course was riding. The junior teams competed first. Victorias first rider out didn’t get off to a great start which resulted in an elimination. This proved the mix of an indoor setting and unfamiliar horses was going to be just as challenging as we expected. Our first rider out, Florence Tapley, produced a stunning clear round to put us out in front early. The next Victoria rider had just one fence down. I was next to ride for our team and had two fences down. Victoria’s third rider was again eliminated. This meant if our next rider completed the round and kept

12 EQUINE ONLINE

a live score we had won the first round. Our next rider was Grace O’Sullivan, she had three fences down however all that counted was she kept a live score and we had won the first round regardless of the result of the last riders for each team. Victoria’s last rider produced a nice clear round however it was too little too late for their team. Unfortunately, our last rider Jaimee Bird had one of the more challenging horses who was rather spooky in the indoor arena and unseated her after a jump resulting in an elimination. However this didn’t matter we were still sitting on top after day one. Our young rider team weren’t so lucky and after a tight contest finished second after the first round. We headed back to our accomodation and packed our bags ready for the next day. After a good nights sleep we headed to a local cafe for breakfast before heading out to the Showgrounds. On the second day the

pools of horses are switched between the two teams. For us junior riders this meant we had a big challenge ahead of us with two of those horses being eliminated yesterday. Again we had a trial ride on the horses before the competition started. I was matched with a pretty grey mare, Blackall Park Surprise. The competition was moved back outdoors due to the weather conditions being a lot better. After the trial ride we had about half an hour until the course walk. The course was a bit more of a challenge and the fences were slightly higher. The jumping order was switched for the second day and therefore we had to jump first. We managed to go into the second round with four live scores which was a huge success for us. The Victorian’s had three live scores and this meant we had to jump another round to decide the winner for day two. With both teams finishing the two rounds on three live scores it came

down to the amount of faults each team incurred. We took out day two beating the Victorians by 4 faults. It was now down to the Young riders. Again it was a close contest however the Victorians came out on top. This meant with both South Island and Victoria sitting on two points each (SI had two points from the Junior rider team and VIC had two points from the Young rider team) the winner of the overall trophy had to be decided by the overall team (Junior and Young rider teams combined from each country) with the least faults from both days. After this was added up the South Island came out on top. This meant we took home the trans Tasman trophy. Overall it was an amazing experience and lots of memories were made. We got to meet some very lovely people and the event was very well organised and run by Jumping Victoria.

EQUINE ONLINE 13

14 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 15

the horse midwife

Stage two labour in the mare Column - ASHLEIGH DAVIS Equine Online is excited to have Ashleigh Davis on board to write a monthly column about Foal Education. Ashleigh is a well established ‘horse midwife’ who will bring us plenty of knowledge through her monthly columns. You can find out more about Ashleigh’s FoalEd business on her Facebook page or by emailing her. www.facebook.com/FoalEd info@foaled.co.nz

The opposite is true in horses. Stage

slightly upside down if the presentation

Foaling season has rolled around pretty

Two Labour is referred to as the ‘explosive’

(position) of the foal is checked too soon

quickly and a lot of studs already have

stage, not because anything explodes,

after the waters break. As mentioned in

their first foal on the ground. A couple of

but because of the quick timeframe.

last month’s Stage One Labour post, the

studs even had a foal before the official

Normal Stage Two Labour should see the

foal spends the majority of the pregnancy

racehorse birth date of 1st August.

foal delivered very quickly; between 20 –

upside down on its back and then rotates

Fortunately these days, so long as you can

30 minutes from when the water breaks.

into the correct position for foaling. The

Hi everyone!

prove that the mare wasn’t mated before

Once the mare’s water has broken the

foal may still be moving itself into this

the 1st of September. Back in the day you

‘white bag’ (amniotic sac) should appear

position if the waters have just broken.

would have had a horse born on 31st July

at the entrance to the vulva. Absence of

Often, leaving the mare to roll will correct

officially turning one the next day!

the white bag after the water has broken

this.

Last month we talked about Stage

may be indicative of a problem.

Once the mare begins pushing the

One Labour in the mare. To recap, Stage

The foal will normally be positioned like

foal should be delivered very quickly.

One Labour begins when the foal starts

‘superman’ with its front legs stretched

Significant pushes should result in the

moving in to position and ends when the

out in front and its head resting upright

foal progressing and being delivered

mare’s water breaks. It can last anywhere

on the knees. It is normal for one leg to be

shortly after. Absence of pushing, or

from hours to days.

slightly in front of the other, with the base

pushing with no progress, may be a sign

of the hooves facing down.

that something is not right.

This month focuses on Stage Two

The position of the foal is checked by the

In a previous blog post on ‘The Golden

can vary greatly in length, Stage Two

foaling assistant at this point to ensure

Rule of Foaling’ we talked about the 5:30

Labour has a very narrow timeframe.

that all the right limbs are present and in

Rule. More than five minutes of pushing

Stage Two Labour begins when the

the right orientation. If this is not the case

with no progress, OR the foal not being

mare’s water breaks and ends with the

then an experienced foaling assistant

delivered 30 minutes after foaling may

delivery of the foal. In humans, once a

may be able to correct minor problems,

mean that there is a problem with the

woman’s water breaks it is not uncommon

however most bigger problems are likely

foaling.

for it to be a long time before the baby is

to require vet intervention.

Labour. Unlike Stage On Labour, which

actually delivered.

16 EQUINE ONLINE

It is not uncommon for the foal to feel

If you need to assist in pulling the foal out due to a large or slightly mis-

presented foal, foaling straps can be fixed around the foal’s cannon bone above the fetlock joint. Closing the strap between the fetlock and pastern is likely to result in an injury to the foal’s foot. Pulling should be in time with the

birth canal.

in October. To be the first to know the

Once the foal has been delivered the

details (and special launch price) you can

mare is officially in Stage Three Labour,

waitlist yourself to be notified at www.

which we will look at in more detail next

OnlineTraining.FoalEd.co.nz

month.

contractions and at a downwards angle –

In other exciting news we are very

not directly out the back of the mare due

excited to announce that our Online

to the shape of the foal and the mare’s

Intro to Foaling Course will be available

Until then, happy foaling all!

The Horse Midwife

EQUINE ONLINE 17

WANT TO ASK ASHLEIGH A QUESTION? SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO INFO@FOALED.CO.NZ AND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION WILL FEATURE IN NEXT MONTHS MAGAZINE

18 EQUINE ONLINE

ADVERTISE WITH US Want to advertise with us here at Equine Online? Go to equineonline.co.nz to view our Rate Card or email hayley@equineonline.co.nz

EQUINE ONLINE 19

kuda guru

DIFFERENT THOUGHTS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES IN PART TWO OF MY JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD WITH HORSES, WE LEAVE EUROPE AND AFRICA AND HEAD EAST

Text - ASHLEIGH SANDERSON

Heading off to Malaysia was my first

tropical conditions make horses (and

back in their stables seems an even bigger

trip to Asia. And what a different world

dogs) scratch themselves raw.

I have

problem. But when they are generally

to Africa. High rain fall, high humidity,

heard all opinions, from it being a fungus,

slightly sticky through sweat, and you

lots of growth of everything from grass,

mould, reaction to sweating and washing

can see moisture hanging in the air like

to jungle, to mould. And a whole new

and sweating and washing, reaction to

a desert oasis, things are going to get

range of horse care issues.

the protein in the feed combined with the

damp… Everyone in Asia seems to have

The three most common health care

heat. And honestly – who knows, really.

the cure that they believe works – from

issues – itchy horses, dry coated horses,

I do think that over washing the horses

washing them in goat’s milk shampoo,

and seedy toed horses….

makes it worse – and washing them,

to feeding papaya fruit, to rubbing in

leaving them damp and putting them

coconut oil. If it works, great, if not…. The

20 EQUINE ONLINE

Sadly, the

to undo.

If you would like to follow my travels, thoughts, blogs and learn more you can follow my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Kudaguru or my new and improved website will be up and running this month at www.kudaguru.com

bane of many horse’s (and owners) life.

have unpredictable temperaments or get

And seedy toe – what a mess that one

too strong. So, kids are often taught on

is. The horse’s hoof is made with layers –

Thoroughbreds or larger cross-breeds.

the bone on the inside, followed by layers

Now, up until this point of my knowledge,

of blood vessels, tendon attachments

side reins were only for lunging horses,

etc, with the hard hoof wall on the very

either on their own or with a rider, for

outside – the bit that we can see. Between

lunge lessons. But, in many parts of Asia,

the sensitive and insensitive areas, are the

the slightly bigger or more powerful

laminae, or the glue, that hold the whole

horses will come out into lessons wearing

thing together. This is also called the

side reins, to give their little or novice

white line, as, when the hoof is held up

rider a better chance of staying in control.

off the ground, there is a white line about

Also in Asia, is the only yard I go to where

0.5 – 1cm in from the edge of the hoof

all the horses are constantly ridden with

wall.

In Seedy Toe, an infection attacks

padding in their ears so that they can’t

A dry coated horse, I hadn’t seen before.

this white line, and eats it away. The horse

hear anything that would upset them,

Anhidrosis, dry coated or puff (because

goes lame, and if you tap the hoof wall

which I still find very bizarre…. Yes, ok at

the horses puff…. Original name there!)

with a hammer (or even the end of a hoof

a competition with a loud music system

literally means the horses don’t sweat

pick) you can hear that it is hollow. With

and thousands of shouting fans, but at

– their coat remains dry. There is no

the high heat, humidity and dampness of

home in their own arena?

real understanding about how or why

Asia, this is, sadly, common. The Asian fix

Back in Zimbabwe I had several horses

this starts – it only seems to happen to

is to cut away all of the hoof wall that was

who taught me that pretty much anything

horses who live in prolonged heat and

covering the hollow area, and waiting

goes fruit wise – one particular mare was

high humidity, and generally the onset

for it to grow out. For the first time in

forever breaking into the neighbour’s fruit

is quick. One day the horse is sweating

Malaysia, I met up with a few of these very

garden to get to whatever was currently

happily, as normal, in his normal routine

lame, hoof – rasped - away horses. They

on offer, but here in Malaysia, these

of work, and within a week, there is either

do eventually come sound, but it can be a

horses showed me that their preference

not a drop of sweat on him, or a very

year long job to get them there.

was watermelon rind, cucumber and

much reduced amount. It can happen to

The horses are all kept a little thinner,

celery sticks – what delicacies those are!

recently imported horses, or horses who

lighter in condition. This is also because

With horses, it really is, whatever they get

have lived in the heat all their lives, and

of the heat.

used to as a treat, is what they will choose

is thought to be over stress of the sweat

Celsius and 80% humidity, fat horses

to seek out.

glands. These horses can still work, but

would simply not cope. If you read certain

Singapore

need careful management.

They need

humidity index recommendations, you

In many ways, the horse industry in

fans or air con in their stables when it is

would hardly ride at all in Asia, but horses

Singapore is similar to Malaysia – the

hot (most of the time), and can only come

can and do cope, if they are kept fit. I’m

heat, the humidity, the diseases and

out to work first thing in the morning, or

always struck, when going from Asia back

issues. It was in Singapore though, that

late evening when the sting of the sun is

to Europe, how fat the horses there are!

I first encounted air-conditioned stables!

When it is 30+ degrees

less. Working needs to be short spells of

The other thing that I first came across

Who knew! If any of the horses, especially

work, mixed with plenty of walking on a

in Asia, was the use of side reins on riding

imported race horses, cannot cope with

long rein, followed by a long, cold shower,

school horses for novice riders. In both UK

the heat, there is generally the option of

drying off and standing under their fan.

and Africa, we were lucky enough to have

putting them in the air con barn, so letting

And, the only “cure” that I have found that

a good range of beginner’s riding ponies

them escape the misery of overheating.

seems to work, is to initially double their

to put kids on in riding schools. In a lot

The sad thing in Singapore is the

electrolyte input, but once the pattern is

of Asia, this is difficult, and the few ponies

expense, and lack of availability of riding.

established, it seems virtually impossible

you come across can be very naughty,

Singapore is a tiny little island – 26

EQUINE ONLINE 21

miles wide and 14 miles north to south,

having him live out and just popping in

when it sits a little too long in a pile or in

covering a total of 278 square miles. Land

to check on him is not an option. Most

its sack and starts to overheat, making it

is valuable and there is no farming, so

owners factor in time for hand walking,

the most common cause of colic. All hard

no hay, horse feed, breeding of horses

hand grazing and if you go away for a

feed and additions, is imported, which

etc. The horses are all imported, as is

holiday, you need to organise someone

again is a costly exercise. The rice paddies

everything to do with them – feed, hay,

else to ride him – in countries where there

do however, make for some beautiful

bedding, saddlery, even the staff who

is paddock space this is not so important

outrides and hacking!

look after them. Land rental is a huge

since your horse can generally have his

cost, and so the few clubs who are out

field holidays.

Aircon tack rooms are essential in Bali – with that degree of heat, things go very

there keeping horses do have to charge

Bali

mouldy awfully fast. Synthetic saddles

a premium to do it. And, sadly, most of

Bali came along next – even though

are more popular, as leather gets very

the riding is only offered to club members

it is still in Asia, so different. The arable

(there are some exceptions) so it is tricky

land is largely covered in rice paddies,

One thing that is common in Asia as a

to pop in and book a ride.

mouldy.

not leaving a huge amount for horses.

whole – and probably my biggest phobia

Turnout is a huge issue, most horses

Again, there is very little grown locally

– is people walking around the yard, or

having to live in their stables almost full

for horses. Hay is not produced here, but

grooms working with the horses, either

time. Things are improving – most of

there are areas where there is abundant

bare foot or in flip flops. Yes, it is very hot,

the yards now have horse walkers, so

long, thick, green grass, and so most

and walking around in boots isn’t fun. I

at least the horses can move, and they

yards make use of this, by hiring people

have no issue if the grooms even work in

get out for exercise and hand walking.

to go out and cut it, bringing it back in

shorts, but please, please, wear proper

Owning a horse in Singapore is a huge

sacks and feeding that instead of hay. All

shoes to protect your feet! The grooms all

commitment – it is difficult to just come

good you may think – constant supply of

thought I was a bit peculiar, often having

and ride, leaving him to your groom, and

fresh green grass, but problems do arise

very graphic photos of squashed toes and

22 EQUINE ONLINE

de-gloved, gory feet on my phone and

stubborn and tricky, especially for kids.

is for wounds. A horse in Gili, came into

showing them all, zooming in so they

The good ones are awesome though!

the clinic with black patches all over his

could see the details, and begging them

On the medical side of things – coconuts.

body. Now, most of the ponies in Gili are

to please change shoes. They would go

Coconuts are amazing, and there are two

stallions, and so are kept separate. This

off and find shoes or boots for a day or

ways in particular that they are useful

particular boy had escaped and had a

two… And quickly be back in open toed

with horses. Firstly, you have a young,

fight with another, bigger stallion, coming

sandals.

green coconut, as it is ripe on the tree. At

off second best. He had a wide range of

Bali is part of a large chain of islands

this stage, it is full of coconut water which

bites all over his body. With no access to

that form Indonesia. There are around

is delicious. So, you take your coconut,

wound care, his owner had gone back to

17,500 islands in total (four of which are

chop off the top and drink the contents.

traditional medicine. This involved taking

the three Gili’s and Lombok, mentioned

Grab a spoon and scoop out the soft

a couple of old, dry coconuts, when they

in a previous article) and many of these

white flesh too. At that point, the shell

are brown, hairy and hard. These are set

islands have indigenous ponies.

is generally thrown away.

But, horses

alight and burnt until there is nothing left

include the Java pony, the Lombok

love them. They provide entertainment,

but fine ash. Once this is totally cool, they

pony and the Sumatra pony. They are

greens, possibly some nutrients, but most

packed all the bite wounds with it. As

all small, and generally not with the

importantly they act as dental care. In

we washed the black ash off, the wounds

best conformation, being quite upright

chewing the relatively hard shell, the

underneath were great – they were clean,

in the shoulders and limbs, with thin,

horse wears the sharp hooks and edges off

not infected, drying out well, and it kept

short necks, and large heavy heads, but

his teeth. Certainly not to replace regular

away the flies, so no maggots either. I

are incredibly strong, tough and hardy.

dental care, but a good supplement to

have since seen this done a few more

Whether through their bloodlines, or the

it if he doesn’t have the chance to see a

times, and the wounds always look good

fact they are often at the receiving end of

dentist for a year or two.

underneath the powder.

These

less than ideal handling, they can be quite

The other very ingenious use of coconut,

Of course, another use for coconuts is

EQUINE ONLINE 23

as an emergency drip, the water being sterile and perfect ph. value – or so I have been told. Luckily, I have never had to test that one out! The Middle East then provides another set of challenges and thoughts. I spent some time working in both Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, what a learning curve that was. Dates are the treats of choice. Reading classic adventure novels, the tales of camels and Arab horses surviving great treks through the desert on dates – really, this is true. Dates are a great food, and have, in the past, kept animals alive in the desert. They are often now the treat of choice amongst horses. The heat is also real – the days can easily get close to 50*c, where not a lot can survive outside. An interesting experience putting my clean – out – the – washer clothes on the clothes line, and coming back 20 minutes later to

before waiting for their grooms as the

Shway. Meaning, little little, or slow slow.

find them bone dry. During these times,

sun begins to come up. As instructors, we

When you have an over enthusiastic

everyone, two and four legged is looking

also looked for cool and shade. Lessons

groom leading an over enthusiastic

for escape from the sun.

The horses

only run early morning or late afternoon,

pony in a lead rein lesson, Shway Shway

gladly stand in their stables, which tend

with a long rest time over the middle of

generally slows them down pretty quick.

to be artificially cooled. An ingenious

the day, and even then, arenas have large

Or, a child running to hug her favourite

way to do this, instead of using air con,

sails over them acting as shade cloth, and

pony, who happens to be standing with

is to have big barns that are sealed at

in extreme times there are even indoor

his tail towards her – Shway Shway! In

both ends. Each stable has a huge fan

arenas that are air conditioned – grab

Bahasa, of Malaysia and Indonesia, the

in its outside wall, blowing air in, above

your jacket as you walk in!

same phase is Hati Hati. And, in African

the height of the horse’s backs. But, as

One of the most frustrating things

Swahili, Pole Pole. The highly useful bits

an added cooler, water is misted out of

about how my brain works, is my total

that I remember. So if you are even on

pipes, directly in front of the fans blades,

lack of ability to learn language – give

a yard with me, and hear any of these

so that the air is sent into the stables as a

me a science project, some anatomy, a

phrases, Stop.

damp mist, cooling and humidifying the

twist in a rider’s body that needs to be

going through its selection until it hits the

air. The horses stand inside all day, other

decoded – but, oh please, don’t ask me to

right thing at the right time…

than coming out for lessons, and are then

remember how to say something beyond

The other thing that really caught my

bundled into winter rugs to spend their

hello and thank you in a foreign tongue…

eye, going into Muslim countries is that

nights turned out in sand paddocks –

But, with teaching, dealing with horses,

some animals, especially horses, will

such is the massive temperature drop,

and most importantly, dealing with kids

have a green ribbon or cloth tied around

showing the difference between night

and ponies, there is one particular phase

their pastern. I asked several people in

and day. The night is spent eating hay

that I quickly learn in most places…. In

Bahrain about it, but everyone seemed to

out of racks, drinking from large clean

Arabic, that phrase, that I still sometimes

struggle with explaining it in English that

water troughs, playing with friends,

shout out in a moment of urgency, Shway

they thought I would understand. Finally,

24 EQUINE ONLINE

My brain is frantically

a farrier who had studied in America tried to break it down. When you have something especially fine, or beautiful, some people may become jealous that you have a better (in this case) horse than they do. They won’t deliberately set about to harm or damage this thing (horse) but their thoughts and jealousy may cause damage, or, they look at the horse with the evil eye. On humans, it is a common piece of jewellery at the moment, to wear an evil eye amulet, but for animals, the strongest protection is to take a green cloth, blessed by someone holy, and tie it around the animal’s pastern. This keeps the horse safe from harm. And of course, here in the Middle East not only do we walk and handle our horses barefoot, but even ride and jump them barefoot too…. My ultimate phobia strikes again. There are so many stories about so many countries - Costa Rican horses with their love of mangos and threat of vampire bat attacks, Caribbean horses with neem trees, hurricane warnings and kite surfers, but overall, the thought that being a horse, and being a horse rider / trainer / owner in all these different places in the world often just calls for being open minded, asking questions and trying to be inventive about coming up with solutions. In many cases, these solutions are very different, but not necessarily bad. Keep your eyes and ears open, keep adding to your own, personal “tool kit” of remedies or stable tricks! You never know what may work…

EQUINE ONLINE 25

26 EQUINE ONLINE

breed profile

BREED PROFILE RESEARCH - GRACE GRAY

Ever heard of the Morgan horse? Have you heard the name but don’t know much about them? Or are you just keen to find out more? Read below to find out intriguing information and snazzy facts about this stunning breed! Figure, a bay colt owned by Justin Morgan, was born in 1789 in New England and in 1791 moved to Vermont with Justin and begun the Morgan breed as we know it today. Figure was approximately 14hh and excelled in the ability to be versatile and have much more stamina and strength than other horses at that time. Figure’s descendants had large yet compact bodies, allowing them to be largely versatile and to be used as pulling horses, for harness racing, driving, showing, as the Calvary’s war horses and much more! Morgans average from 14.1hh to 15.2hh and have a life expectancy of 30 years. They have a large variety of common coat colours, although they are most common in dark colours including Black, Bay and Chestnut. As stated above they have a large amount of uses due to their large compact bodies, with them becoming more prevalent as pleasure, showing and driving horses in today’s society. Morgan horses also have a lovely temperament and are super willing to please, making them a great horse for all ages and abilities. Although they can be sensitive, they are usually very forgiving which balances this out. Overall they are amazing horses, having super looks and oodles of talent!

EQUINE ONLINE 27

28 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 29

30 EQUINE ONLINE

INTRODUCING

some exciting new sections

Your advertisement here

EQUINE ONLINE 31

Quote it!

Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination 32 EQUINE ONLINE

columns

The DIARY of a nervous rider Column - COURTNEY CLARKE

Keep up to date with the diary of a nervous rider - coming to you each month

I can’t believe we are already passed half way through the year! For me this means thinking about bringing my 2 horses into work. I was meant to bring Poppy in a couple of weeks ago but with the weather the way it has been it was impossible! So hopefully by the end of August she will be lunging again. For Gordy he will start by doing some groundwork and learning to trust me and me him. He’s a funny horse! When he was a race horse he was really easy going and easy to handle. Now he is living the life of leisure he doesn’t like to be caught and he is a bit funny around food. BUT this weekend just been I dragged him out to an inhand show with Poppy and he was AMAZING. He was so well behaved! Better than Poppy by far and it was only his 2nd show! I was super proud of him! He just took it all in his stride, whereas Poppy was a tart! You might remember my last ridden show at the end of last season where Gordy was there and Poppy didn’t listen to me at all and just wanted to be next to Gordy and was a complete baby so I got off and was really disappointed. Well I thought this season I need to get her out

I was happy when she did come back to

lessons and really enjoying these and

and about in inhand with a stablemate

me and settle towards the end of the class

they are giving me heaps of confidence,

and try and get this (baby stuff ) out of

but in the paced class she lost it again and

I am starting to feel really comfortable

her. My mum has a horse she wants to

pretty much looked like a crab running

cantering and starting to feel like I am

show and I have Gordy as well so really

across the ring looking for Gordy! – not

in control which is a big deal for me!

she has to get over it! In the first class

impressed!!

Hopefully next month I will have a bit

in the weekend she was really naughty,

So we will go to a couple more of these

more of an update for you once Poppy

she wouldn’t stand still and wouldn’t

shows with Gordy and hopefully soon she

has come into work and I start working

listen and I know she’s been out for a few

will just chill a little! - fingers crossed!

with Gordy.

months but she knows better than that!

I have been continuing on with my

Until then, happy riding!

EQUINE ONLINE 33

Picture perfect

Kudu Guru Adventures

34 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 35

36 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 37

38 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 39

40 EQUINE ONLINE

EQUINE ONLINE 41

check it out

LINCOLN EQUESTRIAN MARKET Last year we ran a not for profit equestrian Market Day for local businesses and second hand sellers in Prebbleton. It was a huge success and in response to requests from people who attended we have agreed to run it again this year.

SUNDAY AUGUST 13 2017 FROM 10:00-15:00 AT THE LINCOLN EVENT CENTRE, MEIJER DRIVE LINCOLN.

Everyone is welcome to book a stall, or come and browse and catch up with other equestrian people. FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO BOOK A STALL CONTACT Glynnis.clarke@gmail.com

42 EQUINE ONLINE

Franco Tallis (Gordy) 5 year old brown Standardbred gelding Retired from racing on 1st April. 15.2 unofficially measured Well put together and moves nicely. Will need time to fill out. Gordy went to his first show on 7th May. We were very late (floating issues with my mare!!) We got there and the first class was already started so we literally pulled him off the float and into the ring and he was such a gentleman. He really seemed to love it and was perfectly behaved. He then was happily tied up for the afternoon while I rode my mare and again he was perfect!! I would love to see him in the show ring when he has built up

and I think he will really enjoy showing. A good home is absolutely essential $200 Rolleston, Christchurch Phone or text 0276364355

WANTED 5ft Show set - hood/tailbag/cover Phone or text - 0273751609

Your advertisement here

EQUINE ONLINE 43

monthly madness FT

EO M E M

ON M E H

TIP TIME Spray some hair spray or show shine in your plaits to make them really stand out!

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha JOKES UP!

Q: What street do horses live on? A: Mane St. Arion Animal of the Month

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Name - TJ - the tabby cat Age - 6 years Favourite Food - Cat biscuits Fun Fact - Loves to sleep in the rabbit hutches

44 EQUINE ONLINE

next month

We have more from our foaling midwife.

Grace Gray will be back with another Fact File.

Our Kuda Guru will have adventures to share with us!

more exciting

Keep an eye out for our next Arion Animal of the Month!

We will have more up to date news from around the country.

AND keep an eye out for our Diary of a nervous rider!

Want your pony club to feature in Equine Online? Send us your details and we will be in touch with details on our exciting new section!

Want to feature in Equine Online? Look out for the Facebook prompt or send us your photos to hayley@equineonline.co.nz for your chance to be our

PHOTO OF THE MONTH!

EQUINE ONLINE 45

46 EQUINE ONLINE