Equine Online by Equine Online NZ

Equine Online FEBRUARY 2017

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INTRODUCING

some exciting new sections

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EDITOR Hayley Clarke

From the Editor

CONTRIBUTORS Grace Gray Julia Latham Senara Caddy Brooke Burns Freya Thomson Jana Kruyshaar Courtney Steve Clarke Ashleigh Davis Jenn Savill Harnessed Media Virginia Caro Ashleigh Sanderson

COVER IMAGE Mustered horses at the 2017 St James Sale - Courtney Clarke

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Wow! What a crazy year it has been so far! My new years resolution wasn’t quite to own a magazine but the best decisions happen in the spur of the moment… right? I had toyed with the idea for quite some time… Do I know enough? Can I actually produce a magazine? Is it going to be worthwhile? And then with the backing of my family and friends I took the plunge. So here I am! A little about me… I’ve grown up around horses all of my life, my Dad has always trained harness racing horses however during my younger days I was more into the riding side of things. As I got older I became more involved in the harness side and I now have a junior drivers licence. I’m also back riding, I’m sure you will read a lot about my boy Ben and when I’m not doing horsey stuff you can usually find me on or around the hockey field! I’m sure you will find out lots more about me in the coming months but for now sit back and enjoy my very first edition of Equine Online!

I would like thank all of my contributors for their patience so far – we love having you write for Equine Online and I look forward to getting to know you all and working with you! A huge thanks must also go to Yvette for making this all possible for me. Yvette has done an amazing job making this magazine what it is and I hope I can do her proud by continuing to produce a much loved magazine! Well that’s all from me… It may be a little rusty as we find our feet but any feedback is always welcome! And if you want to get involved with Equine Online you can check out our rate card for advertising specials or if you want to contribute to the magazine feel free to flick me an email. See ya round!

x y e ayl

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

Gennevive Crawford gets her first win as a junior driver

We get the run down on the horses that were saved duiring the recent Canterbury fires

We catch up with Marie Palzer to get all the info on the Mongol Derby

Check out our first addition of The Horse Midwife by Ashleigh Davis

Finding the best saddle pad can be hard! Jana Kruyshaar shares some tips with us

Get some tips to strengthen up for X-country

Want to start showing a Standarbred? Get all the lastest tips and tricks from Jenn Savill.

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news

First win for talented horsewoman By- MAC HENRY for Harnessed Media Personable 20-year-old Genevieve Crawford became the toast of Tuapeka and beyond when she made her 34th race day drive her first winning one on the grass at Gore on Sunday. Born in the Tuapeka town of Lawrence, Genevieve says a photo of her and her grandfather John Crawford together on a horse when she was only six months old is a clue as to when her love affair with horses began. At the time, her grandfather was training horses from his Lawrence farm. After finishing primary school, Genevieve went to Columba College in Dunedin for her secondary education. During school holidays she worked for Roxburgh trainers Geoff and Jude Knight. When she left College at the age of 16, the Knights didn’t have a vacancy and Genevieve spent a few months with Gavin Smith. “I had no idea what I wanted to do, just that it was horses,” she said, “I would have loved to be a jockey but liked my food too much. Then when I saw how much time jockeys were spending in the sauna, it put me right off.” Genevieve was toying with the idea of taking a job on a horse and cattle station in Australia when a position became available with the Knights. She chose that option, has no regrets and neither does Geoff Knight. “She’s a hard worker, so dedicated and deserved her first win before now,” he said, “and she goes beyond what she has to, she’s re-homed over 100 racehorses after converting them for riding. It was special to her doing it on Jerry Fitz. He’s the stable

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Genevieve Crawford with two Standardbreds. Photo Supplied by Tayler Strong

favourite, that’s his 12th win, eight-yearsold and he’s won every season.” Genevieve, in just her first season of driving experienced some relief in her first win. “It feels like the pressure is off now,” she said, while confirming she continues to find driving rewarding and enjoyable. Genevieve also enjoys riding and got the chance on Sunday to show her skills, riding Unique Chance to victory in the saddle pace. It was her third win in the race.

She also gets a kick out of re-homing retired racehorses saying she started it from her grandfather’s place and continued when she moved to the Knights. It grew there and Genevieve said there are times when space precludes her from taking horses. There are times also when she rejects those who offer to take horses, after checking references or just “getting a feeling.” After her first win it’ll be back to business as usual but also the search for her second.

Abigail Long and Enzo Photo Supplied by Take The Moment

Young riders meet the challenge Writing by - VIRGINIA CARO Former Oceania team member Abigail Long, Levin, riding Enzo, has won the NZ Young Rider Eventing Championship at Hunua over the weekend, leading home the field in a strong 2* class which included a number of senior 3* riders. In doing so she has rocketed to the top of the Mitavite Young Rider series and staked a strong claim to be included in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NZ Young Rider team. Long moved up from eighth place after the dressage to lie second overnight after a clear showjumping round and took the lead after jumping clear and inside the time over Tich Masseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenging cross-country course.

This is the biggest win of her career, although she was a well performed Junior Rider with BMW Advokaat while a pupil at Nga Tawa School near Marton. Young Riders also filled second and third place in the Troy Wheeler Contracting sponsored class, with Talent ID squad member Renee Faulkner and Rubinstar HH second and Jeffrey Amon on My Silver Lining third. All three finished on their dressage scores, having added no jumping or time penalties in either jumping phases. The Junior Rider championship went to Kate Herdson riding Eon, improving from second after the dressage and showjump-

ing phases in the 1* class to take the title with a clear cross-country round incurring 3.6 time penalties. The win moves her into second place in the PGG Wrightson Junior Rider series, behind South Islander Lucy Turner and Carbon. Alindi Jordaan was second on the experienced Eskimo Joe, improving from eighth place after the dressage with no further penalties added from either jumping phase. Beth Wilson on Alto et Audax, Fenella Carter on Absolou and Amalia Rowley on Mexico II were the other Junior Riders to place in this class.

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How fast are you? By- DUANE RANGER for Harnessed Media

Harness racing licence holders will next month have the chance to become a New Zealand Champion at gearing up their horses. The Manawatu Harness Racing Club will present the New Zealand Harness Racing ‘Gearing Up Championship’ in association with competition sponsor, Interislander. It will be staged at ‘The Square’, in downtown Palmerston North. The competition will be part of the 2017 Hilux New Zealand Rural Games. Games founder and trustee, Steve Hollander said he really wanted New Zealand licence holders to converge to the Manawatu. He said ‘have a go’ amateurs were also welcome to watch and see how the professionals did it rather than be thrown in the deep end but they were also welcome to take them on. “The New Zealand Champs (for licence holders) will be held on Saturday March 11 from 4.30pm - 5.30pm. It is the last event on Day One of the Games. The Powerco ‘Have a Go’ sessions (for anyone) will be run from midday to 3.30pm,” Hollander said. “We are sure people will watch on as the top trainers and drivers compete against the clock to fully gear up a harness racehorse ready for action. Before that amateurs can have a go themselves. Odds are they won’t be able to beat the pros,” he added. Hollander said the winner would receive the prestigious ‘Blossom Lady Trophy’ which had been sourced by John Doody

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from the Manawatu Harness Racing Club. Blossom Lady, who was the 1992 New Zealand Trotting Cup champion (and winner of 43 races and $1.3 million in stakes), was co-owned by a past chairman of Harness Racing New Zealand and former Palmerston North resident, Ralph Kermode. “It will be presented back to the Manawatu Harness Racing Club to reconfigure it as an enduring trophy for this event each year at the Games,” Hollander said. He said the winner and two place-getters would also receive Interislander and Husqvarna prizes to a total value of $1,100, $600, and $450 respectively. Hollander said fourth, fifth and sixth place-getters would also receive prizes from other sponsors.

“John can arrange free accommodation at a local motel for licence holders most likely on the Friday and Saturday night of the competition. It will be a case of first in first served,” he said. Hollander said the competition would involve the full gearing up of a Standardbred horse. “All the gear will be laid alongside the horse and competitors will be timed from start to finish. The fastest wins.” Hollander also said all gear needed to be attached fully and correctly to the satisfaction of the judges. He said competitors did not need to bring any equipment - everything is supplied. Further information on the event can be obtained via John Doody on 027 235 4465.

Harness fraternity to the rescue By- STEVE CLARKE A big thanks must go to some of our harness racing family. When Selwyn District Council Animal Control officers were called in to assist evacuating animals from the Early Valley fires last week, Senior officer Steve Clarke knew just the person to co-ordinate the horse evacuation - Harness Racing New Zealand staffer Courtney Clarke. Steve Clarke takes up the story.

“I knew from an earlier visit that day that there were about 12 or so horses that were in danger if the wind changed - which it did. I enlisted Courtney’s help and within minutes she had horse floats rushing to the scene. Newly licenced trainer Anj Mugford was quickly on the scene with a five space horse float and Courtney’s junior driver sister Hayley and mother Trina were also soon to arrive. “We loaded an old Standardbred on first and then arrived at a property where there were two thoroughbreds - one of which was a big 16 hand fella that had never been floated. Thanks to the skills of these horsewoman and to the amazement of the owner both horses were loaded.” As this was a fire ground Clarke wouldn’t allow the horse floats too close to the fire and so a 30-year-old pony and then two horses of unknown pedigree were rescued as fire lapped their paddocks and walked out to a relatively safe location and loaded. Julie and Colin DeFilippi kindly offered a safe place for the horses to go and stay until they could go back to their owners. “Some of the horses owners had managed to get their own horses out but a few families had been evacuated without time to deal with the horses so we just went in and helped ourselves,” Clarke added. When it was time to move the horses back to their owners, horse transporter Stu Dolimore was called in and provided this service free of charge. Once again a big thank you to the harness racing fraternity.

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features

RIDING THE WILDERNESS Words - HAYLEY CLARKE

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The 2017 Mongol Derby will run from August 6 – 19. There will be 40 contestants lining up for this big race. Making the trip is New Zealander Marie Palzer. Hayley Clarke catches up with Marie to discuss all the details about her next exciting adventure.

22-year-old Marie Palzer has a huge passion for horses and being able to explore whilst on horseback. In 2016 Palzer travelled solo on horseback down the length of New Zealand’s South Island. She covered just over 1500km in 102 days with 25kg of gear, camped out with her horse, explored beautiful high country that many will never ever know exists and learnt so much about survival. Whilst travelling New Zealand on horseback she didn’t decide to enter the Mongol Derby however she believes she is a lot more prepared for the long ride after her adventure down New Zealand. The Mongol Derby consists of 25 Urtuus or horse-stations where you swap your horse over and refuel. You change your horse at every station and you must have your horse there in perfect condition. Each competitor gets to decide how they navigate between stations. Ultimately, it’s the rider, their hoses and a whole lot of Mongolian wilderness. Each rider receives between 25-27 horses, the use of a custom-built saddle, vets, medics, three days of briefing which includes medical, veterinary, technical and riding practice, a 1000km map showing

where the stations are to feed you and provide shelter and a tracking device so followers back home can see where you are along with a blog to record everything. “It follows a 1,000km course that recreates Genghis Kahns’s ground breaking, long distance horse-messenger postal trail established almost 800 years ago. The course consists of 25 Urtuus or horse stations about 40km apart where I will be swapping horses and refuelling on food (meat and fermented goats and horse milk). The horses which are ridden each only for 40km, must be in mint condition when arriving at the next Urtuus. Vets will be checking horses heart rate, dehydration and looking for saddle sores. If the

horse is in any slightest bad condition it will result in receiving a time penalty, which will need to be held out until leaving for the next 40km. The race rules require you to only carry 5kg of gear so traveling light with high quality equipment is key,” Palzer said. As amazing as all of this sounds, there is a lot of hard work, dedication and money that goes into such a race. “The race isn’t cheap, entry fees themselves cost $18,000 that’s not including flights, insurance, gear or a GPS which is sort of critical. Because of this I am currently working four jobs, I’ve been working seven days a week since November. I have had one day off where I went and competed in an endurance race.

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“I think once I have paid my last instalment it will all seem more real, my flights are all booked which is pretty exciting.” Competitors won’t know where the race will start and finish until a few days before the race starts, the track is kept a secret from all competitors. It is likely that they will be encompassing high passes, green open valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, floodplains sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and of course open steppe. As if that isn’t already scary enough to think about, only about a third of the people who enter actually make it over the finish line. “I wanted to push my sense of adventure and survival skills and so I have taken on the challenge. My goal is to be one of those who make it to the finish line, I’m not too worried about winning. It’s the balancing of horsemanship and survival skills which I am excited about, enduring nature’s elements and the terrain,” Palzer said. The organisers of the race choose who they believe is fit and able both mentally and physically to be a part of the endurance race. “Being selected for the race is a bit of a process involving applying and an interview process, not everyone that applies gets in and it’s not first in first serve either.” Training is quite intense and Palzer has categorised it into three sections - mental, physical and health. “I am currently on a muscle strength program, running at least 10km and ridding anywhere between 10 and 30km. I hope to inspire and empower others especially young girls/women to follow their dreams. Promoting this is important to me.” “Although it’s been an exciting journey so far I’m not underestimating this race, I remind myself every day that I am going to be by myself, ridding semi wild horses, navigating my own way through every terrain possible across Mongolia. A country I have never been to, a language I don’t understand or speak and a completely different culture to that of New Zealand and the chances of getting chased by wild dogs isn’t that slim.”

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Want to follow Marieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adventures or get some more info? Check out these links below. Hoofing Around for Change Currently training for the Mongol Derby The worlds longest and toughest horse race. Previous adventure - Navigated NZ South Island solo on horse back. www.facebook.com/hoofing.around https://www.instagram.com/hoofingaround www.theadventurists.com/mongol-de

Are you able to Give a Little? Mongol Derby - Team New Zealand - Givealittle I have been selected to ride in the worlds Longest and Toughest horse race - The Mongol Derby Givealittle is the place to donate and fundraise for causes and charities online. givealittle.co.nz/cause/teamnewzealandmongolderby

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the horse midwife

Welcome to FOAL-ED 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 Hello everyone! Welcome to what I hope will be the first of many columns for The Horse Midwife! So, who am I to be writing this “horse midwife” column? And why “The Horse Midwife” you ask? A little bit about me and what I do is probably a great place to start! I remember getting a card from Santa left on the front doorstep when I was six years old and inside it was a voucher for my first ever riding lesson. I remember it like it was yesterday – and I remember how deliriously excited I was. When I started going to riding lessons I even got excited about picking up riding school horse poop allllllll day. Anything to be near horses. So the horse thing started pretty early. I never had my own horse or pony as a kid because we all thought I’d grow out of it. At 17 we realised that probably wasn’t going to happen and I bought my first horse, who I still have – he’s 28 this year and going strong (if you ignore his complete lack of manners and bad attitude). When I left school I started working in a racing stables and studying a Bachelor of Applied Science in Equine at Massey University in Palmerston North. Now - anyone who knows me knows that I’m not really an early morning person – so it goes without saying that I was probably never destined for the world of racehorse train-

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ing in any permanent capacity. The natural transition was to the (slightly but not much) later starts of working on a stud – which I did for the best part of five years. Of everything I learned on the studs – foaling was my thing. If you’ve never foaled a horse before it’s very difficult to explain that amazing feeling that you feel the first time a new mum nickers at her foal and he tosses his head up and gives an excited whinny in response. It makes your heart warm – there’s nothing like it. Maybe having your own kids? But that’s not something I can comment on yet – I’ll let you know my opinion when I do have kids but I’m pretty confident foaling would take the cake. One day I was standing in a paddock in the pouring rain and freezing wind that makes the Manawatu such a wonderful place to live in. The mare I was trying to bring in to the yards had a foal that didn’t want to follow her and was tearing around the paddock calling out for her to come back. Needless to say Mum wasn’t exactly calm about this. As she spun to try and get back to him the really hard bone down the front of her face collided with my nose and it began to bleed. Standing there crying, in the pouring rain and freezing cold I remember thinking to myself “This is NOT where I want to be for the rest of my life.” So I re-trained. I went back to uni and

studied HR. But as much as I moved on from the stud world I never left the foaling behind, returning to the stud every year on a part-time or casual basis to assist during foaling season. I couldn’t let it go. And I began to realise, while looking through copious numbers of Facebook groups dedicated to foaling and all the questions and pictures of pregnant mares and their udders in various stages of development, that there was actually a huge gap for people when it comes to learning about foaling. Currently there are very few options available – you either study at University or Polytech, ask someone you know or google it and hope you find the right answer and all the right information! I remember thinking to myself “Surely there’s a better way to do this? Maybe I could teach people?” After all, I had a Bachelor’s Degree in Equine, I’d been working with horses for about 15 years and in 10 years had foaled over 200 mares –surely this combination of qualifications and practical experience could help somebody? My brain child was born and I named it FoalEd. FoalEd was founded in 2015 with the aim of providing basic education and skills training for horse owners, breeders and workers who want to learn more about foaling. In 2016 FoalEd started growing in leaps

and bounds – which is fantastic. But I wanted to do something else. I wanted to connect with more people, help more people, educate more people. I’ve been foaling horses for more than 10 years and during this time I’ve been asked repeatedly at parties and when meeting new people the standard ice breaker question – “so what do you do for a job?” It’s been easy enough in the past to explain my previous jobs: “I’m a student, I work at McDonald’s, I work for a racehorse trainer, I work on a horse breeding farm.” But when I would tell them “I’m a foaling assistant” you could just about predict the identical blank, confused look that would come over their face. So I learned to word it differently – in a way that helped non-horsey people understand what I do – I told them I was a horse midwife. And then the lights would go on and they’d begin to look quite interested. It’s not every day you meet someone who puts their arm up the back end of a horse for a job (unless you hang around with a lot of vets). And so, the expression “horse midwife” was born and became my ‘go-to’ description for my slightly abstract vocation. So here I am – The Horse Midwife at your service. Some months it might be tips and advice, other times it might be answering reader questions or recounting particular foalings that stand out in my memory. The purpose of this section is to build your knowledge of foaling and hopefully provide some entertainment as well! I can’t wait to hear from all of you – feel free to get in touch and ask questions or introduce yourselves by emailing info@ foaled.co.nz I look forward to writing for you!

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

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kuda guru

INTRODUCING Ashleigh Sanderson Text - ASHLEIGH SANDERSON

“You are utterly insane and irresponsible, how awful” or “Oh my, wonderful, I am so jealous” are the two comments most commonly offered by people when I tell them what I do for a living – freelance coaching. With a twist. The area that I cover is – anywhere in the world. Some locations are recurring including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, England, Germany and Spain, while others are one offs – such as Italy or Costa Rica. Growing up and learning to ride, I was the good pupil who tried desperately to follow my coaches prompts – make the horse forward, get the horse round, use more leg, ride the canter, being some of those shouted instructions that I would be furiously trying to follow. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to voice my inner thought of – How? How do I make the

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horse rounder? How do I keep my leg still? How do I get my lazy horse more forward or my whizzy horse to settle? Somehow, lots of excellent coaching produced a rider able to compete across the disciplines and produce horses but there was always that little inner dialogue of – how is this working? Teaching was a challenge because I could always see the problem and see what I wanted to change but often lacked the words or linear set of cues to get the changes I wanted for my pupils. Thousands of miles in dressage arenas, jumping arenas, cross country courses, race tracks, endurance tracks, bridle paths and lunge rings later, my back started to give out, partly due to a lot of incorrect posture along the way. At that point I was already experimenting with many ideas but discovered Mary Wanless and her “‘Ride With Your Mind” system. Final-

ly, I had some of the “how to” answers. How does the horse come rounder? How can I protect my back? In her words – she teaches a “tool kit” – things that we as riders need to get our head around. I became a certified RWYM coach and that opened my mind to more possibilities and thoughts, creating an eclectic mix that I use today. I count myself lucky in that I have managed to experience a lot of different things, partly for fun, partly as teaching research, which allows me to connect to my pupils existing skills and has put me in front of some amazing coaches across a lot of different sports. This year, a rider with scuba diving experience was battling with her horse’s flying changes to the right, while to the left was great. Our discussion revolved around how, when asking for the left changes, she

put her body into scuba diving positive buoyancy mode, while when asking for the difficult right changes she went into negative buoyancy mode. Instantly, by accessing muscle memory that her body understood, she could ride the changes in either direction. A young rider was battling with her jumping position and a discussion around our shared interest in rock climbing fixed the issue. (You can’t pull up with your arms, you have to push up with your core and legs). And yet another rider was constantly slightly behind the movement, causing frustration and irritation on her sensitive pony, which we worked through… How? That morning, I had climbed off a plane with a heavy back pack. On getting onto the escalator going up towards immigration the back pack had pulled backwards on my shoulders, almost pulling me off my feet. I had to engage my core, match the packs backward force with my own forward force, so keeping me vertical on the escalator. This

rider was being the back pack - puling her little gelding backwards. As soon as we worked through how to engage her core to match his forward momentum, all was better in their world. Lessons are eclectic, thoughtful and make a rider stop and think. “Be a frog” or “more tennis balls” have been shouted across arenas, after discussion with riders has made this the explanation that puts them where their horse and I need them to be. My business is Kuda Guru, which means Horse Teacher. People assume it means I am the horse riding instructor but the spin I put on it is, your horse is your teacher, I just translate. The first question I ask of a rider during a lesson – if I could fix one thing, what would it be? They will answer, I wish he was more forward / straighter / rhythmic / slower / had impulsion / was balanced. And in my mind I always think, if I could ask the horse, what would he wish for? Generally, the answer I imagine is the same as that the rider just gave. The rid-

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

er who says, I wish my horse had a better rhythm, is often a rider who is not riding in a rhythm themselves. And I bet their horse is thinking, I wish my rider had a better rhythm. We can’t make the horse have a better rhythm but if the rider and I can put a better rhythm into that rider, the horse now has a dancing partner that he can work with. At that point the horse generally finds rhythm, breathes a sigh of relief and I get to translate – look at that, your horse has rhythm, don’t believe me, believe him. When your horse goes better, believe that you are doing something right… He is the expert at being the horse, all I do is translate. So, what do you wish for when riding your horse? Would he wish for the same thing? How can you create that in your own body? Happy Riding!

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advice

Saddle pad considerations Advice- JANA KRUYSHAAR Saddle fittings can be the stuff of nightmares for many riders. There are so many variables and just when you think you’re all set, something else needs changing and for cases where slight adjustments are needed a saddle pad may be helpful. Saddle fitting is an extensive subject but this article will focus only on some of the considerations for choosing a saddle pad. After all, saddle pads can play a major role in your saddle fitting process, so it’s important to choose wisely. In a perfect world, the primary function of a saddle pad should be to protect your saddle panels from sweat and grime but it is very common nowadays to use pads or shims to adjust the fit of saddles that have a less than ideal fit. This article will refer to saddle pads as either non-therapeutic or therapeutic and provide some considerations for choosing a pad to suit your needs. It is important to note that if you do opt for a therapeutic pad, that this should only ever be a temporary solution. A saddle pad should never be a substitute for a well-fitting saddle. Choosing a non-therapeutic pad for your already well fitting saddle: • Choose a material that suits your discipline, for example you may want to consider sweat wicking and air flow properties if you are in the saddle for long periods; • Aim for a thin pad rather than a thick pad, as thicker pads can increase pressure points (think about wearing a thick sock with a snug shoe), radically alter the fit of the saddle and sometimes even create a feeling of instability for the rider;

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• The pad should not be too short for the saddle as the edges can cause painful pressure if situated under the panels; and • Aim for a pad that is shaped to the withers and pull it up into the saddle channel to avoid pressure and rubbing on the horses vertebrae. Therapeutic pad considerations for your less than ideal fitting saddle: • Firstly, be aware of what marketers are trying to sell you, as many pads touted as problem solving can cause other problems to arise. So do your research and understand exactly what your saddle fit problem is so that you can choose the best possible pad for your situation; • Choose your material carefully. Some options may include open cell and closed cell foam, wool or modern gel pads. Take particular care with gel products as the semi-liquid gel tends to move away from pressure (rendering the pad pointless if the purpose of the pad is to cushion a pressure point).

saddle fit issue is only slight. If you need thick shims to balance your saddle, then you may need to either make adjustments to the saddle itself or use a different saddle. A final note for those considering the use of therapeutic pads is that there are some instances where therapeutic pads are not advised. Saddle fit expert Joyce Harman, DVM, MRCVS considers that the use of so called ‘riser pads’ are ineffective on saddles that sit too close to the withers

• Temporary shims can be helpful if your horse is changing shape or there

(on account of being too wide) or saddles

are many horses needing to share a sad-

with the cantle too low (saddles that are

dle. Shims should follow the shape of the

too narrow). Even though these pads ap-

horses back and transition smoothly to

pear to be designed for such cases, there

the saddle panel and therefore are often

is evidence that riser pads placed under

made of either open or closed cell foam

the pommel or cantle in these cases can

which can be bevelled as necessary. Take

serve to increase pressure on the withers

care that you are not creating gaps, ridges or new pressure points below the saddle by adding shims and regularly check how your saddle and shim arrangement is fitting so that you can change it before new problems arise.

and frequently result in bridging under

• Shims are generally advised if your

that are perched high up on the withers

the centre of the saddle. While each case warrants individual assessment, these general examples probably fall outside of the definition of ‘slight fitting issues’ and therefore getting professional saddle fit advice is recommended.

Mind, body and soul

Strength training for x-country Advice- FREYA THOMSON From my experience as a rider which covers dressage, show jumping, eventing, track work and fun hacking, the most physically demanding is eventing. In one day (or spread over two – three) you have to ride dressage, xcountry and show jumping. Somewhere in there you need to walk the xcountry course and let’s not forget all the preparation required before all of this commences and the potential for having to walk more than one course if you have several horses. If you are someone who is particularly active throughout an average day you will probably find this all ok, however if you do not move around or have a physically demanding job, you will probably find this whole eventing thing a whole lot of hard work. Here are my favourite gym exercises to build up strength to get you through the xcountry phase with plenty of energy left in the tank.

2-3 sets wall squat Hold for as long as possible, give yourself 30sec rest and repeat -Ensure thighs are horizontal -Back flat on wall -Ankles directly under knees As with any strength training program there are risks, so if you are not sure of your technique or feel like you need more individual advice, please contact me at absolute.freya@gmail.com

3 x 10 - 15 Standing Cable RowPosition yourself in an ’invisible chair’ position with arms out straight -Back straight -Pull cable back and squeeze shoulder blades -As you reach arms forward again, ensure body or legs do not move

**For an extra challenge stand on a bosu ball as you do this movement

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life after racing

Standardbreds in the show ring Choosing and preparing a Standardbred for the show ring

Written by - JENN SAVILL For many years Standardbreds have carried a reputation of being ugly, unrideable and good for nothing other than pulling a cart. For a while this was true, modern genetics are creating more refined horses, which are being utilized as sport horses. This means Standardbred showing is becoming more and more popular, with many unsure where to start here is a guide to choosing and preparing your Standardbred for showing. Choosing a Standardbred for showing is much like choosing a horse for any other show class. The main conformation allowances being that Standardbreds may have a shorter neck, this can make them look longer in the back however they should never be out of proportion. Their heads may be bigger and longer but should not be ‘boofy’. Issues such as splints and scars should not be judged on unless they affect the way the horse moves. Ridden horses should work like every other horse, pacing is discouraged and not allowed for in the show ring. As with every show class the judge will always choose the type of horse they prefer and as long as you love your horse don’t worry what others say and never take the opinions of others to heart. When choosing a horse it is important to choose one you click with and can work with easily. This will make the process a lot more enjoyable for you both. Make sure you decide on the height and age group of the horse you want before going to look so you don’t waste yours

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and the sellers time. It is important to remember that you may be shopping for a diamond in the rough and that hard work will be involved in creating a successful show horse. No horse is perfect and Rome wasn’t built in a day! Once you have your new horse home it is time to get started on a good consistent routine – horses thrive off these and a good routine is the key to a happy horse. For me this means doing things at the same time every day. A good diet high in fibre will help you get the condition that a show horse needs to be in. While there are many ‘magic potions’ available on the market that promote shiny, fat horses, nothing beats good old fashioned

hard work and dedication. If you are unsure on what to feed your horse, contact an equine nutritionist – they are only too happy to help. Keeping your horse covered with clean rugs helps the process a lot as it means a clean horse to work with and saves a lot of time. Preparing a horse that has never been shown can be hard work, there is a lot of training involved including teaching the horse to trot up inhand and ridden schooling. As race horses Standardbreds gain a lot of exposure to race track happenings, being trucked and floated and a lot of standing around. This all makes owning one that much easier. Standardbreds are known for their calm natures

and while not all are like this most are very reliable, genuine horses. Teaching a horse to trot inhand can be tricky as some will never have done it. If the horse can lunge then start that way and gradually bring them in to you so they learn to trot next to you, make sure you move with the horse so it learns that is ok. Eventually when leading ask the horse to trot and run with it, one or two steps to start with is fine! Lots of praise when the right answer is given. When it comes to ridden work a Standardbred should work the same as any other horse; straight, balanced, forward

and obedient. This only comes from hard work and patience. I like to have eyes on the ground occasionally to help me figure out if what I am feeling looks like it should, I also recommend getting lessons from an experienced rider to help get you in the right direction. Turnout for Standardbreds is the same as most other classes; Plaiting, make up, hoof black and who could forget the bling browbands and dressy outfits! Inhand horses are presented with a bridle, bit and lead. Ridden horses can be shown in a snaffle bridle or for open horses a double, with a plain half pad (ideally a colour to

match your horse or saddle) and a well-fitting saddle. Rider attire should consist of clean boots, pale (beige or banana) colored jodphurs, a well-fitting jacket, gloves and a helmet. When you are ready to show your horse, pick a smaller show for the first experience. Arrive early and give yourself and your horse plenty of time to settle before doing final touches such as make up and hoof black. Dress yourself last so you stay clean. Get to your ring with plenty of time, be courteous to others in the ring, give yourself plenty of space to show off your horse well and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to smile!

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columns

The road to success

Let’s do it for fun Column - BROOKE BURNS If asked, why do you do this sport? Most of you would reply ‘because it’s fun.’ But there are a few people who would say something along the lines of ‘because I like to win.’ And that, that is not what this sport is about. Yes there is always a sense of pride when you and your best friend walk out of that ring with a red ribbon but in this sport, that should not be your aim. If I had the mindset that every show, every round, I would walk out of that ring with a double clear and a ribbon, I would surely disappoint myself. Every show I attend I always hope for the best and hope that my training has paid off. I hope to have fun and enjoy my round, to be proud that I made it with minimal hiccups. Never have I ever had the mindset

of being a winner, sure I will try my best to be the fastest time but for me, it’s about the feeling you get, riding with your best friend and team mate. I remember at one of my last big competitions on my mare Springbrooke, I was the last competitor to go. There had been three clear rounds and if I went clear, I would place. I remember taking a shaky breath as I told the judge my name and trotted down the other side of the arena waiting for my start bell. But because I had it in my mind that if I went clear I’d win and because I thought I would win, I stopped focusing on doing a nice round, listening to my horse and giving her the best lines and setting her

up correctly, all because I wanted that ribbon. I ended up having a rail and I didn’t place. I remember walking out of that ring and giving my pony a pat because I realised, I was too focused on winning, I hadn’t noticed how well she had gone for me despite having no help on my part. My trainer actually asked me, why do you do this sport? Because the way you rode out there, it looked like you weren’t doing it for the right reasons. And I agreed, because I wasn’t riding for myself, for my own sense of pride. So when someone asks you, why you do this sport, think about it. Is this for fun? Or is this for your own gain to feel better than the rest?

Never stop learning Column - JULIA LATHAM So you have the horse of your dreams and now you need a trainer to help you on your way. You ask around and start having lessons. The first few months are pretty good and you are enthusiastic and motivated. You are doing really well at training level and are getting consistent scores of 60% or more. This dressage stuff is fun! But then just as you feel you are getting somewhere your trainer says that you need another season consolidating the basics. You aren’t ready to step up and try new stuff and you must listen to them as they are infinitely wiser and more experienced than you. So you do as they say and stay at training level for another season. You keep working on a circle at trot.

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You bore your horse to death and lose all your love of riding. So who is benefiting from this? You or your trainer? My aim as a trainer is to have my students surpass me. I want them to do well and succeed. If that means they beat me in a competition well that’s fantastic! And if it means they go to my trainer as well as me then that’s proof that I can train them correctly. You don’t get better by doing the same thing. You get better by having a correct training plan that challenges you and your horse appropriate to your stage of training. You need to be stimulated and pushed out of your comfort zone a little bit. Your horse needs work that supples his body and keeps his mind engaged.

You want to have that buzz of learning a new movement or the satisfaction of refining your aids and feeling at ease with your horse. Never stop learning!

Riding a horse from behind/connected up Column - SENARA CADDY

The horse’s hind quarters are his engine. In order for you to have the power from his engine at your disposal the horse needs to be connected up or put together. This is when the power created by the rider which encourages the horse to put his hocks underneath him is received into an elastic contact. There is no one fixed position a horse’s head and neck should be in. For example, often a show jumper on the flat will work in a lower frame to that of a dressage horse. Nevertheless all horses benefit from working in different head and neck positions because each position emphasises a different set of muscles and helps towards over all suppleness. Often people make the mistake of riding forward, forward trying to create more connection but this alone will not do the job. It is the flexing of the fetlocks, hock and stifle which increases the elasticity of movement and allows the horse to transfer more weight onto his hocks and generally makes him suppler.

‘On the bit’ this is a phrase that refers to the acceptance of the bit by the horse. Firstly the horse must relax its jaw. Contact should never feel dead, heavy and most definitely should not be created with a backward pull from the rider. There should be an elastic FORWARD giving contact between the horse and rider. The horse can be ‘on the bit’ in a variety of frames but wherever he carries his head and neck there needs to be CONNECTION FROM BEHIND. Exercise to encourage the horse to bend his hind legs – anything that encourages a horse to bend his hind legs will improve the feeling of connection, providing the rider has a sensitive hand into which they can absorb the power. Simple exercise such as making a transition midway through a turn because this combines two situations where a horse is already bending his hind legs more than he would on a straight line. Another exercise is to make transitions within a pace,

working pace to lengthen, working pace to collection. To learn the feeling of connection there is nothing better than riding a well-educated schoolmaster. It is almost impossible for a novice horse and rider to learn to connect up together as it is feel that a rider acquires from a horse who is familiar with an educated way of going. After a good deal of practice the feel can then be put over to a more novice horse. Happy riding - until next time.

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The DIARY of a nervous rider Column - COURTNEY

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

I’m not an adrenaline junkie, I don’t have a need for speed and I avoid putting myself in situations where I might get hurt. But my ultimate goal is to do a One Day Event. It might not seem to be much of a big deal to the majority of you reading this as you probably do this sort of thing every second day but for me this is the ultimate. I guess that’s a bit easier to understand when I tell you that four years ago I wouldn’t even lead a horse. I had experienced two accidents which resulted in broken wrists and just like that my confidence was gone. My love for horses wasn’t. I wanted to ride and be involved but I just couldn’t. The fear was bigger than the want. Poppy has been in my life for the last six years, firstly as a harness racing horse that my Dad trained and now as my best friend and show pony. Poppy was never the easiest horse to handle on the race track but she had a lovely nature and loved to be fussed over which made me fall in love with her. With some convincing to Dad I was allowed to keep her. When she was first broken in she proved too much for me – looking back she wasn’t doing anything that bad but at the time it scared me. So I did groundwork. I led her around, lunged her, desensitized her with plastic bags, spent hours teaching her voice commands and hours and hours talking to her and cuddling her – and feeding her treats!

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My confidence increased so much during this time and I started to think about inhand showing. My first show was at the end of 2015 and I came away with Reserve Champion. I was shocked, I really had no idea what I was doing and I felt completely out of my depth but I did it and it was a huge deal. Poppy has been to around a dozen inhand shows now and has come away with six wide ribbons. Last year I decided that I was sick of watching the Standardbreds be ridden after the Inhand section and being too scared to ride Poppy when I knew how nice she could be. I had a serious think

and talk to Poppy about selling her or leasing her to someone who would be able to take her where she deserves to go in the show ring. She bunted me and just about knocked me over and I knew that person had to be me. So, I entered a show in March 2016 in the beginner ring. We rode for weeks leading up to it really well but I was extremely nervous and we weren’t ready and although I was proud for actually getting on and riding her in a show I made Poppy get all worked up because I was so nervous.

She attempted a little rear and wanted to run out the gate and I had to be led in the classes I went in and then scratched from the remainder of the day. When I think back to that day now I feel sad for Poppy because she must have wondered what the hell was wrong. So that day I made a decision to get a very good friend to come and school her for me. She rode her for a few months and then took her to a green horse show where she was still very green but she was relaxed and I was able to watch and see the partnership between horse and rider. Skip forward just about a year and Poppy and I have just completed a figure of 8 trotting in a big paddock! Again, probably doesn’t sound like much but one of those broken wrists was the result of a pony trotting and not stopping and I think it

has always haunted me. I’m quite happy just walking around and never pushing myself but poor Poppy was bored. She loves a good trot and she has started to love to work and has been an absolute darling for me. I am completely new to ridden showing and schooling and even the technical side of riding and we all know a green horse and a green rider aren’t the smartest combination but with some lessons and lots and lots of time I finally completed a figure of 8. A lot of people will probably be thinking – my goodness it’s taken her this long to trot?! Well it’s not about what anyone else thinks. It’s about what works for me and my horse. Yes Poppy is quite capable of cantering around and even jumping by now (iv seen her clear a paddock tape) but I’m not. And I probably won’t be for

quite some time but it’s not a race. I have nothing to prove to anyone except for myself. If I had rushed this I can tell you right now I wouldn’t be riding. The bond that Poppy and I have and how she looks after me while I bounce all over the show and regain that balance I have lost after many years is something that I don’t think will ever be broken. I know that I have to be relaxed because as soon as I even think of something I’m worried about how Poppy will react slightly which just shows how much of a bond we really have. This weekend I am off to a Green Horse Show and i’m riding. This time i’m riding without being led, I’m going to trot and I’m going to be relaxed so that Poppy is relaxed and not worried. This time the want is bigger than the fear.

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product review

Naturally Equine Calendula Cream

Each month we will be reviewing products from Naturally Equine! Keep an eye out for more great products to use for your horse in many different ways.

20/02/17

Review- HAYLEY CLARKE

I have been using Calendula Cream from Naturally Equine for a couple of years now. Each time I have used this product I have seen amazing, fast, clean results. Let’s face it, our horses can find so many ways to get themselves into trouble and even the tiniest of scrapes off their body can change how they look in the show ring! The first time I noticed how good the Calendula Cream is was when we had a race horse who was hitting his back leg each time he raced and had a nasty hunk out of his leg. We were able to cover up where he was hitting himself so it didn’t hurt him but each time we bandaged him the scab on top of the wound would come off. I began using the Calendula Cream on the wound and the next day it had already developed a tough layer of skin over top of it and the bandage didn’t rub it off

anymore. After about a week of using the cream the wound had healed up to a tiny wee mark where the hair was yet to grow back. On February, 20 we turned up to our paddocks to find the show horse had got herself into some trouble! She had a wound on the inside of her back leg. Who knows how she did it but we needed to get it healed up in time for a show in 12 days. We used the Calendula Cream every day and the result was amazing – see below. We still have a few more days until the show and we are confident that it will heal up nicely just in time with the help of the cream! So make sure you head out and grab yourself a container of Calendula Cream by Naturally Equine. It is so handy to have on standby and you won’t regret it! The price is super generous too!

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Want to check out the products at Naturally Equine? Head to naturallyequine.com or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/naturallyequinenz 27/02/17 28 EQUINE ONLINE

fact file

Breed profile Research- GRACE GRAY

The Lipizzan breed of horse is truly spectacular and whilst I was scrolling through the list of horse breeds to write about, this one really jumped out at me! Their stunning grey coats and incredible ability to perform most of the classical dressage movements such as the Levade, Courbette, Mezair, Croupade and Capriole are just a couple of the things that make this breed stand out! The breed was foundered with the help of the Habsburg nobility and dates back to approximately 1850 when they were produced using careful selective breeding for use during war and then eventually as horses to be used at the Spanish riding schools. Despite historically having a large range of coat colours, the Lipizzan now has a dominant grey coat colour as selective breeding over many years has ensured this and they are generally about 16.1hh. These days Lipizzans are still used in Spanish riding schools and also as work horses, endurance horses and much more!

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Quote it!

Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your

HEART on fire

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INTRODUCING

some exciting new sections

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Picture perfect

2017 St James Horse Sale

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check it out Stay tuned while our Check It Out section gets up and running!

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buy & $ell

Wintec 16.5inch cair GP. In excellent condition. $550ono MW gullet but can come with medium. Text or phone 0276364355

WANTED 5ft Show set - hood/tailbag/cover Black and gold show quality bridle Cob size black number holder Phone - 0273751609

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monthly madness

EO M E M

ON M E H

TIP TIME Use hair spray to go over your horses blackened hooves at a show to make them super shiny!

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha JOKES UP!

Arion Animal of the Month

One day, while I was petting a Shetland Pony at the zoo, a friend of mine asked, “How are you today?.” I responded, “I’m feelin a little hoarse.”

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

Name - Phineas (Finn) Age - 10 months Favourite Food - Bread rolls Fun Fact - Hand raised and thinks he is part human!

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Mr Moo dressed up for the quardrille at NITE 2017

next month

HOY SPECIAL We are sending some reporters along to Horse of the Year so we will have all of the news and reviews from the big week! Keep an eye out for another product review from Naturally Equine to help your horse become a healthier, happier horse. We have anoher addition of Foaling Education and what a perfect time of year for tips and tricks to help us with our babies! Our monthly columns will be back and our advice section will be better than ever to help you out in every way possible. And keep an eye out for more from Courtney as she takes us through her journey from being nervous around horses to her dream of competing in a one-day event. AND keep an eye out for our next Arion Animal of the Month!

Check out the diary of KAITLIN FEASTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S road to HOY along with her results from the week! Photo - Elise Ford Photography

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!

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