Your equestrian questions answered

Q: What can I do when hacking to progress in my training?

A: Hacking is mentally and physically beneficial for your horse. However, if you hack ‘consciously’ and with training goals in mind, there is a lot you can do to increase these benefits further and advance towards your training goals. Try incorporating some of the following into your hack to inject some focus and targeted training into every ride:

1. Alter the terrain

As ever more of us have access to artificial arena surfaces to ride on, some horses never move on anything but the most even of terrain. Whilst an even surface is excellent for high-level training and competition, it doesn’t allow your horse to benefit from the strengthening that occurs when riding on different terrains, making your precious steed more susceptible to injury. Beyond strengthening structures in your horse’s hooves and legs, riding your horse over various terrains and surfaces makes him more surefooted, improves his proprioception (awareness of his body in space), and improves his neuromuscular and motor control. Ultimately, there are many benefits to varying the surface on which you work, as evidenced by the fact that many top riders, such as Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester, prioritise hacking on varying surfaces as a key part of their training regime.

2. Transitions within and between gaits

Using transitions is great for your horse’s brain and musculoskeletal system. Transitions give you a simple way to check that your horse is on the aids whilst also improving his balance. When out hacking, you do, for example, 20 steps of trot, 20 steps of walk, 20 steps of trot etc. or you can vary this more to do, for example, 20 steps of trot, 10 steps of walk, 20 steps of trot etc. Another great way to incorporate transitions is to perform them within the gait. This is great for conditioning the gluteals and biceps femoris muscles and developing expression and power.

3. Stretching muscles

You can do a lot of stretching and suppling work on an outride that will help your horse loosen up in the arena. For instance, one exercise for stretching the neck involves walking while asking your horse for lateral flexion to one side and then returning to the centre before asking for him to flex to the other side. To ensure you do this on both sides equally, you should count steps, for example, 10 steps with left lateral flexion, 10 steps straight and 10 steps with right lateral flexion. As you ask for the flexion, you want your horse to maintain rhythm, balance and impulsion. If he struggles, reduce the number of steps you ask for. Try this exercise in walk first, before attempting it in trot and canter. Lateral flexion of the neck is hugely beneficial for core stability, balance, coordination, straightness, muscular strength, forelimb movement, addressing restrictions in the neck muscles, and creating suppleness.

4. Lateral movements

Lateral movements necessitate your horse moving forwards and sideways; they help him become supple, flexible and more balanced. They also have therapeutic benefits and contribute to manoeuvrability, lateral strength, stability, coordination, and longitudinal and lateral flexibility.

Performing a simple leg yield while out on your hack has many benefits. Make it into a zig-zag movement as you ask your horse to leg yield to the right for six steps and then six steps back to the left. After mastering leg yield, ask for some steps of shoulder-in, another great exercise for improving suppleness, straightness and engagement. Just stick to walk for the lateral movements to begin with, as your horse will still benefit at the lower pace.

5. Hill work

Hill work is another excellent addition to your ride. Moving up and down hills on your hacks can improve muscle tone, strength, fitness, and proprioception.

Again, start with your hill work in walk and, over time, add bits of trot and canter to the uphill segments. We would advise against moving at higher gaits downhill.

Q: My old horse has started having nosebleeds. I can’t find a reason; they seem just to happen spontaneously. He’s happy and looks well, with just a small trickle of blood out of one nostril. What could be causing it?

Nosebleeds, or epistaxis, are fairly common in horses, and unless they are heavy and result in heavy blood loss, they are not something to panic about.

The nasal passages contain many blood vessels and can be prone to bleeding, but this should at most be a small trickle that stops within 15 minutes. This sort of bleed is likely to be caused by a bump or knock to your horse’s face or head.

Underlying causes

If the nosebleeds don’t resolve or if they re-occur, your horse’s nosebleeds might have an underlying cause that should be investigated, and addressed. These underlying causes can include the following:

• Viral infections

• Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage

• A foreign body in the nasal passages

• Sinusitis

• Guttural pouch mycosis

Your best bet with the recurrent bleeds you describe is to call your vet so they can start to investigate and rule out some of these causes. Finding the specific reason can be challenging, and investigation is likely to involve X-Rays or endoscopes. Treatment can include management through medication or surgery, depending on the source of the problem.

Please note: In this instance, your horse’s nosebleeds sound under control, but if a nosebleed is heavy and involves a lot of blood loss, this is a life-threatening emergency, and you should call your vet immediately.

REMEMBER

Horses are obligate nasal breathers, meaning they only breathe through their nose, so don’t be tempted to pack the nose to stop the bleeding, as they won’t be able to breathe through their mouth!