HQ156 - PRINT Edition

YOUR FREE COPY ISSUE 156 | 2020

SOUTH AFRICA’S PREMIER EQUESTRIAN MAGAZINE

THE WORLD'S BEST

BLOODLINES

What shoes are on your horse’s hooves?

Your partner in sporthorse hoofcare.

Mustad Group: Mustad | St. Croixe Forge | Delta | Derby | Heller

www.westernshoppe.com

Dear readers, It gives us great pleasure to welcome you to the first of our new format print editions. Yay! The die-hard fans amongst you will undoubtedly spot that the ‘spine’ is back and that we have a few more pages than previously. However, other than these small tweaks, we can promise that the content is of the same great quality and variety and that the magazine is laid out in the same way.

There are no major surprises in store – just lots of wonderful reading ahead!

This edition will now be on shelf for the next 12 weeks, and will then be replaced by HQ157 sometime mid-December. If you’re reading this note, we assume you’ve already realised that the magazine is exclusively stocked by our advertisers.

This is to thank them for their unwavering support which is allowing us to make this magazine FREE to each and every one of you. We couldn’t be more delighted to have them on board and hope that you’ll support them and their stores and businesses.

Our monthly digital editions are published on the first of every month and the issue number is based on the print issue currently on shelf (i.e. HQ156) plus a letter (a, b, or c) to denote whether it is the first, second or third issue of that trimester. This allows you to know where we are in the cycle! Please don’t forget to download your digital copy each month, as whilst we will keep them available indefinitely on our website for browsing, they can only be downloaded in the month in which they are published.

Anyway, enough talk of the practicalities

– there’s so much content in this issue, and we hope you enjoy diving into it. Whether you’re looking for exercises to practice with your horse, trying to optimise his nutrition, or battling health issues with him, you’ll find something here to help. Alternatively, if you need a bit of help getting your head in the right space for riding, and fighting the demon that is perfectionism – look no further - we have a wonderful article from Ryan Tehini on just this subject. We also have an article on ‘the performance chain’ of the athlete, which we hope you’ll find useful in refining your riding going forwards.

All in all, we’re proud and happy to be able to provide this content for free for the first time to all of you. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. To give us your feedback, comments or suggestions for future editions, please get in touch at lizzie@hqmagazine.co.za. We’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime, enjoy the magazine, and happy horsing!

With best wishes,

Lizzie and xxx the HQ team Dr Lizzie Harrison | Editor

Designer: Mauray Wolff Advertising: Tanya Kleynhans

HQ|156

1

ISSUE 156 | 2021

IN THIS ISSUE 04 Capital Stud

36 Plenty of poles

70 Sarcoids

The stallions

Riding a serpentine of poles

No easy solution

12 Follow the leader

42 Reflecting for success

74 Ulcers

Pass the leader

Using your brain to train

Not all one and the same

14 Breeding Magic

48 Circles

80 In knots

The proof is in the pudding…

For balance and suppleness

Tying up

22 The performance chain

54 Social anxiety

84 AskHQ

What is your missing link?

Managing a horse who is afraid of others

Your equestrian questions answered

26 Just ride!

58 EquiGold

92 Products we love

How perfectionism and overthinking are

Premium Pure Collagen Hydrolysate

Shopping fun

64 Grass belly

95 Pridey’s piece

Is he fat, or is it a grass belly?

Pridey has arrived in print

sabotaging your ride

30 The back-up A remarkably effective exercise

66 Balancers 32 6 cones

The mystery of balancers

18 exercises

2

HQ|156

www.capitalstud.com

NEWS

W

ith the 2021 Capital Stud Hybrid Auction fast approaching, there is much excitement about the soon-to-be-revealed collection.

HQ was given a sneak peek at the youngsters on offer, and talked through the collection by the expert Dirk Zagers – one of the trainers for Capital Stud, and a previous compiler of the WBFSH rankings. He had flown out from Belgium for a week with the horses, and his insights are certainly valuable.

Here we have a look at the stallions that dominate this year’s collection, and chat a little about what the future holds in terms of the young, up and coming stallions who will be playing a bigger role as time goes on.

THE STALLIONS 4

HQ|156

NEWS

(VAN HET POELEIND) Darco x Cash Belgian Warmblood (imported from Belgium) 19/04/2010 | Bay | 170cm 16.3hh

Capital Kronos is full brother to the well-known Capital Homerus.

Kronos is becoming well recognised in the showjumping arena with numerous podium finishes in the 1.45m classes with Nicole Horwood, recently winning the title at Gauteng Champs. This scopey stallion is proving that he is built with agility and speed and certainly has the scope and ability to conquer the Grand Prix tracks.

Being a son of Darco, out of such an important dam-line, 162, by Cash/Lord, Kronos has the proven bloodlines to be a world-class sport horse. In fact his dam, Vroni van Orti, is also the dam of Couscous van Orti (by Nabab de Reve) who jumped at 5* 1.6m GP level in the USA with Samuel Parot.

Kronos’ great potential as a breeding sire is clearly evident in his offspring, Capital Kingston and Capital Kamora, available on this year’s auction.

In Dirk’s words “Kronos’ offspring are all super athletic with great minds, just like their father. I really believe this stallion can bring South African sporthorse production to the next level.”

Capital Kamora is a major talent. Right now we are seeing the beginnings, but this mare is one for the future.

- Dirk Zagers

HQ|156

5

NEWS

CAPITAL

HOMERUS Darco x Cash

Belgian Warmblood (Imported from Belgium) 21/04/2007 | Bay | 175cm/17.1hh This time, Darco (one of the best sport sires of all time) is recognised in the direct bloodline as Homerus’ sire.

Homerus’ dam-line comes from the very successful Holsteiner line no. 162 (Carthago and Canturo) out of Cash/Lord, and his dam produced the winner of the Belgian Trophy for Young Horses in 2009 as well as a horse who placed in the final of the free-jumping competition at Mechelen in 2008.

Homerus’ half-brother, Couscous van Orti sired by Nabab de Reve competed in the CSI5* classes under Samuel Parot and continues to excel today.

Homerus was the winner of the free-jumping competition for three-year-olds at President's Cup in 2010 and developed up through the grades, placing in numerous 1.50m classes as recently as 2020 with Leona van der Merwe.

Homerus has produced incredible offspring with superb rideability and scope. Look forward to Capital Hawk, Capital Hollybush, Capital Heartly, Capital Hollywell and more on auction this November.

Dirk summarised Homerus’ crop with the unbeatable tagline,

Don’t buy work, buy success – and that’s Homerus.

Capital Hawk is a Nabab de Reve with blood – and that’s what you need. He’s quick off the ground, stylish, intelligent and know’s what he’s doing. He’s a blood type and deserves a great rider.

- Dirk Zagers

6

HQ|156

RENDEMENT Burggraaf x Zeus

KWPN (imported from the Netherlands)

NEWS In terms of offspring, Dirk says, “Capital Renegade is the most like his father in appearance and in his elasticity. He is tremendous with one of the best canters I’ve seen in a young horse. On top of it all he’s very intelligent, with a great mind.

He has every ingredient to get to the very top of the sport”.

28/04/1998 | Chestnut | 175cm/17.1hh Rendement, who previously competed with Johan Lotter, has a remarkable competition record of his own. Having competed at the 1.60m level overseas, attending the World Equestrian Games with Johan in 2010, where he finished in 19th place, he then returned to South Africa. Rendement is a proven talent and the Capital Team are thrilled to have him in their breeding programme.

By Burggraaf and out of a Zeus mare Rendement has all the scope in the world, with unrivalled carefulness. He breeds for size and rideability, and his offspring are all proving extremely agile and careful.

This is the first year that Rendement offspring have become available on the auction, and the Capital Stud Team could not be more excited to see the inevitable showjumping shake-up resulting from the arrival of the Rendement show stoppers including Capital Renegade, Capital Rembrance, Capital Rufina and Capital Raelynn. It doesn’t matter which of his progeny you chose, you won’t be disappointed. Dirk explains “The offspring are mostly bay, and show the Holsteiner traits beautifully. This is an exciting crop.”

Capital Rufina is marvellous.

She doesn’t overjump the small fences, but rolls over them easily and then when the jumps get big she throws the most amazing jump using her entire body.

- Dirk Zagers

CAPITAL

CASTIGO Calato x Cascavelle

Holsteiner (Imported from Germany) 20/02/2005 | Grey | 1.70cm/16.3hh Capital Castigo is sired by Calato who, under different riders, won championships and competed for the Danish team at the Nations Cups. As a breeding prospect, Calato emerged from his stallion performance test as one of the higher-scoring stallions in his age group. His son, Cöster, has won the European Championship as well as competed in the Olympic Games with Christian Ahlmann.

The versatile Cascavelle, Castigo’s dam sire, has produced showjumpers, stallions as well as top-class mares. Castigo jumped his way into the hearts of the equestrian community in South Africa with his wonderful showmanship and numerous accolades. Along with his successful achievements at the 1.50m level under Chris van der Merwe, Castigo is also a three time 6 bar winner, clearing 1.95m.

Castigo’s offspring share his elastic canter and striking looks.

Capital Ceres, Capital Cullinan, Capital Chinhoyi and Capital Clover are very exciting prospects on this year’s auction.

HQ|156

7

NEWS

CAPITAL

CAPRICCIO Cor de la Bryere x Capitol I Holsteiner (imported from Belgium) 20/06/1997 | Grey | 165cm/16.1hh Cor de la Bryere is one of the most significant foundation sires of the last century who revolutionised Holsteiner breeding. His progeny were horses with outstanding jumping ability and most importantly, he was a super producer of stallions such as Corrado, Corland, Calypso II and Cordalme Z who have moulded Holstein breeding into what it is today.

Thanks to his dam’s sire, Capitol I, Capriccio has inherited the blood that puts him in an elite league of stallions that are able to produce both outstanding sport horses as well as stallions who in turn, go on to sire top quality offspring. Capriccio’s damline, 18b1, is one of the best in the world.

Capriccio formally competed successfully in the open classes with tight, tucked-up front leg action. He is brave, careful and quick against the clock. We look forward to what is to come from his progeny, who in this Auction are represented by Capital Cadillac.

Easy as they come. Cadillac will make his rider look good!

- Dirk Zagers

CAPITAL

CONLANC

His progeny have proven to be extremely successful and take on Conlanc’s level mind and easy rideability. This is certainly evident in Capital Chipinge and Capital Cayman his only two offspring available in the 2021 Auction Collection.

Contender x Lancer II

Holsteiner (imported from Germany) 15/06/2005 | Bay | 171cm/16.3hh Undoubtedly, the combination of a famous sire and successful dam-line makes Conlanc a special type of stallion. His father, Contender, is a legend in his own right and has produced multiple top horses who have been successful at the highest level, with names like Montender (Marco Kutscher), Checkmate (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) and Carlo (Sergio Alvarez Moya) to name but a few.

Capital Chipinge is fabulous.

He wants to win EVERY time.

- Dirk Zagers

Conlanc is out of an outstanding Holsteiner dam-line 318d2 which has produced very influential stallions. His third dam Golda is the second dam of the great Coriano who jumped at the top level with Judy-Ann Melchior and who is himself the sire of many GP winners. But this dam-line also produced numerous top stallions such as Corofino I & II (by Corrado I) and the very popular Diarado (by Diamant de Semilly). Conlanc successfully competed at Grand Prix with Danielle Lemmer.

8

HQ|156

NEWS

CAPITAL

COLNARDO Colman x Coronado

Holsteiner (from Germany) 01/03/2005 | Bay | 170cm/16.3hh Capital Colnardo’s pedigree includes the lines of Cor de la Bryere, Capitol I and Ladykiller xx. He really does showcase the best Holsteiner blood, including the influential Carthago (featured in many of the Tokyo Olympic bloodlines), Lord (also featured in many Olympic bloodlines), and Corrado I. Perhaps most significantly of all, however, his bloodlines feature the stallion Marlon xx who is one of the most influential Thoroughbred stallions and is found in many successful jumping pedigrees.

After Colnardo’s achievements in South Africa with Nicole Horwood, he moved to the USA, where he jumped in the American 5-star team with Audrey Coulter. Capital Colnardo is one of the best showjumpers in the USA with outstanding achievements in the 1.60m CSI5* classes at Cascais (Estoril), Paris, Cannes, Madrid, Miami Beach and Hamburg. One of his greatest achievements is winning the world cup qualifier in Sacramento.

Capital Colnardo remains in the limelight on the international stage, having achieved a podium finish in the CSI5* 1.60m Rolex Grand Prix under Jennifer Gates at Spruce Meadows. He continues to place in CSI5* competitions, finishing in second place as recently as March 2021, demonstrating his remarkable longevity and sheer consistency.

Colnardo’s exciting offspring are exclusively available at the Capital Stud Auction represented by Capital Creighton, Capital Claribell and Capital Coretta. All three are incredibly athletic and show great scope, making them serious contenders for the future.

Capital Creighton is absolutely superb. He is easy, keeps his rhythm and yet is adjustable, reading the fences himself.

Anybody can take this horse around a big course.

In fact, I suspect he can do it by himself. - Dirk Zagers

HQ|156

9

FUTURE BREEDING PROSPECTS

NEWS

CAPITAL

CORNETBLUE FLOREVAL Z Cornet Obolensky x Chacco Blue Zangersheide | 2017 | Grey This four year old stallion has provoked great excitement both internationally and at Capital Stud. His sire, Cornet Obolensky, has consistently produced elite offspring for the highest levels of the sport, and has thus maintained a place in the WBFSH Jumper Sire rankings since 2013.

His dam-sire, Chacco-Blue, requires no introduction having been ranked #1 in the WBFSH Jumper Sire rankings for the past four years. He is also the sire of the Olympic Gold Medal winning Explosion W. Then on the dam side, we have Berlin the number 6 stallion in the world, and sire of the Olympic horse Berlux. His second dam, Pilona, is the dam of Chamberlain (by Chacco Blue) who jumps in the CSI 1.55m.

Capital Coronetblue Floreval Z at his 30 day test received a 10 for his freejumping, and 9.24 in the partial index for jumping. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for this talented youngster.

CAPITAL

IMPOSSIBLE Verdi x Voltaire KWPN (Imported from Germany) 01/01/2013 | Bay Capital Impossible, a very promising young stallion, is currently climbing through the grades with top open showjumper Nicole Horwood.

Capital Impossible’s sire, Verdi, is one of the richest stallions in the world. With the Dutch team he won the silver medal at the Olympics in London, the gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Caen and yet another gold medal at the European Championships in Aachen. Verdi is ranked 12th on the WBFSH stallion rankings.

10

Impossible’s dam, Kicky Queen is also the dam of Tyson, who boasts one of the most successful showjumping records of any stallion worldwide.

Kicky Queen, an elite sport mare, is, herself, sired by the legendary Voltaire.

Impossible’s second dam, Firstlady, is also the dam of Nirvana, who competed successfully at 3* Grand Prix level with Dutch rider Annet Willems. This Lux is also out of Firstlady, and has jumped at the 2* level with Victoria Tachet for France. Calgary is yet another successful sport horse out of Firstlady, currently competing at 3* level with Bert Jan vd Pol for Holland.

The future certainly looks bright for Capital Impossible and his progeny.

Capital Impossible has a big future ahead of him. - Nicole Horwood HQ|156

CAPITAL

NEWS

FIGARO D’ISIGNY Kannan x Dollar du Murier x Irak E Selle Francais (Imported from France) 2015 | Chestnut | 1.66m This magnificent six year old stallion inherits his genes from Kannan (number one stallion in the 2014 WBFSH rankings, and in the top three of the rankings for four years in a row). Kannan brings power, style, balance, and scope to his offspring and Capital Figaro D’Isigny embodies these traits. Kannan’s other offspring include Olympic Gold medal winner Nino des Buissonnets, Molly Malone V, Quorida de Treho, Diva II, Oh d’Eole, Rosana du Park, Zoe II, Padock du Plessis, Sakann, Kavalier, Quannan-R, Albfuhren’s Paille and Quister.

Capital Figaro D’Isigny is full brother to Alfueren’s Paille – winner of the World Cup final in Las Vegas with Steve Guerdat. Figaro is also the full brother to Priam D’Isigny, competing in the 1.50m Grand Prix classes with French rider Jean le Monze. Figaro’s second dam, Aconiere D’Isigny is also the dam of Katy D’Isigny, jumping at the 1.60m level with Adel Khamis Ali Saeed for Emirates. Galant D’Isigny is yet another successful sport horse out of Aconiere D’Isigny and is currently jumping in the 1.50m classes with Danilo Panone for Italy. Figaro is a stallion of the future and certainly one to look out for in the showjumping arena.

CAPITAL

QORLAND

Corland x Cassini l | 2016 | Grey

Capital Qorland is the half-brother to Capital Levubu, who is currently jumping in the 1m50s with Bronwyn Meredith De Santos.

Qorland’s sire Corland had an impressive career under W.J. van der Schans. Corland was Champion of the Benelux in The Hague, and 2nd in ‘The Sires of the World’ in Lanaken. Corland is from one of the last crops of the foundation sire Cor de la Bryere, a stallion that revolutionised modern breeding.

Qorland’s dam, Zinnia I, is by Cassini I, one of Holstein’s most celebrated stallions, and her mare line carries Ramino and Landgraf I, reinforcing winners in every aspect of the pedigree.

Looking at the auction collection for Capital Stud this year one cannot fail to be impressed. Even the most amateur horses in the group, have scope, rideability and are endlessly quick with excellent use of their bodies. All are set to be a success at their level.

With breeding of this kind, it just remains for us, as riders, to keep up with the talent being offered! South African sport horse breeding goes from strength to strength and this latest crop from Capital Stud will certainly set the showjumping stage alight.

2021 AUCTION | 18-20 NOVEMBER HQ|156

11

HORSE AND RIDER

TEXT: FARRYN DAY PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

FOLLOW THE LEADER 12

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

Pass the leader

F

or many horses, the warm-up arena can be a scary place. Horses moving in different directions, and flying past them or even towards them, can all be rather daunting!

Here we give you a simple exercise to help to teach your horse to accept other horses moving around them at any speed. For many off-the-track Thoroughbreds, in particular, it can be terrifying when another horse canters towards them head-on, simply because they have never experienced this before. This exercise is then especially helpful for these OTTB or for anxious or flighty horses and can help them to feel confident with other horses moving in different directions, though I personally feel that this simple exercise should be a part of any horse’s education. Even out on the trail, all horses should feel confident enough to lead and trusting enough to follow.

THE EXERCISE You will need a friend to help you with this exercise, and it is best if they are riding a steady and confident horse or pony. Though this exercise can be practiced in any area, it is best to start in the arena if possible.

Start by riding in single file in the arena. Horse A leads, and horse B follows. Once both have settled, horse B passes on the inside and walks next to horse A for a few steps before passing. Reward both horses for remaining calm with a little rub at the withers. Horse A then passes horse B on the inside.

You then repeat this, passing on the inside until both horses remain calm and confident. Remember to practice on both the left and right rein.

Once both horses are confident passing and being passed at the walk, you can add some trotting.

Horse A walks ahead, and horse B then trots past on the inside. Horse B leads at the walk, and then horse A passes at a trot. Repeat, practising passing on the inside and the outside of the leading horse building up to the point where both horses can confidently remain trotting in a steady rhythm, both passing and being passed by another horse.

Once both horses are confident, you can move on to passing in opposite directions. Start at the walk, with horse A on the right rein and horse B on the left rein. Walk past one another left shoulder to left shoulder, leaving a large gap between the horses as you pass. Slowly decrease the gap each round until the horses feel comfortable passing shoulder to shoulder. Should either horse get anxious, increase the gap between them until they settle before

HQ|156

decreasing the gap once again. Both horses then change rein, and you repeat the exercise, this time passing right shoulder to right shoulder. Again, start with a large gap between the horses when passing, slowly decreasing the gap each time round.

Repeat until both horses are comfortable passing on both reins left to left shoulder and right to right shoulder. Once both horses have settled, repeat the exercise at a trot.

THE STANDSTILL For many horses, it can be a challenge to stand still when other horses are moving past them. Teaching your horse to stand calmly while waiting for your turn to ride can prevent a lot of stress for both horse and rider at a show or an event.

Continuing from the above exercise, horse A stands at the edge of the arena. Horse B then walks past, with the aim being for horse A to stand calmly, focussed on their rider, and without wishing to follow horse B. Once horse A is comfortable being passed at the walk, horse B can trot past. Don’t forget to practise on both reins, passing from behind and also coming towards horse A from the opposite direction.

FARRYN DAY @smicfarryn • @smicequestrian • @citypoloatinanda

AND FINALLY, THE CANTER Once all of the above exercises have been mastered, and the horse remains calm and confident being passed at the walk and trot, you can slowly increase the pressure by adding in some canter. Remember that with speed comes adrenaline, so start by walking and then trotting as your friend canters past you, rewarding your horse for remaining calm and composed before you move into a canter.

This simple exercise is so valuable for creating confident and disciplined horses and can be practised in some form, whenever you ride. Not only will it help your horse feel more confident in the warm-up arena, but it will also help you and your horse feel more comfortable should you go on an outride and need to stop for traffic or allow another horse to pass you on a narrow trail.

As with all new lessons, it is important to notice and reward every single ‘try’ that your horse gives you. Your horse may not master the exercise in a single day, though with time and patience, anything is possible!

13

NEWS

BREEDING MAGIC

The Proof is in the Pudding…

W

ith Callaho’s fourteenth auction fast approaching in October, HQ magazine took a trip down memory lane to look at the previous auction horses and their progress to date. We specifically wanted to focus on the horse-rider partnerships that have stood the test of time, and also look back at Team Callaho’s early predictions for these horses. We asked all the relevant questions: What were the original prices? What was the potential? How are these horses doing now? We’re sure you’ll agree that the results are pretty impressive!

22 YEARS DOWN THE LINE Since Callaho’s inception in 1999, the team’s single-minded focus has been on providing

14

discerning equestrians in South Africa with sporting partners that have both the genetic potential and requisite disposition to excel at top level sport. The team celebrates four generations of rich horse breeding history. While deeply respectful of tradition, the team is continually refining, evolving and staying at the forefront of warmblood breeding innovation and excellence.

A look at the statistics makes clear Callaho’s unquestionable ability to produce top quality horses for the equestrian sport. Over the past 22 years they have certainly backed up their tagline by conjuring ‘breeding magic’. The following summary only hints at their incredible achievements. The proof really is in the pudding.

Enjoy!

HQ|156

NEWS

A trip down memory lane…

EARLY AUCTIONS

Callaho Freedom and Shaun Neill

• Callaho Freedom (Ferro x Ramiro Z x Gotthard) Auction 2010 for R210 000 • Back in 2010 Callaho Freedom was bought by Simon Burn. He was subsequently bought and ridden by Marlene Sinclair with Barry Taylor taking him round his first 1.50m class at the SA Outdoor Grand Prix in 2014. This was the first time a Callaho bred horse had jumped in the 1.50m classes.

• Subsequently, since 2016, Freedom has been ridden by Shaun Neill in the top classes.

• In total, Callaho Freedom has taken three riders around at the 1.50m level.

Callaho For Amigo

With For Joy as one of their early foundation stallions, his offspring arrived en masse into the open division starting with:

CALLAHO FIORELLA (For Joy x Raphael x Watzman) Auction 2012 for R255 000 • Callaho Fiorella was acquired by Jeanne Korber on the auction and produced to 1.50m. Fiorella debuted at the 1.50m level in 2016 with husband Ray while Jeanne was pregnant, but Jeanne retook the reins in 2017.

• Fiorella was Callaho’s “cover-girl” for the 2012 Auction and was rated a two out of three stars for jumping, eventing and showing and described by the team as “a highly talented mare with an exciting future in the top levels for virtually any discipline”.

HQ|156

Another four For Joy sons who’ve jumped up to or are currently competing at the 1.40m level include:

CALLAHO FOR AMIGO (For Joy x Ramiro Z x Gotthard) Auction 2012 for R110 000 • For Amigo is the half-brother to Callaho Freedom and was ridden in the 1.40m classes by Jason Philips. He is now being ridden again by Carolyn van Schalkwyk.

15

NEWS Callaho Floyd and Kyla Brimacombe

• Callaho Floyd (For Joy x Padinus x Calato) Auction 2014 for R420 000 • Callaho Floyd was ridden to 1.40m by Ronnie and then pupil Kyla Brimacombe, the owner of Floyd, took the reins and has never looked back.

• Callaho Floyd and Kyla recently won the 1.30m Reonet Riders’ Grand Prix. The pair are serial winners in the 1.35s.

CALLAHO FRANKLIN

Callaho Lexington

(For Joy x Land Earl x Trocadero xx) Auction 2012 for R130 000 • Callaho Franklin competed in the 1.40m classes with John Bouwer.

CALLAHO FARGO WELLS (For Joy x Land Earl x Trocadero xx) Auction 2014 for R190 000 • Callaho Fargo Wells is the full-brother to Franklin.

• He has also competed in the 1.40m classes with Robyn Salter.

IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR The Lissabon lads then come in hot and fast to supersede For Joy in the open high performance rankings:

CALLAHO LEXINGTON (Lissabon x For Joy x Raphael) Auction 2015 for R400 000 • Callaho Lexington is the son of Callaho Fiorella. He truly embodies the phrase ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’.

• Jeanne Korber, in partnership with the Whitehouse family, acquired him on the auction, thereby producing both mother and son to the 1.50m division - a very special feat! The pair debuted in 2020 and placed in the top 10 recently at the 2021 1.50m SA Showjumping Championships.

• Rated 3 stars out of 3 for jumping, Callaho remarked: “Blessed with superior jumping ability and remarkable trainability under a sensitive, competent rider, this sport-horse presents a fine example of top-class, modern Warmblood breeding”. It’s safe to say Callaho weren’t wrong!

16

HQ|156

NEWS Callaho struck gold with the acquisition of foundation mare Welingan (Heartbreaker x Indoctro).

Out of the 6 foals she produced which would be eligible to jump in the open classes, 5 offspring have, or are currently, competing in this division.

Two of these are:

Callaho Le Cadeau and Desiree Pienaar

• Callaho Le Cadeau (Lissabon x Heartbeaker x Indoctro) Auction 2014 for R750 000 • Le Cadeau was bought by Desiree Pienaar at the auction and produced herself to the 1.50m division. This pair also debuted in the 1.50m classes in 2020 and placed in the top 10 recently at the 2021 1.50m SA Showjumping Championships.

• Rated three out of three stars for jumping, Callaho stated: “a multi-talented sport horse with a scopey, elastic jump and effortless movement – ready to take a competitive rider to the top” • AND LOOK - he’s done just that!

ON A WINNING STREAK CALLAHO LIANTOS (Lissabon x Heartbeaker x Indoctro) Auction 2016 for R510 000 • Liantos is the full brother to Le Cadeau • Tamara Rueda bought and produced Liantos from the 2016 Auction. This is an extremely special partnership as Liantos was a spirited youngster, who required careful handling. With Tamara, Callaho Liantos has flourished and their results include: – 2019 | 1.30m South African Champions – 2020 | 1.35m Reserve South African Champions – 2021 | 1.40m South African Champions • Rated three out of three stars for Jumping and Eventing with 2 stars for Dressage, Callaho commented: “Liantos is an exceptional athlete in all respects - combined with his modern, beautifully refined type and bold disposition”. Notably it was also suggested that he go to a “Skilled/Professional rider” aka READ THE FINE PRINT!

Callaho Liantos and Tam Rueda

Callaho Confidor and Francesca Sanne

CALLAHO CONFIDOR (Con Coriano x Padinus x Calato) Auction 2013 for R200 000 • Confidor was bought by the Sanne family in 2013. He was competed to 1.50m with James White and he won the 6 Bar in 2016.

• He is now together with Francesca Sanne and the pair have just been crowned the 1.40m Gauteng Champions.

HQ|156

17

NEWS

Callaho Lansink and Zandi Alcock

CALLAHO LANSINK (Lissabon x Pilot x Paradox) Auction 2013 Auction for R450 000 • Callaho Lansink was produced by Ray Korber, and the pair won many titles together. They were 10 times National Championship winners, and other highlights include: – 6 x National Championship Runner Up – Top 1.35m horse in 2018 & 2019 – Runner Up 1.35m horse in 2017 • Ray has subsequently sold Callaho Lansink to his pupil Zandi

Alcock and the two are going from strength to strength. Lansink and Zandi have recently been: – Winners of the FEI World Jumping Challenge Gold Tour and the Aachen Youth Jumping Challenge Qualifier.

– Reserves in the 1.35m Gauteng Championships – Reserves in the 1.35m A’Quelle WCQ Championships – Reserves in the Junior 1.30m President’s Cup Championships

Callaho For Sure and Ingeborg Sanne

DRESSAGE CHAMPIONS As if the showjumping success was not enough, Callaho have also always embraced the dressage lines, and have produced some of the top dressage horses here in South Africa:

CALLAHO FOR SURE (For Joy x Simply x Ussuri xx) Auction 2009 Auction for R75 000 • For Sure was purchased from the auction and subsequently sold to Ingeborg Sanne, in the early stages of his training. Ingeborg and For Sure are currently competing in Medium Tour. Their results include: – 2020 WORLDWIDE Inter 1 FEI Dressage Challenge Champions – 2020 PSG DSA Challenge Champions

18

HQ|156

Callaho Fabriccio and Alan Conradie

• Callaho Fabriccio (For Joy x Idocus x Michellino) Auction 2011 for R80 000 • Fabriccio was produced by Nicola Mohr to Inter 1 level • Alan Conradie then took the reins and the pair won the 2020 Junior Individual & Freestyle SA Championships and the 2020 Junior PSG DSA Challenge.

CALLAHO BUGATTI (Benicio x Iroko x Burggraaf) Auction 2014 Auction for R700 000 • Bugatti was bought and produced from auction by Nikayla Burger. In 2018 he was the SA Junior Dressage Champion with Nikayla winning the hattrick of: – SA Small Tour Champion – SA Small Tour Freestyle Champion – Prix St George Victrix Ludorum • In 2019, the pair then won the Western Cape Dressage Championships, including the WC Small Tour Junior Dressage Championships and the Small Tour Freestyle Championships.

HQ|156

19

NEWS

CALLAHO LINCOLN

Callaho Lincoln meeting Dawn Newman at the auction!

(Lissabon x Rotspon x Matcho AA) Auction 2018 Auction for R120 000 • Lincoln was bought and produced by Dawn Newman and the following results demonstrate just some of their success to date: – 2020 WC Medium & Freestyle Champions – 2020 WC DSA Challenge Champions – 2019 WC Novice Freestyle Champions – 2019 Novice & Freestyle SA Champions • Rated two stars out of three for dressage Callaho attested: “An exceptionally dazzling gelding with elastic movement, Lincoln is a chocolate-box horse personified. Lincoln has all the attributes and natural inclination to deliver his considerable potential”.

Remarkably, the pool of Callaho horses sold at auction over the last decade has produced over 100 open-level jumpers, a set of 1.50m jumpers, and plenty of fantastic dressage horses. Callaho certainly breeds the best, but what is perhaps even more noteworthy is Callaho’s ability to predict the futures for these horses with such accuracy. One can rest easy when choosing a horse from the Callaho catalogue, and one can count on the team’s honesty when it comes to advice and matchmaking.

Callaho’s class of 2021 has just been revealed and will present 23 quality sporthorses to the market.

20

Try-outs can be scheduled between 10 September and 10 October. Bidding on these special horses opens on 12 October, and the lots begin to close on 15 October.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for these Callaho horses. If the past is anything to go by, their success is all but guaranteed.

HQ|156

SUMMER ONLINE AUCTION | 12 - 16 OCTOBER 2021 www.callaho.auction

HORSE AND RIDER

THE

TEXT: CHRISTIE WOLHUTER, FOUNDER OF EQUIBIO

PERFORMANCE A CHAIN What is your missing link?

22

s riders, we all want to perform at our best with our horses, yet it often feels like an uphill struggle. There seem to be so many challenges, and it can be difficult to know where to start when looking to improve our performance.

Here we examine the concept of performance to give you a new way of examining your riding and finding your particular key focus area.

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

Range of Motion

Equipment

Saddle fit for Rider

Performance Chain

Strength and Stability

@christie_bio

RIDER

PERFORMANCE

Horse's training level

Coordination Christie Wolhuter is a biokineticist based inbased Kyalami.

Christie Wolhuter is a biokineticist in Kyalami. interest in riderenhancement performance An interestAn in rider performance led enhancement ledThe heraim to of start EquiBio. The her to start EquiBio. EquiBio is to guide aim of EquiBio is to guide riders on how riders on how they can reach their goals with they can reach their goals with individual individual assessment and programsdesigned designed toto assessment and programmes suit their needs. suit their needs.

A simple graphic to help explain the performance chain outlined in this article.

THE CHAIN ILLUSTRATION

ASSESSMENTS

Riders need to look at performance like a circular chain, with each part or link being essential to keeping the chain connected and functioning optimally. For the purpose of this article, we will be referring to a few aspects of performance as links in an attempt to explain it as easily as possible. There are, of course, many more elements that we could include, and when looking at your riding, you should seek to include as many as you can think of to ensure no stone is left unturned in the search for performance improvement.

Those at the sharp end of the sport leave little to chance, and attention to detail is the reason why many of them seem to perform ‘effortlessly’.

They have looked at their performance chains and ensured the integrity of their chain by prioritising different links at different times to meet their various needs. Even for top athletes, if one link in the chain is compromised, their ‘effortlessness’ of performance is lost, and they may plateau. Of course, many athletes can get by with limitations or missing links, but the performance delivered is not optimal, and they are not giving themselves the best chance of success.

During my EquiBio assessments, I have noticed that all the riders I have assessed have very different ‘sticking points’. No two riders are ever the same.

However, the one thing all riders attending for assessment have in common is a desire for another set of eyes to look at the big picture of their riding and offer some advice. For some of these riders, an equipment change is all that is required, and for others, there are quite a few aspects that they can work on to refine their riding performance.

For many, the fix is simple; for others, it requires many hours of hard work to improve upon. Of course, as this highlights, there are aspects of the performance chain that are easier to get right than others. The trick lies in choosing the most crucial link on which to focus so that the greatest difference can be made to performance. For example, buying an expensive, quick-fix gadget is not going to help you in any real way if the issue is your own strength and stability! Focus on what counts, and the rewards will come.

Often the most important link is rider self-work, and, unfortunately, this link is not easily improved upon. Self-work takes resilience, discipline and time, which are not comfortable elements for

HQ|156

anyone. But as the adage goes, nothing good comes easy. Those top jumpers that make it look effortless? There are thousands of hours behind them, working on their training, self-improvement and too many other factors to mention.

Now how do you know what your key missing link really is? The solution that makes the most sense to me is to assess all the links and see where the greatest problems lie. Have a look if your equipment is working for you, test your range of motion, test your strength, and examine your coordination and neuromuscular control. EquiBio is not here to ‘fix’ riders but guide them in the little things that can make a big difference and make things easier for themselves and their horse.

In the next part of the article, I will go over some hypothetical case studies to further build the picture.

23

CASE STUDY 1 For some riders, simply changing the stirrup position to fit the anatomy of their shin is performance-enhancing, as it allows them to have better balance. This, unfortunately, normally involves a change of saddle. In this example, the assessment would involve informing the rider that their saddle does not fit them properly and instead puts them into a chair position, making it nearly impossible for them to keep their leg in the right place. This will require a referral to a saddle fitter to improve rider comfort, which will result in performance enhancement. Improving a rider’s strength in this situation would therefore be of little relevance, as the major issue is the restrictions imposed by the poor saddle fit.

Say a rider has stiff, uncomfortable hips, no matter what the brand of saddle, the seat will be affected.

Incorrect stirrup for the rider

Range of Motion

CASE STUDY 2

Saddle fit for Rider

Equipment

Performance Chain

Strength

@christie_bio

Horse's training level

Many riders with stiff hips have accompanying weakness.

The most common missing link I find is poor range of motion and/or weakness and lack of stability in the muscular system. If the issue is not strictly weakness, it is usually poor neuromuscular control, i.e. the nervous system’s ability to coordinate movement efficiently is impaired or limited in some way. These links are the most difficult to work on, as it takes discipline and time to work-out to improve your strength and stability.

Coordination

CASE STUDY 3 Some riders have just about all the right links in the right places, but their horse is not quite ready physically for the task they are being asked to perform. This is particularly the case with younger horses, who are still finding their rhythm and developing postural strength. This bumpy ride can make a rider who battles with coordination and motor control, as mentioned in the previous example, have a difficult time. Working on seat and aid coaching and allowing the horse to have time to develop will solve this problem beautifully. Just like you learn to find your light switches at home in the dark, coordination improves with repetition and practice.

24

FINALLY I have only mentioned a few performance links here, and there are obviously countless more I could have included. Other interlinking chains include horse management, rider mental health and coaching, amongst others. The little things add up to give much greater effects than the sum of the parts, so it is worth spending the time to find the problem and work on it. Natural ability will get you a long way, but not all of us are blessed with it! Thankfully for the rest of us, there are concrete things that you can work on to improve your performance. And the best bit? Your horse will thank you for your work and be a happier and healthier athlete for it.

HQ|156

CLOTHING COLLECTION Fashion meets function in this stunning collection.

www.tackntogs.co.za Tel: (011) 468 1824 or 0861 midfeeds Emergency: 082 499 8684 Email: midfeedspty@mweb.co.za Address: 63 Karee Rd, Cr of Main Road, Blue Hills, Kyalami.

PSYCHOLOGY

26

HQ|156

PSYCHOLOGY

TEXT: RYAN TEHINI

JUST RIDE! How perfectionism and overthinking are sabotaging your ride

E

questrian is one of the most multifaceted sporting disciplines on earth. Not only are you responsible for your own physical and mental condition, but also that of your horse. This means that there is an abundance of things to think about, and this can often get overwhelming and inhibit your show performance. Perfectionism and overthinking are two common mental states for any athlete, and while they are typically seen as attributes of excellence, it is much more likely that they are inhibiting you from reaching your full potential as a rider. The following article addresses how these self-imposed mental roadblocks affect your ride and gives you some techniques to combat them and achieve your full potential.

PERFECTIONISM The pursuit of perfection is often considered a constructive way to achieve one's goals. However, this mindset has many negative ramifications that often lead to

HQ|156

underperforming. A common mistake made by riders and athletes from all disciplines who prize perfectionism is to focus on their mistakes, thinking this is the best way to improve. Think about it - in an attempt to learn and improve, how often do you look back on bad rides and criticise yourself? Far more frequently than you look back on good rides and praise yourself. The issue here is that how you choose to learn affects not only what you learn but also how you end up feeling about yourself, and most importantly, the relationship you have with your horse. To this end, focusing only on the negatives in an attempt to improve is not only impacting your relationship with yourself but also your relationship with your horse. The result this has on your performance is subsequently compounded, and it is nearly impossible to obtain a high level of performance by attending only to the negatives in yourself or in your horse.

There is significant evidence within the field of psychology to suggest that praise

is far more effective than punishment for promoting skill-enhancement and performance (particularly when addressing how you talk to yourself). This is even truer in an equestrian setting, as horses are incredibly sentient beings (for an in-depth look at this, see my article in the June digital issue of HQ).

If you are always focusing on your mistakes, you ride with feelings of tension, anxiety and anger. This impacts your horse’s emotional state arguably as much as it affects your own and has a largely detrimental effect on your relationship and performance. It is for this reason that perfectionism in an athletic context can be problematic, as it forces you to focus heavily on your errors, and somewhat dismiss the positives as ‘expected behaviour.’

While it is undeniably important to attend to your shortcomings and ask yourself what you are doing wrong, it becomes very difficult to grow yourself, your horse, and the riderhorse relationship if you only ever look at the problems.

27

PSYCHOLOGY OUR EXPERT

Ryan Tehini (BA, BSocSci (Hons) Psych, MA Research Psychology (cum laude)(UP)).

For Psychological Skills Training for sports’ competitions, please get in touch with me: ryantehini@gmail.com, or 073 567 7387

COMBATTING PERFECTIONISM In order to adjust the perfectionist mindset, it is important to acknowledge when you or your horse does something well. It is extremely difficult to repeat what we do well if we don’t pay attention to the act in the first place.

When you start to attend to the aspects of your ride that you feel went well, you become more attuned to these behaviours, replicating successes becomes easier, and you will start to generate muscle memory that’ll unconsciously let you know when you’re doing something correctly. It can be difficult to give yourself praise if it is not something that you are used to, as your self-talk may be overly critical. If this is the case, it is best to direct the praise at your horse. Let them know when something went well, and you’re happy with what you both did. For some, it is easier to praise the horse than it is to praise yourself, and through doing this, you are unconsciously giving yourself credit. As you get better at this, you will notice that your horse will respond positively, either with relaxation, expression or through body language when you do something well. Using the negative words sparingly while praising both yourself and your horse for a job well done, opens the door to find that elusive balance between relaxation and performance.

mindset. However, it can occur entirely on its own, particularly in people who experience anxiety surrounding their ride, or in those who are relatively new to the sport. Overthinking inhibits your judgment, overloads your nervous system with communication, and inhibits one very important aspect of performance – the ability to react to the environment. There are two main types of overthinking within a sporting environment, and both of them have their own set of consequences.

Firstly, the frazzled type of overthinking is where the rider is experiencing a great deal of anxiety and has difficulty focusing on the important aspects. This typically happens in novice riders or those who have high trait anxiety (highly anxious by nature). Secondly, the hyperfocused type of overthinking causes the rider to become overly focused on select aspects of the ride, normally the 'how-to' or technique while riding, rather than the ride as a whole. This more often occurs in your experienced rider, who becomes too focused on specifics and cannot 'feel' the ride in the way they normally do. This occurs in all areas of performance for experienced professionals, with, for example, savant pianists often reporting an inability to play the piano when trying to focus on technique or exactly what they are doing. Too much focus can be inhibitory, particularly for experienced riders.

OVERTHINKING

COMBATTING OVERTHINKING

For the more experienced rider, it is common that overthinking is a symptom of the perfectionist

Overthinking can arise as the result of stress and anxiety surrounding the ride, and in these cases,

28

it is better to treat the problem (stress and anxiety) than the symptom (overthinking). Should you feel this is of concern to you, take a look at the article I wrote in the July digital issue of HQ, and keep an eye out for future articles addressing this directly.

Techniques to combat overthinking depend entirely on your particular brand of overthinking. If you are a frazzled overthinker, you have two main courses of action. Firstly, preparation is key, not just in your riding preparation but also in packing your equipment and preparing for the show. It is vitally important that you limit all possible distractions because the more you have to think about, the more you will be distracted by unimportant noise, increasing anxiety. A good strategy for this is to make lists. List everything you need before leaving for the show, and make a list of things you need to do on the morning of the show, and then stick to these lists. This negates the need for guesswork and allows you to focus on the ride and your performance. Secondly, make a plan and stick to it. Don’t overthink your decisions in an attempt to make the perfect decision; although this is easier said than done, it is often more important that you confidently make a decision than to make the right decision. A strategy that can be used day-to-day to get this right, is to make a list of no more than three main things to focus on during your ride. Three focal points are enough to keep your mind active while also allowing you the flexibility to adapt to the environment in real-time.

However, if you battle more with hyperfocus, your best course of action is to teach yourself to trust yourself. Again, this is easier said than done. In this regard, the best course of action is to have a ride prior to the show, where you are not thinking about technique or form, just feeling the ride. Not only will this likely relax your horse before the show, but you will start to notice how the 'technique' you are focused on is already muscle memory for you.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Perfectionism and overthinking are likely the result of a lack of confidence. The above psychological techniques are ways to combat these mindsets by building confidence. If you find yourself battling with the above or any other mental aspect of your ride, get in touch with me and let’s take your performance to the next level.

HQ|156

HORSEBOX

HORSE AND RIDER

Stance phase

Swing phase

THE BACK-UP A remarkably effective exercise

M

any of us have heard the benefits of the back-up, but understanding these in-depth can really help to remind you to practice this exercise regularly. Backing up is particularly valuable for horses who experience back issues, sacro-iliac problems or who are coming out of box rest. However, any horse, in whatever discipline or stage of training, can benefit from this simple activity.

BIOMECHANICS When a horse moves forwards in the walk, the swing phase of the gait sees the leg protracted (swung forwards), and the stance phase of the gait sees the leg retracted (stays in place as the body moves forwards over it). The exact opposite is true in the back-up and it is in this contrast that the true magic of the exercise lies.

When a horse moves backwards, the stance phase

30

is in protraction with the body moving back over the limb, and the swing phase sees the leg retracted and swung backwards. Then, again, in contrast to moving forwards, the push of the limb in the stance phase is backwards, not forwards, and the horse lands toe first, not heel first. All of this involves different loading of the muscles and different activation patterns being triggered. This makes the exercise great for building strength and also for developing proprioception and coordination.

Furthermore, going backwards should cause lifting and rounding of the spine underneath the saddle and lumbosacral flexion at the joints of the spine and pelvis. This is all brought about through the action of the combination muscle iliopsoas, which is impossible to palpate and reach externally.

Physiotherapists, therefore, love the back-up as an exercise as it allows this elusive muscle to be strengthened and developed.

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

THE MOVEMENT Ideally, the movement should be a two-beat movement with diagonal pairs moving together and no suspension phase. However, some horses will move in a four-beat, so, for instance, they would move their right front, then left hind, then left front, and then right hind etc. This is not a problem, provided the movements and step lengths are roughly symmetrical.

A further bonus of this exercise is that as there is no suspension phase and it is performed slowly, it is a very low load activity. Therefore the body is unlikely to be damaged by the exercise, and the fact that it is performed in a slow fashion allows the body to adapt and work the muscles that need to be worked. No elastic energy is being used to propel the body through the exercise, so each movement relies on muscle contraction and relaxation.

THE MUSCLES INVOLVED For those who want to know a little bit more about the muscles involved in the exercise, we have listed them here:

EXPERT OPINION

HIND LEG Iliopsoas (Iliacus and Psoas) Quadriceps especially Rectus Femoris Tibialis Cranius

IN RETRACTION (SWING PHASE): IN PROTRACTION (STANCE PHASE): NOTE: These muscles are different to those used in protraction when going forwards as in protraction in the back-up, the foot is on the floor, rather than swinging through the air, and the body is moved over the foot, rather than the leg itself moved. In the back-up, these muscles, therefore, have to move the bodyweight over that leg, not, as when going forwards, just swing the weight of the leg. This additional load on these muscles is thought to be one of the advantages of the exercise.

FRONT LEG Serratus cervicis and thoracis Rhomboideus/Trapezius Brachiocephalicus/Omotransversarius Pectoralis descendens Extensor carpi radialis

NO EYES! A key element of the back-up is the fact that the horse has a blind spot behind that prevents them from seeing where they are going when travelling backwards. They are thus entirely reliant on proprioceptive feedback when moving in a back-up. This makes the exercise very valuable for young horses who are ‘finding their feet' and older horses struggling with their proprioception.

HQ|156

NOTE: As above, the muscles used in retraction when moving backwards are different as they are now involved in swinging the leg back through the air, as opposed to moving the body over the leg in the stance phase when moving forwards. This is described as the muscles working in a ‘reverse origin insertion manner’ as they are now moving the leg through the air, rather than keeping it on the ground and having the body move over it.

MUSCLES INVOLVED Serratus cervicis and thoracis Rhomboideus/Trapezius Latissimus Dorsi Pectoralis Ascendens

IDEAL TECHNIQUE In the ideal back up you are looking for: • A two-beat diagonal movement but even a fourbeat movement in diagonal pairs is acceptable.

• A low head and neck position as we want the thoracolumbar spine and lumbosacral region to come up into flexion. If the head is carried in an elevated fashion and the back extended, the exercise will not be nearly as athletically beneficial for the horse. Therefore, it is advised that you teach the back-up from the ground first to remove the additional load added over the back by the rider.

• A straight back-up. This is difficult to achieve as all horses have some natural asymmetry. It is, therefore, worth performing this exercise alongside

Professor JM Denoix, who has been a specialist in biomechanics for many years, describes this exercise as ‘low speed’, ‘low risk’, ‘an excellent preparatory exercise’ and an exercise that provides ‘enhanced control of balance’. He suggests that over time we try to do 15-20 steps of back-up as part of our warm-up. This, of course, takes some time to work up to. a fence or through a tram-line of poles to try and help the horse to use their eyes on the fence or poles as a guide.

If you see any of the following signs, it is worth chatting to your vet or physiotherapist: • A horse that backs up with uneven lengths of steps suggesting pain or restriction.

• A horse that reacts strongly to being asked to back up as this could be a sign of pain.

• A horse that paces backwards (i.e. moves the legs on one side of the body before moving the legs on the other side of the body), which suggests a horse with poor proprioception or balance or a horse experiencing or recovering from a neurological or muscular challenge.

Alternatively, if you know that your horse has back or stifle issues (both of which can make the back-up difficult) you should chat to your vet before incorporating the exercise into your training.

CONSIDERATIONS It is important to remember that this exercise is physically demanding even though it may not appear so. Using muscles differently and asking them to carry a greater load in many cases is challenging, and the challenge of the exercise should not be underestimated. It is, therefore, important that you give your horse an adequate warm-up in forward motion before asking them to perform the exercise.

31

HORSE AND RIDER

TEXT: FARRYN DAY PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

6 CONES 18 exercises

A

sound and healthy horse is well muscled and prepared for the rigours of their career, and these simple exercises can help build balance, suppleness, and muscle tone, whilst also being adjustable to suit every horse and rider, no matter their level of schooling or ability.

The layout of the cones remains the same for all of the below exercises, making this a great exercise to set up in the arena and then use again and again. Four cones are placed in a square shape, with two cones in the centre. The size of the large square depends on the schooling level and abilities

32

of both horse and rider but should be no smaller than 20 metres even at the most advanced levels.

It is helpful to set up cones (or any other marker), instead of attempting the exercises without them, as the cones give a reference point to move around. Reference points help both horse and rider to think about accuracy and timing, especially for young horses and inexperienced riders. Being precise is important for all disciplines. For example, in a dressage test the test may request a ‘canter at A’, or in a showjumping course you need to find the perfect take off point before a jump. Since all of these exercises are

performed on both the right and left rein, it is a great way to establish if your horse is stronger on one rein so that you know which rein needs a little more work.

The patterns have all been broken down into levels of difficulty. Remember to warm up and cool down correctly with each ride and only move on to the next level of difficulty once you and your horse have mastered each part of the exercise.

The levels are as follows: 1. Warm-up 2. Novice riders and green horses 3. More advanced horses and riders

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

PATTERN 1 1. Trot through the centre cones, and turn left.

Circle around both cones on the left, change diagonal in the centre. Circle around both cones on the right.

2. Once you have mastered this, keeping the rhythm consistent throughout the pattern – add a halt at X. Aim to halt accurately at X, square and with minimal resistance from the horse. This requires careful preparation before reaching X. 3. For more advanced horses and riders this exercise can be attempted at the canter with a flying change at X. A walk/canter transition at X is also a great way to encourage your horse to engage the hindquarters and lighten the forehand.

PATTERN 2 1. Trot a figure of eight around the top-left and bottom-right cones, riding a straight line through X. Be sure to focus on straightness from one cone to the next through X, and a consistent bend around the cones, with the rhythm remaining the same throughout the pattern.

2. Extend the trot as you come around the first cone and through X straight towards the next cone. Then collect the trot, riding a half circle around the cones.

3. Ride the same pattern in a canter with a flying change, or walk transition in the centre at X. You can then extend the canter as you come around the first cone and go straight through the centre, collecting the canter and riding a half circle around each cone.

PATTERN 3 1. Trot through the centre and turn left. Circle left around the top-left cone, then the top-right, then the bottom-right and finally the bottom-left cone.

2. Ride the same pattern in a canter, keeping the rhythm consistent throughout.

3. Then you can extend the canter along the straight parts and collect round the cones. This is a great exercise to teach your horse to extend and collect, remaining steady without rushing. Over time, try and collect a little more round the cones and extend a little more through the centre (both at the trot and canter). In doing this, you will slowly teach your horse to increase their range of ‘gears’ while being disciplined and waiting for your next cue.

HQ|156

33

HORSE AND RIDER

FARRYN DAY @smicfarryn • @smicequestrian • @citypoloatinanda

PATTERN 4: 1. The opposite of Pattern 3.

2. Trot through the centre and turn right. Circle right around the top-right cone, then the topleft, then the bottom-left and finally the bottomright cone.

3. As with Pattern 3, ride in the canter. Then add in some extensions and collections.

PATTERN 5 1. Trot through the centre and turn left. Circle left around the top-left and top right cones. Come back though the centre and turn right. Circle right around the bottom-left and bottom-right cones, then ride back through the centre.

2. Ride the same pattern in the canter, with a trot transition at X. 3. You can then ride the same pattern, adding a walk/halt transition at X, before moving on to a flying change at X.

PATTERN 6: 1. Approach at the trot. Ride one big circle left around the top-left and bottom-left cones. Then maintaining rhythm and impulsion, ride a smaller circle around the middle-left cone. Pass through X, change diagonal and ride one big circle right around the top-right and bottom-right cones. Then ride a smaller circle around the middle right cone. This is a great way to teach any horse to remain focussed without rushing.

2. Extend the trot around the large circle before collecting the trot for the small circles. You can then move on to cantering the large circles and trotting the small circles.

3. Ride the same pattern in a canter, keeping the speed and rhythm consistent and at a working canter at first. You can then try to extend the canter for the large circles and collect the canter for the small circles. Perform a walk or trot transition in the middle in preparation for riding the same pattern with a flying change in the centre.

34

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

PLENTY OF POLES Riding a serpentine of poles

36

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

A

dding poles to simple exercises instantly makes your schooling sessions more challenging. Increasing the degree of difficulty shows up where there are gaps in your training, highlighting, for instance, loss of rhythm and balance, late turns, and poorly ridden lines. Knowing that these issues exist allows you to work on them and improve your riding and communication with your horse in all of your work.

Here we look at a pretty pole intensive serpentine, but first, to start out and get your horse warmed up, we begin with a simple fan.

THE WARM-UP – THE FAN The fan is a hugely beneficial exercise that requires only a few poles. You need a minimum of three poles, and more can be added as your get better at the exercise, or your horse develops in strength.

Riding an arc towards the inside edge of the poles will shorten the horse’s stride and encourage him to lower his hindquarters and carry more behind. Riding a line towards the outer edge of the poles produces a longer length of the stride and encourages the horse to stretch.

To ride the exercise: • Ride over the middle of the poles in both directions.

• Then ride an outer curve, followed by an inner curve over the poles.

• Next, vary which line you take each time you ride over the poles. This will help keep your horse’s brain engaged and his attention on you.

• Make sure you work evenly on both reins to promote suppleness and muscle development on both sides of your horse.

• Aim to maintain a consistent rhythm and correct bend.

SET-UP To set up the exercise, you need to place your poles in a fan shape at around a 30-40 degree angle, spaced to fit one of your horse’s trot strides over the centre of each pole on a curving line. The exercise can be set up anywhere that you have space to ride a 20m circle.

HOW TO RIDE IT The exercise can be used to increase, regulate or decrease the horse’s length of stride depending on where you ride through the poles.

TOP TIP It is important that you don’t allow the horse to drift over his outside shoulder during the exercise, as this will cause a loss of balance.

hand off the neck to guide your horse • The maintenance of a contact with the outside rein so that your horse does not overbend. NOTE: Don’t allow your outside hand to move across the neck!

• The turning of your own body as well as your head to keep you looking and turning towards the next pole

WHY THE EXERCISE WORKS THE AIDS Avoid relying on your inside rein to turn the horse around the curve, as this will produce excessive neck bend, possibly throw him onto the outside shoulder, and cause him to drift off your line. You need to make sure you support the turn with your outside aids too.

The aids involved in riding the exercise are: • Your inside leg on the girth • Your outside leg behind the girth • The opening of the inside rein by moving your

Working over poles on a curve encourages engagement of the hindlegs, especially the inside one. You can develop this further by raising the poles either at alternate ends or at both ends.

FINAL THOUGHTS Be mindful of the trot you have on the approach, the line you take and the results this produces so that you can adjust your line as necessary the next time if you didn’t get it right or if you want to reproduce a good result.

THE FAN

HQ|156

37

HORSE AND RIDER

THE SERPENTINE

THE MAIN EXERCISE – THE SERPENTINE Once you have warmed your horse up over the fan, you can start working on the serpentine. Serpentines are a well-known and valuable exercise in flatwork. Adding poles increases the benefits of this exercise, introducing greater suppleness, flexibility and agility.

SET-UP This layout uses around 25 poles, but this can be adjusted to suit the size of your arena. Set out the poles as shown in the diagram. Walk through the exercise on foot first to check all poles are placed correctly, and the line over the middle of each pole flows into the next.

HOW TO RIDE IT Break the pattern up into sections. Begin in walk and ride a circle at one end of your arena, going over all of the poles on that circle, including the ones in the centre (blue line). Do this twice before changing the rein and riding the same circle on the other rein. Keep your horse actively forward without rushing him.

Repeat the riding of the circle at the other end of the arena (green line). Focus on riding a smooth curve into and over the middle of each pole.

Now ride through both circles in trot. Make sure the horse stays straight through the triangle and bends around your inside leg over the poles on the diagonal.

It is important to try and maintain your rhythm throughout the exercise as horses can get tired and rush when working over all these poles, leading to tripping.

Now you’ve practised both sections repeatedly you are ready to ride through the whole serpentine in trot.

Breaking down the exercise before going into the full serpentine helps to avoid overwhelming or overfacing your horse.

WHY IT WORKS Any inconsistency in your aids and communication will be highlighted by this exercise because your horse will move off his line and drift.

Please note, that this exercise is mentally and physically challenging for horses, so listen to your horse and allow regular walk breaks on a long rein.

You will not be able to get this exercise ‘right’ in just one session, so be patient and take the time it takes!

TAKE HOME MESSAGE Setting up basic schooling exercises like circles, half circles and serpentines with poles can really add an extra dimension to your sessions. We hope you enjoy playing with this exercise, and would love to hear how you get on!

38

HQ|156

COUNTRY & EQUESTRIAN ESTATES

BEAULIEU Comprehensive Equestrian Property. Modern Architect Design. Four bedroom residence in a landscaped garden setting. Cottage.

Two Apartments. Stables, Jumping Arena & Horse Walker. Extensive equestrian facilities. Land size 12 751m² R8.5million

Beaulieu

BEAULIEU An Elegant Architect Designed Family Residence. Clean lines and spacious proportions are a distinctive feature of this light and bright north-facing residence. Four bedrooms all situated on the first floor. Land size 11 305m² R7.9million

BEAULIEU Immaculate Family residence and Equestrian facilities. Fantastic entertainment areas overlooking the established and treed gardens. Four bedroom residence plus a neat stable complex offering three stables. Land size 10 266m² R6.7million

FOCUS

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

– Helen Keller

40

HQ|156

TRAINING

Equi Regalis: Oil on Canvas | 180x110cm Equine Artist : Gerdus Brönn www.gerdusbronn.com | MOB +27 82 3776223 | Your Art Investment 74 Scott Street, Hartbeespoort, South Africa HQ|156

41

42

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

TEXT: AMELIA CAMPBELL-HORNE

REFLECTING FOR SUCCESS USING YOUR BRAIN TO TRAIN

HQ|156

43

HORSE AND RIDER

W

hether you are a coach or a rider, how much work do you put into being successful? Do you make the most of every opportunity to learn, to improve, to be more effective, to be the best? Well, here is a free tool that research has proven successfully contributes towards athletes’ development! It is a process called reflective practice.

You might find as you read through this that you already do ‘reflective practice’ to some degree, but hopefully, you will gain a deeper understanding and ability to reflect that will not only help you overcome difficult situations but help you become more consistently successful!

WHAT IS REFLECTIVE PRACTICE? Reflective practice is a form of problem-solving whereby we simply consider and review (reflect on) what has happened during training or competition so that we can understand the whys and hows of the experience. Simply put, reflection is the process that turns experience into knowledge. If we do not reflect, it is unlikely that we will be able to understand and learn from the experience to improve our performance in the future.

There are two different types of reflection, namely ‘IN Action’ reflection and ‘ON Action’ reflection: • ‘In-Action' reflection occurs in the moment; for instance you might be attempting something specific in training (e.g., getting the horse to relax and stretch over his back), but you are not getting the desired response out of your horse (or athletes if you are a coach), so you recognise that your outcome is not being met and either alter the method or attempt a different exercise in order to achieve it.

• ‘On-Action' reflection is any form of reflection that occurs after the training or competition has concluded and can either be formal or informal.

We can safely assume that most equestrians participate in informal reflection on their performance, either through re-watching videos, discussing feedback with a coach, or thinking about what occurred. However, the depth

44

of this reflection can vary significantly from superficial (was it a success or failure) to highly comprehensive (analysing in-depth the what, the how and the why of the experience and applying that for future practice and competitions).

WHY SHOULD YOU DO ‘REFLECTIVE PRACTICE’?

1. It can help you overcome problems experienced in practice or competition: Nerves and anxiety affect most equestrian athletes, with certain experiences heightening (bad warm-up, fall of rider and/or horse, moving up a grade, seeing someone else fall, specific jump on track etc.) or lessening anxiety (good warm-up, previous good experiences/ performance etc). So how can one overcome these bad experiences and repeat the good ones?

Reflection provides the individual with the opportunity to overcome any conflict or unease that they may be experiencing following practice or performance because it requires that the individual expresses their concerns and attempts to find resolution.

2. It can help improve your self-awareness and self-confidence Research has proven that actively participating in reflective practice results in an increased level of self-awareness (understanding of one’s own application and techniques) and therefore increased self-confidence! Furthermore, these processes are also designed to increase an athlete's self-efficacy. This is their belief or confidence in their ability to exert control over their behaviours, motivations, emotions, and social environment. It also promotes autonomy as the athlete feels empowered to think and decide for themselves, which is great for those days when our coaches can’t be there to hold our hands and guide us through!

3. It can help us learn faster and improve our effectiveness as riders While learning through experience is essential, it is through reflecting on these experiences

BASED ON GIBB’S REFLECTIVE CYCLE THE FOLLOWING CUE QUESTIONS MAY ALSO HELP YOU UNPACK AND REFLECT ON THE EXPERIENCE: DESCRIPTION • Describe the experience • What factors contributed to the experience?

• What are any significant background factors to the experience? (context)

FEELINGS AND EVALUATION • What was I trying to achieve?

• How did I feel about this experience while it was happening?

• What was good, and why was it good?

• What was bad, and why was it bad?

ANALYSIS • What factors influenced my decision making in the moment?

• What sources of knowledge or past experiences influenced my decision making?

• How have I understood this experience in terms of past experiences and future experiences?

CONCLUSION • Could I have dealt with the situation better?

• What other choices did I have?

• What would have been the consequences of those choices?

ACTION PLAN • How do I feel about this experience?

• How has this experience changed what I know?

• How will I apply what I have learned?

• What will I do if a similar situation arises again?

HQ|156

Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.

– Pele

HORSE AND RIDER

GREENWAY'S REFLECTIVE CYCLE

DO

Doing and experiencing

PLAN

REVIEW

Planning and applying

Reflecting and discussing

GIBB'S REFLECTIVE CYCLE

SO, NOW WE COME TO THE CRITICAL QUESTION OF HOW TO DO ‘REFLECTIVE PRACTICE’?

DESCRIPTION What happened?

ACTION PLAN If it arose again what would you do?

FEELINGS What were you thinking and feeling?

CONCLUSION What else could you have done?

EVALUATION What was good and bad about the experience?

ANALYSIS What else can you make of the experience?

46

that we turn them into knowledge. It has been suggested that ten years of experience without reflection could be one year of experience repeated ten times! We need to not only know about things but also understand them so that we can apply our knowledge to certain situations, influencing the behaviour that follows and therefore increasing effectiveness. It is said that in the heat of competition, “we don’t rise to the level of our expectations... we fall to the level of our training”. We, therefore, need to try and align our expectations with our training!

There are several models of reflective practice that one can use, which range from simple to complex. Obviously, with the more complex models, more critical reflection is possible. Whichever model you choose, it is recommended that you take time to seriously consider the reflective questions and your answers and even keep a journal/diary of your reflections.

At its most simplistic level reflection can be done using Greenway’s “Do, Review, Plan” model: having undertaken training or competition (DO), the athlete/rider REVIEWs their performance by reflecting on it and discussing whether it was a success or not, whether desired outcomes were met and what learning occurred. The athlete would then PLAN what needs to be done next and apply what was learned from their review.

If you would like to invest in a more critical reflective process, then Gibb’s Reflective Cycle (as in the image on the left) can be used to help you turn experiences into knowledge.

This reflective cycle requires you to think on a deeper and more holistic level as it incorporates thoughts, feelings, and past experiences in with the facts!

No one enjoys failing! We all want to succeed, but the question is, are we ready to pay the price of success? Success is not something ready-made. It comes from your own daily actions. Success isn’t given; it is earned through daily and consistent inputs, through going the extra mile, through making the most of every experience and learning everything you can from them. Success is a daily job! As Rory Vaden said, “Success is never owned. It is only rented, and the rent is due every day.”

So, why not give it a try and invest in your success? Do remember that although this is an incredibly helpful tool to overcome and rectify ‘bad’ experiences, it is also important to reflect on good and successful experiences so that you can replicate them!

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

CIRCLES For balance and suppleness

48

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

T

his is a great exercise that can be adapted to suit all horses and riders, from green young horses to experienced horse and rider partnerships. This exercise is suitable for horses of all disciplines, as it teaches rhythm and focus while developing balance and strength.

It is also a great way to analyse strengths and weaknesses in both horse and rider and gives valuable insights as to which is the stronger or weaker rein.

It may look simple, but this exercise can be very challenging for novice riders and green horses and should be ridden at the walk, focussing on the correct rhythm and bend. Don’t forget to warm up on both reins before working through this exercise.

WALK

3m

SET UP AND RIDING In the centre of the arena, place six poles 3 meters apart, though the exercise can be shortened to four poles.

To start, walk your horse straight through the line, focussing on rhythm and straightness in both horse and rider.

TROT

CHECKPOINTS - Although the aim is to ride perfectly round circles of a uniform size, don’t force the horse to do more than they are capable of. In order to achieve suppleness, the horse must remain relaxed.

- Aim to ride through the centre of each pole, maintaining the bend through each circle.

- The horse should move freely, with impulsion and a consistent rhythm.

- Don’t be tempted to overwork this exercise on the weaker or more stiff rein. Instead work evenly on both reins, as it takes time and correct work for the muscles to develop evenly.

- Concentrate on being in the correct position in the saddle. Focus on body position and the correct use of the aids on both reins. No rider is perfectly straight and we are also usually stronger on one rein than the other. But, by becoming aware of our weaknesses, we can work on them and improve, and by doing so, you become a more balanced and correct rider, and your horse will respond accordingly.

- Try to guide your horse using your seat and legs more than the reins; the goal is to encourage your horse to engage their hindquarters and bend through the whole body while remaining relaxed. Guide your horse using your outside leg, keeping your hands soft - allowing the horse to bend as much as they can.

HQ|156

3m

Once the horse is happy and relaxed at the walk, you can introduce the circles. Walk over the first pole and circle right, then walk over the second pole and circle left. Over the third pole, circle right, and continue the pattern down the line to the last pole.

This can then be varied by circling on the same rein down the line and then changing rein and repeating on the opposite side.

ADVANCED HORSES AND RIDERS For more advanced horses and riders, this exercise can be adapted to be ridden at the trot. Walk through the exercise as described above before proceeding to trot straight down the line of poles.

Start by trotting over the first two poles in a circle on the right. Then circle over poles 3 and 4 to the left, and then poles 5 and 6 to the right. Change rein and repeat in the opposite direction – left over the first two, right over 3 and 4 and then left over poles 5 and 6.

TO COME FULL CIRCLE This is quite a strenuous exercise, so two or three repetitions on either side are enough. Try to always end the lesson on a good note and remember to cool down sufficiently after any exercise.

FARRYN DAY @smicfarryn • @smicequestrian • @citypoloatinanda

49

FOCUS

THE HUNTER TYPE There are various ‘types’ of horses and ponies. A type is not a breed but rather a category into which a horse fits, often for showing purposes.

The Hunter Type is one of the more commonly discussed. This type of horse must carry his rider for hours across the countryside. Soundness is a priority, and he will need correct conformation for this to be sustained over the long term. Technically, the type of horse who fits this description should be fitted to the type of country to be ridden through, e.g. on flatter ground, a Thoroughbred cross with a good gallop would be ideal, whereas on hills, a horse with more power and shorter legs would be needed.

In terms of ‘show standard,’ a Hunter should have both quality and substance with a deep girth, a medium length back, powerful quarters, strong limbs and correct feet. Many top Hunters have Thoroughbred in their bloodlines.

50

HQ|156

FOCUS

A LABELLED DIAGRAM OF THE SOLAR ASPECT OF THE HOOF

Heel bulbs

The collateral groove

The central sulcus

Heel Apex of frog

Quarter

The frog

Toe The bars

The white line

The wall

52

The sole

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

SOCIAL ANXIETY Managing a horse who is afraid of others

54

HQ|156

HORSE AND RIDER

M

ost horses love other equine company, and for many of us, this idea is so ingrained that it can come as a shock to realise that some horses are, in fact, frightened of other horses. This has usually come about through a specific event or a collection of events but can be challenging to manage and even dangerous in certain situations. In this article, we will look at the potential causes of this fear and how you can work on it.

CAUSES Fear of other conspecifics is not a ‘natural’ behaviour and usually results from one of the following: • Young horses are often wary when first taken into spaces with other horses being worked or ridden. Naturally, horses display certain behaviours when meeting other horses, and in the work environment, we don’t allow them to practise these.

Without this ‘introductory process’, horses can feel anxious and unsettled. They are left unsure how

HQ|156

to react to each other, and this can make them excitable or nervous.

• Horses who have had insufficient socialisation, such as those kept alone for a long time, are often very wary of new horses.

• Horses kept in a stressful herd environment, such as where there is resource guarding over limited grazing, will often develop anxiety about being with other horses.

• If a horse suffers an injury or has an accident in a particular situation, this can cause them to be fearful of it in the future. For example, if one horse runs into another or kicks out at another in the warm-up arena, it can cause fearful associations with all horses and all arenas.

BEHAVIOURS DISPLAYED In these situations, horses usually show their anxiety through behaviour such as reluctance to enter the arena or paddock, shying away from other horses, ear pinning or threatening to kick if other horses come too close. Ultimately, if

not dealt with, the behaviours can escalate into rearing and bolting.

OVERCOMING THE ISSUE To help horses overcome their fear and learn to be relaxed and confident around others, you will need to go right back to basics and build up positive associations again. To work through this process, you will need plenty of patience and the ability to read your horse’s mood. You need to spot if he is anxious, calm or shutting down due to too much pressure.

The key with this work is that you do not move onto the next step without achieving relaxation in the previous step. Rushing through the stages will do much more harm than good, and this is not an exercise to tackle when you are pressed for time.

55

HORSE AND RIDER

NOTE Do not rush this process. It may be that you only get to step 2 on day one, and that is perfectly acceptable. Rushing your horse through the stages will only add to his tension and mistrust of other horses and will make the issue even more difficult to tackle.

THE EXERCISE 1. Take your horse into an empty arena and get them working and settled. You want them to be listening to your aids and tuned into what you are asking of them.

2. Once your horse is working well alone, you can ask a friend to bring their horse, ideally a horse that your horse is familiar with, into the arena but keep them at a distance. This distance may need to be very large in the case of a very anxious horse or shorter in a less worried horse. Scratch your horse on the neck to reward them if they remain calm and keep their focus on you when the other horse is present. If they are unable to focus, ask your friend to increase the distance between the two horses.

As soon as your horse is calm, reward and reassure with scratches.

3. Once your horse is relaxed, start to ask him to move on small, simple schooling patterns like the circle in the walk. The other horse needs to remain in halt. Your horse may be a bit more tense or distracted, but reward him with scratches when he pays attention to you and keep calmly guiding him through the exercise when he is not, and you will eventually get him to settle.

4. Once your horse is relaxed and able to work in a relaxed fashion with the other horse in the arena, move your horse closer to your friend’s horse. Use circles and serpentines to approach, rather than walking up to them head-on. Using circles and

56

serpentines also allows you to gradually get closer and then move away before getting even closer etc.

This approach and retreat method can be really useful for nervous horses as the retreat serves as a reward for being brave in the approach. If your horse struggles to cope with this part of the task, then back off, and find where he was comfortable and reward him with scratches for paying attention to you and being calm in that space. When he is ready, you can try to approach again.

5. Once your horse is calm in approaching the stationary horse, you can ask your friend to start moving their horse in small schooling patterns in their section of the arena whilst you continue moving your horse. You need to do this until your horse is relaxed again. This may mean initially moving further away from your friend’s horse while they both move.

6. Once your horse is able to work in a relaxed fashion while the other horse works, ask your friend to start walking their horse around the arena and follow them on the same rein. Again, wait for your horse to become relaxed with this.

7. Finally, once you can do all of the above steps in relaxation, you can try moving onto opposite reins and passing each other at a good distance. You can reduce this distance as your horse becomes more accepting of the other horse.

8. Over time you can then start to do this in trot and canter, and repeat with different horses and then

TOP TIP Another option for helping these horses is finding kind pasture mates with whom they can be turned out. Having herd mates who are not anxious can help your nervous horse to calm down. Having said this, the introductions to herd mates will need to be done gradually and in a controlled fashion to avoid overwhelming your already anxious horse. Finally, it is vital that there is no need for any of the horses in the herd to resource guard. Water and grass must be readily available for all horses in the paddock and must be easily accessible in more than one location.

a couple of horses at a time. You need to set your horse up for success by working with sympathetic riders who understand your training process.

FINAL THOUGHTS For many of us, it will not have crossed our minds that our horse's issue with a warm-up arena or crowded space is actually the other horses present, and yet this problem is more common than we think. Working on it gradually over time, and allowing our horse plenty of time to be a horse in the company of other mature and sensible horses, will really help him to overcome this challenge and feel safe with his conspecifics.

HQ|156

Estate stabling | AAA Security | Trails and outrides | All disciplines included 24 hour access to your horse | Managers who are passionate about horse nutrition, health and well-being | Regular visits by the physiotherapist, chiropracter and shockwave therapist as well as Masterson Method sessions on request.

For more information please contact Michelle 073 071 7757 | michelle@monaghanequestrian.com

Collagen is one of the best joint care supplements we have found. – Motherkind

One needs to look no further than owner Rechelle Kloeck’s horse Moon Zapper to see the effects of collagen on the coat. Warning - sunglasses may be required to cope with the shine!

58

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

A

s riders and equine enthusiasts, we cherish our horses as though they are family. We take care of them, connect with them and look after them. As an extension of the family, we strive to ensure our horses are in top condition, and this includes providing adequate nutrition in order for our horses to perform at their best.

The benefits of hydrolysed collagen for horses have been proven through clinical trials. Having done extensive research, and seen first hand improvements in joints, ligaments and bones, in top riders and their horses, the Motherkind Team finally decided to make their patented premium peptides available as an additive to feed for horses. It gives us great pleasure to introduce you to EquiGold®.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT EquiGold collagen is of the highest quality.

There are no additives or fillers, just 100% pure collagen. EquiGold is, therefore, recommended for all worked horses no matter the level of competition or sport they are performing at.

If your horse is worked and competes, then their bodies should be supported in doing this through correct supplementation. ®

THE BENEFITS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Improves circulation Gut health and support Connective tissue support Hoof, skin and coat nutrition Promotes healing

1. IMPROVES CIRCULATION Collagen is known to strengthen blood vessels and improve their elasticity. It does this by fortifying the blood vessels, which keeps them in the best condition, improving circulation throughout the body.

HQ|156

2. GUT HEALTH AND SUPPORT Collagen helps soothe the gut lining, healing damaged cell walls and infusing them with vital amino acids. The significant digestive benefits of consuming collagen arise from the fact that it helps form connective tissue and thereby aids in keeping the fragile lining of the gastrointestinal tract intact.

3. CONNECTIVE TISSUE SUPPORT As a horse ages and performs, the molecular building blocks that make up bones, joints, ligaments and cartilage, muscles and tendons simply cannot be produced fast enough to replace the ones that are being depleted.

This process causes cartilage and connective

WHAT IS CONNECTIVE TISSUE? Connective tissue is the tissue that supports, protects and gives structure to other tissues and organs in the body.

Connective tissue also stores fat, helps move nutrients and other substances between tissues and organs, and helps repair damaged tissue. Connective tissue is made up of cells, fibres and also a gellike substance. Types of connective tissue include bone, cartilage, fat, blood and lymphatic tissue.

The number one molecular building block outside of water that makes up connective tissues, including cartilage, bone, ligaments and tendons, is collagen. These important connective tissues are made up of collagen in the following amounts: • Bone = 25-50% collagen • Cartilage = greater than 66% collagen • Ligaments = greater than 60% collagen • Tendons = greater than 85% collagen Collagen, therefore, plays a huge role in a horse’s physical health.

59

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

EQUIGOLD – THE STORY Rechelle Kloeck, the owner of EquiGold, originally started Motherkind when she was pregnant and looking for solutions to optimise her own health. Over time, with more and more clients using Motherkind, the benefits became clearer to see. Not only were people describing benefits in their hair and skin, but also in their joints and mobility levels. As an open level showjumper, Rechelle naturally considered the benefits that collagen could have for her horses. After extensive research, and discussions with people overseas, she decided to produce her own product, and EquiGold was born.

“I didn’t really market the product to begin with due to being so busy with Motherkind, but over the past couple of years, the riders who have used it have really loved it. I’ve also seen the benefits for my own horses, and this has made it a priority to get the product out there for all equestrians. We now have a website where people can order, and I’m excited to make it available for South African horses!” Rechelle Kloeck

60

tissues that support and cushion the joints to be broken down. This degenerative process results in performance limiting inflammation, pain and arthritic change.

Just like humans, therefore, horses are not immune to arthritis in their old age. Collagen supplements can help in the prevention of arthritis as well as therapeutic treatment of age-related degenerative disorders. By supplementing horses with EquiGold®, one is able to harness the strong synergy between collagen peptides and amino acids such as glutamic acid, another important factor in joint health. The high profile of amino acids found in hydrolysed collagen targets the sites where tissues have been damaged. This allows a regeneration process based on the animal’s own metabolism to take place.

4. HOOF, SKIN AND COAT NUTRITION EquiGold® will also supplement hoof health and maintain and promote a healthy skin and coat.

The effect will be a well-nourished animal who looks in good condition. This is because collagen is a significant component of hair and hoof growth due to its ability to fight free radicals that can degrade the texture, growth, and thickness of the keratin in hair and hoof. Replacing

“We [Ray and I] have all of our horses on EquiGold. The product is amazing. We’ve seen improvements in performance, general movement, coat and overall health. I have a 13-yearold Namibian Warmblood, who was always tense and stiff to ride – she’s a different horse on the EquiGold. Then I have Callaho Lexington, who is just looking magnificent and performing so brilliantly. With correct work combined with EquiGold, he has gained so much muscle whilst remaining incredibly supple. I feed EquiGold to my horses and take Motherkind myself – I love the products!” – Jeanne Körber

this collagen improves the overall health and appearance of both structures.

5. PROMOTES HEALING Collagen is required by the body to mend and rebuild connective tissue damage, which helps maintain healthy muscles, skin and joints. It also strengthens the structure of bones, tendons, cartilage and ligaments. Therefore, if a horse is injured or recovering from an injury, Equigold® can help as a therapeutic in alleviating pain and in speeding up the healing process.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE If a miracle substance exists, collagen may well be it. With all of these benefits, your horse can’t fail to feel good on this supplement.

We highly recommend you check it out at www.equigold.co.za.

HQ|156

PHOTOGRAPHY: HILARY O'LEARY

Jeanne Korber and Callaho Lexington

EQ U I G O LD PR EM I U M PU R E H Y D RO LY ZE D CO L L AG EN

Improves Circulation

Connective Tissue Support

Gut Health Enhancing & Support

equigold_sa

Hoof, Skin & Coat Nutrition

motherkindcollagen

Promotes Healing

FOCUS

THE SENSE OF SMELL A horse’s sense of smell is very sensitive. He relies on it to inform him which foods are good and safe to eat and give him information about his surroundings, other horses, and his rider. Just like in humans, the senses of taste and smell are interrelated. Through his sense of smell, a horse will be aware if a plant is poisonous or if a feed is mouldy or contaminated.

To utilise his sense of smell, a horse employs a system of nasal bones and cavities situated at the front of the head. Air is breathed in through the nostrils, enters the nasal passages, and moves over the turbinate bones. These turbinate bones are two convoluted bones whose surfaces are covered with a moist mucous membrane that contains olfactory cells. These cells have tiny sensory hairs – called cilia – which emerge from the mucous membrane at one end and a nerve fibre at the other. This allows the cilia to detect any chemicals in the inhaled air and then transmit this stimulus via the nerve fibre to the olfactory lobe in the brain. The brain translates the signal into messages which the horse perceives as a smell.

A horse can enhance his sense of smell by performing flehmen. To do this, he lifts his head and turns the upper lip up over his nostrils. This traps air in the nasal cavities, allowing any airborne pheromones (scent signals given off by the body of both horses and humans) or unfamiliar smells to be more easily detected and analysed by the horse.

62

HQ|156

NEW AMIGO EVOLUTION FLY SHEET Combining the latest colour technology with our revolutionary insect control technology.

BREATHABLE

BREATHABLE

WIPE CLEAN TAIL

INTEGRATED HOOD

MANE AND SHOULDER LINED

DISC FRONT CLOSURE

LEG ARCHES

www.tackntogs.co.za Tel: (011) 468 1824 or 0861 midfeeds Emergency: 082 499 8684 Email: midfeedspty@mweb.co.za Address: 63 Karee Rd, Cr of Main Road, Blue Hills, Kyalami.

BELLY FLAP

STRAIGHT SURCINGLES

TAIL FLAP LINED

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

64

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

GRASS BELLY Is he fat, or is it a grass belly?

D

o you have a horse that can’t seem to muscle up no matter what you try, or a gelding that can easily be mistaken for a pregnant mare, or perhaps an older horse that has lost his previous physique and developed a potbelly and sagging back?

While it may seem that this grass belly is just the result of an over-keen appetite and lack of exercise, it is in fact more likely to be a sign that your horse isn’t getting the nutrients he needs.

GRASS BELLY OR FAT The signs that you are dealing with a grass belly rather than a weight issue, are that the belly hangs low and out to the sides. The horse’s body or midsection will often look out of proportion with the rest of his body, as it often accompanies quite a thin frame. In the case of a grass belly, your horse will lack fatty deposits around his neck and dock and may even have visible ribs. He can also have a dull coat and generally lack muscle in his chest and hindquarter. Though grass belly is more common in older horses, it can occur in horses of any age.

THE CAUSE Feeding low-quality hay that lacks adequate protein and fibre is the cause of a grass belly. For your horse to get the nutrients he needs from poor feed, he has to eat much larger volumes. Due to the volume and the amount of time it takes for his digestive system to break down the nutrients in the feed, it ends up sitting in his intestines much longer than a high-quality feed would. This extra fermentation time causes his gut to distend, creating a sagging, bloated belly.

HQ|156

SOLUTIONS FEED QUALITY Feeding better hay with higher protein and fibre content is ideal. Low-quality hay is often too mature or cut too late, and as a result, has a higher stem-to-leaf ratio than we are looking for. Choose hay that’s been cut in its prime and is leafy, as it will be higher in fibre and protein.

Since protein is the building block for your horse’s muscle, feeding more of it will also improve your horse’s body composition.

MIX IT UP If your horse primarily feeds on grass, supplement with quality hay. This combination allows you to manage cost by offering free range grazing, whilst also ensuring that your horse gets access to the nutrients – particularly the protein – that he needs to maintain his muscle.

SUPPLEMENTS Cost and access to quality hay can be a challenge.

A protein supplement such as a concentrate or balancer can complement your feeding program and ensure that your horse receives a balanced diet. You may find that you still have some of the belly due to the hay digestion, but the concentrate or balancer will help him build and maintain muscle along his topline to counteract some of the appearance of the distended abdomen.

MOVEMENT As the bloating of the grass belly is caused by the excess fermentation, hand walking your horse, giving him a quick lunge or taking him for a ride can help to reduce some of the gas build-up. This will not make the belly disappear, but may reduce its appearance in the short term.

65

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

TEXT: HANNAH BOTHA, MSC EQUINE SCIENCE (ROYAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, UK), EQUINE NUTRITION SPECIALIST FOR EQUUS FEEDS PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

Balancers The mystery of balancers

B

alancers have been on the market for a long time, yet their mechanism of action seems poorly understood. Often balancers are added when not required or are given in such high levels that unbalanced rations are ultimately created.

Below we discuss best practices in terms of feeding balancers to allow you to use them with confidence.

66

WHAT ARE THEY FOR? Balancers are created to be a low-intake, highly concentrated source of amino acids (proteins), vitamins and minerals. They are designed for all types of horses and provide essential nutrients without adding enormously to the calorie component of the diet.

Essentially, it can be best to think of balancers as vitamin and mineral supplements due to their low caloric value, although, in reality, they are much more than that. Generally, vitamin and mineral supplements supply only microminerals (such as copper, zinc and selenium) and vitamins, with little or no protein or macrominerals (such

HQ|156

CAN A PONY WITH LAMINITIS/ CUSHING’S DISEASE/INSULIN RESISTANCE BE FED A BALANCER? Balancers are, for the most part, low in starch, but they can vary in sugar level due to the variation in molasses content (the most common binder for pellet feeds), so do check with your chosen manufacturer.

Quality balancers will include a small amount of oil to help bind the ingredients without adding large amounts of sugar to the diet. This makes them suitable for horses with conditions such as laminitis, insulin resistance, tying up and other related conditions, along with other low non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) products.

IF MY HORSE IS OVERWEIGHT, SURELY HE SHOULDN’T BE GETTING ANYTHING OTHER THAN FORAGE? It’s tempting to think that because a horse is overweight, all of his needs are going to be provided from hay and grazing alone.

However, even the best grazing will have imbalances, and therefore, a balancer should be considered even for overweight horses to ensure their requirements for essential nutrients are met.

Balancers do not contribute significant amounts of energy (calories) due to the low energy ingredients included as well as the low feeding rate. Therefore, they make the ideal feed for horses that don’t require additional energy/calories to avoid weight gain.

A NOTE ON THE BENEFITS OF BALANCERS OVER VITAMIN AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS Balancers contain quality protein, which supplies essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of all body tissues, including hoof horn, hair, muscle and bone.

These are important at all stages of life but become even more so in growing animals and lactating mares. Another advantage of balancers is that some contain one or more ‘digestive enhancers’ to help maintain digestive efficiency. This can be particularly valuable for older horses who struggle to digest their food.

HQ|156

as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium). On the other hand, balancers supply all of these things (and more!), making them an ‘all-round’ solution to balancing diets. No other type of vitamin or mineral supplement should be required alongside a balancer.

Generally speaking, the suggested amount of balancer is 100g of balancer pellet per 100kg of body weight, so for a 500kg horse, that would be 500g per day.

THE PROTEIN PROBLEM One of the biggest questions when it comes to balancers is about the level of protein they contain. The majority of balancers are around 25% protein, and this often leads people

to incorrectly assume that this would be too high for their horse. You must, however, remember that protein is not the same as energy, and thus a protein level of 25% is not going to make your horse ‘hot’ or difficult to ride.

If you sit and do the calculation, 25% protein is 250g of protein per kg feed, so when the balancer is fed in the low quantities described above (approximately 500g per day), that is only 125g per 500g per day. If, on the other hand, you feed 3kg of 10% concentrate, then your horse will be receiving 300g of protein per day, which is far more than the amount contained in the balancer pellet ration.

NOTE: After using a balancer for some time, most horses will feel better due to their nutritional needs being met and perhaps have more energy.

67

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

WHICH BALANCER SHOULD I CHOOSE?

This often leads people to remove the balancer, but in reality, the balancer should be the feed that remains as it gives your horse a full balance of nutrients to make him feel his best. In most cases, the high energy levels will subside on their own, but if not, it may be worth looking at the other components of the diet and seeing if there are changes that can be made there. You don’t want to remove the ingredients needed for health, rather the ingredients that give excess energy!

METHODS OF FEEDING Balancers can be fed in several ways: 1. Fed alone to provide essential nutrients for horses fed on only hay and grazing: It is true that many nutritionists will advise very high forage diets instead of using lots of concentrates, and this is undoubtedly the healthier option. However, it must

68

also be remembered that while a forage-heavy diet is healthier, the hay and grazing today is generally speaking not nutritionally balanced, so providing a balancer can be very useful. This is especially the case in stud animals who have 24/7 access to grazing but need a higher intake of nutrients due to life stage (for example, late pregnancy, lactation or weaning).

2. Combined with straight grains, beet pulp and/or chaff mixes to create a more balanced ration: Many people still like to create home mixes, which often contain things like cereal grains, chaffs, oil and brans. While these are all perfectly fine ingredients on their own, they are often very changeable in their vitamin and mineral content and rarely provide a totally balanced diet. The benefit of adding a balancer in these situations is that you can guarantee a more inclusive and complete diet.

There are many balancers on the market, but often there will be slight variations in what is provided in each one, and so that must be considered along with cost per bag.

CAN I USE A BALANCER TO PUT WEIGHT ON MY HORSE? Due to balancers not providing much in the way of energy (calories), a balancer alone is not going to put weight on your horse.

However, if the horse’s diet is lacking balance, then it stands to reason that the horse’s body may not be working at its best and thus adding a balancer can help with providing essential nutrients, which will not only improve overall health but digestive health too. With an efficiently working digestive system the horse can fully utilise all the components of the diet, which could help with achieving more condition and overall weight gain.

HQ|156

THE EPOL ALL PHASE BALANCER The All Phase balancer has been created with the performance horse in mind, and so it’s ideal for those working at higher levels.

It is also suitable for ‘good doers’ that don’t require the recommended level of concentrate and therefore may be compromised in terms of vitamins and minerals, or for those that don’t require large amounts of concentrates but have higher nutrient requirements such as breeding mares. Its lower energy level means that it can be added to a horse’s current concentrate feed without altering the energy profile significantly. Acid Buff has also been incorporated into the formulation as research has shown that this can help to create and support an optimum environment in the gut and help manage those horses with compromised digestive function, such as in the case of Hindgut Acidosis and EGUS (Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome). A digestive yeast is also provided as this too has been shown to help support feed and forage digestibility, while assisting in the maintenance of a stable gut flora population during times of stress.

3. Fed as a ‘top dressing’ to enhance the nutrient density of a commercial feed: Using a balancer as a top dressing is the most common way of using balancers. However, it is not necessarily needed, nor is it best practice for all horses, especially those being fed higher than recommended levels of commercial feeds.

Horses who would benefit from a top dressing include those working at a higher level; those needing to build more muscle; those returning to work after illness; mares in late pregnancy or lactation who maintain their weight easily but have higher protein, vitamin and mineral requirements; older horses; and younger horses. In these cases, it is advisable to feed 50 to 100g per 100kg of body weight, depending on individual circumstances.

A top dressing is also useful for those horses who are being fed below the recommended feeding rate of a commercial feed due to being overweight or having a tendency to put on weight easily.

Commercial feeds are designed with minimum nutrient levels in mind, and so if a product states that you should feed 3kg per day, but you can only feed 1kg (to avoid your horse gaining weight), then his vitamin and mineral levels are likely to be

HQ|156

unbalanced. In this situation, for every 1kg under the recommended feeding rate, you generally have to provide 100 to 250g of balancer pellet but do check this with the manufacturer first.

Balancers are also extremely useful for horses that are working at higher levels than the feed they are given is designed for. For example, some working horses do very well on a low energy product.

However, these feeds are generally designed for horses doing little to no work, and so if a hardworking horse is maintained on a product such as this, they may again not be getting the correct nutrient levels to perform optimally. Adding a balancer in this scenario is advisable.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE When used correctly, balancer pellets are a great tool to allow you to tailor each horse’s diet to ensure optimal performance, recovery, health and well-being, by creating a balanced ration. However, it is important to remember that horses are all individuals, and it is always best to consult your nutritionist or vet about your horse’s diet. You must also remember that if a change to your horse’s diet is needed, it must only ever be done gradually.

THE EQUUS ALL TIME BALANCER Equus All Time Balancer is a concentrated source of essential nutrients that may be used to complement diets consisting of roughage (hay) and pasture only, as well as those being fed straight grains and/or a combination of the above. It is suitable for those that don’t need traditional concentrates to ensure their overall health. In addition, All Time Balancer is low in starch and sugar, meaning it is suitable for equines prone to issues such as laminitis or Cushing’s disease. A digestive yeast is provided to support fibre-digesting bacteria, general gut health and digestive efficiency.

69

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

Sarcoids No easy solution

70

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

S

arcoids are a common condition in horses and can be serious. They are the most common skin tumour of horses, accounting for 40% of equine cancers. They affect horses of all ages.

Often wart-like in appearance, sarcoids are skin tumours (fibrosarcomas) that can be locally invasive, although they don’t usually spread to internal organs. Sarcoids typically do not resolve independently, and affected horses often develop multiple sarcoids at once or serially.

CAUSES Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) has been found to cause sarcoids in some horses. While not all horses with BPV will form sarcoids, some horses seem to have a genetic disposition towards the condition and develop sarcoids if infected with BPV. If horses are genetically susceptible to contracting sarcoids, they will likely develop the issue multiple times, even after treatment. This is because the virus becomes incorporated into the DNA of infected skin cells and causes the transformation of these cells into tumour cells.

SUMMARY • Sarcoids are persistent and progressive skin tumours.

• Sarcoids commonly appear on the head, face, chest and groin but can develop anywhere on the skin.

• Sarcoids are a form of cancer and are usually locally invasive but do not spread to other organs.

• Genetically susceptible horses develop sarcoids as a result of exposure to bovine papilloma virus (BPV).

• There are different types of sarcoids, and because they each behave differently and respond differently to treatment, they need careful veterinary assessment. An individual horse may have a mixture of different types.

• There are various treatments, and the correct treatment must be chosen for each sarcoid because inappropriate treatment can make sarcoids more aggressive and may ultimately make the situation worse.

Skin that has previously been wounded might also be more prone to developing sarcoids.

TYPES Sarcoids have a range of appearances and behaviours. Different types of sarcoids have different levels of aggression and need different treatments. It is therefore vital to identify accurately which type of sarcoid your horse has. Inappropriate

treatment can make sarcoids more aggressive, particularly when treatment fails and the sarcoid grows back. In this situation, the sarcoid will often reappear in a more rapidly growing form and may change its behaviour making it more challenging to treat.

Biopsies are not recommended unless there is any doubt about whether the lump is a sarcoid or not.

This is because all sarcoids look alike under the

Bovine papillomavirus

HQ|156

71

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

A fibroblastic sarcoid

microscope, and biopsy can make sarcoids more aggressive.

There are six types of sarcoid, each of which can be found in all equid species (i.e. not just horses).

OCCULT Sometimes mistaken for rub marks or ringworm, occult sarcoids present as circular, hairless areas of skin. While they may remain static for years and not present any clinical symptoms, if occult sarcoids are accidentally traumatised, they may develop into fibroblastic sarcoids, which are much more serious.

Occult sarcoids are commonly seen on the nose, side of the face and the inside of the thigh.

VERRUCOUS Verrucous sarcoids often appear grey and wart-like.

They are the least aggressive sarcoid. These kinds of sarcoid are sometimes seen in isolation but can group together and form larger lesions. Although

72

generally not painful for horses, following interference or inappropriate treatment, verrucous sarcoids can develop into a more aggressive form, such as fibroblastic or malignant sarcoids.

These kinds of sarcoid are commonly found on the face, groin, sheath and around the legs.

NODULAR Nodular sarcoids are usually well-demarcated lumps that are covered by a layer of skin, although they can ulcerate. They have a spherical appearance and may have a broad, flat base or narrow-stem like base. They have a medium growth rate. Like occult and verrucous sarcoids, if nodular sarcoids are accidentally interfered with or given inappropriate treatment, they can develop into more severe types, like fibroblastic sarcoids.

You’ll commonly find nodular sarcoids in the eyelid, inside thigh, armpit and groin areas of horses.

FIBROBLASTIC One of the more severe types of sarcoid, fibroblastic sarcoids, can be found anywhere on a horse’s body.

They are aggressive tumours, which appear as fleshy masses and often have ulcerated surfaces.

Fibroblastic sarcoids can proliferate, bleed easily, and develop rapidly from other types of sarcoids or at wound sites. These sarcoids are commonly locally invasive, possibly invading down into the tissues underneath the skin. They are often not well demarcated and can occur in clusters of tumours of variable sizes and shapes.

MALEVOLENT The most aggressive form of sarcoid, malevolent sarcoid, can rapidly spread over a wide area and quickly grow in size. While these kinds of sarcoids can result from repeated incomplete or unsuccessful treatments, they can also develop spontaneously.

They tend to spread locally via lymph vessels,

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

producing lines of sarcoids extending from the original tumour site. Malevolent sarcoids are rare, and treatment options are minimal. While rare, you’ll most commonly find malevolent sarcoids on a horse’s face, inside thigh and elbow regions.

Flies are thought to spread BPV.

MIXED SARCOIDS It is common for sarcoids to display mixed characteristics of two or more sarcoid types. While mixed sarcoids can develop anywhere on your horse’s body, they’re most commonly found on the head, and in the armpit and groin area. Sometimes multiple sarcoid types can present at different sites around the horse’s body.

DIAGNOSIS Since there are so many types of sarcoids, each with different appearances, behaviours and treatments, it is vital to correctly diagnose the type of sarcoid your horse has. Diagnosing sarcoids usually occurs upon inspection of the appearance and location of the affected area. Other potential conditions should be ruled out, such as fungal infections and warts.

A biopsy is not recommended, as any interference of this kind can potentially irritate the sarcoid and make it worse. Your vet should be able to correctly diagnose the type of sarcoids by appearance and recommend the appropriate treatment.

TREATMENT There is no universal best treatment for sarcoids, which has ultimately resulted in many different treatments being proposed and used. The different behaviour of sarcoids means that different treatments are appropriate for different circumstances and that a ‘one size fits all' approach to therapy is not appropriate. In some cases, it really can be best to just ‘watch and wait’ with sarcoids and alert your vet if anything changes.

As well as the type of sarcoid, factors affecting treatment options include the location and extent of the sarcoids, treatment cost and the horse’s temperament. For example, some anatomical sites such as the skin around the eye are usually not suitable for surgical treatment because of the risk of deforming the eyelid. They are also not suitable for some topical chemotherapy treatments because of the risk of collateral damage to the eye.

Medical treatments include injecting the immune stimulant Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine (which is used to prevent tuberculosis) into the tumour; injecting the chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and Mitomycin C into the tumour, which act by interfering with DNA copying in tumour cells; applying the topical chemotherapy cream AW4-LUDES (‘Liverpool cream’); and applying ointments containing extracts of the blood root

HQ|156

plant, and various other natural remedies.

Other treatments continue to be translated from human medicine, including photodynamic treatment, in which a chemical is applied to the surface of the tumour and then exposed to a specific type of light which activates the chemical and kills tumour cells.

Surgical treatments include surgical excision, cryosurgery (freezing) and laser surgery. Surgical excision without additional therapy has poor success rates. Surgery followed by freezing (cryotherapy) improves success rates somewhat, but most sarcoids still return following this approach.

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is another option.

It involves the combined use of injecting a chemotherapeutic drug (cisplatin) into the sarcoid followed by the application of high-voltage electric pulses (electroporation). This increases the drug concentration into the cells of the sarcoid by 70 times, thereby increasing its effect. Due to the electric shock, the procedure is completed under a brief (usually 15 minute) general anaesthetic.

PROGNOSIS If your horse is genetically predisposed to developing sarcoids, they will likely develop them multiple times throughout their life, even after treatment. Horses treated at an early stage of the disease when the lesions and tumours are smaller

ARE SARCOIDS CONTAGIOUS? Although there is a possibility that sarcoids may be contagious, this is as yet unproven.

Bovine papillomavirus (BPV), which can lead to horses developing sarcoids, may be spread by biting flies. However, most horses will develop BPV at some point in their lives and only those genetically predisposed will develop sarcoids.

Some owners of sarcoid-affected horses have had difficulties getting horses into livery yards because of fear of transmission to other horses, but at present, there is no evidence to suggest that horses affected by sarcoids are any threat to others. may have a better prognosis than those treated later. Again, it’s important for the sarcoids to be correctly identified by a vet, as inappropriate treatment could worsen the problem.

PREVENTION Currently, there is no vaccine against sarcoids.

However, some work is being put into one for the bovine papillomavirus, which could also protect against sarcoids in the future. You can also ensure you follow correct wound management for your horse, especially during warmer seasons when there are large numbers of flies, as this might help prevent infection.

73

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

ULCERS Not all one and the same

P

reviously, Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) was seen as a single condition mostly affecting racehorses and other high-performance horses. Recently, however, it has been recognised that as well as the more commonly identified squamous ulceration, we now know of another gastric condition – gastric ulceration – that is diagnosed and treated separately.

Although the prevalence of ulcers in racehorses remains high (between 80-100% of horses in training), vets and researchers are now increasingly seeing EGUS in our normal riding horses and ponies (up to 60% are affected).

THE STOMACH To gain an understanding of these two separate types of ulceration, it is useful to look at how the

74

stomach works. A horse’s stomach is a single chamber that is made up of two main regions: the squamous mucosa (non-glandular), which occupies the top portion of the stomach, and the glandular mucosa, which inhabits the bottom portion and exit (pyloric region) of the stomach. The squamous region doesn’t have glands and therefore does not produce gastric acid. It also does not have a protective mucous lining. However, the glandular region does produce mucous, which protects the cells from the gastric acid it produces. The two sections are separated by a line that defines the two called the margo plicatus.

Gastric disease can develop in one or both stomach regions, and one region can develop ulceration without ulceration being present in the other.

While squamous ulcers can occur throughout

the entire squamous region, the most commonly affected area is the section just above the margo plicatus. Similarly, glandular ulcers can occur anywhere in the glandular mucosa, but the most common location is the glandular mucosa of the pylorus (the exit of the stomach).

CLINICAL SIGNS Signs of ulcers include: • Behavioural changes • Girthing issues • Reduced performance • Reduced appetite • Colic episodes • Weight loss/poor condition • Poor coat quality

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

AD-LIB FORAGE

SQUAMOUS DISEASE Primary squamous ulceration occurs as a result of acid damage to the non-glandular lining of the stomach (the squamous epithelium). Causes of ulceration in this area include intense exercise, high concentrate/low forage diets, starvation, water restriction and overuse of electrolytes.

The feeding strategies used for managing squamous ulceration include ensuring horses have access to a high-fibre diet ad lib. Feeding concentrate feeds isn’t a problem in itself, as long

as they are fed in conjunction with plenty of fibre and the amount of non-structural carbohydrates (sugar and starch) in the feed is kept to a minimum.

Exercise is also an important factor for squamous ulcers. When a horse exercises, acid is pushed up onto the squamous mucosa, so the longer the horse exercises, the more damage is done. Over the course of a week, the higher the number of minutes a horse spends at trot, canter or gallop, the greater the risk of squamous disease.

Ad-lib forage is effective only if horses are actually eating it. Horses should consume a minimum of 1% of their body weight per day in roughage, and ideally 2% depending on their calorie requirements. Large periods of time (six hours or more) without eating can considerably lower the intragastric pH (i.e. make the stomach more acidic) and increase the risk of squamous ulceration due to acid damage.

Placing several piles of hay in the field or hay nets in the stable will encourage the horse’s natural feeding pattern of moving while grazing and entice them to eat more for longer, especially overnight. Essentially a horse that doesn’t eat much forage is not a ‘cheap’ horse but a horse that is bound to develop ulcers and cost a lot in omeprazole!

GLANDULAR DISEASE The exact causes of glandular ulcers remain unclear, although one theory is that there is a failure in normal defence mechanisms against the gastric acid in this region of the stomach. Stress is also thought to be a key factor in glandular disease.

Exercise is also significant in relation to glandular ulcers, but for these ulcers, it’s the number of times the horse is exercised per week, not the intensity or duration, that is relevant to severity.

In one study, showjumpers who exercised six or seven days a week were found to be 3.5 times more likely to have glandular disease than horses who exercised five days or less per week.

A similar study looking at racehorses found that horses working five or more days had a 10-fold increase in the risk of glandular disease when compared with horses exercising four or fewer days per week.

This demonstrates that rest days are essential,

HQ|156

and the current recommendation is that horses should have a minimum of two, ideally three, rest days built into the weekly routine. It is ideally one

day on and one day off during training periods, and the exercise should focus on quality rather than quantity.

75

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

MANAGEMENT With squamous disease, it’s a good idea to feed a small haynet, ideally of lucerne or a fibre-based hard feed, while grooming and tacking up to buffer the stomach acid during the actual exercise session.

Avoiding exercising the horse before breakfast is also important, as later in the day, the horse is more likely to have been eating and have food in his stomach to buffer the gastric acidity. Most horses don’t eat a massive amount in the early hours of the morning because they are resting, so first thing in the morning, there is less food in their stomachs, increasing their risk of squamous disease. The amount of chewing is also a factor – high fibre chaffs and hay encourage more saliva production than concentrate meals, and the saliva produced helps to buffer the acid. Feeding some grass and chaff is therefore a good idea, particularly just before and after exercise.

Horses with glandular disease have a more pronounced cortisol response to stress testing, and behavioural stress is an important contributor to the development of glandular disease. For this reason, management includes trying to reduce

76

daily stress by allowing co-habitation with other horses, plenty of paddock time, keeping handlers and riders consistent, and allowing an expression of natural behaviours, as well as ensuring an enriched environment. Feeding a small haynet pre-exercise, as above, can also not do any harm and is worth trying with these horses.

TREATMENT Treatment for both conditions is based on a combination of dietary and management changes.

However, the basis of current drug therapy is reducing the amount of acid produced in the stomach to allow healing.

The most commonly used drug is omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor. Horses with squamous ulceration are usually put on a course of 21-28 days and may be rested during this time to reduce acid splash around the stomach lining. A repeat gastroscope is then recommended to assess response to treatment after 21-28 days. Around 7080% will show resolution and are weaned off the omeprazole at this point. The remaining 20-30%

Girthing issues are a common symptom of gastric ulcers

require further assessment and treatment.

Horses with glandular ulceration are also treated with omeprazole. However, the condition usually requires the use of a second drug, sucralfate, in addition to omeprazole. Glandular ulceration typically shows slower resolution, with around 50-70% of patients recovering from ulceration following a four- to six-week treatment course.

Therefore, longer treatment courses are generally required compared to squamous disease, and nonresponders are more common for glandular ulcers than squamous.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE If you are concerned that your horse may have ulcers, and let's face it, it seems the majority have some degree of ulceration, chat to your vet. Making our horses as comfortable as possible must be our top priority, and our vets will help set us on the path to achieve this.

HQ|156

FOCUS

Joints

The hip

A joint occurs when two or more bones meet.

There are three main types of joints in the horse.

1. Fibrous joints, such as those found in the skull 2. Cartilaginous joints, such as the sacrum, where there is little or no movement between the bones.

3. Synovial joints, which are moveable joints.

Most joints in the body of the horse are synovial joints.

There are then several types of synovial joints, each moving in a different way. These include: • Hinge joints, such as the elbow • Sliding joints, such as the intercarpals in the knee • Ball and socket joints, such as the hip

Elbow

The knee

78

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

IN KNOTS Tying up

80

HQ|156

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

T

ying up was once thought of as a racehorse-only muscle disease, but we now know that more equines are at risk of tying up than we originally thought, including those in low levels of work.

WHAT IS TYING UP? Tying up is a muscle disease of horses, known in technical terminology as exertional rhabdomyolysis. More colloquially, it is referred to as setfast or Monday-morning disease.

Tying up is usually characterised by repeated ‘episodes’ of muscle damage and usually happens during or shortly after exercise.

Affected horses become stiff and painful, often sweat profusely and might be totally unwilling to move. In the worst cases, affected horses will lie down and may be unable to get up. Some horses die from the condition.

Tying up has classically been described in racing Thoroughbreds and has been best studied in this breed. However, a variety of other breeds are also

HQ|156

diagnosed with similar if not identical disorders that might or might not have a common cause.

Tying-up is seen in all athletic equestrian disciplines such as showjumping, dressage, eventing and endurance riding, and can even occur while out for a hack.

A horse may tie up just once in their life, but some horses are prone to repeated episodes.

This is a welfare issue and can become extremely challenging to manage.

SIGNS Tying up is often associated with exercise and tends to occur during or immediately after a horse

is worked. The signs of tying up vary in severity but can include: • Muscle stiffness or spasms.

• Muscles that suddenly appear hard or stiff and can also start trembling and spasming.

• High heart rate or breathing rate.

• Horses that are tying up can suddenly sweat far more than the level of exercise would normally cause; the sweat will generally be found all over the body.

• Hesitance to move.

• A horse may become reluctant to walk, becoming rooted to the spot or stiff during an episode.

81

H O R S E A N D H E A LT H

In some horses that tie up, the episode is severe enough to result in urine that appears very dark brown or red. This is not caused by blood in the urine but rather by myoglobin, a substance found inside the horse’s muscles. When a horse ties up, and the muscle is damaged, the myoglobin is released into the circulation and removed from the body in the urine. Myoglobin at high concentrations in urine can damage the kidneys, and on rare occasions, can cause kidney failure.

CAUSES The causes of tying up are varied and not completely understood. A one-off episode can probably be caused by triggers such as overexertion or eating something toxic, but repeated

WAYS TO PREVENT TYING UP If your horse is at risk of tying up the following preventative measures are a good idea: • A regular exercise programme needs putting in place, with plenty of time to properly warm up and cool down.

• Avoid box rest if you can, and ensure a careful return to work after a break.

• Provide plenty of turn-out (but avoid lush grazing) to help keep your horse active.

• Reduce your horse’s stress levels during exercise, stabling, turn-out and during transport.

• Be vigilant when any of the above preventative measures can suddenly not be implemented, e.g. turn-out is reduced, stress levels increase, or box rest is necessary.

82

episodes of tying-up after exercise seem to be a syndrome with both genetic and environmental elements. These animals are said to have recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome (RER).

Despite this apparent genetic factor to tying up, the only currently identified genetic disorder commonly seen to date is type one polysaccharide storage myopathy 1 (PSSM1). This condition is caused by a mutation in an enzyme that is involved in muscle energy metabolism. However, most horses that tie up, particularly of certain pleasure horse breeds, do not have this mutation.

The gene or genes causing RER have therefore not yet been identified but studies are ongoing to identify them.

MANAGEMENT OF AN EPISODE If you suspect your horse is having an episode, you must contact your vet immediately. While waiting, try to keep your horse calm.

Often, a vet will confirm the diagnosis with a blood sample and might administer fluids via a stomach tube or directly into the vein. A vet can also give painkillers, and in severe cases may hospitalise your horse for close observation.

In horses that seem susceptible to multiple episodes, your vet might recommend a muscle biopsy or other tests to try and find the underlying cause.

MANAGEMENT There is currently no cure for this disorder, although horses can continue to perform well and enjoy a good quality of life if managed appropriately in the long term. Aspects of long-term management include diet, exercise, administration of certain preventative drugs

and reducing anxiety. Anxiety is a key factor as research has shown that horses with a more excitable temperament are more likely to have an episode.

Unfortunately, despite the best management, some horses will struggle to maintain any kind of athleticism.

CORRECT NUTRITION It is advised to maintain horses that tie up on diets that are low in soluble carbohydrate, replacing any required additional calories with fat. The mechanism by which a higher fat diet benefits horses that tie up remains unclear, but it has been suggested that this could be linked to a calming effect.

This kind of diet would involve replacing calories from high sugar/starch feeds like oats with high fat feeds like rice bran or their commercial feed equivalents.

It is also important that caloric intake is reduced during periods when the horse is doing less work, for whatever reason.

MEDICATION Studies have shown that dantrolene, a muscle relaxant medication given before exercise, can help prevent episodes in some horses that are prone to them. Depending on the circumstances, your vet might recommend this medication.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE Ty ing up is a serious and debilitating condition, but with the correct measures can be managed to g ive your horse a good qualit y of life, and a chance at performing at the top levels.

HQ|156

?

YOUR EQUESTRIAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED

an I use therapy or cooling ice C boots on my horse while travelling to and from a show? Will it help to keep their legs safer?

The use of any therapy boot during travel will depend on the length of the journey. For any trips longer than 20 minutes, we would not recommend using any form of therapy boot.

Most therapy and recovery boots are made from

84

insulation fabrics that are designed to retain water or ice or reflect heat. Therefore, when used for journeys longer than 20 minutes, there is a risk of overheating the legs, even with cooling or ice boots, due to the lack of breathability of the fabric.

While we may think horses and their legs are mainly still while in transit, their legs actually work very hard while in a box to stabilise them and rebalance to the movement of the box. With the legs already working hard, compromising their ability to lose heat can negate the recovery

effects of the boots and contribute to heating and cause heat damage to the limbs.

Instead, our recommendation would be to use any cooling or ice boots directly after exercise or competition before you load your horse into the box. This is the time at which such products are most helpful.

To then protect the legs during transit, opt for a breathable travel boot, leg wrap, or bandage/ padding option that will not compromise the temperature of the limbs when they work to stay steady on the journey home.

HQ|156

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How do I fit a bridle?

Bridles come in pony, cob, full and extra-full sizes (generally), so you should start by choosing one that you think best suits the size of the horse’s head.

Check the approximate length of the bridle against the horse’s head by holding it up to your horse. If the bridle is obviously much too big or much too small, either adjust the length of the cheekpieces, if there is room, or select

another bridle that is more appropriately sized.

The cheekpieces should ideally fasten onto one of the middle holes to allow for further adjustment if required. In some cases, bridles ‘stretch’ as the leather becomes softer with wear, and you need to make sure you have holes on the cheekpieces that will allow you to adjust for this.

Undo the runners and keepers before putting the bridle onto the horse for the first time, so that the height of the bit can be adjusted quickly. Once the bridle has been put on, check that the bit is sitting level and that there are one or two wrinkles at the corners of the mouth.

A bit that sits too low will bang on the horse’s teeth and one that sits too high in the mouth will pull the corners of the lips and may bang on the molar teeth at the back of the mouth.

Once you have adjusted the height of the bit, do up the throatlash and noseband, and check the rest of the bridle. Make sure that the browband and headpiece are not pinching around the ears of the horse and make sure that the noseband is sitting level on the face. All nosebands should be sufficiently loose to allow two fingers to be inserted vertically (i.e. on top of each other, not side by side) at the bridge of the nose.

Note: this is obviously a little tricky if you are in a shop and we are certainly not advocatin g takin g your horse with you, so a little ima gination may be needed at this point if browsin g in your favourite tack shop.

HQ|156

85

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What is seedy toe?

Seedy toe is a separation of the horse’s hoof wall from the underlying sensitive laminae at the white line, resulting in a cavity that fills with dirt and debris and is prone to infection.

Seedy toe can occur as a complication of chronic laminitis with rotation and sinking of the pedal bone, followed by secondary infection. It is also found in non-laminitic feet with long toe/low heel conformation, where the hoof wall separation and subsequent infection are the primary features.

Poor dorso-plantar (front to back) balance is another potential cause. Finally, seedy toe can also originate due to the presence of poor-quality hoof horn.

Infection with bacteria and fungi is an important feature in all forms of seedy toe, and, if left unattended, this infection can liquefy hoof keratin, separating sensitive laminae, progressing to rotation of the pedal bone, as in laminitis. The hoof is also likely to crumble and flake off externally.

86

DIAGNOSIS Seedy toe is usually found when cleaning the horse’s foot. A cavity is commonly noticed between the hoof wall and the underlying sensitive laminae, i.e. along the white line, most often at the toe. The associated hoof wall is generally of very poor quality. The condition does not typically cause lameness unless there is an active infection within the cavity, or the condition is secondary to chronic laminitis, both of which exert pressure on the sensitive laminae of the hoof.

X-Rays will show the extent of the separation and whether pedal bone rotation or pedal osteitis has occurred.

TREATMENT The farrier usually removes the separated and necrotic infected tissue with a hoof knife to establish drainage and expose the infected tissues to the air, discouraging the growth of anaerobic bacteria. The edges of the normal horn should be tapered to prevent the collection of infected dirt and debris. Antiseptics and other topical agents are applied to the cleaned, raw tissues, and the horse should be treated with

antibiotics against both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria if the deeper tissues of the foot are affected.

Tetanus antitoxin should also be considered if the horse is not fully vaccinated.

Afterwards, the horse should be stabled in clean, dry conditions while the hoof wound is regularly cleaned and treated until the infection is controlled and the tissues heal. The horse is likely to need hoof boots or should be shod to support the foot until the hoof re-grows. Where large amounts of the hoof have been removed, a glue-on shoe may be the best option.

Feed supplements containing zinc, biotin and methionine may help to improve hoof growth and hoof quality.

PREVENTION To prevent seedy toe, your horse should be exercised regularly and stabled in clean, dry conditions. The bacteria and fungi that cause seedy toe thrive in damp, dark environments, so keeping the stable clean and sanitary can help!

Your horse’s feet should be regularly picked out and cleaned to avoid the development of infection. Your farrier should visit your horse every 5-6 weeks.

PROGNOSIS The prognosis for complete resolution is good for cases of seedy toe that are diagnosed and treated early unless laminitis is involved or there is extensive involvement of the deeper tissues.

HQ|156

Lose a hobby, gain a paion

Merlynn Trichardt 079 317 4556 | merlynn.bester15@gmail.com

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How do you trot up a horse correctly?

A trot-up is a standard part of the vetting for a horse; is required if your horse goes lame for any reason at home; and is also necessary at higher-level competitions. In all of these scenarios, you must lead from the left-hand side. To lead correctly, you need to stay level with the horse’s shoulder and focus on where you want to go.

Ask the horse to walk on, being positive in your

88

instructions and body language. You need the horse to move forward actively, not be dragged behind you, as this can also affect his movement.

If the horse is sluggish and hanging back, you can ask the vet if you can carry a short crop in your left hand. This is not to actually touch the horse, just to hold back towards the horse’s quarters to encourage acceleration. Once you have produced an active walk, you can slide your right hand further down the reins (about halfway down a standard rein or lead rope), so the horse can move his head more freely.

When turning the horse to come back again, slow down before the turn to avoid slipping, make

the turn wide and allow the horse to balance himself comfortably. Turn the horse by ‘pushing’ his head away from you and staying next to his shoulder (you walk around the horse, not the other way around). This allows you to control the size of the turn and protects you from being stood on. Walk the horse back in the same straight line, remembering that some horses are more enthusiastic on the return trip, so may be more active. Be ready to slide your hand closer to the chin if needed for control.

To trot the horse, always start by walking him straight in an active walk before asking him to trot. A few clicks of encouragement can help at

HQ|156

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What can a flexion test tell you?

NOTE The person observing the horse is likely to want to observe him from the front, back and side, so be ready to keep going past the observer for a few strides so they can see the horse side-on before you bring him back to walk.

this point if the horse is not keen to trot. Keep the reins short until you know the horse is under control, and then gradually let them out of your right hand and allow the horse the freedom to move his head. This is crucial for allowing the horse to move correctly and naturally and allows more subtle signs of lameness to show up for the vet to see. Come back to walk for the turn and then fully complete a couple of strides of walk to establish the straight line before asking for the trot again. As mentioned with the walk, some horses are keener when coming back so be ready for a faster trot and try to keep control to avoid the trot becoming rushed and unbalanced.

HQ|156

Flexion tests of both the hindlimbs and forelimbs are screening tests, particularly used in pre-purchase examinations.

They aim to identify any lameness that is not visible in the usual gaits. Flexion tests can thus screen for subclinical problems that are not necessarily an issue currently, but may become an issue at some later stage in the horse’s life.

Ultimately, flexion tests help to identify which limb or limbs have issues to reduce the amount of further testing needed to detect the problem. The tests cannot specifically locate an issue, but they reveal the need for further investigation of the limbs and joints. Nerve blocks, ultrasounds and x-rays are all worth considering after a positive flexion test.

However, it is important to note that a flexion test cannot tell you that there is DEFINITELY a problem in the limb. Some

horses will have negative flexion tests one day, and positive flexion tests the next, simply because of stiffness or some other more benign complaint.

Furthermore, there is little standardisation in how the tests are actually performed. Vets disagree on the time required (from 5 to 180 seconds!) and also the degree of force to use in flexing the limb. A flexion test performed for a short time and with little force may not elicit any chance in gait, but if that limb is flexed for longer with more significant force the horse could be left limping. With so much variety in how the test is conducted, it is worthwhile watching the test be performed to see the time the limb is held for, the force used, and then the subsequent response.

Flexion tests can also not isolate an affected area as they do not only affect one joint or tissue at a time. A flexion test not only places strain on numerous joints, but also stresses the joint capsule, associated ligaments and tendons, cartilage and even the bone itself. It is, therefore, impossible for flexion tests to provide the location or cause of the lameness – they can just suggest that there is a problem in that limb.

89

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

My farrier says my horse needs ‘hot shoeing’. What does this mean?

‘Hot shoeing’ is a common practice among farriers. After the foot has been trimmed and rasped and is ready for the new shoe, the farrier heats the shoe in the forge and places it briefly on the foot to sear the path where the shoe will ultimately lie.

The purpose is to create a smooth interface between the hoof and the shoe and to seal the cut horn tubules, making them less likely to dry out in a dry climate or to take on moisture and soften in a wet environment. The intense heat also tends to kill any fungi and bacteria that may cause problems in the hoof.

Hot shoeing takes a bit more time than cold shoeing, but lots of farriers swear by it as the best way to get an optimal fit. The major downside is that if a farrier makes a mistake, it can produce serious sores or abscesses in the foot.

90

I lose marks in my dressage tests through ‘drifting’ on the centre line. How can I correct this?

To help with the drifting on the centre line issue, it could be a good idea to use some poles at home to give you a focal point, which will help to control the straightness.

Place poles on either side of the centre line with space in between, ideally either side of D, X and G. The poles will help you to keep the straightness and the gaps in between will make you more aware of what you need to do with your aids to keep the straightness when you don’t have poles to rely on.

HQ|156

We are dedicated to socks.

You won't want to wear anything else.

Our riders agree.

www.calicoequestrian.com

PROUDLY MADE IN

Products we love TRAINING

Shopping fun

MIO FLYMASK

The Mio Flymask shades the horse’s head from harmful UV rays and prevents flies from irritating the eyes. It is made from hard-wearing mesh fabric, with soft, comfortable binding.

UNISEX HUNTER RAIN JACKET

The Hunter Unisex Rain Jacket is part of the Cieli Limitless 2021 Range and is designed to provide protection against the wind and rain. The jacket has a fashionable orange lining and is fitted with a waterproof and windproof material, which is ultra-light, comfortable and breathable. The Hunter Jacket is equipped with a high collar, an adjustable hood with a drawstring and elasticated waist band to provide ultimate comfort while riding.

Colours: Navy Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL

VOETSEK FLY SPRAY

Voetsek fly spray repels midges, which are known to spread African Horse Sickness!

GLOW FROM WITHIN – 250G R399.00

Glow from Within is 100% pure hydrolyzed collagen peptides and is soluble in liquid (hot or cold) and tasteless with a creamy texture. It can easily be added to any liquid (water,juice,coffee,tea or smoothies) or used when preparing foods. Collagen is not only limited to moms but is beneficial for the whole family.

We recommend doubling the daily dosage to morning and evening for optimising results for at least the first 2 weeks. Thereafter, it is your choice whether to maintain at the dosage recommended on the packaging or to stick to the double dosage. The more collagen you can take, the better it will work for you. However the recommended dosage of 2-3 teaspoons daily will still ensure great results.

92

HQ|156

MUSTAD LIBERO

Mustad LiBero is a horseshoe suited to both leisure and sport horses. The main objective of this shoe is to respect the natural shape of the hoof as much as possible, providing the best support and protection for the horse. This shoe provides maximum flexibility with a wide variety of sizes and sections for easier shoe adaptions.

The Mustad LiBero is available in four different models with innovative features that make them versatile shoes, perfect for varying surfaces, disciplines, and weather conditions. The original LiBero offers versatility in sizes, clips and sections ensuring the farrier can shoe a variety of horses; the Pony is sized for smaller equines; the LiBero Equi-Librium offers enhanced natural break over; and the Concave offers additional traction.

Mustad Hoofcare is available at Western Shoppe. Consult with your farrier, the Western Shoppe team, or learn more online. www.westernshoppe.com www.mustad.com

EA SPORT SNEAKER R990

Your day starts before your feet hit the ground, with the spark, goal or desire to be your best self. These versatile everyday sneakers are in it for the long haul as you make your daily rounds. Whether you are getting in a workout, running around the stable yard or simply enjoying a day off, these sneakers take the designated role of fulfilling your day to day equestrian needs.

Their lightweight design and compact comfort can be worn either laced up or as a slip on.

These sneakers come in sporty white, classic navy and an essential grey.

HQ|156

93

more products we love Shopping fun

ALL PRODUCTS AVAILABLE FROM EQUIFOX VETERINARY PRODUCTS PHARMACALM

Pharmacalm Plus – the proven Pharmacalm formula in powder form for easy regular use as a feed supplement.

PHARMACALM PASTE MUSCLE-UP

An easy and convenient option – ideal for using away from home to deal with the stress of shows or trucking.

The perfect body-builder for the equine athlete, maintaining the performance body under work stress, with a blend of natural performance and testosterone boosters, and anabolic amino acids, to take your horse’s condition to the next level!

PHARMAFREEZE

A herbal cooling gel that cools the joint to decrease inflammation, and then slowly heats up to increase circulation, stimulating healing and repair. PharmaFreeze can be used under a bandage.

TRADITION MIX

This is a mix for horses at rest or doing light work.

It contains all essential nutrients, is oat free and aids with good digestion. Best of all – it tastes really good!

FRUITIES AND SWEETIES! VITACRUNCH

This is a pure, natural product which is balanced optimally to provide the right supply of vitamins and minerals.

It is safe and healthy because of the low sugar and starch content and the correct calcium and phosphorus balance. High in fibre and free from oats and gluten, the feed promotes chewing, which creates more saliva and enhances digestion.

94

Your horse’s favourite, and yet healthy, treat!

PERFORMIX

Performix is a competition feed for competition horses in average to intense levels of work. It is suitable for all disciplines, and, supports joint health and creates a healthy intestinal flora. The mix is highly digestible.

HQ|156

PRIDEY’S PIECE

PRIDEY HAS ARRIVED IN PRINT The time has come, and here I am in all of my glory.

My resident artist has depicted me for your viewing pleasure, and as many a wise man has said, ‘A picture speaks a thousand words‘.

I would still, however, like to add a few words for those who, unlike myself, are not connoisseurs of the fine arts and may not appreciate the stately gravitas displayed by this image.

Suffice to say, it gives me great pleasure on this auspicious occasion to re-launch my print career.

I am sure that this illustrious title will now rest as one of the prized possessions in your library, and I

HQ|156

am honoured to occupy such a prominent position in your homes.

I am delighted that my wise words can now be captured for posterity, and I look forward to many happy hours educating my humans on the ways of the horse.

For now, feast your eyes on my image, and we shall speak soon.

With much love,

Pridey xxx 95

NEXT PRINT ISSUE December 2021

www.hqmagazine.co.za 96

HQ|156