La Low Goal
final issue
by low goal for low goal
Contents Features The end of the road The La Low Goal story
Bryony Burt
Respiratory Coupling
Chukka wellness
7
The single leg deadlift
Connor Kay
Meet the long time editor of La Low Goal
NKC Equestrian
5 ways to prevent winter colic
Arena Polo
A quick preview of the arena season
Scarlett Picksley My life in horses
13 13
31 First Chukka The wird wold of Auto Polo News Bites Ignacio Fernandez Llorente Head to head: Polo vs Polocrosse
23
Winter is coming,
and that means one of the weirdest polo seasons in living memory is coming to an end. But unfortunately the 2020 season (which quite a few people would be happy to see go) won’t be the only thing coming to an end this autumn. Thats right, this will be the very last issue of La Low Goal (which hopefully less people are happy to see the back of). Two years on from our very first issue we like to think that we have made at least a little bit of a mark, telling the stories of the low goal contributors and striving to improve the quality of the content and formatting every single month. Unfortunately though all good things must come to an end, and after a full 25 issues, it seems like as good as time as any to throw in the towel. We genuinely hope that you have enjoyed following the magazine over its short 2 year lifespan, and cannot thank both the readers and contributors enough. For now though, please enjoy one last issue.
Connor Kay (editor)
Al a
F
All the latest polo reviews, news and opinions in bite size pieces
First
Scarlett Picksley My Life in Horses My Horses
I am Scarlett Picksley, a 13 year old polo player from the new forest. I’ve been playing for 3 seasons and am currently playing off a -1 mixed handicap and a 1 goal women’s handicap. I first started learning to play when I was around 9 with Daisy Hatfield at the New Forest polo school and Giles Ormerod at Druids Lodge which is where I discovered my passion for the sport. This season I have been playing mainly low goal on my family team at the New Forest Polo Club and some ladies 8 goal.
I first tried Polo with my superstar of a pony Esta which I had from about the age of 8 or 9. She was a 12.2hh, black, Dartmoor pocket rocket; very strong and opinionated but great fun and very talented. I first tried Polo on her at a polo rally my pony club was hosting during the arena season and I carried on with pony club lessons all winter after that. Although I had always watched Polo when I was younger (as my parents played) neither me or the pony had ever tried it before so we really learnt to play together. Although she did tend to bite people who came too near and throw in an occasional buck here and there she really was a superstar and put up with everything I asked her to do. At the end of my first arena season I even managed to come away with the best playing pony of the arena season award which as you can imagine we were all very shocked at as she was one of the few non Polo ponies at the club. I played my first pony club season on her at Handley cross level and she was really cracking, getting herself stuck into every match and even finishing the pony club season with her winning the Jambo Cup! She was an amazing little pony who really helped me to progress my riding in every discipline. As well as Polo I also did: show jumping, dressage, cross country, mounted games and hunting one her so she really was the dream all round pony! In my second season of polo, I played a little 14.1, British riding pony called Timmy who I got off one of my close
polo friends. He was not a polo pony either and really did make me work hard. He could be very stubborn at times, not wanting to move very fast (or at all for that matter), bucking and refusing to go near ponies to ride off or hook but when he wanted to he could be really great. He really excelled at show jumping so when I wasn’t playing polo on him I would often take him show jumping or hunting which he adored. Despite the hard work he could be, he really tried his best and really helped me to improve my riding, made me have to focus on what I was doing on the horse a lot more and made my final season of Handley Cross very enjoyable. This season i have been playing my two golden oldies, Zanela and Revel. Zanela is stocky, black Argi mare and Revel is a chestnut Arab cross. Both ponies are very small, only about 15hh each and in there 20’s (Revel being 25 and Zanela 20). Despite their old age they have been fantastic all season. We bought Zanela in September 2019 from the Huges family as my first polo pony. At first, she was very strong and tended to charge around with her head between her legs wherever she pleased. However, after a few months of perseverance we finally clicked and I really started to get on with her. She’s played her socks off for me all season playing at least 3 times a week and keeping up with anything from junior only chukkas to women’s 8 goal. she has such a sweet nature and she really has been the best first polo pony for me. Revel was originally from Robyn Evans for my mum to play but as this season has progressed she has sort of become my second pony. Revel is extremely sharp and if your not careful she can really catch you out with her speedy stop and turn but she’s extremely fast and adjustable and has an awesome ride off. She’s been fantastic all season gaining a bpp award at the start of the season and has really helped me out. I couldn’t have asked for a better pair of ponies to take me through this 2020 outdoor season and am so grateful to my parents for providing me with such superb ponies to play!
Scarlett’s Horses
Esta
Timmy
Zanela
Revel
The weird world of‌
Auto polo
While Auto Polo had been mooted about since the early 19th century, it only made its official debut in 1912, as a publicity stunt in the US as a commercial for Model T cars. 5000 people and the press turned out to watch two teams of 4 cars, each with a driver and a player battle, it out for glory. The popularity of the game quickly grew in the US from that point on, with auto leagues popping up around the country, many of which played every single night. The popularity of the game even briefly eclipsed its equine counterpart, as it offered spectators the chance to get up close and personal with the thrills and spills of the auto polo game. The auto arm of the game also had a significant advantage over traditional polo since it was able to be played all year long, and in smaller, more accessible areas.
While the game boomed in the US during the 20s, the game never really caught on in the west, partly down to motor journalists of the day labelling the game ‘a lunatic game’ in attempt stop it catching on in Europe. Even in the US the game was short lived. Despite additional safety measures been put in place such as roll cages, the game remained too dangerous to hang around, with hitters repeatedly been knocked from their vehicles in collisions, and vehicle damages running up unsustainable tabs. Unfortunately after the second world war, the game never really managed to find its feet again, and after a very brief resurgence the game disappeared for good until 2008, when a motorbike version of the game took the auto polo mantle, based in Rwanda.
News Bites USPA reveal 2021 high goal schedule
Les Lions Panarea win French open
HPA announce EOS handicap changes
La Low Goal In numbers
25 10123 1580 67 Lots 0 Issues
Reads
Miscellaneous screenshots
Contributors And lots of hours spent making it
Idea what I’m doing
Ignacio Fernandez Llorente Right of way vs slightest risk of collision The polo regulations perfectly explain who has the right of way in order to avoid collisions, To quote the rules, first it says whoever goes down the line of the ball has the right of way, and secondly, if there is no slightest risk of collision other players can cross the right of way. Commonly, those who come down the line of the ball are confident that they already have possession of the ball. But having the right of way does not mean having possession of the ball. Every time the player hits the ball and runs with it they have priority. This is very easy to understand and everyone gets it. The first thing to consider when going for the ball is to see who has the right of way (the regulation makes it explicit in all cases) and the second is to see if there is a slightest risk of collision if you do cross that persons line. If there is a sufficient distance so that there is no collision it would not be a foul. Although everyone understands it, it is very common for players to only consider the right of way in these situations. The polo player feels unfairly treated when they have the line of the ball and lose it to someone not on their line.
It seems as if you have to favour the player who currently has the ball, when this is not actually the case in the rules. The regulation was written with the premise of players would hit the ball before running to the next shot. In this situation it was necessary to see who had the right of way and if there was distance. To this day, right of way has much more force than slightest risk of collision. Many fouls are blown without slightest risk of collision. But blowing fouls without slightest risk of collision is unfair because the regulation are not be being followed. The referees when calling fouls, have to determine the type of polo that is being played on the field. By applying these rules, referees can encourage slow play. How? By calling fouls that have no risk of collision. They do this by blowing fouls against players who try and steal the ball from players who go at low speed and do not hit the ball. We see these games, which have many interruptions, many players constantly calling for a foul, very slow polo, and boring for everyone except the player who does not want to drop the ball. By applying the rules, the referees can encourage players to hit the ball, run, the ball to move as fast
as possible. How? NOT giving these fouls that have no risk of collision, NOT giving fouls to players who are going at low speed and who do not hit the ball. We will see a fast game with few fouls Let's remember: If no slightest risk of collision there is no foul. Why are ridiculous fouls still being charged with stopped players, with players who tap it when they could hit it? If a lot of emphasis is put on right of way: + we will have a more orderly and safe circulation of players - but it results in a slower game, stopped horses. - and we will see players dedicated to calling for fouls, playing for fouls, looking for the LOB Â If emphasis is placed on slightest risk of collision: + we will have a faster game, the ball circulating, players running + players concerned about playing, looking for the ball. - but it can be dangerous for players with little control of the horse. This is the referee's task to find the right spot for each game. But regardless of this fouls without the slightest risk of collision continue to be charged. Fouls that
favour those who do not want to hit and run, players who stop the game. It is very important for a referee to understand what the rules want. You have to understand the idea behind the regulation and then see the details. An urgent change must be made to stop charging fouls to players who stop the game, so that the player feels more obliged to have to hit it, to get rid of the ball. Fouls are still being charged when there are 2 players at low speed, why don't they run, why don't they hit? The turning foul is almost no longer charged, but the player who turns the ball, and does it slowly, sometimes finds it difficult to turn, causing the player to have to hit quickly or they risk been ridden off. Players have said "I have the line", stop life rights!. Getting to the ball without the right of way without the slightest risk of collision, is not foul. Players will invent all kinds of play to keep the ball, as a referee we have to know that if there is no slightest risk of collision, there is no foul, and the players will play differently, they will hit, run, play as a team.
The end of
f the road
If the plan was to make money, we would have failed Luckily, La Low Goal was never a get rich quick scheme. When the idea first popped into my head, on a dingy autumn night just over two years ago, the primary objective was to tell the story of the low goal community that simply weren’t getting told. Sat in a pub, we discussed the fact that while the low goal polo scene is the basis on which all polo is built on and is single handedly response for getting new players into the game, it rarely receives the recognition that it rightfully deserves. Traditional polo publications love to focus on the headline events, the high goal, the loaded patrons, the 10 goalers and future 10 goalers, while the stories of the bulk of the polo community went untold. The true stories of the grooms, players, photographers, clubs and horse trainers never made their way into the headlines. Perhaps, we thought, people would enjoy to hear about like minded people sharing their stories, advice and plans with one another. Perhaps a magazine, dedicated to the low goal community, would be able to fill this void. So I went home, booted up Pages, and made it. The fist issue was a mess, I’m not going to lie. The formatting was all off, the writing poor in places, most of the images lifted straight off copyright free photo sites, but it was something, and it was out
there. Somehow, at the end of the season (you would think a poor time to start a polo magazine), with just a little bit of will power and more pushy emails than you would like to believe, we managed to create something which vaguely resembled a magazine and some people actually went out their way to give it a read. 2 years and 24 issues later, I’m sat here trying to find the words to wrap things up. In principle we have achieved everything we set out to, told the story of over 60 low goal contributors, from all walks of polo life, delved into the ups and downs of polo politics and shared the horse welfare knowledge directly from the experts to over 10,000 people. Not bad really for one kid with a blank pages document. While it is true that we have managed to share these stories, inform, educate and entertain (at times) we did have a secondary aim, that “sharing these with like minded polo people would make an impact”. Maybe players would reach out and contact each other, travel to new clubs they had never been to before, and play with and against exciting new people. Maybe clubs could join forces and work together to increase participation across clubs and introducing new players to the family.
Perhaps the polo community would start to see their sport from other peoples viewpoints, and maybe, just maybe, this could change low goal polo for the better. But while I write these words, the low goal polo scene seems as divided as ever, with players stuck playing with and against the same people week in week out at the same club, and pros struggling to make ends meet unless they have an established patron and grooms searching for work to protect their livelihoods. Whist some of this is the impact of the dreaded COVID and the constantly changing rules and guidelines we have all been restricted by, it has to be said some of this is simply the fact the polo community are slow to change. The HPA have been the centre of a number of articles we have published across the issues, sometimes criticised
but sometimes defended. We applauded the introduction of the “Try polo UK�and felt low goal polo was at last being pushed into the wider equine communities radar and that the governing body was investing in low goal and polo’s future. But then Covid hit and slammed the brakes on. The world changed and for polo, not for the better. For many clubs the focus shifted suddenly just to survival. How to pay the bills, feed the horses and look after loyal staff members. Understandably low goal has suffered enormously during this time. And now as we are emerging back into the changed world we can see how low goal polo has withdrawn again whilst in this survival mode. Low goal and grass roots polo has put on a brave face and battled through government restrictions to
play some fantastic polo during late summer. We congratulate everyone for the hard work and enthusiasm shown in protecting polo in the UK. There are many more stories to tell, share how clubs have fought through these times, highlight players that have advanced their game during the toughest of years, highlight horse trainers, farriers, feed suppliers, personal trainers, psychology coaches, horse transporters, vets and grooms who have stories to share. Continue to bring opinion articles that open minds to issues from many viewpoints, and educational articles so we can all ensure the polo community is well informed on the best practice to keep our horses healthy and happy. But ,as like many, our situation has changed and we must face this new challenge by moving our
focus. We truly believe that low goal polo will make it through like it has done in history many times before and then in time move forward once again. Unfortunately, La Low Goal will not be there to report on this but we (the team) will defiantly still be out there supporting low goal polo and cheering on the little wins. We would like thank all the sponsors, contributors, photographers, players and clubs that have supported us over the last two years. And on another dingy autumn night (this time in a socially distanced pub) I must shift my focus‌.make a new plan‌ Maybe this time I should spend my time thinking of a get rich quick scheme?
Do you carry out high intensity work with your horse? Racing, hunting, eventing and even showjumping (and the associated fitness work) are the prime examples - then respiratory coupling will be of interest to you. This is an obligatory coupling system where in the canter/ gallop the horse takes exactly one in-out breath precisely timed with one stride. It’s important because horses can only get so far in high intensity work on anaerobic metabolism (energy generated without additional oxygen from breathing a short sprint), most will convert quickly to aerobic metabolism (where inhaled oxygen is used get energy out stores within the body) - so the health and functionality of this coupling system is important! During high intensity work the horse relies completely on the efficiency of the respiratorylocomotor coupling system to effectively move the required volume of air in to and out of its lungs. This coupled action is the only way breathing happens in the canter/ gallop, and it happens thanks to a combination of factors - the action of the forelimbs and the motion of the abdominal contents (‘the visceral piston’). Inspiration happens during the suspension phase and expiration during the stance phase of the forelimbs.
As the forelimbs leave the ground move forward in the suspension phase, tension is released from the shoulder girdles and the unloaded rib cage expands drawing air into the lungs. Additionally as the horse moves more uphill to bring the hindlegs under the visceral contents shift backwards making more room for the lungs. Move to the stance phase and the loading of the forelimbs and tension of their muscle girdles facilitates compression of the rib cage between the weight bearing limbs to squeeze the air out of the lungs. In conjunction with this, as the forelimbs roll through their stance phase the horse is heading more onto the forehand, the abdominal contents shift forwards and actively force air out of the lungs. So its easy to appreciate that dysfunction of this coupling is a limiting factor on ability to breath, thus exercise, therefore fitness potential and concurrently performance. So what do we need to consider to maximise our horses ventilation capacity? When a horse breaths in during exercise approximately 90% of the resistance is in the upper air ways of the head/ neck (nostrils/ nasal passages and larynx) - a topic in
itself...so make sure you consider things like noseband tension and working head/ neck position. So its easy to appreciate that dysfunction of this coupling is a limiting factor on ability to breath, thus exercise, therefore fitness potential and concurrently performance. So what do we need to consider to maximise our horses ventilation capacity? When a horse breaths in during exercise approximately 90% of the resistance is in the upper air ways of the head/ neck (nostrils/ nasal passages and larynx) - a topic in itself...so make sure you consider things like noseband tension and working head/ neck position. Relative to respiratory coupling the exhalation seems to be the key limiting factor, with 55% of exhalation resistance shown to be due to the lower airways (within the lungs). When at the gallop, with less than 50% of the total stride available for expiration anyway we want to make sure we aim to maximise exhalation potential. Limiting exhalation can lead to hypercapnia (CO2 retention), acidosis and increased speed of muscle fatigue.
The main limiting factor to effective exhalation during respiratory coupling is the function of the forelimbs. Functional forelimb action can be effected by things like soundness, saddle fit and girth tension. For example unsound horses will not want to load the forelimbs evenly impacting the relative compression achieved between the forelimbs. Badly fitting saddles, and overly tight girth’s will limit expiration by decreasing the effectiveness of the muscles around the shoulder and chest that move the forelegs which is essential to the efficacy of the coupling action. Equally we shouldn’t ignore gut health, as the active back-forth motion of the guts is an essential part of the system, a horse with gastric distress (ulcers etc) may resist the natural action of guts at high speeds, increasing air movement resistance. We want to do all we can to support the movement of air into and out of the lungs, and with as little effort for the horse as possible. This increases the amount of oxygen available for the muscles, delaying the onset of fatigue and increasing the horses capacity for exercise.
You may be doing it all wrong India, founder of Chukka Wellness has been a Personal Trainer for 7 years and regularly encounters people in the gym performing exercises incorrectly. This can inhibit not only progression in training but also increase the risk of injury later on in life. Over the last couple of months, Chukka Wellness has provided coaching points on common exercises that are usually found in the standard training program and that can easily be performed incorrectly. This month we will be discussing the Single Leg Deadlift as balance is a crucial element to playing polo. The balancing skills are required during hooks, ride-offs and the swinging actions.
How to Perform the Perfect single leg deadlift The SLD is an all-round great polospecific exercise; we use it a lot when training our clients as it improves posterior chain strength, hip, ankle & shoulder stabilisation, core engagement and of course balance!
Common Mistakes • • • • • • •
Too much over-extension of the lower back Core not engaged Hips not parallel Collapsing through hips Not placing the foot correctly on the ground Not bending the stationary knee Not leading the movement with the chest
Now let’s run through the correct coaching points 1. Start with one foot lifted off the ground 2. Open up your toes of the planted foot (just like a star fish) and place them down on the ground 3. Slightly bend the knee of the planted leg and ensure the knee stays facing forward throughout the movement. 4. Keep hips square facing forward and engage your core. 5. Leading with the chest, hinge your upper body forward towards the ground. Make sure you are standing tall and stay lengthened through the torso during the movement. 6. As the upper body moves forward, bring the raised leg up behind you ensuring the hips do not rotate backwards. 7. Pause and then slowly bring the leg and upper body back to the start position. You can place the foot back down on the ground or keep it raised throughout the whole set. *If you struggle with poor balance, perform the exercise holding on to a wall or chair and refrain from bringing the leg up too high behind you. *Compare balance and muscle strength on each leg and focus a little more time on the weaker side.
If you struggle to get fit for polo or have the desire to become a more effective and stronger player; Chukka Wellness have just launched their VIRTUAL EQUINE HUB which is an online resource designed to help riders become fitter and stronger athletes. The mobile-friendly hub is full of polospecific home workouts, stretching & mobility routines as well as nutritional aids. Each member also receives a monthly guide to help them stay on track with their fitness journey! ** There is currently a 30% Off introductory offer ** Visit www.chukkawellness.co.uk for more information
Connor Kay Behind the keyboard
For just over two years now, I have sat here at my keyboard whiling away endless hours formatting, writing and publishing all 25 issues of this magazine. Despite this, I do in fact have a life, one which is almost entirely dominated by polo and has been for the last 6 years. So since this is the last edition of the magazine (and definitely because I forgot to get anyone else to do a player profile), I thought I’d introduce myself so you can find out who’s opinions you’ve been reading for the last 2 years. I’ve been riding for 12 years now, starting out in riding school aged 5. I had set my mind on buying a pony of my own, but my parents demanded that in order to earn a horse, I would have to show my dedication by completing a full winter in riding school. While the weather was grim at times, bloody mindedness got me through it, and 6 months later I got my very first pony, aptly named Dennis ‘the menace’. Dennis was your traditional first pony, round, great fun, and most importantly stubborn. And I spent the first few years of my riding life doing traditional first pony things, pony club camps, showing, showjumping, dressage, hacks and mounted games. Basically anything which wasn’t cross country (a particularly poor XC round on Dennis at pony club camp where I fell off a record 5 times in one session has given me a hatred of XC which I still hold to this day). Soon though, I outgrew Dennis and made the upgrade onto more capable and larger ponies. Unfortunately the first of these was a pony named Bart, who would bolt at apparently random times. This knocked my confidence to the point where I nearly gave up riding all together. I distinctly remember hiding while someone came to view him so I wouldn’t be forced to get on again. Things would improve though as my next pony, Tenny, would prove to be the perfect pony for me, relighting my fire for riding and most importantly, introducing me to the game of polo. Tenny was an ageing mounted games pony and came to us as an all rounder pony. He was very sweet and safe, but being a
To say things didn’t go well would be an understatement
mounted games pony had a great lick of pace when called on. Around this time I was still competing in all kinds of pony club rallies and competitions, from one day events, endurance rides to mounted games. It just so happened that one of these rallies was a polo taster session, hosted by Glynn Henderson. After a couple of these taster sessions on Glynn’s horses, where myself, my brother and a couple of our friends tried our best to completely ignore Glynn, then aimlessly slap the ball around the arena while declaring ourself professional polo players.
Immediately after returning home I hopped on Tenny, grabbed the poop scoop and battered a football around our menage, cementing my addiction. Just a few weeks later we were back with Glynn, all mounted on our own ponies kitted out with tiny mallets for our all rounder “fluffies”. Fast forward a few months and me (now age 11) and Tenny are touring the south of England, traveling and living in my friend’s (who had also caught the polo bug) horse lorry. Since our pony club branch didn’t have a polo team, hardly
Despite my terrible results, the pony club season had only gone to further my love for the game and my competitive nature was keen to right the wrongs of last season. Next year I was back, once again on Tenny, but this time with my own horse lorry and representing the OS&B. This time my team took home second place from the championships at Cowdray, while Tenny won best playing pony for the entire section (only a few weeks after winning the pony club endurance team championship). This is the stage where pretty much all other equine disciplines began to fall by the wayside as I began to concentrate solely on polo. Buoyed by my success in retraining Tenny (who would later even make the switch from pony club into club polo, and continues to play to this day), and having to find another pony to ride after comprehensively outgrowing Tenny, I began searching for his replacement. I attempted to retrain a number of all rounder ponies with varying degrees of success as well as purchasing my first polo pony, Dulce. Dulce was a mess, rain scolded, poorly trained and quite possibly older than her owners claimed. Yet our inexperienced polo eyes missed most of this, putting the riding issues down to my lack of experience on polo ponies and was swayed to take her by the price.
surprising when the nearest polo club was 1,1/2 hours drive away, I took up a pool player position, filling in on the Cottesmore Handley Cross team for my first pony club polo season. To say things didn’t go well would be an understatement, not only did we not win a single match all season, but we also failed to score a single goal. Although all teams were invited to the championships at Cowdray, our team manager decided it was kinder to send us all home after the qualifiers.
What then began was my third (and my final) pony club season, where I competed in both Surtees (polo ponies) and Handley Cross (all rounder ponies), constantly switching between horses, teams and fields. After a strong campaign in Handley Cross the year before, and still playing as a pool player I found myself representing Cowdray, and together with my teammates (Beenie, Oliver and Rufus) we dominated the Handley Cross division, taking the win on lawn 2 at Cowdray. (Surtees was a little more tricky, but lets just say we ended up third after one of my ponies picked up an injury, something which will become a reoccurring theme). Around this time I also began branching out into club polo. My nearest club, had agreed in principle for us to practice stick and balling around the outside of the fields while chukkas were going on, but upon arrival and showing that I was at least half way competent, me and my brother were allowed to join the real chukkas (my brother still riding 13.1hh Tenny) and eventually tournaments. While the first season was mainly made up of chukka challenges and -8 goal matches, the move to club
polo pretty much immediately ended any hopes of competing in other polo disciplines as polo took control of my life. The move to focus on polo was complete and I was now completely devoted, and for the first time in my polo career I chose to skip the pony club season all together, instead focusing on playing club level. My low handicap (-1) proved attractive for teams as I was offered more and more free games at higher levels, which was just as well as any costs saved in entry was diverted straight to vets bills, as the downsides to buying cheap and ageing polo ponies began making themselves clear. With a lot of help and support from club members I somehow made it to the end of the season, all be it stumbling across the line.
After a testing season the writing seemed like it was on the wall, as vets bills racked up to a unsustainable level, and the bank account was running dry. We were honestly mere days away from throwing in the towel, but after much consideration, we decided that the only way forwards was to go back to basics, buy a couple of young horses and sacrifice the next couple of years training them up. As a result I soon became the owner of a 3 year old ex racer who I set about retaining for polo with the help of Rugby polo club. As per usual, this plan didn’t last long, as my growing string of young ponies were soon called upon to fill in during tournaments and even the junior HPA rocksavage series in which I was taking part for the second time, and after finishing 3rd in
Rocksavage the year before. They stepped up to the plate brilliantly, helping me and my team secure the Rocksavage win, as well as countless tournaments up to a 6 goal level.
The arena season offered me the chance to not only further refine my existing youngsters, as well as play some great fast and fun arena polo. And then 2020 came, and you all know what happened there. When polo eventually did get back underway I have been playing four of my (now) five youngsters along with the last of the remaining more experienced ponies. The youngsters have continued to impress, not only now regularly matching the performances of my made ponies,
but also catching other peoples eyes, enough for Sky (my second youngster) to win two BPP awards this season. As we head into another winter, my aims are going to be to continue improving my young ponies and getting them ready for tournaments in 2021. I will also be heading back for the arena season later in the winter, as I enjoy the fast paced game, despite the freezing cold. For 2021 I hope to have my largest and most able line up yet, featuring 7 ponies, 5 of which I will have made myself, which hopefully will allow me to have my most successful season to date, and maybe even (I can dream) break out of the low goal, which I have played for over 6 years. Oh, and somewhere between all those games I guess I should make some time to sit my A levels.
NKC Equestrian Training
5 ways to prev
Veterinary practices often report a rise in Colic cases during sudden spells of cold weather and as a result you might have heard the term ‘Winter Colic’ used on social media, or by other horse owners. Whilst Winter Colic isn't a condition you'd find in a veterinary textbook it is accepted that colic cases do occur during spells of cold weather.
There are many potential causes of colic, including parasite burden, poor dentition or crib biting behaviour, but a straightforward causal relationship isn’t always possible to prove. Colic is often attributed to management changes, such as changing your horse's feed suddenly, a switch from
hay to haylage or sudden box rest. Unfortunately with a sudden snowfall or icy weather it can be hard to make gradual changes to your horse’s routine. Often horses who are turned out for all, or part of the day are confined to their stables. Their forage intake changes to a drier hay based diet, they move less and may drink less water. All of which can have an effect on the digestive system, slowing down transit time and often resulting in impaction colic. The good news is that there are lots of practical steps that owners can take to help prevent winter colic, here are five ideas to try.
vent ‘Winter Colic’ 1. Keep your horse drinking As horse owners we tend to worry about how much water our horses drink in the hot weather, but in fact we need to monitor their intake in the cold weather as well. Dehydration can be linked to impaction colic, and sufficient water intake is essential for a healthy functioning digestive system. Horses don’t generally like drinking cold water, and frozen troughs and drinkers mean that your horse might have reduced access to water. Older horses or those with poor dentition may have sensitive teeth, so drinking cold water may feel uncomfortable for them. If your stable has an automatic water drinker it might be helpful to turn this off and provide your horse with buckets of water so that you can
monitor how much your horse is actually drinking. It can be harder to keep a close eye on this when your horse is turned out in the field in a herd of other horses, but there’s lots you can do to keep your horse drinking. Adding a kettle of hot water to buckets and troughs will warm the water up slightly, which will make it more appealing to your horse. You could also try giving your horse a ‘soup’ of very sloppy water based feed such as a fibre mash or sugarbeet. Most horses will readily drink this down, particularly if you include a few pieces of carrot or apple at the bottom. This can be a handy way to keep your horse drinking if you are staying away at a show or riding camp as well.
2. Extend the chew time Your horse is designed to be eating forage for at least 16 hours a day, and this encourages normal peristalsis which keeps everything moving along the digestive system. Employing methods to lengthen the time that your horse is chewing it’s hay is ideal to ensure that your horse has a feed source later into the evening, it won’t do your horse’s waistline any harm and will prevent hay being wasted. You can try using a specially designed small hole haynet, adding an extra haynet in a different part of the stable (although not double the quantity), or splitting the hay ration into more servings. If your horse is turned
out and used to eating grass for much of the day soaking the hay will help him adjust to the change in diet, and is another useful way to aid hydration. Owners often worry about their horse being too cold when the temperature falls, so it’s worth remembering that your horse's cecum is also like a huge radiator, with heat being given off as fermentation, necessary to break down hay, occurs. So extending the chew time of the hay will also be keeping your horse warm as well.
3. Keep your horse moving It can be a challenge in snowy or icy weather to give your horse sufficient exercise, but keeping your horse moving will also keep the digestive tract moving. Whilst safety is an essential factor
you might be able to clear a track to use in your school, use a horse walker, or be able to cover a lunge pen or part of the arena at night to allow you to exercise your horse.
4. Know normal Every owner is the expert on their own horse, and the best thing you can do to keep your horse healthy is to know 'normal'. If you haven’t already it is so useful to monitor their temperature, pulse and respiration rates (this is best done over a few days and take an average reading) so that you have a baseline to compare
to. If your horse is suddenly stabled be extra vigilant, and monitor how much your horse drinks and eats, and the number of poos they produce. Noticing a change in these ‘normal’ signs can help you spot a potential problem early, and if you are at all concerned have a chat with your vet.
5. Know the signs We tend to associate colic with a horse violently rolling, thrashing around the stable or pawing the ground. In fact there are many signs of colic, and your horse could appear dull or depressed, slightly ‘off colour’, or they might be box walking. What is important as owners is to be aware of any changes, and then look out for other signs and clues. Think of colic signs as a jigsaw puzzle, and if you suspect one sign or symptom
chatting to your vet immediately would be a sensible step. Whilst it is ideal to make gradual changes to your horse’s management, sometimes it is not possible. So if we have a sudden cold snap do bear these tips in mind. If your horse lives out, and is able to stay turned out during snowy or icy weather, then this will have many benefits to their digestive system. Just make sure they have appropriate forage and keep them drinking.
By Nicola Kinnard-Comedie NKC Equestrian Training
Arena
a Polo
Rules Turning Unlike the outdoor game, players never really get up to a speed where turning the ball is dangerous. As a result, the player with the ball has complete control over the right of way and is allowed to turn the ball both left and right at their will. Therefore turning is one of the key skills any player
will need to master when learning the arena game, both on the near and off side. While this skill can be difficult to master in the arena, it is something which can be transferred directly into your grass game.
15 yard The closest goal shot penalty in arena polo. Like all arena penalties its its a single hit penalty and the arena equivalent of a 30 yard hit outdoors.
25 yard 25 yard penalties can be taken defended or undefended. If defended, one defending player may stand in the goal mouth and attempt to block the shot. If the attacking player is still successful, they will score 2 points, where as if they choose undefended and make the shot they will only receive the 1.
Centre Line The centre line, like in the traditional (pre Covid) rules, is where play begins each chukka with a line out. It is also a a penalty spot for fouls committed near the centre of the arena.
Continuous play While more similar to the coronavirus rules, many players often forget that play does not stop after a goal is scored. Instead the next hit is given to the conceding side from wherever the ball comes to rest.
As a result players can laugh swift counter attacks which can leave the other team, and especially inexperienced players napping if they’re not careful.
Contributors Ignacio Fernandez Llorente Chukka Wellness NKC Equestrian Bryony Burt Clare Hamilton Scarlett picksley Connor Kay
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