Your Horse February issue 395

train like Carl hester!

Discover his ultimate tips for riders of all levels

get the best From your horse ✦ teach your horse to trust ✦ ride with control ✦ carl hester's top tips ✦ atypical Myopathy ✦ how to free a cast horse

Protect his back with expert advice from

anatomy pro Gillian Higgins

February 2015

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Your Horse 395 february 2015

WiN

WiNter rugs Worth £380!

Easy ways to develop your horse's trust Free a cast horse in 6 simple steps

Ride with confidence

Enjoy an easy ride with our guide to maintaining control beat the burglar

Affordable essentials to secure your yard

AWARDS 2014

VOTED BY YOU!

atyPical MyoPathy

We reveal the dangers of sycamore poisoning

se Our Win a Hor prize package is worth a massive ! ÂŁ16,957 osed) cl (Entries now

your horse February 2015

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Exclusive

competition

WIN A HORSE!

With our fantastic competition nearing its finale, we’ve assessed hundreds of entries to choose 10 semi-finalists. As well as winning a horse of their very own, the lucky winner will also take home some amazing prizes worth more than £11,000, including a head-to-hoof horsey wardrobe from Horseware Ireland

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aking the leap to horse ownership is an incredibly exciting prospect, and that’s just what one lucky Your Horse reader will soon be doing, thanks to our amazing Win a Horse competition. After months of entries and days of careful deliberation, the judging panel has chosen a shortlist of 10 would-be owners, who you can meet over the page. In December they all underwent a day-long assessment at Summerhouse Equestrian Centre in Gloucester (www.summerhouseec.co.uk),

Horseware Ireland’s prize offerings include the Rambo Stable Plus with Vari-Layer

demonstrating their riding and horse care skills, and next issue we’ll be announcing our three finalists. Whoever comes out on top will be helped to buy their perfect horse, to the value of £5,000, paid for by Your Horse magazine. Our winner will also receive a prize package, including a full home and travelling equine wardrobe from Horseware Ireland.

Snug as a bug Thanks to the Horseware Ireland team, our winner will receive everything from coolers and fly rugs to winter-proof turnouts, so whether they want to ensure he’s snug and warm in the stable or field, or kept cool and smart out competing, this comprehensive prize will mean they’ve got it covered.

“Horseware is delighted to be kitting out the winner’s new horse with a full home and travelling wardrobe. Wearing Horseware, they’ll be safe in the knowledge that their horse is wearing the best equestrian products, and will be the best dressed in the stable and at shows,” says Lorraine MacGuinness, marketing manager at Horseware Ireland.

With nine rugs, travel boots, saddle pads, headcollars and leadropes included, the winner’s horse will want for nothing.

Highlights of this incredible package include the Rambo Supreme Vari-Layer Turnout 450g, a waterproof and breathable layered rug with increased filling across the back and hips – the key areas a horse loses heat from when wearing a standard rug.

In the stable, the hardworking Rambo

Win A Horse is supported by

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The winner’s new horse will look be super-snug in his Rambo Supreme Vari-Layer

Stable Sheet has a tough 1000D ripstop outer and microfibre lining to keep your horse warm and comfortable, while the fleece-lined Rambo Grand Prix Travel Boots have reinforced heels to keep him safe while travelling. Adding the final touch, the winner will receive two Amigo padded headcollars in high-quality, eco-friendly leather, which each sport a brass nameplate that can be engraved – perfect for making the winner’s new horse feel right at home! ●●To find out more about the Horseware Ireland ranges, visit www.horseware.com

Turn the page to meet our finalists and to find out about all competition prizes, worth £11,000!

February 2015 your horse

Winter warm-up Feeling chilly? Limber up for those cold weather schooling sessions with a quick and effective horse and rider workout, devised by experts Carys Jackson and Helen Mathie

OUR EXPERTs

Carys JaCkson Helen MatHie Strength and conditioning coach Carys and Chartered and Veterinary Physiotherapist Helen run Active Rider, an online membership site helping riders with all aspects of their performance. Visit www.theactiverider.com

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hen time is short and temperatures are low, it can be tempting to skip the warm-up and plunge straight into your schooling or general riding. But trying to work when you’re both cold and feeling a bit stiff is unlikely to lead to a productive session. In fact, it could even lead to injury – for you or your horse!

“If your horse has been standing wrapped up in rugs or with his coat fluffed up against the cold, he’ll need time to stretch and warm through before he can be expected to use himself properly,” says Chartered and Veterinary Physiotherapist Helen Mathie.

And you’ll struggle to bring out the best in him, or cope with any spirited behaviour, if you’re still hunched up against the winter chill when you mount up.

Along with Helen, human strength and conditioning coach Carys Jackson has worked with Team GB’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes to help them prepare for competition. Carys explains that a good warm-up will prepare you both for exercise in a number of ways.

“Muscles are more elastic when they’re warm, so by boosting circulation and increasing blood flow and oxygen delivery you’ll power them up and leave them better w w w.you r hor se .co.u k

Better Riding

With a good warm-up behind both you and your horse, you’re sure to get more out of your winter riding

able to support various structures,” she says.

Plus, Carys explains, by taking joints through their range of movement prior to hard work, you’ll reduce the chance of soft tissue injury to ligaments, tendons and muscles.

“Warming up will increase strength, improve general flexibility and prime nerve-to-muscle pathways to operate with more speed and sensitivity,” she adds.

“What’s more, you and your horse will be left feeling more relaxed and able to concentrate on the session ahead.”

With so many potential benefits, the few minutes it takes to run through a simple warm-up sequence will be time well spent. w w w.you r hor se .co.u k

simple preparation

Over the page check out a selection of dynamic stretching exercises, designed to target all key areas of your body before your mount. By doing them, you’ll find that you quickly become more ‘body aware’, but if you have them, use the arena mirrors at first to check that you’re doing each exercise correctly.

Spend a little more time mobilising joints and muscles that have previously suffered injury. By easing any residual stiffness before you ride, you’ll find it easier to absorb your horse’s movement and you’ll be less likely to sit crooked and, therefore,

affect his way of going. Once you’re properly warmed up yourself, Carys and Helen have outlined a simple warm up for your horse, too. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to limber up!

Turn over to begin your new winter warm-up! february 2015 your horse 45

We all aspire to perfect our position – use Russell’s advice to get started

Maintain a vertical line through your ear, shoulder, hip and heel

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Hold a straight line from your elbow to the bit

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Better Riding

A position of influence How we sit on our horses has a huge affect on their way of going, but it’s easy to fix positional faults, as biomechanics expert Russell Guire explains

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orses are amazing creatures, but by getting on their backs we place real physical demands on them. After all, horses aren’t designed to be ridden, and we aren’t designed to be riders.

When considering how we affect our horses, it’s important to remember that horses want to stay upright and balanced – for a prey animal, falling over is something they really don’t want to do.

Horses also don’t have a collarbone, their scapula and, therefore, their forelegs are only attached by muscle. We sit right above this area, which means we can have a huge influence, both negative and positive.

A simple way to picture how easy it is for us to influence our horses is to imagine you’ve got someone sitting on your shoulders. If they sat or tipped to the right, you’d need to move to the right or you’d both fall over, and our horses have to do exactly the same.

Often people think they are straight or even in the saddle but it’s very rare for someone to be straight, and their horse will have to adjust for every stride. We’re all asymmetrical – it’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s what you do to improve things so you can help yourself and your horse that matters.

Four common position faults

While everyone’s position is individual, there are four major areas where problems commonly appear – the pelvis, the arms and hands, the torso and hips, and the lower legs. I designed my Visualise jackets (pictured) to help riders identify and address position issues – the lines help highlight any imbalances or crookedness. If you’ve not got mirrors in your schooling area, ask your trainer or a friend to video you so you can spot the areas you need to improve. Turn the page to read more about how to fix your positional faults.

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OUR EXPERT Russell GuiRe is an expert in equine and human biomechanics, and is the founder of Centaur Biomechanics, which specialises in horse and rider performance analysis. He works with top riders through the British Equestrian Federation.

Read more at www.centaurbio mechanics.co.uk

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Enjoy

for a

Your Horse Editor Imogen Johnson says: At this time of year we’re all trying to save some precious pennies, and that’s why this month’s subscription offer has been designed to help you do just that! Sign up for our print and digital package and you can save a whopping 67%** or choose our print only option and get 13 issues of Your Horse for just £25*!

Grab a great deal today!

Subscribe to Your Horse magazine in print:

●●Pay just £25 by annual direct debit ●●Or make a one-off payment of £28 by credit

or debit card

●●Live overseas? No problem! You can subscribe

for £55

Snap up a digital subscription:

●●Pay £25 when you pay by annual direct debit ●●Or make a one-off payment of £28 by credit

or debit card

Best value offer – the print and digital combined package: Choose our print and digital package and save up to 67% ●●Pay £35 by direct debit ●●Or make a one-off annual payment of £38

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. Offer closes on 15/01/2015. After your first direct debit payment your subscription will continue at the price you paid on this offer every 13 issues thereafter unless you are notified otherwise. You will not receive a renewal reminder and the direct debit payments will continue to be taken unless you tell us otherwise. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximately) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximately) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the geographical location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am4pm (Sat). Calls may be monitored for training purposes. For overseas enquiries, please contact +44 1858 438 884. *This price refers to subscribing via direct debit to either the print or digital magazine. **This saving refers to subscribing via direct debit to the combined print & digital package only

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february 2015 your horse

With so many choices out there, a bitting expert’s help is invaluable

your horse february 2015

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Horse Care

A bit of advice

Why spend a year finding the right bit through trial and error when an expert can get it right in one day? Bitting clinician Hilary Vernon explains how your bit choice can transform your ridden relationship with your horse, as three Your Horse readers discovered

B OUR EXPERT Hilary Vernon is an independent bitting consultant.

She wrote The Allen Illustrated Guide to Bits and Bitting and has also released a bitting DVD. She has her own Informed Designs range of bits and travels the UK and Europe advising riders. Visit www.informed designs.co.uk

its are designed to enable us to communicate with our horse, but are you sending the right signals? With the mouth arguably the most sensitive area of a horse, an alarming number of riders fit bits by trial and error, but getting the right one for your horse really can spark a revolution in his way of going and attitude to work.

“I’m still surprised what a difference re-bitting a horse can make if you can get him more comfortable,” says bitting expert Hilary Vernon.

While all horses require a correctly sized and well-fitting bit, if you’re feeling you’ve hit a bit of a wall in your ridden work or are having problems with your horse, a change of bit could provide the breakthrough you need for progress.

“In most cases a new bit isn’t an instant cure – there’s just a glimmer of something that leads us to believe the bit has enough of a positive effect to warrant trying it,” Hilary explains.

it’s our responsibility to make sure our horses’s bits are comfortable

Why bitting is important

Hilary stresses that the equine tongue is a huge muscle – 9-11in long in a pony and 11-19in in a horse.

“Despite thousands of years of domestication, there is no groove for By looking at the whole picture, a bitting expert can pinpoint bits which may suit your horse

a bit to fit in and some horses simply don’t have space in their mouths for a huge bit,” she says, which means the right size and shape of bit is of paramount importance.

As caring owners, we have a responsibility to ensure the tack we put on our horses, including their bits, doesn’t cause pain.

“A horse is a creature of flight and we have to consider comfort. If we put something in a horse’s mouth that pinches and squeezes, he’s more likely to go faster — or slower and more stuffily if a cob,” Hilary says.

In addition to comfort, the most important functions of a bit are signalling ability and reward, explains Hilary.

She adds: “It’s very easy to stop a horse quickly in his tracks with something quite sharp, but if you do this you aren’t training him to do anything, you’re simply pulling him up. A correct bit should signal and reward, i.e. give release from pressure.

If a horse comes into a frame that we like, there has to be a reason for him to go there in the first place. If the signal then stays the same, a) how does he know he’s arrived, and b) there’s no reason for him to stay there. The bit should release pressure, not just the rider.”

How an expert can help If you’re having problems with your horse and have ruled out physical pain from the usual suspects – back, teeth, saddle fit – then enlisting expert help with your bit could provide a solution.

When Hilary works with a horse, she starts by getting his history and an overall visual picture.

“I’ll run my eye over the horse’s feet, conformation and the fit of the saddle and bridle,” she says. “Is the brow band pinching or pulling behind the horse’s ear?

Then I’ll look in his mouth, considering whether he’s got a fleshy lip or tongue.”

Hilary says it’s also important to consider his age, stage of w w w.you r hor se .co.u k

february 2015 your horse

This new workshop helps horse owners learn about the equine spine by drawing the internal skeletal structures on the outside of the horse!

Turned inside out Your Horse editor Imogen Johnson discovers the incredible complexities of the equine spine in a unique new workshop with anatomy pro Gillian Higgins 82 your horse february 2015

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Horse Care

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e all love to saddle up and enjoy a long hack or fun schooling session on our horses, but how much do we really know about the complex spine we sit on in the process? Keen to find out, I went on an XLEquine Skills workshop led by Gillian Higgins of Horses Inside Out – an educational service aimed at helping owners and riders to understand the physiology of their horses.

For years Gillian’s been illustrating the w w w.you r hor se .co.u k

anatomy of horses by painting their skeletons and muscles on their bodies, a very visual cue for understanding what lies beneath the surface. This particular workshop has been designed to utilise Gillian’s skills as an anatomical expert, and promises to improve attendees’ understanding of the equine back. It also gives us all the unique opportunity to paint horses, Gillian style!

The day saw me join 15 other horse owners and riders at Scarsdale Vet Group, in

Derby. Gillian began by explaining to us why learning about our horses’ spines matters.

“Understanding what sort of movement the joints in your horse’s back have will enable you to work your horses correctly,” she said. “However, it’s not just about the bones. It’s also helpful to learn how the movement in your horse’s back is created, which means understanding the head, neck, hind limbs and the muscles in the back, too.”

With the plan for the day outlined, Gillian picked up a paintbrush and got to work. february 2015 your horse 83

Francis and West Side take centre stage on the yard

“It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle choice” For Francis Whittington, the rise to the top of the eventing world hasn’t all been plain sailing.

YH’s Larissa Chapman finds out about his journey and the bumps he’s ridden out along the way 100 your horse February 2015

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The Big Interview

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ulling up at the Whittington family home and yard in the heart of the East Sussex countryside, the first thing I notice are the breathtaking views! I’m greeted by a buoyant Francis who leads me through the picturesque garden until we reach the warmth of the house. It’s a treasure trove of family heirlooms with books dating back to the 1800s perched on shelves, vintage cameras and all kinds of interesting knick-knacks scattered around. In

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pride of place is the newest addition to the Whittington clan – Sophie the kitten! Quick cuddle session over, it’s down to business.

After a successful year of eventing, Francis’ 2014 season struck a high note in September when he rode to victory at Blenheim International Horse Trials in on his horse, Easy Target. Other triumphs include a fifth placing in the same event on his horse Fernhill Highlight, wins at Gatcombe and clears around Burghley and Badminton – it

seems there’s no stopping this eventer!

Francis was brought up around horses, but was uncompetitive in his youth. “I was very lucky as a child, my mum actually owned a riding school and my dad enjoyed hunting so I got to ride lots of different horses. The emphasis when we were young was on riding for fun and my parents certainly weren’t the pushy sort. I enjoyed competing but back then I was in it for the fun factor more than anything,” he tells me.

February 2015 your horse 101

“Our partnership’s based on trust and respect” There are lots of ways to train horses but increasingly methods used with other species are having success with our equine friends. Bird behaviourist Greg Glendell explains how Words KaTy IslIp

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Animal magic

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ooking out across Exmoor from Dunkery Beacon at the end of a glorious day, I gave my young Arab Harry a rub on the wither then gently asked him to make his way down the hillside. Our home for the night was to be a quiet field, me in my tent and Harry grazing before a well-earned sleep – like most of the stages of our trek together over Dartmoor and Exmoor, we’d covered around 20 miles that day.

As well as offering stunning panoramic views, our journey had seen us cross an army firing range straight after live exercises, traverse streams, cope with all kinds of traffic and negotiate rough moorland, all in soaring temperatures. Having enjoyed a few

horseback camping trips in my 20s, with the help of my partner Rachel I’d planned my two-week trek with excitement. We plotted a route to keep Harry and I on country lanes and bridleways as much as possible and arranged campsites and food dumps for us along the way.

I’d known the journey would be a test of both myself and Harry, who as well as being ridden for much of the way would also carry all my gear, including tent, sleeping bag and cooking equipment. What made it all the more unique was the fact Harry was only 13 months into his ridden career, and had been trained by me, a recently returned rider with no experience in training horses, using methods I’d first learned about in my work as a bird behaviourist.

Greg’s previous animal training experience centred on birds, like this Timneh grey parrot

returning to riding Having previously worked in wildlife conservation, my love of animals and birds in particular made my career change to working with companion parrots a natural one. I love improving parrot welfare by helping owners resolve behavioural issues with their birds. I’d ridden quite a lot in my 20s and 30s but hadn’t been around horses regularly for years until 2012, when a brief hack on a friend’s horse reawakened my interest in riding.

I decided to take the plunge and get my own horse, and set my heart on an Arab, ideally a gelding with a few years’ experience behind him. I really wanted to rehome an unwanted horse, but after months of unsuccessful searching I found an advert for a 15hh, un-backed four-year-old Crabbett Arabian called Harry.

He was on Exmoor, not too far from my home near Cheddar in Somerset, so I went along

to meet him. Harry struck me as friendly and very inquisitive, and I felt with time and training he’d be perfect, so he came home to join his new companion, a rescue pony called Dobbin. After settling in and vet checks to ensure he was sound, Harry was ready to start his education. I knew from the start we had a long way to go – Harry was very friendly, polite even, but he’d never been saddled or ridden.

"Harry struck me as friendly and very inquisitive" I knew I was in at the deep end, so I sought help with the first steps of Harry’s training. After attending various events and discussing training options with horsey friends, I booked a trainer who used conventional traditional methods, including negative reinforcement during basic groundwork. After 10 minutes both Harry and I had had enough, and I asked the trainer to stop and leave. I felt I’d let Harry down.

Watching other people riding and training horses, the methods used sometimes seemed to consist of nothing more subtle than forcing horses to do things by subjecting them to uncomfortable or even painful actions. In my work as a bird behaviourist I’d become familiar with learning theory, the process of looking at how humans and animals learn, which is often used in training dogs,

Together, Harry and Greg covered 160 miles on their epic trek

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Hay up!

Ensuring your horse gets enough fibre is vital, especially in winter, which is why we’ve created this guide of products and advice to help you feed him in the healthiest way while preventing waste

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e all know the importance of feeding fibre, which should make up the majority of your horse’s feed ration, whatever his workload or type. Now we’re into winter and the nutritional value of grass has dropped, you’ll be feeding more hay to keep his fibre levels up.

There are various ways to feed hay but best of all is to feed it at ground level just as a horse would naturally graze in the wild. This is because his jaw and respiratory system have evolved to work most efficiently when he eats with his head lowered to the ground.

Of course, in the modern world we live in this isn’t always possible. Perhaps you have to find ways to slow down your horse’s hay intake or to

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reduce waste if he’s messy? If so, you’ll need to look at alternative ways to feed his hay to ensure he still gets all the fibre he needs, as well as preventing too much waste and keeping him healthy.

Simple management techniques like tricklefeeding him will help to stagger his intake if he likes to bolt his hay and reduce boredom if he’s in his stable for longer periods of time. However, there are also a variety of products designed to help you get your horse through the winter months with his fibre needs fulfilled. And there are some that will help you save some pennies and improve the quality of your horse’s hay too!

Check out the selection we recommend over the page.

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Buyers’ Guide

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