Your Horse Issue 326

17

PAIRS OF SHORT BOOTS IN OUR MEGA GEAR TEST

SUPERSTAR MARY KING DRESSAGE FOR FIRST TIME EVENTERS

WIN!

horse your

INSPIRATION FOR OWNING AND ENJOYING HORSES

JAGUAR SADDLE AND FREE EXPERT FITTING

www.yourhorse.co.uk

NTHLY BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING EQUESTRIAN MO

NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP

TAKE CONTROL Kiss goodbye to rearing, barging, bucking & napping

9

Lungeing exercises to transform your horse

ALL IN 20 MINS!

OPEN WIDE

How his teeth could spoil your ride

PERFECT CONTACT

Easy ways to get him on the bit real life

I despised my mare but now I’m devoted

START WINNING

Simple secrets of competition success £3.70 ISSUE 326 10 September-7 October 2009

Napping can be both frustrating and dangerous

Expert advice from Sarah Kreutzer of Learning to Listen

Does he show attitude by bucking?

Barging can put those in his way at risk

Rearing is an extreme reaction

Horse care Living with horses part two

e s r o h y m Why is

? g n i v a misbeh us to understand s lp e h r e tz u re K h This month, Sara rge and rear a b , ck u b , p a n s e rs why our ho hnson Words Imogen Jo

I

n part one, we saw how important the early years of a horse’s life are, and used what we saw in herds to gain a better understanding of our own horses. This month we’re digging deeper into the mind of the horse to try to understand when they’re telling us that something’s wrong.

Sarah’s five concepts Sarah explains that at Learning to Listen, every horse, with any issue, of any age and of any type, is assessed using her first five main concepts.

“These are my five concepts, which are absolutely key when working with any horse or person. You’ll notice that each one is vital when assessing a horse who’s acting out of the ordinary,” she says.

1 Medical Checking your horse is 100% free from any physical or emotional pain is the first step to addressing an issue.

“You need to be a sure there’s nothing wrong with your horse’s feet, back or teeth, he’s not depressed and he’s fit and well in every way possible,” says Sarah.

“I find I rarely get past this point Boundaries need to be set

without finding something that’s troubling a horse. Even if it’s a tiny issue, it needs to be sorted out, and you should always go with your gut instinct. Pay attention to your horse’s first reactions when checking him over yourself, and when he’s being checked by anyone else.”

There are always two sides to a story 2 History If it’s a horse you’ve bred yourself, you need to be aware of anything that’s happened to him in the past that could be troubling him. Or, if you bought the horse from someone else, what have you been told about him?

Remember that there are always two sides to every story – the past owner’s side and the horse’s – so beware that the two may not match up, and take both into consideration.

3 Connection The connection between you and your horse is very important. So if things aren’t going well you should ask yourself whether you even like him. If you don’t it’s probably better to cut your ties and let someone else, who has a better connection with the horse, work with him. This might seem like a difficult step to take but, as with human relationships, if there’s no connection, it’s not going to work. Just remember, you’re more likely to make healthy decisions for someone when you like them.

4 Contracts It’s important to establish boundaries within your relationship. For example, your horse should understand that you’re not going to beat him or pull him around but, at the same time, he’s not to barge or kick at you. It’s a two-way street.

5 Honesty Lots of people will try to trick their horses by, for example, holding the halter behind their backs as they go to catch them in the field, but horses can see straight through you. By not being honest with your horse you’re simply losing ground because they know they can’t trust you.

Don’t try to trick him

�

Riding Competition success

Be a winner!

We all need a boost sometimes, especially when it comes to competing The British Dressage Active Rider Camp, run at Myerscough College in Preston, enjoyed one of the nicest days of the summer. Dressage enthusiasts from all over the country and of all levels and abilities gathered together to improve their riding, their horse’s way of going and their competition success. A key feature was the Get the Winning Edge seminar run by Christine Worthington. Riders flocked to hear how they could improve their scores consistently. Here are her secrets for competition success – for all disciplines The expert

� Name

Christine Worthington Christine is a qualified coach and a licensed neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner and advanced emotional freedom technique (EFT) practitioner. She works with both individuals and organisations, and with riders to help them achieve their goals. Clients have been helped on a range of issues including confidence, self-belief, goal setting and goal achievement, performance, dealing with pressure, overcoming nerves and fear, and generally having a better relationship with their horse. To contact Christine call 01257 275571 or 07835 918644 or email her at christine@worthingtoncoaching.co.uk

Visit www. worthingtoncoaching.co.uk for further information and to download Top Tips for FREE! 34 YOUR HORSE

Set goals

All success starts with goals – have you got one? If not, it’s time to get sorted. Set yourself a goal and write it down. If your goal’s a biggy, you need to break it down into smaller goals, which will then be much more achievable.

Every goal achieved will increase your motivation, so lots of small ones are ideal.

Your goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and met in a set Time frame.

Make achieving your goal a promise to yourself. Write this promise down and share it with someone. As soon as you tell someone else about your goals and promises, you become accountable for achieving them.

You’ll find that, if you share your goals and dreams, the people you tell will help you along by offering support and motivation.

Don’t take too long in achieving your goal – it’s easy to delay things but this isn’t going to get you there. However, remember your horse is part of your goals, too, so only set ones that he can achieve and be prepared to be flexible – we all know how easily set backs can happen with horses. For example, you may need to revise your goals if your horse suffers an injury or needs time off for any reason.

Make it happen If you think like a winner then you increase your chances of being a winner.

Get into the habit of dreaming big. So think about how you want things to be from now on. Find a rider to inspire you – someone you admire and want to be like – this could be a celebrity rider or just someone at your yard. Ask yourself what it would take to be like them. Imagine yourself riding like them and having their confidence. Act as if you are them. When you’re on your horse, sit like them, act the way they do, imagine you have their confidence. In your mind, tell your horse ‘you’re so perfect’ – you’ll be amazed how good this feels to you and your horse. By acting like your inspiration, you’ll start to remove your own limitations and your behaviour will begin to change.

Acting ‘as if’ when you’re on board will also have an effect on your horse. If he’s feeling tense or resistant, act as if he’s calm and submissive – you’ll find it really helps.

Under pressure The first step towards coping with pressure is to understand it. Every rider feels pressure in different ways but choose to ignore the consequences at your peril.

Write down all the situations you find pressurising. It could be having people watch you ride, remembering your dressage test, going first in a jump off – anything, really, and you might be surprised what you come up with when you start to write it all down.

Once you’ve done that, put the list up on a wall. Call it your pressure wall. Next, think about how you deal with pressure that’s not related to your horse. How do you deal with family pressure, work pressure, pressure from friends, etc – all of which can cause lots of stress. You’ll find you already have a plethora of tools you use every day to help you manage pressure.

So why do we let horse-related pressure get the better of us? You just need to think about which tools you can transfer to your life with your horse.

www.yourhorse.co.uk

�

turn the page for more great confidence tips

www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 35

Keep the rhythm Time out of the saddle due to pregnancy has caused a step back for Sarah Hawkins and her horse, Poo

THIS COULD BE

YORIDUER! CLINIC

Words Imogen Johnson

The pupils Sarah Hawkins and Supa Doo (aka Poo)

I really wanted the chance to take part in a Your Horse Clinic to help improve my show jumping technique. My horse and I had some time out due to my recent pregnancy, and now I’m back in the saddle again we’re struggling to get the right rhythm and striding for fences. Previously we competed at unaffiliated and affiliated show jumping up to 1.10m and Poo is certainly capable of much more. However, after our break I find it harder to control him into fences and particularly to dictate how many strides we should have – he constantly says he knows best and likes to take out strides, which can lead to some hairy moments!

I’m desperate to get out competing again but I want to ensure we can do so calmly and in control rather than relying on Poo’s ability to jump himself out of trouble! I’d really like some exercises I can work on at home to help us.

The expert Anna Wilks Anna is a BHS instructor who spends her days out and about teaching. She coaches show jumping riders from absolute beginners to grade C level and event riders from beginners to advanced. Anna often works with riders and their unbroken horses to bring them on and helps event riders bring youngsters on to Advanced level. One of her clients won at the British National Dressage Championships at Stoneleigh last year.

To contact Anna, call 07721 539549 or email annafwilks@hotmail.co.uk

38 YOUR HORSE

Checkpoint Sarah and Anna have a long chat about what Sarah’s struggling with and what she’d like to work on in the lesson. But before they can get going, Anna wants to run through some quick checks. She wants to know if Sarah and Poo are wearing all the tack and equipment they would normally for a jumping lesson.

“Poo’s boots are a little low so

we’ll need to correct that before we begin and I’m also a little concerned about his saddle. It’s sitting very far back, which could be due to the way it’s been put on, or because it’s slipping back.”

Sarah jumps off and they put the saddle back on in the correct position. Sarah explains that Poo has changed shape a lot recently and that with her normal www.yourhorse.co.uk

Riding Your Horse clinic Sarah needs to work long not loose

HOW TO

TAKE PART IN A CLINIC

Long not loose instructor she’d planned to get the saddle checked properly the following week.

“I think that’s a very good idea because just then it wasn’t sitting in quite the right place. I’ll keep an eye on it throughout the lesson to make sure it stays where it should.”

With all Poo’s tack checked, Anna asks Sarah to start warming him up as she normally would. www.yourhorse.co.uk

Sarah works Poo around the school explaining that she always tries to get him to work on a long rein and to stretch down.

“In your warm up I understand you’re trying to get him to work on a long rein, but you must be careful that you’re not actually working him on a loose rein,” says Anna.

“It’s important you don’t confuse long and loose. You need to work him on a long rein so that he can seek the contact. On a loose rein nothing is happening and you’re not in control of him. I’ll give you two or three games to play with him at home that should really help you. And you can do these until you’re blue in the face.”

�

� If you’d like to take part in the Your Horse Clinic, email Imogen Johnson at imogen.johnson@ bauermedia.co.uk with Schooling or Jumping in the subject line, and tell us where it’s all going wrong for you. A solution could be just around the corner!

YOUR HORSE 39

new look SECTION

horse answers Leading trainers, instructors, feed experts and vets, along with riding legends, offer you free, professional advice – whatever the problem. 13 pages including: Rebecca Gibson Horse Answers editor

Horse ownership is one huge learning curve – no matter how much you know, there’s always something new just around the corner. This month’s Horse Answers covers everything from navicular syndrome to making sure your horse enjoys hacking just as much as you do. Also in this issue, look out for the latest addition to our expert panel, Katherine Fidler. She specialises in equine biomechanics, and will be answering all your questions about surfaces and your horse’s way of going.

MEET OUR EXPERTS Jane Baker

BHS SM, BHSII is a freelance riding instructor

Ruth Edge

Clare Barfoot

Georgina Cotgreave

BSc (Hons) RNutr is a nutritionist for Spillers

is an animal communicator

Katherine Fidler

Gayle Hallowell

MSc is a specialist in equine biomechanics

is a vet from the Royal Veterinary Hospital

Sarah Kreutzer

Carol Mailer

Richard Meers

is founder of Learning to Listen

is an experienced show jumper and trainer

BVetMed MRCVS is an equine vet

Caroline Putus

Gil Riley

Charles Wilson

is a vet and holds the RCVS Certificate in Equine Practice

What surface should I use?

43 Riding

Why does she chew her bit?

45 CLOSE-UP

Vet I think my horse has navicular syndrome – what should I do?

46 Feeding

How many supplements can I feed at any time?

48 Horse care

is a top British eventer who also competes successfully in dressage

RMANM is a homeopath and NLP practitioner

42 CLOSE-UP Horse care

MA, BHSAI is a natural horsemanship expert

Are grazing muzzles cruel?

1 QUESTION

3 EXPERTS ANSWER

How hard is too hard?

Q

What are the dangers of jumping on hard ground? I’m a big fan of JumpCross because of the knock-down nature of the fences, but I often worry that the ground may be too hard for my Irish Draught. How hard is too hard to jump?

Ben, on email

49 Riding My mare is scared to hack out alone 53 Horse care

Help me keep my pasture in good condition

54 Vet

Why is he losing weight, despite the good grass?

DON’T MISS

Many venues will put a surface down to improve the take-off and landing points

� Tickets are on sale now! www.yourhorselive.co.uk has all the latest details for the equine event of the year!

celebrity 56 horse answers

Top British eventer and successful dressage rider Ruth Edge answers your questions Send your question to Horse Answers at the Your Horse address, or email yourhorse@ bauermedia.co.uk

44 YOUR HORSE

reader 58 horse answers

How can I help my horse cope with being turned out alone?

In issue 323 page 51 we used a picture that inferred the horse in question was a rearer. This is not the case and we would like to apologise to the owner of the horse for any misunderstanding

www.yourhorse.co.uk

horse answers THE SHow jumper

THE VET

THE instructor

Carol Mailer says Concussion from landing on firm ground can cause jarring injuries to the feet, legs and shoulder, as the horse tries to absorb the shock of landing with no give in the ground.

Horses with shallow or flat feet will be particularly sensitive, although jumping on ground that is too hard may affect all shapes and sizes of conformation. And, of course, a heavier horse would find hard ground more uncomfortable than a lightweight one.

I’d consider the ground to be satisfactory if your horse leaves an imprint on the surface – not necessarily a deep one, but it would be good to see where he’s trodden. I’d say that it’s too hard if: � Hoofbeats are very loud and resonate � There are cracks appearing in the ground � Your horse doesn’t stride out as normal and shortens– this is a strong indication that he’s finding the ground too firm for comfort Always check with the JumpCross venue before you decide whether or not to compete, as they may water the grass, or put a surface down at the take-off and landing points to make the going more acceptable.

Gil Riley advises Any going that’s less than perfect can have a detrimental effect on your horse, but hard going is especially associated with concussive injuries. The most common injury from jumping on hard ground is bruising of the soles, but landing with force can also lead to damage of the joints and ligaments.

Splints can develop as a result of fast work on hard ground. This is a painful bony reaction that occurs between the cannon bone and the inside splint bone.

Splints can make a horse very lame, but fortunately they’ll usually recover within a matter of weeks if given sufficient rest.

Tendon injuries can also occur, especially if the horse is often jumped on hard ground.

Ideally the ground you’re jumping on should have a good grass covering and you should be able to see the indentation of your horse’s shoes where you’ve landed.

If the ground is softer or harder than this, you’ll have to weigh up the possible risk factors.

Jane Baker replies There are a number of problems associated with jumping horses on hard ground. Generally it’s the musculoskeletal structure of the horse that’s affected.

The risk of injuries can, however, be considerably reduced if your horse has gone through a suitable fitness programme. This should include slow road work initially and then two or three short periods of work per week on harder ground in the faster paces. By doing this you’ll condition your horse to work on harder ground by positively stressing the musculoskeletal system, which will cause the system to adapt to work on harder ground and reduce the risk of injury when you meet this going in competition.

Having said this, it’s still vital to assess the ground each time you compete. Some horses cope well with hard ground while others, however well conditioned, will always be more prone to injury.

If you’re really worried that the ground is too hard to compete on, withdraw your horse. There’ll always be other competitions, whereas injuries are potentially career ending, expensive and often time consuming to resolve.

A

A

A

Topecktithpe feet

Always ch any heat for and limbs mediately im g in ll e sw or g and again in p m after ju rning. This o the next m u pick up yo will ensure s as early m any proble ible. as poss

� www.yourhorse.co.uk/subscribe

YOUR HORSE 43

The te ultimidae guyour to ’s horse teeth

Open wide Helping you understand the complexity of teeth

WIN THE

ULTIM ATE YEAR

I

WITH YOUR HORSE

t’s almost impossible to know what’s going in your horse’s mouth without the help of an equine dental technician or vet, so this month we’re giving you the ultimate guide to your horse’s teeth.

We have the help of dental practitioner Jonathan Keen (above), Win the Ultimate Year winner Abigail Alliss and her horse Darcy.

Why get our horses teeth checked?

Horse’s teeth erupt (not grow) constantly throughout their lives at a rate of around 2-3mm each year. They continue to erupt until the age of 18-20 when the process slows or ceases.

Horses’ teeth act as a self-sharpening mechanism, allowing them to break feed down to an appropriate size for efficient digestion. For this system to work effectively, the rate of eruption should be equal to the rate of wear, which in a natural environment (out in the field on coarse grass) can take place efficiently. However, because of the way we keep our horses, this isn’t the case. For example, grass in a natural habitat is far more abrasive and higher in silica than the farmed pasture on which we graze our horses, so it’s much more difficult for domesticated horses to wear down their teeth as they would in the wild. A combination of soft grass, soft hay and easily broken down hard feed, coupled with the fact we use bits in our horses’ mouths, has resulted in the need for regular checks by an equine dental technician or vet.

How often should teeth be checked?

It‘s recommended that a horse in work and stabled, below the age of 18, is checked every six months. A horse out at grass, such as a brood mare or horses over the age of 18, should be checked every 12 months. As with any other condition, it’s important that your horse has his teeth checked if he shows any signs of discomfort or any abnormal behaviour, which could be connected to his mouth.

YOUR HORSE 63

�

72 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

THE

TEST Paddock & Jodhpur boots

Stick the boot in TURN OVER FOR short boots on test

17 The test

The AWARDS

To help you keep your feet happy and comfortable, we’ve put a selection of short boots to the test – read on to find out which footwear perform best FIT AND COMFORT Our testers considered the fit and comfort of each of the boots, and how long they took to break in

The pair of boots that performed the best during our test

PERFORMANCE Our testers assessed what each of the boots were like in a working environment – whether they’re a good yard boot, riding boot or both.

They also considered how easy the boots were to care for and what condition they’re in now

The boots that offer great value for money and great performance

VALUE FOR MONEY Our testers evaluated their comments on fit, comfort and performance in relation to price for each pair of boots, to decide whether they’re good value for money www.yourhorse.co.uk

The boots that performed well in our test

� YOUR HORSE 73

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

LUNGEING

On the line The 20-minute lungeing session that really works Words Jo Sharples

M

ost of us include lungeing in our horse’s training at some point, and perhaps even do it regularly, but it’s easy to run out of ideas after a few of the standard walk, trot and canter circles. How many of us can honestly say there is real gymnastic benefit in our efforts with a lunge line?

Yet lungeing can be a valuable aspect of your horse’s programme. Correct ground training is a blend of essential discipline, gymnastics and mental development, which all contribute to your horse’s future ridden work. It can even be therapeutic and help rehabilitate both physical and behavioural problems – as long as it’s properly planned, with specific goals and exercises in mind, in the same way as a ridden schooling session.

It’s a great time saver too – what would take you 45 minutes under saddle can be achieved in 20 minutes on the lunge. Your horse will also benefit from not having a rider on his back while he works every now and then. Here we’ve got nine amazingly effective exercises for you to try.

9essential lungeing exercises

turn the page for the first of our essential lungeing exercises

ďż˝

THIS COULD BE

!

U YO PRIVATE LESSONS

Help us improve our dressage so we can event

� Your problems solved with our one-to-one training sessions Words Rebecca Gibson

The trainer � Name Mary King � Experience Mary has dominated British eventing for the past two decades.

She’s won most of the major titles including Badminton and Burghley, and won four team gold medals at the World Equestrian Games and European Championships.

She’s been British Champion four times, more than anyone else to date, and has represented Britain in five Olympic Games.

The rider and horse � Name Emily Dewey � Experience Emily has owned Eddie, an 11-year-old Anglo-European warmblood, for three years. So far they’ve concentrated on show jumping, but Eddie is very bold and Emily would love to take him eventing.

However, Emily is worried their flatwork would let them down. Their recent focus on show jumping has meant their dressage has fallen by the wayside and is, by Emily’s own admission, a little rough around the edges.

Emily hopes her lesson will give her the confidence to pursue her eventing dreams.

90 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

Riding Private Lessons

turn the page

to find out how Mary improved Emily’s position

www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 95

Part

1

Riding Rider fitness

Fit or not fit to ride – that’s the question. Here doctor Justine Davies explains how boozing, wheezing and oozing affects our ability to perform

u o y e r A

fit to ride?

www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 101

�

Guide Guidetotocontact winter

Your ticket to ride

A correct contact is the holy grail of horsemanship.

Here Grand Prix dressage rider and trainer Beverley Brightman unlocks the secrets to getting that much sought after, and raved about, elastic contact ďż˝ www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 107