Your Horse Issue 330

AT

H T

E

F O

TI EN EV

IVE ➨➨ S U

FOR only

➨

£15

with Free P+P

FER

Get this fantastic book by Carol Mailer

➨

EXC L

G N

RIDE

H IT W

N

www.yourhorse.co.uk

➨➨

TO

E

EE U Q

INSPIRATION FOR OWNING AND ENJOYING HORSES

NTHLY BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING EQUESTRIAN MO

MORE TIME

M O H

horse your

February 2010

OF

SHORT OF HAY? ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO FEED HIM FORAGE

IPS ILL stions PH ur que RA her yo ZA We ask

8

BOOT UP! SETS OF TRAVEL BOOTS TESTED AND RATED

READE R

We help you get your home/ work/horse balance right

£3.70

TIM STOCKDALE

Improving balance and finding the brakes

MAGNETIC PRODUCTS What, why and which to buy INTERDRESSAGE

How to compete without leaving your yard EXPERT HELP

Stop him spinning

7

TRAIN IN THE BIG OUTDOORS

schooling exercises you can do on a hack

We take a look at the horses you ride, where you ride them and what you’ve been getting up to

Setting off on a sponsored ride in Runcorn to raise money for breast cancer research – Hannah Bradshaw on Boo

Send your images to rebecca.gibson@ bauermedia.co.uk

The bigger the image file you send, the better!

Willow’s first time on a beach – Shelly McGuirk

Riding on Baker Beach in Florence, Oregon, on my Arab x Quarter Horse Buddy, and my sister Taylor on her Arab, Woody – Zoey Stoltzfus

8 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

✎news and stuff Hacking around the beautiful polo fields of the Desert Palm resort, Dubai – Alison Humphries on Teke and Jayne Streeting on Meghan

Welsh sec A Yoshi in the snow – Jennie, Edward and Henry Daniels

your horses

My beloved Connemara x TB, Lady Jane, at an English Civil War nMemorial March in Edgehill, Warwickshire – Jennie Daniels

Preparing for a showing competition at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire – Alice Campbell on Misty

Thirty-one-years young Harvey giving me a slobbery kiss – Jodi Baker

Me and three-year-old Shadow strutting our stuff in the Young Handler’s Class at Green Meadow, South Wales – Emily Chidgey

Turn over for more www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 9

We have had bute in equestrian sport before and it didn’t work

Professor Leo Jeffcott

All the latest news

Keep in touch with what’s going on in the horse world by logging on to 6 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

✎news and stuff New rule on bute sparks major debate in competition world

October 20

The Current Proposed Prohibited List is published. This includes the three non-steroidal antiinflammatory (NSAID) drugs, which are eventually to cause the problems.

‘progressive list’. The general assembly started on Monday (November 9) but it wasn’t until Friday (November 13) that we got the list on which we were expected to vote. This left insufficient time to think clearly about it.

“The ‘current list’ was sent out on October 20 and that all seemed to be pretty well accepted. The view was that the FEI had done a great job.”

Mr Finding explains that the change of information may have left some federations unclear what they were voting for.

“The Irish and British Federation felt there should have been a re-vote but this was denied. We suspect a number of federations didn’t fully appreciate what they were voting on.

This potential change needed to have been very carefully considered.”

November 23

The Progressive Proposed Prohibited List is sent by email to all the National Federations. This contains the changes, proposing to allow the limited use of the three NSAIDs – phenylbutazone (bute), flunixin (banamine) and salicylic acid (asprin).

Press representatives for the CHIO Aachen slam the FEI’s decision to allow the three NSAIDs. In a statement, the general manager of Aachen’s sponsor Aachener Reitturnier GmbH, Michael Mronz, says: “We don’t want to have unsound or injured horses in our sport. The CHIO Aachen 2010 will not be carried out on the basis of the current FEI regulations, but according to the ethics of clean sport.”

Frank Kemperman, chairman of the managing board of Aachen and recently selected chairman of the FEI’s Dressage Committee, was at Copenhagen where he fought fervently against the rule change. He described the decision as a contradiction to the ideal of the sport and insists the event will continue its straightforward strategy for fair and clean sport.

November 19

November 24

National Federations receive the ‘progressive list’. The new list contains changes that begin the debate

November 13

At the 2009 FEI General Assembly the progressive list is accepted by a vote of 53 to 48.

Andrew Finding

November 23

We speak to British Equestrian Federation (BEF) chief executive Andrew Finding on his return from the meeting.

He says: “The big issue is that we were asked to vote on the

A letter is sent to FEI President Princess Haya from a group of senior vets asking for the debate to be reopened (see the panel above right). While the Andrew Finding letter is not intended for the media or the public,

by November 25 Vets urge Princess Haya it’s accessible on to reconsider the internet.

info Professor Leo Jeffcott, former chairman of the FEI Veterinary Committee, who wrote the letter to Princess Haya, signed by numerous other leading vets, says they later received a response which was a rebuttal to the questions asked in the letter and did not directly say if the debate would be reopened.

“We weren’t looking for our letter to get into the media. However I think the arguments we present in it are good.

We have had bute in equestrian sport before and it didn’t work,” he says.

“We simply need to be allowed to consider the issue in more depth, even if no change is then made. The FEI says there was an opportunity to debate this, but we don’t feel it was a fair one.”

In 1994 a scientific case study led to bute being banned. Professor Jeffcott finds it difficult to suggest why the FEI may have acted, but he thinks it was perhaps due to a ‘pressure for uniformity’ across sports within and outside the International Olympic Committee.

“I was involved when bute was banned and I was also involved in a great deal of research into the use of salicylic acid,” he said. “Salicylic acid had also been found in Coral Cove at the 1998 World Equestrian Games and we had a celebrated case which showed that the levels being used were far too high – we worked very hard to show this. To let the levels to go back up now allows the potential for abuse.”

news report

A new rule passed by the FEI General Assembly in Copenhagen allowing the use of bute and other currently banned substances in competing horses has caused a furore in the horse world.

We take a look at the events surrounding this controversial issue and where we are now

Keeping the control

Professor Jeffcott explains what prompted him to write. He believes it’s possible that competitors might abuse this rule.

“This was certainly true before when bute was allowed. Competitors would know when the levels would go in and how long it would take for them to come down and that’s abuse.

That’s not what the drug is there for,” he says. “I think this will be very hard to police, just as it was in the 80s. I suspect it will become very difficult, very expensive and create a lot of extra work for the FEI tribunal.”

YOUR HORSE 27

�

The brains behind Interdressage Compete in dressage without leaving your yard – whose brilliant idea was this?

I

f you’ve ever given Interdressage a go you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that at least a team of 10 are on hand to judge all your footage. But you’d be wrong. There’s a team of two.

a new venue was a complete nightmare.

I thought if I could just send footage of him to someone and get some feedback and inspiration, my confidence would improve, and that’s when I came up with the idea.”

Being a British Dressage listed judge, Glynis was the perfect person to help Karina put her plan into action. They did some research and started creating the Interdressage website with some external help.

“The site had to be simple because I don’t understand websites at all – I needed to be able to use it myself,” says Karina.

Soon they were up and running and, with help from local and national media, word started to spread and entries began flooding in.

Where it happens Shearer – the inspiration behind Interdressage

How it got started Karina Hawkridge and Glynis Mills have been pals for years, keeping horses together and sharing their riding experiences. But when Karina bred a horse who, at a young age, was a bit of a walking disaster, she felt unable to tackle the stress and drama of taking him out to compete.

“Shearer was a beast of a horse. He was a problem from the day he was born. He grew and grew and, when he was ready for a show, I just didn’t dare take him anywhere,” says Karina.

“At home his work was brilliant, but getting him into a lorry and taking him to

32 YOUR HORSE

We visited the Interdressage HQ, which is at Karina’s own yard in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The hub is a cosy wooden outbuilding by the stables, surrounded by chickens, a very talkative cat and a turkey called Mr T. Knowing how many people take part in Interdressage, we were expecting to walk into a mass of piled up video tapes and stacks of test sheets, but instead we were left wondering where everything was. It’s a simple set-up with thank you cards on the walls from happy customers, two dogs snuggled by a heater, and Karina and Glynis sitting in front of two computers – the heart of the operation.

“It has to be here because our horses are here. We’re horse owners just like the people who enter, so if we had to leave the premises all the time to ride or muck out, we’d just never get it all done,” says Glynis.

� www.yourhorse.co.uk

Interdressage Special

Part

1

What is Interdressage?

Interdres

sage allows riders ages and standards to com of all pete from home in monthly online video competitions. Simply vid eo your test and send your footage in. All tests are judged by a British Dressage listed judge with help and advice from a profes sional instructor.

It’s the cost-effective and convenient way to compete against riders worldwide if you or you r horse aren’t ready to compete at a show

www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 33

Spin

doctor Spinning is a scary and frustrating behaviour but can be stopped – we tell you how

T

he wild horse uses spinning round to change direction as fast as he possibly can. Usually something threatening has just appeared in front of him and his best defence is to run the other way.

Nature has equipped him with the speed and agility to do this and he can, if necessary, turn on a sixpence. The root of this annoying behaviour in riding horses is the same as stopping and not wanting to go forward. The threat of what lies ahead seems (to your horse) to be a bigger one than anything you can do to stop him spinning. Essentially, he’s determined to have his own way. With luck on his side, and it generally is, he’ll get away with it and cart his rider back home. It can be scary for the rider and is a behaviour that needs tackling straight away. �

Our expert Ruth Mazet Ruth has been working with problem horses for 35 years and has experienced just about everything they can throw at us. By treating every horse as an individual, she uses his desire to co-operate to win him round to her way of thinking, building trust and confidence along the way.

Her methods are simple and anyone, whatever discipline they ride in, can use them.

40 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

Horse care Behaviour

The threat of what lies ahead seems (to your horse) bigger than anything you can do to him www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 41

ďż˝

THIS COULD BE

tackling tension

YORIDUER! CLINIC

Your Horse reader Sarah Higgins has a fantastic horse in her ex-eventer Bert, but there’s something holding them back and causing tension Words Imogen Johnson

The pupils Sarah Higgins and Bert I’m the proud owner of Bert who’s a 17.2hh, 13-year-old, Irish Draught x Thoroughbred. He’s an ex-eventer and had a great career with his previous (professional) rider Maddy Moffet. An old instructor of mine knew of him and thought he might be right for me when it was time for him to retire from competing at his level. I wanted a horse of my own to progress my riding and agreed that Bert would be the perfect schoolmaster. I’ve now owned him for a year and we’ve had a number of hurdles to overcome. Bert can be very difficult out hacking as he’s very spooky – my confidence has taken a huge dent, and this has resulted in a lack of confidence in the school. I’ve now started from the beginning again and I’m working hard to improve my seat and position. Being 40, I’m stiff in areas a younger, more flexible rider isn’t! I really need some help. I want to improve my riding and get my confidence back on Bert because he’s such a great horse. We just need to learn to work together.

The expert Hilary Ann Hughes Hilary is a BSHI and teaches riders of all levels. She used to be a Para-Dressage Start and Potential coach, and has ridden in show jumping and dressage all her life. She’s recently moved from North London to live near and work at the Talland School of Equitation, where she’d worked previously nine years ago. She enjoys teaching riders and helping them to achieve their goals, which she believes should be the only real reason to teach.

To contact Hilary call 07832 261522 or email hilsey59@googlemail.com

46 YOUR HORSE

Beating the spook The day before her Your Horse Clinic at Oaklands Equestrian Centre, Sarah decided to take Bert to the venue to get him used to the arena she’d be riding in the following day.

Unfortunately he found the nearby small animals and general activity a little too much to cope with. So the next day, to begin the Your Horse Clinic, Hilary suggests Sarah calmly walks around the top end of the arena where Bert had been spooked the day before. As she does, Hilary asks Sarah about Bert’s feeding plan, routine, history and issues.

“Bert is very tense, but you wrote to Your Horse to help with his spookiness and improve your confidence, so it’s a good thing that

you’ve come somewhere new to have the lesson. However, a tense horse and a tense rider is not a good combination, so we need to work on that today,” says Hilary.

“I’m a great believer in martingales and breastplates and never hack out on my horses without one – if nothing else they provide a neck strap. I’d suggest you use a different type because at the moment you’re missing that strap over his withers, which will provide you extra security.”

Hilary asks Sarah to keep working at the top end of the arena in walk as she helps her to get Bert to relax.

She also suggests Sarah lengthens her stirrups for a bit more security. www.yourhorse.co.uk

Riding Your Horse clinic

Breathe and relax They both begin to relax

As they walk, Hilary tells Sarah to imagine putting the bit forwards in Bert’s mouth by giving with her hands to encourage him to drop his head.

“As you encourage Bert to work a little lower and rounder you also need to slow him down. Some people would say that’s a forward walk but it’s not, it’s running,” says Hilary.

“Take a little feel with the rein and slow him right down, as if you’re thinking about stopping.

If he begins to rush again take a feel on the rein but then give it back to him. We want him to drop his head because every time he does we know he’s breathing –

and that’s what we want. At the moment he’s nervous and holding his tension in his neck.”

After a few circles (too many to count) around the top end of the arena, Bert finally starts to relax, and so does Sarah.

Tip

Talkin instructor g to your or ride in the a friend as you are relax throu na helps you gh and breath your frame e– don’t even and you know you’re doin that g it!

Beating a stubborn streak Bert starts the lesson tense!

Hilary asks Sarah to move forward to trot, thinking about the points of the circle she’s riding on, but Bert has other ideas and again sets his neck against Sarah’s inside hand.

“At the moment Bert’s being a big baby because he’s worried and your inside hand is pulling him round. You need to learn to use your hands because at the moment your inside rein is very dominant,” explains Hilary.

“Wrap your legs around him to ask him to move forward and to offer security through the leg. You also need to be a bit braver with your outside rein. For me when they set their neck that’s the problem, not their mouth, so you need to be asking for more with your outside rein and to be confident to do so.”

HOW TO

TAKE PART IN A CLINIC � 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!

www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 47

�

horse answers

1 QUESTION

3 EXPERTS ANSWER Any horse recovering from injury and box rest will need to start work slowly

Leading trainers, instructors, feed experts and vets, along with riding legends, offer you free, professional advice – whatever the problem. 14 pages including: Justine Thompson Horse Answers editor

At this time of year, many of us have to balance hard feed with increased time spent in the stable and decreased time spent under saddle – read on for great advice covering a variety of different feeding concerns. And don’t miss our celebrity answers from event rider Kitty Boggis.

Jane Baker

Emma Case BSc (Hons) is a nutritionist for Baileys Horse Feeds

Ellie Hoyes

Kitty Boggis

Beverley Brightman

is an event rider who was the first to represent GB at all levels

is an international dressage rider and instructor

Gayle Hallowell

Malcolm Holtshausen

is a vet at the Royal Veterinary Hospital

has ridden to Advance level and is a trainer

Sarah Kreutzer

Claire Lawrence

BHSI BSc is a higher education tutor at AskhamBryan College

is founder of Learning to Listen

is a company nutritionist for Allen & Page

Carol Mailer

Richard Meers

is an experienced show jumper and trainer

is a vet at Fellowes Farm Equine Clinic

Martin Pate is a

solicitor at MJP Law in Dorset

Gil Riley

Nicola Tyler

Katie Williams

is a vet and holds the RCVS Certificate in Equine Practice

My horse weaves when he’s in the trailer

55

CLOSE-UP

Could her feed be to blame?

57 Vet

MEET OUR EXPERTS BHS SM, BHSII is a freelance riding instructor

54 Behaviour

BSc (Hons) is nutrition director of TopSpec, specialising in equine nutrition

MSc (Dist) BSc (Hons) is a nutritionist for Dengie

Dealing with a heart murmur

58 Legal

Another horse keeps mounting mine at the yard

59 Feeding How to provide a good doer energy without calories!

61

CLOSE-UP

How to sit securely and cope with jumping a youngster

62 Feeding How should I feed my mare during the weaning process?

64 Horse care The right clip for a sweaty cob 65

CLOSE-UP

Is my horse too fat or too thin?

DON’T MISS celebrity

66 horse answers

Event rider Kitty Boggis answers all of your questions about her life and loves

reader

Send your question to Horse Answers at the Your Horse address, or email justine.thompson@bauermedia.co.uk

44 YOUR HORSE

68 horse answers

How can I stop my horse from throwing her head up and down?

Tips

ge ave to chan You may h ding during bed e is your usual foot hygien r d n a st ve box re e n a rtant th more impo at bay. Toys, sh ru th p e to ke irrors may a radio or m p him help to kee occupied

www.yourhorse.co.uk

horse answers BHSII RIDING INSTRUCTOR

Recovery from A a tendon injury Q

I’m writing on behalf of my friends who own a 15.2hh warmblood-type horse.

The family bought the horse a year ago for show jumping but after two months he sustained a tendon injury in the field.

Following scans, the vet diagnosed diffused tendonitis, and he has been on box rest for four months, during which time he has also been ill with a viral infection. The horse also had an adverse reaction to the medication, which caused all four legs to swell.

The gelding has lost a large amount of muscle tone due to his confinement. However, his condition is now improving and his tendon healing, so he has been allowed in-hand exercise and some turnout. We’d like some advice on in-hand exercises to help build muscle tone and also if there’s anything we can do to keep him calm and chilled during his recovery, as he has to be sedated for the in-hand work.

Some advice on feeding as we slowly bring him back in to work would also be useful.

Anon, by email www.yourhorse.co.uk/subscribe

Jane Baker explains The build up of work will need to be very slow and steady to allow the whole system to regain strength. Having said this, it’s important to add variety to the horse’s work, to keep him interested and start the process of building up the groups of muscle.

Whenever worked in-hand, he should be worked in a bridle and lunge line so that control is maintained.

Walk exercise would be best to begin with.

Transitions to halt can be included and, occasionally, the horse can be asked to move back a couple of steps to engage the hindquarters and gently stretch the hip flexor muscles.

Try setting out poles at right angles and using them to walk the horse down one side, then turning and walking down the other side. This will help suppleness by asking the horse to turn and bend. Cones can be used to the same effect. Later on he can be asked to walk over the poles – again this will have many physical advantages and also will help to occupy his mind.

Vet Gayle Hallowell says I’d try to enhance his environment in order to combat the boredom of box rest, perhaps with a horse ball that contains his hard feed, and feed his hay in a net with small holes so that it lasts longer.

Horses who have lost their topline from box rest do not usually regain it until ridden exercise begins again.

Although he’s lost muscle mass from his box rest and other illnesses, an increase in energy in the form of hard feed may make him more difficult to walk in-hand. Haylage rather than hay may have the same effect, but it may be worth trying to see if it allows you to increase his calories without over-heating.

When it’s time to begin ridden work, a cheap saddle that fits his new shape or pads to correct his current saddle are likely to be required. In terms of the exercise programme, it depends a little on the severity of the tendonitis, but if in-hand exercise has begun then hang on in there as ridden work (at walk and then trot) shouldn’t be too far away.

A

NUTRITIONIST Claire Lawrence advises The bulk of any horse’s diet should be fibre and this is particularly important for horses on restricted turnout. Giving ad-lib hay will help to keep him occupied and his digestive system healthy.

As the horse is on restricted exercise and needs sedation, choosing a feed with a low energy and starch content will help avoid over-excitable behaviour. Look out for feeds that are low in cereal and molasses, and that derive their energy (calories) from fibre and oil sources instead. Fibre and oil are both excellent sources of slow-release energy that provide stamina rather than fizz. Ensuring the feed contains high quality protein, such as alfalfa or peas, will help give the foundations for muscle development.

It’s important to check you’re feeding the correct amounts to meet his vitamin and mineral needs. If necessary, top up with a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement. A feed containing prebiotics may be useful to help provide the right environment and food for beneficial bacteria to thrive in, as these may have taken a bit of a battering while he’s been unwell.

A

YOUR HORSE 53

�

Time to ride Our expert life coach shows us how to make more time in our lives to do the thing we love most – riding Words Gemma Teed

J

ust saying ‘achieving home/horse/life/work balance’ is an ambitious mouthful, never mind an actual objective. Such can be the conflicting demands on our time it’s easy to end up with a happy horse and pristine stable yard but a tip at home – or find our riding needs unfulfilled in the face of a busy domestic and work life.

But it IS possible to take back control, enjoy your riding and still make time for everything else. Life coaching can help you explore your own home/ horse/life/work balance and discover the power of positive thinking and changing attitudes to achieve a better balance. We asked one Your Horse reader to give it a go.

�

your horse The care of e first… has to com

…But it’ have fun rsidpossible to ing, too!

70 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

Horse care Time management

You have to wor what your prioriktiout es are...

in While fitting sleeping ...!

turn the page

to discover how Niki, our reader, gets on

…and work ing!

Online rider advice

� As we all know, riding is far more than simply tacking up and disappearing off for a couple of hours! New to www.yourhorse.co.uk is a fantastic section covering rider health, fitness specific to equestrian pursuits, and safety. Visit www.yourhorse.co.uk/rideradvice to get even more from your favourite website!

www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 71

�

Could your hack 76 YOUR HORSE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

Schooling while hacking Our expert Adele Hayton Adele has a BSc (Hons) in equine science and a level 3 NVQ in horse care. She competes British warmblood Weltina at affiliated Novice dressage.

Think happy hacker and you’d probably picture a horse and rider combination who avoid schooling at all costs, but as Adele Hayton explains, hacking and schooling are not mutually exclusive pastimes. You can be a happy hacker and a dressage diva too.

In fact, Adele believes Mother Nature’s playground is the best possible environment for any horse to learn

turn the page

for tips on how to make the most of your hacking time

take you further? www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 77

Safe &

sound The test

The AWARDS

Travel boots are designed to protect your horse while he’s in the box or trailer. We’ve put eight sets of them to the test to find out which perform the best FIT AND DESIGN Our tester assessed the fit and design of each set of travel boots, considering how easy they were to use

The travel boots that performed the best during our test

PERFORMANCE Our tester considered how well each set of travel boots did their job, including how much protection they offered, whether they stayed in place, how easy they were to clean and what condition they’re in now

The boots that offer great value for money and great performance

TURN OVER FOR sets of boots tested

8

VALUE FOR MONEY Our tester evaluated her comments on fit, design and performance in relation to price for each set of boots, to decide whether they are good value for money

82 YOUR HORSE

The travel boots that performed well in our test

www.yourhorse.co.uk

THE

www.yourhorse.co.uk

TEST Travel boots

YOUR HORSE 83

Zara At home with

The queen of the equestrian world answers your questions.

A far cry from the portrayals of her in glossy magazines such as Hello! and OK!, Zara Phillips marches into the tack room with a saddle slung over her arm, wearing rather unflattering waterproof trousers, her hair scraped back into a bun and a peaked woolly headband covering her ears. She may be 11th in 90 YOUR HORSE

line to the throne, but she looks just like any other horse owner on a cold winter’s day and is clearly most at home tending to her horses in a pair of tracky bottoms.

S

ituated within the grounds of Gatcombe Park, Zara’s yard is a stone’s throw from the modest cottage she shares with England rugby player, Mike Tindall, and just yards from her mother, Princess Anne’s stable block.

Before we have a chance to begin interviewing Zara, the power to the

stables trips. At the same time Zara’s phone rings – her current ringtone of choice is The Pogues’ The Fairytale of New York. Zara answers the phone standing on one leg as she prods at the fuse box with a broom stick. This is exactly where Zara belongs – not hopping around on one leg of course, but slap bang in the thick of the action, getting stuck in.

Without pausing to catch her breath, she ushers us into the warmth of the yard ‘office’ – a room littered with an interesting mix of trophies, gym equipment and a set of musical instruments for the Playstation game Guitar Hero.

In this candid interview Zara talks about her favourite horse of all time, Toytown and reveals her hopes and dreams for the future.

www.yourhorse.co.uk

Celebrity yard visit

turn the page For answers to your questions

ďż˝ www.yourhorse.co.uk

YOUR HORSE 91

Riding Private Lessons

Help! We both struggle to stay balanced when jumping ďż˝ Your problems solved with our one-to-one training sessions Words Rebecca Gibson

THIS COULD BE

!

U YO PRIVATE LESSONS

The trainer

� Name Tim Stockdale � Experience Leading British show jumper Tim Stockdale has been riding horses professionally since leaving school at the age of 17.

He’s a regular member of the British Nations Cup team, is regularly on television promoting the sport, and represented Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The rider and horse

� Name Rachel Bishop � Experience Rachel’s own horse Keira is recovering from a back injury, so she’s riding her friend’s horse Ed. Rachel rides six-year-old, New Forest x TB Ed most weekends. She has jumped Ed in unaffiliated classes up to 3ft and says she struggles to keep both herself and Ed balanced.

turn the page

The lesson gets underway!

�

YOUR HORSE 101

buyers’ guide

turn the page

for all the advice and products you need

Magnetic

attraction The use of magnetic therapy on horses has become a popular way to aid relaxation and to relieve aches and pains. We take a look at some of the magnetic products available to help your horse (and you) feel good!

www.yourhorse.co.uk/subscribe

YOUR HORSE 115

ďż˝