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Volume 4 Issue 17
WWW.HORSENORTH.COM.AU
THE ART OF TRAINING THE
SHOWJUMPING HORSE
JUST JUMP!
A LITTLE ON THE WHIP & SPUR
AND THE ‘LIGHT LEG LESSON’
Horse NorthPO Box 581, Mossman, QLD 4873
P: 4019 6766M: 0448 029 880
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All images and articles are © 2014 Horse North and may not be used without permission from the publishers.All effort is made to ensure articles are correct and appropriate and no responsibility is accepted by the authors and publishers for any loss or damage caused by any person acting as a result of any information contained in any article or advertisement.The opinions and views expressed in Horse North magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Horse North.Horse North accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any information contained in any advertisement nor shall the appearance of any advertisement be assumed to imply that Horse North recommends the advertiser, animals or goods referred to therein.Horse North recommends appropriate safety gear should always be worn while riding and endeavours to print photos of riders wearing such; however sometimes it is not possible to control images provided.
ISSN 2200- 8586
A note from the editor’s yard
Front Cover:JD Kesha, 6yr old Australian Stock Horsewith owner Jodie Duffy, Scooby & OJ
Volume 4 Issue 17
WWW.HORSENORTH.COM.AU
THE ART OF TRAINING THE
SHOWJUMPING HORSE
JUST JUMP!
A LITTLE ON THE WHIP & SPUR
AND THE ‘LIGHT LEG LESSON’
It is with great sadness that we report the tragic loss of the Andalusian stallion Alegria Serio
(pictured here on our front cover Vol.1. Issue.2.). Our sympathies are with are dear friends Ruby, Chris and Grant and all those that were lucky enough to have their lives touched by such a beautiful, talented and characterful horse.
Serio, you will be sadly missed.
Angela SausmanEditor
Showjumping Series
HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SUGARBAGEQUESTRIAN
June 28/29July 12/13
© Horse North 2014
REBECCA HENRY
The art of training a showjumping horse:
Just Jump!
The biggest mistake an inexperienced, aspiring showjumping rider can do is over complicate things. Riders are concerned with what gear to use, what saddle to ride in, what exercises to put the horse through, what distances this exercise should be and then of course, once in the saddle, they start to over-think every little thing. The biggest advice I can give? JUST JUMP!
By this I mean go have some fun, let the world disappear, and just spend time with your horse: put up a small fence, even if it is a 30cm cross rail, and just go over it repeatedly. Change direction, figure of eight, go backwards and forwards, trot over it, canter over it until it becomes second nature. HAVE FUN!
Enjoy your horse, enjoy the sport and relax: allow yourself to make a mistake. The worst mistake you can make is to chase perfection: when riders chase perfection, tension creeps in and once tension is present, the horse starts to despise his work. The key to a great showjumping horse is one that enjoys his work. Once you are both enjoying the work together, you are forming that essential partnership and if you develop a solid partnership with your horse, he will try his heart out for you, even when the chips are down. Magic on a horse starts with the very basics and enjoying your horse; once you and your horse are relaxed under saddle, you can begin to work on improving the little things.
Aim for 1% improvement each day and all of a sudden you will be working at 100%. Give your horse time to understand what you are trying to achieve, because I can guarantee your horse wants to be your friend and work correctly for you, but he just gets confused occasionally, so make sure you are sending clear messages that match his level of training. It is no good aiming to do an impressive sidepass if he doesn’t even understand how to move away from the pressure of your leg.
With my young horses I like to do very basic exercises: I absolutely love poles on the ground, whether by themselves, or set up for an exercise. Poles on the ground will give your flatwork direction and it will give you little tests to see how the horse is progressing. I use visualisation a lot in my riding and I love the fact I can picture jumping a fence when cantering over poles on the ground.
In the last article I wrote I wasn’t a big fan of grids: the reason I don’t like grids, particularly for young horses, is that it can make both horse and rider flustered. With a grid, there are a lot of rails laid out in front of you as you turn the corner and you will find that a rider, unless they have a good nerve, will instinctively push, or over ride, through a grid. The horse can also be intimidated by a grid and he will either start to rush, or start to back off when approaching a grid. One of the important fundamentals of jumping is to hold the rhythm when a fence is in front of your horse; neither horse nor rider should anticipate that fence if they are to jump at full potential. I find grids tend to create anticipation of what may lay ahead for the horse. Finally, most grids are approached from a trot and I don’t understand training to jump in a gait you will never compete in: jumping is ALL about the canter.
There are plenty of benefits to a grid, but I think the best benefit, for inexperienced riders, is that it takes the stress out of trying to find the correct take-off spot. Again, riders tend to overcomplicate the take-off distance to a fence, so a grid can allow horse and
© Horse North 2014
© Horse North 2014
rider to jump a fence bigger than they could normally handle without the trot poles and cross rails to help place the horse. In my experience, I have found grids are wonderful things to fine tune a horse or rider, but not until they are quite advanced.
Instead of grids, I would use placing poles on the ground, along with small verticals and crossrails for a young horse or inexperienced rider: aim to hold the canter and not focus on the fence too much, because we want the horse to canter cleanly over the rail. We don’t want him splitting his front legs or back legs over the pole.
A simple but great exercise is to place two poles at six
strides apart: try to find an even tempo to smoothly canter between these poles. You should get six strides every time, without “splitting” the canter over the pole, or changing your tempo, or pace, down the line. Once you have achieved this, try to collect a little and go down in five strides, then lengthen and go up to seven strides; when you are achieving this smoothly, evenly and with little fuss, start to increase the height. Start with crossrails, then up to verticals; add a single fence by itself after the related line.
Remember jumping is ALWAYS about the canter. The more you can work on a soft relaxed canter over poles, the better your horse’s jump will become.
Bec Henry
fb.https://www.facebook.com/sugarbagequestrianwww.rebeccahenry.com.au
Sugarbag Showjumping Series
Images From left to right - page 3Olivia Hewitt-Toms, Claudia CummingCapone Interschools competitors, Stephanie Cook
Tropical and temperate grasses and legumes, pasture mixes, turf seed and seed cleaning.
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KIM WESTON
Caring for your tack in the Tropics
Life in the Tropics is either baking hot and dry as a bone or wet and humid, often on consecutive days; we find ourselves riding out in all weathers and our tack, as well as our horses, has to cope with it all.
Although there are many synthetic products available, leather is still favoured for its feel, look and longevity; especially in the show ring or arena: most would agree that soft, supple leather must be more comfortable against a horse’s skin rather than the more rigid substitute synthetics?
Leather is an organic compound with natural fibres that can be affected by heat, humidity and the horse’s sweat, but in fairness the synthetic counterparts are also challenged by the tropical climate; some plastics often become
brittle and are subject to flaking.
It is true to say that leather bridles, saddles and other
accessories need a little more TLC but it doesn’t have to be a hugely time consuming task; just using quality products and forming good habits is all it takes to preserve your leather tack for years to come.
Unfortunately, not all leather used in saddle and harness making is equal: the quality of the leather depends on the hide and the tanning process. Top
quality leather, such as that used by Devoucoux, is made with an innovative mineral and vegetable tanning processes, thus avoiding the harsh pollutant chemicals such as chromium salts which are predominantly used with lower grade leathers.
Following a few simple rules should ensure that your leather stands up to the rigours of the Tropics:
• If your saddle, bridle or any leather item gets wet, let it dry out naturally - not in direct sunlight
• Use a clean damp sponge to remove all sweat, dust and rain marks from the leather.
• Never clean or grease wet leather
© Horse North 2014
© Horse North 2014
© Horse North 2014
• Soap your leather every 2 days (if in daily use) or after each use (if used less frequently) to keep it soft and supple
• Place the leather soap onto a clean moist sponge and never directly onto the leather
• Grease only clean, dry leather
• Grease new leather daily for 15 days, and then continue with greasing at least once a month to keep it soft and supple and improve resistance to moisture & sweat
• Allow the leather to dry naturally after greasing
• Never grease previously oiled leather without allowing it to dry for at least 48 hours
• Never oil water buffalo leather
• With new leather tack follow the manufacturer’s recommendations as this will differ depending on the type of leather used. I.e. calf skin or water buffalo.
Enjoy your time in the tack room! Kim
Devoucoux Cleaning Products
phone +61 (0)432 600 214email [email protected]
Bring your leather to lifeSingle
Product Price$25+p&h
© Horse North 2014
TANJA MITTON
Coping with those ups and downs
Life is full of ups and downs in our private life, work environment and, of course, with our horses. Ups and downs are like a roller coaster: they can be emotional and draining as well as uplifting and inspiring, depending on where we are in our lives.
The good thing about horses is that every rider is passionate about their horse and their riding, so giving up is generally not an option; this passion gives us the determination we need to stick it out and from that we get growth that can translate into all areas of our lives.
So how do we deal with these ups and downs and what can we learn?
1. Ask yourself : “What is working for you?” It is so easy to get stuck on the negatives and you can forget the good things that are already working for you. Always find at least one positive in every experience there is.
2. Ask yourself: “Are things really not working out, or have I actually improved and so just expecting too much too quickly?” I often find that people are working towards something and making steady improvements, but get impatient and feel like they are not getting anywhere. You need to be realistic and keep focusing on what you have already improved on.
3. If you seem to have a ‘bad luck’ stream, ask yourself: “What have I done to get these results?” Generally you will find a pattern that you have been following that gives you the consistent outcomes you don’t like; now is the time to commit to making changes.
4. Some things are out of your control and you can’t change them no matter how hard you try; you need to learn to let go and accept that some things just are what they are (the weather for example). If you are a control freak embrace that lesson whenever it comes up.
5. Look at ups and downs as necessary opposites in order to create balance. Balance means movement and you have to remember that you don’t know what is good until you have experiences bad; we don’t appreciate success unless we have experienced failure.
© Horse North 2014
© Horse North 2014
6. Some downs are nothing more than speed bumps: they are not meant to stop you but rather slow you down to give you time to reflect. Every speed bump gives you options of how do things differently, so embrace this instead of getting frustrated. When you are forced to consider other options you might find you come up with a better plan then the original one.
7. Revisit your goals and make sure you know where you are and where you want to go; the clearer your focus is, the less distracted you become when something goes wrong. Create a clear and vivid picture of what you want your goal to look like and remember that it is the outcome that is important not how you get there.
8. Take action: live a proactive life rather then sitting back and waiting for others to do things for you. A detour is better than getting stuck in a traffic jam and not moving at all.
9. I often find that a spanner is thrown into the mix when you are near to achieving your goals: it is the universe’s final question to you to see if you are really sure about your goal and if you are ready to have it. A lot of people give up at this stage, thinking that they have failed.
10. If things go wrong, start celebrating: it means you are getting closer to achieving your goal and it’s just a matter of time.
11. Look at every down as having found another way of how not to do things: when you have found enough ‘How not to do things’ you will automatically get closer to finding the ‘How to do things’.
12. Believe in yourself and your dreams and never give up: it doesn’t matter what other people think of you. You are the only one whose opinion counts and if you believe in yourself you are unstoppable.
Happy riding everyone Cheers Tanja
EquestrianSuccess&Mindsetm. 0419 891319
© Horse North 2014
GALE BRANSFORD
The whip and the spur - a little about how the ‘light leg lesson’
can be used to correct their unintentional misuse
non-responsive in the mouth, as riding begins with the rider’s legs, not the hands or reins; and yes, this often has a lot to do with how the whip and spur are used...
Unintentional misuse of the whip and/or spur often leads to the horse becoming ‘dull’ to the leg aids resulting in his being heavy on the forehand and tense in the jaw; the horse then hollows his back in resistance and uses small steps with the hind legs. The result is often a frustrated rider using more leg and more rein; this becomes a vicious circle where the frustrated rider is not relaxed, using stronger aids with less effect and an unhappy horse showing more resistance in the work. It all becomes an effort and watching or riding
like this is neither harmonious nor beautiful. This is where riding loses its artistic nature and can become more a series of exaggerated mechanical movements.
Luckily this ‘dullness’ to the natural aids of the rider can be corrected quite easily if the sequence of the use of the whip/spur is changed - although with great care: I call it the ‘light leg lesson’. Along with this and other subtle adjustments to your methodology, your riding can become far more enjoyable
and productive no matter what your level of riding or discipline. Of course there is the rare person with natural feel and ability that will not need to use the whip or spur, but unfortunately these gifted riders are few and far between.
What I refer to here as the ‘light leg lesson’ results in clear communication to the horse that it is from our leg aids that we wish them to move forward, not
Whips and spurs are the most commonly used artificial aids being used by today’s riders, but remember that artificial aids were originally developed to refine and assist the natural aids, i.e. the seat, weight, legs, hands and voice of the rider. Unfortunately it is common to see the whip and/or the spur being used incorrectly as a primary aid. I only reluctantly discuss the use of the whip and the spur, as they ARE artificial aids and must be used with the utmost respect for the horse; they must be utilised as tools of refinement and never to frighten or hurt the horse!
The purpose of this article is to outline a method to use the whip/spur for refinement of the aids by the rider from the saddle; it has nothing to do with various other applications of the whip when used in more advanced work, mostly from the ground, by highly skilled trainers - there are many uses of the whip and spur that are not covered here. In this article riders are given information of how a trained rider can use the whip/spur to assist obtaining willing forward movement from the horse by light natural leg aids.
Surely the aim of every rider must be to obtain clear communication with and response from their horse with the least possible effort; learning to teach your horse to move forward from a light leg aid is one of the keys to unfolding the mystery of balance and collection in self carriage, where the horse can display the natural beauty and movement he was born with. Any horse that is ‘dull’ to the leg aids is most likely also
© Horse North 2014
© Horse North 2014
the whip/spur. The rider must discipline themselves to a certain sequence of application of the whip/spur and leg aids and, very importantly, use feel and consideration for the particular horse’s temperament before attempting to do so.
The horse is very sensitive by nature and the rider must discipline themselves to NEVER using strong leg aids; I stress that the rider must find the lightest touch possible when using their leg on the horse and never deviate from this. If you ride a horse trained in this way and thump your leg on its side or use a strong leg aid, this horse simply will not respond at all, as the application is completely foreign to them and means nothing. If you use this light leg method from the very beginning of a horse’s training, that horse will know nothing else and remember you are training your horse every time you interact with him. Once you have actually discovered the ‘light leg’ aids a whole new world of riding will open up to you. Your horse will be happier and so will you. Here’s a typical scenario regarding the incorrect use of the whip:
- The rider arrives at a situation where they begin using their leg aids more and more strongly to get a reaction from their horse; this leads to the horse becoming ‘dull’ to these aids which is followed by the rider taking up the use of the whip.
This rider taps the horse with the whip and the horse moves from the tap, rather than from the leg of the rider. This horse then remains dull to the leg of the rider who is then forced to use the whip more often or more strongly, which in turn can lead to the horse becoming dull to the whip also; as I describe later, the horse may also become afraid of the whip. At the same time the rider may still be using strong leg aids or forgetting them all together... and so on go the spurs... now we have resistance happening everywhere!
How do we fix this? How do I give my horse the basic ‘light leg lesson’?
Once the horse begins to move easily forward from a
very light touch of the rider’s leg, the horse can relax his mind and his jaw, enabling a softer contact with the reins which in turn enables the horse to move in the self carriage he/she was born with; the horse willingly begins to accept more activity in the work resulting in willing use of the hind legs. Now the horse can develop gymnastically without resistance to the work. Also, when the horse has learned to acknowledge a very light leg aid, the lateral work becomes softer and easier for the horse as there is no longer a need to hold the reins tightly - the horse can work in a
slightly longer, natural frame and balance without his head jammed up close to his chest. Here is where the horse now has room to bring his back up as he would naturally and can work progressively, building the dorsal muscles without resistance.
To change any circle of resistance caused by the whip, firstly the rider must discipline themselves to
use their leg much more lightly than ever before: I recommend the rider think of brushing the hair of the horse’s sides slowly away from the direction of its growth with their lower leg, from back to front; just little touches, one after the other, the rule being to never hold the leg aids when asking the horse to move forward/away from them. To do this one must take one’s leg slightly off the horse, move the leg just a little back, then apply the ‘forward’ brush... but only just enough to ‘tickle’ the hair. Try it with your finger,
as lightly as a fly, and you will see the horse’s skin ‘quiver’ as if to flick off a fly (this also causes a reflex action which relaxes the muscles at the front base of the horse’s neck - very
handy when aiming for more collection under saddle). You need to try and replicate this with your leg aids. At first it may look to the observer as an exaggeration of the rider’s leg movement, until they refine it and the horse has understood; by this time, this sort of leg aid becomes virtually imperceptible with many horses responding to the actual ‘approach’ of the riders leg. (In this world of leg aids, the only time we ‘hold’ the calf against the horse’s sides is for the downward transition, giving the horse clear definition of the leg aids and what is being asked). Some students who have learned this method have told me it feels
© Horse North 2014
to them as though they can virtually ‘lift’ the horse forward instantly with their legs.
You may find that riding with long boots and long side flaps on your saddle (like on many dressage saddles or fenders on western saddles), you cannot initially find this ‘light’ touch with your leg: I recommend you wear short boots and a saddle that allows you to directly ‘feel’ the horse’s sides when learning to apply a ‘light leg’. Later, when you and your horse have consolidated the feel of this work you may put your long boots back on, although you might wish you didn’t have to! For this reason, I prefer soft chapettes when I need to have the ‘look’ of a long boot.
When teaching the ‘light leg lesson’ I only ask for work for short periods of time with a lot of relaxing walk and reward in between (“ask a lot, expect little, reward often”). It is important to let the horse learn this lesson independently of any other issue: the sole objective is for the horse to learn to move forward from a leg aid lighter than most think possible. This forms a basic lesson one may revert back to later on as the work progresses gymnastically and the horse may resist going ‘forward’. The ‘light leg lesson’ must be executed with precision, according to the individual horse’s personality, so it does not need to be repeated often, if ever again. Feel and timing are critical.
For the rest of the work and for many sessions afterwards (in fact forever) you must always concentrate on NEVER using your legs any more strongly than the described ‘light leg’. Ensure you remember to think of using the leg to touch brushing the hair slightly from back towards the front of the horse’s sides.
Soon after your horse truly understands the light leg aid in transitions between the paces, you can begin to use it within the paces gradually producing more energy in a working frame.
A little about the horse that is afraid of the whip: sometimes we see a rider pick up a whip only when they feel the horse beginning to ignore the leg aids, then shortly afterwards they throw the whip away as the horse becomes ‘too forward going’, followed then by the horse again ignoring the rider’s natural aids as soon as the whip is ‘gone’.
The horse’s fear of the whip should have been rectified at the very beginning of the training by showing the horse the whip is NOT something to be afraid of - by familiarising the horse early from the ground, caressing the whole body of the horse with the whip, carrying a whip often and by using the whip only as an extension of the natural aids, (except when the rider occasionally uses the whip with the lightest touch as an ‘extension’ of the arm/leg to ‘help’ the horse move in the manner asked for, e.g. in lateral work you may wish the horse to move his hindquarter a little more).
You may have inherited a horse with fear of the whip, or inadvertently caused it yourself: if you have a horse that is afraid of the whip you must use patience and careful assimilation until the horse has overcome that fear.A few helpful hints are: begin familiarising the horse
with the whip from the ground by carefully caressing his body all over with it, once this is totally accepted and the horse relaxes, you might carry a very short whip from the saddle to begin with, getting the horse used to the whip being changed from side to side until he is not frightened of that as well. The rider needs to learn to do this without affecting the mouth of the
© Horse North 2014
horse through the reins and practising changing their rising diagonals at the same time so they develop more coordination in their riding. The horse must not be afraid of the whip, nor anything else the rider may choose to carry!
Remember, a horse that is not relaxed cannot learn.
A little about the spur:
The spur it is much the same as the whip: the rider who uses the spur itself to send the horse forward/away from their leg may find the horse becoming either dull to the spur or afraid of it. I would not enjoy someone poking me in the side all the time (would you?) and it is our light leg aids we wish the horse to respond to after all.
I often see riders who have not yet developed an independent seat using the spurs without realising it; other riders might use the spur simply as a habit
when there is no need. This quickly leads to the horse becoming dull to the spur or, conversely, the horse becomes too active so the rider takes off the spurs; then the horse is dull to their legs again. These riders should spend more time acquiring a correct, balanced and independent seat, so they know exactly where their legs are, before even wearing spurs. Only when this is established can the rider begin to use the spur effectively to refine and enhance the natural aids of their legs.
Again, horses trained in this manner will simply do nothing at all if a ‘hard’ or ‘thumping’ leg aid is applied by the rider.
Unfortunately we humans seem to think more equals more – as with incorrect and unnecessary rider’s aids to the horse.
The fact is LESS equals more in the art of good horsemanship.
Footnote: From an instructor’s point of view it is truly magical to witness riders learning the feel of lighter aids and finally achieving their goals. It is even more rewarding to see the horses relax and become more beautiful with every stride by displaying balanced and relaxed gymnastic work. A rider recently wrote a testimonial stating their ‘light bulb moment’ was when they felt “legs for lightness”. These are the rewards of sharing methods and information gathered from many great horsemen/women that came before me.
Warm regards and happy riding,
Gale Bransford
A certain ‘sequence of application’ is essential to success in training the ‘light leg lesson’; to learn this sequence, I can be contacted in the following ways:
m. +61 (0)410 484 084p.+61(0)740941689orFB.www.facebook.com/gale.b.burns
E.A. Level I NCAS General Equestrian Coach Classical Dressage SpecialistQualifi ed to instruct• Dressage• Show Jumping • Cross CountryWorking Equitation Qualifi ed Instructor and Judge
Now located in Julatt en & can travel to youAvailable to give private/group lessons/clinics
p. +61 (0)7 4094 1689 m. (0)410 484 084Facebook: www.facebook.com/gale.b.burns
Gale Bransford from Victoria
HELEN SMITH
Equine Osteopathy
© Horse North 2014Equine Osteopathy, in my opinion, is concerned with the study of structural and mechanical faults in the equine body and the manner in which these faults influence the physiological processes on a mechanical, emotional, neurological, chemical and behavioural level. The neuro-muscular-skeletal system affects the horse on all levels when it has disorders. The horse has to adapt and defend itself against lifelong internal and external influences with its own vitality and mobility as its only tools; if these are not sufficient, somatic dysfunction occurs which over time can lead to pathology. The horse is a social, psycho-somatic totality and will respond and react to all influences by positive or negative adaptation and/or compensation.Equine Osteopathy looks to improve health and focuses on the restoration of comfortable mobility to structures within the body; there are a variety of techniques which influence the connective tissues, fluidal mobility, joint articulations and posture.
Individualised treatment looks at the whole animal not just symptoms and separate systems; the therapist aims to help nature as much as possible by removing mechanical hindrance for restoration of efficient function, while stimulating the body’s inherited, innate self regulating and healing mechanisms to enhance wellbeing, functional efficiency and harmonious physiology.
The body is in a dynamic mechanical state and has continual compensations and adaptations to posture, the ligamentous system together with fascia towards the successful rehabilitation of somatic dysfunction. Muscles are also important but if the connecting fibres and fascia are compromised, the neurology is impaired and the muscle ceases to be as efficient in its function. To restore neurology and functionality of movement, stretching and broadening of fibres can repair and decrease stiffness.
There are contractile structures in ligaments which mean they respond in the same way as muscles i.e. relax and contract. Every joint has ligaments and capsules as well as their associated muscles and fascia; contraction and elasticity loss at the ligaments causes extra rigidity and ligaments can also calcify which makes therapy more difficult, however without locomotion it worsens. The main function of a muscle is to contract. Osteopathy can mobilise muscles, fascia and ligamentous structures by separating adhesions between fibres to restore movement; adequate active use can then stop the adhesions re-forming. Just stretching out the musculature does not help, as during stretching the fibres actually lay closer together; the adhesive, fibrotic restrictions in soft tissue fibres need to be freed up with both broadening and the lengthening of the fibres to stop contracting with more than normal tension.
In horses there are three categories of muscles:
Postural (tonic) muscles are constantly working to maintain tone for posture, balance and stability and are prone to shortening and tension.
Phasic muscles for locomotion, more prone to lengthening and weakness.
Mixed muscles of both tonic and phasic fibres for movement and posture.
The mixed muscles most commonly have more restrictions, and have a higher chance of hypertonic contraction. The psoas muscle is a prime example of this and can contract more into flexion contributing to hip, stifle, hock, pelvis, sacrum and lumbar problems. Common articular fixations occur where there are a lot of fibrous attachments converging, or where the spinal joint angles change.
Many horses have lumbar-sacral, sacroiliac, stifle and hock problems; all these problems are interrelated as these structures work in unison. Dysfunction is often displayed as poor performance, intermittent lameness, lack of rear impulsion and local pain or discomfort; the horse can still look symmetrical and sometimes with therapy or rest the pain subsides and motion improves again.
There are times horses are presented for treatment with the following observations: a flaccid tail, muscle atrophy (in particular the gluteus, quadriceps and top line), poor body condition, even though being well fed and worked, perianal atrophy, urinary faecal disturbance, atrophy behind the shoulders, an overdeveloped underneath neck musculature and over development in the semi tendinosis hamstring muscle, as well as poor performance, lack of impulsion, discomfort or pain. This is an indication of major problems.
Each horse (all four) have various postural abnormality induced from trauma and injury. There are stages of muscle wastage, overdevelopment, asymmetry, change of spinal curve observable. Ages range from four months to fifteen years
I would recommend any such horse should have a diagnostic examination to check for pathology such as fibro-cartilage damage, displacement, bone remodelling or calcification, which can all be diagnosed from ultrasound, palpation, and other diagnostic testing. The findings will then allow the therapist to proceed with the best treatment plan for the horse. If there is sufficient pathology and where permanent damage and change has occurred, often the horse may be rehabilitated and maintained at a comfortable functional level with constant maintenance; it will not, however, return to full function or be expected to perform showjumping, racing or high speed sports with a lot of torque (reining, cutting, barrels) as this can irritate and worsen problems, creating further strain and disorder.
Ayounghorsestillgrowingwithgoodposture
An Equine Osteopath does not necessarily put a misaligned joint “back in place” but rather aims to restore movement for return of function at a relaxed level of motion. Working the articular surfaces, the connective tissues and the muscle fibres can restore movement, but it is important to know what the underlying structures, anatomic function and physiology serve in order to effect a positive result and on-going rehabilitation or maintenance, with a knowledge of the correct exercises for the horse to gain improved performance, is also important. This is time consuming and often repetitive, however when the time is put in you will see very positive results.
Helen
EquineOsteopathandAcupuncturem. 0427 962 867
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Ocean Easy Stables - the home of Holistic Horse Management
Established in 2009, Ocean Easy Stables is home to the HolisticHorseManagementAwarenessProgramme developed to nurture horses’ mental and physical wellbeing.The Holistic Horse Management Awareness Programme is designed to help you think about how you interact with horses. It is NOT a training course, it IS a systematic way of examining everything you do with and for a horse.
HowcantheHHMAwarenessProgrammehelpyou?• understand how you can influence the horse• handling/riding skills• understand the horse from head to toe• planning/budgeting to help with the hip pocket• increased safety• protect the environmentbut most of all it is designed to increase your enjoyment and build on a happy relationship with that most sensitive, powerful, forgiving, noble beast - the horseWhyholistic?Holistic is a term often used in a medical sense, but in management terms it relates to looking at ‘the big picture’ while realising that everything is interconnected. WhyistheHolisticHorseManagementAwarenessProgrammedifferent?We know there are many experts out there but how often do you feel that there is still something missing and you are still searching for help? This simple programme will give you direction, enabling you to make informed decisions. The HHM Awareness Programme offers access to experts in their specific areas as well as the possibility of personal mentoring.The OceanEasyStablesHHMAwarenessProgrammeisavailableasamodulecourse to purchase online through the HorseNorthShop or contact Ocean Easy Stables for a private consultation.Go to WWW.OCEANEASY.NETfor further details Go to WWW.HORSENORTH.COM.AUto order online
THE YOUNG HORSE CHRONICLES
Part 2
In the last few months I have been amazed at the positive development of my young Horse Cristogracia Dantes: he is such a pleasure to be with.
Just recapping on the first three lessons in the series of the young horse chronicles, Dantes is definitely an individual. I am still learning so much about the behaviour of a young horse but the hours of repetition and the attention to accurate and meaningful aids is paying off.
Here are a few more of my lessons learnt so far:
Lesson 4
They don’t speak English, or any other of our human linguistic offerings! It is of course true to say that they will pick up on certain verbal cues over time but chattering to them explaining the ins and outs of why they should stand still or move off the hose is just noise to them. Thinking about your verbal interactions with them is a worthwhile exercise: I have found that speaking in the same gentle low tone has given Dantes reassurance, especially when walking past a new object or checking out an unfamiliar place. Watching the volume really made a difference with him too, he is appalled by shouting!
Lesson 5
Not all horses are the same with regards to physical touch and pressure from the touch. I know that Dantes was handled beautifully from the day he was born which is a huge bonus; he has no problem with accepting a human touch all over his body but the approach and level of touch is of great importance. It is all about respect and taking time to understand what is needed and acceptable. Interestingly I have found that the level of touch for aids such as yielding the shoulder from the ground has either decreased or is not needed at all, just the intention and the positioning of the hand at my shoulder height is all that is needed. On the other hand he seeks more contact with me for praise, loving a tickle, scratch and cuddles.
Lesson 6
The flight or fight response is natural behaviour and until young horses gain our trust enough to suppress this (with the assistance of a gentle calming voice, touch, aid and positive direction from us) we can expect to deal with the odd flight reaction with the beginnings of a shy away if they encounter something
that they initially fear. I have also experienced the Dantes ‘I’m not happy’ nip on more than one occasion as a result of the fear response. Of course a reprimand followed but looking at it from Dantes’s perspective that was a scary thing and I couldn’t run from it so a little nip was his reaction. For me it was a wake-up call to teach him that it was not acceptable with a gentle tap on the nose which had to be done ‘in the moment’. Now just the raising of the finger acts as the reminder in a difficult situation.
Our two-way communication continues to develop.......
OCEAN EASY STABLES
© Horse North 2014
Angela SausmanMitavite Partner Rider
OCEANEASYSTABLESPOWERED BY MITAVITE
Offered for sale Cristogracia
Vida Mia1st Cross Andalusian
(Alegria Serio/Donna)Exceptional temperament,
beautiful movement & outstanding trainability
Reserve Champion Mareeba All Breeds 2014
Enquiries: contact Chris: 07 4095 1010
Understanding Equine Digestion:The oesophagus &
stomachAfter the feed has been chewed sufficiently, the feedstuff mixed with saliva is held at the back of the mouth before being swallowed to pass through to the food tube or oesophagus; a series of valves prevents the food from passing into the larynx (voice box) and trachea (the breathing tube).
The oesophagus is approximately 1.2 to 1.5m in length (obviously depending on the size of horse or pony – think of the different length of their necks to compare). The circumference of the oesophagus has a series of smooth muscle fibres which contract at intervals in a motion known as peristalsis; these contractions move the food bolus (the small rounded
mass of chewed food) along the tube and down into the stomach. Any obstruction here can cause ‘choke’, which is why adequate fresh water should be available to the horse constantly to allow for adequate saliva production and to help with the passage of food.
The stomach is the first part of the foregut; it is around the size of a rugby ball, (again depending on the size of the animal), is relatively inelastic and can hold around
8-15 litres in volume, though the shape of the stomach means that it is usually no more than 2/3 full at any one time. When we are feeding our horses we need to consider the amount of feed in any one ration, making sure that we do not overfill the stomach otherwise the feed will pass into the small intestine before it has been processed by the stomach acids. This can cause discomfort for the horse as it inhibits the correct digestive process but is also a waste of money as the nutrients in the feed will not be absorbed and used. Feeding should be little and often: if feeding a concentrate or complete feed it should generally be given at a ratio of 400g of concentrate feed per 100kg of horse. The horse should have constant access to forage (hay and pasture) which the horse will self monitor for a correct intake.
The stomach is divided into 2 compartments separated by a band called the margo plicatus. The food bolus first passes into the top squamous section, a non-glandular area which is given protection from the strong stomach acid by the buffering affects of the saliva and the physical barrier of the fibrous portion of the horse’s feed. This is one of the reasons why constant access to forage is important for the horse’s gut health.
The bottom of the stomach, the gastric section, is glandular: the glands secrete a mucous covering which protects the stomach wall against the hydrochloric acid produced. The pH of the stomach reaches around 1.5 to 2 and the acid breaks down the feedstuff into simple components before being passed through to the small intestine; there is very little absorption that actually takes place in the stomach - it can be thought of as more of a processing plant.
OCEAN EASY STABLES
Kuranda & MareebaVeterinary ServicesKuranda & MareebaVeterinary Services“Caring for All Creatures Great and Small”
ALL HOURS PHONE
Kuranda: 4093 7283Mareeba: 4092 4260
© Horse North 2014
DR. ANDREW EASTONBVSc, MACVSc (Veterinary Dentistry), CMAVA
Tetanus
Vaccinations can be used to prevent many serious diseases by enhancing the horse’s
ability to resist infection.
Tetanus is a common anaerobic bacteria found in the soil and droppings and the Clostridium tetani spores can survive in the environment for long periods of time. The bacteria enter the body through cuts and abrasions, often through the sole of the foot when compromised or, if gastric ulcers are present, it can enter through the stomach lining as the horse ingests soil when grazing.
Tetanus is fatal in the majority of cases: the Clostridium tetani bacteria produce a potent neurotoxin that attacks the nerve pathways to the horse’s muscles: signs of muscle stiffening and spasm are seen in the affected horse causing the animal pain and distress and the third eyelid is commonly seen to protrude across the cornea.
Although the risk of infection is high, prevention is simple with a vaccination of tetanus toxoid. Courses of vaccine should start just after the foal is 4 months of age and after the first administration
a booster vaccination is required, normally 4 to 6 weeks apart. It is then recommended that booster vaccinations are given each year to protect your horses from a Tetanus infection.
Spelling for your horseExcellent facilities including:
• Improved pasture including Rhodes & legumes
• Stabling with day yards• Secure electric and plain wire fencing• Sand roll• Round yard
Group paddock agistment also available
1212 Woodstock Giru RdGiru, QLD 4809
Bookings are essentialContact: Melissa Hudson 0439 105 990
© Horse North 2014
