Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 525 i Your Horse

COMPILING YOUR HORSE‘S Review of the Year (page 12) tends to be one of my favourite jobs in a role that I relish and which is invariably packed full of wonderful moments. I get to look back through past issues, after all, and to trawl through the news archives of yourhorse.co.uk while on the lookout for impactful, heart-warming and inspiring stories. This year, however, seemed somewhat different. While there was certainly plenty of good news — not least Britain's significant Olympic and Paralympic medal haul — the bad felt gloomier than in the past, with the fallout from the welfare stories affecting elite sport casting shadows and ripples way beyond the actual yards where they took place. As Your Horse went to press, the findings of the FEI's investigation into…

HACK 1000 MILES October Best Picture Fields of gold Isn't this the most tempting view? A stubble field and those little Fjord pony ears! Marion Wills took this glorious autumn image on a ride with friends in Aberdeenshire. Who's up for a gallop? November Best Picture Orange is the new tack Anne McEwen and Bobby-Joe took matchy-matchy to a new level on a Halloween-themed ride in Scone to add 7.7 miles to their #Hack1000Miles total. This picture was taken by her friend, Janet, who accompanied on foot. Our #Hack1000Miles challengers have been busy this month… #HACK1000MILES IS SPONSORED BY……

Why section Ds are sensational Rio is a 16-year-old, 15.3hh Welsh section D who I bought when he was 11 to be my second horse so that I could retire my other section D. Rio and I do unaffiliated dressage, attend clinics and enjoy hacking in the woods. I recently celebrated my 65th birthday. Deborah Sherwood, Buckinghamshire Ink-credible equine Inkstack Imperial is a 15-year-old Welsh section D x Highland. I've had him since he was three weeks old and I used to do a bit of everything with him (although not competitively). However, I fell off last year and broke my back. I'm now riding again, but these days I'm just a happy hacker. Leanne Kaut, Cheshire Star photo The pony who is a Star in more ways than one…

One of the reasons I love training this way is that it helps riders get out of the habit of micromanaging their horses. This is because using cues and rewards teaches a horse what he will be praised for, so he will always be looking to find that positive place in his work, be it a movement, a rhythm, or a trick. It can be tempting to hand hold and correct a horse with the aids if he takes a moment to answer a cue. However, it's really beneficial to trust him to find the answer himself. This will boost his confidence and his ability to self-soothe in trickier training scenarios. Give him a moment and if he can't find the answer, then back up the cue with your aids.…

Email your questions to yh.ed@kelsey.co.uk Simple solutions for horse owners Meet this month's panel of experts GROUNDWORK Emma Sharman is a Suffolkbased veterinary physiotherapist and Intelligent Horsemanship trainer. Alongside this she provides courses and clinics for owners to learn more about groundwork, equine behaviour and building confidence. Visit ejsvetphysio.co.uk ROAD SAFETY Alan Hiscox is the director of safety at The British Horse Society (BHS). Before joining the organisation, Alan served for 26 years in the Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch and 14 years as chief equitation officer at the Met's training school. INSURANCE Steph Ellis is equestrian business manager of SEIB. She has over 17 years’ experience at the company, working across all equestrian areas, from new business to claims. She specialises in horse insurance and commercial equestrian policies. FEEDING Emma…

ROAD SAFETY - ALAN HISCOX says… Q I want to upgrade my high vis clothing, but I'm not sure what to buy. Can you advise what are the best colours to look out for and what wording, if any, these should have on them. Are there any insurance implications if I have an accident and I'm wearing something with wording on the back asking drivers to slow down for example? Jane Taylor, Northumberland Alan says: The use of conspicuous clothing will maximise the likelihood that other road users will detect you and your horse. We would always recommend that the rider wears, as a minimum, a high vis jacket or tabard, with leg bands for the horse. A hat band or cover is also a useful addition. When it comes…

Q I have purchased a new horse and the seller mentioned transferring their horse insurance to me. I've never heard of this and wonder if it's a possibility? Rachel Coombes, West Midlands Steph says: A transfer of horse insurance is where, with the previous owner's permission, an insurance provider can quote the new owner for a policy in their own name, while transferring the existing policy over, subject to the new owner wanting the same product and cover. The benefits to the new owner would be that, as the horse is already insured, and as long as there's no break in cover (ie, the previous owner doesn't cancel their insurance before the new owner sets up theirs), insurance providers can generally waive the first 14 days illness exclusion and they…

Q I'm planning to leave my horse without shoes, at least through the winter. Should I change his diet to improve his hoof quality? Amy Hunt, Cornwall Emma says: A wide range of nutrients are involved in the formation of strong, healthy hoof horn, and there isn't one single nutrient to feed more of or avoid. A horse's hindgut bacteria produce B vitamins, including biotin, when fermenting dietary fibre, so ensuring that your horse is eating plenty of forage is important to keep his gut healthy while also supplying the optimum amount of calories/energy and nutrients. Remember that hoof horn takes six to 12 months to grow down from the coronary band, so what you feed today will be a part of his hoof structure in the spring and summer.…

The British Hobby Horse of the Year Show 2024 took place at Arena UK last month. Youngsters from across the UK and beyond took part in the first ever British championships, contesting jumping classes from 10cm up to puissance on hobby horses. Organiser Joanna Rowe of the British Hobby Horse Competition Club said: “We have been holding qualifying classes all year all over the country…. The response has been amazing. More than 300 children took part in the first British championships. The atmosphere was electric and it was an amazing experience for all.” IT'S POPPIES GALORE FOR REMEMBRANCE DAY Ex serving soldier Samantha Wenn is a regular at Remembrance Day parades in her local town of Sandy, Bedfordshire. In the past she has been asked to lead the parade with…

PART TWO I LIKE TO think of training horses as being akin to holding a bank account — you can't take out more credits than you deposit. In other words, when you're schooling, consider: Is my horse giving me more than I'm putting in? The tricky thing about training horses is that it is almost always about us and what we want to achieve. Meanwhile, the onus is on the horse to carry his rider and perform. Asking horses to give us ‘credits’ without replacing them can allow behavioural difficulties to creep in. For example, the horse who is always happily hacked alone may suddenly plant when it comes to leaving the yard. We have explored how novelty can be used as a tool to motivate a horse and established…

Exercises like these don't have to form the full extent of a schooling session, but are nice 5 minute additions here and there to help teach a horse new skills to support him in his ridden career, train his brain and build a partnership based on teamwork and positivity. When I'm training I adopt this philosophy: ‘Ask a lot, expect a little, be pleased with a try.’ As long as there's an attempt, there is something to reward. Mark your horse's attempts with praise and his successes with an even bigger reward, such as a treat or something he excels in, and his cue learning will come on in leaps and bounds.…

YOUR HORSE'S TRAINING POLEWORK | PACE ADJUSTMENT PART TWO WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: • How just two poles will help to change the pace • Using the upper body, seat and lower leg and not the rein for change • Achieving consistent rhythm • What to do if the horse makes a mistake CROSS-POLLINATION IS A healthy thing. After all, it works in the natural world and leads to genetic diversity, stronger and healthier plants, improved yield and ecosystem resilience, so why not use it in the horse world? Trainer and former five-star event rider Melissa Chapman certainly likes to mix and match when it comes to the exercises she uses for horses and riders engaged in different disciplines. “I focus on pure dressage now, so I don't jump any more, but…

1 Eyes up, leg on, breathe in, breathe out This becomes almost a mantra by the end of the clinic, but it's a great reminder of everything the rider should be doing. They should remember that they are the pilot. 2 Don't chasr the fences “Sit quietly and let each jump come to you. Don't chase the fences,” says Liz. 3 Think about posture “Keep your shoulders tall on landing — don't stop riding after a fence.” 4 Wrong canter lead? No problem “If your horse lands on the wrong leg, don't panic,” says Liz. “Come back to trot, regain your balance and rhythm, and then pick up the canter again.” 5 Use all of the available space “There isn't always a lot of room, especially in a tight indoor arena, so use all…

As Alex explains, there's an art to walking a cross-country course. Here are her top tips… ■ While you're walking the course try to think like a horse. By noticing changes in the ground, banners, the placement of other fences, narrow spots, shadows, and so on, you will be more prepared and quicker to react if any of these things affect your horse's concentration or confidence. ■ Walk where you're going to ride and don't cut corners on the approach to combinations so that you have time to assess the question ahead. ■ Remember that your horse hasn't walked the course so he needs time to absorb and assess what's ahead too. ■ Always walk a line that slices through the fences in a smooth way, meaning that your horse…

GROUNDWORK - EMMA SHARMAN says… I have an older horse who is getting stiff. We usually hack Q twice a week and do flatwork too, and we contest a dressage competition once a month. Could adding groundwork help him? I've never done it before and don't want to overdo things. Nicole Reilly, Gloucestershire Emma says: Yes, groundwork would definitely help your horse, and any horse come to that who's struggling with stiffness. The first thing to assess is where he's stiff. Is it a certain area, like his neck, back or hocks, or more of a general stiffness throughout his body? I would recommend booking in a session with a physio for a hands-on assessment before you begin any training. They will be able to help you identify areas of…

Q I ride a lot around the country lanes near my yard and I've experienced some incidents recently with the same driver speeding past. I've taken the vehicle's registration number and I know who the driver is. I'm concerned about reporting it, though, in case this actually makes his behaviour worse. What should I do? Beverley Thomas, Somerset Alan says: The police need this evidence to take action, so please do involve them, especially at a local level. The police will treat any information you give them confidentially and if you explain your concerns to them then they will take this into account. These incidents could be classed as a form of intimation and there may be some public order offences involved here, together with traffic offences. However, without this…

INSURANCE - STEPH ELLIS says… Q Money is tight for me at the moment, and while I want to insure my horse, I've been doing some research to try to find the most cost-effective ways of doing so, but it's pretty confusing. Can you help? Debbie Williams, Dorset Steph says: Firstly, make sure that you're insured for the right activities. If you're a happy hacker who does the occasional local show, you don't need to be insured for high-risk activities such as hunting or eventing. When purchasing your insurance, try to make sure that you're only covering yourself for the activities you're actually going to take part in and at the appropriate level — for example, affiliated or unaffiliated. Remember that you can always call at a later date if…

Q My mare has recently lost quite a bit of weight, so I've been adding flaked barley and linseed oil to her feeds to help her gain condition, but I'm becoming quite worried as the weather is starting to get colder and she's still quite thin. What should I do? Sherelle Holt, Derbyshire Emma says: It is important to establish any underlying reason for your mare's weight loss by consulting with your vet, equine dentist, farrier and saddler to identify and eliminate any sources of discomfort, pain, or possible worm burden. Once you're happy with her health reports, consider her overall diet before adding extras to help with weight gain. Ensure that she's eating adequate forage and/or grazing to meet her minimum fibre requirements, which should amount to the equivalent…

THE YARD BOOT — a staple and essential piece of gear that no horse owner can afford to be without. Subjected to serious work, day in, day out, in all weathers, yard boots need to be seriously robust while snug at the same time to enable the wearer to go about their daily tasks on the yard without realising what they are sporting on their feet, whether that's while mucking out, turning out and bringing in, or traipsing across muddy, wet fields. Whether an equestrian prefers long boots or short ones, they need to offer comfort and also have the ability to keep feet warm and dry. Your Horse‘s testers have been putting a selection of yard boots through their paces to find out which ones perform the best and…

YOUR HORSE'S GEAR ON TREND | TRIMMERS AESCULAP CORDLESS CLIPPER FAVORITA CLI RRP £359 (for one battery model) KERBL.CO.UK A powerful cordless clipper with a lithium-ion battery for long clipping time, the integrated InfoLED display of the Aesculap Cordless Clipper Favorita CLi shows the battery charge status, as well as oil and cleaning instructions. This lightweight clipper is ergonomically shaped and perfectly balanced to make trimming easy. MASTERCLIP SHOWMATE II CORDLESS HORSE TRIMMER RRP £79.99 MASTERCLIP.CO.UK An ultra-quiet, two-speed cordless trimmer, the Masterclip Showmate II has an ergonomic handset for ease of use in those tricky-to-reach areas. These trimmers are low vibration, which makes them the ideal choice for sensitive horses. They have an in built fast-charging li-ion battery with LCD display, and the blades are adjustable with four comb guide…

Pentathlon competition that includes the showjumping element will be available again to athletes from grassroots to international level thanks to an historic agreement between the Pony Club International Alliance (PCIA) and the International Pentathlon Association (IPA). Modern pentathlon jumping has now been dropped from the Olympics following scenes of horse abuse and poor riding at the Tokyo Olympics. However, now the PCIA, which overseas the popular sport of tetrathlon (riding, swimming, running and pistol shooting) and the IPA, a new group developed to allow athletes to participate in pentathlon (which also includes fencing) have come together to promote both sports. They will also introduce new competitions — aquathon (running and swimming) and equathon (running, swimming and riding).…

It is important to remember that rewards have to be enticing enough for the horse to feel their benefits. For example, if the rider scores highly in a test, a bowl of unseasoned porridge might not feel like an obvious marker of achievement, especially as it took a lot of motivation to prepare and work for. It is exactly the same for horses. Different rewards are appropriate in different situations and are relative to the effort the horse needs to put in. Simply put, when the question gets harder, the reason to try needs to be ramped up. Certain exercises are intrinsically motivating for horses and these tend to be the ones reflected in horses’ natural behaviour, such as a transition or a single jump. But when the horse is…

Another version of this exercise that will have the same effect as using two poles involves employing the letters in a school and changing the canter or the trot between each pair. “For example,” says Melissa, “you could go long between M and R and then collect the pace between R and B. In this case, don't be too concerned about how many strides you're getting. You should just be giving yourself an aim. Think to yourself, ‘this letter is where I'm going to change the canter or the trot and then at the next (or in two letters time) I'm going to adjust it back again’.”…

It is great to ride a horse who is enthusiastic about the job in hand, but what do you do when you feel as though he's trying to take over? This is the issue one rider is struggling with. After Jackie rides the course Liz asks her how in control she feels. “I feel like Legs is locking onto fences and I'm finding it hard to turn him away if that's not the next jump we're negotiating,” admits Jackie. Her mount, Legs, is a big, strong horse, and Jackie isn't sure how strong she should be with him. This is making her tense through her upper body and she is locking up in the saddle. Feeling more like a passenger than part of a team isn't an uncommon problem, and…

■ SHAMPOO — When it comes to horse shampoo there is a plethora of options. Anyone looking to make the switch to something more sustainable should take a closer look at the ingredients, packaging and animal testing credentials. ■ HARD FEED AND SUPPLEMENTS — There are now plenty of feed and supplement companies that offer their products in fully recyclable packaging with refillable options. Seek out firms like this which are choosing to be better. ■ TACK CLEANING KIT — It is super easy to reduce plastic waste when it comes to tack cleaning. Pick products that come in aluminium tins, while making the switch to a plastic-free cleaning sponge will be a winner. ■ HOOF CARE — Watch out for solvents, crude oil derivatives and tar in some hoof…

Spillers is inviting owners of overweight horses and ponies to join its Spillers Slimmers’ Club for support, advice and encouragement to help keep their horse or pony at a healthy weight. This motivating and friendly club provides practical support and camaraderie for owners of overweight horses and ponies to aid them on their weight loss journey. It provides information and advice, including weight loss tips, details of how to body condition score and how to use a weigh tape. OR SEARCH SPILLERS SLIMMERS ON FACEBOOK…

Q I bought a new horse a couple of months ago. She's a six-yearold, 14.2hh Connemara and my instructor has commented that she's quite unbalanced through transitions and that she doesn't push through from behind properly. My instructor suggested doing some groundwork sessions with her, but I don't know what exercises would help. Liz Hurrell, Bedfordshire Emma says: Weakness or imbalance through transitions and a lack of impulsion from behind are both signs of core stability muscles not working properly, so the right groundwork exercises could really help to improve these issues that you're facing under saddle. A horse's core muscles are something we can forget about as we can't see them, but they are so important for ridden work. Start in the stable Simple exercises like carrot stretches are…

Q My yard is on a main road and to get to a bridleway I have to ride a few hundred yards along this road, often with a friend of mine. Some drivers slow down, but some don't. What should I do to try to slow the flow of traffic, and should my friend ride behind me or by my side to try and force them to slow before they pass us? Paula Browne, Norfolk Alan says: As equestrians we need other road users to take extra care, but there are some steps that we can take when on the roads with our horses. Clear hand signals can be used to alert drivers of your intended movements or to ask them to slow down. Try to be polite at all…

Q I'm about to take on my first horse on loan. A friend mentioned that I will be responsible for the insurance. Is she right? Donna Lee, Cumbria Steph says: Congratulations on loaning your first horse. Whether or not you're responsible for the insurance will depend on the terms of the individual loan agreement. If the loanee is taking on financial responsibility for vet costs, for example, it would generally be the loanee who would purchase the horse insurance. Having a loan agreement is an important way of helping to reduce risk and protect all parties involved. The BHS strongly advises that a mutually acceptable written agreement is drawn up. The BHS sample loan agreement (visit bhs.org.uk) can be used as a basic template that you can personalise to your…

FEEDING - EMMA SHORT says… Q I've noticed that one or two feeds now contain postbiotics, as well as prebiotics and probiotics. What are they and what are their benefits? Lorraine Jenkins, Kent Emma says: Postbiotics are defined as inanimate microorganisms and/or the end products of microbial fermentation, like metabolites, that confer a health benefit on the host. The natural microbial population of the horse's gut produce these metabolites which include the volatile fatty acids from fibre that the horse uses as an energy source. They also include B vitamins and other compounds which are beneficial to health and wellbeing. When a horse is stressed or ill the efficiency with which the microbes can produce the metabolites is reduced and so, for example, feeding prebiotics will help to improve the…

A COAT THAT ADAPTS TO ANY CLIMATE The Hyconic H2cOat is a long, fully waterproof coat that's designed to keep the wearer protected from the elements. Made from 10,000mm water level fabric with a breathability rating of 10,000g/mm², this coat gives complete protection against the rain and wind in and out of the saddle. RRP £129.99 HY-EQUESTRIAN.COM WELL WRAPPED Smart and practical, the Masta Air-Flux Schooling Wrap Boot is made from 3D spacer air mesh to encourage air flow and prevent a build up of sweat. The boots have a perforated neoprene inner and wrap design for a close fit and protection. RRP £38.95 for a pair HARRYHALL.COM WET WEATHER? NO PROBLEM! All Season Waterproof Riding Trousers from Woof Wear enable the wearer to cope with wet weather, whether on…

Elaine Norris and her horse Shamrock enjoy hacking and going on fun rides. They also regularly attend clinics hosted by their local riding club and they take part in the odd unaffiliated dressage competition. Emma Windsor owns two horses. Her great passion is dressage and she competes regularly. She also enjoys clinics and hacks, either locally or she will travel further afield for longer adventures and overnight stays with friends. Ellie Stafford and Bob, her 12-year-old middleweight coloured cob, enjoy hacking, beach rides, fun rides and schooling. They are always looking for some new challenge to try. Claire Alldritt is a serious happy hacker who loves taking part in Your Horse‘s #Hack1000Miles challenge. Teresa Lowther, who owns a Thoroughbred gelding called Saffy, enjoys hacking out. She also helps to look…

How did you get involved with pony books and republishing them? I started reading pony books when I learned to ride at the age of seven. Being a horse mad girl I loved the 100% pony-ness of them. I kept my collection, even after getting married and having a family, and later I ran a small business selling second-hand antiquarian pony books. That gradually became unviable as they became harder to get hold of, so in 2005 I set up my pony book website, Jane Badger Books, and this meant that I knew there was still interest in the genre out there. I got into republishing them almost by accident when I heard that the family of one author wanted to get her books back in print, but couldn't find…