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Buying A Horse

Improving your horses core strength from the ground

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Horse Scout blogger in meditation mode: Whether you are training a top class show jumper or Eventer as an athlete or working with young horses or perhaps trying to balance a big horse under you as per my recent blog. Then working from the ground is a useful and effective way to begin working on core strength with your horse.

Core strengthening exercises strengthen and stabilise the spine and pelvic muscles as the horse responds to pressure over specific areas. If you have strong hands, you can apply pressure manually; if not, use a metal thimble over your thumb or finger. Perform three to five repetitions, allowing the muscles to relax for a few seconds after each exercise.

Some horses, especially those that are girthy or cold-backed, may resent certain procedures. If resentment persists, omit the exercise until you’ve consulted with your veterinarian.

The following exercise stimulates lifting of the base of the neck, sternum, and withers through pressure on the ventral midline between the forelimbs. These movements are essential for self carriage.

Sternal, withers, and thoracic lifting exercise:

1. Stand facing the horse’s side, just behind the elbow.

2. Apply upward pressure to the sternum (breastbone) in the middle of your horse’s chest, between the pectoral muscles. Gradually slide your hand back between the forelimbs and behind the girth line while maintaining a steady upward pressure.

3. The horse responds by initially lifting through the sternum and withers. Then as the pressure moves further back, he responds by lifting in the thoracic area immediately behind the withers, and finally in the thoracic area under the saddle.

Note: the amount of pressure needed to stimulate a response will vary between horses, so start gently and increase pressure gradually, or use a slow stroking action until the horse responds.

  1. Balancing Exercises

Balancing exercises improve balance and stability by inducing the horse to use active muscular contractions to shift the centre of gravity toward his haunches and/or to resist displacement of his centre of gravity. A horse uses his muscles in some of the balancing exercises to shift his centre of gravity, while in others, he uses his muscles to resist a shift.

The next exercise stimulates activation of the pelvic stabiliser muscles to maintain the horse’s balance.

Tail pull:

1. Stand to one side of the hindquarters.

2. Take hold of the horse’s tail, pull it toward you by flexing your elbow. (The goal is not to pull the horse off balance, but to stimulate resistance in the pelvic stabiliser muscles.) You’ll see the muscles around the stifle contracting as the horse resists the pulling force.

3. You can gradually increase the amount of force applied to the tail or the number of repetitions as the muscles get stronger.

Remember to check with your veterinarian before including such exercises into your horse’s training regimen; this is especially important if the horse is recovering from an injury.

Core training exercises can be done without a warm-up–for example, in horses that are recovering from injury–because the horse controls the amount of motion, and loading of the joints is less than during locomotion.

This advice has come from Dr. Hilary Clayton —equestrian, veterinarian, author, researcher, and clinician — is known internationally for her ongoing contribution to the understanding of equine biomechanics particularly relating to performance and conditioning.   Dr. Clayton’s targeted studies in bitting, saddle fit biometrics, kinematics and kinetics, and locomotion have provided valuable insight into the mechanics of equine sports, the interaction between rider and horse, and the effects of various rehabilitation techniques.  You can read about her here of buy her book The Dynamic Horse.

Dressage

Simulated riding sessions – Stay Sober and Smile. Try Leggless at Quob Stables in Hampshire

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Horse Scout Blogger is bouncing today: Well, I wish I was!  Have you ever thought about perfecting your aids or checking how straight you sit?

I was looking at Daisy Jacksons’ Profile on Horse Scout’s Professional Trainers lists and saw that her pyhsio therapists ‘The Balanced Rider’ had Access to a Horse Simulator.

The simulator The Balanced Rider practice use stands at Quob Stables, a smart Equestrian Centre in Hampshire and they offer sessions on “Legless” (brilliant name) for around £35.00. They say that their Dressage Simulator is fun and comfortable to ride. It is ideal to teach riders of all levels, ages and abilities.

The Interactive Dressage Simulator is the most valuable and realistic instructional aid in dressage. It teaches the rider position and control, it develops technique, skill, muscle memory and confidence. It is possible to complete the test and then play it back on the screen

The Advantages listed for riding a simulator are:

1. For the instructor

  • Close proximity to students when teaching

2. For the rider

  • Safe practice for nervous riders
  • Safe and controlled environment
  • Learn the correct posture in minutes
  • Recover from injury with safe measured steps
  • General fitness

3. For everyone!

  • All weather training

The simulator is the same size as a real horse and its action is very close to the natural feel of a real horse. When riding in the simulated arena, the rider is drawn in to the sensation of actually riding in a real ring.

As a teaching aid to help pin point exactly how to give the aids for new movements or to check that you are applying aids correctly, sitting straight, etc this seems like a gift.  Perhaps it could be a gift for someone you think would benefit from a session with their trainer or one from Quob…I wonder if Daisy Jackson has ever tried it!

Daisy is a professional dressage rider, based in Dorset/Hampshire training her current horse to PSG, competing at Advanced Medium. She was on the GB Junior Squad 2012-2013 with International Grand Prix horse Saint Swithens. She has trained with some impressive professionals herself; squad training with Stephen Clarke and Sandy Phillips, and also top trainers such as Dan Greenwood and Nicola Buchanan. Sshe was selected for the High Performance programme and received training with Olympic riders and international judges including Jennie Loriston-Clarke, Anna Ross Davies and Judy Harvey. Daisy is currently training with Nicola Buchanan, Gareth Hughes and Nicky Barrett. Holds Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence. Training towards UKCC. Available by appointment for training. If you are looking for a trainer in Hampshire contact Nicky here.

for The Balanced Riders practice click here

 

Dressage

Is Elastic Fantastic? The Impact Of Elastic Inserts On Rein Tension

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Horse Scout Bloggers’ conundrum toady: In conversation the other day I was asked about a horse which consistently tensed against his riders hands, his rider wondered what she could do with a pulling horse, and the conversation turned to the use of elastic reins to diffuse tension. The first port of call is always to seek advice from the ground with the help of a professional trainer but the question was an interesting one and I decided to investigate the arguments for and against.

I notice that, among others, Carl Hester sells them through his website shop under the banner “CARL HESTER FANTASTIC ELASTIC DRESSAGE REINS’ The website states that they are designed by the Olympic Gold Medalist to give an elastic feel from the hand to the horses mouth. Followed by a quote from Carl Hester – “As a rider and trainer my constant quest is to connect horse and rider with the ultimate ‘elastic’ feel, these reins do exactly that”

The bullet points for their use state that the elastic inserts

  • Encourage a soft consistant contact
  • Help improve hand position
  • Eliminate resistance in the mouth
  • Elastic insert for soft contact

And that they are:-

  • Training aid only, not permitted in competition
  • Horse size only in black or brown
  • Top quality British leather
  • Dressage rein has rubber grip on inside

I can certainly understand the thinking behind the design, particularly when teaching riders about the need to think forward at all times and not to rely on force or tension through transitions and that they may well help with the understanding of “feel” in riding.

Conversely I can also empathise with the IESC findings which indicate that, whilst they had a positive impact on tension in horses; riders can easily mistime their rein aids, not release sufficiently or apply to much tension (thus learning bad habits) because the elastic dulls/blurs the feel on the horses mouth.  Below is the report from the conference.

17-Aug-last year the 10th International Equitation Science Conference was held in Denmark.  This conference covered Equine Stress, Learning and Training and one particular topic was the impact of elastic inserts on rein tension.

They say: Elastic has been used over the years to achieve ‘give’ and flexibility in equestrian equipment such as girths and reins. The reins provide a physical means for the delivery of signals/aids from the human to the horse. Rein design with the inclusion of elastic inserts are designed to “diffuse tension, to avoid pressure on the horse’s mouth and to avoid sustained tension on the reins”. However researchers found that this design can have a substantial impact on the tensions applied particularly when making transitions during equitation.

 

The study bought to the table to argue this was was conducted by Hayley Randle, PhD, Academic Lead: Quality and Research at Duchy College and Hon. President of the International Society for Equitation Science and Alison Abbey Equitation Science programme manager from Duchy College, UK. Randle and Abbey set out to determine the effect of elastic inserts in reins on first, the tension applied for normal riding and a walk to halt transition, and second, the ability to release the tension in the reins.

Thirty female riders (note: the study does not seem to comment on the expertise of these riders) rode horses with either standard rubber or rubber reins with elastic inserts. Rein tensions were measured using a Centaur Rein Tension Gauge TM for left and right hands, with both rein types when taking up a normal riding contact and executing a walk to halt transition.

The results of the study demonstrated significantly different tensions were applied by riders with the two types of rein. Lower tensions were exerted on reins with the elastic insert than with the rigid reins in the normal riding contact condition, whilst higher tensions were evident with elastic insert reins than with rigid reins in the walk to halt transition. The time taken for rein tension to return to zero following complete release by the rider was significantly greater, and less consistent, with the elastic insert reins than with the rigid reins.

Since sustainable and ethical equitation relies upon the effective delivery and receipt of clear signals and timely pressure-release; rein tension and pressure-release should be used carefully and consistently in training. This study suggests that although elastic inserts in reins may result in less tension in general riding, they may alter riders’ behaviour in terms of the tension applied when executing a particular equitation task. Furthermore, elastic inserts in reins may have a deleterious effect on a rider’s ability to apply negative reinforcement accurately and therefore clarity during training.

The impaired ability to simultaneously release pressure may have a negative impact on equine learning and training, and consequently equine stress and welfare.  The consensus at the conference was that further research is needed into the incorporation of materials such as elastics.

On the Ground

Your Horse Editor, Julie Brown, says:

Carl Hester gave me these reins at Your Horse Live last year, as he thought they might be useful for my horse Boris – I was struggling to keep him in a consistent, soft outline. I sold Boris shortly after but recently I’ve been using them with my young mare Vespa. Being a baby, she sometimes tries to use my hands as a prop, particularly if she’s a little tired. To stop this and to make sure I wasn’t making it worse by pulling back, I thought I’d give these a go. The reins have an elastic insert that gives slightly, allowing for a soft feel. It’s impossible for the horse to take a hold which, in turn, makes sure the rider isn’t being too heavy either.

She goes on to say “The results weren’t instantaneous but after a few sessions I definitely saw the benefit. Even if Vespa did try to lean, she

wasn’t able to, and a nice soft contact ensued. They aren’t dressage legal, so Vespa needs to learn to take a nice soft contact no matter what reins I’m using, but I find that if I have a schooling session full of leaning and pulling and everything else fails, then using the reins really works. I can highly recommend them as a training aid to be used when needed.”

Having read articles for and against I think that they are a good idea in moderation, I think, like many training aids, they have a place.  I also think that training aids are not a panacea and that, ultimately, it is correct training, correct riding, goal setting and incremental training programmes which make a horse work well and a partnership successful.

They say “Patience is a virtue” the reality is that you will get virtually nowhere without Patience.

Horse Riding Tips

How can I balance a big horse? Core strength is the key to harmony.

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Horse Scout blogger was pondering this question.  I am tall and quite strong , I run and do a fair amount of core training.  I also have very long legs! I was thinking how this affected what sort of horse I would search for if I was looking for horses for sale. More importantly what happens when a smaller person falls in love with a horse which, on the face of it, looks as if he is going to be “just too big”

Having a horse which is large doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be ridden by a large or strong person. They do, however, take much longer to become strong in themselves, so training will take proportionately longer. As your horse becomes stronger he will be able to carry himself better and become easier to ride. A fit, fully trained large horse should not in practice be any more effort to ride than a smaller one.

BUT: it would pay a small rider in dividends to be as physically stable and strong as they can be, not to force the horse in any way but to hold the movements, contain the power of the horse through a matched core strength. If you are strong you will ride the very best your ability allows….but better!

Being able to hold yourself athletically and cardially fit will allow you to sit big movements without tension. With fitness comes suppleness and being supple will allow you to absorb the movement through your own agility.

If you are looking to the long term future of this large horse you cannot rush his developmental or re-training and you definitely cannot force him into an outline. You need to focus entirely on steady progress towards self carriage.

On a large horse, as with any other, it is the quality of the movement that you are looking for. Really concentrate on setting up a movement, that means every corner, every transition with correctly executed half halts, and correct aids. Use every opportunity to encourage the horse to carry himself correctly and you will be on the road to building in the vital strength he needs to carry himself. Initially he will tire pretty quickly (and so may you) make sure you build in a good warm up and warm down routine and let him stretch and ride him long and low between exercises.

Keep all movements big to start with, start with 20 meter circles and only gradually reduce the size. Give him every chance to keep himself in balance. Do half circles loops back to the long side, two loop 20 then 15 meter circles will help shorten him and so will inward spirals on a circle using shallow lateral movements and changes of directions. Use corners as 15 meter circle quarters and work down to 10 meter circle quarters. On the long sides use gentle lateral movements and use these to move into a circle. Look for quality not quantity.

Simple pole work exercises will help strengthen and elevate paces and add variety. Keeping a horse interested (not confused) is key to progress. Follow routines i.e. warm up, train, warm down, but add variety within that program.

If you find the quality of the movements is degrading as your session goes on, stop, let him relax, rest and stretch. Start again and ask for something which he can perform well even when he is tired then call it a day and go for a stroll if he has not been out for long.

Grooming will help sooth tired muscles and help build your relationship with him. Work to a scheduled schooling program and build in time to allow him to let his hair down.

I think that if you are small it does not preclude you from buying a larger horse, but it does mean you need to take account of your own fitness and that of the horse. Take your time. Seek professional help to make sure progress is on target and that you are being consistent. Horse Scout has a wonderful list of trainers in every sector: Showing, Endurance, Eventing, Showjumping and Dressage so take a look and find someone fantastic to help you with your lovely big horse. Click here to find your perfect trainer

 

 

 

 

Racing

Lets Shout about – RoR Eventing Series – Horsescout has a perfect candidate for the series

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RoR supports the retraining of racehorses and there are several Eventing Series.  The RoR Elite Eventing Performance Award in association with British Eventing, the RoR/NTF Retrained Racehorse Event Championship, and the new RoR Grassroots Eventing Series.

Horse Scout has a perfect home-bred ex racehorse candidate for the RoR Eventing Series for sale in Ringwood. Malenfant – £10,000 He has a proven track record: 3rd Larkhill BE100 7th Goring Heath 100. His advert says he is easy to do in all ways, Snaffle Mouth. No Vices. Real Amateurs Dream. Perfect for Grassroots Championships etc

Overview or the RoR Eventing Series

All horses must be registered with RoR and have raced in GB.  Riders also need to register with BE.  A rider does not need to become a full BE member to start with as they are allowed to run on 4 Rider Day Passes per year, after this riders will have to become a BE member. Horses can run on as many Horse Day Passes as required throughout the year.

RoR Grassroots Eventing Series – New for 2015

Former racehorses registered with RoR and raced in GB can qualify for the RoR BE Grassroots Finals in any BE90 or BE100 section throughout the country.  The final will be held at Upton on Thursday 16th July, in two sections, BE90 and BE100 and will both be at Open Classes.

To qualify for the finals, horse and rider combinations must finish within the top 50% of their section with a clear cross country round and less than 16 show jumping faults.

RoR Elite Eventing Performance Award 2015, in association with British Eventing (BE), will offer a first prize of £2,500 and a second prize of £500.

To encourage competition, all previous winners (1st placed horses) will no longer be eligible to win 1st place in the same competition in subsequent years.

Points will be accumulated by British Eventing from their tables for the 2015 season starting in pre-novice BE100 up to advanced, and will be awarded from 1st to 6th place.

To enter for the award, owners or riders simply have to register their horses with RoR and BE (using their racing name please). Provided the horse is eligible, the points will accumulate automatically through the year.

The RoR Retrained Racehorse Event Championship is sponsored by the National Trainers Federation (NTF) and held at Barbury.  All horses must be registered with RoR and have raced in GB.

The Championship is open to any grade of horse and will run as an IN on a specific day during Barbury which takes place from 9th to 12th July 2015.  Entries will be accepted on a first come first accepted basis.  The top 10 will be invited to show jump again on Sunday 12th July for the top money.  Together the sponsors have put up a £6,000 prize-fund for the final.

Contact Barbury Castle at E: holly@barburyhorsetrials.co.uk, T: 01672 516125, W: www.barburyhorsetrials.co.uk

British Dressage

Count down to Brightwells Elite Auction on 21st March

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Brightwells is staging an Elite Auction at the 2015 CDI 3* Addington on Saturday 21 March 2015.

Are you in the market for a future star dressage horse?

The 2015 Brightwells Elite Dressage Horse Auction offers an exceptional collection of 17 talented young dressage prospects.

All auction horses have been selected throughout Germany, Holland and the UK and present a collection of high quality 4 to 7 year olds, of which many having already been successful in competition and command the attributes in their training for higher level sport. They have all under gone X-ray assessments, which can be forwarded to the Veterinary Surgeons of prospective clients prior to the sale.

This is a unique opportunity to purchase high quality, well trained dressage prospects, who have the potential to compete at Championship level.

Private Viewings & Trial Rides

We welcome you to view and try our auction horses at their stables in Europe prior to the sale.

Our vendors riders and agents will provide you with professional and friendly assistance, helping you to find the right horse for you, in a relaxed atmosphere.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Trial Rides by appointment in the Indoor Arena at Addington Manor E.C.

Please complete the Trial Ride Form click HERE

Thursday 19 March 2015 at 8pm

An Evening Presentation of the Auction Horses with the international renowned team of Judy Harvey and Ingo Pape

The Presentation will be Live Streamed and available to be viewed on brightwells.com

Friday 20 March 2015 – Trial Rides by appointment. Please note due to the FEI competition Trial Rides will take place in the outside arena.

Saturday 21st March – 9.00pm – Evening Auction at the conclusion of the FEI Grand Prix.

Addington Manor Equestrian Centre is situated 1 hour from London Heathrow Airport

For further information contact

Sarah Johnson or Richard Botterill

Tel: 0044 1568 619777

Sarah Johnson 0044 7900 784014

Richard Botterill       0044 7770 766769

Email: sarah.johnson@brightwells.com

Equestrian Transport

How Glanders in Germany Has Affected Global Equine Transportation

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Australia has put a cessation on imports of horses from Germany for 6 months.  DEFRA has not at this time placed restrictions with reference to Glanders and Farcy a highly contagious wasting virus in horses.

Whilst the UK has been free from Glanders and Farcy since 1928 there has been an upsurge of the equine diseases,generally, in Germany has resulted in special quarantine and exportation regulations for global horse transport. It is because of these stricter measures that, recently, a case of Glanders was pick up during routine screening.

What is this disease and what are the ramifications this incident has on the international equine export and import market?

Equine veterinarian and European specialist of the College of Equine internal medicine Lidwien Verdegaal DVM reported the first ever case of Glanders to the Kuwait National Government when she was working in the country as an equine specialist says Sarah Warne for Eurodressage.

Typical signs of glanders are mainly divided in three forms: a cutaneous (skin) form, an (acute) nasal form and a pulmonary (respiratory) form. The horses show signs of skin nodules spread over the body and/or limbs which will eventually form abscesses or ulcerate with discharge. Horses often have mucopurulent (yellow/ greenish) nasal discharge and may cough. Horses may have chronic disease only showing signs of weight loss and an occasional cough or may not show any signs at all (similar to the recent case in Germany).

According to Lidwien what makes Glanders so dangerous is that it is a bacterial zoonotic disease which means it can be transferred from horses to people and cause severe disease in humans.

“Treatment and recovery of human Glanders disease may be difficult and it is currently still registered as a potential biological weapon,” he added.

Feeling that export but also import restrictions are necessary to prevent the spread of the disease, Lidwien advises that particular caution must be taken in chronic cases or a case which only carries the bacteria without showing any clinical signs.

“Carriers are the risk factors of spreading the disease. If we don’t test, we won’t know if they are carrying and spreading the bacteria and as glanders is a notifiable disease it needs to be reported to the National Government and World Organisation of Animal Health; following this procedure, unfortunately horses need to be humanely destroyed,” he explained.

Lidwien advises that prevention mainly involves import and export restrictions; countries won’t be able to export horses until all horses are tested free of the disease. Prevention within a country: transportation and strict biosecurity rules in relation to prevent contamination since bacteria survive in food, water, on equipment and tissues for about a month.

Informed that the Australian Biosecurity Department had issued a six month pause of horse export from Germany, the ban also includes frozen semen. Lidwien feels these measures are important to prevent a deadly spread!

“I think the recent case shows clearly the risk, it is still unknown how this horse got infected. There doesn’t seem to be a direct contact with an infected imported horse and the horse has not travelled. It was a healthy looking horse while carrying and potentially spreading the bacterial disease.”

Germany Loses Its “Glanders Free” Status

To get to the bottom of the question, one needs to find out if the Glanders case was confirmed or not. Dr. Mandy Elschner, Head of the Reference Laboratory for Glanders at the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in Germany, was in charge of testing the horse in question.

“The affected horse was born in May 2008 and held in a horse population in the Federal State of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany,” Mandy explained. “A blood sample has been taken for export purposes to a Third country to perform a routine test for glanders. The horse showed no clinical signs and has been kept separately from other horses during the pre-export quarantine. The complement fixation test showed a positive result (regional laboratory); the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) OIE and National Reference Laboratory for Glanders) confirmed the result and revealed also a positive result with the immunoblot method. A second blood sample was taken and the results of this investigation confirmed the first results.”

However Mandy added that after the affected horse was euthanized for diagnostic purposes and the pathologically revealed no typical glanderous lesions.

“The bacteriological investigations of the organs showed negative results for Burkholderia mallei. The investigation of skin lesions with immunohistological methods showed doubtful results. Further investigation of scabs of skin samples showed positive PCR results,” she admitted.

The impact of this, according to Mandy, is that Germany has lost its status “free of Glanders” resulting in alteration of import conditions or import restriction for horses or horse products to other countries. However at present the infection with B. mallei has been resolved as of 27 January 2015, while epidemiological investigations are ongoing.

Australia Bans Horse Importation for Six Months

Australia has banned the importation of horses from Germany for a period of six month. The original statement read:“due to an outbreak of the contagious bacterial disease glanders in Germany, the Department of Agriculture in Australia has suspended the importation of horses from Germany for a minimum of six months (July 30, 2015).”

Kuwait, the first country to host the disease, has only just became free of the disease a few months ago. Lidwien says the outbreak carried on for approximately seven years and the country was closed for horse import and export for all those years!

 

Horses For Sale

Stunning “buckskin” young mare for sale – Westlands Farm Stud

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Are you are looking for some thing quality and out of the ordinary?

Horse Scout has just the horse for you.

Westlands Farm Stud has a beautiful home bred 16.3hh British Warmblood –Lawmens Destiny a striking rising 5 year old buckskin mare by Lawmens Diago out of a Rubiquil mare. She gained a higher 1st premium and was 2nd at the BEF champs at Osberton as a 2 year old. She competed 4 year old event and dressage classes last year she was 3rd at Berkshire in the event class and scored 8.2 in the dressage class. She is easy to do in everyway good shoe,box,clip no vices she is a talented young horse and fit and ready to compete

The stud Farm is run by Claire and John have been at Westlands Farm for 12 years. Claire ran a successful livery business for 6 years before having her first child Johnny. When Claire purchased Diago in 2006 as a colt, she made a decision to keep him entire as he is a carrier of the cream gene. She always wanted to produce her own horse from a foal and show in hand so this is exactly what she did. When Diago was rising two years, Claire and John went to Holland to buy two brood mares. They purchased Wiganita and Zarenta, who were both in foal. Claire foaled both mares down herself in 2007. This is when Claire decided to make breeding her business for the future.

In 2007 Claire met Gary Ryland owner of stallion Bambas Legacy on the showing circuit, and after Bambas Legacy’s showing career came to an end he became an addition to the stud.

In 2008 Claire became a qualified AI technician and stallion handler and Charlene Lewis was working part time helping Claire with the breeding. Charlene now works full time as part of the team.

Zac Heydon joined us in 2009 to produce our young stallions and he is now a permanent resident offering an excellent backing and schooling service. He backs and competes all of our up-coming youngsters and is heavily involved with the stud.

In the last 5 years we have improved the facilities and successfully foaled down mares for clients, trained stallions for collections, frozen semen for UK distribution, sent home many mares in foal, and backed and produced youngsters. Our aim for the future is to breed quality modern sports horses with a difference and offer five star breeding facilities and care. We aim to have stallions and our home bred youngsters competing at international level.

With our amazing team of staff we see our goals being not too far away. They have regular updates on social media to keep their followers up to date.

Westlands has some quality stallions standing this season so if you are still searching for the perfect partner for you mare check these lovely horses out.

Lawmens Diago a modern sports horse stallion with excellent bone and a good hind leg. He has excellent conformation and an amazing Temperament which he passes to all his off spring.

Bambas Legacy a quality modern stallion. He has huge scope over a jump and is very honest. He is proving himself very well eventing.

Romeo is a beautiful dressage stallion with 3 amazing paces. He is competing at PSG with international rider Daniel Timpson And owned by Helen dart.

Enchanted – This lovely bay gelding has 3 lovely paces. He is rising 5 years old. Hacks in company. Good to shoe box clip. Been to his first unaffiliated dressage and was well behaved. He will excel in any sphere.

Westlands also runs a competitively priced livery service for Part, full and schooling liveries as well as rehabilitation (hydrotherapy) and all stud services.

Horse Riding Tips

Spook McGill? 19 Top Tips for de-sensitising your horse – not numbing it!

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One of the first things that happens when a horse spooks – is the rider spooks too!

So, take a break; don’t think Kit Kat think Cadbury’s Caramels’ Rabbit and “Take it easy”

  1. First you: The following tips show how you can calm yourself down,  and in turn help to calm your horse:
  2. Breathe! When we are anxious our breathing becomes rapid or stops. Take deep breaths to relax yourself.
  3. Relax your shoulders. Drop your shoulders down and let your arms relax a little too.
  4. Relax your legs. The tenser you are the more your legs will dig in. A sensitive horse may confuse this as an aid.
  5. Talk in a soothing voice. “Shhh” your horse and talk calmly to it in a low husky “whickering” voice.  You can practice this at home, soothing your horse when grooming and just making it a relaxing time for him/her. This will also relax  you.
  6. Laugh and Yawn. Even if you are on the verge of tears, yawn and giggle even sing! If you are doing this at home when your horse is relaxed, he will associate the sound with no danger.
  7. Know your horse  If you know what your horses limits are then you can work on them.
  8. Soothe Your Horse. Horses don’t like to be afraid, so work on their natural instincts to bring them back to harmony.
  9. Encourage your horse to lower its head by having low and open arms. A horse is relaxed when its head and ears are down.
  10. Scratch your horses withers and neck as if you are mutually grooming.
  11. If you have a new horse always introduce them to a few “scary” things in the arena or yard before hitting the road.
  12. Introduce potentially spooky things when you horse is in a safe enclosed space.
  13. At first leave things far away but clearly seen then gradually move them nearer.
  14. Don’t always put them into the same place – or the horse might come to associate that particular area with spooks and then continually spook just there even when there is nothing to actually spook at!
  15. As he becomes accustomed move things into the arena and ask him to work around them.
  16. Working from the ground initially and give him something else to think about such as asymmetric poles laid on the ground, or jump stands to walk around and through; anything which will ask him to think about other things.
  17. Again introduce all new things slowly, take your time and praise then stop and return another time.
  18. Many people use the following in an arena to desensitize their horses: umbrellas, wheelbarrows, bikes, cars/lawnmowers, tarpaulins or plastic bags on the fence or even the ground.
  19. Do this safely though and think about yours and the horses safety.
Eventing

British Eventing Pre Season Check List

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Horse Scout posted this info this morning and here it is in full24 Feb 15

Pre-Season Checklist 2015

With the season fast approaching now is the time to make sure you are prepared and up to speed with important information and changes for 2015.

Rider Checklist

Medical Armband

From the start of the season Competitors are advised to wear a medical armband if they have a medical condition that may impact on their care in the case of an emergency. Conditions that are relevant include recent head injury, serious past injuries/surgery, chronic health problems such as diabetes, long-term medications and allergies. If in doubt competitors should consult with their own treating physician. The new insert will clearly display these crucial details on the front of the card allowing medical professionals to access the information with ease in the case of an accident.

The new insert will fit into the original armband and can be requested from the BE office by email info@britisheventing.com or collected from a BE event.

It is not necessary for Competitors without any medical conditions to wear a medical armband.  However, Competitors are welcome to wear an armband if they desire.

Protective Wear

If you are a new member, or have been out of the sport for a while please make sure that:

Your protective headwear is of the following standard:

  1. British – AII PAS 015, BSEN 1384 (provided it is BSI Kitemarked or SEI)
  2. European EN1384
  3. American – AII SEI ASTM 95, ASTM F1163, 2004 and SNELL E2001
  4. Australian & New Zealand – AII AS/NZS 3838 2003
  5. Your protective headwear is tagged when you arrive at the event and sign in at the secretary’s tent; the current hat tag is GREEN

British Eventing will permit BS EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter. All hats will be re-tagged in 2016, at which stage none made solely to BS EN 1384 will be tagged or permitted for use.

Hats with Fixed Peaks

Competitors will no longer be able to wear hats with fixed peaks for the cross country phase. Only Jockey Skulls will be permitted on Cross Country. Whilst a Jockey Skull is a commonly understood description for a type of peakless protective helmet, for the purposes of clarification, a Jockey Skull typically has:

  • No peak, peak type extensions or noticeable protuberance above the eyes (or to the front) and has an even, elliptical or rounded shape.
  • A smooth or slightly abrasive surface.
  • A removable cover containing the peak, should one be required (such as a hat silk).

Helmets with fixed peaks can still be worn for the showjumping and dressage phases if in accordance with the rules, which remain unchanged.

Body Protectors

  • For the cross country phase, you must have a British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) approved and appropriately labelled Level 3 body protector, with the year 2000 or 2009 shown on the label manufactured in the year 2000 or after. Please replace your body protector if it is not of this level or is damaged.
  • Air jackets are now permitted for use in both the dressage and show jumping phase with or without a body protector underneath. 
  • Competitors are also reminded that all safety equipment must be used in its original, unaltered state.

FEI Membership and Registration

If you are aiming to compete at International events either overseas or in the UK, both you and your horse need to be registered with the FEI.


FEI Passport

Your horse will also need an FEI Passport cover for any FEI competition if you are competing at CIC3* or above in the UK, or any competition outside of the UK.

Rule Changes

Make sure you are up to date with the BE and FEI rule changes for 2015, below are some useful links for riders to access information in full:

Please note that since the publication of the BE Handbook the FEI have updated the new tests they published at the beginning of the year therefore the tests in the BE Handbook are not the latest versions,these can be found here.

Horse Vaccination and Passports

Please plan in advance to make sure your horse’s vaccinations are up to date in advance of the event.

  • No horse may compete (which includes entering the competition stables at an event) unless it has a current vaccination against equine influenza which complies with the conditions set out in rule 10.2 of the 2015 BE Members Handbook.
  • You must bring the passport and vaccination to every BE event, remember it is illegal to transport a horse anywhere without a passport.

Anti-Doping rules

Please see our Equine doping control reminder page to make sure you are up to date with the latest information.

It is vital if you are competing at a national or international level you understand the rules and guidance surrounding anti-doping – both for humans and equines.

Changes to the World Anti-Doping Code for 2015 came into effect on 1 January 2015. It is critical that all athletes (competing at both a national and international level) and their support personnel and partners appreciate that the anti-doping system applies to them and ensure that they are fully aware of the changes made in the 2015 Code.

See the BEF website for more information.

Courtesy at Events

BE Event Organisers go to every effort to ensure the smooth running of events and securing generous sponsorship. Remember a small effort from riders can go a long way, so please:

  • When possible try to stick to your running times.
  • If you decide to withdraw during the day please make sure you let the Organisers know.
  • Ensure you or a representative of your team attends the prize giving or let the Organisers know if you cannot attend.
  • Thank the sponsors if you are in their presence.
  • A thank you to Volunteers also goes a long way, we couldn’t run without them!

Results

It is very important that you stay at the event to check that your scores are correct on the scoreboard. If you need to query your score (if you think there has been a mistake) or if you wish to object (you disagree with penalties given), you must do this within 30 minutes of the final scores being put up on the scoreboard, as there may not be anything that can be done after this time.

The correct procedure is to in the first instance see the Secretary, who will organise for you to speak to the Official BE Steward. Please see Rule 8.2 for further information.

Vehicle Towing information

In the coming weeks, heavy rain may affect access in to and out of lorry and car parks so please help make life easier for the Volunteers towing of your vehicle by ensuring the following before you set off:

  • Find out where your towing point is on the front of your vehicle
  • Check the pin/screw in eye is present and correct and isn’t seized or obscured by bull

 Remember, the team at British Eventing are here to make sure you have an enjoyable experience so if you have any queries, feedback or suggestions please don’t hesitate to email us on