Indholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2024 i Practical Horseman

What were some of the most memorable insights from riders at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games? Twelve days of equestrian competition took place July 27–August 6 at the Chateau de Versailles, about 15 miles southwest of Paris. Horses and riders put forth their best effort in hopes of claiming a medal. Riders spoke with the media after their rides each day and shared their thoughts on the competition, the experience and their partnerships with their horses. Here are some of their thoughts. EVENTING Boyd Martin (USA) After his cross-country round with Fedarman B (Bruno): “I heard more cheers ‘Go Bruno’ than ‘Go Boyd!’ There’s plenty of our stars and stripes out there and a lot of French people going ‘Allez, allez, allez. (Go, go, go.)’ It was a wonderful feeling…

Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis is a progressive, degenerative condition found in several breeds. It was first discovered in Peruvian Horses, and early-onset DSLD was recognized in some family lines in the 1970s. Many people still think of this as a gaited-horse problem. In recent years, however, DSLD has been diagnosed in many breeds, including Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Quarter Horses and warmbloods. “DSLD is seen in the suspensory ligament—a degeneration of the ligament itself,” says Sabrina Brounts, DVM, MS, PhD, professor of Large Animal Surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine. The suspensory ligament starts just below the knee in a horse’s front legs and the hock in the hind legs. It runs down the back of a horse’s cannon bone—the bone from the knee or hock to the…

The spring air was charged with energy, and that made the red roan gelding nervous about getting in the unfamiliar trailer. Aslan wasn’t sure he wanted to leave the place he had lived happily for the last few years. Aslan had everything he needed at the boarding stable and didn’t want to leave his friends or his owner. She took great care of him, but his owner had to move out of the country and couldn’t take him with her. Although the usually optimistic gelding didn’t quite understand what that meant, he could feel the sadness in her voice when she spoke. Aslan’s owner reached out and softly touched Aslan’s face as she laid her cheek where his halter rested. He could feel her tears as they slid down her…

1 Overall: This is a nicely turned-out pair, but the rider needs to make some adjustments to her leg and release to take her riding up a notch. Leg: The stirrup is too far out on her toe, so I’d like to see it right on the ball of her foot. She’s turning her toe in a little, which is causing her knee to pinch the saddle and her lower leg to be insecure and slide back slightly. It looks like the angle in her ankle is good other than her toe needing to be turned out more. But she has the most contact in her knee, which is making the lower leg fairly insecure. In fact, the horse is jumping out from underneath her because she is a bit…

Imagine standing on a skateboard that starts moving. If you do not move your body forward with it, you get left behind. Susanne von Dietze is a leader in equestrian biomechanics. A physiotherapist, licensed Trainer A instructor and judge for dressage and show jumping, she gives lectures and seminars throughout the world, including at the prestigious German Riding Academy in Warendorf.…

This is Lindsey Auclair and her 7-year-old RPSI gelding Marius EWSZ, also known as “Banana.” Here is what Lindsey had to say: “We’re working Second Level with thoughts about more advanced collection and learning our changes shortly. He is a quirky, weird, wonderful fellow with comfortable rhythmic gaits. [The photo is] from a particularly difficult ride.” I often hear during a lesson or a clinic the complaint of why the horse has to show his difficult side today because he can be so much better. And I am always answering that I am there to help when it is needed, and when everything is going fine and smooth I cannot help them as much! I myself have had some of my most valuable lessons on days that were “particularly difficult.”…

Leading up to a big competition, like the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals—East, I always want to make sure my students and their horses are well prepared. To do this, I set a course with questions they will likely see at the competition and break it down in manageable sections. The course we are going to practice for this article is an adaption of a previous year’s USEF Talent Search Final. While I can’t predict exactly what’s going to be in the class again, perhaps we will see some form of these questions. Almost all the exercises in this schooling session focus on rideability. The big questions will be on steering and the ability to lengthen and shorten the horse’s stride while maintaining the horse’s jumping style. But the…

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