Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Practical Horseman

When starting riding, I was fortunate to have great horses who took care of me—and I let them. Then I went through a phase where I thought I needed to control their every step. I became obsessed with whether or not I saw a distance, often fussing with my hands to try to find one. Eventually I started to learn that I didn’t have to work so hard to see a distance. Because of this experience, reading hunter trainer and judge Tom Brennan’s article brought back a lot of memories (page 28). In it, Tom gives advice and exercises to help you produce a hunter round that exudes confidence. A big part of that, as Tom says, is getting “comfortable with the concept of going forward until you see it’s…

When it comes to horses, I think of myself as a fairly mechanical trainer. Squeeze your hands and the horse will slow down, close your legs and your horse will speed up … that sort of thing. However, there is more to it than that. Spend any amount of time around horses and you will become convinced that there is a communication between horses and humans that can’t be measured. The worst among them sense our fears and take advantage of us; the best among them sense our dreams and take us where we have always longed to go. For example, there was Carawich. Not many people get a chance to ride in the Olympics. During the time that you are involved in the training and selection process, you don’t…

□ ESCAPE TO sunny Tucson, AZ, to watch hunters/jumpers compete over six weeks during the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit, Feb. 1–March 12. The competition features a $25,000 Grand Prix every Sunday; www.hitsshows.com. □ APPLY for three college scholarships offered by the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association: the Intercollegiate Equestrian Foundation, Inc. Scholarship (deadline Feb. 10), the Bob Anthony Memorial Scholarship (Feb. 15) and the Jon Conyers Memorial Scholarship (Feb. 22); www.ihsainc.com. □ CHECK OUT Arabian horses performing in all disciplines at the 62nd Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, Feb. 16–26, in Scottsdale, AZ. Take in a variety of events during the 10-day competition, including behind-the-scenes barn tours, demonstrations and Military Appreciation Day (Feb. 21); www.scottsdaleshow.com. □ LEARN FROM eventing experts Chris Burton, Chris Ryan and Leslie Law at the Instructors’ Certification…

Cozy Breeches for Winter Riding The redesigned Water Repellent Thermal Fleece Breeches from Devon-Aire come in full-seat and classic knee-patch styles. The four-way stretch micropoly fabric has an anti-cling and water-repellent finish to prevent debris from sticking while keeping you dry. Velour on the inside of the breeches adds warmth. The front is styled like a jean with an elastic waistband and pockets with piped trim. Additional features: elastic ankle panels, brass zippers and front snaps. Sizes 24–34, regular or long; black or charcoal; full-seat $69, knee patch $65; www.devonaire.com. Smart Girth Tracks Fitness Measure your horse’s vital signs and examine your ride path with the Seaver Girth and smartphone app. Embedded in the leather girth are five sensors, a control board, a Bluetooth transmitter and flash component for data…

George H. Morris is the former chef d’équipe of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Team. He serves on the USEF National Jumper Committee and Planning Committee, is an adviser to the USEF High- Performance Show Jumping Committee and is president of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. 1 Our first rider does not have a good leg. The weight is not in her heel and her toes are parallel to her horse’s sides to the point where they are almost turned in. This has taken her calf off her horse and encouraged her to pinch with her knee. The result is that her lower leg has swung back. This is a leg that originally was based in the Netherlands and Germany as opposed to the French leg that is…

Most people pick a single dude ranch for their vacation, but I decided to visit a few within driving distance of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to get a better sense of what to recommend to other travelers and to help me decide where I’ll take my goddaughter to ride on a future trip. Many dude ranches in this area are located relatively close to downtown Jackson Hole and offer riding in and around the Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest— beautiful public lands that have vast areas of trails. One of my favorite stops was The Red Rock Ranch, located a good ways down a dirt road inside the Bridger-Teton National Forest. What I liked most about Red Rock is that it offers vaulting—gymnastics on horseback—as part of its…

Three Earn Medals at Quiz Challenge Alix Morrison, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a senior at Colorado State University majoring in equine science, won the gold medal at the 2016 USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, held in November at Lake Erie College in Painseville, Ohio. Participants completed a written exam, a horsemanship/identification exam and a hands-on practicum exam. Medals were based on cumulative scores from the three phases. In addition to her gold, Morrison received the High Score Award for her performance on the horsemanship/identification exam. First-time HQC program participant Kathryn Craig, from Lacey, Washington, earned the silver medal and the High Score Practicum Award. Kiersten Pratt, from Arlington, Illinois, won the bronze medal and the High Score Written Exam Award. Her score on that test was the best ever earned…

Q How did you develop your amazing timing? JF I loved jumping as a kid and practicing cross country. When you ride a small pony and you are jumping postand- rail fences, you have to get pretty accurate with your timing. I used to get in trouble. My mom would leave me in the ring and, if she wasn’t looking, I would jump my pony in and out of the arena and hope I wouldn’t get caught. I didn’t have top show horses or ponies as a kid. I rode Shetland ponies, Quarter Horses, Arabians or a boarder’s horse. I had the opportunity to ride so many different kinds of horses and I think that is how I learned. Q Did you always know you’d be a professional rider? JF…

Q I am a parent of a beginner rider. What do judges look for in the show ring? HOLLY HUGO-VIDAL A The question suggests that a one- or two-word answer is expected such as “heels down” or “wear a blue coat” or that the answer is a carefully guarded secret among judges. One reason that judging results may seem hard to understand is when you (the parent) compare ribbons won in different classes. For instance, you watch your child in one class and she gets a mid-level ribbon then rides better in the next class and is pinned lower. The reason very often is that all the other riders in the class improved as well. Therefore, watching the entire class and not just your rider is important. Below are examples…

Heineking Takes Vegas by Tiny Margin By a single one-hundredth of a second, Germany’s Christian Heineking and Aje Cluny won the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Las Vegas, Nov. 19, edging out Enrique Gonzalez (MEX) aboard Chacna. “I’m very happy,” said Heineking, who was sixth to go in the seven-horse jumpoff and finished in 37.82. “The time was really close and luck was on my side today.” Tina Dilandri Yates (USA) and Zelote VDL placed third with a double-clear round. Ward Wins Fourth at Toronto McLain Ward (USA) and his Olympic mount, HH Azur, had the only double-clear in the jump-off to take the $130,270 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Toronto in November at the Royal Agricultural Fair. It was Ward’s fourth consecutive World Cup™ Jumping Toronto win. Finishing…

As a general rule, exercise is a good thing for your horse. But when a mare is part of an embryo-transfer program as either a donor or recipient, exercise stress can actually hinder the process. Studies have shown that stress from exercise can lead to a lower embryo-recovery rate, poorer quality embryos and lower pregnancy rates after the transfer. Progesterone and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may improve results. But researchers from the University of Buenos Aires, led by Marcelo R. Pinto, DVM, and a team from BET Labs/Biorelease Technologies LLC wondered if outcomes could be even better The group set out to test the effect of different drugs and drug combinations on recipient mares and exercising donor mares. Two primary drugs used in the study—the hormone treatment BioRelease™ Deslorelin and…