Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 423 i Your Horse

Several of our British equestrian stars have been honoured for their achievements in the 2017 New Year’s Honour’s List. Paralympic rider Lee Pearson will soon be introduced as Sir Lee Pearson after receiving a knighthood. Fellow Paralympian Sophie Christiansen, dressage supremo Charlotte Dujardin and Olympic gold medallist Nick Skelton all received a CBE, while Paralympian Anne Dunham was awarded an OBE. Cricketer turned commentator Jonathan Agnew and former event rider Claire Lomas both received an MBE.…

Remember our plan to give a massive £3,500 worth of gear as a Christmas present to one of our lovely readers? Well, thousands of you got in touch to be in with a chance of winning our Christmas Giveaway and we can now reveal that Carolyn Brant, from Somerset, was the winner of 2016’s amazing equine product competition. Unsurprisingly, Carolyn was chuffed to bits to win the prize, which includes more than 50 different pieces of kit, and she’s looking forward to spoiling herself and her three horses, Hector, Fern and Star. “When I got the call I was totally shocked, it just came out of the blue,” says Carolyn. “I can’t wait to receive the two turnout rugs, as I’ve been saving up for them for ages.”…

Lynn Russell showing clinic DATE 12 March WHERE Durfold Farm, Surrey COST Spectators £20, Riders £75 www.topcobs.com It might feel like the summer show season is a long way off, but you can’t get your horse ready for the show ring too early. This event is a complete show ring masterclass, where showing supremo Lynn Russell will guide you through everything from top grooming tips to perfecting your ring craft. The morning starts off with a lesson on the flat, during which Lynn will give you advice from the ground through a judge’s eyes. She’ll follow this with handy tips to improve your chances with in-hand showing before you enter a training class on the day, with rosettes and prizes to be won. Later in the day, you’ll need your…

My party trick My friend’s horse, Ode, who she found squeezing his legs into the hay bucket – absolutely hilarious. Ingrid Allen, Buckinghamshire Perfect pose Smile for the camera – Belle loves a selfie. Sophie Stramkowski, Derbyshire Wink, wink! Fantasy giving a cheeky wink with one eye open and the other closed. Tia Hitchens, Yorkshire But I’m an angel Lewii the loveable horse, having a rare rogue moment. June Ramsay, Glasgow Model in the making My handsome boy, Travvy! Karen Corke, Hampshire Special moment Two gentle blondes together, my Haflinger, Erin, and granddaughter, Evie. Sue Williams, Shropshire In our hearts In loving memory of Smartie. Eventually best friends leave us, but never leave our heart. Emily Tropman, Derbyshire Photobomb Royale photobombing on Flint’s holiday pic! Giselle Franklin, Essex Lol! My…

IF YOUR HORSE loses his balance – for example, if he becomes hollow in his back, leans through his shoulder – or if you’re going to make a transition, you need to be able bring him back into balance and this is where your half-halt comes into play. We use half-halts to bring our horses into a better state of balance. In fact, we use them an awful lot of the time and if we’re riding them well, we probably don’t realise we’re riding them at all – they simply become second nature, like changing gear when driving. If your half-halts are good, your horse shouldn’t slow down or stop. Instead, you’ll feel him lighten in your hand and lift as he rebalances, bringing his weight back onto his hind…

WHEN IT COMES to riding, the odd break is inevitable. But when it’s not your choice to take time off, it can be a right pain in the proverbial. If your horse is injured or on box rest, or if you’re nursing an injury or horseless, then fear not! We know plenty of ways to get your foot in a stirrup and some won’t cost you a penny. Plus one reader shares her tips to help get your horse through long-term box rest. Turn the page to find out more. “I tend to ride for people who can’t ride or for those who just need help to get their horses ridden. In return I might give them a lesson or jump someone’s horse if they’re too nervous” Find a short-term…

“ Our reigning champion, Lauren, is loving every minute with her new horse, Grouse. Next year, it could be you!” ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY? To enter, visit www.winahorse .co.uk  Entry closes on 8 February 2017 BUYING A HORSE is a huge commitment and we know you don’t need us to tell you that. It takes time, dedication and effort, and that’s all before you’ve brought the new horse home. It’s then that the hard work really begins! That’s why we take this competition very seriously. We’ve been through the process many times and we know what we’re looking for in our winner. Someone with a true passion for horses, a rider who’s desperate to reach the next step, be that owning a horse for the very first time, buying…

1 Thanks to clever yellow pigments at the centre of the eye’s lens, horses can reduce the glare of bright sunlight (something we need sunglasses for). In addition, the corpora nigra (the dark horizontal bit that runs close to the pupil) acts as a sun visor, shading the pupil from glare. But like us, horses still need time to adjust to different light conditions. 2 In humans, 20/20 vision is the mutt’s nuts while equine vision has been recorded at 20/30. This means the details a human can see at 33ft, a horse can only see at 20ft. They do have great night vision thanks to something called a tapetum. This acts like a mirror on the back of the eye – it’s what you see glinting when light hits…

How can I help my boyfriend to be confident around my horse? Q My boyfriend wants to help with my horses, but lacks confidence when handling them. How can I help him feel braver at the yard? Amanda Jane Howard, Essex A It’s fantastic to hear your boyfriend wants to help! Do bear in mind though, if your horses are in any way pushy or excitable, or likely to bite or kick, it’d be safer if he can just help you with the jobs in the yard first. He mustn’t handle them, as this would be unsafe and unfair and won’t build confidence. Over time, he could do more, but always under your supervision. If your horses are kind and easy to manage, then start with the basics. He needs…

For me, a horse gave me something immeasurable. As a troubled teen, I was in a bad state. I’d dropped out of school and become anorexic. It was a true leap of faith for my mum to allow me to buy an unbroken Thoroughbred – three-year-old, Jamie. I was a decent rider, but this was way out of my comfort zone. With Jamie, I had to be strong, so I had to eat. I needed to be calm and assertive in handling him, not weak and scared like I felt inside. I fell off, a lot, but I got back on, and little by little I realised I had built a partnership, gained a purpose, enhanced my confidence and was able to return to a normal existence (albeit one punctuated…

GP saddles Black Country Saddles GPX PRICE £1,225 CONTACT www . blackcountrysaddles.com This all-purpose saddle is suitable for many activities, such as hacking, show jumping and cross-country. It features a medium-depth seat, and has a slightly more forward knee position allowing for a longer hip-to-knee measurement of taller riders. Monarch GP PRICE £725 CONTACT www.gfsriding.co.uk An extremely versatile, comfortable saddle, with its balanced seat and generous flap, it supports you whether you’re jumping or riding on the flat. This saddle has an open head and front gusset in the panel, making it suitable for a horse with an average height wither. The wide weight-bearing panel suits a wide range of horses. Bates All Purpose SC+ PRICE £1,499 CONTACT www.batessaddles.com With a low, square-shaped cantle and the option to use front…

WE KNOW IT’S called horse hero but this month we had to make an exception for this awesome pair. Bought by Stephen Kimri, from Kenya, two years ago, these guys are definitely more than heroes. Helping him to pull a cart they enable him to collect river water and deliver it to those who need it where he lives in Narok. “Before I got these two friends of mine I had no permanent job and no security. Now I wake up every day, take the donkeys to the river and get money.” With the support of Brooke East Africa, and its partner Farming Systems Kenya, Stephen’s developed his donkey care skills over the past year and is now helping The Brooke to set up a welfare group in his area…

THREE-YEAR-OLD Thoroughbred gelding – Bear – was left in a field to starve with his companion back in 2008. Both horses were infested with lice, worms and malnourished when they were rescued by the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies (SWHP). Once in the caring hands of the SWHP, Bear was nursed back to full health and allowed to mature before starting his education. The team at SWHP also found that Bear had a microchip, which led to the discovery that this young Thoroughbred had some impressive breeding – his sire, Animo, had jumped at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. With the right training and encouragement, Bear’s pedigree became apparent and he’s had some impressive performances under his girth with his previous adopter Charles Matthews – the pair won…

London Spring International Horse Show DATE 12 to 17 April WHERE ExCel-London, Royal Victoria Docks, London COST Tickets start at £18 plus booking fee www.londonspringinternational.com A six-day equestrian extravaganza, the London Spring International Horse Show debuts this year. Organisers promise the event will be packed with amazing show jumping and dressage action – with all the top equestrian stars vying for the prize money and titles at one venue. As well as top riding action, there’ll be plenty of other entertainment, too, from Pierre Fleury and his super horses to the Kingsley Equestrian Quadrille and live music to add to the atmosphere . Dressage expert Richard Davison will be holding a masterclass on both Wednesday and Thursday for dressage enthusiasts to enjoy – one not to miss! Equine dentistry DAT…

We want to hear from you, so get in touch via email, Facebook, Twitter or good old-fashioned snail mail. The floor is yours… Have a go in 2017 I wanted to write in to encourage and inspire other readers to take part in a competition this year, and not to think that it’s an impossible dream to get to the finals, but to give it a go! The encouragement I got was what helped me to do that. I was really lucky to receive a lesson with Laura Renwick courtesy of Your Horse, and following on from the lesson and the massive boost it gave to my confidence, my horse Elvis and I went on to compete in many amazing grassroot competitions, including the Trailblazers Finals at Stoneleigh in 2012.…

MONEY... IT’S NOT what you spend, but how you spend it that counts. Put some thought into what you really need and apply a bit of canny lateral thinking and you can get a lot more quality per quid and make much more progress per pound. Here we reveal clever ways to save on training, cost-saving tips for competitors, plus gear and gadgets that’ll save you time and money. Train for less Having lessons is enjoyable, helpful and essential for quality progression. But the costs can be prohibitive, especially if transport is involved. But there are ways of getting top-quality training without the hefty price-tag. Join forces One simple way to keep costs down is to share your lesson. Most trainers are happy to do this and there are lots…

KEEN COMPETITOR Victoria Russell felt at a complete loss when her competition horse, Boy, was put on box rest for six months. He’d torn his digital deep flexor tendon and Victoria put huge effort into his box rest plan to ensure he didn’t lose his mind while out of action. “Boy’s an 18hh Dutch Warmblood who was in full competition work at the time of his injury. I was riding him five to six times a week and competed him fortnightly in dressage,” says Victoria. “I’m on a busy livery yard where, in summer, most of the horses in his stable block are out full time or only come in at night. This meant that once on box rest, Boy would be on his own for the majority of the…

A Wintec saddle Wintec is offering the winner a Wintec saddle. Whether the winner’s discipline is dressage, jumping, general riding, Western or endurance, they will be able to select a Wintec saddle of their choice up to the value of £1, 050. Visit www.wintec saddles.com  to see the full range. A range of Rambo goodies The team at Horseware will supply our winner’s lucky new horse with a range of awesome goodies including; a Rambo Duo turnout rug (pictured), a Rambo Air Max Cooler, a Rambo Fly Buster with Vamoose, Rambo travel boots and a Rambo head collar. Visit www.horseware.com  to see the full Horseware range. Horse food and expert nutrition advice To ensure our winner gives their new horse the very best diet, Dengie will…

OUR COMMITMENT TO the nutritional care and well-being of horses will always be the main reason you can rely on Dengie. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure we continue to produce the best possible feeds that your horse will love. From Field to Feed At Dengie we grow as many of our own ingredients as possible and source as locally as we can to keep ‘feed miles’ low. Dengie started as a farmers cooperative and many original members are still growing alfalfa today. Our ethos is to support British farming and manufacturing whenever we can. Experts in the Field Founded in 1968, Dengie has grown so that today we harvest more than 5,000 acres of British alfalfa. Our farmers have been growing crops for Dengie…

WINTER RIDING CALLS for a waterproof jacket you can rely on. There’s nothing more miserable than finding out the jacket you’re wearing leaks. So, to find out which jacket will keep you dry whatever the weather, we’ve put 10 to the ultimate test (giving editor Imogen a shower as part of the testing process!). As all jackets submitted for testing claimed to be waterproof, we subjected each one to our own testing by spraying them for one minute, directing the water onto the shoulder area (step forward Imogen). We used the Nomad 18V cordless pressure washer to carry out this testing. After each water test, we checked to see if any water had leaked through to the inside of the jacket and we checked to make sure our tester was…

Under 15.0hh Fantastic XC/BS pony 12.2hh, 7yo, grey, gelding Arthur is a Welsh, part-bred pony who’s safe and steady to take a child round a course of 90cm, go cross-country, hack and do pony club. Although only seven, he’s proved himself to be bold, brave and a great confidence giver. He’s jumped all over the country from local unaffiliated to tiny tots at Scope. He’s very low maintenance, as he can live in or out. Currently barefoot as we’ve never felt the need to have him shod. Up-to-date with vaccinations and had his first JMB height measurement. £5,000 ONO Contact: 07826 856771 (Newton Bewley, Hartlepool) Ad ref: DIY1053070 Outstanding talented gentleman 14.1hh, 7yo, bay, gelding Welsh Section D, Mustang King was professionally broken in 18 months ago. A fantastic pony…

“The jumps felt huge to me, so I couldn’t have been more proud.” WATCHING HER DAUGHTER and then her granddaughter soar over rustic jumps, Gay Cochrane loved to see them but never believed she’d do the same. “When I retired I decided to do something I’d never done before, so at the grand old age of 60 something, I was going to try to fulfil an ambition I’d secretly held since I was a child,” says Gay. “I’d owned Harry – a 10-year-old New Forest chestnut gelding – for three years and had only ever tackled a few small jumps. I competed once at a local Riding Club competition, which we won, to our amazement. But to ride over fields in canter, clearing fences as we go, was a whole…

An equine therapy charity that helps disadvantaged youngsters is hoping for a UK first. The Welsh Institute of Therapeutic Horsemanship (WITH), based in Porthmadog, arranges therapeutic horsemanship sessions for disadvantaged young people. But now the charity has outgrown its rented premises and the team hopes to raise £500,000 to buy their own purpose-built site – thought to be the first ever community-owned equestrian therapy centre in the UK. WITH aims to fund the centre through a ‘Community Share’ offer, which sees people and organisations buy between £25 and £50,000 of shares. Shareholders, regardless of the amount they invest, will have equal voting rights and the opportunity to be directly involved in the management of the centre. Iain Crosbie, WITH Director of Operations, says: “This is an ambitious project but we…

An impressive £1.2 million was raised by organisers of the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration at Windsor Castle. HRH the Queen is famed for her love of horses and now part of the money raised is to be distributed among equine charities. The Welsh Pony and Cob Society, The Cleveland Bay Horse Society, The Fell Pony Society, The Highland Pony Society, The British Horse Society, The Animal Health Trust and World Horse Welfare are all set to benefit. Sir Mike Rake, event committee chairman, says: “Already the selected charities are telling us what they intend to do with the donations. For some it will mean a much needed office or land to enable endangered breeds to be supported.”…

After reading Karen Dixon’s top tips for training ex-racers on the Your Horse website (bit.ly/2i0pDRI), I can vouch that ex-racehorses are worth the effort! When considering your next horse, don’t just rule out a Thoroughbred or ex-racehorse purely because of the stigma attached to them. If you’re prepared to put in the time, effort, money and a bit of patience, then an ex-racehorse will try their hardest to pay you back. They’re incredibly loyal, clever and willing, but you have to keep an open mind when retraining, especially if you take them straight off the track. They take a lot of confidence from their rider and doing groundwork is great for building up a relationship. Ex-racers are extremely versatile animals and will quite happily have a go at most disciplines.…

WANT TO BRUSH up your dressage skills? Blue Chip is offering you the chance to win a lesson with international dressage rider Nathalie Kayal at her yard in Buckinghamshire*. On top of this, you’ll get a selection of Blue Chip clothing for both you and your horse, including a rug, saddle cloth, hoodie and gilet, plus a tub of the feed company’s Super Concentrated Balancer. Nathalie, who’s sponsored by Blue Chip, took the dressage scene by storm in 2016, with several wins and placings at international level on her string of talented, home-produced horses. If you win this competition, you’ll be able to gain some expert tips from Nathalie in a private lesson on the flat, helping you to improve your dressage score for the season ahead. You, along with…

TAKE YOUR WINTER layering to the next level with this simple but effective Snug Thermal Head & Neck Warmer from Oxford Products. We’ve teamed up with them to offer you one for free! All you need to pay is the 90p postage* and we’ll pop one in the post to you quick smart. Hurry though, we only have 1,000 to give away. Oxford’s neck warmer combines a lightweight, seamless, breathable neck tube with a thermal fleece section to keep you comfortable all year round. You can wear yours in different ways – as a beanie, face mask, neck tube or bandana... it’s a versatile bit of kit. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: *At the time of ordering we will ask you to cover the postage by credit/debit card and a payment will…

THE AIR AMBULANCE had just departed, its loud buzz leaving an empty silence behind. We stood on the stubble field with the first response paramedic, taking a moment to comprehend what had happened. He announced to no one in particular: “I’d let my children ride a motorbike, but never a horse.” We didn’t reply – there was no point – this particular horse had already bolted. Equine ecstasy Those of us addicted to horses are acutely aware that sometimes we knowingly place ourselves in potential danger. In 2009, Professor David Nutt (a psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain) shocked the equine world by suggesting that horse riding in the UK, which is associated with 10 deaths a year, was more harmful than ecstasy.…

BUYING A SADDLE is a big investment, so it’s important to make the right choice for you and your horse before handing over your money. This can be easier said than done and, with such a huge selection available, the whole saddle buying process can be pretty overwhelming. However, asking yourself a few key questions will help you narrow down your search and make buying a saddle much more exciting. To help you, we’ve put together all the advice you’ll need and we’ve even included a selection of quality saddles available, too. Help from an expert Top of your to-do list is to book an appointment with a registered Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Saddle Fitter. They’ll be able to guide you through the whole process and offer advice on…

WEARING A HAT and body protector will reduce the risk of serious injury if you fall off, or get kicked by your horse. These two key items are the most important pieces of riding gear you’ll ever own. Both your hat and body protector undergo some pretty rigorous testing to make sure they provide the best possible protection but, like anything, they’re not indestructible. We need to look after them carefully so they can help protect us when needed. Read on for a few simple suggestions you can use to keep this vital kit in tip-top condition. Storing your helmet Leaving your hat lying around in direct sunlight, or on the floor outside your horse’s stable, is a big no-no, as it’ll damage the material it’s made from. Keeping it…

10% off everything at Church Equestrian Known for its leading customer service, no quibble returns policy, one-hour delivery slots and its huge selection of products, Church Equestrian is the place to go for excellent equestrian products at great prices. To claim this fab offer all you need to do is enter the promo code YOURHORSE10 at the checkout when you shop online at www.churchequestrian.co.uk TERMS AND CONDITIONS Promotional code is valid until 28 February 2017. Only one voucher can be used per order, multiple vouchers per order are not permitted. Get £15 off a pair of Dublin boots at Naylors.com Fancy a pair of these stunning Dublin Pinnacle Grain Country Boots at a discounted price? Then head online to www.naylors.com where you can claim £15 off a pair…

“Be prepared to spend time looking – these horses are in demand” SHOW HUNTER AND working hunter classes are very popular, with a range of classes to choose from in most show schedules. However, if you want a new show hunter, be prepared to spend time looking and keep your fingers crossed – these horses are in demand. If you’re on a limited budget, it’s still possible to find a champion in the making, or try buying a youngster and show him in-hand before introducing him to a ridden career. Hunter categories Hunters fall into four categories: weight classes; ladies’ hunters; small hunters and working hunters. The best known are the weight classes: lightweight, middle weight and heavyweight, which are listed according to the maximum weight the horse should be…