Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 499 i Your Horse

WE ALL HAVE a different idea of the perfect Christmas. It could be one spent with family or friends, eating a turkey lunch or dinner with all the trimmings, staying in and opening presents, or perhaps taking the dog for a walk provided it’s a cool, crisp, rain-free day. For many of us, Christmas is a time to reflect and reconnect with those around us, including, of course, our equine friends. Unfortunately, Father Christmas doesn’t do much mucking out or fill many water buckets, so our yard jobs still await us over the festive season. However, as it’s time spent with our horses in the fresh air and with festive tunes playing on the radio, it is still plenty of fun. It also helps to burn off those abundant Christmas…

How I make it work: My partner, Rowland, is a huge support and it helps to have the business based at home A mare who suffered from bouts of colic led Kate Loker to develop an equine digestive supplement which, in turn, led to the foundation of a company she still runs today My job… I DEVELOPED H BRADSHAW’S unique range of digestive soothing supplements in 2005. I’m known as Coligone Kate because H Bradshaw’s is the home of Coligone. Over the years I’ve been responsible for all aspects of the business, product development and management. I love my work. In tact, it s a lifelong passion and I really enjoy speaking to clients and helping them to find the key to their horse’s success and recovery. This can range…

EVERY HORSE BENEFITS from fewer hours in the arena and more time on what I like to call ‘adventure hacks’ — rides with elements of novelty or challenge, be that new terrain, environment, or the inclusion of natural obstacles. As soon as you begin hacking in new environments on new terrain you widen your horse’s world, which improves his physical and mental resilience, and, above all, is great fun! If you and your horse are tired of the same old routes, I promise that getting out and exploring nature will work wonders. PROBLEM: My horse is nervous in unfamiliar environments FIX IT: It’s a catch 22 — the more you stay in the arena and riding the same trails, the smaller your horse’s world remains. Exposing him to different terrains…

Melissa Emson advises the following when it comes to feeding… ■ Young horses who are turned out 24/7 have considerably better wear patterns and healthier mouths than those standing in a stable eating from haynets, so this gives them a great start to life. ■ Horses are designed to eat from the floor and will wear their teeth significantly better if you feed from there. ■ Undertake research to find out what feed is appropriate for your horse, and whether it is really essential to buy all those supplements and sugary treats. ■ Source a finer meadow hay for older horses and provide hay replacers, such as fibre nuts/alfalfa nuts soaked in a trug bucket alongside hay as an alternative. ■ If your horse has diastemas, ensure that his feed…

YOUR HORSE’S CARE FITNOTFAT VITAMINS AND MINERALS not Fat Fit MEET THE EXPERT NIKKI MEGGISON in an independent nutritionist with a degree in equine science. She is also a member of The Nutrition Society. With almost 40 years'experience of riding and owning horses, Nikki juggles her passion with her career in nutrition, giving guest lectures, talks and writing articles for national magazines. Visit equine-nutritionist.co.uk WITH THE UK in the midst of an equine obesity epidemic, keeping our horses in a healthy state and ensuring that they don’t become overweight should be at the top of every owner’s agenda. For horses who are already overweight and need to shed a few pounds, limiting what they eat may be necessary, but this must be balanced with ensuring that they receive the correct nutrition.…

IT IS TRICKY to stay clean and tidy where horses are involved. Add winter into the mix when it’s wet and muddy and it becomes nigh on impossible to avoid getting dirty. With hibernation not a possibility, having the right clothing can make being out in all weathers a bit more bearable. One piece of essential winter clothing is a pair of waterproof overtrousers. They are an additional layer for warmth and they will keep you dry and clean. To discover which are the most practical to use, our team has put a selection of overtrousers to the test. Each pair has been worn for yard and ridden work and assessed for fit, performance and value for money. Read on to find out which ones came out on top. How…

To enter, visit yourhorse.co.uk/win/topspec499 PRIZE WORTH £1,000 FIRST PRIZE ■ A lesson on your own horse with event rider Tim Rogers** ■ £700 worth of TopSpec feed ■ A consultation with a TopSpec nutritionist ONE LUCKY READER will win this amazing prize package from TopSpec. It includes a lesson on their own horse with event rider Tim Rogers at his yard in Badminton, Gloucestershire. Tim is an individual European medallist and has been eventing professionally for more than 10 years. He has enjoyed significant success, including wins at international level, both on home turf and abroad. Tim has gained experience from some of the best riders and trainers in the world, including Pippa Funnell, Lucy McCarthy (néee Wiegersma), Ian Woodhead and Richard Meade. During his six years working alongside fivestar…

FULL CLIP For a full clip, you remove all the hair, including the legs and the head. Note, however, that you shouldn't clip the ears for welfare reasons. As the full clip leaves the horse with no hair, he has no way of keeping himself warm. Therefore, he will need careful rugging to ensure that he isn't exposed to the elements. The only horses who require a full clip are those who are in heavy work and training, as well as those who take part in competitions regularly. For safety reasons, when clipping the inside of the hind legs, do so from the opposite side. CHASER CLIP The main difference between a chaser clip and a blanket clip is that in the former more hair is left on the upper…

YOUR HORSE’S TRAINING LIBERTY RIDDEN WORK Riding at liberty is the ultimate goal for most people who become interested in liberty training. It involves piloting the horse with no bridle to control him. Instead, to communicate with the horse, the rider uses their previous in-hand liberty training, which they adapt for bridle-less riding, as well as their voice, seat and leg aids. “Bridle-less riding really improves people’s riding in general because once the bridle is removed, they become hyper aware of their other aids and it sharpens them up,” says liberty trainer Ben Atkinson. “It’s also a brilliant tool for having fun with a horse without the pressure of him being ridden on a contact. You will find that you have a horse who is more confident, more sure-footed and able…

All OWNERS HAVE had that sinking feeling when their previously squeaky clean horse who is turned out in his winter paddock returns to the stable covered from head to toe in thick, sticky, wet mud. How on earth are you supposed to prepare him for a ride? Throw in winter’s limited daylight hours and this, together with that hideous gloop covering your best friend, means that the minutes will be ticking away as you wait for him to dry off. You may even find yourself questioning your decision to turn him out at all even though you know it’s a win-win for his wellbeing. However, fear not as there are ways we can allow our horses to live more natural lives while keeping them clean enough to be ridden, or…

YOUR HORSE’S CARE VET NOTES I GENERAL ANAESTHESIA VET notes WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:● What general anaesthesia is ● How it works ● What the risks are IF A VET needs to carry out certain medical procedures on a horse or pony, general anaesthesia (GA) will potentially be used, whereby a drug will be given to the equine to put him into a state of unconsciousness. GA is used for both routine and emergency operations, such as colic surgery. Some procedures, including castrations and dental extractions, can be performed while the horse is standing up under heavy sedation, with the area being treated injected with a local anaesthetic. However, in some situations, a general anaesthetic is required due to the type of surgery or to allow for a better outcome. What, therefore,…

Email your questions to yh.ed@yourhorse.co.uk Need help applying the brakes? Turn the page… Simple for horse solutions owners Meet this month’s panel of experts Riding advice Georgia Goss (née Spence) is a five-star event rider who has competed all over the world. Find out more at georgiegoss.com Vet care: gastric ulcers special Robin Densem is a certificate holder in equine medicine and a director at Agnew Equine Ltd. See horsevets.co.uk Travelling tips Tom Janion is chief executive of family-owned company Equi-Trek. Find out more about the range at equi-trek.com Equine biomechanics Gillian Higgins is an equine anatomy and biomechanics specialist, BHS senior coach, equine therapis and author. See horsesinsideout.com GOT A PROBLEM? Need an answer? We'll know someone who can help… Welcome to our AskThe Experts section. Over the next…

The former coachman to the Duke of Edinburgh explains what it was like to be involved in the early days of combined driving, and where life took him after his stint at the Royal Mews Have horses always been an interest? No, I was an army brat! My father was in the saddle club during his time in the military, while my grandfather was master of the Basset Hounds in Mulberry. However, my own interest in horses only began when I returned to England at the age of 14. How did you become involved with them? My hormones! Where I lived in Chertsey there was a local polo yard with teenage girls. I got a part-time job there mowing the grass, mucking out stalls and eventually riding polo ponies. It…

HEINIGER AG IS expanding its product range to the horse sector while at the same time revolutionising horse and cattle clipping with its new XplorerPro clipper. Even more powerful than its predecessor, the XplorerPro features two speeds and is the only clipper to date to include a patented clipping pressure display. This guarantees more precise clipping than ever before and it also extends the clipper’s life. A true powerhouse among clippers Featuring a cutting-edge Li-ion battery, Heiniger’s new XplorerPro clipper is not only ultra flexible to use, but it also offers an optimum run time of up to 120 minutes. With up to 2,900 double strokes per minute on the second speed level (2,500 on the first), it is a true powerhouse when it comes to offering quicker clipping than…

CLIPPING SPECIAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH Heiniger MEET THE EXPERT TOM DYMOND has spent most of his working life competing and running livery and training yards. In the last 15 years, he has found himself clipping ever more horses all year round, and over the course of a winter clipping season (mid-September to the end of February), he expects to clip around 500-600 horses. CLIPPING NERVOUS AND tricky horses can be a daunting task, but there are ways to complete this essential job with minimal stress to both horse and owner. A lot of people seem to consider sedation as a form of ‘cheating’, but it can be the best and safest way for a horse to learn, as when the sedation begins to wear off the horse becomes both aware and…

RESEARCH Survey finds horse owners love their oldies The results of a new survey show that horse owners remain faithful to their equine charges well into old age. The heartening research, undertaken by Spillers, reveals that 65.6% of owners surveyed kept horses of 20-plus years old, while 32.7% of respondents' horses exceeded 25 years of age. Out of the 12,000 participants, 58% had owned their golden oldie for more than 11 years, while an incredible 5.7% had clocked up 26 years together. Far from casting off their horses in old age, too, the data showed that 99.3% of respondents intended to offer their senior equine a home for life. Despite their advancing years, a significant percentage — 62.8% — of these horses were still being ridden, although 72.9% of these…

THERE IS a lot of competition out there. Whether you use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, or any other social media network, there are literally billions of people whose content is being pitched against yours all the time. Therefore you need to do all you can to ensure that it grabs people’s attention. When we post content on social media, we want the right people to see it. Ideally, we also want them to like, comment, share and save it. However, one thing at a time! If we can’t get them to stop scrolling past, they’re never going to do the other things we want, are they? When our content doesn’t ‘speak’ to people, it’s not just our ego that feels it. We also lose the ability to find likeminded…

PAET TWO SCHOOLING SOLUTIONS JUMPING SUCCESS YOUR HORSE’S TRAINING WE’RE BACK THIS issue with January (named after the month in which she was born) and her fantastic little horse Juice as they continue their mission to nail the basics, hone their technique over related distances and, above all, tread that fine line between achieving their lofty goals and staying super confident. Because, as you’ll remember if you caught their first coaching session last issue, confidence is a big issue for this pair. Over the years, January has had to work hard to banish the negative demons in her head, while Juice finds some related distances tricky due to his diminutive size. A mix of hypnosis, positive thinking and the help of a great coach in the shape of Mia Palles-Clark have…

YOUR HORSE'S GEAR A COAT MADE FROM BOTTLES You'll love being out in all weathers when you're wearing the Betacraft Women’s ISO940 Parka. It is 100% waterproof, windproof and breathable, and features four-layer technology to keep you warm and dry all day. Made from 25 recycled bottles, the durable, rip-stop fabric is better for the planet. Tailored for women, other features include neoprene cuffs to stop water running down the arm, a storm flap, numerous pockets, an adjustable hood, two-way zip, soft fabric chin guard and high-visibility strips. RRP £237 BETACRAFTWORKWEAR.COM CHANGE COLOURS WITH THE SEASONS Mattes is well known for its highly functional saddle pads, and the Eurofit Collection is now available in a stunning range of autumn/winter colours. These stylish saddle pads come with a super-premium lambskin edging…

YOUR HORSE'S GEAR BUYER'S GUIDE LONG WINTER BOOTS LONG WINTER BOOTS are a yard essential for any horse owner. Such boots are worn day in, day out while splashing through mud and water, and they are also subjected to the rigours of mucking out. Over time, they feel like slipping into a pair of comfy slippers. Even when they grow old and holey we still carry on wearing them, believing that there is life left in them yet. When you do eventually grow tired of being subjected to cold and slightly soggy socks, it is time to invest in a new pair, but what factors should you consider before buying? The growing selection of long boots on the market offers an intriguing blend of design innovation and technology — plus such…

HERMANN HEINIGER FOUNDED Hermann Heiniger Landesprodukte en gros following World War II. Through this trading company, he purchased fruit, especially apples and pears as well as potatoes, from regional farmers, exporting them abroad on a large scale. At the same time, he imported tropical fruits, notably oranges and tangerines, from Spain. In the mid-1950s, however, dark clouds were gathering over the company, not least due to the collapse of the European fruit export market. Hermann Heiniger needed to recreate himself and so he set out to conquer the world of grinding machines, ceasing to trade in agricultural products and fruit. A hand mixer was constructed and launched on the market. A tin-cutting machine followed, but both products were only moderately successful. However, a third device — the Universal grinding machine,…

ANY HORSE OWNERS looking for lightweight, quiet and low-vibration clippers need look no further than the SaphirHorse clipper — you will get amazing results. Based on the successful Saphir model, the SaphirHorse, with its new 10WF and 15W snap-on shear blades, together with the existing 10W blade, is the ideal solution for meeting any horse’s clipping needs. Thanks to its large blades, a full body clip can be performed on a horse’s coat efficiently despite the smaller size of this clipper. The new blades are compatible with all existing Saphir models. The latest lithium-ion battery technology ensures cordless clipping for up to two hours. The SaphirHorse clipper, developed and manufactured in Switzerland, is handy, quiet, lightweight and yet powerful, ensuring that clipping is effortless work for all owners and grooms.…