Innehållsförteckning för January 2017 från Practical Horseman

As I read this month’s stories, a quote from Olympic eventer Boyd Martin struck me in particular: “Your goal over tiny fences is riding out of a rhythm and doing as little as possible to influence the horse. Practice not being control freaks!” he told amateur riders at a Practical Horseman-sponsored clinic (page 58). The interesting thing about this quote is that while it’s true that the best rides are when you don’t have to do much to influence your horse—everything seems effortless—to get to that point there is a lot you can, and should, control. First you can control your training, whether it’s taking lessons from a knowledgeable instructor, attending clinics or educating yourself through books, videos and magazines. Getting your horse to the point where he can go…

Come to think of it, I have lived most of my life at the gallop … the important parts, anyway. My first memories are of horses, and most of those memories involve speed. I have been lucky enough to spend my life with horses and done many different things with them, but the only times I feel truly comfortable on horseback are when I rise up off my four-legged pal’s back, he breaks into a gallop and we head out into the country with a “let’s see what happens next” attitude. Galloping in partnership with half a ton of living, moving, graceful, athletic creature gives me a thrill that I would never be able to get from a pet hamster. Galloping Mechanics I appreciate my horse’s other three paces: walk,…

After a thought-provoking dressage lesson with Silva Martin and lunch with Silva and her husband, Boyd, Daphne Soares was excited for her cross-country schooling lesson with the 2016 Olympic eventer. And then her horse pulled a shoe. To make matters worse, the shoe was missing, somewhere between the dressage arena and Daphne’s trailer along the driveway at the Martin’s stable, Windurra, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. “I can’t believe this,” the 44-year-old amateur eventer said as she walked along the grass looking for the shoe. Daphne had won Practical Horseman and Dressage Today’s Win A Day Clinic, sponsored by Purina, and she, along with her son and six friends had trailered their horses to the Martins. Daphne eventually found the shoe and farrier Doug Neilson put it back on in time for…

Gonzalez Takes Del Mar The last rider to go in a jump-off that featured three Olympians, Enrique Gonzalez (MEX) and Chacna won the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar in October at the Del Mar International Horse Show in California. France’s Eric Navet, aboard Catypso, finished second while Gonzalez’s business partner, Eduardo Menezes (BRA), took third with Catalina. “When I walked the course, I thought only about the four stride,” Gonzalez said of the first round. “But fortunately, I went late, and everyone had problems jumping that line. I saw Eduardo in the warm-up after he did it in five, and he told me, ‘You have to do it in five.’” The advice paid off: The three riders who rode the line in five went on to the jump-off.…

Options for Wound Care Formulated with Purifect® Technology developed primarily by Brigham Young University to support the body’s immune response, Farnam® PuriShield™ includes four woundcare products. •Wound Spray is a first-aid spray that cleanses and helps tissue regeneration of minor cuts and scrapes (16 ounces, $29.95). •Skin Spray relieves topical skin irritations (16 ounces, $24.95). •Barrier Spray covers hard-to-bandage areas (8 ounces, $34.95). •Hydrogel, a thick gel form of Wound Spray, sticks to uneven surfaces (8 ounces, $19.95); www.farnam.com. Educational Online Jumping Course Developed by Active Interest Media, the parent company of Practical Horseman, Jim Wofford’s Jumping Academy is an online series of courses to help you develop confidence, technique and fitness by gymnastic jumping. The courses are “6 Weeks to Better Jumping,” “Advanced Gymnastics,” “Error-Busting Exercises” and “Jim Wofford…

I tell you this fact with respect and compassion: You will make mistakes. Mistakes are a part of life. They don’t ever go away. Yes, their size, frequency and impact may change over time, but they will always exist in your life and in your riding. Once you accept this fact you can get on with the most important work related to mistakes, which is how to be resilient and handle them effectively when they occur. How you handle a mistake is 1,000 times more important than whether you make one. To handle a mistake well you need a strong base—a strong belief in yourself that will not be rocked by one hard moment, bad day or event. This requires dedication, effort, awareness and perspective. In fact, establishing a productive…

• LEARN from top clinicians Anne Kursinski, Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut at the George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 3–7, in Wellington, FL. The clinic’s mission is to identify and develop the next generation of U.S. Equestrian Team talent in all areas of horsemanship. Free to auditors; www.usef.org. • KEEP UP with the latest news, rule changes and discussions at the 2017 U.S. Equestrian Federation Annual Meeting, Jan. 11–14, in Lexington, KY. Top equestrians and horses will be honored Friday and Saturday evenings; www.usef.org. • SEE elite jumpers and dressage riders compete in the Florida sun during the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival and Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, Jan. 11–April 2, in Wellington, FL; www.equestriansport.com. • HEAD TO where the weather is warm to watch hunters/jumpers during the HITS…

Holloway Takes Two Top Equitation Honors Eighteen-year-old Hunter Holloway won two top equitation finals last fall— the WIHS Equitation Final and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship. She won the WIHS Equitation Final—her first major equitation championship—in October at the Washington International Horse Show in Washington, D.C. Forty of the nation’s top junior riders qualified to compete in the three-phase event. They began over a hunter course and returned the next day for a jumper course. Their scores from the two rounds were combined, and the top 10 riders returned for the final work-off, switching horses and then jumping the same course. Holloway, who scored 289.75, led the competition through all three rounds, riding Hay Investment Corp.’s Any Given Sunday and Lucy Deslauriers’ mount, Class Action, for the final work-off. Madison…

In an American Association of Equine Practitioners’ survey, veterinarians agreed that a good topline is key to reduced injury risk and overall equine well-being. To improve your horse’s topline, you may want to think about revamping his nutrition plan, according to studies by Cargill Animal Nutrition’s Nutrena®. Abby Keegan, Nutrena’s equine innovation and application lead, explains that studies have shown horses can build topline muscle when fed a proper diet even if they don’t exercise. But exercise without proper nutrition won’t do the same. “Protein from a good balanced amino-acid source is critical in the body,” Keegan says. “Seventy-three percent of muscle is made up of amino acids.” Nutrena has identified 10 amino acids essential to topline health. Since horses don’t naturally manufacture these amino acids, they must be provided…

Q Why have you been successful? MC When you are young, you think your way is the only way. But there is more than one way to skin a cat. I was lucky enough to figure that out early on. I never stopped learning and asking questions, wanting to know what is new and being open-minded. I always asked: How could I be better? Q Why did you take a break from riding in your 20s? MC After college, I worked for [Olympic eventing champion] Mike Plumb for a year. But there was pressure from my family. They said, “Is this really a career with horses? Can you make a living doing this?” So I decided to try the nineto-five thing. I worked as a sales assistant for two investment…

Risk-Management Effort Begins The FEI Eventing Risk Management Steering Group established the framework for its mission during its first meeting, Oct. 19, at FEI headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Chaired by David O’Connor, the group launched its efforts to reduce horse falls in eventing and decrease serious injuries to both riders and horses by utilizing research studies. The group is also seeking to evaluate athlete qualifications and performance history in addition to reviewing fence design, safety equipment and the roles and responsibilities of officials. By the end of February the steering group will provide a list of recommendations to the FEI Eventing Committee and then will present the findings of its research at the FEI Sports Forum in April. “We all love this sport and acknowledge that it carries inherent risks,…