Issue 468

Your Horse

Enjoy every second in the saddle

Your Horse1 min read
A Word From The Team…
Features editor Stephanie Anthony: If you or your horse struggles to find the confidence to hack solo, don’t worry. We explain the techniques you need to finally crack riding out alone. Page 10 Freelance features writer Julie Brown: I met the lovelie
Your Horse2 min read
Welcome
I’M A GREAT believer that you can learn so much from watching your horsey heroes. I count myself very lucky that with the job I have I’ve had the opportunity to meet some top riders and benefit from watching them both ride and teach others. It’s amaz
Your Horse1 min read
Rescue Update
Three donkeys found malnourished and shivering on New Year’s Eve in Lancashire are thriving in the care of The Donkey Sanctuary. The donkeys, made up of two foals and one adult stallion, were so skinny that their bones were showing through their wint
Your Horse2 min read
Ride Without Stirrups
WORKING WITHOUT STIRRUPS is a great exercise whatever your riding level or discipline. It helps you to focus on your balance, and develops your awareness of your body and also the biomechanics of your horse. Understanding rhythm and how your horse mo
Your Horse3 min read
HORSE Talk
Equestrian sport has resumed with the lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. British Showjumping was one of the first equestrian sports to return competitively as the country gradually emerged from lockdown. On 29 June Endurance GB reopened for e
Your Horse1 min readFashion
This Month We Love…
Take your horse with you everywhere you go with this cute horse keyring. You can personalise the colouring to make it the double of your own ponio. RRP £4 besthandmade.co.uk Stand out from the crowd with these bright and beautiful riding hat covers.
Your Horse1 min read
Playing Leapfrog
This is a great technique to improve your horse’s confidence while hacking solo. ◾ When riding out with a companion let your horse walk out in front and then calmly bring him to a halt while the other horse walks past.◾ Wait for him to get a few metr
Your Horse2 min read
Going SOLO
YOUR HORSE IS all tacked up and ready to go out, but then your phone rings. Your riding buddy has had to cancel. Your mind is filled with a sense of dread as you psyche yourself up for yet another fraught, anxious, solo hack filled with napping and s
Your Horse2 min read
5 Tips To Achieve Your Solo Goals
It’s sensible to hack out with other horses first if you’sre on a youngster or one who’s anxious or lacking confidence. Take a calm, reliable horse and rider with you and go on a short, quiet route. As your horse’s confidence builds, you can start wa
Your Horse1 min read
‘We’re Flying High Thanks To #hack1000miles’
HOW HACKING HELPS My mare Molly and I started this challenge as nervous wrecks with no confidence whatsoever. It took us two years to complete. Molly had the traditional kissing spines operation in April 2016 and the physiological damage has taken ye
Your Horse1 min readHorses
Appaloosa
BEST KNOWN FOR their striking coat pattern caused by a genetic mutation called the leopard complex (LP), Appaloosas have been around for millennia. They are depicted in prehistoric cave paintings in Europe, and were a popular choice in North America,
Your Horse3 min read
‘Our Favourite Rides Have Room For A Good Gallop’
I MY HORSE, Shoop, bitless, barefoot and treeless. I first went bitless with Marnie, a 15. 2hh Irish Sport Horse now retired, to see whether it might help with her napping and rearing. I was reluctant at first, but the improvement in her behaviour wa
Your Horse1 min readHorses
Appaloosa Anecdotes
❋ Appaloosas typically stand at 14-15hh.❋ The Appaloosa was named the official state horse of Idaho in 1975.❋ They can be red roan, blue roan, bay roan, grey, dun, palomino, chestnut, cremello, buckskin, black, brown, dark bay, or bay.❋ The breed reg
Your Horse6 min readHorses
Kyrby Brown
FREEDOM FOR KYRBY Brown comes in the form of horses and a bike-like conveyance called a RaceRunner. Whether on four hooves or three wheels, the para equestrian can feel the wind brush past her face and her spirits soar. Life beyond a saddle, however,
Your Horse1 min read
Five Facts About Racerunning
■ The first RaceRunner was developed by Danish inventors in 1991. ■ It is a custom-built tricycle ‘learner bike’ that has no pedals, so you use your feet, but there is a chest support which the user can lean on. ■ Because it doesn’t require balance t
Your Horse5 min read
Rosey Fisher
Rosey Fisher is an A&E doctor who juggles a busy job with her 22-year-old pony, Jovi. She lives in rural Northumberland, where she and her young-at-heart 14.2hh equine enjoy hacking and jumping. My job involves being the front line face for any patie
Your Horse4 min readPsychology
Mind GAMES
HAVE YOU EVER had days when you mount your horse with a head full of schooling exercises and enthusiasm, but nothing quite works out the way you intended? Well, you may be pleased to hear that you’re not the only one! All riders have had ‘one of thos
Your Horse1 min readPsychology
Coping Mechanisms
On the management side, several studies show that similar brain chemicals (opiates) are released during certain stereotypical behaviours, such as crib-biting or weaving. These behaviours have been cleverly identified by some horses as a means of self
Your Horse3 min readPsychology
The Importance Of Repetition
Repetition is good for getting those neural pathways firmly established, but we also know that overdoing it will cause physical damage, while boredom will switch the horse off mentally. So how much is enough? In terms of repetition, it’s estimated th
Your Horse2 min read
YOUR Say
This is 20-year-old rescued mini Ebby who I’ve owned for six years. In all that time my family and I have tried every trick in the book to gain her trust and allow us to catch her — alas, not even sitting in a small space with a bucket of food could
Your Horse1 min read
You’ve Been Posting
Since lockdown we’re encountering many more cyclists who don’t know how to approach horses. Our horses are good, but I won’t be taking my youngster out on the road yet as I don’t want to end up in a hedge! More awareness is needed. Emma Stuart, Faceb
Your Horse2 min read
Let’s Talk About… Body Brushes
Haas brushes are fab — there are a whole variety of body brushes designed for different coloured coats. Debs Davies I use Shires Ezi-groom brushes on my two. Marianna Mitchell- Dahle I find Haas products rather expensive — at least I thought that abo
Your Horse1 min read
SEND A Selfie
Me with Incy. Lisa Edmonston, Scarborough Me and Banroc Bluebelle. Bryony Percival, York My mare Maisie. Charlotte carr, Birmingham Ben and I love a selfie. Amy Smith, Sheffield Here’s me with the lovely Juno. Amy Littlewood, Leeds Bob and I. Henri S
Your Horse5 min read
Flatwork For A Clear Round
WHEN TRAINING A showjumper or eventer, it’s tempting to get excited about the leaving the ground part of a schooling session and be keen to move on to that as quickly as possible. But going clear consistently always starts with correct flatwork train
Your Horse1 min readHorses
Lessons Learned
❋ To improve the quality of your horse’s jump, it’s important to focus on flatwork. ❋ Don’t react to any spookiness — if you do, your horse will do more of it. He has to learn to keep going no matter what. ❋ Leg-yield and counter-canter are two key
Your Horse5 min read
As Right As Rein
ESTABLISHING CORRECT contact with your horse is a core part of effective riding. A l light, elastic and yet consistent contact makes it feel as though you are connected with each other by a mental thread as well as the physical contact. A horse who i
Your Horse2 min read
An Effective Seat
AVING CONTROL OVER your pelvis and seat is vital for maintaining a correct and effective position in the saddle. It also makes it much easier for your horse to carry you and move freely. Increasing your awareness of your pelvic muscles and working to
Your Horse4 min readHorses
Going Sideways
LATERAL WORK IS great for promoting suppleness and elasticity, and it’s one of the key training exercises I use with all my showjumpers. The cornerstone of lateral work is leg-yield. Apart from achieving greater athleticism, leg-yield allows you to r
Your Horse1 min readPsychology
Should I Try To ride Like A Pro?
IMAGINE THAT THERE was a book available entitled ‘How to ride a horse’. Obviously we’d all buy a copy and read it from cover to cover. Or maybe there’s a week-long course we could go on, at the end of which we’d know ‘How to ride a horse’. If only it
Your Horse3 min readPsychology
Riding As One
Achieving harmony goes beyond the rider’s physical ability to absorb the motion of the horse and includes elements such as weight, height, leg length, previous injury, age and confidence. Every one of us feels different to the horse. Then there’s the
Your Horse4 min readPsychology
Feedback Gives Faster Progress
1 Check your straightness. One of the key skills riders need to perfect is sitting symmetrically in the saddle. Not only does sitting straight help your horse to develop straightness, but it’s crucial for reducing the risk of pain, injury and ill hea
Your Horse2 min read
Getting Off On The Right Foot
FARRIERY IS NO longer just about nailing iron shoes onto a horse’s hooves – as a profession it has come on massively since those days. Now it’s not just a way of reducing the wear and tear on a hardworking horse’s hooves; it also plays a fundamental
Your Horse1 min read
Meet The Expert
Master farrier BEN BENSON qualified as a farrier in 2003. He is an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and an Approved Training Farrier (ATF). Since 2012 Ben has been one of the lead farriers at Olympic Games; he’s lead farrier for the To
Your Horse2 min read
Technological Improvements
Digital X-rays and imaging are now virtually instantaneous. I remember my dad helping a vet to take an X-ray of a laminitic horse he was treating and having to wait for the vet to drive all the way into the nearest town to develop it. Now a vet can c
Your Horse2 min read
The Owner-farrier Relationship
A farrier’s competency used to be measured by how long the horse’s shoes stayed on, but nowadays we know that may not be in the best interests of the horse. Hooves are always growing out of balance, but if you stay on top of these things, your horse
Your Horse1 min read
Ben’s Top Farrier Tips
1 Don’t scrimp on your horse’s farriery — keeping on top of deviations is the best way to ensure that your horse stays sound for longer. 2 Speak to your farrier if you have a problem or a concern about your horse and listen to their advice. 3 Be on
Your Horse6 min readMedical
Feeding FRENZY
WITH SO MANY different brands and types of hard feed on the market, it can be confusing knowing what to feed your horse. Not only that, but more and more horses are being classed as obese in the UK, so do they even need hard feed at all? “Recent stud
Your Horse2 min read
‘Nine Months After Surgery, Daisy Returned To Eventing’
Daisy, a five-year-old Irish Sport Horse, was taken to Oakhill Equine Referral Clinic for further investigation and treatment to a medial splint on her left fore which her owner had noticed 10 days earlier, says Rosie Owen, equine surgery specialist.
Your Horse3 min read
A Bump in The Road
SPLINTS ARE BONY enlargements (exostoses) of the interosseous ligament that connects the splint bones to the cannon bone. Inflammation and mineralisation of the ligament causes a surface bone reaction to the splint and cannon bones, resulting in the
Your Horse3 min read
Why Rest Is Old Hat
A TENDON INJURY IS every owner’s nightmare. In the past, recovery has involved months of trying to placate a frustrated animal on box rest with no guarantee of a return to full fitness. Now researchers and equine vets are learning from human sports m
Your Horse1 min read
The Road To Recovery
■ Repetitive training without enough rest leads to degradation and injury, so vary the workload and the type of surface you work on, and allow for turnout, rest days and light hacking. This isn’t just good for your horse’s mind, but also his physical
Your Horse6 min readPsychology
When The Little Things Add Up
PERSONALLY, I’M USUALLY pretty successful. Actually, no, that’s a bit of a lie. I’m visibly good at dealing with stress, but I do internalise quite a lot, some of the time subconsciously allowing this to build up until I need to let it out. I guess o
Your Horse1 min read
Ask The Experts
Email your question to getinvolved@yourhorse.co.uk. Need an answer? We’ll know someone who can help Welcome to our Ask The Experts section. In the next nine pages, we solve your horsey dilemmas by taking them to those in the industry who know best. T
Your Horse2 min read
CROSS-COUNTRY ISSUES: Will Furlong says.
Q My 16-year-old Thoroughbred jumps pretty much everything in sight at home, including cantering straight through huge puddles after heavy rain. However, 20 penalties is a consistent theme at competitions. A pattern is forming where she will stop at
Your Horse3 min read
SADDLES AND SADDLE FITTING: Di Fisher says…
Q I recently bought a saddle that seemed to have good clearance of my mare’s withers, didn’t block or nip her shoulder and didn’t extend beyond the last rib. The girth sits in the right spot, it looked level and she seems to go really well in it. How
Your Horse4 min read
EQUINE FIRST AID: Alistair Love says...
Q How do you treat a fairly straightforward wound caused by a kick in the field when the horse isn’t really lame and it’s not near a joint — a flesh wound from a shoe, for example? Alistair says... First, double check that the wound really is straigh
Your Horse3 min read
GROOMING: Jess Errington says...
I’m fairly new to riding and about to part loan a horse. My only responsibilities outside of riding will be grooming and turning out, but there are so many different types of grooming brush that I’m confused. What should I have in my grooming kit and
Your Horse1 min read
GROOMING: Jess Errington says…
Q My mare always seems to end up with mud all over her belly and between her back legs and teats. I don’t want her to be dirty or sore, but she hates being brushed or touched in that area. Do you have any tips for keeping her clean and not getting my
Your Horse1 min readMedical
Ask Clare
The owner: Lexi James The horse: Kingdom Of Rust, a 13-year-old former racehorse The problem: Rust has been recuperating from a stifle injury Rust sustained a minor stifle injury in the spring and Lexi turned him away for three months. He’s now sound
Your Horse2 min readFashion
What’s New?
Perfect for those hot summer days competing, the Dublin Hanna Mesh Tailored Jacket II will ensure that you look smart and stay cool. This stylish stretch mesh competition jacket has a flattering princess seam construction and double vented back, with
Your Horse1 min read
Win
For a chance to get your hand on these goodies*, enter at yourhorse.co.uk/468 TurmerAid, from The Golden Paste Company, is a natural turmeric supplement for horses that supports healthy joints, aids digestion and promotes a healthy skin and coat. The
Your Horse5 min read
THE BIG TEST Stirrups
THE DESIGN OF stirrups has changed considerably over the years. The traditional stainless steel Fillis stirrup iron is no longer your only option when it comes to buying a new pair of stirrups. Browse the internet or look in any tack shop and you’ll
Your Horse2 min read
ON TREND Summer Riding Gloves
RRP £24. 95 COLOURS Black, navy SIZES S — XL BUY AT lemieuxproducts.com These gloves are lightweight and low profile, with excellent feel. The flexible mesh back and perforated palm provide superb breathability and sensitivity on the reins. With wrap
Your Horse3 min readAutomotive
BUYER’S GUIDE Trailers
TRAILERS ARE A great option for those who don’t want the expense of running a lorry as well as a car. Gone are the days when the only option was a basic trailer for one or two horses with a partition and a ramp. Now there’s a plethora of choice, incl
Your Horse1 min readAutomotive
Tips For Buying Used
If you’re looking for transport on a budget, then a used trailer can be a good choice. Here are our tips for making a successful purchase: ■ Make sure that you inspect it thoroughly or get someone more knowledgeable to do this for you. ■ Do what you
Your Horse2 min readAutomotive
BUYER’S GUIDE Shop For A Trailer
RRP €7,478 (c£6,842) + VAT UNLADEN WEIGHT 1501kg MORE INFO boeckmann.com This trailer’s sporty, dynamic shape and comfy suspension chassis offer an enjoyable experience for you and your horse. It has good headroom, lots of storage in the tackroom and
Your Horse4 min read
Deep Healing
THERE IS NO shortage of physical therapies available to help improve your horse’s wellbeing — in fact, there are so many on the market that making a choice can be a bit of a minefield. A new animal therapy — an evidencebased one from INDIBA Animal H
Your Horse2 min read
‘Merlin’s Six-week Scans Showed Significant Healing Beyond Expectations’
Hannah successfully used INDIBA therapy on Merlin, an 11-year-old Welsh section D x Irish Draught/Thoroughbred gelding who damaged both hind suspensory ligaments while turned out in his field last August. “Before his injury, Merlin and his owner, Jac
Your Horse1 min read
Your Horse Magazine
Postal address: Your Horse, H Bauer Publishing, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Email: getinvolved@bauermedia.co.uk Phone 01733 468205 Editor Aimi Clark (maternity leave) Acting Editor Allison Lowther Features Editor Stephanie Anthony A
Your Horse1 min read
Ride On The Beach
Are metal shoes the right footwear for your horse? We delve deeper into this controversial subject ❋ Olympic event rider Andrew Hoy helps you to jump clear every time ❋ Understand your horse’s temperament and reap rewards by tailoring your training ❋
Your Horse3 min read
Suzie Fletcher
How did you get into horses? I get my love of horses from my grandmother — and it was my grandfather who bought my first pony, Jess. Before and after school I had to cycle four miles to take care of him and also get a part-time job to help pay for hi

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