Baroque Horse ~ issue 25 by Baroque Horse Magazine

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Don’t miss the amazing selection of Masterclasses on offer over October and November, including a special Dressage Masterclass Xtra with Charlie Hutton. Special features include Carl and Charlotte: Dressage Superstars, An Evening with Carl and Charlotte, Rudall’s Round-Up from British Dressage Team Quest Finals and the whole series of “At Home with Carl Hester”. Among the world class Competition on offer is the British Dressage National Championships 2016, FEI World Cup Dressage 2016: Odense, FEI World Cup Dressage 2016: Lyon and FEI World Cup Dressage 2016: Stuttgart.

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CONTENTS

w h a t ’ s

i n s i d e 66. 7 Dressage Tips

10. Gerd Heuschmann interview

68. Understanding Minerals and Supplements

16. Classical Principles of Dressage by Belinda Bolsenbroek

72. Equine Hair Shedding

24. Starting Young Horses By Jody Hartstone 32. Carlow Carneiro

74. Demystifying The Immune System By Cath McDowell 76. 5 Handy Hints By Dr John Kohnke BVSc

36. The Half Pass By Baron D'Eisenberg

79. Training Tips by Andreas Hausberger

42. The Hard Mouthed Horse By Laura Fraser

80. Q & A

ON THE COVER: Jody Hartstone and Lusitano Stallion "Alibaba". Photo by Debbie Stevens

44. Discovering Equine Photography with Katarzyna Okrzesik-Mikolajek

ISSUE 25

52. Arena GPS Training Exercises by Dr. Thomas Ritter 56. The Valenca Legacy by Sofia Valenca

E D I T O R S

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N O T E

s some of you might have noticed, things are looking a little different on the cover. We have added the word DRESSAGE in our title and those who have been long time readers will know this has been something we have always focused on from competition to classical dressage.

2016

What does DRESSAGE mean? To some, it means people riding around in an arena and to others, it's art, which ever way both envole many years of training and great skill. Dressage actually comes from the French word meaning "dresser" to train, so dressage is just the training of a horse. Essentially no matter what discipline you practice dressage is essential to it all walking, trotting and cantering - it is the basis and foundation of all riding. There is a lot of talk and terms being thrown around nowadays in regards to dressage and what is correct and what makes it correct? Dressage as a competitive sport started many years ago for military personnel to demonstrate their skills and over time it's evolved into what it is today. There is a lot of robust discussions on whether we have lost a lot of correctness/ training for entertainment and point scoring. Many are referring to methods that enforce control and dominance rather than harmony and teamsmanship. You can see this is by watching the 'created' movements in the trot where the back is hollowing and certain celebrity names still getting top scores for something that in a lower level test you would have received penalities for.

There are also many gaps in some training, where certain areas are not consolidated or trained correctly, and that isn't in the horses' best interest or health. Dressage is like building a pyramid, and it's so essential that you lay your foundations down correctly from the beginning. If you take your time and build a good solid base and focus on the basics, you won't have any issues as you work your way up the pyramid. However, if you take shortcuts, and rush, you will lose the stability as you try to go up that learning pyramid, and it will get harder, and you will often fall to the detriment of your horse and yourself. If this happens, you should always go back to the beginning and start back with groundwork and re-establish your connection with your horse. How many times do you hear of a horse reaching the mid-levels, and it's blown a tendon (not saying that bad training was the result of all, however, most times it is) or has some other issue. Sometimes, if you may be lucky enough you can make it to the top of your pyramid, but it's not very solid base and doesn't look as good as it could. That's when you see horses with hollow backs and piaffes that move so far forward or have disjointed passages. An important part of dressage is also the expression from the horse and is so wonderful to watch a horse that is enjoying its test and is in harmony with their rider all due to proper and caring training. This will not be just any dressage based magazine; we'll still aim to bring you the best articles for some of the world's top

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trainers, riders and health professionals that have the horses wellbeing and benefit in mind. In this issue, we have several training articles from different coaches around the world. They don't all deliver the same ideas and theories, however, all are caring in the way they train and instruct. What we need to remember is that no one is 100% correct and the only way to go. Just like in many thinkgs in life there is many ways to achieve the same result and our intention is to present you with their incredible wealth of knowledge, and we will leave it up to you to find instruction from what resonates the most with you. One of the best things you can do for yourself in these confusing times of not knowing who to look to on what is right and who is good etc. is to educate yourself so you can make your own informed educated opinions and we will try our best to help you with this. One of the most important princilpes to look for in a trainer is one that will put the well being of horse first. As always we hope you enjoy this issue and always welcome your feedback.

kerman Danielle SEditor-in-Chief

LUSITANO STALLION - "ALIBABA" AND JODY HARTSTONE PHOTO BY DEBBIE STEVENS

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Gerd Heuschmann BAROQUE HORSE talks to

Danielle Skerman

aroque Horse Magazine had the pleasure to talk to Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, a veterinarian and a classical rider from Germany. Dr. Heuschmann was a key person in bringing to light to dangers and harm of riding horses in Rollkur and was apart of the big 2010 meeting of the FEI in regards to it. He is well-known in the dressage community and admired for being able to speak his mind in what he sees as incorrect and damaging training methods commonly employed by riders and trainers involved in competition today. Dr. Gerd Heuschmann was kind enough to talk to us about the biomechanics and the skeletal and muscular connections that run throughout the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body. He explains how of these controversial training techniques cause damage to the horse. BH: Can you explain how Rollkur movement started and what the difference is between Rollkur/LDR and hyperflexion, please?

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GH: I chaired a meeting in 2010 where there was a group of 23 people and two representatives from the Worldwide Animal Welfare Department for horses, and this is where the name 'Rollkur' originated. At this meeting, there were only three people who clearly opposed to Rollkur and 18 people

It's not just about the Rollkur. It's about any flexion of poll and neck by force, there’s no big difference whether if it's high up or further down. A professional competitor doing what they call as LDR please note this horse is not doing this on their own free will. 

who, if there would have been a voting, would have voted for the use of Rollkur. Initially, when I was invited to go my intention was to represent Germany and the people who are against Rollkur. My first opinion was "no need to go there” or “it doesn't make sense to go there because it's clear who has the power” and I felt it would be a bit of a lost cause. Only four days before the meeting a lady came up with the idea to collect signatures against Rollkur via the internet, but the timing was very short. The petition was put on several platforms, and we got approximately 40 thousand signatures in only four days! This was a remarkably good result and the reason why I felt I had to attend this meeting! Everybody had their opportunity to talk, give their viewpoint and their definition to the term of Rolkur, as requested by Princess Haya. After several hours of listening to everyone's difference definitions, Princess Haya concluded that all were saying the same thing!

This horse is displaying a unforced self curl of the neck and has happened as the horse is feeling closed in and unable to excape the unwanted pressue. This is not a good thing nor natural. 

course, the down is worse because the horse cannot see. But from a scientific, and animal lover, point of view I would say, what people do nowadays with this high neck position, holding the horse to its highest capacity of lift and sitting it against itself is more or less similar. So he said, “you should fight for all those against this". So.... you should not use force to flex the neck of the horse, there is no difference if it is high up or low down. Everyone agreed at the meeting that we don't want the neck to be flexed by force. So I said wow, okay, a first good step. But, then the Dutch people came again and said; “start with curling the horse in-front, this is what horses can do on their own.” And they're right, curling can happen naturally, but again it's a mistake of the rider not releasing pressure, of course. Curling happens a lot, in a brief moment. It happens when you sit a little stiff, and your seat is not soft enough, your stirrups are too long, and the horse feels closed in and curls under. This happens particularly with these warmbloods that are trot machines. So they justify it by saying "it's okay, they'll do it on their own, and this is what we call LDR." As representatives, veterinarians, and animal welfare people we said okay as the horse is curling its neck on its own. We know it's not classical riding and has nothing to do with the classical idea on how to train a horse. But it is at least it is not an animal welfare issue when the horse is just strung in and running. So this was a way to open the door for future discussion. BH: So this was to become their loophole and justifications?. GH: Yes. So the definition LDR is accepted. This means nothing else than that the horse is allowed to curl more or less on a loose reign because we decided that flexion of pole and neck by force is forbidden. Then this addition went into a working group, and their job was to put it in practice, to develop a system or an idea how the stewards and the Princess could put it into text. Finally, they came up with this 10-minute idea. To the public the recognition of what was going on in this whole situation changed again, because suddenly it was not about the bad or worse quality

I am unsure if we already had the term LDR (low, deep and round) but I think the expression originated from Sjef Jannsen (founder of the rollkur method, coach and husband of Dutch Olympic gold winner, Anky van Grunsven), at a previous meeting. Rollkur, hyperflexion and LDR - what is the difference? The term itself is nonsense (I'm not native English speaking), low and deep are the same thing. So why low, deep and round? He just wanted to give it a different name and his idea behind this was to step away from hyperflexion and the negative connection linked to this term. I discussed this further with a friend who is familiar with Rollkur and with the people who attended the meeting and he said to me.... " you know, it's not just about Rollkur. It's about any flexion of pole and neck by force, there is no big difference whether it's high up or further down. Of

between pulling a head down by force or accepting a curling horse. There is a big difference in quality. But suddenly it was about the duration of riding a horse in LDR position, not what was being done. The original decision was no Rollkur at all. No mechanical flexion and only acceptable when the horse chooses out of its own. This was the decision of the FEI and it was conveyed wrongly. I don’t want to say wrongly because the drawings and the rules are correct. But the difference was not clearly identified to the public, and many didn’t understand and think its OK to use LDR. And so they came up with the term. Yes, they just gave it a new name and limited it to 10 minutes. For me at the time, it was at least a big first step, a big result however now I would sadly say nothing has changed.

It locks the top line. If a horse is behind the bit curling or pulling down in both cases, the horse has NO CHANCE ... to relax the pole or to be soft in the pole. INCORRECT

Hind leg not under horse Hallow back

Horses head pulled in to over bend the head

Limited upward angle

Note# This horse outline is from an Olympic horse that has LDR used on it. This horse and rider recieve perfet 10's for this piaffe.

BH: Looking at the theory behind it all, is there any part of it that could actually be beneficial to the horse? GH: Not a single bit. BH: So what does it do to them? GH: Well, it locks the top line. If the horse is behind the bit curling or if it is being pulled down by force, in both cases, the horse has no chance, not a single bit of a chance to relax the poll or to be soft in the poll. And when the poll is not soft the back cannot release, swing through and be soft. The back is locked and the whole topline is locked. The only difference is probably that when you pull the head down to create topline maybe there’s a little bit more lift of the rib cage between the shoulder blades - not fully lifted, but a little bit more up. The horse is locked in a higher position. Regardless, head up high and pulled backwards or head pulled down and held in by reins, with loose reins curling or established by force, all have a very negative influence, as I said, to the poll, to the back, the rib cage which sinks. In one case more than the other but in both cases, the back and rib cage sink between the shoulder blades. As a result, the loins locks and then the hind legs are out. Due to this dropped back you don’t see any hind leg action in modern dressage. This lack of hind leg has been shown in many original works and philosophies where they use a different balance, with a soft seat a soft back, and a soft contact, but also without action behind, no hind leg action. Of course, in modern dressage, the front leg action makes it look different but mechanically it’s the same. It’s like a jog, and the hind legs doesn't swing off the ground but walk. More or less the same happens in bad dressage but by force and poor riding. Although there is a difference in the quality of the philosophy, biomechanically it both results in bad riding. The hind legs are out and the horse is on the forehand. In this position, you destroy the poll, you destroy the suspensory, you destroy the back and you destroy the horse's mind because if you lock a horse's back it is always in flight mode. You have to break them so that you can stay on your seat. There are so many, many negative results to the horse's mind and body with this style of riding.

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Backward angle CORRECT Enaged back

Neck needs to be long to help maintain the balance... too low and round will shift and throw off the horses balance.

Where the rider sits

Black arrows around the horse are the direction of the movement

Hind legs carrying under the center of balance in an upwards motion - creating the 'sit'

The horse has a forward and upward angle of the body with the front leg going straight down.

BH: Then why do it? Do you know why it is that these trainers and riders think that this is it? GH: I give you the answer, more or less. Over the last two to three generations our modern dressage horses are bred to be big. They are bred to give a big trot and a big canter all the time. When you start a youngster like this and you mount this youngster, to its nature this three and a half, or four-year-old horse will give you a big trot with a long swinging phase. The longer you stretch the muscle, the longer the horse has to hold the swing. This is why you don’t have a suspension phase in the traditional Spanish Portuguese riding because the back is down. The back is calm, there’s no swing in the back. They’re in a completely different biomechanics, and this is why there is no swinging phase in trot. If you look at the slow motion video, you see the diagonal on the ground all the time. In modern dressage horses there’s a long swinging (suspension) phase. The longissimus dorsi muscle starts behind the thoraces and ends in front of the cervical spine. The longissimus locks with the use of a wrong seat and how you are holding on the reins. Riding

In this example you can see a correct piaffe and incorrect piaffe cause by riding the horse too round and hindering the natural movement. 

BH: Is it physically possible for a horse to be round like that and lift the back? GH: No, impossible. It is not possible to get a rhythmic horse, it is not possible to get a supple horse, it is not possible to get a real contact. Not a single point of the training scale is available. You cannot get the back-up, you cannot get the swinging back, you cannot bend, and you cannot collect. You only can ride fast and slow. BH: That’s why you get almost them do wheelies around the corners because they’re not bending around the corners. GH: Yes. This is a big jump forward in our talk. When we are discussing bend of a dressage horse, we are talking about a very different philosophy of bending then, for example, the philosophy of bending of the working cowboys in Spain and Portugal. A bend is only possible when a horse is in balance, when the back is up, and the horse is taking the contact. As soon as the horse is not taking the contact and the back has failed to come up you cannot achieve bend, you can only achieve bending the neck but you will not get bending through the trunk. Only a bending that continues through the trunk will lead to true collection. Without achieving this, people might call it collection, but it is not. All these short necked horses, which we often see in competition are not truly collected. "Fake collection", as I call it. BH: For the amateurs out there or keen dressage riders what do they need to look for? What are the signs that the horse is actually going correctly? For the collection, for the bend, what can people look for? GH: To be able to collect the horse one day, you have to systematically bring the horse out in front in such a way that we create a curved top line. The crest has to be in a very nice and open roundness. If you have a very short, super round neck you will never get the back up. You have no chance. Because with a short distance from withers to nose line the back will also become too short. This will always result in a drop of the back. When I teach I use a picture. Maybe this helps you. I always say, please imagine your horse’s hind quarters is like a water pump. We want the

energy that this pump creates to flow through into the swinging through the back. This is why we, the classical dressage people, want an up and down swing. A soft, nice, rhythmic swing, as the old master would say, if you get the right swing you will be able to sit and let the horse take you with it. So, it is a soft, high swing. The philosophy of the working rider (for example, cowboy) is aiming for a calm back, the back is allowed to drop down where it stays calm, there is no need for swing. This is why many like riding the Spanish horses, they are easy to sit on because there is a lot less swing. When there’s no swing, for the dressage rider, there’s not enough suppleness. There can’t be elasticity. Now the horse can be loose, without tension and correctly ridden in Spanish Portuguese way, but this has nothing to do with dressage. Dressage comes alive through a rhythmic swing like a Vienna waltz. For a Vienna waltz you need contact. The man has to offer his arm to connect the two bodies. This is why we need a steady, soft contact to get this sensitive and positive tension to the topline which creates the swing. And when you have the swing through the back, then you get a contact. The horse will search for the contact. The horse wants to take the bit softly. The positive tension is created through the chewing of the mouth and the soft poll and like with a ballroom dancer who offers you his arm, you take it, if he offers you a steady contact you will trust him with your life. Your body is involved in this contact and you swing with him. If you avoid or take control over the contact you fly away, you cannot dance the Vienna waltz. You cannot get suspension without the contact in riding this suspension. Without contact in the dance there’s no swing in the Vienna waltz, it’s the same. Today they accept the curling which is a wrong rounding of the topline and of the neck and instead of waiting for the horse to take the contact the rider takes the contact he needs by taking up the reins to take control of the horse, because of this they ignore the back. As a result the back goes down. Then they hold the horse in front and push it against this contact from behind and out of this negative tension they create a wrong suspension, an artificial swing which shows a passage like, wrong swing in the trot with slow hind legs. If somebody wants to evaluate if he is looking at a properly trained horse, he has to look at the hind legs. The hind legs have to swing through.

Correct

Incorrect

Gerd Heuschmann

mistakes at the beginning, being afraid. The horse runs a little bit, you hold on the reins, you shorten the neck and the back locks. When the back locks in a horse 80, 90 years ago they stiffened the neck, and the nose was out in front. Today, these comfortable, beautiful necks stiffen the same, but they pull the lower neck backwards and the front flexes. We call it a foal bend, the horse curls because of the bracing of the back, a tiny little bit is enough in the modern horses. Many uneducated people think a round neck is what you go for. They keep the neck in this position at all times, so there is never a single chance to bring the back up, the rib cage up between the shoulder blades, with the neck out and the mouth to the bit. In the rule book, it says a young horse has to go with a long neck and a hanging nose so that you can ride it forward and the horse will come to the bit.

The above image is a combination of a correct and incorrect extended trot that we are seeing nowadays. For the correct one take note of the the hind leg, that it is travelling underneath the horse creating greater balance balanced and uphill and forward motion. The head is in a position to aid this balance. The incorrect is not holding the balance in the hind leg and essentially falling forward and on the forehand. The head is tucked under which will contribute to the horse being on the forehand (not including the health benefits or lack of the head positions) 

Looking at them, I see my hopes and dreams. Touching them, I feel joy and serenity. Riding them, I connect with my soul. Being with them, I am who I am meant to be! Being with them every day makes me most Happy!

In this image you'll see a nose band that is too tight and blocking the air way for this horse. k

In this image you'll see a tell tale sign of a bend or bump in the horses neck - this is a sign that the neck has been forced in an unnatural position literally causes the bone to be pushed out of place. Often called a break of the C3 or C4.kk

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The hind legs have to swing far forward under the centre of gravity with a nice uphill bow. And the cannon bone and the forearm have to be parallel. If this is not the case, he is not looking at a classically trained horse. If the cannon bone is lower than the forearm, it's not classical. It has nothing to do with dressage. In the best case, when correctly practiced, it's the working riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy from Portugal, Spain and so on. In the worst case, it's bad competition riding. BH: When you look at the FEI, then, and if you read some of the instructions in the rule book on how they're grading a lot of it is very good. It reads well. GH: The rules are perfect. When you read article 401, It's very good. BH: We have clear instructions with the rule book, and what is being judged and rewarded highly doesn't seem to reflect it, what is your opinion on why this is so? GH: Our judges have gotten used to a particular picture over the last 25 years, what a dressage horse should look like. They see horses with an absolutely rising of the forehand. They are used to front legs out, hind legs low. This is what they see every day, everywhere, on the small competition here in Germany and in the international competition. Everywhere in Europe, you see exactly the same type of horse presented. I think one reason is that they are all getting used to it and then I think maybe it is that many of those guys never rode themselves or really read the rules properly. Next point, there is not a real clear message from our federations. But at least some of the federation know that there are big, bad things going on. If they would stop it now, if they would say no from today on we would see classical horses, with balanced backs and with swinging hind legs. I'm sure the people involved are afraid not to be rewarded with positive dressage results, and that they wouldn't win anything anymore. So it's finally money and position. BH: All around the world, there's a lot of bad training out there, and there's a lot of harshness,

and people absolutely wanting to dominate the horse. What other things are you seeing out there that are happening in certain training methods or equipment that it's not fair that needs to stop? GH: It starts at the very first beginning. If you have a young horse, and you start training it with a braced back, you end with a curling horse and a stiff poll. Sometimes the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reaction is to avoid pushing against your hands, and the most common reaction is curling in. So, these are the three symptoms and the result brace the back, curl in, and run. People start to hold the horse on the rein because they have to slow them down and the back braces more, this is a dead end circle. A horse like this, of course, is heavy on the hand. The rider has to hold it hard and as a result the horse opens the mouth, then we crank the nose bands. A horse who is in a correct balance, with a swinging back softly listening to the seat of the rider, allowing the rider to swing into the motion, will take the contact with a closed mouth also with a loose nose band, then you can communicate. The rider with hard, heavy hands holding horses on the reigns have no idea what they are missing. For example, the TMG ( Tempero Mandibular Joint) can give you so many interesting things. When the poll is still, the back is stiff, then the rider (in the warmblood case) cannot sit anymore, it's too bouncy. The high swing that we want becomes a horrible, stiff swing. When the rider can no longer sit, the horse becomes crooked, very stiff on one side and horribly hollowed on the other side. Over time, the horse will always be locked on one side more than on the other side so they end up hanging on one rein. There is no flection or bending and then the mechanical abuse starts, because if you lock a horse's back, and sit on this stiff back, as you all know, a horse becomes spooky because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in flight mode. The horse behaves like a flight animal with a lion a back. BH: Is this why they pull the mean for the Rollkur is also a control method? GH: Exactly. This is why they have to pull more and more as the horse develops a stiff back. At the beginning it starts just by a little mistake of balance,

the horse braces a little bit. It's not started by bad riding at the very beginning. It's a small mistake, if only they would lengthen the neck and have short stirrups and ride the horse with soft feet and clear legs to the bit into a longer topline, the horse would release, it would start to swing. It would be harmonious. But they don't, they stay with the short neck, so the horse starts to really run. It's a flight animal. A flight animal has to be broken. The symptoms are a bad fall on the feet, the horse doesn't allow to sit, a stiff crawling foot fall, even the nose is down. 90% of the horses with nose down has the stiff poll and is not willing to flex and to bend, this results in uneven steps behind which in many time end up in rein lameness or bridle lameness a loss of control of a spooky horse. Or the opposite happens, the horse shuts down, it gives up, it doesn't go forward anymore. They just give up, learned helplessness. They break them, yes either flight or give up. BH: What advice would you have for someone looking for a trainer or a coach? GH: First of all, don't look for a very young trainer because they still have a lot of years to learn them self. I was once a young professional, and now I know I knew nothing - I had no idea. You can be a talented young rider and to quote Charles DeComfry "you have to ride a few thousand horses before you know what you are talking

about". If you want to look for a trainer, I think you have to look for a smart person who is not too young, who has a lot of experience, and who made many mistakes so that he knows how to avoid them. It's hard to find a good trainer worldwide. You have to read, you have to talk, you have to find like-minded people. If you want to learn, you'll steal good ideas too. BH: You have a new book that will come out, can you tell us a bit about it, please? (English version due to be released early 2017) GH: I have a new one about flexing and bending, and it will be available next spring. I worked through Steinbrecht and all the old masters to point out why there is no collection without bend in the ribs - it has nothing to do with the neck. In the French philosophy as well as in the cowboys and

many bullfighters philosophy they start with flexing their necks, left, right, left, right but they don't bend the trunk. They call it collection, and it might be a different kind of collection, but not the collection of classical riding. This is why I wrote this book, to point out how you get true collection and explain all the background information about the balance you need to have first before you can start to bend. The is why the HD12 says in the first year if you don't bend. And when you compare this philosophy of no bend throughout the first year, there's a big, big difference in the Baroque world compared to the Western classical. The training philosophies have a big difference because the Baroque, Western, French bend from the first day. We try to have the horse stable, rhythmic and forward with a swinging back. And when the horse takes both reins softly, goes to the bit, then you start to bend, not earlier. Otherwise, you don't get the hind legs, and you don't get either the aimed for biomechanical effect of both the bend and the lowering of the inside hip. We would like to thank Dr. Gerd Heuschmann for his insight into Rollkur and support him in his quest to have this abolished in the horse world. For more info GERDHEUSCHMANN.COM

CLASSICAL PRINCIPLES Photos by L.Bolsenbroek and I.Behage

of Dressage

It is a fashionable term, "training according to the classical principles of dressage"… But what does it mean? Currently, there are many riders and coaches claiming to train according to these classical principles, yet they often seem wildly different in their training approach. One might even get the feeling that practising classical principles means that you have to stay clear of competitive performance. It might even seem easy to think that those who proclaim to follow a classical path, are those that lack the ability to perform…. This is not correct.

BY BELINDA BOLSENBROEK Training according to the classical principles of dressage has nothing to do with choosing a discipline. Our cultural inheritance, dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman times has given us the meaning of classical; that which is harmonious and beautiful to the eye. Any form and discipline of riding can (and should) be displayed in harmony and beauty, and this will be possible as long as what is requested of the horse lies within the boundaries of what is its natural ability. Harmony and expressive beauty can only exist if there is a partnership between human and horse. In this partnership, the human has the responsible position to be a leader. The human decides what their horse’s life looks like and what they do with it every day. With this control comes a responsibility to be a fair and kind leader and to create a happy and fulfilled life for the animal that so greatly enhances our life and our happiness. Classical training is lost the moment we choose to educate a horse under fear, force or suppression. A horse that has been taught under force or suppression will never be beautiful or harmonious to watch…. It might look impressive and/or maybe powerful to the unschooled spectator … but never will this horse and rider seem to melt together in beautiful harmony.

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Belinda Bolsenbroek riding "VENTUROSO" (imp Brazil) in a correct, engaged and uphill piaffe.

elinda Bolsenbroek is an accomplished coach and master in the art of horsemanship. Guided by the proven principles and foundation already laid by long gone masters like Xenophon, Pluvinel, de la Gueriniere and Steinbrecht, Belinda offers rider and horse first class education in the art of horsemanship and classical dressage.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;True horsemanship means a balanced

harmonious relationship between you and your horse, without insecurities or fear. The ability to lead without force creates a partnership that will bring fulfillment to both horse and rider. It is my passion to guide people and horses along the way of the art of horsemanship.â&#x20AC;?

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Belinda riding Venturoso. Hes listening carefully as Belinda gives him clear and gental instruction 

EXPRESSION Where the suppressed horse will show no pride in its work, the classically educated horse will eagerly show itself with proud expression. The engaged horse that is ridden with impulsion will become extravagantly expressive when the suspension is added to Schwung (*). This suspension, however, is one of the very last ingredients we add to our training. It is only possible to ask this kind of expressiveness when the horse has the strength and suppleness to balance itself without tension. This means that for the ridden horse to be shown with extravagant movement, it needs to be able to lower its haunches and collect. It is also only possible to create this extra expression under the seat of an educated rider. A rider needs to be well balanced in their body and skilled in the balance of their seat and the aids of weight, leg and hand. For the less educated rider who still needs to create balance and the feeling of timing the aids, it is much safer to practise on a horse with a little less expression. For such a rider it is wiser to choose a soft and steady pace where both horse and rider can feel balanced and at ease. Extra expression and suspension are easy to add further along in the education. The first step towards future extravagance is the ability to engage the mind of your horse. A wise educator knows that horses willingly engage and are eager to comply with human wishes when they feel confident and safe. A horse is a flight animal. They feel safe as long as they feel in control over their body. Developing new skills happens when both horse and rider play at the boundaries of their comfort zone. It's important to realise both these facts and always keep them in mind while you train your horse. If your horse feels confident with you, you can take it through exercises that are at the limit of its ability as long as you know to immediately take it back to a comfort zone after the difficult exercise performed, so it feels in full control over its body again. Praise the horse for the performed task and your horse will be fully engaged with you and ready to take on any requested task in the future. (*)(Schwung, the vertical, lateral and horizontal swinging of the back, should always exist in the healthy horse. If this swinging disappears, it means the horse has become restricted in its body, usually from being trained under tension. Over time restrictions will lead to excessive wear and injuries) BALANCE Once we have the engaged mind of the horse, we need to focus on balance. The natural centre

tBelinda with " Marchall" doing a Levade

“If one induces the horse to assume that carriage which it would adopt of its own accord when displaying its beauty, then, one directs the horse to appear joyous and magnificent, proud and remarkable for having been ridden” XENOPHON 350 BC of gravity of the horse is under the position of the rider’s seat. To keep a horse in harmony and with a healthy body into old age, our starting point is to develop a healthy posture for the horse where it can carry its rider without damaging itself and without losing its natural balance. A rider also needs to develop their own correct posture and balance in order to never disturb the horse within its movement. It is not easy to develop the balance of two different beings into becoming as one, and it will take time and practice to create this balance of both horse and rider. Every horse and every rider is an individual, and the search for balance becomes

Classical Belinda and Venturoso doing a Half Pass 

even more complicated if we ride a horse that is by its nature less favourably built to carry a rider well. We will need to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to be able to recognise and create the correct balance and posture for each individual horse. FOUNDATION We can understand what healthy posture in a ridden horse looks like when we take time to acquire a basic understanding of biomechanics and locomotion of the horse. Understanding the biomechanics and locomotion of the horse also shows us what positions we should avoid to not cause unnecessary stress and damage to the joints and body of a riding horse. Modern science and research also confirms that what we perceive as the most beautiful postures in classical paintings and sculptures are in fact efficient and healthy postures of a riding horse carrying its rider. We recognise horses with an arched neck, a well developed top line, lowered haunches, engaged core and the hind legs placed well underneath the body to support the weight of its rider as a picture of the most agile, strong and reliable partner in combat, and therefore have ingrained this as the most beautiful to our eye.

“Horsemanship is the one art for which it seems one needs only practice. However, practice without true principles is nothing other than routine, the fruit of which is a strained and unsure execution, a false diamond which dazzles semi-connoisseurs often more impressed by the accomplishments of the horse than the merit of the horseman.” – Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere 1730 CLASSICAL PRINCIPLES In my opinion, one classical principle is that we should realise that even the greatest mastery never achieves completion. The beauty of classical dressage is that it is a continues discovery of balance, approach and communication. We need to keep the ability to critically reflect on ourselves and others without harsh judgement. The moment a master proclaims a one and only training method and starts to brand it as his own is the very moment the quality of his knowledge

As early as 300 BC, Xenophon already describes to us quite perfectly what today's science shows us to be the most perfect posture and balance of the riding horse. We have centuries of the experiences of our ancestors behind us and using this to our advantage, by studying the manuals of bygone masters, is truly effort of great worth.

Belinda and Venturoso doing a canter pirouette 

Reflecting on the shared knowledge of the past and confirming good, as well as bad practices with modern science, gives us the ability to create a foundation on which we can educate ourselves and our horses without ever having to compromise classical principles.

will start to seize. This is foremost because when we put ourselves on a pedestal, the danger is to limit ourselves to entirely our own experiences and over time it becomes exceedingly threatening to fall off this pedestal when we discover we need continuous development to be able to stay at a level of mastery. The masters that become threatened and defensive about their method being questioned have lost their mastery as they have lost the ability to give answers to the reasons behind their method. To avoid losing the truthfulness of a method we need to keep a flexible, questioning mind with respect, communication and most certainly an interest towards other masters and their views. At a stage of mastery, there no longer is the luxury to blindly follow one teacher. Reflection, the search for confirmation of your thoughts to be correct without assumption and the eagerness to keep developing is essential.

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There are many methods that can be applied in coaching horse and rider according to the principles of classical dressage. As long as we never compromise the principles of; • Staying within the natural posture and movement that adheres to the correct biomechanics of each individual horse at its current individual capacity • To never compromise our partnership with the horse and ruin harmony and beauty with forcefulness. There are many valuable manuals of classical dressage written, and all have their appropriateness to the circumstances of the horses in their era of writing. All horses and riders are individual beings of different shape and of different state of mind. To stay true to classical principles, we need to be adaptable in our methods and apply them to the individual written to start with the green, undamaged youngster to take it all the way to the highest level of classical dressage, the Haute Ecole.

Belinda and Venturoso doing a Piaffe

“The talented rider who is tactful will reward the slightest indication of obedience on the part of his horse, who will then respond calmly confidently and pleasurably to any future demand ” -Master Nuno Oliveira 1988

combinations. The approach chosen should be suitable to the level of experience of the combination. To teach a beginner rider to apply a correction method (developed for the rehabilitation of a ruined horse) or to train a young open minded horse in a corrective manner is madness. Rather we should find an approach that is at a suitable level to the beginner, then systematically and consistently develop their abilities. There are also many manuals written on methods suitable to specifically rehabilitate certain ruined horses. To recognise such correction methods and differentiate between the suitability for different horses, look at the time in history the manual was written. What was the most common use for horses at that time? Whom were riding these horses? Finding answers to these and many other questions will help you understand the reason behind specific methods and their appropriateness to your horse. It will also help you understand the developments through the history of riding even the most recent ones, good and bad. Important as it is to be adaptable to the individuals we work with, there is a specific order of steps in classical dressage education we can follow. These are

When we start training our young horse, we want to firstly create our language of aids. This means that the horse learns, through consistency, the meaning of every different aid and the response requested. So that eventually with the smallest of movement of our seat or the softest of leg aid applied, the horse will adjust its posture, position or gait. First, we would like to teach this youngster the suitable posture and develop its strength to carry us healthily to a very advanced age. We need to teach the horse how to engage its core, lift its back and bring its hind legs to carry more under its body, and how to find balance herein and the important self-carriage. To not confuse the young horse with too much pressure we start our preparation for riding on the ground. Here we can first create the posture, balance and strength needed. After a few months work the horse will have no issue with balance even when the rider's weight is added. Youngsters started in such a manner will never lose the lightness and self-carriage which creates the ability for softness, suppleness, and Schwung and therefore will always be a pleasure to ride. A horse with self-carriage and Schwung is easy to sit on and also gives a beginner rider the possibility to practise their own seat.

 Belinda doing inhand / ground work with her horse.

ressage

STARTING THE YOUNG HORSE

This gives a beginner rider the tools to create a balance between educating their horse from the ground and maintaining the quality of their horse’s gait while they acquire the skill to ride better. Balance develops from suppleness and strength and

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Belinda and Venturoso doing a correct Piaffe. Note the engagement of the hind legs, uphill angle and strenght over the back. p

the equal carrying ability of both hind legs of the horse. A horse’s weak and strong side stems from lateral crookedness and there from develops one strong carrying hind leg and one weak hind leg. Without corrective training, this weak hind leg will stand a little backwards outside the body square. As a result, it has an inclination to push somewhat more strongly into the ground before lifting it forward as it lacks the strength to carry under. This will create a slight disturbance of balance in the horse and will create falling on or into the shoulder. At the very first start of our education, we should start to eliminate this issue by straightening, strengthening and suppling the horse through lateral flexion. We develop this equal flexibility and carrying capacity of the hind legs by systematically training the horse on both reins equally through exercises of bend. This starts simply on voltes and from there develops into shoulder in, quarters in, half pass, renvers and pirouettes. We should always be mindful to keep the poll flexion in balance with the amount of flexion we are able to create throughout the body of the horse, in order not to over bend our horses. As suppleness increases, so can lateral flexion. The foremost aim of all these exercises is to create the ability of the horse to balance itself on its haunches. When the hind legs are able to carry and collect we have created the balance of a dressage horse. As the haunches and hind legs take most or even all of the weight carrying, so can the shoulders become light, lifted and expressive. It is then that we can create expressive, ground covering gaits and playfully add suspension as we wish. a

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There is one principle that should never be abandoned when training a horse, namely, that the rider must learn to control himself before he can control his horse. This is the basic most important principle to be preserved in equitation” – Alois Podhajsky

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Established in 1972 and the only Association in Australia to hold the stud books for the Purebred Spanish Andalusian, the Australian Andalusian, the Partbred Andalusian, the Hispano-Arabe and the Purebred Iberian (this registry is shared with the Lusitano Horse Association of Australia)

FOR INFORMATION ON THE BREED

Contact Andalusian Horse Association of Australasia (inc) PO Box 266, Torquay, Victoria, Australia 3228. Telephone: 61 5263 3402 Email: ahaa@iprimus.com.au www.ahaa.org.au

Mare in photos: Gipsy Da Ferraria - bred by Quinta da Ferraria, Portugal - imp to New Zealand.

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Starting young horses BY Jody Hartstone

PHOTOS BY Ryan Teece

for Show Circuit Magazine

In this article Jody Hartstone shows us her “Foundation Training” system loosely based on the methods of Australian horseman Kel Jeffrey that she learnt via Dr Andrew McLean of Equitation Science International.

“When I first learnt this method it was so different from anything I was used to. No lunging, no long reining, no round penning and no side reins or tie downs! But it only took one or two horses before I could see the benefits of a horse-centered, scientific method to starting horses. The process was so safe, quick and simple. We call it foundation training as you are literally laying the foundation for the horse’s future”

“Breaking-In” or “Starting” young horses is a centuries old phenomenon that started when man first had the idea to climb on a horse’s back to use him for hunting, agriculture and war. It is a phenomenon steeped in tradition which aside from the advent of Natural Horsemanship has changed little over the decades. he most common method of starting horses we see involves mouthing the horse, lunging with the saddle on, long reining then eventually climbing on board. In the past 20 years or so “Natural Horsemanship” methods have become popular. These methods may include round pen and “Join Up” techniques, one rein stops and lots of neck bending. The theories most “natural” methods are based on

often revolve around dominance of the human over the horse, the need to gain “respect” from the horse and even attempting to replicate the “Alpha Mare” in the herd. Whilst each system has it merits, ethical equestrians should be critically analysing the starting process to ensure that the methods being used will stand up to Best Practice set out recently by the International Society for Equitation Science. There are 10 Principles of Horse Training laid out by ISES that horse trainers around the world should look to as the gold standard in horse training. Failings in any of these categories can cause confusion and distress in the horse leading to conflict behaviours, aggression or apathy. Not only do these compromise performance, but also horse welfare and rider safety.

{1, 2, 3, 4} In these four images they show Jody teaching the horse the signals for go, stop, head down and park in hand 

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Train According to the horse’s ethology and cognition. This includes understanding the way the horse’s brain works, what he is capable of and what he simply can’t be expected to do mentally. Ethological considerations include keeping the horse as close as possible to his natural environment which means sufficient grazing time and contact with other horses. Use learning theory appropriately. This is the science of how your horse learns. It includes the correct use of positive and negative reinforcement, methods of habituation, operant conditioning and shaping. It will also give you an understanding punishment and its limitations in horse training. Train easy to discriminate signals for acceleration (including longer, faster and upwards transitions), deceleration (including slower, shorter and downwards transitions), turning of the front feet; yielding of the hind feet, head carriage / flexions.

Shape responses and movements. Reinforce basic attempts before gradually shaping in the desired behaviour one step at a time. Address the legs of the horse first and the head and neck position last.

Elicit responses one at a time. Horses simply can’t respond to two opposing signals at once so keep all aids separate. Acceleration signals must be separate from deceleration signals ie legs without reins, reins without legs.

Train only one response per signal. Each signal should only have one response attached to it eg leg for go forwards not for slowdown or step back. It is no problem to have multiple signals per response but you should not have a signal with two possible answers attached to it.

Form consistent habits. This is done through repetition where the signal doesn’t change and neither does the environment / context until the habit is reliably formed.

Train persistence of responses ie Self Carriage. The horse must be taught to hold their own speed, stride length, direction of travel and head carriage without the need for constant signalling from the rider.

Avoid and dissociate flight responses. The flight response is resistant to extinction in the horse’s brain. The more he practices tension the more likely he is to display it. It can also appear spontaneously years later and should be avoided at all cost.

10. Demonstrate minimal levels of arousal sufficient for training. The horse must be sufficiently relaxed during training for it to learn.

H A RT S TO N E EQ U E S T R I A N .CO M

THE STARTING PROCESS CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO SIX BASIC STEPS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER • • •

• • •

Step 1. Basic control of the horse’s locomotion on the ground (for control and calmness) Step 2. Habituation to the rider (so the horse gets used to a rider) Step 3. The teaching of signals for acceleration, deceleration, turns of the front and hind quarters. (for control when being ridden) Step 4. Habituation to the girth and saddle Step 5. Initial riding under saddle Step 6. Riding the horse out and about in various circumstances whilst maintaining control and calmness

– Step 1–

THE IMPORTANCE OF GROUND WORK

Shape responses and movements – reinforce basic attempts before gradually shaping in the desired behaviour one step at a time. FIRSTLY ADDRESSING THE LEGS of the horse and lastly the neck and head position. { 5, 6, 7, 8 } In these four images it is showing hibutating the horse to the rider for the very fist time. Jody uses the technique of overshadowing (steeping the horse forward and back to achieve this in a clam manner) 

efore legging the rider up on the horse it is imperative that the handler has full control of the horses feet at all times. Failure to do so can leave the horse with permanent flight associations. Begin by teaching the horse to step forward and backward lightly and obediently from both rein and whip signals. The horse learns these signals through a process called negative reinforcement ie pressure release. The horse also needs to be able to “park” which means not following the handler’s feet when they step forwards or move around the horse. This makes the horse’s world more predictable – they learn to only move when cued by an actual signal of the rider and remain calm at all other times. Teaching a head down cue is also worthwhile as it has been shown to lower the heart rate of the horse and induce calmness when coupled with the park.

– Step 2 –

HABITUATION TO THE RIDER

his is done bareback for a number of reasons. Horses, like humans, are social animals and respond well to the soothing effects of touch. This phenomenon is called Attachment Theory. The more you stroke and touch your horse the calmer he will become and a bond will form between horse and human. Without a saddle the rider can touch the horse all over his body and teach the leg aids uninhibited by girth pressure which some horses find intolerable at this early stage. Habituation to the rider is done using the technique of Overshadowing, where the handler

steps the horse forward and back at each stage of the backing process, to ensure the horse remains calm and obedient. Overshadowing works by making the fearful stimuli (the rider in this case) redundant by not allowing the flight response to take over.

– Step 3 –

TRANSFER OF SIGNALS

y this stage the horse has already learnt the step forward and back cues from the groundwork. The next step is to get the horse to associate these cues with the cues the rider will issue from on board – this is done through a joint process of classical conditioning and negative reinforcement. The rider asks the horse to go from a leg aid whilst the handler gently pulls forward on the leadrope. Both pressures are released at the onset of

Demonstrate minimal levels of arousal sufficient for training – the HORSE MUST BE sufficiently relaxed for training for a horse TO LEARN.

allowed to run around with tension and bucking. Allowing this to happen may form permanent flight associations in the horse’s brain which are impossible to erase. It is best to put the saddle on in a round pen or small yard / stable where his flight will be limited. Girth the horse up slowly and carefully and overshadow each step of the process with step backs from the rein and whip aids until he is calm and confident. Do not assume that just because the horse stands still and seems to tolerate the girth that the horse is relaxed. Instead the horse may be rooted to the spot in fear and may explode when allowed forward. Overshadowing the girth in the same fashion as the rider was overshadowed to mount gives the horse every chance of a successful habituation. The horse can be introduced to the stirrups flapping the same way, stepping him back and forwards whilst they are being gently banged against the saddle flaps. Once the horse is girthed up tight enough that the saddle will not slip but not so tight as to be uncomfortable, he can be walked forward, halted and stepped back a few times before being allowed to trot out around the round pen and get used to the feeling of the saddle. It is best to have a lunge line on the horse to do immediate downward transitions if the horse tries to run or buck. Sending the horse forward at the time he bucks risks embedding the flight response further.horse every chance of a successful habituation.

– Step 5 –

INITIAL RIDING UNDER SADDLE PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER the correct behaviour. Soon the horse learns the leg aid on its own, and the same goes for the slow / stop / step back signals. Teaching turn can be tricky and Jody prefers to teach this on the ground first. Standing on either side of the neck she teaches the horse that pressure on one side of the mouth goes away when the horse abducts (opens) the front leg away. This aid is easily replicated once on board the horse.

– Step 4 –

Photos of the horse being habituated to the saddle 

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SADDLING UP – HABITUATION TO THE GIRTH

or some horses this is the very hardest part of the starting procedure. If this stage is not done well the horse can become girth-shy, girthproud or cold backed – these are terms used to describe horses who do not relax when there is girth pressure around their abdomen. It is critical at this stage that the horse is habituated slowly and carefully, step by step and is never

nce the horse is habituated to the saddle it is simply a matter of putting two and two together by adding the rider. This stage normally runs very smoothly as the horse will have been ridden bareback on quite a few occasions and had the saddle on a few times too. The horse will remember the signals installed bareback and fairly quickly you should have a horse that will walk, stop, step back and turn left and right for you. The next step is to leave the round pen and venture out and about or stay in the round pen a day longer to get trot, and even canter, established. It is important to train the legs of the horse first. Worry about the head carriage in the following weeks. Roundness is actually an emergent quality of having good stop, go and turn responses as well as a straight horse. If roundness is focussed on too early the horse can become confused due to the blurring of the stop response and conflict behaviours such as shying may emerge. It is also vital to train self carriage every H A RT S TO N E EQ U E S T R I A N .CO M

To complete the starting process the horse needs to be placed in more challenging situations to prove that the; go, stop and turn signals are reliably trained. 

To further proof your training the young horse can be taught to WALK OVER BRIDGES and kick a horse ball to improve its confidence and PROOF TEST its go, stop and turn cues.

step of the way – the horse should not speed up unless asked, nor should it slow down or swerve left or right unless cued by the rider, but the horse must also never be held by the rider’s leg and rein pressures.

– Step 6 –

PROOF – RIDING OUT AND ABOUT

The first canter is normally undertaken about the third day out of the round pen. Rather than give a specific aid, Jody prefers to run the trot fast then practice “emergency brakes” once or twice before using the clicking of the tongue and a little leg to get the first canters. Later on when the horse is comfortable with cantering a more specific signal can be used. Jody also believes that avoiding cantering the young horse within

H A RT S TO N E EQ U E S T R I A N .CO M

the first weeks of backing can be a mistake – it is nothing to be scared of or avoided! Likewise it is great to get the horse out and about over varying terrain as soon as possible and to introduce it to different situations such as the beach and quiet roads. It is always safest to have a handler on the ground or up on another horse to aid with calmness and control when necessary. To further proof your training the young horse can be taught to walk over bridges and kick a horseball to improve its confidence and proof test its go, stop and turn cues.  Long reining - necessary or potentially damaging? Done well, it is not such an issue but when things go wrong they can go very wrong! Experienced horse trainers have been killed by being kicked whilst long-reining. If the horse takes fright and bolts there is little you can do. It is also very hard to prevent the horse shortening his neck and becoming over bent from the rein pressure. Long reining teaches a horse to bend its neck to turn instead of abducting the inside front leg. Horses trained to do this will need to be retrained to turn properly once under saddle so it is better to just teach correct turns from the beginning. Whilst long-reining is championed as a way to get the horse out and about, the same can be achieved by leading off another horse or simply leading the horse in different environments on the halter or normal bridle where issues can be more easily resolved.

 Why not put side reins on and teach the horse right from the beginning to be round? Whatever the horse learns first he tends to learn the deepest. So if you teach him the way to get rid of bit pressure is to come rounder you are effectively detraining your brakes from the get go. You really want the reins to mean decelerate your front feet first and foremost so that you can take tension out of the horse and stop in any situation . Roundness is an emergent property of stop, go and turn.

 Can a horse just starting under saddle really have self-carriage? Absolutely! In fact self carriage is vital to ensure the horse is going for itself and not being held by the rider’s hand or leg. Of course a youngster will not have the degree of self-carriage we would expect of a grand prix competitor but the horse must be trained to maintain speed and line / direction and then finally head carriage, without constant signalling from the rider right from the very beginning. Failure to do so is one of the number one reasons for tension and anxiety in the young horse. a

JODY HARTSTONE is a Grand Prix dressage rider with several national titles to her credit. She holds an Associate Diploma in Equitation Science and is the current Rider Representative on the council of the International Society for Equitation Science. She trains horses from her Raglan base. Rebecca Kerr from Dunedin is the rider in this article – she is currently studying for her Associate Diploma in Equitation Science and has been gaining experience as a working pupil at Jody’s stables. The horse featured is Gipsy da Ferraria, a 4yo purebred Lusitano mare imported from Portugal who after having her first foal is being aimed at a career in dressage, showhunter and working equitation whilst she produces a foal each year by Embryo Transfer For more information: International Society for Equitation Science www.EquitationScience.com

H A RT S TO N E EQ U E S T R I A N .CO M

Equitation Science International www.esi-education.com

Glossary: 01.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT – the addition of something pleasurable to the horse to make a behaviour more likely to happen again – such as a wither scratch or a food reward. A human example - if you help your neighbour out by looking after their cat and you are given a bunch of flowers you will be more than willing to help that neighbour again – your behaviour was positively reinforced.

02.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT - the removal of something aversive to make a behaviour more likely to happen again – this is how your leg and rein signals work. An example from everyday life - if you are feeling hot and remove your jacket so you feel more comfortable, you are likely to continue to do so as your behaviour was negatively reinforced.

03.

POSITIVE PUNISHMENT – the addition of something aversive to make a behaviour less likely to happen again – Although this is seen a lot in horse training and competitive riding it has very limited value as the horse lacks the mental capacity to know why it is being punished.

04.

NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT – the removal of something pleasant to make a behaviour less likely to happen again. This is how “time out” works with children, or the removal of the child’s playstation. In horses it is very difficult for negative punishment to be successful, again due to the severely limited reasoning ability of the horse.

05.

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING – this is also known as associative learning. When a previously unassociated cue becomes a predictor for a signal that is already installed. This is how the horse learns our subtle signals such as the seat and voice aids.

06.

HABITUATION – this is simply getting used to things in your environment that are not important to your survival. Ridden horses have to learn to habituate to the rider, rugs, saddle and girth pressures, showgrounds etc. As humans we learn to habituate to the sound of traffic noise at night.

Carlos

CARNEIRO

A RT I C L E A N D P H O TO S : K AT H RY N B A R R E T T

ucked back in the hills east of Napa, at the end of a narrow mountain road lies Sierra Nevada Lusitanos and the home of Carlos Carneiro. The main barn sits perched on a hill overlooking the arenas, and Carlos begins his day when he retrieves his first horse, an energetic lusitano. “I prefer horses with a lot of temperament”, and by “temperament”, he means personality, energy, and an eagerness characteristic of lusitanos. The horses of a particular country tend to resemble the culture they came from, and the lusitano is no different. Lusitanos like to work, just like the

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Portuguese people. Carlos pulls out an elegant black lusitano stallion named Atacador. He and Atacador casually walk down the barn aisle and stop in front of the tack room. The horse stands quietly while Carlos brushes him down, cleans his feet, and saddles him up. After he puts on the bridle, Carlos lays a lunging cavesson over it and the two walk down to the arena. “I always lunge the horses before riding so I can see what’s going on in their body and their mind. When he first comes out, he can be himself, and he can work on his own to warm up his muscles.”

Carlos boasts an impressive resume, working with some of the great classical dressage masters of recent times. Carlos was raised in the north of Portugal in a town outside of Porto called Lousada. His father, Fernando Carneiro, always had an interest in horses, but did not own any until after he got married. When one of his younger brothers, Manuel, showed an interest in riding, Fernando sent him to study with Master Luís Valença, where Fernando was one of Valença’s first clients. By the time Carlos and his older brother,

...Carlos went to work for Luís Valença, where he spent the next three years...

also Fernando, could walk, they were already starting their education in classical dressage. The brothers first learned to ride from their uncle Manuel who had horses coming in and out for training. As a result, the boys got their first riding lessons on well-educated lusitanos. By age 13, Carlos was already training horses with his uncle. At 16, Carlos went to work for Luís Valença, where he spent the next three years. Working for Valença, Carlos continued to refine his knowledge of classical dressage. “Even though my uncle learned from Luís Valença, he had his own style. So I got to learn more about Valença’s style of training.” Even at 16 years old, Carlos had already learned from his uncle how to train horses from starting them through to piaffe, passage, and many of the other upper level movements. With Valença, Carlos learned how to train and perform the airs above the ground. In addition to performing in exhibitions, many of the horses at Valença’s were sale horses. Here Carlos got the benefit of working with a wide range of horse in a

Image supplied

I do a lot of work at the walk. That’s where you train the horse. That’s where you have the time because it’s slower. You feel everything and build up from there. You can feel the weak points, where the horse is stronger, and where he needs to soften. short amount of time. Many horses that came to the facility needed retraining. “There are some things that are very hard for a horse to change. But if we can retrain them, take them from a bad place to a good place, it’s a very good feeling.”

a lot of work at the walk. That’s where you train the horse. That’s where you have the time because it’s slower. You feel everything and build up from there. You can feel the weak points, where the horse is stronger, and where he needs to soften.”

Carlos worked between 8-10 horses a day by himself. He prepared, rode, cleaned up, and put away each horse every day. Working such a wide variety of horses meant Carlos became proficient at getting to know each and every one. “It’s like getting to know a person. You spend time with them, get a better feeling for who they are, and what they need. Some need someone to push them; some need someone to stay with them to calm them down. Others need to be kept busy. Horses are not machines. They have a heart, just like us.”

After working for Luis Valença, Carlos went back home to Lousada and began training horses from his family’s facility. He had horses come in for training, gave lessons, and began to give clinics in Germany. He also continued to help Valença with shows from time to time.

Carlos walks Atacador through the entrance to the large indoor arena and sends him out on the lunge. The horse bounds out, effortlessly. “I really do enjoy seeing the horses express themselves.” He lunges both directions until he’s satisfied Atacador has gotten his jubilance out and is ready for work. Carlos draws Atacador in and removes the cavesson, gets on, and walks out into the arena. “I do

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In 2006, Carlos got the opportunity to work for João Oliveira in California. João was the son of Master Nuno Oliveira, considered by many to be one of the greatest classical dressage masters. Carlos had first seen João Oliveira when he was working for Valença, where Oliveira briefly kept some horses. Though he never spoke with Oliveira, but Carlos did watch him ride. “Just to watch him was an amazing feeling. He was so natural. He had a grulla horse there at the time. The transitions, the movements, everything was effortless. I still have not seen anything like that ever again. I keep that image in my mind, and it’s what I always work towards.” Carlos said the horse was not a powerful horse in his body, but very energetic. “The power sometimes is not in the body, it’s in the mind. It’s in the energy you create.” Carlos and Atacador begin to walk around the arena. Classical music quietly fills the air as he takes the horse through various movements, testing each side for suppleness and responsiveness. He halts, gives a quiet pat, and walks on. At his request, Atacador gathers himself up and departs into a canter. The

Images supplied

pair trace circles and loops around the arena, switching leads with ease. Carlos brings the horse down to a trot. Atacador comes around the corner, and Carlos urges him to extend his trot. With no visible effort, the horse seems to lift off the ground as he pushes off his hind legs, sailing down the side of the arena. Before the corner, he quietly comes back to a working trot. “Riders need to ride with their feelings. In that way, they will become more aware of what the horse needs. All horses need time: time to connect with their riders, time to understand what you want. You communicate with your hands, your seat, and your legs. If you don’t give them time to understand, you will end up in a constant battle with the horse.”

During his time with Oliveira, Carlos added yet another layer of experience with another master horseman. He prepared horses for Oliveira and trained horses alongside him. Oliveira was a natural rider, having worked for a long time with his father, Nuno. “When you are around good people, you become good. He [Oliveira] had this in his blood. He had this long experience with his father, so when you saw him riding, that atmosphere was always there.” Oliveira took a lot of time with the horses, but he could get a lot from them very easily and very quickly. “It always looked natural, never forced.” Carlos spent a year working with Oliveira before Oliveira was diagnosed with and later passed away

from lung cancer. “It was very hard to watch someone so full of life fade away so quickly.” After Oliveira’s passing, Carlos stayed on at the California facility for another 18 months before returning to Portugal. Carlos spent two years in Portugal before he joined Sierra Nevada Lusitanos where he remains today. Carlos brings Atacador to a halt before giving him the reins to cool out. He dismounts and walks the horse back to the barn for a well-earned hosing off. While walking the horse back to his paddock, Carlos reflects on his life with horses. “Growing up, I made a lot of mistakes [with horses]. But I learned from them and got better, and that I am proud of. I had to do it to be where I am now. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, they are part of life.” a

P RE SE NTS:

The Art of Riding a Horse BY BARON D’EISENBERG

THE PASS

half

PASSAGER [HALF-PASS] ON THE VOLTE WITH THE BRIDLE ALONE

aving explained how one must work the Horse on the Volte with the Cavesson, I will now say what must be done to work him on the Volte with the bridle alone. In the beginning, one would do well to work the Horse with the bridle reins separated in the two hands, which however, should be held close together, and carried according to the disposition of the horse; sometimes higher, sometimes lower, because there are no fixed rules on this matter, i.e. to know at what height or a which position the hand should be placed because the diversity

among Horses does not allow for the same determination for all. One is obliged to accommodate each horse’s fashion, according to what Nature handed them. This is why I expect that a good Rider, who is well versed in the art of Horseback riding, would easily know how to sort out these questions, according to the occasion or the need. For instance, when the Horse goes above the bit or pokes his nose out, it is obvious enough that the hands should be lowered. If he pulls his head down too low, the hands should be raised. This is what should be done if one wants to correct either of these defences. For now, one can glance at the figure which represents

– Passager [Half-pass] on the Volte with the Bridle alone – a Horse half-passing on the Volte to the right, in truly correct form, that is to say, with the Shoulders leading the haunches, the neck bent [laterally] as much as needed, and the horse sitting on his haunches, which is according to the rules, and therefore not impeding the Shoulders which must always establish the track. As for the Rider, he must sit in the middle of the Saddle, as is shown in the figure, without leaning to the outside of the volte, holding the bridle alone in one hand, with the fingernails of the hand turned upward, placing the hand a little to the outside of the volte, but sometimes bringing it to the inside of the volte in order to bring the shoulders over if necessary. He will carry the switch crossed in order to aid the outside shoulder, having both legs close to the Horse, while aiding nevertheless, from time to time with the calves of the legs, or also with the heels, in case the haunches do not follow the shoulders. THE REVERSED VOLTE WITH THE CAVESSON

hen performing a volte, normally the Croup is placed

towards the Pillar18, but in performing a Reversed Volte (Volte renversée), the shoulders of the Horse are placed toward the pillar in such a way that when the Horse is working to the right, the pillar remains positioned to the left of the head, as one can note in the figure. One must start with the Cavesson, and according to what may be necessary, one may have to use double reins19 in order to be able to bend the horse more. It is necessary to know that the manner of working with the double reins is totally different from the way in which the ordinary longe reins of the Cavesson are used, because only the inside hand is used, while the hand to the outside of the Volte, releases a lot, having the nails turned downwards, as the figure shows. While going to the right, the Rider must advance his left shoulder a little, holding the switch crossed in order to gently touch the left shoulder in case the horse becomes confused about his path while trotting. Also, the Rider’s left leg, which is the outside leg, must be a little closer to the Horse than the right one, to move the hindquarters, which follow the larger track in this lesson. This is why

Half pass The Reversed Volte with the Bridle alone 

The Reversed Volte with the Cavesson

the part [the hindquarters] which is obliged to make the bigger circle must be activated more often than the other part [the forehand] which makes a smaller track. [[ Translator’s note. ]] In the 17th and 18th Century Schools, a volte was sometimes practiced around a single pillar. There were many ways to use the Cavesson in the 18th Century as shown by d’Eisenberg in this work. In this instance, the double reins are in effect draw reins and are passed through a ring on top of the Cavesson noseband rather than through the rings on the sides of the noseband. Figure XXII shows the way in which the double reins were affixed to the Cavesson and utilised by the rider. As d’Eisenberg states, if the horse is reluctant to bend his head and neck laterally, the draw reins on the Cavesson certainly will make him bend. The good thing is that they will spare his mouth.■

the part of the rider] and makes the Horses confused during the change of hand. Also, this fashion has no purpose at all: one must always have the reins equal in the hand and the nails upwards, and it is by this method that one turns the hand, while carrying it a little to the outside of the Volte, which causes the inside rein to shorten, as one can clearly see in the Engraving. The Rider will bring his right shoulder imperceptibly forward, while inclining his body back, holding the switch towards the outside shoulder, in case he needs to use it. If the Horse does not follow equally with his haunches, one must aide him with the calves of the legs, or the heels, according to the need. There is no better lesson in the World than this one for causing Horses to become connected, for teaching them patience, for making them supple and attentive, and also for putting them on their haunches. If the Horse responds as I have just said, at the trot, then one can put him to the canter 4 or 5 strides in the beginning, and afterwards back

THE REVERSED VOLTE WITH THE BRIDLE ALONE

just presented a description of the reversed Volte with the Cavesson to the right. Now I will describe how one should manage the Horse with the bridle alone to the left around the Pillar. Before the Horse is totally in the hand, one can work him with the bridle reins separated, but as soon as he follows the movements of the hand, one should have the bridle reins held of equal length in the left hand. I say precisely equal, because there are some who hold the reins unequally, that is to say, who sometimes shorten the inside rein on purpose. This is an incorrect action [on

to the trot a second time. But let us not forget that it is necessary to keep the horse well connected, such that the Rider can feel him in his hand. PASSAGER [HALF-PASS] THE HORSE AROUND HIS OWN LENGTH WITH THE CAVESSON

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n the preceding lessons, we have seen how to work the Horse at the Trot, and I do not believe I have forgotten to mention anything, whether it be concerning the Volte, or the Croup to the outside, or passing the Horse along the wall, or on the volte, or finally, the head and the croup to the inside 20, and that which is called the reversed Volte. Therefore, the only thing left for me to explain is how to

[half-] pass the Horse around his own length. This is truly the quintessence of all the lessons at the trot and shows the perfection of the Horse, because the track is so small, that the haunches are placed at the centre of the volte. The length of the horse itself is only about ½ the diameter of the Volte, as one can see in the figure, which is showing the Horse going on the left hand. As for the Rider, he must hold the inside longe of the Cavesson shorter than the outside one, by bringing his hand a little to the outside. However, if the Horse does not cross over with the outside Leg enough, or does not want to support on the inside leg as he should, then in this case, the Rider must bring the hand to the inside, (which will correct the bad positioning and will bring the outside

shoulder over the inside one.) Then, the rider must bring his hand back to its correct place, that is to say, to the outside of the volte, so as not to lose the bend [lateral flexion] of the Horse’s neck. He will hold the Switch towards the right Shoulder to aid when necessary. As for his torso, he will advance the right shoulder when going to the left, bringing it more toward the inside of the Volte than toward the outside of it, when considered as a whole. On the Engraving, this position is distinctly seen, and is the primary aid for making the Horse turn; the legs of the Rider are always kept next to the Horse’s sides in order to use them as needed. Because it is quite natural for a Horse, to turn in such a small circle, when we ask for this movement, the rider must hold the legs close to the horse’s sides, and by closing the calves of the legs, prevent the horse from balking, or refusing to go forward, or disobeying, or backing up rather than advancing. This is the true method to redirect him and make him go forward, for this is the principle action that one must mandate.

PASSAGER [HALF-PASS] THE HORSE AROUND HIS OWN LENGTH WITH THE BRIDLE ALONE

nce the Horse has arrived to this perfection of being able to [half-] pass around himself, one can do with him whatever one wants, because he will be perfectly in the hand, he will know all the movements, he will take the aids of the Thighs and calves of the legs as well as the heels with ease and with obedience, such that he is ready to obey at the slightest aid, and he turns so easily under his Rider that one only has to move one’s body imperceptibly to the side to which he wants to go in order to make the Horse respond and execute with correctness all the requests of the Rider. The figure represents the Horse at the trot on the right hand, and one can observe how the Shoulders are placed in front of the haunches, and how the Horse should be bent, without holding the head low, which would give an ugly bend to the neck and which would not allow the Horse to appear in all his

 Passager [Half-Pass] the Horse around his own Length with the Bridle Alone

 Passager [Half-pass] the Horse around his own Length with the Cavesson

alf pass

[[ Translator’s note. ]] In the 17th and 18th Centuries, the horse was considered to be most elegant if he was positioned and traveling in a bent lateral arc all the time. There were two levels of bending, depending upon the situation in which the horse was being shown. Mostly, the horses were curved in an arc, the neck being the most supple part of the spine and the most easily bent laterally. But in special exhibitions, especially in the voltes, the horse was put in a hyper curved position with neck and croup pushed as far to the inside as possible. This was called head and croup to the inside or curvé. ■

Half pass

beauty. This lesson puts the Horse well on his haunches and unites him totally; this is what one calls making the Horse round. It will be necessary to make use of this exercise before one puts the Horse to pirouettes, for this method will prepare him for pirouettes. It is a great pleasure to see a Horse [half-] pass around himself, being on his haunches, as one can note in the figure, and to see him turning so easily without allowing the Hindquarters to escape, or allowing him to move too fast or to slow, but rather maintaining the regularity of his trot21. As for the Rider, he must place his bridle hand a little to the outside; however, if the shoulders are too much to the outside, the hand must be brought right away to the inside [and then taken back out again], because the movement of the hand must be very fast in this lesson. The body of the Rider is in counterweight [to the inside], and his legs are close to the Horse, the switch held crossed [to the left] in the right hand in order

to aid the outside shoulder. And this is all there is to the gentle and necessary aids required for working the Horse around himself. [[ Translator’s note. ]] This is a description of a horse trotting around his haunches (around his own length). If he is trotting around his haunches, he is doing in essence, a pirouette at the trot, which has to be so small and not moving forward, that it becomes a low or a noncadenced piaffe. This image described in text and shown in the drawing demonstrates how the gaits of horses at this time were obviously different from the gaits of the same name as practiced in our horses today. The School walk was diagonal. This trot is so small it is like half-steps, or low piaffe. One might wonder about the difference between the walk and the trot of the time. a

EQUITOPIA H O R S E S A N D H U M AN S I N H A R M O N Y

The

HARD Mouthed Horse

BY LAUREN FRASER, CHBC IAABC Certified Horse Behavior Consultant IAABC Horse Chair

umans and horses have worked together for thousands of years, in varying states of cooperation and mutual respect. We have greatly advanced our civilization by capitalizing on the horse's power and strength, and the ease with which he can be manipulated to do our bidding.

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Along with their great strength, the horse is an innately sensitive animal. This sensitivity is part of what makes a successful riding partnership a beautiful sight to behold. Most riders and trainers desire to keep this sensitivity, and be able to cue their horse with the lightest of touch. Despite this desire, and the horse’s natural sensitivity, ridden horses are frequently labelled as being unresponsive to cues, or dull to bit pressure or leg aids. 'He's a hard mouthed horse, and needs a stronger bit.' 'She's dead-sided. Put your spurs on, or carry your whip.' How does such dullness come to be? How can these horses be changed? Horses may be hard-mouthed or dullsided for a number of reasons, but being born that way isn’t one of them. THE THICK-SKINNED MYTH It is frequently stated that the horse’s skin is thicker than our own, which prompts some to justify the need for excess pressure when riding. Recent research by veterinary pathologist Dr. Lydia Tong has shown otherwise: the total thickness of skin in the flank area - where the whip would contact – is only 1 mm thicker than that of human skin, and that extra 1 mm occurs in the collagen area, located below the pain and touch receptors. The epidermis, the uppermost

layer of skin where the majority of painsensing fibers are found, is also thinner in the horse than in the human. Dr. Tong also found that horses have more sensory fibers in their skin than humans do. In addition to being better able to detect pain, horses have also been shown to be able to feel light pressure levels that humans cannot. The inside of the horse's mouth is also rich with sensory fibers. If you’ve ever watched a horse grazing you will likely have observed this sensitivity, as the horse sorts out (and ejects) small, inedible items from their mouth. Yet despite this, research has shown that even professional riders may ride with multiple pounds of rein pressure in each hand. Given the choice, horses will choose to avoid pressure from a bit. In a recent research project, young horses exposed to the bit for the first time quickly learned how to avoid the rein tension that resulted in bit pressure, rather than just habituating to the pressure. SO HOW ARE HARD-MOUTHED AND DEAD-SIDED HORSES CREATED? It may be, for some, a bitter pill to swallow, but the primary reason horses display these responses is because they have learned to behave that way. Despite

what some trainers or tack store staff may say, these horses don't need more hand, more leg, more whip, stronger bits, or bigger spurs; the human's understanding of the problem is what needs to change before such horses can be thoughtfully retrained. HOW HORSES LEARN Understanding how horses learn is a critical first step towards not creating hard-mouthed or dead-sided horses, and rehabilitating those who have learned these unwanted behaviors. The predominant way all horses are trained is through what’s known as negative reinforcement. Reinforcement makes behaviors more likely to happen again in the future. Reinforcement occurs naturally in all animals’ daily lives (even our own), and it is also something animal trainers capitalize on when teaching an animal to reliably perform behaviors on cue. Reinforcement can be either positive or negative, but these aren’t judgement statements. They simply explain whether something was added (positive) or removed (negative) from the animal’s environment. Therefore, negative reinforcement is the removal of something to make a behavior more likely to happen again in the future. Some people find it helpful to remember this as ‘removal reinforcement’, and many riders and trainers know this as ‘pressurerelease’ training. For example, when teaching a young horse to go forward under saddle, the trainer may apply light leg pressure at the girth with both legs. Initially, the young horse may step forward in an effort to escape the pressure, at which point the trainer should instantly release the pressure. Timing when using negative reinforcement is critical: the removal of pressure the moment the horse offers the desired response increases the likelihood the horse will give that response in the future. If, on the other hand, the trainer removes the pressure when the horse offers a different behavior, that behavior will likely be reinforced instead. If future training sessions occur in such a manner that the horse is reliably and instantly released of the leg pressure whenever he steps forward, a light leg squeeze becomes the cue that results in forward movement. The timing between the desired behavior and the release of pressure must also be nearly instantaneous. Even a delay of a few seconds can negatively affect both the quality and consistency of the horse’s response. THE HORSE IS ALWAYS LEARNING Good trainers are consistent, and are

aware that the horse is always learning. This means that anyone handling, riding, or working with a horse is a trainer. Trainers should be aware of their own actions and responses when training, and understand how these can enhance or detract from the horse’s learning. Unfortunately for the horse, many people begin and end their riding careers never bothering to learn how horses learn. Riders and trainers may blame the horse for inconsistent, or dull responses, but when one understands how horses learn it becomes much clearer where the blame lies. HABITUATING TO PRESSURE Think back to when you got dressed this morning. When you put on your shirt, you likely felt the cloth against your skin. But shortly after, your awareness of the shirt's light pressure disappeared. Some of the mechanoreceptors in your skin - special receptors that detect pressure, touch, and vibration - turned themselves 'off' to the pressure of your shirt. The same thing happens when the horse experiences constant pressure or pain. The brain turns off these signals, and the horse ceases to respond to them. Novice riders, focused solely on not falling off, may subject horses to constant pressure, or pressure that is released randomly. Experienced riders may knowingly apply constant leg and rein pressure together, unaware that the horse's skin receptors will turn off as a result. Such constant leg and rein pressure can also result in ‘overshadowing’. This is a phenomenon that happens when two intense stimuli (things capable of affecting behavior) simultaneously occur, and the animal responds only to the stronger of the two. In such instances, a rider unfamiliar with this phenomenon may state the horse is dull to the leg, or ignoring the hand. Horses subjected to constant pressure or pain may display conflict behaviors, such as gaping the mouth, wringing the tail, head tossing, refusing to go forward, or grinding the teeth. Or they may develop a psychological condition called learned helplessness, where the horse learns that nothing they do will relieve pain or discomfort. Clearly such situations have serious welfare implications for the horse.

include: •

educating all riders on how the horse learns, and the ways they can be trained

•

considering the use of motorized riding simulators or lunge lessons to allow novice riders to gain an independent seat before riding a horse

•

allowing only knowledgeable trainers to school young or green horses, to ensure only desired behaviors are reinforced

•

training and using only one cue at a time to avoid overshadowing (i.e., stop and go cues should never be used together)

SUMMARY Sadly, many aspects of modern horse training are still steeped in tradition, without trainers understanding why they achieve the results they do. This can lead to riders and trainers perceiving unwelcome or abnormal behaviors to be the fault of the horse. Prevention of this problem requires a paradigm-shift in thinking, and for the trainer to appreciate their role in the development of unwanted behaviors. Such a shift may be hard to swallow initially, but it can result in fewer problems when working with horses. In summary, providing horses with clarity, consistency, and fairness in training enhances their emotional and physical well-being -and also their relationship with humans. Given all they have done for us as a species, don’t we owe them that? For more info: GOODHORSEMANSHIP.CA EQUITOPIACENTER.COM EQUITOPIA H O R S E S A N D H U M AN S I N H A R M O N Y

What can be done about hard mouthed and dead-sided horses? Re-schooling horses who have been taught to be unresponsive to excess pressures of leg and rein is not impossible. But as much in life, prevention is always easier, and should be preferred. Ways of minimizing the occurrence of these unwanted behaviors

Discover equine photography with

Katarzyna

Okrzesik-Mikolajek WORKSHOPS AND TOURS Since 2013, each year Katarzyna has provided Equine Photography Workshops and Tours in different locations across the World. "To date, I have this great opportunity to teach photographic workshops in Moskow, Poland and have led a group of experienced photographers in a joint photographic session in Spain, England, France and Poland."

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ll these events are great opportunities to associate photographers from other countries, to experience great adventures and to make wonderful memories and new friendships. "During my ten years experience in equine photography, I have discovered that there is nothing better than the pleasure of sharing the knowledge and skills that I've learned over the years. This is the very reason why I love to run equine photographic workshops to share not only not only the technical information and skills in photography but also the fun and wonderful experiences that they are. I welcome and encourage other photographers to join us during these fantastic and exciting tours, where I share some of my favourite places to photograph horses in the most spectacular environments."

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Shooting (photographing) time is always scheduled for optional lighting and only the best, and most visually spectacular locations are selected to enable you to get the once in a lifetime imagery for yourself. ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS: During a few intensive days, Katarzyna shares with her participants many of the tips and tricks she'd picked up over the years while photographing horses in various settings. The average length of a workshop is four days, and this includes theoretical and postproduction sessions. On the first day (evening) you have your first theory class, followed by two full days of shooting and the 4th day is dedicated to post production, reviews and final discussions. During the classes, Katarzyna covers many photographic tips and helpful ways to create a portfolio, and also covers the most advantageous phase in the horse movement, how to capture them and settings for portraits and so forth. Your safety and the horses are paramount, so rules are explained about safety while working with horses during photography sessions.

breeds of origin in the countries we visit. Many of these breeds to which have permanently etched their way into the history and culture of these countries. Participants are presented with the opportunity to build a portfolio that they have only dreamed about as the locations and horses are the perfect recipes to capture the most beautiful photographs. "My main objective is to provide possibilities to photograph herds of horses at liberty with natural backdrops, stallions in movement, equine portraits, and horses with riders in their traditional attire." You travel ten days, from place to place in intimate groups (up to eight participants), with photo sessions each day, discovering the beauty of countryside and culture of the visited region. Apart from multiple photo sessions, you have to be ready for a very intensive time. Each day you'll travel a great deal and from place to place, sleep in different locations and photograph horses regardless of weather conditions and in different time of the days sunrises, sunsets, heat and rain. On occasion,

Photos of participants on location, Katarzyna and one of the stallions used in a shoot and another spectualar location for the photographic sessions Â q

During the two days practical of shooting, six various photo sessions are held where you will photograph several different breeds of horses at liberty, in movement, portraits with both a black and natural backdrop in distinct locations. To enrich the program Katarzyna always organises a special photo session. "I am also happy to offer individual seminars as an exclusive opportunity to spend from one to multiple days learning about equine photography from me. During a private workshop, I share my knowledge and provide the necessary tips and support to help bring photography of young equine photographers to the next level." ABOUT THE TOURS: Each year Katarzyna travels to different countries to photograph the most beautiful horses in some of the most breathtaking locations. Katarzyna invites other photographers to join her for her photography tours. The main purpose of this event is to give photographers from around the world the ultimate opportunities to photograph the

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when the schedule allows, we'll take a break for visiting beautiful places or cities, or just for a break and to regenerate - but only when the program allows it (depending on the hours scheduled with visited studs and distance to drive). This kind of tour is a great action packed full on adventure where after not only will you have some amazing images, but some new friends too.

communal outdoor photography with minimal or no instruction. Katarzyna clearly separate these two types of photographic events to one being a workshop, and other a photographic tour.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKSHOP AND TOUR:

In photography tours there is no instruction or classes, They are purely shared photo sessions, and they still keep their right to publishing and commercial using of photos under the conditions set by their owners of visited studs.

Many photographers offer a workshop which often is just an opportunity for a

"During the workshop, I am focused on sharing my knowledge and teaching people about equine photography. " Because of this, all captured images during workshop can not be used for commercial purpose, private use only, which includes portfolios.

EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF PARTICIPANTS: My workshops are intended for people who already have a knowledge of working with DSLR equipment. Katarzyna doesn't teach basics from general theory in photography and usage of the camera. Tours are recommended for more experienced photographers. Amateurs and professionals welcome. a

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EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS & TOURS with

Katarzyna Okrzesik-Mikolajek International Equine Photographer WWW.PHOTO-EQUINE.COM

ITALY workshop 20th - 23th April SPAIN tour 4th - 14th May FRANCE workshop 18th - 21th May ENGLAND tour 1st - 11th June

ARENA G P S

TRAINING EXERCISES

by Dr. Thomas Ritter

ometimes it's not that easy to have a trainer out all the time; it could be a financial issue or just a locational thing that's making it harder. A good coach/ trainer is unarguably vital that's for sure. Unfortunately whatever reason you are unable to have one, and you can get stuck for training ideas and quite frankly one can get pretty bored with the same old circle work. Or maybe you do have a great one and just want to mix things up for yourself or are one yourself and looking for different ideas to keep yourself or your students with fresh and new things to do.

Dr Thomas Ritters's Arean GPS can do this for you. He has three e-books containing over 170 different exercises in the t books to work from. Covering from beginners, green horses to seasoned GP riders! Truly a bit of something for everyone.

difficult, you can ride an easier version or replace it with an easier exercise that addresses the same issue.

At the beginning of each e-book there is thorough and in-depth information on how to use the training exercises and some tips to go with them. Each exercise comes with a great easy to understand colour coded graph with instructions and a tip for each one. There is testing for specific abilities and skills, generally suppling, targeted gymnastic development of individual muscle groups, preparing and/or improving dressage movements, improving the horses' balance and body awareness and explaining certain aids and types of movements.

you load it, for instance through a narrow turn and/or by stopping into this hind leg.

There really is something for everyone and have included two for you to have a go at. Both at different levels so should be something for everyone to have a try. I have personally been thoroughly enjoying these exercises and hope you do too! GENERAL TIPS FOR THE APPLICATION OF EXERCISES AND MOVEMENTS If you observe a mistake during an exercise or a movement, you can interrupt it in order to ride a new exercise that teaches the horse the mobility, coordination, or understanding he needs to overcome the problems in the original exercise. No exercise or movement is so important that you can‘t interrupt it for an explanatory or corrective exercise. Afterwards, you ride the original exercise again, in order to check and see if the horse can now execute it better. If an exercise turns out to be too

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If you want to work a specific hind leg, you bring it underneath the body through a lateral movement, then

After the horse has successfully executed an exercise, you can change direction, gait, location, topic, take a break, or even finish the workout as a reward. You should not, however, leave the location until the horse has shown some cooperation. Otherwise, the horse can draw the wrong conclusion and become disobedient. Every exercise serves as a preparation for the following ones, similar to the rungs on a ladder. It makes sense, therefore, to prepare for difficult transitions or movements. The skillful selection of exercises brings the horse into the best balance for the envisioned movement. Every exercise has a certain effect on the horse’s gait and posture. This effect has an “expiration date”. You must not, therefore, allow too much time to pass between the individual elements of an exercise sequence. Otherwise the beneficial effect of the previous part of the exercise will be gone and you have to start over. You also have to start over if a mistake happens during a sequence of exercises, because we want to take advantage of the cumulative effect of the individual parts of the exercise. After an exercise you always have to evaluate in which direction it was more difficult and in which direction it led to the greater improvement.

RIDE A 4 LOOP SERPENTINE, WITH A VOLTE IN EACH LOOP. This exercise can be found in Arena GPS 1.2

Ride a 4 loop serpentine, with a volte in each loop - Here you start with a volte in the first corner of the long side. On the right rein, you continue with a half pass right from M to X. At X, ride a 180 degree passade right and return to M by way of another half pass right. Instead of tracking left at M as usual, return to the right riin through another passade right.

L E DGE ND

Afterwards, add a few strides of haunches-in, followed by a transition to shoulder-in

This exercise improves half passes and Pirouettes. the inside hind leg is flexed by the body mass. It can be ridden in all 3 gaits. At the trot and canter you also have the option of transitioning down to walk before the passade and to resume the trot or canter afterwards. Or you can make the passade larger in the higher gaits. If you mark the diagonal with cones or ground poles, the inside hind leg should stay as close to the markers as possible. the inside leg ensures that the inside hind leg engages enough underneath the body mass, and that the horse does not leave the diagonal.

CONE EXERCIES CIRCLES WITH VOLTES. This exercise can be found in Arena GPS 1.0

Cone Exercies Circles With Voltes. This graphic shows how to use cones to mark the circle points as well as the outlines of the voltes that start a the circle points. The four circle points of the 20m circle are marketd, as well as the centre of the circle, so that the rider has to ride throught the two cones in the centre when changing rein through the circle. In addition, there are pairs of cones on the quarter line between which you have to ride through when riding a 10m volte at the circle point of the long side.

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Measure the distance for the cones, so that the circles and voltes are truel round. Otherwise, the exercise becomees useless.

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The valença L E G A C Y by Sofia Valenca

Master Luís Valença and his family have been dedicating their lives to teaching both horses and riders for over 50 years. This life experience has empowered them to develop a method that can be adapted to any type of horse, rider or equestrian discipline. Using classical riding as its foundation with the lightness, harmony and perfect symbiosis between the horse and rider, as well as respect and passion for the equestrian world, anything is possible!

SOFIA VALENÇA’S STORY....

S 56

ofia and her family would like to share with you a little bit of their story. She has two sisters and all of them are riders and teachers. This world is their great passion that was passed down to them by their father, and in doing so has set them on this equestrian career path. I am now 42 years old, and my mentor is my father, Luis Valença Rodrigues. He is

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a man who is generous like no other, and with a truly unique talent. He passed on to us his knowledge as both a father and a Master to us. The experience that we’ve had with different horses throughout the years has helped us develop and grow ‘ The Valença Method (VM)’. The VM has several levels that compliment one another and follow a logical sequence. Therefore, for the VM to be successful, it is important that you follow the numeric sequence so that the horse’s progression is also done in a way that is logical for the animal. A horse’s learning path needs to follow the horse’s rhythm. No two horses are the same and so it’s perfectly normal for the teaching rhythm to vary from animal to animal and patience is the greatest virtue a rider can have. The foremost objective of the VM is to help anyone who wishes to enhance their riding skills and to go further in teaching his/her horse. With the VM our aim is that your work with your horse becomes simpler and effective. This system will help you introduce a language that your horse will he will understand and therefore learn easier. From the moment when communication begins, everything becomes clearer for the horse to digest. It is important for us to delve into the past and understand a little of the history of the Iberian horse being the main reason behind us devising this method. Going back in time to the last ice age, everything seems to indicate that the lower plains of the Iberian Peninsula were spared from the rise of the water levels and a group of animals survived: horses, bulls and other predators and prey. Thanks to the isolation of this area of Europe, the horse has endured and evolved here for 15,000 years,

1. Europe to North Africa, Asia Minor, India, and China. (photo 3) The qualities of the Lusitano horse have been preserved over the years, namely its flexibility, agility, elegance, personality and so on. We, the riders, have the duty to maintain the traits of this fantastic horse and even improve on them through the exercises we introduced. Equitation is about making sure the horse’s body is in the right condition to carry out the exercises we intend him to perform, whether they are simple or elaborate, working the muscles without contracting them. It is important for the horse to maintain its natural qualities so he can work without strain and

2. contractions and that is why we created ‘The Valença Method.’ THE VALENÇA METHOD LEVEL 1

hatever your horse’s age, everyone has to complete this level. In this phase, we will introduce a new language to the horse, which will enable him to understand his rider. We create codes that are easily understood by the horse so that he won’t feel lost every time was ask him to do something new. When dealing with a young horse (as of three and a half years of age), it is very important that this phase is done very calmly and with full respect for the animal. We should always bear in mind that the horse will begin a long journey and that the methods we introduce now will stay with him for the rest of his life. We can compare the horse to a child who begins school – it is important for the first experiences to be positive, enjoyable and well structured. If we start with this method on an adult horse that already has some basics, but these were not well developed, we must reinitiate his learning process and pass through this level. To make it easier for the rider to understand what we mean, we’ve numbered the levels and phases.

Valenca

almost entirely free of any outside influence until a relatively short time ago. And the horse found his perfect ally, the bull. (photo 1) The wild bull is known for its bravery and ferocity, and it’s difficult to hunt. This noble animal will not attack unless it feels threatened. The horse understood early on that if he lived in harmony with the bull, the bull would be his bodyguard and keep him safe from vicious predators. However, if the horse came too near the bull, it would attack with the intent to kill. Here we have a natural evolution process for this noble animal, the Iberian Horse – only the fastest, more flexible, smarter and braver horses could survive these attacks. Here began the first selection in nature of the traits that have been with the Iberian horse to today: speed, perception, flexibility, bravery, etc. Later on, the horse became a fundamental tool in warfare. (photo 2) According to what we now believe, the Iberian horse travelled to the East, to North Africa and Asia Minor and from then to the 1st Emperor’s China. The Lusitano horse is the direct descendent of this Iberian horse, the ancestor of all the horses and these were on the basis of riding throughout the world – from

is sight. Preys have their eyes on the side of their heads to make it easier to see a possible attack by a predator. Predators, however, have eyes in front of their heads so they can focus their sight when attacking. It is necessary to understand an animal’s nature if we want him to see as a friend rather than foe. Our gestures and signs are very important, and this must be worked on, so the horse understands and accepts it.

LEVEL 1 - DIVIDED INTO THREE PHASES. • Phase 1 – Lunging work – Introduces a language that makes the communication between rider and horse easier; improves the horse’s rhythm and balance in the three gaits, and allows us to assess the horse’s personality and functionality.

6. •P hase 2 – Lunging work with side reins – Develops a perfect contact that will improve the horse’s top line, making his back stronger so he can carry the rider better; • Phase 3 – Handwork – Helps to develop the horse’s flexibility, a characteristic that is fundamental for the horse to become light and available, as he is in nature. The Iberian horse lacks muscular development when compared to other breeds used for sports today but makes up for it by the flexibility of its joints. And so the first lesson is about teaching the horse several communication codes and trying to get him to accept us (the rider) as a member of his group, rather than as an intruder who will be imposing rules on him. For the horse, we humans are predators. In nature, there are several factors that distinguish the hunter from the prey and one of these

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Communication – it’s the voice. Not words, but sounds: deep and low pitched for positive and sharp and high pitched for negative. Before going into the subject further, I’d like to make a small disclaimer: this advice for work methods is geared specifically to amateur riders who may already have a basic work method with their horses. Professional riders already do this due to their extensive knowledge. PHASE 1 OF THE VM LEVEL 1

he horse is tacked up as normal; saddle, bridle (for a young horse I recommend just the bridle), lunging cavasson, lunge line, and the lunging whip. Sometimes, when we are using the bridle on the horse for the first time, we add a little bit of honey so that the taste of metal in his mouth for the first time is sweet and more pleasant. This will help us get the horse to accept the bridle better and also to move his tongue so that the neck muscles learn early on how to relax. Before beginning, check that the bridle´s height is correct so that the noseband is tight without catching the bridle. We are now ready to start our lesson. (photo 4, 5, 6) Normally, the start of the first lessons is done in lunging work in a circle of more or less 13 metres. This circle is a symmetrical round area where

the horse in time will be able to develop a uniform movement, that is, he will distribute his weight evenly between his hind and front legs, and will start to have cadence, rhythm. That is why it’s necessary to do a proper circle. How many of you have felt that it was the horse doing the lunging work on you as opposed to the other way round? For the horse to do a perfect circle, the rider must never leave the centre of the circle. Sometimes, placing a hoop at the centre to show where the rider must stand can help. These circles may be intertwined with straight lines that enable the horse to have some extension in their movement. Every time we return to the circles, they must be perfect. In this first phase of lunging work we need to understand that this animal, which is strong, agile and powerful, needs to expel all its pent-up strength after coming in from the stables. As such, in the first phase, we let them do pretty much what they want, which in general means galloping, jumping and leaping, anything their temperament tells them to do! This phase can be compared to playground when the children are free to run and jump around before going into classroom. Because once they go back inside, they will be required to concentrate. (photo 7) The rider stands at the centre of the circle, the rope in their left hand if the horse is circling counter-clockwise and vice-versa. In this phase we let them canter, trot, leap, do what they want to do, but never leaving the circle. We watch their need for expansion and for balance, its difficulties, if there are any... we give them the time they need to calm down. Each horse has their own temperament. They are all different. We need to understand them and respect the timing each horse has. What the horse must never do, though, is step outside the circle and here we start to analyse a few points:

1. 2. 3. 4.

If the animal is well balanced in the circle. If his movements are all equal, or if any of the legs lag behind. Their time for letting all their pent-up energy come out, until they calm down. Here we start to introduce the first code: our voice, using two sounds, one

that is positive and one that is negative. The horse cannot make out the words but they do understand sounds, just like babies, and so the rider’s voice starts to make a difference: A positive sound (deep and low pitch) so the horse calms down and moves to the cadence we feel is more suited. If there is anything negative, such as the horse wanting to change direction, or if a problem arises, we correct this with a negative sound (sharp and high pitch) and in this way the horse starts to understand the voice coding. We can compare this reaction with the first contact a baby has – it’s the voice that will give them confidence. The horse must respect the circle and learn to stop on it. The rider will meet the horse at a point within the circle. There are two main reasons why the horse must stop on the circle. Firstly, the horse accepts that human will meet them, and will do so without fear. This is the first part of the horse accepting humans. The second reason is that we want the horse to stop in balance right from the very first training sessions. When we ask them to stop on the circle, the horse gains awareness of their body and learns how to distribute their weight on all four legs. For instance, when a child who is just beginning his/her learning process at school they wont have a good posture when sitting at the desk or nor hold his/her pencil properly, then the teacher should take care to tell them to sit straight or correct the position. This should be done in a natural, yet assertive manner. I am certain that after about a week that child will no longer need to be told how to sit or hold a pencil. It’s the same with horses – all they need is for someone to tell them how to use their body. The rider needs to walk towards the horse and meet him, using a positive voice, so that the horse learns how to stop on the circle, yet not in the middle of it. This should always be 2 to 3m ahead of the horse, but never straight in their face. Remember, the horse has peripheral vision. When we want to change rein, this movement must be done by the rider, and the horse should turn around from the outside of the circle. In this way, the horse will not be tempted to come into the middle, thus respecting their stopping motion and never compromising their balance.

– CONCLUSION –

n this first lesson, we introduce various codes and “agreements” between horse and human: Nº 1 t he sound of our voice to transmit something positive or negative. The horse starts to obey the command, the voice, and the gestures/signs; the horse begins to understand the rider’s gestures. Nº 2 T he horse respects the circle they're working on and learns to stop on it and accepts the rider moving in his direction. This means the horse accepts their partner without fear.

THIS FIRST PHASE is the foundation for the horse’s future EQUESTRIAN LIFE. – REMEMBER – • The horse must learn never to come closer to the middle of the circle, unless the rider asks him to. • The rope is always in the hand of the side where the horse is working. • The rider stands in the centre of

the circle, relaxed and using loose movements. • The voice commands are used whenever necessary. • Change the direction by guiding the horse from the outside of the circle. • The meeting point is on the circle and the horse’s reward – a pat. PHASE 2 OF THE VM LEVEL 1

nce the voice commands and the importance of the circle have been introduced, the horse is now ready to start building up their muscles. What do I mean by this? – In their primal state, the horse does not have the muscular tonus enabling them to carry a rider on their back, and their natural reaction is to contract the muscles. For us to obtain the results we desire in an effective and accessible manner, first it is important for the horse to develop a good contact with the rider, and then settle into a good position that will allow his body to work and develop the intended muscle tonus. For this reason, we need some aids. I am talking about the side reins. I know that for some of you readers, this term “side reins” does not boast the

Photo 8) The rider moves forward into the horse’s circle. Photo 9) The rider asks the horse to walk towards him/her. Photo 10) The rider rewards the horse by patting him.

10.

best reputation in the world. However, if we know how to use them properly and introduce them safely to the horse, they are a great aid to the rider. No matter how well trained or how gifted we are, we riders will always be less effective and more intruding if we want to develop this need for contact and posture directly on our horse’s back. Accordingly, the use of side reins can be a big help during this initial phase, or even for a horse that is older, yet whose basic schooling is not so good. For anything we wish to introduce to the horse, in this case, the side reins, we need to take great care to ensure that the horse sees and accepts this without any reluctance. We should always bear in mind that any new teaching must be done in a positive way, with positive reinforcement. Side reins have two goals: firstly, for the horse to accept the contact with the bridle, and secondly, for them to position their body for the exercise we want them to perform! In this

weight between the front and hind legs. At this initial stage, the reins must be long. Here we don’t want to find the ideal position, what we do want is for the horse to accept this new contact. (photo 15) We should never use elastic reins. The intention behind using a fixed rein is for the horse to learn that at the slightest contact, he needs to give in. The effect of the leather rein on the horse is that when there is pressure against the rein,

Valenca

12.

11.

instance, and continuing with the previous lesson, it is the circle. A piece of advice… the first time you use side reins, follow these guidelines so the horse accepts them without fear: first put on the outside rein, since it’s the one that is opposite to the movement… in the case of a circle to the left, this would be the right rein (outside rein). (photo 11) If the horse rejects the contact with this rein, we give more slack to the lunge line. This way, in case of a negative reaction from the horse he can feel free to go away from this contact. This procedure will avoid a negative experience. This should be done as many times as necessary. (photo 12, 13) After this stage, we can use the second rein, the inside one, and from there on, the work is controlled by the rider: that is, the horse’s gaits are no longer his free will, but rather controlled by the rider. (photo 14) After several circles, the horse starts to take on a uniform gait, which is cadence/rhythm. In other words, there is a good distribution of

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13.

14.

when the horse gives in they gets a feeling of well-being and reward. They quickly realises that by giving in, the rein loosens. An elastic rein does not provide this sensation and therefore the horse will not develop this light contact and may actually do stretch and snap movements that are harmful, since they are developing the neck abductor

• BEWARE – in each second of lunging work we are observing the horse’s behaviour, • PATIENCE – because we cannot be nervous and need to repeat the exercises whenever necessary, • RESPECT – the horse is a pupil, he is learning and during that process he may make mistakes … and we, as riders, also make mistakes and we need to accept them and apologise to the horse. That is a virtue.

15.

The system for training horses is always the same: REPEAT, CORRECT THE PREVIOUS EXERCISE and always be patient.

16.

PHASE 3 OF LEVEL 1 OF THE VM

his is an extremely important phase because in this phase we are going to work on the flexibility of the horse. To begin with we start by teaching the horse the touch of the whip on their body so that they accepts it as an aid and is not afraid of this new communication instrument. The whip! This way, after lunging, we will slightly extend the length of the side rein, so that both reins have the same length. We stand in front of the horse and we then walk backwards, asking the horse to follow us (remember we first taught the horse this exercise when we taught them to stop on the circle line), we will apply gentle vibrations of the whip on those places where the leg of the rider will be. This first action of the whip will create motion. (photo 16)

17. The horse should walk forward, calm and straight! p

Valenca

muscles, which are contrary to the intended position. The horse will learn through good feelings and they tend to follow these feelings. Let’s not forget that the circle should be a perfect one, and the rider must remain at its centre. This work must be done mainly at a trot, with some transitions to the walk. We must bear in mind that once the horse is on the side reins, the walk should be used for transitions, but the horse should never be asked to walk for too long. If we want to work on the walk, we should do it without the side reins, to let the horse stretch his neck. To bring the horse down to a walk, we command him with our voice. Normally the horse goes from a trot to a walk at this stage, and we lengthen our lunge line. Please note: it is always when giving in, in this case when the lunge line is loose, that the horse memorises the exercise and the rider’s commands. Once this stage is understood, we move on to the transitions from trot to canter – when trotting, the contact of the side reins is symmetrical and jumps every two beats from one diagonal to the other; canter is a rotational movement and there is rein contact every three beats. If the horse becomes agitated in these transitions, we bring them down to a trot and then repeat the transition to a canter – we do this as many times as is necessary for the horse to transition without pulling and learning to adapt their spine to the rotational movement without contracting his back.

The second action of the whip, will be done to stop the forward motion of the horse. Therefore, we will use the whip with a slight pressure on the body of the horse; For example on the neck, using at the same time the voice as a positive sound. Once the horse stops, we take out the pressure of the whip. If they move again, we repeat the same

18. action until they stop. Once the horse stops, immediately we take out the pressure of the whip, so the horse can understand and make the connection between the touch of the whip and the fact that they must stop. (photo 18) This way the horse will learn, in 1 or 2 lessons, that the action of the whip can be used to make him move or to make them stop. With this, we now have established the first codes of communication: the positive or negative voice for behavior and touch of the whip to walk or stop. This way we start to create a language between horse and rider... After the horse has memorised the communication of the voice and the whip, we will work on the front legs and back legs by mobilizing them. The front legs and the back legs of the horse are the points of support of its body, and they use their limbs to move. Thus, if we can get the horse to mobilise their haunches, when we ask them to do so, we start to have a good control of the haunches, and also of their shoulders. To achieve this result, the horse must find the proper balance. We start this exercises on the ground, the horse should have side reins on, but fairly loose and on the same length. On the floor we will have three tracks: – the feet of the rider, the front legs of the horse and the back legs of the horse.(photo 19) To make the horse mobilise their haunches, we should bear in mind that the smaller track is the rider´s, the medium track is for the front legs and

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19. largest track for the posteriors. The rider should stand in front of the horse and ask the horse to move forward with the whip (the horse learn this when the code of the whip was first introduced). With the lunging line, we ask the horse to flex inside and, with little vibrations of the whip, we ask them to move their haunches around their shoulders. Every time the horse understands this rotational move, we shall stop them with an action of the whip (a slight pressure on his body). Never let the horse move backwards. (photo 20)

20. 20. To mobilise the horse’s shoulders, the circular lines of the ride rand the horse are reversed! The largest track will be the rider’s track, while the medium track will be for the front legs and the smallest one will be for the back legs. We should only start to mobilise the horse's shoulders when the previous exercise of mobilising the haunches has bend and is clearly understood. Will shall start this exercise by mobilising the haunches first and only then do we start to open the circle line, and step by step, we ask the horse to start moving their shoulders around their haunches, the rider will open the way for the horse to start moving their shoulder, as if rider and horse where dancing together. (photo 21) This exercise should always end

with the previous one, that is the mobilisation of the hindquarters. If the horse gets confused, think twice and reflect on what you have just done, for it is usually the rider’s fault! It is similar to learning to dance; we should know how to guide the horse and never compromise their space or you will be stepping on your partner’s feet. In nature, the horse tends to use their joints in a longitudinal direction and not so much laterally. This way, these exercises on the ground will start to develop the muscles and the joints of the horse by opening and closing laterally. The horse will gain robustness and flexibility without the weight of the rider. This is like physiotherapy for both haunches and shoulders. With patience, repetition and correction, we will achieve magnificent results. With young horses, we should focus more on the work on the ground in order not to overload their bone structure. On the first month, 70% of the work is done on the ground and 30% with the rider on. What we aim for in this initial phase is for the horse to accept the rider on their back. One should bear in mind that the horse should never work with the side reins on for more than twenty minutes.

Between the phase 2 of level 1 and the phase 3, WE UNLOCK THE SIDE REINS, allowing the horse to stretch his neck. Once the horse has taken in all these exercises IT IS TIME TO MOVE ON TO LEVEL 2 of the Valença Method. a

21. 20.

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THE LUSITANO HORSE ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA WAS FOUNDED TO PROMOTE ALL ASPECTS OF THE LUSITANO BREED IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND Help is available in a number of areas * ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE OWNERS ON FINDING A SUITABLE LUSITANO * INFORMATION ON PAPERS AND REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIP * LISTS OF BREEDERS INTERNATIONALLY IN PORTUGAL, BRAZIL, U.S.A, AND GREAT BRITAIN * IMPORT RESTRICTIONS AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT

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The

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spot light LIGHTING UP YOUR ARENA WITH BLACKFROG SOLAR LIGHTING

here is no better feeling than being able to ride your horse but many times there are roadblocks to achieving this as regularly as you would like. Work commitments, summer - hot, hot days and winter - not enough sunlight to name a few. Don’t worry an affordable solution is at hand. Have you ever considered solar lighting for your arena/work area? This is certainly an affordable option and one well worth considering. Many question is solar the way to light up my arena? Well, solar flood lights haves seen innovative designs happening and nowadays do have a high light input. Many make the mistake of trying to do this themselves and is always best to talk with a professional who can give you the best advice and rather than wasting money buying the wrong lights. What are the benefits of solar lighting?

up to 36 hours’ battery storage capacity) •

Batteries will need to be replaced (every 1-5 years depending on battery type)

•

The light output from each light head is limited to battery capacity and may not provide sufficient illumination for some users.

To answer the questions, (you are surely thinking about some right now) we approached BlackFrog Solar to tick off these for you. BH: How many solar flood lights will I need for an arena? BF: This does depend on the size or your arena and your illumination requirements. We always recommend a minimum of four to avoid shadowing. Four will provide an approximate equivalent of street lightening or an outdoor car park over a standard sized arena. They also need to be positioned where they can receive maximum sunlight. If you are in a dusty situation be sure to clean regularly and rain will generally clean too.

•

Independent power source; ideal for remote locations

•

Smaller financial commitment at installation including lights, solar panels and poles

•

No ongoing power or fuel costs

BH:

•

All wiring is contained at the light pole

•

Not affected by power outages

•

Reliant on sufficient UV light to charge the batteries (models are available with

BF: Can mount on poles or on building facades at the eye level of the rider (2m – 2.5M) above the ground. (We recommend pole mounting at 4 to 5 metres with lights shinning down to reduce shadowing and bright light in

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How do you mount these lights?

the horses and your eyes) You need to be sure that there are no shadows which can spook a horse. Lightning should provide an even illumination over the total floor area BH:

Can I do this myself?

BF: Yes, that is one of the benefits of the solar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need an electrician and if you are having problems we are only a phone call away to help. BH: If I wanted this on a remote is this possible as I would like to be able to turn on and off? BF: Yes, this option is available and works just like your garage remote. BH: How many hours of riding can I get from my solar lights?

BF: You can easily four hours or more use after a full charge. Note: The light output from each light head is limited to battery capacity and may not provide sufficient illumination for some users. (Generally speaking, the more funds that are available, the better and brighter your lights can get) Arena lighting can range from 600 Lumen to 9600 Lumen. (5Watt Residential Lighting to 1000Watt Commercial lighting) So you don't have to miss out on that ride and how lovely is it to ride in the cool of the evening - far better than watching TV. Blackfrog Solar - Jeff Florance BLACKFROG.COM.AU 07 3881 1990 - sales@@blackfrog.com.au

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Tips

DR E S SAGE

T O E AN G L E . One big problem many novice riders can have is the toe angle. In many beginners, it often points outwards. And if you try to turn your foot at your knee and ankle this just don't work for long, or it will eventually cause joint ache. A good way to help encourage your toe to point forward instead of backward is to raise your leg off your horse and rotate your leg at your HIP turning it inwards. This will help get that toe pointing forward more naturally. S Q U AR E H A L T S .

This can be a big problem for many people and not only in the squareness, however also in just standing still! The best way to get this is consistency. Work on your horse learning to always stand square, but when you are simply saddling your horse, grooming, and even do a lot of walk and halt in hand. Remember to reward and praise your horse so they know what they did was what you were asking for.

V O C AL I S E . For some reason, people seem to feel they can't talk to a horse while riding. Horses really don't do telepathy that well. One of the best things you can do for your communication between you and your horse is established a small vocabulary with them. Yes, NO and the most important. When they do right, tell them YES.. and over time it'll make it so much easier for you and your horse to understand each other. Also singing a good rhythmic song can help you keep yourself and your horse at a steady pace. Quite basic really, but so effective.

T RA NSIT IONS T RA NSIT IO N S T RA NSIT IONS! One of the best to master first

is the walk to halt. To be able to control every single step, especially around a corner. With transitions, horses find their balance by themselves. If you don't have control in walk, you won't get it in trot or canter either. Hence why walk to halt is so important.

T RA INING P Y RA MID . There is lots of discussion of what should be where in the training pyramid, but one thing everyone agrees on is that it's vital that each level is consolidated properly. If you skip steps, or only half do them, you'll weaken your foundations and can cause a horse to break down or struggle harder at the higher levels. Be patient as the better your foundations the smoother and faster you'll climb to the top! DISOB EDIENCE. Horses are for the most part good-natured, insubordination may more often be caused by overwork or pain than by disobedience. The amount of work to be given may be governed by the rule that the horse should return to his stable as fresh as when he left it. If he stands tired and dejected in his stable for hours after work, it will be a warning that his rider should not overlook. ~ Quote by Alois Podhajsky (former director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna) P ERFECT CIRCL ES. try using spray paint

or witches hats. Mark the center of your circle with a stick and use a string on line to draw/mark out a perfect circle. Ride the FULL circle and don't switch off half way on thinking on the next movement. Know exactly where you want hoof placement and literally map it out if you have to with spray paint. Stop guessing and work on accuracy and your scores will improve. a

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IN G

S TA N R D E

Minerals N PL EME

VITAMIN AND MINERAL BASICS Horses need a number of minerals to build and maintain skeletal and soft tissue, and to support the functions of various body systems. Though the horse can synthesize some vitamins within its own body, it must get its entire requirement of minerals from the forage and grain it ingests. Some minerals are more easily absorbed than others, and an oversupply of selected minerals can interfere with absorption of others, so it’s important to include the correct mineral amounts and ratios in equine diets. It can be particularly confusing to try and balance minerals in your horse’s ration, so it is best to get advice from a qualified equine nutritionist. Premixed feeds, when fed at the recommended quantities on the back of the bag, are designed to meet the horse’s daily vitamin and mineral requirements. However, it’s very common for owners feed below these recommended amounts, compromising their horse’s daily vitamin and mineral intake. So,

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below is some basic information about common vitamins and minerals and why it is important that a separate, good-quality vitamin and mineral supplement is provided if this is the case.

of grain and very little forage. An oversupply of phosphorus disrupts the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absorption of calcium, leaving the horse at risk for skeletal problems, weight loss and thyroid malfunction.

magnesium in their daily intake of grain and forage. Magnesium is found in varying quantities in forages and grains. The amount of indigestible fiber and presence of oxalates will affect availability of magnesium in forages.

MINERAL BASICS

SODIUM, CHLORIDE AND POTASSIUM

Within the muscle, calcium and magnesium work antagonistically, calcium causing muscle contraction and magnesium inducing relaxation. If there is not enough magnesium, muscles tend to spasm. Although the presence of low magnesium in muscle tissue may stem from a genetic disorder rather than dietary quantities, there are reports of horses that have responded to magnesium supplementation for treatment of chronic tying-up.

Daily vitamin and mineral requirements for horses can change dramatically depending on stage of life and workload. For example, growing horses, pregnant and lactating mare and performance horses all have an elevated daily requirement for certain vitamins and minerals. CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS Calcium is probably the most well-known mineral and everyone understands the importance of adequate dietary calcium to maintain a strong and healthy skeleton. However, calcium is involved in blood clotting, nerve transmission, temperature regulation and muscle health. Inadequate supply of calcium can be found in some horses that are on low-forage and high-grain diets. Phosphorus is needed for various cell functions and energy metabolism. Calcium and phosphorus must be provided in the proper ratio. Excess calcium is not as dangerous as a high level of phosphorus that may be reached in horses that eat a great deal

Potassium, sodium, and chloride are electrolytes that are lost in sweat when horses perform strenuous exercise. Proper muscle and nerve function depends on adequate supplies of these minerals. Forage provides potassium, while sodium and chloride must usually be provided as a supplement in the form of salt. Exhaustion, decreased sweating and muscle incoordination may be noticed in horses that are deficient in these electrolytes. An oversupply is usually not dangerous because extra potassium, sodium and chloride are easily excreted in the urine unless there is an underlying condition. MAGNESIUM Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzyme reactions, including the generation of cellular energy and decoding of genetic information. Besides its roles in bone structure, energy metabolism, and muscle and nerve function, magnesium may have actions that relate to insulin sensitivity and nervous behavior. Horses on normal diets usually get enough

IRON Aside from the macrominerals, iron is the mineral most often thought of when we talk about supplementation in performance horses. Hemoglobin, the component of the red blood cell that allows oxygen to be carried to the tissues, requires iron for its synthesis. One of the significant aspects of iron metabolism that buffers the horse and other animals from iron-deficiency anaemia is the ability of the body to conserve iron. Approximately 67% of the iron in the body is contained in the red blood cells in the form of hemoglobin. Red blood cells are formed in a process known as erythropoiesis and remain

CHROMIUM Chromium is a component of glucose tolerance factor, which is thought to potentiate the action of insulin in chromium-deficient tissue. Insulin promotes glucose uptake by the cell, stimulates amino acid synthesis, and inhibits tissue lipase. In athletic humans, chromium excretion is increased and the chromium requirement is increased by physical activity; therefore, a similar situation probably occurs in performance horses. COPPER

in circulation for about 150 days. In practice, there are few instances when the diet would result in iron-deficiency anaemia. Clinically significant anaemia in the horse is rare. Exceptions are horses with severe burdens of intestinal parasites, horses with gastric ulcers that lead to blood loss and perhaps horses suffering from severe exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). The suggested iron requirement of a 500-kg horse is 500, 600 and 1200 mg/day for light, moderate and heavy exercise, respectively. Iron appears to be efficiently absorbed at low levels of intake. Iron absorption is decreased as iron intake increases and also with the presence of high concentrations of copper, zinc, manganese, cadmium and cobalt. MANGANESE Manganese is involved in bone formation, oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria of the cell, fatty acid synthesis, and amino acid metabolism either as a coenzyme or as an activator of enzymes. Horses at low levels of exercise require approximately 350 mg/day, whereas those in moderate to high work intensities would require 500 mg/day in the diet. Manganese deficiency is most likely when excess calcium and phosphorus in the diet interfere with its absorption. SELENIUM Strenuous exercise is known to induce oxidative stress, leading to the generation of free radicals. This may induce lipid peroxidation and tissue damage in both the respiratory system and working muscle tissue, particularly if the horse is deficient in vitamin E and/ or selenium. The selenium requirement for mature horses at rest has been estimated by the National Research Council to be 0.1 mg/kg, based on studies that evaluated the relationship between selenium intake and blood selenium. Other authorities have suggested that the appropriate concentration of selenium in the total diet of a horse is 0.3 mg/kg. Selenium deficiency is related to the soil content of selenium and the subsequent effect on pasture, hay and grain. Selenium-deficient soils occur in certain parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Copper is essential for several enzymes involved in the synthesis and maintenance of elastic tissue, mobilization of iron stores, preservation of the integrity of the mitochondria and detoxification of superoxides. Performance horses in light, moderate and heavy work require approximately 130, 170 and 190 mg/day of copper, respectively. Approximately 50-75 mg/day will be supplied by pasture or alternative forage sources, depending on their quality. ZINC Zinc is involved as a cofactor in many enzyme systems. Many body functions rely on zinc, including maintenance of the immune system, cell division and membrane integrity, wound healing, growth and maturation, DNA synthesis, cellular metabolism, and neurological function. Found to be essential for carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, zinc also supports synthesis of chondroitin sulfate, which is necessary for cartilage formation. Performance horses require about 400 mg/day during light work and 500 mg/day during moderate and heavy exercise. VITAMIN BASICS VITAMIN A Vitamin A is perhaps the most important of the vitamins and is indispensable for support of growth and health of a horse. Deficiency causes loss of vision, defects in bone growth, defects in reproduction, defects in growth and differentiation of epithelial tissues and lowered resistance to disease and infection. Carotenes are the natural source of vitamin A for the horse because they are found in abundance in green forages. However, when horses have access to little fresh, green forage, and are consuming hay instead, which is known to have poor vitamin A retention, ensuring adequate vitamin A intake through supplementation is important. B-GROUP VITAMINS The B-group vitamins are water soluble, which means that they are not stored in the body to a great extent. B-group vitamins can be produced by the microflora in the large intestines. Supplementation of B vitamins is probably still warranted for performance horses because they are often given high-grain rations that can compromise the microbial fermentation in the hindgut. VITAMIN C

IODINE Iodine is part of the thyroid hormones thyroxin and triiodothyronine. A deficiency or toxicity of iodine may result in goitre (an enlarged thyroid gland). In the performance horse, the most important role of thyroxin is controlling metabolism. The thyroid hormones stimulate the mitochondria in the cell to increase their oxygen consumption and thus their energy production. Performance horses in light work require 1.75 mg/day of iodine, in moderate work 2.5 mg/day, and in intense training 2.75-3.0 mg/day. Iodine toxicity from overfeeding seaweed meal is more common than iodine deficiency.

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Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, plays several roles in the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body, including involvement in hormone synthesis, bone calcification and antioxidant functions. Unlike humans, horses can synthesize vitamin C from glucose within the body. For this reason, deficiency is very unusual, but when horses experience excessive stress their bodies may not produce enough. Therefore, in periods of stress, such as during sustained exercise, vitamin C levels may drop and reduce the efficiency of antioxidant mechanisms in the body. Most horses that consume fresh forage such as good-quality pasture grass will easily meet vitamin C requirements. Hay, on the other hand, contains very little vitamin C due to oxidation.

VITAMIN D Vitamin D is produced in the horse’s skin when adequate sunlight is received. Sufficient vitamin D must be present for calcium and phosphorus to be absorbed; a vitamin D deficiency markedly reduces absorption of both minerals. Insufficient photoproduction of vitamin D3 or inadequate dietary supplementation of vitamin D leads to improper calcification of bones. VITAMIN E Vitamin E is essential for the integrity and optimum function of reproductive, muscular, circulatory, nervous and immune systems. Its action as a natural antioxidant is seen as the underlying factor of most vitamin E functions. Vitamin E is considered to be the most effective natural lipid-soluble chainbreaking antioxidant. The action of vitamin E is very important in cell membranes, protecting them from oxidative damage. Signs of deficiency, such as nutritional muscular dystrophy, are often the same as those seen with selenium deficiency. VITAMIN K A major function of vitamin K is in blood coagulation, but vitamin K has also been found to have a role in the activation of a number of other proteins throughout the body, some specifically identified in the skin and bone. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PROVIDE THESE MINERALS? Supplementary vitamins and minerals can be provided in either an inorganic (synthetic) or organic (chelated or natural) form. Organic minerals are more readily bioavailable and natural-source vitamin E has been research proven to be at least three times more potent than synthetic forms. Kentucky Equine Research (KER) provides nutrition consultation services to Barastoc and Milne in Australia, and NRM and McMillian in New Zealand. As part of our close working relationship with these companies, we provide a high-quality vitamin and mineral premix, which are used in their feeds. If you are feeding according to the package recommendations, you can be assured that you are meeting your horse’s daily nutritional requirements. However, if you are like a large portion of the population and feed below these guidelines, KER have a number of vitamin and mineral supplements that are suitable for all types of horses. Nutrequin is a palatable vitamin and mineral supplement for spellers, pleasure horses and performance horses in light to moderate work. Perform is a high-quality supplement providing organic minerals and natural vitamin E for superior bioavailability with an added yeast culture to support digestive function and to meet the needs of equine athletes. Gold Pellet is a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement, with added yeast culture, in a convenient, easy-to-feed pellet appropriate for good doers and performance horses alike. Remember that the team at KER is close by no matter what your situation. If you have any queries about your horse’s diet, contact Kentucky Equine Research’s FREE Nutrition Consultation Service on 1800 772 198, email advice@ker.com or submit a diet analysis request. a

EquineHair

g n i d d e Sh (Exogen Phase)

By The Nude Horse (Equine Epidemiologist) that there are approximately 800-1,200 primary hairs and from 1,200-2,000 secondary hairs per square inch of skin in the horse. A horse's hair coat changes with the seasons; therefore the ability of the hair coat to regulate body temperature is related to its length, thickness and density per square inch of surface area of skin. One major factor in the hair's ability to serve in thermoregulation is the ability of a small muscle associated with every hair follicle under control of the nervous system to pull the hairs to a standing "puffed-up" position (piloerection). The physiological process of piloerection increases the insulating factor of the hair coat by increasing the air content within the hair coat and therefore the skin and the environment. It's like putting on a winter doona.

The horses winter coat hair has undergone a full circle (anagen, catagen, telogen and now exogen) so is about to shed before beginning the cycle again (Harkey, 1993; Lloyd, 1993; Stenn and Paus, 2001). What triggers the coat to shed? The controls of exogen may be understood to be triggered by the environmental factors of light and temperature. (http://www.keratin.com/aa/aa029.shtml) The major player in the hair coat cycles appears to be the changing length of daylight or photoperiod. The daily photoperiod effect on hair growth cycles brings the brain into the act. Light signals are routed biochemically to the pineal gland, the hypothalamic part of the brain and the pituitary gland. From there the control is hormonal. It has been shown that horses wearing rugs and/or stabled in heated barns fail to develop a complete winter coat. It has been hypothesized that domestication (heated barns, rugging, rapid changes in geographic location and mares standing under artificial light) might cause a change from a single yearly shed as observed in the undomesticated horse to continuously shedding throughout the year, maintaining a short coat year round. There is a primary coat known as the outer or "guard" coat and a secondary coat known as the inner coat. It has been reported

Shedding is helped by brushing daily to help shift the dead coat. But we warned not to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;over cleanseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; your horse as the skin is also the primary barrier between the outside world and the internal structures of the body and it provides protection from dehydration and infection. The skin actually has a normal population of bacteria that live in balance (the normal bacterial "flora") and act as competition to potential invading bacteria. These sebum secretions also form a barrier to repel water, so be practical when it comes using products to wash your horse with so as not to remove the sebum from the follicle bulb. (Baxter and Trotter, 1969) Your goal should be to achieve a new richly coloured and glossy coat in Spring. Why? Glossiness of coat hair is also important in reflecting solar radiation. Tropical breeds tend to have glossy coats that reflect solar radiation well (Hayman and Nay, 1961; Holmes, 1970). Research indicates that the greatest rate of growth occurs during the autumn in readiness of the cold. MAKING THE MOST OF HAIR GROWTH PERIODS Hair follicles are metabolically active tissues that require nutrients to support both structural and functional activities (Galbraith, 1998). As such nutrition has a profound effect on both its quality and quantity. Poor nutrition may produce and

therefore be reflected by a dull, dry, brittle or thin hair coat. Colour disturbances may also occur. Nutritional factors that influence hair growth are very complex and can be interrelated. Nutrients commonly associated with poor hair quality and hair loss have been summarized by Lewis (1995). They comprise dietary deficiencies of protein, phosphorus, iodine, zinc, and vitamins A and E, as well as dietary excesses of selenium, iodine and vitamin A. Other possible nutritional imbalances that can affect hair growth include B-vitamin and vitamin C deficiencies, copper and cobalt deficiencies and molybdenum toxicoses (Scott, 1988). “Your goal should be to achieve a new richly coloured and glossy coat” The most important requirement for hair keratin synthesis is the amino acid cysteine, as it is ultimately oxidized to form the stable disulphide bonds that give keratin its structure, strength, and stability. Horses, like non-ruminants are unable to absorb inorganic sulphur and must meet their sulphur requirements through organic forms such as methionine. (Lewis,1995). Methionine can be converted to cysteine in the liver. Chronic illness may induce decreased production of sebum and apocrine secretions, resulting in dry lustreless hair. Poor hair quality in addition to hair thinning or alopecia can also arise from essential fatty acid deficiency (see Zinc for synthesis of fatty acids). Selenium performs a number of roles pertaining to cellular function and is a necessary constituent of the diet for healthy hair growth. A word of caution: Chronic toxicity occurs when daily dietary levels exceed 5 mg. Toxicity results in progressive loss of hair from the mane, tail and fetlocks and in extreme cases a generalized alopecia. (Crinion and O’Connor, 1978; McLaughlin and Cullen, 1986; Dewes and Lowe, 1987; Witte et al., 1993). Choose feeds supplements with Selenium below 2mg per day to be safe, as grasses and other feeds can compound to exceed safe daily limits. Zinc is an essential element to many metalloenzymes and metabolic processes including keratogenesis. It is also a cofactor for RNA and DNA polymerases and is involved in the synthesis of free fatty acids and vitamin A metabolism. Studies show the fractional absorption over this range of ingested zinc averages ≈0.4 when injested from non organic forms (http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854914/) Sourcing bioavailable forms such as organic and chelated zinc clinically shows better absorption rates. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j. efsa.2008.694/ pdf ). Copper. This element is essential in various enzyme systems including those involved in melanin synthesis, keratin synthesis, and disulphide bond linkage (Jarrett, 1977; Underwood, 1977). Copper deficiency results in fibre de-pigmentation and loss of hair tensile strength and elasticity leading to breakage. However, copper deficiency has not been observed in horses. WHAT ABOUT MANES AND TAILS? Mane and tails do not shed out like the coat hair. The permanent hairs of the equine mane and tail undergo continual growth. Two studies involving small numbers of horses (four animals or less) over short periods of time suggest that the rate of growth of the mane is relatively constant (Whittem et al., 1998; Popot et al., 2000). In a larger investigation involving 29 horses of different breeds, they found that mane and tail growth was essentially linear over a 12-month period. Rate of hair growth in the mane was observed to be lowest in the region near the withers and highest near the poll. The rates of growth of both the mane and tail were greater in native breeds of ponies rather than in Thoroughbreds with other breeds falling in between. a

Demystifying the Immune System The Herbalist’s Analogy

B Y C AT H E R I N E C O X - M C D O W E L L

he immune system which is part of an intelligent selfregulating organism is very complex. It is only recently that it was discovered that the brain has a minute lymphatic system! It was assumed that Science had uncovered all there was to know about the brain, however, this points out that overall scientific understanding of the body is not fully mapped and that in our evolving organic world , nothing is in fact, fixed.

Current accepted science on Immunity is one of those areas that is assumed is well understood, but in reality, it is not. This assumption is in part due to a well-oiled medicine machine and good marketing. From an Herbalists perspective, Immunity is a dance of many integrated systems- I like to call this the “immunity waltz”. Like in any organic system, there is a diverse set of interrelationshipsat one level these relationships look obvious; however there are many that we can’t see in this self-organising micro world. The neuro-endocrine system is one of the most unexplored links in physical health. Somatic psychologists are only just beginning to research this fascinating connection, providing much insight into the effects of thought and emotion on physical health. For an herbalist this neuro-endocrine connection is a powerful ally to start supporting with herbs as it can trigger

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balances in the "Immunity waltz" like no other connection can. When a Herbalist is supporting a person or animal presenting with an auto immune disorder or cancer , there is a requirement to keep the dance going, but just improve the rhythm and the kind of dance steps used. Cancers and auto immune conditions are like any immune response gone wrong- something is out of step in the complex interplay. Herbs help to bring the dance back to harmony so that the dance is playing out as it should. THE PLACEBO EFFECT If we consider for a moment then, the placebo effect. The “placebo effect” is often given as a reason as to why a medicine may be effective- as if this is a negative! It is a negative only if the pharmaceutical industrialised science engine can’t justify a saleable product. ( Dr Ben Goldacre- Bad Science- Bad Pharma) Let’s use the Placebo effect to our advantage as a placebo has no side effects. Thought is one of the main factors that impacts on the neuro –endocrine system- key dance partners in the “immunity waltz”.

ALIGNMENT WITHIN We can impair this self-organisation if we are anxious, angry, frustrated, and see things as problems all the time. We effectively stimulate the neuro-endocrine system to “trip-up”. This causes our “immunity” dancers to stumble, which in turn makes it hard to recover the dance steps. So now we can understand why meditation is important. We need to meditate in order to allow the frustrations to fall away and therefore allow the natural selforganisation to come back into alignment. Meditation and Bach flowers are ideal to support you. NOURISHING THE NEW CELLS AS THEY ARE CREATED If we are to really help our body heal we do need to follow some basic guidelines. 1.

Stimulate the system to clean itself up- this is a critical element. We use herbs called alteratives to clean the blood of excess hormones,

family. My grandfather had the “people’s home library” which was a compendium of all kinds of home cures.

CATHERINE MCDOWELL

Herbalist I was first introduced to the concept of Herbal Lore when I was very young. I think one of the earliest influences I can remember was from my grandparents, who were very traditional Bathurst farmers of the well known Cox

Herbal Medicine is, at its core, studying nature and the humanities. It’s about observing our diet, our environment and how we respond. Keeping a balance is difficult in the modern era as we are no longer interacting with our environment in the same way as we may have done even as little as a 100 years ago. As a Dorothy Hall graduate working along side the well known Robert McDowell for many years and furthering my education with Dennis Stewart,

Hops, Skullcap and Vervain

histamines and inflammatory cells. – Burdock, Red Clover , Fenugreek, Blue Flag, Violet leaves, Euphorbia and Garlic

We use herbs to support the Neuro-endocrine system with herbs that are nourishing and balancing- Withania, Valerian,

I also use a super anti-oxidant herb like Maritime Pine to help restore strength to the “Dancers”

Support and strengthen all body systems and organs with

I have developed my own unique application of herbal remedies. Working primarily with animals (Horses and Dogs) has been the most rewarding. Having seen herbs work so well in so many cases has proven to me time and again the under-utilised power of herbal medicine. It is heartening to see now Vets, and some Medical Doctors seeing the traditional application of herbs as useful. My comprehensive service includes free animal consultations 24/7 via my web site, and face to face consultation in Bathurst. www.mcdowellsherbal.com

herbs that target and nourish each of these areas specifically. St Marys Thistle for the Liver, hawthorn for the Heart, Rue for blood vessels, Flax seed for connective tissue, Saw Palmetto for Muscles to name a few. a

HANDY

HINTS P O P U L A R A D V I C E F R O M

H A N D Y F R O M

D R

J O H N

H I N T S

A N D

K O H N K E ’ S K O H N K E

P R A C T I C A L

O W N B V S C

R D A

CHECK OUT SOME GREAT TIPS FROM ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST POPULAR AND KNOWLEDGEABLE VETERINARIANS! YOU CAN ALSO FIND MORE GREAT ADVICE ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOHNKOHNKEPRODUCTS

Warm-Up for Suppleness It is important to ‘supple-up’ your horse prior to dressage training in an arena. Studies have shown that leg stretching exercises performed when a horse is cold before exercising to warm it up, do very little in terms of preparing muscles for loading as these exercises are passive, non-loaded movements. Lungeing is the most common form of warm-up, but excessive loading and strain can occur on the inside front limb and fetlock on the circle before these structures become supple, flexible and gain full movement and load bearing capacity. Studies have shown that lungeing at a trot, even in a wide diameter circle in excess of 3 minutes, without a change in direction, can overload the lower limb joints. Horses should not be warmed-up at a canter on a lunge circle. One of the most beneficial warm-up and ‘suppling’ routines is to lightly massage the neck, shoulder and hind quarter muscles for 10-15 seconds on each side, then walk the horse on a lead (already geared up) over 3 parallel jumping poles spaced 4 metres apart on a flat surface, at an angle of 45 degrees to the poles, in a figure 8 pattern for 4-5 laps. This exercise helps to supple and flex the shoulders, upper body and spine, strengthen the sacroliliac and lower back area, stretch muscles on both sides on the figure ‘8’ turns and encourages the horse to lift its legs and lightly flex the tendons. Then a walk to the arena, mount and walk 60 metres up the centre line in a zig-zag pattern, turn at C and lightly trot in a zig-zag, shoulderin movement back to A to warm and supple-up for the day’s training exercises.

Management to Avoid Joint Disease in Dressage Horses Joint problems and issues relating to cartilage and joint wear are often of major concern to owners of dressage horses, especially higher accomplished horses as they age. No owner wants the years of training, hard work and the innate talent of a dressage horse to be cut short by joint pain, stiffness and other early signs of arthritis. Help your horse avoid the

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3. development of joint pain and stiffness with these simple management hints. 1. Adopt a progressive loading program to increase exercise duration and weight loading over 2-3 months to allow both tendons and joints to adapt to exercise. Joint surfaces thicken in response to loading, providing a more protective covering over the sub-chondral bone surfaces. Tendon fibres become stronger and able to bear increased loading over this time. 2. Avoid compacted (concussive) or deep (sprain) working surfaces. A working ‘cushion’ of 4-8 cms of supportive material is ideal. 3. Ensure adequate warm-up, but avoid tight bandages and boots that may retain heat within joint and tendons. 4. Regularly check joints for signs of swelling, warmth and restricted mobility. 5. Consider joint support bandages (Protekta Wrap/Polo wraps/Sportsmedicine wraps etc.) 6. Maintain optimum hoof balance and toe length by regular farriery or skilled barefoot trimming. 7. Avoid excess body condition or heavy horse/ rider combinations. 8. Cool joints out by icing or hosing with cold water after hard exercise to help control inflammation and avoid heat retention. 9. Provide a balanced diet containing joint cartilage nutrients such as copper, zinc, manganese and Vitamin A (eg Kohnke’s Own Cell-Vital or CellPerform). 10. Consider the use of a joint supplement as horses age or are competed at upper levels. Kohnke’s Own Nutricart containing a high dose of bioavailable glucosamine plus other organic joint active nutrients for optimum effectiveness. 11. Seek advice from your vet if you are concerned about any joint swelling or ‘stiffness’ in a horse’s action.

Control ‘Hot’ Behaviour by Feeding Rather Than Lungeing Lungeing is a potentially harmful form of warm-up exercise, even though the weight of rider is not included, as it magnifies the loading on the limbs and ‘cold’ joints which have not had an opportunity to improve circulation and cartilage nutrition processes before they are subjected to overloading and high ‘wear and tear’ body weight and centrifugal forces on the circle lunge. Many overseas dressage riders warm their horses up at the walk and slow trot on a treadmill for 10-15 minutes before exercising the horse under saddle. If a horse is ‘overenergetic’ or ‘above itself’, which makes training difficult for control and comfort, then it is recommended to either walk and trot the horse for 10-15 minutes to ‘burn’ up excess energy, or to adjust its feed to remove excess starch-based feeds, especially extruded or micronized grains, or high sugar complete feeds. Small amounts of up to 1 litre of steamrolled barley added to each hard feed is one of the ‘coolest’ natural feeds available which can provide slow release energy for ‘oomph’ and stamina, or you can substitute some the grain in your horse’s hard feed for 100 mls of oil, which is a cool energy source and also great for coat condition.

Tips for Travelling Horses

Many dressage horses are seasoned travellers and are regularly floated to competitions. Most owners would nominate refusal to load, injury in

the float and stress and anxiety as the biggest problems facing their horses during travel. However, there are some less understood, but equally important factors, that can make the difference in helping your horse travel happily and arrive ready for the event or competition. Accumulation of lung cleaning fluids in the lower lobes of the lung when the head is tied short and held up during travelling is a major reason for travel sickness and reduced performance. Plan the trip carefully with a rest stop every 4-6 hours to enable the horse to be unloaded and allowed to graze or eat dampened lucerne hay with its head down for at least 15 minutes to drain accumulated lung cleaning fluids to reduce the risk of pleuropneumonia (chest infection) associated with travel sickness. It takes 4 hours with the head tied up above chest height to accumulate up to 4 litres of lung cleaning fluid in the lower lobes of the lung and only 15 mins to drain the fluid when the head is down to ground level as a horse feeds. Many horses suffer from gastric acid ‘burn’ to the sensitive, unprotected upper lining of the stomach when travelling on an empty stomach, especially if they are anxious travellers. A horse continuously secretes up to 500mL of gastric acid per hour, whether it has food or no food in its stomach, or even when its stomach empties as the food mass is passed into the small bowel during extended travel. A horse only secretes saliva (the natural buffer of stomach acid) as it chews, so if it does not have feed to nibble during travelling, an accumulation of excess gastric acid can result. This increases the risk of developing or aggravating an existing gastric ulcer or gastric lining ’burn’. Horses often learn to expect the discomfort from stomach acid burn during travelling and can become restlessness and anxious during future trips. Feeding a small feed of 500g (4 litres) of dampened lucerne chaff with 4 scoopsful of Kohnke’s Own GastroCoat™ about 30 mins before travelling, at planned rest stops and again on arrival will help maintain normal stomach conditions and reduce gastric acid irritation and burn. Providing dampened lucerne hay in a hay net (to minimise dust inhalation into the lungs in the enclosed space of the float), at below chest height during extended trips, will also help keep a horse more contented and help drain the lungs during the trip. On completion of the trip, walk the horse for 10 minutes on a loose lead to assist the blood circulation within the hooves and allow it to put its head down to pick grass to help it relax, drain its airways and recover from a long trip. Happy Future Travels!

Providing Extra Energy during long Competitions

Some dressage horses begin to lack energy and impulsion when trained or competed for a number of consecutive days. In some cases, lower energy ‘cool’ feeds are fed to reduce the risk of a horse being too energetic during training. Many of these ‘cool’ feeds are based on bran, fibre and low GI feed ingredients to help keep a horse calm and

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less energetic, but because a horse takes up to 48 hours to replenish its muscle energy stores after an exhaustive work out (compared to 12 hours for a human athlete or greyhound), a horse can suffer from a lack of impulsion and appear tired during subsequent training or competition days. In this case, feeding a slow release starch energy feed, such as 1-1½ kg of steam-rolled barley on the 2 days leading up to a weekend competition, or even 1kg of freshly cracked corn (maize), will help replenish and improve muscle energy stores to ensure that the horse maintains ‘oomph’, impulsion and ‘flare’ in its work. This amount will not overload excess starch into the hindgut. Some larger breeds may require more than the 1½ kg of extra steam-rolled barley to give them the energy to train and compete. Steam-rolled barley delivers a sustained, slower uptake of sugars, as compared to oats (which may be a useful energy boost at the same rate in a particularly ‘sluggish’ horse). It is an ideal ‘cool’ energy supplement for hard training days, eg for lessons and for the days before and during competition. It can be reduced or taken out of the ration once the horse returns to normal training, as well as on planned rest days. If a horse gets too energetic, reduce the amount in 500g steps at 3-5 day intervals under a constant exercise program until the horse retains the ‘oomph’ you require, but is not hard to handle. a

FROM THE SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL - VIENNA BY CHIEF RIDER & DIRECTOR OF HELDENBERG TRAINING CENTER

ANDREAS HAUSBERGER

SEAT AND POSITION

• Your shoulders should be parallel to the shoulders of the horse • Your hips should be parallel to the hips of the horse • Your legs should be in light contact with the horse (please avoid griping and squeezing)

• Your torso should not be cramped but toned and as „the stable

center“ sitting „in“ the horse - stable in this case means a toned, still, calm and flexible moving with the motion of the horse

I NOTICED IN THE RIO OLYMPICS THAT EACH HORSES' NOSEBAND WAS TESTED FOR THE "TWO-FINGER" TIGHTNESS AFTER EACH COMPETITION. HOW DID THIS DEVELOP AND WHY?

Training

A tight noseband restricts the blood flow and research has shown that this can exceed the pressure levels of tourniquets in humans. Different movements can cause different pressure levels and pain this is not the best welfare of the horse at all. Under a competition scenario, there is enough stress without creating an unnecessary physiological stress response in your horse - at any time for that matter. In dressage competition, penalties are incurred for horses' open mouths and rolling tongues as this represents inferior training. Many try to avoid this by tightening the noseband, so this doesn't happen. If your horse is well-trained, they will demonstrate harmony, lightness and acceptance of the bit without a restrictive tight noseband. The FEI (the governing body for all Olympic equestrian disciplines) stewards checked not only the "two-finger" rule at the Rio Olympics but also the saddlery and bits to ensure that these regulations were followed. These rules apply on all nosebands on horses' at international events to ensure correct training techniques are followed and for the welfare and benefit of the horse. How did the noseband come about and is it needed? There are many reasons the noseband has come about, and history shows that it was used in war to keep the horses' jaw from clattering when they galloped with all the heavy armour and also to stop the stallions from fighting. So possibly the real reason it came about was for safety in war and high speeds. If this is the case, one can question the reason it is used in dressage too? In some historical paintings, it shows images of horses with flat pieces of leather pulled on each side through the lower parts of the cheek pieces. In some during the 16th century also depict heavy type nosebands which took strong men to get them into collection. In today's times, we are use to seeing bridles with a noseband on and without it it could be said that the horse looks 'naked. Many see this as a decorative piece of tack and there is many impressive looking nosebands that are

decorated with crystals, pearls and chains to make a horse stand out from the crowd. The noseband fitting is at on the nasal bone, at the bulge of the teeth, on the chewing musculature, the tongue plus there is also a nerve that transmits neurologic information to and from the nose. A tight noseband will also restrict the jaw joint from opening and elevate the stress levels the horse and raise its heartbeat. The Lower Jaw Bone: This is not strong, and there is a possibility of it breaking under heavy pressure from bits if substantial leverage is put on an open jaw. The Tongue: This is a large muscle that is a cushion for the bit so every action causes pressure on the tongue and bars. The Cheek Muscle: This is the biggest muscle in the horses' head and is part of their chewing musculature. For the horse to chew the jaw must be relaxed and flexible but when it is braced the neck and back of the horse become fixed thus affecting the hind legs. Is some cases this can also cause a horse to audibly grind its teeth. The Neural Nerves: These are where the noseband is placed, and another is on the chin groves where the noseband is fastened. Too tight and the nerve is compressed and causes neural pain to the horse. So why use the noseband? Many believe this is used to shut the horses' mouth, and the chin strap supports the lower jaw. When training a young horse a correctly fitted noseband helps teach the right acceptance of the bit and prevents the crossing of the jaws and preventing the tongue going over the bit. A good rule of the thumb is if noseband is fitted properly then the horse can still accept a treat and chew. Many believe if a rider has soft and feeling hands, and if the horse is well trained, then a noseband is not needed. Dressage is about having light contact with the horses' mouth so the choice must always be to have a gaping noseband and not one that is tightly fitting. Nowadays, many make the decision to ride without nosebands and bits but of course, this comes down to experience, training and preference. In competition rider's don't have the choice of whether to use a noseband or not as it is part of the rules that this is required.

I AM Q. CURRENTLY HEALTH CARING FOR A 10YO MARE WHO HAS FOR OVER 10MONTHS NOW BEEN SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC DIARRHOEA. SHE EATS

AND DRINKS NORMALLY. I HAVE WORMED HER. THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD HER VET CHECKED AND APART FROM HAVING EXTENSIVE BLOOD WORK NOTHING OBVIOUS HAS PRESENTED ITSELF. SHE DOESN'T APPEAR TOO LISTLESS AND SHE QUITE HAPPILY CANTERS UP WHEN I OFFER TREATS. ANY SUGGESTIONS? THANKS CAROL

hank you for your enquiry. She sounds like she may just need a simple tone up- and my conditioning mix is a good place to start.

I would start feeding Sepedi beet immediately, and add to this some Pro-Biotic like protexin and the following herbs: Herbal support: CHAMOMILE The humble Chamomile has many properties and helps various conditions ranging from skin and nervous system problems to acting as an antispasmodic and a digestive aid.

OTHER HERBAL TEAS THAT MAY BE USEFUL. Rosehip tea – 2 Tablespoons in 1L of hot water then after cool given over the day in the feed. General tonic. Fenugreek tea – to support the lymphatic (immune system) 1-2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds prepared as above.

Chamomile is often used to treat colic, scours and other gastro intestinal disorders. The preparation in this case is prepared with 1/3 cup of Slippery Elm Bark powder mixed into a sufficient quantity of cold tea to make a paste. One dose of this paste daily will completely heal the lining of the gastro intestinal tract when given as an uninterrupted 12 week course.

I have outlined some diet recommendations below as some horses can have compromised immune systems and or allergic reactions to some processed foods. The diet that I prefer below has been designed to cover all of your horse’s basic nutritional needs without using unnecessary processed foods that can cause all sorts of hidden issues.

When using Chamomile to treat nervous system problems, digestive issues and stress related colic, a tea is made by adding 4 dessertspoons of flowers to 1 litre boiling water and this is left to steep until cool.

Diet is important with any recovery program - As a general rule though, I like to feed:

This can be split in half and used (flowers and all) to dampen down the horses feeds morning and evening. Alternatively the whole flowers can be fed directly to the horse at a dosage rate of 1/2 cup per feed. SLIPPERY ELM POWDER

Chamomile flowers ( ½ handful per feed) Nervous system support- P, K, mg in balance Rosehips (2T in 500mls of hot water, divide over 2 feeds) Kidney /liver support, iron, vit c Cobalt. 2-3 cloves of garlic- sulphur, Vit A /E and various other vitamins and minerals that are excellent for immunity and heart/circulation health.

Slippery Elm Bark Powder is used to treat irritation and ulceration of all mucosal membranes within the body.

½ cup of Crushed millet per feed- silica- bone health /hair /connective tissue ½ cup of Crushed Linseed per feed) Omega 3, 6, 9 lignin’s for healthy joints and flexible ligaments.

It will completely repair the mucus lining of any affected area and can be used in conjunction with Chamomile Tea to treat scouring in horses by healing the lining of the whole of the gastro-intestinal tract. Ideal to help prevent the underpinning issues that can often be associated with colic.

1 T of Kelp trace elements and iodine for thyroid function Dolomite – Mg/trace minerals Rice Bran – protein/fat/vit A Copra Meal- Protein essential fatty acids Soaked Barley or Oats Oaten chaff Lucerne Chaff ( Dry land Lucerne is best) – Calcium

A single daily dose for a period of 12 weeks will allow complete healing or any ulceration or irritation in your horses gut. The dosage to treat scours is 1/3 cup powder mixed into a paste with a quantity of cold Chamomile Tea. This paste is given directly or added to the horses feed .

ANSWERED BY CATH MCDOWELL MCDOWELL'S HERBALS WWW.MCDOWELLSHERBAL.COM

Extract, Fennel Seeds, Garlic Extract, Hawthorn Berry Extract, Kelp Granules, Nettle Herb, along with the Bach Flowers Olive, Rescue Remedy, Scleranthus and Walnut.

McDowells Conditioning blend- in either 5 litres Apple Cider Vinegar or 20 litre dried/liquid herb blend The mix includes the following:- Borage Herb, Chamomile Flowers, Dandelion Leaf, Dandelion Root

Hay- oaten or meadow 24/7 or pasture- Calcium Extra supplements can be given in specific circumstances to address issues….but the above is very good as a basic. And gives a superb coat and muscle condition. You want the horses strong, good muscle mass, low fat – lean and strong. Most commercial feeds fatten the horses and make their metabolism heavy…. can lead to insulin resistance, laminitis and Cushing’s disease. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact Cath McDowell. a

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