Shine a light How

LIKE US, HORSES CAN GET ‘THE BLUES’ AS THE NIGHTS DRAW IN. HORSELIGHT EXPLAINS HOW SUPPLEMENTARY LIGHTING CAN HELP.

The horse’s body prefers the summer months. They naturally put and keep on body condition, their coat and skin improve and they have the high amounts of Vitamin D required to help the body’s internal processes. It’s also the most natural time for foaling.

The advantages of light therapy for the performance horse include reduced coat shedding, improved food conversion, faster recovery rates and anecdotal reports of happier horses. It is widely recognised t at any u ans su er it SAD during the short winter days, and owners indicate that their horses seem to be much happier and alert when stabled under HorseLight.

In the northern hemisphere the daylight hours vary greatly between the summer months and the winter. In December we have eight hours of daylight and 16 hours of darkness. March to September there is equal day and night (Equinox). June has the longest day (Summer Solstice).

By providing daylight-strength arti cial lig t in t e stable e can strengthen the circadian rhythm which has many positive ealt bene ts for t e orse

Research over the last decade as identi ed t at s eci c lig t can a ect and regulate t e circadian rhythm. Strong blue lig t s itc es o t e roduction of melatonin (the sleep hormone) and the daytime decrease of melatonin results in a more active horse. The increased activity and improved feed intake improves body condition and accounts for any ot er bene ts

Blue light within the shortwavelength blue light spectrum n is t e ost e ecti e at inhibiting melatonin secretion, as production of its precursor, melanopsin, is particularly sensitive to it.

Normal white LED or fl uorescent lig ts do not deli er blue light at the strength required to a e any real e ect on melatonin secretion.

The relationship between coat shedding, day length and light intensity has been documented in several studies. One of the earlier ones was A&M University in Texas in the 1980s where they compared extended versus traditional day lengths for controlling coat lengths. In this study 16 yearlings and two year-old mares and geldings were randomly assigned to natural day length or extended day length groups, the latter group receiving 16 hours of daylight per day. The study found that the coats of those horses exposed to extended daylight did not grow nearly as fast as those receiving normal daylight. We know that the coat maintenance is best achieved when light therapy is combined with using rugs to compensate for the winter coat.

Light therapy should begin before mid-July to maintain the summer coat into autumn. Similarly, eight weeks of light therapy is required to initiate shedding the coat earlier in the spring.

Switching to red light at night further strengthens the circadian rhythm. Red light has no e ect on elatonin secretion and therefore allows full melatonin release at night which encourages recovery and deep sleep. This is useful to allow for human interaction with horses without ‘waking them up’ which can occur at late-night checks.

Studies have shown that dim red light does not suppress the nightly rise in serum melatonin levels in horses. In one study, six horses were maintained for consecutive 48 hour periods under a Light: Red (LR) and a Light: Dark (LD) photo-schedule. Transitions from light (>200 lux, polychromatic white light) to red (5 lux, peak wavelength 625nm) or dark (<0.5 lux), and vice versa, coincided with ambient sunset and sunrise times.

Low intensity red light at night did not impact the pattern of melatonin secretion in this study and is, therefore, unlikely to impact the physiology of circadian or seasonal regulation.

A red light is useful for allo ing su cient obser ational light at night such as for foaling or not disturbing other horses when arriving home late from competition. Changing from white light to red observational lig t at nig t as a cal ing e ect on a yard as horses appear to be ‘more asleep’.

BELOW: EN VOGUE AND GROOM LUCY SCUDAMORE WITH HORSELIGHT.

In this series Jane Kidd will look at points that could earn or at least not lose marks for competitors. Fundamental to all the points are the basics. The majority of the marks are given for the rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and at the more advanced levels, collection (the training scales).

Many marks are lost in the walk through lack of understanding of what the horse does. Riders damage or even destroy it largely through poor knowledge of the use of the hands. The horse needs freedom to use its neck, shoulders and back to produce those unrestricted regular strides.

Some horses by nature may take short tight steps or very rarely pacing two-time walks, but in the main it is the riders who are responsible for the loss of the natural freedom and regularity of the walk. The important freedom and regularity of the walk. The important additional factor is that once lost these are hard to restore. additional factor is that once lost these are hard to restore.

Riders - take note that the FEI states: “It is at the walk Riders - take note that the FEI states: “It is at the walk that the imperfections of dressage are most evident.” that the imperfections of dressage are most evident.”

RIGHT: THE WALK CAN BE A PACE FOR RELAXATION AND REWARD BUT EVEN THEN IT IS WISE TO KEEP THE ACTIVITY AND THAT VITAL TENDENCY OF STEPPING FORWARD TOWARDS THE BIT.

To avoid these imperfections, riders need to be conscious of the goals for a good walk. The essential is a regular walk when the horse marches in a well marked four time beat with equal intervals between each beat.

An indication of regularity is that the legs on one side for a moment form a ‘V’. The biggest mark loser is when these two legs become parallel and the beats two-time as then the horse is pacing. This is a serious deterioration and the closer to the parallel the two legs become the greater the loss in marks.

The second essential is freedom of the strides which is best achieved when the horse is relaxed, supple and t e o e ent fl o s t roug its ole body articularly the back.

Purposeful steps are important and according to the FEI’s Directive in the walk it is ‘activity’ and the desire to move forward that are sought, but not impulsion as, unlike the trot and canter there is no moment of suspension.

The judges also look for the front legs and of the hind legs to take steps of equal length, ie is not unlevel.

ABOVE: THE ‘V’ THAT IS PART OF THE SEQUENCE IN A REGULAR WALK.

In each of the four variations of the walk the above aims are sought alongside the particular goals below: Free walk: The rider eases the contact encouraging the horse to stretch forward and down towards the bit. The horse marches positively forward with t e o e ent fl o ing t roug a relaxed and supple body. Medium walk: The steps are of moderate length with the hind feet touching the ground in front of the hoof prints of the forelegs. The horse walks positively forward towards the bit with a light consistent contact. Extended walk: The horse covers as much ground as possible without hurrying. The hind feet touch the ground clearly in front the hoof prints of the forelegs. The rider encourages the horse to stretch its head and neck forward without losing contact and control of the poll. Collected walk: The steps are shortened at the same time as the activity and tempo are maintained. It is important that the shortening results in higher ste s ore engage ent and not a s u e or a slowing down.

LEFT: TWO PICTURES OF THE SAME HORSE IN THE SAME TEST SHOWING THE CLEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EXTENDED AND COLLECTED WALK.