Horse&Rider Magazine – August 2020

WIN! YARD MAKEOVER KIT WORTH OVER £1,000

Bit

fitting tips

CONFIDENCE

CLINIC Getting back in the saddle

have you got it right?

Put on test BRUSHING

STEP UP YOUR

BOOTS

with Piggy March

Polework

GRIDS summer

for better paces

healthcare

101 BIKE-PROOF YOUR HORSE

In the

GENES

get clued up on coat colours

5 steps to

happyforriding your horse

£4.25

Issue number 609 Aguust 2020 ■ Bit fitting tips ■ Gridwork with Piggy March ■ Summer health 101 ■ Polework for better paces ■ 5 steps to happier riding ■ Bike-proof your horse ■ How to boost your focus ■

The UK’s best-selling equestrian monthly

In this feature. . .

➤A

punch-packing workout to perfect his paces

Poles apart PART ONE

As told to Rebecca Philpot. Photos: Tilly Berendt. With thanks to Littleton Manor Equestrian Centre, lmeq.com

Our expert

Jasean Spraggett is a show horse specialist and working hunter course builder based at her family’s Mulbrooke Stud in Worcestershire. She took the Horse of the Year Show Lightweight Hunter of the Year title in 2019 riding her own Noble Queen Bee, and also competes in working hunter classes.

Our models

Italian showjumper turned eventer Emily Mainieri is second rider for Kate Tarrant Eventing in Surrey. She rides her own Martha VI, a six-year-old British-bred sport horse who made her eventing debut last season, winning at BE90 and successfully moving up to BE100.

20 HORSE&RIDER

Looking for the answer to streamlining your school-based workouts?

Jasean Spraggett shares her secrets in the first instalment of our new polework series

S

chooling can become mundane if done too often, but what if you could halve the time spent in your arena so you can get out more doing what you really enjoy? By streamlining your schooling and riding more effective exercises, you’ll be able to make flatwork fun again.

When done well, polework is an excellent addition to any horse’s routine – from the young or inexperienced horse needing to build strength and flexibility, to the more developed horse adding some expression to his paces. Plus, its benefits are recognised across the disciplines from showjumpers and eventers to dressage and show horses.

Rather than throwing together a few poles and hoping for the best, why not practise some tried and tested floorplans, instead. Get started with this layout that promises to boost suppleness, rhythm and engagement.

In the saddle

➤ Add

poles to generate push and power ➤ Develop adjustability About the exercise

TOP TIP

This pole layout will help your horse to engage his hindquarters, sit back on his hocks and lighten his forehand. Incorporating transitions within the gait and changes of rein, the questions come up faster than you might expect, so he’ll need to be on the ball and attentive to your aids. It’ll encourage him to bend around your inside leg, not just around the corners but through the loops and back to the track.

If you need to reduce the number of poles in the exercise, make sure the sets you plan to trot over are made up of at least three.

Stripping it down to two might encourage your horse to jump them as a pair.

C

Set it up

H

For this exercise, you’ll need 16 poles (or a bare minimum of three – see below). Place a set of at least three poles, spaced 1.2–1.7m apart depending on the length of your horse’s stride, in the two corners at the C end of your arena. Then, set up tramlines...

• down the long side of the arena, between C–E and C–B • at a suitable angle to return to the track after a demi-volte • on the track at C

M

+

+

-

-

E

B

K

F

+ -

Push trot forward Half-halt (working trot)

A

Short on poles?

If you’ve only got a few poles to hand, or would like to simplify the exercise, there are a couple of options. If you have...

• eleven poles Remove the trot poles from both corners and replace the tramlines at C with a set of three, instead • nine poles Cut the exercise in half, setting up the poles at C, in the corner and through the demi-volte (see diagram) • fewer than nine poles Swap out tramlines for wings, blocks or cones – anything that’ll continue to give you markers to aim for If you’d like to strip the exercise right down and build it up gradually, cut the exercise in half (see nine-pole example) and replace the tramlines at C with the trot poles from the corner.

C

H

M

+ E

B

K

F

A

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HORSE&RIDER 21

Five steps to

happier riding for your horse

Happiness is at the heart of everything we do for our horses, but when was the last time you considered how much he’s enjoying his ridden routine?

Photos: Jon Stroud

Our expert

Anna Haines is a clinical animal behaviourist and full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, and has been a freelance equine behaviour consultant since 2012. She has a BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour, and an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare, specialising in equines.

48 HORSE&RIDER

Mind matters

H

aving a horsey companion is one of life’s greatest joys and being able to have fun together in the saddle makes it even better. What’s the bet that many of your favourite hours have been spent in the saddle? However, would your horse be able to echo the same sentiment?

If you think the sight of his saddle is more likely to send your horse to the back of his stable rather than chomping eagerly at the bit to hit the tracks, it may be time to take a look at his routine. By cross-referencing your riding routine with these five commandments, you’ll feel confident knowing you’ve considered your horse’s wellbeing. Whether taking to the trails or planning your next fun-filled schooling session, your horse will thank you later!

Whether taking to the trails or planning your next fun-filled schooling session, your horse will thank you

➤

HORSE&RIDER 49

Bits and pieces Your horse’s bit is one of your primary lines of communicating with him, so getting it right is vital for a clear connection. Fizz Marshall explains how Our expert

Fizz Marshall has worked with all types of horse in her six years as Centre Manager at the Equine Therapy Centre at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. More recently she’s worked for racehorse trainer Jonjo O’Neill and as Yard Manager for Carl Hester.

M

aking the right choice when it comes to selecting and fitting the best bit for your horse can seem something of a minefield. The market is jam-packed with all manner of products made of different materials, all of which have their own unique selling point to tempt you in.

However, many bits are simply variations on a theme, and so the fit of each one is much the same. Sticking to some basic principles will help to ensure that you get it right, whichever one you choose.

Try before you buy

If you’re thinking of changing your horse’s bit, many retailers offer trial schemes before you make the full purchase. Alternatively, try asking around at your yard to see if anyone is able to lend you the bit you’re after before you splash out on a new one.

Bitting background

Photos: Jon Stroud

TOP TIP

Your choice of noseband can have a huge impact on your horse’s way of going, too, so consider the combination of tack you’re using. Look at the effect each item has versus what you’re trying to achieve, and select your kit from there.

Whatever bit you choose, the ideal situation is that it sits in your horse’s mouth as neatly and unobtrusively as possible. Remember, the bit is the connection between you and your horse, so keep it simple and only seek out as much as control as you need.

Ultimately, your horse will give you his best work when he’s relaxed and comfortable and as such, over-bitting can bring far more problems with it than under-bitting. If you’re certain you need to fit something stronger than you currently use, try the mildest version of this before working up from there until you find a bit that suits.

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90 HORSE&RIDER

TOP TIP

Whichever bit you’re fitting to your horse, ask your instructor or yard manager to check it if you’re not sure you’ve got it quite right.

TOP TIP

Bits are measured by the width of the functional mouthpiece – that is, the points at which it attaches to the bit ring or shank, in the case of a pelham or similar.

Management know-how

HORSE&RIDER 91