Table of contents for January 2018 in Practical Horseman

I have two confessions: 1) Every time we do an article about carrot stretches, I think, I should really do those with my horse. I start to and then get busy and the effort slips away. 2) After mounting, I let my horse walk off before I tell him to. Guess what two of my new year’s resolutions are? I started to think about these examples after reading this month’s Special Sporthorse Health Issue. Our article about the care routines of four equine superstars (page 22) explains that two regularly do carrot stretches. It’s such a simple, low-cost way to improve a horse’s health. Staying with the concept of simple but effective, dressage rider Nicholas Fyffe talks about being consistent in what you expect from your horse on the ground…

Your naturally occurring mental skills are like superpowers. Similar to a superhero, you were born with them and now you must make sure that you use them for good and not evil. How does this relate to you as a rider? Well, one of the superpowers you were born with is the voice in your head. It is an incredible tool that you must be aware of, utilize wisely and rein in when necessary. If you leave this skill unattended it can run amuck and cause a lot of needless trouble. Have you ever caught yourself saying something similar to these statements in your head during a ride? I am so stupid—I can’t believe I made that mistake again or I am the worst or Everyone here is so good,…

Bone-flap procedures sound gruesome, and while they are messy, horses tolerate it well, says Kenneth E. Sullins, DVM, MS, DACVS, a professor of surgery at Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The wound also heals nicely because of good blood supply in the head. “Horses are pretty tough. Give them some phenylbutazone and that same evening they’ll have their head stuck in a hay bag.” However, sinus surgery can be risky and time is of the essence because the good blood supply that promotes healing can hinder surgery. During a standing procedure, the horse must remain quiet so the veterinarian can work quickly and accurately. If the horse repeatedly shakes or jerks his head, surgery with the horse lying down under general anesthesia may be necessary. With standing sinus surgery,…

Have you ever had a perfect ride, when every element fell magically into place—the distance to every jump came up just right, each dressage movement flowed effortlessly from the previous one to the next or every moment of a trail ride was pure bliss? And all the while, you and your horse were so in tune that you merely had to think what you wanted to do next and he did it? This is what we call the “sweet spot.” People talk about finding the sweet spot—or being “in the zone”—all the time in other sports. In baseball, it’s that moment when a batter hits a pitch perfectly, sending the ball sailing into the outfield in the exact direction he intended. In soccer, it’s the goal-scoring kick. In golf, it’s…

Australian Grand Prix rider Nicholas Fyffe began his career competing in international three-day events. After deciding to focus on dressage, he worked intensively with top trainers in Germany. Since then, he has ridden six horses to the Grand Prix level, including the P.R.E. stallion Fiero HGF with whom he won the 2016 Adequan/USDF P.R.E. All Breeds Grand Prix award. Representing his native country, he has ridden on four Nations Cup teams in Wellington, Florida, and rode on the gold-medal-winning team at the 2007 Tri Nations Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nicholas is based year-round in Wellington, where he and his husband, David Marcus, run a training and sales operation, Marcus Fyffe Dressage. He is a popular clinician known especially for his talent for developing young horses, having qualified many mounts…

USEF Appoints Duvander Following an extensive search by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, Erik Duvander was named performance director for eventing in mid-October. The former Olympic and World Championship rider, who competed for Sweden, has more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning and program development at the high-performance level. Duvander’s first challenge in his new post will be to prepare the U.S. Eventing Team for September’s 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Among the highlights of his career, Duvander served as high-performance coach of the New Zealand Eventing Team, which finished fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and earned a team bronze medal at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Lexington, Kentucky. He also has…

1 This rider has a superb leg and impeccable base of support. She has the right stirrup length with a 110-degree angle behind her knee. Her heel is down, her ankle is flexed and her toes are turned out, which allows her calf to be in contact with her horse. Her seat has been tossed out of the saddle just enough—she has made no attempt to jump ahead. Her posture is textbook perfect with a flat back and slight hollow in her loins. She has a lot of contact with the curb rein, which tells me the horse is strong. She might have to have this much contact, but it invites the horse to jump hollow and flat. Other than this, she is showing an acceptable short crest release with…

Abnormal nasal discharge and facial deformities do not always point to a sinus disease. A horse may suffer a fracture due to blunt-force trauma from swinging his head recklessly or getting kicked by another horse. Because the blood supply in the head is so good, a small fracture will usually heal very well on its own. A veterinarian may do reconstruction if there is a depression or fragments of bone seen on an X-ray. The prognosis is usually promising. Kenneth E Sullins, DVM, MS, DACVS, a professor of surgery at Midwestern University’s College of Veterinarian Medicine, describes a case where a foal had been kicked and his face caved in. During surgery, Dr. Sullins elevated the bones and re-inflated the sinuses. The foal healed extremely well and went on to…

In some ways, you could say that grand prix jumper Peter Leone’s career has come full circle. He began riding at the age of 5 and went on to earn Best Child Rider awards at every major East Coast horse show. At the age of 18, he won the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix at the National Horse Show at New York’s Madison Square Garden and then competed in the ASPCA Maclay National Championship the next morning. He started riding for the U.S. Equestrian Team as a 19-year-old, scoring double clears in Nations Cup competitions at major shows like Dublin, Rotterdam and Washington, D.C. He earned a team silver in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Showing an ability to ride Jumping Derby courses from the beginning, Peter won the intimidating…

The last New Year’s resolution I ever made, I kept—I promised to never make any more resolutions. So far, so good. Still, horsemen need to keep improving, and it takes resolution to continue your education and performance. That being the case, I came up with a few topics for you to think about in the New Year. I can’t really call my suggestions “resolutions,” because I don’t make resolutions any more. I guess these are in the form of a wish list. Learn Your Horse’s Body Mechanics The first thing I wish you would do is to get to know your horse a little better. I don’t mean you should learn his stable name as well as his show name or become able to pick him out of a group.…

Viscous, straw-colored mucus lingered on my vibrant 5-year-old Thoroughbred’s right nostril, punctuated by a dark trickle of blood that returned minutes after I wiped it away. A few days later, the volume of discharge increased, but my horse seemed otherwise healthy. He had no fever, a good appetite and was enthusiastically learning to jump under saddle. Unseen past the dark recesses of his nasal passages was a mass growing in his sinus. A veterinarian soon identified the growth as a progressive ethmoid hematoma, a benign tumor at the back of the nasal passages, that required surgical removal. This is just one of several types of sinus disease that occurs in horses and will be described in this article. But first a basic understanding of the equine sinuses will help. Equine…

▭ WATCH accomplished competitors and trainers work with up-and-coming U.S. dressage riders during Robert Dover Horsemastership Clinic Week, Jan. 2–5, in Wellington, FL. Participants will receive mounted instruction and lessons in all facets of horse care from a variety of experts; www.usef.org. ▭ LEARN from the best at the 12th annual George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 5–7, at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, FL. Top clinicians, including McLain Ward and Anne Kursinski, will guide promising riders through intensive mounted work and daily sessions in all areas of horsemanship. The clinic aims to identify and develop emerging talent for the U.S. Equestrian Team. Free to auditors; www.usef.org. ▭ ENJOY a full season of spectating as a host of skilled riders and horses compete during the Winter Equestrian…

Kocher Clinches First Win Andrew Kocher (USA) put himself and the 16-yearold Selle Francias gelding Navalo de Poheton to the test and came out on top at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar, staged in mid-October at California’s Del Mar Horse Park. Last to go in the eight-horse jump-off, Kocher took three inside turns—two of which no other rider had attempted— and crossed the finish line with a time of 37.45, just ahead of Eric Navet (FRA) and Catypso, who finished second in 37.56. “I looked up at the board and thought I was going to be second,” Kocher said. “I would have been very happy to be second. Believe me, I would have been thrilled. But it was me this time! I was first! So it was…

Toasty Outerwear In addition to its novel quilting, the horseshoe-patterned EQ Insulator Jacket from Kerrits® features high-loft fill that provides warmth and insulation, along with a durable wind- and water-resistant exterior. The hip-length jacket has elastic at the back for a flattering shape. A draw cord at the hem allows the rider to cinch the jacket in and up while in the saddle. The detachable hood also has a draw cord to pull tight and block wind. Twoway front zip. Sizes extra-small to extra-extra-large; dark acorn, ebony or black; $159; www.kerrits.com. Improve Connection The Original Correct Connect™ training system combines reins and gloves to help riders develop a consistent contact with the horse’s mouth. The reins’ hook-and-loop fasteners for the lower fingers and upper palm encourage proper contact while notches…