Table of contents for Winter 2020 in Practical Horseman

This picture shows Alyssa Giulianelli riding her 15-year-old Oldenburg mare, Ramere. They are competing at Second Level. As I look at the picture, I notice a very high level of concentration between Alyssa and her mare. It appears that they are both fully focused and they trust each other in this situation. In the moment that this photo was taken, it looks as though Alyssa is starting to lengthen her horse’s stride across the diagonal. Ramere’s hind end looks active, and I particularly like the expression on her face. Her eyes are relaxed, and her mouth is closed, showing some white foam. The way her ears are positioned to the side suggest that she is listening to her rider. The angle of this picture does not allow me to analyze…

Technically explained, contact is the connection between the horse’s mouth and the rider’s hand. However, riding is much more than technicalities as we deal with another living entity. Riding requires continuous communication with the horse, and for that to occur we have to find a common language with him. Contact is an essential piece of this language, and it goes without saying that respect and confidence are essential elements of good contact. In equitation—the art and practice of horsemanship and riding—everything depends on the quality of the contact: the horse’s balance, the changes in his frame and his straightness, and the quality of collection. Contact is also reciprocal between horse and rider: The rider can achieve good contact only when the horse feels comfortable and relaxed and moves in good…

Q What is shivers? What is it caused by and how does it affect sporthorses? What are the physical limitations, side effects and the affect on performance or resale value? A Shivers is an ill-defined movement disorder of horses. The classic presentation is a horse who has difficulty coordinating his hind limbs when asked to back up and in doing so will rapidly pick up a hind leg in an exaggerated fashion. Affected horses typically hold the leg in the air for several seconds to a minute before rapidly placing it back on the ground. The limb is usually held in extreme flexion through the hock and stifle, though some horses will instead hyperextend the limb. Many shiversaffected horses will not only overflex the elevated limb but hold their hind…

Dogs and horses may be the typical stars of most animal-assisted therapy programs, but at the Latham Centers residential program for adults with disabilities, it’s donkeys who are changing lives. The Massachusetts-based organization provides care and support for those with complex special needs and specializes in serving adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)—a genetic disorder that can cause developmental disabilities, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and an insatiable appetite that can lead to obesity. These challenges require individuals with PWS to constantly exercise remarkable self-control in order to lead healthy, positive lives. In 2008, Latham Centers discovered an unlikely ally for those with PWS: miniature donkeys. Dr. Janice Forster, a renowned neuropsychiatrist and expert in PWS treatment, suggested the idea to Latham Centers based on the success of donkey-assisted therapy programs in Germany. Within…

Under the shade of tall Florida palms, two instructors hold longe lines clipped to ponies, each of whom is carrying a very small child. One by one, the ponies walk serenely toward and over a pole on the ground and the children earn a high five by standing up in the stirrups. From a ways off, it looks like any other riding lesson. But the audience watching this particular lesson includes a famous five-star rider dressed in horse-show whites. Between international show-jumping classes, she has stopped by to watch her 3-year-old daughter’s lesson. Next to her is the wife of another top international rider, who is watching her own child take part in the lesson. And this is where Charlie Moorcroft begins to stand out among others in his field.…

When you think skeletal disorders and spinal issues, you certainly don’t think “four-star event horse.” Yet Meg Kepferle’s off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding Anakin is just that: a four-star eventer with kissing spines, a scary-sounding condition where bony parts of the horse’s spine touch or even overlap. Like Anakin, many horses with kissing spines can have full performance careers. But it’s a complex disorder, and proper treatment and management are key to keeping these horses comfortable and going strong. Here, Kepferle—a former groom for top eventer Sinead Halpin who now bases her own training operation at Mountain View Farm in Long Valley, New Jersey—shares Anakin’s story. And Weston Davis, DVM, DACVS, of Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Wellington, Florida, provides an expert perspective on the disorder, its causes, treatment and outcomes. What…

1 First impression: This rider needs to strengthen her position by working without stirrups and pressing her hands into the horse’s neck in the air and grab mane. Leg/Seat: Her foot is hard to see because the standard is blocking it, but her lower leg has slid forward in the air. This has caused her seat to be too far behind the pommel of the saddle, which affects her balance. She’s behind the horse’s motion and trying to catch up with it so she also has closed her hip angle too much. The downside of being behind the motion is that as your horse follows through with his jump with his hind end, you’ll get thrown forward. Release: Even though this rider is using a short crest release, I’d like…

There aren’t many “Cinderella Stories” in the modern horse world. Years ago, a young rider could find her unicorn horse, and next thing you know, they were rich and famous—well, famous anyway. Not many people get rich in the horse business. Nowadays, if you want to successfully ride at the middle and upper levels, you will spend a majority of your life like the student in this photo—riding in circles while someone who knows more about it than you do tells you what you are doing wrong and, hopefully, how to fix it. You can be an occasional rider and enjoy the lower levels, but if you get ambitious, cross your stirrups. The expertise needed to ride well at the middle and upper levels of any of our Olympic disciplines…

At every level of eventing, horses and riders are expected to be able to negotiate some terrain during the cross-country phase. Rarely will an entire course be ridden on flat ground. As a competitor moves up the levels, the terrain questions become more challenging and frequently seen. A jump on top of a mound, often called a “pimple jump,” is seen on cross-country courses at all levels. The complexity of this question increases as you move up the levels from a small log in the middle of a mound to a taller jump presented in combination with additional fences on either side of the mound. No matter what type of fence you’re jumping, the primary thing to practice is maintaining the balance and energy appropriate for the challenge presented. If…

HACK 1 Dry wet boots and saddle pads by hanging them on a stall chain. (Note: If your horse is a Curious George who can’t resist the temptation to rearrange such items, hang them across the entrance of an unoccupied stall, tack room or feed room.) HACK 2 Label buckets for bits, feed, poultice, stall freshener (such as Sweet PDZ®), etc., with adhesive mailbox letters (available at most hardware and home-supply stores), so you don’t mix them up. Nothing turns off a picky eater more quickly than grain that tastes like liniment! HACK 3 Heat water in a (supervised) Crock-Pot® or instant hot kettle to create hot towels for stain removal and warm up your horse’s bit during cooler weather. Always check the bit against your own skin to be…