Tabla de contenidos para September 2018 en Practical Horseman

I usually highlight articles that have influenced my horse and my riding. But producing the magazine is a team effort, so this month I want to share insights that resonated with Prac’s Managing Editor Emily Daily and Associate Editor Jocelyn Pierce. Emily’s favorite: From Lisa Wilcox (p. 35)—“If you happen to be on a sensitive and/or claustrophobic horse, busy warm-up rings can make achieving the relaxation and preparedness that you hope to bring to your test difficult. It’s your job to make the world a safe place for him, so devise a strategy to protect him from unnecessary warm-up stress.” Emily’s reason why: Lisa offers tips to not only survive but thrive in a chaotic warm-up ring. My mare takes every opportunity to spook or tense up in nervous show-ring…

An equestrian mental-skills coach and A-circuit competitor, Tonya Johnston has a master’s degree in sport psychology. Her book, Inside Your Ride: Mental Skills for Being Happy and Successful with Your Horse is available in paperback or e-book editions. For more info on Tonya’s work, go to www.TonyaJohnston.com. Tips and perspectives from the best riders on how to mentally approach equestrian sport are like precious, unique gems—no two are the same and each one is valuable. This past spring I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with the illustrious Eric Navet that was full of such notable insights. Eric has had a long and successful career, including having been a team and individual gold medalist at the World Equestrian Games, an Olympic medalist, European champion and French champion on numerous…

Today’s warm-up rings at dressage shows are crowded, chaotic and sometimes downright dangerous. I’ve witnessed near collisions, riders cutting each other off mid-movement and tension spreading from horse to horse like wildfire—at every level. In the worst-case scenarios, such mayhem can result in serious injuries. But even the mildest cases create situations that upset horses, disrupt riders’ focus and generally lower the quality of everyone’s performances. The root of this problem is not overcrowding. In Europe, warm-up arenas are always jam-packed. If a rider commits an etiquette sin there, whether at home or at a show, her trainer will immediately reprimand her—and not always gently. From the beginning of every equestrian career in Europe, respect for other riders and the community as a whole is firmly ingrained. I’d like to…

Q How exactly should I shorten my reins to bring my horse’s head up out of a stretch without losing the contact or letting him pop his head up in the air? JARALYN GIBSON A Whenever I am confronted with training challenges dealing with keeping a good connection, I always recommend first making sure your horse’s bit and noseband are fitted correctly so there is no pinching between them. I see an awful lot of nosebands set too low, such that the horses’ cheeks get pinched whenever their riders apply pressure on the reins. In addition, be sure that your horse’s dental maintenance is up to date to avoid sharp teeth, which can also cause resistance. If your horse’s tack and teeth are OK, then consider other reasons why you…

McDonald To Take on New Role Olympian Debbie McDonald has been selected by US Equestrian to be U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor after the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon, North Carolina in September. McDonald, who is US Equestrian’s Dressage Development Coach, will transition into her new role by Dec. 1, succeeding Olympian Robert Dover, who is retiring from the position he has held since 2013. McDonald gained prominence in dressage during the past 20 years and saw much success with the mare Brentina. The pair won the 1999 Pan American Games team and individual gold medals, the 2004 Olympic team bronze medal, the 2002 WEG team silver and the 2006 WEG team bronze medal. In 2003, McDonald became the first American to win an FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final. She…

Signature Style Riders looking for a traditionally cut breech with hightech features might want to check out the Full Seat Signature Breech by Noble Outfitters™. This garment is crafted from four-way stretch material with built-in Opti-Dry technology to wick away moisture. The contoured stretch hem reduces bulk in the boot while washable suede full-seat patches maximize grip and a comfortable, classic rise works well with a shadbelly. Other features include UPF 50+ for sun protection, a zip-secure front pocket and an extra belt loop at the left hip to keep your belt tucked smoothly in place. Available in tan or white; sizes 22R–34R; $169.95; www.nobleoutfitters.com. Booted Elegance For a refined look, Mountain Horse® offers the Serenade Dressage Boot in full-grain leather with a full-length, forwardly placed zipper, a snap zipper…

George H. Morris is the former chef d’équipe of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Team. He serves on the USEF National Jumper Committee and Planning Committee, is an adviser to the USEF High-Performance Show Jumping Committee and is president of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. 1 I like this rider—her basics are excellent. Her leg is reminiscent of those from the 1950s and ’60s. The stirrup iron is across the ball of the foot and her foot is touching the inside branch. It is twisted so this branch leads the outside, making the iron perpendicular to her foot, not the girth. Her toes are turned out almost to the maximum 45 degrees. This stirrup and foot position allows for a strong, viselike leg, which is OK for cross…

Colorado-born Olympian Lisa Wilcox invested a large portion of her early dressage career training in Europe with some of the sport’s masters, including Herbert Rehbein and Ernst Hoyos. While residing in Germany, she passed the professional horse trainer, or Bereiter, and riding-instructor, or Reitlehrer, exams. She also served as the head trainer at Gestüt Vorwerk, one of Germany’s best-known Oldenburg stud farms, for seven years, riding such famous stallions as Rohdiamant, Royal Diamond and Relevant. She and Relevant won the individual silver medal at the 2003 Open European Championships and earned a team silver for the U.S. at the 2002 World Equestrian Games and a team bronze at the 2004 Olympics. Lisa moved back to the U.S. in 2006 and started her own teaching and training business in Florida. In…

It All Came Down to Chance After watching her special-needs son, Chance, connect with a horse boarded on her property, Linda Nemec, of New Braunfels, Texas, decided that the boy would benefit from having one of his own. So she turned to Craigslist to see whether she might acquire a worthy candidate for little to no cash and ended up with two older, bonded horses: one for Chance and the other for his brother, Trace. “It was magical,” says Nemec of the transformation she saw in the boys and the horses. “They needed us, and the love they both gave back was tenfold. It felt great being able to help them.” Inspired by the horses’ progress and her sons’ connection to them, Nemec set out to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome…

The 2018–2019 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League series got under way in late August in Canada with riders beginning their quest for a spot in the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, April 3–7, 2019, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Here’s the schedule for the 14 competitions that make up the series: Eastern League Schedule Sept. 30—Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York; part of the American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm, North Salem, NY, Sept. 26–30; www.theamericangoldcup.com Oct. 7—Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Columbus; part of the Split Rock Jumping Tour at Brave Horse Show Park, Johnstown, OH, Sept. 26–Oct. 7; www.splitrockjumpingtour.com Oct. 27—Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Washington, D.C.; part of the Washington International Horse Show, Oct. 23–28; www.wihs.org Nov. 3—Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Lexington,…

Based at Fox Covert Farm, in Upperville, Virginia, Jim Wofford competed in three Olympics and two World Championships and won the U.S. National Championship five times. He is also a highly respected coach. For more on Jim, go to www.jimwofford.blogspot.com. Questions lead to answers, but answers always lead to more questions. For example, last month I mentioned that course designers plan their courses based on a 12-foot stride. That’s the correct answer, and I was satisfied with it—until I heard from the “yeahbuts.” You know: “Yeah, but Jim … is that true in every situation?” Of course, my answer to that has to be, “Well … er … ahh, no, not really.” Your horse’s stride can be affected by footing, terrain, size of the arena, fatigue, your technique (good or…

There are a lot of unknowns about the future of the World Equestrian Games. No entity has made a bid to hold the 2022 WEG—Samorin in Slovakia decided not to go for it, though the Tryon International Equestrian Center’s interest shouldn’t be ruled out once 2018 is history. The second time likely would be easier with the extra infrastructure already in place. But would the European federations want to return to the U.S. for a WEG twice in a row? “I think following this, the FEI needs to review the whole Games concept,” said Michael Stone, the Tryon WEG’s president and sports director, who says bringing in needed infrastructure for many sites is a challenge. Ask the folks who were involved with the original winning bidder for 2018, Bromont in…

1. From light to images. As light enters the horse’s eye, it passes through the cornea, aqueous humor, lens and vitreous humor. These structures refract, or bend, the light and focus it onto the retina. At this point, the light is converted to an electrical signal that travels out of the eye, along the optic nerve, to the brain. The brain interprets it as images, or vision. 2. Binocular and monocular vision. The horse’s eyes are placed on the side of his skull, giving him a wide arc of monocular vision on each side and a roughly 65-degree arc of binocular vision in front. With monocular vision, the horse sees different things through each eye, although the brain shares the information from each side. (This lays to rest the myth…

■ SUPPORT competitors from Beginner Novice through Advanced as they vie for year-end titles at the USEA American Eventing Championships, Aug. 30–Sept. 2, at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO; www.useventing.com/aec. ■ WATCH top eventers gallop cross country at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Aug. 30–Sept. 2, in Lincolnshire, England. The event is one of only six CCI**** competitions worldwide; www.burghley-horse.co.uk. ■ SEE hunters and jumpers compete for big prize money during the HITS Championship, Sept. 5–9, in Saugerties, NY. Highlights include the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final and the Saugerties $500,000 Grand Prix CSI*****; www.hitsshows.com. ■ ROOT FOR Junior and Young Riders during the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West, Sept. 20–22, in San Juan Capistrano, CA. The multiphase ■ competition gives riders an…

Immune-mediated myositis is a muscle disease seen in Quarter Horses and related breeds such as Paints and Appaloosas. It can lead quickly to muscle weakness and atrophy and can leave your horse feeling generally ill. Unfortunately, not a lot has been known about the cause of IMM. New research, though, shows there is likely a genetic link. A team led by Carrie Finno, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, assistant professor in the department of population health and reproduction at the University of California, Davis, set out to examine genetic aspects of the disease. The team included Stephanie J. Valberg, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, ACVSMR, from the department of large animal clinical sciences at Michigan State University, and colleagues from both universities as well as from the University of Minnesota. The researchers gathered DNA…

“One thinks the Army’s about shouting at people—it’s not. It’s about getting to understand people, and more importantly, understanding yourself and what your limits are.” As the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Director of Sport Will Connell performs a complex computer search at his desk in Gladstone, New Jersey, it’s hard to imagine that this genial fellow in an open-necked shirt was once commander of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Great Britain, kitted out with gold braid, plumed busby (a military headdress) and sword. From 1998–2001, Will oversaw the 165 soldiers and 130-plus horses taking part in British ceremonies of state for Queen Elizabeth’s Household Troops. The obvious question: How did Will go from that position to working as the USEF’s director of sport? It all started with horses, of…