Tabla de contenidos para Spring 2019 en Practical Horseman

The horses and riders of the Tractor Supply Company Music Country Grand Prix, hosted at Brownland Farm in Franklin, Tennessee, make the towering jumps and tricky combinations look easy. The audience is captivated, taking in the action from a patrons’ tent, sideline cabanas, arena rails and golf carts—wherever they can snag a seat—groaning in solidarity when a rail falls and cheering enthusiastically when a rider earns a clean round. Though the day’s action takes place in the arena, the true heart of the Music Country Grand Prix is actually located a few miles away, up a hilly country road. From spectators to competitors to volunteers, everyone attending the annual event is there for one cause: to support and raise funds for the Saddle Up! therapeutic riding center. A COMMUNITY EFFORT…

I have always loved reading Dressage Today and in recent years also felt honored to write for the magazine as a freelancer. This publication has had a huge influence on my riding and writing! I’ll miss the monthly magazine a lot but I have great confidence in the DT team. I know the online expansions and content in PH will be fantastic! —Karen Brittle, via Facebook I hate reading articles online. I love having Dressage Today arriving in my mailbox. I keep past issues and often refer back to them. It is my favorite equine magazine. Just sad. —Tazma Toi Trent, via Facebook I’ve enjoyed DT for so many years and it has become a banner for dressage sport in the USA. While I know the cost of producing magazines…

1984: Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Cacchione Cup winner 1985: Competed in first grand prix 2003: Pan American Games team gold medal with Kathleen and Joseph Patton’s Conquest II 2004: Olympic show-jumping team gold medal with Team Authentic’s Authentic 2005: Million Dollar CN International at Spruce Meadows, Canada, with Judgement ISF 2006: World Equestrian Games team and individual silver medals with Abigail Wexner’s Authentic 2007: Grand Prix of Aachen (Germany) winner with Authentic 2008: Olympic show-jumping team gold medal, individual Olympic bronze medal with Authentic 2011: Pan American Games team gold medal and individual silver medal with Coral Reef Ranch’s Coral Reef Via Volo 2012: Olympic show-jumping team member with Coral Reef Via Volo 2013: FEI World Cup™ Final Champion with Wexner’s Simon 2014: WEG team bronze and individual bronze with…

An after-action report issued immediately after World War I mentioned that the British and American cavalry units were able to retain unit serviceability and cohesion longer than those of other countries. The reason was that the American and British officers insisted that their units halt and dismount after 50 minutes in the saddle, remove their saddles, re-fold the woolen saddle blankets and then saddle up and remount—thus preventing saddle sores on the horses. Regardless of the endeavor, good horsemanship matters.…

Imagine cantering your horse down to a diagonal fence on the left lead. He jumps the fence nicely, but instead of landing on his right lead, which would set you up perfectly for the upcoming right turn, he lands on his left lead. So you cue him to make a flying change and … nothing happens. Did you give the wrong aids for the flying change? Actually, that’s the wrong question to ask in this situation. Producing reliable flying changes isn’t just about giving the right aids at the right time. And it’s not about practicing flying changes over and over again. In fact, the solution doesn’t require you to practice a single flying change. It’s all about the setup. Once you’ve learned to recognize the balance your horse needs…

The support of her family has always been one of the pillars of Frankie Thieriot Stutes’ riding career. Everyone pitches in: from her cousin and uncle’s help purchasing and supporting Chatwin, to her mother’s daily care of Fric as well as Stutes’ two young boys Drake and Kingsley, to her husband Mike’s encouragement of her riding and help with their family. Competing in upper-level eventing typically requires a multiple-day trip. “I always say to myself, ‘This trip is time away from work and family, so I’d better do the best I can,’" Stutes says. "Sometimes I think, What am I doing? Am I being a good mom being gone and sometimes dragging these boys all over the place?” Mike played baseball professionally for the Philadelphia Phillies and understands her competitive…

Trauma Void™’s Lynx™ Helmet The next step in equestrian brain protection, Trauma Void™’s Lynx™ Helmet features the Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), which has been used in snow, motor and bike helmets for years. ASTM/SEI certified. Backontrackproducts.com Spalding Bye Bye Insects™ Spalding’s new Bye Bye Insects is an essential oil-based fly repellent that is comparable to the performance of pyrethroid synthetic chemical sprays. It smells great and can be used on yourself and your horses. spalding-labs.com/s7yms. Noble Equestrian® Guardsman™ Fly Mask The Noble Equestrian® Guardsman ™ Fly Mask's patented Flex Spline Technology creates a canopy away from your horse's eyes, while the contoured fit prevents insects from penetrating the mask. www.nobleequestrian.com WeatherBeeta Therapy-Tec Combo Neck The WeatherBeeta Therapy-Tec Combo Neck includes ceramic fabric technology to reflect the horse’s body heat,…

As I write this, I’m thinking about three things—that I’m on deadline for this issue, that I really want to ride on this gorgeous nearly 60-degree February day and that I promised I would help herd nearly 70 kids at my 10-year-old daughter’s play practice after school (seriously, what was I thinking when I agreed to that?). If only there were three of me. Most people I know, myself included, are trying to keep their lives in some kind of balance, usually involving family, work and health. Horse people have the added challenge of including their horses in this mix, which gets even more complicated when you’re competing. I thought about all of this while reading our profile on Frankie Thieriot Stutes, an amateur eventer who won the Fair Hill…

PracticalHorsemanMag.com Visit Prac's website for exclusive online content on training, health, lifestyle, news and competition. Identify Your Horse’s Baseline Vitals Pro groom Liv Gude explains how and why to take your horse’s temperature in our new Stable Management column (page 104). You should also be comfortable taking his resting pulse and respiration. To learn how, visit the website to read “How to Take Your Horse’s Pulse Under His Jaw” with Javier Donatelli, DVM, and “How to Take Your Horse’s Respiration” with Greg Schmid, DVM. New! Jumping Clinic Video Critique with Beezie Madden Legendary trainer George Morris has passed the Jumping Clinic torch on to two-time Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden. In addition to the photo critiques, the column will now feature a video component in which Beezie evaluates a readersubmitted video.…

Since Practical Horseman announced that George Morris would be passing on the duties of critiquing readers’ photos in Jumping Clinic after more than 41 years, readers have been sending their thoughts and thanks. Here are a few samples: I learned so much from every single one of George’s critiques. All the best, George—what an extraordinary career you’ve had! —Barb McDonald, via Facebook Please would you forward on my thanks to George Morris from the UK! How I have loved turning to his pages first and how has he inspired me in both my riding and coaching. —Sarah Evans, via email I learned so much over the years reading George Morris’ insights and then looking again at the picture trying to absorb what he was teaching. I also had the pleasure…

The Facebook ad was short on details: “4yo TB gelding. Must go today. $600.” However, it was all the detail that Collette Duddy needed to take action. Duddy is the founder and executive director of Second Chance Thoroughbreds, Inc.—a rescue organization for retired racehorses. Her mission is to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) in need. And here was a horse in need. “We were close by,” she explains, “We had to take him.” When he first arrived at Second Chance in April of 2017, Hiclass Tenpin (“Turtle”) bore the marks of his past. The gaunt chestnut’s ribs and spine were clearly visible and his coat lacked the luster of health. Though his racing career had been brief—just two starts—he had cut his teeth on the tough tracks of…

Sloane Coles grew up trail riding and foxhunting in The Plains, Virginia, where her father is a joint-Master of Foxhounds with the Orange County Hunt and her mother foxhunts and shows hunters as an amateur. Under the tutelage of John and Beezie Madden, Johnny and Kitty Barker and the trainers at Beacon Hill Show Stables and Heritage Farm, Coles enjoyed a successful Junior career, earning top placings in all of the national equitation finals, including a win in the 2006 North American Equitation Championship. She also won the 2006 Bates USA Equitation year-end rider award before turning professional. In 2010, she was named to the U.S. Equestrian Federation Developing Rider Show Jumping tour. While attending Drew University, Coles trained with renowned jumper rider and trainer Mark Leone. After graduating in 2011…

Frankie Thieriot Stutes has always competed as an amateur, but she found a way to unite her love of sports with a professional career. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree at Santa Clara University in northern California in 2008, Frankie interned and freelanced at several sports marketing agencies. She planned to attend Northwestern University for her masters, but instead took a job as the Director of Communications at New Evolution Ventures (NEV), a fitness, media and sports company. Stutes was the youngest person at the company by close to 20 years, but she got the chance to learn from some of the best professionals in the industry. “A lot of the things I do in running my companies now are because of the way I was trained at NEV…

Q My horse recently injured his suspensory ligament and my vet has recommended shockwave therapy. How will that help him heal? I have also heard of laser therapy for tendon and ligament injuries. Is that something I should do also or instead? Name withheld by request A Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a noninvasive therapy commonly used to treat equine soft-tissue injuries. In this therapy, a high-energy soundwave is generated outside the body (extracorporeal) and pulsed into the target tissue to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels and trigger a series of cellular effects that result in tissue healing. Some of the specifics of how it helps the healing process have yet to be worked out, but there are some well-recognized results such as reduced swelling and improved collagen…

Combining Practical Horseman with a new format, including dressage, is a wonderful idea. At first, I felt like I wouldn’t get anything out of this, as I am nearly 70 and ride less and less. However, this issue has gotten me excited about the thought of getting out there on my 30-year-old horse when the weather breaks. Thank you so much for revamping this magazine; I will be looking forward to each issue with anticipation. —Salli Roberts, Blair, Nebraska Just wanted to let you know I received my first Practical Horseman with Dressage Today combined and I LOVE IT! I’ve always gotten Dressage Today because it’s my main discipline, but I love cross-training and the new format was such a joy to read. Now I feel like I have the…

When George Morris began talking about finding a successor for Practical Horseman’s Jumping Clinic, a column he had overseen since it premiered in the September 1977 issue, he was adamant about naming someone who has a classic position, who is a disciple of the American forward-riding system and whose attention to detail is absolute. One of his top suggestions was Elizabeth “Beezie” Madden, a two-time Olympic show-jumping team gold medalist, an Olympic individual bronze medalist and a two-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final champion. “She exemplifies the American style and she’s a brilliant teacher,” says Morris, who during his Jumping Clinic tenure critiqued 1,984 riders who submitted their photos. “She is arguably the best woman in the history of show jumping. I would put her second to none,” he says.…

What’s the ideal way to ride a turn to a fence? With your hands light, your eyes—and your horse’s—on the jump, and the two of you just flowing with impulsion into, through and out of the turn to a good distance. If that’s not the kind of turn you and your horse ride regularly, most likely you’re late with your eyes—because you’re: • looking down in the air so your horse doesn't know where he’s going next • staring at a jump you’ll be turning around so he thinks he’s supposed to go to that jump instead of to the side, or • landing in a heap so he lands in a heap, too. Being late with your eyes throws you off balance and that starts a domino effect: You…

Imagine a horse from a bird’s eye view, bending on a circle or in lateral work with a perfect bend. Now picture an X connecting the horse’s opposite shoulders and hips diagonally. Even when the horse bends or goes laterally, both sides of the X have to stay symmetrically even. If the shoulders or haunches fall out or in, this symmetry would be disturbed. Take the circle as an example. If the horse’s shoulders fall out, the line from the inside hip, that is subsequently too far to the inside, and the outside shoulder will not create a symmetrical X anymore. This view also shows how in a curved line the shoulders of the horse have to turn a little like the front wheels of a car, and the hips…

Because there has been so little regulation and standardization of therapeutic techniques and modalities in the horse world, experts encourage horse owners to educate themselves as much as possible before trying any new product or hiring someone who claims to be a specialist. Misuse of such therapies can be more than just a waste of money—it can actually harm horses. “You have to be super careful about all this stuff,” says Arlene White, a licensed animal physiotherapist. For example, with therapeutic exercises, “we have to shorten the period of time that a horse works with any added device that engages new muscles and works him in a different way.” Allowing horses to go past the point of fatigue can cause physical damage. To ensure that you’re receiving qualified information and…