Now, before I start this little blog, I should say I didn’t know what the Jolly Farmers Meet with the Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds was all about.  I had a rough idea that the jumps might be slightly bigger than normal and that there was a fair amount of jumping, and this is what I relayed to my merry team.  However, it was all a slight understatement as I later found while galloping along with my mouth hanging wide open as my friends awesome cob charged off in front and flew over what can only be described as a well over five foot double of hedges with just a few paces in between. 
 
When the hedges just keep coming, you just keep riding and they just come at you so fast that you don’t have time to debate with yourself as to whether or not you may or may not die on landing and this can only be described as a good thing !!  If I had time to think, and look at the approaching hedge and analyse its drop on the other side and the large ditch beneath it and the sheep staring at me on landing, I probably would have to say ‘no thanks’.  But, as it happened, all that I had was my horse, Harry, galloping and popping them like they were the 1’6 feet clear round class.
 
Beyond that, they just kept coming, hedge after hedge after hedge, what an amazing rush of adrenaline as your horse just takes you over them one after another.  Every now and again you find yourself looking around blindly to make sure fellow team members are still in situ in their saddles, which of course they are.  I cannot quite describe the amazing feeling after jumping about 10 huge hedges in a row, I think for me it was mainly shock and I can only really thank my horse as I sat there like a limp fart much of the time occasionally patting him on the neck whilst galloping full pelt.
 
My friends horses range from a fantastic cob with the jumping ability of a stag in full motion and a flirty ex-racehorse who needs some vocal encouragement to avoid use of the handbrake prior to take off (she enjoys seeing her rider engage the air bag) but who can also jump like a deer when she opts to.  We all had a fantastic day.  The Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds are lovely and inviting, and should you part company from your horse (as occasionally is the case) there will always be someone there to catch you and your horse.  Should you not be in the mood for a 6ft hedge, there is always a way around and a friendly field master to guide you on an alternative route.  I cannot recommend them highly enough.  Not only that but their super Photographer Julian Portch always gets some amazing full flight shots so that you can look back on your super day and smile.
 
There is nothing that can beat a day’s hunting, nothing at all and I have tried them all.  Show jumping is over too quickly, dressage is like putting me in front of headlights and eventing deprives me of sleep the night before.  Hunting however never ceases to bring a smile to my face, from the port and mince pies at the meet, to the hedge hopping and high fives as we go along, to the massive love for our horses after a fabulous day. 

All I can say is try it, you will definitely like it. If you are not sure and need some advice, get in touch and take a look at my hunting guide and some info on hirelings , if you don’t fancy taking your own horse!  There is also some helpful info here on the Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds page. Get cracking folks !!

It has long been a problem of racehorse trainers and general performance horse trainers alike that they are unable to know exactly when their horse has reached peak fitness and what level to train at in order to stay there without pushing the boundary in to injury. 

Most trainers will say ‘yes I know, I have been around horses all my life and I don’t need a piece of technology to tell me when my horse is fit’.  However, what if this technology really did do what it said on the tin and tell you when your horse was working at its very optimum capacity, how to keep it there and when to reduce the gas before fatigue kicks in and before injury happens.

Many injuries that occur in the sport horse and racing industries could have been prevented had the horse been running at peak fitness or if the trainer knew the horse’s max workload capacity before it began to break down.  These are some of the main injuries that occur from high intensity sports such as racing:
 

• Tendon injuries;
• Fractures;
• Epistaxis – bleeding;
• Tying up;

 
Tendon injuries and fractures are a common theme in the racing industry but if we could engage with technology and science and put ourselves in a position so that we can monitor when the threshold for injury is about to be breached and thereby take preventative measures - surely this can only be of benefit to the sport?  It would help to reduce criticism of the industry through reducing injury rates while also reducing the huge costs of rehabilitating broken horses by ensuring fewer injuries are sustained to start with.
 
So how will this new technology really help? Tendon and fracture problems tend to occur more often when the horse is over exerted and tiring.  Because the horse cannot tell us, we may continue pushing the horse in to injury unknowingly.  When a horse is tired and over exerted it has a reduced capacity to balance properly, land safely, exert equal pressure to all limbs and use its muscles correctly.  Reduced muscle functionality can lead to over extending tendons which in turn results in damage.   The technology we are researching will tell you when your horse has reached this injury threshold, what it has taken to get your horse to the threshold and how to increase its ability to work within the threshold.
 
Another common injury in racing is a fractured pelvis. This may occur when the horse is fatigued and abnormal pressure is exerted on the bones in the limbs.  The muscles can be stretched in all different directions due to un-coordinated movement again resulting in a fracture.  This could be avoided by ensuring that you know when your horse is starting to fatigue and train in a way that avoids this while still increasing fitness.
 
Yet another common issue that could be avoided is ‘tying up’.  This occurs when the body needs energy to ensure maximum muscle function but is so lacking in energy that that the muscles cannot release properly and therefore essentially rip due to inappropriate muscle release. The resulting effect is a horse that likely cannot race or compete for at least some time, whether this be a week or a month.  The point is, that it could be avoided if you never pushed the horse to that extreme and beyond its capability in the first place.  Yes, some might say you need to push the horse in order to get it fit, and yes this is true, but pushing within its boundaries is really what trainers should be aiming for, not pushing the horse outside of its boundaries and in to lameness. 

How will it work? The technology attaches to the girth or bridle and tracks heart rate, respiratory rate, rhythm of footfall to gauge balance, the track gradient, the amount of force being exerted on the horse (amplitude) all while the horse is in work.  The data is fed in real time straight to your phone via the associated app.  At the point you see the heart rate reach a certain level or the rhythm become irregular, you know the horse is no longer working well at maximum capacity, it has dropped in to the realms of injury and workload should be quickly reduced. 

Performance can be tracked over several weeks so that you can see the training progress and know when your horse is working at its peak and how long it can stay there for before it drops off.  You will be able to gauge the best possible speeds and distances for your horses by knowing how their bodies perform as they run.  They are all very different as we know and a distance that works well for one horse, will not work so well for another.

The only product I have come across so far that looks as if it will be able to tick all the right boxes is here: https://www.arioneo.com/en/home/performance-range/  We haven’t yet had the opportunity to test the product as it is not yet available, but hopefully when it is released for testing, we will be able to see what it is really made of, whether it can reduce the likelihood of injury and get our horses fitter and faster with minimal risk.

After all, if the NFL, NBA and Australian Football League use them on their professional athletes, why shouldn’t we use them on our performance horses?

Today was a traumatic day, I am unsure if I will ever fully recover. Hay giver / feed provider / girl thought it would be a good idea to drag me from the calm happiness of my field to go up the long dark place they call the farm driveway.  I cannot put in to words how traumatised I feel after the ensuing ordeal. 

She talked a considerable amount to me whilst she debated removing the caked mud from my face whilst moaning it was MY fault that I was so muddy.  She clearly did not know that the mud threw itself at me as I rolled casually.  I chose not to comment.  She has no right to remove the mud, I protested with my head held high.  I will not be subject to such degrading treatment in front of my fellow horse.

She continued her talks with me about the dark coming in and that we should hurry up, when quite frankly, I am not of the inclination to be rushed so I fidgeted, skipped and leapt occasionally to express my displeasure.

We move off up the darkening farm track. I see wolves eyes glistening at me in the bush, I leap from left to right and bounce accordingly, before realising they are pheasants, I do not feel it right to let the girl know, that I know they are pheasants, she would not realise the danger that pheasants also present to a young horse.  Unfortunately, she remains seated.  We continue up the drive.

She yatters on about one thing and another but I pay little attention to her, my worry is only for the wild horses to my left.  I spot them in the distance and stop.  They are galloping towards me, I snort, are they coming to say hello?  What danger follows?  I snort louder to alert my fellow horses, I whinny loudly but to no avail. 

She continues to press me up the track, she has not seen the wild horses galloping over.  Fortunately, I am happy to rescue us from this situation by spinning and by galloping off at the fastest pace I can in the opposite direction.  She tries to hold me back, but I have to RUN……….THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH.

At this stage I have little care for her, I shall go it alone.  I reach my head down as quickly as I can and throw in the most ferocious air leap I can muster, she stays, she sits, silently. Why?  WHY ? Why would she do this to me?  Does she not know the wild horses are galloping over and every second lost brings me nearer to death ?!

After much to’ing and fro’ing, I look up to see the wild horses have arrived.  They stand looking at me in the paddock adjoining the farm track and mock my lost battle.  I realise it was all a game, the wild horses are the holidaying polo ponies from next door, god damn them and the 100 acre field they roam and gallop about in.  God damn the girl seated on my back.  We walk off, back down the farm track, she does not know I have already spotted another pheasant.

Worming your horse properly is becoming more and more of an issue as resistance to wormers gets worse.  This means that the wormers we are using are  not working as well as they used to as the worms have become immune to their effects, they do not die and your horse continues to be infected with worms.

How do we help stop this?  One way is to ensure that you only worm when absolutely required, i.e. when your horse is infected and when you know precisely what to worm for.  The practice in the UK for many years has been to just worm your horses a few times a year whether they are infected with worms or not. Ridiculous right, you wouldn't dose yourself up with Flu Relief if you didn't have flu and you wouldn't take antibiotics without an infection that was diagnosed by a doctor to require them, so why do we worm our horses when we don't know if they need it or not?

I think the problem is that it is is easier to just order a wormer and pump it in, rather than trying to work out the alternative.  BUT, what if there was an easy way to test that was quick and inexpensive?

Worming Guide

What worms are you testing for? Redworm, roundworm, tapeworm and pinworm.
 
What do you do?  To start with, find out if your horse needs a worming treatment by using worming egg count test kits. 
 
What test kits do you need?

• Redworm and roundworm – Dung egg count test kit;

• Pinworm – Selotape Test;

Combination test kit for pinworm, redworm and roundworm – £11.50 per kit here;

• Tapeworm (cannot be detected by dung egg count test) – Equisal Saliva Test, here from Westgate - costs £17.95;

 
The price includes everything – the kit and the test and the results that will be emailed or posted to you.  Its all super simple and very easy to do.
 
How do you do it?  When you receive the test kit, follow the instructions closely – they are simple.  Fresh dung is very important.
When to test using the kits? At the beginning of each season – Spring 1st March, Summer 1st July, Autumn 1st September, Winter 1st December.
Why bother? Worms can cause a huge amount of damage to the intestines of your horse that can lead to colic and diarrhoea, blockage of intestines and tail rubbing to name a few.  Start using egg-testing kits so that you can save money on buying unnecessary wormers, treat only using the right type of wormer and help prevent resistance to wormers and get a healthy horse.

Results! When you get your results by post or email they will tell you how many of each type of worm egg is present and you can then select the correct wormer for those particular type of worms and you do not need to worm unnecessarily.  You should save money long term by not having to order unnecessary wormers.

Skinny minnies in winter has always been a horsey problem !  It gets cold and the weight drops off so, what do you do ?  I hunt in the winter so have to be extra watchful of weight as they are in regular and, hard work.

So, for my 17hh Warmblood working 5 days per week and hunting 1 day, the following seems to be keeping the condition ON:

1) 900 grams micronised linseed meal split in to two feeds;
2) 800 grams (dry weight) speedi beat split in to two feeds;
3) Saracen Stamm 30 Balancer - 1 kilo split in to two feeds;
4) 10 grams table salt per day;
5) Ad-lib Haylage;

If you could fit in three feeds per day, this would also really be of benefit and you could slightly increase the overall amounts above then split across three feeds.

Hope this helps!!