Getting ready for your next horse competition?
Successfully taking your horse to a competition requires planning and preparation. Whether you're a first-time competitor or a seasoned rider, these tips will help ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
1️⃣ Choose the Right Competition: Select an event that suits both your and your horse's experience levels. The right class can make all the difference in building confidence and setting you up for success.
2️⃣ Train for Success: Familiarise yourself with the competition level and class requirements. Practice thoroughly at home, ensuring you're well-prepared to showcase your best performance.
3️⃣ Organise Your Gear Early: Avoid last-minute stress by packing your gear the night before. Ensure everything is clean, functional, and ready to go.
4️⃣ Plan Your Warm-Up: A proper warm-up is essential to avoid injuries and ensure your horse performs at its best. Take the time to prepare thoroughly.
5️⃣ Help Your Horse Recover: Post-competition care is crucial. Assist your horse's recovery with appropriate techniques like using ice boots, providing electrolytes, and scheduling any necessary treatments.
Following these tips will help you and your horse have a successful and enjoyable competition experience. Good luck, and don't forget to celebrate your achievements!
Source: Active Equine
Yes!
🔘 Horses are creatures of habit and thrive on consistency. Their amazing internal alarm clocks mean they often know their schedules better than we do, whether it's feeding time or exercise time.
🔘 Routine provides horses with a sense of security, keeping them calm and relaxed. As prey animals, they rely on familiar patterns to feel safe, and any disruption can cause anxiety. Keeping a regular schedule helps lower their stress and supports their overall mental wellbeing.
🔘 Consistent routines also benefit their health, particularly for nervous horses prone to gastric ulcers. While it's not always possible to stick to the exact schedule every day, especially when away at competitions, maintaining a similar routine helps reduce stress in unfamiliar environments.
Gradual changes to stable routines, like introducing new horses or adjusting feed times, are key to minimising stress. A well-established routine not only benefits your horse but also ensures a well-run stable where nothing is forgotten.
Remember, your horse looks to you for care and consistency. By providing a stable routine, you make them feel safe and happy, and in return, they bring joy to your life. 🐎
Source: Ranvet
Looking to improve your dressage skills? Check out these expert tips from Nicole Tough!
Nicole Tough, an accredited Level 2 Dressage Specialist Coach from Equestrian Hub, offers valuable insights for improving your dressage skills.
Here are some key tips:
1️⃣ Dedication and Correct Practice: Dressage requires systematic and dedicated practice. Riders must focus on gradual muscle and strength building, ensuring that each level is thoroughly mastered before progressing.
2️⃣ Rein Aids: Rein aids should not be used for slowing down or restraint, as they can restrict forward movement and cause training issues. Instead, focus on building the horse's muscles through thousands of transitions to improve balance and reduce resistance.
3️⃣ Repetition: Horses learn through repetition. Riders should avoid accepting subpar transitions during training, as this sets a low standard for performance.
For more detailed guidance, you can read the full article on Equestrian Hub.
Looking to enhance your horse's resilience against various health challenges? Explore the power of natural herbs! 🌿
🌿 Nettle leaf: Boosts a wealth of fibre, vitamins, minerals and trace elements such as vitamins A, C and K along with calcium, magnesium and iron. It also has antioxidant compounds like polyphenols and carotenoids which may help in counteracting detrimental free radicals within the body. Including this herbal supplement may enhance your horse’s resilience against a spectrum of health issues.
🌺 Echinacea: It has abundance of medicinal properties and nutritional advantages that provides a multitude of benefits for those horse owners seeking natural remedies for diverse health issues.
Incorporate these natural remedies into your horse's diet and see the benefits for yourself.
Source: The Horse Report June 2024 edition
Here’s the thing…
Here’s the thing…
Producing a show horse in optimal health with a natural gleam of inner health does not happen overnight or by accident. It takes expert attention to detail, focusing on the daily diet, grooming and general health.
The importance of dietary balanced nutrition is of critical importance to produce intense coat color and a natural shine.
The most important nutrients for coat condition are:
Copper and zinc - to produce melanin pigment
Amino acids, biotin and vitamin B6 - to produce keratin, the protein from which hair and hooves are made
Oil - for skin health and shine
✅ VITAMINS. Not all horse need a multivitamin supplement but every horse needs supplementary vitamin E and minerals added to balance critical mineral ratios.
✅ MINERALS. Providing the correct balance of minerals across the entire diet is important to allow the horse to absorb them in the right proportions.
✅ PROTEIN. Mature horses fed enough grass and hay to maintain a healthy body condition will almost always consume enough protein to provide the amino acids needed for healthy hair growth. Horses fed less than the recommended rate will need a mineral balancer powder or pellet to top up mineral levels.
✅ OILS. Any type of oil in the diet creates shine, but a healthy diet for a horse must provide more of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids than pro-inflammatory omega-6.
Remember, a well-balanced diet with good rigging, stable or paddock management will eventually lead to growth of the best mane, tail and coat that a horse is genetically programmed to produce.
Source:
https://issuu.com/thehorsereport/docs/horse_report_june_digital_edition
Ready to train your horse a new movement? Discover "The Shaping Scale" – a practical 6-step approach to mastering new skills with your equine partner!
This step by step approach of training is called “shaping”. We take what is complex, and make it as simple as possible, building up as we gain confidence.
1️⃣ Basic Attempt: Start with the basics, reward any step in the right direction.
2️⃣ Obedience: Refine the cue for immediate and accurate responses.
3️⃣ Rhythm: Focus on rhythm and adjust tempos.
4️⃣ Straightness: Ensure your horse maintains the movement on the chosen line.
5️⃣ Contact: Achieve steady and soft rein contact for better communication.
6️⃣ Proof: Practice in various environments to master the movement anywhere.
Next time you're training, break it down step-by-step for effective results!
Source: https://www.ranvet.com.au/the-shaping-scale-the-6-steps-to-training-a-new-movement/
Did you know that phytoestrogens affect mare fertility?
If your mares are experiencing fertility issues, it is worth considering phytoestrogens.
Phytoestrogens are simply estrogen like compounds found in plants. Although it affects mare fertility, it is also worth noting that there are many different phytoestrogens and not all of them affect fertility.
For example, coumestrol found in alfalfa/lucerne and clover have quite a dramatic negative effects on fertility in multiple animal species including horses. However, isoflavones found in clover and soybean don’t have any documented negative effects on fertility in mares.
When looking at feed ingredients, keep in mind that phytoestrogens from different ingredients aren’t the same. Some factors that can effect phytoestrogen content:
🔘 The amount of an ingredient per day affects the phytoestrogen intake
🔘 Plant variety
🔘 Environmental conditions
Make sure to always check your forages first.
Source: https://issuu.com/thehorsereport/docs/horse_report_june_digital_edition
What a weekend we all had at the Whitsunday Equestrian Group 2-Day Showjumping Classic. The weather was perfect, grounds looked great, and overall it was a beautiful weekend of showjumping.
It also heralded the start of the Frosty Mango NQ Leaderboard, with placings as below:
🏆 1st: Abigail Lee on Hazardous
🏆 2nd: Abigail Lee on Laced Up
🏆 3rd: Abigail Lee on Snapchatter
🏆 4th: Melinda Zammit on JT Just a Dream
🏆 5th: Jessica Dibnah on Mr Manu
Our overall high-point show jumping award was hotly contested but awarded to Abigail Lee!
We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the following people...
🌟 Course builder Hayley Somerset
🌟 Jump judge Trevor Hyatt
🌟 Cannonvalley Pony Club for the grounds hire and running canteen
🌟 Our small committee of volunteers for their time ensuring the event could go ahead
🌟 All competitors, volunteers, and attendees for their support and enthusiasm
Please be reminded that our next event Whitsunday Equestrian Group's 2-Day Hack & Dressage Supreme is scheduled for July 27-28 at the Cannonvalley Pony Club, live on Nominate!
Thank you so much to all involved and we will see you at our next event. WEG's 2-Day Hack & Dressage Supreme is scheduled for July 27-28 at the Cannonvalley Pony Club, and now live on Nominate!
#whitsundayequestriangroup #cannonvalleyponyclub #whitsundayequestrian #lovewhitsundays
Thank you to our JUMP CLASSIC sponsors!
A big thank you to our sponsors, Qld Hay & Chaff, Hi Class Equestrian & Warren Transport for supporting this weekends 2 day JUMP CLASSIC!
Our Gold Sponsor, Qld Hay and Chaff Formally Black River Prime Lucerne,provides affordable quality hay, chaff, and hard feeds across Australia. 🌾
Special shoutout to our Silver Sponsors:
@hiclassequestrian, offering durable, sunsafe, and affordable riding apparel, along with innovative reusable feed and saddle cloth bags. 🏇
Warren Transport, a trusted name in the Heavy Haulage Industry for over 20 years, known for their extensive range of plant hire equipment and commitment to safety. 🚛 Also kindly donating their time to maintain our grounds and ensure our event can go ahead!
Without the generous support of these businesses, our event wouldn’t be possible. See you all there! 🎉
Visit our sponsors...
🌟 Qld Hay & Chaff: Qld Hay and Chaff Formally Black River Prime Lucerne
🌟 Hi Class Equestrian: hiclassequestrian.com
🌟 Warren Transport: warrentransport.com.au
Cannonvalley Pony Club
#lovewhitsundays #cannonvalleyponyclub #whitsundayequestrian #whitsundayequestriangroup
Did you know that your hands telegraph signals through your rein technique?
Here are 5 common operator errors and how to correct it to get a light mouth:
🔘 Unsteady hands interfere with the message’s clarity from human to horse. Keep your hands still!
🔘 Rigid arms: Still hands come from elastic arms and elastic arms come from supple joints. So make sure to have elastic arms so you can follow the motion of the horse’s neck at the canter or over a jump.
🔘 Abrupt aids: Just like rigid arms, abrupt hands will intimidate your horse. For a prey animal, adrenaline triggers a flight response. In equestrian sport, smoother is faster.
🔘 Poor timing: This happens when you miss the moment or fail to release the pressure when the horse responds.
🔘 Overly firm contact: Horses held with tight reins don’t develop self-carriage. Make sure to reward a horse’s correct response with freedom, otherwise he would feel trapped with no option to escape the pressure.
Source: www.hoursejournals.com
https://www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/english/dressage/keys-light-mouthed-horse
This is really it, all ticket sales end tonight at midnight! Prizes will be announced via Facebook. We sincerely thank our generous sponsors and for every person who has purchased a ticket in our fundraiser. Good luck! 🍀
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Tickets via bank transfer (Account name: WEG Raffle, BSB: 034-665, Account number: 256700, Reference: your full name). $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $25.
Final week for purchasing tickets. Still great odds to win any of our generously donated holiday raffle prizes!
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Tickets are via cash at any of our events, or via bank transfer (Account name: WEG Raffle, BSB: 034-665, Account number: 256700, Reference: your full name). At $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $25, don't miss this chance to win! All prizes will be drawn January 31st, 2024.
Axen Rugs The Beauty Room Airlie Beach Big 4 Adventure Park Airlie Beach Cruise Whitsundays Dynamic Saddle Fitting Fat Frog Beach Cafe Horseland Mackay Iconic Whitsunday Adventures LiveLife Pharmacy Cannonvale Peak Performance Pulse Therapy PVS Training & Equine Services
Can your business help our equestrian group? 🙏🫵
We are looking for fundraising opportunities during our "off" season following a short competition season due to weather impacting our events. To donate a prize, please send us an email at [email protected]
It's Wednesday, which means it's the final day to register interest in our Evan Parker clinic. Also, one more day left to nominate for the show-jumping component of this weekend's competition- and our final comp for the year!
Check out our previous posts for further information!
Whitsunday Equestrian Group October T-Shirt Weekend
Little snippet of what we got up to last weekend! Our final event of the year, WEG October T-Shirt Weekend, was well-attended by locals and travelling riders alike.
To our respective judges and course builders Glenis Jones, Lisa Sampson and Merle Niesler, we greatly appreciate your time and expertise. Thank you to everyone who assisted prior to or over the weekend, whether it be setting up the arena, jump courses, pencilling or otherwise. Every competition or clinic takes a massive amount of behind the scenes work so we so greatly appreciate your help on the weekend!
Huge thank you to Cannonvalley Pony Club for the use of the grounds and keeping us all fed and watered over the weekend.
Thank you to all our riders, strappers and general support squad over the weekend. We've had a wonderful year full of so many riders improving not only themselves but further helping each other out.
Our 2023 event calendar is out now, so make sure you mark your dates and we hope to see you all again in the near future!
Whitsunday Equestrian Group Jump Club
Wow! Thank you to everyone who came along and supported our jump club today- such a beautiful day and what a great group of riders! ☀️
It's so rewarding as club volunteers to be able to witness everybody working so hard and moving up the heights- even better when everybody pitches in to help out! Thanks again to everybody for helping out and to Alana Marshall for being our wonderful jump judge for the day, and apologies to anyone we missed getting photos of today. 🦄
Have you entered the WEG Supreme 2-day Dressage Classic?
Nominations are now open via Nominate.
Click here to view the program. https://bit.ly/3k5r7db
Another massive weekend done and dusted ✅
It could not have been done without the help of many, so we’d like to extend our thanks to the following:
- our incredible officials- judge Trevor Hyatt and course builder Evan Parker
- our club committee and members- for the behind-the-scenes organisation, set up and pack down, and ensuring a smoothly run event
- our sponsors- Frosty Mango for the NQ Leaderboard Series, Rocket Lodge Racing for the Off the Track QLD classes
- Cannonvalley Pony Club for the grounds hire and running of the canteen
And of course…
- our competitors and their strappers, groomers and general cheer squads! For making the trek to our little club and the high level of horsemanship and sportsmanship displayed. Thank you, and we hope to see many of you again shortly 🦄
Sneak peek of a few of our riders, courtesy of Captured by Kirstie. Link below ⬇️
https://www.facebook.com/CapturedByKirstie/
