Karita J. Equestrian

09/10/2024

I’m officially a cowboy now 🤠

Vahest tulevad tsipa crazyd ideed ja nendel hetkedel olen ikka üli tänulik oma sõpradele, kes kaasa tulevad ning aitavad need realiseerida! 😎

Aga ärgem sellist asja järgi tee 🫣 tagasi mõeldes, olin ikka tsipa hull, et ilma kaskata sellist actionit teha julgesin 😅 Skittles oli aga super tubli 💕 vahepeal üritas fotograafist üle joosta aga muidu oli niinii supertubli 😌

28/07/2024

The mythology of deities and villians.

Horse people are a special breed. They come in a remarkable variety of backgrounds, beliefs, and personality types, but still can share an almost cult-like obsession and dedication.

In May, I gave birth to my first baby, a little boy. It has been remarkable how even the most obvious of facts have created powerful, emotional epiphanies for me. For example, that every single person on Earth, was once a baby. A baby who was helpless, who was scared, who giggled, who just wanted and needed love and care. We share that experience as human beings.

I've long believed something similar about horse people. At some point, they were just innocently in love with the magnanimous beauty, freedom, and power that horses possess. Before the riding, the discipline, the art, or the sport, there was just the love of the animal. We share that experience as equestrians.

Charlotte Dujardin's very public fall from grace brings all of this to the forefront for me. I was not at all shocked or surprised when I saw the video. I wasn't even that disturbed because it is nowhere near the worst I have seen. This type of approach is par for the course in top sport Dressage. We know it's reflective of a culture problem and not a one-off because 4 things are very evident:

1) Despite being clearly stressed, the horse was quite tolerant. This isn't the first time he's experienced this kind of treatment and been expected to figure something out... and he isn't Charlotte's horse.
2) Charlotte's attitude is determined and matter-of-fact. She isn't whipped up in an emotional frenzy and she was okay to do this in front of an audience.
3) The rider claims to have been uncomfortable and unhappy in the moment, but was too intimidated to question such a celebrity trainer.
4) Charlotte's own mentor, Carl Hester, signed a document condeming the actions in the video, as though what is in that video were the foreign acts of some rogue stranger. What completely un-mentor-like and disingenuous behavior. He was very happy to align himself with her in fair weather, and now he's cut her loose in the face of a storm.

What the video shows is without question, not okay. But, the absolute vilification of this women as though she is some monster who lied to everyone that thought of her as their queen... is total bu****it. She's being thrown to the wolves and is being made an example of by her own people for the purpose of politics. Yes, the timing of the release of a 2 year old video also makes that evident. This entire scene is indicative of a toxic, manipulative and exploitative culture within the industry of top sport.

Why wasn't Cesar Parra burned at the stake like this? Or Helgestrand? Their crimes are without any doubt worse. Is it because Helgestrand's family holds significatly greater financial influence and power in the industry? Or maybe it is just because they were never deified and held up as darling heros in the first place. The industry knows there is a culture problem with top sport, and the threat of outside regulation is becoming real. Isabell Werth, a notoriously egregious offender in horse welfare, also ironically signed this document condemning Charlotte. Next signature we will hear about is Sjef Janssen's!

Anyone who ever saw Charlotte and her horses as flawless, didnt know enough about what they were looking at, and that's okay. But don't accuse her of betrayal and blame her for your ignorance. In that video, she was doing what she's been taught, what had been rewarded by judges via the way her horses go, and what has been normalized in the industry. She's far from the worst offender and I absolutely know she's not a heartless monster.
Because she's just another human.
A wife.
A mother.
And yes, a horse lover, even if she has in some ways prioritized the horse's performance over his wellbeing.

But she was never a Goddess, a Unicorn, a Savior, or your Guru. Please spare those of us who knew better the shock and heartbreak. She didn't deceive you: the FEI, the national organizations like USEF, and the judges have been pulling the wool over your eyes, and hers, for decades.

Remember, Charlotte has been being told for years that what she is doing is not just correct, it's exemplary. The horses and Charlotte herself are the ones who are actually being betrayed by this ex*****on theater.

She didn't start her journey as a horse loving little girl doing what she did in that video, she was groomed by an industry that has lost it's way.
Hold THEM responsible!!

29/06/2024

Väga hästi kirjutatud postitus! Käib läbi MIKS on vaja et hobused saaks regulaarselt koresööta, mis võib juhtuda, kui vahed on liiga pikad, kuidas saab sööta tegelasi, kes juba lihtsalt hingamisest ümmarguseks paisuvad jne!

See peaks olema nii iseenesest mõistetav aga kahjuks on väga palju veel neid talle, kus hobused on igapäevaselt tunde ja tunde ilma koresöödata!

Eriti palju näeb seda just seal, kus hobused on öösiti boksides ning õhtul ei panda piisavas koguses koresööta ette ehk hommikuks on plats täiesti puhtaks söödud. Tegelikult peaks hommikul veel veidi koresööta alles olema. Nii saad silma peal hoida, kui palju üldse su hobune sööb ning saad kindel olla, et ta pole liiga pikka aega ilma toiduta olnud.

What is the longest a horse can safely go without food?

More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually under the guise of a “weight control diet”. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done?

For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum.

Why?

Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines.

A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers.

So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern?

No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally.

Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different.

But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway?

Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally.

Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen “if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!!”

I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included.

However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply.

The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1”. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me “Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those” 🙄 this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all.

A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it.

Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want!

And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or swede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading “No added sugar”! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise.

Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

A few edits for the critics-

Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation.

Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types.

Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not.

Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved.

Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

Final finally 🤦‍♀️ and I feel I must add this due to the sheer number of people contacting me to ask, feed your horses during transport!!! I am astonished this is not normal in other countries! Again in the UK, we give our horses hay nets to transport. We don’t go 10 mins up the road without a haynet and a spare in case they finish! Considering we are a tiny island and we rarely transport even 4 hours, we never transport without hay available. I have never seen an episode of choke due to travelling with hay available. If you are concerned, use a slow feeder net so they can’t take too much in at once.

If you get to the end of this post and your first thought is “I can’t do this with my horse/pony, they’d be morbidly obese”, you haven’t read the advice in this post thoroughly.

05/06/2024

Esimene kord, kui sõitsin Issyga bosali + kapsoni ratsmete komboga!

Olen sõitnud ainult kapsoni ratsmetega, kapsoni + neckropega aga tundub, et kapson + bosal sobib Issy puhul kõige paremini hetkel! 🤩 (suulisega vajab veel harjutamist ja harjumist)

Kuigi ta kipub ratsa alguses päris kihutama ja täna bosal oli ka alguses veel segane, siis trenni lõpu poole oli ta lihtsalt nii super! Võib öelda, et see siiani meie kõige mõnusam sõit ratsa! 😍
Kui tempo kontrolli alla saime ja ta hakkas ka rohkem oma aju kasutama ja ennast paremini kandma, tulid istakust pöörded ja üleminekud väga ilusti välja!

Mida järgmine kord teisiti teen- ei jäta lühikesi pükse jalga, kui nahksadulasse istun… 😭

23/04/2024

"Unlucky." "Unfortunate." "Such bad luck!"

These are a few of the more common sayings used to describe upper level riders being eliminated from competition for things like their horse having blood in their mouth.

Such statements evade accountability and equate these problems as being a matter of bad luck, a freak accident.

In some cases, that may actually be true, but is it fair to claim it is merely bad luck when for years, hyperflexion and other harmful practices have not only been directly enabled, but also rewarded?

Is it really that shocking to discover rubs, bruising or blood in the mouths of horses ridden in restrictive headsets?

Is it really just "bad luck" to see oral damage when numerous times photos of horses with blue tongues have been used in media advertising for organizations like the FEI?

Is it really THAT surprising to see a bloody mouth with a rider who had multiple winning, high 80s scored tests, in the last few months while riding the winning horse in hyperflexion for a generous portion of the test?

Or is it, perhaps, is this all just the reasonable outcome of devaluing horse welfare to this extent and creating the type of environment that encourages people to ride in a manner that makes these "accidents" far more likely to occur?

Accidents can happen, this is not to say riders intentionally do this out of malice, but if we are not actively trying to curate an environment that prioritizes welfare and ethical training above aesthetics, it shouldn't be surprising to see that harmful practices can cause outwardly visible physical harm.

Blue tongues, bruising and abrasion of the gums and bleeding in the mouth are natural consequences of riding horses in restrictive, hyperflexed frames that require a fair amount of force to achieve.

Biting the tongue is also a natural consequence of having a stressed horse, nervously clacking and grinding its teeth, because the actual source of their duress is never being properly addressed.

Accidents can happen but when there is little to no prevention, despite growing bodies of evidence showing need for it, we look foolish trying to pretend its just an unfortunate fluke.

It isn't.

This is the type of environment the horse show industry has decisively chosen to create and if this isn't how we want the horse industry to be perceived, we need to push for change.

And, we need to do it now.

Or, we can continue feigning surprise all up until the point where the horse industry loses its social license to operate and has no option for damage control anymore. 🤷‍♀️

13/02/2024

Valge poni lume taustal ei näe kahjuks väga valge välja😆

Meie Issyga trennitamas!
Issy on vast kõike põikpäisem hobune, kellega tegelenud olen! Kui ta tahab suudab ta olla no ülitubli! Õpib kiirelt uusi harjutusi, jääb sülle tukkuma jne aga teine päev võib käituda nagu täielik pärdik!🤪
Küll aga ei hakka kohe kindlasti temaga igav ning väga meeldib mulle ta särts ja kindlameelsus! Talle peab lihtsalt õpetama seda õigetesse kohtadesse panna😆

Kuigi pildid ilusad, siis ootame ikka pikisilmi juba sooja ja kuiva, et saaks rohkem trenni(s) teha😛

Klõpsud tegi

04/10/2023

The dangers of paddock grass to our equine friends is not a new subject we are constantly talking about it all over the world due to it’s often catastrophic impact on our domesticated horses .

We talk about the spring and early summer burst of fresh lush grass .
We talk about the autumn flush of lush grass .
We even talk about winter frosts and sunny days with its impact on the grass .

So now it’s a year round problem for so many horses including most of mine .

How can we safely allow our horses to graze in the paddock without the worry of laminitis.

NOT EASY THAT FOR SURE. 😣and trust me I dont always get it right either.

We know that Grass that is shorter than six inches is very problematic and the shorter it is the more dangerous it becomes.

That said even if still fresh and green looking even at six inches and above can be a disaster for many .

Very Short eaten down to stubs grass is FULL of sugars as this is often called stressed grass which they love as it’s so sweet but this is extremely dangerous.

Sunlight , dew and dampness especially at spring and autumn causes this to absorb and replenish its reserves so at the end of a lovely sunny day it’s literally full of sugar and uses this over night to grow .

Early morning grazing is generally safer on this grass but certainly not full safe proof .

Adding to issues as temperatures drops over night to almost freezing or even a few degrees above this allow the grass to hold on to the sugar and not use it so early morning grazing is just as dangerous.

Mind blowing and very difficult to manage a sensitive horse , and even non sensitive types can very suddenly be affected by these spikes in grasses .

So can we help to create safer grazing by allowing the paddocks to grow to maturity before allowing any grazing , and keep moving the area so not allow short stressed grass to become a problem .
Putting in track systems are certainly the way forward and feeding ad lib hays , but again not everyone can afford to keep feeding ad lib hays or indeed it’s been difficult for many finding the right hay for horses all year round .
A combination of both track systems and correct management for the paddocks grasses and plant appropriate species may be a safer option for many .

This management should ensure lower sugars and better diversity fibre management intake plus more chewing time which is more species appropriate on their digestive system.

Any thoughts and are owners out there adapting to this practice.

Photo of one of my mature winter grass fields on the right that’s been left all summer to grow to full maturity ( verses a young lush area of growing unsafe autumn grass . 👇

03/10/2023

Minu 3.kord Kennethi seminaril ning nagu ka eelnevad, oli see seminar lihtsalt super!
Nii palju uusi mõtteid ja harjutusi mida juba järgmisel päeval, pärast seminari lõppu, praktikasse sain panna (ja mis TÖÖTASID ning tegid lihtsalt imet)!🤩

Samuti ei saa mainimata jätta seda super seltskonda seminaril! Õhtused jutuajamised ja huvitavad arutelud seinast-seina hobuteemadel!

Loodan ikka kunagi ise ka sinna hobusega jõuda😛

Kui sind natukenegi huvitab see, kuidas ise hobustega tegelen ning mis akadeemiline ratsutamiskunst ikkkagi on, siis juba 19. Oktoober toimub Kennethi webinar külgliikumiste ja õlad-sees teemal, mida korraldab Harakasoo tall - Merili Kuuse!

https://facebook.com/events/s/teooriatund-kenneth-vansweevel/720563930111111/

~soovitan soojalt kõigil ühineda😉 Kennethilt õpib iga kord midagi uut🤩

05/05/2023

04/05/2023

22.-23. Aprill 2023 sai taaskord käidud Kenneth Vansweevelt -i seminaril Mokko Turismitalus!

Seekord oli põhiliseks teemaks õlad sees liikumine! See pole üldse nii lihtne harjutus, kui ehk esialgu võib tunduda- õlad sees liikumist küsides pead jälgima, et su hobusel korrektne stelling & bending ei kaoks ning samuti, et rindkere liikumine õlad sees liikumisele kaasa aitaks ehk et oleks piisavalt küljelt küljele, üles alla ja diagonaalis sisemise tagumise jala juurest välimise õla suunda liikumist.

Sain treenida palju oma silma ning lisaks Kennethile sain palju uut ka teistelt hobuinimestelt teada😊

Seltskond ja seminar olid lihtsalt ”super” ning kindlalt septembris uuesti!

Septembri seminari link siin: https://facebook.com/events/s/ratsutamiskunsti-seminar-kenne/767189358328360/

24/04/2023

🦄Hei! Olen Karita ning hobustega tänaseks tegelenud regulaarselt 5 aastat!

Nende 5 aasta jooksul olen tegelenud paljude erinevate hobustega: töötanud ja õppinud erinevates tallides isegi väljaspool Eestit ning osalenud mitmetel seminaridel ja koolitustel!

Minu eesmärk on olnud alati ennast võimalikult palju hobuste teemal harida ning kogemust saada.

Olen enda jaoks leidnud Akadeemilise ratsutamiskunsti ja maatöö ning hobuseid treenides lähtun just nende põhimõtetest.
Minu jaoks on oluline, et hobusel oleks tugev baas ning seetõttu panen palju rõhku just akadeemilisele maatööle!

🦄5 aastaga olen käinud:

- aasta aega ratsakoolis;
- pikemalt tegelenud ühes kodutallis, nüüdseks 18 aastase, traavlipoisi Eltoniga;
- töötanud mõnda aega võrus Akhal Teke EST-is;
- töötanud 3 kuud Iirimaal aretustallis, kus ratsastasin oma esimesed noorhobused ning nägin oma elu esimese varssumise ning hoolitsenud varsa eest;
- tegelenud Eda Vallimäe noorhobusega.

+ muidugi erinevad eratrennid erinevate treeneritega nagu nt Elerin Innos, Eda Vallimäe, Jane Koplimäe, Reimo Karus jt

🦄Olen ka ratsaklubi Hobusega Harmoonias klubi liige.

Rohkem minu tegemistest saab lugeda veel Instagrammis
https://instagram.com/karitaj_equestrian