Frances Dixon - Independent Equine Consultancy

05/11/2024

I'd like one of these for myself 👏

It’s finally been done.
As most of you would have heard, the FEI have introduced a noseband taper measuring device for Equestrian competition from January 2025 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

However reading some of the posts and comments on social media have concerned me. Did think top level riders would be happy? No.
However those with their horses comfort as priority have nothing to worry about.
I’d have thought that ANY way we can improve welfare of our horses would be welcomed by those who love their horses.
It would seem not.

Some of the ‘concerns’ I have read are outlined below. Along with my opinion on them! (Sorry not sorry)

- “High level dressage horses are too hot and excitable to be able to safely measure”.
*If a horse can be taught 15x one time changes, surely they can be trained to stand still for 30 seconds. Perhaps if they can’t stand still, they are not in a mentally sound state for competition?

-“The noseband stabilises the bit”
*No, it doesn’t. And if it does, you’re bit isn’t correctly or properly fitted if you need a noseband to ‘stabilise’ it.

-“Keyboard warriors are ruining our sport”
* Riders who ignore welfare and the science behind it, are ruining OUR sport. It doesn’t just belong to the ones at the top.
Dressage in particular is in the spotlight, like it or not. We will loose our social licence to operate if there is no move toward improving the welfare of competition horses. That will be income and career ending for many.

-“our scores will be effected by having these checks”
* Gear check happens after the test.

-“Horses will put the tongue over the bit”
*99% of the time this happens is when a horse is in so much discomfort from the bit on the tongue, they flip it over the bit. Easy solution- use and train your horses with less constant rein pressure and train softer responses.

“The noseband would have to be so loose there’s no point having one”
*The noseband can be quite firm and still allow the gauge to pass. This gauge is actually smaller than the ISES gauge that was originally designed after studies proved the negative effects of tight nosebands!

And more thoughts
- I’m just a low level adult amateur rider, so I have no skin in the game financially.
I understand many riders do. But it CANNOT come at the expense of welfare.
- Other countries have brought this in a long time ago, so it was always on the cards, riders could have started training softer responses a long time ago to negate the need for a tight noseband.
-Don’t come at me with ‘you don’t ride at FEI level so you don’t know.’ What I DO KNOW is the wounds I see in horses mouths from tight nosebands digging into cheek tissue. REGULARLY.
- I’m certainly no master with the double bridle, but the horses I have ridden in one…. Whoa… it’s a beautiful thing. Soft, responsive, so much more finesse can be achieved. Not for control. No need for the mouth to open when trained and ridden correctly.

I wasn’t going to put my 2c in on this- but I have too many cents to keep to myself.

What are your thoughts?

04/11/2024

This is your reminder to check your fields for ragwort 🙃🌱

03/11/2024

Before ➡️ during ➡️ after

31/10/2024

We haven't dressed up this year so here's a of us from last year 🎃🦇🤣
Happy Halloween!

24/10/2024

🧡 In a very unscientific experiment [with some help from ] I wanted to see if all our Orange paraphernalia does indeed make us more highly visible...

What do you reckon?
Can you see us better when we're wearing it?

I left Nutmeg's red pad on and my Pink hat band and pom poms and the photos aren't in the exact same locations (Franny naturally couldn't possibly stand still 🙄👍)

□ side note:
Dad was wearing YELLOW hi viz and I genuinely couldn't see him in amongst the trees when he was taking these photos; Orange stands out better against green leaves, and - for example - pink hiviz likely stands out better against more autumnal coloured leaves

18/10/2024

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗙𝗘𝗜 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗗

With a rollout plan, as of January 2025 the FEI will be using a new measuring tool to determine the tightness of the noseband. This new tool offers a “pass” indicating sufficient laxity or “fail” indicating the noseband is too tight.

This is a positive step forward as the tool will be used on the front (nasal bone) and not on the side as is currently done by the FEI. The tool has been designed to be more practical and horse friendly compared to existing tools.

Video: https://youtu.be/rJNYzf1W5lU

The tool will be available to purchase from the FEI therefore encouraging all riders, trainers and coaches to use it to check noseband fit.

18/10/2024

This horses P3 had penetrated the sole... usually, a certain death sentence for a horse. Gawsworth Track Livery has quite literally saved this horses life 🙌 the process is still ongoing but that's just it! A process!!! More horse owners need to commit to and understand that laminitis CAN be eliminated and that it takes TIME.

There's no such thing as a Laminitis "flare up" - it took time to happen, it will take time to rectify, along with an entire LIFESTYLE overhaul

As always, incredible hard work and commitment from Bethan and the GTL team 👏

12/10/2024

10/10/2024

It's gonna be early mornings and cold dark nights soon girls...

06/10/2024

Excuse the state of Franny's feathers but how cool is it seeing this new solid hoof growth coming down her hooves!

After 5 years in a field with zero stimulation, you can clearly see how much "tighter" and stronger the hoof wall is that's growing down from the coronet band - it was pretty difficult trying to draw the lines on my phone for comparison

She came to me in February so about 8 months growth here

Even after all that time off, her hooves are SOLID

I swear this horse would walk over hot coals and not even notice 🤣

03/10/2024

4 years ago I received my official Equine Psychologist certificate in the post 🎓📫

Anyone who's worked with horses knows that understanding the way they think develops from much more than theory and a piece of paper...

It come from YEARS of being around them, observing them, interacting with them

It comes from EXPERIENCE

Horse(wo)manship develops from being physically on the ground with them. Immersed in their environment and daily lives

The most important aspect of striving to understand horse psychology - or just psychology in general! - is to notice and then question EVERYTHING

🤔 Everything we think we know
🤔 Everything we've been told
🤔 Every tiny thing that our horse does
🤔 Every tiny behavioural change
🤔 Every method we've used before

Literally EVERYTHING

Because without asking questions, we never learn

And without noticing these things in the first place, we never know

Our horses question us all the time and sadly, often, we dont provide them with answers...

📸

26/09/2024

*** STEP AWAY FROM THE EQUEST (at this time of year) ***

A repeat post, but people STILL don’t understand!

Just a little reminder that you should absolutely NOT be using Equest or Equest Pramox during the Spring, Summer and early Autumn months. It should be reserved for the main purpose of Moxidectin; targeting the ENCYSTED stages of Redworm. Redworm encyst into the gut wall when it is COLD.

The emergence of these encysted redworm as the temperatures warm up in March/April, can result in fatal cyathostominosis. We only have TWO drugs that can treat encysted redworm, and there is already widespread resistance to one of them (Fenbendazole), and rapidly developing resistance to the second one - MOXIDECTIN. It’s imperative that you DO NOT USE EQUEST or EQUEST PRAMOX during the warm months, unless specifically directed to do so by your vet.

Lots of people correctly use worm egg counts during the spring and summer months, but some are then very dangerously worming with Equest if they have high egg counts. This is both a waste of Moxidectin, and a danger, due to helping increase the resistance to this drug.

DO NOT WASTE MOXIDECTIN WHEN IT’S WARM! The whole point of the drug is that it treats ENCYSTED redworm. The redworm burrow into the gut wall to keep warm; it’s as simple as that to understand! They need eradicating AFTER they have burrowed, so AFTER it gets cold, and BEFORE it warms up in the Spring!

26/09/2024

Interesting headline conclusions 👏

I always wondered about the impact on the lower jaw (in conjunction with the bridge of the nose) because that's the part being "clamped shut"

Guess everyone will swap to drop nosebands now! Identified a lucrative "gap" in the tack market for brands and manufacturers...? 🤔

**𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗟**

𝗡𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘁

MacKechnie-Guire, R*, Williams, J.M., Nixon, J., Fisher, M., Fisher, D., Walker, V., Murray, R., Clayton, H.M

𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (read without a subscription):
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14420

For the past four years, we have investigated the pressures beneath different nosebands when adjusted from 2.0 to 0.0 finger tightness (0.0 finger adjustment so that the noseband was touching but not compressing the skin).

Poor noseband adjustment could create high pressures that may risk pain or tissue damage. This study is a step forward in providing quantitative data relating to pressures associated with noseband type and fit when adjusted to various tightness’s.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀:

🐴No significant difference between noseband pressures when the noseband was adjusted from 2.0 to 1.5 finger tightness.

🐴Noseband pressures were highest on the mandible vs. the lateral aspect of the nasal bones.

🐴No differences were found in noseband pressures between the cavesson, flash or Swedish (crank) noseband types at 2.0 to 0.5 finger tightness.

🐴The Drop noseband had the lowest absolute nasal pressures (mandible pressures not measured) and significantly lower values than the other nosebands. We need to be mindful of the position of the traditional drop. More work needed.

🐴Noseband pressures were lower when ridden in trot, compared with when chewing a treat.

🐴Noseband pressures were cyclical (rise and fall) and not continuous – changing during the stride and the chewing cycle of the horse.

As always, this is a team effort. Thank you to our research assistants, riders, owners and horses.. Thank you to our funders, World Horse Welfare, British Equestrian, Canadian Sport Horse Association, The Worshipful Company of Saddlers and Hartpury University.

NB image taken from pilot testing and was not included in the main study. All noseband types are described in detail in the manuscript.

25/09/2024

I am shocked that some riders still think hi-viz "looks stupid" 😳 in this very unscientific insta story poll, 12% who answered value their looks over their life.

Like, thank you for your honesty! But seriously, WHY WOULDN'T you wear it?!?!?

Unless you have the privilege of riding on private, off road land and therfore won't meet any unexpected traffic, dog walkers, or any other 3rd party that it could be of use for you to be highly visible for, I can't see how "looking stupid" could be of more importance than your increased likelihood of safety

And even then, hi-viz can help you be seen from the air eg by a low flying loud aircraft or indeed an air ambulance in the event you fall off and get seriously hurt

It's also likely that if you are in an accident, your insurance will be null and void as it could be considered that you HAVEN'T taken as much reasonable action as possible to ensure your safety. Or the opposing party would have an easy clause to counter with at the very least!

Why would you give them that chance?

I've said it before and I'll continue to shout it for as long as I'm a rider: Be safe. BE SEEN

🩷🧡💛🩷🧡💛

24/09/2024

[AD] All the reasons I am HONOURED to be a Brand Ambassador for 😁🤗

As some people know, Nutmeg was a little "turbulent" as a youngster 🤣 so I always liked to have something to tuck my fingers under if needed...

I'd previously always ridden in a breastplate, which has definitely been my saving grace on multiple occasions with some serious acrobatics from Nutmeg over the years

BUT, I was aware that whilst I had my fingers firmly tucked underneath for security, due to the close proximity of my hands to the saddle, there wasn't a lot of room for movement and I could feel tension through the reins - not having freedom to use their head and neck for balance can cause horses to fall backwards if they rear and potentially be painful through the bit if the reins can't be released

I also got into the habit of clinging on whilst jumping too - she was prone to some refusals! - which obviously isn't ideal when she needs to be able to move freely over the fences too

I wanted a better alternative

I'd tried other types of martingales and breastplates, but none ever seemed quite right. Most were too loose or didn't feel in the right position and I was always worried about the fact that a loose neckstrap can easily fall down their neck and cause serious complications e.g (god forbid) a leg getting stuck

THEN I found Click & Connect Neckstrap whilst away doing tradestand work🤩

Finally! Here was my solution!

Fully adjustable, high quality leather, super quick and easy to attach to the saddle D rings and also allowing COMPLETE freedom of movement WHILST offering me that all important security

Stylish too! Theres personalisation options and loads of colourways - including my brand colours 😏 (see pics!)

I'm don't ride without it now!

You can use coupon code FRANCESDIXON for 10% off or send me a DM for the direct referral link 🤗🤗

Thank you

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Photos 📸 by the fabulous

22/09/2024

"Pain has been ruled out" 😒
READ THE WHOLE CAPTION

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/WVjcVhnMVcF8FZ74/

13/09/2024

As a millennial... I can never part with my skinny jeans and trainer socks 🤣
Fellow millennial where you at?!?!?