The Best Bits

25/06/2024

📣📣**𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙. 𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗧𝗢𝗡**📣📣

𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚, 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘

𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 @ 𝟭𝟰: 𝟬𝟬 𝗛𝗥𝗦 𝗕𝗦𝗧

This popular evidence-based session with one of the world’s leading researchers will provide an in-depth view, from a biomechanical perspective, of the equine back and how to prevent, manage and rehabilitate horses with back issues.

This webinar will cover the following areas:

🐎Structure, function and biomechanics of the horse’s back
🐎How the back and the limbs are connected and coordinated during locomotion to fulfil the needs for movement and stability
🐎How the rider’s affects equine back mechanics
Common spinal pathologies – causes, clinical signs and preventive measures
🐎Exercise programs for horses of all ages to improve athletic performance and guard against the development of common injuries

TO BOOK:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-strong-healthy-back-the-foundation-of-a-successful-sport-horse-tickets-905912307097?aff=oddtdtcreator

CPD Certificates
Q and A
Video recording

𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗣𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗢𝗣

25/06/2024

Working your horse over poles in-hand is a fabulous tool that helps improve your horse's performance, health, and harmony with their handler

23/06/2024

Make the most of the long summer evenings... bliss :)
View our training programs here: https://adventureswithjenku.com/pages/our-lessons

23/06/2024

“A horse which is pain free should stand for grooming and tacking without fidgeting constantly. It shouldn’t be picking up limbs, it shouldn’t be swishing its tail, it shouldn’t be opening its mouth or threatening to bite, because all of those are not normal behaviors. Many horses who are no...

22/06/2024

Kissing spines is a condition that affects the bony projections (spinous processes) that point upward from the main vertebrae. These spinous processes are normally spaced apart, but in some horses they can touch or overlap, causing pain and inflammation. Kissing spines is most common in the thoracic...

19/06/2024

What do you think of cameras in warm-up arenas and yard inspections?

Read more via link below

18/06/2024

17/06/2024

“The bit is only as harsh as the rider’s hands.”

This is one of the biggest lies told by horse people, used to justify harsh equipment without honestly looking at the mechanics of it.

The entire purpose of “bitting up” is to select equipment that amplifies the effect of the hand.

Meaning that while the rider might be applying less pressure to the reins than they would in something softer, the mechanics of the bit make it feel sharper to the horse.

A twisted wire bit is rolled to create more pressure points and is abrasive so the horse is less likely to lean on it.

Pressure applied feels more uncomfortable in this type of mouthpiece than it does in a smooth one.

Gag bits are meant to add leverage to the mouth and poll area of the horse, making any pressure applied to the reins more aggressive than it would be with a direct action snaffle bit.

How the rider uses their hands can make the bits less aggressive than they COULD be with rougher hands but bits are as aggressive as their mechanics allow them to be.

No amount of soft hands will cancel out bits that have harsh mechanics.

Riders who truly seek to have soft hands will not want to weaponize them with harsh equipment that can be misused far more easily and that, even with “correct use,” are leveraging discomfort for increased control of the horse.

As riders, it’s our job to take accountability for the equipment we use and not downplay the effect of it.

Claiming the bit is only as harsh as the rider’s hands is a convenient excuse that results in a lot of equine discomfort in order to benefit human desires.

Ultimately, once you opt for harsher mechanics, you’ve made the decision to make your hands feel less soft to the horse.

Yes, you can still cause pain and manhandle horses even in the softest snaffles or bitless.

But, the amount of pressure needed to be applied is more than what it would be for mechanics that amplify the effect of the rider’s hands, meaning the margin for error is not as small.

All of that aside — there are solutions to managing horses who are strong and difficult to control that do not involve use of more aggressive equipment.

Sure, this might not result in the same instant gratification that helps the rider guarantee little to no deviation from their timelines and goals.

But, there is a reason why harsher equipment provides such quick fixes.

And the honest truth is that as soon as you using increasing levels of discomfort for control, the horse has no choice but to respond more quickly or be in more pain.

The bit is as harsh as its mechanics allow it to be.

Rough hands can make anything more harsh but certain equipment will be harsh at rest or with the smallest amount of pressure.

Take accountability for the equipment that you use and don’t use harsh equipment if you don’t want to deal with people noticing how the mechanics work and pointing it out to you.

The most polished of riders with the best results in training can sustain results without relying on harsh equipment for control.

The softest of hands will be accompanied by equally soft equipment because they don’t want to sharpen how the horse experiences rein aids.

Soft hands don’t seek weapons.

That is the simple truth.

16/06/2024

Stewards’ different and contradictory decisions about a certain bit at international competition have highlighted the grey areas and inconsistencies that can exist in FEI rules. At the Kentucky Three-Day Event in April, Canadian rider Katie Malensek was eliminated from the four-star in relation to...

16/06/2024

The Importance of Training from the Horse's Perspective

As horses are not designed to be ridden, it is surely up to us owners to shoulder the responsibility of really understanding how important our decisions are and on what basis we make them.

From anatomy, movement, saddle fit, hoof balance, behavior, topline development, rider posture/skill, taking the time to prepare for developing a program that results in a healthy, harmonious outcome is crucial.

With horse welfare issues being at an all time high with stressed and lame horses promoted on social media as what to aim for, we really need to apply some critical thinking as to what we are seeing versus reality.

As part of our Vision and Mission of highlighting horse welfare as a central component of judging successful training and riding, our evidence and research based membership content and online courses aim to guide those seeking such outcomes.

Horses are the central component of equestrian pursuits, so we must surely do right by them as we pursue our personal goals only attainable with them.

Learn more about classical training from world renowned Vet, trainer and lecturer, Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, and train your eye to recognize rhythm, suppleness and elastic contact:

https://www.equitopiacenter.com/shop/the-basics-of-classical-riding-achieving-balance-through-rhythm-suppleness-contact/

15/06/2024

13/06/2024

12/06/2024

Tuesday Tip.....Turn About the Forehand 🐴💪

This beneficial exercise can be done in-hand. Just three circles each way every day will improve your horse's ridden suppleness, bend and hindlimb adduction.

It can also be a ridden exercise - teaching your horse to move sideways away from leg pressure. It’s also very effective at releasing stiffness and tension in the muscles.

Turn about the forehand is a four-beat lateral turning exercise that you do in walk. As the forelimbs turn on a small circle, the hindlimbs adduct and abduct to step around in a 180-degree arc on a larger circle until your horse is facing the opposite direction.

04/06/2024

By equine lameness and performance specialist Dr Sue DysonGillian asked me to write an article ahead of the ‘Prevention is Better than Cure’ webinar series we are doing in October. It strikes me that people in general do not look critically at horses’ feet and think about what they are seeing....

01/06/2024

IDENTIFYING RELAXATION UNDER SADDLE

If you have achieved relaxation while riding your horse, you should experience the following:

✅ Your horse will willingly accept your aid and respond with his whole body.
✅ Your horse will move rhythmically, with a supple and swinging back.
✅ Your horse's breathing will be rhythmical.
✅ You will be able to bend your horse easily and uniformly through his whole body from side to side.
✅ Your horse's ears will be relaxed and hang to the side, occasionally flicking back and forth as he attends to what he's doing.
✅ Your horse's eyes will be bright and alert but not show any whites.
✅ When you allow your horse to stretch, he will extend his neck forward and down (not lift his head straight up in the air).

Your horse must be relaxed to receive, accept, and respond to your aids. Without relaxation, you cannot influence your horse; instead, you become a passenger on a horse whose attention is focused outward.

Stock image from Shutterstock.

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UK - https://amzn.to/4b7hwLf
US - https://amzn.to/3ybENgq

01/06/2024

Whats the purpose of a flash? To keep a horses mouth shut. Why is the horse opening its mouth? Most commonly, evasion of pressure.

Address the cause of the behaviour, not the behaviour itself because it really is counter productive and just causes even more discomfort that there is no escape from.

Why should you say no to a flash and a tight noseband? 👇 do you see that soft bone with no support? That's why. Now imagine a dropped noseband on that. 🫣

Pic screenshot from Henlea Equine Wellness

30/05/2024

Horses: When We Know Better, We Should Do Better

Dismantling the myths and dominance based protocols that are still pervasive in the horse world, led by the top of the sport, poses a significant challenge.

Overcoming the adulation of winning at all costs and the dismissing of horses in pain and discomfort involves a complete overhaul of the horse industry - from owners, riders and trainers to Veterinarians, farriers, bodyworkers, organizations and anyone involved in equestrian sport.

Horses are not bicycles.

Horses feel pain, anxiety and emotional distress.

How do meet our horses' basic needs?

Are competitive environments causing horse welfare to be compromised?

How do we become better educated on whole horse/whole rider protocols that preserve horse and rider welfare?

This is our Vision and Mission through our Equitopia Membership and Online Courses platform - to usher in welfare centric protocols to make the world a better place for our horses.

Join the revolution. Help us raise awareness and advocate for doing better!

Learn more at www.equitopiacenter.com

30/05/2024

UNDERSTANDING THE MENTAL ABILITIES OF HORSES | Horses are very similar to humans in many different aspects of their brain and behaviour. We are both social species, we like to play and we both have excellent memories.

But in order to truly understand the horse, you must get to know the difference between a human’s and horse’s mental abilities.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲

When compared to other animals, humans aren’t very fast or strong, so we evolved to use tools and think out ways to solve our problems. We needed significant reasoning abilities to feed ourselves and avoid being eaten by other animals. So we evolved an enlarged area of the prefrontal cortex, and this is where our imagination lies. We can imagine different scenarios, we can reflect. We can think ahead and plan to do things in the future.

Horses, however, did not evolve in the same way as humans so we cannot expect them to have the same mental abilities. We cannot blame them for things that they have done in the past or expect them to plan for the future.

𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀

Studies of the horse’s brain tell us that his immediate short-term memory regarding choices that he has made to solve particular problems is accurate for about three seconds, then diminishes. This is the reason why all animals (and humans) require many repetitions in order to learn. It is also why positive punishment is rarely if ever effective, as it is usually applied too long after the behaviour has occurred (remember, positive means ‘adding’ something).

𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗣𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

Horses, like humans, can become optimistic or pessimistic as to the outcome of a certain event. When a horse is always successful (that is, the behaviour used to elicit behaviours goes away every time he performs the behaviour) because the training is clear and consistent, they become optimistic.

However, if the pressure doesn’t go away reliably or the training system relies heavily on punishment, they can become pessimistic. They learn not to try and solve problems any more and become apathetic or give up. If this apathy continues the horse can enter a state of learned helplessness. The horse stops trying to find ways to solve problems and can become dull and almost robotic. It is extremely important not to confuse this state of learned helplessness with being ‘quiet’ or ‘bombproof.’

⭐ This information comes from PCA’s B-Certificate Manual for members.

30/05/2024

A Horse cannot breathe through the mouth. A horse has a long soft palate, that is in the resting position tucked in between the root of the tongue and the epiglottis. That is exactly where it will be during the breathing as well. In the swallowing, the epiglottis moves backwards and closes the entrance to the pharynx. The soft palette is elevated and closes the nasopharynx. The food bolus crosses then the larynx and continues into the esophagus.

As the long soft palate hangs down in front of the epiglottis it doesn't allow breathing through the mouth.

So when you see the horse opening his mouth, guess what....it is not that he is taking a deep breath...

For my supporters on the Patreon page, I prepared a detailed anatomy of this area video. There is also a free part of the clip for no members.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/anatomy-of-and-104754417?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

30/05/2024

To be strong, one must be supple. To be supple, one must stretch 🙏🙏

30/05/2024

An by no one I mean:
Don’t wait for someone else to make it better.
If only the FEI, the KNHS, the FN, the FFE, even the state or the EU or whoever, would install rules and ensure better welfare.

Here’s a spoiler: they won’t.
They won’t save them. Or us.

And that’s just in the nature of things.
Rules won’t make life better. Only ethics can do that and they have to come from within.
The FEI and their lobbyists can only operate because there are people not believing in the good things. Not having the same ethics. You can put rules upon them but that won’t change them.

Change needs to come from within.
And that’s us, the consumers, the supporters. And we need to initiate that butterfly effect.

It’s the same with choosing a healthier environmental friendly lifestyle. I know a lot of people would do it. But they wait for the rules and possibilities to come from above to enable them. Guess what, they will never come so they will never change.

To choose the right things is often uncomfortable and heck, are we comfortable beings. If “lazy” would be a real thing, humans would have invented it.

We don’t want to look at uncomfortable things or talk about uncomfortable things, don’t even say DOING the uncomfortable things.

But here we are. Letting things happen to creatures we say we dearly love.

And I’m not better, true. I hate confrontation and speaking up out loud. Because it’s uncomfortable. I fear the hater comments. But I cherish every little supporter. And I learn everyday to be bolder, wiser, kinder.

Learn with me. Let’s lead, so others can follow.

If you are wanting to speak up and you need that one person behind your back to stand tall, give me a sign.
I’m here.

Here’s what you can do:
Speak openly about your opinion.
Even when you’re insecure, why you maybe don’t want to use a certain bit or tack. That you maybe think it could hurt the horse. Or you heard a thing or two about living conditions. Or that this posture indeed is behind the vertical and the horse is showing pain. It doesn’t have to be a stating fact, it doesn’t have to be defended. Just a seed, in a conversation that maybe becomes a seedling in someone’s mind.

29/05/2024

Sadly, due to my trust being exploited, I now require payment before I leave the yard. If you know you have no Internet and therefore can't complete a BACS transfer on site, please pay with cash or via BACS in advance. I'm not in a position to be able to offer free advice!