Senneville Hunter Jumper Farm

01/10/2025

08/07/2024

I’ve seen a LOT of claims that it’s just the “arm chair trainers” who are concerned about horse welfare in upper level sports and that there’s no reason to think elite sport horses have any welfare implications.

But, that’s not true.

The concern for welfare and desire to reform horse welfare in sport is evidence based.

There have been many studies showing trends of stress, many of which repeatedly being linked to the same factors.

There’s also been evidence that horse people, as a general rule, aren’t accurately reading horse behaviour and often misinterpret stress as “excitement.”

Even professionals.

The push to make evidence based changes to modern horse sport isn’t coming from a lack of experience.

Or made up beliefs.

There is merit to it.

Sources:

Effects of different head–neck positions on the larynges of ridden horses

https://wiley.scienceconnect.io/api/oauth/authorize?ui_locales=en&scope=affiliations+alm_identity_ids+login_method+merged_users+openid+settings&response_type=code&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Faction%2FoidcCallback%3FidpCode%3Dconnect&state=Dps2IO0LOrpSUAYYguc7KtuRrf28v6p%2BGQvmml7isNKO0VnuBDd35w6GCizpVGErUtI4QyX%2BZcnMNMLj97hGCMvzOnDpuKx%2BMLPIip2%2BY0nAIScrXBD3nhnhbfu8SqyYeqSHqcd4bg1nyrqmNf%2FBRQ%3D%3D&prompt=none&nonce=GKquhZCnqBQuiWMSI6MrsYR1vTcedRyg7%2B3IjVv9t4U%3D&client_id=wiley

Is the welfare of sport horses assured by modern management practices?

https://agro.icm.edu.pl/agro/element/bwmeta1.element.agro-288b0b64-bb47-4837-add7-fce405e4b318

Indicators of stress in equitation

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159117300692

Determining International and National Equestrian Expert Opinions on Domains and Sub-Domains Essential to Managing Sporthorse Health and Welfare in the Olympic Disciplines

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/21/3404

Tools of the Trade or Part of the Family? Horses in Competitive Equestrian Sport

https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/22/4/article-p352_2.xml

Investigating Equestrians' Perceptions of Horse Happiness: An Exploratory Study

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34416986/

Untangling the Complex Relationships between Horse Welfare, Rider Safety, and Rider Satisfaction

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08927936.2023.2176589

Horses Could Perceive Riding Differently Depending on the Way They Express Poor Welfare in the Stable

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080620302975

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293195838_Potential_Effects_of_Stress_on_the_Performance_of_Sport_Horses

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293195838_Potential_Effects_of_Stress_on_the_Performance_of_Sport_Horses

Equestrian partnerships: A qualitative investigation of the relationship between horse and rider in elite equestrian sports

https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/equestrian-partnerships-a-qualitative-investigation-of-the-relati-3

Comparison of head–neck positions and conflict behaviour in ridden elite dressage horses between warm-up and competition

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159124000509

New insights into ridden horse behaviour, horse welfare and horse-related safety

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159121003269

Does work affect personality?:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3036583/

Conflict behaviour in show jumping. Horses:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080617300552

Do horses enjoy jumping:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787812001931

Effect of horse age and number of riders on horse behaviour:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787820301362

Stress and temperament affect working memory: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347213004302

Conflict behaviour in elite dressage and show jumping horses: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787814002226

Ridden horse pain ethogram: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787822000685

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787816301848

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787816301848

Objective Pain assessment in horses: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090023318306245
Conflict behaviour in dressage horses: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787822000843

Influence of stress level on performance: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0034528817308305

Welfare improvement in sport horses: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159120300502

Effects of hyper flexion: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938414000419

Ridden horse welfare: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159121003269

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749073910000659

Correlation of common training gadgets and conflict behaviour: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S155878782100157X

Assessment of ridden horse behaviour: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787812000779

Can pain be determined by facial expression?: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787817300199

Bit related studies on discomfort:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787822001344

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090023308003316

Comfortabilitt to new stimuli socially transmissibale: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159118301059

Welfare improves rider safety: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159121003269

Impact of stress on performance: https://vet.arioneo.com/en/blog/stress-in-horses-what-impact-on-health-and-performance/

Equitation science minimizing risk/:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4810043/

Detecting welfare in non verbal species: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/8/2249

07/18/2024

06/23/2024

“My horse is fine, I had X-rays done”

How often do we hear people defending their unhappy horse because they had X-rays done?

X-rays show bone, only bone and there can be so much more happening in a horses leg. There are limitations to any diagnostics done and X-rays are firmly limited to bone or any calcified/mineralised soft tissues present if dense enough. The X-ray beam must also be at 90 degrees of the issue to show clearly. You can also see the break down of the cartilage in the area, he was an 8 year old TB gelding. He was only grade 1 out of 5 lame but he lacked a good suspension phase in the stride and his movement was choppy.

The problem below was a tiny bone fragment that had been covered in cartilage and scar tissue to protect the joint. There was localised inflammation around the capsule of the joint as well as a break down of cartilage in the fetlock joint. It did not show in the X-rays aswell as a few other issues. The full findings are available on my patreon page.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/comparing-vet-106702710?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

06/06/2024

Everything comes with a price

A sensitive horse is going to be sensitive to both light aids AND your accidental aids and mistakes

A quiet school horse is going to give you room to fumble with your hands and legs, and they are also likely to ignore them when you mean to use them.

It isn’t fair to want the reward without the price. It isn’t fair to take from a horse without giving- and it all comes down to working on ourselves: our expectations, riding abilities, mindset, and awareness. You can’t have a perfectly performing horse without putting in your own work. A horse is not a computer or a robot- they rise to, or fall to, the level of the horseman.

Photo by Melinda Yelvington

05/30/2024

Keep watching, the back moves so differently in each gait

05/28/2024

✨Grand Prix Schoolmaster✨

12 year old warmblood gelding ready to take you up the levels to Grand Prix! Shown in FEI classes with a pro and just took an amateur to her first Grand Prix, earning top ribbons. This horse is a trainers dream and a fantastic teacher. Six figures to purchase, lease option also available. Located in Ocala, FL.

05/27/2024

05/20/2024

Horses try to tell us! Many choose not to listen because their dreams or goals are within grasp and the horse needs to comply. Others are determined it is simply bad behavior

05/19/2024

Welcome to advanced eventing---53 years ago---

Over the years, in the cat and mouse game played by cross country course designers and cross country riders, there have been any number of experiments aimed at creating challenging “questions” while attempting not to cross that fine line into total risk.

Back in 1971, riding my $800, former barrel racer, Cat, in my first advanced long format 3-day event, there was this jump at Dunham, Quebec that rode pretty close to that fine line.

The old barn was built into a bank, so that the upper story was entered through big hayloft doors, while the cows would have been stabled in the lower section. The course designer opened a big “window” across from the entrance, and there was enough of a lower ledge, maybe a couple of feet high, so that the horse had to jump up and out of the window, but coming through the barn, the boards creaking and thundering under the hoofbeats, all you could see were the tops of trees.

The horse had to have enough blind faith in the rider to just jump out there without being able to see the landing until he was in the air. There was, I think, enough gravel on the floor boards to create some purchase, and there was a big pile of gravel mounded up on the landing side so the horse didn’t drop 10 or 15 feet straight down.

It wasn’t a hard question in terms of actual jumping effort----gravity did most of the work---but neither the rider or the horse could be the least bit hesitant about going out that window.

05/06/2024

If your canter length is not 12 feet (3.6 m), you're making it difficult for your horse to find a good takeoff spot. Show jumping courses are designed to accommodate a standard canter stride length and are not adjusted to each horse's stride. This means courses with related lines (ie all of them!) and distances in combinations will be significant challenges if you can't maintain a 12-foot (3.6 m) canter.

Yes, it's possible to jump clear without a standard stride, but you'll need a great "eye". You've probably seen the "old school" riders who hold and hold and hold until they "see a spot," then they chase it down. This approach requires a reactive horse, bigger bits, nosebands, martingales, and the often yelled instruction of "MORE LEG".

There are better ways to achieve consistency.

Inconsistent stride lengths increase wear and tear on your horse, which we want to avoid at all costs. I'm not saying you don't need an adjustable canter or a sharp eye—because you do—but it should be subtle.

We've all heard people say, "riders just sit there; the horse does all the work." You CAN learn to ride like that, but it requires careful preparation. If you don't have one yet, get a long tape measure and use it for the free exercises on my website (link in comment). You'll be on your way to improvement!

Most jumping riders practice straight-line distances, but it's just as important to master the 3.6 m (12-foot) stride on curved lines. At home, you can test this by placing two poles on opposite sides of a 20-meter circle. Canter around the circle and count how many strides you take between the poles.

You should be able to canter eight non-jumping strides for each half of the 20-meter circle. If this is new to you, you might end up with around ten strides, or even more. Here's the maths: The circumference of a 20-meter circle (C = πd) is about 63 meters, which is 17.5 standard canter strides. For simplicity, we'll call it 18. Subtract two strides for the poles, leaving 16. Half of that is eight.

Don't say that's too hard! Your phone has a calculator, and if you rotate it, you'll find a scientific calculator with a π symbol. If you want to be a jumping rider there are no excuses for being lazy about distances and canter length. You cannot improve what you do not measure.

One day, you'll face a combination off a half-circle approach. If you're counting ten strides between the poles on a 20-meter circle, how will you safely jump though a combination approached from a turn? If you can't maintain a 12-foot (3.6 m) canter by riding eight strides over poles on the ground in both directions, please hold off on jumping courses for now. Nail down the right canter so you can handle bigger tracks harmoniously without pulling and chasing. Your horse will thank you.

04/29/2024

The equine brain debate!

Over the years I’ve heard many descriptions of a horses walnut sized brain for the humans lack of understanding of the horse.

So to set the story straight, here is my regular lady sized hand beside a 15hh horses brain. We are looking at the ventral side(underneath) with the cerebellum and spinal cord attached.

04/25/2024

If anyone, anywhere tells you to pull the horses head down (or uses leverage and gadgets to do so) they have no knowledge of healthy horse biomechanics or of correct training.
The horse's nose must always lead, with the poll highest and the gullet open. The base of the ears mustn't be lower than the withers. The jaw must be mobile. If the horse cannot chew and swallow, the hindlegs cannot operate correctly. If the hindlegs cannot operate correctly, the horse will not be able to jump, or stay off the forehand, or stay sound.
"Don’t be obsessed with the head and neck, learn to feel what the hindquarters are doing." ~ Glenys Shandley