Equine Performance Consultant

18/09/2023

The last in the series - don't miss out!
Everything you need to know about signs of pain behaviour in the ridden horse.

Please help us to spread the word and SHARE! Thank you!

16/09/2023

23/06/2023

The Danish Animal Ethics Council has translated their report on the use of horses for sports to English. Worth a read.
https://detdyreetiskeraad.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Dyreetisk_Raad/Publikationer/Udtalelser/Oversaettelser/Statement_on_the_use_of_horses_for_sport_2023.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3U55DdN2BKupZiH5_XK41o8ea18CrdnE4C6mZYpFXR7wzQlKYYPr-J__Y

11/05/2023

MUD, MARTINGALES AND MARGINS - BADMINTON 2023 CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS

There is no doubt that the weather posed some challenges for everyone involved in Badminton this year, particularly for the cross-country, so congratulations to Ros Canter. Heavy rain meant soft going. And soft going means horses have to work harder to cover the same distance at the same speed and also potential problems at some jumps so it was great to see the organisers and officials make changes to the XC course (https://www.badminton-horse.co.uk/cross-country-course-update/):

➡ Fence 15 Lightsource BP Pond - hardcore stone footing placed behind the B element.
➡ Fence 17 The Lemieux Mound – the B element is to be removed.
➡ Fence 21 The Badminton Lake – the water level is to be lowered.
➡ Fence 26 The Jubilee Clump Brush – some decoration around the fence will be removed to make it a smoother line on the approach.
➡ Fence 27 The HorseQuest Quarry – A element to be removed.

The outcome was only 30 horses finished the XC, all with time penalties (average = 36.6 penalties), none inside the time, 11 retired on XC, 17 eliminated and 6 withdrawn before XC.

Compare this to 2022 where 59 horses finished the XC, 6 inside the time (average = 15.0 time penalties), 8 retired on XC, 13 eliminated and 3 withdrawn before XC.

But what other options could potentially have been considered given the heavy going? Previously, I’ve been involved with the FEI and course designers for a number of major championships to offer advice on adjusting cross-country courses to allow for hot weather, sharp turns, hills, etc. These are factors that all increase how hard horses have to work and soft ground is no different. We know that heavy going would make the horses work around 15% harder compared with good-firm going at the same speed. So in heavy going, 6600 metres will ride like 7590 metres. Which means horses will tire (fatigue) earlier. The other options that could be considered are:

• Increase the optimum time so riders can go slower, which means the horses don’t work as hard
• Decrease the distance by 15%
• Decrease the number of jumping efforts by 15%
• Increase time and/or decrease distance and/or decrease jumping efforts

INCREASING OPTIMUM TIME
This has been a hot topic on social media with many people suggesting optimum time should have been increased. I’ll readily admit I’ve never jumped anything as big as a Badminton fence, but I can imagine that most riders would probably not choose to approach those fences at a slower speed than what they have trained for. This could potentially lead to horses “switching off” and an increased risk of faults. So I would suggest increasing optimum time would not be a good option. [EDIT - Horses being out for longer could also increase fatigue due to increased body temperature which also leads to fatigue, even in cool weather].

DECREASING DISTANCE/JUMPING EFFORTS
Reducing the overall distance and number of jumping efforts by ~15% would make a 6600 metre course on soft going ride like a 6600 metre course on good-firm going. This would allow riders to ride closer to their normal XC pace. Of course, this would require significant pre-planning to have sections that may or may not be used depending on the weather. There has actually been a precedent for this – the Atlanta 1996 XC course had two loops which in the end were not used.

We do now also have the tools to assess going – The Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester (OBST) which is used by the FEI surfaces expert Prof Lars Roepstorff for assessing surfaces at major championships; primarily of arena surfaces, but this has also been used for assessing XC tracks, for example Tokyo 2020.

I think this is a debate we need to have, as always, supporting horse sport but with horse welfare very much in mind!






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11/05/2023

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/03/kentucky-derby-racehorses-deaths-animal-welfare?fbclid=IwAR0yQ_TeL-Yr9uXACnShdHgrhCt9TlR-AcTx95gcSAszfaLdcitE1lMOhRs

US audiences will be sold a tale of horses battling for glory and adulation at Churchill Downs. But the actual story is far more disturbing

02/05/2023

Next stop on the SRT Equine Performance Roadshow is Perthshire!
If you own, ride or work with horses, you need to be there!
Introducing the Ridden Horse Performance Checklist - how to tell if your horse is working optimally.
Please help us to spread the word and share wherever you can - thank you!

Dr. Anne Bondi PGDip DProf
BHSI Accredited Performance Coach
Specialist in poor performance

02/05/2023

02/05/2023

Learn new skills at your local SRT Roadshow: https://bit.ly/3XfhPf3

27/04/2023

Free for you to read online or download at: https://concordiaequestrians.org/issue-7/
A ‘no holds barred’ FEI special with excellent articles covering tack, training practices and the Olympic games, written by indisputably knowledgeable scientists, trainers and veterinarians.
Fascinating - if somewhat disturbing - reading to open the minds of competitors, trainers, pleasure riders and the general public - all horse lovers alike.
Please share!

26/04/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRQHsv9leuM&t=10572s
Recommended viewing for those who care about the future of equestrian sport

Programme: 09:00 CEST - Opening by the FEI President followed by a speech of IMD Prof. Cairns-Lee 09:30 CEST - Session 1 - Session 1: Second Report from the ...

26/04/2023

26/04/2023

A very thought provoking seminar with the Saddle Research Trust.

For anyone interested in learning more about the 24 pain behaviours in horses, I highly recommend.

22/04/2023

*** HORSES & THE UK GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY ALERT TEST TOMORROW, SUNDAY 23rd April 2023 at 3PM! ***

If you own a horse or work with horses PLEASE DON'T FORGET that at 3pm on SUNDAY (tomorrow) an estimated 90% of mobile phones will make a sound and vibrate for 10s. The volume will be the MAXIMUM that your phone can produce and the sound will be a siren!

➡ PLEASE REMEMBER - Your horse has much more sensitive hearing than you and can hear higher frequencies. If you are riding or around horses at this time they could easily be startled which may be dangerous for them and you!

➡ PLEASE TAKE CARE AT 3PM TOMORROW! Try to avoid riding with a phone at this time or if you are with your horse leave your phone in your car or tack room.

➡ PLEASE SHARE!

21/04/2023

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1975020/12682741

I had a thoroughly enjoyable horsey chat with Marianne Davies - a fascinating lady and refreshingly curious about life around horses.

Welcome to the podcast's first anniversary episode!My guest on this episode is Dr. Anne Bondi. Anne Bondi was a successful professional rider who competed at international advanced level both in eventing and dressage. In 2017, Anne was awarded a d...

20/04/2023

https://www.thehorsephysio.co.uk/sue-dyson-observations-during-showjumping-warm-up/?fbclid=IwAR0JLbjx52yGfZSg313nSDvur7j_RzmygrDH2PICwzNAkuCBBDk_F0QQHkc

Alternatively, I could say that I was promoting the concept that comfortable horses are ‘happy’ athletes and providing evidence that they are likely to perform better than horses experiencing discomfort. I also had the opportunity to spend several hours watching the warm-up arena for the showjum...

20/04/2023

Would you like to learn how to improve your horse's performance?

Learn how to pick up on subtle cues at this engaging and interactive lecture demo at West Park Arena in Durham on Monday 24th April. Tickets on sale now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/saddle-research-trust-2023-seminar-equine-performance-safeguarding-tickets-545955065297