Freelance work is picking up!

It's been a quiet few months of freelancing whilst the weather has been awful. It made me realise that during winter time I could really do with a full time job to keep me going and keep feed in Ceaser's bowl!

A few weeks ago a website I write for asked if I would be able to get to Badminton to do some reporting for them. With such a brilliant line-up and the amazing success of the British riders in the Rolex Kentucky it is sure to be a nail-bitting three days.

All being well I am hoping to get to do some reporting on the cross-country phase, however it will depend on funds and time over the weekend as to whether I can go. Our riding school is picking up quite a fair bit now and I have found I seem to have less and less time for myself these days.

The following week I am heading to the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday and Saturday to report on a couple of classes for one of the equestrian magazines. If anyone is going please let me know and I will be sure to pop over and say hello!

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Worming a horse - Do you know what you're doing is right? - Guest post

It is vital that horse owners worm their horses regularly on a set schedule, targeting the correct worms according to the season and with the right dosage of medicine appropriate for the horse’s size and breed. A veterinarian can advise owners of which horse wormers to use on their equine animals.

What Happens if Horses Get Worms?

Horses that are plagued by untreated worms can be in danger of having their internal organs permanently damaged. Symptoms of worm infestation include loss of conditioning with ribs being more pronounced, lethargy, weight loss, colic, diarrhea, loss of appetite and a dull coat. Horses with these symptoms should be checked by a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis of worms through either a blood test or a fecal egg count. The vet will identify the types of worms infesting the horse and prescribe the proper remedy. 

What Kind of Worms Plague Equine?

The most common types of worms that can infest horses are blood or red worms known as strongyles, roundworms which are also called ascarids, tapeworms, and bots also known as warbles. Blood, red, and roundworms enter the horse through contaminated grass or hay and migrate through the internal organs causing severe attacks of colic. Tapeworms enter the horse by attaching to mites and they can cause gut inflammation or even obstruction. Bots or warbles are fly eggs that enter the horse through the mouth or nose. They migrate to the stomach, attach to the lining and cause the horse to have digestive problems. Different types of horse wormers are needed to treat different worms.

How Can Worms Be Prevented?

Putting horse worming programme in place in which horse wormers are administered on a regular basis is the best way to prevent worm infestations. The Pet Medicine Company carries most brands of wormers for horses and can recommend a schedule which can be approved by the veterinarian. In general, February is the month to treat for redworms and March is the month to treat for tapeworms in most horses. April through August typically requires treatments for small redworms, large strongyles, hairworms and lungworms while September through October brings a return of tapeworms. Redworms and migrating strongyles come back in November while Bots emerge in December and January.   

Which Medicines do Horses need for Worm Treatment?

A qualified large animal veterinarian can advise horse owners as to what kinds of horse wormers their animals need to restore their health. There are a few sites on the internet which sell horse wormers at good prices including The Pet Medicine Company who supply excellent brands of chemical medicines including Panacur, Telmin, Zerofen, Pyratape-P, Strongid-P, Eqvalan, Bimectin, Eraquell and Equest. Veterinarians recommend that horse owners change medications every year so that the infecting worms do not build up a resistance to the medicines. It is always best to confirm with the vet the active ingredient in the medicine and the correct dosage for each horse. Also, special instructions are needed for pregnant mares and foals.

If you are ever unsure of anything relating to your horses health, visit your vet who will be able to give you the best advice. 

Thank you Lucy-Anne for this post. 

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Dressage winter championships plus update!

This weekend saw Ceaser and I heading to our local dressage venue for their winter championships and a very successful weekend it was too!

With a gorgeous new Ideal dressage saddle to ride in, as well as my new jacket and jodhpurs I had a good feeling and finally felt like I looked the part. Ceaser loves his new saddle and since buying and using it he has behaved perfectly. Anyway more on that a little later...

I'm not sure why I do it to myself, but I booked in for Novice 28 and Elementary 44 despite having not been allowed to ride for 2 weeks prior to the date due to having a small operation on my back! Thankfully 3 days before, I was finally allowed to hop back on and wow, what a difference 2 weeks work on the lunge and a new saddle had made to Ceaser!

For the first time in what felt like forever Ceaser was working lovely and in stead of being a little reluctant to move forward into his paces he was finally moving off my leg and going nicely. I didn't want to do too much in the new saddle before I had had it checked by my saddle fitter, Poppy, but after a quick check of it myself, I was sure it fitted and decided to ride in it at the competition seeing as he seemingly preferred it to our Albion!

In true "Sian style" I decided not to ride through my tests in the three days running up to the competition as I was bound to get wound up about a certain movement - it always happens. In stead I ran through the different bits and incorporated them into my schooling exercises. Three days wasn't a huge amount of time to prepare but who doesn't like a challenge?

After arriving at the venue early Saturday afternoon I was a little annoyed to find I had completely forgotten to charge Ceaser's massage pad. Whilst it's not a necessity to use it, I still find it helps him loosen up before I ride.

Because I didn't have the massage pad to put on it meant we were all able to have a sit around the lorry and watch my competition. Usually I find myself rushing around tacking up and jumping on with only minutes to warm up, but this time I ensured I gave myself 40 minutes to warm up, which was a lot better. I had forgotten what it felt like to not be in a mad rush!

Ceaser felt "okay", he was going nicely, very responsive to my leg and working lovely, however I felt like he was learning on me slightly which is probably due to the lack of work we've done over the last few weeks because of my back. The transitions to me felt nice and uphill and actually quite nice. It's not often I work in and find myself thinking we have a slight chance. Mind you, I was slightly put off again to find we were the smallest in the class! You would think by now I'd be used to it, but I don't think I'll ever get used to competing against the big warmblood types with such extravagant movement.

Novice 28 went nicely and better than expected actually. Ceaser was a total gem and I couldn't have been happier with him. In one of the canters he tripped slightly in the K corner and instead of coming down to a trot or it throwing him off balance he picked up the canter straight away without me having to ask and carried on like nothing had happened! The trip threw me off a little but to be honest it shouldn't have and we finished the test with a lovely halt and salute at the end.

If I was to be picky with myself I think the 10 meter loops could have been slightly bigger than I did them, but I was pleased with all transitions and the canters. With some tough competition in our large class I expected to get somewhere in the low 60's and around 6th place. However, I was absolutely over the moon to be told we had got 68.33% and 2nd place - what a fantastic result for my little cob!!

It was a fantastic feeling stepping onto the podium to collect our rosettes and prizes and I think I must have grinned like a cheshire cat the whole time - oh well!

With 30 minutes to spare before Elementary 44 I toyed with the idea of putting my double bridle on to stop him leaning on me so much. However, after a quick think and a discussion with those who had came to watch to me we decided to stick with the snaffle and work him more in the double at home before competing in it again. It was probably a wise decision as he had been thrown in at the deep end a little with a new saddle to contend with for both tests!

After a quick first read of Elementary 44 ( I really need to start going through my tests more) I hopped back on and trotted in to the arena again. Ceaser had by now softened a little after lots of walk to trot and trot to canter transitions in the warm up, but wasn't as soft as I'd have liked. In this class we were the smallest combination again but it felt like we rode through the test well. Mark was a little slow on reading the final downward transition to trot so we fell into our final trot a little, but I suppose if I had learnt my test and gone through it before riding it then I would have known that trot was looming!

Despite this I was thrilled to get 4th place (behind the lovely warmblood again!) and 62.80%. Overall I was pleased with our results and to be honest the day couldn't have gone better for us. The comments on our test sheet speaks volumes and shows that replacing my dressage saddle was a good decision to make.

I feel there is no stopping us now as my lovely other half, Mark joined me and Ceaser with British Dressage as my Easter present. This enables me to compete at affiliated dressage competitions without having to run on a ticket. We can also qualify for the variety of championships they hold which is something to look forward to!

**

 After noticing my old dressage saddle had been pinching Ceaser slightly, purchasing my new one and finding him a little stiff in one back leg I decided it was time to call Poppy Webber again to give him a good going over with some Bowen Therapy. Poppy is also qualified to fit saddles so I booked her to have a look at my new saddle and checked I had purchased the right type!

Thankfully as soon as Poppy arrived and I told her I had purchased an Ideal she told me I had made the right decision and just looking at it on Ceaser's door could tell it would fit him much better than the Albion - Phew, I don't think I could take much more saddle shopping!

Poppy confirmed my suspicion that Ceaser was tight through one hind leg, but thankfully she thought it was all down to the incorrect fitting saddle and was sure it would improve. The stiffness hasn't been hugely noticeable, however when warming up I have noticed it both through my aids and when going past our arena mirrors!

After roughly an hour of working on Ceaser, watching me ride in my new saddle to ensure he looks happy in upward transitions, doing lots of trotting in-hand and various bits and bobs Poppy declared him fit and ready to go! He was an absolute angel for her and to be quite frank was more interested in eating his hay than what Poppy was doing. This what I love about Bowen therapy, the treatment is by no means invasive and unlike other treatments I have seen doesn't look to make them uncomfortable.

I must say it is lovely to hear someone who knows their stuff commenting on how well Ceaser looks for his age and how free he moves. My only hope is he continues to stay like this for quite some time yet.

After mentioning my migraines to Poppy I soon found myself lying on the riding school cabin floor and having Bowen therapy myself on my neck, back and shoulders. As soon as she started to work on my left shoulder Poppy could tell Ceaser leans rather heavily to the left and gave me some exercises to sort him out. It was quite nice to actually hear someone tell me that my neck and shoulders were simply a "mess" as it confirms exactly what I have been feeling these last few months, if not years! The pain in my neck is unbearable some days and I find myself taking endless amounts of Panadol to help. After a couple of "odd" moments, where I could feel my muscles crunching and popping, Poppy declared me fit and ready to go as well! Well, both the pony and I have been ordered to have two days rest so that means Ceaser will have lots of field time to enjoy until Saturday!

Fortunately Ceaser doesn't need to see Poppy for another 3-6 months now, but I have another appointment in a couple of weeks. I will let you all know how I feel in a few days time and whether I feel it has helped my migraines. Apparently Bowen Therapy is a great treatment for migraines so fingers crossed I have finally found something that works!

A huge thank you to Poppy for sorting both Ceaser and I out!

That's all from me now - I will update again soon with how the jumping clinic we are taking part in on Saturday goes!

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Ribbons in a horses tail. What do all the different colours mean?

When you're out competing or hunting you will find the occasional horse or pony has a ribbon in its tail. There are four different coloured ribbons that will all represent something about that individual pony.

If you haven't seen this before or don't know what the individual colour ribbons mean then this post is for you!

There are four colours of ribbon you may find in a horses tail: red, green, blue and white. Each colour has its own meaning.

RED:  Red ribbons signify a horse kicks. If you see a red ribbon in a horses tail it is to warn other riders or people passing by to be wary of the horse and not get too close. This colour is often the most common you will see when out with your horses and one that other riders are most familiar with.

GREEN:  A green ribbon means that the horse is inexperienced and may misbehave. This colour ribbon is suitable for young horses or those that are generally spooky. If you encounter a horse with a green ribbon in its tail then give it quite a wide berth and space. It may be nervous, so just be careful.


BLUE:  Blue ribbons signifies that this horse is a stallion and could potentially be unpredictable. It is helpful for stallion handlers to put this colour ribbon in their horses tail, especially if you have a mare as it warns you to stay away.

WHITE: White ribbons are helpful for letting others know that this horse is for sale. It can be difficult to advertise a horse is for when our competing or hunting, so using a white ribbon is an excellent way to show that your horse is for sale. It is also a fantastic idea as prospective buyers can see him perform in the ring and know that they can approach you after the class.

Next time you're out competing and you see a horse with a coloured ribbon its tail you will now know what it means!

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The Grand National - The good, the bad and the ugly!

For the first time in what seems like forever, all 40 runners of the Grand National came back safe and sound, with 17 also crossing the finishing line safely.

Dramatic changes were put in place for this years race after officials received backlash when last years race sadly claimed another horses life.

It was also reported that fewer falls were encountered during this years race which hopefully meant the redesigned and safer fences played their important role well.

In total only two horses fell throughout the whole race and only six jockeys were unseated. It was the first time in 166 runnings of the Grand National that the entire field was in contention up to the Canal Turn.

To find out my thoughts on the big race at Aintree click on the following link to view my column in the Boston Standard. 

Is this the beginning of a new era for the Grand National? Only time will tell.

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Riding equipment - Guest post by Danny Donchev

Horses are an incredibly enjoyable pass time for many around the globe and taking care of them is difficult but rewarding. That being said there are a few basics that everyone should know about horse grooming that can make the process worlds easier. Horse riding equipment, horse saddles, are just some of the things that you will need to become a proficient rider and understanding how to care for each of them is a great way to start learning more about this exciting sport. 

Saddles are the first and foremost part of any riding kit, as a rider, your saddle is perhaps the most important thing to purchase. Saddles can vary in many aspects including price, size, colour, material and more. Understanding how to care for a saddle can help elongate the life of this piece of equipment greatly. The average saddle costs about £300-£500. These prices can vary according to where you live, what brand of saddle you buy, and what type of saddle you buy. Those saddles that are specially made for things like hurdles and speed riding may cost more as they are specially designed. On average, the life of a saddle that is used frequently if properly cared for can be upwards of 20 years. 

The easiest way to keep you saddle looking great is to wash and condition it regularly. One of the most deleterious elements on a saddle is dirt, grime, and dry air. Keeping a saddle free of dirt and grime and oiling it regularly can prevent cracking, peeling, and other forms of damage that may make it unusable. Saddle pads are another important part of any riding essentials. Your saddle pad helps to secure the saddle and protect the horse from injury from the saddle. This can also help to make any ride a bit smoother. You need to first make sure that the saddle pad is the right thickness. Those that are too thick can hurt the integrity of the saddle and make it dangerous to ride and difficult to cinch your saddle tight enough. Those that are too thin can bring the saddle in contact with the horses skin which can cause chafing, skinning, and even back injury if the saddle is cinched too tight. 

Choose a saddle pad that is of medium heft so that the horse and the rider are both protected. Because the saddle pad comes in contact with the skin of the horse it is important to keep it clean and dry. When the pad becomes too sodden with sweat or grime it should be washed to help prevent irritation of the horse's skin. It should also be kept clean to help elongate the life of the pad. The pad is one of the most important pieces of equipment as it protects both the rider and the horse. If the pad becomes thread bare, torn, or overly damaged it should be replaced immediately. The average life span of a saddle pad is only a couple of years as it is made of less durable material than the saddle. 

Guest post by Danny Donchev

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