All of my horses care and wellbeing is paramount to me, but with Ceaser being 21 I tend to worry that bit more about him.With this in mind, I'm always on the lookout for top tips on how to keep him healthy and looking his best, both in general and when schooling.
PetPlan Equine recently teamed up with Charlie Hutton from the renowned Talland Equestrian and released a series of videos to help dressage riders care for their horses, prevent illness and injury where possible and to help them achieve those extra marks.
With a video in there dedicated to schooling an older horse I was keen to have a look and hopefully pick up some tips I could put into practice with Ceaser.
I've been aware for quite some time now that with an older horse you just don't know how they are going to come out that day. Depending on their routine that particular day they could be more stiff or even supple than the previous day. Some days I've found Ceaser just isn't feeling up to the real testing work, so have had to do basic movements like lots of transitions and changes of paces. Other days he comes out feeling like a 5-year-old and I'm able to crack on with some harder movements.
Charlie started the video by reiterating what I'd previously had in mind. He recommended during the warm-up to ask yourself "what does he feel like today?" and advised that knowing your horse inside out will help you know what to work on that day and spot if he's not feeling 100% straight away.Ceaser tends to switch off quite easily, especially if I'm schooling at home. My instructor has always advised to keep him busy by doing lots of transitions from pace to pace and within each pace, to encourage him to stay focused and help engage him. Charlie recommends doing this to help encourage the horse to engage and listen to you. He also recommends that whilst doing this you encourage him to be supple through his back.
When schooling or warming up for a competition I tend to find that Ceaser's trot work is never 100% spot on until I've had a cantered and done some counter-canter whilst asking for varying flexions. As soon as I've had a canter and allowed him to open up the trot becomes bigger and much more uphill. Charlie recommends that cantering an older horse fairly early in the warm-up can reduce the amount of concussion and be more comfortable for his joints.
He also recommends using the leg yielding exercise to use in a warm-up as it helps your horse loosen through his body and will make him more responsive to your aids.
When warming up I always ask for a few leg yield steps quite early on, just to get everything warmed up and those muscles working. As we begin to add the trot work I ask for more and gradually build it up. For Ceaser this is a useful exercise that works quite well.In my opinion for those that own an older horse it's important to find what suits both you and your veteran. Some horses age better than others and it's always important to take into consideration what workload each individual horse can take on a daily basis. For some it may be more than others, so it's important to review this with an instructor or someone that can help advise on the correct workload for your horse.
In 2006 it became to apparent PetPlan Equine that more and more horses were living active lives for longer and so are one of few insurers to insure horses up to the age of 25. With this in mind I can rest peacefully with the knowledge that should anything happen, Ceaser is covered.
You can find a variety of top tips from Charlie Hutton on the PetPlan Equine page by clicking this link.
Other videos include:
- Top tips for top marks
- Warming up and cooling down
- Looking after the older horse
- Looking after your horses legs
- Healthy horse management
Have a happy, healthy winter with your horse!
This post has been possible thanks to PetPlan Equine, but all thoughts are my own.
Ceaser is a beautiful horse and doesn't look 21 at all, love your blog!
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