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INSPECTION
What’s in it for you?
Tips for Presenting Horses In-Hand at Inspections
FROM OUR MEMBERS
Training of the young horse begins at birth
Those Scandinavians Know How To Put On A Show!
Dear readers, members and SWB lovers,
The 2008 Inspection tour is just around the corner. This is your horses’ time under the sun so make sure you are prepared! To help you along the way, Gail-Hoff Carmona has written an article about how best to present your horse in front of the judges and the preparation that goes into it. I also thought this is an opportune time to reiterate why our Swedish horses are getting inspected. Two very fundamental and high-level objectives: - For the Breed – The inspection with all its various classes (foal, young horse, stallions etc), which constitutes the fundamental pillar in the Swedish warm blood breeding program, is the vehicle to identify “best of breed”. Also to make the Swedish horse as competitive as possible, the greater number of horses to be inspected the greater the selection. To ensure the enforcement of this foundation listed are some of the criteria for the inspections that must be met:
- Experienced judges conducting the inspections
- Consistent application of rules worldwide and from site to site
- Fair and valuable inspection
- For the Breeder – taking the young horses to the inspection helps market your stallions and offspring. The Foal inspection for example, is completely designed for that purpose.
Sign up! Don't forget that appendix horses can now be branded. Here is the list of sites for 2008: - Auburn, WA — September 27 — primary host: Melody Miller
- Martinez, CA — September 28 — primary host: Georgia Langsam
- Solvang, CA — September 29 — primary host: Leslie Morse
- Collinsville, TX — October 01 — primary host: Molly Gengenbach
- Apopka, FL — October 02 — primary host: Jo Mccracken
- Knightdale, NC — October 03 — primary host: Heather King
- Jefferson, OH — October 04 — primary host: Karen Donley-Hayes
- Clarksburg, MD — October 05 — primary host: Randy Johnson
- Wheeler, WI — October 06 — primary host: Lena Warner
- Schomberg, ON — October 07 — primary host: Sylvia Dixon
Last but not least, in this issue of the newsletter we are also introducing a young horse education series. Articles and tips from you all are highly appreciated and we commencing the series with Kathy Joachim’s view about foal imprinting. We have also included the announcement of the upcoming elite foal auction at Flyinge and I would be very interested to know how many of you breeders would be interested in having auctions like this organized in North America? Please send me an email with your comments to newsletter@swanaoffice.org.
— Katarina
- Train and condition your horse properly so that the inspectors are able to see and judge your horse at his best.
- Be sure your horse is trained to walk , halt, stand and trot well in hand.
- Have your horse well groomed and in good physical condition. Neither too fat nor too thin.
- Show your horse to his best advantage.
- Be sure the handler can run fast enough to keep up with him so that his gaits are not restricted.
- Be sure that the handler can keep him standing in the “open position” until the judges have finished inspecting him.
- Inspect your horse yourself to determine how high the handler should try to keep his neck when moving and standing. Remember that if the neck gets too high, the back will hollow. On the other hand, if the neck gets too long, the horse will get onto the forehand.
- Showing the walk
- Let your horse walk with freedom so that he is able to swing his back, track up from behind and show active articulation of his joints. The walk should be active and ground covering but still in good balance (not on the forehand) with a clear 4 beat rhythm.
- When walking away from the inspectors or coming toward them, be sure the horse is moving on a straight line since the inspectors are looking to see if the steps are correctly aligned.
- When the inspectors have a side view, remember to encourage the horse to walk energetically and with freedom. The inspectors are looking for purity of gaits (4 even beats) articulation of the joints, freedom of shoulders and haunches, balance, elastic and swinging back, overstep, reach, ground-covering steps with marching quality.
- Showing the trot
- When trotting away from or approaching the inspectors try to keep your horse moving in a good “up hill” balance on a straight line. The inspectors are checking to see whether the horse tracks straight or not (hind legs in the same tracks as the corresponding front legs) as well as how it pushes from the hindquarters and holds “uphill” balance.
- When the inspectors are looking at the side of the horse, try to keep the horse in good balance and at the same time allow it to move freely. The inspectors are looking at the purity of the gait (2 even beats,) articulation of the joints, freedom of shoulders and haunches, balance, elasticity, swinging back, natural engagement and impulsion from hindquarters, suspension, power and upward thrust, roundness and “uphill” strides.
- Standing for inspection
- Try to keep your horse standing in one place in the “open” position (front and hind legs on the side inspectors are viewing should be slightly spread.) Keep the head and neck raised enough that the horse keeps weight on the hind legs and stands in good balance. Encourage the horse to stretch its neck a little to open the throat latch but don’t let the neck drop so low that the neck appears to be set low at the withers. At the same time, try not to get the neck so high and upright that the back is hollowed.
- When the inspectors move from one side to the other, change the “open position” to the other side.
- Keep the front and hind legs as straight as possible so that the horse does not look toed in or toed out.
- Dress appropriately
- Handlers should wear comfortable shoes for running and dress neatly. White or light pants and a light weight polo shirt are traditional. Gloves are optional.
- Whips
- The handler should carry a dressage whip
- An assistant may go behind with a lounge whip to encourage the horse to move forward, if necessary. Assistants should not try to press the horse so hard that it gets tense or will not maintain its gait.
- If you are interested in learning more about the training horses in hand, please contact SWANA.
In this issue of the Newsletter we are introducing one of a series of articles written by our members about their tips and views of education and training of young horses. This first article is written by Kathy Joachim about foal imprinting.
Training of the young horse begins at birth. Many people call this process imprinting. The concept was first introduced by Dr. Robert Miller about twenty years ago. The premise being that there is a 2 or 3 hour window of opportunity after birth to accomplish the foal’s introduction to how it will be handled by humans and what tasks it must submit to during its life. Don’t despair, however, horses can learn at any age to be cooperative with humans. The process of imprinting is best accomplished by a person that the mare is familiar with and trusts. Most mares are very protective of their young and do not like people that they are unfamiliar with around their babies. This person should also be knowledgeable about the birthing process so that if there are any problems a vet can be contacted immediately.Assuming the birth has gone normally, I begin the imprinting process after the foal is born by applying iodine to its umbilical cord. This is an important step to protect the foal from infections which can have very serious consequences. Next, I have several dry towels on hand to help dry the baby. I rub gently but firmly enough to get the baby used to human’s touch. I rub everywhere, ears, face, neck, belly and legs. This allows the youngster to get used to a human’s touch so that later in its life it will allow grooming, haltering, worming and the farrier. Don’t be surprised if the foal jumps or flinches to this attention---after all they have just come from inside their mother’s womb. During this time I talk softly to the baby so that it gets used to my voice. Young horses are noise sensitive and will relax to soft voices. Always keep an eye on mom and if it appears that she is becoming nervous with any of this process that you can stop and let her relax before proceeding. In a matter of minutes the young foal will attempt to stand. I usually assist him with this process to limit any chance of injury. Also, it may be necessary to assist the foal with its attempt to nurse and may be necessary to halter the mare if she is maiden. Sometimes the mare is in pain w/ contractions and may make it difficult for the baby to nurse. I usually like to see the baby nurse as soon as possible after birth so they get the valuable colostrum. Once all of this is accomplished, I leave the mare and baby alone so that they can have time to get used to each other.In the next three days I spend time with the foal for a few minutes, several times each day. I repeat the process of touching the foal all over and add a few more steps. I’ll put a halter on the baby to get it used to something floppy and heavy on its head. I’ll touch the baby’s legs and pick up each foot. Remember, the baby is still somewhat uncoordinated at this time and you must not attempt to move the foot too much out of place because of this balance issue. As the baby becomes more coordinated you can lift the foot like they’ll need to hold it for the farrier.On the fourth day of life, I put mom and baby out in a large paddock. The baby is now strong enough to allow some freedom to really move. Since today is the day for going out of the foaling stall, it is the first day the foal will be led. I’ll put the halter on the foal with a long, soft cotton lead. The rope needs to be long enough to come from the halter around the right side of the foal behind its haunches and back to the front of the halter. This method is much safer for the baby as it will prevent the foal from flipping over backward in response to pressure from its head. If the foal does leap up the handler should bend the head towards them and push the hindquarters away with their free hand. Pulling down will only increase the foal’s desire to rear and pull back which can result in the horse flipping over. Next, I’ll have an assistant lead the mare and the baby will want to follow. If not, I will apply pressure to the lead rope which pulls the babies haunches forward and teaches his whole body to come in response to pressure from the lead. Have the assistant walk slowly with the mare and be prepared to stop and wait for the baby to catch up. I practice this in the foaling stall until things are going fairly well and then we go outside. I always lead the foal in a halter in this manner for at least four months of its life. That way the skills are well ingrained and it becomes easy to handle the foal as it grows.At this point you have a foal that knows how to lead, pick up its feet, allows touch by humans over its entire body and is well along with the skills it will need later in life as a riding horse.
by Jo McCrackenAbout 7 years ago, I was fortunate enough to be asked to start hosting clinics for a trainer from Sweden. That’s how I got to know, and have since become great friends with, Mr. Bo Jena. My husband and I finally got to go over this year to Sweden and stay with Bo and his wife, and it is an experience I will never forget! We purposely went during the week of the biggest show, called Falsterbo. The top riders at the FEI levels and highest levels of jumping from Holland, Denmark, Sweden, etc. meet for this 7 day extravaganza that you really have to see to believe. The show site is near a beach, so one of the days included teams of 3 riders each, doing huge fences on the beach! There were also derby jumping classes that included some pretty crazy cross-country jumps. The caliber of riders and horses in the jumping and dressage events was second to none! Right behind the jumper ring, the bunny jumping classes were going on. You heard me! There was a course of 9-10 huge jumps, including liverpools and water jumps, where every kind of rabbit, wearing a little halter and 20’ lead were jumping like crazy! There was no dragging-they were just placed in front and the ones who did well just were dragging their handlers like the best agility dogs going through a course. There was every breed represented, too, from the tiniest to big lop-ear types. They even had a warm up ring for the bunnies with several jumps. This was the cutest thing ever! Being a dressage rider, I was really interested in the FEI classes. Again, I’ve NEVER seen a show that was so much fun for the audience and the riders. One day hosted a derby class, where several of the best jumper riders were invited to ride the dressage horses. Here’s the twist, though. The biggest show sponsor was a bed company. So, for the class, a strategically placed bed was next to the ring for the judges, to keep them comfortable. Then, there were kids representing each rider that were encouraged to bring goodies to the judges during their riders’ tests, to “influence” the scores. The riders each wore their favorite bed clothing to ride. Many had head stockings, teddy bears strapped to them and bathrobes. The horses were named appropriate names for the bed company, like, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Nightmare”. The judges were hilarious, commenting on each rider, who made more than a few interpretations of dressage moves! It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen! In the serious classes, the atmosphere was different, too. The riders encouraged spectators to watch the warm ups. Then, during the GP Special tests, after each ride, a person from the audience was allowed to ask the rider a question and the ring steward held a microphone for the rider to answer. Riders at this show were real superstars! I saw many kids running around with autographs adorning their arms and caps of riders like Jan Brink. There was a clinic, free to the spectators, one afternoon by two of the top FEI riders, as well. I think, too, that dressage judges must LOVE to get hired for this show. Since my host was head of appeals committee, I got to see a lot behind the scenes. The show management arranged for one night for the international judges, a real treat. They were taken to Flyinge (state stud/school), where they were picked up by two horse drawn carriages, (one four-in-hand and one double), and driven to an incredible restaurant. It is run by a retired Scottish butler and his chef/wife, who live on the premises and have a thatched-roof old refurbished carriage house that hosts one party per night. Inside, it looks like another century, in the house of a royal. Gary Rockwell was one of the judges present, and I saw his jaw drop more than once! Bo said they had a wonderful evening and meal. It never hurts to keep the judges happy, I say! I know putting on a show here is very “involved”, but we could really learn a thing or two about putting on a more fun show, both for riders and spectators. From the really good background music, to the accessibility for spectators who want to learn, to the ingenuity of class ideas and courses, you could see why this is such a huge event every year and why thousands attend. There was also a positive atmosphere; everyone was encouraging the riders and really wanting to see them do well, as opposed to over critiques of every test. When it rained, everyone huddled, but no one really left. What an experience! When I die, I’ve decided, I want to return as a horse in Sweden; either at Flyinge, or at Jan Brink’s farm, Tullstorp!We welcome your news, error reports and feedback! The SWANA Office can be contacted at office@swanaoffice.org. The editor of this newsletter can be e-mailed at editor@swanaoffice.org.
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