Anjanette McClean Equitation Science Trainer and Coach

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁 - The Tongue 👅

The 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲 is the most sensitive part of your horse's mouth and the most prone to injury.

This very large muscle extends from its tip, which you can see, to the hyoid apparatus and its attachment to the ramus of the mandible at the back.

The tongue is vital for swallowing and influencing the hyoid apparatus

Like any other muscle, restriction or tension within it can induce a muscular chain reaction.

The sensitivity of the tongue is a crucial consideration when fitting a bit. An ill-fitting or harsh bit or excessive pressure on the bit from your hands can cause pain and discomfort. In some cases it can result in tension throughout the body and poor performance.

What your horse wants you to know about nosebands

ISES, the International Society for Equitation Science, has 10 principles applicable to all training across all disciplines. These have evolved over the life of the institution. The first principle is that there must be regard for horse and human safety.

Horse riding and handling is dangerous; the hospitalisation rate is around one hospitalisation for every 350 hours of contact. As Dr Kerry Mack explains, while not all accidents are avoidable, there are measures we can take to help minimise the dangers....

Read more: https://eqlifemag.com.au/issues/issue-96/play-it-safe-from-the-ground-up/

This weeks documentary expose at Helgstrand dressage has shocked the equestrian world, Except, it hasn’t really. Everyone knows this way of producing horses goes on everywhere in the horse industry. In dressage, in racing, in reining, in eventing.

It’s hidden in plain sight. And actually, half the time it’s not even hidden, it’s normalised. I often pass people hacking their horses in draw reins, martingales and gag bits, you can get them at the local tack shop. I don’t know why we’re surprised people use them, it’s all just there to buy.

This can all feel a bit depressing and leave you wondering what to do. Here are some ideas - you may have more of your own.

1. If you’re a coach or riding instructor set out your stand about your principles and celebrate them with your students. Help people understand what the vertical looks like and why it’s important for their horses. Be proud of saying, ‘Let’s take all this kit off this horse and learn a better language’, Be part of a vanguard of change and prioritise ethics over rosettes (although both are possible). The more people in our industry really do it (rather than just pay lip service to it) the less it will be considered the ‘alternative approach’.

2. Companies can change the images they use to sell us stuff. They could use horse models without nosebands, with their faces in front of the vertical, showing signs of what a happy athlete actually looks like. Many incredible vets, scientists and ethologists have long lists of indicators to help identify these attributes, these are freely available on your local social media page - you don’t have to look far.

3. Magazines, do the same as above. Put these horses on your front cover. People can be what they can see, Show riders without loads of equipment on their horses, demonstrating healthy posture, riding in a way that allows horses to see, breathe, move. Include articles about how horses need to move to stay sound and happy based on classical principles of biomechanics grafted to our modern understanding of their minds and body.

4. If you own a livery yard, along with the sign that says no smoking or heavy petting, include a list of welfare practices for how horses on your yard will live and be treated. Friends, freedom, forage. No need to lead in chifneys we can help you learn how to lead your horse well without one. No shouting at horses on your yard, please.

5. If you hire out a venue you can do similar to the above. As part of your contract outline how horses need to treated on your property. Encourage and celebrate teachers who have respect for the horse at the heart of what they do. Explain that as a visiting rider if you need draw reins there are coaches here who can help you find a better way, Be clear about what you welcome and don’t welcome at your venue.

6. If you run a riding club or pony club then focus on education~ there are plenty of amazing people who will come to talk to members about horse welfare, behaviour and how horses learn. People who can explain that when horses buck or rear or nap or spook they’re doing it for what they consider to be very good reasons, and require our support and compassion rather than punishment. They can help your members recognise pain and discomfort and be on the side of their horse. People want to do better when they know better, I believe.

7. We can all collectively not buy horses who’ve been started under saddle before they’re 4. We can push dealers to find horses who’ve been left to grow up and haven’t been sat on or loose jumped while their young bones are still maturing. We actually drive the market, if we say no to horses started too young and pushed too fast, things will change. We may need to pay more to ‘wait’, but we pay less in the long run.,

8. Those of us who ride can be braver about poking our heads above the parapet and demonstrating, ‘There is also this way of doing things’. Even though it may, in the first instance, open us up to criticism as it doesn’t ’look’ like what has become the norm. We can support and encourage our colleagues and peers who are trying to do things ethically with horses; even if it’s not exactly what we’re doing.

This is only a very small starter for ten. The call is also of course for judges to judge differently, but that is really the tip of the iceberg. If we, as a collective equine industry, don’t start to insist on change wherever we are then we may find the public taste for letting anyone ride a horse is significantly reduced.

Change is possible, you may have other ideas for where practical action can take place right where you are now. Please do share your own ideas. it’s amazing what individuals can do.

To truly understand horses, we need to know how they experience the world in comparison to humans.

Although our brains are very similar to horses, there is one major difference.

Humans have a large part of the front of our brains devoted to imagining (not only events but also objects and time).

Because we can think back, and look ahead, we sometimes falsely accuse the horse of being aware of his past actions or doing something with a particular motive or intent. The part of this brain is far less developed in horses.

Our short course: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 is an essential one-hour theory-based course for riders, coaches and trainers of all levels and disciplines.

Topics covered include:
- Desensitising.
- Positive and negative reinforcement.
- Classical conditioning.
- The horse's mind.
- Differences between horses and humans.
- The basic responses in-hand and under-saddle

Providing you with a thorough introduction to how horses learn, as well as equine ethology and biomechanics, this course is designed to teach you the fundamentals of successful horse training.

Click the link to get started: https://esi-education.com/courses/how-horses-learn/

Operation X Documentary Causes Cascade of Anger, Indignation, Disapproval The first episode of the highly anticipated undercover documentary "Operation X: Secrets of the Horse Billionaire" has been aired by the Danish commercial tv station TV2 on Wednesday evening 22 November 2023. It has caused a cascade of anger, indignation and disapproval and has led to an expected so...

Horses are social animals and recent research in ‘attachment theory’ suggests horses find security in humans.

Attachment theory tells us that an insecurely attached animal is likely to be nervous and neophobic (scared of new things, they may shy more than expected) and this can make for an unsafe situation.

Attachment does not come about by feeding titbits.

Attachment theory has established that attachment comes about through clear and consistent interactions and via soothing touch.

Replicated research demonstrates that in the case of the horse, a key site for developing an affiliative bond arises from caressing at the base of the withers.

Our textbook Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 1 is available to purchase on our website (link in bio).

https://esi-education.com/product/modern-horse-training-equitation-science-principles-practice-volume-1/

// Friday Fact - Flight Response While Lungeing //

Lungeing the horse is an important part of some training systems as it plays a significant role in gymnastics development. It is sometimes used to 'take the edge off' a fresh horse, which can be a useful strategy provided downward transitions are diligently used to delete any attempts at flight response such as running, bucking and leaping.

Lungeing is a potentially problematic exercise as it sometimes allows the expression of the flight response. If tension and related behaviours such as rushing, bucking and shying become established on the lunge, they can become incorporated into the horse's habits and show up elsewhere in his training. It is important that immediate downward transitions are used to delete any tension and prevent the flight response from being expressed.

(Excerpt of the book 'Academic Horse Training', p. 81)

Is it possible to study the 𝟏𝟎𝟖𝟕𝟐𝐍𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 part-time?

Yes, when a student enrols, they will be asked to select their ‘study load’.

There is no obligation to stay with the same study load throughout your journey; they are merely there for ESI to help you stay motivated and on track. Students may increase or decrease their study load depending on their lifestyle.

Study loads are outlined below (note: there are 3 terms per year).

✨ Full-time –𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

Commitment: approximately 15 - 20 hours per week (including 2 practical sessions with your horse).

✨ Part-time – 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝟐 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

Commitment: approximately 10 -15 hours per week (including 1 - 2 practical sessions with your horse).

✨ Semi -part-time – 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

Commitment: approximately 4 hours per week (including 1 practical session with your horse).

Find out more by visiting our website. Applications are now being taken for the January 2024 intake.

Will you be one of our next students?

“We see tendon injuries in horses worked in bandages and we’ve got to move away from that and understand it’s about keeping horses’ legs as cool as possible. If I had a choice between putting on fleece bandages or no leg protection, I’d go for no protection”

Really useful talk from Equilibrium’s Laura Szuca and vet Natalie McGoldrick about protecting a horse’s legs and using brushing boots. Three key things to look for are: breathability, flexibility and good fit 🐎

DROP THE TIGHT NOSEBAND

Are tight nosebands still too readily used as a schooling shortcut?

Over 5 years ago I posted about the research carried out by Orla Doherty looking at how the use of tight nosebands affects the horse. Awareness about this issue has been raised but it is sadly still commonplace for horses to be ridden with their mouths strapped shut.

One study looking at 737 horses competing internationally (mainly in eventing and dressage), found that only 7% of horses had nosebands fitted loosely enough to fit two fingers at the frontal nasal plane. 44% of the horses wore nosebands fastened so tightly that a measurement couldn't be taken. This practice is something the FEI and other equestrian organisations are doing very little about.

Many nosebands are fastened tighter than the recommended level of pressure for a human tourniquet and are likely to be damaging facial tissue. The pressure can also cause the teeth to cut into the inside of the cheek (ask your vet or equine dentist to check this area regularly if you use a noseband).

Another study involving 3143 competition horses showed a significant association between tight nosebands and injuries to the corners of the mouth. Further research has shown they reduce horses’ ability to swallow, yawn, chew and lick and they have also been associated with raised heart rate and increased eye temperatures. I have seen several horses whose faces have actually been disfigured by the use of tight nosebands, with bony changes happening over time. What levels of pain are these horses enduring and why is this practice continuing?

A horse may react to the bit or pressure from the rider's hands by performing a wide range of oral behaviours, such as opening his mouth or lips, crossing his jaw or putting his tongue over the bit. These behaviours indicate the horse has a problem with what is being asked of him or is trying to avoid pain. Tightly fastening a noseband around the mouth will mask some of these symptoms, but it doesn't address the underlying cause of the behaviour. Sadly this is a training shortcut used by many riders to avoid retraining the horse, changing tack or assessing and altering their own riding and training techniques.

At minimum you should be able to fit two fingers easily underneath the noseband at the front of the horses face – on the nasal bone – not at the side where the tissue is soft.

The team at the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) have updated their position statement on restrictive nosebands. Recent research has been added giving further scientific evidence of the potential adverse effects of restrictive nosebands on horses.

Until scientific evidence suggests otherwise, the ISES recommends that governing bodies:

A. introduce and enforce noseband regulations in all equestrian sports, specifying that an objective measuring tool of standard circumference, such as the ISES Noseband Taper Gauge, to the two-finger level, is used in all cases;

B. specify that measurement of space under nosebands is carried out at the frontal nasal plane at all times;

C. recognise mouth-opening as the result of undesirable rider- or tack-induced factors including pain, discomfort and errors in training, rather than a sign of resistance, and accept that any physical restriction of jaw movement may have the potential to compromise horse welfare;

D. offer greater transparency on how decisions are made in relation to permitted tack and its usage, as well as providing sufficient evidence said regulations are protecting horses from being harmed;

E. continually revise the rules and practices that affect horse welfare; with an evidence-based approach that includes the latest animal welfare and veterinary science.

You can read the updated position statement here: https://equitationscience.com/equitation/position-statement-on-restrictive-nosebands

My beautiful Alladin!!

// Training Tip Tuesday - Training turns //

Turns are essential not only because they provide changes in direction, but also because they pre-train straightness, and they also correct crookedness issues. In training and riding turns it is tempting to use simultaneous leg aids as well as rein aids (many of us are taught that), but this practice is confusing because of the impossible biomechanics that are stimulated concurrently. The aids should be used separately at all times.

So the general rule for most horses is that the aids should be kept a minimum of two foreleg steps apart for guaranteed clarity. The closest you can bring the aids together is a brief shortening or lengthening aid at either end of a single step, but that is for a very advanced horse. Even one step apart can be too close for most horses that do not have deeply consolidated habits.

Exercise 🐴
At halt apply the opening rein aid to turn, aim for one step of turn and walk forward 4-6 steps before halting again. When the first step occurs from a light aid, repeat the exercise.

If the horse has an opposing response to the direct rain, train it beside a wall and turn him away from the wall.

(Excerpt from the book 'Academic Horse Training', p. 137 & 191)

// Training Tip Tuesday - Training and testing self-carriage //

The importance of training self-carriage cannot be overstated. The benefits to the horse are huge because when the horse is trained to maintain his own speed, line and outline, he is free from pressure and pain. If you train by the methodology of holding the rhythm and line with the hands and legs, the horse is a prisoner and is constantly bombarded with aids. Furthermore, this leads inevitably to the need for stronger aids. So throughout training, it is important to develop habits where you regularly release your rein and leg (s) contact for just 2 strides.

For the reins it means running your hands forward and mildly looping the reins for two strides. Releasing for any more than 2 strides should mean that your horse will lengthen his neck until he reaches contact. Self-carriage should be tested regularly in horses at every level. It is not for the rider to say the horse is light, it is up to the horse to tell you. When you release the reins forward, if the horse is in an uncomfortable outline or one that he is not ready for, he will, within the 2 strides, immediately lengthen his neck. If he has not had correct training in rhythm, he will accelerate, and if he has not had correct training in straightness, he will drift and become crooked.

This is an excerpt of 'Academic Horse Training'. To find out more, please follow head to our website: https://esi-education.com/

There are no different methods, as such, only correct or incorrectly used negative and positive reinforcement/learning theory. Successful techniques are always consistent with correct negative/positive reinforcement (pressure and release).

Whether your first sessions are in-hand or ridden, a typical session is not like a riding/schooling session. As training is more fundamental than 'schooling' or 'having a good seat'.

Applying simultaneous contradictory cues (stop-go at the same time) is a recipe that will result in a confused horse, a deterioration in the way of going, and may lead to behaviour issues.

French dressage (in contrast to German dressage) - 'Reins without legs, legs without reins' is the way.

Imagine if we arrived at traffic lights and both the green AND the red light were illuminated simultaneously!

You are invited to Join Us!
National Health, Safety and Welfare Online Conference 2023.

Listen and learn from world renowned guest speakers leading the way in future proofing Equestrian Sport. The conference will run over THREE sessions.

Who should attend: Anyone who has an association with horses for competition, training, coaching breeding, or business purposes.

Cost: FREE to EA Members and students studying in the equestrian field. (All other participants are $30.00 for the entire conference or $12.50 per session)

What’s on!
10th July
Session 1 – Our Sport Participants - Supporting your Health & Wellbeing whilst engaging in Equestrian Sporting activities.

12th July
Session 2 – Our Sport Environment - Adopting a best-practice approach within Equestrian Sport. The importance of developing and implementing systems to minimise the inherent risks of Equestrian sporting activities.

17th July
Session 3 - Our Horses - It is a privilege for humans and horses to interact. Providing a healthy & safe environment for our horses, whilst maintaining their welfare.
Read more here:
https://www.equestrian.org.au/news/national-health-safety-and-welfare-online-conference-2023

Register Now: https://www.nominate.com.au/EquestDn/Event.aspx?e=57CA667132C54136AD84D74F32A608AD&eventlist=14

(Note: Session times are in AEST)