Bitting Advice Edition Part 2

As part two of a three part series The Saddlery Shop takes a look at bitting and presents a Q & A featuring bitting enquiries and bespoke answers from bitting expert and owner of The Saddlery Shop, Lucy Nicholas. Question "I have a 4yo welsh cob mare who will be 5 in May. I have owned her for 18 months since she was backed. At first she had a rubber eggbutt snaffle but was inclined to chew off the rubber which I thought was going to make it uncomfortable for her. I started looking into sweet iron bits and have been trying a sweet iron copper roller D-ring snaffle. She doesn't seem any different in either bit. We have been lightly schooling and had a few hacks over the winter and we are hoping to build up in the summer to doing a couple of pleasure rides and maybe some fun dressage classes and jumping at home. I'd like to keep her in a fairly mild bit as for the moment she doesn't need anything stronger (touch wood!). I'd like some advice on what might be best for my pony rather than buying something standard for the sake of it. I was thinking she might be best off in a sweet iron snaffle with a lozenge? I'd like her to stay in a D-ring or eggbutt. Would be grateful for help, Thanks Aimee Marsh" Answer "It is important to have a good progressive schooling plan in place, ideally with the help of a good instructor, and keep taking it slowly as you are doing. Young horses will tend to get tired easily and thats when problems become apparent, so you sound like you are taking it nice and slowly as your horse is not objecting at the moment! The copper roller is actually a fairly harsh bit, so I wouldn't suggest that it is an ideal bit to use. A double jointed bit, with a lozenge and a sweet metal would be ideal. The sweet iron copper lozenge snaffle would be a good bit to try, the ideal being a Sprenger Dynamic as they are anatomically designed and are one of the nicest bits you can bit a youngster in. Steer away from anything too thick, and do consider a loose ring if you have steady hands- they are very nice for communication, but an eggbutt is better if you are worried you may send too many comflicting signals as they deaden the feeling to the horse. A D cheek bit is actually quite a strong cheek and if you don't need help with steering consider an eggbutt bit or a loose ring. Kind Regards, Lucy www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk"

Bitting Advice Edition Part 1

As part of a three part series The Saddlery Shop takes a look at bitting and presents a Q & A featuring bitting enquiries and bespoke answers from bitting expert and owner of The Saddlery Shop, Lucy Nicholas. Question Dear The Saddlery Shop, I am desperate to find an answer to my young horses bitting problems! He is a 15.2hh Warmblood gelding who is rising 5 years old.I have owned him since he was a foal and he is a big confident character who does like to be in charge of situations and be the boss! I don't have any huge ambitions for him but he is very correct with a huge jump and fantastic movement and I have a background in Eventing so I probably ought to! His main problem is taking any sort of pressure from the rider, and though he is happy to hack out when schooling after warming up as soon as you ask for more flexion, bend or self carriage he gets his tongue over the bit, pokes his tongue out and evades the contact. He can become quite nappy and I feel like I have hit a brick wall having tried half moon bits; both happy mouth and snaffle, a french link, a shaped snaffle and a hanging cheek. His teeth are checked regularly and he has had his wolf teeth removed and has no trouble eating. Answer Lucy says "This is a difficult problem, and horses that put their tongue out can not always be cured- even in a bitless bridle the tension caused by just being ridden can be enough for it to manifest itself! There are two main ways to approach the sitaution. Firstly using a high ported bit to help prevent him doing it or hopefully finding a bit (or lack of bit) that he feels happy and confident in. The problem is, he may not feel happy in anything, and if you try to prevent him doing it, it could cause more problems as you have found. My suggestion would be the Short Shank Combination. The theory behind it being it will take the pressure away from his mouth, but still give you good control. It has a small port to allow tongue room, but will not make him feel uncomfortable as the bit is anatomically designed to follow the contours of the horses mouth."

Cool Therapy for Equines!

At the end of a long, activity-filled day such as a charity fun ride, cross country session or competing in any discipline your horse's sensitive limbs will benefit from some cold therapy. Cold therapy is universally used to minimize damage following injury and in order to help equine athletes heal faster during injury rehabilitation. Cold has a local anesthetic effect which can help to reduce pain and inhibit reflexive muscle spasms. Using cold therapy during the early stages post exercise can reduce primary bleeding through vasoconstrictive effects which involves the constriction and narrowing of blood vessels acting to limit swelling. Cold therapy also reduces tissue temperature, lowering the metabolic rate of the cells in the affected area, in turn reducing their demand for oxygen making the body's task of healing easier. Cold therapy for equines such as the Aerborn Hock Boot can minimise the effects of a soft tissue injury and provides a good maintenance tool for those horses with chronic, recurring or long term problems. The Aerborn Cool Sport Hock boot is ideal to be used on tired and warm legs or to help reduce swelling. Moulded to the shape of the equine hock the Aerborn Cool Sport Hock boot is easy to apply with simple to fasten velcro tabs providing a great addition to the first aid kit of any horse. Available from The Saddlery Shop in priced at £20.49. Aerborn Cool Sport Knee Boots are also available!

Give Your Horse Some Relief!

Equine allergies can be a hugely debilitating problem leading to equines suffering from discomfort and frustration. This often is displayed in what is known as headshaking. There can be a variety of causes which lead to headshaking but nose nets have been found to help a huge amount of horses that are displaying headshaking behaviour as a result of a pollen allergy or irritation from midges and flies. The Net Relief Muzzle can be fitted directly to your bridle to reduce symptoms whilst under saddle. Unlike traditional nets that cover the whole muzzle the contoured, shaped design covers only the top half of the muzzle. Once in place, it is unobtrusive, allowing saliva to escape from the mouth freely and does not interfere with the horses breathing. It can remain on the bridle at all times and places no restriction on the type of bit or noseband used. Permitted by both British Eventing and British Dressage the Net Relief Muzzle is fully adjustable attaching to the noseband via hook and loop straps allowing it to be adjusted up, or down and tailored to every horse. The Net Relief Muzzle was found to improve headshaking in 79% of equine sufferers during a clinical trial conducted at De Montfort University. So give your horse some relief and purchase him a Net Relief Muzzle today from The Saddlery Shop. Available now in a range of colours and sizes, just click on the link!

Perfect for Spring; The Horseware Newmarket Adela Ladies Jacket

The Horseware Newmarket Adela is the perfect jacket for the coming spring months. The ladies jacket is made from super lightweight 180g fleece material which through it's microfibre design is breathable and flexible providing warmth, without the risk of overheating. Equipped with a hood to keep cosy on the colder days or to protect you from sudden showers. Not to mention the fact that the classic Newmarket design is utterly timeless for every equestrian! The fully machine washable Newmarket Adela is jacket is highly practical with a full zip and zip side pockets; perfect for your phone and other essentials when riding or dog walking. Available in sizes XS-XL and available now from The Saddlery Shop!

Light Up the Darkness!

We think these caps from Horseware Ireland are a fantastic idea. Incorporated within the 100% cotton Horseware Ireland Cap is a simple switch which activates five LED lights within the centre peak of the cap producing instant light! Ideal for walking the dog, early starts out competing or completing late checks, the Horseware LED Light Up Cap is an absolute bestseller! The intense 12 hour beam allows you to light up the dark hands free and complete your tasks easily. Equipped with 3 spare batteries the Horseware Ireland LED Light Up Cap is a long term solution! Available in Navy or Green in classic Horseware style and priced at just £8.99! Snap up this useful bargain today at The Saddlery Shop!

Advice from Lucy Nicolas in Preventing and Managing Laminitis

Laminitis is condition which can affect many horses and ponies in the UK. The disease causes pain and discomfort as a result of inflammation of the internal laminae tissues which in some severe cases can result in the epidermal and dermal tissue bonds being torn and damaged causing the pedal bone to drop and rotate. Laminitis is more common during the Spring and Autumn months, often linked to obesity and also associated with mechanical trauma, stress, hormone problems, toxaemia and sometimes with steroid treatment. Lucy Nicolas shares her advice in preventing and managing laminitis. "We know that stressed grass is usually high in sugar. Spring is the time when the grass tends to start growing – sunny days and cool nights especially are said to ‘hold on’ to the non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), e.g. the sugars in the grass. So research pasture management and get to know your own horse’s pasture. It is a good idea to lower the dietary sugar in your horse’s diet in any way you can following a low starch, low sugar diet year-round, but spring is an especially good time to assess this. It can be advisable to have your hay analysed to assess its sugar content and soaking it can reduce the sugar content. Where possible maintain or increase your horse's exercise to maintain good circulation, overall health and combat excess weight. Do not allow your horse to become overweight, as this is a trigger factor for laminitis. If likely to over indulge you can use a grazing muzzle to limit the intake of fresh grass intake your horse or pony can consume. If you can reduce the amount of time your horse grazes – bringing him in early, especially on sunnier days but do ensure he has enough dietary fibre to offset reduced grazing, whether through restricted turn out, or a muzzle." If your horse or pony has unfortunately succumbed to laminitis the RX hoof boot can be an incredibly useful addition to your equine kit. The RX hoof boot provides the ideal therapy hoof boot for equine laminitis sufferers. Sole support, essential for the laminitic horse, is achieved through using the RX boot on a bare (non shod) hoof as the boot is equipped with shock absorbing Easycare comfort pads inside. The supportive and stabilising boot allows the horse to benefit from increased circulation and when sufficiently recovered undertake controlled exercise or turnout once the hoof has stabilised which can aid healing. RRP from £62.50. Size guide and stockist info available at www.trelawneequine.co.uk or call 0844 2578585.