What to wear in the Show Jumping Arena!

With the summer in full swing many of our customers are enjoying the summer show jumping season with their horses and ponies. In our latest blog The Saddlery Shop takes a look at what to wear for the jumping area; so you can be sure you 'fit in' on the circuit! 

The Saddlery Shop's Top Gear Guide for Riders

1. Tall boots are a must for show jumping and typically competitors are seen in black but brown is also popular and men may wear black boots with brown tops. Alternatively if your budget doesn't allow for long boots a pair of  short boots and matching leather gaiters, cut in traditional riding boot style would be equally functional!

2.  A Show Jacket is an important purchase as it must look smart, conform with the rule i.e. The jacket should be single coloured or a tweed that does not clash with the national team’s official jacket, but it also must be comfortable to move in whatever the show jumping round brings! A new wave of materials have been being used for show jackets offering more versatile fabrics and flexibility. The Saddlery Shop offer shorter, stretch Show Jackets as well as traditional styles! 

3.) Pair your Show Jacket with light-coloured breeches; in white or beige. Why not click here to see a wide range of jodhpurs and breeches from The Saddlery Shop from brands including Dublin, Shires, Hyperformance to name but a few and we love these stunning Sherwood Forest Amble Full Clarino Seat Breeches! 

4. Shirts worn must be white or pastel coloured with white collars and each shirt has to be accompanied with a tie or hunting stock. For ladies the white collars have to be high and you can wear the shirt without a tie or stock however if you are wearing hacking jackets then coloured ties or stocks can be worn.

5. Gloves are actually optional for Show Jumping but highly recommend in order to keep good grip on the risk. Discreetly coloured gloves are advised with black, cream, brown or navy being popular. 

6. Protective headgear has to be worn at all times and the harness must be fastened securely. The hats for show jumping must meet EN1384, ASTMF 1163, PAS 015 or SNELL E2001 with kitemark or SEI. If you are going to wear colours then they must be peaked, plain dark coloured, registered colours or colours which coordinate with the show jumping jacket. Why not click here to the see the huge selection of riding helmets from The Saddlery Shop including ventilated options?  

Happy Show Jumping everyone!

Summer Hoof Care!

The lack of recent rain has meant that many parts of the UK currently have ground that is very hard, which can lead to equine problems such as solar bruising and joint conditions linked to concussive forces. 

Many experts believe that horse shoes can potentially increase concussive damage, because shoes hold the frog off the ground, thus reducing blood circulation through the hoof and contributing to physiological damage to the supporting limbs and structures.

Horse shoes are also said by many experts to load excess weight on the hoof wall, known as ‘peripheral loading’ - the greater the peripheral loading, the worse the blood flow throughout the hoof capsule. Barefoot advocates maintain that by taking the horse’s shoes off, the frog is no longer held off the ground, so the ‘peripheral load’ is relieved by transferring some of the load to the horse’s sole. Because solar loading appears to promote blood flow through the foot, this promotes a strong, healthy hoof – many owners of barefoot horses cannot believe how much ‘freer’ and less ‘footy’ their horses are once they have made the transition to barefoot.

Many barefoot advocates use horse boots, to protect their horses’ feet in certain circumstances. Mike Chawke of Ireland’s Little Farm Stud breeds competition horses and is an RF(BngC), MF(IMFA), CE-F qualified farrier. “Even as an experienced farrier with over thirty five years’ experience, I am not convinced that all equines need nailed-on shoes,” Mike says. “Why not leave your animal in its natural state, with support from an experienced hoofcare professional of course, and simply fit hoof boots when you ride?”

Katie-Marie Palmer helps with a horse called Remi, who recently made the transition from shod to bare. “We bought some EasyCare Trail boots, which are really simple to put on and take off, and also used comfort pads in them, which offer added shock absorption for when you’re riding on hard, concussive surfaces. Remi started landing

‘heel first’ as soon as we put her in them, which was great as she had been very much ‘toe first’ when shod. We cannot rate the boots highly enough,” she says.

Please see our website www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk for details of the many hoofboots available.

Going Barefoot!

By Lucy Nicholas, author of the JA Allen book: ‘The Barefoot Horse - an Introductory Guide to Barefoot & Booting and Proprietor of The Saddlery Shop. 

Many owners make the decision not to shoe their horse or pony.  Going barefoot does require specific management and care; and as we know, some horses’ feet may be harder to maintain in good condition than others - often based on the owner’s available time and resources! Hence, making the transition from shoes to bare feet on a horse with less than perfect hooves may take time, patience and some investment.

In order to keep your horse’s bare feet well maintained, you should consider three key points:

1. Regular trimming
2. A good balanced diet containing all the essential vitamins and minerals that he needs.
3. Exercise – this is very  important in encouraging natural movement and restricting confinement

How to choose hoof boots

A set of hoof boots provides adequate support and protection to the hoof when you are making the transition from shoes to bare foot - often known as ‘transitioning’  There are very many brands and types of hoof boots available, to fit very small ponies right up to large heavy horses. So there is something available for almost all horses.

Sizing

Once you have chosen a suitable boot for your horse or pony, it needs to be correctly fitted according to the manufacturer’s instructions. There are a couple of points you should consider with regard to sizing:

1. Does the boot go on easily?
2. Does your horse’s hoof fill the inside of the boot in a snug fashion, without any bulging or gapping?
3. Check that the fastenings are not too tight.
4. You should not be able to twist the boot from side to side by anymore than 5 degrees (unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer), as this could indicate that the boot is too big or the wrong shape for your horse’s hoof.  Likewise, if you are finding it difficult to get the boot on, it could well be too small, so try the next size up.  This also applies if you are finding that you can only just do the fixings up.
5. Rubbing:  If the boot is too small it will rub, making your horse’s foot very sore.  Check the measurements again and try the next size up to see if this fits any better.

To find out more about hoof boots or barefoot hoof care contact the team by making a Hoof Boot Enquiry via the website!

To see a range of articles, videos and reviews concerning equestrianhttp://www.horseandcountryside.com/features and countryside matters, visit http://www.horseandcountryside.comhttp://www.horseandcountryside.com

Brilliant Boots; A Feature with Local Rider Magazine!

In this month's Local Rider Magazine The Saddlery Shop's proprietor Lucy Nicholas was featured taking about barefoot hoof care and hoof boots! To read the full article pick up a copy of the magazine today! 

Lucy Nicholas says... 

Many people now manage their horses barefoot in the UK with some notable hoofcare professionals, and even some barefoot-specific livery yards.

Today, I’d like to talk about hoof boots! These are just one tool in the barefoot horse’s management tool kit. It’s important to clarify that hoof boots are not a substitute for a bad diet or a poor trim. Even with the foundations of a good diet and exercise, a poor trim will leave the hoof in a weakened and unnatural shape.

People ask me, why do I need to use hoof boots at all? Well, in an ideal world, horses would not need to use hoof boots; but many factors affect hoof quality, and the reality for most horse owners wanting to keep their horse barefoot is that there will be compromises somewhere in the management of their horse.

The most common problem is not being able to exercise the horse enough to fully condition the hooves. In order to condition a horse to be able to travel across a surface, you need to be able to consistently work him on that type of ground. A lot of horse owners are not able to work their horses for increasing amounts of time every day across a multitude of surfaces, gradually building up the hoof’s ability to cope with any surface.

As hooves are reactionary, riding a few times a week will in a lot of cases never be enough to condition the hoof to be 100% on rough and stony ground. Another problem is you may not have rough surfaces near you where you ride or train, but wish to attend and event further afield, where the ground conditions are rougher than your horse is conditioned to, or are unknown.

In either case, boots will give you the solution to enable your horse to do whatever you want to do with him without concern.

 Key points-

• The fixings on hoof boots are usually such that the boot is able to flex or move, or the fixing is able to flex and move with the horse’s hoof capsule as it expands and contracts, thus allowing the hoof to work naturally.
• Booted horses will usually land heel first almost immediately, even if they did not in a metal shoe, immediately allowing the hoof to work more effectively, increasing circulation and building up the digital cushion more rapidly.
• When moving from shod to barefoot, boots with the correct pads will allow the horse to continue to work to the same level in most cases as they were when shod, whilst exercising and improving the hoof.

When selecting hoof boots-

1. Measure the weight-bearing length and width of the foot at the widest point.
2. If a reputable trimmer is not fitting the boot, contact a knowledgeable supplier with your measurements to ascertain which boot model would be suitable.
3. If your horse needs boots constantly, his dietary requirements may need to be addressed.  

Some of the most popular boots on the market including such as; 

The Easyboot Transition. The technologically-advanced Transition fits many hoof shapes and sizes, including round, slightly longer than wide, and even slightly wider than long. It is the ideal hoofboot to provide shock absorption to hoof structures / limbs.

The Easyboot Glove Back Country. This is a lightweight, breathable, form-fitting and durable boot for barefoot horses. It takes its design from two existing boots from American manufacturer Easycare – the Easyboot Glove, and the Easyboot Trail. The Back Country includes a ‘Comfort Cup’ gaiter, a section of strapping that provides stabilisation and a close fit to reduce rubbing. "         

Both the Easyboot Glove Back Country and the Easyboot Transition are available from The Saddlery Shop. Simply visit the website at www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk or Tel: 0344 880 6900 to speak to a member of our friendly team!