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STallIoNSpEcIal

April contents6 Out and About with John Whitaker8 Spencer Wilton10 Fredericks Forum13 Latest products19 Expert advice on how, why and

when to feed fibre 22 Trade Talk we meet the people

behind The Pure Feed Company25 Property is your dream equestrian

home here?26 Dress for success this seasons

competition gear must-haves31 Summer cover-up rugs that will protect your horse35 Lynn Russells top tips on buying

and showing cobs38 Breed of the month the Gypsy

Cob, an equine power house

P44 Yard essentials

p62 Has your mare got what it takes to become a winning broodmare? Read our expert advice

t

p68 Vet Ed Lyall explains how to detect and avoid common health problems in youngstock

t

P19 High fibre feeds

P31 Rugs to protect your horse this summer

The No.1 Specialist Horse Sales Magazine... Now the Voice of the Equestrian Industry oVEr 1000 HorSESfor SalE...

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rEgular claSSIfIEdAllrounder Horses 95

Allrounder Ponies 113

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Cobs 89

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Horseboxes 122

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Performance Horses 107

Property 120

Saddlery 121

Showing up to 15hh 120

Trailers 121

Western/Quarter Horses 90

Yard Equipment 120

Youngstock & Broodmares 94

40 My best buys show expert Lynn Russell reveals all

44 Yard essentials top riders tell us what they couldnt live without

50 Everything you need to know about building an arena

56 A problem shared arena issues

Stallion special focus on breeding and broodmares62 Our essential guide to putting

your mare in foal68 Vet advice on youngstock71 Stallion of the month: Zip Phin 72 Behind the scenes at Woodcroft Stud

SubScribe To HorSe deAlS nowTo SAve 15% pluSget a Charles Bentley Grooming KitTurn to page 16 to find out more

P40 My best buys Lynn Russell

P68 Vet advice for youngsters

P25 Equestrian property

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P6 John Whitaker at home

HigH Performance/inside track

In his first competitive outing since the British Dressage national

championships last year, Spencer prepares for his debut with Super Nova and looks forward to riding Doogie in their first Prix St Georges test

About Spencer Spencer Wilton started as a working pupil for eventing luminaries Lucinda Green, Mark Todd and Ruth McMullen. After taking up dressage, he was based with Carl Hester and won the 1997 national dressage title on Dolendo. He now has a training base at Grove Farm, Gloucestershire, with his partner, event rider Jay Halim. For information, visit www.spencerwilton.co.uk

ts been a busy countdown to our planned weekend of competitions with Super Nova and Doogie, both of whom are making their debuts at

different levels at two different venues.Looking back I realised that while I

havent been out competitively myself since last years nationals, Neville [Super Nova] hasnt seen an arena away from home since he last competed with Carl [Hester, his previous rider] when he finished fifth at the regionals in July 2010!

So with very low mileage at advanced medium level, were not really sure what to expect when we take Neville to Summerhouse Equestrian in Gloucestershire for a couple of classes as hes only ever done four tests at this level before!

Ive absolutely no idea how well get on, but the plan is to treat it as a schooling outing and although hes felt great at home, it will give us a good gauge of where were at in training and the bits that need to be improved.

Ive got a feeling hes going to be fairly shell shocked. Hes quite a needy person and is always looking to his rider for guidance, but he can also rather forget himself and kind of zone out on you. I dont think he means to, but in certain situations when hes not sure about something, his body seems to just take over his mind!

Apart from keeping my fingers crossed, my plan for the day is to try and keep him quiet and give him a nice consistent outing with no pressure, so he can begin to enjoy taking competitions in his stride.

In the week leading up to this outing, weve tested a new regime where we work him in the mornings as usual, and then give him a light 30minute leg stretch again in the afternoon which seems to suit him very well.

I get nervous when I hear riders talking about tiring out their horses before a test, because if a horse feels tired in their backs from too much work, then you also run the risk of them not wanting to work with you because they feel sore and thats not a good thing!

My aim is to get Neville to the show and then work on relaxing his mind and hopefully giving us both a pleasant experience!

Weve also had Neville on NAFs Magic supplement powder, which weve doubled up the dose of a couple of days beforehand and well add the fast acting syringe before the competition as well. Its important that we try and allow him to be as relaxed as we can in the lead up to the show so we try and do what we can to help.

A lot of horses will get very excited when theyre plaited up in the stable and their travel boots go on, or they hear the lorry being moved and the ramp come down for loading. You dont want them to use up all their energy before theyve even left home! Nevilles owner Jen Goodman has been

great weve reached an agreement that shell come to the show under her own steam and watch from a safe distance, but if were an embarrassment then shell just leave, but if all goes well, then shes welcome to come and throw her arms round both of us well just have to wait and see!

Doogie also has a big day coming up as weve got him entered in his first Prix St Georges at Abbey Dressage and whereas I thought I might just be able to potter about unnoticed, having read the list of entries, I see were up against some of the best, including Charlotte [Dujardin] and Don Archie and Isobel [Wessels] and Chagall, both of whom have previously scored over 70per cent at his level!

Doogies a bit of a funny one, if he gets tense then he goes within himself and ignores his rider, so the approach to training him is different as you need to help make him feel good about himself.

At home hes been feeling really fit and strong, but the day before the plan is to just give him a quite day with a leg stretch and take the pressure off him.

I have to admit I do like a challenge and love competing I enjoy the pressure and the idea of having to perform a movement at an exact marker if you get it right, its a great feeling!

I dont know how well all get on, but one thing is for sure, were fired up and ready for the action so watch this space! Update: Spencer won both classes with Super Nova, but his outing with Doogie was postponed.

I eNjoy the PreSSure aND the IDea of havING to Perform a

movemeNt at aN exact marker If you Get It rIGht, ItS a Great feelING!

I

INSIDe

Track

In training for the big day: Spencer and Super Nova

APRIL 2012 Horse deals Tel: 01733 468000

high performance/freDericKS forUm

We join top eventer Clayton Fredericks as he enjoys

the Portuguese sunshine

You Cant make a living out oF ComPeting, no matter

hoW good and/or hoW luCkY You are.

FrederiCks

Forum

APRIL 2012 horSe DealS Tel: 01733 468000

Im sending this column halfway through Barocca dAlva horse trials in Portugal, where its a beautiful 20. Publication deadlines mean I have to write this before our competitions here are over, but at the risk of tempting fate, Ive got a nice warm glow of satisfaction!

Sorrento, Mr Big Cat, Ben Along Time and the Badminton-bound Be My Guest have all gone beautifully. We kicked off with a fourth and seventh place in the CIC one-star event for Sorrento and Mr Big Cat respectively, then Ben Along Time cruised to a sixth in the CIC two-star, with Lottie (Be My Guest) also giving me a great ride.

For once, the placings arent high on my list of priorities. Those of you who remember how excited I was to win a Harley Davidson motorbike here last year might be surprised to hear me say that, but the next few months are all about building up to the Olympics and Im here to build on my qualifications.

Although I always believed Australia would secure a team place for London, its great to have it confirmed. We were unlucky to miss qualification at our regional qualifying event last year, which left us dependent on individual rider rankings. When the FEI reached its March 1st deadline for finalising the individual qualifications, Australian

riders claimed the first nine places.As Ive said before, the only thing you

can be sure of with horses is that there are no certainties. We all know that with the best will in the world, things can go wrong right up to the last minute but Im thinking positive about my chances as an individual, as well as part of the team.

Being successful at top level isnt just

about finding the right horses, its about planning for the long term, as well as for immediate goals. As professional event riders, Lucinda and I have to focus on so many things, not least of which is funding our riding careers.

You cant make a living out of competing, no matter how good and/or how lucky you are. Thats one reason why we always have horses for sale, even if wed like to keep them.

Sorrento is a good example. Ronnie, as we call him, is a 17hh, eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding who competed in

dressage and show jumping in Germany before coming to the UK and starting his eventing career. Hes a stunning horse who ticks all the boxes big paces, superb jump and lovely temperament and Id love to find him an owner or syndicate of owners so I could keep the ride.

Both Cinda and I count our blessings when it comes to owners, as ours are wonderful. Were so lucky to have long-term owners who have also become our friends, and who trust our judgement and care about their horses.

If you want to succeed, you have to keep your eye on every detail. We always appreciate being approached by potential sponsors, but we wont endorse anything we dont believe in 100 per cent.

Thats one reason why Im so excited about our latest sponsorship deal from Fodder Solutions, which we trialled for several months before signing on the dotted line. Its a hydroponic feed system that grows fresh grass mats from barley seed, providing a consistent supply of fresh feed which suits the horses natural digestive system.

At first, it was the cost benefit that attracted me and I looked at it as something that would make a good feed basis for the yard, even if it turned out to be not for my top horses. A few months on, Im a convert and have seen the benefits all-round, including with my Olympic hopefuls. Im finding that the horses are not only stronger and more supple, but are relaxed in their minds. They feel much softer through their backs and as this is the only thing that has changed in their regimes, it has to be the reason for their improvement.

What also appeals is that by altering the seed mix, I can increase the protein in their diets to build muscle, without the risk of tying-up. For me, its the perfect way to feed horses naturally and give them all the fuel they need to be elite athletes: all we need now is a version for riders!

Clayton has switched his top horses to Fodder Solutions

Clayton and Lucinda with

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Feeding/Forage

www.horsedeals.co.uk APRIL 2012 horse deals

10 forage myths bustedHow, why and when to feed fibre with the latest advice from top feed industry experts

If we want our horses to stay happy and healthy, we need to make the most of nutritional science while staying true to nature.Horses are born to graze, and that means

forage and high fibre feeds should be the mainstay of every horses diet.

Forage in the form of grass, hay, haylage, chaff or other high fibre feeds keeps their digestive system functioning properly, helps keep them warm and also helps maintain a level temperament, which is why nutritionists

recommend it should always make up the bulk of your horses overall feed intake.

In many cases, good quality forage, plus either a balancer, a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement or a nutritionally balanced fibre-based feed fed in appropriate quantities, can provide all the fuel a horse needs. And thats still the case, even if your horse is in medium or hard work.

When youre buying feed, you know whats in the bag and you know the nutritional analysis will remain the same between one

batch and the next. However, when youre buying hay or haylage, it isnt so easy. Its nutritional quality depends on so many things: the grasses its made from, the time of year it was cut and how well it was made for instance.

However, many feed companies will help by having hay analysed for you; in most cases, you only need to send enough to fill a supermarket carrier bag. If you want an accurate picture of any shortfalls in your horses diet and how you can compensate, it can be a cost effective way to start.

Showing/cobS

www.horSedealS.co.uk april 2012 horSe dealS

An eye for a winnerExpert Lynn Russell gives her top tips for buying and showing cobs plus we have all the information you need to bring your cob on in style

Good show cobs are a real eyeful powerful, workmanlike, full of character and great fun. But if you want to find one in the rough, you need to be a real star spotter. Over the past 25 years, show producer and judge Lynn Russell has built up an unbeatable strike rate. Appropriately, the cobs she brings out under the banner of Baileys Horse Feeds all have heavenly names, but her star-spotting technique is rather more down to earth.

You can find cobs in the most unlikely places Polaris, one of the best-moving cobs I ever had, was a purebred Irish Draught stallion by Silver Jasper who had been sold as a teaser, she says. He was scruffy, hairy and

a real hooligan! I always look at two things first the structure of the limbs, particularly the forelimbs, and the width of the chest. If a horse hasnt got good limbs, with short cannon bones, clean joints and sufficient bone, I wouldnt buy him. And if a horse doesnt stand four square, with enough width between the chest, it isnt a proper cob.

Nearly all my cobs come over from Ireland, usually as three or four-year-olds, and theyre certainly not in show condition when they get here. But even when a horse is undeveloped or poor, you can see from the basic framework whether its a show cob or what I call a what a pity meaning it has almost, but not quite, got what it takes.

At the same time, says Lynn, you have to be able to look at a horse and work out how he will look with the correct schooling and feeding. Its all down to that basic blueprint. Some cobs feel narrow when you first get on them, because they havent built up a topline, she explains. But if the width across the chest is there and the basic conformation is right, the body will muscle up to match.

As young cobs mature, they let down through the body, but some take longer than others, she adds. I want my horses fit and well-covered, but not fat. Apart from the fact that obesity is a health issue with horses as well as people, a fat cob cant move and will give a poor ride.

As a judge, I hate getting on horses who roll from side to side. Also, if a horse is too fat he will get a loaded shoulder and wont move freely despite what some people think, fat wont cover a multitude of sins!

Spoilt for choiceSo do you want a lightweight, a heavyweight, a maxi or a traditional cob? If you want even more choice, you could look for a coloured cob who could not only show in one of the above, but in classes under the auspices of the British Skewbald and Piebald Association or the Coloured Horse and Pony Society.

Polaris winning at

the RIHS

Polaris when he arrived at Lynns yard as an unbroken stallion

Turn to page 40 to discover lynns best buys

April 2012 Horse Deals Tel: 01733 468000

YarD equipment

www.HorseDeals.co.uk April 2012 Horse Deals

I couldnt live without

In the hIgh-tech world we lIve In, tIme-savIng equIp-ment around the yard Is a must-have. here, top rIders reveal the gadgets they rely on

Specialists, such as the experts at Charles

Britton Equestrian

Construction, will be happy to offer build

ing advice

ArenAtAlk

building an arena

he benefits of having an arena cannot be understated. The convenience of being able to ride regularly in your

own school will give your training sessions a distinct edge, enabling you and your horse to fast track your riding goals. With the roads busier than they have ever been, an arena can provide a safe riding environment, and a good surface will lessen the chance of injuries. In addition, your arena could create some extra income if you choose to rent it out to other horse owners. Dog training clubs are also often looking for an equestrian arena to train in, particularly those that pursue activities such as agility and Flyball. A well-constructed outdoor mnage can add value to an equestrian property, but how easy is it to turn dreams of an outdoor arena into reality?

There is no doubt that building an arena is a major project, and for those who are considering doing the entire job themselves, it is not for the faint-hearted. A professional arena construction specialist can take two to three weeks to complete the job, although this is dependent on weather and site conditions. An amateur may take many months as they struggle to understand the minutiae of planning applications, source equestrian grade materials and book reputable contractors. However, doing it yourself can save you money, and many arena specialists are happy to provide materials and advice to help ensure the success of the project. Getting expert advice before you start is imperative, as Linda Wright of Charles Britton Equestrian Construction explains.

Putting right arenas that have been badly built remains something that we do often, she says. Amazingly, DIY builds are often heavily over-engineered in many ways yet can miss fundamentals. For example we saw one site recently where the depth of the base was ridiculous far more stone had been used than was necessary.

Another common fault is an obsession with sub base drainage, especially when drainage experts are used who invariably seem to employ some variation on the herringbone system. This is not always the best thing for a riding arena as it wont always provide the instantaneous drainage over every inch of the surface that we believe is necessary.

To download a free PDF on how to build your own riding arena visit www.jacksonarenas.com

Planning aheadBefore you start, check with your local authority to see whether planning permission is required for an arena (turn to A Problem Shared on page 56 for more on this).

Most professional arena construction specialists can help clients obtain planning permission. We can provide clients and planners with cross-drawings and letters detailing all aspects of the site including fence heights and depth of drainage channels etc, says James Alford, proprietor of Jackson Arenas. We either send these direct to the customer, or to the planning department, and because of our experience the process is usually straightforward.

Ben Smith of Maple Arenas, based in Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts agrees, saying:

We have been doing this job for 12 years and are familiar with all

aspects of the planning process, and I have never yet had planning permission refused. Weve built arenas in many different areas including greenbelt land

and historical sites, but it can seem a bit daunting

for people who try to do it themselves. Keeping it all

contained, and ensuring the arena and walk way are as close to your stables as possible can help with planning.

Budget optionsA standard arena measures 40 x 20m, and you will pay more for larger sizes such as 60 x 20m or the 60 x 30m that are often favoured by show jumpers. Prices will vary so get as many quotes as possible and dont necessarily go for the cheapest, which may not be the best. Factors that influence costs include the surface you choose, fencing and gates, plus added extras such as mirrors and lights. The location and accessibility of the site will also affect costs. Large machinery is required to deliver materials and dig out the base, and although an arena can be built virtually anywhere, the flatter and more accessible the site, the more costs can be kept down. An average budget for a standard fenced 40 x 20m outdoor arena with a sand and rubber chipping surface is in the region of 15-20,000.

You could spend up to 80,000 for a 60 x 30m arena covered with a surface such as Ekotrack with added rubber.

An arena can be a fantastic

asset, but how much does one

really cost, can you build it yourself or

should you leave it to the

experts?

tAlkt

top tipConstructing your arena at a time of year when contractors are quiet, rather than during the height of summer, can help you to negotiate better rates.

AndreA McHugH

reports

april 2012 Horse deals

Horse Health Vet

Bringing up

BaBy

The early years are a time when youngstock are most vulnerable to disorders and disease, so its essential to spot the early warning signs, says vet Ed Lyall

april 2012 Horse Deals Tel: 01733 468000

Supporting British breeding www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

About our expertEd Lyall grew up on his parents North Yorkshire equestrian centre, and graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1994. He was awarded a scholarship to continue his studies there and is now a

partner at Arundel Veterinary Hospital in West Sussex. He is an examiner in equine stud medicine and a treating vet at Hickstead and the South of England Show. His interests include competing his Grade A horse in affiliated show jumping.

bringing up baby/Horse HealtH vet

www.HorseDeals.co.uk april 2012 Horse Deals

oung horses are vulnerable to a number of health issues, among which is a heavy worm burden. This is often more of an issue in youngsters than it is in older horses

partly because their immune system hasnt developed enough to protect them from the worms in their alimentary tract.

Often youngsters are kept in an intensive manner with a high stocking density, and because of this one youngster shedding worm eggs will rapidly infect all others in contact.

Small red worms can cause quite severe diarrhoea, often in autumn and spring. This is associated with the larval stages of the small strongyles (or cyathostomes) encysting in the wall of the bowel and causing an inflammatory process, resulting in diarrhoea.

However, its not just small red worms that are a problem; tapeworms are a common cause of colic. The tapeworms (Anoplocephala species) often congregate at the junction between the small intestine and the caecum, and in the caecum itself. They attach to the

wall of the bowel in these sites and, in doing so, irritate the plexi in the muscle wall that are responsible for stimulating the muscular wall of the intestine to contract.

Often this causes a colic that appears to be a hyper motile or spasmodic colic, however tapeworms can, in young horses, cause a more aggressive and uncontrolled contraction. As a result, the bowel may telescope inside itself resulting in what is called an intussusception. This is a type of colic that can only be corrected by surgical intervention.

On some stud farms we see several cases of Ascarid infestation each year. These are large worms that can accumulate in foals and weanlings in significant numbers in the bowel so much so they may cause an obstruction.

Anthelmintics, or wormers, are an aid to the horses immune system for keeping worms in the bowel under control.

Growth problems, such as contracted tendons, require veterinary intervention

A hock affected by OCD (see X-ray), and the visual effects of stifle joint OCD

y

APRIL 2012 Horse Deals Tel: 01733 468000

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expert help and advice to help you find your perfect event horse

PLUS! Find out whos heading for Badminton glory in

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spooky? lazy? Hot-headed?

The latest feed advice for every temperament

emBryO TransFer: is it the right option for you?

From eLectric to PoSt and raiL

Check out our essential round-up of every fencing option

Vet adViceWhen and why to geld

your stallion

PLUSinsider news and views

from Team Fredericks and spencer Wilton plus

our new breeders column

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