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ISSUE 10/MAY-JUNE 2013Educationals with Manolo Mendez, Jenny Rolfe, Barry Stratton

Jody Hartstone & Ali Baba pt2, The Mustange Horse, Pedro Torres, Kladruby Breed, Topolcianky Lipizzans and much more

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A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse


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A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse


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contentsinside

08. Pedro Torres

16 Cavalia

25. Home Beautiful

26. Casa Cadaval stud Farm

32. The 3C’s of dressage ~ Barrie stratton

36. Photographer Katarzyna Okrzesik.

42. ColÈgio Militar

48. spanish Mustang

54. Kladruby nad Labem,

60. Jody Hartstone - my kingdom for a lusitano

66. Manolo Mendez

72. Jenny Rolfe

74. Feeding the Baroque Horse

85. Magnesium & Laminitis

86. Understanding Obesity

89. Ask Galen

90. Topoľčianky

94. battling mud

97. Riz’s Rant


www.baroquehorsemagazine.com

Danielle Skerman

LETTER FROM

tHe eDItoR

it’s hard to believe that this is our 6th print issue of Baroque Horse Magazine (BHM). For those who are new to BHM, we started as an online magazine with issues 1-4 being available online only! due to popular demand, we took the big jump into printing the magazine. We have certainly come a long way since we started. . . and we do hope you are enjoying our stunning imagery and articles to match. We’re always happy to hear from you and welcome any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see us incorporate in the magazine.

in this issue, we have our regular breed articles and educationals. We’ve also included a fantastic interview with Pedro Torres where he gives us a glimpse into his amazing life and his horses. For a great read, you must follow Jody Hartstone’s continuing story about her journey to her acquire her dream Lusitano, ‘Ali Baba’ - best have the tissues ready, it will makes you feel sad, happy and proud and all in the one great read!

Another interesting article we have is about the American Mustang and its spanish ancestry! Looking at them, you can clearly see their iberian connections. inside we also look at 3 influential studs from around the world. 1. in Portugal (Lusitano) - Casa Cadaval stud Farm 2. in slovakia (Lipizzaner) - Topoľčianky national stud Farm 3. in Czech Republic (Kladruby) - Kladruby nad Labem. We also talk to Polish born photographer, Katarzyna Okrzesik, who now resides in the UK. i think we can safely say that we have our international content!

in this issue, we’re very excited to introduce two new columns. Peter spinder (Ask Pete) is an experienced business strategist who we’ve brought on board to answer all sorts of business questions concerning developing your equine related business, as we want to help you grow and be successful. For all your equine well-being questions, we have the very knowledgable Caroline Larrouilh ( Ask Galen). This column is about exploring the connection between equine wellness and training; between anatomy and theory. We hope you’ll enjoy these two new columns and we welcome all your questions and will certainly do our best to answer as many as possible.

in the next issue of BHM we will be featuring and profiling the stunning black pearls - THe FRiesiAn! We are saving all our great Friesian articles for then. . . We know our Friesian readers will particularly enjoy our next issue. it’s going to be one jam-packed Friesian feast!

Join us in our journey and ... go for BAROQUe!

Editor in Chief

Issue 10- of Baroque Horse. May-June 2013

(next issue out July)

on tHe coveR:

Publisher: Baroque Horse PTY LTD

ACN: 159 279 848PO Box 18002

Clifford Gardens, Toowoomba QLD, Australia 4350

editor in Chief: Danielle [email protected]

+61 404 843 636

Advertising: Patty [email protected]

+61 419 363 635

for subsCriPtion enquiries:[email protected]

generAl enquiries:[email protected]

editing: Anita Budgeon, Linda Rushbrook

design:Danielle Skerman, Cristian Prutescu

PhotogrAPhers:Cátia Castro, Antonio Mendonca,

Danielle Skerman, Dalibor Gregor, Katarzyna Okrzesik, Bev Pettit, Kimerleee Curyl, Melony

Smith, Robert Dawson, Laura Zugzda.

Contributors:Cátia Castro, Danielle Skerman, Caroline

Larrouilh, Manolo Mendez, Riz Ilyas, Jenny Rolfe, Jody Hartstone, Barry Stratton, Patty Taylor, Corina Roberts, Return to Freedom,

Dalibor Gregor, Milan Vitek, Mariette van den Berg, Peter Spinda, Severine Tocaven$7.95 AUD

Beauty, Strength Power&Beauty, Strength PowerBaroque Horse Magazine

ISSUE 10/MAY-JUNE 2013Educationals with Manolo Mendez, Jenny Rolfe, Barry Stratton

Jody Hartstone & Ali Baba pt2, The Mustange Horse, Pedro Torres, Kladruby Breed, Topolcianky Lipizzans and much more

Photo by danielle skerman of Cavalia with rider : Julien Beaugnon on a PRe horse Gaditano.

Editor-In-Chief Danielle Skerman

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Torres


TorresPEDRO the person and the rider

Pedro Torres is a reference in the Working Equitation world by being several times World champion, and

European champion. In his “pátio” or courtyard as he calls his equestrian

home in Cascais, Portugal, it’s easy to be amazed by the beautiful surroundings,

the landscape, the magnificent Lusitanos, and excellent riding. These are the

reasons so many people from all over the world are attracted to and enticed

to come to get to know this master, immerse themselves in the knowledge

he delights to pass on and enjoy his relentless respect for the horse.

Article & Photos by CáTiA CAsTRO

WWW.CMCeQUinePHOTO.COM


avaliaCThe man behind it all,

NormandLatourelle

Photos by Danielle Skerman Written by Patty Taylor


CThe man behind it all,

NormandLatourelleWe met up with Normand Latourelle at a

preview of Cavalia in Brisbane and he spoke with us about how this magical encounter between human and horse began. With

a career spanning 40 years, Latourelle has occupied every position . . . lighting designer, agent, production manager,

director and artistic director. He is a visionary and has a

constant quest for innovation..

Photos by Danielle Skerman Written by Patty Taylor


‘Retoque’


CASA CADAVAL STUD FARM

The Noble Lusitano Horse

The Casa Cadaval Stud Farm was presented as the dowry when, in the seventh century, D. Maria de Faro married D. Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, 1st Duque of Cadaval.

For the past 5 generations, it has been the Cadaval women only who control the destiny of this ancient and important stud farm. The Marquise and Countess of Cadaval, Teresa Schönborn-Wiesentheid, has lived in the centennial house since 1982, and she manages Casa Cadaval with great commitment and enthusiasm. Since 1648 until today, the stud farm as has seen very few changes. The only changes made have been simply to adjust the traditional architecture to the needs of the modern day.

By tradition in this stud farm, the names of the horses and mares are choosen by a purpose and meaning, the mare and the foal have the same theme name, respecting the intitutional begining letter that the Lusitanos all have to have corresponding to their year of birth.

Article & Photos by CáTiA CAsTRO

WWW.CMCeQUinePHOTO.COM


“Adapting to the horse’s needs.”

By Barrie Stratton

Part 3

Full time international dressage coach and trainer

Trained with several master riders including the late World and

Olympic dressage Champion dr elena Petoshkova and Maestro

nuno Oliveiranational ‘A’ level dressage Judge for 24 years, Judge educator and Mentor. As a professional coach and trainer for 33 years, Barrie has guided riders and horses to

achieve Grand Prix level dressage. Many have competed successfully

at national Championships, Cdi-n and Cdi-W competitions.

He also coaches riders who are non competitive and pursue their love of dressage as an art form.

Barrie Stratton

The 3c’s of Dressagecalm, confident connected &

Barrie riding Josh, an Andalusian/Clydsedale cross in the position of leg yield right. He was less comfortable leg yielding on this rein and so his schooling followed the method described.


Barrie Stratton

Part 2 of the series examined how the horse could develop calm, confident and connected qualities only if they are trainable. The trainable horse was then

defined. I concluded the article stating, “the key to good horsemanship was, for us as riders and coaches, to adapt to each individual horse’s needs”.

Charles darwin made a similar observation well before mine.

This article will examine how adapting to each horse’s individual needs assists us to maintain a horse’s 3Cs qualities while schooling an exercise and movement, each of which are situated at each end of the training spectrum. The examples will be of leg yield and piaffe. I will adhere to describing the training processes used for the two horses and examine their specific needs to produce a good leg yield and piaffe.

it is assumed both horses have already been schooled to have a good work ethic and well developed paces appropriate to their level of training. They will have been ridden in the past by a rider who has acquired the skill of harmonising with their horse, and that will contribute to both horses having a willingness to go freely forwards. The rider has already adapted to the horse’s needs by using specific paces and exercises to enhance the horses’ suppleness and fluidity of paces. (This will be the subject of another article in the series.) it is important to understand that the horses being used as examples are being educatedto perform the work, rather than being coerced or forced to do the exercise or movement.

A simple formula used to assess and school horses, as well as coach riders.

CAse 1: schooling the exercise of leg yield at working trot.

Description: Leg yield is a training exercise, used to improve a horse’s suppleness and lateral responsiveness. To some degree it also leads a horse to learn to take a little more weight on the inside hind leg, which during the movement comes under the centre of its body. during leg yield, the horse is slightly flexed away from the direction of movement, so the inside hind leg is on the side to which the horse is flexed.

While the horse is laterally flexed and moving in a forwards and sideways direction, they must remain balanced with equal weight on each shoulder. if balance is not maintained, the impulsion and overall quality of the working trot is adversely effected. if the horse is leg yielding from the centre line or three quarter line to the long side of the arena, the horse’s spine remains almost parallel to the long side with the shoulders slightly leading the hind quarters.

Leg yield and shoulder-in are called exercises rather than movements, as they are used to enhance a horse’s athleticism rather than being displayed in a performance by the fully trained horse. In contrast, the half pass is classified as a movement, and unlike the leg yield or shoulder-in, is included in the Grand Prix test.

Leg yield is often the beginning of the schooling of lateral work with our dressage horses. From the rider’s own previous experiences, they may know what it looks and feels like to perform the exercise, but they cannot expect the horse to understand what is wanted, even if their aids are accurately applied.

In the following scenario, we find that the horse easily flexes to the right and moves laterally in leg yield to the left. On circles or through corners on the right rein he can easily maintain a right bend. The problem is that the horse has no concept of what is wanted when being asked for leg yield to the right with a left flexion. He lacks the physical ability and mental desire to clearly bend to the left on circles and through corners, and tends to easily fall into his left shoulder. When that occurs, his balance changes and the quality of the pace suffers.

so rather than using strong aids to try to force our horse into leg yield right, we need to look at how we can adapt to his needs and through an education process give him a concept of what is wanted from us. strong aids not only stress a horse, but in most cases cause the horse to argue and resist yielding or co-operating even more.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Barrie on his horse Toolman, being invited to load his hindquarters while remaining supple, elastic and cadenced. The neck is raised and gracefully arched. The rider’s arms and legs are mere accessories to the controlling pelvic and torso regions of the body.


KHere at Baroque Horse Magazine, we appreciate great photography! in this

issue we talk to Katarzyna Okrzesik. Katarzyna was born in Poland and now

resides in england. she studied to be a graphic designer and then followed the

natural path to photography. On her 18th birthday, Katarzyna bought her first

camera and started the long journey to become a self-taught photographer and

says she is still learning more every day. This journey can teach you a lot if you

are prepared to learn. Katazyna says

“I am still learning from my mistakes and the observations of others. Maybe that’s why i appreciate everything that i achieve...”

Katarzyna Okrzesik

- photographer -


The Colégio Militar motto

On March 3rd 2013 suddenly the silence of this fresh Sunday morning was broken by the incomparable sound of horse’s hooves

as if they were coming from the past.

“ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE”

It was the Colégio Militar Horse Escort, young boys in their typical brown uniforms, in rigorous

formation and on a concentrated canter ride, with pride Lusitano Horses through the Av. da LIBERDADE, the main Avenue of Lisbon, closing the parade that celebrated once more the anniversary of the Colégio Militar, this year the 210th.

in the beginning of the 19th century, when almost all of europe, occupied by the imperial army of napoleon, was swept by the wind of destruction and war, on a small artillery coast fort defending the entrance of the Tagus river, the commanding officer, the artillery Colonel Antonio Teixeira Rebelo, founded on 3 March 1803, the Colégio da Feitoria, the embryo of the future Colégio Militar.

The initial intention of the Colégio da Feitoria was for the education of the sons of the officers stationed on the Fort of S. Julião da Barra near the village of Oeiras, not so far from the capital Lisbon, and using as teachers the officers of the guarnition.

its original location was in some facilities belonging to the fort, but during those first years it moved to several places. in 1859 the Colégio Militar moved definitively to the ancient Hospital – convent of nossa senhora dos Prazeres at Luz in Lisbon, where it had once been in 1814, and where it remains to this day.

The escape, in november 1807 of the

ruling Prince João VI, his mother, the old Queen d. Maria i, along with almost all of the court, to the Brazil colony, running from the first French napoleon Army invasion commanded by the General Jean Andoche Junot, made very difficult the earlier years of the Colégio Militar. But the excellent teaching and the good military preparation produced rapid results. In 1808, the two first cadets who fought with bravery and excellent army skills during the battle of Roliça on the 17 August 1808, left the Colégio Militar. Roliça was the first combat between the Anglo–Luso army commanded by the British General sir Arthur Wellesley (future duke of WeLLinGTOn) and the French army.

Colégio Militar is one of the oldest schools in europe and the most decorated military institution in Portugal. it started in 1803 with 20 students. About 15,000 students to this day have graduated from there.

in 2013 the Colégio Militar has 345 students from 10 to 18 years of age. They are educated here until their entrance into the universities or military academies.

in the beginning, the teachers were the officers from the fort guarnition but nowadays the staff are a mix of military and civilian teachers.

There is a high military and sport component in the curriculum which includes competition gymnastics, fencing, shooting and horse riding (obligatory since 1825).

The Colégio Militar has excellent conditions

Ar ticle & Photos by AnTóniO MendOnçA

WWW.ACMendOnCA.neT


The first parade of the Colégio Militar Escolta took place on the anniversary of 3 March 1959


Photo: Chief & Pretty sky -1sulphur springs Herd by Bev Pettit

Spanish Influence in the American Wild Horse

Chief & Pretty sky of1sulphur springs Herd. By BevPettit


Spanish Influence in the American Wild Horse

Corina Roberts with contributions from Return To Freedom

Bby

hey are known by a number of names and those names are not always agreed upon.hey are not so much a breed as a type. Their history in the Americas is as diverse as the

American people. Each geographical region they hail from represents a different chapter and saga in American history. In today’s horse community, they are quite often unrecognized.

The world-renowned equine production Cavalia uses at least six of them, but ask the usually breed-fluent audience to identify them, and the crowd will fall silent.

T

aroque in The Americas:

Chief & Pretty sky of1sulphur springs Herd. By BevPettit


National Stud Farm

at Kladruby nad Labem

Excerpt from the book “National Stud Farm at Kladruby nad Labem” by authors

Ing. Dalibor Gregor a Ing. Milan Vítek

Photos by dALiBOR GReGORWWW.FOTO-GReGOR.COM


N ational Stud Farm at Kladruby nad Labem, one of the largest and oldest stud farms in the world, is still in operation after more than 430 years since its foundation. Situated about 100 km east of Prague, not far from the city of Pardubice in an alluvial plain of the river Elbe, is the small town of Kladruby nad Labem. It is home to the Old Kladruby Horse or Old Kladruber, the prodigy of the only Czech horse breed that remains unique by virtue of its beauty and ceremonial lavishness both under harness and in showing. To understand the stud farm’s importance, it is good to recall some historical associations.

The name of the municipality is derived from “rubání klád” (virtually meaning “logging”)

and the first written records date from the 12th century when a horse park was set up there. This territory was held by the noblemen of Kladruby in the 14th century. Their coat of arms featured horseshoes and one document from 1401 actually has small horseshoes on its seal. in 1491, the Pardubice estate was acquired by Vilém of Pernštejn, who in 1500, purchased additional property including the village of Kladruby. The horse park gradually evolved into a stud farm with a famous breed and large concentrations of horses. The family’s last prodigy, Jaroslav of Pernštejn, was an equerry and legend has it that he bred in Kladruby Park horses of spanish stock he acquired during his travels in 1552.

Roman-German emperor Ferdinand i had earlier visited the Lord of Pernštejn in Pardubice in 1539 and praised him for his excellent horse breeding. during his subsequent visits he showed his admiration and professed interest in acquiring the estate, especially the Kladruby game reserve. Under his tenure, horse-breeding was promoted and greatly improved because of the Turkish wars. in the same year his son, King and emperor Maximilian ii, added to Kladruby Park a stud farm, blacksmith’s shop and riding hall. From visits to his royal relatives in spain he brought horses to Kladruby Park. in 1575 he despatched his son, Rudolf, on a tour of Czech estates and it is thought that the latter actually considered, after his first visit to Kladruby, establishing a court stud farm. He attached extra importance to the complexness of estates and sufficient acreage of meadows and pastures with natural fences.

For the horse park to keep the noblest horse breeds for the needs of the imperial-Royal Court, it required a firm system, expert management and organisation. To this effect, emperor Rudolf ii issued a decree on 6 April 1579 of the establishment of a royal stud farm and, on 24 April 1579, a royal deed of nomination of Rudolf of Breitenbach as its first director. This date is officially considered the founding day of the imperial-Royal stud Farm at Kladruby.

The rule of Rudolf ii (1576-1611) was noted for significant improvements of horse breeding in Bohemia and the introduction of Spanish influence. The emperor used white horses of spanish blood on his travels. Kladruby horses were part of this influence from Spain and Italy. Along came their


NZ dressage rider Jody Hartstone continues sharing her journey of bringing a Lusitano stal-lion to New Zealand with the dream of Grand Prix glory...


My Kingdom for a Lusitano

I first laid eyes on Ali Baba via some short videos sent to me from Portugal – he

was a 6yo, nice and tall with a good talent for the piaffe and passage. He had been trained by Carlos Thomas, one of the riders from the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, so I knew the training would be correct. I was excited to see nice straight and expressive flying changes and he knew the Spanish Walk which I really wanted to be able to do – mostly so I could show off! And so, Ali Baba went onto my short-list of horses to try.

When I first laid eyes on him when travelling through Portugal, it was love at first sight. In my mind, I wanted a grey stallion, but this stunning bright bay with a cheeky eye and a “How you doing?” expression really got under my skin. He was much more like a warmblood to ride than some of the smaller and broader Lusitanos i had tried. i felt we clicked straight away and started to make plans to buy him. Unfortunately, the next day things turned upside down when a wealthy buyer turned up and offered much more money than i could, and i walked away from the deal with a heavy heart.

With the London Olympics on the horizon and new Zealand managing to qualify a team spot, i put my dream of an iberian beauty on hold and purchased another warmblood to compete on the european dressage circuit in an attempt to gain some qualification scores. However, the horse and i were not the best match and 6 months later, he was sold to the UsA and once again, the search was on for my dream horse.

As i had done the previous year, i scoured through spain and Portugal, really wanting a Lusitano, but with the piroplasmosis issues and the lack of horses for sale that met my requirements, i started looking at PRe horses as well. Once again, there were vettings and

for my dream horse.

Written byJOdy HARTsTOne

PHOTOS: PIeTeR VenTeR


MANOLOMENDEZ Dressagedeveloping the Basics and Understanding straightness Better

by Manolo Mendez, Specialist of in-hand and Classical Equitation with C. Larrouilh

Manolo Mendez was the first Head Rider, and one of six founding members of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. Based in Jerez, Spain, the school is one of the four classical schools which also include the Cadre Noir in Saumur, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Lisbon. A master horseman with over forty years

of experience spanning classical dressage, doma vaquera and jumping, Manolo is dedicated to a soft, sympathetic and thorough training method which

prepares horses physically and psychologically for each stage of training from training to Grand Prix and Haute Ecole. For more information on Manolo

visit: www.manolomendezdressage.com

Photos by KATHRyn BARReTT

WWW.FACeBOOK.COM/KnMdiGiTALFUsiOn


Know your horse

The more our horse understands his work and is confident in his ability to deliver what is asked, the more expressive and elegant he becomes. The horse needs to be able to understand each aid, each request, each exercise that he is asked to perform, in a very simple way.

it is the rider’s responsibility to ensure that the horse is prepared properly before introducing a new request, the next exercise. This means not only that the horse develops fitness, strength, flexibility and balance to physically do the work but that mentally he is settled, calm and confident. Instead of having a set of rigid expectations based on the horse age, breed, pedigree and the rider’s goals and ambition, the rider should train the horse they have in front of them in an unhurried and uncomplicated manner.

What working routines work better for your horse? What do his muscles look like, feel like before and after work? How does his conformation help him do his job or make it more difficult? How long does it take him to warm up? What are his favorite exercises and what does he find more difficult? What is his confidence level? Is he bold or shy? Trusting or anxious? What does he have difficulties understanding?

By knowing his horse’s preferences, a rider can customize the training and becomes more effective than if he applied the same exact program daily (and to every horse).

it is the rider’s responsibility to adapt to the horse, not the horse to the rider. Who is the best teacher? The one who can adapt lessons to the different learning abilities of its students or the one who sticks to its lesson plan, word for word, and places the onus on the student to understand them regardless of their ability?

Only by knowing his horse and adapting the training to his individual needs will the rider truly be able to forge a partnership with their horse.

A natural walk is the foundation for good paces

spend time to encourage the walk. it should be relaxed, and graceful. We must not drill or drive too much. each horse has a different rhythm, find your horse’s and work

with it. your pelvis should be relaxed so each seat and hip bone can move independently, in time with the horse. Allow your shoulders, elbows and arms to move softly, so as not to obstruct the horse’s movement.

encouraging a free walk is the foundation for good movement in all gaits. We must remember never to restrict the horse’s natural head nod at walk and canter (there is no head nod at the trot). The rider must have equal contact on both reins, and follow the horse’s normal head carriage, so as not to block the head movement in any way. Once the horse is comfortable and relaxed, we occasionally halt, give a pat, then walk again.

A good trot and canter both develop from a good walk. We can also gradually teach the horse to distinguish between free, extended, medium and collected walk through becoming attentive to the movement of the rider’s body. When the rider becomes stiller, the horse will learn to still and collect his own movement, and vice versa without the rider needing to pull hard.

Sitting trot makes young horses hollow

When a horse is only three or four, his bones are not completely formed. The young horse is naturally a little on the forehand, muscles are not yet fully developed. The horse has to be able to flex, every single joint in the spine must be supple. This goes for all the joints in the body really. if we sit the trot on the young horse, as some riders do because they believe it makes them appear a better rider, before the horse has developed the correct muscles, we will start to jam the vertebrae together, the pelvis will lock, and stifles and hocks may become sore from too much ’leg action.’The horse will become sore and fatigued, his back, ribcage and withers may hurt - making saddling and girthing unpleasant – resulting in the horse quickly developing into a ‘leg mover instead of a body mover’.

it is a chain reaction that cannot be ignored. Only when the horse has found his natural balance under the rider, and has found his rhythm and timing, can we start the sitting trot.

This is also true of canter when often times a horse of any level can benefit from a rider using a light seat or even a ride in two points while doing anything from a canter to a hand gallop.

A good rider must be guided by what he feels beneath him and how he can release the horse’s tension and better its alignment.

He should experiment using feel and timing, and analyze his horse’s responses to guide him instead of working by rigid theory alone.

Good breathing leads to good work

Riders very rarely concentrate on their breathing, and they often don’t think about how the horse is breathing, either.

The rider must learn to breathe deeply, with “softness in the air”. We must also listen to, and feel the horse’s breathing. A young horse will often breathe too fast, because he may be a little tense about what is expected, and he is not yet completely fit. It is important to give a young horse plenty of breaks to recover his breath. Proper breathing encourages athleticism and mental concentration because it helps supply oxygen to the muscles and brain. All athletes work on their breathing. your horse is an athlete, too. We do not want our horse to shallow breathe or simply hold his breath altogether.

A sensitive rider can feel the horse’s ribcage between his legs, opening and closing with each breath. Because of this we don’t tighten our girths too strongly, or the noseband, throatlatch strap or flash. We should make every effort to make the horse comfortable. Tight tack creates tension in the body.

By encouraging the horse’s softness, and following the young horse’s natural movement, rather than enforcing unnatural movement, stiffening or stopping the horse’s movement, we will help the horse develop his natural breathing.

Develop soft transitions early

it is of great importance to start to think about our transitions at an early stage. With a young horse, ask for transitions on a straight line only – make sure that the horse is not rushing or running away from the leg. do not attempt transitions on a circle, he will not understand how to keep the bend and do the transition, and you will create tension and resistance.

Transitions must be done with softness, either with the leg OR with the rein only. To a young horse, the leg means “go forward” and the hand means “slow down”. We must not

JuST aS We WouLD Never PreSSure a kiNDer garDeN CHiLD To JumP STraigHT iNTo HigH SCHooL aND exPeCT THem To Be aBLe To THiNk CriTiCaLLy aND ProDuCe a+ eSSayS overNigHT, We SHouLD Never “JumP STePS” or ruSH THe LeveLS iN THe TraiNiNg of our HorSeS.


We generally acknowledge that Baroque body type horses are “easy keepers or good doers” and gain body weight easily. However, we can not exclude that some baroque horses are lighter

build and may experience the opposite – having trouble to gain weight. Nevertheless, if you own a Baroque body type horse, you probably question a lot about what is a healthy body weight, body condition score, neck crest score and what should or shouldn’t I feed my Baroque horse? There are a number of Baroque horse owners that even have to deal with digestive and metabolic disorders such as laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and insulin resistance (IR).

Feeding the Baroque

HorseBy Mariette van den Berg,

Bsc. (Hons), Msc. (equine nutrition)MB equine services – equine nutrition Consulting

www.mberg.com

Part 1: horse health, husbandry and feeding practices

information about digestive and metabolic disorders and basic horse nutrition is out there but it is generally not tailored to the needs of Baroque body type horses. In the following series on “feeding the Baroque horse” we will discuss these aspects and provide some more information on how to feed and manage the Baroque horse.

Body typE & gEnEtiC prEdiSpoSition

Baroque horses have maintained the body type and robustness of their early ancestors and therefore they appear to have also retained a highly efficient metabolism, which is expressed on DnA level. Horses

are initially evolved and adapted to eating prairie (low-quality) grasses and shrubs in semi-arid regions and travelling significant distances each day in order to obtain adequate nutrition. They need an efficient metabolism to be able to gain enough energy and nutrients from these poor quality forages to survive.

However not all domesticated horses have maintained this body type and robustness, due to selective breeding for performance, and so therefore we see differences in how horses cope with modern feeding practices (e.g. improved pastures, high energy and caloric supplementary diets).

Photos by LAURA ZUGZdAWWW.LAURAZ.neT


Far more than a national stud farm

Topolcianky

National Stud Farm Topoľčianky is a state owned company and

is one of the most important breeding and crossbreeding centres for warm-blooded horses in Europe.

The Stud Farm was founded in 1921 and is unique as it is the only one in Europe which specialises in breeding four different breeds of horses; Arabs, Lipizzans, Huculs and sporting horses, of which there are over 500. One part of the National Stud Farm is located in the grounds of the famous Topoľčianky Castle, which was a summer residence of Tomas G.Masaryk, the first President of

the Czechoslovak Republic. There is also a Museum of Horses displaying a large number of interesting exhibits open to the public. The property is approximately 1000 ha and includes breeding yards and buildings that were gradually added to the property between 1921-1930.

The National Stud Farm Topoľčianky is well known abroad for presentation of Lipizzan horses with Quadrilla and Classical Riding School. They have participated in many shows. One of the most well known was at the International Agriculture Trade Fair “Grüne Woche” in Berlin, in which they were apart of the historical megaquadrilla, this event was recorded in the Guinness Book (of world records).

TNational Stud Farm Topoľčianky, a state owned company, is one of the most important breeding and crossbreeding centres for warm-blooded horses in Europe.

Photos by dALiBOR GReGORWWW.FOTO-GReGOR.COM

Written by SeVeRIne TOCAVendeLeGATe OF THe FFL


Topolcianky


Riz’s RantPLEASE BREED RESPONSIBLY

RRThese words are often used by us to remind people that they are responsible for the lives they bring into this world and that responsibility should not to be taken lightly.

The Baroque Breeds were here long before we were born and they will be here long after we are gone. i have always believed that we should not treat these magnificent horses as if they belong to us, but rather, we are their caretakers and we have a responsibility to protect not only the horses, but also the integrity of the breed to ensure the next generation can experience the greatness of these splendid horses.

Aside from being beautiful, other characteristics that aptly describe Baroque breeds include, rideable, great temperament, and extremely intelligent! They are living art… so impressive and so powerful, yet even the most amateur owner can ride and enjoy them.

it seems that during the last few years we have started to see changes in the Andalusian, Lusitano and Friesian breeds, and some of these changes, in my opinion, are not for the better.

due largely to successes in the show ring, some breeders are chasing the dream and breeding for bigger, flashier horses that seem to be born with that “spark”.

i am not one to rain on the dreams of others, but i think we have to be realistic. How many Olympic riders are there? How many Grand Prix riders are there? If everyone is breeding for such a small market, what is going to happen to the horses that don’t make it into the hands of a competent rider? I use the word competent instead of professional because these days it seems anyone can claim to be a dressage instructor without ever having trained a horse to the upper levels. To my way of thinking, that’s not dissimilar to someone who, although they themselves cannot do it well, want to teach others to play piano; or teach Karate lessons even though they might only be a yellow belt (yellow is a low level belt). Alas that is next month’s Rant!

Why is it that everyone seems to think that a horse must be at least 17 hands high to be considered as a competitive Dressage horse? I am not saying that a tall horse cannot be a good representative of an Andalusian or Lusitano horse, but it seems that breeders and even the registries themselves are becoming so obsessed with size that they are at risk of losing some of the physical traits that made these horses the legends they are!

The extended trot was not a gait used in Classical Dressage or in battle nor will not find find a reference to the extended gaits in the Classical Texts.

www.piafferevealed.com

The Extended trot was not a gait used in Classical Dressage..


www.piafferevealed.com

Another breed that i adore is the Friesian. Who can help but love these beautiful black horses with a plethora of hair? But the primary reason I like the breed so much is that they are so easy to work with - maybe even easier than the Andalusian or the Lusitano horse, and believe me, i would not say that lightly! it is a good thing they’re easy to work with, because, the more powerful the horse, the more laid-back i would like their personality to be! The last thing you would want is a hot Friesian, but it seems more and more we are seeing just that.

How many of your clients are going to pay for professional trainers to campaign the horse to the upper levels anyway? The vast majority of the horse market is made up of women aged 55 years and older, as well as, hopefully, young children. What the market needs is horses that are easy to sit, easy to train and fun to be around, and who take care of their rider. The Baroque horse should be all of that. The icing on the cake is they are stunning, too!

so before you go off and attempt to breed the next Olympic champion, please ask yourself what happens to the 99% of horses that don’t make the cut? Who will be there to ride such hot, big horses with those flashy, and often hard to sit gaits?

Last, but not least, if you want a horse that is as tall as a Warmblood, moves like a Warmblood and is as difficult to be around as a Warmblood, then buy a Warmblood and leave the Baroque Horse alone. This goes for the judges at the revisions/breed inspections as well! a

The more powerful the horse the more

laid back of a

personality I would like

them to havE...


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BHM Issue 10 - Sampler2.pdf

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Transcript of BHM Issue 10 - Sampler2.pdf