7 April 2022 - Flipbook - Page 94
94
FARMWEEK
MAY 19 2022
HORSEWEEK
Royal Windsor double
for Robyn and ‘Raegan’
‘
BALLYHOULIHAN Rags To Riches’, also
known as ‘Raegan’ is a nine-year-old grey
mare, owned by Michelle Feeney from
Barnoldswick in Lancashire.
Back in 2016, Michelle was sent a photo
of ‘Raegan’ as a three-year-old and five
weeks later she welcomed the mare to her
yard. ‘Raegan’ has no recorded breeding and
Michelle later found out that she had been
discovered in a barn in Ireland, with no food
and in extremely poor condition.
Following a very successful season in 2021,
qualifying for Horse of the Year Show with her
previous rider Emma Dewhurst, Michelle was
in need of a new jockey for this season.
After posting an advert on Facebook,
Michelle decided that Robyn Catterall would
take on the role.
Robyn is well known in endurance and side
saddle circles here and has been riding side
saddle for 10 years. She is also a side saddle
instructor. Robyn is still based in Northern
Ireland and travels back and forth to ride
‘Raegan’ at shows on the mainland; Michelle
keeps her going at home.
The newly formed team of Robyn and
‘Raegan’ headed off to Royal Windsor Horse
ROYAL WINDSOR SUCCESS: Robyn Catterall
rode ‘Ballyhoulihan Rags To Riches’ to win
both the BSHA Ladies Show Horse class
and the Concours d’Elegence class at Royal
Windsor Horse Show. (FW20-561NN)
PICTURE: courtesy of Steve Dawe
Show last week - the first time that either horse
or rider had competed at this show. The pair
had an amazing weekend, winning the BSHA
(British Show Horse Association) Ladies Show
Horse title on Friday and followed up by also
winning the Concours d’Elegence class on
Sunday!
Following their success, Robyn said:
“’Raegan’ gave me the most beautiful ride in
both classes and she coped extremely well
with the atmosphere at Windsor. We were
very emotional after our win in the Ladies
Show Horse, it was completely unexpected.
The judge commented on how beautifully
balanced she was and she just did everything
the judge asked.
“We have planned a few more county shows
in England throughout the year and will be
contesting a few HOYs qualifiers as well,”
Robyn continued.
“I can’t thank Michelle enough for the
opportunity to ride ‘Raegan’, I am extremely
lucky to be able to compete at such high
profile shows and I can’t wait for the rest of
the season.”
Best wishes to Robyn and ‘Raegan’ for the
rest of the season - hopefully, their Royal
Windsor success is just the beginning!
S
IX-year-old Ella Latto from Hillsborough
and her pony ‘Chaseford Camelia’ had a
successful trip to the BSPS (British Show
Pony Society) Winter Championship Show at
Arena UK recently. They won the Novice Show
Pony Lead Rein class and went on to be named
overall Champion.
Ella started riding at the tender age of two
and is a member of the BSPS and Iveagh Pony
Club. She is ably assisted by her mum Andrea,
who herself competed in Working Hunter and
Showing - her last show being Dublin Horse
LEAD REIN: Ella Latto and ‘Chaseford
Camelia’ won their Lead Rein class and took
the championship at BSPS. (FW20-515NN)
Show before Ella came along. Andrea hopes to
get back in the saddle to compete at the RDS
again next year!
Ella’s ponies ‘Gryngallt Pizzicato’, ridden by
Alex Hemsley and ‘Manorlea Calypso’, ridden
by Abi Gardner, then competed in the First
Ridden class at Balmoral Show last week,
coming home with first and second places
respectively - so it’s been a good season so far!
Royal Warrant for Botanica International
LOCAL company Botanica International,
based in Warrenpoint, Co. Down, has joined
a very select number of businesses to be
awarded the Royal Warrant. They are one
of only three companies here to have been
awarded the honour, joining business and
technology firm The Epos Bureau Ltd, based
in Co. Fermanagh and Ulster Carpets, based
in Co. Armagh.
A Royal Warrant of Appointment is
granted as a mark of recognition to people
or companies, who have regularly supplied
MANAGEMENT:
There are a number
of things that can
be done to manage
those prone to
tying up, including
maintaining their
electrolyte balance.
(FW20-500NN)
CELEBRATION: Owner Michelle Feeney
celebrates with Robyn Catterall and ‘Raegan’
following their Royal Windsor double.
(FW20-562NN)
Great start to the season for Ella
ONE-TWO: Abi Gardner on ‘Manorlea
Calypso’,who came second, pictured with
owner Andrea Latto and Alex Hemsley on
‘Gryngallt Pizzicato’, who was first in the First
Ridden class at Balmoral. (FW20-563NN)
HORSE
NUTRITION
goods or services to HM The Queen, HRH
The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of
Wales or their Households.
Botanica International has been supplying
products to the Royals for a number of
years, which led to the Royal Warrant being
granted on March 31. Botanica packaging
now carries the familiar crest with ‘By
appointment to HM The Queen’.
It is a great reflection on Botanica products
and on Sean Cooney to have been recognised
in this way - keep up the good work Botanica!
Tackling tying up
WHAT IS TYING UP?
‘TYING up’ or, as it is officially known Equine
Rhabdomyolysis (ERS) or Azoturia, is a
muscle metabolism condition found in horses,
commonly during or after exercise. This oftenpainful condition causes prolonged camps and
tightening of the muscles in the hindquarters.
When these muscles fail to relax, this causes
pain and stiffness, with the most common
clinical sign being muscular stiffness. Clinical
signs in each case can range from very mild
to severe, some horses may seem reluctant to
stride out properly, whereas others may be
unable to move at all. Horses can also be seen
stretched out, as if they were trying to urinate
and may also paw the ground.
In many cases, ERS is the result of underlying
muscle conditions, such as Polysaccharide
Storage Myopathy (PSSM) or Recurrent
Exertional Rhabdomysis (RER), however
tying up can also happen in horses with no
apparent underlying health issues.
CAUSES?
Tying up can affect horses/ ponies at any
stage of their life, even if no underlying muscle
condition is present.
The main cause of tying up for those
without an underlying muscle condition is
due to nutrition and management practices.
Common causes are high starch/ cereal diets,
low forage intakes, lack of exercise or turnout
time, overfeeding or electrolyte imbalances.
For those with a muscle condition, the
primary cause of tying up is less avoidable,
however, nutrition and management practices
like those listed above can still play a vital role
in managing the condition.
PSSM results in excess accumulation of
glycogen in the form of sugar stored within
the muscles.
PSSM can often be triggered or exacerbated
by the poor management practices listed
above, as well as a high body condition score,
with good doers being commonly prone to the
condition.
RER has a variety of causes, such as
hormonal
imbalances,
lactic
acidosis,
electrolyte imbalances and vitamin E/
selenium deficiencies. The main cause that
has been identified for this type of tying up is a
disorder of muscle contractility or excitation.
HOW TO MANAGE THOSE PRONE TO TYING
UP?
- Ensure horses are kept at a body condition
score (BCS) of 3 on the 5-point scale.
- Increase forage intake, where possible
allow ad lib feeding. Forage should not be
restricted to any less than 1.5% of bodyweight
as a minimum.
- Soaking or steaming hay to reduce the
water-soluble content (sugar).
- Ideally having the forage tested to allow a
low WSC hay to be chosen.
- Provide a balanced diet that meets all
nutrient requirements.
- Ensure to feed a low starch complete feed.
- Do not increase feed in anticipation of
increased work, the diet should be increased
gradually as workload increases.
- Maintain the electrolyte balance.
- Maintain a regular exercise programme,
avoid long breaks between training days.
- Provide as much turnout as possible.
- Ensure to correctly warm up and cool down
your horse prior/ post exercise.
- Aim to reduce stress.
The Bluegrass Extra-Pro Range has been
designed to suit those that ‘tie up’. The ExtraPro Range includes Re-Leve, Re-Solve and ReLite. All of which are complete feeds, which
are low in starch, low in sugar and high in fibre.
They are all fortified with Stamm-30, which
provides high quality proteins, vitamins
and minerals, essential in ensuring muscle
health, along with providing a balanced
diet. They also contain natural vitamin E,
which promotes rapid recovery from muscle
soreness and injury.
Contact the Bluegrass Horse Feed helpline to
speak with one of our nutritional advisors for
more information on feeding those prone to
tying up. For an individually formulated diet,
head to our website and fill out a diet request
form, where our team members will create a
diet tailored to your individual horse’s needs.
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