2 March 2023 - Flipbook - Page 86
86
HORSEWEEK
FARMWEEK
MARCH 02 2023
Blue skies and sunshine
for Hagans Croft dressage
From the
horse’s
mouth
BY JACQUI PORTER
The importance of good oral health
NOVICE: Olivia Pele and ‘Mirlo Mon’ won the Novice class at week four
of Hagans Croft’s dressage league. (FW09-532NN)
S
ATURDAY,
February
25,
saw the first signs of spring
sunshine and blue skies at
Hagans Croft, as competitors
turned down the centre line
to Dressage Ireland tests from Intro
to Medium level.
Katie Adams and ‘Wheatfield’s
Charlie’s’ score sheet was filled
with scores of sevens and eights for
their working trot, 20m circles and
transitions to medium walk, finishing
on a total percentage of 76.47%. This
was a superb result, which achieved
the red rosette. After a shaky start,
Nicky Greeves and ‘Sadie Sue’
shone bright in front of judge Janice
Campbell, saluting to a score of
74.71% and second place. The judge’s
comments were very positive: ‘lovely,
supple, harmonious work, well
ridden’. This has set this pair up well
for the final next week, where their
best three scores will go towards
their overall total.
In the Newcomers Prelim class,
Eleanor Wheeler and ‘Casper’ were
delighted to be going home with
Hagans Croft’s new first place rosette
in 2023 colours, with 75% they
certainly deserved first place! Second
place went to Abbie Cummins and
‘Cassie’ on 74.62%.
The competition really started
to hot up in the Prelim class, with
the top six competitors all scoring
69% and above. Out on top was
Clare Steele and ‘Penny’, a beautiful
Thoroughbred bay mare, who scored
the highest score of the day, 78.21%;
NEWCOMERS: Eleanor Wheeler and ‘Casper’
won the Newcomers Prelim class at week four
of Hagans Croft’s dressage league.
(FW09-530NN)
second place went to Claire’s second
mount of the day ‘Jack’, who scored
74.64%.
There were only two riders for
the Novice class, but nevertheless
the calibre of tests ridden were
exceptionally high for such young
horses. First place went to Olivia Pele
and ‘Mirlo Mon’ and second place to
Emma Brown and ‘Elly Bouncer’.
Claire Steele and ‘Phoenix’ were
hooves ahead in the Elementary class
with 69.31%, so there was no denying
they were trotting home with the red
rosette!
It was blue for Victoria McCandless
and ‘Koolstyle’ in the Elementary, who
then went on to achieve first place in
the Medium test. It is great to see this
level of horse and rider competing at
Hagans Croft.
Hagans Croft would like to thank
everyone who supported the fourth
week of their five-week Dressage
League. Thanks are extended to
judge, Janice Campbell; scribe, Katie;
and all the stewards for making the
event run so smoothly.
This event is pre-entry only, with
entries taken via Hagans Croft’s
website: www.haganscroft equestrian.
co.uk or you can download and enter
through the Hagans Croft App. Entries
close each Thursday at 8pm prior to
Saturday’s event and start times are
posted online on Thursday evening.
Photographs can be purchased online
from Black Horse Photography.
To find out more about the league,
please contact Gillian on 07849
106453 or go to the website: www.
haganscroft equestrian.co.uk
RESULTS
Saturday, February 25
Dressage
Class 1: INTRO - Dressage Ireland
Introductory Test B, 2017: 1) Katie
Adams, Wheatfield’s Charlie 76.47%;
2) Nicky Greeves, Sadie Sue 74.71%;
3) Violet Campbell, Jet 68.82%; 4)
Amira Greeves, Lily 68.24%; 5) Sandra
Gordon, Mel 6588%; 6) Claire Ervine,
My Boy Ed 60.59%.
Class 2: NEWCOMERS PRELIM Dressage Ireland, Prelim Test P6,
2021: 1) Eleanor Wheeler, Casper 75%;
2) Abbie Cummins, Cassie 74.62%; 3)
Sandra Gordon, Mel 63.08%; 4) Ruth
Kavanagh-smith, Popcorn 59.62%; 5)
Rachel Conn, Dazlear 57.31%; 6) Eilis
Donnelly, Sally 56.54%.
Class 3: PRELIM - Dressage
Ireland, Prelim Test P15, 2012: 1)
Clare Steele, Penny 78.21%; 2) Clare
Steele, Jack 74.64%; 3) Debbie Burns,
Baloo 71.79%; 4) Carol Moorhead, Ula
69.64%; 5) Judith Auten, Kevin 69.64%;
6) Emma Brown, Elly Bouncer 69.29%.
Class 4: NOVICE - Dressage Ireland,
Novice Test, N23, 2012: 1) Olivia Pele,
Mirlo Mon 66.77%; 2) Emma Brown,
Elly Bouncer 63.55%.
Class 5: ELEMENTARY - Dressage
Ireland, Elementary Test, E50, 2013:
1) Clare Steele, Phoenix 69.31%; 2)
Victoria
McCandless,
Koolstyle
56.21%.
Class 6: MEDIUM - Dressage Ireland
Medium Test M72, 2015: 1) Victoria
McCandless, Koolstyle 50.3%.
RECENTLY, on my travels as an
Equine Dental Technician, I have
encountered a large number of
horses that have been reported to
have ridden issues, such as head
tilting, reluctance to take the contact
from the bit and even bucking when
asked for canter. These horses
have either been new purchases
or horses that haven’t had regular
dental check ups.
Unlike human teeth, a horse’s
teeth continue to erupt throughout
its life. The continual eruption
helps to compensate for the wear
caused by frequent grazing. When
the teeth are not worn down evenly,
problems can arise. Horses require
regular dental care and preventive
treatment throughout their lives.
When a horse is uncomfortable, he
may hold his head in an unnatural
position, which can cause pain in the
poll, neck and back. When a horse is
asked to work in an outline, he needs
to be able to work comfortably in the
vertical head position. This means
the lower jaw moves forwards
slightly, due to the change in body
position, so it’s important to make
sure there are no dental issues that
would affect this. A tight noseband
may make this more uncomfortable
for a horse. Some owners may put
these evasions down to behavioural
issues caused by an incorrectly
fitted bit.
Chris Pearce, Director and founder
of the Equine Dental Clinic, in
partnership with the British Horse
Society, have put together a guide to
help horse owners understand the
importance of dental care to their
horses’ well being. This guide can be
found on the BHS website: ‘No pain?
Check again!’.
Chris writes: “As horses are stoic
animals, they are cleverly able to
hide their dental pain. Due to this,
many horse owners don’t realise
that their horses could be suffering
in silence. This is bad news as dental
problems can seriously deteriorate
unseen until the horse shows
clinical signs. The scale of dental
problems is quite phenomenal, as
recent studies have found that up
to 70% of horses have undiagnosed
dental problems. This is a real
welfare concern for our horses
and why dental checks every six
to 12 months are so important to
ensure any unidentified issues are
treated as quickly as possible. Many
modern dental treatments are only
possible if problems are identified
before they become advanced. Just
as in humans, early intervention is
better than dealing with a dental
catastrophe.”
From the time a foal is born,
the horse’s teeth are constantly
changing. Teeth are continually
erupting and maturing. Because
PAINFUL: Ulceration of the soft
tissue caused by sharp enamel
points. (FW09-500bNN)
INTRO: Katie Adams and ‘Wheatfields Charlie’
won the Intro class at week four of Hagans
Croft’s dressage league. (FW09-529NN)
RUNNERS UP: Emma Brown and ‘Elly Bouncer’ came second in the
Novice class at week four of Hagans Croft’s dressage league.
(FW09-531NN)
OVERGROWTHS: Horse with
rostral overgrowths of the first
upper cheek teeth.
a horse’s teeth change frequently
from birth to age five and again as
they age, it is important to identify
if dental issues develop in between
scheduled check-ups.
Dental problems not only cause
discomfort in your horse’s mouth,
but can also affect a horse’s
movement and musculoskeletal
structures of the neck and back,
causing
pain,
stiffness
and
inflammation. A combination of
physical and behavioural changes
can suggest an issue with your
horse’s teeth.
Behavioural
Changes
While
Riding or Handling
- Head tossing
- Tilting of the head
- Difficulty bridling
- Rearing
- Grabbing the bit/ lack of control
Regular dental check-ups with
an equine dental professional can
identify and even correct uneven
dental wear. The list of dental
abnormalities is a long one.
Excessive
Transverse
Ridges: Teeth with excessive
transverse ridges look like an oldfashioned washboard. While it is
normal and desirable for teeth to
have ridges, if the ridges become
too pronounced they can affect
the movement of the mandible and
temporal mandible joint. Routine
dental procedures can balance out
the extreme ridges.
Hooks: Hooks develop from a
misalignment of the molar arcades,
commonly caused by an overbite
(parrot mouth) or under bite (sow
mouth). All herbivores require tooth
opposition to wear teeth evenly.
The portion of the tooth that is not
in contact with an opposing tooth
will become longer, causing extreme
discomfort.
Sharp enamel points: Sharp points
also known as enamel cusps will
naturally develop over time as the
horses teeth erupt. These points can
often cause soreness, lacerations
and ulcers to the soft tissue and
the tongue. Often horses with a
sore mouth from these enamel
points will find it painful to chew,
this can cause the horse to spit
out half chewed hay. This is called
quidding and is an uncomfortable
and common occurrence. Sharp
enamel points can also cause sore
where the noseband from the bridle
or head collar is fitted, rubs against
the face pushing the soft tissue into
the sharp teeth.
If your horse hasn’t had a dental
check-up for over a year or if you’re
worried there may be a problem or
even if you have recently purchased
a new horse, it is strongly advised
you book an appointment with your
vet or an Equine Dental Technician.
Jacqui Porter BSc (Hons) BAEDT
EQUINE DENTAL SERVICES
Tel: 07395 830535
Email: jpdentistry@icloud.com