21th October 2021 - Flipbook - Page 94
94
HORSEWEEK
FARMWEEK
DECEMBER 02 2021
All roads lead to Saintfield
for Christmas Charity
Ride this Saturday
A
LL
roads
will
lead to Saintfield,
Co.
Down
this
Saturday,
December 4, as the
2021 Saintfield Christmas
Charity Ride takes place.
The town is expected to be
busy, as crowds of Santas
on horseback descend for
their annual ride.
The Santas will be taking
a different route for this
year’s ride. The starting
point is Andrews Yard, 50
Lisburn Road, Saintfield
BT24 7BP and the ride
will move out at 12 noon,
following the mulled wine
and mince pie reception.
The weather forecast at
the minute is sunny and
dry for Saturday - hopefully
it will stay that way!
The ride will be on the
Main Street at approx
1.30pm and the BBC’s Hugo
Duncan, Boxcar Brian and
Gerard Dornan will be on
the Saintfield Main Street
from 12.30pm to welcome
Santa.
Entries are now being
taken online at www.
s a i n t f i e l d h o r s e sh ow/
christmascharityride.com
Enquiries
to
at
joancunningham1@gmail.
com or 07775 860744.
ROUTE
Start at: Andrews Yard,
50 Lisburn Road, Saintfield
BT24 7BP
Head to: Old Belfast Road
Turn Right: Lessans Road
Turn Right: Monlough
Road
Turn Left: Main Belfast
Road
Turn Left: Windmill Road
Turn Right: Station Road
To: Todd’s Hill
To: Saintfield Main Street
Back to: Andrews Yard,
50 Lisburn Road, Saintfield
BT24 7BP
From the
horse’s
mouth
BY JACQUI PORTER
Why do we use bits?
SANTA ALERT: The 2021 Saintfield Christmas Charity Ride will take place this Saturday
and should bring some Christmas cheer! (FW48-518NN)
ROUTE: The route for the 2021 Saintfield Christmas Charity Ride, which is taking place
this Saturday. (FW48-517NN)
Catalogue online for the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale
T
HE Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale will take
place on Friday, December 10 at 4.30pm after racing
during the International Meeting in the Tattersalls
Sales Ring.
The main catalogue has attracted 45 Lots, which are
now available to view online, along with their video race
replays. Hard copies of the catalogue will be distributed
from Thursday, December 2, with further wildcard entries
published online on Monday, December 6.
Tattersalls Cheltenham graduates continue to excel at
the highest level and the December Sale has an enviable
record for selling outstanding graduates, inlcuding four
Cheltenham Festival winners in 2021 and two Grand
National champions: ‘Shiskin’, ‘Chantry House’, ‘Sir
Gerhard’, ‘Mount Ida’, ‘Fayonagh’, ‘Tiger Roll’ and ‘One For
Arthur’.
The Cheltenham Sales are renowned for sourcing future
winners at all levels of the market and the diversity
and depth of this catalogue will afford all prospective
purchasers the opportunity to source their next winner.
Entries include:
22 winning and placed four-year-old point to pointers
14 winning and placed five-year-old point to pointers
three winning and placed bumper horses
five winning and placed hurdlers
one Listed winning mare
Further entries will be selected as wildcards from
this weekend’s point to points in Ireland and the United
DECEMBER SALE: Tattersalls Cheltenham will hold their
December Sale on Friday, December 10 at 4.30pm after
racing during the International Meeting in the Tattersalls
Sales Ring. (FW48-550NN)
Kingdom.
Tattersalls Live Internet Bidding will be available
for those who are unable to attend the sale in person.
Prospective purchasers are requested that they register
with Tattersalls at least 48 hours prior to the start of sale
by visiting www.tattersalls.com/ livebidding
The full catalogue can now be viewed at www.
tattersallscheltenham.com
Cheltenham Racecourse is also set to be turned yellow
as part of the launch of Tiggy’s Trust at the International
Meeting on Friday, December 10. Details of the race-day
and charity auction can be found at www.tiggystrust.com
AS we all know, a well-trained
horse with a skilled rider can
often perform some of the most
complex movements without
saddle or bridle, their skill
surpassing any need for specific
equipment. Trainers like Frederic
Pignon of the world famous show
‘Cavalia Shine’, demonstrate
exactly this - that communication
depends on the skill of horse
and rider much more than on
any specific tools. And with
increasing interest in bitless
riding in recent years, some of us
might wonder; why should we use
bits anyway?
Bits are incredibly useful
tools. From beginning a young
horse to schooling higher level
movements, they give us access
to key biomechanical pathways in
the horse. They are not simply for
applying pressure to get a horse
to comply! And, as with any tool,
their usefulness is determined
by the knowledge, skill and tact
of the hands that guide them.
While there are many ways we
can communicate with and train
a horse, by choosing to use a bit
we can uniquely and precisely act
on the mouth to affect pathways
throughout the rest of the horse.
How...? Through the hyoid
connection.
The Hyoid Connection
At the centre of this connection
is the hyoid apparatus. Located
at the base of the horse’s jaw,
the hyoid bone acts as the
attachment point for the tongue
and for three significant muscle
and fascial chains that extend
directly to the chest, shoulders
and poll, and indirectly to the
abdominal muscles, neck, back,
pelvis and hind legs of the
horse. It is the core touchpoint
that connects together the main
muscle and fascial chains of the
rest of the horse’s body.
If we look at these key pathways
in more detail, we can begin to see
how significant the tongue and
mouth can be in influencing the
shoulders, forelimbs, abdominals
and hindquarters.
The
sternohyoid
and
sternothyroid muscles connect
the mouth and tongue of
the horse via the hyoid (and
thyroid cartilage) to its chest.
From this point, muscles and
fascia continue this connection
through the pectoral and along
the abdominal muscles on the
underside on the horse, which
extend into the pelvis. This
contributes to the ventral chain
between the mouth, chest and
abdominals, that are key for
lifting the forehand and lowering
the hind end.
The Hyoid Connection and
Movement
When we use a bit, there are
muscular and fascial connections
between our hands and the rest
of the horse. This is enormously
helpful if we learn how to use
bits to influence and improve
the horse’s movement, and work
with this connection with great
tact. For example, some in-hand
exercises of classical dressage
are designed to supple the jaw
and neck in this way to enable the
rest of the body to move freely.
The direct connections from
the tongue and hyoid to the
shoulders and forelimbs, and
the indirect connections to the
hindlegs, hindquarters, back and
abdominals, indicate that if there
is restriction in the hyoid, such
as due to tension or restriction
in the mouth, tongue or jaw, the
myofascial (muscle and fascia)
networks extending from the
hyoid may be compromised.
This means that tension and
restriction in the jaw and mouth
could impact the horse’s ability
to freely move its shoulders,
properly use all four limbs in
extended and lateral work, and
engage its back and haunches for
collected work.
Susan Harris, author of “Horse
gaits, balance and movement”,
who has spent decades studying
the movement of horses, notes
that: “A stiff poll and jaw, holding
behind the vertical or a rider that
hangs on to the reins can inhibit
the engagement of the ventral
muscle chain and therefore
the hindlimb. This is why overbending to the inside or pulling
on the reins can inhibit hindlimb
engagement.”
With all of this to consider, it
instils the importance of making
sure we take time to consider the
bit we use, asking, ‘is my horse
comfortable, is this the best
option for my horse?’.
THE HYOID
APPARATUS:
Right, Showing
three major
muscle
attachments
that can affect
the horse’s
movement.
(FW48500aNN)
Jacqui Porter BSc (Hons) BAEDT
EQUINE DENTAL SERVICES
Tel: 07395 830535
Email: jpdentistry@icloud.com