SECTION G Health and Condition, Care of the Competition Horse, Grooming

Question 1

Explain whether you prefer to groom or bath your horse?

Answer 1

Grooming is better as it does not remove the horses natural oils from the coat and it is more comfortable for the horse to be groomed rather than getting cold whilst being bathed

Question 2

Discuss the dis/advantages of grooming over bathing.

Answer 2

Grooming helps to stimulate the muscles in the horses body and does not remove the oils in the horses coat. However it is hard to remove stains from horses coats without bathing.

Question 3

There are many products on the market that you might put on a horse’s coat, which do you prefer and why?

Question 4

Describe how to take the temperature and or the pulse and respiration rate.

Answer 4

temp- thermometer into bum with vaseline and rotating and then push slightly to the side 37.5-38
pulse- on jaw 36-42
resp- stand diagonally behind and count each breath, 1 breath= in and out normal 8-14

Question 5

How can the TPR indicate that a horse is not well?

Answer 5

because it is abnormal for the horse.
temp- infection and low if poor circulation or dehydrated
heart- up through pain, excitement, fear
resp- pain, excitement, fear if goes up and

Question 6

What resting heart rate would you consider serious enough to call the vet?

Answer 6

dependent on what is happening- eg if it is pacing and sweating and rolling. over 50 usually

Question 7

What variations in the heart rate and respiration would you expect as a horse gets fitter?

Answer 7

heart- would be lower during exercise and would come back to normal quicker.
respiratory rate would be lower and would return to normal quicker

Question 8

When feeling muscles to assess fitness what are you feeling for?

Answer 8

not loose but not rock solid and tense. checking for tone

Question 9

What is the difference in shape of the belly of a fit and an unfit horse?

Answer 9

unfit- lower and wider
fit- muscles are firmer so belly is held higher

Question 10

When do you notice a change in the respiration rate as the horse gets fitter?

Answer 10

reduces again quicker after exercise

Question 11

How is the respiration rate linked to locomotion?

Answer 11

the respiratory rate is matched to the canter speed

Question 12

What do we mean when we talk about recovery rates?

Answer 12

the time it takes for the heart rate or respiration to return to normal

Question 13

Why is it important to take notice of recovery rates?

Answer 13

helps to show the fitness level of the horse and helps to guide your fitness regime

Question 14

What would you like the recovery rate to be for exercise on a normal day?

Question 15

If your horse is fit enough, how fast should the respiration rate return to normal following a cross country course.

Question 16

What simple problems might affect the respiratory system whilst getting a horse fit?

Answer 16

small chested horses will struggle more, upper airway restriction eg roarer, fatter horses struggle to fill chest, airway inflammation eg copd

Question 17

How might a dust allergy affect the respiratory system when getting a horse fit?
What is the name of this type of allergy?

Answer 17

will. cause the airways to become inflammed so they can shift less air through them. equine asthma

Question 18

How do you identify whistling or roaring?

Answer 18

you hear it, when they are cantering when they are breathing in

Question 19

What is EIPH? Can you describe it?

Answer 19

equine induced pulmonary hemmorage. when blood vessels in the lungs break during exercise so the horses get nosebleeds.

Question 20

Please describe some exercise that you can do to improve the muscular system for ridden work

Answer 20

hillwork, raised poles. gymnastics, carrot stretches,

Question 21

What value does unmounted work have to improve the muscular system?

Answer 21

it can help increase the ability for the horse to know where its legs are, helps them to work without a rider on its back.

Question 22

Have you ever used any remedial exercises to improve muscling, please explain if they were successful?

Answer 22

no

Question 23

Apart from the vet, what other professionals can be used to help a horse improve its alignment and uneven muscles?

Answer 23

Physiotherapists and chiropractors

Question 24

What are the dis/advantages of using a horse walker?

Answer 24

They allow the horse to stretch their legs without weight on their backs. They are usually on an all weather surface so they can be used all year round. However, you have to ensure that you repeat the same amount of time on each rein as else the horse will get stiff to one way.

Question 25

How do you decide if a horse walker has a place in a fittening routine?

Answer 25

work out what you are trying to aim, you’ll have to things along side it. if you are trying to get a horse fit for hacking then it does but for fit racehorses it is more of a leg stretch rather than a fattening excercises

Question 26

Please describe alternative methods of getting horses fit other than riding?

Answer 26

lunging, treadmills (water or dry), swimming, horse walker

Question 27

Where might swimming fit into a fitness programme?

Answer 27

where you are wanting to use the muscles but not load the limbs too.

Question 28

What different types of horses have you got fit? Tell me about the different techniques the individuals needed.

Answer 28

building it up lower, can increase the intensity after 10-14 days, interval training using sets and recovery in-between aiming to get the heart rate 140-180 during the set, heart rate back down to 60 before doing the next set

Question 29

How does the fitness of a show jumper and event horse/hunter differ?

Answer 29

showjumper have to be speedy for 2 with speed and strength, eventers need stamina, speed and strength whereas hunters are going slower for a much longer period of time so they need stamina and strength

Question 30

What is and why should we use seasonal planning when planning a fitness program?

Answer 30

eventers need to be fit during April- October roughly so they can have a break October- December usually so a fitness program would work them up from January and then through the event season. Vary workload based on ground eg if fattening on grass take into account the hardness of the ground

Question 31

If you use a training programme without using interval training what distance, how fast and how often, will you do fast work for the week before a PC 110.

Answer 31

canter work twice during the fittening in the months before but in the week of g only 1 time. 2-2.5k. train at 50-525 as it is faster than the optimum speed due to whilst being on the course them needing to do other things such as being brought back before a jump and going over the jump

Question 32

What is interval training?

Answer 32

interval training using sets and recovery in-between aiming to get the heart rate 140-180 during the set, heart rate back down to 60 before doing the next set, increasing the time for each set gradually

Question 33

What is the veterinary name for azoturia?

Answer 33

exertional rhabdo myolysys

Question 34

What symptoms lead to a diagnosis of azoturia?

Answer 34

sudden stiffening after work, sweating, increased pulse and resp. change in urine colour to red-brown.

Question 35

What are the potential causes of azoturia?

Answer 35

feeding too much when exercise has been dropped and then suddenly introduced back into work, due to hard excercies, not been fittened properly, stress, dehydration

Question 36

Outline some of the modern methods of treatment of azoturia.

Answer 36

pain killers and muscle relaxants.

Question 37

What differences in the colour of urine have you seen?

Answer 37

red, brown

Question 38

Is the colour of urine alone a problem, or can it be symptomatic of further problems, can you describe some of these problems?

Answer 38

if there is a distinct change in colour it is best to get it checked. Bladder bleed, stones, cancers, breakdown of RBCs. Not worries about cloudy membrane due to cells in kidney producing mucas

Question 39

What action did you take on observing an unusual colour?

Answer 39

ask the vet what to do.

Question 40

Why is warm down from exercise so important?

Answer 40

reduces the risk of tying up, helps keep muscles moving and keep blood flow to the muscles. Also helps to clear lactic acid out of the muscles

Question 41

How do you warm down your horse after exercise?

Answer 41

allowing them to stretch and then gradually slowing down the speed

Question 42

How long does a warm down from exercise take?

Answer 42

Dependent on horses recovery rate. 5-10 minutes of ridden warm down + sponging down

Question 43

What effect might the weather have on warming down?

Answer 43

hotter weather- going to take longer to cool down.
colder weather- much quicker to cool down

Question 44

Briefly describe some of the research that has been done on the effect of heat on tendons.

Answer 44

the more heat put onto tendons there is an increased risk of tendon pulls and strain

Question 45

Outline two ways of cooling legs after hard work.

Answer 45

ice boots and cold water hosing

Question 46

How do you cool your horse’s legs after hard work?

Answer 46

ice boots

Question 47

Why do you cool down your horse’s legs as you do?

Answer 47

convienient, comfortable for the horse, effective.

Question 48

What do you consider a long distance for a horse to travel and then work/compete?

Answer 48

every 4 hours should have half a days rest

Question 49

Please discuss the challenges when travelling horses long distances?

Answer 49

very tiring for them because of having to balance themselves, dehydration, boredom, strain on joints, aching muscles, stiffening, hunger strike, head in an unnatural position which is not good for airway health.

Question 50

What preparations would you put in place when travelling horses a long way in hot weather?

Answer 50

gov say not to travel in over 30 degree heat unless in temperature controlled vehicle. lots of water onboard, only travel if absolutely necessary and ideally in morning or evening. stop often to give water and get horse off trailer frequently

Question 51

Please explain what points might you consider when deciding to off load the horses during a long journey?

Answer 51

plan ahead for places that you are able to get them off, make plans for back up in case of delay. must be allowed to get them off and be safe

Question 52

Not all horses travel well. Please describe those that might be challenged by a long journey.

Answer 52

horses suffering from colic, older horses, horses in pain on way to vet, mares and foals, nervous horses, horse with sacroiliac joint problems

Question 53

What do you do about watering horses on over a long distance?

Answer 53

stop often, can water in trailer but if there is opportunity to get them off then do so as they can stretch.

Question 54

Have you cared for a horse that becomes tense at competitions? What did you do to diminish the problem as much as possible?

Answer 54

make sure there is no medical reason. take a companion, make sure that you are calm when you are there, ride around the car park to relax, grass walk.

Question 55

Which horses are likely to be less relaxed at a competition?

Question 56

Explain the preparations that you will put in place to ensure horses are calm at competitions.

Question 57

Hot days produce their own challenges. How can you ensure your horse remains fit to compete on a very hot day?

Question 58

A horse appears always to tire towards the end of a competition day. What points will you consider to diminish this problem?

Question 59

How do you recognise stress/dehydration/exhaustion?

Question 60

What can you do to reduce stress, consider young horses or seasoned competition horses?

Question 61

Describe how dehydration can be avoided.

Question 62

Outline what might cause a horse to be exhausted, sheer over work would not occur in a good yard?

Question 63

How can exhaustion be avoided?