Should you run your event horse?

Your entry is accepted, your horse is fit, but you arrive at the event to find it hasn’t rained much for weeks, the ground is dry and the going quite hard in places. Will you run?

For international event rider Caroline Powell, hard ground is an issue at some point every season, but she says, “This year, the ground is impossible to the extent that a lot of riders are going show jumping and just not running their horses.”

She explains, “It’s everybody’s individual decision whether or not to run on hard ground, but we all know it has an effect on the horses and I’m being a lot more selective now on where they run.

“Some horses like hard ground, but it’s up to us to recognise when they’re not happy. Sometimes horses lose their rhythm and their jump, others many not want to go forward because they’re uncomfortable and we must see this and not work them. If we don’t listen, we’re in danger of causing all kinds of lameness and horses losing confidence, which eventually means the rider loses confidence.

“The bigger and higher level events now make every effort to prepare the ground , but at intro and pre-novice level, there’s less preparation on the ground and I am tending to spend more time training them on surfaces rather than running them when the ground is hard.

“At home, the horses do more in the school, but we’re lucky to have a lot of varying land to work on and our cantering is done uphill, so the stress is not so much on the front legs. When it comes to entries, we’re definitely hanging back this season and I’m listening to what locals are saying about ground conditions in different areas. It all means we’re not necessarily running as much as I’d like.”

When it comes to managing the horses’ legs Caroline starts with a highly specified joint supplement and uses FlexiVite HA, which like all of her nutritional supplements is from Equine Products UK. Once they’ve completed the cross country phase of an event, horses wear cooling boots and then Equine Products UK Relax coolant clay is applied under bandages for the journey home. She also makes a lot of use of the company’s Leg, Shin and Muscle Wrap lotion, containing arnica and witch hazel and keeps a close eye on every horse after each event.

“It’s my job every Monday morning after an event to have a look at them and walk them out to the field, as I can tell so much from the way they walk out of the stable. For me it’s more about the feeling they give and how they riding as to what work I do with them. My advice would be, if the ground is hard, listen to your horse – they know if they like the ground or not!!”