2009 - make it the year of the horse
Yet another New Year – and all round the world the news continues to be almost entirely unremittingly dreary. I am basically an optimist and like to believe that things will improve but this must surely be the first time ever that a financial crisis of such magnitude has occurred on a global perspective. Years ago – before I became inextricably involved with horses – I began studying for a degree in economics at Oxford. At times like this I wonder what I would be doing now had I carried on with that career route. I imagine economists, actuaries, finance directors and others whose work is connected with ‘money’ must be having a worrying time.
Everyone wants to make the best of their horse’s appearance – not everyone succeeds. Just before Christmas I was in a large yard fitting a new saddle when a teenager rode in on a substantial cob. He was a sturdy, nicely put together animal – but obviously his fourteen/fifteen year old owner wanted something ‘prettier’. Presumably with the intention of improving his appearance, she had decked him out in a fine leather bridle complete with velvet browband and very narrow reins that had obviously been designed with a show pony or small hack in mind. Completing the ensemble, a numnah – which I noticed did not fit very well – was in the same rather violent colours as the browband – and the animal’s legs were adorned in bandages to match! It is a sad fact that I witness this sort of mismatch mess fairly regularly.
Show producers are masters at turning a horse – or pony - out to the best advantage and they are incredibly clever at producing an animal to emphasise ‘type’. They make the most of the elegance of a hack, the substance and sturdiness of a cob, the grace and prettiness of a show pony, the workmanship of a working hunter. They know full well that ‘less’ is often ‘more’ and that ‘understated’ is always better than ‘overstated’. It is such a shame when you see efforts made to turn animals into something they are not – the results are always disappointing – and occasionally ridiculous.
A good New Year Resolution might be to emphasise –not disguise - breeding and type. It takes a good eye and a lot of knowledge to turn a horse out to the very best advantage – making the most of the good points and cleverly camouflaging the not so good! It’s worth spending time watching show exhibitors – both when they are getting ready to go in the ring and when they are actually performing. An hour spent in this way will sometimes reveal how a clever exhibitor can take an ordinary – even rather plain – horse and produce it to win. Correctly turned out and schooled to perfection – many a sow’s ear is turned into a silk purse!
Even when times are good, quite a large percentage of owners are forced to keep their horses on a tight budget. They frequently - and happily - go without even quite essential items themselves in order to make certain their horses never run short of anything. This is a very ‘British’ trait. Although every now and then the media reports dreadful cases of cruelty, they are a rarity and most animals in this country have happy lives - and suffer more from over - rather than under indulgence!
I don’t claim to be an equine nutritionist – far from it – but I do sometimes wonder why so many owners spend so much of their money – probably hard-earned too - on supplements? This despite the fact that they are probably feeding a mix that has been formulated specifically with the age, temperament and workload of their horse in mind. Watching a member of staff mixing late feeds in a big yard the other day, I was absolutely staggered at the number of extra spoonfuls, pills and potions that went into some feeds. I wonder if the owners spend as much money buying vitamins and other supplements to boost their own metabolism? Very doubtful, I imagine – and probably largely unnecessary if they do! When it’s necessary to reduce outgoings, it’s surely best to have a rethink and cut inessential items out first?
Let us push gloom and doom aside and look forward to a happy and successful equestrian year. Unlike the Chinese calendar, every year is the year of the horse for determined equestrians!
KEN LYNDON DYKES, Society of Master Saddlers’ Qualified Saddle Fitter, specialises in fitting competition and problem horses. He is available to give demonstrations and talks and has recently returned to after-dinner speaking on a wide variety of subjects. Telephone: 01622 844440 (office) or 07973 501873 (mobile). Ken will be interested to hear from any SMS qualified saddle fitters seeking additional work as well as those with more limited experience who wish to extend their knowledge.
