Jocelyn Hutton Dressage Training

SUMMER 2010!

How to beat the heat this season in Queensland!

Horses can very easily suffer from heat stress or exhaustion, which can be quite dangerous and can occur during the very hot months in Australia. Below are some handy hits straight from the stables at Sarova Park, which Jocelyn excercises daily with her horses in the summer months

• To avoid your horse suffering from heat stress, try to work him only in the cooler parts of the day. Try and exercise him where shade is available and give him regular walk breaks, roughly every 6 to 8 minutes during work. Sponging water over your horses skin is also a good idea before or during workouts. Doing this will help the horses body to cool, which will help to decrease the temperature of his muscles and increase the bloodflow.

• It is really important during the summer months that Horses are able to maintain their body fluids, without which will increase the risk of Heat Exhaustion. After every ride Jocelyn gives each of her horses a Molasses drink complete with Electrolytes, to help replenish those essential vitamins and minerals lost during work, when the horse has been sweating. Jocelyn is also careful to get her horses straight under a hose once their workout is complete, to help cool their muscle temperature and increase the blood flow through their bodies.

• Horse with lots of white, particularly on their faces, will often need to wear sunscreen or a skin protector. Both Furst Friedrich and Wallstrasse wear protective sleeves on their fly veils, which protect the skin on their nose from burning. This can be very painful for horses and can, in the long run, lead to melanomas and skin cancers. Wistari SP, who has only a small star on his face, wears protective stockings on his hindleg socks in the summer months! To protect the skin around his fetlocks, which is quite sensitive. Contact your local vet for some advice on protective cream, such as Filterbac, or for any more information on sunburn.

Picture Above: Dallas having a shower after a workout. 

Picture Left: Dallas again, having a relaxing walk break during training.

• Regardless of the level of event, whether you're competing in  an Interschool Dressage event or at the National Championships remember, it's just another centreline! So don't let your performance be affected how many people you think are watching or the people you're performing against. Jocelyn considers every outing an opportunity for her to beat her own personal best score and get better in the ring!

COMPETITIVE RIDING!

Tips to help you ride your best test:

Riding tests in a competition enviroment, in front of judges, can be a nerve racking experience and preparation is a key factor in producing a top performance. Below Jocelyn has listed some of her secrets for success in the show ring:

• Riding through your test at home is a really important excercise for identifying potential strengths and weaknesses in your performance. Jocelyn is careful to take every horse through the test, from start to finish, at least a week out from the event. This ensures plenty of training time to develop areas of weakness and practise stringing each movement together in a test like situation. Incorporating this into your competition preparation will also reduce elements of surprise in the ring on show day!

• Before every test Jocelyn runs through the test from start to finish 'on foot' to help in memorizing the test and also to help detail particular movements. Jocelyn is pictured (left) running through her Advanced test 'on foot' at the NSW State Dressage Championships, 2010.