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Saturday, July 03 2021 / Published in General

Eventing With Boyd Martin

How do I bring my horse back from a tendon injury in the right hind? He’s a showmanship horse, so he needs to pivot on the right hind — Cheyenne D. via Facebook

One of the most heartbreaking injuries in the sport of three-day eventing is a bowed tendon. It’s a crushing feeling, waking up the morning after a big event or a gallop, and the tendon down the back of the leg has a profile. I’ve experienced this heart-sinking feeling over and over again and unfortunately now have lots of experience bringing horses back from tendon injuries. 

On the bright side, out of all the injuries a horse might pick up, I’ve had the most luck with horses returning to full capacity after a tendon injury; only a couple came back to haunt us, and those were due to me bringing the horses back into work too early. 

Obviously I’m not a vet, but the number one thing I’ve learned from great horsemen and -women is you can’t fast-track a tendon. Sure, laser therapy, PRP, shockwave, stem cell and therapeutic ultrasound are all therapies that can assist the healing, but in my experience it doesn’t speed up the time of recovery — it will look better on an ultrasound, but won’t necessarily make the tendon stronger faster. 

Step one, after you’ve come to terms with the injury, is to keep them on stall rest for two or three months. I’d do a stable bandage at night, but that’s all. This is an agonizing process when your horse is fit and has been in work and loves doing his job, but he has to stand still and stop using that tendon! I hand graze three times a day for about half an hour each time. It’s good to get the horse out in sunlight and eating some green grass. I’ll caution that the horse may be excitable — this isn’t the time to check your Instagram or listen to music. I’ve had many horses buck and break loose and even injure the handler.

After a month or so I’d build a little round pen out of gates, or use an existing round pen on your farm if you have one, basically as a mini-paddock so the horse can move around a little but can’t pick up a full gallop. I’d probably do this for another six weeks so the horse has a little freedom but can’t re-injure himself.

After four or five months, I put the horse out in a big field. A lot of people will tell you that you can bring them back into work earlier, but every time I’ve done that they’ve been re-injured. I’d start walking with a rider on after about 11 months. That’s three months of stall rest, then the mini-paddock and then another five months in the field. After that I’d have a rider hacking for about 45 minutes a day, which puts a little weight on the horse’s back and gets his back and that tendon used to carrying the weight of a rider.

Around 12 months, I’d walk for 40 minutes and trot for one minute; the next day I’d walk for 40 and trot for two, and then add a minute of trotting each day, so after twenty days you’re walking 40 minutes and trotting 20. After that, I’d jog 20 minutes, then intersperse light flat work. As time goes on, you can do a little more. To begin with, it might just be a couple of circles. After about a month you’ll be back to your regular dressage training and your horse’s tendon should be good to go. 

I have a big Thoroughbred mare who is super straight and forward, but not great at turning in between fences. Do you have any exercises to help her? — Hilary P. via Facebook

This is not an uncommon thing. To start with, you can include a lot of 10-meter circles in your flatwork. I’d put a 10-meter circle in every corner of the ring. It’s quite an effort for your big horse to make a tight turn like that, but the more she does it the better she understands that this is part of life and she should learn to bend her body from head to tail. 

Next I’d include cavaletti: Go over a small cavaletti on a 15-meter, at a canter, so the horse is always turning. Then start doing figure-eights over the cavaletti on a 15 or 20 meter circle. The horse might trip a bit over a cavaletti, but it’s small and will not cause a loss of confidence like a big jump. Next, instead of a jumping day I call it a jumping-flatwork day: Have a bunch of cavaletti in the ring and just make use of all of them so that you’re constantly turning and jumping and the horse is soft, supple and available, turning before and after the jumps.

Obviously you always want your horse to jump straight, but you can use a small cross pole and let your horse know that it needs to land into a turn both ways, again on a figure-eight. Repetition is key here, asking the horse to be available to turn left and right. There’s no quick fix to this; all horses have a weakness and rideability on the turns is a common problem. I believe the secret is to focus on the flat work and start every jumping session with some sort of rideability exercise over cavalettti. 

Photo

Boyd, who recently competed at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and will be part of the U.S. Eventing Olympic team in Tokyo, explains the process of bringing a horse back from a tendon injury as well as how to turn between fences. 

Photo by Ruby Tevis

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Balancing riding and academics can be tough, so Bl Balancing riding and academics can be tough, so Blue Ribbon Scholars is here to help! Whether you need help with a single subject, SAT prep, or transitioning to online school, Blue Ribbon will tailor a unique program to the needs of every student athlete, grades K-12. The exclusive education services provider at HITS Ocala since 2019, Blue Ribbon offers in-person tutoring services throughout the duration of the winter circuit, in addition to our virtual services via Zoom year round, anywhere, anytime! 

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“There is no quick fix when it comes to horses,” said Samantha Wolfram, a 22-year-old equestrian professional. “You can’t flip a switch and the horse comes out broke and is easy to ride.” For most equestrians, this statement is a testament to the grit and reality of the horse business—there are no easy roads to establishing your career. But for Samantha, using her risk-taking, talent and ambition while riding and living abroad is helping set her up for success. 

Growing up an only child in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, Samantha received her first pony at the age of 2 thanks to her mother, who was a horse trainer. “My mom got me a pony like what you see at the fair. However, he was a bad pony—or what I like to call ‘character building,’” she said. Her early start riding was a gift unto itself and by 5, Samantha was jumping crossrails. She was committed to riding until the age of 8, when another sport became her focus. “I was at an age where I wanted to fit in, and being a crazy horse girl did not help with being popular,” Samantha shared.

Get to know Samantha in her recent feature "Finding Success in America and Overseas." And never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine. Link below!👇
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At 78 years young, Barry Olliff doesn’t intend t At 78 years young, Barry Olliff doesn’t intend to take it easy during his golden years. Inspired by his horse-loving wife, Cyndy, Barry is devoting his retirement to create “A Gathering Place” for anyone who needs one at their Stable View Equestrian facility in Aiken, South Carolina.

Barry and Cyndy have transformed their parcel of land, originally a quail-hunting lodge, into a facility that welcomes equestrians, corporate retreats, weddings, ecotourists and local community members. “This all came about through a fortuitous set of circumstances, with good partnerships, an open and welcoming community and, most of all, our willingness to go where the land led us,” Barry said.

Barry believes fate and good luck have played a big factor in Cyndy’s and his life. “We’ve been in the right place at the right time and fortunate enough to take the right fork in the road when there were choices,” he said. “As we’ve gotten older, we’ve felt it’s up to us to give back. We need to provide opportunities for people to use Stable View however they see fit.”

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