Newsletter
Autumn 2017
www.standrewsadultriders.org
PO Box 80
St. Andrews Vic 3761
STAAR Club Committee / 2016/17 / PhonePresident / Peter van Sonsbeek / 0419 874 070
Vice President / Melissa Ball
Treasurer / Kerry Uden / 0434 325 911
Secretary / Nicole Baschera / 0408 192 344
Rally Coordinator / Russell Farrall / 0419 101 311
Friday Rally Coordinator / Nicole Baschera / 0408 192 344
Webmaster / Sarah Evans / 0411 532 141
Newsletter / Kay Cruse / 0417 347 223
Uniforms / Linda Western Meagher / 0404 025 011
Pony Club Liaison / Tanis Vascon
Fundraising Co-ordinator / Leanne Lake
Risk Management / Margret Cooper
General Members
Jane Riley
Madeleine Coakley
Tania Vascon
Sarah Evans
Jane Riley
2017 / STAAR DIARY DATES / Committee Contact
Fridays / Friday rally during school terms only 10am or 11am if required. / Nicole
APRIL
Sun 2nd / Rally 9am (Daylight saving ends) / Russ
Tues 4th / Committee Meeting in Clubrooms 7.30pm
All Welcome! / Pete
Sat 15th / Rally 9am / Russ
Sun 30th / Freshmans Show Jumping / Pete
MAY
Sun 6th / Rally 9am / Russ
Tues 2nd / Committee Meeting in Clubrooms 7.30pm
All Welcome! / Pete
Sat 20th / Rally 9am Venue TBA / Russ
JUN
Sun 4th / Rally 9am / Russ
Tue 6th / Committee Meeting in Clubrooms 7.30pm
All Welcome! / Pete
Sat 17th / Rally 9am / Russ
(Any changes to the above will be notified via email)
RALLY REMINDERS and ETIQUETTE
1. Manure must be removed from around your float. Please bring a poo scooper with you or use the one from the arena.
2. Water at the club is not for hosing of horses so bring a bucket and sponge to cool horses after riding.
3. Manure must be removed from arenas after your lessons.
4. Jumps must be put away from the Main Menage after lessons.
5. Be on time for your lesson and allow time to warm up your horse prior to start time.
6. Keep chatting to a minimum during the lesson.
7. Please wear your medical armband at all rallies.
STOP PRESS
Members please remember when paying for rally lessons, put name and date of rally on EFT transfers. This will save the treasurer a hairdressers appointment getting the grey hairs covered up! Thanks!
Presidents' Report
Hello Everyone.
The leaves are falling, I can almost smell the Osso Bucco bubbling away on the stove as the days get cooler, and competition time is now upon us.
As always, plenty has been going on and plenty continues to happen.
Added to the club rider apparel, we now have a magnificent ladies dressage vests in STAAR colours and logo (very spiffy I must say) and some really classy new saddle blankets, imported from Europe in the STAAR colours and embroided with our logo.
We may not always be able to perform like winners, but we sure as hell will look like winners with this gear on!
Please talk to our uniform person for more details and the vests can be observed at our valued sponsor, Hurstbridge Saddlery.
The fallout over the new helmet rules continues in many circles however you will have all read my email regarding my conversation with the HRCAV which basically says if you do not have a helmet that conforms to the new rules, you are not insured. If you get five years out of new one, its just $30 bucks per year, so don’t risk it. Get rid of anything that does not conform. The regulations say an approved helmet must be worn at all times, so that’s at home, trail riding, basically anytime you are on a horse.
In recent times, Sarah Evans has taken over the running of the website and face book pages.
On April 30, the club will be holding a fundraising freshman’s day for show jumping.
This year, Sarah has utilised face book to further promote this day. At this point the response has been amazing so, we are expecting a very successful day.
The event is open to all members of PCAV, HRCAV and EA, so please continue to spread the word. (a flyer is available on the club web site)
Although running this is nowhere near as complicated as our official show jumping day, we will still need lots of helpers, so please ensure you have this dated marked in your calendars to jump, help out and preferably so, a combination of both.
The rally scheduled for Sat the 20th of May will be held off site to allow Pony club and RDA to run their dressage day. The Sunday the 21st has open sections so another great opportunity to do a class in a competition environment and SOOOOOOOO close to home.
Out Sat 20 rally will most likely be held at The Yarra Glen Pony Club with flat on the sand and jumping or most probably XC as the second element.
The club purchased a new poo scooper which now lives at the air strip. So when riding there or on rally days, please ensure the poop is depooped.
I also need to remind everyone to remove poop from the carpark where you horse is tied up. Remember, a clean carpark is a happy car park.
In other breaking news, the STAAR Trivia night is officially back on the agenda!
It will be held on Saturday September 9. The sub-committee is Leanne, Kay and Nicole.
It is really, really important to gather up some friends and family to bring to this fun packed night that never fails to entertain!
Autumn is a great time of year to ride, so I hope you can all get out there and make the most of it.
Pete
Dates for the Diary 2017
Sun 30th April STAAR FRESHMANS DAY (set up on Sat 29th)
Tuesday 1st August STAAR AGM
Saturday 9th September STAAR Trivia Night Fundraiser
Sunday 29th October STAAR Showjumping day (set up on Sat 28th)
Friday 10th November Brown Nose Award
Sunday 3rd December Christmas break up
STAAR TRIVA NIGHT Sat Sept 9 2017
Question: What's in September, is Grander than the Grand Final, has more thrills than a Melbourne Show ride and bigger STAARs than at Spring Fashion Week?
Answer: The STAAR Trivia Night!
This is a night not to be missed!
Why? Most of our fundraisers involve club members grafting for hours at an event, but this one you just need to turn up with a bunch of your mates, some food and wine and a little spondola and you have hours of fun, not hours of work!
So get in early and book a seat or a table now! by emailing Kay at
Tables seat 10 people.
St. Andrews Pony Club News
DRESSAGEEXTRAVAGANZA
20 - 21 MAY 2017 St Andrews Pony Club Grounds
PCAV/OPEN - Sunday 21st
Entries and Timeswww.eventsecretary.com.au
Closes 14th May
Spread the Word !
HORSE WISDOM
Joke of the Paddock!
A white horse walks into a pub one day and asks the bartender for a whisky.
The bartendersays: "Hey, we've got a whisky named after you."
The horse replies,"What, George?"
HORSE SENSE
Ohhh… It’s magnesium deficiency time of the year again!
So if you have noticed that your horse is a little more nervous than usual, then correct the magnesium deficiency before it goes so far as to be an explosion waiting to happenor before it becomes stringhalt
When it has been dry or cold, with little to no grass growth and we get the sweet rains of autumn or the warmth of spring and the grass starts to grow – that is the time when the grass is most magnesium deficient.
Magnesium: The Mineral Superhero
Very few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in a horse’s body and the human body. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral, regulating over 325 enzymes in the body. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to improve performance and allow human athletes to reach exhaustion later in their exercise routine. It increases oxygen delivery to muscle tissue; it promotes muscle strength, endurance and relaxation. Magnesium also activates enzymes necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids which lead to protein synthesis.
Magnesium is often the most neglected mineral in horse feeds.Spring grass is typically deficient in magnesium due to the fast growth rate and at this time of year many horses seem hotter and more difficult to ride. Owners often attribute this to too many carbohydrates in the grass. While this may be part of the story,what is often overlooked is that these horses may be deficient in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency has varying effects on the horse population. Some horses do not suffer any signs while others are almost unrideable due to their apparent silliness and hyperactivity. Adding magnesium to their diet may have a dramatic calming effect. To understand why magnesium affects the horse in a calming manner, it is important to know what is happening in your horse’s body on a cellular level when there is a magnesium shortfall.
Calcium and magnesium work closely with each other. Calcium needs magnesium to assimilate properly however magnesium does not need calcium. Calcium is in charge of contracting the muscle and magnesium looks after the relaxation or release of the muscle much like a gas pedal and a clutch work together. When a muscle cell is triggered, the cell membrane opens, letting calcium in and raising the calcium level in the cell setting off a reaction and the muscle contracts. When the contraction is done, the magnesium inside the cell helps to push the calcium back out of the cell releasing the contraction. This happens very rapidly. When there is not enough magnesium in the cell, calcium can leak back in causing a stimulatory effect and the muscle cannot completely relax. This can put the body into a continually stressed state. Low magnesium makes nerve endings hypersensitive thus exacerbating pain and noise. Magnesium is required for proper nerve and muscle function.
The use of magnesium today is often incorrect. One reason is this: Calcium needs magnesium in order to assimilate into the body. However, when too much calcium is consumed, it inhibits the body’s ability to absorb and utilize magnesium efficiently. To maintain proper levels in the blood, the body will borrow magnesium from bones and soft tissue to make up for the shortfall in order to assimilate the calcium. Over time, this creates an accumulative negative reaction in the body that actually triggers the body to release adrenaline adding to the excitatory behaviour we see in deficient horses. To correct a deficiency, magnesium needs to be offered by itself, not with calcium. Only approx 1% of magnesium is stored in the blood, the rest is stored in soft tissue and bone and the body is very efficient at maintaining that level in the blood stream to facilitate organ function. This is why blood level magnesium tests are rarely indicative of an animal’s true magnesium status. A horse would be severely deficient and would be very ill by the time a blood test would indicate a shortfall.
Horses with magnesium deficiency may have all or only a few of these signs so it is important be aware of them.They may be borderline and only exhibit signs during competition or stress. For instance, horses with magnesium deficiency often have very sore tight backs in spite of excellent saddles and pad, proper fit, conditioning and training. They don’t respond well to chiropractic adjustments and massages or these treatments don’t last more than a couple days and the tension and soreness return. They often resent or even act afraid of being touched leading the owner to ask themselves, ‘Is someone abusing this horse when I am not around?’ Their response to outside stimuli is over reactive and they tend to become fractious, worried, fearful or resistant to training.
Other signs:
· Unable to relax physically or mentally
· Muscle tremors, twitches, flinching skin, or all over body trembling especially after exertion (not related to outside temp)
· Body tension
· Does not tolerate long periods of work– often becoming more excited instead of working down
· Has difficulty with collection or picking his back up under saddle, moves hollow
· Random spooking, running through the bridle, inconsistent from one ride to the next
· Angry about being brushed, blanketed or touched or palpated on either side of spine
· History of tying up
· Fatigue
· Painful heats in mares
· Bucking or rearing 20-30 minutes into a ride for no apparent reason
· Requires long periods of lunging before being able to focus on work
· Would be described as ‘thin skinned’ or over sensitive to sound or movement
· Massage and chiropractic adjustments do not have lasting affects
· Teeth grinding
· Irregular heartbeat or pounding heart- endurance horses often experience this at vet checks
Magnesium is assimilated quickly in times of stress, such as traveling or heavy training. Horses lose magnesium through sweat and urine. Many performance horses can become deficient as the season progresses as they are using the available magnesium more rapidly due to stress, travel and competition. Horses with low magnesium status will often crave salt, which exacerbates the shortfall. Calcium-rich diets can create an imbalance.
These horses are often difficult to work with, so riders tend to over exercise in an effort to manage behaviour. They are worked harder and for longer periods of time in an effort to wear them down which only adds to the shortfall thus creating a vicious cycle. This causes more sweating and muscle cramping while contributing to fatigue, soreness, post competition pain and a negative association to work. Behaviour gets worse with more work and exposure to stress, not better.Subsequently, horses begin to resent the show arena often developing gate issues.
There are many factors that affect magnesium absorption and utilization. Working horses require 10-30% more magnesium for light to moderate exercise, respectively, due to sweat losses. Horses who sweat heavily will lose magnesium at a more rapid rate as well.