Hello and Welcome to another Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine as we Spring into a Fabulous February. We have some great pieces for you this time, for our Equestrian Exclusive I caught up with the Young and Talented Irish Showjumper Jack Ryan, who is quite literally living the dream, as part of the Breen Team. Jack shares his journey with horses, and chats about some of the Amazing Horses that he is working with at the moment.
For our Breed Special this month, our Journalist Jordan Bastian takes a peek into the history of the American Quarter Horse, while discovering what makes this breed such an Icon in the world of Reining and Rodeo.
Exploring horse health in this issue, we take a look at Ageing Your Horse by Their Teeth, giving you the Equestrian some simple landmarks to look out for. This is a super guide, particularly if you are an Equine Student, as it shows you what to look for when ageing a horse, all you need is plenty of horses to hone your skills. Also in our Fun Facts About your horse, we take a look at the Stay Apparatus of the Fore and Hind Limb of the horse; this is the group of muscles, ligaments and tendons, that lock the Horse’s Limbs into place to allow them to sleep while standing, how cool is that. A Handy trick if there is a predator around, or if your favourite Equine wants to grab 40 winks on a sunny summer day.
In our training section we discuss, The Truth About Transitions, and how important good basic transitions are in the training of our horses for competition. While Jordan Bastian delves into Your Horse’s Body Language, when she shares 5 Signs that your horse may exhibit and what they mean. Definitely worth checking that one out, let us know if you can recognise some of the signals that your horse has been sharing with you!
We have some Fantastic Results to Share with you, as some of our Fabulous Irish Equestrians have been busy flying the flag for Ireland around the Globe in January and Early February. Plus PT International Transport Share their Brexit Guide for Importing a horse from outside the EU.
In our January Issue we had a lovely Interview with My Lovely Horse Rescue, and we have shared an Advertisement for them this time too. Winter months can be the hardest when caring for animals, costs are high, and Charities such as MLHR rely on the Kindness and Generosity of Equestrians and the Public to Volunteer or Donate just a little. Irish Sport Horse Magazine don’t get any payment for this Ad, we do it so that this fabulous charity can continue its stellar work. If you can spare even a €1, you can rest assured that it is going to the very worthy cause of Helping MLHR take care of these forgotten souls, so a big thank you.
Finally as always we finish with our Positive Note; This time we share a Poem, about the Struggles that many of us seem to be going through in these strange times. We hope that it lifts your mood and lets you know, you are not alone, we are all in this together. Maybe you believe the Future is uncertain at the moment, however, I will just share one of my all time favourite quotes Again. Apologies if you have heard this one before, it is from the Wonderful Kung Fu Panda;
“The Past is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift, That is Why it is Called the Present,”
Master Oogway – Kung Fu Panda.
On that note I will leave you, Until Next time and Remember to Make Today Count;-)
To Your Equestrian Success,
Roma
Editor of Irish Sport Horse Magazine.