Monthly Archives: February 2015

Showjumping

Picture perfect pony stallion standing at End House Stud

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Thursden Vallye Raphael a striking son of Graded Sports Pony Stallion Aimbry Chester out of a classically bred SPSS graded Yealand Nightowl mare.

This elegant pony has an exquisite head, fabulous athletic paces and superb temperament.

He has very correct conformation with a fabulous front, length of rein and the ability to inject quality into all types of mares, continually producing his own stamp over and over again. He does not carry the red gene so therefore has never produced a chestnut foal even to chestnut mares.

This attractive talented pony stallion shows a careful jump over poles, loose jumping up to 1.25m and is bold and brave across country water, ditches, banks etc hacking out alone and in company.

He has been fully vetted and licensed with the National Pony Society, & Graded with the Sports Pony Stud book he is regularly ridden and handled by children which must surely be test ament to his outstanding manners and temperament, he is the perfect Childs pony – the type mothers dreams are made of. Thuesden Vallye Rahael stands in Gisburn, Lancs at End House Stud

End House Stud are delighted to introduce as part of their team Mr Brendan Ramshaw, Competition rider, trainer and producer. Now taking all types of horses and ponies inclusive of stallions and colts for breaking, schooling, grading, show and sale preparation. Problem horses and ponies welcome as are full and holiday liveries. Facilities include indoor arena, horse walker, turnout paddocks and full time supervision

Buying A Pony

New Pony for a new season? Lovely all rounder

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Bernwode Bugatti – bay gelding in buckhorn Weston  Somerset  £6,500

Same home for 5 years, Beautiful 9 yr old bay gelding. 13hh Bernwode Bugatti is an extremely elegant and talented pony, with 3 correct paces and a wonderful attitude to work.

He is expressive in his training and dressage, effortless over a 90-show jump course and brave across country- a very special pony in a small package! Bugatti is exceptionally well bred.

He has great breeding. His sire is the German pony FEI dressage Stallion Bernwode Brokat who has represented Great Britain on numerous occasions, and sired countless high achieving offspring, including Bugatti’s full brother (Bernwode Broadway) who is currently a member of the GB squad. Bugatti’s dam, Bernwode Mandy has also, produced two approved stallions and a German National champion show jumping pony, along with the FEI level event mare Bernwode Nairobi.Bugatti is well educated, working at elementary/ medium at home and frequently gaining over 70% in affiliated competition.

Bugatti would be a great fledgling pony, small event pony or working hunter pony. Qualified summer regional’s 2014.

Has represented BYRDS South West at Sheepgate u25 championships.

Bugatti is a true pleasure to own, loves to hack, good to box, shoe with vet etc. This is an extremely sad sale, and his future home must be a 5* competitive and loving one.

Are you looking for a pony for this coming season who seems to be able to turn his hand to anything? This certainly sounds like a lovely pony.

Horse Advice

How can I stop my horse pulling? …. 3 steps to go!

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Does your horse get offended when you pull on the reins to stop? Does he pin his ears, shake his head, and keep going? Have you ever asked “how can I stop my horse pulling?”

Maybe he’s trying to tell you something: stop pulling on the reins! 🙂

There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.

but first, you both have to be “in sync” together, working in tandem instead of against each other.

If you haven’t done this before, it may take a few tries to convince your horse that you want to work with him. Horses that are regularly pulled on seem to accept that the pressure has to be there before they should respond. They might learn to lean on the bit, pulling against you while you pull backward, hoping for the legs to stop.

Some horses are generous and eventually slow their feet, stop/starting until finally, all four legs come to a halt. Other horses might not be quite as forgiving and just keep going until you have to put more and more pressure on the mouth. Eventually, one of you wins but it’s never pretty!

We all dream of finding the halt that looks like we are in complete harmony with our horse. You know – the one that feels like the horse’s legs are your legs, and your mind is so coordinated with the horse that it looks like you are reading each other’s thoughts.

It does happen. The secret: ride from your seat.

Setup for a Correct Halt

1. Contact

Prepare several strides ahead of the intended location. Your reins should be a good length – not too long and not too short. There should be a steady enough contact on the bit to be able to communicate very subtle changes of pressure.

2. Begin a series of half-halts.

The half-halts start at the seat. In rhythm with the horse’s movement, resist with your lower back. Be sure to resist in rhythm. In other words, your lower back and seat will feel something like this: resist… flow… resist… flow… resist… flow.

2a. Use your legs.

During each flow moment, squeeze lightly with your calves. This helps the horse engage his hind end deeper underneath the body in preparation with the halt.

2b. Use the hands.

During each resist moment, squeeze the reins with your hands. You might squeeze both reins or just one rein (the outside rein being the usual rein) but in any case, do your best to use the hands after the leg aids. The rein pressure should occur in tandem with the resisting seat aid.

3.When you are ready for the halt, simply stop your seat.

Maintain contact with your legs and reins, but stop the activity. Don’t keep pulling on the reins.

If the horse is truly with you, his legs will stop lightly and in balance.

Horses that have been trained to respond to the half-halt will sigh in relief when you lighten up on your aids and use your seat in the halt. You might be surprised at how easily the legs will stop if you can improve your timing and releases.

Horses that have always been pulled on might not respond at all. They might be expecting to be hauled backward, thrown to the forehand, and dragged to a stop. If this is the case, be patient. If you haven’t done this before, it may take a few tries to convince your horse that you want to work with him.

You might have to bridge the learning gap by applying the half-halts several times, stopping your seat and then pulling to stop. In the end though, the pull should disappear completely from your vocabulary (exception: in an emergency stop).

Regardless of how you get there, the goal is to stop all four legs in a light, balanced manner that allows the horse to use his hind end when he takes that last step. Your horse might walk a few strides and then halt.

If you feel your horse’s front end lighten and into the halt, you know you are on the right track. If you discover the four legs stopped square and parallel to each other, pet and gush over him, and call it a day!

Sound talking : horse listening.

Perhaps you would benefit from some lessons, someone on the ground to help you keep on track.  Horse Scout has a great list of professional trainers, check them out here – they should be able to help you stop your horse from pulling.

Equestrian Centre

Your Yards – Spotlight on the North coast

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If you are looking for lessons or livery or even a holiday activity on the North coast look no further.

The North Humberside Riding Centre has something to make everyone happy. They are a British Horse Society Approved Riding, Training and Holiday Centre established in 1965.

Situated near the Spurn Peninsular on the heritage Coast the centre has superb riding on the beach and river banks, bridle ways and quiet country lanes.

The cross country course is on the bank of the Humber Estuary.

Facilities also include an Indoor School and a large all weather outdoor school.

We train riders for examinations and competitions, we introduce beginners to the delights of riding and provide instructional fun holidays for children and relaxing or energetic breaks for

We can offer you the very highest standard of instruction. We cater for all standards from the beginner to the advanced. Riders trained at the Centre have represented Great Britain in Holland, Germany, Belgium, France and Sweden and although we cannot promise that a short course at Easington will ensure you a place in the Great Britain team, we can guarantee that you will receive the very best instruction.

Adults are very welcome outside school holiday periods.

We have limited accommodation at the Centre or accommodation is available locally from modest B&B to more expensive hotel.

Stabling

Riders look after their own horse/pony during the course and instruction in stable management is given with prizes awarded for the best looked after ponies each week. Following an assessment lesson on Sunday afternoon the weeks riding is planned according to ability. Between six and ten young riders are taken each week and either ride as a group or as divided accordingly to age and ability If there is a wide difference in experience.

The larger indoor school provides a perfect working area for lessons and allows riding to continue unaffected by the weather.

The Centre is approved by the British Horse Society. It is open all year and during the school holidays, courses are run for unaccompanied children. Under the professional friendly guidance of the Centre’s staff, children combine serious instruction with pleasure activities.

The stables are ideally located with rides along quiet country lanes, by-ways, plus miles of sandy beach and riverbanks. The cross-country course offers a variety of fences for both the novice and the more experienced rider.

TRAINING VACANCY

Training full or part time available for BHS stages 1/11/111/PTT and riding and road safety

Horse Advice

Looking to learn? – 8 Tips to help point you in the right direction and find the right instructor for you

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Lets help you find your perfect match in the arena. If you are thinking that you want to learn to ride or to improve your techniques then you need an instructor who will work well with you and you need to really think about the what, the how and the when?

  1. If you are a novice then opt for a venue which offers joint classes for different age groups, a range of riding instructors, and different school master horses.
  2. Trainers are usually the best option if you want to learn a specific style of riding, develop your competitive ability, or work with both you and your horse. Consider carefully what you want to learn – classical riding, show jumping, natural horsemanship riding, dressage or even cross country riding.
  3. Do you want regular lessons, or an intensive course?
  4. Are you willing to travel with your horse weekly or less often?
  5. Find a lecture or demonstration at a local event to see exactly what is possible – many large riding schools and Equestrian Centres have these throughout the year so you can see what is achievable and whether the method is really what you want to learn.
  6. Research online what other riders have found helped.
  7. If your horse lacks confidence or has behavioural problems, attending a course that shows you how to use natural horsemanship may give you the skills to teach your horse yourself.
  8. Does your horse have problems with certain dressage movements – try a lesson on a school master first to get the feel of how a movement feels.

Just remember that one size doesn’t fit all. Horse Scout has some top professional trainers who are expert in their fields.  Click here to find a perfect match for you and your horse.

Novice Rider

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION – Hat Tagging 2015

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION – Hat Tagging 2015

Stop whatever you are doing today – Drop everything….but not your hat!

For 2015, Hat Tagging will continue as for 2014. All of the sport’s main governing bodies have announced that they will be phasing out the (BS)EN1384 standard0.

Please note, you will not be allowed to ride anywhere at an event if your hat has not been tagged,and hats which do not comply to an accepted standard will not be tagged under any circumstances. It is the competitors’ responsibility to ensure they arrive at a competition with a hat to the correct standard so it is therefore imperative that you check your hats before you get to the event, in order to avoid disappointment.

To do this:

1) Use the following information or the Rule Book for reference

2) Check that your hat clearly displays one of the accepted standards

3) Check that the standard also shows the correct corresponding date

4) Check that your hat also displays the correct corresponding safety standard mark

5) Make sure that you do not remove any labels from inside of your hat which may hold the relevant information as a hat will not be tagged without all of the required information permanently visible. Only hats which comply with all of these above steps will be accepted for tagging.

If your hat cannot be tagged, you will not be

allowed to ride wearing that hat under any circumstances.

 

The various organisations have released the following guidelines:

  • British Eventing — will permit (BS) EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter. All hats will be retagged in 2016 at which stage no hats made solely to (BS) EN 1384 will be tagged or permitted for use.
  • Riding Clubs — will permit (BS) EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter. All hats will be retagged in 2016 at which stage no hats made solely to (BS) EN 1384 will be tagged or permitted for use.
  • Pony Club — will permit (BS) EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter. Full details of the revised hat tagging procedure will be communicated out to the membership and volunteers shortly.
  • British Dressage — will permit (BS) EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter.
  • British Showjumping — will permit (BS) EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter.
  •  British Horse Society — will permit (BS) EN 1384 hats in 2015 but not thereafter. From 1.1.2016 hats made solely to (BS) EN 1384 will not be permitted for use in BHS Approved Centres.

So whether you are riding for pleasure or competitively: showing, dressage,, eventing, show jumping, training at a BHS approved premises etc: make sure you have the correct head gear.

Equestrian Centre

8 Top Tips – Are you taking your horse to the office?

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Here is a question for you: Do you yearn to have the kind of relationships where you are listened to?

I was reading that a company called Horse Sense offers corporate and team training to help individuals understand the importance of communication with others. Its called Equine Assisted Education.  It just makes so much sense.

Their strap line is “Do you wish people would do what you ask, when you ask?  Are you a compelling leader, able to lead without force or manipulation? Ready for something different, that is fun and gets results that last?”

Like Becky who founded Horse Sense, I grew up with horses. Looking after them, learning to ride and handling horses formed a huge part of my childhood education. It wasn’t until I stepped into the working world I realised what an advantage they have given me in terms of people skills.

When you are working with your horse you are starting from a position of authority, personal discipline and consideration; you use your senses to read a situation.  You respect your horse for himself, both as a partner in your enterprise and as an individual.

Understanding how crucial these skills are when handling your horse is one thing….but these skills are also relevant in the office place. Do you work from the same position as you enter the door to your office?

  1. Don’t invade personal space with out the go-ahead
  2. Don’t alarm your partner by squaring up to them
  3. Sit beside someone rather than opposite
  4. Keep your body language confident and relaxed
  5. Approach new things with quiet confidence
  6. Acknowledge progress
  7. Praise positives
  8. Never rush lunch

 

Dressage

Poll Position – A Head In The Game?

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I saw an interesting comment in an article which talked about the position of the horses head and the use of “Rollkuer”, actually the  list of articles where from a while back but all the same it made for interesting reading.  However from that I decided to look at articles about head position and came across this very interesting study.  This research addresses the controversy regarding head and neck positions of dressage horses by conducting a retrospective analysis of the angulation of the horse’s head during high level competitions to determine whether there were any significant changes over a period of 16 years from 1992 to 2008.

The basic premise of the study was based on the FEI Handbook which, in the description of the object and general principles of the test, states that: “The head should remain in a steady position, as a rule slightly in front of the vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck, and no resistance should be offered to the Athlete.”Since the position of the head is factored into the judge’s score for every movement and also into the collective marks awarded for general impression at the end of the test, it is reasonable to assume that a persistent faulty position would affect the final score.

The analysis was based on video recordings of the top 15 finalists at the 1992 Olympic Games and at the 2008 World Cup Final. All the horses were warmbloods bred in Europe and were similar in age at the two competitions. At each competition a video camera was set up perpendicular to the short side of the arena. Recordings of collected canter, collected trot, passage and piaffe were made on the short side of the arena. The videos were analyzed frame-by-frame using Dartfish software to measure the angle of the front of the horse’s nose relative to the vertical during a complete stride at each pace.

In all horses the analyzed strides were for the same movements, at the same place in the arena and were not within 3 strides of a transition. The head position in each video frame was classified as being behind the vertical or as being at or in front of the vertical. The overall scores awarded by the panel of judges were also comparedbetween the two competitions and in relation to the horse’s head position.

The results showed that the horses held their heads behind the vertical more than 50% of the time at collected canter and collected trot during both the 1992 Olympic Games and the 2008 World Cup Final with only small differences between the two competitions. However, larger differences were found in passage and piaffe.

In 2008 horses were behind the vertical 71% of the time in both passage and piaffe compared with 48% for passage and 45% for piaffe in 1992.

Movement: 1992
Olympic Games —— 2008
World Cup Final

Percentage of stride during which the head angle was behind the vertical.

  • Collected canter:  56% —— 55%
  • Collected trot:  53% —— 50%
  • Passage:  48% —— 71%
  • Piaffe:  45% —— 71%

 

As one might expect, the overall the scores improved from an average of 65.5% in 1982 to an average of 70% in 2008. Perhaps less expected was the fact that higher placed horses in 2008 were significantly more likely to be behind the vertical. This suggests that the criteria used by judges to interpret the FEI rules may have changed in the intervening period. Of course, many factors are considered by the judges and few people would argue that the standard of performance has improved greatly. However, the correlation between a horse spending more time behind the vertical and receiving a higher placing in the competition requires further investigation.

The entire paper on this study, can be found here.

Comparison of the head and neck position of elite dressage horses during top-level competitions in 1992 versus 2008

by Morgan J.J.O. Lashley, Sandra Nauwelaerts, J.C.M. Vernooij, W. Back, and Hilary M. Clayton
Published in The Veterinary Journal, 2014, volume 202, pages 462-465.

The  study was taken over 12 years ago but was relevant enough to be published only last year as an article.

I am not making a comment her but will see what further information is available, or what conclusions where drawn in 2014.  So watch this space….well not this exact space but a similar one on the Horse Scout Blog

 

Horse Advice

Are you looking for a Professional Groom?

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Professional Groom with 4 years experience in Bethany Phillips from Braintree, is looking for a live in position. She has a car and holds a valid driving licence. She is available from May 1st 2015.

She lists her areas of expertise as :

  •  Problem horses / re-breaking
  • Competition riding – Unaffiliated
  • Turnout to a high standard
  • Riding, schooling and training
  • Sole charge / Head girl position
  • Sales preparation
  • Work with children
  • Dealing with clients and owners

If you are looking for a competent member of staff then contact Bethany with your requirements.

Horse Scout also has a number of work riders and grooms looking for placements. Click here for further information.

Horse Jobs

Yard Assistant/ Groom Required- Hurn, Christchurch Dorset

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YARD ASSISTANT/GROOM REQUIRED We are looking to recruit a reliable confident and experienced groom to join our existing team. We are a professional working livery yard with up to 20 full liveries. The position is yard based and all normal duties are required to be performed to a very high standard. The ideal candidate will have a good standard of horsemanship and have a quiet manner around the yard and horses. The candidate will require a basic knowledge of horses, be outgoing, quick thinking have initiative and lots of common sense. Having a keen eye for details, being physically fit and not afraid of hard work is a must . The yard team work on a 4 days on 2 days off rota which includes weekends. Own transport is essential due to early starts and lack of public transport locally.

Situated on the Parley Court Estate in the countryside north of Bournemouth, the centre comprises a livery yard, extensive grazing, varied riding on the estate and excellent exercise and schooling facilities.

Parley Equestrian Centre has been running successful competitions for a number of years.  Our unaffiliated dressage and show jumping series have attracted thousands of competitors and spectators, and are always well attended.  The Centre has a full calendar of events running for 2015 which has been extended to include Affiliated British Dressage and a full winter schedule of events. Click here for more details on the Horse Scout Website