All posts by Editor

Horse Advice

Don’t chase your tail – try a circle

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

A Circle is probably the hardest thing you’ll ever master?  Well possibly! LOL

 

When you are trying out a horse which you are interested in purchasing be sure to test out circles, concentrate on the feel of one circle and then change direction. Does the horse feel different on one rein to the other.  If so when you return to straight line riding change your diagonal from one side to the other and back again.  Does the horse change you onto his more comfortable diagonal? How different is the horse on either side and could this be lack of training or an indication of something else?  Professional trainers will ensure that the horse works towards being supple and in balance on both reins and can help you correct asymmetric muscle strengths. So always take advice from someone who understands the causes of asymmetrical going in a horse before committing to buying as there could be underlying confirmation of injuries causing the noticeable difference in going.

 

What exactly is a circle?

An accurate description of a circle? A circle is a continuous curve where the horse maintains inside bend and energy throughout, with an even arc through the four quarters of the movement and a seamless exit into the next movement

What To Look For

When a horse is on a circle it should be bending into the direction of the circle. Circles help to get the inside hind leg to push through and activate the horse from their hindquarters whilst at the same time encouraging balance, suppleness and rhythm throughout their entire body. Whilst on a circle the horse should remain tracking up, with their head level and not tilting. The horse should have a slight bend to the inside, just enough so that the rider can see the corner of the inner eyelash, as a guide if you can see the whole eye and side of the horses face you have too much bend.

Broadly speaking – Asking For A Circle

To ask a horse to circle will require several aids in varying degrees.

The inside rein asks for a slight amount of bend, to enable the horse to be looking into the direction it is moving in.

Concurrently the outside rein controls how much inside bend you have and it also controls the speed. The outside hand

The riders inside leg should remain on the girth, from here it encourages the horse forwards as well as asking the horse to bend around it.

The riders outside leg moves back one to two inches to be behind the girth, it is the outside leg which helps to prevent the horse from falling out too wide.

The rider should turn through their upper body so that their shoulders follow the horses shoulders and their hips follow their horses hips. This allows the rider to be following through with the horse on the circle.

There are very subtle ancillary movements through the body which all happen together and each one will affect how well the others synchronise.  But if you can tune in to what you are doing, where your weight is, the space you have created up through your body on the inside of the movement which will allow the horse to come up and under you as be bends into the circle movement and the stability of the outside of your body to hold the movement and can feel each part is connected to the other you will be halfway there!

Accurate Riding Of A Circle

To ride an accurate circle takes time and practice. Good judgment of the height and width of the circle you have ridden are essential for assessing accuracy. Start off by placing cones at key points around your circle, imagine your circle as a clock face and place your cones at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock respectively, this will mark out the four main quarter points of your circle, which allows you to curve around them. It is useful to start your circle off at a school marker, this will not only help to prevent drifting off course, but will also give you an exact place to start and finish. Practice different sized circles using the measurements of the school to create exactly accurate circles.

When To Use Circles

Once different sizes of circle have been mastered then you can ride them to balance a horse, prepare a horse for a transition or for some lateral work, help to slow down a horse who is rushing and also ride half circles to change the rein. Half circle exercises include a half 10 or 15 meter circle that returns to the track to change the rein. Two half 10, 15, and 20 meter circle that form a S shape. You can also add circles into the loops of a serpentine, to either end of a five meter loop, and to figure of eights.

If you are having problems with circles at home ask your trainer to check your position and way of riding, quite often it is your own mis-balance that causes the horse to fall in (or out) on a circle.  Your trainer can explain how you can ride circles better to help keep your horse in balance.

 

 

Stallions At Stud

6 Tips for Picking Out Awesome Freestyle Music for Your Horse

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Don’t freewheel …Freestyle instead

1. Know your horse’s ideal BPM (beats per minute)

2. The average horse has the following BPM:

•   Walk 90-106 BPM

•   Trot 138-160 BPM

•   Canter 96-108 BPM

3. Pick music that matches your horse’s BPM within 4-6 BPM range.

(For example if your dressage horse has a canter of 104 BPM, choose music that is between 100 BPM and 108 BPM)

4. Choose music that has a very clear downbeat. (You’d tap your toe to the downbeat.)

5. If you CAN’T tap your toe or clap your hands easily to the beat of the music, it’s not great freestyle music!

6. Choose freestyle music that will help you achieve your horse’s ideal tempo.

For example: If your horse is a bit on the lazy side, choose an upbeat and energetic piece of music that will help YOU ask for more energy. If your horse is hot or nervous, choose freestyle music that will help you feel calm and steady as well as help your horse with rhythm and relaxation.

Here are the facts – Thanks to British Dressage

There has been no stopping the popularity of the freestyle dressage to music test, also known as a kür, since Goodwood CDI hosted the first one at international level in 1979. There is even a separate set of individual medals up for grabs at the Olympics, World and European Championships for this crowd-pleasing form of the sport.

If you want to have a go, it is worth watching a few kürs to give you an idea of what works and doesn’t. Marks are awarded in a different way to ordinary tests. There are two categories: technical and artistic.

The freestyle test sheets tell you the compulsory movements required at the different levels and these are available through our Online shop.

To play copied music in public, you must have a music licence. You can arrange this by completing and returning both a music sub-licence agreement and a music licence record form to:

Michelle Garland, British Dressage,  Meriden Business Park Copse Drive, Meriden West Midlands CV5 9RG

Michelle will then send you stickers, which you need to put on your freestyle tapes/CDs to fulfil the licence agreement. This allows you to use any music from the record labels listed on the Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) repertoire list.

Follow this link to access the PPL online search facility.

2014 PPL Licence

There is no charge for this service if you are a BD member. If you are not a member, you can become a BD music member for £36 per year or £25 if you are a riding club member. Contact Michelle Garland (tel: 0247 669 8832) for more information.

You can put your own test and music together or you can pay a professional to help you. It is a good idea to take two CDs or tapes with you to shows in case there is a problem with one. Check with the organiser whether they have any requirements; at international shows, organisers like two different mediums, such as a mini disc and CD.

You need to give the organiser one CD or tape marked with your name and that of your horse. It needs to be ready to start at the right place with a note as to whether this is at the halt or at the position outside the arena where you will give a signal.

Rock and Roll guys. Horse Scout has a number of Dressage trainers and instructors who would, I am sure, be only to pleased to help you put your test and the music together with you and your horse! Good Luck.

Horse Advice

Horses mutually groom each other…do you let your horse groom you?

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Making your horse your best friend

Mutual grooming is an excellent way to bond with your horse.  Obviously you don’t need to use your teeth! You can use a dandy or body brush!

When horses are turned out together it is often possible to find two horses mutually grooming each other. This usually involves two horses standing in a way that they can both scratch each others withers at the same time. One horse generally starts the scratching and the other horse seems almost unable to resist the urge to return the favor. Is this where the expression, “I’ll scratch your back while you scratch mine” came from?

Horses living in the wild have a natural pecking order within their herd. Top horse is the stallion, closely followed by the alpha mare and so it goes all the way down to the least dominant mare, who tends to get picked on by everyone.

Domestic horses sharing a paddock will often show herd-like behaviour…there’s usually one or two dominant horses who boss the others around. If there’s some choice grazing or feed going, the dominant ones will grab it first, chasing the others away.

Bonds are often formed within the herd between pairs of horses. Feral horses tend to bond with others who are roughly their age and dominance rank, while domestic horses will bond with whoever they are sharing a paddock with, once they get to know them.

Horses often start by scratching each others withers but will move up and down each others body, not only rubbing with their strong upper lip but also using their teeth to both scratch and to gently nip.

It is always interesting to watch two horses scratching like this to observe how they interact. Many horses seem to both agree on the amount of pressure, while others will increase the pressure and nipping until offending the other horse who generally leaves.

So why do horses do it? What purpose does it serve?

It’s actually an important social aspect of a horse’s life, it helps develop bonds and has also been observed as an ‘appeasement’ gesture after two horses have been involved in a bit of an argument. In other words, it helps reduce the tension.

Often when a young horse is being groomed by a human the horse will also turn and try to groom the human back. I have seen some people who allow this, some who hold out their hand for the horse to scratch and others who teach the horse to enjoy the grooming without returning the favor to the human. Which do you encourage?

 

 

Horse Advice

Going round In Circles – Without getting dizzy

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Everyone who has ridden a dressage test knows the cold sweat that centre line encourages.  Riding a horse in a straight line is easy if you know how to go round in a circle.

There’s no need to get dizzy…. get direction

Do you manage a close approximation or an accurate set of 4 arcs joined exactly on the quarter points when you ride a circle?

What happens as you leave the security of the boards and turn into your circle? For the unwary and the unprepared your horse will fall off the track and onto his inside front leg and this will doom your circle to be ovoid ….or even rather square as he swings his quarters out and away!

Testing your circles out.

Having someone on the ground is very helpful.  If you are with a trainer they can watch how you are riding and point out what you are doing and how you could improve the accuracy and effectiveness of your circles.  Its so easy to fool yourself but a good instructor will quickly pick up on how your riding is affecting your circles.

During your sessions you and your trainer can work on using circles to improve everything from transitions to trotting down that all important centre line.

Have you ever actually tried it yourself on your feet?

Walk then jog in circles (you can do this when no one is watching or you can let people know exactly how eccentric you really are! )

Walk in an arc one way and then move into the opposite arc.  Be aware of how you use your balance, and your weight to achieve the change in direction.  Do this at greater speed and see how smoothly you can do this without falling into the movement and loosing your balance.  Go round in a circle and decrease the dimensions noticing all the time how and where your weight is. Shift your body change where the tensions are change where the weight is in your body.  Push off with your outside leg and then change to pushing off with your inside leg.  Turn your shoulders into the circle then turn them away from the movement. Its so simple and its an interesting exercise and helps you see how much subtle movements in yourself drastically influence your stance, weight, flow and momentum.  Try gently exaggerating the movements as you ride, change your weight and use the feel of pushing off with your inside leg on your walked circle and see how that affects the horses ability to turn then try allowing the weight to drop down into your outside stirrup, how does that change the way you are sitting on the saddle?

Practice circles at home.

Do this at walk on a loose rein and be aware of the direction and way your horse moves. As you did on the ground combine this with concentrating on the movement of your shoulders and see what affect this has. Your shoulders, head, arms and hands are directing the direction of travel you’re going in and everything below your shoulders is generating the momentum and flow of the movement from the other end. Remember that your eyes must look directly at right angles forward from your shoulders and with luck (if things are going to plan!) should be looking forward through the horses ears. To check on progress check if you are in fact looking between the ears and if, by rote, the ears are pointing in the same direction as your line of movement. And if they are….that it is the quarters that are pushing the front end along that line too then, generally speaking, if everything is going along the same curved line you will be riding a round circle.

When hacking out use every opportunity to ask for a change of direction by asking for the horse to start off a circle. So don’t just sit there and enjoy the scenery think about using your hack to practice riding beautiful bends!  ….And find yourself a trainer to help you perfect your technique from the ground.

Interesting Horse Facts

Training to Translate…..Ear Movements

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

When it comes to paying attention to each other, it seems that horses are all ears. So if you are looking for a new trainer or a rider who will communicate well with your horse ask about ears!

Some horse’men can naturally read a horse, this comes from their long experience in dealing with an animal whose basic instinct is flight from threatening situations.  Learning these signals and putting them together with what is going on under you can help your riding improve dramatically.

If you are working with a talented and empathetic trainer they will be able to point out these cues to you.

Horses have very mobile ears, they can only swivel them round, point them forward, pull them up or flatten them back

When a horse’s ears are flopping down, it means the creature is relaxed.

But pinned back, and the horse is expressing anger.

When a horse is interested in something, it pricks up its ears and swivels them towards whatever has caught its attention.

The ability to read each other’s interest level is disrupted when the ears are covered up, the researchers found.

You can tell a lot from a horses ears when you are on the ground and, very usefully, when you are on its back too. Learning to read those signals is part of the key to a harmonious relationship with your horse.

In fact the signals are so important in the way that a horse communicates that when  Mammal communication experts Jennifer Wathan and Professor Karen McComb, whose paper is published on 04 August 2014, set up an experiment to see which cues horses relied on to judge the direction of another horse’s attention in a task where they had to choose where to feed, it was found that the ers were key to communication.

Each horse was individually led to a point where it was released and allowed to choose between two buckets. On a wall behind the buckets was a life-sized photograph of a horse’s head facing either to left or right.

The researchers found that if either the ears or the eyes of the horse in the picture were obscured, the horse being led made a random choice between the two buckets.  However, if the ears and eyes were visible, then the horse used these directional cues to guide their choice.

Jennifer Wathan says: “Previous work investigating communication of attention has focused on cues that humans use – body orientation, head orientation and eye gaze. But no one had gone beyond that. We found that in horses, their ear position was also a crucial visual signal. In fact, horses needed to see the detailed facial features of both eyes and ears before they would use another horse’s head direction to guide their choice.”

She adds: “Most people who live and work alongside animals with mobile ears would agree that the ears are important in communication, but it has taken science a while to catch up. We naturally have a human-centric view of the world and as we can’t move our ears they get rather overlooked in other species.”

Professor McComb says: “This study emphasises that animals other than primates are aware of subtle differences in facial expression and can use these to guide the decisions that they make. Fine scaled facial movements can indicate important changes in attention and emotional state and are likely to be crucial in determining social behaviour in a wide range of animals.”

The researchers’ paper, ‘The eyes and ears are visual indicators of attention in domestic horses’ is published in Current Biology, on 04 August 2014.

So add “How about the ears” to the list of questions you ask new trainer or a rider and you will know exactly how well they will communicate with your horse .

 

 

Horse Riding Tips

Endurance Riding – without getting saddle sore

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Are you thinking of stepping up a notch in endurance riding or perhaps thinking of taking it up?

Get the low down on Endurance riding with Bella Fricker Endurance Trainer

Endurance riding is gaining in popularity in the horse world but as Endurance GB says it isn’t for the faint hearted, and it isn’t for the rider who doesn’t actually enjoy being in the saddle for long stretches.

So what is Endurance Riding? It is a unique competitive challenge and a supreme sport for learning about equine fitness.

Riding over long distances is all about Tactics and this is one of the pleasures of Endurance Riding – you think about it, plan your tactics, plot your directions, work: out where your back up crew (for longer distances) will meet you, anticipate how you will ride. An examination of your map, provided by an EGB ride organiser, will raise your awareness on sections which will slow you down and where you may be able to make up time on faster going. Yes, you will learn to read a map!

All Endurance Riders check their whereabouts on a map carried in a case, and never just follow the rider in front.

There are two reasons for this. The first obvious one is, they may be lost too and not admitting it, and secondly it is part of the adventurous spirit of Endurance Riding – you are there pitting yourself and your horse against the elements, riding unknown territory, and finishing’ exactly where -you should, back at the venue. A real sense of achievement that gives meaning to the old saying “To finish is to win”.All routes are also marked.

Enjoy the Camaraderie

Another element is the spirit of camaraderie which exists amongst the riders. ENDURANCE GB  is always happy to put you in touch with a more experienced rider who can advise you; EGB organisers are happy to talk about their rides and EGB regularly stages talks, seminars and demonstrations across the regions. Their support is wide ranging and practical, and in this sense, what is refreshing about the sport is that you need never be alone.

If it is your first ride and you feel a little nervous the  Ride Secretary may be able to arrange for you to ride with someone who is familiar with the sport. Set speed rides, for example are competitive only in the sense of personal achievement, so a friendliness between riders is commonplace. You will find sections of the ride where you need to reduce speed for whatever , and part of the fun is the conversation with other riders along the way. When you meet again at another ride, you will be meeting friends both old and new.

When the going gets tough

The toughest challenges are presented by the Competitive Endurance Rides (CERs), where riders are competing against each other, rather than the clock. The highest level of competition is the 160km (100 mile) CER, the International Senior championship distance.

Something to aim for

Whatever level you are happiest a, Britain’s top endurance riders are among the best in the world and you can always learn from them and aspire to follow in their footsteps. Endurance GB is the internationally recognised body for the sport of endurance riding in the UK. Membership of EGB means you and your horse can be considered for British team selection. Each year, EGB puts together young rider, intermediate and senior teams and arranges for them to compete in international endurance riding events.

Building Partnerships

Perhaps the best reason of all for taking up Endurance Riding, is the partnership built up with your horse over these many miles – of new riding ground. You guide him, and he carries you, and the relationship ‘which is forged between endurance rider and endurance horse would be hard to equal in any other sport. He has to trust you to lead him back home, and you have to trust him to get you there, and the resulting confidence will stay with both of you in any future sports you may try. That’s if you’re not hooked on Endurance Riding for life!

To find out more about endurance riding speak to Bella Fricker Endurance Trainer or take a look at the Endurance GB website where the above information came from

 

 

Horse Advice

Go Gadget review- Being Safe Rider SOS ALERT

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

All this talk about endurance riding and hacking out safely has sent me off to see about keeping riders in touch when they are off the beaten track…or indeed out in the fields and in trouble. I came across this clever app called “Horse Rider SOS”

How does it work?

The concept is simple. Before you head off for your ride, open the ‘Horse Rider SOS’ app on your Android or iPhone, press the ‘Start button’ and now ‘Horse Rider SOS’ will begin to monitor your every move and track you while you ride.

As long as ’Horse Rider SOS’ continues to detect your movement and progress it will be ‘content’ to watch over you and will remain in’ tracking mode’.

However, In the event that you are unseated and fall off your horse, are unconscious or unable to move, Horse Rider SOS will immediately enter ‘Alert Mode’ and begin the rescue process.

At this point your predetermined guardians will be notified immediately that you’re in trouble and will be sent your location so that you can be rescued without delay.

It even has a false alarm fail safe system so no unintentional wolf crying! How clever is that?

Below are some testimonials for riders who use the system….one even found her phone using the app, so its useful in other ways too.

Check it out on http://www.horseridersos.com/

Rider Testimonials

Once, I fell off my horse miles from home and was unconscious for over an hour…worst of all, nobody knew I’d even fallen off! Luckily some hikers found me and were able to call for help. Now I always make sure I set Horse Rider SOS before I ride.” Michelle C.

Katie R.“When I get home from work I have to get the horses in from the field and sometimes they can be a bit naughty!…Now when I’m on my own I always make sure I set Horse Rider SOS to watch over me just in case something happens.” Katie R.

Nicki M.“I know it’s not what it’s designed for but once my phone fell out of my pocket when I was out riding and thanks to Horse Rider SOS I was able to pin-point exactly where I’d lost it! …I love this app!!” Nicki M.

Georgia S.“Whenever I ride alone, the one thing I’ve always worried about is falling off miles away from home! …now I’m reassured that if the worst should happen Horse Rider SOS is there to raise the alarm and rescue me.” Georgia S.

Susi P.“Horse Rider SOS is so simple to use and easy to set up…Now when I ride I’m much happier knowing that if I fall off, my husband will know where to find me.” Susi P.

Horse Advice

Hacking Hoedown – One to the right or two to the left?

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

There is nothing more lovely than hacking out on your horse, for some it is ‘What they do’ and for others it’s a welcome break from the training schedule and a time when hair can be let down (metaphorically).

If you are new to riding and thinking of buying a horse it is a good idea to check that the horse is quiet when hacking out. Most all-rounders should, by rote, be exemplary hacks. Find out how good the horse is in traffic and whether it has particular dislikes i.e. does it turn and run when the smelly dustbin lorry is doing its rounds or if you live in an area where there are frequent bike races … or tanks are driven… is it likely to worry? Or do you ride a horse that has these problems already? If so making your horse safe to ride out has to be a priority and finding a trainer who can help with these issues if very important.

Safety out hacking

Some of us are lucky to live in the wilder areas of the UK and have almost unlimited hacking across some stunning, often deserted, heath and moorland in our National Parks but most horse’men hack their horses wherever they are, be it urban roads or countryside tracks,and the same precautions should be taken wherever you hack and whatever your ability.

Traffic is a horse’man’s nightmare. As a rider we have to hope that the motorist will first see us in good time and second react sensibly to the presence of a horse. It is a shame that this awareness is not part of driver training but s it stands preemptive strategies can help mitigate the dangers of traffic (and also bumptious horses) to the rider.

The basics: meaning The Minimum consideration before venturing out on top of a horse

  • Ride with someone else if possible
  • Tell someone where you plan to go and how long you are likely to be
  • Take your phone with you
  • Inspect you tack before setting out
  • Dress sensibly – Wear your PPE including High Viz
  • If you intend to be out for a “long ride” take some water with you
  • A map if you do not know the country you are riding

Here are some very sage words from the Ordenance Survey guys:

Consider your mount

Make sure you plan your ride according to yours and your horse’s fitness and ability.

If you have a recently-backed youngster, it’s probably not a wise idea to go out exploring on your own for hours. In this case it may be best to ride in company along a well-planned route. Likewise, if your horse is unfit, it’s not worth risking a trip or fall by taking him out on a canter-filled ride instead of an appropriate fittening round-the-block walk.

All the gear….

Ok, so hi-viz isn’t the most attractive riding attire – particularly when emblazoned with ‘Please pass wide and slow’ – but it really is essential if you’re going to be doing some roadwork. For added visibility, consider purchasing other reflective gear for your horse, such as leg bands or tailguards. Anything that helps you stand out is worthwhile and could help motorists spot you much earlier.

It goes without saying that you should be wearing a riding hat of PAS 015 standard. Some riders don’t think they need one when schooling in an arena on a safe horse, but the fact is, no animal is completely bombproof and accidents can happen. Getting hat hair is better than getting knocked unconscious or worse…

If you’re riding a young or spooky horse, it’s also worth considering wearing a body protector. This type of protection is mandatory for most cross country competitions – including British Eventing-affiliated events.

Aside from safety wear, make sure your tack is in good condition – yes, this does mean getting out the saddle soap once in a while! Watch out for any frayed stitching or cracked leatherwork. Keeping your tack soaped and oiled will help it last for years to come, so don’t underestimate the power of good cleaning.

Sparkly tack is all well and good, but it needs to fit well. Ensure your horse receives regular visits from the saddler – particularly if he’s a growing youngster or has gained/lost weight recently. Any changes in shape will affect your saddle’s fit and a poorly fitting saddle could cause pain – resulting in potentially dangerous bad behaviour. You should supplement visits from your saddler with back checks from an equine physiotherapist or sports massage professional to ensure that your horse is completely pain free and fit for purpose.

Plan your route

It’s easy to make a spur of the moment decision to go for a ride without really planning where you’re going, or telling anyone for that matter. Those of you that remember your Pony Club days will know that you should always carry a hoof pick, baler twine, some change for a payphone and remember to tell people where you’re going. Things have moved on a bit since – you’ll be carrying your mobile phone for a start – but the old adage of informing someone of your route and how long you’ll be out still stands.

For the explorers among you, it’s also wise to plan your route on a map beforehand and, better still, carry one with you on your ride – just in case you happen to get lost. If you don’t want to carry round a paper map, try OS MapFinder – although bear in mind that you might want to dismount before consulting either version!

Other useful apps include Horse Rider SOS which uses GPS to track your position and alerts a designated contact if you have an accident which renders you motionless. This is particularly useful if you enjoy hacking alone in more remote locations.

Be safe on the roads

We’re not all lucky enough to be able to ride straight from the yard out into the countryside – riding along a quiet lane or busy road is essential for some riders to access bridleways, so thank you OS Guys for your in put here.  Safe Hacking

North South East or West…or somewhere in the middle?  Here are links to just some of the livery yards with fantastic hacking on their doorstep.

Clumber Livery – Worksop, Nottinghamshire

Glanmire Farm Stables – Epsom Surrey

Alcott Farm  – Birmingham, Worcestershire

Firecrest Liveries – Sandwich, Kent

SYCAMORE STUD – Stoke St Michael, Somrset

Delny Riding Centre – Invergordon, Ross-shire

 

Eventing

Looking at Eventers?

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

New String to your Bow for the season

Eventing in mind – Looking for something special?

Have a look at Rosco, Sallybog Tim or Derroe Champ

Horse Scout has got some great prospects for the coming season.  If you are looking for a new ride for the new season scroll through the lovely horses posted here.  If you are looking for something young and ready to go have a look at Rosco Aaron Millars’ latest good looking grey Irish Sports horse which has competed in the Stepping Stones League in Ireland (equivalent to BYEH). He was placed in the finals with fences at 1.10m. Rosco has three lovely paces and does a very smart test. Great attitude, eager to learn and quick on his feet. Exceptionally neat jumping technique, real scope. Very kind natured on the ground, lovely to handle. He is now ready to go on and realise his potential with someone who can really enjoy his considerable talent and great temperament and would make a super all rounder.  In fact a great Mother Daughter combination. Born in 2009 he is still young but he is now ready to affiliate he’s ready to affiliate.  He can be seen in Dorset.

Perhaps you would prefer something a little older? Then have a look at the lovely Sallybog Tim who would make a great schoolmaster with the experience he has got under his belt.  A nice looking BE Intermediate Novice with points. Working at BD medium and handy to hunt, hack and ready to compete. A great all rounder.  He can be seen in Hampshire.

Or are you looking for something smaller.  There is a cracking looking pony called Connemara Derroe Champ based over in Ireland who has done everything and who at 14.2hh is just waiting to be a perfect gentleman on the cross country course for a lucky small person.

 

Horses For Sale

Professional Profile – Lucinda Fredericks

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Eventing Olympian Lucinda Fredericks is an international trainer and travels extensively to give clinics and demonstrations as well as hosting training sessions at her own venue, Rosegarth, near Devizes view her Horse Scout Profile HERE!

How special would it be to buy the rider in your life a gift voucher for a private session with Lucinda Fredericks?

Her schedule for clinics for this year shows that she is in Hong Kong  at the end of a five day marathon of 5 days clinics and training out there.  As an official trainer of the Hong Kong Event Team, who took Bronze at the Eventing in the  17th Asian Games in 2014 (well done them!) On this trip she has been training the riders on horses which are retired from the Hong Kong Racing Circuit and she says how proud she was of the young racehorses retraining at her clinic (yesterday) in Teun Mun as they jump happily over 110m. And at this moment (according to her Facebook profile) she is putting a very handsome chestnut retiree through its paces over some XC jumps at Beas River Equestrian Centre.

Her experience and support of the Retraining of Reacehorses was also demonstrated at the The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre  near Preston who have some fantastic pictures, taken by Trevor Holt and Ashley Stewart of a demonstration she hosted to a crowd of around 300 people in April – the event raised around £3,000 for the TRC.

With so many awards for Retraining of  Racehorses perhaps a group of individual training session with Lucinda on your own retired racehorse would help you along the way to one of the awards being offered by ROR Grassroots Eventing Series for 2015

There may be time to book places at the clinic at Charlotte Wadley Equestrian, Painswick, on the 7th February . (Individual spaces cost £60 + VAT (within a group of 4). Alternatively you can contact Lucinda’s team through Horse Scout to arrange for a session at her training centre.

She is holding clinics in February in  Holland  and Dorset, March in Berkshire and then she is back out to Hong Kong at the beginning of April

If you cant wait that long to see Lucinda then she will be talking about her Olympic experiences with Headley Britannia and Flying Finish, at the Equine Client Meeting in Frome at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 25th February being orgainised by Garston vets.