Horse&Rider magazine - June 2022

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Issue number 633 June 2022

The UK’s best-selling equestrian monthly

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W I N EQUI-TREK

PIGGY MARCH

Pippa Funnell: strengthen up

boost your One move that will

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How your

Charlotte Dujardin’s young horses

horse’s herd works

Behind the scenes with

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Horsey weight loss Soundness How the herd works

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Issue 633 £4.49

HORSEY

How to BEAT THE HEAT

WEIGHT LOSS

GUIDE

In this feature. . .

How to ride the perfect halt transition

Come to a

halt What could be so spectacular about stopping? Piggy March shares plenty of reasons why halt is worthy of your attention

H As told to Kiera Boyle. Photos: Jon Stroud

alt, immobility, salute – the three memorable words that mark the end of every dressage test sheet.

Although many riders dismiss practising the perfect square halt in favour of faster and more exciting moves, asking your horse for a halt worthy of a 10 takes plenty of time and training. To execute it, he must be responsive, balanced, forward and straight.

While no one wants to, or should, dedicate an entire schooling session to halting, refining your accuracy when riding this move will not only teach your horse a number of valuable lessons, but will also help you become more aware of your own straightness in the saddle. I’ve got some simple, effective exercises to help you ride the ultimate halt, whether your aim’s to improve your horse’s manners or score highly in a dressage test.

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In the saddle

Improve your horse’s accuracy

Test your straightness

Our expert

Piggy March is an International eventer who’s represented Team GB at several World and European Championships, as well as winning Badminton Horse Trials in 2019.

Our model

Graf Liberty (Danny) is a 17-year-old ISH gelding.

A new ride for Piggy at the end of the 2021 season, he’s previously competed up to CCI5* in the past.

HORSE&RIDER 27

As told to Kiera Boyle. Photos: Jess Photography

In this feature. . .

TOP TIP

Most young or inexperienced horses can become tight or tense at their first competition. So, to prepare without the pressure of competing, why not just go for the warm-up or go to a group clinic to get him used to the environment?

46 HORSE&RIDER

What to look for in a young horse

In the saddle

Charlotte’s weekly training routine

Establish the basics

School session is in

Could your horse be a star in the making? Find out how Charlotte Dujardin spots and nurtures fresh talent

I

absolutely love the journey of starting young horses. There’s nothing more rewarding than taking them through the levels and watching them blossom. Plus, I’m a sucker for an underdog – if someone tells me a horse can’t do something, it makes me even more determined to prove them wrong.

However, it can be tricky – and a bit of a leap of faith – when searching for the right youngster, because they often only show just a glimmer of what they could grow up to be. So, here’s how I go about the selection process and the steps I take to develop a young horse’s early training.

Ticking all the boxes

Monet is one of the most incredible four-year-olds I’ve ever ridden. He takes up a lovely soft contact, carries himself well and has a natural swing to his gait – so my only real job at this age is to give him confidence.

However, most young horses aren’t that easy and I have to work much harder with some of my others. Some can be too strong, too light or a little lazy – Valegro, for example, was very strong and powerful as a young horse, but was always sensitive to my aids.

Florentina, on the other hand, was the

Our expert

Charlotte Dujardin is a multiple World and Olympic dressage champion. She’s the world record holder for all three Grand Prix level tests and coaches alongside her highly celebrated competitive career.

Our models Make or break

For me, a young horse’s potential doesn’t just come down to physical conformation. Of course, riders all have their own preferences – for example, I like short, compact, uphill horses – and it’s important that a horse is well put together. However, the real star quality I seek lies in a horse’s character, meaning his natural energy, presence and willingness to try his heart out for you.

opposite and I couldn’t get her to take the contact forward.

The main things I look for when I go to view a new prospect are innate self-motivation, enthusiastic energy and a quality walk and canter. I say this because an average trot can easily be developed to become spectacular by teaching a horse suspension. However, your life will be made far easier down the line if your horse naturally has a rhythmical, loose and balanced walk and canter. This gives you more scope for collecting and lengthening work further down the line.

Times Mon Amor (Monet) is a 16.2hh five-year-old gelding by Martinez, who Charlotte co-owns with Peter Belshaw. The pair have won the BD Young Horse Championships and Monet currently competes at Elementary level.

TOP TIP

Whether you’re buying a young or established horse, it’s always useful to look at how he moves naturally, without a rider, to assess the quality of his paces accurately.

HORSE&RIDER 47

The four Ms of weight management

Looking for advice to maintain your horse’s svelte silhouette this summer? Tamzin Furtado shares her top tips

W

ith the mild winter we’ve just had, proactive owners have had to think ahead to their horse’s management this summer.

Even if your horse is ordinarily something of a poor-doer, we’d wager that he’s still looking better than usual for the time of year. Weight management isn’t something many owners enjoy, but with a bit of imagination and some useful tips, it can become part of everyday horse care without being stressful or difficult. Let’s take at look at some simple ways to make things straightforward for you both.

Photos: Jon Stroud

The long game

First and foremost, you need to remember that there are no magic answers for weight management. Every horse, owner, and yard is different, so it’s up to you to find a strategy to work for you. Managing your horse is easiest when you’re both happy, so work out what’s going to be the best option. For him, he’ll want to be with his friends, with access to a steady trickle of low-calorie forage, and plenty of interest, choice and enrichment. But for you, it needs to work around your yard set-up and daily routine.

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Our expert

Tamzin Furtado PhD is a researcher working in equine health and welfare. She completed a PhD at the University of Liverpool about equine weight management, and runs talks and events about equine wellbeing.

She’s passionate about horse care, loves clicker training and competing in endurance riding.

Management know-how

A word about enrichment

There are many ways to make your horse’s life as interesting as possible, from offering selections of herbs and smells to in-hand walks and puzzle feeders. Incorporating your horse’s needs and happiness from the outset will make the experience much more pleasant.

TOP TIP

For best results, use this article along with free weight management guide, When the Grass is Greener, available at bit.ly/UOL_WEIGHT, which will help you think through creative strategies that could suit you.

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