Horse
The Laytown races have run on a beach on the east coast of Ireland for 145 years
Photo: Dave Barrett
Find out more about Ireland’s beach-based racing on p8
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The Dressage Convention in association with
Dressage inspiration
Carl Hester and Richard Davison talk to H&R’s Alison Bridge about their latest brilliant scheme, The Dressage Convention, showcasing the best in training horses for dressage and more!
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repare for a new dressage event that will banish your preconceptions, challenge your assumptions and break down the barriers of this fascinating sport! Richard Davison and Carl Hester promise entertainment, inspiration, spirited discussion and brilliant, practical advice during a weekend that will demonstrate how and why great training works for all horses – from total novices to Olympic stars. Running over the weekend of 19 to 20 October at Bury Farm in Buckinghamshire, The Dressage Convention will include lecture demos by Carl and Richard with their horses, plus classical trainers Sylvia Loch and Miguel Ralão from the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art – and a special guest star appearance from Olympic double gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin. With a ‘Saturday evening supper with the Stars’ planned as well as the daytime demos and Q&A sessions, there will be plenty of time to talk to the riders and exchange views. Olympic superstars, top-class training advice, thought-provoking conversation, gorgeous horses – Carl and Richard’s Dressage Convention is a definite must for your autumn calendar!
Star attractions
Carl Hester and Richard Davison have been at the forefront of the amazing flowering of modern British dressage in recent years, culminating, of course, in Team GBR’s haul of medals at the London Olympics in 2012. Happily, it wasn’t a one-off. British dressage success marches on this year with, among other successes, a brilliant Nations Cup win at Rotterdam this July. However, they started out as kids riding bareback at opposite ends of the country – Carl in the Channel Islands, Richard in Derbyshire. They still have that excited love of riding and horses that has fuelled their careers to the highest levels. In fact, Richard says: “As long as I can get on a horse, I’ll never retire!” 14 HORSe &RIDeR
Great friends and colleagues, Carl and Richard have plotted, planned and discussed dressage far into the night for years, over numerous glasses of wine and at national and international events. The Dressage Convention is their latest brainchild and they want it to reflect their own style. “It will definitely be different,” says Richard. “We want people to enjoy it because we both enjoy what we do, and because people can learn better if they are relaxed and have fun.” He continues: “Carl and I have talked about this for years and some months ago we had kind of a lightbulb moment – why don’t we stop talking about it and just do it?”
Accentuate the positive
Carl and Richard’s Dressage Convention will have a positive, practical message. “The theme is to focus on the priorities that every trainer has in common and scrutinise them, because Carl and I suspect that
Carl Hester (right) and Charlotte Dujardin (above)
See for yourself ➤ Our ‘Mini
masterclasses’ in this feature, p8, and in October and November Horse&Rider, will give you a taste of what’s to come at Richard and Carl’s Dressage Convention. If you’d like to see them live, then book your tickets now, see p10 – they’re selling fast!
Horse
world
Horse&Rider magazine and Classic Dressage “We’ve been dreaming of an event like this for years!”
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This is a great opportunity for likeminded people to discuss different approaches to training the dressage horse Carl Hester, co-host, The Dressage Convention
it doesn’t matter which school you come from – we probably have about 95% of common training goals and principles. In the past, people have concentrated on the differences – we want to do absolutely the opposite and enjoy focusing on the similarities.” To do this, they’re pulling together different
strands of dressage training. There’ll be the classical approach of ‘The Classical Seat’ author, Sylvia Loch, and top Portuguese rider Miguel Ralão, who promises to highlight the differences between training Iberian horses and modern-day warmbloods, plus Carl’s and Richard’s training for international competition success. “We don’t want to restrict it in any way. Just because we’re in the world of competition dressage doesn’t mean to say we don’t appreciate good horsemanship of any kind – we do!” says Richard. He spends half his time training top showjumpers as well as dressage riders, and Carl helps eventers with their dressage – indeed, Zara Phillips was there with one of her eventers the day we visited his yard. Richard stresses that the key to training success is to focus on each and every horse as an individual. “The horse tells us what to do. Every horse trainer I know figures out how individual horses learn and follows that path,” he says. “We need to become better horse listeners. I don’t mean horse whispering – we all just need to listen more to our horses. “Having said that, people need a bit of a road map and simple goals that are easy to follow. We’ll be demonstrating the road map, which highlights the priorities of training, that everyone can use,” he says.
Amazing horses
What always strikes me when I meet Richard and Carl is how much they love and understand their horses, and appreciate their efforts on their riders’ behalf. “At the end of the day, it’s how horses learn, how they move and how their bodies are composed that determines how they can do these amazing things,” Richard says. “Still when I teach a young horse a flying change and he gets it, I am completely
From second left to right: Sylvia Loch, Richard Davison, MiguelDuarte Ralão Miguel
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In this feature...
Our trainer Lisa Harris grew up in a family of showjumpers and has been fortunate enough to spend many years immersed in the breeding and training of competition horses. Lisa is an experienced British Horse Society qualified instructor and has a degree in equine science from Hartpury College. She has been a member of the H&R editorial team since January 2012.
➤ A jumping canter ➤ Get to know his stride
Prepare for
take-off Consistently finding a good stride to a fence is something most riders obsess over. H&R’s Lisa Harris explains how to give yourself the best possible chance of finding that elusive ‘sweet spot’
Photos: Bob Atkins
The sweet spot The ideal take-off position allows for a smoother jump
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In the saddle
➤ Discipline your eye ➤ Adjustability ➤ Why jumping courses is vital
hen faced with a course of fences, a number of things cross my mind, but by far the most nagging voice in my head is the one demanding that I don’t ‘miss’ at the first jump. Call it personal pride, but for me missing my stride to the first fence is akin to that nightmare some people have when they are naked in front of a room full of people. Also, it’s true that if you get a good shot to the first, you are well on your way to a smooth round. If you watch a class of professional riders in competition, most make it look effortless, as if they’re guiding their horse around the jumps using telepathy and finding the perfect take-off point by divine right. Although these riders have achieved a level of accuracy that most of us can only dream about, you can clearly see the fundamentals of good jumping practice at work. By following these basic rules, anyone can improve their ability to find the ‘sweet spot’ in front of any jump.
Where is the sweet spot?
Every horse is different when it comes to where they like to take off. If you know your horse well, you will know if he prefers to be closer to the jump and be neat with his legs, or if he likes to stand-off and use his power. Your horse’s size, stride length and jumping ability will also affect how far from the base of the fence he likes his front feet to be on take-off. Generally speaking, when you’re jumping, the perfect take-off point is one that allows your horse to maintain the same even, balanced canter rhythm on the approach and away from the fence – the jump just happens to be in the way. Finding this perfect rhythm and identifying the ideal approach to an obstacle is a skill that develops over time. But there are ways you can put yourself and your horse in the best possible position to find the perfect take-off.
Who’s in charge?
Famously, one of showjumper Ellen Whitaker’s party tricks is being able to place one of her mount’s front feet onto a match box on the take-off stride over any fence. This level of accuracy comes from years and years of intensive training and experience, and for top showjumping riders it’s necessary. Many trainers would argue that it’s your horse’s job to decide where to take off (they’re his legs after all) and that may be so when you’re going
Professionals seem to be able to find a stride by divine right, but by sticking to a few rules you can, too HORSE&RIDER 25
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Mind matters
Should you
breed
Evaluate your options before you decide to breed, says World Horse Welfare
from her?
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ith approximately 7,000 horses in the UK deemed ‘at risk’, equine charity World Horse Welfare has launched the ‘Need to Breed?’ campaign. This initiative is designed to encourage owners to consider the financial implications and risks of breeding, so they can make an informed decision.
Not just the racing industry
Following the recent reporting and uproar over the ‘wastage’ of the racing industry, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the majority of breeding is happening in professional industries. However, the charity’s research has
Photo: Bob Atkins
shown that twice as many foals are bred by individuals only breeding between one and five foals in their lifetime, than professional breeders who breed over 100. This data has surprised even those within the charity, although they recognise that the professionals are making changes. “The results are truly surprising,” says Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare. “Professional breeders, dealers and the racing industry are often blamed for producing too many horses, and while this may be true, the numbers appear to be reducing in line with the current market. Evidence suggests that in racing alone, numbers have reduced by 25%. “Each horse owner makes an impact and we hope our initiative will help guide them through the considerations of breeding in a compassionate, realistic and informative way. It is vital that every group acknowledges their contribution to the problem and takes steps to rectify it.”
Breeding: the facts
There are many things to consider when thinking about breeding from your mare and World Horse Welfare is encouraging potential breeders to explore all the implications. These include... ➤ Cost Whether you’re breeding to make a profit or not, from covering to a ridden four-year-old is an expensive process. You need to factor in veterinary costs, keeping two horses and any professional training required along the way. It is conservatively estimated that the average foal will cost you £8,000 to breed and raise to a ridden four-year-old, and this figure can rise to over £20,000. Consider how much a similar horse would cost to buy or whether you’d be able to make your money back by selling. ➤ Health complications There are a number of complications which could lead to costly veterinary treatment and have a long-term impact on the health of your mare or foal. In extreme circumstances, complications can lead to death of the mare, foal or both. ➤ Appropriate facilities You’ll need a safe space for your mare to foal, and for them to live. Don’t forget that around the time of foaling, your mare will need to be closely monitored – not practical with a full-time job or family to look after. ➤ Uncertain result Even if you’re breeding from two healthy, top-level horses, you are never guaranteed an appropriate result or good health in a foal – although it increases your chances! Your foal might simply not reach the height you require or be born with non-heriditary conditions which affect his future, such as limb deformities. ➤ Your experience Don’t underestimate the experience required to raise a young horse. His start in life will be largely shaped by how you handle him and the training he receives from day one. ➤ Filling a need? With thousands of horses without loving homes in the UK, consider whether with your facilities and expertise you could take on a rescue youngster from a charity. World Horse Welfare has lots of young horses of a variety of breeds, sizes and ages just waiting for an experienced home to bring them up the right way.
To download a ‘Need to Breed?’ leaflet, visit worldhorsewelfare.org/needtobreed
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