Horseworld
6 HORSE&RIDER
Badminton buzz power and skill in the main arena. The beauty of the surrounding park provides a picturesque backdrop for the cross-country, where crowds wait with baited breath at the lake for an unfortunate rider to take an accidental dip. Finally, the suspense on showjumping day completes the spectacular competition and nothing is certain until the last horse jumps!
➤ Photo: Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton
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very year in early May, Badminton Horse Trials brings together the elite of the eventing world. Spectators descend on the Badminton Estate to witness the thrills, spills and successes of those competing. Dressage begins the proceedings, with immaculately turned out horses demonstrating
HORSE&RIDER 7
In the saddle
PART THREE
Dealing with As told to Louise Kittle. Photos: Trevor Meeks
hot horses The challenge of riding a hot horse is to keep him relaxed and soft. Achieve this and your marks will soar – Florian Bacher explains how
I
f you have a hot horse, the chances are that he’s active in his way of going, but is he relaxed? Quite possibly not. And there’s the rub, because relaxation is essential in dressage. It’s what allows you to build better quality paces and, without it, you’ll never achieve the best marks.
Our trainer
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Florian Bacher is a rider at the Spanish Riding School and trained with Arthur Kottas. In addition to his commitments with the SRS, he competes his own dressage horses and trains riders across Europe.
Our model
Zoe Colgate rides 10-year-old Jasmine. The pair are competing at Advanced Medium level. Zoe explains that Jasmine is very sharp and consequently tricky to train. HORSE&RIDER 29
A hot horse is often too busy and needs to be encouraged to settle into his work. This usually means not pushing him forward – instead, your goal is to bring him down a bit. Remember, a tight horse is a short horse, whereas a relaxed horse takes bigger steps. When you achieve that relaxation, he will settle down and relax over his topline and through his back, the cadence of his gait will improve and that will improve the quality of his paces. If you have a horse whose natural inclination is to be forward, that’s brilliant, but he must be balanced before you allow that forward movement. This is particularly important when you begin lateral work, where it’s extra important that you control the tempo, rather than it being controlled by your horse.
With a hot horse, lateral movements can often come up quite quickly, so it’s important to be prepared before you begin, ensuring you have control over his body and that he doesn’t use his profuse energy in a counter-productive way.
Y IT YO TR
Shoulder control
UR
S E LF
ELF RS
Y IT YOU TR
Exercise 1
Ride around the short side of the arena, then proceed in shoulder-in down the long side. As you leave the short side, check he’s in balance and that you have control of his shoulder before you start to ride forward in shoulder-in. If you simply turn and begin the movement without rebalancing and ensuring your horse is on the aids, he will lose his line and you’ll be unable to keep him on the track you want, causing your marks to drop. Once you’ve established control in shoulder-in, it’s time to progress. Repeat the exercise, but once you’ve established goodquality shoulder-in steps, change your aids and ask him to move into half-pass.
Shoulder-in
Half pass
Why it works
Even if your horse is supple, it’s common for his hindquarters to lead, which isn’t what you want. Riding shoulder-in before the half-pass helps to prevent this.
Half-pass
Florian’s top tips
– that’s essential. • Ensure you have control over his shoulder that you wait res ensu pass half• Riding shoulder-in before horse into, your move to e fram soft ed, and set up a relax rather than rushing the movement. that you haven’t • If his head position changes, this tells you the movement, of out Ride ce. achieved the required balan . again begin rebalance and t in the contact • Check that he’s still steady and consisten before you begin riding half-pass.
30 HORSE&RIDER
Share the road
safely
Do you feel as safe riding on the roads as you used to? Hacking out always carries an element of risk, but there are plenty of ways to reduce them. Horse&Rider shows you how
I
t helps to keep our horses fit, it allows us to get to bridleways further away and it’s good experience for our horses – riding on the road is part of almost every rider’s life. There are a number of things that contribute to your safety, some of which are out of your control. But making sure you’re using the roads in the best possible way will help to make it a safer and more positive experience for everyone.
Words: Georgia Guerin. Photos: Bob Atkins
Consider your position on the road... • Keep to the left, moving in the same direction as the traffic • Never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and round bends • Never ride on the pavement • If you’re riding in a group, make sure everyone keeps up and avoid spreading out 38 HORSE&RIDER
DID YOU KNOW?
Wearing high-vis can give drivers a valuable three seconds of extra reaction time. This is equivalent to a car, driven at 30mph, travelling the length of a standard-size dressage arena!
If you have to use a roundabout... • Keep to the left and watch out for vehicles crossing your path to leave or join the roundabout • Signal right if you’re crossing an exit to show that you aren’t leaving • Signal left just before you leave the roundabout
In the saddle
When you’re turning at a junction...
DID YOU KNOW?
Top tip
The law only states that you have to wear a hat on the road if you’re under the age of 14. However, wearing an up-to-standard hat is so vital to your safety that you should never ride without one.
Always make a final check over your right shoulder before changing pace, turning or crossing the road – this is called your life-saver look.
1. As you approach the junction, look over your right shoulder to check that no one is preparing to overtake you.
2. Signal clearly to indicate the direction that you’re turning.
3. If you’re turning right, keep to the left side of the road until you turn and be prepared that you might have to stop.
4. Check over your shoulder again and if it’s clear, make the turn in the most direct way possible.
Top tip
If you need to pass a hazard – for example, roadworks... • Check ahead and behind you that there is nothing coming • Signal to show your intention to move around the hazard • Check over your shoulder again before you move out • If your horse is nervous, don’t be afraid to ask workers to turn off the machinery
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Thank all road users who pass you considerately. If you don’t think you can take your hand off the reins, give them a nod and a big smile. Try to thank road users who are passing you from behind before they reach you, because if you wait until they’re passing or have passed, they’re unlikely to see your signal. See overleaf for more top tips
HORSE&RIDER 39
Elico Zebra combo Sizes: 5–7ft RRP £43.95 elico.co.uk
BUYER’S GUIDE TO
FLY RUGS Fouganza fly repellent sheet Sizes: 115–155cm RRP £34.99 decathlon.co.uk
WeatherBeeta Airflow combo wide neck Sizes: 5ft 6in – 7ft 3in RRP £67.99 weatherbeeta.co.uk
122 HORSE&RIDER
Horsey shopping
GFS fly sheet
Sizes: 5ft 6in – 7ft RRP £38 gfsriding.co.uk
Pessoa rain and fly rug
Sizes: 5ft 6in – 7ft RRP £64 gfsriding.co.uk
Mark Todd Air Mesh combo Sizes: 5ft 6in – 7ft RRP £58.99 wefi.co.uk
Bridleway Edmonton fly rug Sizes: 4ft 9in – 7ft RRP £59.95 bridlewayequestrian.com
Kramer Equestrian thermo master leopard combo Sizes: 4ft 6in – 7ft RRP £44.90 kramer.co.uk
➤ HORSE&RIDER 123
ear
uide
SPRING/SUMMER 2016
Photos: Liz Gregg
Stand out from the crowd in this season’s freshest new looks
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Gear guide FROM LEFT TO RIGHT... ANNABEL WEARS: BRIDLEWAY Somerton show jacket £89.95, shirt model’s own, Pixley breeches £49.95, boots model’s own. SISSEL WEARS: RHINEGOLD Stretch show jacket £59.50, shirt model’s own, Crystal breeches £48.95, Montana leather boots £79.50, Glitter riding helmet £65.50. LAURA WEARS: DUBLIN Derby softshell show jacket £114.99, Tina short sleeve show shirt £19.99, Supa embrace performance full-seat breeches £79.99, Apex zip jodhpur boots £114.99, Meridan gaiters £89.99. LYDIA WEARS: JOHN WHITAKER Bling signature polo £35, Calder star breeches £25, boots model’s own. JUST CHAPS Premium leather competition gaiters £65.
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