MAY / JUNE 2020
NINE TIMES WORLD CHAMPION Boyd Exell makes it all look easy
TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF Tanja Mitton on achieving a healthy mindset
TWENTY QUESTIONS Vicki Roycroft goes under the spotlight
PRETTY IN PLAITS Polish up your show ring pizzaz
MEET THE ALATIS We celebrate Mother’s Day the dressage way
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INFORMATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL & ASPIRATIONAL
Acting Editor Amanda McWhinnie editorial@horsevibes.com.au Advertising Enquiries: Fiona Todd sales@horsevibes.com.au The Saddle Hub Sales Enquiries: Shae Herwig info@equestrianhub.com.au
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On the Cover: Practice makes perfect! Boyd Exell on the track at home in Valkenswaard (Image courtesy of Graham Flack). Magazine Layout: Ailebo Consulting www.ailebo.com
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THIS PUBLICATION IS PUBLISHED BY EQUESTRIAN HUB. MATERIALS IN THIS PUBLICATION HAVE BEEN CREATED BY A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ENTITIES AND TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE PUBLISHER ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR MATERIALS CREATED BY OTHERS. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OPINION OF THE PUBLISHER, ITS AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES. CONTENTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ADVERTISERS. ANY USE OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS AT THE SOLE RISK OF THE PERSON USING THAT INFORMATION. ©2019 HORSEVIBES EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY LAW, NO PART OF THIS MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR PART WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF HORSEVIBES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. INFORMATION AND CREDITS ARE CORRECT WHEN GOING TO PRINT BUT MAY CHANGE AFTERWARDS.
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Contents 6 9 10 14 18 26 32 34 38 40 42 44
ISSUE #2 • MAY / JUNE 2020
Around the Traps
48 52 58 62
Spotlight on Boyd Exell
and Lucy Alati
Nutrition: Show season shine
68 76 82 90 92 94 96
Our Contributors From The Horse’s Mouth Brister’s Brief
Around the Traps Culture corner: Blue Buckle book review Introducing the Equestrian Marketplace Around the Traps From Brazil to Brisbane and beyond Around the Traps
Life is better in boots Road testing the rides less travelled Life After Racing: When the race is over Mother's Day duo: Catherine Tackbox: Taking the pressure off Horse Breed: The sensational Shire Training Tips: Pretty in plaits Young Riders: Poppy Douglas Saddle Review Horses in History 20 Questions with Vicki Roycroft
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 5
O U R C O N T R I B U TO R S
Amanda Mac
UK-born Amanda Mac has had two life-long love affairs: one with horses, and the other with words. “When I wasn’t dreaming of riding I had my nose firmly glued in a book – about horses, of course,” she laughs. Now she combines both passions as HorseVibes Acting Editor. Amanda brings us this issue's breed feature Candida Baker on the sensational Shire horse.
We’ve all come to love Candida Baker's insightful and interesting articles, and in this issue she gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of Boyd Exell, nine times straight FEI World Cup Driving Champion. Whilst making his wins look incredibly easy, life behind the scenes can be quite a different story, as Candida discovers.
Madeleine Leva
Madeleine Leva, who has been successfully prepping and showing her own horses for more than 20 years, also turns out her client’s horses to show-winning effect. She’s passionate about ensuring both horse and rider achieve their very best look for the show ring and shares some invaluable advice in our Training Tips feature.
Caron Krauth
Caron Krauth is a writer and illustrator of Young Adult novels and short stories, all of which include a wonderful variety of animal characters. She lives near Canungra in Queensland with her horses, dogs, cats, chooks and human companions. Turn to our Culture Corner feature for Caron’s review of Karin P. Schaefer’s recently published novel Blue Buckle.
Jo Mckinnon
A multi-award winning horse racing and equestrian broadcaster and documentary maker, Jo is a former top-level show rider who has competed all over Australia. As someone who has been a racing commentator for many years, she loves our life after racing stories, and recently chatted with Fiona McIntyre, winner of the 2020 Victorian Lady of Racing Award.
N. G. Quinlan aka ‘Q’
N.G. Quinlan, otherwise known as ‘Q’, is a writer, musician and poet who lives in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. He has been contributing to HorseVibes magazine since August 2019. In our Horses in History feature, he recounts the story of Bill the Bastard, the wild, cantankerous war horse who didn’t want to be ridden.
Charlie Brister
Jane Camens
Tanja Mitton
Our regular columnist Charlie Brister suggests ways to use the COVID-19 induced show circuit hiatus to make improvements so that both you and your horse you are in better condition for the spring events. As Charlie so rightly points out: “a good plan is needed to keep you and your unicorn on the right path.” Our resident feature writer came to horse ownership late in life and is loving every minute of it. In this issue, Jane celebrates Mother’s Day with a story on mum and daughter team Catherine and Lucy Alati, before turning her attention to Globetrotting and Rideaway, two of Australia’s leading horse riding holiday travel agencies. Mindset Coach for the Australian High Performance Dressage and Para Squad, Tanja is an EA and NLP Master Coach specialising in rider position and mindset training. She has two published books and manages her own training centre on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. In On My Tackbox, Tanja explores ways in which we can improve our mental well-being.
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Larissa Bilston
Larissa Bilston, BAgrSc (Hons I) is the Nutritionist for Farmalogic, where she developed Equine Vit&Min and the Farmalogic Equine range. Her extensive experience has been of inestimable value to trainers, riders and owners who understand the importance of good nutrition. In this issue she explains how to feed your show horse for optimal health.
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Delivering Dreams Scholarship Sadly, we have had to place our Delivering Dreams Scholarship on hold - but only temporarily! As necessary as the COVID-19 travel and social distancing restrictions are, while they’re in place we are not able to offer the face-to-face training that’s such an important component of our scholarship package. However, the Delivering Dreams Scholarship will be back on track as soon as possible – so please, keep those applications rolling in and we’ll see you soon.
David Shoobridge’s Warmblood, Flame. Photo: Jessica Atkins, JA Studios.
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
From the Horse’s Mouth With Fiona Todd
W
elcome to the latest edition of HorseVibes. It’s beautiful, of course, and naturally it’s packed with great content, plus some interesting little twists to keep you on your toes! Since our last edition, the very first obvious change in all our lives is the emergence of COVID-19. As a result we’ve been in lockdown, which hasn’t been easy for any of us. Life is different now, and we’ll have to wait to see what the new normal is when we emerge on the other side of this dreadful pandemic. We do hope that you are all safe, well, and looking after yourselves, your loved ones and your equine companions. The second big change is that, sadly for all of us here at HorseVibes HQ, Candida Baker, our long standing editor, has left us to take up some exciting new writing and publishing opportunities. Candy, we miss you, we love you, and we wish you every success going forward. But however difficult the circumstances, the show must go on – so thank you Amanda Mac for stepping up and taking the reins. In need of a little pick-me-up inspiration? Then you can’t go past this edition’s spotlight on Boyd Exell. Boyd has achieved an astonishing nine straight FEI World Cup Driving Championships and his story is motivational to say the very least! In celebration of Mother’s Day, we introduce you to mother and daughter team Catherine and Lucy Alati. And let’s just take a minute to salute our lovely mums. We hope you all had a super
time to be practicing your grooming skills – and please do take some pics of your hard work and send them in to us. We’d love to see them. Returning to the subject of taking care of you, mindset coach and trainer Tanja Mitton climbs onto the Tackbox to address the problem of mental stress and pressure, and offers some coping strategies that can help to create a more positive, content outlook on life. Looking for a great book to read during lockdown? Then our Culture Corner feature - in which Caron Krauth discusses Karin P. Schaefer’s recently published Blue Buckle, a can’t-put-itdown look at the way horses influence our lives and how we influence theirs - is perfectly timed! And for another exciting lockdown activity, why not plan your next holiday? Jane Camens explores some fabulous horse riding holiday options - and to really feed that travel bug, download the PicTrax app and check out some of the great images other travellers have been sharing.
Mother’s Day - one you’ll have deserved more than ever. With the additional COVID-19 induced home schooling, washing, cleaning and disinfecting tasks, your already busy lives have become much busier. Where would we be without you! And to my own wonderful mum, a very happy Mother's Day. Resident columnist Charlie Brister shares how he’s making good use of lockdown to improve his equestrian knowledge and physical fitness. He also offers some great ideas on creating a training plan that will keep your equine partner interested, happy and ready to roll once the show season restarts. Talking of returning to competition, we all need that special sparkle to stand out from the crowd. So if pretty plaits elude you and your quarter markings don’t quite cut the mustard, turn to our Training Tips feature for all you need to know about achieving show ring perfection. Obviously, there’s no better
There are some intriguing insights into the biggest horses on earth in Amanda Mac’s musings on the sensational Shire, N. G. Quinlan tells the amazing story of Bill the Bastard war horse, plus there’s 20 Questions with the one and only Vicki Roycroft, as well as all your favourites including our Young Rider, Saddle Review, and Around the Traps. And finally, we are very proud to announce the arrival of the Equestrian Marketplace, your all-thingsequine online store (you’ll find it at equestrianhub.com.au). We firmly believe that together we are stronger, so please support the businesses that make our equestrian community so special. As usual, get yourself comfortable, pour your favourite tipple and enjoy.
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 9
BRISTER’S BRIEF
Hitting your stride during lockdown
ten minutes on a loose rein before starting the trot. When they do start trotting it’s on a long, but not loose rein. Here she keeps things very simple (simple, not easy), riding forward and straight from the inside leg to the outside rein to encourage the horse to stretch forward and down. More advanced work is not started until the horse is listening both mentally and physically. Keeping the horse’s brain onside was an important focus for Ingrid
No matter if you’re social distancing, selfisolating or are even in quarantine, if you are at home with your horse this is the perfect time to
and that’s why there is so much variety in her routine. Once the horse is warmed up the work can begin. This might be dressage or
add some spice and variety to your training,
jumping but the warm-up remains the
writes CHARLIE BRISTER.
of very few riders who have competed
same for both disciplines. Klimke is one at the top level in both dressage and
W
eventing, which just goes to show
ho could possibly have
how versatile her training is. Whether
guessed only some weeks
your passion is jumping, eventing or
ago that instead of the
dressage, you’ll be doing yourself and
show season and our pre-Olympic
your horses a favour if you look up her
events being in full swing, we would
videos rather than binging on Netflix!
all be involved in the fight against
Just to stress again, one of the big
COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
takeaways from the masterclass was to
Let’s hope that before too long social
ensure there’s plenty of variety in your
distancing will be over and horse events
training - especially when there are no
will be back on track, or at least will soon
competitions coming up. Even for her
be scheduled.
dressage horses, Ingrid does regular cavaletti/pole work, jumping and trail
With no competitions it can be hard to focus on training. A good plan is
riding.
needed to keep you and your unicorn
The plus side of this enforced break is
on the right path. Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture with your horse could even help you make a couple of improvements so that you are in better condition for the spring events. Here a few areas that you can work on mostly at home. My main tip is to keep it simple during these times of uncertainty.
Videos and online learning There are plenty of good DVDs worth watching, not the least of which are
regular cavaletti training fitted into their routine. Klimke was captivating to watch, showing Energizer Bunny-like energy
the basics. • How good are your horse’s basic
right up to the end of the masterclass, as
responses, the stop, go and turn
she coached riders starting in the warm-
buttons?
up phase of dressage right up to Grand
• Can you shorten or lengthen the
Prix level competitors. Multi-tasking was
stride, can you make the tempo
obviously a strong suit, as she managed
faster or slower?
to answer audience questions from yours truly and others, interspersed with countless book signings.
any you can find by Ingrid Klimke. After
The warm-up is probably the most
the recent Ingrid Klimke masterclass in
crucial phase of Ingrid Klimke’s system.
Melbourne, all of my horses have had
Her riders walk the horses for at least
10 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
that it allows us to go back and focus on
• Can you achieve this while keeping the horse relaxed? Sometimes we need to push our horses to the edge of their comfort zone but hopefully not out of it. Ensure plenty of walk breaks during your
BRISTER’S BRIEF
work. Keep riding the walk though. It’s easy to let the horse wander off during a short break. For the jumpers, you might want to focus on adjusting strides between fences rather than jumping higher. For example, place two poles five or six strides apart. Then see how many strides you can do: four, five, six, seven or eight. Until your horse is strong enough and understands the exercise, try and maintain rhythm and balance rather than forcing a certain number of strides.
Learning old style – a book! With a bit more spare time on your hands, why not pick up a book on horse training? My favourite this week is Horses Are Made to Be Horses by Franz Mairinger, the former Spanish Riding School instructor who coached the Australian eventing team during their formative years in the 50s and 60s. Mairinger was classically trained in Germany and Austria and introduced a well-established methodology and system to the Australian riding scene. Back in the early 1950s, Australia was a little more Wild West than Warendorf. Under the new system, horses were encouraged to maintain their natural enthusiasm while improving their balance and suppleness through progressive exercises. The benefits of Mairinger's well-rounded approach could be seen in both the dressage and jumping accomplishments of the riders he trained (Gold for eventing in Rome in 1960 for example). At the time, most Australians didn't know anything about dressage, let alone its benefits for jumping and the longevity of a horse.
Getting fit and supple Maybe you've been stuck at home for a little while and you can’t sit still anymore. Gyms are havens for bacteria so how about a home work out? Look at your riding and pinpoint your
Lockdown multitasking: Charlie fine tunes his balance on the bosu ball while reading Horses are Made to be Horses and drinking coffee.
lunging session in place of one of these days or swap the order around a little. The main idea is to not work too hard on consecutive days. This goes for all horses young and old (and for people too!). The muscles need time to recover, and their brain doesn’t want to do the same thing every day - other than eating Bonding time with foals Rex and Rosa.
grass and hanging out with the herd!
Rainy Corona days What’s one job that’s always near the bottom of the list? Cleaning up the tack room! Use the break in competitions to
main weaknesses from a fitness standpoint. Is sitting trot really difficult? Do you cramp when doing too much dressage (guilty)? Or, are you completely puffed at the end of a cross-country course?
Coronavirus might look like this:
sort through all your gear. Repair what
Monday: Dressage
put any unused saddles up for sale so
Tuesday: Pole work/cavaletti Wednesday: Hack out/trail ride Thursday: Dressage/flat work Friday: Jumping course work and stride
Each of these issues needs a slightly
adjustment
different approach. There are plenty
Saturday: Hack out/trail ride
of videos available on YouTube, or you
Sunday: Day off
can research and find a coach online for
Of course, you might choose to do a
anything you think would be of benefit. If you feel you need more core stability, using a bosu or yoga ball might help you with the sitting trot. Speaking as someone who used to struggle a lot with cramps during dressage, it’s definitely worth giving yoga a go. Improved flexibility, relaxation and regular breathing will help massively with your connection to the horse. Not only that, but the breathing exercises can help to calm pre-test jitters. If you finish cross country courses red faced and out of breath, a more serious cardio workout might be required. Don’t expect your horse to be in complete control of his legs and balance at the end of the course if you can’t be in control of yours.
Set yourself a schedule and a plan A week of training during the 12 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
Practising for the COVID-19 toilet paper challenge.
you can, throw out what you can’t, and you can buy newer ones (cough … The Saddle Hub … cough). Once everything is neat and tidy, prepare to hang out with your horse. You need to invest lots of time to build your connection and bond with your fourlegged partner, and this is the perfect time to do it!
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AROUND THE TRAPS
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After the rains: Kali Kajewski and Ciara, Kiara Forestal and Zena, and Kyra Kajewski and Amy enjoying themselves in the now flowing creek (Image by Jodie Kajewski).
FAR LEFT: Antonia Bearda and Up to No Good, an OTTB who just loves to jump, at the Sydney International Hunter Trials training day (Image by Kia Loveday of Spirit Fire Photography). LEFT: Tyla Budden and Vivace Cocoa have a minor disagreement over which direction to take at the Tamworth International (Image by Oz Shots)
TOP: Courtney O’Leary and Acres Desire, owned by Neessa Mueller, secured 5th place in the Show Hunter Hack 15hh to 16hh at the 2020 Show Horse Council SA Rising Star (Image by Little More Grace Photography). ABOVE: Sian Fanderlinden and Charlie. Sian has been a member of Riding for Disabled since she was five-years-old and has set her sights on participating in the adult riders group this year. LEFT: Jessica Smith and Comet show off some serious trick riding style at the Canungra Show (Image by Sam Dawson of Flash Pony).
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 15
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Boyd Exell (Image courtesy of Karolina Swärdh).
J
ust before the competition in Bordeaux for the World Cup Final, my daughter, Olivia, had
an accident on her pony while she was
S P OT L I G H T
Champion of Champions
jumping,” Boyd is telling me on the phone from the US, where he is for a few days teaching. “Her pony fell on her, and she broke her pelvis in four places. My wife, Preetha, and I were with her, and she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. It was of course very distressing. The first day of the championship in Bordeaux I was just slightly off, and I had to make the decision to say to my wife, and to James,
Earlier this year Boyd Exell won his ninth FEI World Cup Driving Championship in a row. The media described it as an ‘easy’ win, but behind the scenes it was a different story writes CANDIDA BAKER.
my son, that I couldn’t talk to them until the championship was over. I had to be able to go into the ‘zone’ to win, and I couldn’t do it while I was worrying.” Win, of course, he did, adding the title
to his massive swag of achievements, including his current status as five times FEI World Champion for Four-in-Hand
18 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
Meeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Windsor Horse Show (Image courtesy of Karolina Swärdh).
Driving, and nine times FEI World Cup Indoor Driving Champion. But like father, like daughter. Only weeks after the accident eleven-year-old Olivia is actually learning to carriage drive. “The doctors were amazed by her resilience,” says Boyd. “Her question wasn’t will I be able to walk again, or when will I, it was when can I ride again!” Riding, at the time of writing this article, was still a fair way off for Olivia, but when
You aim to get the best performance, in that moment, the best you can do – it’s automatic, it’s not even a choice.
driving seat, and off she went. “I’m amazed at how much tenacity she has,” he says. “She just wants to get better. She drives for as many minutes as she can, then when she’s tired she asks to rest for a while.” She’s bred from tough stock – on both sides of the family. Her mother, Preetha, was a successful eventer, and is in charge
I wanted to do every birthday was go trail-riding so my family used to have to come along with me, and we’d all canter around madly. I really don’t know where it came from. My grandmother was from Northern Ireland, and she used to show horses, so perhaps it was from her! When I was six I started to learn how to ride, and my brother Kent, who is one year older, he did it with me for a while, but in the end Kent became an architect, my brother Blair became an accountant,
she was back home and mobile again, her father made her a special padded
he says. “When I was old enough all
of training the horses while Boyd is away competing, or teaching, and Boyd, well, the ‘Boy from Bega’, is quite simply the best carriage driver the world has ever seen.
my sister Lisa is a computer programmer,
Curiously, although Boyd was born with a passion for horses, it’s not a passion shared by his immediate family. “My earliest memories are walking, or driving past horses, and just gazing at them,”
horse enthusiasm, his mother spoke
and I’m the odd one out – the Black Sheep of the family.” Realising the depth of her son’s passion, and to help him find an outlet for his to her friend and fellow teacher, Mary Pearce, whose husband Max had horses, and on the appointed day Boyd was taken to meet him. “When we got there, H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 19
S P OT L I G H T
Competing in the 2019 Driving Valkenswaard International dressage event held at Exell Equestrian, Boyd and Preetha’s property in the Netherlands (Image courtesy of Amy Mundell Equestrian Photography).
they were cart horses,” he laughs. “I
young man worked his way up through
four, it strikes me that a lead horse must
was devastated because I wanted to do
the ranks in the UK, building himself a
be a pre-requisite to success, and that it
Pony Club and jumping – like a normal
reputation as a fearsome competitor on
must surely have some special qualities.
kid – but within a day I didn’t notice the
the carriage driving circuit.
carriages but just loved the horses.”
But then in 2006 disaster struck. “I had a
Sometimes a passion and a purpose
driving accident, and broke my leg in five
come together with full force, and with
places,” Boyd said. “When I recovered
Boyd his talent for the art of carriage-
I was determined to catch up on that
driving was obvious immediately, so
missing year, and I became even more
much so that at the tender age of 16 he
focused on success.”
won the Australian Pairs Championship.
“A good lead horse has to be continually forward and brave,” Boyd confirms. “The kind of horse you don’t need to carry a whip for if, for example, you’re lunging it. They have to be forward, but not overly strong, they shouldn’t spook at much, and they have to be happy to be constantly
It was while he was injured that Preetha
on and searching for the bit.”
If his mum was responsible for the
learned the art of carriage driving, so that
introduction that led him to his sport,
she too could participate in what was
I ask him how he can tell when he has
his parents were also accidentally
rapidly become an international career.
responsible for Boyd’s departure from
So much so, that after some years in the
Australia. “When I turned 21 my parents
UK, the couple moved to the Netherlands
offered me a party, or a ticket around
where they now live with 13-year-old
the world,” he said. “I chose the ticket!
James, and 11-year-old Olivia.
I thought I would be away for a couple of months, but it turned out to be a lot longer.” A ‘lot’ has become a lifetime, as the 20 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
a lead horse in the making. “Only one in 20 to 30 horses that I train will show themselves as a leader,” he says. “It’s something you can see quite quickly, when they’re as young as four or five, they’ll have those qualities about them,
I’m interested, as a horse person, in
then it’s your job to bring them along so
what makes a horse a leader. In the fast,
they can have absolute confidence in
intense world of carriage driving where
what they’re doing. The fact is though,
it’s not just one horse being driven, it’s
that to look after a leader you have to
S P OT L I G H T
LEFT: Preetha, Boyd, Olivia and James celebrating Boyd’s 2018 World Championship win (Image courtesy of Amy Mundell Equestrian Photography). ABOVE: Victory salute! World Champion at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games held at the Tryon Equestrian Centre in North Carolina, USA (Image courtesy of Karolina Swärdh). have very good wheelers at the back.
stand still, and there’s just this sensitive
feeling enough down the reins or reading
You need horses that don’t cut corners,
communication with my animals. I’m just
behaviour, because tiny problems
and hold positions – they can read the
at one with the horses. I don’t even think
present themselves quite quickly,” he
distance changes from the driver to the
of the opposition.”
says. “Preetha is always on the look-
lead horses, one minute the contact will be tight, one minute loose, so the hind legs of the wheelers have to be super good. They need to take the carriage deep into the corner, so you need horses who are very fit, very athletic. They realise they are doing a separate job, and that job is to keep the carriage safe. The wheelers have to be always trustworthy.”
I’m sure, however, the reverse is true. The opposition must be in awe of the man of whom TNT Magazine said in 2014: ‘When it comes to dominating a sport,
he calls ‘milestone horses’. “There was
of extreme carriage driving, a discipline
an Irish Sport Horse called Diplomat,
combining the grace and control of a royal procession with the speed, skill and But it’s perhaps the ‘at one with the
“For me the faster I go, the calmer
behaviour I might expect.”
Jordan, Phelps, Pele and Bolt in the world
driving is something else. From the
makes it look easy.
so I can come back, and I know what In his driving life, he’s had several what
The adrenalin of watching carriage
full of disaster, and yet Boyd somehow
and she tells me about it straight away,
Aussie Boyd Exell is the equivalent of
courage of a wild west chase scene.’
outside it looks so fast, so potentially
out for something that is just tailing off,
horses’, that really sets him apart. His awareness of what his horses give him is as high as his awareness of what he must give his horses.
he really carried me through for single driving, and in the pair World Championship, and he became a leader on my first team,” he says. “He was a hugely talented great horse. Then for many years my secret weapon was my horse Bill. At 22, he was still sort of the leader – if I made a mistake, he would assume I didn’t mean it, and go the
and quieter everything becomes,” he
“If I’ve been away and I ask a groom
correct way! Then there was Blondie,
says. “I go into the zone – everything
how a particular set of horses is going,
a Gelderlander, a fantastic showroom
becomes stream-lined, time seems to
and they say ‘Good’, I know they aren’t
horse. He helped me sell a Gelderlander H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 21
S P OT L I G H T
Boyd front and centre at the World Equestrian Games 2018 Tryon North Carolina medal presentation (Image courtesy of Karolina Swärdh).
attributes, according to Boyd.
team into the US – and that’s actually the hard part of building up a business in this industry, in order to make the money you have to sell your best horses.” But the days of needing to sell his good horses on are now in the past for Boyd. The family lives on an estate in the Netherlands, complete with indoor driving arena, and a driving track. Everything is designed to make life streamlined for the 45 or so horses that are on the property at any one time, at various ages and stages of their professional careers, with a few beloved retirees in the paddocks as well. I wonder if retired carriage horses are able to go on to other careers at the end of their driving lives. “Interestingly
I go into the zone – everything becomes streamlined, time seems to stand still ... horse with a younger one to guide them and show them the ropes. Some horses want to compete, some get to the point where they don’t want to. Rambo helped me get a lot of medals, but I felt he wasn’t enjoying the life of being a semi-retired indoor driving horse, so I retired him to a field.”
carriage horses have quite long careers,”
If you’ve ever thought that travelling with
Boyd says. “It’s not unusual for good
a string of show jumpers or dressage
horses to compete into their late teens. I
horses was complicated – and expensive
had one horse, Lucky, who retired at 21,
– spare a thought for carriage drivers.
then became a kids’ riding horse, and a
To become a successful four-in-hand
partner break horse. You put an older
competitor you need some special
22 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
“Firstly you need to buy horses very well, and you need to be able to sell them well,” he explains. “If you’ve bought something that doesn’t quite suit, you need to sell it quickly. You need to be able to train horses well, and you need to be a good competitor. Then you need to be able to manage a team of people, your grooms and sponsors, and your administration people. Another quality that is not obvious is that you need to be good at getting good harness trucks and equipment, and keeping your equipment in great shape. If you are not good at one or two of those things, you need someone around you who is, because without those qualities being attended to at a high level, the horse team world would chew you up and spit you out. When you drive a pair it might be manageable, when you drive a four-in-hand it’s not. I remember George Bowman once said to me, ‘Skippy, when we arrive at a showground with all your
S P OT L I G H T
ABOVE: Following his epic win, Boyd meets the media at the World Equestrian Games 2018 Tryon North Caroline FEI Press Conference (Image courtesy of Karolina Swärdh). horses and the trailer, someone should give us a rosette just for getting there!’” It’s hard to imagine the man who seems to have lost all of his Australian accent, and replaced it with a gentle, wellmodulated English one, ever being called ‘Skippy’. Even harder to imagine that we almost lost him to the world of eventing.
my dressage at the moment.” ‘Just enjoying’ is perhaps relative, since Boyd admits that sometimes he’ll keep going until he’s perfected what he wants. “I don’t pressure myself, it’s just that it’s automatic to get the horse going as best I can. I won’t stop until I’ve achieved the best I can get, but the knock-on effect of
“I’ve always loved jumping,” he says. “I
that is that I can barely walk the next day!
still have Quinny, my riding horse, but the
I often push my body beyond what it can
thing is that I’m at home for four days,
do. It’s my MO. You aim to get the best
then in the US for a week, then off to the
performance, in that moment, the best
UK, then back home, and you need to be
you can do – it’s automatic, it’s not even
riding every day to become really good at it. But in 2010 after I won the WEG in Kentucky I got very close to changing disciplines, but you know, I’d been in hospital quite a few times with all my injuries, and I remember I lay awake and thought about how eventing is one of those sports that if you make a mistake
a choice.” That seriously competitive stuff aside, he says: “Carriage driving is the most fun you can have sitting down! It’s a huge team sport, and of course it’s the best equestrian spectator sport there is, because, if you think about it with
you are likely to really injure yourself, and
eventing for example, you can only see
I decided to stick with carriage driving. At
a horse once or twice on a cross-country
home, with my riding, I just enjoy doing
course, but with driving you can follow a
competitor for eight obstacles.” Does it rankle him that carriage driving, made up as it is of the three phases of eventing, isn’t in the Olympics? There’s a moment’s pause. “Definitely,” he says. “It’s the missing link for us. We need more countries to participate, and we need to modernise the format. The FEI are doing it now – instead of having to warm up in arenas for the cross-country phase, they’ve given us estates and forests in England, and in Holland bicycle paths, and opening it up to the public in Europe has been a huge hit. At the European Championships in Gothenburg the carriage driving cross country event was in the local park and it had the highest attendance of all the disciplines.” Boyd and his family return home once a year to reconnect with his brothers, sister and parents. This year, just before the World Championships in Bordeaux, he flew straight into the eye of the bushfire storm. “My parents' house is in Bega,” he says. “I was supposed to fly in to Merimbula, but I couldn’t because of the fires, so then I tried to drive down from Sydney, that was almost impossible, then just H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 23
S P OT L I G H T
before I got there, my kids and Preetha were evacuated – because they’d gone ahead of me – and I stayed with my parents looking after the house. We were just constantly filling up hoses, and preparing for the worst. The fires came within a kilometre of the house, so we were lucky.” Always mindful that James, who is athletic, but not horsey, often has to give up time for the family horse obsession, Boyd and his wife organised an end of summer holiday, renting a yacht in the Whitsundays, so they could go snorkelling. “That was a lovely break in between everything,” he says. “Looking back on it now, it was such a short time ago, but with COVID-19 now on the increase in Europe, it was an oasis between drought,
bushfires, competing, Olivia’s fall, and the virus. It was a good reminder to take time out whenever possible.”
Each move is given a score out of ten
But not, I suspect, for long.
Marathon phase
What is carriage driving?
This is a timed run across a designated
with points deducted for incorrect moves or grooms dismounting.
While we may have visions of the olden days and grand royal carriages, the sport of driving is very different. Drivers sit in a lightweight vehicle that is drawn by a single horse or pony, a pair, or a team of four and face three trials – dressage, marathon and obstacle driving. It’s the driven version of eventing.
course that has natural hazards to judge
Dressage phase
This course follows the marathon and is
In carriage driving, dressage is performed within a 100 x 40 meter rectangle arena with a sequence of compulsory figures. The movements must be executed from memory and include gait and speed transitions as well as circles and halts.
the horses’ stamina and fitness levels as well as the drivers’ judgement of paces and control. The course has hills, sharp turns and water passages as well as halts for vet checks along the way.
Obstacle course a test of skills for the driver. The horses and carriage must weave through a narrow track laid out by cones with balls balanced on top. The horses and carriage are not to touch the cones or drop the balls else penalties will occur.
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NUTRITION
Nutritional strategies for a shiny show horse Nutritionist LARISSA BILSTON on keeping your horse cool, calm and collected through the show season.
Good nutrition will reward you with rich coat colour and shine (Main image courtesy Karli Colman, inset from Pixabay).
P
roducing a show horse in optimal health with the natural gleam of inner health and the calm disposition needed to concentrate on the rider or handler does not happen overnight or by accident. It takes expert attention to detail, focusing on daily diet, gut health, grooming, rugs, training and exercise management to create a glorious and naturally healthy show horse.
Creating coat colour and shine
Nutrition is of critical importance to produce intense coat colour and a natural shine. The most important nutrients for coat condition are copper and zinc (needed to produce melanin pigment), biotin and vitamin B6 (needed to produce keratin, the protein from which hair and hooves are made) and oils (for skin health and shine). In spring and autumn it’s common to see horses shining with apparent good health, but are they really in optimum condition? Green grass is rich in natural fats which make the coat shine even if the horse is mineral deficient. Horses always need mineral supplementation to balance the mineral deficiencies from their forage-based diets and to correctly balance critical mineral ratios. A mineral deficient horse can be ‘healthy’ (in that the horse is not unwell) but it cannot be in optimum health 26 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
without a well-balanced diet supplying all nutritional needs.
Minerals Feeding enough copper and zinc will allow the body to make the pigments that can give your horse its best natural coloured hair. The levels of these two minerals also need to be balanced in relation to total dietary iron and manganese intake. When the levels of
copper and zinc are not balanced with the iron status of the forage, a horse’s coat can appear lighter than normal, faded or ‘sun-bleached.’ Many horse owners recognise that horses grazing poor quality pasture need supplementation but it is not well understood that even the best quality pasture possible doesn’t give a horse the ideal balance of minerals. Providing the correct balance of minerals
across the entire diet is important to allow the horse to absorb them in the right proportions. The relationships between total intake of calcium and phosphorous, and between copper, zinc, iron and manganese are critical. If mineral ratios are unbalanced, a horse can be deficient in a mineral even when the diet supplies 100% or more of the daily requirement.
How do you know when the diet is right?
The only way to know if your horse’s diet is balanced is to measure or estimate the mineral levels of everything the horse eats and compare the amounts and ratios to the daily nutritional requirements. The
Nutritional Requirements of Horses can be found free online in a book of the same name, published by the National Research Council (NRC) in 2007. Equine nutritionists use computer programs to check total intake and each of the important nutrients. They calculate the critical mineral ratios to check they are within recommended ranges (it is surprising how often they are not). When choosing a mineral balancer powder, pellet or feed, look for one that balances these ratios over the whole diet. Pre-mixed feeds can only balance mineral levels correctly if used at the recommended rate. Horses fed less
than the recommended rate will need a mineral balancer powder or pellet to top up mineral levels. The implications of providing correct mineral balance run much deeper than just coat colour. Zinc and copper are microminerals necessary for healthy skin, hair and hooves. Scientific research has shown that the horn from hooves containing lower zinc concentrations are not as hard and strong as those with higher levels of zinc. Zinc is used in more than one hundred enzymes in the body responsible for a large number of cell functions including energy metabolism, cell division and H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 27
NUTRITION
inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids than it does omega-6.
A nutritionally balanced diet in combination with a good grooming will produce stunning shine (Image from Pixabay).
keratinization (the growth of hair and hooves). Copper plays an important role in numerous enzymes in the body, including some responsible for connective tissue formation, pigmentation of coat colour, cell respiration and antioxidant functions.
What about sun-bleaching?
The term ‘a sun-bleached appearance’ is often used to describe a coat that is lighter than it was genetically designed to be due to a diet deficient in copper or containing unbalanced copper, zinc, iron and manganese levels. However, sunlight does react with sweat on the coat resulting in true bleaching even when the mineral balance of the diet is correct. The UV rays from the sun damage melanin, the pigment that colours hair. The salt in sweat strips the protective oils and waxes from the hair cuticle, so that individual hairs stand upright with exposed, rough surfaces that give the coat a dry, rough appearance. To prevent true sun-bleaching it is necessary to hose sweat off thoroughly every day in addition to feeding a correctly balanced diet. Over time, a well-balanced diet in conjunction with good rugging, stable, 28 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
Dried grass (hay and chaff), grains and most other vegetable oils (including canola and sunflower seeds or oil) are much higher in pro-inflammatory omega-6 compared to omega-3. A horse eating lots of hay or hard feed needs more omega-3 added to the diet to increase the omega 3 to 6 ratio to a level similar to grass. Omega-3 rich supplements containing linseeds, stabilised linseed oil, DHA rich algal meal or fish oils are necessary if your horse is relying on hay for roughage, or is on a high grain diet.
Green grass is rich in natural fats which make the coat shine even if the horse is mineral deficient. paddock management and hoof care practices will lead to the growth of the best mane, tail and hoof tissue that a horse is genetically programmed to produce.
Oils ain’t oils
Marine-sourced forms of omega-3 (DHA and EPA) provide unique health benefits. EPA omega-3s are particularly potent in promoting healthy skin and connective tissue. DHA is essential for brain and nervous system function. These omega3s are particularly useful for helping to manage itchy skin, arthritis, respiratory disease and other inflammatory conditions.
Grooming
The old adage that elbow grease creates a shining coat is true. Grooming stimulates blood flow to the skin which in turn nourishes the hair follicle. Harder brushes stimulate the skin’s natural oil production from the sebaceous glands. Soft brushes distribute the oils along the hair follicle, smoothing the cuticle scales and creating a sleek, shining coat. Silicone ‘show shine’ sprays also coat and smooth down the outer scales on the hair cuticle, but they do tend to attract dust and can be sticky to touch.
Even when a grazing horse is apparently shining with good health, the diet will be mineral deficient unless supplemented. The shine in that instance comes from the naturally occurring oils in the grass regardless of the mineral balance of the diet.
Transport, stress and gastric ulcers
Whilst any type of oil in the diet can help with shine, a healthy diet for a horse will balance the polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios towards the levels and ratios naturally found in grass. Grass contains about four times the amount of anti-
Research has found that as little as two hours of transport alters the balance of microbial species in manure and lowers its pH, as well as changing the white blood cell concentrations. These changes indicate physiological stress even in
Even short periods of transportation can be stressful to horses and cause detrimental changes to gut microbes and the gut lining, increasing the risk of gastric disturbance and ulcers.
NUTRITION
horses who travel frequently and appear outwardly calm. Horses unused to long periods spent in a stable can experience similar levels of stress when stabled at competitions. Stress affects the gut muscles and can cause cramping, spasms, bloating, diarrhea, as well as slowing the passage of food. It reduces the efficiency of digestion, weakens the cells in the intestinal mucosa (leaky gut) and impacts on the gut microbial population which further affects digestive efficiency, gut acidity, immune function and hormone signaling. Supplementation with the live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae or specific Lactobacillus bacterial species maintains the natural diversity of hindgut bacterial populations. This reduces the levels of lactic acid built up during transport and maintains a more stable hindgut pH level which can reduce pain and prevent the loss of vitamin production that occurs when beneficial microbes die in a more acidic hindgut. Scientific trials have confirmed that feeding horses a specific strain of live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) reduces the impact of transport stress on gut microbial populations and reduces the levels of stress hormones measured in the blood during transportation. Transport stress may cause oxidative stress at a cellular level, leaving the body undersupplied with the antioxidants that prevent free radicals from causing tissue damage in muscles, airways and gut linings. Feeding additional antioxidants including organic selenium and vitamins C and E before and after transport reduces the impact of oxidative stress. Stress also causes a reduction in the number of specialised cells that exist in the horse’s airways for the process of clearing contamination from the lungs, thereby increasing the risk of travel sickness and respiratory infections. As a result of stress, transported horses may have a weaker immune system, be more prone to gut pain and colic, and experience nervous system dysfunction that may result in behavioural changes. Studies show that equine gastric ulcers
ABOVE: For an optimum show-ready appearance, horses need mineral supplementation to balance deficiencies in their forage based diets (Image from Pixabay). BELOW: Healthy gut, happy horse. Consider supplementing to maintain the natural diversity of hindgut bacterial populations (Image from Pixabay).
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NUTRITION
can form in an empty stomach during a period as short as four hours, or in only a few hours of transport where stress is an exacerbating factor.
Probiotics and the gut-brain axis Exciting new research is emerging to demonstrate the significant influence of the gut microbial population on animal health and behavior. Disruption to the balance of gut microbial species (as occurs during stress) has been demonstrated to cause behavioral change in some species. Animals treated with probiotics have measurably lower levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone. Scientists believe that supplementation with probiotics to improve digestive comfort is a plausible strategy which could contribute to behavior modification in horses. Supplementation with live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae or specific Lactobacillus bacterial species maintains the natural diversity of hindgut bacterial populations. This reduces the levels of lactic acid and maintains a more stable hindgut pH which could reduce the impact of stress on the gut and avoid deficiencies in the vitamins and amino acids normally provided by a healthy hindgut microbiome.
Omega-3 fatty acids Scientists researching dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids have found that omega-3s in the form of DHA and its precursor, EPA, can improve cognitive function in humans. Research from many species demonstrates that DHA is essential for normal brain development before and after birth. New work is linking EPA to mood and behavior. Perhaps in future we will see research linking marine-sourced omega-3 supplementation (DHA and EPA) to improved horse behavior and learning! Larissa Bilston, BAgrSc (Hons 1), Nutritionist, Farmalogic.
No matter what your discipline, a balanced, nutrient-rich diet will reward you with a healthy, happy horse (Images from Pixabay).
AROUND THE TRAPS
MAIN: Thirteen-yearold Ty Christiansen and Bolagamy Target took out 3rd place at the Mount Sugarloaf Pony Club ODE (Image by Wild at Heart Photography).
AROUND THE TRAPS
RIGHT: Thirteenyear-old Ellie Gough and GKO Arpeggio had a great weekend at Yalambi, taking out the 110cm and 105cm events, as well as coming 6th in Saturday’s 115cm and 2nd in Sunday’s 115cm events (Image by Eric Lloyd Photography). BOTTOM LEFT: Taylah Evans riding Ted ‘Arli Gold’ competed at the recent Tasmanian State Show Jumping Championships (Image by Jess Honan Photography). BOTTOM RIGHT: Erin Stanway and Maddie going clear over the 1.15m course at QSEC’s Precision Equine Championships (Image by Earle Teirney of Oz Shots).
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 33
C U LT U R E C O R N E R
Book Review An exploration of the way in which horses influence our lives and how we influence theirs, CARON KRAUTH shares her musings on Karin P. Schaefer’s recently published Blue Buckle. A s a child, long before I owned my own horses, I galloped through endless pony books by British authors such as the Pullein-Thompson sisters and immersed myself in stories about gymkhanas, hunting with hounds, eventing, show jumping and racing. Karin Schaefer’s Blue Buckle is the first adult novel I’ve read which has an Aussie perspective on the topics of hunting and to a lesser extent, horse racing. In Australia horse racing and Hunt Clubs have a long colonial history, with British settlers in the 1800s first using trapped dingoes as quarry before the red fox was imported specifically for hunting. Schaefer uses the worlds and cultures of both The Hunt and of horse racing and the connotations of wealth and prestige that accompany them, in order to look at the very different and complex ways in which we relate to the animals we live with, love and use: as companions, teachers, familiars, valuable property, symbols of prestige, objects of admiration and embodiments of godliness, fidelity, wildness and freedom. The main protagonist, talented artist India Levy, arrives from London to Burragong, a beautiful village in the Southern Highlands of NSW. She carries little luggage but significant baggage from her past. Her grandmother, Grace, much loved by her many friends in the Highlands Hunt Club, has died and left her Burragong property to India. India has plans to sell the place and return to England, however Grace’s 34 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
friends have
There are beautiful sexy bitches and bastards, abundant miscommunications between couples, damaging and damaged relationships between parents and children, and themes of love in its many forms different ideas. The novel immerses us in the day to day lives, loves, and hates of the community and its inhabitants, who are very different to each other in terms of wealth and standing, but who are united in their
passion for the Highlands Hunt Club and their animal companions. Grace may be dead, but her presence still looms large. She’s always been there to help or rescue those in need, whether human or animal, and she is sorely missed by her Hunt Club friends, with the notable exceptions of Lady Blythe and her son Lucien, owners of the prestigious Whistlejacket Thoroughbreds stud. Adopted by Grace after her father overdosed and her mother took off to become a hippy guru, India associates her given name with unwanted alternative lifestyle connotations and for much of the novel uses her second name, Ann, which she sees as ‘safe’. Other names are also clues to the characters’ personalities. Grace was the giver of grace. Lucien is the shining son of Lady Blythe, described by Xavier, the impeccably dressed local real estate agent as “...the most beautiful shit in Burragong.” Lucien contains more than a little Lucifer, has slept with half of Burragong, and is busy working his way through the rest. The ‘Lady’ in Lady Blythe’s name is the result of the local hairdresser’s misheard introduction, and Pan Villon, animal communicator and rescuer, is “the woodland god”. Blue Buckle is the Blue Blood stallion from the Bluegrass of Kentucky purchased by Lucien for ten million dollars. Since arriving at Whistlejacket Thoroughbreds, Blue Buckle is seemingly consumed by terrible rage and grief, to the point where he has buckled under and is dying. Lucien’s answer is to withhold food and water from the stallion in order to finish him off and then surreptitiously replace him with a substitute. Luckily there are true horse lovers like Leila, Donnacha and Beef working at the stud who devise a plan to try and save the dying horse by taking him to Pan. The many other animals in the story are both rescued and rescuers. Jeffrey, Grace’s old rescue greyhound, symbol of fidelity, with eyes “like milky pools”, is like the loyal hound in the Yeats poem quoted by Grace when she first meets Pan in the local bookshop. And Pharlap, the huge fearsome, funny, gentle, chestnut pig, saved by Pan from becoming bacon, plays a brief but vital role in the story, and
Blue Buckle author Karin P. Schaefer
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 35
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is probably my favourite character in the book. India is choosing which path she is going to take in her life and appears at one point to have been seduced, not by Lucien’s charm, but by his mother’s world of fabulous antiques and art works, including famous horse paintings. Grace’s place, Mars House, is on the other hand very different: “Amongst such opulence, ... a poor relation.” The house smells of stale wood smoke and fruit cake (reminding me of my own grandmother’s house) and is filled with “... mystical Aboriginal desert paintings”, as well as many of India’s own paintings. India paints in order to try and find the right way forward, to show “... where she had recently been, and where she might yet go” - and her prescient paintings of an image she thinks she’s seen of a small huddle of people in a bush clearing do indeed in the end help her to clarify her path. The number of characters makes it difficult for the novel to explore and develop their relationships in any depth. There are beautiful sexy bitches and bastards, abundant miscommunications between couples, damaging and damaged relationships between parents and children, and themes of love in its many forms. Simple misunderstandings aren’t discussed and instead create what seem at the time to be unassailable rifts between lovers. How these are eventually resolved, and how India’s own journey progresses with the help of the Burragong locals, becomes clearer as the novel nears its end and the glamorous Highlands Hunt Ball approaches. Though our relationships with animals have changed a great deal over the centuries, they continue to carry great social and symbolic weight. We love and cherish them, we use and abuse them, they remain our property and while we view them at times as godly, we are god-like in our capacity to control their lives. Schaefer writes with great familiarity and detail about the worlds of hunting and racing, but it isn’t necessary to have the same knowledge in order to enjoy this entertaining novel. It is a prerequisite however, to have a love of the animals we live with. Blue Buckle: Red Hat Publishing, 2020. H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 37
EQUESTRIAN MARKETPLACE
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AROUND THE TRAPS
ABOVE: Matthew Baxter (inset) and Harvey teamed up with Saskia Metcalfe and Apollo to take out the blue ribbon in the Watagan Equestrian Club’s Pas de Deux event. The pair chose a Wild West Clint Eastwood and Indian scout theme and rode a choreographed routine to the title track from the movie ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Image by John Baxter). LEFT: Lucie Wackerbarth and Bridge Pegasus who scooped 1st place plus the OTT award in the 60cm class at Busselton Combined Training (Image by Paul Fullerton Equine Photography). BELOW: Darcy Flanagan and Mithril Surad competing at the 2019 Queensland Youth Dressage Championships (Image by Karen Flanagan).
40 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
A ARRO OU UN ND D TTH HEE TTRRA APPSS
Nicola McGregor and Little Miss Acres were placed in the top five at the Mt Perry Ladies Campdraft (Image by Neale Maynard).
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 41
TRAVEL
From Brazil, to Brisbane and beyond
horse riding holiday in New Zealand: “I felt so happy, I wanted to ride all the time,” she says. “I just knew so many people would love this, and I wanted to make them happy as well.” Bruna felt that with her strong research background she could confidently identify many more memorable rides. Since then she has invested a lot of time in testing new rides, as well quizzing each establishment she researches
JANE CAMENS talks to Bruna Duraes de Oliveira, the founder of Ride Away, about her lifelong passion for horses, and the business it’s spawned.
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Adventures is a Brisbane-based
Portugal, Romania, Spain or Rajasthan
horse riding travel agency
in India, each destination offering
launched late last year by Bruna Duraes
unforgettable landscapes and truly
de Oliveira, a Brazilian-born Australian
unique experiences.
academic.
Bruna, 40, who lives in the Brisbane
known for their inward-curling ears. “They’re a bit similar to Arabians,” says Bruna, “they have a big heart and are so brave. Plus they have a lot of stamina. Riding through the desert you see all sorts of wildlife, then at the end of the day you stay in palaces and luxury
This specialist agency partners with
suburb of Indooroopilly, grew up in Brazil
horse-riding establishments from around
where she spent her weekends on a
the globe, and delivers one-of-a-kind
farm where her mother bred Andalusian
riding adventures to Australians who
horses. When her mother passed away,
haven’t been on a ride myself, I send
love to ride and travel.
Bruna decided to move to Australia,
a partner,” she says. She has business
where, although she was busy studying
partners in Brazil and others in Europe,
for a PhD in Education, she felt bereft
including a French riding academy. Her
without a horse.
marketing is aimed mainly at Australians,
While you might like to start with a riding holiday in Australia, it won’t be long before you feel the need to spread your wings and take off for Norway,
Then, three years ago, she went on a
tents.” Bruna is always testing new rides. “If I
but when we spoke she had just organised her first group of overseas clients: 10 people from Sweden who are going on a riding adventure in Namibia. Bruna’s own horse is an Andalusian whom she agists in semi-rural Moggill. Although she’s dabbled in many disciplines, her current love is endurance riding. Her partner, a biologist, can ride: “but it’s not his passion”, she acknowledges. Depending on travel restrictions in the current climate, Bruna plans to be in Spain and Romania in June testing riding holidays there. You can find out more on her website: https://rideawayglobal.com/
42 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
MAIN: In Brazil, and this time riding a Mangalarga, a Brazilian breed. LEFT: Bruna’s daughter Gabriella was delighted to meet this friendly colt in Portugal.
Enjoying New Zealand’s magnificent landscape. RIGHT: Riding a Marwari mare in Rajasthan, India - a highlight of Bruna’s 2019 trip.
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 43
AROUND THE TRAPS
LEFT: Kiany Reid and Springfield Fergus sharing some down time (Image by Nicole Reid). ABOVE: Catherine Piper and STARZZZ BY MEE at the 2020 Gosnells Summer Showoffs where they collected 1st Senior Handler 18-25, 2nd Best Presented Standardbred, 1st Standardbred Mare 4-6, 1st Off the Track Standardbred Mare 4-6, Champion Off the Track Standardbred Mare and Supreme Off the Track Standardbred (Image by Vicki Photos) BELOW: Kristyn Black and Epona’s Legacy won Champion Clydesdale x Sporthorse at the National Buckskin Society Summer Royal (Image by Michelle Knoll Photography).
44 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
Laura Hoffman and Nungarra Royal Order competed in the recent Gisborne & District ARC dressage event (Image by JayDee Images).
AROUND THE TRAPS
Katherine Kane and Critical Magick enjoying the leafy magic of a forest ride (Image by Nicole Kane).
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6
FEATURE
day long and yet be as comfortable at the end of the day as you were at the
Life is better in boots
beginning. And who doesn’t want that? If an all-purpose design appeals, look for a boot with a toe guard for protection (remember those 100 kilogram hooves?) as well as for scuff-preventing longevity. A padded ankle collar is a comfort-plus option and while waterproofing isn’t
For a number of excellent reasons, good quality riding boots are essential items in every equestrian wardrobe. But there are boots, and then there are boots - so which ones to buy? AMANDA MAC explores some of the many options.
D
strictly necessary (unless you’re living in a very wet climate) water resistant uppers are a definite bonus. Look for an inner sole that will cushion your foot, and a moisture wicking lining is a top idea. And remember to check the zip or laces to ensure they’re good quality and are likely to last the distance. On the other hand, if you’d prefer to go
id you know that the human
their keep. So
foot is an intricate structure
choose well!
comprised of around 26
Obviously
bones, 33 joints and more than
the boots you
one hundred muscles,
buy should suit
ligaments and
your discipline
tendons? And
(are you into
that’s before you
English or
get above the ankle. That’s right, your feet, which up to this point you might have been taking for granted, are actually a marvel of biomechanical engineering! So it quickly becomes apparent that one of the foremost, and arguably the most important reasons for wearing purposebuilt equestrian boots, is protection – those delicate bones and joints are no match for several hundred kilograms of horse!
First things first But before you dust off your credit card in preparation for a little retail therapy, you need to think very carefully about what it is you actually need. Good quality riding boots – and yes, your boots should be the very best quality you can afford - are not cheap, but in terms of longevity they’ll more than earn 48 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
Western, dressage or cross country, hacking or competition), they should be well made, sturdy, and an excellent fit. If your boots aren’t a good match for the shape and size of your foot, they’ll be uncomfortable and that can create an unnecessary and unwelcome distraction while you’re in the saddle. Your painfully pinched toes should not be foremost in your mind as you ride a dressage test!
Getting to the sole of the matter Paddock or Jodhpur Boots: These are your general use short boots that are suitable for riding, as well as all those other around the yard tasks: cleaning out stables, washing down horses,
with a more traditional Jodhpur boot, there are plenty of options to choose from. For elastic sided boots, ensure that they’re comfortable and fit snugly around the ankle without gaping. You don’t like the idea of elasticated sides? No problem – you’ll find styles that sport back zippers, front laces, and shock absorbing soles, an additional layer of protection for your feet and back. The sole of the boot you choose should not have too much grip – you don’t want your foot getting stuck in your stirrup – and the uppers should be made with good quality leather preferably cut in once piece, thus reducing the necessity for lots of seams. And for the younger riders in the family, there’s a range of snappy zipper boots that come in a variety of cute colours. What if you can’t find your dream Jodhpur boot? Don’t despair! Ashbree Saddlery offer the completely customisable DeNiro boot. You can mix ‘n’ match from a wide range of options including the fit, colour, leather type, and sole, and choose whether they are lace up, zippered or elastic sided – and that’s
grooming, feeding and so on. Trailrace
just for starters!
offer an all-purpose boot that’s a great
Gaiters & Half Chaps: What are they?
example of a design you can wear all
Both are an alternative to long boots.
F E AT U R E
Worn with short boots, they wrap around a rider's lower leg to provide additional protection, and both allow for more ankle movement than tall boots. But there is a difference. Half-chaps are essentially your everyday leg wraps. Usually made from swede or synthetics, they fasten with studs or a zipper on the ankle side of the leg, and are also known as chaps, chappettes and chinks. Gaiters, on the other hand, are generally made from grain leather and zip up at the back. Some equestrian sports allow gaiters to be worn in competition, but draw the line at chaps. That said, you must check your discipline’s governing body rule book for clarification. For example, under Equestrian Australia’s 2020 National Dressage Rules, gaiters can be worn with approved short boots 'up to and including Advanced (including YH events) with short coat only.' Several other conditions regarding the gaiter’s colour, style and type of leather follow – so we’ll say it again, check the rule book! Long Boots: Long boots, also known as top boots are de rigueur for English style events including dressage, show jumping, and of course, the show ring. They sit just below the bend of the knee, and protect the rider’s ankle and calf from chaffing against the saddle. For everyday riding, softer leather is very comfortable and will break in more quickly. If you’re into show jumping you’ll also appreciate soft leather, which offers great flexibility when riding with a shorter stirrup. However, if you show your horses or you’re a dressage rider, look for boots made from firmer, good quality leather. This type of leather shines up well, which is ideal in the arena or ring. You’ll also have confidence that your boots are going to stay up and in place – one less thing to worry about! And why not opt for something a little special in your choice of long boot: patent leather borders, the sparkle of
The Ego7 Luca Long Boot (Image courtesy of Trailrace). Action All Purpose Equestrian Boots (Image courtesy of Trailrace).
F E AT U R E
Swarovski crystal detailing, silver piping,
consider a pair of synthetic leather boots
boot is the quality of the leather and
contrasting brushed leather tops – the
for everyday riding. While they break
stitching, both of which should be strong
options are as stylish as they are on
in easily and allow for plenty of stretch, keep in mind that they will not last as
and well able to withstand a life of hard
trend. Some long boots lace up at the front to
long as genuine leather boots.
work! Plus, you’ll probably want a sole that gives you plenty of grip. Other than
allow for a more adjustable fit without
Western Boots: Finding a western style
that, your options are just about limitless.
the need to have your boots custom
boot that is comfortable and fits you well is important as they don’t have zips,
Western boot design and style options
made. Others have a zip at the back of the boot, making getting your boots on and off a much easier proposition (but
laces or any other feature that might make them more flexible in their fit, or in
include intricately patterned stitching, hole punch designs, different heel types, and multiple coloured leathers - and
do check to see that the zip is sturdy
their ease of putting on and taking off.
and not likely to break).
Traditionally made of smooth cowhide,
On the subject of fitting your long
suede is another popular option and the
In the final analysis
more expensive designs may include
The last word on boots? They should be
advantage of expert help in finding the
uppers made from alligator or snakeskin.
comfortable, well-made, fit for purpose
calf size and length of boot that suits
When determining which Western boots
and the best quality your budget will
you. When buying on line, look for a
are right for you, consider whether you
allow. Other than that, your options are
retailer whose site includes detailed
need the boots for casual riding or the
just about limitless. Western boot design
instructions on measuring your leg –
show ring. Casual riders should consider
and style choices include intricately
then you’ll have a much better chance of
a mid-calf length boot, while many show
ordering a boot that fits you well.
riders opt for a square toe style with
patterned stitching, hole punch designs,
boots, if you buy in store you’ll have the
If you love the look of leather, but you’re on a tight budget, you may want to
The Italian Tucci Galileo (Image courtesy of Trailrace).
50 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
higher heels. The main things to look for in a Western
DeNiro Intreccio Bronzo Riding Boot (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
they’re just some of your options!
different heel types, and multiple coloured leathers - and they’re just some of the possibilities!
DeNiro Cleopatra (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
DeNiro Incanto Grey (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
F E AT U R E
A zip fronted Ariat Heritage IV short boot (Image courtesy of Trailrace).
Horze Maja Kids Jodhpur Boot with gaitor (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
Horze Maja Kids Jodhpur Boot – Summer Berry Pink (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
Horze Maja Kids Jodhpur Boot – Blue (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery). DeNiro Raffaello Dressage Boot (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
Western style Ariat Heritage Roper (Image courtesy of Trailrace).
Horze Maja Kids Jodhpur Boot – Sunkissed Coral Pink (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
DeNiro T-ITA Short Boots (Image courtesy of Ashbree Saddlery).
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 51
TRAVEL
Road testing the rides less travelled Kate Pilcher, founder of Globetrotting, one of Australia’s leading horse riding holiday travel agencies, talks to JANE CAMENS about making people’s riding dreams come true.
K
ate Pilcher was frantic. It was
Globetrotting, sharing that experience
the first week of March this
with like-minded others.
year, when countries around
the world were starting to close their borders because of COVID-19. Kate was suddenly busy rescheduling riders booked on Globetrotting’s 40 rides around the world, while trying to ensure that the horse-riding establishments that offer the holidays could still feed their horses. “We all need to escape!” says Kate,
“For the time being, during the COVID-19 shut-down, we might need to choose to travel locally,” she says. For Australians ‘stuck’ at home, Globetrotting offers a number of fabulous rides in Tassie, the Barossa, the Kimberly, Central Australia, Margaret River, the Victorian High Country (Silver Brumby territory), the South Coast of New South Wales, and Rainbow Beach in South East
and her former intern Laura Rae — have built up their portfolio of 40 rides slowly because of Kate’s insistence on riding every ride and working with the chosen
referring to horse riders who like
Queensland.
herself, love to ride and travel. She has
Kate, 39, has been running Globetrotting
experiences that meet five key criteria.
been a serial escape artist, travelling
for more than a decade. She and her
for long chunks of time to horse riding
small team — who essentially comprise
Each ride has to offer spectacular
facilities around the world then, through
her husband Steven, her dad Angus,
riding establishments to design boutique
scenery changes; must be led by charismatic and knowledgeable guides; provide level-headed quality horses that are independent thinking and not dead to the leg; offer appropriate accommodation in line with the price of the holiday, and, importantly, provide clients with a cultural experience of the region beyond the superficial experiences of what Kate calls ‘vanilla travel’. Kate wants her clients to follow the rides less travelled, and to be able to sing and dance and laugh with locals, not simply visit tourist sites. Globetrotting is run from Maleny, near
52 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
T R AV E L
MAIN: Globetrotting family from L to R, Birdie, Steven, Finn, Kate, and Poppy. LEFT: Kate Pilcher, Globetrotting’s founder and guide, riding in Patagonia, Chile.
Kate and Steven’s 30-acre property
around the property. But when I went off
in Kureelpa, below Mapelton. They
to university in Brisbane, horses weren’t
live with their three daughters, aged
part of my life,” she says. “Horses come
eight, five and two, and seven horses,
in waves, when you need them.”
including four polo ponies and a Shetland. From their property, Kate and her two eldest girls can ride straight into the State forest. The two-year-old is often plonked on one of the ponies. She’s already following in Kate’s hoof prints. Kate herself was put onto an old 17-hand thoroughbred from the age of three at her parent’s former property in Dalby in Western Queensland. Since Kate began riding with her father as a child on the Western Queensland plains, they have ridden together all over the world.
Coast and Noosa areas. But, around the age of 26, Kate had what she calls a: “Quarter life crisis Dad asked if I’d like to do a horse riding
She graduated with degrees in
holiday in Africa and we set off together
Communications and Business and then,
to ride in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. That
at the age of 24, went backpacking
was a transformative experience for me,
around Europe in what she now thinks of as a superficial way of seeing the world. “That sort of travel doesn’t take you under the skin of a country,” she says.
a pivotal moment in my life. I fell in love with it. I’d never been to a Third World country. If I close my eyes, I can still remember every moment of that time,
“I would prefer to be eating, drinking,
and that was 15 years ago.”
laughing and living with people who
When she got home, something
share my love of horses.” When Kate returned to Australia she rejoined her parents who had retired to the lovely Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Maleny. She started work as a
had changed for her, she says. “My boyfriend, Steven, who is now my husband had proposed but all the things I thought I wanted had changed. I said ‘no’ to him. I told him I had to get away again, that I needed to be anonymous.”
“I was sent to boarding school, to
journalist-photographer and advertising
Fairholme College in Toowomba, and
sales person for the local newspaper,
horses were my touchstone when
but really wanted to establish her own
Kate ran away to Argentina where she
I came home on holiday. I’d bring
magazine. With her dad, she started Salt,
lived for six months on a 100,000-acre
girlfriends home and double-dink them
a quarterly magazine for the Sunshine
estancia. “It was very isolated, as far
She laughs. “Poor guy.”
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 53
MAIN: Meeting the neighbours in Kenya. BELOW RIGHT: Steven and Kate Pilcher.
Kate in the Maasai Mara, Kenya.
away as I could be from home,” she says. There, she helped the gauchos break in their horses, using a soft technique they call domale rationale, not disimilar to Pat Parelli’s training.
set it up alongside Salt,” she says. Her business enabled her to return to Africa, this time to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, to ride and write about it for the magazine. “They do amazing riding
old, Kate went back to Argentina, this time with Steven and Fin. “One of the most beautiful experiences of my life was riding back into the estancia in full moonlight with baby Fin asleep in front of me,” she recalls.
“Argentina is like Australia was 100 years
holidays there,” she says. “It’s water
ago,” says Kate. “There are very few
meadows, and you’re cantering along
fences and you can ride everywhere.”
viewing elephants. It’s the X Factor of
(Argentinian rides now, of course,
encountering wild life. For any advanced
feature among Globetrotting’s rides.)
rider, you can’t not do that in your life.”
Kate ‘dabbles’ in eventing and hunter
After Argentina, she went back to
The first Globetrotting trip she organised
Kenya and worked as a horse-riding
was 12 months later with 10 clients from
addicted to speed. As soon as I had my
guide there. But after four months her
Maleny. They were members of the polo
dad told her it was best to come home.
club to which Kate and her dad belong.
Her magazine business needed her.
Kate’s very patient boyfriend Steven
“Fortunately, Steve was still waiting for
went with them, and Kate proposed to
me,” she says.
him.
“People who love horse riding wanted to
But the idea of being what she calls
one of the oldest horse riding festivals in
know about my experiences away. That’s
“ordinary”, terrified Kate. When their
the world, the Common Ridings. On this
why I wanted to set up Globetrotting. I
eldest daughter, Fin, was nine months
ride, clients are mounted on Irish Sport
54 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
These days, as well as running Globetrotters and riding with her daughters in the neighbouring forest, trials, but mainly competes in polo. “I’m children I was back in the saddle two or three weeks later,” she says. Because of her speed addiction, one of her favourite Globetrotting rides these days is the Scottish Borders ride, which Globetrotting designed. It takes riders to
T R AV E L
Horses and ride shoulder-to-shoulder with Scots who are dressed in tweed, bursting with good cheer, happy to share a time-old tradition. This is surely the ride for Outlander fans. As well as the rides already mentioned, Globetrotting has road tested and offers spectacular rides in Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Tanzania, USA and Wales. That’s a lot of riding holidays to choose from. As Kate says, the rides give us horse people something to dream about and look forward to. This awful time of virus will pass. In the meantime we can dream of the wonderful times ahead. To find out more about Globetrotting go to: https://www.globetrotting.com.au/ H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 55
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MAIN: The winner of the 2020 Victorian Lady of Racing Award shares a moment with Precedence (Image by Jay Town). RIGHT: Representing Racing Victoria’s Off the Track Program in the 2019 Melbourne Cup Parade, Fiona riding Precedence and Jonathon Lumsden aboard Sirmione – two of Bart’s boys together (Image by Pat Scala Photography, courtesy of Racing Victoria).
L I F E A F T E R R AC I N G
When the race is over
one of racing’s greatest accolades - the Victorian Lady of Racing Award. Run by the Victorian Wakeful Club in partnership with Racing Victoria, the award celebrates women who have made an outstanding contribution to the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industries.
The focus on Thoroughbreds’ well-being once their racing career ends has never been more intense. JO MCKINNON spoke to Fiona McIntyre, winner of the 2020 Victorian Lady of Racing Award, on her considerable success in transitioning Thoroughbreds from the track to the show ring.
“It was lovely to have been nominated by a lady that follows me on social media. That in itself was flattering and humbling,” Fiona recalls. But being announced as the winner of the prestigious award at a gala function in Melbourne came as a total surprise to the 46-year-old. “I did not expect to make the finals. When I got the call to say I had been selected as a finalist I
I
t’s certainly great news that the
Moonee Valley Cups over his 69-start
Australian horse racing industry
career.
is now investing heavily in the
development of initiatives designed to provide racehorses with pathways to a meaningful and comfortable life after their racing careers are over. These proactive measures are also beginning to improve the negative public sentiment that had understandably built up around horse racing and the way the industry cares for
Thinking that other horse lovers might be interested in sharing their postracing journeys, Fiona posted regular
was quite surprised. I was not expecting to have my name called out, that’s for sure,” she says. At the award ceremony Racing Victoria CEO Giles Thompson was warm in his praise: “Fiona has long been an
social media updates on Sirmione
advocate for life after racing and has
and Precedence’s progress, building
worked tirelessly to ensure former
up a strong following in the process.
racehorses lead happy and healthy
And it was one of those followers that
lives once they have left the track. We
initiated the chain of events that in
are very fortunate to have Fiona as one
2020 culminated in Fiona receiving
of the Racing Victoria acknowledged
its most important asset. But well before the implementation of various Off the Track programs across Australia, the welfare of retired racehorses was a top priority for Victorian equestrian Fiona McIntyre. For more than 25 years she’s prepared retired racehorses for the show ring. Two of her highest profile and most successful graduates, Sirmione and Precedence, both trained by the late Bart Cummings, are outstanding examples of exactly what’s possible with a little care and dedication. Sirmione was a two-time Group 1 winner, and grand stayer Precedence competed in four Melbourne Cups and won two H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 59
L I F E A F T E R R AC I N G
LEFT: Fiona McIntyre and Precedence win Reserve Champion Newcomer Hack over 15hh at the 2018 Southern Cross Show Horse Spectacular (Image by Lisa Gordon). ABOVE: Fiona rides Precedence into 6th place in the Lady Rider event at the 2019 Royal Adelaide Show (Image by Lisa Gordon). retrainers who support our Off the
employment services business.
reliable, consistent horse,” she says.
Track program, which aims to facilitate
“I start the day doing horses, do my day
Whilst Sirmione and Precedence might
job and come home and do horses at
have hailed from the same stable, the
the other end. I am fortunate that I’m in a
horses were poles apart, presenting
for Thoroughbreds as performance and
situation where I have facilities and can
Fiona with two very different training
pleasure horses.”
give them time,” she says.
propositions.
Fiona, who has ridden and competed
Fiona’s hard work has certainly paid
“They have both been really good,
off, with both Sirmione and Precedence
but I guess the biggest challenge with
sources many of her prospects from
achieving great things in the show ring.
Sirmione was to go straight. Early on he
racing stables. Her enthusiasm is
At 16, Sirmione is now semi-retired
obvious: “I always enjoy taking that
and Fiona reflects fondly on some of
diamond in the rough. Transforming
their achievements together, which
the placement of retired racehorses in secondary careers and drive demand
with show horses most of her life,
them and then finding them suitable
include Supreme Champion Led and
was a crooked-going type who didn’t want to go forward whereas Precedence is quite explosive. The biggest challenge with him was his pulling,” she recalls.
Grand Champion Ridden Hack at the
Precedence was notorious for pulling
Geelong Royal Show. He also carried
on the track, which made Fiona’s first
Fiona to qualify for her riding class at the
ride on him interesting to say the least:
Fiona has a busy life juggling her horses’
Grand Nationals on no less than three
“I honestly thought, hell, I won’t be able
training with a full-time role managing an
occasions. “He has always been such a
to hold this horse. He was so hard in the
homes is really satisfying.” Based on the outskirts of Geelong,
60 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
mouth and pulled like a train. So I played with different bits until I found one he was comfortable with, and then I taught him to carry himself.” Every horse has its quirks and Fiona is largely forgiving of this but says there are fundamental qualities an Off the Track horse must possess if they are to make the grade. “Their temperament is a huge thing and their trainability. You can pick up early on their attitude and ground manners, which indicate how trainable they’re going to be. In early rides you soon notice whether they have that disposition and willingness to learn new skills,” she explains. During her long career in working with horses, Fiona has been fortunate to have a number of influential mentors, but says that two of the most important are her father Ricky Bogle and John Willis. “John was a breaker at Flemington and I used to work for him after school - he would cart me around the country side competing. My father, Ricky, was incredibly good with horses and taught me early on the skills you need to handle them.” Horses are central to Fiona’s life and her commitment to them is certainly not waning. She is in the midst of building a new horse property on the outskirts of Geelong and is now taking on a handful of retired horses for outside clients. “Horses are so giving - and forgiving to a certain point. They’re majestic animals. I see them as incredibly rewarding and loving. The relationship you can have with them is really satisfying,” she says. Fiona’s passion for Off the Track horses is palpable, as is her dedication to encouraging more and more people to give these horses a home and a useful life. “It’s something I really enjoy,” she says, “if I can inspire one person to take on a horse, then that’s one more horse that has a life post-racing.”
Loving his life after racing. The Bart Cummings trained exgalloper, 14-year-old Precedence stretches his legs with Racing Victoria acknowledged retrainer Fiona McIntyre at his side (Image by Jay Town).
F E AT U R E
Mother’s Day duo: Catherine & Lucy Alati Is there a secret gene that can be passed down from horse-mad parents to their children? JANE CAMENS spoke to mother and daughter Catherine and Lucy Alati and discovered that it’s a little bit nature, and a little bit nurture.
L
MAIN: Catherine and Lucy with Flanagan. INSET: Lucy and Hudson strut their stuff (Image by Stephen Mowbray Photography).
ucy Alati undoubtedly inherited her mother’s passion for horses, although it could equally be argued that it was the environment in which she grew up that saw her follow in her mother’s dainty hoof prints. However, genetics isn’t the explanation for why Catherine Alati, Lucy’s mum, became horse-mad from around the age of eight. She grew up in Southport on Queensland’s Gold Coast with parents who weren’t horsey. Nonetheless, the highlight of Catherine’s young life was holidaying in Byron Bay where she joined Zephyr Horses on trail rides. “That’s where I got hooked,” recalls Catherine. “I still remember every leaf and stone along the trail. Then I’d go to the Ekka (the Royal Queensland Show) just to smell the horses.” We’re talking serious addiction! Today, Catherine lives with husband Giuseppe and their daughter Lucy on a boutique horse property on the outskirts of Byron Bay. Both mother and daughter compete in high level dressage and practice in their own recently covered arena. Catherine is an Equestrian Australia Dressage Level Two riding coach and Lucy is among the many beneficiaries of her knowledge and experience. Catherine’s horse journey really began 62 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
when she was living on the Gold Coast and started riding lessons at Pegasus Park. “When that closed down I was so depressed that Mum and Dad bought me one of the riding school horses I liked,” she says. Catherine is funny when she talks about her early days riding. “I’d go to pony club and be lucky to get a ribbon, though in my head I was on my way to
the Olympics. I told myself that when I’m older I’m going to do this well.” Self-talk is clearly a powerful tool because Catherine went on to excel in dressage at the highest levels. However, during her adolescence, her equestrian path was interrupted for a number of years when she discovered parties. Her horse was sold and she went to university to study pharmacy. “I wanted
to be a vet but didn’t put it down on my
who passed that year,” she adds.
entry options,” she says.
Catherine trained with Dutch Level 3 instructor Fred Hoevenaars and his wife Susie, an Olympic level judge. “Eventually I realised my Thoroughbred was never going to cut it in competition with Warmbloods. So I purchased two young Warmbloods and trained them to Prix St. Georges level. I was on the Queensland State Dressage Squad for most years between 1995 and 2001.”
After she started working, Catherine saved $5,000 and bought herself a $2,000 off the track Thoroughbred, an $800 horse float, and a cheap saddle. “In my head I was still going to the Olympics,” she laughs. To her immense credit, she schooled her Thoroughbred onto the 1995 Queensland State Squad, and also completed her Level One Instructor’s training. “I was the only one
Then Catherine married Giuseppe Alati, who owned and trained racehorses.
They went overseas on honeymoon and she rode in Germany and later in the Netherlands, where she discovered she was pregnant with Lucy. “I’d been riding five horses a day and wondered why I was exhausted!” she recalls. While Catherine was in Holland, she bought a new horse: “He was a bargain for 5,000 Euros and he came home with me to Brisbane. I finished breaking him while I was pregnant with Lucy and took him all the way to Prix St. Georges before I sold him to a young rider. Then I H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 63
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RIDING
WITHOUT GETTING ON THE HORSE By using highly effective visualisation techniques, affirmations and other tools regularly used by champion riders, 7 Steps to the Mindset of an Equestrian Champion will help you improve your riding without needing to even get on the horse. Written by Tanja Mitton, a highly sought after riding and mindset coach, 7 Steps is a must read book for any rider wanting to improve their skills by understanding the secrets used by champions all over the world.
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F E AT U R E
went back overseas and bought another horse, a chestnut mare, World of Music, who I had for eight years. She’s still being ridden by a young rider at Grand Prix level.” Then the Alatis moved from Queensland to Victoria for four years. By the time Lucy was eight years old, Catherine had given up riding. “It was just too hard juggling my riding, judging, coaching, Lucy’s pony club and everything else. I decided to scale back and I got rid of all my horse stuff,” she explains. There followed a gap of almost six years before Catherine mounted up again. This was partly because after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1999, she had to deal with a number of operations. “I was 27 when they found it and I’ve had three major spinal surgeries since. Horses kept me sane whilst dealing with the problems I had to overcome. It was when we moved back
ABOVE: Mother and daughter - a shared passion. BELOW: Lucy and Rudi (Image by Amy-Sue Alston Photography).
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 65
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to the Gold Coast and Lucy announced she wanted to get into dressage that I got into it again,” says Catherine, who recommenced her riding career on a Stock Horse named Beauty. While Catherine is telling me this story (and by the way, I’m now the happy owner of Beauty, who is almost 18 years old), Lucy is listening from the other side of the dining table, so now’s a good time to hear from her. “I was kind of born into the horse world, but it didn’t start for me until we were in Victoria,” she says. “One day I said I wanted a pony, and Mum said ‘No!’” We both look at Catherine, who explains that she wanted Lucy to learn to ride first. “Mum didn’t teach me anything at first,” Lucy qualifies. After a year at riding school her parents bought the five-year-old Lucy a little white pony called Danny. “I went to Pakenham Pony Club, the best pony club ever. They had cross country courses and Olympic level coaches to teach us. By the time I was six I loved jumping. I was always a tiny bit more advanced than my friends,” she recalls.
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When the family moved back to the Gold Coast, Lucy lost interest in competing at Pony Club until she got her second pony, Minsey, who was 13 hands. “She jumped anything. She was an amazing pony. I got up to about C Grade on her. By the time I was 13 years old, the jumps were getting a little high for me and I was bit scared. One day I said I didn’t want to do jumping any more, but wanted to get into dressage instead.” “We bought Jai, a Stock Horse, because Minsey wasn’t a dressage horse. I did a couple of twilight dressage competitions and Mum took me to my first EA Young Rider dressage camp at Caboolture. It was embarrassing. I was on Beauty that time - she had her bear coat on and she wasn’t really educated to the level expected. I didn’t know this world existed! There was this amazing Young Rider Squad and I knew then that that’s where I wanted to be and exactly what I wanted to do.”
F E AT U R E
So, at the age of 13, Lucy teamed up with Hudson (CJP His Lordship), a 16-hand Warmblood who taught her the beginner levels of dressage. “I did Prelim and Novice with him and in 2017 I rode him in the Equestrian Queensland Interschools.” They went on to the Nationals where they won the Novice test and almost achieved the score they needed to be included in the Young Rider Squad. Nothing daunted, in 2018 Lucy competed in the South East Queensland qualifiers at medium level. She also rode in all the open Equestrian Australia classes and this time qualified for the Squad. Then in 2019 Lucy was placed first, with 69.4% in the CDI-J freestyle test at Sydney CDI. “I did quite well,” she concedes, “but that was the best Hudson could do. That was his finalé.” A young rider in Townsville became Hudson’s lucky new owner. Lucy moved on to another horse, Rubinzent (Rudi for short), a 15-year-old imported Warmblood who’d already had a lot of FEI starts in Germany: “We weren’t looking for another horse, but …” she grins. Catherine comes back into the conversation, explaining that in the meantime she had bought two magnificent new horses, Geronimo Dutch and Flanagan, from overseas.
Catherine home schooling with Geronimo Dutch.
Flanagan was originally supposed to be for Lucy, “but we didn’t gel”, says Lucy, “I didn’t feel happy on him and that’s why we decided to buy Rudi.” This year Lucy is moving on to compete at Prix St. Georges level with Rudi, who, she says, “looks like a cart horse, but floats like a fairy.” Her ultimate goal is the Under 25s Grand Prix. Catherine also intends to compete in the CDIs, and hopefully to press on to Grand Prix. With three lovely FEI horses mother
and daughter are both quite busy. “We live and breathe horses,” says Catherine, perhaps somewhat unnecessarily. Even her husband is caught in the magic web, strapping, cleaning and “just lately, riding one of his ex-race horses,” she confides with a smile. Mother’s Day for this family is likely to be spent riding: just another glorious day in the saddle.
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H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 67
O N M Y TAC K B OX
Taking the pressure off The equestrian industry has its fair share of pressure, writes mindset coach and trainer TANJA MITTON, who says that it is often our inability to cope with our environment that can rock our mental stability.
I
know so many people who shy away from the label and the stigma that’s attached to mental health illnesses and therefore don’t ask for help and support. As a coach and an educator, I’ve written this article to offer help and support, because we all struggle with our mental health at times.
INSET: Mindset coach and trainer Tanja Mitton. MAIN: Tanja’s daughter Laura and Nelson share some down time. Relaxing and bonding with your equine companion is an investment in both your relationship and your well-being (Image by Averil Crebbin, Picture the Moment Photography).
This is for all the riders, coaches, judges, officials and families involved in the horse industry. No matter what role you play, at what level you compete, or which discipline you participate in, we need to recognise the pressure when it builds and we need to learn to regulate ourselves if we want to survive in the sport long term. I know what it’s like to be under pressure and I know what it’s like to feel never good enough. I know the sound of that inner voice constantly reminding you that you’ve made a mistake, that you should have done better, that you will never be as good as someone else. I remember the feeling in my chest when the stress became too much and you fear that one day you will simply explode. I have cried the tears that only fall at night when no one is around, only to get up in the morning, put on a fresh layer of makeup, and face up to the world pretending everything was OK. What I came to realise much later was that whenever I thought I was alone, the only one who couldn’t cope, the 68 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
only one who felt the way I did, I was wrong. There were others who felt the
Whenever I speak to someone I watch their face and body language to gauge if they have understood not just my words but also the intention behind my words.
same. We were all hiding behind masks, playing our roles so convincingly that even people who were close could not see past the exterior smile, the bubbly small talk and the glittery glamorous picture we presented when we stepped into the open. I have been a mindset coach for over 15 years now and I recognise my own story in many of the people I talk to. There is always a common thread. We feel alone, misunderstood and overwhelmed. When I was younger I felt the only way to survive was to learn to fight, to be tough and strong so I would not be beaten. I made people ‘wrong’ if they did not
O N M Y TAC K B OX
understand me, I generated conflicts by trying to get my point across, and I created havoc inside myself. I fought a battle that could never be won until I became older and gradually got wiser, finally realising that I was the one who had to change. Wisdom is not something that necessarily comes with age. Wisdom develops after you’ve chosen to step outside of yourself and look at things
horse is paramount in everyone’s mind. So here is some advice that might be helpful wherever you are right now:
People are your friends – it’s the EGO that’s the enemy. The moment we make something right and something else wrong, the ego will jump in and try to defend. Don’t get me wrong! There are clear do’s and don’ts and rules that need to be in place –
from a new perspective.
they’re not what I’m talking about here.
We all know that our sport has to change
I want to address the ‘right and wrong’
in order to help our riders and our equine partners stay safe and sound in mind and body - and we need to get back to basics, where the love of the
that is driven by our own opinions. • “The horse should be schooled in this way...” • “The training has to follow that
system...” • “This movement was not expressive enough...” • “That canter was not forward enough...” And herein lies the problem that we face in our equestrian world where every judgment, every score and every remark is purely someone else’s opinion. Learning to leave your ego aside becomes one of your greatest triumphs. Don’t get caught up in the blame game, or take on the role of the victim. No one owns an opinion – they’re just fleeting comments made to express someone’s view. If there’s no right and wrong then we are left with only different ways to do things. H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 69
O N M Y TAC K B OX
acknowledge others. Not everyone has The feeling of being alone or not good enough is not uncommon (Image by Malgorzata Bujalska).
it and not many can do it all of the time. The ability to acknowledge someone else is a pure reflection of the person who does the acknowledging.
The mask gets thicker the more we have to hide • The most fragile people wear the thickest masks. For some, the mask is a constant smile. The helpful ones, always there for others and constantly trying to do their best, are often hurting deep inside. Recognise their mask and instead of just accepting their help, offer help back in return. • The mask of the worrier. The one who is always ready for battle and willing to enter conflict is often hurting inside. Be kind to them. Instead of entering the battlefield, offer support and disarm them by compromising instead of drawing the sword and fighting. • The mask that never belongs. Some people, even though they are accepted, feel like they don’t belong. No matter what they achieve, how much praise they get and how much they are part of the group, they will always find a way to step outside, to choose not to belong.
There are different: • ways to school horses • systems to train under • ways of strengthening a horse’s movements I understand that we rely on scores to reach our goals but all you can do is stay true to yourself, and train and ride at your best. Put simply, control the things you can control, learn to let go of what you can’t control!
Be brave and own your knowledge When you do what you do from your heart, and you know that for you and your horse it’s the right thing to do, then own it. You don’t have to defend it - you just have to hold onto it instead of 70 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
throwing whatever your decision is away in order to please others.
We try and please others when we are in the search for acceptance Acceptance can’t be bought and respect is not achieved by begging. Acceptance comes from within and only bears fruit that is acknowledged by others after it has ripened. No matter how much you want to be acknowledged by others, you will never be able to control what others think, not even if you were prepared to sell your soul. If you are acknowledged it is because the other person is able to acknowledge you. It takes strength and confidence to
Recognise them for who they are. It’s not that they are difficult, they’re not arrogant or can’t be bothered, but instead they’re fighting a battle with themselves. Open the door and invite them in. Be prepared to send the invite over and over again until it is accepted.
You can do this ... These four words can be said in so many ways. Sometimes you can say them in such a way that they are understood and sometimes you seem to be talking to a wall.
The power of words and the mystery of communication What you say is not always what someone else hears. So be creative and
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O N M Y TAC K B OX
Taking the time to unwind with Mr. Smith, a beautiful bay Warmblood (Image by Nathalie Martisson).
become a master of language. If you say “That was good,” depending on how they hear it, the recipient might well believe they’ve heard “That was terrible.” When you say “You need a bit more…” the person you’re speaking to might instead hear “That was not good enough.” Never assume that someone else has heard what you’ve said. Whenever I speak to someone I watch their face and body language to gauge if they have understood not just my words but also the intention behind my words. A lot of conflict is created by misinterpretation and a lot of battles can be solved by translation.
example of this. A ‘towards pleasure’ rider however, will freeze or get scared when ‘motivated’ in that way. They need you to be empathetic, encouraging and able to build their confidence so that your motivation hits the fertile ground in which success can grow. And lastly the following concept is the one that causes the most difficulty, yet becomes your greatest treasure when you understand it:
Your perception is not the reality We all think that everyone sees the world the way we see it. We all think that everyone thinks the
Let’s motivate
way we think.
Motivation comes in many forms. Some forms are understood by some and not by others. This is often a cause of great difficulty when, for example, a coach motivated by fear is teaching a rider motivated towards pleasure.
We all think that everyone solves
If you are motivated by fear, that means you dig deep when things get tough and you will most likely try to motivate others the same way. The military is a great
problems the way we do.
the more you see, the more you learn. We all want the same. We want to be accepted, understood and appreciated. We want to share, laugh and be in harmony. We want to be supported, get help and recognition. And most of all we want to feel connected and belong to a group that keeps us safe, and understands and supports us, no matter what. I believe that the equestrian world can become a place where everyone feels accepted. Why? Because I know the people in that world, and we have some of the most compassionate, strong and determined individuals I’ve ever met – people who are well able to bring about change for the better. We can all do our bit no matter how big or how small, and as long as we stick together we can make our world a better place – for horses and riders.
I hate to tell you this, but that’s not the case: the world you see is only your world. Start to see the world in different ways, the ways that your students, your coaches, your judges, your parents and your friends see it. Understand there are differences and H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 73
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HORSE BREED
The sensational Shire It’s not that long since the Shire Horse was teetering on the brink of extinction. But thanks to a timely revival, these magnificent horses have made a significant comeback, writes AMANDA MAC.
W
ith their liquid brown
selected English herds. The result was
eyes, kind spirit, and love
the Great Horse, with the strength to
of human contact, these
not only pull a plough, but also to easily
gentle giants are very hard to resist -
carry a knight in full suit of armour either
and at anything up to 20 or more hands
into battle, or to vie for honours in the
high, not to mention often weighing in
ever-popular jousting tournaments.
at 1,100 plus kilograms (that’s over one tonne), they’re also very hard to miss!
To ensure that the advantage gained with the Great Horse (particularly on
Descended from the breed once known
the battlefield) remained with England,
as the Great Horse or War Horse, the
laws were enacted which limited horse
Shire Horse has, not surprisingly, held
exports, and animals considered to be of
the record for being the largest equine
unsuitable size were culled.
on earth on more than one occasion - and along with their forebears, have played a significant role in the development of human civilisation, mainly in terms of agriculture, industry, commerce and warfare.
Early British History Although the presence of horses in the British Isles is believed to date back many thousands of years, domestication probably didn’t begin until around 2,500 BCE when they were primarily used for transport and in battle.
When Henry VIII took the throne in the early 1500s, he continued that trend by passing the Breed of Horses Act and the Horses Act, which were once again aimed, through controlled breeding and culling, to build on the height and strength of horses in Britain. However, Henry went a step further - breeding with stallions under 15 hands high was expressly forbidden, and, determined to retain the benefits of possessing the tallest and most powerful horses in the realm, he completely prohibited their
often thick in mud and deeply rutted. They were also necessary for work on a project designed to increase the area of land available for agriculture by draining the waterlogged fens of Lincolnshire
exportation.
and Cambridgeshire. In order to meet
of Britain in 1066, and records from
Moving forward
Friesian horses (predominantly black
that period mention the importation of
By the time the 16th and 17th centuries
with feathered legs) were imported in
cold-blooded heavy horses from Europe.
had rolled around, strong horses were
considerable numbers. Now recognised
Prized for their strength and powerful
essential for ploughing, and for pulling
as one of the most important figures
build, they were bred with local stock
heavy wagons and coaches between
in the British Agricultural Revolution,
in an effort to impart those qualities to
towns connected by roads that were
Robert Bakewell, a landholder from
Fast forward to the Norman Conquest
76 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
these needs, Dutch Flanders and
HORSE BREED
The magnificent European Shire stallion Grovemere Storm (Image courtesy of The Shire Horse Society of Australia).
Leicestershire, bred with these imports
WWI and WWII. But by the end of WWII,
the 1800s, but not in sufficient numbers
to produce the English Black, which,
mechanisation had overtaken the
to create a viable herd. Conditions in
because it came from the shires of
need for the Shires, and their numbers
Australia, the long distances and harsh
England, later became known as the
dwindled from an estimated 550,000 in
environment, did not suit the breed, and
Shire Horse.
1939 to just 5,000 in 1972. It was thanks
by the mid-1920s registered Shires were
For many years these immensely strong and even-tempered giants literally provided the horse power that propelled England’s agricultural, industrial and commercial growth, as well as pulling
to a handful of enthusiastic breeders and breweries – who liked to use the Shire for short hauls and in promotions – that the breed was brought back from the brink.
virtually non-existent. It was thanks to Helene and Gregory Scarf that Shire Horses made a comeback in Australia. In 1981, they imported Ladbrook Edward, the first
heavy artillery and other equipment
The Shire Down Under
registered Shire stallion to arrive Down
during the country’s involvement in
The Shire arrived in Australia during
Under in many years. In 1984 a shipment H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 77
HORSE BREED
Ned and Bomber hard at work (Image by Carol Stevens Photography).
of mares arrived, and the Scarfs
on street patrols, a duty that had to be
first Shire to be in led and ridden in
established Cedars Shire Horse Stud in
discontinued when the loveable Archie
classes at the Sydney Royal Easter
Kangaroo Valley, NSW, which they own
caused too many traffic jams when
Show.”
and operate to this day.
pedestrians continually stopped to pat
While the number of Shire Horses in Australia is now in the hundreds, we must make special mention of Archie (Cedars Archibold), who in 1987 was
him while they were crossing the road! Archie’s appearances on TV shows such as The Great Outdoors, Getaway, Totally Wild, and the Disney Channel’s Horse Tales, did much to raise the profile of the
Archie passed away in 2014 at the respectable old age of 27, and is buried alongside his full sister, Cedars Dutchess, back home in Kangaroo Valley.
Shire breed in Australia.
The Australian Shire Horse Society
century. A media personality from the
As Helene notes: “At 19 hands high
In the early days of the Shire Horse’s
start – television news heralded his
Archie was at the time Australia’s tallest
Australian revival, foals were registered
birth as a new beginning for the breed
horse. He was once on display at the
with the Shire Horse Society UK.
in Australia - Archie found his way into
Royal Easter Show for 10 days in a row
However, in 2004 Helene, Gregory and
the Mounted Police Academy in Redfern
where he really drummed up a crowd!
several others decided the time had
NSW. He was their resident drum horse
Archie won more than fifty first place
come to establish an Australian society.
for many years, as well as going out
ribbons in his lifetime and he was the
They contacted Grahame West, a Shire
the first pure bred Shire to be born in Australia since the beginning of that
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HORSE BREED
ABOVE: Helene and Archie at home in Kangaroo Valley. LEFT: Cedars Winifred Champion Mare at the 2016 Sydney Royal Easter Show (Image by Allira Fontana Photography). TOP LEFT: The Shire Horse Society of Australia’s registration certificate featuring King Henry VIII and his coat of arms. Horse enthusiast who, in the late 1970s,
and holding the Australian flag. Grahame
used for many years by breweries for
had registered (and still owned) the
also included the King’s crest on the
that reason.
Australia Shire Horse Society name
certificate,” says Helene.
- although at that time there weren’t enough of the breed to warrant starting a stud book. “We asked him whether he would be a founding member and luckily he accepted our request,” Helene explains. So after a hiatus of more than 20 years, the Society became operational - and
With a fine head and silky feathering
From small beginnings, the fledging
on the lower legs, they can be black,
society grew and now boasts the Shire
bay or grey, and often have a white
Sport Horse Registry as well as the
blaze and socks. Renowned for their
Australian Shire Horse Stud Book.
placid temperament, they are friendly,
The modern Shire Today’s Shire is still big and powerful, but moves with grace and athleticism.
intelligent and adaptable, and make loyal and beautiful companions. If you’d like to learn more about
Surprisingly versatile, they make
the Shire Horse, visit the Shire
stunning show horses and are used in
Horse Society Australia’s website
all types of riding, for pulling carriages,
at shirehorsesociety.com.au, email
sleds and ploughs, and, as a guaranteed
secretary@shirehorsesociety.com, or
“Our beautifully illustrated certificates
crowd pleaser, they’re perfect for
follow them on Facebook facebook.
show Henry VIII in armour riding a Shire
promotional purposes, and have been
com/ShireHorseSocietyAustralia/
in a nod to history, Grahame, an artist, designed a breed registration certificate featuring King Henry VIII.
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 81
MAIN: Winning the Fashions on the Field Class at the recent Australian National Arabian Championships, Madeleine matched the colours in her hat to Kelaray Enchant's (Chester) browband (Image Foxwood Equine Photography). RIGHT: Aloha Stars & Stripes, runner up in the Supreme Arabian Stockhorse class at the East Coast Arabian Championships, shows off eyelid and muzzle makeup (Image by Brooklyn Gregory Photography).
82 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
TRAINING TIPS
Pretty in plaits It’s show time! But in the highly competitive confines of the show ring, you’ll need a cutting edge. AMANDA MAC asked Madeleine Leva for some tips on achieving that all important stand-out sparkle.
target,” Madeleine laughs. Her next tip is to buy a good quality plaiting spray, which gives you good grip, and plaiting wax, which helps to control flyaway strands as you sew or band your plaits. And here’s another pointer: “You’re not washing and conditioning your own hair! Don’t use human shampoo on manes and tails, use a product specifically designed for horses with no conditioning ingredients in it. And never condition after washing. Plaiting can be tricky enough so don’t
Y
ou’ve spent months in
body twice to ensure it’s absolutely
preparation. Your horse is
clean,” explains Madeleine. “Then I give
conditioned, fit, healthy, well-
them a leave on hot oil treatment to seal
educated and is moving beautifully.
in the shine. Also, when the plaiting and
But no matter whether your thing is
quarter markings are complete, I finish
riding or in hand, you can bet your well-
off with a spray on coat conditioner.”
shined boots that other entrants in your showing events have also been hard at work. So, what will give you that unmistakeable ‘look at me’ factor that judges just can’t ignore? Essentially, it’s all in your attention to detail. If you catch yourself thinking ‘oh, that’ll just have to do’ while plaiting up pre-show, you’re likely to discover that actually, it won’t do at all!
make your life harder with silky, slippery hair. Plait first and worry about any additional products afterwards,” she stresses.
Faces and feet When it comes to makeup, Madeleine is
Those pesky plaits
a firm believer that less is more. “Don’t
Plaiting can be an exercise that leaves
overdo the products, it’ll spoil the look.
you with sore fingers and not a lot to
It’s also easier to work on minimal hair,
show for your efforts, so what’s the trick? “First off, if you’re new to the process of plaiting or clipping, either watch as many tutorials on line as you can or find somebody who can help you. You can learn a lot from watching others at work. Plaiting horse hair takes practice.
so I clip hair shorter around the area on which I’m going to apply product. Another benefit to shorter hair is that whatever you’re using will have greater staying power and you’ll need much less of it. I tend to stick with a good quality
To put this into perspective, I caught
It varies in thickness plus you’re not
matt black for eyelids, and a nice clear
up with Madeleine Leva. Based in the
working on a human who will just sit still
gloss to enhance the eyes and muzzle,”
north west of Sydney NSW, Madeleine
while you work - your horse is a moving
she explains.
has been prepping and showing horses (very successfully) for more than 20 years. And for the past 10 of those, she’s also been turning out her client’s horses to dazzling and show-winning effect. No time like the present then, to gather some great tips on how you and your horse can look your absolute best in the show ring.
Groomed to perfection Whether ridden or in hand, a show ring given is that your horse should be groomed to perfection – and that includes having a coat that positively glistens in the sun. But how is that achieved? “I always shampoo my horse’s H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 83
TRAINING TIPS
And of course, you’ll want to add some shine to your horse’s hooves. Madeleine’s advice is to sand the hoof before painting, which makes application much easier. “Shop around and look for a quick-drying formula that creates a really high-gloss finish. There’re products that prevent dust and dirt from settling on the finished hoof, and also help seal out excess moisture, which is really useful if your horse has soft hooves,” she adds.
Making your mark Quarter marking is not for the fainthearted, but Madeleine has a trick for creating even, neat squares. “You’ll need a good comb that’s purpose built. Then, pick a side and spray your horse’s rump with quarter marking spray (Madeleine uses Smart Grooming’s products – a Australia from Grosvenor Park).
Madeleine and Ethereal Park Solar Flare competing in the Lady Rider at the 2019 Sydney Royal - a perfect example of the shine delivered by a leave on hot oil treatment (Image by Lisa Gordon of Little More Grace Photography).
Then continue on with ‘Then I use the
pattern. Next, I create my first square
absolutely sensational, it’s your turn!
width of the comb to draw a line along
above the hip by drawing the comb
No matter whether you show in hand or
the top of my horse’s rump – close to
down over the width of my initial line.
ride, buy good quality, classically styled
the dorsal - from above the point of the
Then draw another line parallel to and
clothing. “It will wear well, won’t go
hip, along the croup, to the dock. That
alongside the first and you can begin
out of fashion and will last over several
creates a guideline as well as giving
to fill in your checkerboard pattern,
seasons, saving you a lot of money in
you the correct width for your checker
repeating these steps as you work your
the long run,” says Madeleine, who has
way down.”
some great dressing tips for in hand
product range available exclusively in
Madeleine recommends using small squares because they offer more
“The first thing to do when you design
opportunity to customise the pattern
an in hand look is to coordinate colours
into an inverted pyramid or square. “If a
for you and your horse. I recommend
horse is angular through the hips or has
that you have up to three colours on
high quarters, I’d bring it into a pyramid
their browband and match those in your
and keep to small squares. If you’ve got
own outfit. More than three colours and
a horse with a nice rounded rump, go for
the look is too busy.”
larger squares which will enhance their shape,” she says.
Chester sporting a French braided tail.
84 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
showing.
She’s also a great believer in simple, clean lines. “For women, chose outfits
And if you’d like to see exactly how
that are easy to move around in. A
Madeleine works, pop over to her ‘Plait
business skirt and jacket with matching
My Pony’ Facebook page where she
scarf look great, or a short sleeve dress
offers some excellent tutorial videos,
that fits well so that it falls nicely. Avoid
including demonstrations on how to
pencil skirts which will impede your
plait and create beautifully even quarter
movement, and ‘A’ lines, which lack
markings.
shape. Tailored pants also look lovely.”
Strike a pose
A head start
Now that you have your horse looking
Hats are an excellent accessory when
TRAINING TIPS
Draw your first line from the top of the hip to the dock along one side of the dorsal.
Drawing your comb down, mark your first square above your horse’s hip.
Next, draw your second line parallel to the first.
As each set of squares is completed, draw another parallel line.
Repeat the process until you have sufficient squares.
The finished product - a job well done!
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 85
TRAINING TIPS
you show in hand, but it’s usually best to avoid fascinators during the height of summer. “You want a hat that looks really smart while still protecting your head,” Madeleine explains. “Find someone who can make you an elegant hat – preferably one with a band that can be changed for colour matching and dress it up with feathers or other decorations. Many boutique saddleries now stock hats suitable for showing, or you could have a look online”. When it comes to footwear, her preference is for a smart pair of boots or laced shoes if you’re wearing pants. “Or, to go with a dress or skirt, a nice pair of flat shoes that cover your toes and most of your foot for protection - the show ring is not the place for ballet pumps or heels!” For the gentlemen, Madeleine also has some good advice and the message is simple: get a suit! “There’s nothing more
Chester shows off neat quarter markings and plaits as he wins the Baskhan Memorial Challenge for Arabian Males at the 2019 National Arabian Stud Show (Image Foxwood Equine Photography). boots or lace up shoes,” she advises.
appealing in the in hand show ring than
Fashion forward
a guy dressed in a beautifully fitted suit
In ridden show classes, the dress code
with either a trilby or pork pie hat. You
is simpler. “Firstly, choose whether you
can change your shirt and tie colour to
want to wear a shirt and tie, or a stock.
coordinate with your horse, and for your
Stocks are lovely but are more formal.
footwear, opt for a quality pair of leather
For lower level competition, a shirt
and tie is probably the best option,” Madeleine suggests. “And remember, choose quality and you’ll save money. Stick with light colours for your breeches – cream or off white are great choices. A well-cut jacket is an essential investment and if you shop around you can find good deals. Be sure that your jacket is not too long and that you can breathe in it, and you’re all set,” she laughs. And for those special finishing touches? “Invest in a waistcoat colour matched to your jacket. It looks neat and stops your tie from flapping about. For your boots, don’t go over the top! Buy shiny leather and leave it there. A dressage cut is very flattering for most riders, but if your horse is 14hh or under, opt for leather jodhpur boots – they’re a much more appropriate choice.” Madeleine Leva offers a variety of services including plaiting and braiding, quarter markings, makeup, and a styling for horse and rider. Go to www.facebook.com/plaitmypony/ or email on madeleine-leva@hotmail.
Madeleine and Chester, immaculately turned out winners of the 2019 National Capital Horse Show Junior All Breeds Ridden Challenge (Image by Jayzie Photography). 86 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
com. Smart Grooming range is available from Grosvenor Park, visit grosvenorparkproducts.com.au.
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DRA JUN WN E3 202 0 0
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YO U N G R I D E R
Working her way to the top There’s no doubt about it, Working Equitation is on the up and up in Australia, and at the forefront is this month’s Young Rider Poppy Douglas, who spoke to AMANDA MAC about her love of the sport.
W
orking Equitation, which originated in Europe, has been growing in popularity
in Australia over the past decade or so. Designed around the riding skills used during fieldwork, the competition
MAIN: Poppy and Get Rhythm during the Phase 4 Cattle Test at the 2019 Mudgee and Districts Working Equitation Championships.
includes four phases: working dressage; an ease of handling trial in which horse and rider negotiate everyday obstacles such as bridges and gates; a speed trial using similar obstacles; and cattle handling.
INSET: Riding in the Dressage Phase of the 2019 Consagrados One Handed Nationals (Images by Renee Muller).
And in the thick of it all? That’s where you’ll find Poppy Douglas! Fifteen-year-old Poppy, from Gulgong in New South Wales, is a dedicated and very determined young rider. Perched on a horse’s back from before she could even walk, Poppy comes from a horse-
a lot of fun. I love all aspects of working
loving family.
very sensitive and nervy. So I started
cattle and became intrigued by high
him from scratch. We took him on plenty
“My step-dad has a Quarter Horse
level dressage, which I love training and
of trail rides and desensitised him to
and occasionally comes along to
performing in,” she said.
his surroundings. I did a lot of fitness
Working Equitation, Mum has a Master’s
And then there’s Clancy of the Overflow,
work with him and fed him up and just
horse and a Consagrados horse both
the 13-year-old buck skin Quarter Horse
competing, and my 11-year-old sister
cross Stock Horse who’s a competition-
fitness levels,” she says.
recently moved her pony up a level,” she
winning testament to Poppy’s skill as a
explains.
rider.
It took Poppy a good year to get Clancy
Poppy, who loves the variety that’s
“I’ve had Clancy for five years now. He’d
to be time well invested. In 2018, the
integral to Working Equitation, was
been broken in very late and when we
pair qualified for the victorious NSW
introduced to the sport when her mum
got him he’d been doing a bit of cattle
State Team (Poppy was the only young
became involved in 2013: “What drew
mustering but was very green – he really
rider in an all adult team), and in 2019
me in was the huge versatility, plus it’s
didn’t know much at all. He was also
won 1st place in the Open Maneability
90 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
gradually brought him up through his
competition ready, but that turned out
Sweepstakes. They took out the
experience. Last year I won the dressage
some time, so I’ll just see how things
Australian Junior Champion and the
at the Mudgee Show.”
play out.”
But there’s more: “I have another
When I ask her who she’d like to thank,
horse that I’ve just finished breaking
Poppy chuckles: “That’s easy! Mum, aka
in. Her name is Get Rhthym and she’s
my riding instructor and only coach, and
a four-year-old Quarter Horse cross
my step-dad aka Mr Fix It, for driving the
Thoroughbred. I’d like to get her to
truck everywhere and putting up with
Masters and competing at the level
me and my horses.”
Junior Rider Horse of the Year in 2017, 2018, and 2019; and also won the 2019 Consagrados One Handed Horse of the Year. Not one to rest on her laurels however, Poppy trains daily: “I spend one week working on dressage movements as well
Clancy is at,” she says.
as Clancy’s fitness. Then the following
And for the future, Poppy has the US in
to go by, we have no doubt that we’ll be
week I train for roll backs, fast work,
her sights: “I’m looking at moving to the
hearing plenty more about what Poppy
and cattle work. Both weeks include
US basically to train and learn from some
Douglas does next. Congratulations
trail rides. I also go to local shows and
of the best clinicians there so I become
Poppy, and very best wishes from the
compete in their dressage events for
a better rider. It probably won’t be for
HorseVibes team.
If her past achievements are anything
H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 91
SADDLE REVIEW
Amerigo Classic Diane thought she was forever doomed to ride in an uncomfortable saddle – but my, how times have changed!
D
iane Lilburne lives in Seaspray, a small coastal town in Victoria. Originally from New
Zealand, she began riding as a child, the youngest of four in a horse loving family. Her father, himself a keen horseman, was of the opinion that if you had a
Kiftsgate, a 16hh Warmblood mare – and
change – at which point she began
up until recently, she also had a saddle
doing some research and realised that
that although fine for her horses, was
her saddle was the problem, and that
not a good match for her.
there were better options available.
However, things came to a head after
Which is when she discovered The
a medical intervention: “I’d had surgery followed by three months off riding, so I
saddle that fitted the horse, then, come
was very unfit by the time I got back on my
what may, you rode with that saddle.
horses. I also have a little arthritis in my hip
And, as with many perceptions that
– so I thought the discomfort I felt when I
become embedded in our minds as
rode was due to health issues rather than
children, Diane carried that idea with her
a saddle that wasn’t right for me.”
as an adult.
However, the discomfort was such that
Diane has two horses - Mac, a 17.2hh
Diane recognised that if she was going
Warmblood cross gelding, and Northern
to continue to ride, something had to
Diane and Northern Kiftsgate enjoying the comfort and freedom of movement that comes from a properly fitted saddle.
Saddle Hub: “Living in a fairly remote region is a lovely lifestyle, but when it comes to fitting a saddle it’s very hard. So the fact that The Saddle Hub delivers to your door and that you can try saddles and send them back if they don’t fit is amazing!” And she’s similarly enthusiastic about the service she received. “Shae at The Saddle Hub was so wonderful to deal with. I explained what my problems were and she recommended an Amerigo Classic. We discussed other saddles and she measured them all and suggested several others which she then sent to me. But in the end, I settled for the Amerigo.” But Diane is not only delighted with her entire Saddle Hub experience, she is also over the moon with the end result. “The outcome from all of this is that my hip hardly gives me any problems at all. I cannot believe that there’s such a difference, and even my horses are going better. I’m loving riding now – it’s all pleasure and no pain.” The Equestrian Hub has a wide variety of second-hand saddles, so be sure to visit www.equestrianhub.com.au and browse through their fantastic range. All saddles come with a two-week trial, finance options, and a courier right to your door.
92 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
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newrybarproduce.com.au H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 93
H O R S E S I N H I S TO R Y
Bill the Bastard War Horse The huge Waler stood just over 17hh and nobody could ride him. He was wild, cantankerous and stubborn. Which is why, writes N.G. QUINLAN, in typical Aussie style, they called him Bill the Bastard.
O
ver 130,000 Walers – so called because they were bred in New South Wales – were sent overseas during the early years of WWI. Known to be rugged and dependable, they were originally bred as stockmen’s horses, but saw service in some of the fiercest battles the Anzacs ever fought, including the Gallipoli campaign and the Battle of Romani. Bill the Bastard was one of those Walers.
94 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
Bill landed in Egypt and was taken to the shores of Gallipoli, where he was wounded twice as he walked between Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove. One of the wounds was declared inoperable and the bullet was never removed. When a stretcher-bearer named John Simpson Kirkpatrick (the famous ‘Man with the Donkey’) was fatally wounded on May 19th 1915, it was Bill who carried his body from the battlefield. As Bill recuperated from his wounds, he drew the attention of Major Michael Shanahan of the 2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment. Shanahan was something of a horse whisperer himself, and soon began to bond with Bill by taking him on walks and speaking softly to him. It is said that the Major kept a supply of liquorice allsorts in his pocket, often giving them to Bill as the two of them walked together. Eventually Bill allowed Major Shanahan to saddle and ride him. The Major was the only man ever to do so without Bill bucking him off. Bill the Bastard’s finest hour came on August 5th 1916, during the Battle of Romani in Egypt. Major Shanahan had managed to talk Captain Paterson into allowing him to ride Bill into battle. With the blistering midsummer sun blazing down and bullets and shrapnel whipping through the air around them, Shanahan and Bill saw four Tasmanian soldiers – some reports say it was five – whose horses had either been killed or had run off in the tumult of battle. The Major rode over to them and swung one man up on the saddle behind him. With the other soldiers hanging from Bill’s stirrups, the mighty war horse carried them all to safety across five kilometres of blazing sand.
Bill began his military service in 1914 at Liverpool Army Camp southwest of Sydney. Several horsemen attempted to tame him, yet all failed. Bill was declared to be unrideable and was relegated to service as a packhorse. If any soldier boasted about his riding expertise, he would be taken to Bill and told to ride him. Many a proud horseman ended up with his backside in the dirt after Bill had bucked him out of the saddle. When war was declared in July 1914, Bill was taken to Albany in Western Australia and loaded onto the Leviathan, a threedeck transport ship. He and many other horses sailed to the Middle East under the care of a horse master named Andrew Paterson, otherwise known as ‘Banjo’. The popular bush poet, who had some years earlier been a war correspondent during the Boer War, soon became aware of Bill’s intractable nature. Paterson, who went on to command the Australian Remount Squadron, wrote in his diary: “You can’t lead Bill the Bastard to anything, and you
certainly can’t make him drink.”
TOP: Major Michael Shanahan and Bill. ABOVE: Severely wounded in the Battle of Romani, Major Shanahan’s leg was later amputated.
Major Shanahan rode back into the battle and was wounded in the left leg by gunfire. He passed out in the saddle, yet Bill bore him safely back to his own lines. A lesser horse may have been spooked and lost his unconscious rider, but Bill saved Shanahan’s life. Unfortunately the Major’s wound was significant and his left leg had to be amputated at the knee. However, he survived the operation and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery during the fight. He was repatriated to Australia, where he died in
H O R S E S I N H I S TO R Y
Sculptor Carl Valerius and Wendy Tuckerman, Member for Goulburn, with the life-size bronze statue of Bill the Bastard. INSET: The cover of Roland Perry’s definitive biography, Bill the Bastard.
1964 at the age of 94. Of the thousands of Walers who saw military service in the Middle East, only one was brought home to Australia: a bay named Sandy, the favourite charger of Major General Sir William Bridges, commander of the 1st Australian Division. The rest of the horses were either sold off by the British Army or were put down by the soldiers, who did not want them to be
mistreated or used as beasts of burden. Many soldiers said that of all the difficult tasks they had to perform during the war, shooting their horses was the hardest. Bill the Bastard lived out his life in Turkey and died there in 1924, at the age of 21 years. He is buried at Walker’s Ridge in Gallipoli. The legend
of Bill the Bastard has been immortalised in poetry, sculpture and books. In 2012, Australian poet Maureen Clifford wrote a 14 stanza poem dedicated to Bill and in the same year, Roland Perry published Bill the Bastard, the definitive biography of this great horse. In the town of Murrumburrah in New South Wales there stands a recently unveiled life-size bronzed sculpture of Bill, complete with rider and soldiers hanging off each side. Artworks such as these will ensure that the name of Bill the Bastard will be forever listed among the heroes of ANZAC. H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 95
20 QUESTIONS
20 Questions with Vicki Roycroft She’s a legend - no doubt about it, but now it’s our turn to get show jumper Vicki Roycroft jumping through some hoops about her love of the sport. Q: Do you have a current favourite show jumping horse? A: Hmm. It’s a toss up between Dino (Dynamite Bay) and Lucy (Licaviv), but I love them all. Q: What time does your day start, and end? A: With horses there're never set times. Feed up is at 7.30 in the morning here. During the summer we often have a big break on the hot days in the middle of the day to avoid the heat, then finish later. In winter, we finish when it's dark. Q: What do you think are things that can give you an edge as a competitive
Mount White property. Q: Who was your very first horse? A: Gazelle was a hand-medown jumping pony from my sister Joanne, who was just a superstar. Never knew how to stop and took me around Royal Show Juniors when I didn’t have a clue. Q: Who do you most look up to in the equestrian world? A: It’s a toss up between Bill Roycroft and George Morris. They were both superlative mentors. As I tell students, I
rider – rider fitness for example?
don’t have an original thought
A: These days it is so highly competitive
in my head; all my knowledge
that attention to detail is even more
has come principally from
important. Rider fitness is important,
these two fabulous men, in
but not as much as horse fitness, soundness, correct shoeing and studding at comps. Correct preparation
amongst the other amazing horsemen
CSIO in 1987. In the field of 50 odd horses there was the 1984 Olympic Gold
and women I have been privileged to
Medallist, Joe Fargis on Touch of Class,
work with.
the 1988 Olympic Gold Medallist Pierre Durand and Jappeloup, and the then
at home and in warm up so your horse
Q: If you could have, or breed, your
goes into the ring in his best physical
dream horse what would it be?
and mental frame.
A: I always loved Ratina Z. Hot like I love
Burdsall on The Natural. And it was won
them, super careful and scopey.
by a little Australian failed racehorse
Q: What is your favourite
called Apache.
competition memory?
Q: What are your short-term goals?
Q: When you’re not riding, how do you relax? A: I love mowing my jumping paddock and generally looking after my beautiful 96 | H O R S E V I B E S M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 0
A: Winning the Grand Prix at Rome
current World Cup champion Katherine
A: Doing a few more World Cups this
20 QUESTIONS
year on Dino. Q: What are your long-term goals? A: Bit hard to determine at my age!
would you choose?
about yourself?
A: I had my turn at eventing. I was in the
A: Not much.
1984 Olympic Team and I loved it, but we couldn’t afford to keep doing it in those
Q: Do you have any foods you eat, or
days.
don’t eat, before a competition?
Q: If you had to stop riding completely,
A: No, but I have to eat!
what would you do? A: Go completely bat shit crazy.
Q: If you were to give one piece of advice to a young show jumper what would it be? A: Work hard and listen and learn from the best people who have proven track records. Q: If you had to switch disciplines, what
Q: What is the wisest piece of advice you’ve ever received? A: When in doubt, kick! Q: What are you most looking forward to during the rest of the year? A: Doing some World Cups with Dino. Q: What are the things you like most
Q: What are the things you like least about yourself? A: Stubborn, tend to open my mouth when I should shut up. Q: If you could change one thing in your life what would it be? A: Maybe I should have stayed in Europe longer to compete and learn. But I love Australia and Mt White too much to be away for too long. Q: What is your go-to motto, to keep you going? A: Don’t let the turkeys get you down. H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 97
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Get them off to a great start Get them off to a great start
Nutrition plays a critical role in assessing and formulating the Nutrition plays critical rolevitamins in assessing formulating the health right balance ofanutrients, andand minerals for the right balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals for the health and wellbeing of your foal, and it is at the heart of everything we do. and wellbeing of your foal, and it is at the heart of everything we do.
Fully fortified, BreedNN Grow supports horses Fully fortified,Barastoc Barastoc Breed Grow supports youryour horses from conception through to gestation, into the first few from conception through to gestation, into the first few yearsyears of of growth, conditioning feed stallions. growth,and andas as a conditioning feed forfor stallions. What willititdo? do? What will Low starch formula to assist in reducing
Low starch formula to assist in reducing growth and developmental disorders growth and developmental disorders Antioxidants to support a young immune system
Antioxidants to support a young immune system
Enhanced mineral levels for bone development and density
Enhanced mineral levels for bone development and density
Balanced to ensure the right balance of nutrients in every mouthful
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RID22173
Balanced to ensure the right balance of nutrients in every mouthful SOCIAL SCENE
SOCIAL SCENE
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horses come first
horses come f
For more information on our products, call: 1300 666 657 visit: barastochorse.com.au • email: enquiries@ridley.com.au
For more information on our products, call: 1300 66 visit: barastochorse.com.au • email: enquiries@ridley.co 16/4/20 8:39 am