Show Circuit Magazine - February/March 2020 by Show Circuit Magazine

DAVID WOOLLEY - THE BEST IS YET TO COME | SHOW JUMPING TRAINING WITH LISA COUPE

SHOWCIRCUIT NEW ZEALANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ULTIMATE EQUESTRIAN MAGAZINE

Inspiring Women EMELIA FORSYTH DREAMS DO COME TRUE

UP THE TEMPO WITH

CHRISTINE WEAL

KIMBERLEY BIRD MY PRIZED POSSESSION

STEVE HOUSTON

A HEART FOR HORSEMANSHIP

DRESSAGE TRAINING WITH

MELISSA GALLOWAY

MOTIVATING INTERVIEWS

MR NICE GUY DAVID JONES-PARRY

Leesa Banicevich hard work pays off

Live Love Ride

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT HORSE OF THE YEAR SITE: G09-13 EQUILINE + ANIMO + SERGIO GRASSO SAMSHIELD + FLECK + MANDTIS SPURS GPA + ANNA SCARPATI + LORENZINI

stirrupsnz.com | 09 523 2563 facebook stirrupsnz | instagram stirrupsnz

ThE gLOvE SpECIALISTS for 180 years. Exclusive to Zilco NZ Ltd.

AVAILABLE NoW

IF IT’S BRANDED ZILCO, IT’S BRANDED QUALITY. Zilco NZ Ltd: [t] +64 3 381 0270 | [e] sales@zilco.co.nz | [w] www.zilco.net Available from participating saddlery outlets in New Zealand. Exclusive to Zilco NZ Ltd. Roeckl joins our list of select brands for 2020.

zilco.net

SPORTS II

CAVALLINO SPORTS II RANGE BREECHES • Full seat silicon grip breech with zip closure phone pockets • Made from Micro-Polyester composite fabric • Available in Navy or White with contrast piping detail. • $166.50 RIDING JACKET • Medium weight, made from a polyester and elastane composite fabric • Large pockets for your smartphone and more. • Available in Navy • $129.50 RIDING SHIRT • Lightweight and breathable Micropolyester spandex composite shirt. • Available in Graphite • $79.50

Arion EFV Ltd | 0800 65 9900 | sales@arionefv.co.nz www.arionefv.co.nz

WHEN QUALITY & NUTRITIONAL VALUE MATTER. CopRice R — Rice Bran is an ultra high fat extruded feed supplement, made with Australian stabilised rice bran. An exceptionally ‘cool’ energy-dense feed, rich in protein, amino acids, fatty acids and natural antioxidants, it is ideal to support muscle development, topline and conditioning. Suitable for horses and ponies of all disciplines and life stages.

Exceptionally cool energy-dense extruded feed Quality sources of protein, for muscle build, tissue repair and hoof integrity Natural antioxidant, gamma oryzanol, to support immunity and assist with muscular problems such as ‘tying up’ Natural vitamin E for aiding neuromuscular function Rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, to support heart and blood vessel health, topline and conditioning B-group vitamins to support metabolic function

14.5 DE

FOR MAINTENANCE & HEALTHY METABOLISM

OIL

FOR MUSCLE BUILD & TISSUE REPAIR

ENERGY

PROTEIN

13%

MJ/kg

17%

FOR CONDITIONING & COAT HEALTH

For more information www.coprice.co.nz

WE’RE SERIOUS ABOUT EQUINE NUTRITION

Beautiful Country Homes, bespoke Barns, Stables and Equestrian Facilities

The Newbury Barn, with Stables.

Happy Client Rod Stewart enjoying the Waddesdon Stable

Civil.

Country Homes.

Barns.

Stables.

Arenas & Riding Tracks.

Building Platforms

Minor Dwellings

Classic Car & Boat display

Private & Commercial

Ebb & Flow

Driveways

Workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Accommodation

Tractor & Implement storage

Accommodation

Variety of surface options

Drainage

Country Cottages

Combined use facilities

Truck Storage

Irrigation & Drainage

Contouring & Landscaping

Opulent Country Homes

Stable Accessories

Landscaping & Fencing

Wine Cellars

Equine Health Equipment

Thank you to all of our wonderful clients, riders, and supply partners, who have shared a successful 2019 with us. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season. The team at Harrison Lane

09-947 9178 021 722 578 laurad@harrisonlane.co.nz www.harrisonlane.co.nz

CONNECTION YOU CAN FEEL The Collegiate Dressage Saddle range is terrific value and crafted from the finest leather, that’s soft and supple for comfort from the very first ride. Unparalleled attention to detail with large knee block and deep seat for extra stability, a generous channel for a comfortable fit on your horse and traditional flocked panels. With our quick changeable gullet to custom-fit to your horse – all add up to the perfect riding position. Plus, for peace of mind, the range also comes with a 2-year saddle guarantee and 10-year tree warranty. It’s more than a better ride. It’s a greater bond.

collegiatesaddlery.co.nz

Saddles

•

Bridlewear

•

Accessories

EQUILIBRIUM AUSTRALIA IT’S ALL IN THE BALANCE

“Keeping supplementation simple since 2001”

The Everyday Supplement Solution.

Equilibrium Mineral Mix and B1 Cool Mix contain nutrients essential for supporting: Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø

Coat condition and shine. Healthy hooves. Body condition and muscle development. Recovery from work. Supporting optimal health and well being. B1 Cool Mix does all of the above AND may help calm nervous or excitable horses. 0800 442 450 │ sales@equiaustralia.com.au

For product & nutrition advice

www.equiaustralia.com.au

We’re here for the good of the country. FMG1024SCFP

IED CUS TISF TO SA

ERS M

H INS OM URANCE T E & CONTEN

If your horse could choose an insurer, we’re sure they’d pick FMG. After all, we’re the country’s leading rural insurer, specialising in covering against risks specific to life on the land—like horses, fences and liability. But we also provide great cover for your personal needs like home, contents (including your horse accessories) and vehicles (which includes horse floats). So get in touch with the insurer your horse would give the nod to. Call us on 0800 366 466 or visit fmg.co.nz

MO ST

INSURANCE YOUR HORSE WOULD ENDORSE.

EVERYDAY EQUINE SUPERFOOD. Forage feed is the most essential part of any equine diet and needs to be the foundation ingredient in every horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meal, everyday. When you feed your horse Fiber Fresh, you can be assured that you are giving them the very best for optimal health and performance. For advice, or to find out more about Fiber Freshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of products, contact your local area consultant. Available from your nearest rural or equestrian supplier. www.fiber-fresh.com

P: (09) 298 7094 E: sales@amssaddlery.co.nz

www.amssaddlery.co.nz

WELCOME

FROM MY DESK

Inspiration is a word we often use when talking about those who feature on the pages of Show Circuit magazine. A quick Google search reveals a number of definitions for the word inspiration. One that struck a chord explained the word ‘inspire’ comes from the Latin word that means to inflame or to blow on to. When you inspire something, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. Inspiration can come from many places – a quote, a kind word, a person, or, in this issue’s case, we always are spoilt for choice with the equestrains we interview. A must read is Cheyenne Nicholson’s feature on inspiring women in our sport. From the legendary veteran Merran Hain, who continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the ring, to CatWalk founder Catriona Williams, who has worked tirelessly towards the goal of getting people out of wheelchairs and back on their feet, as well as Jonelle Price, Tinks Pottinger, Vicki Wilson and Jacque McKinley, they are certainly women who spark inspiration in our community. Throughout their equestrian careers the six women profiled have inspired many riders. While they all have different stories to tell, they are bound together by their determination, hard work and willingness to learn and most of all, the help and advice they give to other riders. As well, there are plenty of other inspirational interviews in this issue. You’ll find Geraldine horseman Steve Houston, who has developed a true heart for horsemanship through his career, starting more than 3000 horses under saddle using his gentle approach. Despite his long career, Steve remains humble about his achievements and prides himself on the fact he remains committed to learning and continually expanding his knowledge. We profile young show jumper Emelia Forsyth, who is making her mark on this season’s World Cup series with her special mare, Henton Faberge. Initially meant to be a short term ride, Emelia and the chestnut mare clicked instantly and have progressed rapidly up the grades. They’re certainly a combination to keep an eye on for the future. And let’s hear it for the greys! Grey horses feature in all three of our training clinics – in our dream lesson with Lisa Coupe, the accomplished show jumper helps a young rider with jumping with confidence. Grand Prix dressage rider and coach, Melissa Galloway, explains what constitutes quality of each movement, and how to develop that quality. And in Up the Tempo our trainer Christine Weal addresses how to achieve rhythm and forwardness in showing and dressage – the key to your riding success, whatever the discipline. Another grey making waves is the scopey Cera Cassina, ridden by Ashburton’s Kimberley Bird. The combination bagged victory in the Taupo round of the FEI World Cup series, in just their second start at this level. We profile Kimberley and her pathway to the top. On the cover, you’ll see the striking RP Ricochet, owned by Leesa Banicevich at Regent Park. Inside, you can read about Leesa’s approach to breeding a purpose-bred show horse, and her successes both here and across the ditch. We wish you all the best for the business end of the season, and hope you’ve had the chance to enjoy some long hot summer days adventuring with your four-legged friends.

Sheryll Davies, Publisher COVER IMAGE RP RICOCHET (Burren dah The Wizard x Sherwood Spellbound) Bred by Regent Park IMAGE Christine Cornege

WAIATA PUBLISHING LTD PO Box 1245, Pukekohe, Auckland 2340

EDITOR

Rebecca Harper editor@showcircuit.co.nz

SENIOR WRITER Cheyenne Nicholson

WRITERS

Ashleigh Kendall Diana Dobson Megan Gundesen Pip Hume Nicola Smith

SUB EDITING Kerry Sutherland Lisa Potter

DESIGN

Sheryll Davies

PHOTOGRAPHERS Belinda Pratt Photography Caitlin Beezie Photography Cheleken Photography Cornege Photography Dark Horse Photography Kampic.com Kelly Wilson Kimi Knight Photography Libby Law Photography Michelle Clarke Photography Paula Williams Photography Take the Moment Photography

ADVERTISING

Sheryll Davies sheryll@showcircuit.co.nz

MAGAZINE ENQUIRIES enquiries@showcircuit.co.nz

WEBSITE

www.showcircuitmagazine.com

ABOUT SHOWCIRCUIT

Our magazine is published bi-monthly. Articles reflect the personal opinion of the author and not necessarily the view of Waiata Publishing Ltd. This publication cannot be reproduced in whole or in part in any way without the publisher’s express written permission. All contributions are submitted at the sender’s risk. Waiata Publishing Ltd accepts no responsibility for loss or damage.

w w w . s c s a d d l e r y . c o . n z SHOP ONLINE

NATIONWIDE DELIVERY

COME AND VIST OUR TRADE STAND AT HORSE OF THE YEAR 2020! WE HAVE LOADS OF EXICTING NEW PRODUCTS ON OFFER!

South Canterbury Saddlery

300 Hilton Highway, Washdyke Timaru

E: sales@scsaddlery.co.nz

P: 03 688 2555

IN THIS ISSUE FEBRUARY | MARCH 2020

OUR PEOPLE 16 22 28 36 54 58 64 68 74 78

TRAINING 84 Lisa Coupe | Show Jumping for Success 94 Christine Weal | Up the Tempo 104 Melissa Galloway | Developing Quality

IN EACH ISSUE 110 Insider's Shopping Guide 130 Subscribe

FEATURES

42 Six Inspiring Equestrian Women 126 Build Stronger Bones 129 Recipe

84 54

104

F O U R P O I N T S F O R S U PA J O I N T S S

5 ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

SUPA CONCENTRATED

FANTASTIC RESULTS FAST

LOW DOSE - GREAT VALUE!

Available at leading feed and saddlery stores P: 0272 827 944 Ä± For online information & web store:

www.eliteequine.co.nz

INTERVIEW

WORDS Diana Dobson COMPETITION IMAGES Eye Witness Photography AT HOME IMAGES Michelle Clarke Photography

Kimberley Bird may have cut her teeth charging bareback around a farm during her “idyllic” childhood, but these days she’s a far more elegant figure, making waves at the top of New Zealand’s showjumping world.

PRIZED

POSSES

SSION

“We had an awesome upbringing, surrounded by just about any animal you can think of.”

he 23-year-old Ashburton rider is still on cloud nine after winning the POLi Payments FEI World Cup round at the Taupo Christmas Classic aboard her Australian-import Cera Cassina. “It was just amazing,” Kimberley says, “and still a bit unreal. I mean, of course, I was always going out there to win it, but honestly, I would have been stoked with a lower placing considering how much experience she’d had at that height.” That will to win and very grounded attitude has been entrenched in her from way back. She was one of five siblings growing up on the family farm in Chertsey, Canterbury. “We had an awesome upbringing, surrounded by just about any animal you can think of. Jaimee (her younger sister) and I were quite the wee ferals, opting to ride bareback 95% of the time and galloping around the lawn. As kids, we spent a lot of time outside and because we weren’t too far from the township we constantly had friends around.” It was a chaotic but fun time. “Jaimee and I would be hooning around on ponies, dodging kids and animals as we went, with other kids there kicking balls around and the dogs chasing those and stealing them. Others would be sliding down the treehouse ramp on bikes or whatever else they could find. It was so much fun.”

Party Pony Pixie

Her first pony was Pixie, a 10hh coloured Shetland. “It was my fourth birthday party, and we were outside eating at the picnic table when Pixie pushes in between us kids and starts eating the food!” Pixie always made the most of every opportunity, including rushing inside whenever the door was left open. “I honestly don’t know how mum and dad did it with all of us kids.” All five kids played at least two sports, with Jaimee and Kimberley also doing singing and dancing lessons. “After school time was nuts.” But it was ponies to the fore, and Kimberley says they were lucky to have their adopted Uncle Rodger (Briggs) step in and help. In the weekends, dad Alan would take the boys out on their motorbikes, while mum Kate would take Kimberley showjumping and Uncle Rodger would take Jaimee to Pony Club events.

Early on, Kimberley decided she wasn’t so keen on the world of showing and her cheeky Welsh pony Jonny didn’t help matters. “It was probably made worse by the fact that Jaimee was the cute wee dot with some super ponies who would bring home champions. I’d only manage to come home with minor placings.” That said, those tricky early ponies taught her determination and stickability. The first pony to ignite her passion for jumping was the “super cool” 13.2hh English riding pony Glencree Watermark – or Marcus to his mates. He’s still in the family, teaching Kimberley’s youngest cousin how to become a star. Kimberley dabbled in eventing, hunting, round the ring hunter classes at A&P Shows, Pony Club, including competing in the Springston Trophy, and mounted games, in which she represented the South Island before deciding showjumping was the sport for her. “Showjumping is very black and white,” she says. “You either leave the rails up, or you knock them down. You make the time, or you have time faults – it is not someone’s opinion.” Jaimee also moved to showjumping and her big sister is the first one she turns to for advice.

“You either leave the rails up or you knock them down. You make the time or you have time faults – it is not someone’s opinion.”

“I do love producing my own horses from the start.”

Good Things Take Time

It is Kimberley’s fourth season with Cera Cassina – or Beezie as she is known at home. The mare was bought as a green five-year-old who had just had a foal, from Kerri Parker at Cera Performance Horses. “The funny thing was that it was the foal we were after, but it sold. Kerri mentioned she was going to sell the dam but being a bit hot-headed and opinionated, she wouldn’t sell her to just anyone.” It took a while for Kimberley to convince Beezie that they needed to work as a team, but once it clicked, they were away. “We had our battles to start with, both of us wanting to be the boss and neither giving an inch.” The Birds have remained good friends with the Parkers too. “Kerri loves hearing about Beezie or any of her other ‘kids’. She is so passionate about breeding quality horses and loves to follow them through their careers.” Kimberley wouldn’t usually have come north so early in the season, preferring to wait for Takapoto Estate and the Horse of the Year Show, but Beezie showed she was ready to catch a few World Cup rounds and get some experience in the bigger classes. “She is probably the most scopey horse I have ever ridden. It’s funny as she has never had to really try until she stepped up to World Cup level. She tends to play around in the other heights like it is a bit of a game.” As well as Beezie, Kimberley has some exciting youngsters coming through the ranks including Roxette ECPH who recently stepped up to the CSI1* 1.40m classes and two four-year-old geldings, which she will bring out next season.

The Birds are also dabbling in the breeding game, using Kimberley’s retired Grand Prix/Young Rider mare Ngahiwi Summer. Last season she had an ES Diamant B colt and on Christmas Eve another colt, this time to Bravado Ego Z. “I do love producing my own horses from the start,” she says. “It is so satisfying and a lot easier than dealing with issues created by others. A number of horses we have bought in the past have had issues that were undisclosed at the time of purchase and have taken me a lot of time to re-train.” Kimberley, who has four times made the ESNZ Talent ID Squad, wants to continue to produce quality horses through the heights. “If I don’t have the funds to take them overseas myself, I would love to sell them offshore to compete in the big leagues.” As a youngster, she did compete overseas, as part of the winning under-15 New Zealand team in South Africa in 2011 and between 2012 and 2017 in the South Island Young Rider team to take on Victoria. In 2015, she based herself in the Netherlands for three months to learn as much as she could and compete in 1.30m classes at CSI shows.

Image: Kampic.com

“ it is more about keeping a balance between life and riding, and not get too stuck with it.”

Keeping Grounded

Kimberley splits her time between her 10-hectare home base in Willowby, Ashburton, and the 800-hectare family farm in Kurow, where she runs her youngsters. She works as a stock hand at Five Star Beef in the mornings with her little Standardbred Spartacus, dealing with up to 20,000 cattle, then heads home to ride three to six horses

in the afternoon. With the support of Five Star, she is also studying a Sheep and Beef Management course through ITO. Kimberley loves to help on the family farm at Kurow when she can too. “It is run by my oldest brother Nick and dad is constantly back and forth between the properties. I love going down there any chance I can to give a hand. It is an awesome community with some great people. If I wasn’t riding, I would probably be farming or something to do with stock in agriculture.” Balance in life is important to Kimberley. “It has played on my mind to ride full-time, but I think it is more about keeping a balance between life and riding, and not get too stuck with it.” She’s trained mostly by Jeff McVean but likes to pick the positives where she can from others too. “I think you can learn something from everyone.” She draws inspiration from the likes of Scott Brash, Marcus Ehning and Beezie Maddon and credits her mum, Kate, as the one who has influenced her the most. “There have been a number who have helped influence where I am with my riding today, but my mother would have to take the cake. She taught me right from the start that if you want something, you work for it. We didn’t have the money for the nicest of ponies, but she would still get me lessons with Grant Cashmore and Jennie Pike. That helped me expand my knowledge, shape my riding and learn how to get the best out of my horses. Her support has been huge, I know I am very lucky.” C

INTERVIEW WORDS Cheyenne Nicholson AT HOME IMAGES Cornege Photography

hard work PAYS OFF

REGENT PARK is renowned for breeding and producing some of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful show horses. The stud, which moved to Cambridge two years ago, has gone from strength to strength since its beginnings in 1991. Owner Leesa Banicevich (Anderson) says a key part of her success is her drive to continue learning.

This page - RP GLADIATOR by BURREN DAH THE WIZARD x GLAMAZON RP Right - RP PROVIDENCE (BURREN DAH THE WIZARD x CS PRIMADONNA)

“I’m always watching horses, studying them and looking at ways that I can improve my breeding programme.”

This page - The stunning stables at Regent Park will be completed with a new internal fit-out this year. Opposite page - RP GLADIATOR led by Leesa (BURREN DAH THE WIZARD x GLAMAZON RP) Right above - RP RICOCHET (BURREN DAH THE WIZARD x SHERWOOD SPELLBOUND)

ith an ex-rodeo rider for a father and parents who were very passionate about breeding and showing Arabian horses, it was a natural turn of events when Leesa got her first pony at age five. “My first pony was called Cashmere, he was an ex-riding school pony and knew all the tricks. My dad said to me if I could learn to stay on him and ride him well, then he’d get my next pony. “I rode my parents’ Derivative ponies when I was younger but I think one of the coolest things I’ve done outside of Regent Park is work on Xena: Warrior Princess as a wrangler. I did a few parts in that and Hercules and even doubled for Xena a few times. It was a really nice few years of my life and just such a cool experience!” After working for Pacific Renaissance film company on Xena and other television shows, Leesa started to feel like she no longer created the picture she wanted to present aboard her show horses. “When I finished Xena I didn’t compete on a horse again. I didn’t feel like I was a ‘pretty’ rider anymore. I’m a very competitive person, and I like to make sure everything is perfect. I knew I could get a horse looking amazing in terms of condition and turn out, but I knew I wasn’t the person to sit aboard them in the ring.” Since then, Leesa focused on breeding, showing in hand, re-training off the track Thoroughbreds and producing horses; but

now, 15 years later, Leesa has found herself back in the saddle. Wanting to make a name for her stud in Australia, she purchased an off the track Thoroughbred two years ago, who raced under the name Tartan Warrior. Now known as Revelry RP, he’s made waves in the Australian showing circuit with a string of winning titles to his name and promoting the Regent Park name. Ridden by Ali Berwick, Revelry edged out a field of Victoria’s best show horses to land the coveted Off the Track State Final at the Victorian Saddle Horse Championships in 2019 as well as the Off the Track Class at Equitana (Australia) in November 2018. Another OTT horse that Leesa discovered took out the same title at the NZ Equitana, proving she has an eye for a superstar. In 2019, Revelry made the trip over the ditch to Regent Park. “It was never my intention to bring him back here and ride him. But he’s so quiet and has been so well-schooled he just seemed like the perfect horse to get me back in the saddle.” The now nine-year-old had 24 starts and won around $50,000 in prize money during his career. “Even though I had ridden my whole life, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the saddle. I know they say you never forget, but it does take time to come back. I think now being a mum, it’s not just me to worry about if I get injured, so that plays a role in things too.” With Leesa eyeing up the competition arena again soon, she’s spent a lot of time reflecting on the industry that she lives and breathes.

She admits that while she loves her job, it can be easy to lose sight of the ‘why’ behind it all — especially when faced with the negativity that can arise in the industry. “I’m the sort of person that if anyone reaches out for help, whether it’s conditioning, producing a young horse or breeding advice , I’m always willing to give my time and help if I can because that’s what it’s all about. Sharing knowledge and supporting each other.” While Leesa recounts the many calls and messages she’s received from clients who’ve gone on to find success with horses she has bred or produced, and people she’s helped along the way, she excuses herself for getting so emotional, a testament to her passion for her work. “I had one day a few weeks ago where I swear everything just went from bad to worse. I got in and had a excited phone call from a lady who had bought a young horse off me , and she had won Supreme ridden at his 4th show, and I remember thinking, that phone call, made the entire day just fall away because that’s what it’s about. I love helping other people achieve their dreams! “I think showing at the moment is at a critical point, it is really tough at the moment and it’s a bit of a dying sport. I think it will keep going that way if the current negativity keeps going. People forget why we all got into showing, isn’t it for our love of horses, at the end of the day it’s just a shiny bit of satin, we all love to win and do well, but at what cost?”

“I’m the sort of person that if anyone reaches out for help, whether it’s conditioning, producing a young horse or breeding advice , I’m always willing to give my time and help if I can because that’s what it’s all about. Sharing knowledge and supporting each other.”

ALL IN THE GENES With age, comes wisdom. With time, comes experience. Now a well-established breeder and producer, Leesa often reflects on how much she’s learned over the years. “I think as you go, you learn a lot. Looking back at my first mare I bred, RP Integrity, she was an Arabian Derivative, and looking at what I breed and produce now, it’s changed a bit as I’ve gone along and learned new things. I’m a very analytical person; I tend to pick things apart in a horse. I definitely have a ‘type’!” Regent Park was ‘officially’ started in 1991 with the birth of RP

Integrity with one aim in mind; to breed purpose-bred park hacks and show hacks. “I realised earlier on that if you wanted to have a park hack or show hack, you generally had to get an OTTB, so I decided to look at breeding purpose bred ‘Show Horses’ and the rest is history.” Walking into Leesa’s broodmare paddock, you’ll be greeted with horses of all colours. But look closely, and some common threads make for the foundation of champion horses that walk through the gates of Regent Park. “I love a horse with a big front that sits up in the bridle, one that covers the ground with a lot of leg under them, good legs and a beautiful head. “I’m always watching horses, studying them and looking at ways that I can improve my breeding programme. I have a wonderful collection of broodmares mares right now, and I think the success we’ve had in winning National titles and Young Stock Led Show Horse of the year five times with horses that I’ve bred or are by my stallion, really backs up that we are making good decisions and are on the right track.” While many put a heavy focus on the quality of the stallion, Leesa says people often underestimate the value of mares. “I always say your mares are your diamonds. Having really good quality mares is so important. Stallions aren’t miracle workers, and you have to be sensible about the matches you make. Breeding is still a gamble.” That’s not to say stallions are forgotten. Leesa attributes a large part of her success to her well-known stallion, Burren-dah The Wizard. The show hack sire has produced countless HOTY, National and Royal Champions in Australia and New Zealand. “He has really changed everything for me. He set the bar and is

leaving his own legacy now. He’s influenced not only show horses in New Zealand but also my own breeding programme heavily.”

A JUGGLING ACT As all equestrians know, whether you have one or 20 horses, it’s a full-time job. From feeding, mucking out and working horses, not to mention the extra added details that go into producing show horses, Leesa has her hands full. Add in her 20-month-old son, Raymond, and life is just that bit busier. “It’s incredibly hard work. I have one part-time staff here with me. Like lots of horse people, we don’t go away a lot. We currently have 25 horses on the property from broodmares and young stock to the three resident stallions, as well as a number of horses that are produced or agisted here on behalf of clients. It’s a very expensive, seven-day-a-week job; but we aren’t in this for the money. We’re in it because we love horses. “I’ll admit it’s been more difficult since I had Raymond. I used to work full-time as a New Zealand operations manager for a

“I always say your diamonds are your mares. Having a really good stock of foundation mares is so important. Stallions aren’t miracle workers, and you have to be sensible about the matches you make. Breeding is still a gamble.”

wholesale beauty company, and I did that for 15 years, but in many respects, I think that was easier! “I feel we have a really good team supporting us too. We have a new girl Bailey Gallagher working with me, and my husband is incredibly supportive. It’s been a little more challenging with breeding season, with 15 outside mares for the boys, but you just sort of find a way don’t you.” Always looking to the future and setting goals for herself, Leesa has her sights set on Australia as the next place to stamp her mark. 2019 saw three Regent Park horses sold into Australia, and Leesa is keen to see more cross the ditch in 2020. “I’d like to look at trying to sell more horses into Australia and also sending a Regent Park bred horse over there to compete each season. That’s a goal for me; it will really push my breeding programme and see where I’m sitting against show horses in Australia. Having sold three horses there already has been amazing, and it’s really flattering that people want to be part of what we are breeding. I never want to stop learning, and I’ll never stop being grateful for the success we’ve had.” C

INTERVIEW

Emelia

FORSYTH WORDS Rebecca Harper IMAGES Libby Law Photography

Dreams Do Come True WORDS Rebecca Harper IMAGES Christine Cornege

It was love at first ride when she sat on Henton Faberge. In less than a year, the combination has gone from jumping 1.10m to tackling World Cup tracks. The young showjumper canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see what the future holds for her and this special mare.

“We did our first 1.10 m in November last year, and it’s pretty crazy to think we are doing World Cups now.”

t’s the stuff dreams are made of – talented young rider gets offered temporary ride on a horse, they click instantly and progress up the grades like wildfire, owners decide she should keep the ride, and now they're jumping World Cup tracks. When Clevedon’s Emelia Forsyth, 20, was offered the ride on Henton Faberge, known as Dot, it was meant to be a shortterm relationship while Dot’s owner was overseas for six months on a university exchange. Bred and owned by the Sutton family of Henton Lodge Hanoverians, Dot was ridden by their daughter, Olivia. The 14-year-old mare is by For Edition, out of a Genius mare, Galatoire. “My sister is best friends with Olivia, and she was about to go on a university exchange to Stockholm. I was coming back from overseas, and she offered me her horse. Dot was a cute eventer and had showjumped to 1.25m. I had sold my Junior Rider horse, Leeston Eagle, and I thought, “Yeah, that would be cool.” “It was only meant to be for six months while Olivia was away. I got on the horse, and we just clicked. It was phenomenal. We did our first 1.10m in November last year, and it’s pretty crazy to think we are doing World Cups now.” Dot had never jumped higher than 1.25m previously, and Emelia says that she has an interesting jump. “She doesn’t show off, but as soon as we jumped our first 1.30m round, oh my gosh, that’s when I knew: this horse is amazing – 100%. The bigger the jumps, the better she jumped. She doesn’t start flicking that beautiful back end until the jumps are 1.30–1.40 m. “She’s powerful, and you can feel the power straight away. She walks with personality and determination. She’s sassy and marey, but as soon as you get on her, her ears are pricked, and she’s looking for the next fence or job. She’s so brave and gives you an amazing

“Every rider dreams of getting to that level in your country, but I’m definitely a very realistic person." feeling heading into a fence.” In her wildest dreams, Emelia never expected that she’d be getting a World-Cupcapable horse. “Every rider dreams of getting to that level in your country, but I’m definitely a very realistic person. I knew I couldn’t go and buy a World Cup horse. I had hoped and dreamed, 100%, of doing those heights. You watch the classes and those riders and think, ‘I want to do that’.” When Olivia returned in early 2019, they had completed their first 1.40m. “Olivia came home and saw how great Dot was going, so she allowed me to continue riding her. I can’t really describe it, and I fell in love with Dot the first time I went into the ring with her. I prepared myself, at the end of the season: she’s not mine, don’t get too infatuated! So to have this happen is so amazing, and her owners have been nothing but awesome.” Emelia and Dot tackled their first World Cup at Hawke’s Bay in October and have since contested the Taranaki leg, too. “At Hawke’s Bay, people said it was the biggest World Cup track they’d seen in New Zealand, and that frightened me a bit. Mum walked the course with me and said I was crazy. She was fully ready to tell the secretary’s office we were pulling out. I was a mix of nervous and excited.” Emelia and Dot had never jumped a fence at 1.60m before they entered the ring.

“With her, every time we step up a level, it just works. I had thought if we were struggling, I would leave the ring. I wasn’t in it to win it; I was in it for the horse. I knew it could go terribly, and she might not be good enough to jump that high, or I might not be good enough. But nothing fazes her—she’s really brave and careful. I did take into consideration that I didn’t want to scare the horse, but luckily it went really well.” Emelia laughs when she talks about how crazy the whole situation sounds. “My mum, sister and I always liked Dot when Liv had her, but we never knew how good she was. I thought she could be an amazing 1.30m horse. I don’t get the perfect spots all the time, and she does it with ease.” The plan is to compete in the Taupo Christmas Classic World Cup round, but, unfortunately, a planned trip to Aquis in Australia has had to be shelved, as the show has been cancelled. “We’re trying to come up with a new plan now. In the meantime, we’ll keep going how we are and try to get better.”

In the blood It’s no surprise that Emelia has a strong affinity with horses; she grew up surrounded by them. Her mum was a 3* eventer, her dad played polo, and the family bred polo ponies. Emelia confesses that she wasn’t that interested in riding when she was younger.

“It was only when I got older and became stronger and could compete that I really got into it. "Now I’ve definitely specialised in showjumping, but growing up, everything was eventing. I only went to my first showjumping show when I was 14, and I just loved it. “It was mostly the fact I could jump to a really high level on a pony. I had a great pony called Soleado, and it was a thrill to do the big jumps on a tiny little pony.” She also loves the people who are involved in showjumping. “I’ve met some of my best friends through showjumping. I like the fast pace and being able to do three different competitions in a weekend; it’s really exciting. Eventing takes a whole weekend to complete one event. With showjumping, you wake up the next day, and it’s a clean slate. “I like that it’s black and white; no one’s judging; you knock a rail, or you don’t. You have a time fault, or you don’t.” While showjumping is her passion for now, Emelia definitely wants to get back into eventing. “I enjoy it, especially the cross country; it’s such a thrill. I have a young fiveyear-old Thoroughbred I’m currently doing the five-year-old classes on, and I think he’ll be the one to get back into it with. He’s such a sweetie.” While she hasn’t had a regular coach as such, her parents have been a big influence

“Obviously, I love the sport, but it’s the people who are great."

on her riding and her biggest supporters, though she admits she’s a typical girl who can’t listen to anything her mum says! “That pony, Soleado, really started everything. He was a dream. He wasn’t the cleanest or the most amazing, but he never stopped; he always gave 100%. He’s semi-retired at my parent’s place, and we’ll never sell him.”

After finishing school, Emelia spent a gap year overseas and worked in Sweden for Kiwi showjumper Bruce Goodin. She was fortunate to have the experience of grooming for Bruce at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon. “It was an amazing experience. We travelled from Sweden to Germany for the team camp. Seeing those riders training and preparing for such a big competition really drives me to want to do that sort of thing in the future. We flew to America and spent two weeks in North Carolina. It was an indescribable experience, to see all those riders you watch on the livestream on the Global Champions Tour in real life. “I definitely like to go outside my comfort zone. I chose Sweden initially because I love being in countries that don’t speak English. It’s definitely a big thing for me to travel more, and I’d love to travel with a horse, but obviously, everything needs to fall in place for that.” She has just completed her first year at Waikato University, where she is a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar, studying towards a Bachelor of Business Management with minors in Environmental Science and Economics. “I’d like to mesh all those things. I’m very open to what my job will be in the future; there’s nothing set in stone, but environmental factors are becoming so important in business, and I feel that’s the unique side to my degree.” She is fortunate to be able to keep one horse with her while at university, just four minutes down the road at eventer Clarke Johnstone’s property. Long term, she’s not sure where riding will take her, but she knows horses will always be part of her life. “There are a lot of elements that have to be right, and there’s funding it. I’m definitely a person who knows there are many opportunities out there and not to shut them off. Even saying ‘yes’ to taking Dot. I am open to taking risks and opportunities. “I think what has got me here is the people around me. I’m always a positive person and never want to get down on other people or see people do badly. I’ve always had great friends, and I think that’s what’s made me enjoy the sport 500 times more. Obviously, I love the sport, but it’s the people who are great. “My parents have been a big part of it. They never pushed me; they always say, ‘just have fun.’ Having my sister Georgina there too is so cool. We like helping each other, and we’ve always been more like friends than sisters. We work well together, and that’s a big part of why I enjoy myself.” Emelia is grateful to be sponsored by Cavalleria Toscana. C

ADVERTORIAL

Celebrating Celebrating excellence excellence WinningStud StudGroom Groomofofthe theYear Yearinin2019 2019was wasan an Winning amazingexperience experiencefor forWestbury’s Westbury’sStud StudGroom Groom amazing RebeccaSargent Sargentand andaasign signofofbig bigthings thingsto to Rebecca comeininher hercareer. career. come StudGroom Groomofofthe theYear Yearwas wasananawesome awesomeopportunity opportunityfor forme metotoexpand expand Stud myknowledge knowledgeofofequine equinenutrition nutritionand andsee seefirst-hand first-handsome someofofthe theamazing amazing my researchthat’s that’sbeing beingdone donearound aroundthe theworld worldbybyKentucky KentuckyEquine EquineResearch. Research. research WhenI got I gotthe thecall callabout aboutwinning, winning,I couldn’t I couldn’tbelieve believeit.it.The Thecalibre calibreofofentrants entrants When wasexceptionally exceptionallyhigh, high,sosoI was I wasjust justblown blownaway. away.That’s That’swhat’s what’ssosogreat great was aboutthe thecompetition. competition.It’s It’ssupporting supportingthe theindustry industryand andencouraging encouragingpeople people about lookdeeper deeperinto intoevery everyaspect aspectofofwhat whatmakes makesa ahealthy healthyhorse horseand andhow howwe we totolook canallallcontribute contributetotomore moreprofitable profitablestuds studsthroughout throughoutNew NewZealand. Zealand. can

Thework workwe wedo doisishard. hard.Not Noteveryone everyone The canget getup upatat5.30am 5.30amand andwork work can until5.00pm, 5.00pm,sosowinning winningStud StudGroom Groom until theYear Yearwas wasamazing amazingrecognition recognition ofofthe forallallthe thehard hardwork workand andofofcourse course for therewas wasthe thetrip triptotoAustralia. Australia.I I there gottotosee seethe thestallions stallionsand andassess assess got thecondition conditionofofthe thebroodmares broodmaresatat the WoodsidePark ParkStud. Stud.I studied I studiedfeeding feeding Woodside regimesatatGlenelg GlenelgPark Parkand andsaw saw regimes everypart partofofthe thebreeding breedingindustry industryatat every Godolphin,allallwith withPeter PeterHuntington Huntington– – Godolphin, HeadofofKER KERininMelbourne. Melbourne. Head

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN THE FIELD

“...the trip has made me realise exactly where my passion was in the industry and helped me see how to follow it.” 2019 Stud Groom of the Year Winner Rebecca Sargent

Stud Groom of the Year is designed to recognise and reward those working hard behind the scenes in our equine breeding industry.

I learnt so much from Peter and the trip has made me realise exactly where my passion was in the industry and helped me

APPLY TODAY! Applications open 20th January and close 29th February 2020. For more information visit www.nrm.co.nz/stud-groom-of-the-year *Terms and Conditions apply

see how to follow it. If you’re even slightly interested in taking part in the competition, I highly recommend you just go for it. The passion, dedication and long hours you put into your job is worth it and Stud Groom of the Year is an amazing way to recognise that.

PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

INTERVIEW

MR NICE GUY WORDS Pip Hume IMAGES Cornege Photography

THE NEW ZEALAND ‘FACE’ OF THE WEATHERBEETA GROUP, DAVID JONES-PARRY HAS A DESERVED REPUTATION AS AN ALLROUND NICE GUY. HE’S ALWAYS READY AND WILLING TO SHARE HIS EXPERTISE AND HELP IN ANY WAY HE CAN. lthough David came from a non-horsey family, horses have been a significant part of his life. “My aunt and uncle and their family were heavily involved with horses. It was from them and their generosity that my interest in horse and riding was sparked. I started riding when I was about 12, and when I was 16, I moved to live with them at their Kumeu property, and that’s when I realised how keen I was,” David recalls. “I went through Pony Club, went hunting and did a bit of dressage and showjumping, but it was eventing that really took my fancy.” When David left school after his seventh form year, he had no idea what he wanted to do, but a year spent working in a bank convinced him that was not the career path for him. “I spent every spare minute learning dressage tests for my next eventing competition, rather than ‘counting the money’, he laughs.

“...we are both very passionate about gardening, the New Zealand bush and birdlife.”

That realisation prompted him to set out for England on his OE, where he enrolled in a riding school, achieved his BHSAI teaching qualification and then worked with horses for another year. “When I came back to New Zealand I opened a riding school in Henderson Valley, teaching children to ride,” he continues. “That was an interesting time for me, and I soon realised that I had no idea what my income would be from day-today because if it rained, people didn’t turn up! So I began to supplement my income by working at the local saddlery in Valley Road, Henderson.”

A little history

In time, David decided to close the riding school and was offered a job at Chevalier Equestrian, working in their warehouse, where he worked his way up over five years to become their Sales Manager. “Back in those days, Chevalier had ten part-time sales representatives around New Zealand,” he remembers. “Then, in 1986, I had the opportunity of applying for the General Manager’s position of the New Zealand Branch of a new company, Butlers Equestrian Supplies, which was an amalgamation of New Zealand’s John Edward Butler and

Equestrian Supplies in Sydney. That company was then purchased by Horselands in Australia, who had a chain of saddlery stores throughout Australia.” David believes that this purchase was the best thing that ever happened to the New Zealand company. “Suddenly we were part of a much larger organisation, which provided massive opportunities on the global market. We really turned the corner when Horselands came along,” he says. For the first couple of years, the company retained the Equestrian Supplies name, then it was changed to Weatherbeeta, which is the name of the rug brand and also the company. These days, the company is referred to as The Weatherbeeta Group.

An education in saddle fitting

All through those early years, David had horses and was out competing. “I never reached any great heights but was competitive at 1* - and I loved it with a passion!” he says. “Competing at the three-day-event at Taupo was the highlight of my riding career. My finish wasn’t anything outstanding, but the thrill was the steeplechase phase. Coming out of the mist and going over those brush fences at speed was just incredible! “I evented, and my wife, Liz, did dressage. As my work gradually

“I took every opportunity to learn more about saddle fitting. It takes some time to develop an ‘eye’ and learn solutions to saddle fitting issues.” took over, however, I just didn’t have the time for competing, so I sold my horse. Liz continued riding and competing in the dressage arena, and I hunted her horse in the winter.” Then, about 25 years ago, the pair happened to go to a talk on saddle fitting. David says that at that time, it was a topic they hadn’t ever given a lot of thought. “We shared saddles, and if the saddle didn’t look quite right, we just added another pad! But when the presenter explained about correctly fitting saddles, it just made so much sense. We rushed home and grabbed Liz’s horse out of the paddock, put the saddle on without anything under it so we could see what was going on (another first!), and to my horror, there was a massive gap where the saddle was bridging. This poor horse was doing dressage in a really horrible fitting saddle! We employed a saddle fitting expert to sort it out, the horse was a lot more comfortable, and that was reflected in how he went. That’s what sparked my interest in saddle fitting.”

With his interest piqued, David began to get alongside some of the people who were talking about saddle fitting, learning a bit more here and there. His involvement with the Bates and Wintec saddle brands also allowed him to learn a lot more about the topic in that capacity. “Over the next few years, I took every opportunity to learn more about saddle fitting. It takes some time to develop an ‘eye’ and learn solutions to saddle fitting issues. Eventually, my role incorporated saddle fitting for the team of Bates sponsored riders around the world. These riders were at the top of their game on a global scale, and I regard it as an incredible privilege to have had the opportunity to get to know these riders and watch them at work over a 10-year period,” David comments. In 2002, he transferred with The Weatherbeeta Group to the United Kingdom, where he and Liz were based for two years. While there he joined the Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) and enrolled in their Foundation saddle fitting course.

“As I understand it, the course was designed because the SMS realised that while they were producing expert saddle makers through their apprenticeship training scheme and had been doing so for many years, in many cases, those expert saddle makers had never seen their saddles on an actual horse. So the Saddle Fitting training course and qualification was developed. It’s not a requirement to be a Qualified Saddler to do the Saddle Fitting qualification. “I completed the foundation course, and for the next 12 months, I spent every spare minute following around in the tracks of a master saddler and saddle fitter, who openly shared his knowledge and expertise with me. I needed to learn a whole lot more about the other brands that I wasn’t familiar with before successfully sitting my qualification in 2004.” Realising the important part that saddle fitting plays in the equestrian industry, 20 years ago the Weatherbeeta Group was instrumental in formalising a recognised saddle fitting course called the Accredited Saddle Fitters of Australasia

(ASFA). David has been a lecturer on that course for the past ten years and more recently has been involved with the Society of Master Saddlers and the British Equestrian Trade Association saddle fitting courses run here in New Zealand. “I regard myself as extremely lucky to be able to incorporate my role working for the Weatherbeeta Group, which occupies around 75% of my time with the remaining 25% taken up with these saddle fitting interests.” Always keen to continue his development and learning in this field, while he was back in the UK in May last year David took the opportunity of completing a four-day flocking course. This course taught participants how to add or subtract wool flocking from a saddle panel. The panel is the part of the saddle that sits closest to the horse. “There are so many different panels in saddles these days,” David explains. “Most of my experience over the years has been with CAIR panels. I rate these highly because of their wide range of measurable adjustment. But I often run

“I think I am incredibly lucky. Most of my life, I have worked with my passion, which is horses and the equestrian world.”

“Nothing pleases me more than to see a horse happily going forward, round and soft with a rider in a really good balanced position. That’s what makes me tick.”

into saddles with flocked panels, and I wanted to understand them properly and be more informed. Now I can make small flocking adjustments on the go if needed. For more technical adjustments or full reflocking, I refer these on to a saddler. Flocking saddles is a true art and one that takes a long time to become proficient at.” In terms of saddle fitting, David says we are so far ahead of where we were 40 years ago. “When I started riding all those years ago, all we did was check the front of the saddle. If it was coming down on the wither, we added another pad or rolled up a towel and placed it underneath the front of the saddle. Now we have almost gone to the opposite extreme, and it has become overly technical and complicated. There are some principles that you need to get right, every time. These principles of saddle fitting are the same regardless of the brand.” “These days, we are a lot more informed,” he adds. “We can share information more easily. That’s both good and bad, as people’s areas of expertise tend to cross over and suddenly they become experts in all things equestrian! I am not a horse body-worker and explain that to every owner that I saddle fit

for, however, I go over the back of every horse I meet because I am looking for any evidence of soreness before I put the saddle on. If the horse is sore, I refer the owner to a back specialist, if they are not already in contact with one themselves. The same thing applies - I am not there to give a riding lesson and always welcome input from the rider’s instructor. I’m there to make sure the saddle is sitting correctly on the horse’s back, that the horse is comfortable and the rider is balanced and central. “I think I am incredibly lucky. Most of my life, I have worked with my passion, which is horses and the equestrian world. Nothing pleases me more than to see a horse happily going forward, round and soft with a rider in a really good balanced position. That’s what makes me tick.”

The home front

With 30 years of marriage under their belt, David considers Liz to be ‘the most accommodating wife any man could ever wish for’. “Liz supports me 100% of the way and has always been totally understanding of my role which has involved a tremendous amount of travel over the years. Liz’s career in real estate means that she is also constantly on the move. In our spare time, we are both very passionate about gardening, the New Zealand bush and birdlife. “We have no horses of our own these days, however, we have many friends and associates that are fully entrenched in the equestrian world. My role allows me to get a ‘horsey fix’ most days of the week.” C

SPECIAL FEATURE

INSPIRING WOMEN INTERVIEWS BY CHEYENNE NICHOLSON

Inspire: From the Latin word meaning to inflame. When you inspire someone, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. Throughout their equestrian careers, our inspiring women have done just that for many riders. While they all have different stories to tell they are bound together by their determination, hard work and willingness to learn.

CATRIONA WILLIAMS MERRAN HAIN Merran Hain has won more Horse of the Year titles in more disciplines than any other rider. She also holds the honour of having ridden more horses in more competitions than any other New Zealand rider. In 2003 she was awarded The Queen’s Service medal for Community Service and in 2014 was inducted into the Horse of the Year Hall of Fame.

Catriona’s accomplishments both on and off a horse are lengthy. From being inducted into the Horse of the Year Show Hall of Fame, being named a finalist in 2014 KiwiBank New Zealander of the Year through to hand-cycling the New York Marathon and starting CatWalk foundation. Her determination and resilience keep her fighting to defy the odds, reach her goals and help others.

TINKS POTTINGER JACQUE MCKINLEY Jacque is an exevent rider and now a National coach for NZPCA. With a wealth of experience behind her from her competitive days and studies in the UK, Jacque now teaches right throughout the country helping riders of all ages and stages smash their goals and reach their dreams. Her passion and dedication for what she does is unmatched.

Judy “Tinks” Pottinger was a fixture in the NZ Eventing scene during her highly successful career with many notable wins and placings both home and abroad on her resume, including a fifth placing in the Individual three-day event at the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics. Daughter of Helen ‘Tiny’ White, a successful and highly regarded equestrian herself, Tinks has continued the family legacy.

VICKI WILSON JONELLE PRICE Jonelle first sprang to international attention when she was part of the bronze-medalwinning team at the London 2012 Olympics. Since then she’s been making her mark on the eventing world with multiple international placings and wins, including taking out the 2018 Badminton Horse Trials.

Vicki and her sisters became household names when their reality TV Show, Keeping up the Kaimanawas hit TV screens in 2015. An accomplished rider and trainer, Vicki has used her platform and following to help promote the plight of wild horses in all corners of the world. Over the years, she has developed a reputation for successfully rehabilitating sore and ‘difficult’ horses.

Born: Gisborne, NZ Resides: Gisborne, NZ EQUESTRIAN, FARMER & MENTOR

Merran Hain Merran has been a pillar of the NZ equestrian scene for many years and her contributions to the sport recognised by all in the industry. Her consistency and form is probably best summarised by noting that she has won the Lowry Medallion for Rider of the Year a staggering nine times, including six consecutive wins from 1981 to 1986 at Horse of the Year.

Well, I have to disagree with you there. I don’t have a gift; I’ve always liked horses and enjoyed riding them. As my husband was only saying tonight, when I was inducted into the Hall of Fame, I gave everyone hope, because I didn’t have a lot of talent, but I am dedicated.

What age did you begin competing? Girl rider under-9 was my first event. What is interesting is that I had to ride to all my events as we didn’t have a float, so if I wanted to compete or go to Pony Club, I had to ride there. The likes of Wairoa show would take me two days to get to; I’d stop at friends or family for the night. Gisborne show would take me a morning, and it was great fun. Transport back then wasn’t like today. The first time I went to the Wairoa show, we took the horses on a train carriage.

What is your biggest fear? I don’t know really. I’ve have had a really good life, and I’ve never really thought about having fears.

What event was your first serious competition? Probably the area trials for the Pony Club Championships in Timaru. To get there, the horses had to be put in a sling and hoisted up onto the ferry. They were in loose boxes all night, then slung off the ferry the next day.

You and your husband Sid are farmers. How do you balance that with horses? Sid’s father had the farm and it’s been in the family since 1935. We bred shorthorns and herefords that we also took to shows, as a way of marketing ourselves. So the farming side of things is always busy, and the horses have always just been part of it. In the later years, I ended up with a very good arena thanks to Cyclone Bola, which deposited about six foot of silt onto a paddock. I also had really good girls that worked for me and helped keep the horses ticking along. You just find ways of fitting it all in.

Tell us about the horse you first found success on? Justice - I won the 1968 Lady Rider of the Year on him. I bought him off Graham England. Looking back, if I knew then what I know now, I would’ve realised what a great horse he was. He didn’t know a lot back then, but he jumped the fences. I ended up selling him to Japan and that paid for my wedding.

Would you say you are very competitive? Yes, I would. You have your aims at the start of the year and set out to fulfil them. I’m on the downhill trend now, but in saying that I’m leading the Show Hunter high points right now, so I am thrilled.

Tell us about Untouchable? He’s a great teacher. I get a lot of people to ride him, so they can learn how to ride properly on the flat. I think it’s easier to ride a trained horse and learn how movements should feel and how to apply the aids correctly.

What is it like competing now, compared with when you first started out? My father-in-law, Doug Hain, bought the first electronic timers to New Zealand. At the time, there was much controversy around it, with people wanting to stick to the handheld watches. He saw it in England and thought it would be good here; so that’s one thing that’s changed. I also believe we are more conscious about having good footing at events now and more safety features on jumps and so on. Ultimately though, I think the horses that did well when I was first starting out, would still do well in today’s competition.

What is your most coveted trophy, and why? Winning the Commonwealth Cup in England, I think. In that team, we had Harvey Wilson, Maurice Beatson, Mark Todd and Bruce Goodin. We beat England and Australia, which was really neat. I was the chef d’equipe, and I met the Queen as well. The other special one is probably Horse of the Year. I never dreamt I’d be good enough to win that, and I was older when I won it as well.

What does success look like to you? Having a horse going well and training it well. Achieving the goals that I set for myself, while looking at ways I can improve.

You’ve been to countless competitions. What’s your favourite part? I’ve met a lot of friends through this sport, and many of them I only get to see at events, so I really enjoy the opportunity to catch up with people.

What was it like going to the Seoul Olympics as groom for your own horse, Bago? Part of the deal with Mark Todd riding Bago was that I got to go as his groom. In those days, the final was actually in the Olympic

Image left Kampic.com

When did you realise you had a gift when it came to horses?

QA &

“Having a horse going well and training it well. Achieving the goals that I set for myself while looking at ways I can improve.”

Stadium on the grass, and it was incredible: the atmosphere and every part of it. When you go to the Olympics or events in Europe, it’s just another level. There are so many good riders and such high standards. I have to give credit to Kiwi riders based over there like Bruce Goodin and Daniel Meech; the competition is that much tougher over there.

Image right Show Circuit

What’s it like competing now compared to when you were younger?

did it part-time Tuesday through Thursday, which left me free on the weekend to do shows, so it was the perfect set up really.

What brings you the most joy in life? Waking up every morning! Oh, I don’t know. I have a very good life. I enjoy the farm and the grandchildren and my own children. I enjoy my horses and just the life we’ve built here.

What life lesson would you share with a grandchild?

I used to have a lot of help. Now I don’t, so I find I’m very fit - and very determined! It’s no different really. I don’t compete as often as I used to and still drive myself to and from events.

I have eight, and as I keep telling them; you have to work hard, be respectful and look after other people. It must be sinking in, because they’re all doing well at school and are great kids.

What life lesson might you share with a young woman coming into her own?

You’ve been all over the world with show jumping. What are some of your favourite places?

I think you need to be honest. And probably follow your dreams, but be polite, and you have to be dedicated in whatever you want to do. You need to respect people, take an interest in other people and what they do, and learn from them.

Apart from horses and farming, what else have you done career-wise? I did radiography as a qualification and worked in that until I got married. I went to Dunedin to study and rode throughout. I met people who lent me their horses to ride. Once I was qualified, I

I think the most different place I’ve been to is Mexico, with the Young Rider team. I’ve been to Luxemburg, Rome, Sweden, England and France, and enjoyed them all for different reasons.

Can you please leave us with a pearl of wisdom for our readers to take away? Basically, I think you need to work hard and enjoy what you do. There aren’t many people who are just naturally gifted; most have to put in a lot of hard work to get to where they are. Help people and never stop learning.

Born: Wairarapa, NZ Resides: Wairarapa, NZ CATWALK FOUNDER, BUSINESSWOMAN & ADVENTURER

Catriona Williams (MNZM) Catriona is a former international event rider. During her stellar equestrian career, she won many coveted Horse of the Year titles, competed at Burghley and Badminton and qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2002 after becoming a C6-7 tetraplegic after a fall she went on to found the CatWalk Trust, which has raised millions for spinal cord research. You grew up on a farm, allowed to say it then, but 30 years on, I think it’s OK! what did you like best Where do you see yourself in 15 years from now? about it? Dancing on my feet.

As a child, I don’t think you really fully appreciate or understand how jolly lucky you are to grow up on a farm. The space, the opportunity to have a pony or two, the freedom to gallop around is all taken for granted. It is the reason Kiwi riders are so gutsy, they learn balance at a very young age, and then the finer details can always be worked on. It’s hard to teach bravery when you are more mature.

Where did your love of horses come from? My mum, Maureen McLeod, loved horses, so she supported us 150%. Having a supportive parent at a young age is a big advantage.

Where you a good kid? I was competitive! So, I was good when I was winning, when I wasn’t, I went quiet (still do) and dug deep, trained harder until I was winning.

What would you consider your biggest achievement? New York Marathon in 2010 was a big one but also the wonderful adventures that CatWalk has taken us all on. We have met people we wouldn’t have otherwise and ticked boxes that may never have been ticked. Best of all, we are supporting some very exciting cutting edge spinal cord injury research; people will be walking again because of CatWalk – that’s something the CatWalk Team are very proud of.

You’ve done the Ascent to Everest Base Camp, and hand cycled the New York Marathon, anything else like this on your list for 2020? We’re very excited to be supporting Kiwi adventurer Chloe PhilpHarris and her Mongolian adventures this year. Chloe has gone to the trouble of designing a bespoke adventure to suit a bike or a horse and is very generously donating 20% to CatWalk. With a plan like that, we couldn’t turn her down! Please read Chloe’s book ”Fearless” if you’d like to know more about this wonderful Kiwi.

How did you meet your husband, Sam? I have known Sam since school.

Was there one woman in particular that moulded you in A lot of relationships break down after a spinal injury, what has helped you and Sam beat the odds? your youth? Tell us about her? Mum was a glass that was always half full. She was kind to all and incredibly generous with her time. She loved dressing up, something I love doing as well, and I always say to people “It’s better to be looked over than overlooked”. She always had a twinkle in her eye, even on the not so good days when her health wasn’t behaving, and she never let on she wasn’t feeling great, she always boxed on. She was a problem solver, not a problem creator and most of all she loved people. I always feel very lucky that I (and my sister Kirsty) had a great mum for a short time. Much better than a dud for a long time! If I can be half the person she was, I’ll be proud.

Were you a good student or a bad student? I was a nerd!

What is your favourite childhood memory? Winning Pony of the Year, twice, the pride is enormous. I wasn’t

Yes, evidently, 85% of relationships break down after a spinal injury. Honestly, I would say we are no different to most ablebodied relationships. To be successful at anything takes hard work and also a whole lot of luck! We are both competitive, so our goals changed, not for Little Avondale that was always to breed the very best racehorses in New Zealand but personally. Taking time to celebrate the highs is important – I’d say that still needs some work!

During those early days after your accident, where did you draw strength from to keep moving forward? Mum. Knowing she wouldn’t have given up. Also knowing I wasn’t the only one in this situation, there were others and if they could then so could I. Something I repeat often is “No one wants to hang out with the dreary person in the corner of the room (able or disabled) so be the one that shines.”

Do you have a fear? The only fear I have is of not making the most of every opportunity. Life is short – you have arms, legs and a body, use them.

Images Kampic.com

Definitely mum

“I was competitive! So, I was good when I was winning, when I wasn’t, I went quiet (still do) and dug deep, trained harder until I was winning.”

You founded the CatWalk Trust in 2005 and raised a lot of awareness and money around spinal cord injury and research, what advances have been made over that time?

It’s spine tingling (pun intended) what is going on right now. So much so that my job is my body. I have stepped back from much of my normal role at CatWalk to push this body as hard as I can because I want it ready for the opportunities that are likely to present themselves soon. Auckland University has received a large portion of the funds raised by CatWalk because they are doing some incredible work. What we are also very proud of is the way CatWalk communicates with other like-minded groups, both in fundraising as well as researchers, around the world. We believe it’s going to be a combination of things that get people walking, so it’s critical we share information and work together.

What’s the main thing you’ve learned since founding CatWalk? Teamwork and communication. Both are critical to success of any kind.

As part of getting your body ready, you go to Massey University for Gait sessions, what are these, and how are they going? Yes, I train with physiologist Lynette Hodges and her team there. It’s one of my week’s highlights. Every time I’m vertical and my legs are moving, I get excited. A harness is attached to me with a hydraulic hoist, and from there I’m able to work on a range of things like bending my legs and moving them on a treadmill, driving the muscles to restimulate the nerves in my legs.

around me. My main carer has been with me for 11 years. The people we work with for Little Avondale, in my area, which is marketing, graphics and PR, are close friends, not just work colleagues. Every day I get in my chair I realise how lucky I am, the only thing that really annoys me is not having enough hours in the day!

What’s your proudest accomplishment? My friends.

You always seem to be busy on an adventure or working; How do you deal with negativity? Not well – there’s no time for it. I tend to move on and surround what do you do in your downtime? I love reading or teaching my dog ‘Ted-E-Bear’ new tricks. He’s a Labradoodle and an only child so VERY spoilt. Sam and I are also very lucky to have many nieces, nephews, godchildren and children that we are guardians of in our life – any time with them is very special.

How do you juggle everything you have going on in life? I’m a big forward planner, but that means I need sweepers! So what’s critical is I’m incredibly lucky to have fantastic people

myself with people that aren’t.

What brings you the most joy in life? Coming home to TED…I’ve tried to train Sam to perform the same…we’re still working on that. Also seeing a horse we’ve bred win!

Can you please leave us with a pearl of your wisdom for our readers to take away? Life is about ‘doing’ not ‘having’. Go do.

Born: Auckland, NZ Resides: Auckland, NZ NZCPA NATIONAL COACH, FULL-TIME TRAINER, MENTOR

Jacque McKinley NZCPA National Coach and full-time trainer, Jacque McKinley is one of the most recognised faces on the New Zealand equestrian scene. Not because of the accolades she has won in the saddle – although there have been more than a few of them – but due to her efforts as a coach and the impact she has had on the lives of her students. Where did your love of horses come from? Through my family, really. My eldest brother had a pony he competed, and then the whole family got involved. I’ve got two brothers and a sister, and we all rode at one point. My parents were very supportive. Mum was amazing, she was the secretary for the Auckland area pony club and did the scoring. Dad did show jump judging as well. So it really was a family affair. I probably started riding when I was about five.

Where you a good kid? Perfect! I’m kidding! No, I would say I was average, I think.

Was there one woman in particular that moulded you in your youth? That’s a really good question. A few people spring to mind, but my mum was definitely the most influential person, though. She passed away many years ago now, but she was amazing. You know that saying ‘if you want something done, give it to a busy person’ she was one of those people. She was so supportive and involved with the horses, and she just made it all look easy.

Did you make friends easily? Yes, I did. I love people and still do, it’s probably why I like my job so much now, I get to meet all sorts. Honestly, I couldn’t answer that question! I’ve been to that many shows it’s hard to remember them all! Growing up, I did a bit of everything. We mainly did A&P Shows but also did gymkhanas, because that’s what everyone did, then got into eventing. Eventing was always my passion, so I definitely have a few favourite events like Taupo three-day-event, which I think I’ve only missed maybe two or three times in my lifetime. With coaching, I’ve gone around a lot of shows with students as well, Pony Club Champs. In recent years I’ve stopped going to as many events, when you have multiple pupils at events, it can be hard to divide yourself evenly, so I always try and prepare my riders well enough that they don’t need me there on the day.

How have competitions changed over the years? I think the level of professionalism has really increased. Things are getting so much slicker, and in general, shows are run really well right from grassroots and up. I think that there’s also a lot more money involved than there ever was, which is inevitable, I guess. When I first started out, we all just had one saddle that was used for everything; no-one really had trucks unless they had a lot of horses. Nowadays, trucks are everywhere, and the gear is just amazing. There is so much incredible variety of everything these days.

What number of horses do you currently have? I don’t have any anymore, I just coach full-time.

Of all the horses you’ve had, which one touched your soul? This one’s easy -Cats Pyjamas. He was a big dun gelding. He just had such an amazing temperament, so special and so loved. I think his colour helped! I evented on him really successfully before he was sold into Canada to event over there.

What’s your training style like? I spend a lot of time working on the rider’s position and their understanding of how the way they sit and apply their aids impacts the way their horse goes. It’s really common to focus on the horse, but so often, if you focus on the rider, the horse falls into line as well. A really common problem that pops up a lot is issues with the contact and rider’s hands. We all have our things we can improve on and sometimes it’s just a matter of having that person on the ground to point them out and help you.

Why coaching? What got you into it, and what keeps you in it? When I was 14 I got my B Certificate so was thrown into coaching then and by the time I was 16 had my A and H Certificates as

Images Show Circuit

What event was your first serious competition?

QA &

“I think that life is too short to be doing something you’re not enjoying. Find your joy and your passion and try to make a career out it.”

well. When I had finished high school, I had a year at university and then decided to go to England. I sat my British Horse Society exams there. I trained at the Talland School of Equitation in Cirencester where you ride, you study horse management and learn how to train others correctly, so I learnt a lot of my skills there. I really enjoy working with people, I’m very much a people person, and I so enjoy watching a rider progress in their skills and confidence. It has its days though; the weather seems to either have me baking in the sun, being blown off a hill or getting drenched! I would love for someone to buy me an indoor arena!

What do you want to be remembered for? My passion. For horses and coaching and everything I do.

What life lesson might you share with a young woman coming into her own? I think that life is too short to be doing something you’re not enjoying. Find your joy and your passion and try to make a career out it. I feel sorry for people that are in jobs they are miserable in. It’s so important to get a good education as well, and I would say that that has to come first, and then horses second depending on what you want to do. If you’re passionate and love your job, then you’re going to do well in it.

What would you consider your biggest achievement? Every single one of the students I’ve coached. Being able to help so many kids over so many years to get the most out of their horses and themselves and just enjoy the sport and their horses better.

What life goals remain? I’m itching to do more travelling. I’d love to go to Ireland and follow one of the European show jumping tours like Longines, they go to

so many incredible places, and I just think it would be amazing. I love Italy, the food, the people, the culture – everything! I’d love to go back someday.

What does a ‘typical’ work day look like for you? I think part of what I like about my job is that I don’t really have a typical day. They’re all different. Just lots of lessons or clinics and a bit of travelling around as well.

Over the years, how have you balanced horses with the rest of life? I think you have to make time for your friends, it’s so important because everyone is always busy, so you have to make an effort to carve out time. When I stopped going to as many events that really helped with the balance of everything, my husband is very supportive of my work, but there’s generally a limit to how long he’s happy to do horsey things!

Any regrets? Not meeting my husband earlier! I met him just before the first earthquake in Christchurch, so September 2010.

Can you please leave us with a pearl of your wisdom for our readers to take away? Always be kind to your mother! But in all seriousness, you have to be realistic about your expectations and what you want to achieve with horses. People tend to get carried away with what they want to do, but the fact is equestrian is a tough sport. There are so many highs and lows and things you can’t control. It’s about accepting that and being brave enough to ride that rollercoaster and try to enjoy it.

Born: Hawke’s Bay, NZ Resides: Masterton, NZ OLYMPIC MEDALLIST, COACH & MENTOR

Tinks Pottinger Tinks is an ex-event rider who was part of the bronze medal-winning team at Seoul Olympics in 1988 riding Volunteer. A regular at many international events like Burghley and Badminton, Tinks is now heavily involved in training and mentoring the next generation of New Zealand riders through her involvement with the Solway College Equestrian Academy and her daughter, event rider Amanda Pottinger. One of each - a brother and a sister.

What sort of things have your siblings gone on to do? They’re both farming; one arable and the other is sheep and beef farming.

When did you realise you had a gift? Honestly, I don’t know. We were bought up on a farm and ponies were just part and parcel of life; we were basically sheepdogs on horseback! I went to Pony Club because it was in the back paddock and mum was the head instructor. It probably wasn’t until I went to Australia that I even dreamt that going off-shore to ride was a possibility. It was never on my radar, because financially, it just wasn’t an option at the time.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

That’s an interesting question. There are several times in my career where I’ve been given good advice: often those snippets were people just being really honest about my weaknesses, and I often think perhaps we didn’t have enough of that in my day. But otherwise my parents - I owe my mum and dad a huge amount in terms of the knowledge they shared around horsemanship, equestrian and just life. You almost take it for granted at the time, but looking back, realise how valuable that advice was.

Where did the nickname ‘Tinks’ come from? No-one knows! Even my mum can’t remember. I was quite little and petite when I was young and used to love dancing and prance around like a fairy, so perhaps that?

Do you think you parent the same way as your parents? My parents were terrific. I like to think that I’ve learned from them and developed my own sort of style. I know when I’m coaching Amanda I often like to back off a little bit, because I know, growing up, sometimes mum would say the odd thing that would grate me a bit; the typical parent-child coaching relationship I guess. Both Andy and I have learned a lot from our parents, and I like to think we’ve done a good job with our kids.

What’s your earliest memory of being on a horse? Honestly, I probably couldn’t tell you. I know mum has a photo of herself, my sister and me. Mum’s on a horse and my sister and I were on tiny ponies on a lead rein either side of her horse. I think I was around five-years-old.

Tell us about the horse you first found success on? Royal Whip: he was a successful hurdler/steeplechaser that my

parents owned. In hindsight, he was probably too good for my ability in those days. If you’re talking international success, then that’s Volunteer. He’s special because he’s really the one who helped me make a name for myself. He was wild, though. I bought him as a four-year-old from Stuart and Joan Mitchell in Gisborne. He came off the hill country and probably didn’t see a human for his first few years of life. You always had to be careful around him, but he was extraordinary. I think those early parts of his life are what made him so amazing out on the cross-country course. He was so sure-footed, and I think if I’d sorted out my dressage earlier on, he would have won more events.

What happened the night before your first international event? I’m not sure I remember to be honest. The only thing I do remember is that Toddy (Mark Todd) had flown over from England to be our team manager/coach and was busy trying to teach a horse how to do a half-pass.

Were there ever times you wanted to quit? I remember one time when Toddy and I were in an indoor arena training, it was freezing cold, and we stopped and said to each other that we wished we were doing something else for a job. I remember saying how ironic that was, given so many people would love to be us at that moment. Other than that time: no. Like any sport, you have your ups and downs, and I think that’s one of the things you have to accept. You have to pick yourself up and work out what went wrong. I’m not a quitter.

What is your most coveted trophy, and why? My bronze medal from the Seoul Olympics. Let’s be real; the Olympics are the pinnacle of equestrian sport. Obviously, I would love to have won an individual medal, but being part of that amazing team and winning bronze was so special.

Tell us about your first Olympic Games? Were you ever frightened? I went into Seoul feeling really confident; on the inside mind you, because you don’t voice that sort of thing! We’d had a really good run with the horses in the lead-up to Seoul, and I think I was more excited than anything.

What life lesson might you share with a young woman coming into her own? Get a second occupation if you’re thinking of doing horses fulltime. It’s something we’ve insisted our children do; it’s important to have a life outside of horses. Always keep yourself grounded,

Images Belinda Pratt

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

QA &

“Everyone has their own challenges. But, I do think that my generation was bought up in the best time...”

and remember that at the end of the day, your family are your greatest supporters through the good and the bad.

How do people respond to you now you are famous on the equestrian stage?

Your life sounds very dreamlike and unchallenged. Was it?

People have always been very lovely and say how nice it is to meet you. To be honest, I think a lot of people remember me because my name is unusual, not necessarily for my equestrian career!

I wouldn’t say unchallenged. Everyone has their own challenges. But, I do think that my generation was bought up in the best time; it was a period where things in New Zealand were pretty good. Most of us grew up on farms, played lots of sports. We had good education and good health. I’m very fortunate in the life I’ve had so far.

What do you want to be remembered for? Helping to bring in the holding box at three-day events. That came about as a result of me being vetted out of the World Championships in Australia. I was the overnight leader after cross-country, but Volunteer failed the final trot up. Our team vet, Wally Niederer, wrote a letter to the FEI and as a result, a hold box was bought in, so a vet could look at a horse if ground staff thought something was wrong, before deciding to vet out.

That must have been a real blow for you, but not long after you were able to get over to England? Yes. It’s funny how things work out. After that event, I was approached by sponsors, and that’s how I was able to get to England. I would never have been able to get there on my own money. I was based out of Mark Todd’s yard and to be exposed to that level of competition was just something I never thought would happen.

How do you react to negativity, and how do you talk yourself out of not absorbing it? I think when I was younger, I used to answer back. These days I ignore it.

Do you have any regrets? Nope. None.

What life lesson would you share with a grandchild? I have one grandchild; my son Sam has a little girl, Milly who is two- and- a-half. So my advice to her will be to remember that family are the closest thing to you, and always will be.

Can you please leave us with a pearl of wisdom for our readers to take away? When it comes to horses, always try and put yourself inside their head and how they must be thinking and feeling. In life: be humble and modest; it goes a long way.

What is your favourite book, and why? I read a lot. I probably don’t have a favourite as I read everything. I really enjoy real-life stories about New Zealanders though. It’s interesting reading about their stories; how they got to where they are, and why.

How many hours do you work each day? Well, we sold the farm a few years ago and moved into town. The farm we had was rough and was taking a bit of a toll on our bodies. We still have 130 acres where I have a few horses I can ride and help Amanda with. At the moment, we are trying to wind down though. I do a lot of coaching, and am on various trusts and committees, which keeps me out of trouble. I was also involved in the set-up of the Solway College Equestrian Academy and coach the girls there.

Born: Motueka, NZ Resides: Marlborough, UK EVENTING RIDER, OLYMPIAN & MOTHER

Jonelle Price Winning one of the most prestigious eventing competitions just months after giving birth to her first child was a massive feat for Jonelle Price, but in many ways unsurprising. With a fierce determination and a lot of hard work, Jonelle has become one of the leading ladies in the New Zealand equestrian world. Always looking forward, Jonelle has her sights firmly set on her next challenge, Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Well, aside from horses, it was probably something academic. I enjoyed school and was good at it. I did start a law degree; I’m pretty good at arguing!

You got into horses through riding your friend’s pony, what was he like? It was a little bay pony called Tonka. I use to think he was the bees knee’s, but in hindsight, he was probably a wee so and so. He would dump me quite regularly. I remember he was scared of plastic bags so I use to carry a supervalue bag in my breeches and when he wouldn’t go somewhere I’d rustle the bag to make him go! Not the most orthodox method, but at that age and stage, I was just concerned with getting to the end goal!

Your parents split up when you were young, what was that like? I was about seven-years-old, and I remember it being pretty traumatic at the time. But, I do have a huge amount of respect for them. They’ve remained good friends ever since and still, to this day, we all do Christmas and special occasions together. So I guess there’s a message there that not every marriage will work out, but it’s very impressive how they’ve got on all this time, it’s made it easier for us as a family.

Where did you live during your teenage years? So I’m from Motueka. It was a fantastic place to grow up. Our house was a block back from the beach, but my pony paddock was pretty much right across the road. Every day I rode usually started and ended on the beach. It’s only been in the latter years since I moved away that I realise how special a place it is. We spend a lot of time there when we are back in New Zealand.

What age did you begin competing at? I was riding from about seven years old but not really competing a lot. We didn’t have transport so I could only do the local Pony Club and A&P shows, and I’d have to ride to them which would take me an hour or so, I’d be there all day then ride home again. It wasn’t until I was older that we would rent a single float for the day and then convince my dad to take me to Nelson or something.

What is your biggest fear? I don’t really think I have one. I try and live without fears, I think it’s a mindset, and I certainly don’t let them get in my way.

Who inspires you, and why? There’s a lot of different people in different areas I’m inspired by. I really enjoy tennis, and I do really admire Rafael Nadal. He’s an incredible sportsman; his determination and intensity is incredible. It’s perhaps come at the price of his body with his injuries, but it’s mindblowing the intensity he can take to a match.

What event was your first serious competition? I guess that depends what you call serious, there’s a serious event at every level. I did Pony Club Championships when I was 15 so at the time that was huge for me. Then moved up to Young Riders and made the team to go to Australia and then moving up to my first senior team and first five-star events.

At what point in life, did you realise that the equestrian world would become central? I think I knew throughout most of my teenage years. It was probably more a matter of convincing my mum that I could make a living from it. I was fairly determined from about 14 or 15 years of age that it was really important. I played a lot of sport so I would ride my horses before school and at lunchtimes, and work or play my various sports after school, so I was undoubtedly committed from a young age and never thought about not carrying on.

Tell us about the horse you first found success on? Again, that depends on what you call success. The first horse I rode advanced on was called Final Surge. He was the first horse we paid over $500 for, and I produced him from novice through to advanced and then sold him to America, so he was certainly special. The next horse was Mazetto, who bought me to the UK.

Of all the horses you currently have, which one touches your soul? That’s a hard one. They’re all special for different reasons. I definitely have a huge amount of respect for the two mares, Classic Moet and Faerie Dianimo. Classic Moet, when she came

Image left - Libby Law Photography

When you were a kid, what did you aspire to be when you grew up?

QA &

“The equestrian world is a small one, and I do think we are respected in the industry, which is a really nice acknowledgment of the years of hard work and experience we have behind us.”

to me six years, she was incredibly, bless her, common. There was nothing special about her. She didn’t move particularly well or have a spectacular jump; her body isn’t put together super, nothing really stands out about her. But she has the biggest heart and desire. She’s an incredible athlete and it’s carried her a long way, I have huge admiration for her. Faerie Dianimo, she is a bit more glitzy and looked like a proper event horse from the start, but she has such a fierce spirit and tenacity to do the job.

You started studying law before focusing on your riding career, why law? I actually considered something in sports before I got into law, but I think I was largely academic and wanted to go down that route.

What was your first time back in the saddle like after having Otis? Were you nervous? No, not nervous. I rode throughout my pregnancy, so it wasn’t really an issue. From memory, I started back on the Monday and competed two horses on the Friday, so I didn’t have much time to get back into the swing of things! I had my eyes firmly set on looking forward.

Image right - Nico Morgan Media

Has life changed much since having Otis? Not really. You have to be a bit more organised. We rely on more help. We have a great nanny who allows us to keep doing our jobs as we do. We certainly spend more nights in than we used to! But he’s enhanced our lives, and I guess this is just all part of growing up.

How do you strike a balance between all aspects of your life? I think first and foremost, we appreciate life. We appreciate all the different areas of it and really take time to enjoy time off and away from horses. Sometimes you feel guilty for that, but it’s important. We make a point of coming home to New Zealand every second Christmas, so for us, that’s a balance.

When you first met Tim, what was it that drew you to him? We were good mates for the first few years, but I guess we just always got on well. He’s really fun to be around. We’ve been together for a long time, and we have had a huge amount of

fun over those years. Anyone that knows him will know he’s a special person and you feel lucky to spend time with him. And I’m obviously the luckiest!

Were there ever times you wanted to quit? Not yet!

Tell us about your London Olympics medal. On that occasion, I’ll admit I felt a little like I was gifted it. I was lucky to have made the team, and it was first Olympics, I went out as trailblazer and played my role, as did the rest of the amazing team we had. Moving forward, I’d like to be a front runner and lead an New Zealand team to a gold medal.

How do people respond to you now you are famous on the equestrian stage? I don’t think anyone ever thinks they’re famous on any stage. The equestrian world is a small one, and I do think we are respected in the industry, which is a really nice acknowledgment of the years of hard work and experience we have behind us.

What would you like your legacy to be? It’s not really something I think of a lot, but to be one of New Zealand’s prominent sporting figures within the equestrian community in New Zealand and to inspire others to follow in our footsteps.

What brings you the most joy in life? The fact that we are able to do something we enjoy and have so much passion for. And the fact we have been able to create a business and a living from it and do it all as a family.

Can you impart your biggest life lesson for equestrians to follow? Don’t be afraid of venturing forth. If you don’t take risk, there’s no reward; it never hurts to give things a go, you might even surprise yourself as to how much you’ll pull off.

Do you pay it forward? I like to think so. We are getting more and more involved with the next generation of equestrians coming through and are really keen to continue doing this and being approachable and available.

Born: Northland, NZ Resides: Hawke’s Bay, NZ SHOWJUMPER, WILD HORSE TAMER, EQUINE ADVOCATE & THERAPIST

Vicki Wilson

Vicki Wilson is a successful show jump rider and her career highlighted with many Horse of the Year wins, including the Lowry Medallion and the Nationwide Cup multiple times. She has represented NZ in the winning Trans-Tasman Young Rider three times and had numerous wins and placings on the European circuit as well as winning Road To The Horse in 2017. Working with horses has always felt natural and right to me. Understanding what they are trying to tell me has been developed over the last 15 years. I can now watch a horse walk a few steps and see what’s wrong with it and see if it is sore in its body.

Where you a good kid? I like to think I was!

What is your favourite childhood memory? Going for bareback adventures on the ponies.

What is your biggest fear? I don’t have many fears as such but probably letting my horse down drives me to be a better horseman. We all make mistakes at some point, but I really hate to destroy confidence in any horse.

Did you know, at any point in your life that the equestrian world would become central? There was no light bulb moment, everything evolved to where I am today, and I am blessed to be able to do what I love every day.

Tell us about the horse you first found success on? Showtym Girl was my first hack that I produced from scratch. She taught me how to win, how to create heart, and how to fight in the ring. They know when they are good, and she had character and attitude to burn!

What made Showtym Girl special?

the track or swim laps in the river. We try to make it a lot of fun for everyone; it’s the variety that keeps us all sane. To take the pressure off we have a policy of one show a month. It allows us to keep everyone fresh (humans and horses) and peak the horses for each show.

Of all the horses you currently have, which one touches your soul? Showtym Girl is still going strong producing some beautiful foals, she’s the one that really kick started my jumping career so will always be special to me. However, Daminos TWS, one of my sevenyear-old European stallions, has really stolen the thunder now, he has an amazing zest for life and is so cheeky! This young man is incredibly competitive and genuinely enjoys every adventure in life. I can’t wait to see where we end up together.

‘The Wilson Sisters’ are very well known in NZ, has working so closely with your sisters ever been difficult or just bought you closer together? I think now we have a good balance as we each have our own interests and with a little more space we work well as a team, or it might just be that we are growing up!

How do you all support and encourage one another? We continually look to each other for support, we talk all the time and sometimes give honest, unfiltered advice to each other, the kind of advice sisters don’t want to hear!

She was a naughty rejected 15.1hh Thoroughbred chestnut mare. I think it was her competitiveness that stood her apart from everyone else. I have now owned her for 15 years, and she still goes where “she wants” to go even to this day, her attitude gave her the winning edge.

How are you finding life in Hawke’s Bay?

What number of horses do you currently have?

How does it compare to home?

We have approximately 110 horses on the property, this includes my competition team, stallions, our breeding horses and a few agisting client horses. Morning feeds are fun!

Were there ever times you wanted to quit? There are always times where we question why we do it, it’s a crazy sport and very time-consuming. I am very lucky to have managed to find an amazing life with horses. We try to have fun while riding, we don’t have a set program, and some days we might swim all the horses or go hill country mustering on our top competition horses. Our competition horses only work on the arena once a week, they might hack on the hills, gallop on

I love being in Hawke’s Bay. The weather is great, we have the river to swim in, rolling hills to hack over and an incredible facility that we are continuing to build and develop, what more could you want. It’s a lot bigger in scale, and when we have finished developing the rehabilitation and training facilities we hope it is one of the best in New Zealand. It is also much closer to shows!

If you weren’t working with horses, what do you think you might have done as a career? It has always been horses, but I think I would have enjoyed being a vet or working with wild animals.

What do you do with your downtime? Work with horses! It is very difficult to do much else with such a big operation.

Images - Kelly Wilson

When did you realise you had a gift with horses?

“You can’t have regrets in life, looking back doesn’t help, you can reflect but regret limits growth.”

Q&A Do you buckle under pressure?

I don’t mind pressure; in fact, some of my best rounds in the ring have been where it counts the most. I have learned that by the time you get back to the truck, the round that has just been means very little. Tomorrow is another day. It’s those lessons in the ring that drives you to do better the next time. Don’t get me wrong I am very competitive, but I have also learned it’s all about having fun. If you are having fun your horse is having fun, and if they are having fun they go out and win.

Where do you see yourself in 15 years from now? I would like to be producing and competing on my home-bred horses at the top level. To me, it’s all about giving back so to be able to continue to help horses and improving horsemanship and knowledge would make me happy.

What talent do you wish you were gifted at? I wish I could sing; some of those are just naturally gifted and don’t have to work hard. With horses, you can have a natural gift or talent but still have to work hard to continue to grow and improve.

What do you want to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered for being the person that spent their life improving horses well-being, educating horse owners to manage their horses like the athletes they are but most importantly to teach kids to have fun whenever they are on a horse.

What would you consider your biggest achievement? Progress!! Whether it be on a competition horse or a scared breaker.

How many hours do you work each day? 10- 12 hours, on average seven days a week!

How do people respond to you now you are famous on the equestrian stage? I don’t think of myself like that, if I am approached a simple smile, photo or reply goes a long way to making someone feel good.

You’ve achieved so much in life so far, what are your next ‘big’ plans? I would like to compete the stallions and some of my home-bred horses on the world stage. Continuing to share my knowledge and improving horsemanship via my clinics and to transition my philosophy to the horse racing industry are all in the to-do list!

Do you have a single disappointment in life that stands out? I wish I knew what I knew now 15 years ago. I could have helped a lot more horses in many different ways.

How do you react to negativity, and how do you talk yourself out of not absorbing it? You just have to believe in what you do. Unfortunately, there is plenty of negativity in the horse world, and being so public, we have experienced our fair share of it. The day of the keyboard critic is here, social media is a powerful tool but used in the wrong way; it can have devastating consequences. We all need to have far more tolerance in life, there are many different ways to do things, someone else’s way may not be your way, but it does not mean it’s wrong. We are all human, and all have feelings, and we need to respect that.

Any regrets? You can’t have regrets in life, looking back doesn’t help, you can reflect but regret limits growth.

Can you impart your biggest life lesson for equestrians to follow? Have fun! If you are finding it boring, hard work or don’t understand something, then your horse is finding it even more difficult than you! Keep it simple; make it easy to understand, have fun and progress will come in leaps and bounds.

Can you please leave us with a pearl of your wisdom for our readers to take away? Look for the solution, don’t punish the symptoms! C

INTERVIEW WORDS Diana Dobson AT HOME IMAGES Michelle Clarke Photography COMPETITION IMAGES Kampic.com

A Quiet Achiever Ask Tegan Fitzsimon what has had the most influence on her career and she doesn’t miss a beat. “Vollie,” she says. Her life breaks quite clearly in two distinct timelines – before Vollie and with Vollie. She is talking, of course, about her beloved “unicorn” Windermere Cappuccino. The duo have just notched back-to-back victories in the FEI World Cup NZ League Series and have already etched their names on many of New Zealand’s top trophies.

Tegan 56

THE PERFECT MATCH The first time she sat on Vollie, they clicked. “He came to me during the winter as a four-year-old to be sold. I took him to a couple of shows as a five-year-old, and after that, we decided to go into partnership with the Parkes family.” By her own admission, Tegan says the Corofino II gelding is her type of ride. “That makes my job so much easier because I relate to him more. I like my horses if they are up in front, a little compact, hot and a little bit of feral doesn’t go astray,” she says. “But the key is that he just loves his job and that isn’t something you can train into any horse. He is such a clean jumper and knows exactly what he has to do.” Vollie wasn’t “crazy” successful at five, but he was consistent and while he didn’t win everything he did pocket the Astek Stud Trophy in the 2015-2016 breeding series, Nationals and Horse of the Year crowns. He replicated that as a six-year-old in 2016-2017 winning the Mitavite Trophy for the breeding series and then at seven, in 20172018, completely dominated to win the Fernhill Trophy. He won every seven-year-old start and from six Grand Prix starts won five. “He was starting to show just what a special horse he was.” At eight he stepped up again, winning everything including the World Cup Series and placing third in the Olympic Cup. The same year they won the Gold Tour at Takapoto Estate. They have had nine World Cup starts since November 2018 for eight podium finishes including four wins and three seconds.

“BEFORE I HAD VOLLIE I was quite happy cantering around Grand Prix tracks,” says 29-year-old Tegan. “I didn’t want to do World Cups or bigger classes but all it takes is one good horse. It gives you that boost of confidence to think you can achieve a lot.” It’s not as though Tegan wasn’t already a very successful rider. She started riding at five and competing in the showing ring where she enjoyed plenty of top awards. “I still like showing too! Put me on a good show pony, and I would go out and do it again in a flash.” She moved to jumping at 12 years old and immediately loved that it was so definite. “A spade is a spade in jumping, rather than an opinion.” In 2009 she represented New Zealand at the Youth Olympics in Australia, winning a team gold alongside Chloe Akers, Rachel McGregor and Tess Williams. “I was always quite competitive, and while the Olympics were always the ultimate goal, you don’t grow up thinking that is actually what you will do.” That said, there was never a plan B – it was riding or riding. “I was fortunate that when I started jumping, I had an excellent instructor in Susie Hayward. “She taught me the ropes and a lot of where I am today is thanks to her. She gave me a really good grounding in the jumping world.” It’s a favour she returns to other youngsters who seek her out for advice and tips.

“I always knew backing up that eight-year-old season was going to be hard, and particularly at shows where we had won the World Cup rounds. They were the ones I put more pressure on myself to get the results, and I struggled a little with that. Last year there were no expectations, and if we did well, it was a bonus. This year there was pressure and expectation from me and others.” Last year Tegan was named as the only onshore-based showjumper on the Tokyo Olympic Games long list. “It was a nice surprise to be recognised like that, and I would love to take Vollie – or another horse – offshore to compete, but for now it is a day at a time.”

QUIET TIME KEY TO PREPARATION Tegan likes to chill and listen to her favourite song list before any big round. She studied last season’s rounds and made a few tweaks before Hawera, where they came out firing. “He jumped so well, and that gave me a confidence boost for the next one. Last season I backed myself a hell of a lot more that’s for real.” Being based three months away from home for the World Cup Series added another dimension. “I like a good routine, and I stick to it, but that’s tricky when you are freelancing around the country each weekend. It has been a big learning curve. It’s certainly not all fairy tales and butterflies.” For her, there is nothing like home. The family property at West Melton is the perfect set-up with arenas and stables on the lifestyle block. “I am very lucky and love going home.” This season has underlined to her the importance of a good support crew around her and topping that list with her parents Phil and Christine, owners, sponsors and groom Michaela Tamblyn. “Mac is an absolute asset to the team,” says Tegan. “She is a gem and so good with all the horses.” As well as Vollie, she’s entering her 11th season with Alacazam

“I like a good routine, and I stick to it, but that’s tricky when you are freelancing around the country each weekend.”

MH along with some exciting seven-year-olds in Glenbrooke All Roses and Campari, and talented four-year-olds LT Holst Harley and Stevenson ECPH. “There is some real talent coming through in the team,” she says. “I do love producing the horses and watching them grow through the sport. It is very satisfying.” She reviews every round she jumps to see what went well and what needs work, before heading back out to train and fix any issues. “It is a very beneficial thing to do.” With the World Cup Series ticked off her list for the season, there’s no sitting back. Tegan is a rider on a mission and who knows where in the world that will take her. C

COME AND SEE US AT HOY ** SITE D34 **

AGENTS AND SADDLE FITTERS AUCKLAND, FRANKLIN & WAIKATO Performance Saddle Fitting by Stephanie Liefting ph: 027 2781554 e: sales@prestigeequestrian.co.nz AMS Saddlery 198A Great South Road, Takanini, South Auckland p: 09-298 7094 e: orders@amssaddlery.co.nz TAURANGA, MID AND LOWER NORTH ISLAND River Oaks Equestrian Warwick Gough p: 027 4941683 e: info@riveroaksequestrian.co.nz NORTHLAND Saddle Josi Josephine Dill p: 021 733305 e: josefinedill@xtra.co.nz

“There’s nothing like the feel of riding in a Renaissance” French Inspired saddles designed by Frederic Butet

HAWKES BAY Forbes & Co p: 06 8787830 e: sales@forbesco.co.nz PALMERSTON NORTH Kyrewood Park p: 0274479731 e: info@kpark.co.nz SOUTH ISLAND On Top Equestrian Seija Parkkali-Glew p: 021 4314714 e: ontopequestrian@gmail.com WANAKA Equisync Lydia Beales p: 021 1808517 e: equisyncnz@gmail.com

Made in Italy

www.prestigeequestrian.co.nz NATIONWIDE SALES & SADDLE FITTING

Wholesale and agency enquiries welcome for Prestige Italia, Mountain Horse and Equilibrium Products UK.

e: info@prestigeequestrian.co.nz p: 09 2977564 m: 0274929226 FB: Prestige Equestrian Ltd

INTERVIEW

David WOOLLEY THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Acclaim and recognition as to the quality of your horses from one of the world’s top horsemen is something most breeders only dream of. But for sport horse breeder David Woolley, that dream came true during Carl Hester’s recent visit to New Zealand, where he coached riders Melissa Galloway and Gaylene Lennard as part of his Equidays masterclass. WORDS Pip Hume IMAGES Kimi Knight Photography

Melissa Galloway’s success with her two chestnut geldings, Windermere Johanson W and Windermere J’Obei W has seen her achieve multiple honours at national level as they have progressed through the grades. Now competing at Grand Prix level, to date this season they have posted some outstanding scores. That success has been echoed by Gaylene Lennard and her tall, dark and handsome Jax Johnson, competing at Advanced level this season. All three horses are by the legendary KWPN stallion Johnson, who is now internationally ranked second for producing dressage horses in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) stallion rankings. Johnson’s sire Jazz is the top-ranked stallion. “I was frankly amazed to hear what Carl Hester had to say about my horses,” says

David. “If in my wildest dreams I ever imagined such a scenario, this is even better! I go to Europe most years, and remember seeing J’Obei out at a dressage show for the first time, and thinking that he was a horse that wouldn’t look out of place in Europe.” David acknowledges that in hindsight, there has been as much luck involved as good management. “I had no idea when I started breeding to Johnson that his progeny would be as good as they turned out to be,” he reflects. “At the time we were getting into breeding, we had two Thoroughbred mares. “J’Obei’s dam, Miss Pompeii, was by Pompeii Court. She was a nice, big, upstanding mare, and he looks exactly like her. Although she broke a hind fetlock while racing, she was

Competition images - Dark Horse Photography

a very nice-moving mare. Johanson was out of a mare by Kilimanjaro. I’ve bred six Johnson foals now, but if I’d known then what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have bred him to Thoroughbred mares.” David had always liked Johnson’s sire Jazz, and knew what a great stallion he was. “I have always had a ‘thing’ for the quite modern and energetic type of horse, and I was disillusioned by the old-fashioned, heavier type. When Johnson won the Dutch KWPN licensing as a two-and-a-half-year-old, I saw the video on Eurodressage, and there was something about him that just caught my eye. He’s very good looking, a big horse and a big mover.” Another stroke of serendipity came when David was looking for buyers for Johanson and J’Obei, without much success. “Because we didn’t yet have a name, most of the top riders we were in touch with wouldn’t come and look at them, or couldn’t see what we saw,” David explains. But Melissa had ridden a young Johnson gelding during her time in Germany, and really liked the type, so she was interested in that bloodline.

This page Top left - David is pictured with son Tobin and daughter Reeve. Top right - Melissa Galloway - WINDERMERE J’OBEI W, Grand Prix Champion, Canterbury Dressage Championships. Above - Melissa Galloway - WINDERMERE JOHANSON, Grand Prix Reserve Champion, Canterbury Dressage Championships. This season’s foal FANKFULL DW (by Franklin) and her dam DALLAS DW (by DORINGCOURT). DALLAS DW is half-sister and the only sibling of WINDERMERE J’OBEI W.

I WAS FRANKLY AMAZED TO HEAR WHAT CARL HESTER HAD TO SAY ABOUT MY HORSES.

Top left - One of the gorgeous foals of the season; FANKFULL DW (by FRANKLIN). Above - RUBY RED DW (REVOLUTION/ROCKSTAR). Her dam is half-sister to WINDERMERE JOHANSON W. Below - RIGHTEOUS DW (RUBIN ROYAL/QUATTRO B). Her dam is a half-sister to JAX JOHNSON.

Gaylene Lennard - JAX JOHNSON, World Dressage Challenge Champion 2018.

Johanson had been started under saddle, but was quite a tricky horse, with a tendency to forget that he was broken in. Melissa was a young rider at the time she purchased the two horses - she was only 19. However, she was very experienced and capable, with a solid foundation and system of training. “Melissa has been completely perfect for the horses, and I will forever be grateful that she turned up and bought them!” David acknowledges. “Johanson was never easy. Right from a foal, he thought that everything was going to kill him! Nothing much ever went wrong for him; that’s just the way he was. J’Obei was more straightforward; as was Gaylene Lennard’s horse Jax Johnson. These two were born within a week of each other and were paddocked together for the first couple of years of their lives. Those were the only two foals we bred that year, and it’s amazing that they both turned out to be so successful.” As an aside, David adds: “J’Obei’s name came about because we had a French girl staying with us when he was born, and for some reason, she suggested J’Obei, which means ‘I obey’. A bit of an understatement for what he is, but he’s very trainable! Although he moves beautifully now, that wasn’t apparent when he was young. Melissa has the ability to bring out the best in the horses, and she is able to do it a lot earlier than many

people, in a way that doesn’t put them under too much pressure.” Melissa also has high hopes for her six-year-old mare Windermere Zephora W by Glock’s Zonik, also bred by David. David has always been passionate about breeding, but as his horses have enjoyed success, that passion has only increased. In particular, he’s looking forward to following the young horses he has bred which are starting their careers. “Vanessa Way, who has played such a big role as part of both Melissa and Gaylene’s coaching teams, now has two of my horses. “Fürst Rock DW is a five-yearold by Fürst Romancier out of Johanson’s half-sister. He’s under saddle now, is very talented and sensitive, and Vanessa is in love with him. She also has a threequarter sister to Jax Johnson, out my mare Qurious DW who’s by Quattro B. Cooper Oborn has recently purchased a gelding by Bordeaux from this mare too. “Kieryn Walton has a Glock’s Zonik out of the same mare as Fürst Rock DW. Abbie Deken has a lovely little liver chestnut mare out of the same mare as Zephora, bred by my good friend Candace Bagnall. Sophie Griffith has three young ones, and Lucarne Dolley also has a lovely horse I bred last year. So there’s plenty to look forward to. “In my ideal world, I’d sell the foals as weanlings, but I’ve only managed to do that once! In New Zealand, there isn’t a culture of

people buying foals yet, but I’m hopeful people will start to realise that buying as foals is the way to get the best horse at a relatively affordable price.”

BREEDING FOR SUCCESS

Over time, it has become increasingly clear to David that his breeding goals centre around Grand Prix dressage success. “I’ve realised that I’m not breeding for success at Young Horse level, or breeding stallions or average horses, and that really shapes my stallion choices. I’m also attracted to the more modern type that is energetic and athletic, but still with strength and trainability. Something that has crystallised for me recently is just how much Thoroughbred blood there is in some of the European bloodlines I like. Johnson, Jazz and Vivaldi are all over 40% Thoroughbred; so Melissa’s two boys are 70% Thoroughbred! “It’s something that the Holsteiner and Hanoverian breeders overseas cottoned onto years ago to improve the athleticism and work ethic. I have now analysed the pedigrees of my mares and all of the stallions I’ve used, as I’m keen to keep the blood percentage high in my horses.” David doesn’t have much interest in breeding to stallions based in New Zealand, purely because commercially it doesn’t make sense for him to have the same bloodlines as other breeders around the country. He has concentrated on improving his mare herd, saying that as the mares improve, the progeny improve exponentially. Apart from Jax Johnson’s mother, his mares are all relatively young. He also feels that to breed successfully, it’s important to have a good understanding of the mare’s physical type and movement type. “I know my mares really well, so I know whether they have big, powerful movement, or have more suspension and are more ‘up’ than across the ground. I try not to breed my ‘across the ground’ mares to a stallion with huge movement as that can create weakness and difficulty with collection. Johanson’s sister is by Rockstar and is very short-coupled and moves more off the ground, and I breed her to big, scopey movers. So far, it has worked well. “I also try and match the stallions to the mare type and mechanics and like using older, proven stallions that have been at Grand Prix themselves and have left multiple progeny that look like going to Grand Prix; stallions that show up regularly in the top 100, like Johnson, Rubin Royal and Fidertanz. “Then sometimes I like to mix it up because it can get a bit boring,

I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A ‘THING’ FOR THE QUITE MODERN AND ENERGETIC TYPE OF HORSE.

This page Top - David walking with RUBY RED DW (REVOLUTION) and her dam ROCKCHIQ DW (ROCKSTAR). Above - A couple of stunning two-year-olds; DOLCE SORPREZA (DANTE WELTINO/ROCKCHIQ DW) on the right and BEAUFORT DW (BUCKINGHAM/DALLAS DW) on the left. Opposite page Top right - Another stunning filly; RIGHTEOUS DW and her dam QURIOUS DW (BY QUATTRO B).

so I will try a young, flashy stallion that I like from proven Grand Prix lineage. I’m careful about how I interpret the stallion licensing approvals though - if they are by a stallion that hasn’t left Grand Prix offspring I steer away from them. If you want to breed a toplevel dressage horse, you need to breed to lines that have already produced that – recently and more than once, on both sides of the pedigree; it increases your chances a lot. Importantly, I’m not just talking about having Donnerhall, Sandro Hit or Jazz in a pedigree as most European horses have at least one of those stallions in their pedigree, if not all three. The performance blood has to be closer than that, and the stallion needs to show extraordinary talent himself for me to be interested. “I’m convinced that in order for our riders to get better, the horses have to be better, and the training has to be better; but I think that is happening now. You can’t have beautiful riders on horses that don’t want to do it or aren’t athletic. I think that the type of horses we are seeing out there in the competition arena is changing.”

HOME BASE

David rode from the age of 10, riding professionally as an eventer after he left school until he was 27 years old. At that time, he went to University and became a commercial property valuer. “I didn’t breed horses until relatively recently,” he reveals. “I realised that a lot of the best horses never get sold, and unless you bred you didn’t have much chance of coming across a top-quality horse with nothing wrong with it, so initially I was breeding my own riding horses. Now I do it because I love being involved with the top riders and following my horses through the grades. I can’t wait to watch one of them at the Olympics.” Lately, he has been concentrating on developing his property up in the hills at Woodhill, relocating and renovating a couple of houses, and subdividing off a number of smaller blocks. His next building project will be a barn house with stables attached. It’s all a work in progress, and he comments that at least he now has an arena, whereas when he purchased the property, there wasn’t even fencing. The 135-acre property is about half bush, and the rest is hilly country ‘pretty unsuited to horses’! David jokes that if they survive the experience of living on the hills, they are good and hardy! David’s daughter Reeve, aged 13, has recently got her first pony. However, his 15-year-old son Tobin prefers motorbikes and is not at all interested in the horses. C

INTERVIEW

Hats off

TO MONIKA

“Fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves.” – Yves St. Laurent

When it was suggested to Monika Neuhauser at a school career drive that she should consider millinery as a future profession, she was less than impressed. Then aged 14 and living in her native Austria, hats were quickly going out of fashion and the art of millinery dying out, with many manufacturing plants closing down and almost no apprenticeships available for that type of work.

WORDS Cheyenne Nicholson IMAGES Christine Cornege

Thirty years later, her highly successful millinery business in New Zealand now makes her wonder if her schoolteachers were perhaps onto something. "It's come full circle a little bit,” she says. “But I often wonder if I’d taken up the opportunity back then to get into millinery whether I would have stuck with it. I think probably not. I think I needed those years of other careers to 'grow up' and grow into it." Monika arrived in New Zealand on her honeymoon in 1988 and ‘basically never left’. With racing a huge part of Kiwi culture in the '80s, it wasn't long before Monika’s friend Elizabeth Charleston persuaded her to go along to the races together. Horse racing wasn't massive in Austria, let alone the fashion that goes hand-in-hand with it. “I asked my friend what I should wear as I just didn’t know, and she said a nice frock and a hat. Search as I might, I couldn’t find anything. Hats hadn’t come back as they have nowadays, so I decided to make my own. I went to Spotlight, grabbed some materials and put something together. It was a smallish black and cream sinamay piece. “I’ve always been creative and needed that creative outlet. Growing up in Austria, it was part of the curriculum: you learned how to sew, crochet and knit. We did all of it, even down to making our own Christmas decorations.” With racegoers stopping Monica to ask where her hat was from, her interest ‘sort of snowballed from there’ and she started making hats for friends. Realising she had a bit of a knack for hatmaking and wanting to explore the craft more, Monika decided to learn the proper techniques of making hats and headpieces. She quickly discovered there wasn't anything available in New Zealand for teaching millinery. She did, however, find a millenary convention in Australia offering just what she was after. “It was in Wagga Wagga of all places!” she says. “I met Waltraud Reiner (also from Austria) who has been in Australia for 28

years. She used to work with the milliner who made hats for Princess Diana amongst others, and studied with the milliner to the Queen Mother. “We sort of clicked. We have a common background and developed a really close friendship. She's been my mentor and tutor ever since. I still travel to Australia once a year to study with her." Before turning her flair for millinery into a successful business, Monika started her working life as a dental chair assistant. Unlike New Zealand, dental assistants in Austria were able to undertake a wide variety of tasks, so after moving to New Zealand, Monika and her husband started working in the field of optometry. When the group she worked for was sold about seven years ago, it meant the closure of some branches, including the one where Monica was working. “At that point I had learnt a bit more about hat making, having gone to a few conventions in Australia. I was making a lot of hats, so took that as a sign that it was time to take it on full-time." The business quickly outgrew the pool table in Monika's guest house to its own studio, where Monika can usually be found working on her many unique creations. Many Fashions in the Field winners have donned a Monika Neuhauser creation atop their heads, which has been instrumental in spreading the word about her business. "Social media is definitely important. I don't think you can be a business today and not have a presence there. But word of mouth is probably my best marketing tool

I met Waltraud Reiner “ (also from Austria) who has

been in Australia for 28 years. She used to work with the milliner who made hats for Princess Diana amongst others, and studied with the milliner to the Queen Mother.

”

and a lot of equestrian events like Fashions in the Field are where that happens." The majority of headpieces and hats she makes are original, one-of-a-kind designs made with the wearer in mind, with only a handful of ready to wear pieces in stock. "I would hate to make the same thing all the time. I always say I'm too old for this. I want to have fun with it and push myself with everything I make, to come up with something different, bolder, and brighter. “I can't compete with the factory-made hats and headpieces from overseas that are mass-produced, so I have to add value to my product, do something different and differentiate myself from that market. By doing what I do with made-to-measure hats, every piece is unique, and that's what sets me apart." Monika admits her style has grown quite eclectic over the years, perhaps even quirky: often favouring vintage pieces and her signature colour – black. “Black is a colour I’m very drawn to, and I think I can only pull it off well because of my red hair! It’s very dramatic and versatile. I find myself having to consciously make an effort to avoid black when it comes to designing headpieces and hats.” Monika draws inspiration from colour combinations, materials and of course, social media – finding new shapes, trims and textures to experiment with. "Sometimes, you just get struck by inspiration; everything else falls away – the household chores, eating, you forget the coffee you made because you're so focused on this idea and creating it. I love that part. "There's a book called 'Copy like an artist' which talks about the creative process of seeing something that inspires you and putting your own handwriting on it,

rather than just a copy. Sometimes it's hard, because as a designer and woman, you sort of instinctively design things for yourself a bit, so a little bit of me always sneaks through." Hat trends have changed a lot through the decades. From the straw boater hats of 1910 and cloche 'flapper' hats of the '20s, to the pillbox hat popularised by former First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the '60s through to the slightly questionable bucket hats of the '80s. "A lot has changed over the years, and like clothing fashion, people are finding that if you hold onto something for long enough, it comes back into fashion. Two years ago I wore a real vintage hat from the '60s to the races, and I didn't look out of place at all. The shapes of the '60s and '70s are very popular at the moment – the pillboxes, large brim hats like fedoras." For Monika, the most challenging part of the process is the technical skill required for certain shapes, but one of her favourite phases is the more mundane part of the creative process. “Sewing edging around a large brimmed hat is all done by hand and takes a long time, but I honestly really like that part. It’s almost like my meditation time.” Although a wide variety of material is now on offer for milliners, not all materials work for every hat shape, and some take a skilled milliner to achieve a successful outcome. With the millinery industry being relatively small in New Zealand, Monika never wastes a chance to head to millinery school in Australia to spend a week with other milliners honing her craft, sharing ideas and trying new things. “To anyone who wants to go into millinery and have a business, I would definitely say you have to study: learn how to do it properly and find out what’s behind it. It’s not the sort of craft you can set up on the kitchen table.” Monika has recently started teaching other people the basics of hat-making after repeatedly being approached. Feeling like she was never ready or skilled enough to teach someone else, her friend and mentor Waltraud encouraged her to give it a go. "From teaching, you learn yourself. Having to explain things and show people things, it's helpful for my own development, and I like being able to share an art form that is a bit of a rarity these days." Famous milliner Stephen Jones once described the hat as the exclamation mark, taking an outfit to a whole new level. “I often have people come to me and say ‘I want a winning hat’. But really, there’s no such thing. It's the entire outfit; it's about the whole look and more importantly, how you feel wearing it.” C

INTERVIEW WORDS Pip Hume IMAGES Dark Horse Photography

ASTEK STUD A NEW ERA

Sue with the imported German Holsteiner stallion CORNETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AIR.

For more than two decades, Astek Stud has been at the forefront of breeding in New Zealand, with countless top-class equine athletes to its credit. Stud owner Sue Fowler shows us around her new property in North Canterbury and tells us about her horses.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Astek Stud’s new location is a 15-acre property at Mandeville, north of the Waimakariri River. Sue and Dave live close by on a separate 10-acre property. Sue’s daughter Diana currently lives onsite and is

Top - German Holsteiner stallion CORNET’S AIR. Centre - The new property has been redeveloped to suit Astek’s needs. Above -Young stallion SWE DEMPSEY.

Image - Karolina Dyszy

t’s been a massive year for Astek Stud. The German Holsteiner stallion Cornet’s Air has been added to the Astek stallion family, and after experiencing the devastation of the Nelson fires, the stud relocated from Nelson to North Canterbury. Moving back to Canterbury after four years in Nelson was not something Sue foresaw. “When I moved up to Nelson from Burnham, it was with thoughts of semi-retirement,” she explains. “I had bought a property with my family - my mother and my sister - and saw myself having just a couple of stallions and a riding horse for myself. I wanted to help my sister care for our elderly mother, and also have more time to enjoy myself, hacking around the forest and beach. “But once I started doing some equine reproductive work in the area, it all snowballed, and I ended up developing a business that was just too big for semi-retirement!” Added to that, Sue’s changing situation saw her reconsidering the Canterbury area as her base. “My mother’s health means that she now requires full-time care. In addition, I met my partner Dave, who is originally from midCanterbury and has a background in farming and engineering. With the addition of Cornet’s Air to our stallion line-up, the move back to Canterbury made a lot of sense. Plus, it just feels like ‘home’ to me.” The Nelson fires were extremely disruptive, added to the fact they took place in February at the tail end of the breeding season. “We had 16 horses - mares, foals, young stock and four stallions to evacuate,” recalls Sue. “I put the call out and was overwhelmed by the response. In particular, I simply can’t say how grateful I am to the Taylor family: Marg, Bruce, Sam and Gus, who arranged for a truck to be brought up to Nelson from North Canterbury, picked up the stallions and took them back. We had to put Cornet’s Air and Quatermaster on the truck together, with not much space in between. Luckily, they were both complete gentlemen.”

very much part of the day-to-day operations. The property has undergone quite a transformation since takeover (prior to winter 2019), with a complete overhaul of the infrastructure. However, it’s a radically different proposition from Sue’s previous breeding operation. “I decided to step away from the ‘mare’ side of breeding,” says Sue. “Before moving back to Canterbury, I sold most of my herd (16 mares) to Dawn Howard, who is located near Nelson, and retained only three for myself. “Andrea Hooper, who worked for me and was the most amazing employee, has taken over my equine reproduction business in Nelson. I no longer take outside mares for breeding and operate solely as a stallion collection facility.” Plenty of new construction has been completed onsite, with large, light, airy buildings purpose-built to house the collecting process, and subsequent treatment and distribution of product. The fencing is all new and equine-safe, and each paddock has a large open front stable. “It’s important to me that the stallions are kept in an environment that’s as natural and comfortable for them as possible. I don’t like them to be too restricted. “Being paddocked with full access to a stable is the best of all worlds; so they have the freedom to move about and see what’s going on around them, but also have shelter from both the summer heat and the winter cold. The fences and gates are designed so that we can enclose the stable to confine a stallion if necessary.” With wide laneways for access, and plantings between each

paddock, it’s clear that great deal of thought has gone into the set-up. “And paint,” laughs Sue, “A lot of black paint; hundreds of litres.”

A LINE-UP OF STALLIONS

While Sue’s first stallion was an Arabian she imported from Australia - “an amazing little horse, he sired some outstanding Anglo-Arabs” - her foundation warmblood sires were Ramirez, followed by Kinnordy Gym Bello, and then Voltaire II. Ramirez and Voltaire II are now deceased. “Ramirez was very special to me,” she reflects. “John Cottle was originally behind him coming from Germany to

New Zealand, and he stood at stud with Ivan Bridges. When he was offered to me, I was initially reluctant. Still, I loved his Holsteiner bloodlines and could see what he was and the impact he could have in the jumping arena. We bonded immediately; he was so magnificent and has left some truly outstanding mares.” Alongside Gym Bello, well-known for the many and versatile champions he has sired over the years, and whose restricted stud duties continue, Sue stands Astek Quatermaster, SWE Dempsey and Cornet’s Air. Sue was so excited by Quatermaster’s sire, Quaterback (who as a three year old was a star in the 2006

Top - Sue and Diana with Sue’s three very pregnant mares. Centre - New Zealand’s first CORNET’S AIR foal is owned by Louis Schindler. Below - The home Sue shares with her partner Dave.

QUALITY OF THE STALLION AND THE QUALITY OF THE MARE.” Bundeschampionate) that she set about obtaining the bloodline for New Zealand. “Frozen semen wasn’t available to New Zealand in 2009, so we looked in Australia where there was a limited amount,” she says. “We were lucky enough to secure a beautiful Flemmingh/Weltmeyer mare and put her in foal to him, and then import her (in foal). “Of all the horses I have bred, Quatermaster was the one I felt was destined for excellence in the Grand Prix dressage arena. He has it all - the movement, the temperament and the athleticism. But sadly, it wasn’t to be, and a niggling stifle injury has meant an end to his ridden career. I suppose that’s horses, but it’s so disappointing,” Sue says philosophically.

Above - Sue’s first stallion, the imported Australian Arab ELENBEES R RATED. Right - German Holsteiner stallion CORNET’S AIR. “His foals are just outstanding though,” she adds. SWE Dempsey was purchased from Janelle Sangster-Ward, who had been in Australia looking for a quality Sir Donnerhall mare and purchased his dam in foal to Damsey FRH. Sue explains: “When Dempsey was born, Janelle intended to geld him, but she could see what a quality colt he was and thought it would be a shame. I bought him as a weanling. He’s four years old now, under saddle and going out to his first competitions. He’s just so easy to take out.” Dempsey has passed the initial stage of his classification into the Rhineland book in New Zealand, meaning his foals can now be registered. The remaining portion of his classification will take place when he is five years old. Undoubtedly, the highlight of Sue’s breeding career to date has been the recent importation of German Holsteiner stallion Cornet’s Air, which Sue sees as a wonderful opportunity, both for the stud and for Australasian breeders. Gerd Küst, who bred Cornet’s Air in Germany, has been to New Zealand many times as the German classifier for the NZ Warmblood Association. He had often visited Astek Stud in his capacity as

the ground are strongly stamped with his wonderful attributes and type, and their owners couldn’t be more thrilled. “This breeding season is a completely different story. Cornet’s Air has a strong book and is performing well up to expectations, so we will start to see more of his amazing progeny on the ground.”

THE BREEDING SCENE

Since the beginning of her breeding enterprises, Sue has been motivated by a desire to help New Zealanders realise their dreams of breeding a top horse and ultimately having the chance to become more competitive internationally. “That’s what excites me so much about Cornet’s Air. Having these sought-after European bloodlines gives us a phenomenal chance at it. Quality is everything: the quality of the stallion and the quality of the mare. Then the progeny has to be in the right hands and get the right handling. “In New Zealand, we are trending towards a more European way of doing things with our competition horses. It’s more professional; people think about what they are doing more. They are more interested in the wellbeing of their horses and manage them more to keep mind and body healthy. If they’ve got a horse going up through the grades, they will start looking for their next horse, so they’re not left without a mount." C

Image below - Karolina Dyszy

"QUALITY IS EVERYTHING - THE

classifier and seen the young stock produced by their stallions. He initially liked Ramirez and his progeny, then later saw Quatermaster and rated him very highly as well. The plan to import Cornet’s Air to New Zealand came about during Sue’s visit to Germany in 2018. “I went over to Germany, and while I was there visited Gerd,” she explains. “At that time, we organised the plan to import Cornet’s Air, with an arrangement to stand him here. I’m so pleased that Gerd has sent me his supremely bred, beautiful stallion! He’s a lovely modern type; the complete package, and is truly the best horse I have ever had for conformation, temperament and ability. “As a breeder, you are always learning though, and with hindsight, there is one thing I wish I had done differently. Cornet’s Air arrived from the Northern Hemisphere in early January, and if I had realised the effects of such major travel mid-season, I would have given him a chance to recover and adjust. Although he got some nice mares in foal last season, he wasn’t a hundred percent, so his book had to be limited. So this year’s foals are extremely special! Those that are on

performance lighting

“The Equilume Cashel Masks are key in our preparation for success at NZ Horse of the Year. They ensure we can maintain beautiful coats for the whole show season. Since using the Equilume Masks our ponies coats have never looked better, the masks are amazing and we cannot recommend them highly enough.” - Chloe Roach, Team Roach, NZ

e ilum u q E t Mee HOY at e mor n r a to le

• Maintain Summer Coat

• Maximise Athletic Performance

• Improve Muscle Mass

• Enhance Overall Health

• Advance Healing Capacity

• Reduce Stereotypical Behaviour

E: AMANDINE@EQUILUME.COM

W: WWW.EQUILUME.COM

T: +61 499 585 951

INTERVIEW

Brea WALKER Taking Charge hy

r ap pe ogr r Ha ot ca s Ph c be es Re itn S D eW OR e Ey W g a Im

An unexpected phone call from eventing royalty, Sir Mark Todd, fast-tracked the young rider’s plans to head overseas, but she knew it was an opportunity too good to pass up, and the experience has fueled her ambitions to succeed at the top level of the sport.

ow back in New Zealand, 19-year-old Brea Walker has set up her own business working with horses - and she’s putting her overseas experience to good use. “I’m full-time riding and have my own business, Brea Walker Eventing, doing schooling and sales. I teach a lot of lessons, as well as competing horses for owners.” Based at Puhoi, Auckland, on the family’s lifestyle block, she has facilities including a dressage arena and yards. Despite trying her hand at most horsey disciplines as a child, including pony club, showjumping and Show Hunter, it was eventing that really captured her attention. “Mum was horsey when she was younger and my sister started riding when she was little. When I was five I started having lessons at Greenhithe. We lived a two minute walk from Pony Club and mum was friends with a lot of the Pony Club people.” A lease pony, Taffy, was duly found and things snowballed from there. “We always went to the riding school for

the last session and then helped feed the horses and take them back to their paddocks. Mum wanted us to learn to be realistic and responsible right from the beginning.” Brea says she was an all-rounder until the age of 14, when she focused on eventing, particularly after her sister started competing at Pony Club Champs level. “I never looked back. I absolutely love eventing. I just love that you have to nail all three things – there’s a little bit of luck but also so much training and you really have to find that horse that can do all three phases for you. “You have to do a lot of work on the flat, which I find helps me with my jumping, and then the adrenaline that you get on cross country is just amazing.” When the family moved to their own property Brea was able to start producing young horses, and broke in several of her own ponies. “That developed my riding, becoming established in training your own horses and bringing them through the grades.” She admits it’s not easy making horses a fulltime career and struggles to find the work life balance, with days off few and far between,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I never looked back. I absolutely love eventing. I just love that you have to nail all three things....

â&#x20AC;?

“

At the moment, the goal is to build up a solid team of horses and move up the levels. I would love to move up to 3*...

”

OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

Brea had planned to head to the UK in winter 2019, but a call out of the blue from Kiwi eventing legend, Sir Mark Todd, meant she packed her bags in early February instead. Her seven month stint in the UK, which also included two weeks working for eventer William Fox-Pitt, exposed her to new ways of thinking and she gained valuable experience, particularly around horse management. “I went because I wanted to gain more experience and get a point of difference for my business. I had only just finished school and didn’t feel like I had the amount of knowledge I needed to push on and turn horses into a career. This was a chance to watch and learn everything I could. “I got a call from Mark Todd, which was very unexpected. He basically asked me a few questions over the phone and then said ‘when can you get here?’ It was a bit of a dilemma as I had just finished school and had all these horses in work, but it’s Sir Mark Todd, how can you say no? It was an amazing opportunity, it was absolutely incredible.” Brea had been recommended by fellow eventer, Sam Mynott, to Jacky Green, who was Todd’s personal assistant at the time.

Image left Take the Moment

but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I got straight into it when I got back from England and it is mentally and physically exhausting, but I love the work and working with horses. I also enjoy the people side, I’m a real people person, and coaching is one of my big passions. “Also taking horses for schooling when people are having trouble, I love working with those horses and piecing together all the bits of the puzzle.” Brea is currently competing at 1* and has competed to 2* level in the past, but currently doesn’t own any horses. Finding the funds to purchase a quality young horse for herself is a challenge, but she hopes to have her own horse by next season. In the meantime, she’s fortunate to have the rides on a number of nice horses for their owners. Her current rides include eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding Delta Leap Frog, owned by Alice Ellen. “He just started horse trials in November and is really green, but very talented.” She also has Just Rock On, who has evented to 2* but is yet to have his first eventing start with Brea. He is owned by Gemma Hampson and is being aimed at the dressage champs in January 2020.

Wider Brim Classic Helmets

These helmets have been designed with a wide visor for added sun protection. High impact painting surface with the choice of four finishes to give a sleek look. The super high impact strength inner shell is made with high foam density which is lightweight and offers optimal impact absorption. The moisture wicking, memory foam lining is removable and washable. Quick release ITW buckle, Duraflex divider and chin padding to ensure a secure and comfortable fit. Front, top and rear ventilation slots offer air flow to keep you cooler. Flexible peak with adjustable size dial to get the perfect fit. Approved VG1 Standard. Black/Silver, Navy/Silver, Rosegold or Black Sparkle. Sizes Small (52) to Large (60)

129.99

EACH

Black Sparkle

Navy/ Silver

As it turns out, it was an opportunity that is unlikely ever to be replicated – Todd announced his retirement from eventing while Brea was working for him. “It was completely different to anything I have ever seen in New Zealand – the facilities and the way of horse management. New Zealand tends to be a bit more casual. He was awesome to work for and so generous with his time. “I was lucky enough to get numerous lessons with him on his top horses and had a lot of opportunity to ride. At his last competition at Camphire he walked the 4* cross country with me. My cross country and confidence has improved a lot because of the tips he gave me. He’s very workmanlike and to the point – you have a job to do, you get out there and do it. I have always doubted myself and haven’t had a lot of self-belief.” Brea says she now has more confidence in her system and makes solid plans, she’s clear in her mind about what she wants to achieve and how she will achieve it. “It’s totally changed my horse management, being more particular and getting on to things early, like cuts, or icing after cross country and the exact amount of time to do it for. Stud selection, what bit to use. I mean, I knew about all

those things before, but now I know the detail. Before, I did the one recipe with all my horses, now I treat them all as individuals,” she explains.

BIG AMBITIONS Like many young eventers, Brea has big goals – the Olympics, Badminton, Burghley. “That’s my big future plans. At the moment, the goal is to build up a solid team of horses and move up the levels. I would love to move up to 3*, I feel like I’m ready, but I just don’t have the horse for it right now. “I’m thinking about going back to England for the winter again, but we’ll see how that plays out.” For now, she’s still pinching herself about the life changing chance to work for the master himself. “It was surreal to think I’m the last person who will work for Mark in his eventing career – that’s crazy. When he retired the first time, that’s the year I was born! I would never have thought in my lifetime I would ever work for him.” Brea trains with Melissa Steed for dressage and is grateful to be sponsored by Oro Equestrian, Precision Saddle Fit NZ, Silver Fern Saddle Co, Auckland Equine Therapy and Amy C Photography. C

Now with a wider sun visor!

VGI

APPROVED

Black/ Silver

Rosegold

0508 467 734

www.saddlerywarehouse.co.nz

14 STORES NATIONWIDE 79

INTERVIEW

HEART for

HORSEMANSHIP Geraldine-based Steve Houston has started more than 3000 horses under saddle, in a career spanning in excess of 20 years. Despite his vast experience, he is continually learning and regularly travels to America to expand his skills and knowledge, as well as to hold clinics. WORDS Rebecca Harper IMAGES Paula Williams

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have a set foundation of skills I need the horse to understand before I sit on him. But it all depends on the horse, its age and breeding.â&#x20AC;?

very horse is different, and Steve prefers a gentle approach when it comes to starting a horse under saddle - to give a solid foundation and set it up for success in any discipline. He and his partner, showjumper Kate Cavanagh, are based at Geraldine, where they operate their separate businesses and have recently started their breeding programme. While Steve breaks in horses of all breeds and disciplines, he has a particular soft spot for working with warmbloods. “I break in any horse, but very much in the last few years, I’ve managed to find a bit of a niche with warmbloods. I enjoy working with warmbloods; I like them for their intelligence. “When I started the business 20-odd years ago, about three years in, a couple of warmbloods came to me. I struggled with them a bit; they are different. I knew I needed to do more training so started going back to the States and trained with Robin Hahn who trains warmbloods, and is a three-time Canadian Olympian. I went back every winter and trained under him, and my love for warmbloods began to grow.”

GETTING THE BUG

Steve says while his parents weren’t particularly horsey, his father managed a large South Island station, and he and his sister had a pony. “My family moved to Australia in the ‘80s, and in my early teens my father and I returned to New Zealand. School didn’t work out for me all that well. I left young and couldn’t wait to find a shepherding job on a station that had horses. I couldn’t wait to ride horses.” Through working rurally on stations, Steve was naturally drawn to rodeo and started bull riding, before progressing to saddle bronc riding. This led to him travelling overseas when he was 20 to pursue rodeo.

Above - STEWIE (Quantum x Caildo 1 x Cassin d Eclipse) is a colt Steve & Kate breed last year. Steve is showing him how he can do a lateral bending turn around the forehand. Below - VALENTINA is a GNZ VALENTINA A CANTO X JADALCO X CARRADO 1 filly owned by Dean Geddes and Jo Youl that came to Steve for breaking in and training. Right-hand page - ZUMBA is confident and balanced with all aspects of ridden work, including through waterways.

“You can’t be too kind, but everything must have discipline.”

“It was a great way to see the world and meet people. I came home after the first winter and spent a few more years shepherding, but couldn’t wait to go back. By the time I did get back, I knew I wanted to pursue horses. There are so many trainers and teachers over there, and you’re right in the hub.”

A GENTLER APPROACH

Steve soon learned that there was an easier, gentler way to start horses under saddle, one that resonated with him: “stepping away from tying up, hobbling and sacking out.” “They used to start horses in a more gentle fashion, like we are now, before the war. In wartime, they needed lots of horses, and they needed them fast, and I think that’s when that method became common.” As well as pinpointing Robin Hahn as his most significant influence, Steve trained under others who shared the same principle: Jim Briggs and Sid Cook particularly stood out. Studying the principles of Tom Dorrance was also a huge part of Steve’s education. “Sid was a hell of a guy, a big numbers man. Two of us worked for Sid and we used to ride 35 colts a day. You’d be seeing every bit of daylight working for Sid, holy smokes. I travelled around America and tried to go to as many clinics as I could, like Ray Hunt and Bryan Neubert. I never worked for Bryan,

but I loved his clinics. Along the way Steve has developed his own set of guidelines. “Particularly for the English style of riding, as they need to carry more of a contact, but my main principle is that first, you have to get a horse willing to understand. “There has been a considerable shift towards a more gentle approach in the last 20 years, and that’s been great, but in the last wee while I think we have overstepped that. “You can’t be too kind, but everything must have discipline as it is throughout life. “Discipline can come in many different ways. I don’t mean a hard hand, but if the horse has discipline and knows his boundaries, he’s so willing to learn. “They have it in their own herd, and alone, so for us as humans not to keep that up, we fail the horse. That’s my belief anyway. “Once a horse has discipline, they love it, and they

love having a leader. They want to know that you’ve got their back. If a horse trusts you because you are disciplined, everything seems to work pretty smooth.” When asked how many horses he has started in his career, Steve says he actually has no idea, but reckons it numbers more than 3000. His approach is not set in stone, as every horse is different, requiring an individual approach. “It depends on the horse. I want to see a warmblood at two-and-a-half years old and put 10 days into it (two weeks, with the weekend off), introducing them to everything. There’s no hard work involved, but I can walk and trot in the arena, ride down the roadside or go down the river. Then they come back a year later, and I’ve already got my foundation on them, and they do another couple of weeks.” It’s slow progress, but Steve says that if done this way, it’s easy on the horse and its rider. A 4-5 year-old might come in for 4-6 weeks before heading back to their owner. Where as a 2-3 year-old Thoroughbred may only be in 10-15 days. It all depends on the discipline and the horse. “I have a set foundation of skills I need the horse to understand before I sit on him. But it all depends on the horse: its age and breeding. “I don’t like the step by step stuff you see on the internet. I don’t think anyone warned the horse that’s what the human was going to do.”

CONSTANT LEARNING

“I’ve been continuously learning the whole way through. I’m still going to clinics and watching people run clinics, doesn’t matter what discipline. I love picking up new ideas”, Steve says. Although he’s taken on hundreds of problem horses over the years, these days he tends to steer away from them. “Kate and I have started to raise our own horses and we have a good clientele base of nice horses. I’ve done my apprenticeship, so I steer away from the problem ones now.” Steve likes the saying: ‘you think a professional is expensive until you get an amateur’.

“In the sport horse world, these are valuable animals. I think people now see the value in having them started properly. The warmblood just does not forget – and sometimes they don’t forgive either.” Steve doesn’t run many clinics in New Zealand these days, but recently started safe handling clinics. “I’m seeing so many people get hurt. They might only have one or two horses, but it’s all to do with how we are handling horses, so I’ve started running a series of clinics, very much horse riding orientated and horse handling, but also with an element of keeping people safe.” He and Kate often work together, and their businesses provide a nice synergy. “We work together pretty much all day every day. I’ve got my business fulltime breaking in, and Kate has her business schooling and helping clients. She often takes horses off the break from me when clients are looking to produce their horses further. We’re still very independent but also work very much together.” Breeding wise, the couple has a select amount of mares, aiming to breed purpose-bred show jumpers. “We’ve bought a couple of really nice fillies. The plan is to buy nice fillies and get them started, then in the three to four-year-old period, when I don’t think they should be doing hard work, put them in foal. Once they’ve raised the foal, they come back into work and are produced further. “We’ve got five or six mares now. We’re not going to blow the world apart breeding, but we want to have a select few great horses we can produce further. Geldings won’t get to stay around, but any female will stay if it’s any good. We are both pretty excited about it all. “After training with Robin for all those years and watching all those clinics, I think I’ve developed a pretty good eye on the ground also, and I enjoy helping Kate with the jumping. Kate’s a very tidy rider, and I often get riding lessons from her, so we help each other all the time. “I’ve got three daughters, the two youngest still ride and come to shows, and Kate’s been great in that aspect as well.” Although he’s been in the horse game for a more than a few decades, Steve is proud of the fact he’s always striving to learn and improve. “My job is getting easier as the years go on. It’s to do with horse selection, but also skill level and, as you get older, you get more patient.” An enduring love for riding horses has sustained and motivated him throughout the years. “I just really love the feeling of riding a horse. There’s something about being on a horse, and there’s something cool about putting that first ride on a young horse.” C

OPPOSITE PAGE Left - ZUMBA mastering the rope release. Top right - ACE is a 4-yearold gelding by EURO SPORT CENTAVOS out of a GROSVENOR (Thoroughbred) mare that Steve has started and expects to have him out competing next year. Bottom right - It should be the aim of every horseman to produce and work with the horse with no, or as little amount of resistance as possible. Bridling included. RIGHT PAGE Lucky came to Steve and Kate when their close friend passed away. Far right - Steve believes that horses must stand still whilst adjustments to gear or any weight shifting from the rider takes place.

TRAINING

with

DREAM LESSON LISA COUPE

JUMPING WITH CONFIDENCE

WORDS Ashleigh Kendall PHOTOS Christine Cornege

Lisa Coupe is one of New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most accomplished show jumpers at both national and international level. She has been a successful New Zealand representative, starting in the young rider levels through to Nations Cup. Lisa has many prestigious titles to her name, including Lady Rider of the Year. She has recently returned to New Zealand after enjoying success up to 5* Grand Prix level in Europe. With many years of experience under her belt, she is turning her focus to coaching riders and training horses at home.

Our rider: CHARLOTTE TRENEARY

Charlotte is a 16-year-old eventer and showjumper from Kumeu, Auckland. She started off competing with dressage, and Show Hunter then moved on to show jumping which she loves. However, at the beginning of the season, Charlotte began eventing, and she describes it as quickly becoming her newfound passion. “As simple as it sounds, riding hasn’t always been easy for me. When I was younger, I had health issues and was misdiagnosed until I was 12 and had to have kidney surgery. This meant for the last couple of years, I have only just become stronger, I was very weak and couldn’t stay on a horse, so mum forced me to do dressage and Show Hunter for safety reasons. It has helped me become a better rider within my showjumping and eventing,” she says.

Our pony: KABO PONGO

“My amazing grey pony Pongo is an eight-year old gelding bred by Kabo Stud. I am so proud because I’ve trained him myself and he has exceeded all expectations. We have been in the placings at nearly every eventing show we have been to and this season just won three in a row and then placed 4th at the Puhinui 3DE. He is one in a million and has the biggest character of any horse I’ve known.“

WARM-UP WITH POLES Lisa likes her horses and riders to pay careful attention to their warm-up, ensuring the horses are working correctly using their bodies, listening to the leg and are developing suppleness as the warm-up progresses. She encourages Charlotte to keep Pongo motivated and interested by incorporating serpentines and poles. “As you are trotting around just add in the two poles and ride a serpentine through the arena of three loops, just so we are getting in lots of changes of direction to get him nice and supple,” she says. “Make sure you are riding him forward in your serpentine, looking where you are going and guiding him with the inside rein, balancing his shoulder with the outside rein. In the change of direction think, change of bend, change of flexion and then gently push him into the new outside rein with the inside leg to get a nice smooth transition to the new rein.”

SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE

87 87

Some horses are better jumping after a brief flatwork session, while others need more time to be attentive, supple and relaxed. Pongo demonstrates his willingness on the flat and Lisa is happy with how the lesson has begun.

“Pongo is looking

excellent in the contact. Make sure you are keeping a nice bend through his body with your inside leg and he is working evenly into both of the reins.”

HAVE A CORRECT CONTACT Lisa encourages Charlotte to resist the temptation to have a long rein, making sure she is keeping the reins in front, going with the horse and not pulling back on them. “Shorten your reins a little bit so you can keep your hands in front of you. The longer the reins are, the more wiggle room there is in his neck and the more opportunity he has to get crooked. He is pretty straight but it is a good thing to keep in mind in general. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to rush your warm-up, get the training right from the beginning.”

RIDE WITH A LIGHT SEAT “When you first go into canter just go with a light seat and let him travel forward, if we sit too much on his back it is going to shut him down,” she instructs. “We want him from the beginning to stay in front of your leg and stay nice and open, keeping your reins shorter and your hands in front of you. Now we will ride the same exercise we did in the trot - in the canter - over the bounce poles and then we will ride the serpentine through the arena with changes through trot. Stay in your light seat as you work through.”

TRAINING YOUR EYE While warming up with the poles, Lisa explains to Charlotte that it is the perfect opportunity to be getting your eye in and spotting the distances before moving onto the jumps. “Look at the poles early, looking with your eyes and guiding with your legs. You don’t want to be finding your distance to the pole with your hands. You want to be looking and guiding him early and get there with the leg,” she says. “Poles are great because you can work on accuracy without pounding them over fences.” It is also the perfect time to feel the canter and assess what needs to be worked on prior to jumping. “You want him up in front of your legs, so he is taking you, you don’t want to have to be pushing him along. Create a canter that’s taking you and then you can support it.”

“The earlier you

look and the more prepared you are, the earlier you will be able to see the distance and judge it.” THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD CANTER Lisa emphasises how crucial it is to have a good canter for jumpers and the role flat work plays in achieving this. “Working on the flat is important for Pongo as he tends to want to bounce up and down in the canter rather than taking you forward if there isn’t a fence he is looking to jump. You need to work on the flat on creating that canter that will take you to the fence. There is no worse feeling than coming around the turn and you have an oxer in front of you and you have no canter to back it up. You want to feel like he is taking you and you can just support it and create more power. That way, you have some options if the worst happens and anything goes wrong.”

As you allow your reins to go longer your horse should follow, the bit is being taken forward, as the horse stretches his head and neck. When heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stretching correctly heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll feel powerful, supple and relaxed.

Using your inside leg, ask your horse to move out onto a larger circle. Your outside leg and rein controls how quickly he moves out. Remember to stay in a good, even rhythm.

their backs, the more they will want to get into that rocking horse canter, we want him to open up and take the bigger step, lift and go. Ride as much as you can in the light seat, of course around corners you might need to sit back and balance him, but where you can, and where there is a big run between fences, a light seat is better." Before trying any exercise, it is essential to find your canter and set yourself up for success. "Go around the arena, find your canter and then go through the diagonal through the two raised poles, then ride right and continue around and then go over the three poles on the curve. Remember

TESTING DISTANCES AND STRIDE CONTROL WITH RAISED POLES

Next, Lisa moves Charlotte onto riding over some raised poles and Charlotte adjusting Pongo's strides to test the distances and his stride control. "Now we will start on the left canter, and I want you to jump over these poles in the middle here, just with your eye, it will probably be a big five, keep a steady seat," she says. "The light seat is going to help you here with him because sitting too heavy he really will want to shorten up his stride. The more we sit on

the same things as on the flat, you are establishing your rhythm, have him forward between your leg, even in the reins, riding balance and riding straight. It is all about creating a better canter to work with. Not too quick, you want to be balanced." Next time around, Lisa gets Charlotte to ride the exercise in a waiting canter and adding a stride to the combinations. "This time ride it in a waiting canter. Inside leg to outside rein. Once he has got the waiting canter, then ask him for one less stride through each set. These are some good ideas to get him opening the stride without getting too quick."

MOVING ON UP! JUMPING EXERCISES When Lisa is satisfied that Charlotte and Pongo are warmed up and well prepared, she sets up the first exercise for them to jump through which she explains to Charlotte. “Trot to the cross, we have a place pole here to help him with his distance for take-off, guide poles to keep him straight, and a place pole on landing to help get the correct shape from the beginning,” she explains. “We don’t want to have to pound him over a lot of fences or over big fences today, and we want a really good and positive final school before Puhinui this weekend. We will warm up over the cross a few times and then we will move on to the gymnastic exercise and then we can kick on and jump through a course. If there are any issues with lines and things, then we can address those.”

“When you are ready, trot to the cross. Remembering not to be too quick, keeping leg to hand connection, with your reins shorter and your hands out in front of you.”

Once she has gone through, Lisa pops it up to a little vertical and Charlotte rides the same again reminding her to keep a soft hand and tall body.

“Regular breaks are important.

Giving the horse a chance to rest and rewarding him when he has really done some good work will keep him motivated and happy in the work.” 91

GYMNASTIC JUMPING

Lisa has set this up so it is two strides to a vertical oxer, she sets up the cross to get him jumping up a little bit with placing poles to help him make all the strides correctly. Again, the guide poles are there to help keep him straight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come in with an active trot, nice soft hand and heaps of lower leg, especially on landing. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want him to land and then become dead and get two and a half strides in here. You start with the rhythm so he is taking you and then if he backs off at any stage then you need to get your legs on. At any point if you feel that he starts to back off then get your leg on.

NOTE

Lisa also says that she would start this exercise a little lower for a less experienced pony or horse, but since he knows his job well, there are no problems to start higher, but avoiding jumping too many jumps for the sake of it.

RIDING A SMALL COURSE

Before they set off on the course, Lisa runs Charlotte through her mental preparation before beginning a round. “We need to take some time to think a little about when you are at the show and you are going into the ring, what’s going through your head and what

are you thinking about before that bell goes and in those 45 seconds before you jump that first fence. “Ride one circle after the break and wake him up - get him as straight as you can. You want to set yourself up and give yourself every opportunity for success.”

PLANNING AHEAD FOR THE RING • Make a plan and know your plan inside out • Visualise your plan going successfully • Show him anything that might be a problem and then make him get going • Set up the canter that you need - a common mistake most people make is not setting up the canter, and they dribble into the first fence, then they spook at the fence and suddenly the canter you thought was okay is no longer enough. Fill the tank up with gas. Put heaps in the tank so that if he does have a little spook, you will still have enough. Also, because he is a pony competing against hacks in eventing and he has small legs you have to compensate for that. Make the stride that you need to succeed. A good quality canter that will get you to the fence with the right balance and straightness, without having to chase him.

“Shorten your reins and ride away from the fence, make enough canter through the turn that you can sit on him and support him.”

Look to the next fence, the horse will always gain confidence from a more forward ride and your direction.

“Anywhere you feel he is spooking you can sit deeper and really press him forward with the leg. The rest of the time stay lighter as much as you can. You want to be able to ride more off your lower leg than your seat but if you need to then, of course, that’s when you sit down and continue putting your leg on.”

RIDING FOR THE HORSE THAT YOU HAVE

If you have a smaller horse or pony you will have to be thoughtful about your plan when you walk the course, make a plan, then commit to it. Practising how much you can adjust the stride at home is really going to help you have confidence that you can tackle the tricky strides at the shows. You might need some trial and error to find out what will work. There will always be some variations depending on surfaces and ground conditions so you will have to ride from your eye a bit more. “For Pongo, he was very comfortable with the six strides rather than five through the combination,” Lisa says. “For him, we could make the five happen, and the way you would want to do it is really make as much stride as you can through the turn, ride out as much as you can without pulling on the reins, heaps of leg off the ground, land and really move, so you could do it, but I think if the opportunity is there to ride the balanced six, then it is going to work better for you.”

Ride early in the morning or in the evening when it’s cooler. If you have to ride when it’s still hot, go on a quiet hack instead. Where possible plan a shaded route. Allow your horse plenty of breaks, too.

COOL HIM DOWN

It is important for every horse to be able to have a period of time where he can cool down from the exercise and stretch his muscles. Cooling down allows him to safely recover from the work and gives you the opportunity to relax together before finishing the session. If you can, get out of the arena and go for a short 10 - 15 minute hack. C

Equine Royale Equine Royale

Equine Royale

BLACK MAGIC™ Brood

Natural foundation for healthy resistance and overall good health in all horses. Breeding, foals, yearlings, performance and seniors

2kg

ECO-BLOOM™

Equine Royale BLACK MAGIC™ Performance

Biological trace element mineral supplement that contributes to equine health and wellness. Promotes a healthy skin, shiny coat and strong hoof integrity. Enhances the immune system and assists in optimum health.

Concentrated botanical base adaptogenic nutritional tonic for competition equine athletes to help support the GI tract, promote healthy immune function and strengthen connective tissue.

600ml

Equine Royale

ECO-MOVE EASY™

RAPID-EAZE™

A2Z CLAY™

Super Anit-Oxidant Supplement with MSM For ease of movement

1.2 kgs

Equine Royale MEND GEL™ Anti-microbial topical gel for non-specific skin abrasions and skin disorders. Naturally healing and calming.

200gm

All over natural gel to ease discomfort, promote recover and help naturally soothe and speed up the healing process. Ideal for cooling down limbs after exercise.

Amazing multi purpose topical poultice with a unique combination of Clay Earth enhanced with minerals and native NZ herbs.

200gm

5 kg

Equine Royale ECO-PROTECT ™

Equine Royale ECO-BALANCER™

Ultimate assistance for grass affected horses, encouraging a calm focused mind.

2 kgs

Providing nutrients utilised by the horse to resolve gut ulcers.

2.4 kgs

TRAINING WORDS Ashleigh Kendall IMAGES Christine Cornege

Up the

Tempo in showing

Achieving rhythm and forwardness is key to your riding success, whatever your discipline.Christine Weal explains how.

Our trainer Christine has represented New Zealand numerous times and has been National Advanced level champion twice and has either won or placed in the NZ Young Dressage Horse Championship whenever she has had a horse compete. She has trained Grand Prix level riders, national champions, international representatives and has invested in her own professional coaching and riding skills by spending ten New Zealand winters obtaining international experience and knowledge. Her philosophy is: “Performance focussed training that meets the rider’s goals for achievement. Enabling a harmonious and fun partnership for horse and rider that brings out all available talent from the horse.”

Our horse and rider HARRIET REDMOND AND NGAHIWI FROSTIE Owned by Harriet and Christine, Frostie and Harriet have been training and competing together for three years. Career highlights include; Saddle Hunter of the Year 2019, Champion North (2017) and South Island (2018) Premier Saddle Hunter, NZSHC Champion Large Hunter 2017, Top 10 Large Hunter at Grand Nations in Sydney 2018. Multi Supreme Horse and Champion Riders at A & P shows. Together they are looking forward to continuing their training to benefit their performances at shows.

“It is important that when a horse moves forward, he stays in balance and doesn’t drop onto his forehand. Forwardness should be ridden through from behind, using your legs and pushing him towards the bridle, not pulling him down and running along.”

Banish the myth Contrary to common misconception – forwardness isn’t about speed. It is focused around having your horse attentive and listening to your aids, eager and willing to work. It is one of the critical foundations to the rest of your work - no matter what discipline you ride in. “When a horse is truly forward and in front of your leg, he will keep going forward on his own without you having to push him along every stride,” says Christine. “For a harmonious picture in the ring, they need to be happy to travel forward, in balance and straight through their body. “It is important that when a horse moves forward, he stays in balance and doesn’t drop onto his forehand. Forwardness should be ridden through from behind, using your legs and pushing him towards the bridle, not pulling him down and running along. He also needs to create a moment of suspension, which should come from the thrust and release of energy stored in his hind legs.”

Understand why it’s important Without true forwardness, it is going to be difficult for you to achieve other areas of your work. If the horse lacks motivation and is dull to the leg, then it is going to be difficult to ask him forward as well as sideways. All areas of the training will be compromised. “It’s crucial that your horse respects your leg and learns to move away from it – if he isn’t listening to your leg aids then it becomes challenging to get him to do anything,” says Christine. However, forwardness shouldn’t be confused with hotness. It’s not just about your horse moving in a forwards direction off your leg fast. It’s about him moving energetically off your leg in any direction from the hind legs. A rider will always find it easier to sit to a horse who’s forward – if he’s not in front of your aids everything you do with him will be compromised.

Know your role To encourage your horse to carry himself correctly, you have to be consistent and fair, explaining in simple black and white terms what reactions you expect from him. He should respond to the lightest squeeze and relax of your legs, and if he doesn’t, you need to form a plan of action. “Your position needs to be as relaxed and supple as possible,” says Christine. “You should be able to move comfortably with the motion of your horse’s gaits to allow him to move as freely as possible. If you become too tense in your seat, hands or legs, you act like a straitjacket for your horse, and he’ll struggle to move freely. “Forwardness can be hard to achieve, and if you’re tense, this makes it even more difficult. Non-stirrup or long stirrup work can help to relax your position and teach you not to clamp with your legs.”

Common rider faults Don’t be afraid of the power and forwardness. When you first begin to ride a genuinely forward horse, they may feel fast, and you may find yourself working against the horse and riding with the handbrake on. Taking the time to work on your anxieties and position will benefit you both, and your work will flourish as a result!

Improve core strength Exercise like pilates, stretching and yoga can benefit the rider and position, improving your core strength will help you stay with your horse and guide him around the arena with greater ease.

Master your

warm-up Loosen up

Working long and low will open your horse’s frame and give a lovely stretch to the muscles along his neck and back - it’s an excellent way to relax him too. Starting on a loose rein, Harriet walks Frostie in a long and low outline. When she picks up the trot, she continues to stretch and rides large circles followed by figure of eights and serpentines, to get him listening and to give his muscles time to get used to her weight and balance. Stretching, like any movement, is one that needs to be taught to the horse, so he understands. Not all horses will naturally want to reach their nose forward and stretch at the beginning of the ride, so in this instance, take advantage of the cool-down period to teach him how to stretch. His muscles will be seeking a stretch more at the end of the ride as they are more tired. Over time, as he understands and relaxes into his work, you can introduce this to the warm-up. It’s simple to do once you’ve got the hang of it but to achieve it effectively, you first need him to be working nicely on the bit, as that will give him the natural urge to stretch. Then it’s a case of opening your hands and softly allowing him to stretch down through his neck and back.

Try it yourself In the early stages of a horse’s training, the emphasis should be on the horse accepting the contact, rather than being in a frame. Concentrate on combining short spells of working into a steady connection with frequent intervals of stretching forwards and downwards. Allowing the horse to pull his head and neck forward and down while maintaining a light contact will help improve suppleness and encourage him to seek a soft contact. Ensure you have an even connection through both reins. Next, try lengthening and shortening the stride within the pace – for example, while trotting, ask him to stretch out and give a few strides of medium trot. This will help to remove any excess tension or stiffness. It will help him

loosen and lift his back. The horse must be the one doing most of the work. Give him an aid, then sit in balance in the middle of the saddle and keep a steady feel on the reins to help him engage. Before making any transition - either downward or upward - put your legs on and remind him to engage his hindquarters. Your legs give him the support he requires, you shouldn’t feel like you have to kick your horse along, but your legs should be softly against his sides to support him and give you more stability in the saddle without balancing on your reins. Remember to reward him with a few minutes of walking after five minutes, particularly if he is not used to this kind of work.

Keep a direct line in the contact from elbow, hand to the bit.

Suppleness Suppleness is simply a measure of how loose, flexible or pliable your horse is through his body. Horses, just like us, need to loosen up quite a bit before they can use their body to their full potential. Therefore a good, well planned and adequately ridden warm-up is crucial to a great training session. Your horse needs to work through any stiffness if he is to be able to use his body fully. Begin with tiny amounts of flexion to the left and right; they are easy to do and a great way to laterally stretch your horse’s neck. All you need to do is slightly increase the pressure on one rein while allowing the same amount with the other. Start these exercises on a straight line in walk and once your horse feels soft, move on to trot on a circle. Be sure to work equally in both directions, so you supple both sides. After a few minutes of bending, your horse should be ready mentally and physically to work.

Flexion and bend Circles are a great tool to improve flexion and bend. To start, you need to teach your horse to flex at the poll, to the right and to the left. This is very subtle and doesn’t mean hauling your horse’s head from one side to the other. You want to be able to whisper aids to him rather than shouting at him with force. At the halt, flex your horse to the right by increasing the pressure very slightly with your right hand and allowing the same amount with the left. The horse should respond by turning his head to the right at the poll so you can see his right eye and nostril and the cheekpiece of the bridle. He should quietly mouth the bit, too.

Even up the rein pressure, then repeat to the left. It is essential to keep a soft hand that can follow the horse’s mouth to ensure that the contact is consistent. Mix it up, so you are not just hanging onto the reins with the horse leaning. Establish bend on the circle, then straighten the horse and ride him forward on a straight line, then circle again, either on the same rein or after changing the rein. Or circle away from the track, then leg-yield a few steps back to the track to push the horse more into the outside rein, then circle again. Make sure you’re riding forward and ensure that the horse responds to your questions.

Careful collection Now that your horse is loose, supple and swinging in the back, it’s important not to make him tense when you start putting him together. If you lose the swing in the back, the activity behind or the impulsion, go back to your warmup techniques until these are re-established. It does not matter if you have to go and refresh many times throughout the ride, this is part of the training, and it is important that the training is correct. Stepping from a trot into canter delivers a loosening effect to the horse’s lower back. During your warm-up phase, do not expect perfection from these transitions. They may not be perfectly smooth or balanced, but don’t be too critical. You are aiming to stimulate his lower back and activate his hind legs, rather than to execute the kind of transitions you might hope to get at a show. Ride several trot-canter-trot transitions in each direction on various figures — circles, straight lines and rein changes. If your horse tends to be lazy, keep the transitions closer together, and ride just a few steps of each gait before your next transition.

Canter work Make sure the work you ask your horse to do is easy for him. You can motivate your horse by lifting him smoothly into a canter, then in the first few strides, allow him a little longer rein, so he has the freedom to move through his body, bring his back up, and loosen his muscles. Follow his movement with your hips and keep a secure seat. If he tends to start out stiff, lighten your seat for the first few strides and allow him to use his back and push up under you. Keep it simple, as complicated movements will only cause his muscles to tighten when what you’re trying to achieve is softness and relaxation. If he finds canter easier than a trot, move straight on to canter, and come back to trot later in your warm-up. Remember that every horse is different, so don’t limit yourself to riding the same ride on every horse. Find out what works best for the individual and build up from that. Hold both legs securely against his sides and try to feel him evenly between your legs and directly underneath you. Keep your inside leg firmly at the girth so he doesn’t fall in on the circle, and your outside leg back from your hip so he maintains the inside bend and his haunches don’t fall to the outside. Keep a steady contact on your outside rein, so his shoulder doesn’t drop out, and use a squeeze-relax feel on the inside rein.

100

“On days when you don’t have time for a 20-30-minute warm-up followed by a full training session, try not to shorten your horse’s warm-up. Instead, use it as your ride time for that day. Not all horses require daily training; in fact, the opposite works for me. I will often have days that I decide to do a warm-up session followed by a hack out around the farm, rather than a full schooling session.”

Check he’s listening Riding transitions will check that your horse is listening to you and being responsive to your aids. As you ride, keep an eye on the level of the tips of your horse’s ears during transitions. This will help you gauge whether your transitions are correct and coming from behind, or if your horse is lifting himself from the front rather than pushing from his hind legs.

TOP TIP As you warm up, keep the early work pressure-free, so that your horse does not become anxious, which may create problems later.

Transitions If your horse is naturally more hot and reactive and you don’t feel confident in sending him forward, transitions – both direct and within the pace – are a great way to get him listening and engaged. Equally, if he is dull and unmotivated, transitions will encourage him to listen to your aids and become more active. A useful exercise is trot-walk-trot transitions. Trot down the long side of the arena and, as you cross the half-way point, slow him down to a walk for one or two strides and then ask him to trot again. This should get him listening and

responding to your leg. Also, try collecting in the corners. Ride a medium trot down the long side of the arena, then collect your horse around the corner before asking for a medium trot on the short side. You can vary this by asking for a medium and collected trot in different places in the arena. These exercises are all about getting your mind active and engaged as well as your horse’s – if you’re not focused, then your horse won’t be either. You need to be able to react quickly and think forward to help him.

101

Transitions to create balance Transitions are so important in encouraging and supporting a horse to be more forward and reactive to your leg. Riding transitions within the pace will help to make the horse more responsive to the rider’s leg and seat aids and will help with engaging the hind legs, making it easier for the horse to carry himself. The horse should be encouraged to extend the length of his stride while maintaining the same rhythm and balance.

The difference in stride doesn’t have to be massive; it just needs to be enough to get the horse to start developing his ability to lengthen and shorten his frame.

Try it for yourself: Ride forward for a few strides, then return to a working pace before riding forward again. Keep a steady contact with the reins and encourage your horse to lengthen his stride by using a gentle leg aid. Then bring him back with a gentle half-halt.

You will be amazed at how aware you become of the slightest delay in the responsiveness your horse offers you. If he’s listening to your aids, he’ll make transitions smoothly without losing his balance.

Leg-yield Half-halt with outside rein to keep shoulders straight

Leg aid behind the girth

There is no reason why show horses should not leg-yield. Leg-yield is a great lateral movement that gets your horse listening and moving off your leg in a sideways and forwards motion. It teaches your horse to move away from your leg pressure, therefore asking him to be more forward. Leg-yield is a movement where the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time while keeping straight throughout his body or parallel with the wall of the arena. However, he is slightly flexed away from the direction of travel. So, if the horse is moving towards the right, he will be looking slightly to the left.

Leg-yield to create suppleness Leg-yield is an excellent suppling and engagement exercise that works the whole body. Being soft and supple through the body and neck allows your horse to bend without stiffness and to work freely without excess tension through his back and muscles. He can then perform movements and transitions more smoothly and with better balance, which leads to the development of strength and muscle. It will become more comfortable for him to engage his hind end and lift through his shoulders.

102

The movement can be performed at either the walk, trot, or canter along the long side of the arena or across the diagonal. When changing the rein on the diagonal, leg-yielding helps get the horse onto the new outside rein and inside leg and keeps him thinking. It’s an excellent movement for every horse, especially during the warm-up at events, no matter the level. Thinking leg-yield into the corners will also help his balance and engagement. It is not just

for dressage horses! When you practice riding leg-yield, you must give yourself a definite start and finish point. If you don’t have a target point, you’ll end up moving over more quickly on the rein your horse finds easiest, and you won’t even realise anything is different. Additionally, look to the marker and make sure you ride to it, it is easy for the horse to take over and drift or not move over enough. Being organised and decisive is key.

Leg-yield on a spiraling circle To help your horse understand the movement, start on a 20m circle. Working on a circle will help you move the horse over and establish the idea of moving sideways off the leg. Spiral inwards, making the circle smaller until it is a 10m circle and then leg-yield back out to the 20m circle. Do this several times on each rein. When leg-yielding out, ensure that your horse is moving sideways, away from your leg. His body should follow the curve of the circle, with slight flexion at the poll away from the direction in which he’s moving, and you should be able to see his inside eye and nostril. Remember, you are pushing your horse off your inside leg into your outside rein. The outside rein helps guide the shoulders and maintain suppleness within the movement and must work together with your inside leg. You can then add a few strides of medium canter to make sure that the horse is staying in front of the leg, balanced and is adjustable, then come back to the 10m circle again to balance and collect him. Leg-yield on the 20-meter circle connects the inside hind leg to the outside rein and by incorporating leg-yield into your daily routine you will reap the benefits of a more supple and better connected ride.

In the beginning, you will find one side more natural than the other, and this shows you how even the horse is off the leg and into both reins. Remember that it’s about QUALITY, NOT about quantity.

TROUBLE SHOOTING: Hollowing Just encourage him to soften by playing gently with the bit. 10m circle

Too much neck bend Make sure your contact is even and that you have enough outside rein contact. You only need to see the corner of your horse’s inside eye for the leg-yield, anything more and you are bending too much.

Falling through the outside shoulder 20m circle

Reduce the bend in the neck and keep your horse straight, using your outside rein and outside leg.

Loss of rhythm and balance

Leg-yield and transitions You can also introduce transitions while leg-yielding, for example, changing the rein. Before X, make a transition to walk. Check that you can keep the same angle in the leg-yield in and out of the transition. Walk six strides, then transition into a trot. This exercise helps you ride forward off your leg into the contact through the transition, encouraging the horse to step more under in the transitions and stay more balanced. You can also try this exercise with transitions within the pace, or fewer walk steps to make it harder and to mix it up, so the horse doesn’t become bored and inattentive.

It’s easy to lose rhythm and balance so remember to ride forward into the movement and use half-halts to correct him and carry on. If he loses rhythm and balance, don’t keep pushing him on because it will make the problem worse. The half-halt is my best tool if I need to ask the horse to listen to me.

Too much sideways movement So that you don’t get back to the track too early, set yourself a marker to ride to and keep riding forward throughout the movement.

Too little sideways movement Make sure you are not blocking the horse in any way, and apply a bit more inside leg.

103

Simplifying serpentines Loops present further difficulties as your horse is required to change from one bend to another. All horses have a soft side and a stiff side. On the soft side, getting the bend will be all too easy. On the stiff side, getting the bend may end up unraveling the whole exercise or workout. The biggest problem you will have is when his soft side and stiff side are allowed to affect the movements through the bends.

Falling out On the soft side, most people allow their horses to drift out, bend too much and falling on their outside shoulder, this will shut down forward movement and will also make the loop too big.

Falling in On the stiff side, the horse may drop on his inside shoulder and refuse to bend as you change the rein to move onto the new loop. The loop will consequently end up being a different size and potentially angular in shape.

Fix it On his soft side, ask for less bend to prevent him from drifting out. If you find you’re struggling to get the right bend on your horse’s stiff side, it makes no sense to keep on struggling through the serpentine. You can try to avoid this angular loop by asking for more bend. However, if this simple solution doesn’t resolve the problem, the following exercise is likely to help.

Circles within a loop exercise To combat his stiff side, begin by riding two loops of the serpentine on his soft side and just the middle loop on his stiff side. When he resists that bend, continue riding one or two circles within the middle loop. If you keep doing this as you ride the serpentine, you should start to feel his stiff side soften.

To begin with, place two poles 1m apart in the centre lines. As you and your horse grow in confidence you can reduce

Keep it straight Lots of riders make the same mistake when they ride serpentines by failing to ride in a straight line across the arena, parallel to the track. Instead, they ride from loop to loop in a diagonal muddle. Five rules are: 1. Remember to finish the first bend before… 2. Straightening up across the arena 3. When crossing the centre line, change your diagonal if the workout is in trot. 4. Now set up the next bend before… 5. Beginning your next turn Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get it right the first time. Serpentines require you to think fast across several different, smaller movements. Each horse will require various adjustments to get the right bend and rhythm. Keep practising!

Add sitting trot to your routine To enable you to sit to your horse in a relaxed, balanced rhythm, you’ll need to practice this in your training, especially for showing rider class workouts. This will ensure that when you reach the stage, your horse won’t be tense – instead, you’ll be relaxed and able to keep your balance in the saddle. You also won’t alarm your horse when you get to the show and all of a sudden you are required to ride a movement he is

104

not used to! From rising trot, practice sitting for four or five strides, then go back to rising. By giving yourself the option to rise as opposed to sitting for the duration of your training, you’ll be more relaxed when in sitting trot – it’s like using a bit of reverse psychology. Aim to sit for longer each time you do it so when you’re comfortable sitting for four or five strides, move on to sit for six or seven and so on. C

x the width between the poles. Remember to change the bend and your diagonal each time you change direction if you do this workout in trot.

TRAINING

DEVELOPING QUALITY with

MELISSA GALLOWAY WORDS Pip Hume IMAGES Dark Horse Photography

Riding a dressage test is not only about being able to execute the movements correctly, says Grand Prix dressage rider and coach Melissa Galloway. It’s also about the quality of each movement. So what constitutes quality, and how can it be developed?

OUR TRAINER:

Based at Tuamarina, near Blenheim, 26-year-old Melissa is undoubtedly a star on the New Zealand dressage scene. She currently rides a range of horses, from newly brokenin youngsters, through to her two Grand Prix mounts: Windermere Johanson W (Johnny) and Windermere J’Obei W (Joey), both of which she has brought up through the grades herself. Melissa says the year she spent in Germany riding with Hubertus Hufendiek and Anne Lene Holmen gave her a solid foundation and training system to build on. In addition, she continues to train with her coach of many years, Andrea Raves, and with Vanessa Way. The next step for Melissa is international competition with Joey at Australia’s Willinga Park in February 2020. She plans to travel with fellow New Zealander Wendi Williamson and Don Amour.

OUR RIDER: TEENA SMITH

Teena purchased her 13-year-old mare Libby from Wendy Skelton’s yard eight years ago. They have since progressed through the grades, competing this season at Level 5. Teena says that as an amateur rider (she works in the wine industry), it has been quite a journey together - learning about each other and coming together as a combination. She feels that it has been Melissa’s coaching that has enabled them to accomplish so much. Libby’s registered name is Le Coeur Doux and is by Limonit out of a Thoroughbred mare, Kyrinya Queen. 106

“There is something very exciting about riding a movement that is not ordinary or boring but is extra special.”

“The horse has to learn to use its whole body to lift more and really swing in the trot when you ask for collection.”

“Their training at this stage is mindful of developing the strength required”

107

Warming up is all important

The process of warming the horse up, and then warming down again at the end of a training session, cannot be overstated, says Melissa. “I like to walk my horse for the first 10 minutes or so. A walk around away from the arena, hacking out if possible, is a bonus. Then I follow that with five or 10 minutes of work in all three paces and on both reins - bending and stretching, encouraging the horse to stay loose and supple. Warming up this way encourages looseness and relaxation in the horse, helps the correct development of the horse’s muscles and therefore helps to protect the horse’s joints and ultimately, soundness. “During this phase of the session I’m looking at correct basics - contact and bend, the horse nicely forward and in front of the rider’s leg. “In walk, the horse is covering the ground, using her whole body and showing a good over-track where the hind leg steps ahead of the foreleg. “The horse takes a nice steady contact down and forward, with the rider’s hands moving forward and back following the natural nod of the horse’s head, so that the horse can genuinely cover the ground.

The hands shouldn’t be static - if they are static, then you are blocking the horse from using the whole body to walk, which will then make the horse’s over-track smaller, or may create a lateral walk, which is a dangerous place to get to!” In trot, Melissa would like Teena to ride a little more forward down the long side of the arena, powering from behind. “Make sure you allow the horse’s nose to come forward just a little, so that she is in front of your leg and in the outside rein. Keep the rhythm,” she encourages. “In the canter, allow your horse to stretch forward and down and work over her back. Don’t allow her to pull you down in front. She still has to be in self-carriage with the canter balanced, forward, uphill and a light flexion to the inside,” Melissa says that the transitions also must have quality. “Even though you’re warming up and allowing the horse to have a good stretch, the quality of the transitions are just as important as during a test. Don’t accept a poor transition - come back and correct

it. Prepare the horse and don’t rush it. Make sure she is in front of the leg and correctly bent. “So that she doesn’t come above the bit, make sure she is round, through and in your outside rein before the transition. “The warm-up is preparation for the training session for both rider and horse. Don’t let the horse go around just as she pleases; focus on those things you are going to be training in your session.” Walk breaks during the session are just as important, says Melissa. “Walk breaks have a number of purposes. They are a reward when your horse has tried, a chance for both of you to catch your breath, and a relief from the muscular exertion. They can be a chance to chill and work things through when it’s not going so well. But again, don’t just let your horse trail around the arena on her own terms. Ride a quality walk, even though it’s a break!”

108

Improving the quality of the canter

Once Teena and Libby are warmed up, they progress to canter work. Melissa explains that she usually prefers to tackle the canter work before the trot work in a training session, because it improves the quality of the subsequent trot work. “The first thing we do with Libby is work on the quality of the canter, using transitions forward and back within the pace, and simple changes: walk-to-canter and canter-to-walk. The aim is to be able to shorten Libby without losing the quality of the canter. Teena uses her seat to ask Libby to shorten and come back, lowering and engaging her hindquarters more.” Melissa explains that transitions within the pace encourage the horse to engage more behind so she can lower her hindquarters and lift a little more through the shoulder. “It’s very important that the rider doesn’t use the hand to pull the horse into a shape. The rider’s seat and core collect the horse and push the horse’s hindquarters under you,” she adds. “Let her go forward by thinking of a longer, more ground covering stride rather than a shorter, quicker one; then to bring her back, sit deeper, close your core, ask for a light flexion, and then gently let her go on again. Keep sitting deep to help her stay up in front.” For the simple change walk-to-canter, Melissa feels that Libby needs to be a little deeper into the contact and a little more through with the hindquarter, then with a light aid she can go forward into canter. Once

the canter is established, Teena asks her to sit a little more and collect, then allow Libby more forward again, using her seat. “Make sure you use your seat to stay swinging with the horse’s canter stride to help create a longer (but not quicker) stride in the canter. Then when asking for collection, just tighten your core and sit more still with your seat, while making sure the horse stays active and engaged behind,” Melissa encourages. In the transition, it’s important that Teena rides Libby a little extra through, and extra round, because the mare has a tendency to sometimes put her head up. “Stay with the contact - short reins and long arms so you can ride the horse from the back to the front in the contact. Hands not too close to your body,” she urges. “Use the collection and transitions to shorten your horse with your seat, then you can shorten your reins a little. The horse has to come together from the seat, then you can shorten your reins,” she reiterates. “Remember to sit tall and use your seat to get her to lower behind, so she comes up in front through the shoulder.”

109

Working on canter half-pass

The important aspects of canter halfpass are to ensure that the shoulders are leading, that the horse is correctly bent through the body, and correctly flexed. Melissa’s favourite exercise for developing bend through the horse’s rib cage is canter half-pass to the right, then leg-yield to the left, then canter half-pass to the right again (and vice versa). “Although Libby is well established in canter half-pass, it’s something we are continually refining,” she explains. “This exercise is very good for the horse that doesn’t bend well through the rib cage, and it helps the rider to maintain control of the shoulder. It also helps her to look where she is going and to look for the marker between the horse’s ears so that she knows the horse is genuinely bending.” Doing this exercise in trot is also very helpful.

Towards canter pirouettes

Teena and Libby are working towards canter pirouettes, and by this stage of the lesson the pair are ready for this more advanced work. Melissa asks Teena to put Libby on a 15 metre circle, asking for canter travers, or quarters-in. She asks for a few strides with more collection, then a few strides more forward, staying in travers on the circle. “Only bring her back for as long as she can maintain the quality,” Melissa cautions. “She is a little green at this level and lacks the strength behind, so it’s important not to ask for too much: too many steps or too small a circle. Once she is more established and stronger, we can take the circle down to 10 metres and ask for more steps. If you ask for too much too soon, she becomes a little too collected, sucks back and drops into trot because she can’t maintain the canter.” As Libby becomes stronger behind, she will be able to sit more and be a little lighter in the contact, and the quality of her canter work will continue to improve.

“She is a little green at this level and lacks the strength behind, so it’s important not to ask for too much - too many steps or too small a circle.” 110

Tempi changes

With horse and rider established at single flying changes, they are currently training tempi changes four-time (changing every four strides), and three-time (changing every three strides). “Teena and Libby both understand the aid and can complete a flying change with accuracy on the marker in a dressage test and with straightness. We are focusing on obtaining a straight, up-hill, expressive flying change. Within the flying change, the horse is going forward, not swinging from side to side. “To obtain the flying change there shouldn’t be any effort. Teena is sitting up, not leaning side-ways or throwing her body. She only has to give a nice, clear, well-timed leg aid. Libby understands what is being asked and responds with the flying change. “If the horse is late behind, it’s not correctly engaged. You need to make sure the horse is correctly balanced and uphill. Collect the horse, then ride forward through the flying change stride. A half-halt with what will become your outside rein just as you give the aid for the flying change may be helpful.”

More advanced trot work

Melissa uses the half-pass exercise previously done in canter (half-pass right, leg-yield left, half-pass right and vice versa), this time in trot, Again, this exercise is helpful in developing strength behind, and accuracy through the trot movements, and also helps to create more bend through the horse’s body. As Teena and Libby are working towards passage, their training at this stage is mindful of developing the strength required so the horse is able to sit behind and remain light in the hand through this intensive work. Teena makes use of all of the variations within the trot, working on transitions within the pace from a very collected trot through to medium and extended. When asking for the collected trot she maintains the rhythm, using her seat to bring Libby back, and asks for only a few strides at a time. It’s the same for the more extended paces. She only asks for the number of strides that Libby is able to maintain her balance and rhythm for, rather than a continuous effort that she can’t sustain. Melissa stresses the importance of teaching the horse that collection is not just slowing down or getting shorter in the stride. “The horse has to learn to use its whole body to lift more and really swing in the trot when you ask for collection, while maintaining impulsion and length of stride. This is trained primarily through transitions within the pace, and alternating between rising and sitting trot. Once again it’s important to know how long your horse is able to maintain that high level of collection for, and not push her beyond her comfort zone so she learns to enjoy this trot and finds it easy. “A swinging trot is also not to be confused with a ‘passage-y’ one, which is why, when the swing is obtained, the trot is still ridden forward with softness.”

Conclusion

Melissa’s time in Germany had a profound and ongoing effect on her riding. “The importance of the quality of the three paces is something that was embedded while I was training in Germany, and it has never left me. We spent most of our time training the quality of the gaits before doing any of the ‘tricks’. I also feel that there is something very exciting about riding a movement that is not ordinary or boring but is extra special. That really motivates me to continue to work on the quality. I hope more people make that a priority in their training too.” C

111

Champion Childs FlexAir Body Protector EN 13158: BETA level 3 2018 Unisex Tabard style that incorporates safety, flexibility, breathability, a feather light feel, and an antibacterial lining. Cool lightweight breathable spacer fabric with contrast piping. Hand made in Great Britain. Colours: Black/Light Blue piping. Regular Length Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL. Available from all good retailers. From $261.00 RRP. arionefv.co.nz

Healing Spray

By Farmassist

An instant, everyday first aid essential for treating minor cuts, wounds, hot spots, mud fever and any other skin aliment. New trigger spray. $39.90 RRP farmassist.co.nz

New year, New gear

INSIDERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S shopping guide

Prestige Synchrony Saddle

By Prestige Equestrian

Innovative Tree featuring the Coccyx Protection System with medium deep seat. Prestige Equestrian FB page or sales@prestigeequestrian.co.nz

New Hairy Pony Detangle and Shine From Gregory Equine Hairy Pony 2 in 1 spray has been purposely formulated to achieve maximum results as an everyday conditioning detangler and an intense show shine finishing product with results that can last for days! Full range of Hairy Pony products also available in store and online. gregoryequine.co.nz

112

Dublin Evolution Double Zip Front Paddock Boots

By Dublin

A full grain European leather boot with leather lining and a RCS memory foam and PU foot bed for ultimate comfort. Available in black & brown in ladies 6 to 10. RRP $169.99. Available from all good retailers. dublinclothing.co.nz

hats off

WeatherBeeta Therapy-Tec Stable Boots By Weatherbeeta

Great for rehab, recovery and preventative maintenance. Can be used while travelling and standing at competitions. Easy to use leg wraps that have two parts: the outer material is made of strong durable neoprene with four practical touch tape tabs. Inside is a soft, padded ceramic infused pad that is removable. Added fetlock protection shell. Can be used on front and back legs. Available in black/silver/red in cob & full. RRP $139.99. Available from all good retailers. weatherbeeta.co.nz

Mackenzie & George Fedora

From South Canterbury Saddlery

Crushable and shower-proof, our wool felt hats are a cut above. The classic Fedora shape never goes out of style, and the wool felt makes it easy to clean and durable. Finished with a tan oiled leather band. Also available in navy, olive, wine, camel and brown (pictured). 100% wool felt. $109.00. scsaddlery.co.nz

Tweed Mill Dog Coats

From South Canterbury Saddlery These stylish tweed dog coats have a warm fleece lining. Made in England. Available in XS-L. Seasonal tweed colours. $69.00 - $99.00. scsaddlery.co.nz

Bracelet Range From Zilco

Bracelet Dusk Halter available in 3 sizes: pony, cob and full. RRP $54.90. Bracelet Braided lead to match, RRP $23.90. Bracelet Dusk Saddlecloths available in all purpose and dressage, RRP $79.90. From your local Zilco stockist. zilco.co.nz

113

Cavallino Sports II Riding Shirt

By Arion

Lightweight and breathable with contrast stitching. Made from mirco-polyester and spandex composite. Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL. $79.50 RRP. arionefv.co.nz

Supa Joint & Supa Joint Gold

From Elite Equine Nutrition The ultimate in joint support. eliteequine.co.nz

Someh Key Chain

From Classic Equestrian

Junior Safe-On Stirrup

Ne w

New from Someh, gorgeous crystal horse keychain with leather back and print bow. Clip it to your Someh grooming bag or brighten up any set of keys. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the little things that count. Available in blue, pink, silver or multi-coloured RRP. $45.00 plus P&P. classicequestrian.co.nz

From Maddox Equestrian

Designed for tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little champions, the Junior Flex-On Safety Stirrup has the same characteristics as the Flex-On Composite range. Recommended for riders under 40kgs (max size 37 shoe size, 6 US and 4 UK). Price: $389.00 RRP. Available online from: maddoxequestrian.co.nz

Antares Ergo & Adjust Pad

From Maddox Equestrian Recommended for sensitive horses and horses with back pain. From $355.00 GST inclusive. Available from February online: maddoxequestrian.co.nz

114

RIF Helmets - From Saddlery Warehouse Designed with a wide visor for added sun protection. Lightweight offering high impact. The moisture wicking, memory foam lining is removable and washable. Quick release ITW buckle, Duraflex divider and chin padding to ensure a secure and comfortable fit. Ventilation slots offer air flow to keep you cooler. Flexible peak with adjustable size dial to get the perfect fit. Approved VG1 Standard. Black/silver, navy/silver, rosegold or black sparkle. Sizes - small (52) to large (60). Visit your local Saddlery Warehouse store or shop online: saddlerywarehouse.co.nz

PRESENTS

COME AND SEE US AT HORSE OF THE YEAR - TRADE SITE D35 -

www.prestigeequestrian.co.nz Wholesale and agency enquiries welcome for Prestige Italia, Mountain Horse and Equilibrium Products UK.

e: info@prestigeequestrian.co.nz p: 09 2977564 m: 0274929226 FB: Prestige Equestrian Ltd

PHOTO ESSAY

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN HAWKEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BAY SHOWJUMPING IMAGES Kampic.com

3 116

6 1. Brooke Edgecombe - LT HOLST ANDREA winners of the POLi Payments & Goldengrove Stud World Cup NZ League Final 2. Tegan Fitzsimon - WINDERMERE CAPPUCCINO, 2nd final and winner of the NZ Series 3. Briar Burnett-Grant - FIBER FRESH VEROANA, 3rd in both the final and the series 4. Logan Massie INTELLECT, 4th in the final 5. Annabel Francis - CARADO

6 7

GHP, 5th in the final, their first World Cup start 6. Drew Carson - WINSTON V DRIENE, 6th final and winners of the best first year World Cup horse 7. Melody Matheson - CORTAFLEX GRAFFITI MH, 7th in the final.

117

2 3

118

here was plenty to love about the Goldengrove Stud Central and Southern Hawke’s Bay Showjumping’s two main classes – the POLi Payments FEI World Cup NZ League Final and the Country TV John Gilliland Memorial Pony Grand Prix. It was indeed a day for the ladies in the World Cup final with Tegan Fitzsimon taking the series by just two points ahead of eventual winner Brooke Edgecombe – both women securing their respective victories for the second consecutive time. Briar Burnett-Grant was third in both the final and the series. One of the stand-outs of the final was 17-year-old Annabel Francis in her first-ever World Cup start. She and her Aussie-import Carado GHP rode a stunning clear in the opener and finished fifth in the end. In the Pony Grand Prix, Lily Moore and former Pony of the Year Fun House were the only combination to go clear in the opener to take the win ahead of a raft of four-faulters who filled the minor placings. There was also drama – scheduled Australian course designer Gavin Chester was unable to make it due to the bush fires, but Gary Sinclair stepped up to do a stellar job.

7 8 1. Robert Steele - LT HOLST BERNADETTE, 8th in the POLi Payments & Goldengrove Stud World Cup NZ League Final 2. Maurice Beatson - GOLD LOCKS compete in the World Cup final 3. Vicki Wilson - DAMINOS TWS, winners of the Matthews Hanoverians 7-YearOld class 4. Briar Burnett-Grant - FIBER FRESH DELPHINE NZPH, 5th in the 7-year-old class 5. Georgie Wilson - SHOWTYM BOSS, 3rd in the Country TV John Gilliland Memorial Pony Grand Prix 6. Madison Jackson- REDNALHGIH COWAN, 4th in Pony Grand Prix

7. Phoebe Howson - AORANGI RAGTIME, 2nd in the Pony Grand Prix 8. Lily Moore - FUN HOUSE, winners of the Pony Grand Prix 119

PHOTO ESSAY

CANTERBURY DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS PHOTOS Dark Horse Photography

2 3

120

4 5 6 7

1. Anna Gale - BLOOMFIELD FURST LOVE SONG, Novice Open Reserve 2. Rebecca McKee - SOLO, Advanced Champion 3. Karolyn Norton - LARAPINTA PRIMADONNA, 5th in Advanced 6A 4. Jo Wadworth - CDS ROHDIAGYM, Elementary Open Reserve 5. Rebecca Kerr - GOLDEN STRIKE 6. Tessa Jones - FADING LIGHT, 3rd Novice Pony 2B 7. Vanessa Baxter - HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR, 5th in Small Tour Int I MFS, 5th in Small Tour FEI Int I

121

1 2 3 4

4 1. Greg Smith - DU SOLEIL SSH, 2nd Developing Young Dressage Horse 4 & 5 yo 2. Louise Green - TS BELLATOFFEE, 1st in Elementary 3A, 4th in Elementary 3C 3. Tanya McKenzie - SE GATSBY, 1st Developing Young Dressage Horse 4 & 5 yo 4. Jane Fibbes - D MALIA, Elementary Open Champion 5. Fiona Sharp - NEW WORLD FINESSE, Small Tour Reserve 6. Melissa Galloway - WINDERMERE Jâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OBEI W, Grand Prix Champion, also Grand Prix Reserve with WINDERMERE JOHANSON W 7. Meg Johnston - LITTLE BLESSING, Medium Pony Champion 8. Tessa Van Bruggen - FIORENZA, Advanced Medium Champion 9. Kirsty Schist - KINNORDY GAMBADO, Medium Tour Reserve 10. Anna Gale - BF ROYAL ALLURE, 1st in Medium Horse & Pony MFS, 4th in Medium Horse 4A

122

123

1 3

124

2 5

6 1. Sarah Gray - ALASAAN WANDERSTARR, Medium Reserve

2. Nicola Maley - ASTEK GALAHAD, Small Tour Champion 3. Diane Wallace - PROFILE, Medium Tour Champion 4. Ella Fitzsimons - APSLEY GOLDEN SECRET, Novice Pony Champion 5. Charlotte Thomas FARVIEW FREE SPIRIT, Medium Pony Reserve 6. Lucy Cochrane - GYMANJI, Medium Champion, also Advanced Medium Reserve with LOVELY RITA and Elementary Pony Champion with HAVEN DAVALIA 7. Teena Smith - LE COEUR DOUX, 3rd in Advanced Medium 5A, 4th in 5B, 4th in MFS

125

HEALTH WORDS Nicola Smith

12 Ways

to Build Stronger Bones and Prevent Injury From Falls Summer is a wonderful time to be riding and showing - the days are long, the weather is hot, and the sun is bright. However, it is during these beautiful days that you need to be aware and able to prevent your body from becoming dehydrated. One of the biggest issues however as we age is the health of our cartilage. Strip away the skin, fascia, muscles, organs, blood vessels of a human and you’re left with the bones: the foundation providing passive structural support to your body. Cartilage is made of water, collagen, and proteoglycans, a proteinpolysaccharide bond that provides elasticity. What is commonly thought is that you can’t control the integrity of your bones as you age. It’s just inevitable that they become brittle. It’s also not often talked about cartilage, as tissues go, it’s fairly isolated. It doesn’t contain blood vessels, so often thought we can’t deliver blood-borne nutrients to heal and grow it. Cartilage also has no nerve cells, so we can’t “feel” what’s going on. The truth is though, bone is incredibly plastic, responding to activity and nutrition. Bones are living metabolic tissue and although you can’t tell them what to do directly; like you can with a muscle when strength training, you can help them build their integrity and strength from the signals that you send them, no matter your age.

What signals should we be sending?

Move around a lot

Motion is lotion. You need to walk and build your foundation of your movement off your horse. That’s why I always harp on about 10,000 step days. You should develop a daily movement practice that include mobility and suppleness work too. Movements to work on joint mobility, foam rolling, and stretching. Many joint injuries occur

Lift heavy loads and move quickly

Our bones respond to the intensity that is placed upon them. Lifting heavy weights and placing ‘correct’ load onto your body is one of your osteopaths’ favourite things. The load sends unmistakable signals that trigger your bones to begin fortifying themselves and adapt to become stronger. Osteoblasts are to bone as chondrocytes are to cartilage. Just like an osteoblast responds to load by increasing bone mineral density, chondrocytes respond to load by increasing cartilage growth and repair. You have to load it or lose it. No matter the age of your bones, they respond to the same training signals and the best type of training for all ages is a combination of ‘’impact training” and “resistance exercise”. So not just placing heavy loads on your body through weights, but also movement that asks your body to move quickly, so think sprinting/interval work, but this doesn’t have to be ‘running’ it could be high knees on the spot or even skipping, jump squats and doing it in short duration to get the right hormonal response on the body. A study on the bones of sprinters joints versus endurance athletes proved how the shorter duration high-intensity movement help

126

improve bone density over time. Now I know what you might be thinking....sprinting! What I can’t do that? This can be achieved in a variety of different ways and the key I am trying to put across is to try not to just rely on low-impact exercise and just your riding as exercise if you want to keep your bones healthy, because they don’t exert enough impact to stimulate bone strengthening. This is one of the reasons the training within our program helps so many of our “mature” riders with the combination of both of these factors and of course options to suit various levels of fitness and ability.

because the tissues surrounding them—your muscles, your fascia, your major movers are restricted, so keeping your body moving and paying attention to keeping your muscles, bones and fascia healthy helps prevent injury from placing undue stress on the joint itself. When our body is aligned well our joints can move freely without undue wear and tear. So improving your ability to move well and keep that motion going is vital for taking care of your cartilage.

For the best innovation in

equine care Farmassist's Antiseptic Healing Spray is your super easy, no stain everyday ﬁrst aid essential for treating small wounds, ﬂakey skin or suspicious scabs like Mud Fever or rain scald. Soothes and heals most common skin complaints particularly those that cause hair loss.

Walk over varied terrain

Luckily with horses we do tend to walk over various terrain, but sometimes we don’t. When we do however and we expose our body to landscapes strewn with stones and dips and fallen branches and slippery leaves, inclines and declines and slants, you not only have to think while your move, but so too does your nervous system and proprioception. Plus walking across varied terrain exposes your cartilage to different positions and different loading patterns. All of which by doing helps prevent injury from a fall by improving the integrity of your cartilage.

Go barefoot

Everything starts with how your foot connects with the ground. If you’ve got a big thick slab of rubber blocking the millions of

nerves in your feet from sensing the ground, everything up the kinetic chain suffers above it. So try introducing going barefoot more often, even if you just start around your house on the weekends (Of course common sense applies here and always wear shoes around your horse).

Get outside into nature

Luckily a horse waiting at the gate or stable door is a great way to get outside, but

sometimes during winter our outside time can become limited and spending time in nature actually offers many benefits to your cartilage. First, you’re more likely to be active, therefore subjecting your joints to the loading and multivariate articulations they require to be healthy. You’ll also get more sunlight, which has been linked to better cartilage health in older adults. Plus you will lower cortisol and improve your immune response. Elevated cortisol has been shown to impede cartilage repair, and some types of arthritis are autoimmune in nature.

Consume more gelatin and collagen

Collagen is what makes up a significant portion of the bone matrix. Without collagen present, bone would be overly hard and likely brittle. Collagen provides elasticity to help prevent fractures. Glycine underpins the growing bone and sourcing it from broth/supplemental collagen is a great way to obtain it. The reason why drinking broth and eating collagen makes so many people feel better is that we are providing a fundamental nutrient: glycine. Our bodies need about 10 grams of glycine each day to maintain basic metabolic functions. We can only make 3 grams, so 7 grams must come from the diet and a major function of glycine is to maintain and repair cartilage. It’s for this reason I like to add powdered collagen to my smoothie daily and there are lots of brands out there now, just be sure to purchase organic and 100% grass-fed. Then during winter I love my homemade bone broths and soups which are all naturally loaded with collagen. You can also purchase these powdered and ready made if you can’t be bothered making. So if you’re training hard, feeling stiff or trying to recover from existing damage, your glycine needs to increase. A study found that supplementary collagen improves joint pain in

Easy and effective for all over equine care Farmassist Antibacterial Animal Wash is for treating bacteria or fungi on the skin (ie. Mud Fever). The wash is not only an effective treatment, but also a safe medical grade guard against cross-contamination between horses and their equipment. Add to the washing machine with towels and saddle blankets, disinfect all animal housing, and sterilise professional equine tools (stain free and non corrosive).

Essential healing + hygiene for every equine environment.

www.farmassist.co.nz 127

athletes who complain about their knees. And more recently, a study found that giving dietary collagen alongside Tylenol to patients with osteoarthritis improved joint pain and function over Tylenol alone.

Good Quality Sleep

Lack of good quality sleep affects your bone health in a number of ways. Let me explain. Endogenous growth factors like human growth hormone play major roles in cartilage repair. Growth hormone is largely produced at night, during sleep. So whether we’re recovering from the microdamage caused by smart training and regular loading or the degenerative damage caused by poor mechanics and outright injuries, sleep is where most of the repair happens. Sleep duration is inversely associated with osteoporosis. Less sleep leads to greater bone loss. More sleep protects against it. You see, melatonin, the hormone that induces sleepiness at night, also plays a huge role in bone metabolism.

Load up on these natural nutrients and foods

Melatonin In order for our body to produce and promote healthy melatonin production, it’s important to optimize your circadian cycle. So getting plenty of full natural light earlier in the day, avoiding blue light in the evening, and getting good quality deep sleep consistently promotes healthy melatonin production. Cod liver oil High in vitamin A and has the correct preformed retinol form and enough vitamin D to balance your intake. I am a fan of Green Pastures cod liver oil which you can purchase online from various places. Blackstrap molasses Not just for the horses, but a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses will give you 180 mg of calcium, at least 48mg of magnesium and about 20% of your daily copper needs. Vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin K2 These three synergistically promote healthy bone metabolism. Both vitamin D and vitamin K2 have been shown to improve osteoporosis. For vitamin D, get sun exposure or supplement. For vitamin A, eat liver once a week or take cod liver oil blend with K2. Leafy greens Greens like kale and spinach contain important minerals (calcium and magnesium) and polyphenols for bone health and reducing inflammation.

So improving ones circadian cycle and sleep quality is a vital component to keeping your bones healthy. Be sure to read the article I wrote a few issues ago on improving your sleep.

Stay Hydrated + Drink Mineral Water

Dehydrated tendons are dry, stiff, and completely unmanageable. Hydrated tendons are slippery, pliable, and still tough as nails. Now consider that cartilage and tendon are made of very similar stuff, without hydration, cartilage doesn’t slide as easily. It can’t do its job. Once you have cartilage damage, hydration is even more important because damaged cartilage is harder to hydrate. The type of water you drink can affect how well hydrated your body becomes, because in order to penetrate the cells the body needs minerals. Traditionally all water was mineral water, it came from local springs or bores and contained valuable trace minerals. However this water was also associated with leaving mineral films on dishes and glogging pipes, and got the name ‘hard water’. So today most water is treated and stripped of all minerals. The calcium and magnesium that is present in mineral water is highly bioavailable, meaning they are very easily absorbed and used by the body. Both minerals are extremely important for bone health and mineral water is an effective, delicious way to obtain more of them. If you can, source mineral water, however if this is just not possible, try my sports drink recipe below by using added himalayan salt to your filtered water. • 750mls water • Pinch Himalayan salt • Juice from one lemon Also beware of drinking too many drinks that dehydrate you like alcohol and caffeinated beverages.

128

Small bony fish Fish that contain their bones, like sardines provide the important pro-bone trio of animal protein, anti-inflammatory omega-3s, and bioavailable calcium. Not to mention the pro-bone nutrients and vitamins that help increase the healing of broken bones as well as fortify and promote healthy ones.

Avoid chronic inflammation

Avoid processed foods, and foods you are intolerant to and too much sugar can all lead to inflammation and inhibit the creation of new bone cells. Studies have shown that reducing inflammation has been shown to restore the lost osteoblast activity. So paying attention to inflammatory foods in your diet plays a valuable role in taking care of your bone health.

Eating high-quality protein

Increasing your protein intake, particularly good quality animal protein. Protein protects and strengthens bones and helps provide the building blocks in preserving and/or building bone health. But don’t just stick to protein, increase your plant based real foods along side this and you have a great long term strategy.

Eat lots of plants

Everyone can agree that fruit and vegetable consumption has a positive connection to bone health. Study after study shows that greater intakes of fruit and vegetable (and potassium and magnesium which are markers for produce intake) predict better bone health. So even if you can’t do some of the above suggestions for personal reasons, do eat more plants. It’s a good idea to focus on phytonutrient-rich produce such as colourful fruits and vegetables. Think purple potatoes, cabbage, and carrots and berries of all kinds, even extra virgin olive oil contains a polyphenol with bone-promoting effects. C

RECIPE

Protein Packed Chocolate Smoothie

This is such a fabulous summer drink served ice cold. Made with whole real food and nutritionally balanced to help keep you going throughout your day. Great to make ahead of your ride so you can enjoy it straight after. Plus you can adjust the flavours to suit your taste buds.Â I like to add in extra protein in the form of collagen to help support my joints and cartilage.

INGREDIENTS 1 heaped teaspoon cacao powder 4 dates 1/3 cup cashews 1/3 cup oats 1/8 cup coconut cream 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon vanilla Pinch salt 750mls water

Optional extra of 2 teaspoon collagen powder for extra support for your cartilage and joints.Â

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Nicola Smith has over 300 RECIPES on her website www.foreverfit.tv that will get your taste buds excited.

129

Subscribe SUBSCRIBE & BE IN THE DRAW TO

Win

COLLEGIATE ROSE GOLD CRYSTAL FLASH BRIDLE

SUBSCRIBE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A COLLEGIATE ROSE GOLD CRYSTAL FLASH BRIDLE Stylish hanoverian bridle with a padded headpiece, made from the finest quality leather with high polished rose gold coloured stainless steel fittings. Features extra soft nappa padding on headpiece and noseband. Comes with soft padded reins Available in black & brown in cob to warmblood. RRP $279.99

VIEW THE FULL RANGE ONLINE: collegiatesaddlery.co.nz

UPE

ITH LISA CO

T I U C R I C SHO W LLEY - THE

DAVID WOO

| SHOW T TO COME

BEST IS YE

TE ULTIMA ALANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

NEW ZE

Inspiring Women RSYTH EMELIA FO COME TR UE DREAMS DO

UP THE TEMPO WIEATHL CHRISTINE W

BIRD KIMBERLEY SSESSION MY PRIZED

STEVE N HOUSTO OR

A HEART F SHIP HORSEMAN

130

0 - $8.50 INC

FEB/MAR 202

GST

AINING W

JUMPING TR

GAZIN RIAN MA

EQUEST

DRESSAGE TRAINING WITH

MELISSA GALLOWAY

G MOTIVATIN S W IE V R E INT

Y MR NICE -GPAURRY DAVID JONES

Leesa ch Banicevik hardpwaoysr off

CUT-OFF FOR APRIL/MAY SUBSCRIPTIONS IS 10TH MARCH 2020 subscribe online at www.showcircuitmagazine.com or email us for payment options enquiries@showcircuit.co.nz

The best way to cross between the North and South Island

SPECIAL RATES FOR EQUESTRIAN SPORTS NZ MEMBERS*

Book online at greatjourneysofnz.co.nz/equestrian Enter your relevant discipline code. *Terms and Conditions Apply. Membership card must be presented at check in.

NEW

Victory is yours!

Unleash your horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true power in the NEW Bates Victrix. Lightweight and compact, the ultra-close Bates Victrix offers your horse complete comfort and freedom in every stride, giving your partnership the edge over the competition. When every second matters and you are powered by instinctâ&#x20AC;Ś trust in the Bates Victrix to be your ultimate secret weapon.

Book your test ride at batessaddles.com