Equestrian

Equestrian Boosting riders’ confidence key to success

I’m Allison Barfoot – a creative, dreamer, inspirer, adventurer and horse riding coach amongst many other hats/identities/masks. Today I am wearing my riding coach hat and have something to share with you. There is a new drug I’ve found out about that enhances the performance of athletes. I was drawn in as I find the word ‘drug’ conjures up images in my mind of elite cyclists taking faster drugs and then being banned from the sport. I was By Jade Leahy Indoor carriage driving was developed by Dick Carey in the 1980s. As a lover of traditional driving, he sought to spread enthusiasm for the sport by creating a discipline that was accessible, since traditional driving competitions involved threeday events with strict turnout, and a significant investment of time and money that made it prohibitive to many wouldbe competitors. Dick founded an indoor winter league that required warm layers and commitment of a single day. The first event at Blue Barn EC, Ashford, Kent, for the Shepway Harness Club and the discipline is going from strength to strength, with 20 regions in the UK governed by the umbrella body the ICD UK. Competitions have three phases, precision and paces, cones and obstacles. Classes are judged by a points system and drivers must qualify in each class with the national championships taking place at Keysoe in Milton Keynes. In the first phase, one judge intrigued and curious to find out more. This drug, if administered in the correct way, increases self-esteem, boosts confidence and pushes boundaries of potential and outcome. However, if this drug is used in the wrong hands it can destroy children, adults, men, women, athletes, any one of us... crushing dreams and beliefs. In the wrong hands it can destroy lives and often is so damaging the person doesn’t recover long into adulthood or even on their death bed marks the precision of each movement and the other marks the pace. In the second phase competitors navigate a cone course, of no more than 10 gates, incurring five penalty points for every ball dislodged from a cone and one mark for each second above or below the optimum time. The third and most exciting phase is the obstacles. These are posts and rails which make ‘gates’ which have to be negotiated in order from its misuse. This drug has been around since the start of time, it is in abundance and it is unbelievably FREE. Have you worked out what the drug is? It’s language. Always putting people down and giving negative comments or sarcasm doesn’t build self-esteem or confidence. Build people up, give them hope, be kind, be an encourager. We are in a world of constant evolution and we need more builders of confidence and kindness right now. are built in the ring with a common start/finish gate between them in the centre of the ring. This section is scored one mark per second that the competitor is in the obstacle zone. There is usually one knockdown for each movable element, and they are scored at five marks each. All other penalties are as per the ICD/BHDTA rules. Any penalty marks are added to the times taken for the obstacle to produce the final score for this section. So perhaps this year you can think before you speak and ask yourself, is it kind? Is it helpful? Am I building someone up or am I crushing them? Is it time to change your vibe and start using this free drug? Allison is a Centre10 Advanced Coach and won the Centre10 Coaches Impact Award 2020. Allison trained with Charlie Unwin, Elite Sports Psychologist and Sarah Huntley, psychologist at Centre10, Training Elite

Why not try indoor carriage driving?

76 – A, B, C, D, E. Two obstacles Minds. Dorset’s indoor driving league is now run from Motcombe’s Half Moon Stud, and there are three competition levels: novice, intermediate and open. The novice class is just as much fun, but without the pressure to beat the clock. One of Dorset’s best-known competitors and founder of Wessex Driving is Julia Liles. Julia began carriage driving in the late 1980s and started off with a team of small but mighty Shetlands. She went on to develop a team of Welsh Ponies and has a lot of success over the years. She’s a regular competitor and Motcombe and her team ranges from age seven to 15. Julia also lets her expert ponies have a whizz around the course, teaching novice drivers the ropes, so if you fancy giving indoor driving a go pop along to their next event. The club is seeking to grow and develop the sport and is in the process of developing and outdoor summer league, combining the thrills of competitive driving with the beautiful backdrop of the North Dorset countryside.

Equestrian Consider this before buying a horse

Lacey is an energetic 20 yearold Arab cross currently living at Margaret Green Animal Rescue in Church Knowle and is looking for her forever home. Sadly Lacey is just one of the thousands of horses and ponies currently being cared for by equine welfare charities across the UK. A spokesman for the charity said: “There is an equine welfare crisis in the UK and few people are aware of how bad things are for our lovely equine companions.” Why is the problem so bad? Most people are unaware of how many horses there are needing homes. This makes finding a new home for a horse or pony very difficult, especially if it is older or has health or behavioural issues. A lot of people take on ponies thinking they will be able to sell or rehome them if things don’t work out, but this is often not the case. These horses and ponies frequently end up being left in a field with basic care but without work on their health and behaviour these problems can escalate from minor issues to serious problems relatively quickly. Most equines being admitted to rescue centres have outstanding health and/or behavioural issues and these take a huge amount of resources to resolve. How can you help? Educate! Talk to anyone that will listen about the problem of unwanted equines. Make people aware that giving a pony up is much more difficult than acquiring one. Thinking of getting a horse or pony? Be prepared! Horses and ponies take a lot of looking after, so making sure you have the knowledge to provide appropriate care is vital. If you are unsure what is involved or if you are ready contact any equine rescue centre and they will be happy to discuss this with you. What do I need to pay for? The purchase price, livery (if you don’t own your own land and stables and need somewhere to keep your pony). Insurance for vet bills and public liability, vet fees (not everything is covered by insurance), shoeing, feeding, bedding , tuition, rugs, tack (saddle & bridle), yard equipment, riding equipment. How much time does it take to care for a pony? You will need to visit your pony at least twice a day, 365 days a year. You need to make sure your pony is healthy and has everything it needs including clean water, feed, hay, grazing. Even if you are planning to keep a pony that can live out all year you still need to clear the field of droppings and check your pony over. If you are planning on your pony living out, what will happen if your pony becomes poorly and needs to be kept in a stable? Will you have access to anywhere suitable? Could you afford the cost of renting a stable and will you have the time to care for your pony if it needs to be kept in for a recovery period? What is the life expectancy of a horse or pony? It is not unusual for horses to live until their late 20s and ponies can often live longer than this. Do you know what you will be doing in 20 years’ time? Will you still be fit and well enough to care for your pony? What do you want your pony for? If you are specifically looking for a pony to ride what would happen if through illness or injury it could no longer be ridden? This is a very common scenario, a pony that cannot be ridden can live a very happy and fulfilling life without being ridden but would this suit you and your lifestyle? If you wanted to continue riding what would you do with your original pony? Could you afford to keep your first pony and buy another to ride? If not what would you do with your original pony? What happens if the pony I buy is not suitable for me? Buyer beware! Unfortunately we are hearing more and more stories of people who bought a pony and it turned out that is wasn’t suitable for the purpose it was purchased for. One of the most common examples is a pony is sold as suitable for a beginner/ child to ride and once home it becomes clear that this is not the case. Quite often behavioural issues can cause a new owner to become nervous of their new pony so do less with it and as the pony does less the behavioural problem worsens. What happens if my situation changes and I can no longer keep my pony? This is a very difficult situation to be in. If your pony is fit, healthy, well behaved and able to be ridden you should be able to find another home. If your pony is older, has health or behavioural issues this can be a serious problem. There are huge numbers of unwanted ponies and horses looking for new homes all the time. The majority have some health or behavioural issues. There are so many ponies available all the time: ones with even minor issues are often overlooked. Buying a pony is easy, finding a new home for it if things don’t work out is not! If you are interested in giving Lacey a loving, forever home, ring Margaret Green Animal Rescue on 01929 480474 or go to margaretgreen animalrescue.org.uk

EQUINE CLASSIFIEDS

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