The international dressage rider and young horse producer (pictured) explains how walk pirouettes can improve engagement for medium trot

Aim

This exercise is great for hotter horses as it means the rider is able to ride forward from the walk pirouette, which, in itself, is a collecting movement. It is also helpful if your horse is lazy in the hindlegs, as he learns to pick his hindlegs up and down underneath his body when performing the walk pirouette correctly. The idea behind this exercise is that the smaller the walk pirouette, the more engaged the hindleg.

One of the advantages of doing the walk pirouettes on the long side is that it helps the rider understand how small the pirouette needs to be.

Very often, when you see someone doing a walk pirouette in the middle of the arena, because they don’t have a wall to help them, the pirouettes are too large and, therefore, it doesn’t engage the hindleg correctly.

This exercise also teaches the horse to push and engage with the transition into medium trot after the walk pirouette.

Exercise

1. Start the exercise by riding down the long side of the arena in working trot.

2. Ask for a transition to walk before the corner and perform half a walk pirouette. Make sure you put the horse into shoulder-fore position before the walk pirouette. In a shoulder-fore position, the outside foreleg is already leading the way towards the inside bend. For instance, if you are doing a walk pirouette to the left, the right fore has to cross over the left foreleg.

3. Immediately after completing the half walk pirouette, once straight, make a transition into medium trot. Use the walk pirouette to engage the inside hindleg straight into the transition to medium trot down the long side.

4. Ride medium trot down the long side, then make a transition to walk before
the corner and ask for another half walk pirouette in the other direction. This puts the horse back on the hindleg. Then immediately asks him to push off again, so he is pushing and sitting.

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5. Repeat the exercise, ensuring you take plenty of breaks.

Tips and pitfalls

If your horse isn’t good at medium trot, go into rising rather than sitting trot until you can establish a rhythm.

In the walk pirouette, you need to learn to keep turning the front, rather than keeping the back in place.

By performing the walk pirouette against the wall, any rider who pushes the hindlegs to the inside will automatically realise how far away from the wall they are at the end.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday.

The five-star eventer shows how the figure-of-eight jumping exercise can help develop balance, rhythm and the ability to land on the correct canter lead

Aim

This is a very versatile exercise because, depending on the experience of the horse and rider, it can be started in trot with just poles on the floor and built up to canter over a variety of fences, including oxers and skinnies.

It is also great for overly fresh or erratic horses as the rider has to concentrate quietly on the rhythm, balance and line of the circle, which maintains the horse’s focus. Additionally, the rider has to think ahead, always looking up and forwards to the next fence or risk missing it, as it is only a handful of strides away.

The exercise can also stop horses anticipating the route, because you can change the course by continuing straight down the long side occasionally instead of staying on the circle.

The exercise

1. Set up the poles on the circle as shown in diagram one (above). Ride over the middle pole at X and continue on a circle. Begin with poles on the floor, then when horse and rider are confident with the exercise, build the poles up into small fences. Start off on a 20m circle on each rein, then progress to changing the rein over the fence at X to ride a figure-of-eight.

2. Aim to keep the horse balanced and rhythmical to the middle of each fence by staying central in the saddle; keep the line of the circle by steering with your legs. The horse should be encouraged to land on the correct lead if you keep your weight in the inside stirrup; allow the outside leg back and open the inside rein slightly as the horse takes off. He should switch leads when changing the rein over the fence at X.

3. To increase the technicality, you can add a further fence at A and C (as shown in diagram two, below), or change the fences down the long side to skinnies or make the fence at X into a parallel. The fences don’t need to be big — I keep the height to around 80cm — although the fence at X could be increased if you want to incorporate something a bit bigger as you master the exercise.

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#SundaySchool: the showjumping ‘gym’ with Holly Smith

The international showjumper talks us through this multi-fence workout which she uses with both her younger and more experienced horses

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This simple exercise provides a solid foundation for skinnies and arrowheads

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Tips and pitfalls

• Make sure that your horse is properly warmed up before starting, especially in colder weather.
• Keep the exercise simple — don’t increase the difficulty too soon.
• Ride from the inside leg to outside rein to bring the horse’s shoulder round on the turns — don’t pull the inside rein or you’ll lose the shoulder to the outside of the circle.
• Keep your hands down and soft, using your legs to keep riding forwards to the poles or fences.
• When changing the rein, step into the inside stirrup, looking up in the new direction. To aid the change, you can slightly open the inside rein out to the side.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday.

Avoid motorbiking in the show ring with these 10-metre circle and loop exercises, as recommended by top show rider, Justine Armstrong-Small

Aim

One of my favourite exercises in training is riding 10-metre circles in each corner of the school and five-metre loops down each long side.

The purpose of this exercise is to teach both the horse and rider balance and control. In order to ride the circles correctly the horse has to be engaged through his hind legs and supple through his shoulders and neck.

He has to go from a straight line to a small circle without losing rhythm and balance. It teaches the rider to use inside leg to outside rein, which so many riders struggle to achieve.

The loops ask the horse to change the inside bend to outside bend — putting more pressure and control into the inside rein and making him soften through to the outside rein. This helps him to be more supple across the wither and will help loosen the shoulder to create more movement and elevation.

The exercise

1. This exercise can be done in both walk and trot. Start by riding your horse into an even contact and pace around the arena. For a novice horse it’s better to start in walk as this gives time to achieve the correct lines you’re trying to follow.

2. As you approach each corner, steady your speed by half-halting and keeping your leg on to collect the gait. Think about the size of your circle, while being careful not to overshoot the centre line.

3. Encourage the horse to soften down his inside shoulder by creating bend with the inside rein, while also taking more pressure onto the outside rein. Sitting trot helps the rider use their leg more effectively and keep better control of the horse and his direction.

4. Maintain balance coming out of the circle and ride straight into the next corner, repeating the exercise with another circle. As you come out of the second corner approaching the long side, ride a five-metre loop off the track onto the three- quarter line of the arena and then back to the next corner.

5. On returning to the corner, change the bend again to go into your next 10-metre circle. Repeat this exercise around the arena three or four times on one rein. Then do the same on the other rein.

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Tips and pitfalls

• Many riders use the inside rein to steer, which can create head flicks or motorbiking, and falling in on the circles.
• The horse can lose balance and take uneven steps, hop into canter or trip up when not pushing from behind.
• The horse can fall out of the circle through his outside shoulder if you don’t have enough outside rein controlling the amount of bend required.
• If the rider uses more inside rein and no outside leg, it will allow the horse to banana and fall out of the circle.
• If a horse is constantly ridden with one rein shorter than the other it will ultimately lead to the horse compensating by either lifting its head, or going on two tracks of the arena with the quarters coming in off the track rather than being in line with the front. This can make the horse appear lame.
• Rushing the trot can accentuate the problems above.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

If you’ve decided to give your horse or pony a well-earned holiday in the field this winter, you might find yourself as a loose end for three or four months.

Here are 17 things horse owners who are currently horseless might attempt over winter…

1. Online dating

While you’ve always considered your horse to be the love of your life, the abundance of free time you now have in the evenings means you could possibly start looking for a two-legged individual to join your life. Requirements; tall, handsome and must not be allergic to animal hair.

2. Buy a new horse 

How do you replace the horse-shaped void in your life? Drain your entire life savings on a similarly shaped replacement as a winter project.

3. Join a gym

If your horse is out at grass, the lack of mucking out, daily yard chores and riding, coupled with the wealth of food on offer at this time of year might not be the best for your waist line. With your horse losing some fitness over winter, if both of you are flagging in the new year, getting ready for next season might be more of a challenge.

4. Take up a sport

If the gym life isn’t for you, maybe joining a new sports team could be the answer to maintaining your fitness levels. The ‘team’ part might throw you off at first, as your used to the ‘every man for himself ’ philosophy of equestrian competition.

5. Meet up with other horse owners

Who’s up for a weekly meet up where we pine after long weekend hacks, horse shows and the smell of haylage?

6. Ride someone else’s horse

Not everyone chooses to give their horse some time off work, so take advantage of this and steal a few rides on an alternative mount so you’re not as rusty when your horse is brought back in to work. Especially as he’s likely to be feeling slightly fresh after some R&R…

7. Buy a third horse

Wealthy people with substantial acreage and stabling, see point 2.

8. Take a holiday

If you compete during the summer, chances are any spare funds are spent on entries, so get away for some sun or snow and experience what normal people call ‘a holiday.’

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9. Get a part-time job

More to spend on achieving next season’s goals. Work now, play later.

10. Get married/have a baby

It’s likely that these momentous occasions were put in motion well before winter came along, but hardcore equestrians might schedule them around the competition calendar to ensure they don’t miss out on any of the ‘biggies’ which land on the same dates each season. Organisation is key.

11. Redecorate

With no time for anything domestic all year, the winter can provide the ideal opportunity for a home refurb.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

A rider who sustained a badly broken arm after a revving motorbike spooked her horse wants to raise awareness of the support on offer.

Zoe Hewer was injured in the fall from her horse Reggie two years ago but as the motorcyclist left the scene, thought she had no options in terms of seeking compensation.

But when a family member saw a piece in H&H about the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), which compensates victims of uninsured or untraceable drivers, she realised this was not the case.

Her claim was settled last week but she had already benefited from physiotherapy and counselling funded by the MIB.

“I tell everyone about it now!” Zoe told H&H. “Even if just for the physio and therapy it would be worth it as accidents like this can leave you with lasting injuries, physical and mental.”

Zoe was hacking out with her stepson Harvey, on mountains near their yard in Wales, on 7 October 2017. They were on their way back to the yard when a motorbike came alongside.

“It was next to us, revving its engine,” Zoe said. “It startled my horse, who galloped down the road – and the bike kept up with us.

“He kept revving the engine, which spooked Reggie even more, then stopped opposite the drive to the stables.”

Reggie knew his way home and Zoe managed to stop him at the top of the drive. But as she turned to call for Harvey – who had managed to pull his pony Millie up out of the way – a second bike appeared.

“The first bike must have been waiting for him,” Zoe said. “But the second one was revving too, which startled Reggie more. I was completely off-balance because I was twisted round shouting to Harvey and I came off.

“Fortunately, he galloped towards the stables; if we’d been on the road, he might have gone towards the village and it could have been even worse.”

It was later found Zoe had broken her upper arm in the fall.

“I snapped my humerus completely,” she said. “The pain was horrendous; I stood up and fell back on to the tarmac.

“I was thinking something wasn’t right; I could feel my arm crunching and thought ‘that’s not a good sign’.

“I’d felt my head bounce on the ground; I’m so glad I had my hat on as I think it would have been lights out otherwise.”

Zoe was sent home in a sling as it was not possible to put her arm in plaster, and doctors hoped it would heal on its own.

But eight weeks later, there had been no progress, which she was told is sometimes the case, so she had to undergo an operation, to have the bone plated and pinned.

“That took me straight back to the start,” she said. “I’d been unable to do anything for myself at first but had got used to shuffling around, then you go back to day one.”

Zoe also had to cope with the return of the breast cancer for which she had already been treated, on the same side as the broken arm. This was successfully treated but “it added to the complexity”, she said.

“I also had problems with my neck and shoulders, which are ongoing,” she added.

“Then my father-in-law saw the article in H&H. I read it and thought ‘let’s give it a shot’, so I rang the lawyer in it, Hanna Campbell.”

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£12,000 compensation for rider trampled by horse in road accident

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Zoe, who is now riding again, on Millie, said she wants other riders to be aware of the MIB.

“There is support there,” she said. “The consequences of an accident can be horrendous; not just breaking your arm but everything else that goes with it and this has really made a difference.

“If it hadn’t been for the H&H article, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind.”

Hanna Campbell of HorseSolicitor, who acted for Zoe in the claim, said: “I hope this case raises awareness of a rider’s right to claim compensation even in cases where the driver fails to stop and cannot be traced. A vehicle does not have to have made contact with you or your horse for the driver to be held responsible for the accident. It’s just as negligent to spook a horse by driving past too close or too quickly as it is to crash into them.

“The MIB exists to compensate people who have been injured by negligent drivers, either untraced or uninsured. A small portion of the money paid for all car and motorbike insurance policies goes to the MIB, which acts as an insurer of last resort.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

‘There is only one way to jump a hedge and that is cleanly’, says Mike Felton, joint-master of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale. He tells Tessa Waugh how to make that happen

1. Know your obstacle. When you’re approaching a hedge there are three things to take into consideration: whether or not it has a ditch on the landing or take-off, the state of the ground, and whether it is clean, in other words, does it have wire in it or not?

2. It is a popularly held misconception that hedges should be jumped at speed, but if there is no wire and the going is relatively good, you can jump it like any other fence. You don’t need speed, you need impetus and impulsion. Think coiled springs and contained energy.

3. If you go too fast you will jump flatter, which is fine if the hedge is thin and wispy and you can brush through it, but not if it’s tall and thick.

4. If you go too fast and the going is heavy, the horse will struggle to get its feet out quick enough to take off and you have another ingredient for a crash.

5. Ditches in front of hedges again requires plenty of impulsion. Without it you will land in the ditch or fail to clear the hedge behind.

6. Ditches behind — less of a worry; if you and your horse have done the necessary to get over the hedge without incident, you will clear a ditch behind it too (as long as it doesn’t have a strand of wire in front of it).

7. Practise with your horse with a much smaller obstacle with a ditch towards, before putting them at a big obstacle with a ditch in front.

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8. Don’t ride for the weak bit of the hedge — aim for the stouter bit because your horse will jump it better.

9. Think of the farmer whose hedge you are jumping and use the gate if your horse won’t go. A small hole quickly becomes a motorway if everyone takes the easy option.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Police are appealing for information after someone grabbed a teenager’s reins while she was out riding in a woods.

Thames Valley Police have released a photo of a man they would like to speak to following the assault as they believe he may have “vital information”.

Investigating officer Patrycia Lesiakowska said she released the image as she believes this man may have “vital information”

The 15-year-old was hacking in Captain’s Woods in Chesham at around 4.30pm on 22 October.

She was approached by a man, shouting that she should not be there.

The girl apologised and turned to leave, but the man hit the back of her horse with a dog lead and grabbed her horse’s reins while continuing to shout.

He then grabbed the rider’s leg and tried to pull her off the horse, but she managed to stay on. She then saw another woman walking a dog through a field and the man ran off.

“I am releasing this image as I believe this man may have vital information about the incident,” said investigating officer PC Patrycia Lesiakowska, who is based at Amersham Police Station.

“This incident has left the victim feeling very shaken and I am keen to hear from anyone who has any information or who recognises this man.”

“You can contact us using our online form or by calling 101, quoting reference number 43190329163. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on their website or by calling 0800 555 111.”

The girl was not injured in the incident.

In case you missed her original story, you can read it here.

Our poor girl is 28, has horrible teeth, horrible feet and less than a 1 on the Henneke Scale.  Luckily, she landed at BHFER where Jo is being fed and treated often – with extreme care and diligence.

Please let’s help BHFER help this mare.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.  THANK YOU!

Today is the last day to help her… maybe some Halloween Starbucks money, or extra candy money for this poor starved mare!

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HERE ARE PHOTOS OF HER FIRST WEEK AT BHFER – She had a bath, her teeth and feet done…lots of good food.   Does anyone know what her brand means?

Does anyone know anything about this brand? We hope to find out more about JO.

HERE SHE IS – TODAY.  WOW!!!!  A week of love, great food, excellent care and support.  Bravo BHFER!

They tell me that she is VERY vocal!  She wants to eat her mashes all day long!  BHFER is doing such a GREAT JOB.  Let’s help them, please!

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I have one very similar (in photo) and I get compliments every time I wear it! These are jockey medals from Buenos Aires. This one has white enamel and is from 1952. Jockey name etched on the back. So cool! Looks great with silver or gold! Czech glass crystal beads with sterling star charm at crystal closure. 18.5″

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Imagine the reaction if the top three horses at Burghley were all penalised with 15 penalties for missing a flag across country — and so lost their places — especially if all three were considered by the eventing community to have jumped the respective fences sufficiently, albeit at odds with the requirements of the current controversial rule.

This is what happened at Fair Hill, the biggest autumn international in the USA, and understandably the public were outraged. The officials have been put in an impossible position, implementing a rule that, as a body — the International Eventing Officials Club (IEOC) — they oppose.

The FEI eventing committee has made changes to the wording for 2020, but these will not avert a repetition of Fair Hill; their rule still does not allow a horse’s outside front leg to displace a flag.

The FEI eventing committee is made up of six people, one of whom is a rider representative. A couple of years ago, after unanimous discontent over another important decision made without consultation, the committee asked the rider rep to set up a working group of experienced riders to provide feedback on proposals. I was asked to chair this group.

Over the past 14 months I have had over 200 hours of meetings with officials, riders, national federations, fence judges and broadcasters over the 15-penalty rule.

Do we judge style?

The rider group, in conjunction with the Eventing Riders Association, the IEOC and, crucially, 15 national federations, have written to the FEI explicitly supporting an alternative rule that tolerates the outside forelimb displacing the flag. Despite this and our attempts to work with the FEI, the key part of it has so far been rejected by the committee.

At the heart at the issue is whether “style” should be judged across country. The committee have indicated that a jump that is further within the flags should be rewarded over one that is closer to the edge, even when both are “clear” in the traditional sense.

Another difference is that the FEI rule relies on a retrospective video review involving drawing lines on screens, whereas the stakeholders’ proposal is clearer to the fence judge, rider and spectator in real time — if the outside forelimb makes contact with the flag, then all is OK, as long as the back end has jumped the height of the fence.

In other sports, reviews are only workable if the action can be stopped while a decision is made — imagine the outcome of a rugby match being reversed as the crowd are leaving because a try was retrospectively overturned. Under the FEI’s flag wording, the leaderboard often changes after the last horse has crossed the line, which damages the presentation of the sport to the public — a key FEI priority.

Public thinking and the FEI are totally out of sync. If we continue with the FEI rule, ground juries will either refuse to enforce it or we will see decisions which create a public outcry as big prizes are wrongly awarded.

The dramatic alteration to the Fair Hill podium proves how much we need to fix this before the Olympics next year. The rule, in whatever form, will be written into stone at the FEI General Assembly in two weeks’ time. Let’s hope they don’t ram through an unwanted and unworkable rule against the advice of the national federations.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons will play Sir Henry Cecil in a film about Frankel’s extraordinary career.

The British film star won the 1991 Academy Award for best actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune.

Jeremy Irons. Credit: GTRES/PA Images

Frankel, produced by Eclipse Films, will chart the career of the unbeaten superstar. It will also focus on the bond between the horse and his late trainer.

“This is the story of how [Sir] Henry in his autumn years fought failure and illness to make Frankel the greatest champion racehorse of all time,” states the film’s synopsis.

“Unbeaten in all 14 starts, winning all the honours and bowing out with an emotional victory in front of a capacity crowd at Ascot. The connection between Henry and Frankel was almost spiritual.

“They had a bond and connection: it was as if Frankel seemed to understand everything that [Sir] Henry was telling him to do, and [Sir] Henry credits Frankel for pulling him through some of his darkest moments… Frankel was his second lease of life and they made history together.”

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The Queen unveils Frankel statue at Royal Ascot

A bronze statue of Frankel was unveiled by The Queen on the opening day of Royal Ascot

The film is produced by Eclipse Films, directed by Ron Scalpello and produced by John Sachs, Andrew Berg, Jeremy Irons and Kimberley Sachs. The script is written by Jim Piddock, who is also the executive producer.

Andrew Berg and John Sacs told screendaily.com that Jeremy was the “first choice” to play Sir Henry and that he has a “genuine love of horses”.

Sir Henry saddled 25 British Classic winners in his career, including Frankel, and also had a record 75 Royal Ascot wins.

The film’s release date and the actor who will play Frankel’s jockey, Tom Queally, are yet to be revealed.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday