Holly Coetzee is certainly a showjumper with a difference. The Dubai-based rider competes all her horses without a bit and keeps them barefoot, while at home she rides and jumps her horse Prince completely without tack.
“I regularly hack out in the desert with just a neck rope — he is a very special horse,” says Holly, who competes in both eventing and showjumping in the UAE.
“One of my best moments was galloping along the beach and playing in the sea tackless with him.
“While not all horses will be able to do this, I do think with enough time and patience most horses could be taught to be ridden tackless or bridleless because if you are riding correctly, from your seat and using your body not your hands, your horse should listen for those cues without needing to be told with reins. The key though is time and patience and in my experience a lot of riders today want immediate results.”
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Holly’s conversion to the benefits of bitless and barefoot management came in 2015 when, after two successful seasons of competing at 1.25m in the UK, her 17hh 11-year-old German warmblood Connor was diagnosed with gastric ulcers, navicular disease and laminitis.
“I was advised by vets to put him down unless his condition drastically improved within the next two weeks, which of course was devastating,” says Holly, who grew up in Derby before moving to the UAE and has trained with Corinne Bracken, Nick Burton and later worked as a coach at the Emirates Equestrian Centre.
“Although my three previous horses had all been kept successfully barefoot and I had been riding them bitless, I was convinced that because Connor was a ‘proper’ showjumping horse I couldn’t possibly keep him barefoot or showjump him without a bit!
“Despite my own doubts and fears I knew I had to try something different, because conventional shoeing had so far failed me. I agreed to give this more natural approach a try and when I returned to Dubai the following year he came with me newly barefoot.”
Connor was given a year off work and put on a new low-sugar, low-starch diet and “became a new horse” and has since always ridden in a Dr Cooks bitless bridle.
Holly’s most recent “project horse” Prince is a thoroughbred ex-racer.
“I rode him bitless from the word go with no issues,” says Holly, who works as a freelance rider and coach based out of Al Ruwayyah Stables in the Dubai.
“Prince took to schooling and jumping very well and I quickly realised he was going to be a brilliant brave cross-country horse. He moved up to the open class — Dubai’s ‘biggest’ eventing class — after a few months with no issues and he continues to improve at every event.”
Holly now regularly gives talks, workshops and demonstrations on bitless and barefoot riding and competition in the UAE.
“Before setting my clients off over fences, I ensure that they are riding their horses straight, into a steady contact from their leg and are able to use their body, seat and legs effectively to control their horses,” Holly explains. “Many of my riders are now competing successfully in showjumping, eventing and dressage — for national dressage a snaffle bit is used — and we are now well-known on the competition circuit for our extremely competitive bitless and barefoot team!”
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Irish Olympian and Fellow of the British Horse Society Eric Smiley launched his new book Two Brains One Aim, written with freelance journalist Ellie Hughes, at the recent International Eventing Forum (4 February).
In this extract, he discusses how the bits horses wear can impact on cross-country safety:
I first noticed the desire to achieve greater control when the minimum weight restriction was removed from the eventing cross-country phase in 1998 (previously all horses had to carry 165lbs (75kg), made up with lead weight if necessary, for the cross-country phase). At the same time, courses started becoming more technical. These two changes brought control into focus as lighter riders were now riding big, “scopey” horses, and they needed better control to negotiate the more technical courses. The short fix was to find a bit that offered more control.
A similar thing happened in show jumping. Bigger jumping horses were introduced — they were not necessarily better or more careful, they just had bigger jumps. Courses became more technical, so there became a need to control these horses.
In dressage, the desire for control has taken a different route. While there have been adaptations to the snaffle and double bridles, these two pieces of tack have remained a constant. Crank nosebands and hyperflexion have become the focus.
When it comes to bits there has always been a fashion, a “must have,” a “follow the trend.” Bit manufacturers see opportunities in the market and take them, convincing the uninitiated that a certain bit will make all the difference because it is “kinder to the horse” or “more natural.”
Bitting to gain control produces problems for everyone, from the happy hacker to the upper level rider. Coaches must feel like they are swimming against a tide when they advocate correct acceptance and understanding of the rider’s aids, and instead, see three-rings, pulleys, and big hunks of metal. The welfare and integrity of the horse remain paramount, but, at times, it seems this has been replaced by the need for control at all costs.
When double bridles were permitted in the dressage phase of eventing, riders saw this as an opportunity to gain the control they felt they were missing in a snaffle. Thank goodness this trend has been identified and rule changes seem to be coming in to rectify this. In show jumping it appears that riders will resort to anything in order to gain control, provided it is within the rules.
Every discipline has its own requirements and some would say that it is not possible to draw comparisons. But I think there are similarities and that it is important for us all to seek a moral common ground.
We all want a nice riding horse: one that goes, stops, and turns on request. When asked to jump, we want the horse to know what to do. When asked to gallop, we don’t want him to run away. In dressage, the “Carl Hester effect” has changed the face of the discipline throughout the world. To watch and listen to this brilliant horseman should be a must for all riders. In time, the ethical way of training that Carl so inspires will filter right through the sport at all levels.
Does the end justify the means? No, of course not, but we need to be careful to supervise that it does not. At this year’s Junior and Young Rider European Championships for all disciplines, I was able to watch each discipline warm up for their respective classes; because of the age grouping most riders had trainers. Indeed that’s why I was there. I was struck by the difficulty the stewards have in enforcing the rules. Not so much when they are clearly defined (as in show jumping), but more so the interpretation of the rules in the dressage warm-up. Each rider had a headset on and was being instructed by her trainer. In many cases, it amounted to “supervised bullying” of the horse with a high degree of “mental cruelty” — always on the edge of the rules and their interpretation. Hyperflexion, excessive use of spur and or whip, seeking “false paces” in place of correct and ethical schooling.
Classical principles dating to Xenophon some 2400 years ago should still be upheld today:
1 That the horse should be allowed to develop naturally.
2 That force should not be used.
3 That the result should be beautiful and beautifully easy to watch.
In show jumping, jumping clear is the aim. The issue of making horses careful is, and always will be, part of the sport. The ethics of how this is achieved is open to much debate. Bits and bitting can be a part of this.
But it is for eventing that I have my main concern with the misuse of bits. In dressage and show jumping there are undoubtedly issues, but cross-country there is far more danger lurking.
“Fake” Control
Horses are not natural gallopers. Their instinct allows them to sprint, but they must be taught to gallop, just as they are taught to walk, trot, and canter. To perform in all gaits in harmony and control should be every rider’s aim. Without this harmony and understanding, we open a Pandora’s box of possible problems.
Asking a horse to gallop at Preliminary (US) or Novice (UK) cross-country speed of 520mpm before he is comfortable with a fast canter (350–400mpm) has every chance of triggering his natural response of “run.” The moment speed becomes a conditioned response to the rider shortening her stirrups and getting into an open space, the rider feels the need to control it. Now problems arise and the perception is that brakes are needed.
The range of bits and gadgets is endless. Some of the most popular are:
➤ The three-ring or bubble bit.
➤ The elevator.
➤ Rings and pulley reins in various forms.
➤ Curb chains — excessively tight.
Every one of these is a potential disaster waiting to happen!
The aim of flatwork training is to produce a nice riding horse for all occasions. As the topline is rounded to encourage the horse “through” from leg to hand, an acceptance and understanding of the aid is produced. This harmony must also be present cross-country.
The bits I have listed above, and others like them, have an action that encourages hollowness in the horse’s way of going that is detrimental both on the flat and over fences. Not every horse has a natural bascule over a jump — and we should make every effort to work with what the horse is given and encourage him to buy in to what he has to do to jump. But by using bits that encourage an incorrect way of going, we create many problems for ourselves and the horse:
➤ The jaw shows resistance.
➤ The head comes up.
➤ The neck goes hollow.
➤ The shoulders become blocked.
➤ The steering becomes delayed and unresponsive.
➤ The back becomes less “through.”
➤ The rider stops using her legs for fear of more speed.
➤ The horse’s hind legs are less engaged.
➤ The rider’s hands become the dominant aid.
And so it goes on.
The problems that occur when hollowness appears can manifest in different ways:
➤ Lack of roundness to a jump.
➤ Dragging of hind legs (causing poles to fall down behind).
➤ Tight shoulders (causing more poles down in front).
➤ Tight shoulders (causing more chance of hitting solid fences).
➤ More stand-offs or long spots.
➤ More speed, less impulsion.
Spend a day watching cross-country and you will see some unsightly pictures. Look more closely and there is also a trend: most of the ugly sights are control issues. Look more closely and you will see these control issues will also have a bit issue. Course designers cannot make the jumping phases of eventing higher or wider in their effort to separate competitors, so they have had to use their imagination to test the control of horse and rider.
Course designers explore the concepts of the control of line and pace, the control of accuracy, and the riders’ training of their horse in answering this control.
Coaching riders and horses to meet these challenges of control requires skill, but there is a perception that this increase in skill is a euphemism for more control. More control can come from an improvement in the way the partnership works together, or it can be tack-induced. The latter is a shortcut. This is not to say that a change in tack can never make a difference for the better, but it is important to know how to retain the good qualities when in control and not to just “be in control”! There is too much of the latter.
A lot of our everyday problems are directly attributable to bits and bitting. Moreover, only a handful of top riders are skilled enough to “cope” with the issues created by bitting, leaving the rest to struggle with the consequences of these issues.
Is your horse nervous at natural fences? Here’s how to boost a horse’s confidence ahead of the new eventing season.
When Cross-Country Becomes Dangerous
Good cross-country horses look, think, and react. To the rider who says, “He’ll jump anything,” I reply, “That’s not always a good thing.”
To produce a suitable canter or gallop, the horse must allow himself to be balanced by accepting the rider’s leg aids. These aids should engage the hind end in a way that doesn’t produce speed, but encourages the horse to accept the contact and the resulting adjustment to speed in a round and rideable way. Failure to do this makes it difficult for the horse to see, assess, and take responsibility for his part in the jump.
Imagine a car with its accelerator stuck on and the brake as the only regulator of speed. The driver would survive for a short time but very soon the brakes would overheat and fail. This is what happens to over-bitted horses — it is called “running through the bridle” — and it can have frightening results.
Hollowness over solid fences is a problem in itself, but add in a drop behind and safety becomes a very real issue. When the horse is unable to see what he has to do until the last second, he will not be able to react quickly enough to stay safe. Furthermore, the way the horse is likely to hit the fence will be with his forelegs above the knee. This is the type of impact that often causes a rotational fall or a fall on landing as the horse is unable to get his undercarriage under control.
There is an indisputable link between bitting and falls. As the rider endeavors to regain control and balance in front of a fence, the horse inverts and so the ability to ride from the leg to the rein diminishes. The takeoff becomes uncertain, spreads become a lottery, distances in combinations become short, and the “out” element becomes very chancy. A blow on the horse’s forearm could be the result, and with it, the risk of a serious fall.
Price:Two Brains One Aim can be purchased for £19.95 from Quiller Publishing. It is also available to buy via Amazon. Published by: Quiller Publishing, 2019
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A full house enjoyed the Blue Chip Winter Showjumping Championships (10 to 14 April) gala at Hartpury last night (12 April) featuring the opening Kingsland Equestrian junior challenge, a Graham Fletcher lecture-demo and the feature Blue Chip grand prix.
Nicole Pavitt gave the crowd their money’s worth with an edge-of-your-seats round on nine-year-old chestnut mare Paris 16 to take the class in a seven-horse grand prix jump-off that had them yelling and gasping in equal measures.
Early riders left rails on the floor tackling course-designer Nigel Jess’s 13-fence first-round track and it was not until 12th drawn Rose Moss jumped a copybook round on the scopey African Affair that a clear round was found. Six more combinations eventually joined her, with Rose and Olli Fletcher jumping clear on two rides apiece.
Rose gave the riders something to chase with a competitive opener on the Billy Congo eight-year-old — and Nicole did just that with a breathtaking turn into a double one stride away and an indecisive approach to the final Blue Chip oxer.
It makes the long journey worth while Paris 16 is pure class tonight by winning the Grand Prix ( who says don’t have chestnut mares) #equitopmyoplast #charlesowenhelmets #prestigeitalia #veroequestrian #redmills #poweredbyprotexin #EQUstreamz #rockelgloves
“I saw a long one to the double and had to kick,” she said. “Phillip Miller told me it was a short six strides to the last and to go on five but once I’d landed over the [penultimate] vertical I couldn’t see five strides so hesitated and went on six.
“I’d put an extra stride to the last in Addington’s grand prix two weeks ago and was just pipped by Helen Tredwell, I’d never live it down if it happened again.”
Afterwards, Nicole said Paris 16 was “pure class”, adding: “Who says don’t have chestnut mares!”
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Olli Fletcher finished in second place on Temple Rebus, just over a second and a half behind Nicole, with Rose and African Affair in third.
Nine classes are due to be jumped at Hartpury today, including the Eskadron pony discovery championship and the Pikeur pony novice championship. Competition wraps up tomorrow (Sunday) with seven classes to be jumped.
Don’t miss this week’s edition of H&H magazine, out 18 April, for a full report from the Blue Chip championships, as well as all the normal reports, news, features and interviews.
The organisers of the first “world bitless horse day” hope to raise awareness and “give all riders the opportunity to think about going bitless”.
The World Bitless Association (WBA), which was formed last November, says it hopes events, including trail rides, competitions and demonstrations, will be held across the world on 7 September.
Charity trustee Johanna Richardson, who also sits on the WBA board of directors, told H&H the organisation aims to “help facilitate and promote more humane methods of horse training and to promote equality in competition for modern bitless bridles”.
“We hope the day will allow bitless riders to network, and also for bitted riders who might want to explore going bitless, or who want to switch,” she said.
“All sorts of things will be happening. No one’s registered yet as registration hasn’t opened but it’s going to be global; we’ve had interest from Brazil.”
Ms Richardson said the organisation will provide support packs and relevant advice, for individuals, organisations or event organisers who want to run events or training.
She added that the main aims of the WBA are to represent bitless riders and raise awareness of welfare in riding and training.
“It’s not just saying ‘remove the bit and put a bitless bridle on’, it’s about the whole way horses are ridden, and how all of us can improve in everything we do,” she said. “Everyone can make changes and bitted or bitless, we represent everyone on that angle.”
The final WBA aim is to “fight for rule changes” to allow riders to compete bitless and “on a level playing field” with those who use bits in all disciplines.
But Ms Richardson stressed that the charity is not anti-bitting.
“We’re not against them; we just want to bring about opportunities for personal choice,” she said. “It depends on what the rider needs from the horse and how the horse reacts to the bridle it’s in.
A mare previously written off as “too quirky” has returned to the showjumping ring after a seven-month absence to win a newcomers class at Summerhouse Equestrian Centre.
The 10-year-old Mervs Thanks A Million II, an Irish-bred daughter of Flexible, was partnered to an unexpected victory earlier this month by Newbury-based Poppy Stronge.
“We’d basically given up on her because she was so difficult,” said Poppy, who bought the mare six years ago. “We couldn’t sell her, as goodness knows where she would have ended up, so we just put her in the field.”
“Rowan lunges Blue Movie between shows and doesn’t ride her or jump her at all at home, so we thought we’d give that a try,” said Poppy. “It seemed to be working, so I put her on the lorry and took her to the show. She was really hairy and unclipped, but she jumped brilliantly. I’ve clipped her so she doesn’t look so awful and we have another show soon. I’m now waiting to see if this was a fluke or Rowan’s method really works. If it doesn’t, we’ll probably breed from her, as she’s lovely on the ground and would give us a nice foal.”
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Despite the mare’s quirky nature, Poppy is a fan of mares generally.
“I do seem to get on well with them,” said 23-year-old Poppy, who runs the family’s sport horse livery and sales business.
“Dad’s always off racing and Mum seems to be a permanent babysitter for my brother Sam’s [a former jockey and now a racehorse trainer] son, so I’m doing all the riding and grooming at home at the moment. I love it,” she said.
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An equine care home and therapy centre is desperately seeking new premises after the site it occupied for 12 years was sold for development.
Suffolk-based French’s Care Haven has been temporarily housed by supporters in Felixstowe but this land has been also earmarked for houses, leaving the centre in urgent need of a permanent home.
The charity, run by founder Jann Turner, cares for 17 rescued horses and donkeys, many of whom are elderly. It also provides equine therapy for a range of local organisations, including schoolchildren with behavioural problems, groups with learning difficulties and people suffering from eating disorders and anxiety.
“We put a lot of work into the farm we were at in Hadleigh but it was sold to some people in London who put planning permission in to develop it straight away,” said Jann. “We’d paid to re-roof buildings, for fencing and to put in ménages and we had plans to add extra facilities, so it was devastating to see it all go.”
She said work was due to start on the development at the current site and she is waiting to hear any day that the charity has eight weeks’ notice to leave.
Jann has been trying to find a minimum of 20 acres with outbuildings to rent anywhere in Suffolk but has so far been unsuccessful.
“We’re not asking anyone to give it to us, we’re happy to pay rent,” Jann said. “The number of doors I have knocked on is phenomenal but we just can’t find anything.
“Finding a farmer who has cut back on cattle and has some land and barns available would be the ideal scenario. We can always fundraise to repair buildings if they are dilapidated.”
She added that she “couldn’t even contemplate” what would happen if the charity couldn’t find a new home but that she “would never give up”.
“I have a love for the horses that I will take to my deathbed,” she said.
The warning to riders comes after high-end riding boots stolen from Zebra Products last year were found for sale on
Jann has 45 years’ experience working in the horse industry and has been an equine physiotherapist for 20 years. She more recently started opening up the care home for equine therapy after finding it was a “magnet” for people facing difficulties.
“The organisations started contacting me and asking if they could bring people up,” she said. “They help take care of the horses, groom them and pick out their feet. We also find little jobs for them to do around the yard — maybe cutting the grass or trimming bushes or repairing fencing. It’s a good environment for people to be, around the animals in the open air.
“We’ve helped people with drug and alcohol addiction, those who self-harm and schoolchildren, it’s so nice to hear from their parents that they don’t recognise them any more, they have changed so much since they have been coming to us.”
The horses at the care home are all rescues from various backgrounds — from former racehorses to ponies who had been “left tied to the fence at the end of the driveway”.
“We were just about to set up a petting and picnic area and I was thinking about starting lecture demos to help with funding before we had to move and I have had to put all that on hold,” Jann said. “We need to start planning for our future and it will be a huge relief if we can find somewhere.
“Hopefully if people are able to share that we are looking for somewhere, someone will come forwards.”
Dressage is the picture of harmony and elegance — except for the times when it’s not. Here, 21 Horse & Hound readers recount their hilarious stories of when things didn’t quite go to plan between the white boards…
1. “The end of our test went: halt, salute, shake head, keep shaking head, bridle swinging in the breeze (pictured). I had no clue what to do other than gather it up and amble towards A, then jump off with my horse Red Cell, or Sir Red to his friends, looking rather chuffed. One judge even commented on my test sheet how calm he was. I was glad not to be eliminated, and came fifth.” Laura Eaton
2. “I took my home-bred four-year-old to his first dressage competition, and ‘canter at A’ became ‘buck at A’. I lost both stirrups, my hat tipped forward and Dougal belted off. Unable to see where we were going, we left the arena and careered round the judge’s car. Somehow, I managed to find one stirrup, shove my hat back up and re-enter the arena. I scrambled through something that approximated vaguely to the test and when I halted at X, the judge and her scribe were doubled up in laughter — so I dropped my reins, held up my palms and shrugged. It seemed more fitting than a salute.” Catherine Robinson
3. “My pony once trotted down the centre line straight past C and stuck his nose into a plate of sandwiches on the judge’s table.” Alison Job
4. “I decided to enter my four-year-old ex-racehorse Mr Hill (Billy, pictured below), in an intro class. He was so chilled out he didn’t care about the white boards or dressage markers or the scary judge’s box. Smiling away about remembering my test and how well Billy was going right to the end, we halted at G, I saluted the judge, and literally out of nowhere Billy decided to salute too. I was still smiling and the judges loved his salute.” Emma Marshall
5. “My horse Olena hated dressage and was looking to get to the ‘good bit’ of the BE 90. We were doing the dressage on grass, and it hadn’t occurred to me to use studs (I did learn my lesson), so while doing a rather unbalanced 20m potato, aka circle, in canter she slipped and fell at X. Then she sat there for a while refusing to get up — she was unhurt, just disinclined to do any more dressage. I was mortified, not just to have fallen off, but that my horse was now taking a nap in the middle of the arena with all the competitors after us wondering how on earth there could be a hold on course for dressage! We were actually allowed to finish the test and, following a thorough vet check, to complete the event.” Jo Parkes
6. “I travelled to Bury Farm, Bucks, from Edinburgh for the British Riding Clubs dressage to music championships a few years ago, when my horse was badly spooked entering the main arena. Poor startled Onyx bolted and jumped the white boards and flower pots — and we found ourselves in the arena standing in front of the judge at E. Whoops – it wasn’t quite the dramatic entrance I had been planning.” Sarah Johnsen
7. “As the previous competitor finished their test at my first Area Festival, I was allowed to walk around the outside of the arena. As I did so, my horse Harry’s tail brushed on of the plastic bushes decorating the arena. He leapt into the air, then spooked at the audience, jumped into the arena over the white boards, and finally unseated me, leaving me in a pile on the floor. He then trotted up to the other competitor who had just halted at the end of her test. Luckily, as I hadn’t technically entered the arena, they let me get back on and we finished second!” Hannah Burrage
8. “As a teenager I was halfway through a prelim test on my pony Minstrel and everything was going well. Then he decided to throw in one of his special bucks. I slid straight down his neck, and on the way down, I somehow managed to hook my thumb through his headpiece and remove his whole bridle. I don’t know who was more shocked: me or everyone else watching. But I tacked Minstrel back up, got on and carried on with the rest of the test. I saluted to the judge, gave my pony a big pat and left the arena calmly. I made it all the way to the trailer before bursting into tears!” Sophie Irvine
9. “A couple of weeks ago at the British Dresssage summer music championships, I did a beautiful freestyle test. My transitions were spot on to my music changes, I was grinning from ear to ear, up the centre line, salute, big pat for my amazing pony… Then I heard the bell ring — I was facing the wrong way and the judges were sitting behind me! I’d turned up the centre line the wrong way…” Sarah Hayter-Sharpe
10. “Many years ago I entered my 18hh Shire/Clydesdale/thoroughbred, Maisie, into two prelim tests. There was a short break between the two, so I slackened my girth and went for a walk around the warm-up. Unfortunately I forgot to tighten my girth before the second test… We were going well until the 20m circle when my saddle and I slowly slid around to Maisie’s side and gravity eventually took hold. The judge ran over to check I was alright and help me remount. We then carried on and finished our test.” Alison Dummer
11. “In our music test at the Horse & Hound Festival of Dressage at Sheepgate, my horse took massive exception to the hog roast. He decided he couldn’t possibly go beyond P towards it, and that upwards was the best option! Forced to retire I then faced the acute embarrassment of being unable to get out of the arena (and all of this to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight)!” Lesley Wheatley
12. “A few months ago I took my youngster to his second ever dressage show. We entered the arena, went down the centre line and that was that! He didn’t want to dance so plonked his feet and wouldn’t move further than 10m, regardless of what I did. In the end the judge was laughing as I laughed, shrugged and saluted my so-called test. ‘Needs more miles on the clock’ and ‘well tried’ were the comments, with a rather bad mark next to it.” Madeleine Moon
13. “I was once doing a prelim dressage test with my pony, who is a cheeky chap. He spooked just as we had started the test and his foot went through one of the wooden dressage boards. It was stuck — luckily he is a calm pony and after seeing he was not injured, my Dad and the show organiser ended up sawing the wooden board off his hind leg! After checking he was unhurt — and gathering quite an audience — we went on to complete the test and finished third!” Hollie Blakeston
14. “I have myself a little plane spotter; he will watch planes and helicopters! When I first got him just over two years ago I had no idea about his little hobby. We were competing for our local riding club in the area dressage competition, and coming down the centre line to halt. Just as we got to X the British Red Arrows flew over in full formation, and my horse stopped dead and stuck his head in the air to watch them fly over.” Demi Davis
15. “I had no one to look after my children so I took them out to Field House, and told them to stay in the café as I could see them from the indoor arena. As I started the dressage test my daughter came out of the café — I gave a her a stern look and shouted “back in the café!”. The judge’s comment was ‘stressful entry’ — but we still got a seven!” Julie Barber
16. “I had learned the test but it went completely out of my head, even though a kind person called for me. All I wanted to do was get to the end and get out of the arena. Crossing the diagonal, I heard the caller say “and show some medium trot strides” — and realised I was still in canter. The judge rang the bell and got out of the car, but I was so desperate to finish the test that I ignored her and kept going. I don’t know who was more traumatised: the poor caller who read the test perfectly, the judge who had to mark the last two movements standing at the car door, or me.” Elizabeth Rushton
Who says horses have no sense of humour? Read on if your horse is a master at embarrassing you
17. “Having successfully completed a dressage test for once without any major dramas, I relaxed as we moved off on a long rein after the salute. At that point the judge stood up and pulled back the sliding glass window in the judge’s box. My pony teleported left. I ended up lying on the ground on my back looking up at the judge, who said ‘oh…sorry…was that my fault?’” Jane Sanders
18. “My horse was a jumper, but I misguidedly did a dressage test on him. Cantering down the long side, I felt him suddenly setting himself right to jump the hedge, which was the boundary on the short side. I couldn’t convince him not to jump it. The judges called me back and suggested I should stick to jumping.” Jackie Bell
19. “Competing at local indoor dressage championship, I was incredibly nervous and there was a big silent crowd of local riders watching. As the bell rang to start, I trotted down the long side and my horse farted very loudly — echoing around the arena. I heard the booming voice of my trainer saying ‘Oh! Poor Rebecca, she suffers so badly with competition nerves!’ The crowd collapsed into laughter — as did I.” Rebecca Jackson
20. “I had almost completed a nice novice test on my cheeky coloured pony, Patch. As I came to halt on the centre line, Patch, totally without warning, decided it was the perfect time to get down for a roll. I managed to get her up mid roll, jumped back on, saluted the judge and left the arena with a very red face! Thankfully the judge had a sense of humour to match Patchy’s, and we got a four for the halt, with the comment simply saying ‘rolled’.” Claire Hazeldine
21. “When I was young I attended a local unaffiliated dressage test on a little grey pony called Dinky. The owner was calling the test for me and at A I commenced a 20m circle in trot with the intention of cantering left before X. As I asked for canter Dinky did a huge buck and sent me flying. The owner swiftly gave me a leg-up and I commenced the movement again from A — the same thing happened again. The third time, the bridle came off with me! By that time there was quite a large audience gathered and the judge then popped out of the box to say that she thought it was time to leave the arena.” Katie Rutter
And a bonus story from H&H’s dressage editor…
“During a test on my extravagant Anglo-Arab gelding, Toby, one of my contact lenses got dislodged just as we set off across the diagonal in extended trot – his party piece. Unable to see properly, and to judge how far away the intermittent white boards ahead of us were, we sailed straight out of the arena at M and almost made it to the boundary fence. The judge called after us, ‘Oh do come back!’…” Polly Bryan
The owners of horses killed in a suspected arson attack two years ago hope a memorial ride will make a statement that they ‘haven’t forgotten’ what happened.
Grace Tredgold and Ciera Battson are running the Elmwood Memorial Ride for a second year on 24 November to remember the 12 horses, including Grace’s mare Willow and Ciera’s loan pony Rex, killed at Elmwood Equestrian Centre, Burnham-on-Crouch, on 3 December 2017.
Essex Police investigated the fire but no one was ever caught.
“You learn to deal with it but not having the closure of who did it and why is difficult. Myself and Ciera and some of the other owners will have a moment every now and again where we sit and think about it all,” Grace told H&H.
“It’s a very strange feeling, they were taken so suddenly and it’s now been almost two years.”
Grace said she hopes by raising awareness of the incident through the ride, someone might come forward.
“We want to make a statement to whoever did it that we haven’t forgotten. We want to get people talking about it again especially for people who might not be aware. We hope someone eventually speaks out, someone has to know something,” she said.
Grace said the event will run on the same lines as last year, starting at Elmwood Equestrian Centre
“The ride is around nine miles and we’ll ride up Burnham-on-Crouch High Street,” she said. “The mayor is very supportive of the event and has agreed to come and say a few words again and we have asked the farmers who helped last year if we can use their land and they’ve agreed – without them it wouldn’t be happening. ”
12 horses died in the suspected arson attack on 3 December 2017
Credit: TI Media
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Grace, who will ride her pony Ella on the day, said 66 riders have signed up.
“Last year we had 52. We’ve had a lot of people want to come this year and most of the liveries from Elmwood Equestrian Centre will take part,” she said.
“It’s a good community event and gets people together and talking about the fire again. Last year it was really special as a double rainbow appeared as we set off.”
Anyone interested in taking part in the ride can sign up at the Elmwood 12 Memorial Ride Facebook page.
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Click image to go to the original article by Alan Day.
Rastus was a Lazy B cowboy who was like family. He couldn’t read or write, but what he knew never ceased to amaze me. When he was eight years old, he ran away from his abusive and dysfunctional home in Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Somehow he made his way to Lordsburg, about 80 miles away. A kind soul noticed the homeless young boy wandering around town and suggested to Rastus that he might fit in at the big Lazy B ranch. They just might need someone to bring kindling to the cook. What’s more, he’d probably get fed for doing the job. So Rastus went out to the ranch, got hired, and remained there for 75 years.
Rastus learned cowboying from the roots up. He went from being a cook’s helper to being the number one cowboy in the crew. For as long as I remember, he was the go-to guy. He had an encyclopedic mind that observed things most of us wouldn’t notice. He always was aware of how much water was in each tank and how the grass was growing. If a windmill pumped a little less water than it should, he’d say the leathers need to be changed. What’s more, he also knew each cow, and Lazy B had 1500 cows. Often he could identify a cow by looking at her footprints. He knew which calf belonged to which cow and what last year’s calf looked like.
One thing that we all learned is that if Rastus told you something, which would be something to do with the ranch, you could go to the bank with that. It was always correct and accurate. The only time my dad argued with him, Rastus was so incensed someone doubted his word that he quit. His word was his bond. When it turned out Rastus was right, my dad had to go to town and hunt him up and apologize.
Rastus lived at headquarters and only went to town about once a month. Ever year, we give him a Christmas present, which often was a nice shirt. No one ever saw the shirt again because it stayed folded up for later use. He probably had ten shirts for later use that he never unwrapped. He had a needle and thread, though. He’d wear a shirt or pair of pants until it got so thin it would start to tear. Then he carefully sewed the tears together with tiny stitches. He literally wore his clothes until they came apart. Yet he never looked anything but neat and clean.
Before my time, Rastus had fallen off a windmill. One leg landed on an anvil and had a real bad break. The doctor had to cut a piece out of it. When it healed back up, it was three inches shorter than the other leg. He had his boot built up, but I never knew him to walk without a limp. If he suffered from backaches, I wasn’t aware of it because he never complained.
So even though Rastus never learned to read, never learned to drive, he was one of the smartest men I ever knew. He was totally loyal to the ranch, and I was proud that he was a part of my extended family.
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A rider involved in a frightening near-miss on the road has urged others to report incidents after the driver was taken to court.
Alison Prestidge was riding her 17.3hh former police horse Diplomat with a friend, Anna Turner-Bee, along Valley Road in Fawkham, Kent, in February when she heard a vehicle approaching quickly from behind.
“I turned my head and thought the driver must be able to see us – we were wearing full high-vis and riding two abreast,” Alison, a former police horse trainer, told H&H.
“I realised the car wasn’t slowing down. The man saw us at the last minute, swerved and just missed some railings as he mounted a kerb.”
Alison, who was wearing a hat camera she had borrowed from a friend, said the man drove off.
“He didn’t even stop for a split second,” she said.
“Diplomat was fine, he’s very sensible on the roads but I was a bit shaken. I’ve owned him for nine years and always ridden on that roads but I’ve never had a near-miss like that. It upset me – he could have taken my horse out and that would have been it. Diplomat would have been a goner if the car had made contact, it would have hit his back legs. It wasn’t until afterwards I thought ‘that really was a close call’.”
Alison reported the incident to Kent Police and the British Horse Society.
“I wasn’t sure if the police would do anything because ultimately we were ok, but I felt I had a responsibility to report it. The footage had caught the driver’s registration plate and Anna found online that the car didn’t have an MoT,” she said.
“I didn’t hear anything for months but then I received a letter in September to say the driver was due to appear in court. I was unable to attend on the day but I would have liked to have to seen the process and the driver’s reaction to the footage being played.”
‘I can’t believe the driver knocked a child off her horse and left her there. You don’t leave the scene
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Alison has urged others to report incidents.
“I’ve spent loads of time riding on the roads training police horses but ironically country lanes are not as safe as the busy streets you ride around London. I’ve never felt scared on the roads before but watching the footage back and seeing how close it was makes me realise we were very lucky,” she said.
“It feels really good that the police dealt with the incident and it got to court. I received a letter to say the driver received points and a fine – anyone can pay a fine, but the points will have an impact on him.”
The driver appeared in court charged and pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. He received six points, a £169 fine and had to pay £85 costs.
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